Hallways 2015 Winter

A Publication of The Harpeth Hall School

Winter 2015

Stephanie stephanie Balmer NEW neW

HEAD heAD OF SCHOOL sChOOL

In THIS IN ThIs ISSUE: Issue:

2015 Distinguished Alumna 150th Anniversary Book The Next Step Capital Campaign Report

2014-2015

New Trustees

New Board Chair Emily Cate Tidwell ’75 • TRUSTEE TERM: 2008-2016 Emily will serve as Board Chair from 2014-2016. She has served on numerous committees for all aspects of the Harpeth Hall community, including Chair of the Head of School Search Committee, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Alumnae Board President, Annual Fund Chair with husband Crom, Overall Reunion Chair, Annual Fund Class Chair for Current Parents, Annual Fund Alumnae Chair, Annual Fund Major Gifts Committee, and the Distinguished Alumnae Selection Committee. She wrote a chapter in “Celebrating Milestones.” She was Athletics Committee Chair and served on the Parents Association Executive Board.

Emily chaired the Trustees and Governance Committee and served on Strategic Planning Committee, Buildings and Grounds Committee, Advancement Committee, Finance Committee, Campaign Planning Committee, Campaign Leadership Committee and Transition Committee. Emily received her Bachelor of Science in biology and pharmacy and holds a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill where she also completed a post doctoral fellowship. She and husband, Crom, are the parents of three children, Cate ’08 who was Lady of the Hall, graduated from UNC, and is working in Durham, NC, Warner ’13 who was Outstanding Athlete and is a sophomore at UNC, and Crom who is a junior at Montgomery Bell Academy.

Michael Blackburn Mike is a founder and the managing partner of Petra Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Nashville. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. He and his wife Bunny are parents of Anne Elizabeth ’18, Clare who is in fifth grade at Oak Hill, and Michael who is at J.T. Moore.

Mike’s daughter, Callie Blackburn, also attended Harpeth Hall. Bunny and Mike have served on the Annual Fund Major Gifts Committee, and Bunny is the co-chair of this year’s Main Event. Mike serves as chairman of the Small Business Investor Alliance and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization.

Trudy Ward Carpenter ’76 Trudy received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University. She and husband Bill have two daughters: Mary Clare who graduated from CPA, and Emily ’09, who was Lady of the Hall. Both daughters went to Texas Christian University (TCU). Their son Russell graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) in 2014 and also attends TCU. Trudy’s husband Bill is the CEO of LifePoint Hospitals and is an alumnus and trustee of Montgomery Bell Academy. Trudy is currently serving on the YMCA of Middle Tennessee Board of Directors and is very involved in Woodmont Christian Church.

Elizabeth Dennis A graduate of the University of Connecticut-Storrs, Elizabeth worked in finance for Goldman, Sachs and then Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City until 2000. The Dennis family moved to Nashville in 2006 and her husband Bob became chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Genesco, Inc. In Nashville, Elizabeth has chaired seven major events to benefit non-profit organizations. Elizabeth is also on the board of KIPP Academy. Their daughter Caleigh ’19 is in the eighth grade at Harpeth Hall; their son Patrick is in the ninth grade at Montgomery Bell Academy, and Thomas is in the third grade at Ensworth School.

Kathy Rolfe Kathy received her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Spanish from the University of Alabama. She is a devoted community volunteer, having served as president of the Friends of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and chair of the Antiques and Garden Show. At Harpeth Hall, Kathy volunteered as the Main Event patron chair, co-chaired the Annual Fund with her husband Bobby, served on the Annual Fund Major Gifts Committee, and as an Annual Fund class chair. Bobby, who served as a trustee from 2005 to 2011, founded West End Holdings, LLC and is CEO of Medical Reimbursements of America.

Daughter Carly ’10 graduated from the University of Alabama, and Leslie ’13 is a sophomore at the University of Alabama.

The Rolfes’s son Robert graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy and also went to the University of Alabama.

Jessica Gutow Viner ’89 Jessica returns to the board after serving as an ex-officio member from 2011-2013 as the Alumnae Board president. At Harpeth Hall, she received the Idanelle McMurray Award and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Master of Education from Harvard University. Jessica works in the admission office at Vanderbilt University and has worked in Harpeth Hall’s admission office. She has served on the Head’s Young Alumnae Council, the Distinguished Alumnae Selection Committee, and the Annual Fund Alumnae Major Gifts Committee which she has co-chaired twice. She and husband Dan have twin daughters at Harpeth Hall, Gaby ’20 and Rebecca ’20. They also have a son, Jacob, who is in the fifth grade at Ensworth School. Jessica’s husband is an otolaryngologist.

Chris Whitson Chris is an attorney with Sherrard & Roe. Chris is also a former councilman for the 23rd District of Nashville and Davidson County and the current chairman for the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals. A Montgomery Bell Academy alumnus, Chris graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and from Vanderbilt University Law School. Chris returns to the board of trustees after previously serving on the board from 2006 to 2012. Chris and his wife Julia have chaired the Annual Fund, the Annual Fund Parent Division, and the Annual Fund Major Gifts Committee. The Whitsons have three children: their daughter, Emily graduated from Harpeth Hall in 2010 and from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2014. Jack graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy and attends UNC-Chapel Hill, and son Alec is a junior at Montgomery Bell Academy.

1 In This Issue:

CONTENTS

Features 7 A Year At NASA

4

Chemistry teacher Melinda Higgins shares her experience.

8 Why I Teach Read Becky Smith’s inspiring words about teaching.

13 Expanding Winterim

6

The Warner family creates Winterim Travel Endowment Fund.

14 Investiture of Stephanie Balmer Special ceremony installs sixth head of school.

18 Meet the New Head of School

7

An interview with Stephanie Balmer.

23 Our History New book celebrates 150 years of girls’ education.

30 Distinguished Alumna Meet technology innovator Gina Klein Jorasch ’81.

14

32 A Spirit of Service Recognizing Nashville Philanthropist Lisa Campbell ’78.

53 SPECIAL SECTION: Campaign Report Celebrating the Success of The Next Step Capital Campaign

Departments

ON THE COVER

Stephanie Balmer, Harpeth Hall’s Sixth Head of School

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Academics

6

Athletics

8

Performing Arts

35

Alumnae Events

39

Class Notes

52

Retrospective

CLARIFICATION: 2013-2014 Report on Philanthropy

The Harpeth Hall School regrets errors in the recent Report on Philanthropy • Barbara Grohwin was incorrectly listed as deceased • William S. Joyce was incorrectly listed as Walter S. Joyce • Martha and Murray Hatcher should be listed in the Honor Roll Club as well as the Parent of Alumnae, Grandparents and Friends list • Willie Carter Davis Family Trust was incorrectly listed as the Willie Carver Davis Family Trust • A gift in memory of Polly Fessey ’43 given by Bob and Russ Fessey Hamel ’49 was incorrectly listed in the honor gift section.

The following endowment fund was omitted from the Other Endowment Funds section: The Helen Mullins Manning Mathematics Endowment Established in memory of Helen Mullins Manning, Ward-Belmont Class of 1930, by her daughter and former Harpeth Hall faculty member Nancy Manning VanDevender, this endowment provides an award that honors a senior who has exhibited both enthusiasm for and outstanding achievement in higher mathematics.

HALLWAYS STAFF

Joanne Mamenta, Editor Lauren Finney, Designer Photographers: Peyton Hoge, Joanne Mamenta, Marie Dodson Maxwell ’64, and Michael Strasinger Hallways is published twice a year by The Harpeth Hall School 3801 Hobbs Road, Nashville, TN 37215. www.harpethhall.org This magazine is printed on FSC certified paper made up of 50% recycled content

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Winter 2015

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AROUND THE HALL

Power Reader

O

ne could call Lizzy Asad ’18 a power reader. Last summer, she read 98 books. Circulation Librarian Susan Timmons had to bring a rolling cart out to the family’s car in order to collect all the books she had checked out from the summer.

“I love being able to explore different worlds, experience exciting adventures, empathize with fictional characters, and ultimately live new lives through words. Reading is a magical experience for me,” said Lizzy.

Her interest is vast and includes mystery, adventure, and dystopian worlds popular in young adult (YA) fiction. “I do not really have a favorite; however, my favorite series/books of the summer include the dystopian trilogy The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, the sci-fi dystopian trilogy The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and any novel from contemporary romance writer Rainbow Rowell.”

Harpeth Hall students are readers. For the past four years, more than 20,000 library books have been circulated compared to 10 years ago when we had just over 5,000 books were circulated.

Of all the books Lizzy has read, her all-time favorite is the Harry Potter series.

Devin Graham

I

National Merit Scholars

n September, the College Board announced the members of the Class of 2015 who are National Merit scholars. The six National Merit Semifinalists are Annika Brakebill, Carolyn Edwards, Catherine Falls, Callie Hubbell, Rebecca Rousseau, and Elizabeth Stinson. The two National Achievement Semifinalists are Obi Ananaba and Devin Graham. The eight National Merit Commended Students are Obi Ananaba, Brianna Bjordahl, Marliese Dalton, Reagan Freeman, Kate Goldenring, Gracie King, Briley Newell, and Grace Turner. Outstanding Participant in the National Achievement Scholarship Program is Noni Marshall.

HALLWAYS

Language Studies Abroad

“W

3

AROUND THE HALL

State Department Program Provides Students with

For five years, Harpeth Hall students have participated in the U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). Last summer Ellie Beahm ’14 studied Persian in Tajikistan, and Catherine Falls ’15 studied Arabic in Morocco.

hen I told people that I would be spending seven weeks in Tajikistan, few people knew it was a country and even fewer could place it on the map, said Ellie Beahm ’14.” Tajikistan is, admittedly, a bit off the beaten path, but that is part of the appeal. The country is an interesting mix of Muslim culture and post-Soviet Union influence that is hard to find anywhere else, and it is less tainted

by Western culture than many other vacation destinations. In Tajikistan, I had the opportunity to study along with 10 other American high school students. We explored ancient fortresses and beautiful mosques. We experienced the holy month of Ramadan and celebrated Eid al-Adha at the end. We bartered over candy and fabric for dresses in the bazaar using vocabulary we had learned in class that day. We became best friends with each other and with the gracious Tajik people. We danced and sang along with Persian music and memorized some of the most famous Persian poetry,” added Ellie ’14, a freshman at the University of Virginia with plans to major in foreign affairs.

Catherine Falls ’15, shared Ellie’s enthusiasm for studying abroad.

“During this past summer as a NSLI-Y student in Morocco, I had the opportunity to stay in the capital city of Rabat with several other American students with a wonderful host family. We used our days of classroom Arabic for weekend trips to Marrakesh and Fez, evening excursions to centuries-old mosques and Roman ruins, and bargaining in the Rabat’s old city, Medina. My time in Morocco was amazing. I went from complete ignorance of the Arabic alphabet to being able to hold basic conversations and write rudimentary paragraphs in a script so different from the English alphabet,” added Catherine.

A guard in front of the tomb of Mohammah V, the former King of Morocco.

Photo by Catherine Falls ‘15

The NSLI-Y is a fully funded national program that provides high school students the opportunity to learn “lesser commonly studied foreign languages including Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish.” To date, nine Harpeth Hall students have participated in this program.

Past Participants Include: 2010: Lucy Cohn-Still ’12 studied Chinese in China, Lena Bichell ’10 studied Turkish in Turkey, and Rohini Chakravarthy ’10 studied Arabic in Egypt.

2011: Meade Wills ’12 traveled to Morocco to study Arabic 2012: Allie Williams ’13 traveled to Morocco to study Arabic.

2013: Ellie Hitt ’13 studied Turkish in Turkey and Lois Efionayi ’13 studied Chinese in China.

Ellie Beahm ’14 in Tajikistan.

2014: Ellie Beahm ’14 studied Arabic in Tajikistan and Catherine Falls ’15 studied Arabic in Morocco.

Winter 2015

AROUND THE HALL

4

T

he Upper School Student Speaker Series, comprised of a dozen Upper School students, was founded in 2014 and funded by alumna Mandy Simpson Barbara ’54.

Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was the first speaker to participate in the new initiative. Sitting through daily lessons with his grandfather, Dr. Gandhi said he learned about his grandfather’s philosophy of non-violence. In his presentation to Harpeth Hall, he urged students to be mindful of their conscious and unconscious actions. To Dr. Gandhi, understanding his grandfather’s philosophy of non-violence is to understand that we are all interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated — not only as human beings but with all creation. To hear more of Dr. Gandhi’s Harpeth Hall presentation, visit http://vimeo.com/104779110.

Dr. Arun Gandhi

Fall Speakers Inspire Students

Ana Homayoun

Kasar Abdulla

Kasar Abdulla, Director of Advocacy and Education at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), spoke in September about Nashville’s immigrant and refugee population.

Ana Homayoun, author of The Myth of the Perfect Girl, was our Today’s Girl in Tomorrow’s World Symposium speaker. In addition to her community presentation, Ms. Homayoun spoke at an all-school assembly in October and encouraged students to identify what’s really important to them so they can focus on overall wellness and developing their own personal values.

HALLWAYS

Shani Jackson Dowell

Shani Jackson Dowell, who leads Teach For America’s Greater Nashville region, spoke in November about the importance of quality education for every child.

Alison Smith ’79, Senior Vice President, Distribution and Administration Services of BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), was the keynote speaker for the Upper School Career Day and shared her career journey to illustrate the importance of mentors and perseverance.

AROUND THE HALL

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Harpeth Hall Events Sunday on Souby

Middle School Grandparent and Special Friend Tea

Upper School Mother Daughter Coffee

Race for the Cure

Winter 2015

FALL TEAM

HIGHLIGHTS

ATHLETICS

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3 Athlete-Scholars to Compete at College Level

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hree members of the Class of 2015 have committed to participate at the Division 1 College Level in the fall. In November, Elizabeth Stinson signed a National Letter of Intent for swimming with the University of Southern California; Lydia Witty signed a National Letter of Intent for track with Vanderbilt University, and Sophie Pilkinton has verbally committed to swim at Yale University. A National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a student-athlete and a college stating that the student will attend the college and the college will provide a certain amount, as indicated in the National Letter of Intent, in athletic aid. These three athletes join more than two dozen Harpeth Hall alumnae competing in Division I and Division III teams throughout the United States.

Lydia Witty with Coach Jim Romero

Elizabeth Stinson and Sophie Pilkinton with Coach Polly Linden

Middle School HVAC Cross Country Champions

FALL ATHLETIC ACCOLADES VARSITY

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Cross Country

Riflery

Cross Country

TSSAA D-II AA State Champions

First place in sporter/precision class, Buccaneer Open in Ackworth, GA.

HVAC Champions Ellie Smith 2nd overall; Emily Anderson, 3rd overall

TSSAA D-II AA State Meet: Reagan Freeman, 2nd overall DII East-Middle All Region: Reagan Freeman and Abby Sparrow

Golf Ellie Moore and Lucy Smith qualified for state tournament

HALLWAYS

Soccer DII East-Middle All Region and Division II AA All-State: Sydney Webber

Golf

Volleyball

Runner Up HVAC AA Division Tourney

DII East-Middle All Region: Lauren Bars

3rd place HVAC Tourney

Volleyball

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS Jervis Named Cross Country Coach of the Year Jenny Jervis was chosen by The Tennessean as the All-Midstate Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year. Coach Jervis led Harpeth Hall’s cross country team to its 12th state championship. This is her second year as head varsity coach. Previously, she was Harpeth Hall’s assistant varsity cross country coach for three years.

