L A NDON FAL L 2016
FLYING HIGH United States Navy Cdr. Mark Mhley ’92 reflects on a career of service
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What’s Inside
Our Mission
Landon School prepares talented boys for productive lives as accomplished, responsible and caring men whose actions are guided by the principles of perseverance, teamwork, honor and fair play.
Features
22 | Flying High United States Navy Cdr. Mark Mhley ’92 reflects on a career of service that has led him from Top Gun flight school to Iraq and almost to outer space.
28 | The Idea Guy Nantucket Nectars co-founder Tom Scott ’85 seeks to spread big ideas — and perhaps change the world — with his latest venture, The Nantucket Project.
46 | Annual Report Departments 2 3 12 16 34
From the Headmaster Landon Lowdown Arts Athletics Alumni News
22 On Our Cover Cdr. Mark Mhley ’92, photographed at the United States Naval Academy May 16, is a Naval flight officer and former Top Gun instructor who now teaches and coaches at the Naval Academy. For more, read the story on page 22.
Photo credit: Edgar Artiga
28 Landon School Board of Trustees Chairman: Joseph A. Kenary Jr. ’82 Vice Chairman: H. Keith Powell President: Jim Neill Secretary: Michelle L. Freeman Treasurer: Dale Wolf
Trustees Emeriti:
Peter J. FitzGerald ’50 Knight Kiplinger ’65 Lawrence Lamade ’65 Samuel M. Lehrman H ’09 Russell “Rusty” C. Lindner ’72
Trustees:
16
Anderson J. Arnold ’78 Michael S. Banks ’92 Michael I. Connolly ’75 Matthew A. Coursen ’99 William C. Eacho III ’72 Robert H. Edwards Jr. Scott S. Harris ’84 Kenneth W. Jenkins ’78 Aranthan “Steve” Jones II Douglas C . Kiker ’93 Rev. Steve Klingelhofer ’60 Douglas H. Lagarde Steven C. Mayer Amy R. Mehlman John P. Oswald Tushar Patel ’81 N. David Povich ’54 Katheryn P. Wellington Martin J. Weinstein
Landon Magazine Headmaster Jim Neill
Editor Meredith Josef
Assistant Editors Tom DiChiara Daphne Kiplinger
Contributing Writers Tom DiChiara Derrick Chengery
Please send any letters, comments or suggestions to the editor, Meredith Josef, at meredith_josef@landon.net.
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
Designer Hillary Reilly
Photography Edgar Artiga Derrick Chengery Lowell Davis Tom DiChiara Laura John James Kegley Daphne Kiplinger Landon School Archives Wendy Steck Merriman GoLandon.com 1
HEADMASTERLETTER
A
t the opening meeting
connected to this, we find ourselves in the midst of a toxic political
August, I shared that
that run counter to what we espouse at Landon. So, in the face of all of
of faculty and staff this
one of my favorite things to do
is to spend time in the outdoors, and in recent years, I have
spent a good amount of time
climate where public discourse has been marked by words and actions
this, the priority for all in the Landon community — whether student,
faculty, staff, parent, or alum — must be to remain true to the principles of the school, principles that are enduring and ever more relevant.
Here we are dedicated to creating an experience that is framed by
in the woods of Maine where my family goes in the summer. Over
our codes of character, honor, and civility, that is marked by our core
had been timbered years ago and along a road in an effort to create a
the boys right behaviors, not least of which is how to engage in civil
these years, I have had the occasion to plant trees in a small area that natural buffer. I have learned that it is something in which I take great satisfaction and have found myself planting and transplanting several hundred pine, spruce, hemlock, maple, and birch trees, this summer
adding about a hundred balsam fir. These are small trees — saplings
mostly — but despite their size, it is hard work, digging into the rocky
soil, cutting back weeds to keep them from choking out the small trees, ongoing watering during dry spells. But I really like it.
It occurred to me at some point over the summer that this work
— these efforts to plant and grow something that will last for not
just years but hopefully generations — is analogous to the work of
the educator. All of us who are in the business of education are, in a
metaphorical sense, planting and nourishing young trees. In our case, these are the young men of Landon. Like the trees, our boys are all a
little different in shapes and sizes and rates of growth, but they, whether the tree or the boy, all need the same things. The former needs soil,
values of respect and honesty. We are committed to modeling for
discourse and reasoned debate on matters of principled disagreement, how to recognize differences of opinion with dignity and openness,
how to treat others with care and compassion. We are committed to promoting the virtues of challenge, intellectual rigor, and hard work that are hallmarks of our program, a program that highlights the
values of perseverance and effort, of collaboration and teamwork. We are committed to engaging in authentic, caring conversation about
important matters of the day and to doing so in a way that emphasizes our commitment to all of the above principles. We are committed to
leading our boys and one another to greater understanding of, and thus greater respect and sensitivity for, the differences that are part of the fabric of not just the Landon student body and community, but the
world at large. We are committed to the call of the Landon motto — virtute et non vi — which summons us to words and actions of virtue.
Put another way, here we are called to live lives marked by integrity,
sun, water and mulch; and the latter, attention, patience, support, and
decency, and a constant striving for excellence — lives marked by
their surroundings and community in some way — even more so and
boys, and really for the entire Landon community, at this year’s opening
care. Both the tree and the boy will one day define the landscape of more positively, and perhaps even more enduringly, if given a strong
foundation. Both the tree planter and the educator are in the field of
goodness and greatness. Which gets me to the challenge I laid out the day Convocation: Be good and be great.
These simple words are easier said than done, and they represent
shaping what the future will look like.
a challenge that we will not always meet. But if the goal is there and
planting trees is perhaps the same reason I like working in a school. In
advance towards the highest standards of honor and excellence. So let
As I thought about this more, I realized that the reason I like
both cases, the work is at once difficult and rewarding. In both cases, one is serving in some way as a foundational catalyst for real growth.
In both cases, the work is hope-filled. And in both cases, one’s efforts are geared towards a beautiful, enduring, and natural legacy, towards a more abundant future.
So it is serious and important work, this job of educating young men.
And perhaps never more so than today. For the greater environment,
the larger society, in which our boys find themselves planted is in many ways hostile to their full and wholesome growth. Our job, therefore, is
if the drive is there, we will move forward, we will improve, we will
us — to use the seniors’ motto for the year — make every minute count, never wasting a one, on this road to both goodness and greatness. For
the ultimate truth here is that if we take into our hearts and our minds a commitment to being both of these things, we will make ourselves better, our school better, and our communities better. We will, to
continue my earlier metaphor, help young saplings grow into a thriving forest of prodigious trees.
And isn’t that the point of an education?
to counter that environment or at least ready them for it, prepare them to better it.
These last few months have proven to be days of confusion, unrest,
tragedy, and hurt in many corners of our nation and our world. And
2
Jim Neill
Headmaster
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
Rain or Shine?
L
ogan Giles ’16 was in sixth grade English class when
he first sensed his calling.
“Snowmaggedon” was barreling
toward the metro area, and Logan was locked in a debate with a
classmate over how much snow
would shroud Bethesda. “I plotted
out the hour-by-hour and day-byday forecast for how much would fall... and I nailed it,” Logan
recalled. “That’s when I knew
I wanted to be a meteorologist someday.”
For his capstone Independent
Senior Project (ISP) — which
LOWDOWN Landon Installs Brand-New Track
L
andon installed a state-of-the-art track over the summer and not surprisingly, Middle School and varsity Head Track Coach Addison Hunt is thrilled.
“A new track is going to help our track and field program move in the
right direction,” Hunt said. “We have the right coaches now, we have kids that are interested in track and committed to working hard, and certainly having a state-of-the-art facility is going to help our Middle School and varsity programs achieve what they are capable of achieving.”
The field events surfaces (long jump, pole vault, high jump, shot
put, etc.) were also renovated to ensure that all facilities are safe and competition-ready.
requires seniors to undertake a
unique assignment and deliver a
presentation on what they learned — Logan landed his dream
internship working with WUSA9 Chief Meteorologist Topper Shutt ’77.
For the month of May,
Logan shadowed Shutt and saw
everything that goes into being an on-air meteorologist. “I learned
so much,” Logan said. “The cool
thing is how many things Topper does. He looks at the models and
then makes up in his mind what the forecast is going to be — that’s
the scientist part — but he’s also a writer, a graphic designer, a producer and a broadcaster.”
For Logan, who plans to study meteorology at Fairfield University,
the experience solidified his dream. “Weather impacts everyone,” he said. “I feel like I can help people by forecasting weather.”
Logan’s classmates also pursued worthwhile endeavors for their ISPs.
Brian Jordan and his brother Eric ’12 learned about perseverance and teamwork when they climbed 14,110 feet to the top of Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains. Jared Rymsza, Jantay Abdychev and Derek Hankim employed their engineering prowess to build computers
from scratch using a 3-D printer. And Franco Abdala-Arata, Jack Pingle, Ben Gilbert and Andrew Ibrahim discovered the skills
required to operate a small business when they opened the on-campus coffee shop, the Landon Cup — and donated their $4,000+ in profits to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
3
LANDON LOWDOWN
The Fantastic 4 L
ike the finale of an epic movie setting up a sequel, the end of the 2015–16 school year saw several superheroic educators boldly strike out from the White Rocks to discover what life’s next
understated — and their views often issue forth wearing clown’s clothing,” he said. “Laughter is good medicine.”
A fervent proponent of lifelong learning, Swinehart plans to do just
chapter holds in store. In early June, the community feted for their
that in his retirement: he has enrolled in several academic courses about
who retired and one who left to be a head of school in New York. (For
provides daily challenges where l need to learn how to paint pole fences or
service to Landon four of these fantastic teacher-coach-mentors: three more on all the teachers who moved on — and the new educators
Adolescent boys often perceive the world from a variety of perspectives — naïve, ironic, hyperbolic, wryly understated — and their views often issue forth wearing clown’s clothing. Laughter is good medicine.
literature and Jungian psychology. “In addition, living on a small farm
change oil in farm machines or tend to a horse’s medical needs,” Swinehart said. “I spend a lot of time watching instructional YouTube videos.”
A
fter 24 years at Landon, Middle School English teacher, and cross country, track and basketball coach Ted Lewis also
retired from teaching and has transitioned to a career in real
estate. According to fellow teacher Addison Hunt, Lewis was known
to his Middle School colleagues as “Captain” Ted “not only because of the boat-sized cars he has been known to drive [he currently skippers a stretched limousine] but
because he truly has always been captain of his own ship.”
Whether Lewis was teaching
sixth graders his favorite novels (including Old Yeller, The Call of the Wild, The Outsiders and
– Peter Swinehart
Tom Sawyer), staying late at a
Landon has welcomed for 2016–17 — see story p. 6.)
track meet to teach an athlete
Peter Swinehart retired in June after 43 years at Landon. During
from an opposing team the
that time, Swinehart co-created the Upper School’s signature course in
art of the high jump (Lewis,
Humanities; chaired the English Department; coached baseball, football
a graduate of Sidwell Friends,
and wrestling; and advised the Student Honor Council for 10 years. Along
still holds the IAC high jump
the way, he mentored thousands of Landon boys — but he also had a life-
record), or engaging his fellow
altering impact on many of his colleagues.
coaches in a “Ginger vs. Mary
One of these was John Botti who, as a fresh-faced young teacher in
Ann” debate, Hunt says Lewis
1999, was paired with Swinehart to teach the history half of Humanities
brought enthusiasm and care to
— and credits Swinehart with helping to mold him as both a teacher and a person. “When I learned from another colleague in the springtime of
my first year that ‘Peter Swinehart thinks you’re pretty good,’ it was like learning that I was on Santa’s ‘Nice’ list,” Botti said.
