Loomis chaffee magazine summer 2016

Summer 2016 VOLUME 78 |

NO. 3

String Theory

Sophomore Lars Runquist plays a ukulele during a Guitar Ensemble performance in May. Photo: John Groo

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28 | Five Pelicans from 2016

The stories of five seniors provide a sampling of the talented, industrious, thoughtful, creative, enthusiastic Class of 2016.

43 | The Senior Project

Every spring for the last two decades, about a dozen seniors have spent their final fortnight on the Island immersed in projects of their own design, from building virtual reality goggles to deciphering ancient clay tablets.

48 | Life’s Work

DEPARTMENTS

2 | EDITORS PAGE |We Asked, You Answered 3 | AROUND THE QUADS

12 | THE BIG PICTURE

24| OF NOTE | FACULTY & STAFF

25 | ATHLETICS 66 | OBJECT LESSONS | Constitutional Law 67 | ALUMNI NEWS 74 | READERS’ VOICES 75 | IN MEMORIAM 80 | THE LAST WORD | The Island

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The legacies of nine community members who retired this summer lie in the lessons they shared, and learned, on the Island.

59 | Dance

A photographic essay conveys the energy, beauty, and artistry of the Spring Dance Revue.

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Loomis Chaffee Magazine, Summer 2016

ON THE COVER | Seniors Samantha Roy, Joseph Lee, Stephany Palaguachi, Joseph Hinton, and Robert Cecere, who are profiled in this issue, gather near “The Bronze Pelican.” Photo: John Groo DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING | Lynn A. Petrillo ’86 MANAGING EDITOR | Becky Purdy DESIGNER | Patricia J. Cousins CLASS NOTES | Madison Neal OBITUARIES | Christine Coyle CONTRIBUTORS | Christine Coyle, Lisa Salinetti Ross, Margo Rybeck ’15, Nat Follansbee, Timothy Struthers ’85, Katherine Langmaid, Cara Woods, Fred J. Kuo, and Karen Parsons

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SUBMISSIONS/STORIES AND NEWS Alumni may contribute items of interest to: Loomis Chaffee Editors The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road, Windsor CT 06095 860 687 6811 / magazine@loomis.org

Visit Loomis Chaffee online at www.loomischaffee.org for the latest school news, sports scores, and galleries of recent photos. You also will find direct links to all of our social networking communities. For an online version of the magazine, go to www.loomischaffee.org/ magazine.

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EDITORS PAGE

We Asked, You Answered — Thank You Editors' Note: Head of School Sheila Culbert yielded her HeadLine space to us for this issue so that we could report back to you on the recent magazine reader survey.

By Becky Purdy, Managing Editor, and Lynn Petrillo ’86, Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing

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ORE than 750 alumni, parents, and friends of the school responded to a survey this spring about Loomis Chaffee Magazine’s content and design, part of an ongoing effort to assess and enhance communications with the school’s constituents.

The survey, sent to a total of 10,447 constituents, asked specific questions about reader behavior, content preferences, assessment of the current content, and reaction to the magazine’s design. Respondents also were given an opportunity to provide additional feedback in open-ended response fields.

Over the next several months we will use the information collected through the survey, as well as information on best practices among school and college magazines, to assess our magazine’s effectiveness and incorporate improvements.

Here are a few highlights from the survey: Of the 759 survey respondents, 59 percent reported reading every issue of the magazine, 28 percent reported reading most issues, 11 percent reported only occasionally reading the magazine, and 2 percent never read the magazine.

The most-read sections of the magazine, based on responses to the question “What sections do you usually read,” are the Alumni Class Notes (87 percent), feature articles (78 percent), In Memoriam (67 percent), and Faculty/Staff News (62 percent). Even the least-read sections — athletics (42 percent), HeadLines by Sheila Culbert (47 percent), and school history-related content (50 percent) — have strong readerships. The question drew responses from 554 people.

Prior to administering the survey, we suspected that Class Notes was the most2 |

read section of the magazine but wanted to understand why, if that section is so popular, the number of submissions to Class Notes has steadily dropped over the past decade.

Conceding that social media channels such as Facebook allow alumni to stay in touch in a more immediate and interactive manner than a printed magazine can facilitate, we still wanted to explore what might prompt more alumni to share news about themselves in the magazine. Forty-three percent of respondents indicated that an online form on the school’s website might prompt them to submit news, and 34 percent of respondents expressed an interest in class secretaries who could gather news from classmates for the section. The Communications and Alumni/ Development offices will continue to explore possible ways to address this challenge in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Topics of greatest importance to readers included alumni news and stories (rated “very important” by 62 percent of respondents) and academics and curriculum (rated “very important” by 43 percent of respondents). These results came from the portion of the survey asking readers to indicate how important different topics or stories were to them. This information will be helpful to the editorial staff as we develop story lists for future issues.

The survey also asked how often readers looked at “web extras — online supplementary materials for each issue of the magazine” and the online version of the magazine. We learned that almost 35 percent of respondents were not aware of web extras and almost 38 percent did not know there was an online version of the magazine. Clearly we need to do a better job promoting these features and have made our first efforts in this issue.

If you did not receive the survey and would like to share your feedback and suggestions for the magazine, please email magazine@ loomis.org.

See a summary of the survey results. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

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The most-read sections of the magazine are the Alumni Class Notes, feature articles, In Memoriam, and Faculty/Staff News.

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AROUND THE QUADS

100th Commencement Celebrates Class of 2016

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S seniors stepped across the stage to receive their hard-earned diplomas, as family and friends and faculty celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2016, as invited speakers offered wise and witty advice for the graduates, and as the Farmington River flowed gently by, Loomis Chaffee marked its 100th Commencement on May 29.

“Be moderate in all things except in the search for love and justice,”

advised former Headmaster John Ratté in his Commencement address, which pondered the meaning of “self” and provided gems of practical and philosophical advice to the seniors as they prepared to embark on the rest of their lives.

Among his offerings: “Be joyful in your dependency on people, animals, plants, and stones,” and “Remember your teachers with understanding and affection. Like your parents, they could have been

worse, and like yourself, they will appear more reasonable with age.”

Seniors enjoy their class speaker’s address at Commencement.

