Spring 2022 Magazine

INDIAN SPRINGS A M AG A Z I N E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F I N D I A N S P R I N G S S C H O O L

SPRING 2022

HONORING THE LIFE & LEGACY OF

MAC FLEMING

A TEACHER’S JOURNEY

By Charles Robinson ’59

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Pa g e 4

PLUS: BREAKING GROUND

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BUILDING CONNECTIONS

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INDIAN SPRINGS MAGAZINE

HEAD OF SCHOOL

MISSION STATEMENT Guided by our motto, Learning through Living,

SCOTT G. SCHAMBERGER

Indian Springs School fosters a love of learning and creativity, a sense of integrity and moral courage, and an ethic of participatory citizenship with respect for individuality and independent thought.

ACADEMICS

Dr. Jonathan Gray EDITOR

ADMISSION

Taylor Docking

Rachel Wallace Preskitt

ADVANCEMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jim Simon

Ellen S. Padgett

ATHLETICS

PHOTOGRAPHER

Greg Van Horn

Quez Shipman

COLLEGE ADVISING

Amelia Johnson

COVER PHOTO

Graham Yelton

COMMUNICATIONS

Rachel Wallace Preskitt

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

Erica Richie

Tanya Yeager

CONTRIBUTORS

FACULTY

Dr. Bob Cooper

Dr. Tanya Hyatt

Kathryn D’Arcy

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Hallie Barrett

Braxton Goodrich ’93

STRATEGY & SPECIAL PROJECTS

Jan Jander ’95

Lauren Wainwright ’88

Ellen McElroy ’78

STUDENT LIFE

Catherine McLean

Weslie Wald Hunter Wolfe

Dr. Richard Neely Charles Robinson ’59 Jim Simon

BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2021-2022

Alan Engel ’73 Robert Aland ’80 Myla Calhoun Martin Damsky ’68 Joe Farley ’81 Jerolyn Ferrari Clara Chung Fleisig Braxton Goodrich ’93 Elizabeth Goodrich Kyung Han ’85 John Hudson, III Ben Hunt ’82 Leo Kayser, III ’62

Emily Hess Levine ’01 Jimmy Lewis ’75 Ellen McElroy ’78 Randall Minor ’99 Janet Bell Perry Scott Pulliam ’85 Lia Rushton Hanson Slaughter ’90 Starr Turner Drum ’02 Ex Officio, Alumni Council Heidi Falconer Ex Officio, Parents Association

INDIAN SPRINGS SCHOOL

publishes Indian Springs Magazine twice a year, in fall/winter and spring/summer. Printed by Craftsman Printing, Birmingham, Alabama.

CLASS NOTES

classnotes@indiansprings.org ADDRESS UPDATES

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©2022 Indian Springs School. All rights reserved.

190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, AL 35124 Phone: 205.988.3350 | Website: www.indiansprings.org

NOTICE OF NONDISCIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS Indian Springs School, an independent school nationally recognized as a leader in boarding and day

education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers its admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

INDI A N {CONTENTS}

SPR INGS

SPRING 2022

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VOLUME TWENTY, ISSUE ONE

Mac Fleming as interim director of the school, originally printed in the 1987 Khalas.

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FEATURE STORY

A Teacher’s Journey

Honoring the life and legacy of MacDonald “Mac” Fleming, a member of Indian Springs’ founding faculty who served the school for a remarkable 70 years. By Charles Robinson ’59

F E AT U R E D

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Indian Springs hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Kayser-Samford Community Commons on Friday, December 3.

Olivia Honeycutt ’22, Henry Spradlin ’22, Ember Szaflarski ’23, and Carson Huff ’23 exemplify interdisciplinary learning.

Breaking Ground

IN EVERY ISSUE

Building Connections

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WELCOME LETTERS

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NOTEWORTHY

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@ExperienceSprings

WELCOME

FROM BOARD CHAIR ALAN ENGEL

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Spring 2022

TOP TO BOTTOM: Alan in December

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2021 at a reception celebrating the groundbreaking of the KayserSamford Community Commons.

With the Indian Springs School Board of Governors at its first in-person meeting since the start of the pandemic. Talking with William Hawley ’08 at the New York City alumni reception in October 2021.

y term as chair of the Indian Springs School Board of Governors is coming to an end in May. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this position. I want to convey my sincere appreciation to all those in the Indian Springs community who have given me their support, counsel, and assistance during these past four years. While I was not necessarily prepared to experience a global pandemic, a tornado, and a flood, I was able to stay energized because so many of you answered the call and helped the school through these unexpected events. The Board, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and especially students came together and pulled us through these challenging times. As life at Indian Springs normalizes, it is gratifying to see how strong the greater Indian Springs community has become.

Student achievement in academics, the arts, and sports is outstanding. We are well on our way to completing the new Kayser-Samford Community Commons. Enrollment is at an all-time high, and our admissions have become robust, with an increased number of applicants each year. This has not happened by chance. Head of School Scott Schamberger has assembled an outstanding team of faculty and staff. Leadership at the department, dean, and associate level is superb. The Board of Governors has provided Scott with unqualified support, as have our Parents Association and Alumni Council. We still have much to do, and I am excited that Elizabeth Goodrich P ’20, ’23 will serve as the next chair of the Board. Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience and a current parent’s perspective to the job. She represents the best and the brightest of the next generation of leadership at Indian Springs.

As noted above, the dining hall is slowly rising from the foundation of the original building. I look forward to the ribbon-cutting this fall, but if you have not yet committed to this wonderful facility, I respectfully ask you to consider making a meaningful gift to this campaign. Whether you are asked by letter, email, or in person, please take a moment to watch the virtual tour and imagine our students sitting on the porch of this building with their friends on a beautiful spring day, watching the swans skim playfully across the lake. This building is not just a dining hall; it’s a place for everyone in our community to come together to socialize, collaborate, debate, and understand each other. It will indeed be our new community hub.

Our campaign needs everyone’s support. Your personal commitment can be structured with annual payments to fit your philanthropy.

While my term ends in a couple of months, you may still hear from me! I have committed to staying in an ex-officio capacity for another year to assist in bringing the capital campaign to completion and maintaining institutional memory at the Board level.

My Indian Springs journey started as an anxious 14-year-old from Jasper arriving at my dorm room in August 1969. Mike Nichols ’70, the fall mayor, opened the car door, greeted me with a big smile, and helped me move in. From that moment, I knew I was home. Thanks, Mike, and thanks to all of you for being a wonderful part of my Indian Springs journey as a student, alum, parent, board member, and hopefully someday as an Indian Springs grandparent!

Most sincerely, TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR AT INDIANSPRINGS .ORG/COMMUNITY COMMONS

FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL SCOTT SCHAMBERGER

TOP TO BOTTOM: Scott in February 2022 standing in front of the first wall being constructed at the site of the Kayser-Samford Community Commons. With fall semester mayor Andy Schwebel ’22 at the Community Commons groundbreaking ceremony in December 2021. Talking with alums at the New York City reception in October 2021.

Indian Springs

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he faculty, staff, and administration at Indian Springs have spent a great deal of time and energy trying to get to “yes” this school year to provide as normal an experience for our students as possible.

In that quest, our school community has indeed been able to return to many of our traditional activities. It feels great to be able to do so, but it has also challenged me to reframe my perspective of our quest.

I’ve come to realize that “normal” at Indian Springs is, in fact, extraordinary.

In a community where relationships matter most, we are transformed by one another. Every member of our community experiences the transformative power of relationships here. I know this because I see it every day.

I have listened intently to the stories shared with me by alumni about the friends and teachers who impacted their lives. I have witnessed the outpouring of love and support for the Indian Springs family when one of our own faces heartbreak and tragedy. I have felt it when the school is in need and our community rallies in support or when we celebrate our students’ and alums’ individual and collective accomplishments. It is a humbling experience to serve as head of school at Indian Springs, and there is no doubt that I am made better by the faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and students on a daily basis.

We recently lost an icon in the Indian Springs family with the passing of Mac Fleming. For 70 years and from the school’s founding, Mac transformed the lives of generations of Indian Springs students. As a faculty member, director, and archivist, Mac dedicated his entire professional life to the school. The stories of how Mr. Fleming has impacted our community are too abundant to count, and he will forever be a giant in our minds and hearts. Mac Fleming is not alone in this regard. This year another “Mac,” Dr. Mac LaCasse, is celebrating an extraordinary tenure at the school. In his 50th year on the faculty, Dr. LaCasse has inspired young minds and launched careers in physics, engineering, and mathematics. In the next edition of Indian Springs Magazine, you will learn more about Dr. LaCasse’s illustrious career and dedicated service to the school.

Shifting to a mask-optional policy has encouraged the return of aspects of the Indian Springs’ culture that have been challenged in recent years. It is fantastic to see students staying later and later into the evenings to hang out with their friends, participating in a rich array of extracurricular activities, or working together in the library. Although I was attending alumni events on the West Coast during our recent winter formal, veteran faculty shared with me that it was the best school dance they have ever attended. They seemed genuinely excited to chaperone, which is a glowing endorsement. The smiles on the students’ faces and the joyous laughter will provide memories that will last a lifetime. The cast and crew of the spring musical, “Xanadu,” mesmerized the audience with their efforts. I do not doubt that the seniors making their last curtain call in Badham Theater were transformed by this experience and will relive these memories whenever they return to campus or see one another. These extraordinary moments don’t even take into account the many athletic successes, Presidential Scholar awards, Scholastic arts achievements, science fair winners, and numerous other accomplishments that we celebrate daily. Although we have come to expect such recognitions, the breadth, depth, and quantity of these achievements are extraordinary.

The transformation of the Indian Springs campus with the ongoing construction of the Kayser-Samford Community Commons is another extraordinary moment for the school. Few other schools would choose to embark on a major construction project during a global pandemic complete with supply chain challenges and record inflation. Our community did so because of the tremendous support of our alumni community, parents past and present, board members, and friends of the school. We are well on our way to realizing this new facility with both our construction and fundraising goals. I remain confident that the Indian Springs community will ensure we raise the remaining $3 million necessary to complete and fully fund this project and provide the space for transformative relationships to flourish for generations to come.

Every member of our community plays an essential role in the life of the young people who call Indian Springs home. Thank you for all you do to support the school.

Warmest wishes.

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Photo by Graham Yelton

In May 2017, Mac sits in the Indian Springs Archives Office across a portrait of himself painted 30 years earlier when he was the school’s interim director. The portrait now hangs in the Indian Springs Advancement House for visiting alums to see.

A TEACHER’S JOURNEY honoring the life & legacy of

MAC FLEMING 1923–2022

Indian Springs

BY CHARLES ROBINSON ’59

Charles Robinson ’59 first realized the transformative power of Indian Springs in a ninth-grade history class taught by Mac Fleming. From that year, Mac affectionately referred to Charles as “Rowdy Red” because of his rambunctious personality and ginger hair. Charles recalls how Mac was a paternalistic figure shepherding him through adolescence and academic pursuits.