Swinehart’s favorite Landon moments were often unremarkable
ones: helping a student grapple with an ethical dilemma, talking about
interpretations of literature, coaching inexperienced wrestlers... or simply
enjoying his students’ sense of humor. “Adolescent boys often perceive the world from a variety of perspectives — naïve, ironic, hyperbolic, wryly
4
everything he did. “Ted carries
Ted carries this spirit of generosity and good will with him in every aspect of his life here at Landon.
this spirit of generosity and good will with him in every aspect of his life here at Landon,” Hunt
said. “Being around him is like having Charles Dickens’ ghost
of Christmas present around you every day of the year.”
– Addison Hunt
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
G
rade 5 language
arts teacher and Assistant Head
of Lower School Trish
Rhodes also retired in June after 14 years inside the
White Rocks and 30 total
years as a teacher here and at international schools in Guatemala, Haiti,
I’ll miss the kids most — they’re amazing and motivated and fun and full of beans... – Trish Rhodes
Morocco, Nepal and South Africa. In her retirement, she plans to read, spend
T
he final departing faculty member honored in June is decidedly not retiring from education. History and humanities teacher, basketball coach, and Associate Headmaster John Botti took
over as the new head of the Browning School in New York City this
summer. In his 16 years at Landon, Botti provided moral direction as Landon’s Banfield ethics chair, spearheaded curriculum review and professional development as associate headmaster, and captivated students with his accessible teaching style, inquisitive mind, and fondness for big words.
“My memories of John will always be that he is, quintessentially,
what we are trying to produce at Landon,” History Department Chair Bill Reed said. “He operates at a high level in the classroom, he loves his connections to athletics,
time with family, and
he models all of the behaviors
travel, with Cuba atop her
we want our boys to emulate,
list of destinations. During
and he does all of the above
her time at Landon,
every single day, without fail,
Rhodes cultivated a joy
year after year after year. He
for reading in her young students and helped bring fun and stellar
manages to combine the grit and
production values to the Lower School plays as an assistant director.
determination that make people
According to Lower School Head Randy Bednar, Rhodes had perhaps
successful with the grace and
her most profound impact on the boys as their Student Council advisor
poise that make people want to
and the organizer of community service initiatives that instilled in them
be around him.”
the importance of always looking out for the other fellow. These included “Pennies for Patients” to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
and an annual canned food drive that in 2016 collected more than 14,000 non-perishable food items for Bethesda Cares, a local food pantry that distributes food to in-need families.
“Trish is a one-woman tornado to promote human welfare and social
reform on behalf of our Lower School boys,” Bednar said. “This world
— and in particular Landon School — is a much better place because of her... someone who is always thinking of others, always thinking of how we can improve this school and the world at large, and someone who
realizes that the reason we are all put on this planet is to help others.” “I’ll miss the kids most — they’re amazing and motivated and fun
and full of beans — and I’ll miss this team of professionals that I work with in the Lower School,” said Rhodes, who counts teaching War
Comes to Willy Freeman and Operation Redwood, working on the Lower School play, and spearheading community service endeavors as her
Upper School Head Ehren
I don’t know that I’ve given enough to Landon, but Landon has certainly given more to me than I ever could have asked. – John Botti
Federowicz agrees and cites a
telling conversation he had with a student this spring: the boy
raved that Botti was “the most
influential teacher and mentor” he has ever had. “The depth,
care and intensity of the boy’s
feelings for John as an educator were moving and revealed the full impact John had on this
boy’s life, an impact that educators only dream of imparting on their
students,” Federowicz said. “John’s relationships with students run deep, are genuine, and have a lasting influence on them well after they leave Landon.”
According to Botti, Landon has had a similar influence on him, as
favorite Landon experiences. “It’s been fun promoting and setting up
he has transitioned from young teacher to school leader. “In 1997 when
a mission and providing the whole Lower School boy population the
the best way that I could express my life, I wouldn’t have guessed that
the community service and Student Council programs, giving them
opportunity to do something for somebody else. This is just planting that seed, and hopefully they will carry it into their lives.”
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
I started teaching, if you had told me that 20 years on this would be
to be true — and looking back, I can’t imagine having done anything
differently,” Botti said. “I don’t know that I’ve given enough to Landon,
but Landon has certainly given more to me than I ever could have asked.”
5
LANDON LOWDOWN
Fond Farewells and Warm Welcomes for Faculty & Staff As the 2015–16 school year drew to a close, the Landon community said goodbye to several faculty and staff members who positively shaped thousands of boys over their combined 165 years of devoted service to the school. This fall, Landon embraces the new educators and administrators who will continue the good work of these departing Bears. Peter Swinehart retired after 43 years as an English and
humanities teacher, coach, and longtime English Department chair.
New English and humanities teacher Sean Foley taught history and
duties. She has taught at both the high school and collegiate level and
comes to Landon from the International Student Exchange Program. Sixteen-year Landon veteran Aaron Brophy, a Middle School art
coached varsity wrestling, including 10 All-Americans, at Northfield
teacher and curator of Landow Gallery, has moved on to teach art at
Wesleyan University and is pursuing a master’s at St. John’s College.
graduate of Fairfield University, taught and coached at Town School for
Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts. Foley holds a B.A. from
Upper School teacher Emily Piacenza has assumed Swinehart’s role as English Department chair.
Following a 24-year career at Landon, Middle School English teacher
and track and field coach Ted Lewis has retired from teaching to
pursue a career in real estate. New Middle School English teacher Katie Lamade taught at Center City Public Charter Schools in Washington,
D.C. She holds an M.A. from Loyola University and a B.A. from Duke University, where she was co-captain of the women’s lacrosse team.
Grade 5 language arts teacher and Assistant Head of Lower School
Trish Rhodes also retired in June after 14 years inside the White Rocks. New Grade 5 language arts teacher Rebecca Poyatt taught at High
Meadows School in Georgia. She holds an M.A. in education from the University of Georgia.
Associate headmaster and humanities teacher John Botti left Landon
Sidwell Friends School. New Middle School art teacher John Nolan, a Boys in San Francisco.
After 15 years at Landon, onetime Math Department chair and head
coach of the tennis team Adam Atwell moved to Ohio to be closer to family and to teach math at the University School in Cleveland. New Upper School math teacher Torey Tonche comes to Landon from
St. Augustine High School in Arizona. He holds his M.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Following nine years at Landon, head athletic trainer Stephen
Herman will be a stay-at-home dad to his daughter Isla. Michael
McCormick, who has been the assistant athletic trainer at Episcopal
High School since 2013, takes over as head trainer and will also teach Middle School health. He holds an M.A. from the University of Connecticut.
Humanities teacher Bill Gordon departed Landon after nine years
to take the reins as the new head of Browning School in New York City.
to pursue new professional opportunities. New history and humanities
Anna Armentrout, who holds her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. (all in history)
in Connecticut. He holds an M.A. from Georgetown University.
(For more on Botti, Swinehart, Lewis and Rhodes, see story p. 4.) Dr. from the University of California at Berkeley takes on Botti’s teaching
6
teacher Thomas Pipoli taught and coached at Loomis Chaffee School Upper School math teacher Andy Petusky left Landon after eight
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
years to teach computer science at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. New Upper School math teacher Michael Vertuli holds a B.A. from
Penn State University and taught at the Newton American Education
University of Virginia. He previously taught at the Potomac School and Georgetown Day School.
With Upper School academic technologist Dr. Tara Northcott
Studio, a consultancy he founded in Shanghai to place Chinese students
on a leave of absence to stay home with her children, Larry Franklin
Alejandro Berthé, who was the Lower and Middle School counselor
in computer science from the University of Maryland and has taught
in American schools.
for three years, has moved on to The Heights School. The new counselor for Grades 3–8 is Justin Roman, a licensed clinical social worker who
worked as a family therapist at Cesar Chavez Public Charter School in D.C. Roman received his M.A. from Catholic University.
After three years as a Fourth Grade teacher-coach-mentor, Will
Buchanan left Landon to begin an MBA program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Longtime Landon teacher Stevie Brown moved from Third to Fourth Grade this fall and has taken on assistant head of Lower School duties. New Third Grade teacher Lindsay Horbatuck comes to Landon from Brunswick
has stepped into her role on an interim basis. Franklin holds his B.S. technology to K–Grade 8 students.
The Middle School has also added several part-time teachers. Bev
Williams — who has taught at St. Albans, National Cathedral School, and previously at Landon in his 25 years as an educator — is back on
board to teach two English classes. Joining Landon as a Spanish teaching intern is David Eusse ’10, who has his B.A. from the University of
Maryland and is also an Army National Guard EMT and medic. And
Marty Bednar ’11 has moved from Lower to Middle School, where he will teach a section of math.
In the Development Office, Stephanie Meinhardt joined Landon
School in Connecticut. Horbatuck, who holds a B.A. from Bucknell
as director of special events last fall. Liza Tanner Boyd has departed
her experience playing professional basketball internationally to use as a
real estate sales at Washington Fine Properties. Lauren Priestas, who
University and is finishing her M.A. at Columbia University, will put Landon coach.
After three years at Landon, Tiffany Hani, P ’15 ’16, has stepped
down as assistant to the Lower School head. Saima Ahmad, P ’14 ’19,
assumed the role over the summer. Ahmad received her bachelor’s degree from Kinnaird College for Women in Pakistan. She has been a Lower
and Middle School substitute teacher for four years and was the 2014–15
her role as director of the Landon Fund for a position in residential
oversaw data and analysis for Development for 12 years, has taken a new role as development director at Hopecam. Director of Development Barbara Goodwyn will oversee the Landon Fund this year, while
Development associate Taylor Bates has assumed a full-time position to assist in various capacities.
After 11+ years at Landon, Cathy Walton retired as payroll and
Landon Mothers Association (LMA) chair.
benefits coordinator in February. Morgan Theriot, a certified human
be a stay-at-home mom to her daughter Viktoria. Dr. Troy Prinkey,
a consultant in March and is now the new full-time human resources
After two years as a Spanish teacher at Landon, Azeane Lohoff will
who served as a long-term substitute in 2015–16, has joined Landon full time as a Middle School Spanish teacher. Prinkey holds his B.A.
from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.A and Ph.D. from the
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
resources professional with 15+ years’ experience, came to Landon as
director. Shayda Safikhani, who has worked part time in the Business
Office since 2014, takes over student billing duties from the departing Gillian Thomas. And Cindy O’Neill, P ’06, steps into Shayda’s role.
7
LANDON LOWDOWN
Anas ’11 Signs with the Minnesota Wild
S
am Anas ’11 has wanted
that dream when he signed a two-
hockey player since his
Hockey League’s (NHL)
to be a professional ice
second birthday, when his father gave him a hockey stick as a
year contract with the National Minnesota Wild.
Anas, a forward, will compete
present and the two spent the day
for a spot on the Wild’s NHL
Anas edged infinitely closer to
September, but realizes he will
playing in the kitchen. In April,
roster at training camp in
Playing in the NHL is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s getting closer and closer now — but there’s still a lot of work to be done.” – Sam Anas ’11
likely have to prove himself with
Conference championships, as
League affiliate the Iowa
Prep Hockey League state title —
the club’s American Hockey
well as the 2011 Mid-Atlantic
Wild first — a challenge he
wholeheartedly embraces, and one for which Landon prepared him. “One of the biggest influences
and was named 2011 Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year. After graduation, he played
junior hockey for two years and
[Landon varsity ice hockey
in 2013 enrolled at ice-hockey
coaches] Chan Gammill and
power Quinnipiac University.