Photo: John Groo

Class Speaker Bryce Loomis, elected by his classmates, reflected on the value of being part of an international student body. “From Hong Kong to Harlem, our Pelicans converge to form a truly global campus, one that has undoubtedly helped to shape each and every one of us,” he said. “In a school so 2016 | continued next page loomischaffee.org | 3

Commencement prize winners and dignitaries gather in front of Warham Hall after the ceremony: (standing) Trustee Elizabeth Richmond ’80, Trustee Peter Seigle ’65, Trustee Erik Cliette ’84, Laurie Zielinski, Chair of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76, Commencement Speaker and former Headmaster John Ratté, former Head of School Russell Weigel, Trustee Karin Kohler Finlay, Trustee Douglas Lyons ’82, the Reverend Charlotte LaForest, and Trustee Reginald Paige Sr.; and (seated) John Willett, Robert Cecere, Anita Richmond, Joseph Hinton, Derek Martinez, Head of School Sheila Culbert, Nathaniel Lyons, Samantha Roy, and Alexandre Zilkha. Photo: John Groo

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2016 | continued from previous page focused on promoting the common good, it helps to understand the larger society — the ‘common’ that we work to improve.” Bryce also reminded his classmates to remain connected to the Island and each other even as they disperse.

Be moderate in all things except in the search for love and justice.

All of the day's speakers touched upon the themes of “confluence” and “departure” in their messages for the graduates.

—John Ratté, Commencement speaker and former headmaster

John cited the lines of Polonius to his departing son, Laertes, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “This above all, To thine own self be true.” But, asked John, “What is this own self?”

Drawing on the Loomis Chaffee mission to develop in students “a commitment to the best self and the common good,” he encouraged the audience to nurture and develop their inner selves through love, spirituality, and study. “All I know after my 40-year obsession with our Loomis Chaffee mission’s core is that we must always have a self in reserve to make this other social self work for the common good,” he said.

In all, three current and former Loomis heads of school joined Trustees and other dignitaries on

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Class Speaker Bryce Loomis Photo: John Groo

the dais for the Commencement exercises. John, headmaster from 1976 to 1996, and Russell Weigel, head of school from 1996 to 2008, were recognized for their service to the school in remarks by Chair of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76. And current Head of School Sheila Culbert presented Commencement prizes and diplomas and offered her own words of congratulation and wisdom.

“Remember,” Sheila said, “you will make a difference in this world,

and the choice will be yours as to whether that difference is positive or not.” Though the Class of 1916 lived in a very different time, she said, there are echoes from that time, including war and political unrest. One hundred years ago there were national conversations concerning the restriction of immigration, “Jim Crow was at its height, women did not have the right to vote, and in a country that recognized birthright citizenship … Native Americans were not yet recognized as citizens,” she explained. “The cynic would suggest that history is indeed repeating itself, but looking out at all of you, it is hard not to be optimistic.” Today, she said, we value difference and pursue differing viewpoints. Understanding our history brings reassurance that progress has been made.

Sheila congratulated the school’s 203 newest alumni and encouraged them to keep in touch and come back to visit the Island often.

In the benediction, the Reverend Charlotte H. LaForest offered another reference to the day’s themes: “As they go out from here, may they bring something of this place with them on their journey … until we are all together once more, whether here at the confluence of the rivers, or there one day at the confluence of all things.”

Read Commencement speeches, read prize citations, and see photos and a video of Commencement. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

REUNION 2016 Happy Returns

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lumni from classes ending in 1 and 6 gathered on campus June 10–13 for Reunion Weekend. Opportunities for classmates to catch up and enjoy each other highlighted the weekend along with a host of activities, discussions, and programs for all ages.

“It’s wonderful to see all of you here on the Island reconnecting with one another and with the school,” Head of School Sheila Culbert told one gathering of alumni, capturing the overall sentiment of the weekend.

Friday’s events included an alumni golf outing, a presentation on preserving art in the Archives, a sneak peak at the nearly completed Cutler Hall, class receptions, and music and dancing under the tent in Grubbs Quadrangle.

REUNION | continued next page

Deborah Joffray, wife of Rex ’76 and mother of Jesse ’14 and Kalina ’15, dances with John Quinn ‘76 under the tent. Photo: John Groo loomischaffee.org | 5

AROUND THE QUADS Reunion revelers pose for the camera.

Photo: Caddywhompus Productions

REUNION 2016 continued from previous page

Saturday offered a full schedule of activities and time to relax and reconnect. Chaffee School alumnae gathered at Sill House on the Palisado Campus for a special breakfast. Chris Cillizza ’94, managing editor of The Washington Post’s political section and author of the popular political blog The Fix, shared his view of Election 2016 during a program in the Hubbard Performance Hall. Sheila delivered the “State of the School” in a talk in Founders Chapel. Hardy alumni braved downpours for the Alumni Parade under the Covered Way on Grubbs Quad. John Foster ’51 presented a talk about humor and wordplay in poetry. Alumni lacrosse players faced off for a game on the new turf field behind the Savage/Johnson

Chris Cillizza ’94 Photo: Keller Glass

Rink. In a panel discussion moderated by Scott Havens ’91, global head of digital media at Bloomberg Media, The New Yorker contributor Sarah Larsen ’91, New York Times columnist Mark Oppenheimer ’92, and Laurie Perez ’89, reporter and anchor for CBS 2 in Los Angeles, discussed “Journalism in an Era of Platforms” in Hubbard. And the Reverend Peter Kreitler ’61 led a memorial service in Founders Chapel to honor and celebrate the lives and legacies of school community members who have died. Organist, composer, and recording artist John Cannon ’96 accompanied the service on the organ.

Reunion families with children enjoyed activities designed for the younger guests, including

a Lego building blocks “Battle Bots” activity; swim time in Hedges Pool; entertainment and arts and crafts under the tent; and evening childcare on Friday and Saturday nights.

The culmination of events took place on Saturday night with class dinners at various venues across campus followed by an all-class dessert reception and dance under the tent in Grubbs Quad. Alumni gathered for a final “until next time” at a brunch in the dining hall on Sunday morning.

See Reunion Weekend photos and videos of some of the alumni presentations. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

Scott Havens ’91, Sarah Larson ’91, Mark Oppenheimer ’92, and Laurie Perez ’89 discuss “Journalism in an Era of Platforms” in the Hubbard Performance Hall. Photo: Christine Coyle

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Franklin Perry ’00, Franklin Perry Sr., Dee Dee Perry ’00, and family friend Mark Duggins enjoy the Reunion Golf Outing at Blue Fox Run. Photo: Fred J. Kuo

25th Reunion celebrants Mark Papadopoulos ’91 and Matt Whitney ’91 Photo: Patricia Cousins

Laughter and a group hug bring together alumni celebrating their 5th Reunion. Photo: John Groo

Jane Howe ’49 congratulates Class of 2011 volunteers Riker Jones, Shondaray Ducheine, and V.P. Dao. The class received the Glover ’48 and Jane Mackay Howe ’49 Award for highest attendance percentage in the Loomis Chaffee years.