He became a lawyer and was the first Indian Springs alum elected to the school’s Board of Governors. He was named Board Chair in 1975 and worked with Mac and other faculty members to sustain the school through immense financial hardship. Charles says he and Mac bonded over the experience like “two soldiers in a foxhole.” They shared a dream to retain those memories in the form of a book documenting the early history of Indian Springs. The following article is an excerpt from that book, which Charles hopes to one day publish.

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acDonald “Mac” B. Fleming’s career is the singular, vibrant thread that runs continuously throughout the 70-year history of Indian Springs School. Imagine that every student and teacher during the entire existence of Indian Springs had the benefit of Mac’s teaching, counsel, leadership, and role model. Mac served Indian Springs in various capacities, including history professor, faculty advisor, dorm proctor, college placement advisor, faculty commissioner of protection, air raid warden, budget committeeman, interim director, and most recently, archivist and professor emeritus.

Born in Laurens, South Carolina, to a family of teachers, Mac delighted his parents by immersing himself in the study of history as a young boy. Mac’s mother devoted herself to the patience and care of teaching first graders, qualities which her son inherited when he followed in his parents’ footsteps.

Mac matriculated to Presbyterian College in Columbia, South Carolina. After completing two years, he was drafted into the armed services near the end of World War II and served three years as an aviation radioman in the Navy Air Corps. Mac played an important role in Naval intelligence by identifying the operator of the Japanese transmitters by each distinct signal, thus determining the sources of coded messages to the Japanese fleet.

Mac returned to Presbyterian College in 1948 and then entered Peabody College in the fall of that year to pursue his goal of teaching history in a prestigious college. Unfortunately, the return of veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill had severely limited opportunities in the market for professional educators. Mac served as a graduate assistant at Peabody and then taught happily for a year and a half at Troy State Teachers’ College. However, Mac’s dream of finding a long-term college teaching position was fading fast with the added duress of his dwindling funds.

Almost in desperation, Mac took the civil service exam and qualified for the highest pay level in the government entry position.

Mac declined the civil service career because he would not be teaching. As a last resort, Mac sought employment guidance from his former advisor at Peabody.

Ironically, Mac and his Peabody advisor had heard rumors about an experimental preparatory school being established in the Birmingham area and then read a Newsweek article in 1951 which described the novel venture. At this point, Mac abandoned his dissertation and dreams of a college teaching position because of insufficient funds and the shortage of available college teaching opportunities. Mac’s advisor at Peabody recommended Mac to Doc Armstrong, the new director of this novel school established near Birmingham.

Indian Springs was a natural interim fit given Mac’s financial plight and commitment to teaching. The new director, Doc, was well known to Mac. Mac had been a student in several of Doc’s former classes at Peabody. Doc’s stature as an innovative thinker was Mac’s primary reason to sign a one-year interim contract to teach history at Indian Springs. Mac’s provisional commitment in 1952 led to his life’s work at Indian Springs encompassing the next 69 years.

Spring 2022

TOP: The earliest portrait the school has of Mac, originally printed in the 1962 Khalas. BOTTOM: Mac teaches the Class of 1959 as

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ninth-graders. Charles Robinson is seated third from the left of Mac; he was 14 years old at the time and is now 80. Mac could remember the names of each of these students during Alumni Weekend 2021. RIGHT: A portrait captured by The Birmingham News Company in 2006 to accompany an article entitled “History lessons may fade, not history teacher Mac Fleming.”

Photos from the Indian Springs Archives

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Spring 2022

“Most Indian Springs alums would agree that to those encountered in some of the best

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Mac met his fellow teaching colleagues gathering in the summer of 1952 to prepare the school program. A true sense of collegiality soon developed among the band of new teachers and administrators.

The band included Doc and Assitant Director Dick Crosby. Sybil Barid and Frank Cantey were local educators who had made their respective marks as a librarian and private school director. Bob Moore from Helena was employed as a site manager and the applied arts and agriculture teacher. The rest were products of the Peabody connection. The musical director, Charlie Bryan, was one of Doc’s colleagues at Peabody.

Science teacher Ted Coburn, history teacher Mac Fleming, English teacher Jim Mason, and history teacher Dick Warren were Peabody graduate students and had taken at least one class from Doc. There were considerable differences of opinion among this fledgling faculty. Doc did not dominate nor direct the conversations and allowed the individual members of the faculty to have a whole and robust debate of all issues. The discussions that ensued were sometimes as heated as the valley afternoons.

Mac recalled that Ted Coburn often diffused the most intractable differences of opinion with a joke or other humorous anecdote.

Perhaps that is what Doc intended in the first instance. The products of those early faculty discussions and debates were twofold: each faculty member had the stage to express their philosophy of education, and the faculty bonded.

During the first year of operation, the students wisely delayed working on any new assignment because they knew it would be withdrawn and replaced with a different task within two weeks. Toward the end of that first year, Doc began to exert a more focused direction, and the school’s programs began to run much smoother.

Through this formative stage at Indian Springs, Doc’s vision and single-minded tenacity stand out. His definition of education encompassed almost anything anyone did as a teacher or student. Mac recalled that Doc maintained strict command over later faculty

meetings. When a teacher proposed some new program that Doc did not favor, Doc would succinctly say, “naw, we’re not going to do that.” oc fairly captured the life and history of the school, and he defined the lodestar of those early years when he published a brochure entitled “Participation in Creation.” The notion of creating a new school “different” became the mantra for all the constituencies of the Indian Springs community, and everyone bought into Doc’s visionary task.

An excerpt from that publication truly defined the creative process that occurred in those early days of the school: The creation of man in the image of God means that God made man able to participate in creation through intelligence.

Human beings are at their best when they sense contrasts between the actual and the ideal and when they are moved by a spirit of adventure to bridge the gap between what is and what ought to be. The possession of the power of choice, though by no means absolute, makes man responsible for his actions in a different light and higher sense than is any other creature.

Participation in creation or in constructive change requires knowledge plus moral responsibility. The way to knowledge is through discipline in the acquirement of ordered fact. The importance of knowledge lies in the uses to which it is put; it is man’s sense of moral responsibility that determines how knowledge is used. The obvious implication is that the essence of education should be spiritual—spiritual in the sense of inculcating duty and reverence.

Simultaneously, we aim to educate young men for leadership roles and develop a conception of education that supports the values of free men in a free society as effectively as the educational conceptions of the totalitarian states support their special purposes.

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Mac was the last teacher hired by Doc, and he was assigned living quarters in the dorm circle, which brought him into constant contact with the boarding students. At Peabody, Mac had been involved in a longdistance romance with a lady from Laurens, but the apartness strains were too great, and Mac arrived on the Indian Springs campus as a very eligible bachelor. Unfortunately, Mac was also dealing with dwindling resources.

He was very happy to secure this new teaching job with room, board, and great pay.

Mac’s teaching abilities were nonpareil.

His mastery of historical subject matter was augmented by his captivating lectures. Most Indian Springs alums would agree that the quality of Mac’s lectures was far superior to those encountered in some of the best colleges and universities in the country.

One of Mac’s colleagues once remarked to Doc that Mac had read virtually every history book ever written. Doc quickly replied, “yes, and Mac remembers every word he read.”

Mac had the proverbially photographic mind. Academically, he made his mark by objective standards. One example was his 1959 class which he taught basic studies during their ninth and 12th-grade years.

Out of that class of 32 young men, 16 were National Merit Finalists, and two won scholarships in that national competition.

In addition to Mac’s mastery of his subject matter, he could weave the tapestry of a fascinating story into his lectures. Mac probably learned the art of story-telling during his childhood in Laurens. Yet Mac’s academic command never resulted in the form of any personal or professional arrogance.

Ironically, Mac never managed any international travel to the cultures he knew so well. This had to be a manifestation of his unassuming modesty and lack of self-promotion. A European study trip with Mac as a tour guide would truly have been Learning through Living at its finest.

Mac was appointed as the faculty liaison for the Commissioner for Protection. This was not a demanding assignment because the early Indian Springs students were generally well-behaved. Mac’s challenges in the dorm

the quality of Mac’s lectures was far superior colleges and universities in the country.”

circle amounted to little more than breaking up a few scuffles.

It is also important to remember that the Cold War was raging during the 1950s. Shelby County authorities required Indian Springs to formulate a civil defense plan in the event of a nuclear attack. Doc immediately appointed Mac as director of civil defense. The two men were advised of a proximate large cave in Double Oak Mountain, and they walked there to assess the possibilities. The cave was large enough to house the Indian Springs community and shield from any nuclear blast.

Then a discussion ensued between Doc and Mac about food, water, sanitation, health care, and activities in the aftermath. That situation would be bleak, unmanageable, and shortlived. Doc and Mac then walked slowly back to the campus without speaking another word.

Indian Springs

Photos from the Indian Springs Archives

Mac teaches Basic Studies in 1976, originally printed in the Khalas.

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FROM DR. ROBERT “BOB”COOPER HISTORY TEACHER

Spring 2022

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Later, when Mac began working on his dissertation at Peabody, Ima Jean returned to get her master’s degree. They spent an enjoyable summer together then returned to their respective teaching positions. Mac began to visit Ima Jean in Tennessee, and their relationship blossomed into an engagement.

Mac and Ima Jean took their honeymoon on Michigan’s upper peninsula, where his brother and wife lived. Neither Ima Jean nor Mac had any interest in swinging nightlife, and the beautiful scenery and slow pace of life in upper Michigan were ideal for their relationship. Mac continued to visit the Michigan sanctuary with his family throughout his lifetime.

Eventually, Mac and Ima Jean would have three wonderful children, all of whom are succeeding in life very nicely. Unfortunately, Ima Jean died of a heart attack several years ago, and Mac moved into an off-campus home in Helena, close to the school.

There had been a policy at Indian Springs that the school would not be formally affiliated with any particular organized religion.

As we all know, organized religion as an academic pursuit is encouraged, but there is no affiliation with organized religion. Nevertheless, the individual teachers at Indian Springs almost all taught some type of Sunday school class and attended church regularly. Mac Fleming was no exception. Mac and his family were very active in a local Presbyterian church. Mac held most of the lay leadership positions in that church during his tenure at Indian Springs.

“To me, what made Mac so special was that he was the best person that I have ever known.”

ABOVE LEFT: Indian Springs legends Mac LaCasse, Mac Fleming, and Bob Cooper walk to lunch at the old dining hall in March of 2019.

Photos by Graham Yelton

s the youngest faculty member, Mac respected and admired most of his colleagues.

He was happy to be teaching intelligent and receptive young students. Yet Mac longed to have a family. On many evenings during the school week, Mac would drive away from the campus, and, of course, the students knew that he had some sort of social engagement. Mac would normally return to campus soon after lights-out at 10:00 p.m. and was routinely greeted with anonymous catcalls from students within the dorm circle.