Hans Farnstrom had on me was
Anas topped Quinnipiac in
cutting me freshman year,” Anas
scoring each of his three years
laughed. “It was a bit of a blow to
there and, in 2016, led the team
me, but it was really a blessing in
to second place in the NCAA
disguise because it taught me to
Division I Frozen Four national
work harder, appreciate what you
championships.
have, and never get complacent.
Anas earned his degree from
When I did make the team
Quinnipiac in May and opted to
values of teamwork and hard work
eligibility to sign with the Wild.
sophomore year, they taught the and how that all pays off.”
Pay off it has. Sophomore
through senior year, Anas led the
Bears to three Interstate Athletic
forego his final year of NCAA
“Playing in the NHL is what I’ve
always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s
getting closer and closer now — but
there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
From Landon to Team USA
P
atrick Giles ’18 will forgo
his junior and senior years
at Landon to become one of
22 members of the U.S. national
under-17 hockey team, known as the USA Hockey National Team
Development Program (NTDP),
which prepares players for success
in college and beyond. That “beyond”
includes the National Hockey League
(NHL) — 12 NTDP players were drafted into the NHL this June.
Giles, who led Landon to two straight Interstate Athletic Conference
and Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League state titles in 2015 and 2016, is already committed to Boston College and will attend Plymouth High
School in Massachusetts while he trains and competes with the NTDP.
While he is excited for the next chapter, he is also sad to say goodbye to the land of the White Rocks.
“Leaving Landon was a tough decision. I had to make it,” he told
The Washington Post. “Nothing is more fun than playing in big games for Landon.”
8
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
The 63rd Landon Azalea Festival Highlights
R
ainy weather didn’t put a damper
on the 63rd Azalea Garden Festival
this April 29–May 1. Thousands still
shopped for gorgeous plants and unique finds at dozens of boutique vendors, and families enjoyed FunLand carnival rides (and funnel
cake) on Freed Field and the Mark’s Run charity 5K. This year, Azalea
Festival events, which also included the Headmaster’s Wine Tasting and Greens Sale & Holiday Boutique, raised $440,000 to benefit student
financial assistance and faculty enrichment. Thank you to the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who made the events such a big success!
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
9
LANDON LOWDOWN
Landon... In Your Words
The Bear Blog on our website gives alumni, students, teacher-coach-mentors and parents a platform to share their perspectives on Landon. The following are excerpts from three recent posts. To read the full posts, as well as many more from members of the community, please visit landon.net. VOLUNTEERING AT A SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND CHANGED MY LIFE Harsh Singh ’18, an honors student, musician and varsity tennis athlete, wrote this post.
P
resident John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for
you, ask what you can do for
your country.” This statement has
inspired me — and probably many
others — to be a little more generous within my community. My
Pune, India, and volunteered at a
munity Service Club has provided
blind children. What I saw there
involvement in the Landon Commany outlets to do so, thanks to
our work with organizations such
government-mandated school for changed my world forever.
The school’s name is Bhosari.
as Operation Smile (raising money
Situated in the backroad slums
for children born with facial
81 boys who eat, sleep, study and
to provide life-changing surgery
deformities), Stop Hunger Now
(packaging thousands of meals for hungry children across the globe) and Wounded Warriors (leading
a drive to provide winter coats to military veterans at Walter Reed National Medical Center).
Through these experiences,
I have learned that community
of Pune, the school is home to
live together. I spent my first day
grow as a person. One of the most
writing Braille in massive books,
how to overcome adversity.
the kids organized in classrooms
cleaning their laundry, and playing
direct impact in another country? I accepted this challenge over
winter break when I visited
10
few weeks a year. I created a local
needing the help of anyone else the
For the next two weeks,
there thanked me for the time
not challenge myself to make a
Every day I saw these kids
did, they did it with a big smile.
countries as well. And so I asked
on the community I live in? Why
Bhosari students inspired me to
wake up at 6 a.m., get dressed, eat
all was that no matter what the boys
played with them. The boys
I spent with them, but really I felt that I should be thanking
them. Working with them taught me about their way of life, the
challenges they face daily, and life lessons that I believe helped me
This display of character by the
important of these lessons was
chess. The most amazing part of it
I taught them English and
myself: Why stop at just focusing
– Harsh Singh ’18
touring the facilities, and I saw all
service has an impact close to home, but its reach can extend to other
Thanks to my work at Bhosari and my community service activities at Landon, I now know this: When you give without expecting anything in return, that is when you get the most.
breakfast, and go to class without
entire day. Even more inspiring is that once they reach high school, the students merge with the local school and compete academically and athletically with the rest of
do more than just volunteer for a
fundraiser to help the school and,
with the help of neighbors, family
and friends, have been able to raise more than $1,800 for Bhosari.
This money has all gone toward a fund to build a new roof and upgrade classroom materials...
Thanks to my work at Bhosari
the population. It blew my mind
and my community service
to compete, but also able to win
this: When you give without
that these kids were not only able competitions against other students without any special treatment.
activities at Landon, I now know expecting anything in return, that is when you get the most.
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
W
hether you’re in the
School to Upper School, guide you
classroom, competing
through college, and absolutely set
athletically, or trying
the groundwork for a successful
grow up with a huge group of
career.
younger brothers, and you have
to succeed in your career, it’s a safe bet that not every day is going
and learn to be respectful. At the same time, you also
Landon is more than that,
to set a good example for them. I
to be easy. People who expect
though. The community Landon
see younger Landon graduates in
things to be easy usually end up
fosters is big. When you’re an
New York all the time, and when
LANDON’S LESSONS SET THE
struggling. At Landon, I learned the
alumnus, you know people 10 to 15
I talk to them, it’s like a touch of
GROUNDWORK FOR SUCCESS
value of hard work, perseverance,
years older than you, and you know
home... and they look at me like it’s
Michael Voris ’95 wrote this blog
grit, teamwork, honesty — and
kids 10 to 15 years younger than
a touch of home too. That really
those are all things that help you
you. That comes from the older
noticeable, consistent sense of
succeed in any endeavor and
brother-younger brother aspect
community strikes me as amazing
definitely in the business world.
of going to the school. When you
— and is probably the thing that I
Those traits are bred in you at
start at Landon at a young age, you
cherish the most about Landon.
an early age at Landon and carry
grow up with a huge group of older
through all the way from Lower
brothers, so you learn your place
post. After he graduated from
Landon, Voris went on to play
lacrosse at Cornell University and is now a managing director with
Goldman Sachs in New York City.
HOW ONE TEACHER HELPED CHART MY ETHICAL COURSE Former Landon student, teacher and Head of Middle School Doug Norry ’90 wrote this blog post. Norry is now the head of Triangle Day School in Durham, North Carolina.
L
ess is more. This phrase dates back to a poem, “The Faultless
Painter,” written by Robert Browning in 1855... [and] encapsulates the idea that less complicated works are better understood and
more appreciated. But what about speaking to our children after they have behaved in an inappropriate or disappointing manner? Does “less is more” still apply?
September 1983. The first day of my second year as a student at
Landon... I squirmed uncomfortably in my chair toward the back of Mr. Murray’s Sixth Grade classroom. Standing 6’2”, Sandy Murray ’63 was a no-excuses, strict disciplinarian, fond of requiring boys to take laps
around the building, and rumored to have quite a temper. Far from the
schoolers — but my bubble burst when he returned to the nurse’s office.
when boys stepped out of line.
Murray uttered nine simple words: “Well, that wasn’t the full story, now
troublemaking sort, I nonetheless winced as Mr. Murray raised his voice Even good kids do dumb things. Before P.E. class one fall afternoon,
[fellow student] Gordon Vapp and I found ourselves alone on a rocky field.
Expecting a thundering tirade, my palms began to sweat. Instead, Mr. was it?”
I never determined what accounted for Mr. Murray’s brevity that
Before long, we were lobbing golf-ball-sized stones at each other from 25
afternoon... Could he have possibly known that I would remember these
until it wasn’t. Gordon fired a direct hit, cutting me above the eye. Minutes
in my development as a responsible, ethical human being?
yards away. It was easy enough to dodge the meteors falling from the sky, later, Mr. Murray bounded into the nurse’s office. “What happened?” he wanted to know.
“Gordon hit me in the head with a rock.” Technically true, but miles
away from the full story.
I’m sure I was hoping for the final bell to ring before Mr. Murray
uncovered the truth — one has to admire the optimism of middle
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
nine words 32 years later, and that this moment would figure prominently A few years ago, Betsy Braun authored a piece titled “13 Ways to Deal
with Kids Who Misbehave.” No. 4 on Braun’s list caught my eye: “Say as
little as possible.” I’m not sure I would have recalled much had Mr. Murray
launched into an extended diatribe about the dangers of rock throwing and the importance of telling the truth, but I will always remember those nine words. Sometimes, nine words are enough; sometimes, less is more.
11
ARTS
Performing & Visual Arts A Rush of Creativity
T
his spring, 22 Upper School artists were finalists, and four won awards, in the 10th annual Best of the Independent Schools Art Competition. The event, which is hosted in Landow
Gallery, draws hundreds of entries from one dozen D.C.-area high
schools. Middle and Lower School Bears joined their Upper School
brethren to showcase their painting, sculpting, drawing, ceramics and mixed media prowess in the All-School Art Show.
The Buchanan Library provided a unique backdrop
for Landon and Holton-Arms Upper School students to stage their riveting take on the play Twelve
Angry Men, complete with faculty cameos by Matt
12 ANGRY MEN
Dougherty, Dartha Dragnich and Mac Jacoby. Nine Middle School thespians explored the often hilarious results of our connection to the digital world when
they appeared with 40 of their Holton peers in a trio of comedic short plays titled #ScreenPlay.
And musicians from all three divisions and
numerous disciplines performed for the community at a series of year-end concerts and assemblies,
while Lower and Middle School groups wowed
judges at the Music in the Parks Festival held in
#SCREEN PLAY
Pennsylvania’s Hersheypark.
12
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
VISUAL ART SPOTLIGHT
ARTS
Face of a Thousand Rings
L
ook carefully at this portrait by Alex Kapelina ’20 and you will notice that it appears almost
“pixelated” when viewed up close, but resembles a straightforward portrait the farther away you get.
To complete this acrylic
masterpiece for Middle School art
teacher Brad Rose’s class, Kapelina
learned to apply the style of Chuck Close. The contemporary abstract artist creates a grid on canvas and
fills in the faint squares with rings of color painted against a contrasting background.
If that sounds like a challenging
way to paint a portrait, it is meant to be. Close sees art as a way to stretch
limits — a lesson Rose was happy to
pass on to Kapelina, who painted the portrait this past year after working
on this technique. While the portrait
isn’t of a specifc student, the face may seem familiar — it is a composite of
the facial features of several of Alex’s Landon classmates.
“The process of doing a Chuck
Close-style painting is a slow, tedious one, but Alex tackled it with his
trademark enthusiasm,” Rose said. “I love his commitment to excellence, and his willingness to constantly
go back and rework and adjust his
paintings. My two years of teaching
him were a steady escalation of how
hard I could push him, and he never
failed to rise to the occasion. Alex has an incredible work ethic and desire to learn, and I was so happy to see him finish his Middle School experience with such a masterpiece.”