New Softball Coach Heather Groenewoud has been hired as our new softball coach. Coach Groenewoud was a four-year scholarship softball player at The University of Mississippi where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Secondary English. She played professional softball for the Oosterhout Twins in The Netherlands (2003). She also was a high school English teacher and varsity softball coach at Hillsboro High School from 20032008. She is a private softball instructor with Nitro Baseball and Softball Academy.

New Middle School Athletic Director Lucy Bell has joined Harpeth Hall as our new Middle School Athletic Director.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Mercer University and a Master of Sport Administration from Belmont University.

She served as the Games and Activities Coordinator for Vanderbilt University’s Camp Vandy and worked as a Live Sports Statistics Scout for RunningBall Global Sports Data.

TSSAA D-II AA Cross Country Champions

Annie Stevens

Griffin Link

Reagan Freeman

Winter 2015

ATHLETICS

7

PERFORMING ARTS

88

Fall Drama, Night Watch

Harpeth Hall / MBA Musical, Damn Yankees Harpeth Hall/MBA Musical, Damn Yankees photo by Rick Malkin

Middle School Music Concert

Middle School Music Concert

HALLWAYS

Performing Upper School Music Concert

Upper School Music Concert

PERFORMING ARTS

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Fall Drama, Night Watch

Arts

Fall Dance Concert

Fall Dance Concert

Fall Dance Concert

Fall Dance Concert

Winter 2015

FACULTY FEATURE

10

U

pper School chemistry

students gathered around Melinda Higgins’s laptop in December to watch the splashdown of NASA’s new Orion spaceship on its first experimental flight test.

“The Orion is a capsule built to take humans farther into space than ever before,” said Ms. Higgins, “It may one day take people to Mars.”

Ironically, the flight, called Exploration Flight Test-1, marks the first time a spacecraft built for humans has traveled out of low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 launched to the moon in 1972, according to NASA. Back in the 1970s, the dawn of the space age, families around the world were glued to TV sets every time NASA launched any of its rockets. While the days of TV launches are gone, NASA continues to explore to the farthest reaches of the universe, and Upper School chemistry teacher Melinda Higgins hopes to take students along for the journey.

An Out of thisWorld Experience: A year at NASA

Ms. Higgins returned to Harpeth Hall this fall after serving for a year as an Einstein Fellow in the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C. where she worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Office of Education (OE), and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

During her time at NASA, she advised policy makers, scientists, and government officials on the state of STEM education at secondary schools and what should be done to increase the number of girls who pursue STEM careers. “They really wanted to hear from us, those of us on the ground, in the classrooms,” said Ms. Higgins. As a Fellow, she worked on more than 30 projects, including writing curriculum for NASA’s educational initiatives, writing a feasibility analysis to bring NASA’s engineering into schools, participating in NASA’s recruitment days, making site visits and presentations at interagency centers , and developing a HALLWAYS

hands-on, three-day event for aspiring high school science scholars.

Ms. Higgins piloted a program called #NASATeachableMoments as part of the launch of the Global Precipitation Mission, a new standard of measuring rain and snow around the world. #NASATeachableMoments provides educational snippets for teachers to use each day in their classrooms. “It was for enrichment and gave essential questions that teachers could ask at the beginning of their classes, and they didn’t have to build curriculum around it,” said Ms. Higgins, noting the teachable moments went out to over 6 million people through NASA’s networks.

Ms. Higgins immersed herself into the NASA culture, visiting multiple agencies, sitting in White House briefings, learning all she could about various departments and career opportunities to bring that knowledge back to her students. Regarding the Orion test, she told her students about the varied team that worked on

this mission from engineers to designers.

“Even the color palette of the mission, a team picked out those colors.

The heat shields — someone had to come up with the material for the heat shields, and men and women had to sew on the heat shields. They are all critical to this success. There are so many opportunities available. I want to engage our girls not just in STEM but to think outside of themselves,” added Ms. Higgins.

She hopes that her experience will benefit her students by “exposing, engaging, and inspiring them.” “It’s about life-long learning. I hope that my students see that we always need to stretch ourselves, take the initiative, and seek out new opportunities.”

read more Profile of Ms. Higgins on NASA website http://bit.ly/NASAHiggins Article by Ms. Higgins on authentic mentoring experiences http://bit.ly/STEMHiggins

FACULTY

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Why

I Teach

By Becky Smith, Chair of the Middle Science Department

A Sense of Wonder LEADS to Tomorrow’s INNOVATORS ou don’t have to watch a 2-year-old for long to

realize that humans are born wondering: An ant walking across the sidewalk, a fire engine with sirens screaming, a helium-filled balloon dancing in the wind. All are met with open mouths, dramatic pointing, bouncing up and down. But it is in the 2-year-old’s big eyes, the ones that don’t even want to close to blink lest she misses something, where you really see the curiosity, the desire to understand . . . the wonder.

Our children are growing up in a different world than we did.

Endless information is available to them at their fingertips. In fact, just the phrase “at your fingertips” brings up more than 47 million hits in Google. So what, then, do schools need to provide the most to our students? In a book called Creating Innovators, Tony Wagner argues that the most important thing that we can do for our children is to make them innovation-ready. They need us to equip them with skills today that will allow them to solve tomorrow’s problems.

These solutions — and innovations — won’t happen without wonder.

Fast forward 10 years from that curious 2-year-old to a 12-year-old, seventh-grader. What happens when a 12-year-old encounters that same ant, fire engine, and balloon? Perhaps typical adolescent behavior would dictate that the 12-year-old nonchalantly steps on the ant while turning her music up to drown out the siren, and doesn’t even see the balloon at all because she is texting, right?

But not here! I see wonder every day in the eyes of the girls here.

In sixth-grade science, that ant becomes a large beetle for whom our students design a sled to see how many pennies the beetle can pull across the carpet. In seventh grade, the fire engine becomes a rollicking test of the Doppler effect on Souby Lawn, and after eighth grade, no student will ever see a floating balloon the same after she applies an understanding of buoyancy to creating a submarine that floats and sinks and floats again. There is wonder. I see it in their eyes!

Few would argue against the connection between wonder and innovation. After all, the recognition that a problem needs solving is half the battle, right? But there is another essential component

to innovation – an environment and a culture where you are encouraged to keep wondering as you get older and where you learn how to turn wonder into innovation.

We build Popsicle stick bridges in seventh-grade science. Weeks of hard work are put to the test in front of a classroom full of teachers and classmates as weight is added to each bridge until it breaks.

During the tension of this vulnerable moment, I secretly pause to take it all in. Without exception, I hear laughter and cheering; I see supportive pats on the back and shared pacing in anticipation, and I chuckle to myself about the silly screams we all let out when the bridge crashes to the floor.

I am convinced that the same culture that has our students screaming and laughing at the end is the one that gave them confidence in the beginning to attempt a harder truss design, endurance to keep gluing when the first three bridges they tried to build fell apart, willingness to try again when their bridge didn’t even hold the weight of the bucket. These are building blocks that create innovators.

These discoveries would not happen outside the context of an environment where the budding innovator is confident, secure, and celebrated.

As a science teacher, I have a fondness for empirical data. While many people try, it’s a hard thing to measure the significance of an environment to learning and innovation, and yet I absolutely know it is such a vital component. I know that the all-girl environment fosters innovation. At Harpeth Hall, girls come into my classroom unabashedly eager to have their minds filled with new understandings about the way the world works.

One thing we all know for certain is that girls today will be women tomorrow. No matter what field they go into they will have problems to solve. The world is changing quickly. We need to equip them now with the tools they will need then. I cannot imagine a more fitting environment for an innovator to blossom than right here at Harpeth Hall.

Winter 2015

Jenny Byers Receives

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FACULTY

Prestigious Award

Director of College Counseling Jenny Byers received the prestigious

Marty Elkins Award for Excellence in College Counseling from the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS). She was presented with the honor in September at the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN. The Marty Elkins Award for Excellence in College Counseling was established to honor individuals who embody the ACCIS mission and enrich the college counseling profession.

Since her appointment as Harpeth Hall’s Director of College Counseling in 2006, Ms. Byers and the College Counseling Department have guided more than 700 Harpeth Hall graduates and their parents through the college counseling process.

She also started the annual conference for college counselors in girls’ schools in 2007 and continues to coordinate this yearly conference.

She recently completed a three-year rotation serving as program chair for ACCIS (Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools). Active on the local, regional, and national level, Ms. Byers previously chaired the Nashville Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Nashville College Fair, co-chaired the Tennessee State Initiatives Committee, and served as a board member on the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling. She currently serves on the Counselor Advisory Boards at the University of Alabama, University of Michigan, and Ohio State University.

Diann Blakely

HARPETH HALL ENGLISH TEACHER: 1987-1998

H

Ms. Blakely graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in art history from Sewanee: age 57 of Brunswick, GA, The University of the South in 1979. passed away on August She subsequently received a Master 5, 2014, after complications from a of Arts in literature from Vanderbilt chronic lung disorder. Ms. Blakely was University in 1980 and a Master of an American poet, essayist, and editor Fine Arts from Vermont College in who taught at Harpeth Hall from 1987 1989. In addition to Harpeth Hall, she – 1998. Upper School history teacher taught at Belmont University, Harvard Dr. Art Echerd remembered Ms. University, and Vanderbilt University.

Blakely as a teacher who challenged A Robert Frost Fellow at Bread Loaf, her students. “She was an intellectual she also was a Dakin Williams Fellow and brilliant. I think students were at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, initially intimidated by her because at which she had worked earlier as of her vocabulary.” Ms. Blakely taught founding coordinator. She was the in the English department as a senior author of three poetry collections: instructor and was the first Poet-inHurricane Walk; Farewell, My Lovelies; Residence at Harpeth Hall. “I remem- Clockwise from top left: Dr. Derah Myers, Scottie Girgus, Laura Huff, Amy Sebes, and Cities of Flesh and the Dead.

Margaret Renkl, Diann Shoaf Blakely, Dr. Murray Sellers, Lisa Archer Springman ber she would have students read At the time of her death, she was these great works of literature during Winterim. They would meet at a working to complete two more collections: Rain In Our Door: Duets coffee house and discuss the works. She treated students like equals,” with Robert Johnson and Lost Addresses: New and Selected Poems. added Dr. Echerd.

arriet Diann Blakely,

HALLWAYS

sk most Harpeth Hall

alumnae about one of their most transformational experiences, and they will likely mention Winterim. Founded in 1973, Winterim is a three-week program of on and off campus opportunities designed to broaden the intellectual horizons of our students. Two alumnae, Jeannette Warner ’78 and Mary Laird Warner Stewart ’82, know about the life-changing experiences Winterim offers.

Today, Jeannette hauls a heavy Nikon camera in her carry-on luggage whenever she travels thanks to a photography class she took during Winterim her freshman year. Her junior year, a Winterim trip to Greece and Italy taking her abroad for the first time, inspired her lifelong love of traveling and of immersing herself in different cultures. The New York-based attorney has traveled throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Asia is still on her bucket list. “I really try to stay an extended period of time in a country, visiting with the residents in their homes to really share their culture,” she added.

Winterim Travel current honorary trustee, Peggy has a keen interest in ongoing educational excellence for girls. She and her family are also committed to providing greater access to Harpeth Hall for girls who need financial aid. In 2003, the Warner family established the Smith-Warner Family Scholarship through the Henry Laird Smith Foundation to provide need-based scholarships to deserving students. They have grown the fund over time to a fully funded endowment.

In 2014, during The Next Step Campaign, Peggy and her family, through the Henry Laird Smith Foundation, provided the funds to establish The Winterim Travel Fund, a greatly needed resource for juniors and seniors on financial aid who are not able to participate in Winterim academic travel abroad trip, internships in New York and Washington D.C., or International Exchanges due to the expense.

“Retired Head of School Ann Peggy Warner ’54 with Jeannette Warner and Mary Laird Warner Stewart Teaff believed Winterim was Mary Laird also experienced such an important part of a academic travel during Winterim.

Harpeth Hall education, and we wanted to make Winterim travel Advanced in French, she was one of three sophomores able to available to more girls,” said Peggy. “We hope that the establishtravel to France for Winterim, staying with a host family and ment of this fund will inspire other alumnae to join our efforts attending school in Châteauroux in the Loire Valley. However, to ensure that all students will have the opportunity to fully it was a senior-year internship at Vanderbilt Diabetes Research Lab that sparked her interest in medicine. “I credit that internship participate in all Winterim travel programs.” with helping me later get another internship at Vanderbilt when “By making a gift, you continue to impact a student’s educational I was a junior in college — both leading to admission to medical experience,” added Mary Laird, chair of the Harpeth Hall school at Vanderbilt,” said Dr. Warner, a critical care specialist National Advisory Council. in Colorado.

Winterim did not exist when their mother, Peggy Smith Warner ’54, attended Harpeth Hall, but she later enjoyed auditing teacher Violet Jane Watkins’ on-campus Winterim course called “Money at Work.” As a past Harpeth Hall board chair and a

We are grateful to the Warner family for its commitment to Harpeth Hall. If you would like to make a gift to The Winterim Travel Fund, please contact Susan Moll, Director of Advancement, at 615-346-0087 or moll@harpethhall.org

Winter 2015

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PHILANTHROPY

Family’s Endowment Provides Funding for

FEATURE

14

THE INVESTITURE OF

Stephanie Balmer THE SIXTH HEAD OF SCHOOL

S

tephanie Balmer was installed as the sixth head of school of The Harpeth Hall School on September 5, 2014, in the newly built Athletic and Wellness Center. Mrs. Balmer joined Harpeth Hall on July 1, 2014, from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she had served as Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communications and Dean of Admissions from 2009-2014.

She came to Harpeth Hall with 24 years of higher education administration experience at private liberal arts colleges with national reputations for educational excellence and innovative curriculum.

Eighth-Grade String Quartet

HALLWAYS

Leah Rhys and Heads of Schools

FEATURE

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“ferocious and loyal supporter.”

“Stephanie brings a dedication, passion, and perspective to education — she is a strategic thinker and has a resume packed with excellence and innovation.

In his remarks, Dr. Doug Christiansen called Mrs. Balmer a

Crissy Wieck Welhoelter ’96, Alumnae Representative

Board of Trustees

Annika Brakebill ’15, Upper School Student Representative

Winter 2015

FEATURE

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The morning investiture ceremony included a procession of the Board of Trustees and Harpeth Hall faculty in academic robes, performances by the Upper School Chamber Choir, Eighth Grade String Quartet, and welcoming remarks by members of the Harpeth Hall community representing the faculty, students, alumnae, and parents.

An important part of an investiture is a keynote address that frames the qualities and qualifications of the person being honored. Chosen for this important speech was Dr. Doug Christiansen, Vanderbilt University’s Vice Provost for Enrollment Affairs, and colleague, mentor, and friend of Mrs. Balmer.

In his remarks, Dr. Christiansen called Mrs. Balmer a “ferocious and loyal supporter.” “Stephanie brings a dedication, passion, and perspective to education — she is a strategic thinker and has a resume packed with excellence and innovation. She has tangible experience in developing initiatives that support institutional aspirations — and making sure those initiatives are well resourced. This is an ideal portfolio to support the intellectual curiosity and rigor of a Harpeth Hall education,” Dr. Christiansen added.