While this rudeness was ignored, there was a general feeling among all the students that they wished the best for Mac in his search for the right lady.

The local ladies were very nice, but Mac had another longing traced back to Peabody. Mac met Ima Jean Culbertson from Lebanon, Tennessee, as a graduate assistant teacher. While making his way through a flower garden on campus, Mac met Ima Jean, an attractive blonde carrying a butterfly net.

She was capturing flying insects to fulfill an assignment for her biology class.

Peabody had a policy that discouraged graduate teaching assistants such as Mac from becoming too friendly with distaff undergraduates who might later be in one of their classes.

As their relationship developed, Ima Jean never signed up for Mac’s class because her friends told her that his course was too demanding.

“He was a gentleman and a scholar.”

“What an outstanding mentor and colleague he was.”

“Mr. Fleming’s stories defined the greatest generation for me. He was one of the greatest.”

“Such a loving giant in my memories.”

“An amazing man and amazing life.”

“My love of American history comes from Mr. Fleming.”

“Mr. Fleming was awesome and an incredible role model for me back at Indian Springs. Always had a great sense of humor, but also great stories with a lot of meaning that he was willing to share. He will be missed.”

“What a warm, generous man.”

“He always had such great tales!”

“He had such a presence and style!”

“He was genuinely rooting for every single student’s happiness and success, year after year, for decades. A true teacher advocate and a friend to so many.”

“I always enjoyed my meals with him in the dining hall and always learned something new.”

“What an impactful life he led.”

“Wherever he is now, the lawn is perfect.”

“Trying to remember the best thing about Mr. Fleming is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.”

“A true legend at Indian Springs School.”

“Goodness, could he tell stories.”

“Mr. Fleming was the heart, soul, and compass that helped develop Indian Springs into a nationally acclaimed school.”

“He lived a life we should all seek to emulate.”

“He was a kind, good, honorable man and a fine teacher.”

“Always positive. Always had a smile.”

On January 6, I posted on Facebook an announcement that Mac Fleming had passed away at the age of 98, and the response was overwhelming. Above are a sample of the many responses. In fact, there were more reactions than to anything I have posted over the 12 years that I have been on Facebook, and I post frequently.

Clearly, Mac’s passing resonated powerfully through the Indian Springs community, which is hardly surprising given the passionate dedication that he brought to Indian Springs, both as a brilliant teacher, the interim school director (who was offered the permanent position but insisted on returning to the classroom) and in his last years as the school archivist. Of course, to a large degree, he was the school archive, having been a member of the faculty since its opening in 1952 and having an incredible memory that seemed to make no concession to time.

But to me, what made Mac so special was that he was the best person that I have ever known. In the almost 50 years that I knew him, I never heard him say a bad word about anybody.

This includes colleagues and students. I can remember team meetings where what appeared to be incorrigible students were being discussed, and the teachers were expressing their exasperation and resentment. Then Mac would let out a hearty laugh and remind us that kids will be kids. He would bring patience and wisdom to such discussions, all based on a core belief that the essential quality of humanity is goodness. He lived his life in harmony with this belief.

An example of the thoughtfulness and kindness of Mac and his wife Ima Jean goes back to the first day Pam and I moved to the Indian Springs campus during the summer of 1974. We were invited to the Fleming home for lunch. Here we were, having arrived on campus and moving into an apartment in the dorm circle, knowing virtually nobody. It was Mac and Ima Jean who reached out and made us feel welcome. And they had clearly gone to some trouble, preparing a lovely lunch and taking the time to explain how things worked on campus and where we could buy the things that we needed. Given the fact that there had been confusion when we had come out for my interview and

“I loved how he brought kids in the class into the historical tale he was weaving.”

“He had such passion for teaching.”

Pam and I basically fasted all day, this lunch was also reassuring.

To this day, Pam and I have not forgotten this act of kindness.

The bond between Mac and I was strengthened by a mutual love for college football. Every Saturday afternoon, during football season, for years, I would walk over to “Fleming Field” to catch the game of the week. For me, it was an opportunity to not only watch a football game but to talk about teaching, the state of the world, history, etc. Mac would show off his encyclopedic memory with his commentary on the game. “That play reminds me of Bud Wilkinson’s Oklahoma team of 1956 when Tommy MacDonald ran a give-and-go to beat Texas.” I sometimes suspected that he was bluffing but wouldn’t bet on it.

At the time, the Flemings had a dog, Wigs, who was the worst smelling dog ever. Mac insisted that Wigs was regularly bathed, but his smell would immediately return. I only mention this to make the point that I was perfectly willing to put up with Wigs’ foul odor to continue to enjoy Mac’s company.

In recent years I was able to enjoy Mac’s company every day at lunch. The two of us, along with Mac LaCasse and Richard Neely, lunched at the very exclusive “old guys table.” There we could enjoy intellectual discussions on a wide range of subjects. Mac Fleming was an eager participant in these discussions. He was well into his 90s, but he had remained intellectually alive. When we would walk over to the archives to get him, we always checked out what book he was reading since he was continuing to devour books at a tremendous pace. He also was continuing to devour really large meals, always finishing with a large bowl of soup. It had been suggested that he ate so much in order to prolong the mealtime discussion. I do know that he never gained weight.

Finally, I want to close with a memory that I did not witness but he shared with me. Sometime around 1990, Mac was attacked by the campus swan. Being a country boy, Mac had no fear. He grabbed the swan by its neck, swung it over his head, and tossed it back in the lake. That swan never messed with him again. To quote a piece of Alan Heldman ’80’s response to my post: “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.”

Indian Springs

“He was always the first to volunteer for res life stuff.”

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TOP: Mac addresses his class circa 1980, originally printed in the Khalas. BOTTOM: Mac

signs a document as the interim director of the school circa 1987.

Mac was at Indian Springs the entire life of the school through feast and famine. During the early 1980s, Indian Springs suffered a virtual foreclosure from the trustee bank, which had made loans totaling over $1 million for the school’s operation. Mac, Frank Cantey, and Joe Jackson led the faculty and administration through this financial crisis with stellar results.

Mr. Cantey somehow magically balanced the school’s budget during those lean years. Had Frank Cantey been the chief financial officer of a major corporation such as IBM or Microsoft, the value of the company’s shares would be at least double what they are priced today. These three senior teachers and leaders rallied the faculty to remain loyal and steadfast in light of difficult circumstances which promised no raises and an uncertain future.

During this period, a telling anecdote revealed Mac’s loyalty to the school. Mac, Frank, and the Board of Governors chair met at the school to review the progress made in the school’s budgetary discipline. The school was operating in the black, but the sad news was the supposed “assets” of the Woodward testamentary trust were losing value under the trustee’s management and were becoming “liabilities.”

In short, the school had done more than its part, and the trustee bank had faltered. This was indeed a very discouraging meeting.

The background for what occurred during this low moment arose from the long-standing tradition that children of active teachers at Indian Springs received the prerequisite of free tuition for attendance at the school. This policy had been in effect for decades and was welldeserved in light of the average salaries afforded Indian Springs’ faculty.

Nonetheless, Mac and the board chair were leaving the disappointing meeting when Mac made an astounding offer. Mac indicated two of his children were current students at Indian Springs and that he and his wife, Ima Jean, had discussed this matter and had a proposal for the Board. Mac’s proposal was simply that his children would pay full tuition to the school during this crisis period to help alleviate the financial burden. The times were tough, but they were not that tough. The Board reacted quickly, refusing Mac’s generous offer and putting the

Photos from the Indian Springs Archives, by Quez Shipman

Spring 2022

“Mac described his educational philosophy very ‘When I go into the classroom, I expect to teach, and

school’s financial affairs in order in due course.

Indian Springs paid its debt to the trustee bank and accumulated a small endowment.

About that time, Joe resigned, and the position of director was left vacant with no successor in sight. Considering the state of Indian Springs’ finances during that period, it would have been virtually impossible to attract a suitable replacement as director. ho should step into the breach but Mac Fleming? Mac filled the breach as director of the school and presided over one of the most successful years that the school could enjoy under the circumstances. The formula for Mac’s success was the tremendous respect that he enjoyed among the faculty and the administration. More surprising was that Mac insisted that his service as the director would be limited and that he would only serve as an interim director and return to teaching as soon as possible. Mac’s wish was granted, but Indian Springs lost one of its very finest directors when he went back to teaching.

Mac described his educational philosophy very briefly as follows: “When I go into the classroom, I expect to teach, and I expect my students to learn.” Mac loved his profession, and he despised the thought of advancement into bureaucratic administration. He knew his calling and devoted his entire life as a gifted teacher.

Mac knew himself well, and he lived happily with his life of service.

Mac loved his students, but he did not brook any recalcitrant troops. In the early years of the school, Frank and Mac discovered that several student desks had been defaced. This disrespect for school property prompted them to issue a strong faculty proclamation against such misconduct with meaningful faculty sanctions to be unilaterally applied. However, the students and faculty had only recently adopted a constitution that provided that the students would participate in the promulgation of any new rules and regulations. A constitutional crisis ensued in a Town Meeting, which led to an apology

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by Doc to the student body for the unilateral faculty initiative. Needless to say, the same rules and regulations were soon adopted in keeping with the constitutional process, and the student Commissioner of Protection policed the dorm rooms and dorm furniture. The defacement ceased, and the constitution was upheld.

Perhaps the most significant difference in Indian Springs of 1952 and today is in the diverse make-up of the student body. Mac was well aware that much of the unique quality in an Indian Springs education derives from interaction among students. The international, racial, religious, and gender diversity of the Indian Springs student body, which Mac embraced, has provided better opportunities for Learning through Living.

Mac well remembered the early days of the school when the student body was divided between “Brookies” (cotillion society suburb of Mountain Brook) and “Non-Brookies” (everywhere else but Mountain Brook). There was never any favoritism among students in Mac’s classroom or elsewhere at Indian Springs.

One of Mac’s favorite anecdotes portrayed the current state of student sentiment toward its diversity. Doc established an annual “Spiritual Awareness” award which went to the students who treated their fellow students in the most considerate and respectful manner. This award is voted upon solely by the student body without any participation by the faculty or administration. Recent recipients of the award included two Eurasian students. In Mac’s view, the move to diversity has been a tremendous step forward, enriching the entire Indian Springs community.

Mac continued to shepherd his flock. A former student of Mac’s in the early 1950s later experienced a family tragedy that led to severe alcohol abuse, and other alums who sought to help the alumnus were rebuffed. The alums gave up on their former schoolmate and decided his situation was hopeless. However, Mac undertook to counsel this “lost soul” alum who returned to good health and a positive outlook.

Mac was instrumental in his former student’s recovery. There are many similar instances where Mac had continued his availability and devotion to his former students at Indian Springs.