Photo: John Groo

Chaffee alumnae gather at Sill House on the Palisado campus for breakfast, as is Reunion Weekend tradition on Saturday morning. Photo: Madison Neal

Dayna Klein Kaplan ’81, Jonathan Potter ’81, and Dale Karp Lehman ’81 reunite at Friday’s welcome reception. Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

Former boys lacrosse players take a break from the alumni lacrosse game to gather for a group photo on the school’s new turf field. Bret Fahlgren ’92 organized the game, and Bob Hall ’56 officiated. Photo: Sarah Weinstein

Loomis 50th Reunion committee members and spouses enjoy a reception in the Head’s House: Rick Standish ’66, Jeanette Bonee, John Bonee ’66, John Gantz ’66, Paula Jones, Rob Spurrier ’66, and Quincy Egginton. Photo: John Groo

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AROUND THE QUADS

Dialogues and Discussions

Students and faculty gather in Founders Lounge before a forum on conservatism.

Photo: Christine Coyle

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IALOGUES about big ideas and global issues attracted students to a variety of forums on the Island throughout the spring. Topics included conservatism on campus, the Syrian refugee crisis, global patriotism, and women in sports.

Lauren Noble, director of Yale University’s William F. Buckley Program, led a conversation in April about being politically conservative and expressing dissenting opinions at Loomis. Sixty-five students and faculty gathered in Founders Lounge for the forum.

The Dialogue in the Common Good, sponsored by the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, was organized to help address a concern raised by a number of students and faculty who felt that conservative viewpoints had not been represented among convocation speakers and in other campus discussions.

Many college and school campuses across the country experience a similar imbalance, Ms. Noble indicated. Citing statistics pointing to the underrepresentation of conservative views among Yale faculty members and her own experience being in the political minority as a student at Yale, Ms. Noble expressed concern about a climate

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of ideological conformity in schools and universities.

Yale's Buckley Program is named for the late William F. Buckley Jr., an influential figure in modern conservatism. “Our mission is to promote intellectual diversity in education,” Ms. Noble said, just as Mr. Buckley valued intelligent academic discourse rather than adhering to or deferring to popular or political trends.

Being unable to engage in respectful public discourse is a problem for a society that values free speech, she said. “If we can’t have an honest and open exchange of ideas in education, where we are supposed to be open-minded and forming our ideas and opinions, then where [can we]?” she asked.

Participants asked Ms. Noble questions about expressing politically conservative ideas in a liberal environment and approaches that students and teachers can take to avoid imposing personal bias where it is unwarranted.

“I think the event was a success in that it allowed students who have felt marginalized for their political beliefs to have a chance to speak,” said Molly Pond, associate director of the Norton Center.

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Key questions included: “Is patriotism necessary?”

“What does it mean to be patriotic?” and “Is patriotism ‘good’ for society?”

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Sophomore Bill Pieroni, student leader of the Federalist Society club at Loomis, said the dialogue was a “positive step forward” for expressing conservative opinions.

Another Dialogue in the Common Good this spring focused on global patriotism. The studentdirected conversation in the Nee

Room focused on the definitions of “patriotism” and “nationalism” and the ways they are manifested. Key questions included: “Is patriotism necessary?” “What does it mean to be patriotic?” and “Is patriotism ‘good’ for society?”

A panel discussion in March looked at the Syrian refugee crisis. Four invited experts shared their perspectives on the issues surrounding the flight of millions of refugees from Syria’s civil turmoil. Loomis students and faculty and a group that was invited from Madina Academy in Windsor filled Founders Chapel for the discussion.

The panelists were Chris George, executive director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, a Connecticut-based organization; J. Anna Cabot, the William R. Davis Clinical Teaching Fellow in the Asylum & Human Rights Clinic at the University of Connecticut School of Law; and Mariam Jalabi, director, and Katie Guzzi, United Nations programs manager, from the New York office of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, also known as the Syrian Coalition. Alexander McCandless, the Christopher H. Lutz Director of Loomis’s Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, served as

discussion moderator.

The panelists spoke about the effects of the crisis on refugees and on countries to which they have fled, and they discussed possible steps toward resolution.

They also touched on challenges faced by refugees to the United States, given the strict limitations of the U.S. refugee resettlement program.

Scott Havens ’91 in front of Taylor Hall Photo: John Groo

The New York Times, traditionally a print media, now reaches readers from digital and print platforms. And with the disruption of new technology, including the powerful computer in the mobile phone, “everyone’s a publisher,… users are journalists, … and people can consume news whenever and wherever they want,” he added. This trend makes verifying the source and credibility of information difficult for the consumer.

Another forum that attracted interest this spring was titled “Sports Paving the Way for Life.”

ESPN executive Laura Gentile spoke with students and faculty in Gilchrist Auditorium about translating her experiences as an elite student athlete into a successful career promoting women’s initiatives at the sports broadcasting network, where she is senior vice president, espnW and women’s initiatives.

An All-American field hockey player and team captain at Duke University, Ms. Gentile earned an M.B.A. at Boston College before joining ESPN. At the network, she took on the challenge of launching espnW, ESPN’s first business dedicated to serving women who love sports. The popularity of espnW has grown since its launch in 2010, and its success has inspired similar initiatives in other countries.

Ms. Gentile said the skills that she learned training for and playing sports prepared her well to develop espnW from an idea into reality. “My journey is really about the life lessons I learned as an athlete,” she said.

Even though more work lies ahead in continuing to advance equal attention for women’s issues in sports, Ms. Gentile said she is proud that “we are helping to change the conversation” and expanding opportunities for women in sports, media, and business.

A new series of forums and open discussions is in the planning stages for the 2016–17 school year.

News Industry in Turmoil 

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SCHOOL THEME FOR 2015–16

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THE CHANGING NATURE OF JOURNALISM

OURNALISM and the news media have been disrupted by the internet and the rise of social media and digital messaging, said Scott Havens ’91, global head of digital for Bloomberg Media, who spoke at a convocation in April.

Scott, who visited Loomis as part of the Hubbard Speakers Series, addressed this year’s school theme, “The Changing Nature of Journalism.” He also moderated an alumni panel discussion on journalism in the digital age during Reunion Weekend in June.

Disruption of any industry with an influx of alternative sources, the arrival of new technologies, and changes in consumer behavior alters that business, he said the the convocation. In the case of the news business, disruption affects news content as well as how, when, and

where people obtain information.

“The need for news to reach all of us, especially in places around the world where there are abuses of power, is more important than ever,” he said.

Describing the news as the “backbone of democracy,” he said commitment to sound journalism is important because it holds authority to accountability, adds context to current events, connects us as a community, and enables the public to make informed decisions.

Before the internet, said Scott, traditional news media was siloed, with each news outlet distributing information through a single platform, such as television, radio, newspapers, or news magazines.