Following Dr. Christiansen’s remarks, Board Chair Emily Cate Tidwell ’75 presented the charge from the Board of Trustees: “Stephanie, you understand, embrace and embody the ideals set forth in our mission and purpose. You are an

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innovative thinker and a trusted and collaborative leader.

Your commitment to the ideals of Harpeth Hall’s distinct mission — to educate girls and young women — has long been reflected in both your personal and professional life.

You are an outstanding educational leader known for your clear and compelling articulation of the importance of girls’ and women’s education. These qualities combined with your personal passion for life-long learning make you an outstanding fit to lead Harpeth Hall into a new era.”

In accepting the charge to lead Harpeth Hall, Mrs. Balmer reflected on the school’s great history starting almost 150 years ago with the opening of Ward Seminary for Young Ladies and its future trajectory.

“Today, Harpeth Hall is clear about its mission and purpose and has articulated these ideas succinctly in its mission statement — Harpeth Hall educates young women to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably. These words are a pledge, a bond, and a commitment. I commit to understanding the traditions, the values and the priorities that have guided our school, and commit to using our mission statement to focus our work and decision making.

And I commit to celebrating the diversity of our community while striving to be ever more inclusive.”

To read Mrs. Balmer’s complete remarks, visit: http://bit.ly/HHInvestiture

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is clear about its mission and purpose, and has articulated these ideas succinctly in its mission statement — Today, Harpeth Hall

Harpeth Hall educates young

to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably. These words are a pledge, a bond, and a commitment. women

Jess Hill, Head of Upper School

Dr. Doug Christiansen, Vanderbilt University’s Vice Provost for Enrollment Affairs

Board Chair, Emily Cate Tidwell ’75

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Stephanie Balmer with her sophomore advisory: Georgia Weathers, Augusta Bowhay, Mary Kate Roach, Hannah Hayes, Summer Kapanka, Julia Nahley HALLWAYS and Emma Wise.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Head of School Stephanie Balmer opened the 149th year

Q

Q &A

WITH HEAD OF SCHOOL STEPHANIE BALMER

How have you adapted to the change from working in a college setting to an independent school setting?

A

The transition has been terrific. There is great curiosity from my college and university colleagues about the change in the rhythm and pace in an independent school setting. My days are very similar as I have spent the last 24 years at liberal arts colleges with 1,000 to 2,300 students where relationships with students, faculty, and staff were deeply valued. I had frequent communication with parents and trustees and enjoyed these friendships. At Dickinson, the division for which I had responsibility was comprised of five departments including nearly 100 colleagues. Developing and nurturing relationships with colleagues was a priority. I was able to be studentcentered and be an administrator.

These roles are consistent with what is expected of me at Harpeth Hall and what I want to bring in my role as head of school. Colleges and independent schools are much more alike than many might think.

Q A

Can you talk about the importance of relationship building?

Relationship building is a vital part of our work and commitment. Our students deserve every

assurance that we care deeply about who they are in the classroom and in their co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Our students need to know that we care as much about them when they are having a tough day or week as we care about them when we are celebrating a great win or an arts performance. Strong, authentic relationships allow us to affirm who we are on those days when Harpeth Hall sparkles and on those days when it might be a tougher day for our community.

Q

How would you describe your approach to heading a school like Harpeth Hall?

A

The advantage of arriving at Harpeth Hall following Ann Teaff ’s 16 years is that our school is in such strong health. The head transition is an opportunity to honor the school as it is today and to understand the decisions and initiatives that have defined the school’s past and its trajectory. I have the opportunity to really listen this first year, to hear from the community, to meet with the community in every aspect, and to spend time in classes and co-curricular activities with students. I have seven sophomore advisees, and it is really rich to hear from them about their interests and ambitions and to think about what they need developmentally as 10th graders in addition to all eight grades for which we have responsibility.

The board established a priority in my first year of connecting with the community, and I am grateful for that.

With my arrival on July 1, there was not a pressing area or pressing issue that needed immediate attention. I am fortunate to be able to spend time in the upper school, in the middle school, with alumnae and parents, and in the community to gain a sense of where we have opportunity. This is such a great school and as we look to our future, there are many paths and possibilities that will allow us to become even greater.

Q

What are you hearing about Harpeth Hall having spent your first semester meeting with independent school heads and community leaders?

A

Harpeth Hall enjoys a sterling reputation in the Nashville area and nationally that dates back to the Ward Seminary and Ward-Belmont years.

During the 2015-2016 school year, we will celebrate 150 years of these three great schools. Our reputation of providing an outstanding education to smart girls and young women has enabled Harpeth Hall to earn its rightful place among the most respected independent schools. We are very fortunate to have opened the 2014-2015 academic year with our highest enrollment with 687 girls. But I believe that when you’re in a position of strength is when you’re most Winter 2015

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of educational excellence for young women with Opening Convocation on August 20, 2014. As she completed her first semester as Harpeth Hall’s sixth head of school, she reflected on her time on campus and in the community.

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Honeybear and Stephanie Balmer at Sunday on Souby fall festival.

The Balmer family: Isabel with Cooper, Stephanie, and Lauren.

Speaking at Leadership Dinner.

able to consider the possibilities for the future. We must continue to cultivate our multi-generational families whose legacies go back decades at Harpeth Hall and our predecessor schools and to continue to identify those families who are willing to travel great distances to Harpeth Hall given their commitment to an exceptional education for their daughters.

And it is essential that we reach the new families who are relocating to Nashville from different parts of the United States and the world.

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Q

Jackie Glover Thompson ‘64 and Catherine Beckner Perry ‘03 at the Alumnae Holiday Party.

What are your early impressions about Harpeth Hall as you begin your second semester?

A

Harpeth Hall is missiondriven and market-informed.

We have such a strong history and tradition and have been able to embrace our past, enjoy the present, and look to the future. We are always thinking about how do we teach the arts, the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences?

We ask ourselves, “What global competencies must our students possess?

What is the role of technology in an independent school in preparing students for an uncertain future?”

We seek ways our girls and young women can be their best selves each and every day through our curricular and co-curricular offerings. This idea of constantly questioning how we can be better — that insistence is impressive to me. Often transition years are a time to pause; that is not the case here. We have had two successful

Q &A Q A

What are some of the challenges we face?

As Nashville continues to grow, Harpeth Hall must remain a relevant, high quality, first choice for girls exploring fifth- through 12thgrade education. While it might be considered a challenge, we see an opportunity to nurture and cultivate the next generation of donors who will equally be committed to Harpeth Hall and its future. We raised over $80 million from our recent campaigns and we want to continue to have an ambitious vision for girls and Harpeth Hall’s future. Lastly, I think every day about the investment that families are making in a Harpeth Hall education. How can we deliver a high quality, personal education with accomplished faculty, the breadth and depth of our college preparatory curriculum, and the number of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that we offer on a state-ofthe-art campus at as low of a price as possible? The return on the investment in a Harpeth Hall education pays dividends over a lifetime yet we must continue to visit and revisit our cost structure and resultant price.

Q

Having spent two decades at an all-women’s college, Agnes Scott, did that experience shape your opinions about single-gender education for girls and women?

A

The years at Agnes Scott were life-changing as it was an honor to be on a campus that dedicated every resource to educating young women.

I know that these years informed my decision and desire to consider Harpeth Hall. At our Today’s Girl in Tomorrow’s World Symposium last fall, speaker Ana Homayoun explored the myth of the perfect girl and the idea that taking risks and experiencing failure develops resiliency. If you don’t take risks and don’t experience failure, where is there room for growth and learning? What I found working at Agnes Scott was the opportunity for high school girls who came from an imbalanced classroom experience to arrive at a women’s college and find that all of their classmates were women, the leaders were all women, and many of the faculty and senior administrators were women. Role modeling, mentoring, finding one’s voice, and being able to take risks in a non-threatening space were transformational experiences for these young women.

Q

How do you envision alumnae playing a role in the present and the future of Harpeth Hall?

A

their accomplishments and their paths post-Harpeth Hall are priorities for us. Many alumnae have shared stories about how their Harpeth Hall education has served as a foundation for their lives and how the experiences with a faculty member or through a co-curricular initiative, such as Winterim, fueled their interests in a chosen career or graduate, professional school decision. I have been so struck by alumnae who have commented that despite the very strong colleges and universities they have chosen, their Harpeth Hall classmates and their Harpeth Hall years have stayed with them over their lifetime whether they graduated five years ago or 50-plus years ago.

Our alumnae accomplishments are exceptional, and it’s not coincidental that these skills and experiences were formed in a single-gender setting for girls.

Q A

Anything else you would like to add?

I am the sixth head of school and had the opportunity at my September investiture to reflect on the previous five heads and the talents that they brought to the position and the advances made during their tenures. I am inspired to be working with this community—our faculty, students, parents, alumnae, and trustees—given its deep commitment to ensuring that our great school becomes even greater.

Our alumnae reflect the value of a Harpeth Hall education.

Telling their stories and positioning Winter 2015

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back-to-back campaigns, The Campaign for Harpeth Hall and The Next Step Campaign. People are so eager to hear what’s next because they know great things happen when our community comes together to advance the future of our school.

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Celebrating Our150 Years

150th ANNIVERSARY

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There are few all-girls college preparatory schools in the South and perhaps in the country older than Harpeth Hall. Ward Seminary, Ward-Belmont, and Harpeth Hall are separate chapters of one continuous story of excellence in the education of young women. To commemorate our sesquicentennial, The Harpeth Hall School will celebrate its 150

2015 Spring Events MAY: Reunion 2015 • Distinguished Alumnae Exhibit Presentation: We will welcome back to campus our 2015 and past Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont distinguished alumnae to formally unveil the new Distinguished Alumnae Exhibit in the Hortense Bigelow Ingram Upper School.

• Retrospective Discussion and Book Signing: Join us as we gather alumnae from multiple periods in the history of Ward-Belmont and Harpeth Hall to discuss the 150-year evolution of one of the oldest all-girls’ schools in Nashville. We will hear from Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, our archivist and author of All-Girls Education from Ward Seminary to Harpeth Hall 1865-2015, as she moderates a panel of alumnae and faculty who are committed to all girls’ education.

MAY: Spring Dance Concert All former Harpeth Hall alumnae dancers and their children are invited to participate in Generations, a special commemorative dance piece performed at all three spring concerts. Former dancers will make their way backstage during intermission and stand onstage while the piece is being performed. No experience, no rehearsal necessary, just come and share in the fun and camaraderie of the Harpeth Hall dance family. Alumnae and students will be singing, and the senior dancers will be performing. “This is a way to celebrate the many years of dance and also to highlight former dancers,” said Dance Director Stephanie Hamilton. The concerts are at 6:30 p.m. on April 30 – May 1 and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on May 2. For more information, contact Ms. Hamilton at hamilton@harpethhall.org.

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years with special speakers who have made an impact on the storied history of our school and a variety of events to evoke the spirit and legacy that began during the formation of the New South in 1865 and continues today.

Our festive commemoration of this significant historic milestone will begin in May 2015 and run through May 2016.

E

ight years ago this January, Mary Ellen Pethel had just completed her coursework for a Ph.D. in history at Georgia State University in Atlanta. A top honors student with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Education from Berry College, Summa Cum Laude, Dr. Pethel was passionate about history and particularly the Gilded/Progressive Era. For her dissertation, she chose to investigate the emergence of modern college life in the early 20th century and settled on Nashville as the center of her research. What better place to study educational history than the “Athens of the South.”

At about this same time in Nashville, Harpeth Hall was just launching a search for a new history teacher in the Upper School. Science Department Chair Lisa Keen knew of Dr. Pethel’s reputation through her sister, Krissie Rigsby who was Dr. Pethel’s college roommate.

She contacted Pethel to suggest that she apply for the position.

As Dr. Pethel likes to say, “the stars aligned” to bring her to Harpeth Hall. Excited about the opportunity to apply to such a great school and move to the center of her study, she nevertheless had no idea of the historical connections between Harpeth Hall and the very schools she would be researching for her dissertation —

AN INTERVIEW with Author Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel

by Ophelia Thompson Paine ’68

Ward Seminary, Belmont College, and Ward-Belmont.

Director of the Upper School Jess Hill agrees that “it was all meant to be.” Harpeth Hall gained not only a highly qualified and experienced history teacher but also a new school archivist/historian and published author who would write a remarkable new history of Harpeth Hall as seen through the lens of the evolution of girls’ education in this country.

Due to be published in early April, All-Girls Education from Ward Seminary to Harpeth Hall begins in the fall of 1865 with the opening of Ward Seminary for Young Ladies less than six months after the end of the Civil War. Just five years later the school would be declared one of the top three educational institutions for young women in the country by the National Board of Education in Washington, D.C. And that was just the beginning . . .

This past fall, in the midst of teaching Advanced Placement U.S. History, economics, and government to juniors and seniors at Harpeth Hall by day and an interdisciplinary honors course at Belmont University at night, Dr. Pethel sat down to talk about her upcoming book. She discussed her research, the writing process, and why she hopes that people will enjoy the stories of girls’ education through the years.

Interviewer: Why do you think it was important to write this book at this time?

Dr. Pethel: As I began to research the evolution of girls’ education after 1920, I realized that no one had done a case-study in the context of the larger history of girls’ education in the South and the United States.

I was greatly inspired by Ilana DeBare’s book, Where Girls Come First, published in 2004. DeBare’s book was a groundbreaking study of girls’ education and a significant reference for me as I began to look deeply into the history of Harpeth Hall from Ward Seminary forward.

As the Harpeth Hall archivist, I also realized that this was the perfect

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150th ANNIVERSARY

New Book Chronicles 150 YEARS of All-Girls Education in Nashville

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150th ANNIVERSARY

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opportunity to build and expand upon previous research and use the school’s rich archival resources.

Next year also marks the 150th anniversary of uninterrupted education for young women from Ward Seminary to Harpeth Hall.

There are few all-girls college preparatory schools in the South and perhaps in the country older than Harpeth Hall. Ward Seminary, Ward-Belmont, and Harpeth Hall are separate chapters of one continuous story.

Interviewer: How does the history of girls’ education in Nashville compare with that of other cities around the country? What did you discover that was unique to the history of Harpeth Hall?

Dr. Pethel: Harpeth Hall is unusual in its survival as an inde-

pendent girls’ school. Many girls’ schools in the South and beyond had to close at some point in their history or evolved into colleges and universities. Agnes Scott and Randolph-Macon are examples.

Unlike many girls’ schools in the South that drew students primarily from their local communities, Ward Seminary and Ward-Belmont attracted students from throughout the South and beyond. Both schools were highly regarded both regionally and nationally. Nashville’s reputation as the Athens of the South certainly supported all the schools in this city.

Interviewer: Girls education has changed significantly since the mid-19th century, but there have certainly been some “constants” — some values that have not changed. What do you see as the legacy of Ward Seminary and Ward-Belmont?

At the same time, the school has stayed true to the values of civility and respect for others. Girls may not curtsy and bow, but timeless values of integrity and character remain key components of the Harpeth Hall culture.

Interviewer: You talk in your book about the impact of Title IX on girls’ education. What effect did it have on girls’ education in Nashville?

Dr. Pethel: The passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that requires

gender equity for boys and girls in every federally funded educational program, had a complicated but ultimately positive result on independent girls’ schools. When most people think of Title IX they think of the legislation’s effects on women’s sports in regard to equal educational funding. In reality, Title IX initially led to the closure or co-educational merger of all public single-gender schools (with two exceptions) and many private girls’ schools.

