Barry: You can come back for other Commencements. James: But I won’t be marching, and I won’t be sitting in that place of honor in the front. I absolutely love Commencement. I think it’s something we do beautifully. It always gets me, and it’ll really get me this year. Louise: I’ll miss the energy of the students. They have this wonderful enthusiasm. And [I’ll miss] the connection to the current culture. I think we’ll have to work harder to stay current with the culture. James: Oh, yes. That’s the thing I feared the most, and that’s why I’m so glad I’ll still have a little bit of that. I feared losing connection with young people. Being childless and not having grandchildren, the students here have been very important to me in my life. They fill a need, and I’m glad I don’t have to just cut that off completely. Barry: I’ll miss the structure of the class day, walking into a classroom and knowing what I’ll be doing for the next 45 or 80 minutes; there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end throughout the day. James: I’m going to miss having advisees. Louise: I am too. They’re dear. James: I’ve had such wonderful experiences with advisees. And the thrill of being able to have a freshman advisee, sophomore, all the way through, oh boy, that’s really great to see them grow up and to have an important hand in it. © “A Few Things Have Changed,” a collection of Loomis Chaffee memories and reflections from Louise, Barry, Faith, and James is available at www.loomischaffee. org/magazine.
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Barry Moran Years at Loomis Chaffee: 1972–2015 Roles at the school: Math teacher, head of Mathematics Department, associate director of admission, director of studies, teaching mentor, faculty advisor, dormitory affiliate, coach, database coordinator, service or leadership on approximately 15 faculty committees Of note: Named 2015 Teacher of the Year by the Student Council. Through the years, Barry taught many faculty children, including Cindy Howe ’74, Sarah Spencer Strickland ’74, Marshall Joffray ’75, Hilary Meyers ’75, Mary ’88 and Carolyn ’89 Venable, Jill Vernon ’89, Hank Eaton ’81, Adam Williams ’92, Sarah Baxter ’01, Grace Denny ’13, Will Parsons ’15, junior Emily Esposito and at least two students who are now faculty members, Jeffrey Scanlon ’79 and Scott MacClintic ’82 . Louise Moran Years at Loomis Chaffee: 1972–1983 resident faculty spouse, 1983–2015 faculty member Roles at the school: Director of communications, magazine editor, director of Centennial & advancement operations, faculty advisor, dormitory affiliate, assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees, member of the Head of School Search Committee in 2007 Family: Louise and Barry raised their four children on campus: Kevin ’90, Heather ’92, Michael ’95, and Kelly ’00. Of note: Grew a collaboration of two part-time positions in 1983 into a centralized, independent Communications Office with a staff of eight by 2012. Louise helped usher the school through an era of rapidly changing communications, with the advent of the personal computer, desktop publishing, full-color publication, email, digital photography, the world wide web, and social media. Faith Miller Years at Loomis Chaffee: 1975–76 intern, 1976–2015 full faculty Roles at the school: Music teacher, head of Music Department, director of Orchestra and Chamber Music Ensemble, founder and member of Island Chamber Musicians, dorm resident faculty, faculty advisor, coach, an organizer of five all-school interdisciplinary projects Of note: A professional violinist and violist, Faith has performed with a chamber group at Commencements and many other school events through the years. James Rugen ’70 Years at Loomis Chaffee: 1966–70 student, 1974–75 intern, 1975–2015 full faculty Roles at the school:: English teacher; music teacher, including Chamber Music, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers; faculty advisor; dorm resident faculty; director of public relations; associate director of communications; “czar” of weekend duties; advisor to academic quiz bowl team; member of Island Chamber Musicians; collaborator (with fellow faculty member Timothy Lawrence) on the lyrics to “The Loomis Chaffee Hymn” and the school’s Centennial song, “Where Rivers Rise and Fall” Of note: Received Distinguished Teacher Commendation for the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 1991 after his former student, Adam Doctoroff ’91, was named a Presidential Scholar and selected James as his influential teacher.