2 Vin DeSomma ’77 entered Harvey as a fourth-grader and stayed through as a high school freshman when the school added a ninth grade. Vin said his days at Harvey were vastly different from the school today. “We were all boys and they called us by our last names,” he recalled with a smile. He spoke in glowing terms of his teachers, especially Jan Jacobi, his English teacher; and two history teachers: Henri Benac, who took Vin and some classmates on a trip to the former Soviet Union; and Donald Sutherland, whom Vin remembered as being “most fascinating, tall, with a wild crop of hair.” He credits Mr. Sutherland for inspiring his love of history, a subject he pursued in college. Vin, who had a 25-year career in international development and public diplomacy, has spent the past 11 years as vice president at AMIDEAST, a U.S. organization providing education and training services to people of the Middle East and North Africa. He has also penned two books, one “A History of Russia and the Soviet Union.” Messrs. Benac and Sutherland would certainly be proud! Susan Moore Nicolari ’87, a fixture for years at Harvey’s Evarts Rink, didn’t have far to travel for her induction, but she was nearly late to the ceremony as she was finishing a skating lesson. Susan was inducted for her years as both a highly recognized competitive skater and for her long and distinguished career as a skate instructor at Evarts and other rinks in Westchester County. Introduced by her classmate, Stephanie McCaine ’87, as someone who “dedicated herself to skating through the years,” Susan accepted the inscribed induction plaque by saying, “I appreciate this honor more than you’ll ever know.” She shared an anecdote in which a mother of one of her skating students thanked her for giving joy to her daughter. Susan said, “It was the first time I ever realized the impact you have on a child and what an honor and responsibility it really is.” Capping the Hall of Fame ceremony was the induction of the fourth and final member, Doniella McKoy ’07, who currently serves as a Continuity of Operations Planner (COOP) in New York City, managing a portfolio of more than a dozen city agencies and offices, and playing an instrumental role in getting residents prepared for an emergency. Doniella said she was excited to return to a place “that feels like home,” noting that she was a boarder when she attended the Upper School. When asked why it is important for alumni to return, she said, “because relationships matter.” She said it was the faculty-student relationships that she
3
1. Seth Morton ’57 receives his award // 2. Dan Chapman ’73 with Vin DeSomma ’77 // 3. Susan Nicolari ’87 accepting her award // 4. Doniella McKoy ’07 talks about her path after Harvey
experienced with her former teachers that meant so much to her. She singled out current Upper School Head Phil Lazzaro and Lesley Boltz, school registrar, as two who saw her potential and encouraged her to explore it. When one of her former teachers, Chris Kelly, introduced her at the induction ceremony, he described Doniella as “someone fully immersed in student life, someone who pushed herself in many directions of campus life.” Doniella continues to push herself in many directions beyond her role as a public health and medical coordinator. Among her activities is her effort to formalize a nonprofit to help the homeless with personal hygiene items, enriching the lives of others today as she enriched campus life during her years at Harvey. Dan Chapman concluded the ceremony by recognizing those alumni who were celebrating reunions of 25 years or more. Perhaps no one made a stronger impression on everyone gathered than Josh Morton ’59 who was recognized as the alum who traveled the farthest to participate in Harvey’s Reunion. When the alumni president acknowledged Josh as having flown out of Savannah, Ga., to be on hand at Harvey, it seemed a truly fitting way to end the annual ceremony that helps us all see how much the alumni appreciate what Harvey has meant in their lives.
4
harveyschool.org 19