Today, news sources cross all platforms. For instance, he pointed out,

As an industry navigates turbulent change, there is a time of turmoil and uncertainty, Scott said, and the news industry is in that unsettled state now. He cited industry data showing a downturn in traditional news platforms like newspapers, magazines, and television. “The next decade is going to be rough,” he said. “Once we get through, media will thrive.” He encouraged students to consider careers in all aspects of the news media. The industry, he told them, “needs smart people like you.”

Scott also discussed trends currently shaping journalism, including mobile technology, social media and messaging applications, digital video, globalization, and fragmentation of content. Media businesses must heed these trends to stay relevant, he said.

After the convocation, Scott met with students in several economics and statistics classes.

After graduating from Loomis, Scott earned a bachelor’s degree at Hamilton College and an M.B.A. at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Before joining Bloomberg Media, Scott was senior vice president of digital at the then-newly independent Time Inc. and at The Atlantic, where he was integral in the transition into digital media.

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Mr. Junger decided that if he wanted to be a journalist and write about people in dangerous jobs, he should become a war reporter. With $5,000 and a backpack, he set off as a freelance correspondent to Sarajevo, a city under siege during the Bosnian War in 1992–1996. He covered war atrocities in Sarajevo and later covered American combat troops’ experiences during two wars in Afghanistan. After witnessing the horrors of warfare and its aftermath, Mr. Junger returned from Afghanistan for the first time in 2000 and suffered an anxiety attack in a New York City subway — the result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has since written extensively about PTSD in combat troops.

Sebastian Junger Photo: John Groo

Taking Risks: Journalism of Danger 

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SCHOOL THEME FOR 2015–16

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THE CHANGING NATURE OF JOURNALISM

NTERNATIONAL journalist and author Sebastian Junger decided to become a war correspondent because he wanted to push himself beyond the comfortable confines of his upbringing and take on something that had “consequences.”

“Consequences — something you can’t take back — give life meaning,” Mr. Junger said during an all-school convocation on campus in March. The author of The Perfect Storm and War discussed his 20-year career as a war reporter in Bosnia and Afghanistan and his lifelong interest in dangerous lines of work and the people who do them. He also addressed this year’s school theme, “The Changing Nature of Journalism.”

Mr. Junger grew up in a Boston suburb and attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

When he was growing up, the threat of nuclear war was an overarching fear and a defining issue for his generation. He became fascinated with wars and warfare and their profound effects on individuals and society.

After college, while trying to start his writing career, Mr. Junger worked as an arborist — scaling 80- to 100-foot trees in rope harnesses and dismantling the trees with a chainsaw. Although

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“

Don’t wait until someone gives you approval to do something because you won’t get it.

Go do it!

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— Sebastian Junger

the work was extremely dangerous, the pay was better and the work more satisfying than other job options. He said the focused, intense experience was good for him.

After suffering a serious leg injury in a chainsaw accident on the job, he became interested in writing about dangerous jobs and the people who do them. This idea eventually led to his best-selling book The Perfect Storm, the story of a fishing boat and its crew lost at sea in 1991.

Mr. Junger’s best friend and colleague, Tim Hetherington, a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker, was killed in a battle in Libya in 2011.

After that personal loss, Mr. Junger chose to stop covering war from the front lines and find other meaningful challenges in life.

He offered advice to students embarking on a vocation about which they are passionate. “Don’t wait until someone gives you approval to do something because you won’t get it," he said.

"Go do it!" While he acknowledged that a life of safety and stability is a blessing, he advocated for taking risks in pursuit of an individual passion.

Addressing this year’s school theme, Mr. Junger delineated the difference between journalism and opinion writing or advocacy, and he affirmed the value of both. “Opinion-sharing is an important part of our media landscape, and social media plays an incredible role in promoting personal opinions,” said Mr. Junger. “But editorializing and advocacy are not journalism.” As a journalist, he said, he seeks to “maintain a supreme allegiance to reality and facts” in his work — setting his opinions aside to avoid leading the reader to think a certain way.

Mr. Junger’s visit, part of the Hubbard Speakers Series, also was made possible by the Ralph M. Shulansky ’45 Lecture Fund.

Mr. Junger is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and he and Mr. Hetherington co-directed the award-winning documentary Restrepo, which was shown on campus during the week of his visit.

New Dormitory on Schedule for August Opening

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HE new dormitory Cutler Hall nears completion and remains on schedule to open when students begin to arrive in late August, according to Director of the Physical Plant Steve Carignan.

The building was close enough to completion in June to allow guided tours during Reunion Weekend, and crews worked into July and August to landscape the environs and complete myriad finishing touches on the residence hall. Dorm faculty were scheduled to move into Cutler's four faculty apartments in early August. The new dorm head will be Mimi Donegan, a psychology teacher and former head of Mason Hall. She and her husband, Dean of Students Michael Donegan, and their children will live in the dorm head apartment.

Fifty boarding girls will make Cutler Hall their Island home this fall. The dorm’s completion will bring the school’s boarding population to 70 percent of the student body, a goal set by the Board of Trustees in its strategic plan for the school.

Other construction projects on campus this summer included the replacement of a chiller to air condition the Katharine Brush Library, resurfacing of the track, and new paving stones for the walkway from the athletics center to the track and Pratt Field.

Cutler Hall, nearing completion Photo: Patricia Cousins

Sophomores Cathy Hyeon, Kenlee Danner, and Emily Dias work on their Cutler sign.

Photo: Christine Coyle

Students Find Creative Use for “Cutler Clay”

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HREE students in Ceramics I used clay excavated from the Cutler Hall construction site to create a decorative ceramic piece for the new dorm.

The discovery of the clay was brought to the attention of Peter Gwyn, head of the Loomis Work Program, who offered it to Art Department Head and ceramics teacher Jennifer McCandless.

“The guys from the Physical Plant dug up two truckloads of it,” says Jennifer, who stored the cache on campus for future projects.

Three of Jennifer’s students, sophomores Emily Dias, Cathy Hyeon, and Kenlee Danner, wanted to use some of the “Cutler clay” to make something for the new dorm, so Jennifer allowed them to use class time for the project. The students sought input from Mimi Donegan, who will be the dorm head of Cutler Hall when it opens this fall, and the girls decided to make a sign out of the clay for the new dorm’s common room.