FROM JAN JANDER ’95 “Mr. Fleming has been part of Indian Springs since its inception in 1952. My class is fortunate to have taken his final history course before he retired from teaching to focus on the school archives. There is an awe-inspiring sense of community and shared experience when you know that every alum from Indian Springs for more than 40 years at that point likely had taken the same history course taught only as Mac Fleming could—complete with his sometimes mischievous, often contagious, but always bright smile.

Looking ahead, the Indian Springs community of the past 70 years is tasked with the scintillating charge of sharing the legendary tales of the Mac Fleming era with Indian Springs generations to come.

As an honorary reminder of our duty, I present a sometimes misunderstood, often admired, but always bright light: “Lightscape.”

We love you, MacDonald B. “Mac” Fleming.”

Indian Springs

briefly as follows: I expect my students to learn.’”

In Mac’s honor, Chicago-based designer Jan Jander ’95 has installed a contemporary art fixture outside of the archives office in the Indian Springs library. The glowing light symbolizes Mac’s enduring legacy and his life’s work which brightened so many lives.

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FROM DR. RICHARD NEELY

Spring 2022

“The influence of his wisdom, his respect for others, his honor, humility, compassion, and commitment to justice for all people will be felt not only in the lives of his students but for generations of their descendants.”

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Mr. Fleming was the first real friend I made at Indian Springs. I consider it one of the greatest blessings of my life to have had the chance to be his friend.

In more than 40 years of university and high school teaching, I have met many great minds. Mac Fleming was one of the greatest. His knowledge of history was expansive. He had an encyclopedic mind and was comfortable in any subject: U.S. history, Southern history, ancient and modern world, military and diplomatic, political and social. He could have done anything with his academic life. But because of his love for teaching, he attached his star to Indian Springs School. What a stroke of luck for Indian Springs.

When I first came to Indian Springs, each classroom had two faculty offices connected to it. Mac and I shared the same classroom, and although I had only 15 years to know him, I felt I had known him all my life. He was only two years older than my father, was a Pacific World War II veteran like my father, and a Southerner with old attachments to the region and family.

His family and mine had both resided in Mecklenburg County in South Carolina in the 18th Century. I liked to think of our families as neighbors and friends from way back.

When I came to Indian Springs, Mr. Fleming was still teaching government, and I would listen to his presentations and discussions with the students. They were brilliant. I was constantly amazed at his depth of knowledge of the details of local, state, and national politics. Likewise, he would listen to my presentations on U.S. history, and afterward, we would have long discussions on the topics I was covering. He was always assigning me books to read and, at the end of his life, was reading a massive tome on the Naval actions around Malta and Crete during World War II. When he started working on the archive, it was always a pleasure to meet him for lunch with Dr. Cooper and Dr. LaCasse. Our conversations were always interesting and full of fun. Mac Fleming had a keen sense of humor and a zest for life. His laugh was contagious, and on a few occasions, we were asked to hold it down while tests were going on in the library.

When I retired from Indian Springs, I encouraged my students to get to know Mr. Fleming. I advised them that if they would do this, they would have something to tie them to every person who had gone to this school. I am gratified to know that so many of the students took this seriously and did just that.

The ancient Greeks believed that the only immortality was memory. When a person died and crossed into the afterlife, they existed as a shade of their former self. If the living remembered them, they could take shape and become a luminous presence. If they were forgotten, their shade faded until they became a part of the shadow, unable to take shape.

That was why if you encountered an Agamemnon or a Hercules in the afterlife, they could appear as a living beings because everyone remembered them.

I am inclined to believe that Mac Fleming is one of those luminous beings who will live forever in our memories. Not only that but the influence of his wisdom, his respect for others, his honor, humility, compassion, and commitment to justice for all people will be felt not only in the lives of his students but for generations of their descendants. His dedication to his profession and the school has enriched all of us. It was my great honor to have known him and called him a friend.

Photos from the Indian Springs Archives, by Graham Yelton

RETIRED HISTORY TEACHER

LEFT: A familiar sight to those who lived on campus, Mac mows his lawn, originally printed in the 1986 Khalas. RIGHT: A portrait capturing Mac’s joyous laugh, originally printed in the 1970 Khalas.

he Indian Springs lamp lit by the band of 10 in 1952 now burns more brightly than ever. The alumni have taken the reins to protect and enhance the vital traditions of the school. Benefactor Harvey Woodward’s dream schools are now sustained almost entirely by its children. Amidst this natural transition stood Mac, the sole survivor of the band of 10.

One of Indian Springs’s alums, John Green ’95, made this winsome observation in The New Yorker on June 9, 2014: Indian Springs offered the kind of verdant, self-contained setting where one could have a preemptively nostalgic coming-of-age. You could almost feel yourself missing it while you were still there.

True enough, alums move on to college, career, families, and finally retirement.

However, the coming of age at Indian Springs remains a halcyon recollection. Only Mac had

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never left the small, beautiful school in the lovely valley, and his life’s work is symbolic of all the best Indian Springs has to offer.

Mac worked in the archives in the Indian Springs library, happily surrounded by and diligently caring for the archival materials which catalog his school’s successes up until the end.

A big part of Mac’s legacy is the optimism that he always had. We are sad to lose a great mentor and friend, but Mac leaves us when the school is on solid footing, and we could see his passing as an opportunity for a renaissance for Indian Springs. This may signal the beginning of a reflection and renewal that Doc Armstrong initiated and advanced through his concept of “Participation in Creation.” Mac was someone who lived his life according to those terms. In a sense, he left us when he knew he could.

Visit indiansprings.org/mac to read the unabridged chapter, see more photos, and watch the documentary short about Mac’s career filmed in 2020.

Keep the legacy alive for future generations. Support the MacDonald B. “Mac” Fleming Endowed Scholarship.

We invite the Indian Springs community to support a new scholarship in memory of one of the school’s most beloved figures: Mac Fleming. This scholarship was first created in conjunction with Alumni Weekend 2021, thanks to a generous lead gift from John Bigger ’56 on the occasion of his 65th reunion. Several alums from the class of 1959 subsequently contributed. We now seek additional support to honor Mac’s legacy with an endowed fund to create a full scholarship to Indian Springs for a worthy student.

Please visit indiansprings.org/ mac to make a gift or pledge online.

For questions, please contact Jim Simon, Assistant Head of School for Advancement & External Affairs, at james. simon@indiansprings.org or 205.332.0615.

Indian Springs

“A big part of Mac’s legacy is the optimism that he always had.”

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SUPPORT SPRINGS

C A P I TA L C A M PA I G N

Breaking Ground

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Spring 2022

ndian Springs hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Kayser-Samford Community Commons on Friday, December 3. Speakers and participants included Board Chair Alan Engel ’73, Board member Jimmy Lewis ’75, Board member and lead donor Leo Kayser ’62, Head of School Scott Schamberger, and fall Mayor Andy Schwebel ’22.

The new building, which honors Leo Kayser’s generosity to this critical project, also honors his late classmate and former board member Frank Samford ’62. Several members of the Samford family attended the event, including his widow Sharon Samford.

“I wanted to do something because [Frank] put so much into the school, much more than I have,” said Leo Kayser ’62.

“He should be recognized, and this is the way I did it. I hope everyone enjoys the new facility. I have great confidence in the team that’s putting it together.”

Located on the former dining hall site, the new 12,000square-feet Community Commons will contain indoor and outdoor seating for nearly 350 students and guests to gather and eat beside the lake. The facility will provide private dining and flex space for meetings and events. New serving stations will feature a variety of meal options prepared in a state-ofthe-art kitchen. Students will also be able to enjoy the lakeside recreational area.

“Having a modern dining facility intentionally designed for our current and future needs will ensure that generations of students to come will enjoy the transformative experiences that our alumni share with me,” says Head of School Scott Schamberger. “I look forward to the Community Commons being the heart and soul of the campus just as the facility it is replacing has been.”

Construction has already begun and is scheduled to be complete by fall 2022.

“Thank you to all of you who have given so generously,” said Alan Engel ’73. “Please know how appreciative Indian Springs is for your commitment to this project. We look forward to seeing you this time next year when we can all gather again to cut the ribbon.”

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LEFT: LEO KAYSER, III ’62 AND SHARON SAMFORD. RIGHT: ALAN ENGEL ’73; ANDY SCHWEBEL ’22; JIMMY LEWIS ’75; SCOTT SCHAMBERGER; ELLEN MCELROY ’78; SHARON SAMFORD; AND LEO KAYSER, III ’62

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SUPPORT SPRINGS

C A P I TA L C A M PA I G N

To the Indian Springs Community:

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fter more than a decade of planning and, more recently, two years of ongoing fundraising, we are pleased to report that construction is underway on the new Kayser-Samford Community Commons.

This new state-of-the-art building will be the future home of Indian Springs’ dining facilities and indeed will be the new social hub of our campus.

Since the last Indian Springs Magazine was published, an additional 20+ donors have added more than $2,000,000 in additional gifts raising our fundraising totals to over $10,300,000. Thank you to the many alums, parents, and friends of the school whose leadership and generosity are making this critically-needed priority a reality.

We still have much-needed funds to raise in order to fully finance our construction so we will continue to ask the broader Indian Springs family to consider an investment in the Community Commons above and beyond what they might normally give to our annual fund. A number of naming opportunities are still available and are outlined in the adjacent chart, but know that gifts of all sizes are important and name recognition in the new facility begins with gifts and pledges of $1,000. Outdoor tables may be named for $5,000 and indoor tables from $10,000 to $25,000. All donors will be recognized in upcoming annual giving reports.

Additionally, we have elevated our fundraising goal from $12,000,000 to $13,500,000 to encompass additional priorities including a new storm shelter for our on-campus population and endowment support. Costs for the Community Commons building project have been kept on budget by our project managers with particular gratitude going to Board member Jimmy Lewis ’75 for his invaluable contributions. Despite numerous supply chain issues, we still expect the new building to be open and operational early in the next school year.

While construction actually began earlier this fall, many of our students, faculty, staff, and supporters were on hand on December 3, 2021, for a formal groundbreaking ceremony. Representatives from our builder, BL Harbert, as well as many of our architects and engineers, also helped us celebrate this historic day.

Thank you again for your consideration of support for the Community Commons and all that so many of you do to make Indian Springs such a unique learning environment.

NAMING OPPORTUNITIES BUILDING NAME RESERVED DINING HALL SEATING AREA TOWN HALL LAWN BELL ENCASEMENT

$300,000

ENTRY/FOYER $250,000 EXTERIOR FRONT PLAZA

$250,000

OUTDOOR CAFE SEATING

$250,000

SIDE TERRACE $250,000 LAKESIDE RECREATION LAWN

RESERVED

COMMUNITY COMMONS CIRCLE

$100,000

DINING HALL PATH

$100,000

LAKESIDE SEATING AREA

$100,000

DINING PORCH SEATING AREA

RESERVED

SERVERY RESERVED ENTRANCE PERMANENT BENCH

$50,000

SERVING STATIONS

$50,000/EACH

LAKESIDE BENCHES

$25,000/EACH

REFINISHED TABLES FROM OLD DINING HALL $25,000/EACH INDOOR DINING TABLES

$10,000/EACH

OUTDOOR DINING TABLES

$5,000/EACH

LISTING ON DONOR WALL

$1,000+

JIM SIMON

Spring 2022

$500,000

THE GRILL $350,000

Assistant Head of School for Advancement & External Affairs james.simon@indiansprings.org I 205.332.0615 indiansprings.org/communitycommons

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$2,000,000

KITCHEN $1,000,000

“While it’s sad that the students will no longer risk life and limbs to ring a stupid bell, the new tradition of gathering for meals looking out over the lake and pondering the meaning of life is probably better.”

