IN MEMORIAM Jessica Elizabeth Frankel ’13 of Shaker Heights, OH, on December 21, 2011, in a snow tubing accident. The remaining members of her class are heartbroken over the loss of their classmate. Jessica was much loved and a friend to many. Her teachers respected her academic success, and she proved herself to be a good teammate in every sport in which she participated. Jessica is survived by her parents, Lori and Donald Frankel, her brother, Marc, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. A rooftop garden has been lovingly funded as a celebration of her life and graces the roof on the addition to Laurel’s refurbished Dining Room. Jessica’s Garden was dedicated on Sunday, September 16, 2012. More information on Jessica’s Garden is available at www.jessicaefrankel.com. We wish to express our profound appreciation to the Laurel community for the outpouring of support and heartfelt sympathy on the death of our beloved daughter, Jessica Elizabeth Frankel. Jessica was a caring, beautiful and talented young woman who touched the lives of so many within the Laurel community. Although there is very little that can be done to lighten our hearts and assuage the grief this terrible loss has brought to our family, it has been a comfort to know that the Laurel community cares so deeply. Sincerely, The Frankel Family Joanna Putney Durdle of Moreland Hills, OH, on January 9, 2012. Joanna was a longtime member of the Laurel Admissions Office where she was Director of Pre-Primary Admissions. A graduate of The Shipley School in Bryn
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Highlights/2011-12 YEAR IN REVIEW
Mawr, PA, and The College of Wooster, Joanna received a master’s from Kent State University. At her memorial service, held at Laurel, Head of School Ann V. Klotz remembered Joanna as, “A woman of exceptional hugs, exceptional courage and grace. The gift of Joanna’s attention made the listener feel, always, as if she were the most important person in the world. Her tenderness with young children brought many families to the school—she could listen for hours to a parent’s hopes about her little son or daughter. Her devotion to her colleagues and friends made her office a little mecca in the school. Filled with flowers and girls and artwork and love, it was a happy fishbowl….We were inspired by her candor, awed by her willingness to face cancer head on and to fight until the very end, showing her devotion to her family with every breath.” Joanna is survived by her husband, Brian; her son, Chase Pavlik; daughters Taylor Pavlik ’11, Ellie Durdle ’17 and Grace Durdle ’19; her mother and a brother. The family directed gifts in her memory to the Joanna Putney Durdle Scholarship Fund at Laurel.
Demetrius Dickson of Cleveland Heights, OH, on May 29, 2011. A longtime member of Laurel’s facilities and transportation departments, Demetrius was a quiet but steady presence whose soft-spoken demeanor reassured children of all ages (and faculty and staff ), whether they rode his van route or
came into contact with him at the Lyman or Butler Campuses. “D” would go out of his way to help students and staff alike, often unsolicited, and his behind-the-scenes good cheer and efforts helped make many an alumnae or special event a success. He is survived by his wife, Patrichia; three daughters, Demetria, Dejanigue and Dacionna; and grandson Demetrius.
Timothy J. Curtiss in Cleveland, OH, on June 28, 2012. A noted activist in teen suicide prevention and the incoming Chair of the Board of the Suicide Prevention Education Alliance, Tim was remembered as one who put others’ needs above his own. He graduated in 1978 from University School, where he was a competitive swimmer, and went on to earn a degree in Economics from Yale University. After working on Wall Street, he returned to Cleveland in 1998, and continued a career in securities and investments until his death. Throughout his life he gave time and talent to numerous organizations. He served as a trustee of Laurel School, from which his beloved daughter Morgan ’10 graduated; was a member of the Old Stone Foundation; a national officer of the Anti-Defamation League; treasurer of the talent-retention program “Summer on the Cuyahoga”; president of the Yale Alumni Association of Cleveland and a governor of the Association of Yale University. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Susan, a brother and sister and nieces and nephews. The family directed gifts in Tim’s memory to Laurel School.