Before starting to create the sign, the girls experimented with the clay’s consistency by soaking it in water and mixing it with other types

of clay in order to mold it and fire it, Cathy explains. Next they fashioned the letters spelling “Cutler” out of the clay and then created a flat slab to hold the letters. Working with the unfamiliar clay has been a challenge, but the girls hope to fire the completed sign this fall in time to welcome the first group of Cutler residents, according to Cathy. The trio also plans to create more projects with the preserved clay next year — ideally something that each Cutler student resident could have as a keepsake.

loomischaffee.org | 11

AROUND THE QUADS | THE BIG PICTURE

STARRY, STARRY NIGHT Seniors Damon D'Amico, Andrey Vdovenko, Graham Gevirtz, and Lydia Masri gaze up at Jupiter while classmate Michaela Giuttari looks at the planet through a telescope. Astronomy teacher Ewen Ross (standing directly behind the telescope) arranged the celestial lesson in RattĂŠ Quadrangle on a clear night this spring. Photo: John Groo

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AROUND THE QUADS

Taking History Online

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N International Archives Day, June 9, Loomis Chaffee launched a new online Archives, giving historical researchers and curious community members expanded access to the primary documents and other materials in the school collection.

Archivist and history teacher Karen Parsons oversaw the project with assistance from Sarah Weinstein, web content editor in the Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing, and junior Gloria Yi. Karen discussed the project with us.

Q: Why did you decide to change the Archives webpage?

A: I really believe when we think

about preserving historic materials, one of the key aspects is preserving access to those materials. The new webpage design, I hope, will serve to enhance and preserve access to our collection.

Once the [Loomis Chaffee] Centennial had passed, it made sense to reconsider the Archives’ web presence. During the years leading up to the Centennial we had, appropriately, positioned the Archives for online storytelling with photo essays and short written pieces on material culture and stories from the school’s past as well as digital copies of previously published histories of the school. I was excited to reconsider and reinvent how visitors to the webpage might experience our

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collections and make meaning for themselves out of our incredible resources by using the site for research and inquiry.

Also, the school’s Archives holds some unique primary sources that one might not associate with a school collection. For instance, we have about 140 letters written by a Civil War soldier to his father, a log book kept on board a ship that was taken prisoner during the War of 1812, and many primary sources associated with the careers of artists Evelyn Longman Batchelder and Osbert Loomis. It was definitely time to figure out how to put these resources into the hands of interested students, researchers, and people interested in history. This was confirmed when a professor from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, did research in our Archives this year. He had only one day to be in Windsor and left with unanswered questions. His incomplete experience committed me to thinking about how we could offer a more rewarding and a fuller experience to interested people.

Q: What is the advantage of the new structure?

A: The new structure emphasizes our collections, and all materials are grouped by topics or themes and are now available for a worldwide audience.

(The school history stories are grouped by decade.) These groupings allow visitors to browse collections and find information they weren’t specifically looking for but would find useful or enjoyable.

In the new webpage’s first

phase we are posting a sampling of the Civil War letters and will later expand the primary source collections to include the War of 1812 ship’s log book, some material connected with Evelyn Longman Batchelder’s career, and an image gallery of Osbert Loomis’s paintings and sketches.

I’m also very excited by the “Ask the Archivist” option and hope that people will let us know what they’d like to learn more about. [Another] great feature will be a link to the blog “Prep Schools at War,” which was done by [history teacher] Thomas Pipoli’s spring term class World Wars in Global Context. The students used the Archives’ collection to study World War I and World War II on a local level.

Q: Why is the new format more

advantageous to researchers?

A: T he new format brings primary

sources to people who can’t physically visit the Archives. It also will allow visitors to see an original document next to a transcribed copy. Some people love decoding original handwriting while others would rather read a typed version. Also, in the future we are hoping to create some linking relationships with other collections that have

related materials. A researcher could start at the Archives webpage but end up in the online collection at a university archives or a historical society.

And the format allows people to ask questions so we’ll be able not only to gauge what visitors are interested in, but also to help them have a better experience with our Archives materials.

Q: W hat was Gloria Yi’s role in the project?

A: G loria did her work job in the

Archives this year. She has been an important and integral part of this project, reading all the Civil War letters, selecting the group that we will put online, and writing the introduction to the collection. Gloria brings to this project a keen eye for the sweep of history, an analytical and incisive mind, and a genuine kindness and appreciation for all those who people the historical landscape. She also shared good ideas about the page layout and the introduction content.

Access the Archives webpage at www.loomischaffee.org/magazine, or navigate from the Loomis Chaffee homepage to the “About Us” section then the “History & Origins” tab.

Three Trustees Complete Total of 43 Years of Service on Board

Members of the Chaffee Class of 1960 at their 55th Reunion: (standing) Joanne Hartman Madsen, Linda Walkley Kipnes, and Lee Walkley; and (sitting) Deborah Crehan Andrews, Arsine Rustigian Oshagan, and Susan Sobuta McMurry. Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

Creating New Memories: Chaffee ’60

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HE memories were remarkably clear. As the women of the Chaffee Class of 1960 celebrated their 55th Reunion in 2015 in late evening conversations in Carter Hall and over dinner in the Hubbard Music Center, a beautiful renovation of Chaffee Hall’s former gymnasium, they recalled how special their intimate all-girls school on Windsor’s Palisado Green had been. They remembered the elegant but firm leadership of Barbara Erickson, legendary headmistress of The Chaffee School (“Chaffee girls do not make spectacles of themselves.”); the excellent education provided by women teachers and role models like Dodie Britton, Elizabeth Speirs, Mildred Finley, Agatha Gray Cabaniss, and Helen Parker; Latin graces before lunches; bus rides; Greyhounds and Pelicans; chapel talks by classmates; trips to Bart’s; and participation in various clubs and on various playing fields. They also shared stories about their lives after Chaffee, as professionals and as members of families and communities.

They had a very good time.

They also talked about what seemed to be the gradual loss of a Chaffee identity in Loomis Chaffee, a title often shortened to “Loomis.”

After the reunion, on her drive to her home in Maine, Debby Crehan Andrews ’60 mulled over a gift she was considering making to the school, something that might preserve the traditions of Chaffee ’60. In an era when tuition is vastly higher than when she was a student, it could help confirm the Founders’ vision that the school serve its neighbors.

Shortly thereafter, she contacted the school to propose a challenge to her class to endow a scholarship named for the Chaffee Class of 1960 in support of a day girl from the Hartford area. Collaborating with Associate Head of School for External Relations Nat Follansbee, Debby crafted a letter in August 2015 announcing the challenge and the fundraising effort. Within weeks, 13 classmates, about half of the living 1960 alumnae, whose names will appear in this fall’s annual report, had responded enthusiastically to the challenge.

Their commitments easily surpassed the $100,000 milestone to create the scholarship.

Thanks to this generous response from the class, Loomis Chaffee will award the scholarship to generations of bright, inquisitive, talented day girls from the Hartford area, providing them with the opportunity to benefit from a superb education and to create remarkable memories of their own in the tradition of Chaffee ’60.