In an effort to equalize education for girls and boys, schools integrated and merged to become co-educational. It was not until the 1990s that schools for girls began to experience a revival as educators and psychologists studied, researched, and published findings that revealed that single-gender schools provided an advantageous environment based on how girls learn best. Through the late 1980s and 1990s, Title IX also raised the bar for girls’ athletics which benefitted all-girls’ schools like Harpeth Hall.

Interviewer:

Was there anything you discovered in the process of researching these schools that might surprise people?

Dr. Pethel: Penny Mountfort, science teacher and administrator Dr. Pethel: I think people may be surprised at the number of at Harpeth Hall from the 1950s to the 1980s, said, “May Harpeth always change and never change.” As the roles of women in our society evolved, Harpeth Hall also transformed to meet the educational needs of women as they took their places in the society of their time. Ward Seminary, Belmont College, and WardBelmont graduates were leaders on the home front in both world wars and were suffragists who worked for the right of women to vote. Our alumnae have helped break down barriers for women in entertainment, business, medicine, education, and government.

Today Harpeth Hall graduates have almost unlimited possibilities for their future.

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prominent women who attended this school in the past and whom I profile in my book. Students today will recognize Amy Grant and Reese Witherspoon, but they may not be familiar with co-founder of Reader’s Digest Lila Acheson Wallace, Congresswoman Betty Pruett Farrington, a leading advocate for Hawaiian statehood; playwright and U.S. ambassador Clare Booth Luce, and comedian Sarah Cannon (“Minnie Pearl”), among other impressive alumnae.

The book also provides many vignettes of faculty members, administrators, and students over of the last 150 years. All-Girls also captures the changing context of Nashville as a southern city and national trends in education. I am proud to have brought

Graduating Class of Ward Seminary May 31, 1888

Teachers

1. Miss Caruthers 15. Miss Haughworth 22. Miss Watson 23. Miss Clary 24. Mrs. Haucoch 25. Mrs. Stone 26. Mrs. Robertson

Students

2. Rosa Haun, Miss.

3. Janie Ormau, Texas 4. Belle Sutherland, Texas 5. Mattie Sykes, Texas 6. Clara Plummer, Texas 7. Mackie Hardison, Tenn.

8. Addie Lyons, Tenn.

9. Carrie Slate, Georgia 10. Cora Hager, Tenn.

11. Laure Ghent, Texas 12. Rosa Naylor, Tenn.

13. Annie Wright, Tenn.

14. Annie Biggs, Missouri 16. Leila Cooper, Arizona

17. Bertha Gauze, Texas 18. Mannie Reeks, Texas 19. Jane McLeau, Kentucky 20. Ada Clarkson, Tenn.

21. Tommie Sharon, Tenn.

27. Stella Sykes, Tenn.

28. Minnie Thomas, Tenn.

150th ANNIVERSARY

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29. Blanche Beard, La. 30. Hattie Bridges, Tenn.

31. Margorie Owsley, Ky

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Ward Seminary Basketball Team, 1907

150th ANNIVERSARY

26 these stories and accomplished individuals back to life.

Interviewer:

What will people enjoy most about your book?

Interviewer: You are also

Dr. Pethel: I hope

Harpeth Hall’s archivist. Is there anything in the archives that might surprise people? Are you still looking for certain kinds of information or historic documents?

readers will find this book both interesting and entertaining. I tried to give a feeling for what it was like to be a student at each of these schools and included numerous anecdotes gathered from my research and from interviews with former students.

Writing this book has been a journey of discovery and a labor of love. It remains my deepest hope that it is also a joy to read.

Dr. Pethel: We have all kinds of

interesting documents and artifacts in the school’s archives. I would love to add more items from before 1900 — anything related to Ward Seminary or Belmont College. We are also interested in personal diaries, school work, textbooks, and scrapbooks.

Interviewer:

What do you hope readers take away and remember from the book?

Dr. Pethel: What I have learned most from writing

this book are the ways in which women’s education has evolved and expanded with the changing roles of women in society, and more specifically the experience of Southern women. Women indelibly shaped, and were shaped by, their educational experiences. Each influenced the other; women were products of the educational opportunities of their time and in turn they used education as a springboard to improve their lives and communities.

Over the last 150 years women have become greater and more visible participants in public life rather than passive recipients relegated to the private sphere. This cycle has created a ripple effect from which today’s students benefit.

I hope students and alumnae who read this book will be even more proud to say that they attended The Harpeth Hall School.

Interviewer: Would you like to say anything about what you see as the future of girls’ education in general?

Dr. Pethel: It’s always difficult to predict the future,

but girls’ schools have certainly experienced a renaissance in the last couple of decades. Harpeth Hall’s success is a testament to the importance of single-gender education and parents’ desire for their daughters to have the opportunity to learn and flourish in an all-girls environment.

There will always be a role for all-girls schools; the success of these schools in graduating confident and independent thinkers speaks for itself.

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of Strong Women

A Generational Legacy

Anna McKamy White, WS 1903

G

eorgeanna White Payne ’52 was a member of Harpeth Hall’s first graduating class having attended Ward-Belmont for three years before its sudden closure in 1951. “That first year at Harpeth Hall was all rigorous academics. We had to earn our accreditation, and there was no room for extracurricular classes such as typing, art, music, dance, or sports,” recalled Mrs. Payne. Further, she explained “the Harpeth Hall honor code came from Ward-Belmont with the class of ’52, along with most of the Ward-Belmont teachers who did not teach at the college level.” Her daughter, Laurie Payne Nicholson ’74, enjoyed the strong curriculum and treasured school traditions that continued to evolve at Harpeth Hall since her mother’s years as a student.

ALUMNAE

We recognize two families with daughters currently at Harpeth Hall who represent four or more generations of women attending Ward Seminary, Ward-Belmont, and Harpeth Hall. Their memories provide a distinctive perspective on girls’ education and the evolution of Harpeth Hall.

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Elizabeth Gilbert Armistead, WB ’ 31

measured as we entered school because we began wearing uniforms in 1972,” recalled Mrs. Nicholson. Remaining constant was Harpeth Hall’s emphasis on “preparedness.”

“We all have good study habits and a strong foundation, empowering us to aspire to any goal,” she added. Mrs. Nicholson is pleased that Harpeth Hall is “still rigorously academic and even better rounded, offering every extracurricular and sports program imaginable” for daughter Katie, who is a junior.

During The Next Step Campaign, Laurie’s husband Alex wished to pay homage to the family’s long and loyal association with Harpeth Hall and its predecessor schools.

Thanks to his generous gift, a plaque in the Athletic and Wellness Center honors five As this next generation generations of alumnae in the arrived, Harpeth Hall’s culture White — Payne — Nicholson paralleled the shift in the family: Anna McKamy White Laurie Payne Nicholson ’74, Katie Nicholson ’16, nation with women taking on WS 1903, Anna White Lipe and Georgeanna White Payne ’54 more leadership roles outside WB 1928, Jane Davis Nicholson the home. “We had rules that had originated at Ward-Belmont, WB 1936, Mary Margaret Payne Young WB 1950, such as no walking on the grass, no chewing gum, and the Georgeanna White Payne HH 1952, Lucile White Hoffman honor code, but now the student council and the students HH 1960, Laurie Payne Nicholson HH 1974, and also had a voice in our school. We no longer had our skirts Katharine Davis Nicholson HH 2016. continued on page 34 Winter 2015

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Career Day Introduces Students to a Variety of Professions

H

arpeth Hall hosted more than 40 outstanding alumnae from a variety of professions on November 14 for our bi-annual Upper School Career Day. The afternoon began with an inspiring and always entertaining keynote by Alison Smith ’79, Senior Vice President of Distribution & Administration Services for BMI. Following Alison’s remarks, students and alumnae gathered throughout the Upper School for panel discussions. The event concluded with a networking session. I was able to talk to Ellen Green for about 20 minutes and learn all about her time on Wall Street and how that affected her entire life. What she said really opened my eyes and made me look at that career option in a new light, and I am extremely grateful for the insider’s opinion she gave me. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to all of the impressive women about their careers,” said Kaili Wang ’18.

Career Day occurs each year but the audience changes. One year it is offered for the Upper School student body and the next year it is held for the eighth-grade class. I am always looking for panelists to share about their careers, their journeys, and how Harpeth Hall might have influenced their paths. Your participation can have a strong impact on our students. If you are interested in participating in future Career Days, please contact me at coombs@harpethhall.org. Read what students said were some of the things they learned from this year’s Career Day. Best regards, Scottie Fillebrown Coombs ’78 coombs@harpethhall.org

“I really enjoyed just getting a general view on some areas I hadn’t known too much about beforehand.”

“There are a variety of options for careers and you need to be open to understanding all of them.”

“DREAM BIG!” You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do.

I learned to stand your ground as a woman and always be prepared.

“LOOK for something you find

worthwhile. DON’T take a job based on the salary, take a job that inspires you or interests you.”

“ That organization is key in a lot of professions.”

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2014 ARTS Anna Derryberry ’03, Coordinating Producer, National Geographic Channels International Amanda Norman ’00, Owner and Artist, Amanda Norman Studio Kimberly Irion ’96, Actor/Branded Entertainment Consultant, Reign Agency

BUSINESS/SALES Megan Casey ’00, Director of Marketing and Customer Accounts, Radsource, LLC Jennie Stevens Witherspoon ’94, Vaccine Specialist Sanofi Pasteur Tara Scarlett ’91, Director of eCommerce, Digital Acceleration, MARS, Inc. Liz Anderson Cope ’05, Director of Physician Relations, HCA — Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals

COMMUNICATIONS Jamie McGee Chenery ’01, Columnist/Reporter, The Tennesseean Jennifer Corbett ’90, Group Director, W2O Group Adell Crowe ’74, Assistant Director/ Student Media, American University School of Communication

CONSULTING/THERAPY Rachel Wieck Cupit ’00, Upper School Counselor, The Harpeth Hall School Catherine Johnson Furbish ’00, Clinical Therapist, Sexual Assault Center

CAREER DAY PANELISTS

Nicoll Doramus Hannaway ’00, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Therapist, Symmetry Counseling, LLC

ENGINEERING AND DESIGN Keats Johnson Leach ’02, Assistant Project Manager, Spectrum Properties/Emery Brent Sharp Derrick ’90, Engineer, formerly with U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Abby Rudd ’05, Senior Financial Analyst, Reynolds American, Inc.

HEALTHCARE Katie Beesley ’00, Nurse Practitioner, Urgent Tea Mary Laird Warner Stewart ’82, Medical Director, Intensive Care Unit, Swedish Medical Center; Associate Professor, Divisions of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine

Annie Baron Flanagin ’99, Project Manager, Baron Construction

Lauren Powell Hayley ’04, Pediatric Resident, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital

Courtney A. Mitchell, Ph.D Graduate Student, Chemical & Bimolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University

HR AND MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

Alex Walsh, Graduate Research Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Research, Vanderbilt University

Margaret Napier Morford ’73, CEO and Owner, The HR Edge Incorporated

ENTREPRENEURS

Natasha Taylor ’02, Vice President, Operations, Crenshaw Associates

Laura Lea Bryant ’04, Owner, Holistic Chef and Nutrition Consultant, Laura Lea Balanced Holly Whetsell Coltea ’94, Franchise Owner, barre3 Crissy Wieck Welhoelter ’96, Senior Vice President of Sales, Western Express, Inc. Jessie Abram Rosenblum ’89, Owner, Bee Attitudes

FINANCIAL SERVICES

LAW AND GOVERNMENT Kendra Abkowitz Brooks ’03, Policy Analyst, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

NONPROFITS Bradley Wright Ferrarini ’02, Senior Development Officer, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Sue Fort White ’73, Executive Director, Our Kids, Inc. Elizabeth Bradbury ’04, Marketing Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank Jillian Thompson ’06, Swan Ball Coordinator, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art Kathleen Morphis Yabroudy ’05, Executive Director, Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee

REAL ESTATE Lizzy Shell Caldwell ’05, Affiliate Broker, Worth Properties, LLC Katherine Wood Moses ’05, Property Manager, Holladay Properties Morgan Stengel ’05, Investment Analyst, MESA Capital Partners

TECHNOLOGY

Katie Koban ’00, Vice President, Iroquois Capital Group, Inc.

Gina Klein Jorasch ’81, Co-Founder and VP Marketing, Zurvo Software Instructor, Stanford University Graduate School of Business

Mandy Haynes Young ’85, Lobbyist / Attorney, Butler Snow

Heather Kirksey ’92, former Senior Solutions Architect, MongoDB

MUSIC BUSINESS

Ellen Green ’04, Vice President and Financial Planner, Diversified Trust

Alison Smith ’79, Senior VP, Distribution & Administration Services, BMI

Rachel Kraft Johnson ’95, CPA, Principal, Kraft & Co., PLLC

Marcie Allen ’92, President, MAC Presents

Mary Southwood Surber ’94, Consultant, J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Laura Wright Alexander ’04, Senior Creative Director, Kobalt Music Publishing

Susan Stevens Quaedvlieg ’85, Senior Manager - Engagement Manager / Product Owner, Deloitte & Touche Consulting The Harpeth Hall Alumnae Office is here to help you! Let us know how we can keep you connected.

Contact Scottie Coombs at 615.346.0090 or coombs@harpethhall.org.

Winter 2014

2 0 1 5 H A R P E T H H A L L / WA R D - B E L M O N T D I S T I N G U I S H E D A L U M N A

Gina Klein Jorasch ’81

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By Ophelia Thompson Paine ’68

Have you ever used Shutterfly to make a holiday card, photo

book, or calendar? Have you questioned the security of your transactions on Internet websites or wondered about the stories behind the latest Silicon Valley start-ups?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then you will be as intrigued as we were about the work of this year’s recipient of the Harpeth Hall/WardBelmont Distinguished Alumna Award — Gina Klein Jorasch, class of 1981. resident of Palo Alto, California, since the mid-1980s, Mrs. Jorasch has had a remarkable career in the predominantly male world of high tech. A founder or early executive of five successful start-up businesses – one bought by Shutterfly and two IPOs, Gina also teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and has both led and consulted with international efforts to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in third-world countries. Highly energetic, creative, focused, and a natural learner, Mrs. Jorasch has excelled in an industry where according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, women comprise only 6 percent of the chief executives of the top 100 tech companies and only 22 percent of software engineers.

Valedictorian of her 1981 Harpeth Hall class, Jorasch was a student of STEM before STEM was “cool.” She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a bachelor of science in applied mathematics in 1985, and two years later she attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) where she received her MBA as an Arjay Miller Scholar (top 10 percent of the class) in 1989. That same year, she earned a master’s degree in educational administration and policy analysis from the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

She began her professional career in high-tech businesses, including Hewlett Packard, Silicon Graphics, and C-ATS Software. In 1995, she took a position as director of marketing for VeriSign, a company developing the infrastructure to enable secure transactions on the Internet. For her senior thesis at Yale University, she had studied cryptography and secure protocols for multiparty communications, so VeriSign was a natural extension of this research interest. In five years, she led efforts that grew VeriSign’s revenues from start-up to one billion dollars.