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
Alex Kapelina ’20
13
ARTS
Visual Arts Gallery
Sky Cui ’18
Caden Blazer ’24
Drew Neviaser ’25
Oliver Bourne ’25
14
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
Matt Seebald’17
Tyler McTague ’16
Bobby Ramkissoon ’17 Matthew Lowrie ’18
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
15
ATHLETICS
Spring Sports BASEBALL, GOLF & RUGBY BRING HOME CHAMPIONSHIPS
B
aseball, golf and rugby claimed regional championships, and lacrosse finished the season ranked 14th in the nation. In
addition, eight student-athletes were named to the Washington
Post’s spring All-Met roster, and 14 earned All-IAC (Interstate Athletic Conference) accolades.
BASEBALL HIGHLIGHTS Perseverance, teamwork and resilience made all the difference for baseball this spring, especially during their Cinderella-story run in the IAC Tournament. After a 10–0 loss to Georgetown Prep in their last regular-season meeting, the 10–6–1 Bears prevailed 4–1 over their rivals in the IAC Tournament semifinals on the strength of fantastic pitching from aces Randy Bednar Jr. ’17 and Patrick Lightner ’16 and a run-scoring triple from Josh Hunter ’16 in extra innings. The IAC championship game vs. Bullis was equally dramatic. In the seventh inning, Bednar battled through a do-or-die, 17-pitch at-bat before doubling in the tying run. The Bears won 5–4 in the eighth to clinch baseball’s first IAC Tournament crown since 2011. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Randy Bednar Jr. ’17: All-Met Honorable Mention, All-IAC, Co-Captain; Matt Brady ’16: Mid-Atlantic Baseball Classic (MABC) Senior All-Star; Josh Hunter ’16: MABC Senior All-Star; Patrick Lightner ’16: All-IAC, MABC Senior All-Star, Co-Captain; Scott Prutting ’17: All-IAC; Zach Wiener ’16: All-IAC, MABC Senior All-Star GOLF HIGHLIGHTS Coming off an undefeated 2015 campaign, the Bears were a perfect 10–0 in match play in 2016. They defeated Bullis 168–193 to secure the IAC regular season title and set a new school record for best nine-hole team score in the process. Although rival Georgetown Prep edged Landon to win the IAC Tournament, the Bears bounced back to win their second consecutive Metros tournament championship over Prep and Gonzaga. Co-captain John Kalavritinos ’17 finished second at both IACs and Metros and tied the school record for single-season 18-hole scoring average with a 72.8. And fellow co-captains Evan Katz ’17 and Jeff Samit ’17 moved up to No. 4 and 5, respectively, on Landon’s all-time scoring average list. INDIVIDUAL HONORS John Kalavritinos ’17: All-Met First Team, AllIAC, Co-Captain; Evan Katz ’17: All-Met First Team, All-IAC, Co-Captain; Jeff Samit ’17: All-Met Honorable Mention, All-IAC, Co-Captain
16 LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
LACROSSE HIGHLIGHTS The 17–4 Bears finished the season ranked 14th on Nike/Lacrosse Magazine’s list of the nation’s best high school teams on the strength of big wins against Baltimore-area powerhouses Gilman, St. Mary’s and Mount St. Joseph, as well as New Jersey behemoths Lawrenceville Prep and St. Augustine. For Assistant Coach J.R. Bordley ’00, the highlight of 2016 was Landon’s 10–5 victory vs. Georgetown Prep under the lights at Prep, sparked by a five-goal performance from Joey Epstein ’18. Drennan Greene ’16 led the team in goals this season with 44; co-captain Griffin Brown ’16’s 64 points were the most ever by a Landon midfielder; Justin Shockey ’17 won 75 percent of his face-offs; and co-captain Andrew Fowler ’17 anchored a tough defense. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Griffin Brown ’16: Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association (MSLCA) All-State Second Team, All-Met First Team, All-IAC, US Lacrosse Bob Scott Award, MSLCA Senior All-Star, Co-Captain; Justin Conner ’16: MSLCA Senior All-Star; Joey Epstein ’18: MSLCA All-State Second Team, All-Met Honorable Mention, All-IAC; Andrew Fowler ’17: MSLCA All-State Second Team, All-IAC, Co-Captain; Drennan Greene ’16: MSLCA Senior All-Star; Justin Shockey ’17: MSLCA All-State Second Team, All-Met Honorable Mention, All-IAC RUGBY HIGHLIGHTS Led by o-captains Nick Blasey ’16 and Wesley Pan ’16 and forward Maanik Lal ’17, rugby outscored its opponents this season 430–60 and rode a series of impressive wins — 66–5 over T.C. Williams, 45–7 over Eleanor Roosevelt, 57–0 over The Heights, and 73–5 over Model School for the Deaf — to the Metro Area Varsity Rugby Conference (MAVRC) division 2 championship game for the fourth time in program history. When
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
the final whistle blew in that game, the Bears had accomplished two firsts with their 19–5 victory over perennial rival Bell Multicultural High School: they had closed out a perfect 8–0 undefeated season and earned their first ever MAVRC title. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Tommy Baldwin ’18: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Nick Blasey ’16: MAVRC All-Met First Team, CoCaptain; Andrew Engel ’18: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Ben Goodfriend ’16: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Jonathan Hsieh ’17: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Nico Kenary ’18: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Maanik Lal ’17: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Mitchell Pan ’17: MAVRC All-Met Second Team; Wesley Pan ’16: MAVRC All-Met First Team, Co-Captain; Luke Peterson ’17: MAVRC All-Met First Team; Jacob Wright ’16: MAVRC All-Met Second Team TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS A combination of strong senior leadership and young talent propelled the Bears to a 7–4 record and fourth place finishes in the Woodberry Forest Tournament and the IAC Tournament. Captain Henry Smith ’16 and Josh Engel ’16 set a strong example for younger players with their work ethic and optimism, while freshmen Sachin Das ’19 and Rodrigo Pedraza Garcia ’19 and sophomore Harsh Singh ’18 played with a maturity that should ensure the success of the team for years to come. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Sachin Das ’19: All-Met Honorable Mention, AllIAC; Rodrigo Pedraza Garcia ’19: All-IAC; Henry Smith ’16: Captain TRACK & FIELD HIGHLIGHTS Varsity track and field notched third place finishes at the Saints Track Classic and the Cronley Invitational. Cocaptain Wesley Feldman ’17 won all but two of his 1,600-meter races this season, Kevin Tsai ’18 excelled in the 800 meters and as the anchor of the ever-improving 4x400-meter relay team, and co-captain J.J. Meka ’16 was a reliable scorer in the jumps. Landon capped the season with a strong showing at the IAC Championships, where Feldman and Peter Gilbert ’18 finished first and third, respectively, in the 1600 meters, Tsai took third in the 800 meters, and the 4x800-meter relay squad nabbed second place. INDIVIDUAL HONORS Wesley Feldman ’17: All-IAC, Co-Captain; J.J. Meka ’16: Co-Captain; Eric Shalloway ’16: Co-Captain; George Shalloway ’16: Co-Captain
17
COMMENCEMENT
The Class of 2016
As a classmate of yours I don’t want to impart advice, but I will say this... Really try to stay close with everybody, especially those few friends that helped you when things got hard. — Student Council President Jack Concannon ’16, Baccalaureate speaker
18
Franco Abdala-Arata Johns Hopkins University
Robel Dereje University of Colorado at Boulder
Jantay Abdychev McGill University
Nikhil Dey Boston College
Amil Raj Agarwal The George Washington University
Mark Anthony Ebo College of the Holy Cross
Nicholas Stone Blasey Dartmouth College
Joshua Steven Engel Duke University
Matthew Campbell Brady Carleton College
Hayden Scott Fralin University of Vermont
Charles William Branche Ohio Wesleyan University
Joseph Roger Gagnon Washington and Lee University
Griffin D. Brown Colgate University
Steven Douglas Gee University of California, Los Angeles
Chase Stockdale Christensen Lehigh University
Brian Andrew Gelb Pennsylvania State University
John D. Concannon University of Notre Dame
Benjamin Douglas Gilbert Wake Forest University
Justin Conner Cleveland State University
Logan Allen Giles Fairfield University
James Blake Dannenbaum Southern Methodist University
Isher Singh Gill The George Washington University
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
Rahul Singh Gill Connecticut College
Aditya Manavasi Krishnan Lawrence University
Jared Matthew Rymsza Villanova University
Ian Edward Sweeney College of William and Mary
Luke Glenn Gordon College
Charles Michael Lederberg Emory University
Noah Breslin Thomas Cornell University
Anton William Golding Drexel University
Samuel Itasaka Lieberman The George Washington University
Eric Andrew Shalloway University of Maryland, College Park
Ben Emmer Goodfriend Washington University in St. Louis
Patrick Church Lightner Marist College
Kyle Joseph Grafmeyer Berry College
Trevor MacKenzie Mathers The University of Alabama
Jonathan Drennan Greene United States Military Academy Army
Nicholas Augustin Mayer Hamilton College - New York
Grayson William Hanes The University of Alabama Grant Ahlstrom Hani Georgetown University Derek Woorim Hankim University of California, Los Angeles Clayton John Henschel University of Maryland, College Park Joshua David Hunter Bucknell University Drew Joseph Hurley Syracuse University Andrew Bassam Ibrahim University of Richmond Eriksen Mark Johansen Denison University Brian Joseph Jordan Duke University Matthew McGuire Keegan Virginia Tech Harrison L’Hommedieu King Loyola Marymount University Max Robert Krause University of Chicago
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
Tyler Conrad McTague Ohio Wesleyan University Joshua Mendo Meka St. John’s University Queens Campus Brian Richard Menendez Salisbury University Brian Kent Merkle Boston College Anthony James Miele Dickinson College Thomas Robb Mottur Washington and Lee University Ryan Scott Murray Elon University
George Phillip Shalloway University of Maryland, College Park Keith Patrick Simms University of Oregon John Rockwell Slowinski Bucknell University Henry M.L. Smith University of St Andrews Michael Mariano Soraci Wake Forest University
John Wayne Walker-Turner Emory University Andrew David Whicker Washington and Lee University J. Zachary Elijah Wiener University of Chicago Jacob Lawrence Wright Ohio Wesleyan University James Alexander Zampella University of Maryland, College Park
As you have persevered through the trials inherent in your Landon journey, you have begun to forge the character that will be yours throughout your life. — Headmaster Jim Neill, Commencement speaker
Ian Oliver Napoleon Dickinson College Wesley Sterling Pan Virginia Tech Carson Jiles Petty Stetson University Jonathan Tyler Pingle Columbia University Evan Thomas Pugh Reed College Aaron William Rose Lehigh University
19
COMMENCEMENT
Men at Landon are unbound and dynamic, resilient and ever-changing. The thing that makes Landon so special isn’t the Honor Code and it isn’t brotherhood. It’s the freedom to discover your true self. — Valedictorian Josh Engel ’16, Commencement speaker
CLASS OF 2016
AWARDS Valedictorian Josh Engel The Upper School Headmaster’s Award Josh Hunter The Fathers Club Citizenship Award (integrity) Jack Concannon The Malcolm Coates Student Activities Award Ben Goodfriend The Eleanor Ann Johnson Award (arts) Henry Smith The William Harrison Triplett Award (athletics) Mark Ebo The Carroll Mercer Marbury Award (tenacity) Logan Giles The Stephen J. Smith ’01 Spirit Award (given at senior dinner) Jack Concannon Scholarship Award for Highest GPA in Form V Arslon Humayun ’17
BACCALAUREATE
AWARDS The Patrick Tanner ’96 Community Service Award Jared Rymsza The Alexander Aikens ’67 Award for Diversity Support Josh Hunter and John Walker-Turner The Cary Maguire ’46 Ethics Scholar Jack Concannon
20
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
CUM LAUDE
SOCIETY Class of 2016 (elected in 2015) Amil Agarwal Nick Blasey Josh Engel Grant Hani Brian Jordan Brian Merkle Jack Pingle Zach Wiener Class of 2016 (elected in 2016) Franco Abdala-Arata Jantay Abdychev Jack Concannon Ben Goodfriend Henry Smith Noah Thomas Andrew Whicker Class of 2017 (elected in 2016) Andrew Clark Timothy Dye Jonathan Hsieh Arslon Humayun Andrew Javens Evan Katz Jeffrey Samit Matthew Seebald Chenyu “Shoun” Shi
JUNIOR
AWARDS
If asked today where I went to high school I would not hesitate: ‘I went to Landon and I am proud of that fact.’ As we move forward, we can’t let ourselves forget this: It’s our responsibility to give Landon the good name it deserves. — Harry King ’16, Baccalaureate speaker
Johns Hopkins Book Award Shoun Shi ’17 Harvard Book Award Bilal Wurie ’17 Dartmouth Book Award Arslon Humayun ’17
FACULTY & STAFF
AWARDS The Mary Lee and Paul Landon Banfield Award (faculty) John Botti The Alice F. Cosimano Award (staff) Patti Pfeiff
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
21
FEATURE | MARK MHLEY
UNITED STATES NAVY CDR. MARK MHLEY ’92 REFLECTS ON A CAREER OF SERVICE THAT HAS LED HIM FROM TOP GUN FLIGHT SCHOOL TO IRAQ AND ALMOST TO OUTER SPACE.