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HREE distinguished Trustees concluded their service on the board in June: Nancy Walbridge Collins ’91, Kimberly Kravis Schulhof ’93, and Peter M. Seigle ’65. Their fellow Trustees honored their combined 43 years of service to Loomis Chaffee at a celebratory dinner during the May board meeting.

Nancy served on the board for 11 years. She co-chaired the Salaries & Benefits Committee, served as a vice chair of the Education Committee, and provided valuable insight as a member of the Admission & Financial Aid, Audit, Head’s Evaluation, and Head’s Search committees.

She also served as co-chair of the Annual Fund from 2004 to 2006.

Kimberly served on the board for 12 years. During her tenure, Kimberly chaired Nancy Walbridge Collins ’91 the Admission, Financial Aid, and College Guidance committees; served as vice chair of the Finance Committee; and was a member of the Committee on Trustees and the Audit Committee. In addition, Kimberly volunteered as a leader of various reunion committees for her class and hosted a number of receptions in New York City.

Peter served on the board for 20 years, Kimberly Kravis Schulhof ’93 including eight years as a vice chairman of the board. He chaired the Buildings & Grounds Committee for almost his entire tenure and was instrumental in overseeing the construction of Richmond Hall, Cutler Hall, and the athletics center as well as the renovations of Chaffee Hall, the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics, the Hubbard Music Center, and the Katharine Brush Library. He also served as vice chair of the Investment Committee and as chair Peter M. Seigle ’65 Photos: Wayne Dombkowski of the 2020 Financial Strategic Planning Task Force. Devoted to the school, Peter spent more time on the campus in various meetings than any other Trustee in the school’s history.

Closing out the celebratory dinner, Chairman of the Board Christopher Norton ’76 thanked Nancy, Kimberly, and Peter for their service to the school: “You have graced us with your stewardship. I hope you have been fulfilled by your service. I hope everyone here feels that same special bond to this special place. Sitting together, here tonight, we are all indeed a part of a greater whole.”

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Students, alumnae, and faculty gather in the Nee Room during the Women of Color affinity group event. Photo: Christine Coyle

Women of Color Discussion Draws Alumnae Panelists and Students

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LUMNAE of color shared their experiences and advice with current students at a discussion and dinner on campus on

April 3.

The Women of Color affinity group event, hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, took place in the Nee Room. Panelists included Courtney Benitez ’04, Kathryn Bradley ’08, Britt-Marie ColeJohnson ’00, Priya Garg ’94, and Shahri Griffin ’82.

The panelists discussed their backgrounds, their lives after Loomis, and some of the long-lasting lessons they learned on the Island. They also answered questions from the audience of students and faculty members.

Courtney, a Bloomfield police officer, credited her commitment to community, which began at Loomis, for leading her to pursue a career in law enforcement. She said her Loomis experience taught her about being part of a community and the importance of developing relationships.

Kathryn, a teacher and college counselor, said her goal is to help publicly educated students with backgrounds similar to her own to gain access to higher education. This goal has motivated her to pursue an advanced degree in public policy in the fall. She said she benefited from the academic program at Loomis.

Britt-Marie encouraged the students to “form a narrative of confidence” as a way of overcoming

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“

The experiences of the alumnae were not only interesting, relevant, and inspirational, but also extremely motivational.

”

— Senior Amani Hite

limitations that people try to place on them based on assumptions. She shared that she met her best friends at Loomis, and they serve as her “personal board of directors,” from whom she seeks professional advice.

“Our lives are not easy,” Priya said, referring to women of color. But success is more valuable when it is earned through hard work and determination, she said. “Dream big,” she told the students. “You will get there.” A medical school professor, Priya said she appreciated the honest feedback she received from her Loomis English teacher Jeffrey Scanlon ’79, and she emulates his approach to teaching.

Shahri encouraged students to pursue something

they love during their education rather than limiting their focus to a specific career. She said the skills developed in that pursuit will serve students well on whatever professional path they take.

Shahri said her Loomis friendships as well as the Loomis educational experience have been invaluable to her.

Seventeen students from across all class years attended the dinner and discussion.

“The experiences of the alumnae were not only interesting, relevant, and inspirational, but also extremely motivational,” said senior Amani Hite after the forum. “[The discussion] gave me a sense of hope. … I too can succeed on this campus, and far beyond, through resilience and courage.”

Learning on Location

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OSHUA TREE National Park in California and the Dominican Republic were the destinations of two educational travel programs organized by the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies during March break this year.

Eleven students and their faculty chaperones traveled to Joshua Tree for an environmental study of the desert Southwest. The program was new this year as the Alvord Center has expanded its mission to include environmental as well as global studies. The trip aimed to develop an understanding of water and energy issues in the desert Southwest, examine how those concerns relate to climate change, and consider how the region’s ecological conditions affect the global environment, according to Science Department Head Betsy Conger, who served as a chaperone along with science teacher Julia Hinchman.

The 11-day program included a visit to the Coachella Valley wind farm; field study of the preservation of desert species with representatives from the not-for-profit organization Earthwatch; a tour of the national park with scientists from the University of California-Riverside; a lecture on climate change at UC-Riverside; a tour of the Palm Desert wastewater reclamation and treatment site; a visit to a commercial organic farm and community farmers market; and some relaxation time in the town of Palm Springs.

Betsy notes that the “interconnected issues of energy use, climate change, and water availability began to make more sense” as the group experienced a culture that needs to find immediate ways to manage these concerns.

The Dominican Republic travel program brought 12 students and two teachers to the Caribbean

Above: Students track a desert tortoise with a scientist in Joshua Tree National Park.

Left: A "bucket brigade" of Loomis students moves cinder blocks to a home construction site in the Dominican Republic.

Photos: Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies

island nation for a cultural and service-learning experience. The group helped to build a home for a local family in the village of San Juan de la Maguana in partnership with Cambiandos Vidas, a not-for-profit organization. The students and their chaperones, Spanish teacher and Director of Multicultural Affairs Elizabeth Parada and Latin teacher Jackson Fleming, enjoyed interacting with the Medina family and the multi-generational group of community members working on the project as well as being immersed in the Dominican culture.

In a travel blog post, junior Hannah Elgamal noted, “Moving heavy buckets of ‘mezcla,’ the Spanish word for a mix of water, cement, and sediment, I realized that performing that task as an individual would be impossible. …To successfully complete the job, team work was vital.”

“The students were excited to learn that as soon as the community is connected to the power grid, the Medina family … will be one of its first

recipients,” Elizabeth and Jackson posted in a blog summary. “The current lack of electricity helped remind us all that there is something to be gained from the simple life, symbolized nicely in the Medina family’s generous offer of a cup of coffee for any of us whenever we might return to visit them.”