In 2005, she joined her husband, Craig, and another partner to co-found a new start-up, Nexo Systems, an online private social networking platform that enables creation of contentrich personal and group websites. Nexo was acquired

by Shutterfly in 2008.

She then returned to the Stanford Graduate School of Business as the director of the Center for Social Innovation, which provides research, education, HALLWAYS

and experiential learning opportunities to those seeking solutions for social and environmental problems. Three years later she helped launch the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SEED) and establish SEED’s first regional innovation center in Accra, Ghana, serving a region of 300 million people in West Africa, 70 percent of whom earn less than $2 a day. SEED was founded with a $150 million grant from a philanthropic couple dedicated to finding a way to eliminate poverty. In addition to teaching Critical Analytical Thinking, a required first-year class at Stanford’s GSB, Gina is currently working with a new software start-up and consults with the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International, a leading nonprofit research and innovation institute serving both government and industry. Numerous technologies from the computer mouse to Siri to medical ultrasounds have benefited from research and development sponsorships through SRI. In an interview for a 2009 Hallways article, Mrs. Jorasch said, “Fulfillment can only come from connecting with some issue larger than yourself.” Gina lives that belief. In addition to her professional commitments, she has served on several nonprofit boards, including TheatreWorks, Palo Alto Partners in Education, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She also serves on the board of Silicon Valley Social Venture Partners (SV2), a network of 200 individuals who have pooled their money and talent to award over $3.5 million in grants for service projects in Silicon Valley and throughout the world since 1998.

She is an active member of Harpeth Hall’s National Advisory Council returning to campus twice a year to provide helpful advice and insight to the school. She has participated in Harpeth Hall’s Career Days and served on the Alumnae Reunion Panel during her 30th reunion. A mentor for younger professional women in California, she recently chaired the

annual meeting of Stanford Women on Boards, an organization serving women on public, private, and nonprofit boards. Next spring she will chair yet another gathering in support of women’s rights and education worldwide.

She and her husband have three children — two daughters and a son.

Her oldest daughter now attends Vanderbilt University. Among her biggest Nashville fans are her parents Dr. Jerry and Mimi Klein, her sister and Harpeth Hall parent Risa Klein Herzog ’84, and her nieces Vivian ’17, and Tess Herzog.

We welcome Gina Jorasch back to Harpeth Hall as the 2015 Distinguished Alumna and look forward to hearing more about her experiences and latest endeavors in the high tech world of Silicon Valley.

Ophelia Thompson Paine ’68 is the chair of the Distinguished Alumnae Selection Committee.

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Highly energetic, creative, focused, and a natural learner, Gina has excelled in an industry where according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, women comprise only 6 percent of the chief executives of the TOP 100 tech companies and only 22 percent of software engineers.

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2015 SPIRIT OF SERVICE RECIPIENT

For her

Lisa Hooker Campbell ’78

By Adell Crowe ’74, Harpeth Hall National Advisory Board Committee Member

outstanding work locally, When Lisa Hooker Campbell ’78 was invited to join the board of the Sexual Assault Center the National

Advisory Council has chosen Lisa Hooker Campbell ’78 as the 2015 Harpeth Hall Alumnae

Spirit of Service

Recipient.

HALLWAYS

in 1989, an old friend pulled her aside and gently suggested that she become involved in something less distasteful.

“At that time,” Mrs. Campbell remembers, “rape was a four-letter-word that was hardly discussed.”

She ignored the advice and has made the Sexual Assault Center “SAC” a top priority for more than 20 years, while simultaneously joining many other projects and boards that benefit the Nashville community.

“Every woman knows that she could have been raped in certain situations,” Mrs. Campbell says.

“That misfortune has never befallen me, but that does not mean it is any less my responsibility to try to improve the lives of those who have been abused.”

Serving three terms on the Board of Directors, chairing the center’s two capital campaigns, its major fundraising event, and the Advisory Committee, and mentoring dozens of other volunteers, Mrs. Campbell has indeed improved lives.

“Because of her tireless commitment, thousands of children and adults who experienced the horrors of sexual assault have received the support they need to heal,” says Tim Tohill, SAC president. “I can truly say that Lisa has impacted SAC more than any individual in our history.”

She was raised with the expectation that she give back to the community.

“I think I realized at a very early age that I could be an effective volunteer and that I wanted to make a difference,” says the Vassar graduate. She says she not only had the examples and encouragement of her family, she also was mentored by other SAC board members who taught her the value of running a nonprofit like a business.

“When I joined the SAC, it was on the brink of bankruptcy and having trouble meeting its payroll,” Mrs. Campbell says. “Along with others, we stabilized and grew the organization. That understanding of how a nonprofit efficiently works is something I have tried to teach those I have mentored.”

One example of her ability to lead and motivate is her chairmanship of the “Mad Hatter,” SAC’s main annual fundraising event. “In its first year we raised $10,000, and we were pretty happy with that,” says Tohill. “But Lisa came to me and said it could be so much more. She took over as chair of the event committee and now it averages $100,000 a year. Similarly, when she became chairman, the SAC board donated a total of $3,000 annually. By the time she stepped down, it donated $400,000.”

Mrs. Campbell says, “What I think has made our fundraising efforts successful is that I ask for exactly what is needed; I explain why; I thank people for what they gave, and I give myself.” In 1998 and again in 2008, Campbell chaired the capital campaigns to find space for the SAC whose client list exploded as sexual assault became front-page news first with the O.J. Simpson trial then with the Catholic priest scandals and most recently with reports of sexual abuse on college campuses. “There has been an enormous shift in the way sexual abuse is discussed and sadly, each time the issue makes news, more people need our services.”

Over 20,000 survivors have turned to SAC for counseling and support, and a remarkable 89 percent have reduced their trauma-related symptoms. This year, 150,000 students from kindergarten through sixth grade in Tennessee will participate in Safe@Last, a personal safety program developed by SAC to protect children from sexual abuse. SAC established the child protection coalition to focus the community’s efforts to end sexual abuse of children, and through its efforts, dozens of organizations are training adults to protect children.

Even though the SAC client list continues to grow, she is optimistic about the future. “Every day science improves, and I think as a community we handle our problems better. If someone suffers a traumatic event such as rape, the evidence-based practice that can be used to help that person live a happy and fulfilled life has never been better. We as a society have never been more equipped than we are now to improve lives,” she says.

Every day science improves, and I think as a community we handle our problems better.

She will get an opportunity to prove that theory this year as chairman of the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. Only the fifth woman to chair the organization in its 90-year history, Campbell will oversee a “safety net for Nashville’s neediest.” The United Way’s $70 million-plus annual impact in the community supports 144 programs within 63 partner agencies.

What motivates Lisa Campbell to continue to lead, mentor, and give?

“I want to make a difference to those most vulnerable in our community and have tried to accomplish that through volunteerism. I am not motivated by any personal sense of accomplishment but focused on the task at hand. I am sincerely working for the community. The harder I work, the more rewarding the work becomes. Someone once told me that where volunteer work is concerned, you get what you put in back ten-fold. I have found that to be true.”

Lisa Campbell’s has strong ties to Harpeth Hall. Her daughter Alice attended Harpeth Hall from 2001 – 2003 and graduated from Andover in 2005 and daughter Eileen graduated from Harpeth Hall in 2007. Campbell’s grandmother, Hortense Bigelow Ingram, for whom the Upper School is named, was a founding trustee of Harpeth Hall.

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T

A Generational Legacy of Strong Women continued from page 27

he Armistead — Cummins — Pollock family has four generations of Ward-Belmont and Harpeth Hall students.

Elizabeth Gilbert Armistead graduated in 1931 from Ward-Belmont having been a member of the spirit club Eccowasin, a tradition that would weather the winds of change from the closing of Ward-Belmont to today at Harpeth Hall. Mrs. Armistead’s daughter Polly Armistead Cummins ’57, her granddaughters Elizabeth Armistead Cummins ’85 and Devereux Cummins Pollock ’86, and great granddaughter Grace Pollock ’15, all Eccowasins, share this same tradition of spirit club loyalty and rivalry.

Polly Cummins remembers the strong academics at Harpeth Hall in the 1950s.

“The courses were limited in the liberal arts core and very challenging. It is also wonderful that this curriculum has not changed that much but has expanded to meet the needs of today’s changing world.” She added, “Harpeth Hall gave and continues to give not only a sound preparatory education, but also an invaluable education for life in civility, tradition, honor, and friendship.”

“For me, one of the core values is Harpeth Hall’s commitment to the education of young women and its emphasis on the school motto: to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably. Harpeth Hall instills these values in its students which remain with us as graduates,” said Elizabeth Cummins. Echoing her sister, Devereux Pollock added, “A lifelong commitment to learning and the love of learning are core values that are at the heart of Harpeth Hall.”

Today’s students share these feelings. “It has been a privilege to attend the same school as my great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, and mother. While times have changed and the building and campus look a lot different than when they attended, I know that I am getting the same quality education and foundation as they received,” added Grace Pollock.

Through strong academics and shared traditions carried forward from the past as seen through the eyes and memories of these two families, we are reminded of what makes this school great. It is the dedication and respect for the mission of Harpeth Hall that sustains us.

we need your Nominations!

Do you know a fellow alumna who deserves recognition? Please consider nominating her today for one of the Alumnae Awards

Friday, February 20 - April 1, 2015 Marnie Sheridan Gallery and Patton Visual Arts Center Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

HALLWAYS

• Distinguished Alumnae • Spirit of Service • Athletic Hall of Fame Nomination forms available at www.harpethhall.org.

Click on Alumnae tab.

Fall Events: Sweet Send Off Class of 2014

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Fall Events: Halloween Carnival

Winter 2015

Fall Events: Ward-Belmont Coffee

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In November at the 2014 Annual Ward-Belmont Coffee, our fifth- and sixth-grade geography teachers collaborated with our librarians, archivist, and the Alumnae Office to create a project entitled HerStory to connect the past with the present and to celebrate the lives of Ward-Belmont alumnae as part of the larger historical narrative of Harpeth Hall.

Students conducted background research by using the school’s archives and digital collection, interviewed Ward-Belmont alumnae, wrote a one-page biography of their alumna, and created a Google site to highlight their alumna.

HALLWAYS

Fall Events: Ward-Belmont Coffee

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Winter 2015

Winter Events: College Age Brunch

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Winter

HALLWAYS HALLWAYS

Events: Holiday Party

class notes

39

years of friendship

hael Crawford , Linda Carmic le pp Co l ro mel, Ca Landrum Rabb y Ann Sisk Dru Ward, Jeanne ar in M Sa , n ch sa at H Su s, eliu Cotton ain, Llew Corn : Betty Anne in Boulder, CO eeza McKee Sw ft W le : ft le om fr om w fr Top row Bottom ro

A

s our 50th Harpeth Hall reunion approaches,

I pay tribute to a group of eight freshmen from five area grammar schools who forged a remarkable friendship lasting 50 years. We lived in different parts of town, were in different clubs, and took different classes.

As the 13th graduating class, we spanned both Mrs. Souby’s and Miss McMurry’s tenures as headmistress. We grew up in a bubble of privilege and naiveté hard to fathom these days. Each of us remembers the exact spot where we learned of President Kennedy’s death.

After graduation, we vowed to keep in touch as some moved away to college and beyond. We began a chain letter that made its way around the country and the world.

Later, we wrote several times a year to one who reprinted and sent the letters to the other seven. How keenly I anticipated that fat legal envelope full of juicy news!

Our journal spanned the era from handwritten letters to group emails.

Our career paths were as varied as we were: artists, authors, teachers, nurses,

by Mary Ann Sisk Drumel ’65

librarians, CPAs, business owners, missionaries, and strategic analysts. We were divergent in our political, volunteer, and religious affiliations; but when we all got together, we resumed our friendship with joy and laughter.

Over the years, we enjoyed reunions every 10 years in different locations, including Cumberland Mountain, Barren River State Parks, Monteagle, and Boulder, CO. Our 50th blowout promises to be the best ever regardless of physical limitations.

Some of us never left Nashville while others have gradually returned to the fold. Now the five of us who live here gather for monthly lunch, swim together, meet at church, the dog park, or attend local events. Through the years, we’ve laughed, cried, rejoiced, and grieved together.

Our friendship is a rare and special gift enduring the test of time and is a testimony to Harpeth Hall and its influence over us all.

Here’s to our 50-year friendship: Carol Copple, Llew Cornelius, Linda Carmichael Crawford, Betty Anne Cotton Hatch, Jeanne Landrum Rabb, Weeza McKee Swain, and Susan Sain Ward Winter 2015

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1965 Since retirement,

Gere Allison Brown has been able to enjoy the dream she had when she was younger of being an archaeologist. She works as a volunteer with the digging crew at Historic Jamestowne, the site of the first permanent English colony. Her five grandkids think that her new job is pretty cool. Mary Ann Sisk Drumel returned to Nashville last summer after 48 years away. She has been a classroom elementary teacher for 25 years and tutored hundreds of students in Tennessee and Ohio. In addition, she is a freelance writer for children and adults, has directed religious education programs, and served on many volunteer boards. She is especially excited about co-charing her 50th reunion activities with Ginny Perdue. Carmine King Jordan was the executive director of the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation for 20 years and retired in 2013.

Currently, she is a volunteer with a non-profit organization called The Exceptional Foundation, which provides daily social and recreational activities for individuals with special needs. Carmine and her husband have six grandchildren and spend lots of time with them. Kitty Davis Murfree was an assistant comptroller at First American Bank before she retired to raise her children. She has spent much time volunteering and serving in many leadership roles including, chairman of Board of the Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, president of The Canby Robinson Society Board-Vanderbilt Medical HALLWAYS

class notes Center, sustainer in the Junior League, president of Main Street Board-Murfreesboro, founder of Jazz Festival in Murfreesboro, president of Charity Circle Murfreesboro, treasurer of the Garden Club of Nashville, past Swan Ball chairman, co-chair Parent’s Council Vanderbilt University, and board member of Rhodes College. Judith McKay Perry has been in private practice as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) for 18 years, specializing in children with special needs and their families at the Atlanta Relationship Center, which serves the entire Atlanta metropolitan area. The center provides individual, couples, marriage and family counseling, parent education, and play therapy. Judith has been married for 43 years and has three wonderful sons, three fantastic daughters-in-law, and seven beautiful and hilarious grandchildren. Judith is in her 37th year of singing with the Parish Choir of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church. Judith and her husband enjoy traveling, their family and friends, and growing much of their own produce. Keith Lauderdale Reynolds lives in Wilmington, NC and is a new grandmother to Spencer Sheats born in April 2014. Keith is thrilled that her daughter and sonin-law moved to Wilmington from Washington D.C. three years ago.

1967Janice Farringer

is pleased to announce that her Women in the Military Oral History Project is now in the permanent collection of The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the

History of Women in America at Harvard University. The collection opened January 2015.

1969 Candy Ball Emer-

son-Lawson has been elected to serve on the Williamson County School Board. She is looking forward to serving the families and students of Williamson County for the next four years. Judy Quinn had a one-woman art exhibit at the University Club at Vanderbilt, entitled Primitive Expressionist Landscapes: Paintings of Judy Quinn.

1970 Susie Andrews

works as a physician with her husband, Randy, but she still finds time to enjoy tennis, gardening, traveling, and babysitting her grandchild.

Sheridan Anglea Dulaney lives in Brentwood and is downsizing and building a smaller house.

She still shows her five Dandie Dinmont Terriers and plays as much tennis as possible.