—BRAXTON GOODRICH ’93, BOARD AND CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE MEMBER

CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE MARTIN DAMSKY ’68 P ’98

ELLEN MCELROY ’78

ALAN ENGEL ’73 P ’03, ’12

CATHERINE MCLEAN P ’03, ’06, ’11

BRAXTON GOODRICH ’93

SCOTT PULLIAM ’85 P ’16, ’17

EMILY HESS LEVINE ’01

HANSON SLAUGHTER ’90 P ’20, ’22 SCOTT SCHAMBERGER Head of School

JIM SIMON Assistant Head of School for Advancement & External Affairs LEAH TAYLOR Assistant Director of Advancement for Individual Gifts & Special Events

“I am so excited that construction of the new Community Commons is underway. Historically, the dining hall has been such a strong component of the Indian Springs community, and this new facility will continue and build upon that tradition.

That spirit of community sets Indian Springs apart from many other schools. I hope everyone—parents, alums, and friends of the school—will donate to this new chapter in the school’s history.”

“To date, many parents, alums, and friends have made generous donations, which allowed us to move forward with construction of Kayser-Samford Community Commons. We hope that others can join in this effort so that Indian Springs has all it needs to make this new building a wonderful addition to our campus.

Donations are still being accepted, and a limited number of naming opportunities remain. We hope that donors who have not yet contributed will give serious consideration to supporting this significant addition.”

—ELLEN MCELROY ’78, BOARD AND CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE MEMBER

Indian Springs

—CATHERINE MCLEAN P ’03, ’06, ’11, CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE MEMBER

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CAMPUS NEWS

FA C U LT Y, S TA F F & B O A R D

WELCOME TO INDIAN SPRINGS! Meet the newest members of our faculty and staff.

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3 4 6

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8 9 7

1. JEAN BASSENE, French teacher, was born in Senegal. He worked in Paris, France, designing cars and motorcycles before moving to Philadephia, where he taught at a charter school.

Spring 2022

2. KRISTI CULPEPPER, admission assistant, attended Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham and was a counselor at the University of Montevallo.

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TRISTAN HENDRIX, Fertile Minds Learning Garden caretaker, majored in agribusiness at Mississippi State University and

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taught at the McDowell Environmental Center.

4. ERICA RICHIE, communications associate and editorial assistant for Indian Springs Magazine, worked in banking and sales before graduating recently from the University of Alabama.

DR. JEFFREY SIDES ’91 P ’24, ’26 biology teacher, attended Tulane University and the University of Alabama. He was a scientist and lab manager at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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TAYLOR DOCKING, director of enrollment management, comes from Cranbrook Kingswood School in Michigan.

He studied at the University of Chicago and Washington University.

6.

7. SABRINA CUADRA is teaching AP U.S. history while Dr. Davis is on sabbatical.

She recently completed her master’s degree in secondary education at Samford University.

8. PEDRO MAYOR, Spanish teacher, was born in Cuba. He studied at Huntington College

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Thank you, Outgoing Members!

10 and the Manhattan School of Music, made a career as a jazz pianist, and taught in Montgomery.

MIKE ROWLETT, assistant director of admission for boarding enrollment, comes from Hillside School in Massachusetts. He studied at Colorado State University and Ohio University.

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HUNTER WOLFE, dean of students for grades 8-10 and economics teacher, comes from John Carroll High School. He went to Huntington College and Auburn University at Montgomery.

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Callen Bair Thistle ’01 was president of the Alumni Council from 2019 to 2021 and served on the Advancement and Head of School Search Committees.

She earned her bachelor’s degree at Princeton University and her Juris Doctor at Emory University.

She is a law clerk to a federal magistrate judge in the Northern District of Alabama.

She is the sister of Lauren Bair Jacques ’04.

Rhonda Nabors was president of the Parents Association from 2020 to 2021. She received her bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama and is an attorney at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart. She is the mother of Jackson ’22 and Thomas ’24.

Welcome, New Members!

Martin Damsky ’68 returns to Indian Springs to serve on the Board. He is a member of the Advancement and Finance Committees. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania and is the retired president of Damsky Paper Company. He is the father of Annie Damsky ’98, president of the Alumni Council from 2017 to 2019.

Elizabeth Goodrich returns to the Board after serving as president of the Parents Association from 2019 to 2020 and is a member of the Advancement Committee. She received her bachelor’s degree from Trinity University and her Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and is a co-owner of Thank You Books. She is the mother of Catherine ’20 and Gibson ’23, wife of Mike ’90, daughter-in-law of Mike ’63, and sisterin-law of Braxton ’93 and Charles ’94.

Starr Turner Drum ’02 is serving as president of the Alumni Council from 2021 to 2023. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Emory University and her Juris Doctor at the University of Alabama and is a shareholder at Maynard, Cooper & Gale. She is the sister of Bentley Turner Schoening ’04.

Heidi Falconer is serving as president of the Parents Association from 2021 to 2022. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at Vanderbilt University. Before moving to Birmingham, she was a nurse practitioner at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. She works part-time as a medical consultant for Johnstone Carroll law firm and manages her son’s soccer teams. She is the mother of Liam Falconer ’22.

Indian Springs

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Dr. John Simmons ’65 served on the Board for 14 years and was a member of the Advancement and Planning Committees. He received his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and his medical degree from Tulane University. He is a retired ear, nose, and throat doctor. He is the father of Sarah SimmonsAmes ’96.

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CAMPUS NEWS

S T U D E N T S P OT L I G H T

Building Connec

BY RACHEL WALLACE PRESKITT

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Olivia Honeycutt ’22 exemplifies Indian Springs’ theme for the 2021-2022 school year: Building Connections.

She discovered a unique branch of neuroscience through a thoughtful approach to leadership and a passion for human communication.

Olivia. “When you Google surveys being done, they always look very organized. But what you don’t see is all the individual responses that had to be sifted through. We had around 200 or so responses.”

Olivia’s research into the impact of the pandemic extended to her independent study in American Sign Language with Brad Skiff. She attended the monthly meetings of the deaf community in Birmingham and learned about the adverse effects face masks have had on members of the community who rely on reading lips and facial expressions.

However, sign language is Olivia’s third language. She is Indian Springs’ first student in French VII and is currently completing a seminar in 17th and 20th-century French theater with retired French teacher and alum Dr. Jonathan Horn ’75, who lives in Panama.

Olivia’s involvement in Psychology Club and independent studies in language led her to discover how the human brain can be structured differently based on what language a person uses to communicate. Fascinated, Olivia began looking into colleges with neuroscience majors. When she was accepted to the computational neuroscience program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

“You wouldn’t think an independent study in language would lead me to a STEM career,” says Olivia. “But looking back at it, a lot of things make sense.”

More than any other subject, Olivia loves math.

Computational neuroscience employs mathematical models to understand the brain and nervous system structure. The models require coding, which Olivia is learning in Indian Springs’ computer science program headed by alum William Belser ’80.

She did an independent study in Python programming, and now she’s taking a class about big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Olivia hopes to walk onto the soccer team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and looks forward to getting involved with the deaf community in Boston.

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS Olivia was named a Regional Winner in the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship Program. Olivia and Nicholas Johnson ’22 were named School Winners in the Heisman High School Scholarship Competition. Olivia and Kennedy Tyson ’22 were named Scholars in the College Board National African American Recognition Program.

Indian Springs

tions

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tudent government tops Olivia’s list of favorite things about Indian Springs. She’s a class representative and has formed a committee to orchestrate this year’s “senior prank,” a longstanding school tradition. She served as a Commissioner of Citizenship during her junior year. She and Krystal Li ’22 ran on a platform encouraging “building connections,” which the school adopted as its theme for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Olivia was instrumental in organizing Development Day and Club Expo in the spring of 2021.

These were the first major events held for students after the pandemic began. She worked with the faculty to develop plans for engaging her classmates while also keeping them socially distant.

For Development Day, this meant arranging projects on campus that would have taken place off-campus in previous years. Olivia also took charge of assembling the virtual convention of the Junior United Nations Assembly of Alabama.

“Being a leader has given me a much larger appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes,” says Olivia. “Things are a lot harder than they may seem.”

As a peer mentor, Olivia encourages younger students to take advantage of all the opportunities available. She leads by example as a member of Indian Springs’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and Black Affinity Forum.

Olivia plays on the varsity girls soccer team and participates in piano competitions under the wing of Director of Instrumental Music Dr. Hye-Sook Jung. She is also a familiar face in the stands at other teams’ sporting events and in the audience at concerts and theatre productions.

“In my experience, being a good leader is about being approachable and open,” says Olivia. “You can’t lead without decent feedback, and you can’t get feedback if people are afraid to come to you.

It’s also about decisiveness, which has been more of a learning curve for me. I didn’t start high school being decisive but becoming a soccer referee really helped develop my backbone. If no one else is going to make the decision, then I will.”

With Krystal and Benjamin Zheng ’21, Olivia founded Indian Springs’ Psychology Club to create a space for discussing psychological studies. After the school went virtual in March of 2020, the trio began meeting over Zoom to talk about how the pandemic had affected their mental health. Olivia took a statistics class that semester and had the idea to develop a survey to gauge students’ feelings about remote learning. She analyzed the results and submitted a report for the school’s use in planning the 2020-2021 academic year.

“It took a lot of work over the summer,” says

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CAMPUS NEWS

S T U D E N T S P OT L I G H T

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT:

Wellington Jiang ’22, Joseph Katz ’22, Emma Peng ’22, Caroline Beisher ’22, Andrew Glassford ’22, Andy Schwebel ’22, Catherine Kung ’22, Angela Yang ’22, Liam Falconer ’22

ACADEMICS Eight Indian Springs seniors were named 2022 National Merit Finalists, and eight were selected as candidates for the 2022 United States Presidential Scholars Program. Eight is the most for any school in Alabama, and more than Indian Springs has recorded in decades. Combined, these nine students represent 13% of the Class of 2022. Five additional seniors were named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program: Addy Miller ’22, Carter Dunaway ’22, Krystal Li ’22, Reece Youhn ’22, and Sheri Peng ’22.