The trip also included Spanish language training through games and conversational practice; sight-seeing visits to Santa Domingo; a pick-up baseball game with community members; and opportunities to experience Caribbean beaches and landscapes throughout the journey.

Read student observations and view photo galleries. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

loomischaffee.org | 17

A group of the visiting students and teacher Michael Murphy at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. Photo: Timothy Struthers ’85

Experiential Learning: Students Visit Investment Bank and 9/11 Museum

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CONOMICS and history teacher Michael Murphy and 57 of his students spent a day in New York City this spring, visiting an investment bank as guests of two Loomis alumni and touring the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Mike, who worked in investment banking and management consulting for 20 years before transitioning to teaching at Loomis four years ago, arranged the trip for his Applied Economics, Macroeconomics, Contemporary Economic Perspectives, and U.S. History classes.

At the invitation of Ben DiFabio ’94 and Jen Podurgiel ’96, the students began their day at Citigroup on Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan. Ben, a managing director in the Global Industrials Group with responsibility for global sector coverage in paper & packaging, gave the students an overview of Citigroup’s investment banking group and a case study of some of his clients. Jen, a senior vice president who trades Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae bonds, led group tours of her trading floor.

Students asked questions of both alumni while also witnessing a Wall Street trading floor first-hand.

After a lunch at City Hall Park, the group proceeded to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The students, who were toddlers in 2001, visited the two pool memorials at Ground Zero and took a two-hour self-guided tour of the museum, absorbing the displays and audio/visual reflections related to 9/11.

The day was a stimulating and moving experiential learning opportu-

nity for all. Mike says the interaction with Ben and Jen at Citi “was an incredible experience for our students to learn about how hard work and lifelong learning are keys to success in a dynamic world no matter what you do and also how finance plays into for-profit companies, governments, and even non-profits.”

The visit to Ground Zero and the museum offered an opportunity for students too young to remember 9/11 to learn about the important historical event and reflect on its human toll, Mike says.

Art Student and Teacher Co-Curate Sculpture Exhibit in Mercy Gallery

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ENIOR Abby Wade, an Advanced Placement art student, was interested in learning how to manage an art gallery, so Visual Arts Department Head Jennifer McCandless invited Abby to help curate a show.

Together, they organized the Ceramic Sculpture Invitational, an exhibit of diverse works by 15 artists throughout the Northeast, in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in April and May. Abby helped curate the show from inception to installation.

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Jennifer, who is director of the gallery, began working on the project with Abby her sophomore year.

Jennifer first instructed Abby to research artists whose work piqued her interest. When the artists were identified, Jennifer and Abby collaborated to formulate the show, invite the artists, and coordinate the display in the gallery.

“Abby made some great new connections with artists that have not previously had a relationship with Loomis,” Jennifer says.

While laying out the show on paper was one-dimensional, Abby says she was fascinated to see the exhibit come to life in the gallery, and she found herself visiting the gallery repeatedly to experience the show in three dimensions. The exhibit was particularly interesting, she says, because it revealed how artists with the “same curriculum and medium all have different ideas — from robots to dish wear.”

Senior Abby Wade and Head of the Visual Arts Department Jennifer McCandless in the gallery Photo: Patricia Cousins

Green Award for Community Leadership in Energy and Climate Protection in 2007, Sajed also earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine listed him among “six local heroes whose work is having rippling effects — at home and far away — in making the world a better place.” He has published many articles and has written more than a dozen books, including The Renewable Revolution: How We Can Fight Climate Change, Prevent Energy Wars, Revitalize the Economy and Transition to a Sustainable Future, published in 2011.

Pete Dominick and Sajed Kamal ’65

Photo: Patricia Cousins

“Every Day Should Be Earth Day”

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NVIRONMENTAL activist and broadcast personality Pete Dominick interviewed Sajed Kamal ’65, an environmentalist, author, and professor at Brandeis University, at a special Earth Day convocation in April in the Olcott Center. The convocation was part of Loomis Chaffee’s Earth Week celebration organized by the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, which included a number of activities focused on issues of environmental concern.

Wearing a green Loomis Chaffee Earth Week T-shirt, Sajed greeted the audience by proclaiming, “Every day should be Earth Day,” the sentiment on the front of the shirt.

In the interview, Mr. Dominick, who hosts the radio show Stand Up! with Pete Dominick and promotes discussion about environmental issues, asked Sajed to draw on his many years of experience working

on energy sustainability.

“When it comes to renewable resources, where are we now?” Mr. Dominick queried.

“We have been digging downward when we should be looking upwards — towards the sun,” Sajed answered. Of the sources of renewable energy, the sun’s power is the most plentiful and the most readily available to meet the world’s demand, he said.

Sajed shared photos from places around the world where solar energy powers homes, schools, hospitals, and transportation as well as refrigeration and water desalination. He said technology that harnesses and stores solar power has advanced and become more affordable, leading to the rapid expansion of large and small solar projects.

Recipient of the Boston Mayor’s

Mr. Dominick asked Sajed to explain what he means in The Renewable Revolution when he refers to the “holistic” or “moral” responsibility for environmental stewardship. Sajed pointed to the inequity in the United States’ use of 25 percent of the world’s natural resources when the country has only 5 percent of the world’s population.

Given that every person on Earth breathes the same air, lives under the same sun, and shares the same water, he said, all people should share responsibility for the protection of these resources, regardless of man-made boundaries.

Students had so many questions for the visitors that there was not enough time to discuss them all.

Among them were: How should public money be allocated for environmental concerns? How much would it cost to power Loomis with solar energy? If renewable energy sources are available and more affordable, why aren’t we using them? Do we need to use fossil fuels to create solar panels?

Mason Hall Study Released

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committee of faculty and students has released a report examining the controversial history of Captain John Mason, Mason Hall’s namesake, and the steps taken at other academic institutions when historical figures connected to the schools seem, in retrospect, to conflict with the schools’ values. The Board of Trustees, which created the committee, will consider the report at the fall board meeting.

In the 17th century, Capt. Mason was acclaimed as a military leader, a Windsor founder, and a prominent figure in Connecticut. One of the school’s Founders, John Mason Loomis, was named after him.

But historians now consider Capt.

Mason to have been a war criminal for his role in the Pequot War, particularly in what is known as the Mystic Massacre. Some Loomis community members have called for renaming Mason Hall.

The 12-member committee, composed of six faculty members and six students, researched Capt.

Mason’s history, the Loomis family's decision to name a child after him, John Mason Loomis’s own military service in the Civil War and philanthropic work after the war, and Loomis Institute Trustee records from the school’s earliest years, when Mason Hall was named. The committee also looked at the approaches taken recently by Princeton University, Harvard Law School, and Northwestern University as they wrestled with similar naming issues. The committee did not make a recommendation about whether Loomis should rename Mason Hall.

