Trustees: Bittersweet Departures and Happy Arrivals A T its May meeting, the Board of Trustees honored three individuals for their service to the school: Felix J. Springer ’64, who was retiring as the school’s legal counsel; Stephen E. Paul ’85, who was rotating off the board after 13 years; and the late Andrew M. Carter ’58, who had served as a Trustee for 28 years and died in November 2014.
Felix, an attorney at Day Pitney in Hartford, had served as the school’s legal counsel for 19 years, beginning in the first year of Head of School Russell Weigel’s tenure and continuing through the first seven years of Sheila Culbert’s administration. Sheila thanked him for providing sage counsel and legal expertise over the nearly two decades that he served as an advisor. Stephen, a co-founder of Laurel Crown Partners, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles, served on the board for three four-year terms and an additional year. During his tenure, he chaired the Audit Committee and co-chaired the Admission, Financial Aid & College Guidance Committee. He also served on the Finance, Investment, Buildings & Grounds, and Campaign Executive committees as well as the Committee on Trustees. In 2002, he established the Louis Berkman Scholarship Fund in honor of his grandfather. Board Vice Chair Jamie Widdoes ’72 recognized Stephen’s dedication, loyalty, and generosity to the school. Andy, who most recently had served as CEO and then senior advisor to Hyperion Capital Management before he died in November, was formally recognized for his numerous contributions to the
school. He served as a Trustee for almost three decades and chaired the Investment Committee for the majority of his years on the board. Among many examples of his generosity to the school, the most notable was his donation of Carter Hall in 1986 in honor of his parents, Herbert Pratt Carter ’20 and Pauline Humeston Carter, and his creation of the Thomas Benedict Carter Instructorship in Music in memory of his brother. His widow, Renée Krimsier Carter, attended the Trustee dinner and expressed her own gratitude for Andy’s engagement with and deep affection for the school. On the day after the dinner honoring these individuals, the Trustees elected two new members: Neville S. Bowers ’01 of San Francisco, California, and current parent Karin Finlay of Waxhaw, North Carolina. Neville, a four-year student from West Hartford, went on to Harvard and is now a software engineer and manager at Facebook in Menlo Park, California. Karin, president of the Finlay Foundation, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit, is the parent of R.J., who graduated from Loomis in May, and Maggie, a rising junior. Neville and Karin’s service began on July 1; they join 25 other board members, including Head of School Sheila Culbert.
Construction Zone Andrew M. Carter ’58
Stephen E. Paul ’85
T
HE whirr of construction equipment on campus has intensified this summer as several projects with ambitious time frames move ahead quickly. An artificial turf field is being installed behind the Savage/Johnson Rink and will be ready at the beginning of the 2015–16 school year for use by the field hockey and boys and girls lacrosse teams. Two classrooms in the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics are being converted into laboratories to accommodate increased student demand for science courses. The east annex of the Wilbur Dining Hall is being repurposed as a faculty dining room and lounge. The Bookstore, located in the SNUG, is undergoing renovation to open up more space and to accommodate a broader range of items, including an expanded spirit wear selection. The Bookstore remains open during the renovations, which are scheduled for completion in time for pre-season and back-to-school sales.
Karin Finlay
Neville S. Bowers ’01
By far the biggest ongoing project on campus is preparation for the construction of Cutler Hall, a new dormitory on the site of Gwendolen Hall. Site work began during the school year, and in July, the Island said a fond farewell to Gwendolen Hall. Its classic-style façade will be missed on the landscape, but the community looks forward to seeing the new Cutler Hall rise up in its place with architectural elements inspired by Gwendolen Hall. The new dormitory will provide rooms for 50 boarding students and four faculty apartments and will enable the school’s transition to a campus of 70 percent boarding students. Removal of demolition debris was expected to be complete by the end of July, with the new construction to begin immediately thereafter. Cutler Hall is slated to open in the fall of 2016. www.loomischaffee.org | 23