MOCK TRIAL

Spring 2022

An Indian Springs mock trial team is heading to nationals after winning second place at the 2021 Fall YMCA Alabama Youth in Government Youth Judicial State Competition. Team members include Jackson Geisen ’25 (Outstanding Witness), Andrew Glassford ’22 (Outstanding Attorney), Wellington Jiang ’22, Harshil Mehta ’22, Beth Scarborough ’24, Henry Spradlin ’22, and Reece Youhn ’22 (Outstanding Witness).

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Building Connections

Henry Spradlin ’22 recounts growing up in Montana, disappointed each time his soccer season was delayed due to wildfires and hazardous air quality. Those experiences motivated his senior independent study to design and build a fire detection aircraft.

Indian Springs

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t started with a spark. Henry was curious if a neural network could be trained to identify images of wildfires. Drawing on the artificial intelligence skills he learned in the advanced topics in computer science course taught by alum William Belser ’80, Henry spent the first half of the school year diving deep into machine learning. For hours he scoured databases, wrote code, and built algorithms. After some success, he began considering practical applications.

Henry had an idea to assign the neural network to a small, portable plane that could extend the coverage area of a single fire tower. A lookout would deploy the aircraft at the beginning of each day to complete a programmed flight path over the forest. It would have a downward-facing camera to capture and analyze images every 30 seconds. If it identified a potential fire, it would send the photo and GPS coordinates directly to the lookout. Based on Henry’s research, this technology would be substantially less expensive than thermal imaging and provide real-time results not possible with satellite imagery.

Construction began with research into airfoil design. Henry knew the plane needed to be efficient for long-range use, so he compared data for various profiles and selected a wing shape for low drag and relatively high life. He used an online template to 3D print the structural elements, affixed them to a balsa wood dowel, and wrapped them in foam.

Now Henry is focused on the motor and flight loop, which he will program using a Raspberry Pi and GPS module. He also plans to add an LED light to indicate when the camera captures a photo and a first-person viewing system, allowing users to see where the plane is flying from miles away. Henry will use the knowledge he gained in his ninth-grade engineering solutions course for these electronic components. The capstone project was to build an autonomous robot to navigate the VEX Robotics Competition field.

“This is an ambitious project,” says Mr. Belser. “There are so many aspects that need to be mastered: aeronautics, systems engineering, programming, computer vision, deep learning. In a company trying to make this system, there would likely be many departments collaborating together. But Henry is taking the whole thing on mostly all on his own. What a great way to learn the individual parts of the project and be able to see how they all fit together.”

Henry has been interested in aviation for as long as he can remember. He was eight years old when his father got him the highly accurate Microsoft Flight Simulator. Henry is logging hours to obtain his glider pilot license but has his sights set even higher. He plans to study aerospace engineering in college and dreams of joining Indian Springs alums David Oh ’87 and Vernon Chaplin ’03 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“Honestly, it just sounds cool,” says Henry. “I like aerodynamics, but rocket propulsion is really neat because of the super high pressures and heat you have to deal with for launching and reentry. Just building rocket engines would be awesome.”

Henry co-founded Indian Springs’ new Rocket Club and co-heads the Robotics Club and Outdoors Club. He is a member of Indian Springs’ national qualifying mock trial team and state championship-winning soccer team. He also contributes to the school’s age-old traditions as vice president of the choir and a commissioner of the student government.

“Indian Springs has given me opportunities that would not have happened in a public school,” says Henry. “It’s really allowed me to pursue my passions.”

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CAMPUS NEWS

S T U D E N T S P OT L I G H T

Ember Szaflarski ’23 is a free spirit who grew up traveling the world. When the pandemic began during their ninth-grade year, being quarantined at home brought about many new emotions, and they turned to creating music as an escape.

Spring 2022

“I 26

was feeling trapped by the limits of being in one place all the time,” says Ember. “I still had some inspiration to work on my music, but I was craving a new experience.”

As travel restrictions were relaxed in the summer of 2021, Ember received a scholarship from Indian Springs’ Andy Abroms Memorial Fund to attend a songwriting workshop at the Berklee College of Music, the alma mater of 125 Grammy Award-winning musicians.

“When I got there, it felt amazing,” says

Ember. “It was like the world was a mountain, and there was so much more than just this rock I’d been living under.”

At the workshop, Ember was energized to find themselves surrounded by like-minded peers who were equally as passionate about writing music.

Ember took advantage of the atmosphere to let loose and build their skills and confidence in improvisation and performance, specifically on their favorite instrument, the bass guitar.

“The trick to being a good bass player is knowing when to keep it simple and when to

put in your own flavor while maintaining your specific style,” says Ember.

Suppose you have witnessed Ember in their element riffing in one of Indian Springs’ concerts or theatrical productions or teaching as an assistant in the contemporary music program.

You might never guess they have only been playing for two years. They started out learning musical theory on the piano with the intent of producing electronic music and first picked up a guitar out of curiosity while visiting a cousin in Poland.

ART & WRITING

Ember has released two tracks on streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, under the moniker “Autumndreammerr.” They are especially proud of the second track, “Moonrise,” which has an improvised bass solo and varying time signatures.

Ember describes the style as art-rock with components inspired by anime and funk. They enjoy music from all around the world and genres ranging from progressive rock to jazz fusion— “music with layers where you can find something new every time you listen to it.” Their next release will be instrumental math rock, emphasizing progressive riffs and unconventional harmonies.

“The thing is, I haven’t had much experience playing that type of music,” says Ember. “It’s going to be difficult to write something coherent that I’ll actually be able to play, but I’m ready for that. I feel like I need a challenge, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Ember plans to produce an album of music characterizing each year of their high school experience and journey.

Though they enjoy making the music, writing the lyrics is just as important.

They always start with the lyrics when crafting a new song with vocals.

“In addition to the instruments, the lyrics are another aspect of composition where I can convey the emotion that I want a song to have,” says Ember.

“Music translates feelings into a form that all people can understand, and I would love for my music to be able to reach others on multiple levels, both with sound and with words.”

Ember draws inspiration from singing alongside their friends in Indian Springs’ concert and chamber choirs, being “encased in a sphere of sound.”

But their most significant source of inspiration and the thing they appreciate most about Indian Springs is nature.

Twenty-seven Indian Springs students received 64 honors— including 33 Gold Keys, the highest level of achievement at the regional level—in the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Lucy Gardner ’22, Catherine Hinson ’25, and Sofia Monteleone ’22 were named American Voices Nominees. Kimely Li ’23 was named an American Visions Nominee.

GOLD KEY WINNERS Lielle Berkowitz ’25 Critical Essay, Painting Courtney Chen ’23 Poetry* Lucy Gardner ’22 Flash Fiction, Personal Essay & Memoir, Poetry* Andrew Glassford ’22 Critical Essay, Personal Essay & Memoir*, Writing Portfolio Boris Gueorguiev ’23 Personal Essay & Memoir Catherine Hinson ’25 Poetry Kimely Li ’23 Photography*, Drawing & Illustration Sofia Monteleone ’22 Poetry* Kailyn Oppenheim ’23 Personal Essay & Memoir Emma Cate Rutledge ’23 Personal Essay & Memoir Rosa Sabel ’23 Poetry Andy Schwebel ’22 Photography

THEATRE

Emm Spensley ’26 Poetry

After almost 20 months of virtual performances, Indian Springs had a triumphant return to live theatre in October of 2021. Director Dane Peterson and a cast and crew of over 25 students produced Metamorphoses based on the myths of Ovid. It was a visually stunning experience with the effects of water splashing from a swimming pool built into the stage. Dane and the students did it again in March with a delightful production of Xanadu based on the 1980 Universal Pictures cult classic film. Audiences raved about this blast from the past that featured a live band, roller skating, a giant disco ball, and plenty of laughs.

Linda Sun ’22 Personal Essay & Memoir Anna Grace Tremblay-Cox ’26 Short Story Yvonne Su ’23 Digital Art Angela Yang ’22 Personal Essay & Memoir, Poetry

*Indicates the student won multiple Gold Keys in this category.

Indian Springs

Building Connections

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CAMPUS NEWS

S T U D E N T S P OT L I G H T

Building Connections Carson Huff ’23 is charting new territory as an accomplished athlete and artist. He’s a star on the basketball court, though his real passion is pottery.

O

SWIMMING

Spring 2022

Indian Springs’ swim team of two, Mark Underwood ’23 and Aurelie Walker ’23, claimed four state titles at the AHSAA championship meet in December. Mark won first place in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:55.15 and the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.23. He finished ninth in the state overall. This is the second year in a row Mark has won the 500-yard freestyle. Aurelie won first place in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:54.59 and the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57.57.

She finished 12th in the state overall.

Mark placed 19th overall in the nation for the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCSA junior championships in March.

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n any given day, you can find Carson stooped over a wheel in Indian Springs’ pottery studio. He spends eight or more hours a week perfecting his craft with unparalleled patience and finesse.

“You have to give yourself enough time to work and maintain the pace,” says Carson. “You can’t rush pottery because it won’t turn out the way you want it to. You can’t over-muscle it either because you’ll just get frustrated.”

Carson first tried his hand at throwing in the sixth grade when his teacher brought a wheel to class every Friday. Once he overcame common beginner’s mistakes in centering the clay, the rest came naturally. He steadily progressed ahead of his peers and was ready to fly solo once he started at Indian Springs.

After Carson had taken the prerequisite course in sculpting, art department chair and alum Clay Colvin ’95 granted him free rein of the studio. He systematically experimented with various shapes and glazes to develop a formula for achieving his envisioned results.

“My art represents determination,” says Carson. “I throw away a good amount of pieces. Sometimes you have to go through several iterations to get it right.”

The piece Carson is most proud of so far is a riveted cylinder with orange glaze “dripping” over a white base coat. The color is a blend of brown glaze and yellow with glitter, which he decided to try after seeing his friend, Ethan Xiao ’23, mix colors. Carson’s main source of inspiration is enjoying others’ creativity.

Similarly, when Carson is on the basketball court, he is motivated by seeing teammates succeed. He led Indian Springs’ varsity team to subregionals this year with a 16-3 record and a top 10 ranking through most of the season. Though his favorite moment was during a game against rival Altamont. Carson passed the ball to ninthgrader Max Markstein ’25, who got to score in his first game ever.

“It’s about playing for the people on the bench,” says Carson.

“Maybe you’ve got someone who doesn’t shoot that well, and he’ll only get in the game if we’re up by a number of points. I’m going to do what I can to help him get in.”

Carson keeps a cool head even in the heat of the game. He usually takes a nap or spends quiet time in the studio to get into the zone.

For him, athleticism is about understanding your body and its response to different environments. His primary academic interest is anatomy and physiology.

Also interested in biology and ecology, Carson is an avid angler at Oak Moutain State Park and Indian Springs’ campus lake. His most impressive catch to date was a six-and-a-half-pound bass, though he has plans to make waves this spring by hooking one of Indian Springs’ elusive 50 to 70-pound carp.