Sheridan has been nominated to serve on the board of the national breed club of her dogs, which will keep her busy for next few years. She and her husband visit their daughters in Knoxville as often as they can; one daughter is an anesthesiologist and the other is an attorney. Their son is pursuing his degree and enjoys building computers. Sheridan and her family still have annual family reunions around the Nashville’s Steeplechase. After 38 years, Irwin Edwards Fisher has retired from the hotel industry, most recently from Loews Hotel and Hyatt. Irwin serves on several non-profit boards, including Music City Center, Community Founda-

tion of Middle Tennessee, The Women’s Fund, and West End Home Foundation. In addition, this year Irwin co-chaired the 66th annual Bal d’Hiver presentation ball, and is the chair of Event Marketing Fund for the Convention Bureau.

Ellen Duling Goodner and her husband live in Murfreesboro where Ellen is a family nurse practioner. She recently starting doing folk art, such as barn quilts and large paintings on plywood for barns, sheds, fences, and houses. Her art can be seen in Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Washington but mostly in Nashville and Murfreesboro.

Ellen’s classmate Bennie Batson and family own several of Ellen’s pieces. Kathy Grant Harrell has moved to Bellevue, has five grandchildren (one boy and four girls), has repaired both rotator cuffs, buried her mother, visited children in London, New York, and Colorado, and started keeping bees, all while working full-time in nephrology billing.

With his more flexible hours as a music business consultant, her husband Dan is now their chief shopper and cook. Kathy is enjoying this role reversal as well as her occasional stretches of empty nesting. She loves getting hooked on a full season of a great TV show with Dan, knitting, playing with grandkids, and hanging with her three sisters and their extended families. Mary Helen Powell Maskill leads a gypsy-like life that includes 14 trans-American moves following her college football coaching husband, which has made her Christmas cards list grow extensively. Mary Helen always returns to Nashville

and remains grateful for the education that she acquired at Harpeth Hall at the beginning of her journey.

1974 Anne Byrn Whita-

ker has published another cookbook entitled Anne Byrn Saves the Day Cookbook. The book includes 125 tried and true recipes for every occasion.

1975 Marne Mills Adams

lives in Nashville and is a consulting teacher for Metro Nashville Public Schools and specializes in speech and language pathology.

Her daughter Katie Adams Pittman ’02 is expecting Marne’s first grandchild in January 2015. Tara Armistead Crenshaw is a landscape architect and is involved in many environmental efforts in Nashville, including the restoration of Centennial Park, Tennessee Nature Conservancy Board, Larkspur Conservation Board, and Nashville Civic Design Board. In her own words, Emily McAlister Frith, co-owner of The Corner Market in Nashville, was “Chopped” on the Food Network show during episode “Fig Out” that aired on July 8, 2014.

About 18 years ago, Beth Porch Scruggs was asked to run the Special Olympics’ TN State swim meet. Since that time, Beth has volunteered as the Special Olympics of Tennessee aquatics director. She served as one of Team USA coaches at the Special Olympic World Games in Shanghai, China in 2007 and was head coach for Team Tennessee at Special Olympics Nationals twice. When her children left the nest and she had more time, she started a swim program, The Nashville Dolphins, for children and adults with intellectual

disabilities. In the beginning, The Nashville Dolphins had five swimmers. Today, the Nashville Dolphins has over 135 swimmers who range in age from 15 months to 48 years old. Over 75 volunteers give their time each year, and there is no cost to any swimmer to participate. The Nashville Dolphins became a non-profit in August of 2013 and continuues to grow and serve this special population. To learn more about the Nashville Dolphins, visit their website at www. nashvilledolphins.org. Emily Cate Tidwell serves on the Harpeth Hall Board of Trustees and was the chair of the search committee for Harpeth Hall’s sixth head of school. During 2014-2016, Emily is serving as the chair of the Harpeth Hall Board of Trustees. Emily Perkins Zerfoss spent much of the past year planning daughter Kate Zerfoss’s ’08 wedding to Rush Brady that was on October 4, 2014. At the same time, Emily’s daughter Maggie, 15 was learning how to drive. Besides practicing to be a mother-in-law and serving as student-driver teacher, Emily’s other volunteer jobs include chairing the new Master Plan Committee for Cheekwood’s Board. Her husband, Tee, is going strong with his insurance company Martin & Zerfoss, Inc. Emily is looking forward to the upcoming class of 1975 reunion and hopes the class will “fill the house.”

1979 Alison Smith of

BMI has been named one of The Nashville Business Journal inaugural Women in Music City Award winners. The honorees were named for making a creative and economic impact on the music industry. Alison

and the other nominees were recognized at a red carpet event at the Omni in Nashville on September 15, 2014.

1980 Abigail Hazlehurst

Karroubi and her husband, Bob, have lived in beautiful western North Carolina since 1999. Abigail returned to school and has been a registered nurse for 11 years, work that she loves and finds incredibly rewarding. Norda Aguila Parochka lives in Hendersonville and is active in her church as a Eucharistic minister or lector.

1985 Laura Molesworth

Marshall is the proud mom of two amazing sons. Ian is very active with school and swimming for Nashville Aquatic Club. Grant is very busy learning words, reading, counting, and he is an active swimmer with the Nashville Dolphins.

1986 Virginia Betty joined the Melton Design Build team with 18 years’ experience in the residential remodeling industry as an interior designer.

After working for a few interior design companies in Vail and Aspen, she started her own company, V. Betty Inc. Interior Design. Virginia loves to solve problems for her clients, while working with them in their true natural state — at home.

Virginia is a Nashville native, but loves her life in Colorado.

She relocated to Boulder from the Aspen Valley in 2008.

She enjoys hiking, biking, and being outdoors with her husband and dogs. Lauren Doolittle Ossolinski is the featured artist at the 2015 Harding Academy Art Show.

Lauren’s medium of choice is en plein air.

1988 Erin Moroney

LaBelle is a photojournalist and covered The Santa Train in Appalachia in November. Amy Grant ’78 was the celebrity guest, and she deeply touched some hearts that day. Erin loved taking part in such a meaningful event with another Harpeth Hall alumna.

1990 Julie Doochin

founded a non-profit organization in 2012 that provides higher education through partnerships with the Tennessee Department of Correction, Nashville State Community College, and Lipscomb University to incarcerated men and women in correctional facilities in Tennessee. Mary Donna Wimberly Helms started a new career in education. She completed her master’s degree in social science education in 2013 and is now teaching AP government and IB world history at Daphne High School in Daphne, AL. Marti Russ Jeffords teaches eighth-grade language arts in Poplar Grove, TN. She also is part of a national writing foundation.

She often travels to Marshall County to share teaching technigues with fellow teachers especially with respect to writing instruction. Julia Kirk Wilk lives in Nashville with her husband and two sons. During the summer of 2014, Julia started her own woodworking business where she creates custom gift items and furniture. Many of the items are geared for the “hard to buy for” male population.

Visit her site: www.lovewoodcustomhomefurnishings.com.

1991Lillian Roe Gilmer has completed 20 marathons

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42 and recently ran in and won the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in Fort Oglethorpe, GA with a time of 3 hours, 21 minutes, and 33 seconds.

1992 Marcie Allen Van

Mol of MAC Presents has been named one of The Nashville Business Journal’s inaugural Women in Music City Award winners. The honorees were named for making a creative

and economic impact on the music industry. Marcie and the other honorees were recognized at a red carpet event at the Omni in Nashville on September 15, 2014. In addition, Marcie was named to Billboard’s Women in Music 2014. Billboard says of Marcie, “Allen remains one of the most

class notes powerful forces in music branding, brokering deals on behalf of clients Citi (Billy Joel, The Who) and Samsung (activations at Life Is Beautiful, Riot Fest, Music Midtown).”

and the award recipients are some of the industry’s brightest marketing leaders, innovators, and business executives who are selected and honored by their peers.

1993 Kate Sherrard

1995 Sarah Taber Englert

Chinn was promoted to the senior director of marketing for Tishman Speyer, a real estate building and operating

company in New York City.

In her new role, Kate oversees the marketing for Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock and the newly opened Rainbow Room. In November 2014, Kate received the Rising Star Award from the CMO Club.

The CMO Club is a community of senior marketing executives,

lives in Nashville with her husband and three children.

She teaches dance at Harpeth Hall and has served on the Tennessee Association of Dance Board for three terms, most recently as vice president of Middle Tennessee. Lacey Galbraith is an English teacher at Overton High School in Nashville. She works with students in the school’s Cambridge International Examination program teaching world literature and writing.

Recently, she and her husband, Matthew, welcomed their first child, Walter Oliver Robison III. After living in six cities in seven years, Catherine Blackburn Kinsey is thrilled to have settled down in Houston, TX. She is taking a break from

the practice of law to stay at home with her daughter and son. Dana Deaton Verner has joined the Nashville Child & Family Wellness Center as their child, adolescent, adult psychiatrist. Christie Fontecchio Wakefield lives in Lusaka, Zambia with her husband and two young daughters. She is working on communitybased primary health care issues including HIV, malaria, maternal and newborn health and nutrition. She loves the slow and easy way of life in Zambia and has greatly enjoyed camping on river banks next to hippos and elephants, mountain biking through the bush while keeping a look-out for lions, and spending lots of lazy days hanging out at home.

Kelly Williams had a beautiful one-woman show at the David Lusk Gallery in Nashville. Kelly gave a very informative talk on painting techniques and inspirations. In the crowd were many Harpeth Hall friends.

Anna Kristin Coker Yarbrough is living in Nashville with her husband and three daughters.

She currently writes an interior

Reese Witherspoon ’94 Talks About Harpeth Hall

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arking an extraordinary year in film, Reese Witherspoon ’94 starred in

and produced a number of Oscar-worthy movies. She was featured in a 60 Minutes interview on December 21, 2014 that was filmed in part on the Harpeth Hall campus in November. During her interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Charlie Rose, Reese credited her teachers for teaching her how to think and analyze literature, skills she still relies on when choosing films and reading scripts. She also boasted about the creative energy on campus and being surrounded by accomplished classmates and the exceptional faculty. “(Harpeth Hall) had a great focus on feminism and that we could accomplish anything we wanted,” she said.

Her year in film included starring in The Good Lie as Carrie Davis, a no-nonsense single woman who agrees to help four Sudanese refugees start over in the United States. Her production company, Pacific Standard, produced Gone Girl, a film based on the best-seller by Gillian Flynn.

And she starred in and produced Wild, a film based on Cheryl Strayed’s best-seller about her experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail on a journey of self-discovery after her mother’s death.

At press-time, Reese was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in Wild.

HALLWAYS

Classmates Katie Pritchett Tudor-Thomas ‘96 and Crissy Wieck Welhoelter ‘96 met up with Brianne Frazier ‘96 on their trip to Japan. Brianne works as the speechwriter for the CEO of Nissan. design blog called Interior Canvas. She also has been a contributor to Southern Living’s blog, “The Daily South,” Zillow’s home decor blog, The Southern C website as well as the home decor and lifestyle website, Bourbon and Boots. For the past 10 years, Caroline Mullins Zamansky lived and worked in Sydney, Australia at the University of Sydney. Last year, she and her family relocated back to the United States and are now living in northern California.

1996 Mary Dudley Arwen is a member of New Dialect, a 21st Century dance collective in Nashville. She launched her dance career in New York City in 1999 as a performer with j.mandleperformance while earning her studio art degree from Vassar College and training at the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance on scholarship and at Merce Cunningham’s studio.

A long-standing collaborator with artists working in fashion, film, painting, photography,

and installations, Mary was most recently featured in “Quintet” at Zeitgeist Gallery (2012), and is the subject of painter Jeff Danley’s upcoming “Model Behavior” at Cumberland Gallery (2014). In 2008, Mary received her Master of Arts in contemplative psychotherapy from Naropa University and currently maintains a psychotherapy practice in Nashville. In her free time, Mary loves gardening, beekeeping, and keeping up with a menagerie of pets with her twin sons. Beth Porter Lawrence’s company Freshie & Zero, was selected by Martha Stewart and her panel of judges as a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart American Made Awards in the style category.

Martha Stewart’s American Made is a nationally recognized awards program that celebrates new rising stars of the growing nationwide maker community who have turned their passions for handcrafted, well-designed goods into a small business and proudly make their products in America. Anne Elizabeth

McIntosh was named by The Nashville Business Journal as a 2015 Woman Of influence Award winner. Anne Elizabeth is the vice president of membership and business development of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation. Lauren Melkus graduated from Fordham University Law School and is working for her family’s foundation, The Melkus Family Foundation. She also serves as board chair for a NGO working in Malawi (malotoinc.org) and is working on a human rights report on Northern Ireland for the NYC Bar Association.

1997

Lauren O’Neill was most recently the director of Public Sector, State and Local for Dataminr, a real-time information discovery company.

Lauren was named by Business Insider as one of “The 55 Unknown Rock Stars In Tech, According to Marc Andreessen.”

Lauren is known in the tech world for her tweets about tech, art, defense, politics, markets and more. Catherine Workman is now the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow/Biodiversity Specialist at USAID in Washington, D.C. USAID is the lead government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential.

2000 Alyssa Abkowitz

Cendrowski moved to Beijing in the fall of 2013 when her husband Scott was tapped to be Fortune magazine’s China foreign correspondent. Alyssa is currently freelancing in Beijing writing for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Marie Claire

and other publications. She’s chronicling her experiences living and traveling abroad at http://beijingreverie.blogspot. com. Katie Hill has been appointed as the national press secretary for health care at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working for the new HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Her primariy focus is on the communications strategy around the continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other public health initiatives, working closely with national and health care reporters who are covering the topic. In 2012, Reed Harrison Nirula moved to New Delhi, India and married her husband Arjun in May of 2013. Reed and Arjun sit on the board of Wildlife SOS India, a Delhi-based Animal Welfare Organization, that works to rescue abused or threatened indigenous species and to promote compassion in the public through education.

In addition, Reed is a certified yoga instructor through the International Yoga Alliance and works with her husband to support Indian-made arts and crafts through The Nirula Family Art Trust.

2002 Suzanne Brown

Bryant lives in Knoxville with her husband, Paul Bryant, and is in her final year of OB/GYN residency. Mary D. Bartoe Oldacre has been promoted from regional environmental manager to assistant environment health and safety (EHS) director at Skanska. In her new role, Mary D.’s primary function will be regional management and leadership of Skanska’s Safety, Health and Environment Management Winter 2015

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United Nations Internship expands Legal Knowledge

M

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44

ary Lucille Noah ’08 is using her

Harpeth Hall and college experiences to forge a career path that may one day find her at the forefront of international relations.

Last summer, she served as a legal intern with the Rwanda Tribunal at the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals Arusha, Tanzania.

“The most important or rather significant thing I did while working for the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals was to assist the Registry in putting on the first appellate hearing in the history of the Tribunal. It was held June 30 at the Rwanda Genocide Tribunal. The judges from The Hague all flew in, including the president of the Mechanism and Presiding Judge Theodor Meron, who himself is a survivor of the Holocaust. Augustin Ngirabatware, who stands convicted of several counts of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, is appealing his life sentence. I took the official minutes of the court and sat in on the proceedings…I also visited the 13 convicted individuals awaiting their final assignment to either the United Nation’s international prison in Mali or Benin and touring the UN detention facility.”