by To m DiCh i a ra 22
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
23
FEATURE | MARK MHLEY
he day he gave up his dream of becoming an astronaut, Cdr. Mark Mhley ’92 was on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the South Pacific. Mhley, a Naval flight officer and lieutenant at the time, was headed back to the United States after his second deployment to Iraq. The date was September 11, 2001. When the planes struck the Twin Towers, Mark made a decision that would affect his own trajectory. “When 9/11 happened, I realized — we all realized — that there was going to be a fight coming, and I wanted to play a part,” Mhley said. “Becoming an astronaut was not part of that. I respect very much what they do, but that day I decided to change my path and apply to Top Gun to be a Top Gun instructor.” THE STARGAZER Mark did not abandon his dream lightly. Since he was a boy, he wanted to be an astronaut. Gavin Mhley ’94, a 10-year Bear like his older
brother, remembers that even at a young age, Mark often could be found staring through the lens of his telescope.
“When other kids were running around tackling each other, Mark
would be looking at the sky at these little white dots,” Gavin recalled. “He was always interested in what’s out there — is there something greater out there that we don’t know about?”
The dream of becoming an astronaut led Mark to attend the United
States Naval Academy and, upon graduation, to select a commission as a Naval aviator. The first steps along this path were conversations with
planted some seeds at Landon, and they basically saw them grow at the
Naval Academy,” Fullerton said. “The honor, the integrity, the character, the civility that we teach here are so important there. Mark lives it. It’s him. And as long as I can remember him, it has been him.”
“As a guy who went to school with him for 10 years, and knows him
well now, Mark hasn’t changed much,” said classmate Jeremy Norman ’92, now a Spanish teacher at Landon. “He’s been that honorable, driven, humble guy all the way throughout, 100 percent. He had
everybody’s respect because he always did things right. Everybody
looked up to him. Everybody admired him. He’s a really hard hitter in football too.”
Mark’s Upper School advisor Steve Sorkin agrees. “Mark is a
his Seventh Grade earth science teacher at Landon, Larry Fullerton,
superman. He was one of the most self-disciplined kids ever to
Vietnam War.
character are concrete.”
who had been an air traffic controller with the Navy during the
“Larry would share some of his stories about his experiences in the
be here,” Sorkin said. “He just makes you think that integrity and
Navy, and he would associate it with what he was teaching in science
THE REAL TOP GUN
things space- and aviation-related. Larry really engaged me on that
well at the Naval Academy and in his career. “I was at Landon for 10
class,” Mark said. “At the time, I was a big science geek, and I dug all
Those characteristics, as well as lessons learned at Landon, served Mark
and really got me interested in thinking about the Navy as a career.
years... that was family,” he said. “Spending that amount of time there
He talked to me about becoming an astronaut and highlighted that
the Naval Academy produced the most astronauts of any school in the country. That was it — I was done.”
Fullerton is not surprised the Navy was a perfect fit for Mark. “We
24
taught me the value of commitment — not the requirement of it — and how enriching it can be. It has made committing to a career in the Navy a no-brainer because there’s so much to be gained from it.”
Although deteriorating eyesight during his college years meant Mark
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
“LEARN TO MAKE THEM YOUR FRIENDS AND APPRECIATE THEIR UNIQUE ABILITIES, BECAUSE SOMEDAY, YOU WILL NEED THEIR HELP IN SOME RANDOM PLACE OR PART OF THE WORLD AND UNDER THE MOST BIZARRE CIRCUMSTANCES.” – Cdr. Mark Mhley ’92
FEATURE | MARK MHLEY
could not be a Navy pilot, he majored in physics and after graduation
enrolled in the Naval Flight Officer (NFO) program. He subsequently flew the F14 Tomcat under the call sign “FUN.”
Mhley explains his role as an NFO, the airborne weapons and sensors
operator who sits behind the pilot in a Navy jet, by referencing the
movie Top Gun — “You know the character Goose? That’s me.” —
but quickly adds that the film is far from accurate. Mark learned that
firsthand in 2002 when he landed a spot in the ultra-competitive Top
Gun (formally known as Navy Fighter Weapons School), which he calls “the Ph.D. program for the Navy’s strike-fighter community.”
“You finish that 10-week program, and you are the most tactical,
and the supported American Marine units lost 24. Mhley returned home discouraged.
“It was a very bloody time, and I was equally frustrated with that
effort as I was with what was going on in Iraq,” Mhley said. “The
solution to both was never in military application of force; it was always in political reconciliation of some sort, and that’s what we struggled with. All we were trying to do from an aircraft carrier was provide
security to our ground forces that had the hard job, that were going
door to door trying to build the relationships and help restructure the country, all those things that made up the counter-insurgency.”
Mark was still committed to the Navy, but he also needed a change.
lethal aviator you are ever going to be,” Mhley said.
“I wanted to do more, and I wanted to be more precise against who I
the East Coast Weapons School in Virginia Beach (there is also a West
affiliates,” he said.
For this reason, Mark was ecstatic to become a Top Gun instructor at
Coast Weapons School in Lemoore, California), a post he held from
saw as our nation’s primary enemies, which were Al-Qaeda and their
2002–05. “Top Gun standardizes their tactics,” Mhley explained. “They
SEAL SUPPORT
two Weapons Schools. That allows us to rapidly change tactics and then
for a Virginia Beach-based SEAL team and spent three-and-a-half years
teach the instructors, and those instructors teach the fleet from those
Enter the Navy SEALs. Mark was hired to work as an operational liaison
have our fleet adapt very quickly, while maintaining standardization
working with representatives from different service entities — including
throughout the enterprise.”
During his three years as a Top Gun instructor, Mhley led a group of
engineers and test pilots on a “James Bond trip” to install software into
Army helicopter pilots, Air Force para-rescue-men and submariners — to provide support to Navy special forces around the world.
“We would take the Navy SEALs’ ideas for operations, and we would
the F-14D Tomcat jets that were converging on Iraq on three aircraft
make them reality,” Mhley said. “We would fuse together an operation
ins and outs of how to use GPS technology and weapons-guidance
and execute it... We would provide air support, intelligence collection,
carriers. “That was an awesome experience,” Mhley said. “I learned the systems, applied everything I learned in every math and science course you can imagine. I had to teach the air crew in layman’s terms how to
employ GPS-guided weapons so that we could very quickly overwhelm Saddam Hussein’s defense system and ensure a quick victory in the war we thought would last a couple weeks.”
The war did not last a couple weeks, and Mhley needed a break
following a fifth deployment to Iraq in 2005–06. After taking a year to complete an international affairs graduate program at Auburn
that had very high-level approvals, and we would go with the SEALs
surveillance, medical support, and fire support from layers upon layers of contingency response.”
While Mhley cannot divulge the specifics of these operations, he
raves about the SEALs’ ability to pinpoint a target, “bang down the
door,” and accomplish their mission. “To work for the varsity team once in my life was humbling,” he said. “I built friendships there that I will have for the rest of my life.”
University and simultaneously attend Air Force Command Staff
TEACHER-COACH-MENTOR-IRONMAN
provided air support for British and American troops. During his nine-
him in far less peril. Since the summer of 2013, he has been a political
College, Mark did his first and only tour in Afghanistan, where he
Today, Mhley has risen to the rank of commander, and his job now puts
month deployment there, those British units lost 55 men and women,
science teacher and the deputy director of humanities and social sciences
26
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
at the Naval Academy. He rides his bike to work, teaches summer flight school to midshipmen (Naval Academy undergraduates) in Easton, Maryland, and is the officer representative (a coach-mentor) to the
Naval Academy triathlon team. He is also the proud finisher of four Ironman triathlons.
These days, coaching and mentoring, something Mark first
experienced inside the White Rocks, are what truly excite him.
“Being the officer rep for the triathlon team is the best thing I
do here because of the opportunity to mentor these 21 young men
and women during their entire time here,” he said. “Of course I take
learned at Landon — where he was the band’s first-chair flute player
and a varsity football and baseball player — have come back to him time and again throughout his Naval career.
“I had no idea of the lessons I was learning playing football for
Lowell Davis: how to be resilient, how to adapt and overcome…team first, Bear pride,” Mhley said. “When you are in combat, it’s a varsity
sport, from the brief for the day’s event, to suiting up in the para-rigger shop, to going out and executing the mission... demonstrating that
resiliency, adaptability, flexibility — and always believing that you can win, never giving up.”
These are teachings he now conveys to his students. “We teach them
advantage of every opportunity to tell them my Naval Aviation sea
how to deal with adversity in a short amount of time,” he said. “A close
out which officers around them they want to grow to become like,
have to be very quick to overcome the obstacles that come your way,
stories, but I also encourage them to keep their eyes wide open, figure learn more about that officer’s community, and follow in that person’s footsteps. After 20 years in this business, I can share the unvarnished
pros and cons of being a SEAL, being an explosive ordnance disposal
air support mission in Afghanistan only lasts a couple of hours, and you trust your judgment, make calls that are going to be questioned, and put all your training into application.”
To illustrate the point, Mhley recounts what unfolded during his
officer, being a Marine Corps infantry officer, being a Marine Corps
deployment in Afghanistan. He and his pilot, call sign “Tike,” were
The importance of this career mentorship is one key reason why half of
ambush. Mhley and Tike spotted 12 unidentified males rapidly
helicopter driver, being a submariner in an ever more complex world. the instructors at the Naval Academy are military officers.”
Mhley says that if his midshipmen learn one thing from him, it
should be the importance of your network of friends. “Landon taught me that no matter who you are, there is always going to be someone
faster, smarter, better looking, funnier and harder working than you,”
he said. “Learn to make them your friends and appreciate their unique abilities, because someday, you will need their help in some random
place or part of the world and under the most bizarre circumstances.”