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Indian Springs

ALUMNI & FRIENDS

N OT E WO R T H Y CLASS NOTES CLASS OF 1959

STEVE COLEMAN ’59

Daniel Alarcon ’95

Spring 2022

Daniel Alarcón ’95 was named a 2021 MacArthur Fellow and recipient of a prestigious MacArthur “Genius Grant,” awarded annually to talented individuals who have shown exceptional originality and dedication to their creative pursuits. There are 25 Fellows in the Class of 2021, representing a diversity of backgrounds and fields.

Daniel was born in Peru and raised in Alabama.

After graduating from Indian Springs, he attended Columbia University and the University of Iowa.

Daniel was a distinguished visiting writer at Mills College and an investigative reporting fellow at the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He joined the faculty at Columbia University in 2014 and is currently an assistant professor in the school of journalism.

Since 2012, Daniel has served as co-founder and executive producer of Radio Ambulante, a podcast distributed by National Public Radio. The podcast shares stories on a broad range of topics from over 20 Spanish-speaking countries. It has eight million downloads a year and is widely used as an educational tool for journalism classes. Daniel also recently joined the Spanish weekly news podcast El Hilo as editorial director.

Daniel is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and has published articles and short stories in numerous other magazines. He has authored three fictional novels: War by Candlelight, Lost City Radio, and At Night We Walk in Circles. His most recent publication is a collection of short stories entitled The King is Always Above the People.

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WILLUM FOWLER ’59

Steve Coleman ’59 published the third installation in his Navigator series, which chronicles the adventures of CIA agent Joe Anderson. In this book, the CIA sends Joe to Cuba to recover an impounded ship and surreptitiously sail it out of Havana Harbor. A bold and dangerous mission turns comical when Joe’s girlfriend and her zany friend complicate the task. The Navigator III: Repossession is available on Amazon for Kindle and paperback purchase.

Willum Fowler ’59 published two books now available on Amazon for Kindle and paperback purchase. Where Once a Flower Grew takes readers from a historic Southern capital to the slums of Mexico City, chronicling the romance of homebuilder Adam and housekeeper Florecita. Secrets of a Blue-Green River explores the destiny of attorney John, who is cast back in time 500 years to when Spanish conquistadors traversed Alabama in search of gold.

CLASS OF 1973 Hubert van Tuyll ’73 and his wife, Debra, retired after 30 years on the faculty at Augusta University. Hubert is a military historian and has published six academic books, including two focusing on World War I. The couple looks forward to traveling across the country and overseas to visit family and friends and continue their love of historical research.

HUBERT VAN TUYLL ’73

MARK HABEEB ’74

CLASS OF 1974 Mark Habeeb ’74 published his first novel. Venice Beach recounts the experience of a troubled 13-year-old who finds new life in a California bohemian community.

Mark remembers former Indian Springs faculty member Robert Stegner in the book’s acknowledgments. “He was the only formal writing teacher I ever had and the only one I ever needed.”

Venice Beach is available on Amazon for Kindle, hardback, and paperback purchases.

CLASS OF 1989 John Kim ’89 lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, and is a senior lecturer at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He teaches 400 students a year in strategy, management consulting, and healthcare strategy.

He channels his Indian Springs education through lessons on “learning how to learn” and “thinking about your thinking.” He also authors the popular management consulting blog, www.consultantsmind.com.

CLASS OF 1992 Vaughn McWilliams ’92 was elected partner in the real estate and financial services law firm Compton Jones Dresher LLP. He has been associated with the firm through its predecessor, Haskins Jones LLC, since 2014. He graduated from the University of Colorado Law School and received a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College. He is married to Callan Childs ’91, an architect and commercial real estate developer. They have two daughters.

JOHN KIM ’89

LILLIAN HAINES SHARP ’06

CLASS OF 1997 Willie Bass ’97 has embarked on a new venture with Sirmium Capital, an asset management firm based in New York City providing financial planning services.

CLASS OF 2003

VAUGHN MCWILLIAMS ’92

TAYLOR HINCH ’17

CLASS OF 2006

CONTRIBUTE TO INDIAN SPRINGS MAGAZINE Alumni, did you recently reach a milestone in your career or personal life? We want to celebrate you in the upcoming issue. Please submit your class notes to classnotes@ indiansprings.org now.

Lillian Haines Sharp ’06 and her husband, Shawn, recently welcomed a son, Ollie.

CLASS OF 2017 Taylor Hinch ’17 completed her bachelor’s degree in political science and peace and justice studies at Villanova University. She is now studying for a master’s degree in international relations specializing in human rights policy and international conflict resolution as a fellow at Columbia University. She will intern this summer at U.S. Embassy Brussels. After graduation, she will begin a career with the U.S. Foreign Service as a political officer.

JASON RIFFE ’03

continued on page 46

Indian Springs

Jason Riffe ’03 married Susie Gordon on October 2, 2021, in Mission Viejo, California. Indian Springs alums Shannon Riffe ’00 and Tate Heilpern ’03 were in attendance. Susie and Jason are exhibition supporters of The Obama Portraits and Black American Portraits Tour, which opened in Los Angeles in November 2021 and will be in Atlanta in 2022.

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

N OT E WO R T H Y IN MEMORIAM

Scotty Scott ’73

Spring 2022

By Jim Simon

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Indian Springs mourns the loss of Julius S. “Scotty” Scott, III ’73, who passed away on December 6, 2021, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Scotty was a distinguished professor emeritus of history at the University of Michigan and the author of the highly-regarded work “Common Wind: Afro-American Currents in the Age of the Haitian Revolution,” published in 2018 and based on his Ph.D. dissertation from over 30 years earlier.

Despite the lengthy gap between his graduate work and the publication of his seminal book, Scotty’s dissertation had been widely recognized and used as a resource by fellow historians over the years.

A native of Marshall, Texas, Scotty was already a trailblazer at a young age as one of two students who integrated his elementary school in Houston, Texas. He later became one of the first Black students admitted to Indian Springs.

As a boarding student, Scotty sang in the glee club, was an all-American soccer player, and was the first Black student to be elected mayor.

“As one of the first Black students, Scotty was a light to the rest of the student body, many of whom had come from segregated or quasi-segregated feeder schools and communities,” says classmate and Board chair Alan Engel ’73. “His Mayoral address to the Class of ’73, parents, and guests opened new windows of understanding to all those present.”

Scotty went to Brown University and then to Duke University to earn his Ph.D. in history.

Retired Indian Springs teacher Charles Ellis had known Scotty as a student at Indian Springs and their prior mutual school in Atlanta.

“He was, at least to me, rather quiet, thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent, and mature beyond his years,” says Charles. “He told me once that he valued his education, experiences, and friendships at Indian Springs, but that being Black in a white world had its difficulties.”

Classmate Tom Montgomery ’73 remembers Scotty as “very funny, a great mimic, and always friendly.”

“All students and faculty treasured and enjoyed being around Scotty,” says Tom. “He was one of the ‘band of boarders’ who spent most weekends on campus, along with Darrell Jones ’73, Douglas Hunter ’73, Arthur Gaines ’73, Jeff Humphries ’73, Bruce Lilly ’74, and others. We would stay up all night on the weekends talking about sports, our classes, and girls or the lack thereof.”

Scotty is survived by his partner, Elisha; mother, Ann; and brothers, David and Lamar.

ALUMNI James Harold Johnson, Jr. ’56 passed away in September 2021.

He attended Birmingham-Southern College. Harold taught high school math in Georgia for five years before moving back to Birmingham to work as a computer programmer for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama. He attended Leeds First United Methodist Church and enjoyed the fellowship of his Sunday school class. He was a gifted pianist, and his life revolved around music. Harold is survived by his sister, Sharon, and her husband, Quitman.

John Hilburn Davis, III ’61 passed away on July 10, 2021, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. He attended Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) and earned his doctorate at the University of Alabama. John taught finance for several years as a professor at Auburn University and an adjunct professor at Birmingham-Southern College and Samford University. He founded Business Valuations Services, a successful appraisal company. He was an accomplished businessman with many interests, and he loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Suzy; children John (Hil) and Sellers (Curtis); grandchildren Kaitlyn, Lauren, William, and Henry; sister Marilyn (Phil); niece and nephew; five step-children and their families.

George “Bill” William Jones ’63 passed away on January 28, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina. He attended Davidson College and Columbia Theological Seminary and received his doctor of divinity from Louisville Seminary. He pastored for 31 years at Presbyterian churches in Kingsport, Johnson City, and Memphis, Tennessee. After retirement, he recorded many stories now available for listeners on the YouTube channel titled “Bill Jones, Storyteller.” He loved singing, canoeing, reading books, and watching movies. From 2007, he enjoyed coastal living with his beloved wife of 54 years, Lida, on the beautiful Ocracoke Island.

Bill is survived by Lida; sons Geoff (Erin), Christopher (Sharon), and David (Jennifer); grandchildren

Shannon, Alex, Sydney, and Owen; nieces and nephews; and a large extended family.

William “Bill” Taylor Armbrecht ’74 passed away on March 16, 2021, in Mobile, Alabama. He earned a living in his early life as a yacht captain. He founded an awardwinning barbecue restaurant, The Brick Pit. The restaurant had a section called the “Amen Corner,” where many people gathered for fellowship and discussion. Bill was featured on Food Network, the Travel Channel, and in several magazines, including Gourmet and Bon Appetit. He enjoyed cooking for friends at his home over Alabama football games. He loved the outdoors and the water and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He is survived by his daughter, Allie; sister, Katherine; brother, Alexander (Terri); former wife, Susan; and many other family and friends.

Florian Daniel Kuhn ’90 passed away on January 18, 2021, in his home country of Germany. He was the chief physician for pediatric neurology, epileptology, and developmental neurology at the Lippe Clinic in Detmold. He was highly educated and esteemed by his peers, who will remember his collegiality and kind nature. He is survived by his wife, Vivian.

Emmett Holt Cloud ’95 passed away on February 18, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. He studied economics at New York University and began his career as an investment and personal finance manager. He will be remembered for his charisma, sense of humor, and how much he cared about people. He expressed his love for others through his generosity, cooking, and art.

Emmett is survived by his parents Gretchen and Holt; sister Heather Cloud ’96; wife of 13 years, Teri; children Jackson and Charlotte; and a large extended family.

Graham Christian Alexander ’18 passed away on December 6, 2021, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a student at the University of Alabama and was passionate about fishing, hunting, sports, and caring for other people. He is survived by his parents, Marca and Craig, and brothers, Sterling and Jagger. His

FAMILY & FRIENDS Joe Leroy Jackson was Indian Springs’ director from 1972 to 1986. He passed away on September 28, 2021, in Tennessee.

He captained his high school football team and served as a U.S. Naval officer during the Korean War. Before coming to Indian Springs, Joe was a professor of education at George Peabody College in Nashville and a principal and band director at Springfield High School.

He played double bass in the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and many other ensembles.