Criminal tribunals in Tanzania, 2014

Head of Office for the United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, Samuel Akorimo, noted in a letter of recommendation that Noah’s strong organizational, planning, and writing skills, and her clear legal analysis will assist her in her pursuit of a successful legal career.

In interviewing for this internship, Noah commented that she referenced her Harpeth Hall experiences, including her Winterim experience to South Africa and her participation in Model UN. Following her 2008 graduation from Harpeth Hall, she attended Vanderbilt University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and women and gender studies and a minor in Islamic Studies in 2012. Today, she is completing her law degree at the University of Michigan, one of the top 10 law schools in the country.

Systems (SHEMS). She has played a key role in the company’s national SHEMS efforts and in the development of its new national EHS reporting structure. While in Nashville for the opening of the movie Love is Strange for which she was an associate producer, Melissa Pinsly came and spoke to upper school students about careers in theater and the film industry.

2003 Caroline Johnson

graduated from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in 2013 and is working as a judicial law clerk for the Crimnal HALLWAYS

Court, Division 1 in Nashville.

Sara Rodriguez obtained her Master of Education in English Language Learning from Lipscomb University and is working in Fulton County, GA teaching kindergarten at Hapeville Elementary.

2004Laura Lea Bryant

was featured as one of Nashville Lifestyles magazine’s top 25 Most Beautiful People. Laura Lea owns Laura Lee Balanced, a healthful cooking and nutrition consulting firm.

2005 Sarah Baker is

starting her third year as an associate attorney and member of the health care practice

Harpeth Hall Model UN team, 2008

group at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Kate Gregory Ericksen is graduating from Georgia State University with a master’s degree in managerial services in May 2015. Sarah Lovett was licensed as a CPA in December of 2014 and works for Ernst & Young as an auditor in Nashville. Helen Rankin is engaged to marry Jeremy Willsey, a fellow Ph.D. student at Yale University. Helen will complete her Ph.D. in genetics in 2015. Annsley Miller Reynolds got married at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in the fall of 2014 and all seven of her bridesmaids were members of the class of 2005:

Corinne Hartong Mattern, Lauren McKinney, Edie McDonald, Mary Lindley Carswell, Ellen Byrd, Ana Nettles, and Ellen Hammer.

Annsley lives in Nashville and works as an architect at Thomas, Miller & Partners, PLLC. Mimi Rose is currently in school to be a family nurse practitioner. She has been a nurse for four years in both inpatient cardiology and currently in inpatient psychiatry on a child and adolescent unit at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Mimi also teaches nursing clinicals at Belmont University’s School of Nursing. Stacey Stanton earned her teaching

director of Admissions, Evaluation & Selection Management at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Monisha Chakravarthy Bhatia graduated from Boston University School of Law and has reunited with her sister Rohini ’10 as they both attend the Vanderbilt University Medical School.

Krissie Binkley Self completed the Music City half marathon with her sister Beth ’08.

2006 Caroline Anderson

2007Annie Tipps has

has taken a position with International Paper as a manufacturing management associate.

She was part of a year-long training program with 18 other people, each from different plants across the country. She travelled to various cities once a month for training sessions on the technical and business aspects of IP. The rest of her time was spent at the plant getting hands on experience. She graduated from the program in April and is now a process improvement manager at an International Paper plant in South Carolina. Alison Berryman was promoted to regional

joined Stites & Harbison, PLLC as an attorney in Nashville.

Before earning her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2014, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in classical studies, cum laude, from Wake Forest University in 2011.

2008 Glory Beveridge

is in her first year of medical school at the University of Tennessee, set to be a member of the class of 2018. Beth Binkley completed the Music City half marathon with her sister Krissie ’06. Morgan McVicker graduated from Southern Methodist University and is now at Texas Tech University earning a Master of Accountancy as well as her law degree, specializing in taxation. Upon graduation, Morgan will have a Juris Doctor and Certified Public Accountant and focus on tax law. Meryl McVicker graduated from Vanderbilt University and attends Belmont Law School. Her area of focus is sports and enterKendall Waddey ’10 and Glory Beveridge ’08

tainment law. Caroline Prince lives in Washington, D.C. and has worked for the World Wildlife Fund for the past two years, first in marketing and next in the executive office.

She recently earned a World Wildlife Fund Game Changer award and was promoted to the position of liaison to the CEO.

2009 Claire Ballew is an

MBA graduate of the University of Mississippi and moved to Charlotte, NC to work as an accountant for The Growler, LLC, a franchisor that specializes in owning and franchising unique, high-end craft beer retail operations. Emily Carpenter spent the last few months in Thailand working in the program office of the YMCA of Chiangmai. The YMCA of Chiangmai is based on community development programs that consist of street children programs, cleft lip pallet programs, hill tribe programs, English language programs, green agriculture programs, and many more. Her role was in program development and fundraising. She returned to Nashville in December 2014.

Phoebe Carver spoke this year during Harpeth Hall’s eighth grade service day. She shared how her service career started at Harpeth Hall, and continued with what she decided to major in college. In addition, she explained about her experiences teaching and living in Botswana this past year as a part of the Princeton-inAfrica fellowship teaching at the Maru-A-Pula School in Gabarone. In October of 2014, Phoebe moved to rural Kenya where she works at a nonprofit agency that works

to reduce hunger and poverty by helping smallholder farmers. The organization is called One Acre Fund and her role is that of a program associate.

Willa Fitzgerald has landed the recurring role of Emma Miller on the USA Network show Royal Pains. Willa’s character is a mysterious young woman who shows up in the Hamptons with a hidden past and a secret agenda. Previously Willa played the role of Lola Laffer on the Amazon Original Series Alpha House.

2010 In May 2014, Bridget

Bailey graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia with majors in biology and studio art and a minor in art history. Bridget was chosen to live on “the Lawn” on the University of Virgina campus for her fourth year. During the summer of 2014, Bridget completed an intership through the University of Virginia’s Institute for Public History at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC. Bridget continues her education at UVA for a fifth year as an Aunspaugh Fifth Year Fellow in studio art.

Justine Brittain graduated from the University of Texas in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and global policy and a minor in European studies. She lives in Washington, D.C. and is the executive scheduler to Senator Lamar Alexander. Megan Darnell received a Bachelor of Arts in both anthropology and dance from Kenyon College and is taking pre-requisite courses for a nursing program.

Kelly Earthman graduated with a Bachelor of Sceicne in accounting last spring from Winter 2015

ALUMNAE

class notes

endorsement in math and physical science in December 2013 from Northwest Nazarene University. She also graduated with her Master of Science in STEM Education from Boise State University in May 2014, and her Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Northwest Nazarene University in July 2014. She currently teaches Algebra I at Nampa High School in Nampa, ID.

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46 University of Georgia and is getting her master’s degree in accountancy this year at Georgia and taking the CPA this spring. She has a job with Deloitte in the audit department that will start fall of 2015 in Atlanta. Abby Gillespie graduated from Univeristy of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology. She is working for a non-profit cancer lab in Los Angeles and plans to attend graduate school in the future.

Leslie Kimball graduated cum laude from Auburn University in August 2014 with a degree in secondary education and a minor in international studies.

She was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society and Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society. Sara Schott graduated from Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in both anthropology and French and is working at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute.

Grace Stumb graduated from Vanderbilt University and teaches special education at

Julia Green Elementary School in Nashville. Kendall Waddey is in her first year of medical school at the University of Tennessee, set to be a member of the class of 2018.

2011Katie Beach is

involved in an exciting new venture called Facets Kids — a subscription-based streaming app that gives children access to independent films from around the world. The app is designed with three principles in mind: critical thinking, global citizenship, and a secure environment.

The app is recommended for families with children looking for new and creative movies or for educators who are hoping to bring quality, independent media into the classroom.

Anna Carro graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in music theory and was chosen to sing the university’s alma mater at graduation. While at USC, Anna was a Magellan Scholar. The Magel-

Phoebe Carver ’09 in Botswana lan Scholars Program awards funds for student research projects with a faculty mentor.

The funds awarded provide for salary, materials, and/or travel associated with the project.

Anna used the reseach funds for a lecture recital entitled The British Choir. She both lectured and conducted this recital that included choral selections from Poston, Ireland, Sheppard, Tallis and Parry. Parker Davis has been accepted into Harvard Law School through Harvard’s new Deferred Admission Program for college juniors.

The program requires admitted

Melissa Pinsley ’02 speaks to Upper School students.

HALLWAYS

students to work for two years after their college graduation before entering the law school in the fall of 2017. Parker will graduate from Harvard University in May of 2015. Janie Hannon is a senior at Sewanee: The University of the South.

Janie is majoring in history with a minor in German and art history. Janie is a member of the women’s lacrosse team and was inducted into the Order of Gownsmen. During her senior year, Janie serves as the chair of the Disciplinary Committee. Annalee Mueck is a senior at the University of Tennessee majoring in accounting. She is a resident assistant and a College of Business Administration ambassador. In addition, Annalee serves as the vice president of BOSS Dance Company. BOSS was founded in 2009 when the University of Tennessee opted to cut the dance minor from the academic curriculum and is completely student run. The students carry out all company tasks from organization of auditions and rehearsals, hiring and managing choreographers, booking rehearsal and performance space, fundraising and applying for grants. Kate Wiseman is a senior at Swarthmore College and is majoring in English

class notes interns in the Advancement and Alumnae Relations Office during the summer of 2014.

Caroline Hawkins attends Furman University and is an elementary education major and a poverty studies minor.

Caroline spent her summer traveling across Nepal to the cities of Thamel, Dhankuta, and Chitwan with support from Furman as a Poverty

Krissie Binkley Self ’06 and Beth Binkley ’08 relay and 400 medley relay. In 2014, she was a member of the All-Centennial Conference First Team and the Centennial Conference Spring Honor Roll.

During the spring season, she is also a member of the Swarthmore College women’s track and field team.

2012 Allyson Fontaine

was volunteer intern in the Harpeth Hall Communications Department during the summer of 2014. Mary Graham Harvey, Rebekah Webster, and Julie Wilson were all volunteer

Studies Summer Scholar.

Caroline took part in both spiritual and educational work while in Nepal. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Furman, she hopes to travel to a country with little to no access to education and become a full-time missionary.

Madison Shankle, a sophomore at Yale University, was granted two fellowships to spend the summer working with a Ph.D. candidate in the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She and her mentor investigated

the food web dynamics of small, seasonal ponds and the role methane might play in them.

2013 Lizzie Boston, a

sophomore at Tufts University, was back on the Harpeth Hall campus in November to speak to the senior class about what to expect in college. Kynlie Freeman signed as a songwriter with Sony / ATV Music publishing in Nashville. Meggie Hill, a sophomore at Denison University was also back on the Harpeth Hall campus in November to speak to the senior class about what to expect in college. Last year, as a freshman at Johns Hopkins University, Adelaide Morphett served as a freshman class senator.

During her tenure as a senator, she worked with members of the Parking and Transportation Department to launch a new campus shuttle line. As a sophomore, Adelaide was elected to the position of secretary of the Student Government Association, or SGA. During her year of service as the secretary, Adelaide hopes to continue her work with the Parking and Transportation Department and to increase the SGA’s online and social media presence. In addition, Adelaide was also back on the Harpeth Hall campus in November to speak to the senior class about what to expect in college. Liza Southwick and her partner won the tennis regional doubles title for Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and Liza was the runner-up in the singles competition. Southwick’s doubles

team became the first Trinity team to win the regional doubles crown since 2012.

As a first semester sophomore, Anne Gray Thornburg received her Order of the Gownsmen at Sewanee in October, 2014. The Order of the Gownsmen (OG) works alongside the Student Assembly and maintains and promotes the spirit, tradition, and ideals of the University.

ALUMNAE

and literature with minors in Spanish and theater. She is a member of the women’s swimming team and specializes in the individual medley and free events. She is the team representative on the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee and she holds six school records, which include four relay and two individual in the 50-yard freestyle, 100 free, 400 free relay, 800 free, 200 medley

47

Liza Southwick ’13 Kathleen Lang and Laura Lee Singer were volunteer interns in the Advancement and Alumnae Relations Office during the summer of 2014.

2014 Carrie Ferrelli is

in her first year at College of Charleston and is pursuing a degree in arts management.

Carrie auditioned and was cast as the female leading role in the fall comedy, Bread and Circuses at College of Charleston.

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Join us and stay connected with alumnae from around the globe.

Winter 2015

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48

By Lindsey Lanquist ’12

T

his summer, I spent two months living, interning,

and taking classes in New York City as a part of Elon University’s Elon in NYC program. I’d long fantasized about working New York City and pursuing my dream of working for a fashion magazine. When I was accepted to Elon in NYC, I couldn’t believe it and even better was when I landed an internship in the fashion closet of O, The Oprah Magazine.

Working in the city felt like I was living in a movie — taking the subway to work each morning, trading the flats I traveled to work in for a pair of high-fashion heels the moment I entered the building, and riding the escalator through the beautiful Hearst Tower.

After taking the elevator to my floor, I headed straight for the fashion closet — a huge room filled with shelves and lined with clothing racks (fun fact: the O closet is actually smaller than many of the others in the building — Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Marie Claire, etc. — but it still took up a significant amount of space).

The racks are organized by color, silhouette or story, depending on what the editors wanted, and the shelves are always filled with whatever was hottest in the upcoming season. Since I was there in the summer and we were working on the fall and winter issues, I saw a lot of scarves and boots.

People who know me well always ask me if it was hard to be surrounded by beautiful, expensive clothing and not be able to HALLWAYS

have any of it? The simple answer is yes. I saw so many things I would have loved to own, but knowing how expensive some of the designers’ clothes are — Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan — I kept myself from getting too attached to anything I saw.

I spent my days working with the fashion assistant and fellow fashion interns to organize and keep track of all the samples we received and sent out each day. I learned how important maintaining solid relationships with public relations companies and designers are in running a successful fashion closet. If you don’t get samples from them, you have no clothes to feature in upcoming issues. Also important is networking because it’s small enough that everyone knows everyone.

I learned how work is divided among the different editors in the fashion department and the magazine overall, and I got a glimpse of what life was like in the building I hoped to have a permanent position in one day. The entire experience was incredibly rewarding. I was actually living my dream. I can’t help but yearn to go back. I hope to get another fashion internship next summer.

And to answer the question that’s on all of your minds: No, I didn’t get to meet Oprah. But I did meet and talk to Gayle King, editor-atlarge, several times. She’s incredibly kind, and on the day the entire office enjoyed ice cream sundaes, she specifically came by the closet to make sure we got some as well.