LESSONS LEARNED Mhley’s ties to Landon remain strong. He spoke at Fathers Visiting Day 2012. In March 2016, he hosted Jeremy Norman and Middle School students for a tour of the Naval Academy. And he says the values he
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
providing air support to British Marines taking fire during a Taliban approaching from another direction and were authorized to release
weapons on them. After five excruciating minutes of coordinating the
attack, Mhley believed the men were moving with too much discipline
to be Taliban, however, so he made the call not to engage. It turned out the 12 men were also British Marines.
“There was a somber moment in the jet when we realized, had we not
been more disciplined and patient today... we would have killed those
guys 20 minutes ago — and we would have had the lives of 12 British soldiers on our hands for the rest of our lives,” Mark said. “Our whole lives would be changed. It was one of those moments where I paused
and was so thankful for our training, for the preparation that we had, for the discipline that we were instilled with — such that those 12 British soldiers will never know what almost happened.”
27
FEATURE | TOM SCOTT
28
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
IDEA GUY
Nantucket Nectars co-founder Tom Scott ’85 seeks to spread big ideas — and perhaps change the world — with his latest venture, The Nantucket Project.
I
ridescent white paper doves soar above a brick wall, and thousands of flowers glow a haunting blue in the dark. They illuminate Tom
Scott ’85 as he stands front and center on the transformed stage in
Landon’s Coates Auditorium. The audience is silent in anticipation, focused acutely on what Scott will say next, curious to know why
he has returned to Landon and what he will reveal about his own
personal journey.
It has been 31 years since Scott graduated from Landon. During
that time, he co-founded the multimillion-dollar juice brand Nantucket
Nectars in 1989, piloted a twin-engine plane halfway across the world in 2001, and won an Independent Spirit Award for film in 2011. On this
April evening, however, Scott won’t talk about his achievements. Instead, he is here to share his latest enterprise, The Nantucket Project (TNP), with the community that helped shape him.
“Very simply put, we look for the very best ideas on Earth,” Scott
tells the crowd of TNP’s mission. “And then we find the most inspired
thinker on Earth to deliver it... We ask them to give the talk of their life... And then we turn it into a perfectly packaged film. That’s who we are, and that’s what we call beauty.”
What follows is a presentation that is at once moving and thought
provoking. It includes stirring speeches, startlingly frank personal
conversations, hard-hitting short films and three wildly different classical music performances all tied together by one big idea: how we as a species can break down the walls that divide us.
When the lights come up at the end, there is a lot to think and talk
about. In other words: mission accomplished.
NO TIE, NO PROBLEM Scott first worked with Kate Brosnan on Juice Guys Care, the
philanthropic arm of Nantucket Nectars. In 2011 they founded TNP,
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
29
FEATURE | TOM SCOTT
I’ve always been curious, and I’ve found that going from not knowing to knowing is not that difficult. You do not need a degree or a path. There are no rules. That’s all made up. – Tom Scott ’85
a conference held each September on the Massachusetts island of
no cussing, coat and tie on the bus to a game, no celebrations in the
through accomplished speakers, original short films and moving musical
said. “He took that stuff to heart, and he was tough. Bordley was just
Nantucket to promote the exchange of potentially groundbreaking ideas performances. The notable speakers now number in the hundreds and
include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, TED founder Richard Saul
end zone kind of thing. As corny as it is, the ‘no I in team’ thing,” Scott tenacious.”
Davis thinks equally fondly of Scott, and the two have kept in touch
Wurman, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former Landon
over the years. “Tommy was a very, very good football player for me, but
runs the Visible Men Academy for underprivileged black males.
to think he’s stayed very down to earth about things.”
Upper School head and Scott’s best friend Neil Phillips ’85, who now “One of the things that’s always drawn me to Tommy and caused
the thing I remember most is how grounded he was,” Davis said. “I’d like Tom’s mother Jane is grateful for her family’s Landon experience.
me to admire him is that he’s a very unique thinker. He just has this
“Both Tommy and Billy thrived there,” she said. “I loved the whole
going to create an agency that was going to celebrate that through the
school, somebody I could call and say, ‘What do you do now?’”
incredible intellectual curiosity,” Phillips said. “The idea that he was work of others just felt like such a great match for his personality.”
While The Nantucket Project is a fairly new enterprise, its inception
system that you have an advisor that you stay with all through high
LIVING THE DREAM
can be traced to Tom’s childhood. “From the time I was a little kid... I
When Scott graduated from Brown University in 1989, he immediately
sense,” Scott said. “I’ve always been curious, and I’ve found that going
enjoy every day. As the first step, he and his college roommate Tom First
never felt any sense of, ‘Here’s what you have to do in life,’ in the career from not knowing to knowing is not that difficult. You do not need a degree or a path. There are no rules. That’s all made up.”
Tom’s father Bill Scott, a retired lawyer who now teaches history at
set out to answer that question and, of course, to do something he would moved to Nantucket, which Scott had grown to love while visiting with his parents during summers spent in Cape Cod.
The two Toms got a small Boston Whaler boat and launched a
Landon, remembers well his son’s adventurous nature: Tom built forts in
floating-store business called “Allserve” that provided laundry service,
of a bicycle and driving it around without a license. During the gas crisis
that I liked working for myself and that I loved boats. So we built a boat
trees and was arrested at the age of 10 for putting a motor on the back
of 1973, he sold coffee to people waiting in line for fuel. “Tommy never
wanted to wear a tie,” Bill said. “He didn’t want a normal job. His whole
drinks and snacks to yachts in the harbor. Scott’s logic was: “I just knew business that became one thing and another thing and another thing.” One of the drinks they peddled was a nectar First had learned to
thing is: I want to do something I enjoy going to every day.”
make in Spain. It became so popular the duo decided to pitch it to small
‘YES, SIR’ TO CHARACTER
Rent-a-Car, bought half the company, now called Nantucket Nectars,
Tom had to follow some rules at Landon. He arrived at the school in the Sixth Grade, two years after his older brother Billy ’83. A three-sport
varsity athlete and co-captain of the football team, Tom counts lacrosse
coach Rob Bordley ’66 and football and basketball coach Lowell Davis as defining influences.
“Lowell was like the ultimate, ‘Yes sir, no sir,’ ‘Yes ma’am, no ma’am,’
30
investors. They got one big investor. Mike Egan, then-owner of Alamo
and helped “Tom and Tom” market their juices. Before long, Nantucket
Nectars was sold in almost every state and several foreign countries, and
made Inc. magazine’s list of fastest-growing companies five years in a row. The Toms used unique marketing tactics, such as running for office
so they could hang Nantucket Nectars banners over freeways, and
they made most of their own ads. “We won the Mercury Award for
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
31
FEATURE | TOM SCOTT
32
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
The net is: How happy are you? If you can choose something that makes you happy, do it... I think that is everything in life. – Tom Scott ’85
advertising in 1995 or ’96 as clueless idiots,” Scott laughed. “This was not something we were destined to do. But we loved it.”
After 11 years as the driving force behind their brand, the Toms sold
the company in 2002 to Cadbury Schweppes, and Scott began to search
the online dissemination of “IdeaFilms,” the short films inspired by TNP talks, that Scott sees the greatest opportunity to reach the most eyes, ears and minds.
Reclaim Democracy, about political campaign finance reform, has been
for his next passion.
viewed more than 4 million times. Ergo Mars, about the inevitability
FROM NECTAR TO PLUM
believes the new short Acceptance has the power to hit big. In this
Scott found it next in film and television production. He produced a
movie made by Landon classmate Mike Stevens ’85 in the early 2000s
and was instantly hooked. He went on to produce the independent film
Daddy Longlegs, which won the 2011 Independent Spirit Award for best feature with a budget under $500,000, and the 2010 HBO series The Neistat Brothers (among others).
At the same time, he and Kate Brosnan spearheaded Plum TV,
which Scott envisioned as a “for-profit PBS.” Launched in 2004, it was a national network of eight stations that broadcast to targeted affluent
that we will colonize the Red Planet, is also hugely popular. And Scott piece, best-selling author and TNP speaker Kelly Corrigan describes
acceptance as “the Mount Everest of human emotions” because it is so hard yet rewarding to achieve.
“If [our speakers] give the talk of their lives, you either have a) the
best screenplay you would ever want or b) the best treatment you would ever want,” he said. “That’s how we get an IdeaFilm... Digitally, we can reach millions.”
THE POWER OF PASSION
communities such as Nantucket and the Hamptons.
Today, Scott lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, with his wife Emily
run, but was unable to attract the advertisers to sustain itself in the wake
for TNP, he has some ideas. “Is it crazy to think 10 years from now
The network earned 14 Emmy nominations and one win during its
of the 2008 economic downturn. It went off the air in 2012.
START SMALL, THINK BIG Even as Plum TV faltered, Scott set in motion plans for The Nantucket Project, an idea that sprang from his admiration for TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), a nonprofit that holds conferences and
and their two sons. And while he doesn’t know what the future holds that The Nantucket Project is also a news service?” he said. “Could
The Nantucket Project be a learning institution? We’re not competing with colleges, but maybe we appeal to adults who want to learn in an
organized fashion for the rest of their lives. I know I do... And I know that if we keep making great stuff, we may have a choice.”
For Scott, it all goes back to something he realized when he was a
produces videos devoted to thousands of topics in more than 100
young entrepreneur with Nantucket Nectars and he mingled with the
Festival in 2005.
and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
languages. Another big influence: his attendance at the first Aspen Ideas “That was Christmas morning for the mind,” Scott said. “I stayed as a
junkie around that world for a while, made some documentaries, and then eventually partnered with Kate Brosnan and said, ‘Let’s make our own.’”
While TNP started as a weekend-long conference on Nantucket each
September, a traveling satellite series launched in May 2015 now helps to bring TNP to a wider audience, like the one at Landon. But it is in
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
likes of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Boston Beer founder Jim Koch “All those people, the only thing they share in common... is that they
love their products,” Scott said. “You can always tell when someone
doesn’t really care about their product; they want to get rich or they
want to get famous. It’s silly, but the net is: How happy are you? If you can choose something that makes you happy, do it... I think that is everything in life.”
33
ALUMNI
January 1, 2016 – July 31 , 2016
CLASS NOTES
1944
1947 Col. Godfrey Crowe writes: “We’re still here with five children and 11 grandchildren living all over the U.S.”
1948 Dr. Pedro Arcaya writes: “Retired. DDLL Central University Caracas 1956. Counselor at the Venezuelan Embassy, Washington, 1948–9.
Law practice, 1959–63. Manager and later CEO of Seguros Caracas (largest insurance company in Spanish America), 1963–89. Member Board of Directors Banco del Caribe, 1990–2008. Chairman of the Board for AIG Venezuela and Seguros Venezuela, 1992–2008.”
1950 Theodore P. Wright Jr. (pictured above) writes: “Went on a cruise of the upper Amazon in Peru in January. On April 2, I had
a splendid 90th birthday party at the Century House with 46
relatives and classmates (actual birthdate is April 12). Later, I
had a similar celebration at Glen Eddy, the retirement community where we live in Niskayuna,
New York, near Schenectady.
And [there was] a picnic with
my late brother’s four children
and grandchildren in San Jose, California... in mid-July.”
Everett Wilson writes from Palm
While some of you were sleeping, Allen Hobbs and two former
Lots of golf and sunshine.”
boat out of Herrington Harbor, Maryland. Pictured above (L to R):
Desert, California: “All OK here.