Joe taught upright bass at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and privately in his home. He was also an avid sports fan. He is survived by his wife, Amy; children David, Roberta, Jimmy, and John; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

FULLA CARIDAKIS July 4, 2020 Grandmother of Patrick Scalise ’14 and Peter Scalise ’18; mother of former Indian Springs board member Kiki Scalise JOHN CHRISTOPHER DAVIS December 14, 2021 Husband of Julia Trechsel Davis ’03; son-in-law of former Indian Springs board member Gail Andrews Marchase MARILYN JOY CONWAY DRENNEN January 19, 2022 Mother of Richard Drennen ’77 and the late Robert Harris Drennen ’80 FLORENCE FOY STRANG GARY September 21, 2021 Mother of the late Nap Gary, Jr. ’75, Loren Gary ’76, Kirven Gary ’79, and Emily Gary ’85; grandmother of Emily Gary ’06, Britt Gary ’07, and Loren Gary ’14 MARGARET WILLIAMS GOODWYN July 12, 2021 Mother of the late Gardner Goodwyn, III ’76, Priscilla Goodwyn Anderson ’80, and Tyler

Goodwyn ’81; grandmother of Cooper Anderson ’17 VICTOR H. HANSON, II January 7, 2022 Father of Worth Hanson ’73 and Victor Hanson, III ’74; grandfather of Victor Hanson, IV ’03 MARTHA SULZBY (CLARK) HUNNEWELL January 5, 2022 Mother-in-law of Indian Springs board member Hanson Slaughter ’90; grandmother of John Slaughter ’20 and Virginia Slaughter ’22 SANTOSH “TOSHI” KANSAL November 21, 2020 Mother of Preeti KansalManadan ’90 MARK LYLE MILLER December 15, 2021 Father of Elizabeth Miller Coleman ’12 WILLIAM “BILL” NICKELL, III September 6, 2021 Son of Bill Nickell II ’56 WILLIAM JAMES “BILLY” RUSHTON, III September 30, 2021 Father of Rusty Rushton ’74, Deak Rushton ’78, Tunstall Rushton, Sr. ’80; father-inlaw of Indian Springs board member Lia Rushton; grandfather of Tunstall Rushton, Jr. ’08, Tullia Rushton ’09, Maxwell Rushton ’10, and William Rushton ’11 PETER PAUL SCALISE, JR. May 7, 2021 Grandfather of Patrick Scalise ’14 and Peter Scalise ’18; fatherin-law of former board member Kiki Scalise SHARON OWENS TURNER February 11, 2022 Mother of Rachel Turner Weingartner ’02 and Laura Turner Baker ’05 JUTTA MARIA VIKTORIA RUTH VONBUCHHOLTZ February 15, 2022 Mother of Caroline Clark ’82, Elizabeth Shaw ’95, and Westcott Shaw ’98; grandmother of Benjamin Goodman ’15 and Anna Lisa Goodman ’18

Sally Nemeth ’77

By Jim Simon

Indian Springs mourns the loss of Sally Nemeth ’77, who passed away on July 30, 2021, after a lengthy illness. Sally was one of the first women to graduate from Indian Springs following the move to co-education in 1975.

Sally went on to graduate from Northwestern University with a major in theater and, after living in Chicago and New York, eventually settled in Los Angeles. She continued her distinguished career as a playwright, novelist (having authored the young-adult novel The Heights and Depths and Everything in Between), and screenwriter (having written several episodes of the award-winning drama “Law and Order”).

Sally was also on the faculty of Loyola Marymount University, where she taught screenwriting and was the recipient of several honors for the many plays she wrote, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sally is remembered by many who knew her at Indian Springs as a pioneer and advocate for women’s equality while still in high school.

“She was a feminist before I ever heard the term,” says classmate Frances Ross Nolan ’77. “She lived her life in service to others and loved her people with a ferocity that was expressed in action, not merely words.”

During those early years of coeducation at Indian Springs, Sally was one of the students whose activism for equality didn’t go without notice.

“Sally was always a trailblazer and had many firsts at Indian Springs,” says classmate Jill Pizitz Robinson ’77. “She and I were the first women elected to student government at Indian Springs.

She was fearless and outspoken and unstoppable.”

“She spoke up that girls were not permitted to try out for the soccer team,” says Ellen McElroy ’78. “She marched onto the practice field one day, insisting that girls should be allowed to play on the school team. Tryouts were held, and she won a spot on the varsity boys team. She was fearless on the field, a strong player, and best of all, the team accepted her.”

“Sally Nemeth was a singular force. A female athlete playing on a male soccer team in the 70s before anyone ever dreamed of girls as serious athletes,” says Nolan.

Sally went on to letter in both field hockey and swimming while at Northwestern. She was the first woman to be recognized with the Indian Springs Outstanding Alum of the Year Award in 1990.

Retired Indian Springs faculty member Charles Ellis, who taught Sally in his play production class, summed up her Indian Springs career.

“Whenever two roads diverged in a yellow wood, Sally chose not only the one less traveled by but also the one most challenging.

For high school, she chose a boys’ school, one that had just started to accept girls. For a sport, she chose soccer, and since there was no girls’ team, she played with and against boys. I think rather that she chose her paths because she loved facing a challenge and the satisfaction that life brought.”

Sally is survived by her husband, David; mother, Nancy; and sisters Carolyn Nemeth ’78 and Paula.

Indian Springs

family established The Graham Project in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Sustain Our Abilities to educate youth about climate change.

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

LASTING TIES

Los Angeles

March 4, 2022

HEAD OF SCHOOL SCOTT SCHAMBERGER; BRYN OH; AND DAVID OH ’87

JASON RIFFE ’03; JET DOYE; AND ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR ADVANCEMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS JIM SIMON

JEFF BLACK; JODY KLIP BLACK ’78; HALLIE BLACK; AND JOHN BADHAM ’57

CHARLI HICKS GLOVER ’83 AND FELICIA YU ’01

JASMINE CHEN AND TATE HEILPERN ’03

SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE ALUMS FOR HOSTING GATHERINGS IN THEIR HOMES. Preston Haskell ’56 I Jacksonville, Florida I February 16, 2022

Spring 2022

Kelly Bodnar Battles ’85 I San Francisco Bay Area I March 3, 2022

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RIGHT: Joan Haskell; Preston Haskell ’56; Head of School Scott Schamberger; and Board Chair Alan Engel ’73. FAR RIGHT BACK ROW: SeMe Sung ’93; Clark Smith ’69; Emma Wang ’20; Assistant Head of School for Advancement & External Affairs Jim Simon; Cody Zhou ’19; Head of School Scott Schamberger; Ellen McElroy ’78; and Assistant Director of Advancement for Individual Gifts & Special Events Leah Taylor. FRONT ROW: Claire Chen ’16; Kelly Bodnar Battles ’85; and Binta Diallo ’21.

Photos by Jim Simon and Kelly Bodnar Battles ’85.

DWIGHT READ ’60 AND FADWA EL GUINDI

JACQUELINE FERRARI ’20 AND JODY KLIP BLACK ’78

New York City October 7, 2021

BOARD CHAIR ALAN ENGEL ’73; LEO KAYSER, III ’62; AND HEAD OF SCHOOL SCOTT SCHAMBERGER

BOARD CHAIR ALAN ENGEL ’73 AND DAVID HUGGIN ’59

SARA LOWERY ’09 AND WILLIAM HAWLEY ’08

NATANYA ROSEN AND JULIA GOLDBERG ’20

WASHINGTON, D.C. October 5, 2021 LEFT TO RIGHT: Khadija

Jahfiya ’11; Julia Pearce ’11; and Frederick Boateng.

Maura Kennedy and Jerry Kennedy ’66. Jack Swanner ’21; Dede Driscoll ’20; and Luke Hillegass ’20.

Photos by Jim Simon

Indian Springs

Photos by Wachsman-Staley Photography & Da Ping Luo

KRISTIN TOMS ’16; WILLIAM HAWLEY ’08; SARA LOWERY ’09; AND HEAD OF SCHOOL SCOTT SCHAMBERGER

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

LASTING TIES

Alumni Holiday Party DECEMBER 23, 2021 2

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Spring 2022

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FROM THE INDIAN SPRINGS ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

Deepen Your Connections to Indian Springs SUPPORT THE 2021-2022 ANNUAL FUND While our community of students, faculty, and staff work on this year’s theme of “Building Connections” here at school, the broader Indian Springs family can show its support and be an integral part of the great work happening every day on our campus by participating in the Annual Fund.

Indian Springs would not be the unique school that it is without the generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends. Your gift makes everything that is special about Indian Springs possible.

If you have already given, thank you! If you have not made your annual gift please consider doing so now. All gifts received by June 30, 2022, will be counted in this year’s Annual Fund. We appreciate your commitment to Learning through Living and your support.

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DONATE

By mail using the enclosed envelope By phone to 205.332.0592 Online at indiansprings.org/give

Go Back To School With Dr. Cooper!

10 1. Alex McFadden ’20 and CJ Edwards ’21 2. Andrew Hall ’20; Sabra Rogers ’20; Hal Rogers ’18; and

Photos by Jordan Wald

Tessa Magnuson

3. Greg Van Horn; Scott Pulliam ’85; and Chandler Pulliam ’17 4. Jana Mehra P ’26; Bob Cooper; and Mukul Mehra ’91 P ’26 5. Joe Farley ’81 and Andrew Sperling ’79 6. Julia Pearce ’11 and Khadija Jahfiya ’11 7. Katie Black; Trae Crocker ’11; Julia Pearce ’11; Tanner West; Hollye

Hamilton ’11; Elise Kahn ’11; Hunt Austill ’11; Julia Horn ’11; Caroline Choy ’11; Lizzie Choy ’13; and Zach Corenblum ’11 8. Sophie Young ’19; Josy Gray ’17; Gavin Young ’17; Christian Owens ’17; Alexi Touloupis ’17; Connor Walker ’17; Issy Schwiebert ’17 9. Mike Goodrich ’90; Anne Durward; and John Durward ’90 10. Rebecca Smith ’02; Starr Drum ’02; and Nirmal Roy ’02

Back by popular demand, Dr. Cooper is offering a special “Alumni Elective” version of his senior elective, “Modern Times.” Dr. Cooper will host a seminar-style class this June, and we invite you to attend via Zoom! Classes will be 90 minutes each and taught by chapter from the text of Paul Johnson’s book Modern Times on the evenings of June 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, and 30.

Please go to indiansprings.org/cooper for more information on each chapter and to register free of charge. Each class is capped at 10 participants, so please only register for one class to allow as many who want to participate as possible.

For those who attend, we plan to host a “class gathering” on campus later in the summer once the next school year starts. Good luck, and know that Dr. Cooper expects all of his students to read their respective chapters before class!

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #2287

190 Woodward Drive Indian Springs, AL 35124 205.988.3350 www.IndianSprings.org

50 IN THE NEXT ISSUE

YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

—— with ——

DR. MAC LACASSE