ALUMNI NEWS to Lost and Found/Used Uniforms. Jon served as a Little League baseball coach, a YMCA basketball coach and a Summerbridge/ Breakthrough advisory chair. He, too, gave of his time to FWCD, and takes on any job the School asks of him. Together, they were Falcon Club membership chairs for 2011-12. The Snyder family is thankful for Fort Worth Country Day’s commitment to academic excellence. “FWCD does an outstanding job of preparing students,” they said. “Students have the opportunity to participate and excel in sports, music and the arts, as well as academics. Teachers and coaches at FWCD challenge students to be the best that they can be.” Bill Baker received the 2012 Honorary Alumnus award for his more than 39-year tenure at Fort Worth Country Day. He is the beloved history teacher—who never fully retired! He served the School for 39 years before “retiring” in 2010, only to return to FWCD to substitute teach the very same subject. He came to FWCD after earning a bachelor’s degree from Texas Wesleyan University [where he played basketball and tennis], and teaching in the Fort Worth Independent School District for eight years. At FWCD, Bill was the sole Middle School history teacher. He had never coached a sport until he arrived on campus, but by his second year at FWCD, he was coaching six sports a year in the Middle School and later added Upper School sports. Bill served as head coach of Middle School tennis, as well as head coach of girls’ basketball and assistant coach of football for both divisions. One of his fondest memories is leading the Upper School girls’ basketball teams to the Division II Championship in both 1977 and 1978. Bill has spent more than half of his life at Fort Worth Country Day. While fully immersed in the life of the School, Bill’s sanctuary remained the classroom. A dedicated teacher, Bill will go down in FWCD history for his years of service. He is a member of Club Viginti, established in 1997 for faculty and staff who have given 20 or more years of service to FWCD. Chad Feehan ’97 was awarded the Falcon Star. A native of Texas, Chad earned an MFA from the American Film Institute. Upon graduation, he independently produced his thesis, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Immediately thereafter, Harvey Weinstein acquired worldwide rights for a staggering $3.5 million. Chad made his writing and directorial debut in 2009 on Beneath the Dark, a psychological thriller starring Josh Stewart and JamieFall/Winter 2012
Lynn Sigler. In 2011, Chad optioned William Gay’s southerngothic novel, Twilight, and adapted the book into a powerful script titled Beyond the Pale. In early 2012, he performed writing duties on Paranormal Activity 4 for Paramount Pictures. Chad is currently a member of the writing staff for TNT’s Southland and slated to pen episode 506. He is developing his own TV series, Blood Sweat & Tears, which sold to CBS in August. Set in Fort Worth, the series explores the world of amateur bull riding. “Country Day holds a special place in my heart,” Chad said. “Obviously, the education is the best—bar none; I learned to think critically, remain open-minded and value the benefits of hard work and intelligence. Both students and teachers challenged me daily and demanded excellence. FWCD’s coaching staff provided me with tools to succeed in the real world; they aided my abilities in terms of leadership and teamwork. I was supported in failure and success, and then inspired to perform to the best of my ability. All are tools paramount to victory in Hollywood.” Elliot Goldman ’90 was honored with the Service to Humanity Award. He began his career in public service working at the White House in the Office of the Vice President of the United States and as a campaign aide and staff assistant to U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. He later ventured into the business world founding and nurturing dozens of start-up companies, including his current venture as CEO of GL2 Partners. He is chairman of the board for the National Leadership Foundation, one of the country’s top leadership education organizations. As a result, he has authored two books on 20thcentury American military leaders and heroes. He has received recognition from The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and the Marine Corps League for programs in which the foundation has participated. Elliot and his wife, Heather, volunteer and contribute to many local and national charitable organizations. In 2008, they created “The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever” (GGCE) a unique holiday catalog that showcases the programs and services of local charitable organizations and helps those organizations tell their stories and attract new donors. In four years, the GGCE has made more than $1.75 million worth of charitable impact on the community. Elliot and Heather, a third-grade teacher at FWCD, have two children who are students at the School: Grace ’18 and Grant ’20. “Over the years, the School has been different things to me,” Elliot said. “First as a place to learn, then as a place for my children to learn and now as a place that allows my wife to do what she loves most: to teach.” FALCONER
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