Landon parents were out catching fish on the Chesapeake Bay on a
Tim Vanderver, Hobbs, fishing guide and Mitch Ellington. Tim had three sons graduate from Landon: Tim ’88, Bruce ’91 and Ben ’92. Mitch had one son, Mitchell ’94. Allen had one son, Allen ’87.
34
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
1952
1966 Daniel Ladd writes: “Looking forward to our 50th anniversary. Still local, about to retire.”
Tom Kauffmann writes: “Living in the country!!”
1968 Alan Pierpoint writes: “Retired after 24 years teaching at Southwestern Academy in San Marino, California. Facebook newbie!”
Four Landon ’52 couples (pictured above) — Jan and Lee Derrick,
1970
Marge and Bill Gawler, Nancy and Al Long, and Pam and Dan
Frank Crilley writes: “Ellen and I are moving about 10 miles from our
turned out to be a wonderful day of regurgitating tales of the past, the
on the Indian River and welcome any travelers to visit us.”
Thompson — got together in Sarasota, Florida, on February 24. It
past being some 63 years ago! Strangely, memories were still sharp, and
current residence. Looking forward to condo life once again. We will be
the stories produced many smiles... Al and Nancy were vacationing in
1971
from their winter home in Boca, Bill and Marge from their home in
Tom Wadden writes: “I had the great pleasure of attending the 2015
op, they said so long until the next meeting and reflected that the only
brother Scott ’67. Tom Williams also joined us.”
Sarasota from their home in North Carolina. Lee and Jan traveled
Jacksonville, and Dan and Pam from Naples. After the requisite photo downside of the day was a regret that more of their classmates were unable to be with them.
Army-Navy game (in Philadelphia) with Mike Van Ness and his
1973
1955 Sam Milliken and his son Rudy went skiing at Gore Mountain in New York.
Landon ’73 boys recently reconnected with their general science
teacher, Bev Williams, at American Tap Room in Bethesda. Pictured
above (L to R) in the back row: Bruce McNair, Bev Williams, Bruce Tanous; second row: Mitch Stanley, Dries van Wagenberg, Jeff
Wright, Jay Hawfield; first row: Chase Libbey and Skip Ivison.
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
35
ALUMNI
27TH ANNUAL ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT!
S
ixty-eight Landon alumni, faculty members and friends reunited at Worthington Manor Golf Course June 3 to play in the 27th Annual Alumni Golf Tournament, this year held in honor of
former Landon Spanish teacher Alfredo Benavides. A great day of golf and camaraderie was capped off with a hole-in-one on the 17th green, courtesy of Derek Sappenfield ’83! Congratulations to Derek and to the winning players!
Closest to the Pin: Gray Hurd ’69 and James Morrison ’71 Longest Drive: Jake Samperton ’05 Low Net Score: Brian Haney ’99, P.J. Horan, Jim Morris 2nd Place Net Score: Ian Kelso ’11, Ralph Blasey Jr. ’11, Constantine Valanos ’11, Jack Duquette Low Gross Score: Jake Samperton ’05, Scott Smith ’05, Stoddie Nibley ’05, Tommy Leachman ’06 2nd Place Gross Score: Bob Mahoney ’04, Robert Mahoney, Ricardo Casillas, Eric Hilbreath
Special thanks to all the sponsors who made the tournament a success! PRESENTING SPONSOR Dreamcatcher LLC — Ed Semans ’82 RIDDLEBERGER SPONSORS Admiral Security and Red Coats — George Vincent ’99 and Mack Wells ’95 MassMutual Greater Washington — Brian Haney ’99 COATES SPONSORS Capital City Nurses — Brian Rodgers ’89 Cushman and Wakefield — Paul Adkins ’11, Michael Collins ’03, Austin Dodson ’10, Zeke Dodson ’69, Scott Johnston ’82, Rocky Kern ’82, Sam McDonough ’10, Austin Sanders ’04 and Blake Shue ’09 Employee Benefits Group — John Sanders ’80 Galliher & Huguely — Scott Huguely ’89 Military Job Networks — George Purcell ’01 Sport Automotive — Robert Fogarty ’00 Sterling Capital Management — Don Harris ’78 HOLE-IN-ONE SPONSOR Criswell Chevrolet — Clayton Weber ’92 ALUMNI GIFT SPONSORS Falls Road Veterinary Hospital, Greenbriar Hospital and Luxury Boarding Kennel — Bill Amoroso ’77 RW Restaurant Group —
Frank Shull ’86
36
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
1974
1977
Louis Meyers is a physician and a candidate for the state senate in
Holden Bank left Além after 9.5 years to embark on a new adventure
Vermont.
— as principal of Inside/Out Advisors, LLC, his own legal and business consulting firm.
1975
Dr. Roger Blumenthal writes: “As an avid Johns Hopkins lacrosse fan, it was fun to get to speak to recent Landon stars Sam Lynch ’14 and
Hunter Sells ’15. I look forward to seeing them play on Homewood Field.”
Topper Shutt, chief meteorologist for channel WUSA9, spoke to Michael Connolly writes: “Steve Gordon, Tom West, Hunt Mitchell
and I [pictured above] had a fun golf outing at Shoal Creek in Alabama. We hope that many of you can come join in the fun next year! We
enjoyed memorable late-night sawdust shuffle board and putting. We
played a bunch of golf, which was outstanding. Many wagers were made
Landon’s Meteorology Club about his experiences with weather
forecasting for the Washington, D.C., market. Pictured above (L to R): Logan Giles ’16 (who organized the discussion), Topper, and faculty members Larry Fullerton and Russ Gagarin (also a member of the Class of 1977).
but few bets were paid off. We also caught a bit of March Madness and
1981
The Metro champ Landon golf team was down here and had a good
Dr. Antonio Ortiz-Mena joined the Albright Stonebridge Group
saw parts of Birmingham. We missed seeing your smiling faces, however. time getting ready to beat Prep and Gonzaga. Go Bears!”
Dr. Michael Murphy (pictured
left) enjoyed a round of golf with his son-in-law Greg Shurts
as their senior advisor for Mexico and Latin America. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh
School of Foreign Service and at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics in Mexico City (CIDE).
(pictured right) while visiting his daughter Kate and friends in the Bethesda area.
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
37
ALUMNI
Grizzly Bear Two Continents and Many Perspectives
B
orn into a Venezuelan family, Dr. Pedro
Arcaya ’48 has spent his career as a lawyer, diplomat, and leader in the realms of
international banking and insurance, both in the
United States and in Venezuela. He says his unique
University.
After law school and an apprenticeship at a
embrace different perspectives, a quality that has
more than 150 political, commercial, economic and
“The teachers at Landon not only taught their
subject but also how to think, which was very
Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C. He wrote legal reports to help the Venezuelan government
better understand the U.S. socioeconomic culture. Arcaya soon returned to Venezuela to work in
valuable to me in my college education,” Arcaya said.
security and exchange law. He went on to lead
with me due to the very fine Landon education.
held leadership positions from 1963 to 1989.
“I experienced a new outlook that has been always
[It was] the lesson of opening the door to a proper
Seguros Caracas, an insurance company where he “I’m very proud of my time as CEO of Seguros
behavior in life in the United States.”
Caracas because it became the largest and most
Lower School until his family returned to Venezuela
Arcaya said.
Arcaya came to Landon in 1938 and attended the
in 1940. He attended a Jesuit school there, but
profitable [insurance company] in Spanish America,” Arcaya also served as Chairman of the Board
returned to Landon in 1947 to complete Forms V
at both American International Group (AIG)
residence.
he sat on the board of directors at one of Venezuela’s
and VI while he lived in the Venezuelan embassy’s “[I] met up with all the same classmates that I
had left behind in 1940. It was one of the happiest years of my life,” Arcaya recalled. “It reintroduced me into the American way of life.”
Arcaya’s classmates welcomed him back too. He
Venezuela and Seguros Venezuela for 16 years, and largest banks.
Although distance prevents Arcaya from
returning to the White Rocks, he still carries fond Landon experiences with him today.
“I shall always remember Headmaster Banfield’s
was a member of both the varsity soccer and baseball
talk to us on the day prior to our graduation. I
yearbooks says he “became one of the most popular
whenever we doubted making a decision, we should
teams, and the 1948 edition of the Brown and White members of the gang. His easygoing sophistication and Latin sense of humor made Pete an invaluable addition [to the senior class].”
38
to Venezuela to attend law school at Caracas
law firm, Arcaya was appointed counsellor to the
served him well throughout his life.
– Dr. Pedro Arcaya ’48
University’s School of Foreign Service and returned
blend of American and Venezuelan education, particularly his time at Landon, taught him to
The teachers at Landon not only taught their subject but also how to think, which was very valuable to me in my college education.
After graduation, Arcaya attended Georgetown
still cherish it,” Arcaya said. “[Banfield said] that
think of it as a traffic light and look to see if it was right to go ahead or not.”
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
1981 (continued)
1983
John Shiffman ’83 spoke at the Brinkley Lecture series event at
Landon named for Alan Brinkley ’67, a renowned scholar and author. Seniors and faculty from Landon and Holton-Arms listened to John’s Alums from the classes of 1981 and 1983 got together for a spring
break ski trip in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Pictured above (L to R): Steve West ’83, Tyler West ’81, Steve Hildreth ’83, Walker Simpson ’81, Pat Gorman ’83 and Steve Amitay ’83.
commentary regarding his book titled Operation Shakespeare, which
is the true story of an elite international sting. John was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Many of his classmates (pictured L to R) were in
attendance: George Hani, Lawrence Bou, Matt Carberry, Shiffman,
David Ebner, Pat Gorman, Lt. Col. Todd Minners and Steve Amitay.
1982
Five Landon graduates — and also Landon dads — from the Class
of 1983 gathered during the Landon Azalea Festival Preview Party. Pictured above (L to R): Rich Henschel, Rich Slowinski, George Hani, Steve Amitay, Chip FitzGerald and Lawrence Bou.
John “JR” Roberts Jr.’s boat “The Super Pear” won the 2015
International One Design North American Championship Regatta hosted by the Larchmont Yacht Club. In the series of seven races,
Roberts (pictured above, second from right) finished with bullets in the first two and the last one. He was second in three more for a final score
of nine points. JR attributes his boat’s success to the role of Captain Ed Semans. According to JR, “Without Captain Ed’s help, we would have been lost at sea!”
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
Derek Sappenfield (pictured far right in the photo to the left)
scored a hole-in-one on the 17th green at Worthington Manor
golf course during the Landon
Alumni Golf Tournament. There was no need to use the putter in his hand!
39
ALUMNI
1983 (continued)
1985
1990
Sandra Gichner, wife of the late Steve Gichner, writes: “When
Steve was sick, [George Pappas] kindly gave him the Landon
Ultimate hat, which he was proud of because he told the girls that he was one of the guys who
started the team way back when.
Harmar Thompson and his wife
chance to wear it before he passed
old son Theiss (born June 9, 2014,
Even though Steve didn’t get a
Christie Grymes have a 2-year-
away, our oldest daughter Frances
and pictured above).
(pictured) wore it every day while
she walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain for her
Taylor Simmers is the chief
senior project. She honored his memory and took a piece of him with her as she walked the medieval pilgrimage for 112 kilometers... You
strategy officer at the Tahoe
never know when small gestures have such a huge impact!”
Neil Phillips (pictured above
1984
Visible Men Academy, to Nancy
left) gave a tour of his new school, (above right) and Lowell Davis
while they were on a spring break in Bradenton, Florida.