Betsy Buntin ’04 to David Paul Rossi on December 27, 2014

Suzanne Brown Bryant ’02

Emily Williard ’04 to Christopher Reid Nardone on May 24, 2014

Angie Gaw ’85 to Lyndon Wilson on June 6, 2014

Anne Granbery ’05 to John Gillespie Barnes, Jr. on September 20, 2014

Julie McDonald ’94 to Patrick Morris on November 15, 2014

Annsley Miller ’05 to Brad Reynolds on September 27, 2014

Allison Bates ’96 to Stephen Smith on October 4, 2014

Monisha Chakravarthy ’06 to Ritwik Bhatia on June 21, 2014

Ragan Gibson ’05 to Eric Lee Graves on August 23, 2014

Helen Ramsey ’05 to Ryan Ronald Rominiecki on April 12, 2014 Katie Geer ’06 to Richard Steele Hutto on July 19, 2014

Ann Ripley ’97 to Jeremy Oliver on November 15, 2014

Diana Beckner ’07 to Patrick Whelan on December 20, 2014

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Abby Lipshie ’04 to Michael David Regan on May 17, 2014 Holly Conner ’84 to David Boyer on December 27, 2014

Katie Harwell ’07 to Charles Thomas Gibson on August 9, 2014

Kim Allen ’98 to William Matthew Ford on May 25, 2014

Mollie Sloan ’07 to Cole Fields on November 8, 2014 Kate Zerfoss ’08 to Rush Brady on October 4, 2014

Helana Anderjack ’99 to Maynard Garrett on April 26, 2014

Addie Cole ’10 to Brett Price on October 18, 2014 Mary Hampton Elam ’10 to Andrew Laurence Cook on June 20, 2014

Beth Bishop ’99 to Paul Kenneth Lithgow on June 28, 2014 Katy Manier ’99 to Patrick O’Shea on September 13, 2014 Sandy McCain ’00 to Brandon Cawthon on March 14, 2014

Emily Williard Nardone ’04

Suzanne Brown ’02 to Paul Bryant on May 25, 2014

Caylan Cheadle ’02 to Anderson Lipscomb Jarman on July 26, 2014 Caroline Choate ’02 to Edward Dowling “Teddy” Hillard on May 24, 2014 Celeste Harrison ’02 to Michael Francis Shaughnessy on September 27, 2014 Elizabeth Stout ’02 to Brooks Creed on June 7, 2014 Abby Gallagher ’03 to Brannan Vann on October 11, 2014 Sara Morris ’03 to Jeremy Garner on October 4, 2014

Sarah Hong ’13

Combines Love

of Art into Alaska Internship

A

communications design and environmental studies major,

Sarah Hong ’13 had the opportunity to combine her graphic design talent with her love of the environment at an internship with the Northern Alaska Environmental Center in Fairbanks, Alaska last summer. Sarah is a sophomore at the Parsons School of Art. She credits her art portfolio with helping her land this competitive internship.

As part of the internship, she did graphic design, media relations, social media and secured sponsorships for the center. One of her projects was the logo and poster for the center’s annual Run for the Refuge, a fund-raising 5K. In designing the logo and poster, Sarah said she learned quickly that a “client” can have lots of different ideas.

“I did a lot of mock ups that were shot down multiple times.” She also secured 37 sponsors for the run.

Winter 2015

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50

Scarborrough

Quinn

Beasley

Henig

Ward

Floyd

BIRTHS

Louise Riley Beasley ’00 daughter, Laura Elizabeth Beasley on October 29, 2014

Laura Callaway Morgan ’02 son, John “Jack” Barry Morgan on March 29, 2014

Elizabeth Cherry Barrett ’92 son, John William Barrett II on November 24, 2013

Laura Snyder Bonfiglio ’00 daughter, Cora Ann Bonfiglio on January 20, 2014

Tori Tucker Alexander ’03 daughter, Elizabeth Jane “Eliza” Alexander on December 7, 2014

Sarah Allen Cassanego ’00 daughter, Emilia Grace Cassanego on October 5, 2014

Kate Carter Baker ’03 son, Carter McPhillips Baker on June 11, 2014

Nika Ferdowsi ’00 daughter, Shaida Ferdowsi McGee on August 13, 2013

Marion Granbery Floyd ’03 son, James Franklin Floyd on July 29, 2014

Allison Byrd Freeman ’00 son, Dax Bates Freeman on October 30, 2014

Graham Barton Meadors ’03 daughter, Clay Killeen Meadors on March 22, 2014

Catherine Johnson Furbish ’00 son, James “Jamie” Furbish on June 8, 2014

Sarah Anne Bargatze Richardson ’03 son, Ezra Sol Richardson on May 13, 2014

Katie Levitt Greene ‘00 daughter, Madelyn Clara Greene on August 6, 2014

Lyndsey Johnson Rollins ’03 daughter, Sarah Margaret Rollins on July 1, 2014

Meg Fox Groves ‘00 son, Patrick William Groves on March 19, 2014

Liza Trickett Averbuch ’04 son, Harvey Davis Averbuch on September 9, 2014

Lindsey Wallace Henig ‘00 daughter, Camille Wallace Henig on July 2, 2014

Lauren Powell Hayley ’04 daughter, Caroline Farrell Hayley on March 28, 2014

Kristina Hoge ’00 son, Hudson Hoge Bronstein on August 29, 2014

Kate Davis Lemmons ’04 daughter, Olivia Ann Lemmons “Livie” on August 28, 2014

Shannon Shillinglaw McIntosh ’00 daughter, Mary Elizabeth McIntosh on September 22, 2014

Crockett Hale Rodriguez ’04 son, Jack Ruff Rodriguez on January 6, 2015

Tricia McWilliams Ward ’00 daughter, Skylar Ashland Ward on June 23, 2014

Ellen Davis West ’04 daughter, Selma Coles West on June 14, 2014

Amy Scruggs Adams ’01 daughter, Elizabeth May “Lilly” Adams on October 16, 2014

Bryana Franks Aguilar-Mendoza ’05 son, Hector Bryan Aguilar on August 12, 2013

Helen Martin Nonn ’01 son, Marlow Lewis Nonn on December 16, 2013

Claire Stadler Lawhorne ’05 daughter, Julia Carell Lawhorne on November 12, 2014

Hannah Galbraith Wright ’01 daughter, Eliza Margaret Wright on Ocotber 17, 2014

Meg Beasley Befort ’06 son, Deacon Lee Befort on May 15, 2014

Stephanie Tidwell Gillmor ’02 daughter, Mary Allis Gillmor on September 15, 2014

Rebecca Barden Newman ’07 daughter, Caroline Macauley Newman on July 15, 2014

Sarah Scarborough ’93 son, Benjamin Rye Gowdy on October 31, 2014 Blythe Durrett Browne ’95 son, Weston Reills Browne on April 26, 2013 Katie Sloan Coleman ’95 daughter, Eleanor Coleman on July 23, 2013 Lacey Galbraith ’95 son, Walter Oliver Robison III on June 5, 2014 Christie Fontecchio Wakefield ’95 daughter, Amelia Sky Wakefield on July 30, 2013 Leslie Caldwell Severns ’96 daughter, Luella Lynn Severns on February 11, 2013 Britany Foster Rothstein ’97 daughter, Tess Foster Rothstein on July 1, 2014 Rachel Pitman Neal ’98 daughter, Clara McCall Neal on December 5, 2014 Tallu Schuyler Quinn ’98 son, Robert Thomas Quinn on September 9, 2014 Kristina Treanor Tam ’98 daughter, Augusta Penelope River on November 18, 2013 Kate Rose Williams ’98 daughter, Wiles Claire Williams on August 6, 2014 Lauren Gaffney ’99 twin sons, Theodore Gaffney Holt and Tillman Gaffney Holt on December 16, 2014 Maggie Holt Rittenhouse ’99 son, Jack Thomas Rittenhouse on June 30, 2014 Haley Barnett Rittenhouse ’99 son, Wyatt James Rittenhouse on July 21, 2014

Hayley

Lemmons

West

Befort

We welcome photos in our Class Notes, Marriages and Births sections.

We prefer high resolution, 300 dpi jpegs. Email your digital photos to Alumnae Relations Coordinator Lisa Harrison, harrison@harpethhall.org.

HALLWAYS

Newman

in Memoriam

Laurine “LaLa” Wallace Vail ‘28 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away June 15, 2014. She was active in real estate for more than 50 years, and she was a member of the Junior League of Nashville, Daughters of the American Revolution and a communicant of Christ the King and St. Henry Church. Laurine is survived by one son, two daughters, including Sandy Vail McCaffrey ’62, five grandsons, four granddaughters, and 15 great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Craig Proctor ‘38 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away June 20, 2014. She volunteered and was generous to many Nashville organizations, and she was the first woman elected mayor of Belle Meade. She is survived by one daughter, four granddaughters, including Collins Weaver Hooper ’88, one grandson, and 11 great-grandchildren.

Ann Stahlman Hill ‘39 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away October. 19, 2014. Mrs. Hill was active in theatre locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2005, she received Harpeth Hall’s Distinguished Alumna Award. She is survived by her sister Mildred Stahlman ’40, daughters Mary Hill Sanders ’66 and Margo Hill Whitaker ’70, two sons, seven grandsons, and three greatgrandchildren.

Molly Bellamy Burns ‘41 of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away September 27, 2014. Her family started the Bellamy Telephone Company, and she worked as a switchboard operator before attending Ward-Belmont and Northwestern University. She

is survived by three sons and one daughter.

Nancy Landis Oates ‘41 of Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away November 23, 2014. She was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where she served as an elder and deacon. Nancy is survived by three daughters, two grandsons, three granddaughters, and two great-grandchildren.

Elaine Chittick Evans ‘42 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away September 21, 2014. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, the Centennial Club, and the Four Seasons Garden Club.

Elaine is survived by two sons, one grandson, and two granddaughters, including Laine Evans ’04.

Joan Looney Wilde ‘42 of Colorado Springs, Colorado, passed away November 6, 2014.

Mary Belle Maddin Mitchell ‘44 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away August 16, 2014. She was active in volunteer work at her church and was devoted to her family and friends. She is survived by four sons, one daughter, 20 grandchildren and 12 greatgrandchildren.

Martha McIntyre Baldridge ‘46 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away September 26, 2014. She and her husband sucessfully ran the Tom Baldridge’s Sportsman Stores. Martha was a devoted third generation member of First Baptist Church. She is survived by one son, two granddaughters, one grandson, and three greatgrandchildren.

Ann Gordon Dempster Smallman Hamilton ‘46 of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away on November 7. She is survived by one daughter, one son, two granddaughters, and nieces and nephews.

Suzanne Huntley Haselton ‘48 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed

away September 5, 2014. She is survived by three daughters, one son, 10 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.

Trilby Elliston Williams ‘48 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away May 26, 2014. She is survived by one son, one daughter, Trilby Williams ’80, a step-brother, and many nieces and nephews.

Margaret McDonald Moore ‘49 of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away August 11, 2014. She taught first grade for 39 years in New Jersey. She is survived by one daughter, two granddaughters, and one grandson.

Priscilla Murray Steagall ‘49 of Charlotte, North Carolina, passed away December 2, 2014.

She taught history and English in Charlotte and Charleston, S.C. and was also active in real estate for several years in Charlotte.

Priscilla volunteered with many nonprofits and loved world travel, the arts, and following her favorite sports teams. She is survived by two daughters and two granddaughters.

Kathryn “Kitty” Pankey Kirkland ‘50 of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away August 31, 2014.

She was selected by Al Capp as the face of the character NancyO in his comic strip “Li’l Abner.”

She is survived by two sisters, two daughters, one son, and five grandchildren.

Sue Giles Marshall ‘50 of Durango, Colorado, passed away November 24, 2014. Sue practiced speech pathology in Ohio and Colorado. She is survived by her husband, two sons, one daughter, four granddaughters, five greatgrandchildren, one sister, and one brother.

Sally Clay Estes Flinn ‘53 of Richmond, Virginia, passed away December 24, 2014. Sally was a speech therapist working in schools and in private therapy.

She was a past president of the Junior League of Richmond and was an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. She is survived by her husband, one daughter, one son, five grandchildren, one brother, and her sister-in-law Allister McDougall Estes ’54.

Margaret Condon Bateman Von Siegel ‘55 of Memphis, Tennessee, passed away in August 2014. She enjoyed traveling, bridge, tennis, and fishing.

She is survived by one sister, two sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren.

Mary Brown Fort ‘56 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away November 9, 2014. She volunteered at Cheekwood and was very involved in the Garden Club of America. She is survived by her husband, one son, one daughter, Margo Fort Hall ’87, a granddaughter, and four grandsons.

Elizabeth Ewing Stanford ‘56 of Arlington, Virginia, passed away October 18, 2014. She is survived by her husband, her nieces Kent Ewing Ballow ’77, Christie Ewing Rolon ’79, and Ann Ewing Winchester ’80, and one nephew.

Grayson Harris ‘61 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away June 26, 2014. Grayson spent 30 years living in New Orleans raising four children and greatly contributing to her community. After Hurricane Katrina, she moved back to Nashville. She is survived by her sister, Sara Harris Nelson ’47, one brother, four children, five grandsons and two granddaughters, including Charlotte Taylor ’19.

Sara Franklin Homer ‘80 of Moorestown, New Jersey, passed away August 21, 2014.

She worked for the State Park Service for the State of New Jersey Department of Environment Protection. She is survived by her husband and brother.

Winter 2015

ALUMNAE

Carolyn Preuit Fennell WB of Leighton, Alabama, passed away July 8, 2014. She was very active in the Leighton and surrounding communities. Carolyn is survived by two sons, one granddaughter, and one grandson.

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RETROSPECTIVE

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To view more images

visit www.harpethhall.org/history.

Click on the Online Digital Archives. Search for early 1900 copies of The Iris or Milestones.

Art History

Harpeth Hall not only traces its strong academic excellence back to Ward Seminary for Young Women, it traces its legacy in fine arts. Since the early 1900s, students at Ward-Seminary demonstrated their artistic talents with beautiful paintings and illustrations featured in the annual yearbook, The Iris or Milestones. Today’s students’ artwork is highlighted annually in Harpeth Hall’s literary magazine, Hallmarks.

HALLWAYS

What Matters Most Our

Sustaining Educational Excellence for Girls

house has been unusually quiet since late August, and we feel a bit melancholy when we drive onto Harpeth Hall’s beautiful campus these days or see the plaid skirts hanging in the closets. Both of our daughters have graduated; and as we adjust to our empty nest, they are enjoying college life, well prepared for the challenges that lie ahead, thanks in large part to the exceptional education they received at Harpeth Hall.

As parents of Margaret, who graduated in 2012, and Catherine who graduated this past May, we can attest to the transformative power of a Harpeth Hall education.

We are deeply grateful for the variety of experiences our daughters relished during their years here and their lifelong love of learning sparked by the remarkable faculty. What matters most is sustaining that educational excellence for girls, each and every day.

Over 2,000 donors at every level help continue the tradition of excellence at Harpeth Hall. Every gift to the Annual Fund has a meaningful and immediate impact on each of the 687 students. Gifts to the Annual Fund are essential in enhancing the classroom experience with innovative and engaging learning tools, supporting faculty development, increasing resources for financial aid, offering service learning opportunities, and maintaining the beauty and safety of the campus.

We are honored to serve as Annual Fund Chairs and are humbled by the dedication and talent of our entire team of volunteers. Please join us in making your gift to the Annual Fund. Together, our gifts will enrich the life of every Harpeth Hall student by providing limitless opportunities for each girl to thrive.

Thank you to those of you who have already given. Your gift is an investment that will continue to grow in value over time, as these young girls learn to think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably and become strong, capable women entering a world greatly in need of their gifts and talents.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2015, Tricia and Doug McDowell 2014-2015 Annual Fund Chairs Parents of Margaret ’12 and Catherine ’14

H AR PET H HAL L 2014 - 2015 ANNUAL FUND Continue our tradition of excellence and support the young women at Harpeth Hall today.

Click the Giving tab at www.HarpethHall.org or call Tracy Campbell, Director of Annual Giving, 615-346-0083.

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e n la ry o m e m n w o d lk a w a Take 15 Reunion Harpeth Hall 20

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