1989 Don Sienkiewicz writes that he
Expedition Academy. The
academy hosted their winter
Celebration of Learning event, a
showcase of the students’ globally conscious projects. The students are encouraged to develop a
product with a vision of making a difference in the world.
1991
studied European commercial law at the Law School of the
University of Augsburg (Bavaria) for six weeks in the summer of 2016. He and his wife Katja
celebrated their 20th anniversary there (allegedly, the “Tesla” anniversary). She and their Mike Cole writes: “While I was delighted to see the article on Sam
Anas ’11 [posted on the Landon Facebook page], I was surprised to see
that he was the only alumnus referenced in the photo [above]. If you look above Sam’s left shoulder, you will see me with beard decked out in my
gold Quinnipiac shirt and hat. I am flanked on my left by my son in his
hot dog costume and on my right by my daughter. As an employee of the
university, as well as a season ticket holder, I can tell you that Sam and his teammates have brought great notoriety to the school for their success both on and off the ice.”
40
four children Ellie (17), Elias
(15), Davina (13) and Jana (11) vacationed and visited family
while Don made connections for his international estate-planning
practice and earned credit toward a master’s degree in international taxation (or a German fishing
license, whichever took less effort).
Art Rosen’s son Manning (pictured above) is a Bear in the making!
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
1992
1997
1998
Bill Magruder met up with
Lance Archibald in Park City, Utah, where they had dinner,
reminisced about the 1992 IAC
John Frekko (pictured above with his family) writes: “Kelly and I
and snapped the above photo.
trying to learn best practices on how to prepare celebrations for two kids
championship basketball season,
1997
welcomed our second child, Laurel Frekko, on June 14, 2016. We’re still with the same birthday (our son Jack was also born June 14 two years
ago). Other than that, things have been going well, and I am settling in well in my new role as assistant general counsel at CoStar Group.”
Brian Mathis’ son Taylor
(pictured above) shows his Bear pride!
1999
Erin and Ali Fardshisheh
welcomed twins, Farrah Rey and
In the Washington Business Journal Best Deal of the Year Awards issue,
with their dad), January 18, 2016.
car micro-factory and showroom at National Harbor. Justin Fishkin
Finn Thomas (pictured above
“Most Creative Deal” went to Local Motors for their 3-D printed
(pictured above, back right) is Local Motor’s chief strategy officer.
Landon alumni (pictured left, L to R) Teddy Lamade ’00,
Stoddie Nibley ’05, Pat Mufarrij
Drew Cole and his wife Bridget
the Sibley Soirée June 9, 2016, in
Cole January 20, 2016 (pictured
’96 and Ali Fardshisheh attended support of Sibley Memorial
Hospital’s Pediatric Oncology
welcomed baby boy Chase Wiles above).
Program.
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
41
ALUMNI
1999 (continued)
2001
9 lb. 8 oz. and 22 inches. We’re
2005
still figuring out how he fit inside his mom. Patricia, myself and
Thijs’ older brother (Alex, 3 years old) are doing great and very
excited to welcome him into the world!”
Gibbs Fogarty and Margaret
Jenn and Cameron Coursen welcomed their first child,
Reid (pictured above) were
William Dennison Coursen, May
Seythe McCoy (pictured above)
oz. and was 21 inches long. The
I attended the 20th Annual
10, 2016. “Will” weighed 8 lb. 5 photo above was taken in
Chatham, Massachusetts, on vacation.
2000
married June 25, 2016, in Annapolis, Maryland.
writes: “On Saturday, January 30, Maryland State Police Polar Bear
2006
Plunge at Sandy Point State Park
Alex Cornell was featured in the
Musician Austin Bisnow was in
State Bar Association (MSBA)
They Got There (pictured above)
Mark Ronson. Watch it at
as a member of the Maryland
– Young Lawyers Section Team! It was great – chilly day. So glad the sun was out! This was my second year plunging! #BearsOnIce.”
2003
new book by Khoi Vinh, How The book interviews digital
designers about their career paths.
a Bose commercial with producer youtube.com/user/Bose.
Henry Dudley III became the
father of daughter Haden Anne
on April 5, 2016. Henry Dudley Jr. ’66 is also doing well and delighted to be a grandpa.
Robert Gelb married Amy
Wallace on October 10, 2015 in St Andrews, Scotland (pictured
Ahna Marie and Alex Chip
welcomed a son, Julian Vincent (pictured above with dad), June 15, 2016.
42
Matt Gill writes: “My little boy is named Thijs (rhymes with ‘dice,’ in homage to Patricia’s Dutch
above). They also threw a New
Year’s Eve party in Washington, D.C., to celebrate.
family) Jackson Gill [pictured
above with proud grandpa John
Gill ’75 and father Matt]. He was
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
2008
2012
Etaba Assigana graduated in the spring of 2015 from Carnegie
Mellon with a master’s degree in entertainment technology, game and interactive media design. After graduation, he traveled to Mexico to teach English.
2011
Current Bears Evan Katz ’17 (pictured above center) and Jeff Samit ’17 (above right) met up with Cord Peters (above left) during a visit
to Duke University this spring. (Evan is committed to Duke as a golf
recruit, and Jeff is considering applying.) The boys toured campus and Several Landon alums watched Sam Anas and the Quinnipiac Bobcats
play ice hockey against Harvard in the “Rivalry on Ice” at Madison Square Garden. Sam had a goal and an assist in the game, which Quinnipiac won in overtime. (For more on Sam, see story p. 8). Pictured above (L to R):
attended the Duke vs. UVA basketball game, which the Blue Devils
won with an acrobatic game-winning basket at the buzzer! During the
2011–12 school year at Landon, Cord was the Form VI prefect mentor to Jeff ’s Form I advisory group. Brothers forever!
Greg Economos ’80, Quinn Simpson, Dillon Rupp, John Rupp ’10, Alexandre Johnson ’12, Anas, Sean Stouffer and Kyle Colgain.
Tyler Murray is in an MD/MBA program at the Tufts School of Medicine, class of 2020.
PLEASE SEND US YOUR NEWS!
WANT MORE ALUMNI NEWS?
Submit your update to:
Follow Landon on social media to stay up to date with your fellow alumni!
landon.net/classnotes. Photos are appreciated!
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
43
ALUMNI
2012 (continued)
IN MEMORIAM Mary Anne Kleh, mother of Bill ’63 and Tom ’67. December 31, 2015. Steven Gichner ’83. January 7, 2016. Jim Simpson, father of Bret ’71. January 13, 2016. Frank Roller ’81. January 13, 2016. George Cabell Williams Jr., father of Cabell ’73 and grandfather of George ’02 and James ’04. January 13, 2016. Frank King ’45. January 28, 2016. Norene Dann Martin, mother of David Martin ’61. February 5, 2016. Arthur Pratt ’45. February 9, 2016. Walter Bank, father of Holden ’77. February 10, 2016. Helen Pappas, mother of George ’82 and grandmother of Nick ’18. February 20, 2016.
Joe McDonald celebrated his “Senior Night” at his last home
basketball game at George Washington University. Joe was honored
for his membership in the 1,000-Point Club and his role as a captain,
which brought a thunderous round of cheering from the crowd. Joining Joe at center court were his family members and Meredith and Andy
Luther, his coach at Landon (top photo above). Several Bear brothers
were also in attendance. Pictured (L to R) in second photo above: Zach
House ’09, Johnny Sharp, McDonald, Andy Luther, Cyrus House, and Michael Thornton ’10).
Alumni Paddle Tennis Tournament
James V. Kimsey, father of Mike ’83. March 1, 2016. Julia Tucker Harris, mother of Mark Tucker ’75. March 1, 2016. Loyce Johnson, wife of Walter ’42. March 5, 2016. Elizabeth “Betty” Nibley, grandmother of Stoddie ’05, Pearse ’07 and Stu ’09. March 5, 2016. James B. McCeney ’60, father of Robert ’88 and brother of George ’56. March 19, 2016. W. Paatii Ofosu-Amaah, father of Nii Amaah ’00. April 13, 2016. Howard T. Phelan ’54, brother of Jay ’52. April 26, 2016. Joseph S. Devereux Jr. ’43, brother of Jack ’42. April 29, 2016.
Thirty Landon alumni (pictured above) reunited at the Chevy
Chase Club for an Alumni Paddle Tennis Tournament, organized by Nick Barquin ’97, Matt Coursen ’99 and Pat Guarnieri ’00. Penn
Leachman ’94 and Burke Hayes Jr. ’94 won the tournament, while
Stephen Gordon ’75 and his son Stephen Gordon Jr. ’07 took second.
Ralph Kopp, father of Jeff ’13. May 16, 2016. Dr. Craig Alan Winkel ’64. May 26, 2016. James “Jim” Boler, father of Jim ’85, Brendan ’90 and Kevin ’92. May 28, 2016. Kathleen Sturtevant, mother of Clark Cochran ’73. July 7, 2016. Richard S. Beatty ’51. July 9, 2016. Carol Smith, wife of Pierce Smith ’62. August 27, 2016. Robert Timberg, father of Sam Timberg ’03. September 6, 2016.
44
LANDON SCHOOL | FALL 2016
FROM THE ARCHIVES
RUNNING BACK FLASHBACK. Landon’s football uniforms weren’t always brown and white. Can you identify the color of these vintage jerseys, pinpoint the year, and/or name any of the players? Bonus points if you know the opponent. Send your best guess to communications@landon.net!
“Old-School Technology” Archive Photo Identified Thanks to Jeff Brown ’84, Peter Duncan ’76, Landon math teacher and Director of Financial Aid Russ Gagarin
’77, Samuel Johnston ’80, Ed Lee ’62, Kit Mays ’79, Boyd McHugh ’79, and Landon math teacher Steve Sorkin! They all correctly identified longtime Math Department Chair Peter Brown as the teacher showing young Bears
how to use an early desktop computer in our last “From the Archives” photo. The photo was taken circa 1974, and popular consensus was that Scott Hilles ’79 is pictured to the far right, although opinions on the other students’ identities varied wildly.
Sorkin shared that Brown hired him to work at Landon, while Gagarin said he stepped into Brown’s role when
he retired. Lee, a physics teacher at Landon from 1972–77, was also a colleague. Jeff Brown had a bigger edge
than anyone in identifying the teacher — Peter is his father. “This had to be about 1974 or 1975 since [my father]
introduced computers to Landon soon after his arrival,” Jeff wrote. “I think it’s a Hewlett Packard 9830A, which was still marketed as a calculator so
as not to try to compete with IBM. It had the optional thermal printer, which allowed students to play games on it even though it only had a one-line display screen. I can remember students playing Star Trek or something like that.”
FALL 2016 | LANDON SCHOOL
45
One WE Landon
ARE
LANDON.NET/MAKEAGIFT
N O N - P RO F I T O RG A N I Z AT I O N U.S. P O STAG E
LANDON SCHOOL 6101 WILSON LANE
PA I D
BETHESDA, MD 20817
B E T H E S DA , M D P E R M I T N O. 7 0 2 7
FSC
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Parents: If this issue is addressed to a son who no longer maintains an address at your home, please send current address information to the Alumni Office at alumni@landon.net.
Painting by Will Nussbaum ’20
SAVE THE DATES
Homecoming & Reunions Weekend
Greens Sale & Holiday Boutique
November 10 – 12
December 1 – 2
Alumni Holiday Luncheon
Azalea Garden Festival
December 16
May 5 – 7