Read the committee’s report. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine loomischaffee.org | 19

On one of the Summer Program's experiential learning days, students and faculty paddle on the Farmington River. Photos: John Groo

Summer Program Continues to Grow

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ROM forensic science to Chinese language and from a Boston Red Sox game to s’mores under the stars, the combination of academic enrichment and just plain fun set a lively tone for the 144 students and 38 teaching faculty and faculty interns in this year’s Loomis Chaffee Summer Program.

The five-week program for students in grades seven through 12 has grown steadily since its launch in 2012 with about 50 participants.

As he welcomed this year’s group, Director Jim O’Donnell invited the students to step outside of their “spheres of comfort” and try something new. The ultimate goal of the Summer Program is for participants to better understand themselves in order to give back to their communities.

Participants in the Enrichment Program chose from areas of interest that included robotics, forensic science, creative writing, multimedia art, Chinese language, philosophy, and coding. Other students engaged in a microbiology module, taught by Loomis science teacher Scott MacClintic ’82, and many participants joined the ACT,

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SAT, and SSAT test preparation courses. An intensive math offering enabled enrolled Loomis students to advance their academic progression in math, and some Loomis students took a summer version of the required Fitness and Wellness course for sophomores.

Augmenting the coursework, the Summer Program included learning experiences that extended beyond the classroom. Each participant took part in a three-day agricultural and sustainability module — a hands-on experience in the campus gardens and hen house — and joined a community service project.

Students also participated in a National Hour of Coding; created oral presentations to share with their peers; took on team-building challenges on the ropes course; traveled to Boston, New York City, and Six Flags Amusement Park; and enjoyed summertime outdoor fun, such as barbeques, campfires, hiking, and canoeing.

Using the Summer Program planner and journal, each participant also worked on time management and goal-setting skills and took time to reflect on the summer experience.

In a Forensic Science class, Madeleine Yang dusts for fingerprints to figure out who was present at a simulated crime scene.

In Welcome to Robotics, Ivan Varenytsia and Amari Garrett program their EV3 Mindstorm robot.

Juniors Taseen Anwar and John Cox worked together to research honeybees, their importance to agriculture, and concern about the reduction in the number of hives worldwide. With help from faculty members and a professional beekeeper, the boys established a starter hive on campus near Chamberlain Hill. They hope the hive will grow into a healthy bee population to help with education about honeybees, pollination of plants on campus, and, eventually, collection of honey.

Senior Tan Nguyen and junior Anh Nguyen brought a sub-surface drip irrigation system to a land plot used for an Agriculture Program garden. The system allows for water to “leak” into the soil at a slow and constant velocity, and the controls can be set on a timer for conservation. After studying several different irrigation systems, Anh and Tan se-

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The fellows presented their projects and were honored at a ceremony in May in the Gilchrist Auditorium of the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics. The environmental projects were selected for the fellowship grants last year and brought to fruition in the ensuing months.

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n apiary, a drip irrigation system, a “green” stationary bicycle, a worm farming project, an environmental literature program, and an experience at Joshua Tree National Park were among the Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship Projects completed by six students and two faculty members this year.

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Gilchrist Fellowships Buzz with Environmental Projects

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lected the sub-surface drip system for its efficiency and convenience.

Junior Henry Winchester researched and facilitated the school’s purchase of an energy-producing stationary bike. Installed in the fitness center, the bike looks and works like any other stationary bike used for physical fitness, he explained. When a user pedals, the bike puts energy back into the wall outlet through the use of a DC-to-AC converter.

With considerable effort, he said, the bike can generate up to 220 watts of energy.

Dean of Students Michael Donegan started a vermiculture, or worm farming, program at Loomis. Mike says worms’ excrement, known as “casting,” is the “best organic fertilizer you can use” in the garden.

With the grant funds, Mike purchased three new “stack systems” and 10,000 live worms to start the project. The stack systems create the perfect growth environment for the worms to eat compost, excrete, and reproduce, he said, and the waste matter is easily collected for fertilizer. The worms are so efficient at breaking down the debris, “there is no smell,” Mike added. Students in the Summer Program tended to

the three systems, housed in the greenhouse, and the casting was used to fertilize the gardens. Mike hopes that in the fall, the student ag proctors will take over the low-maintenance care and feeding of the worms, and ultimately he would like to see the project expand campus-wide.

John Morrell, chair of the English Department, attended a week-long Environmental Literature Institute at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. He is developing a new Environmental Literature course at Loomis, and the conference will help to inform the curriculum for the new course, which he plans to teach next year.

each year to Loomis community members based on proposed projects that meet the program’s goals for learning about, promoting, and advancing environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Jeffrey Dyreson, Loomis Chaffee’s director of environmental/sustainability initiatives and associate director of the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, praised this year’s fellows for helping to make the world a better place.

Senior Ethan Twombly investigated climate change and water conservation efforts in the Desert Southwest during a two-week educational travel experience this spring with fellowship funding. On the trip, organized by the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, Ethan and 11 other Loomis students and their faculty chaperones took part in a field study on the preservation of desert species with representatives from the not-for-profit organization Earthwatch. They also toured Joshua Tree National Park with scientists from the University of CaliforniaRiverside.

The Gilchrist Environmental Fellowship program was created in 2012 through a grant from the Wallace Research Foundation.

Fellowships are granted

loomischaffee.org | 21

brilliant!

Alumnus Traces His Path to Environmental Business Work

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REGORY ZUBOFF ’08 was the keynote speaker at a special luncheon in May honoring senior recipients of Global & Environmental Studies Certificates.

 The Norton Family Center for the Common Good selected four students for the inaugural Norton Fellowship Program this summer, an experiential learning program focused on community outreach, action, and engagement. Rising senior Emily Favreau is exploring ways to bridge pre-teen and teenage volunteers at a children's hospital. Sisters Elizabeth and Erika Herman, both rising seniors, are designing and building percussion instruments from natural or reclaimed materials for a nature conservancy. Rising junior Anna Turner is helping underserved students in grades four through six to explore creative writing.

Greg talked about his path to a career in environmental business and emphasized that persistence and patience helped him break into the field. An associate at Wind Sail Capital Group, a Boston-based firm that invests in companies that advance energy innovation and sustainability, Greg said he always had been interested in science. After taking advanced biology courses at Loomis, he thought he might pursue a career in medical research. He switched directions, however, after an internship at Harvard Medical School during his senior year, when he decided that lab research, while valuable and interesting, was not for him.

 Junior Brian Lew placed second at the 2016 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair for his research, titled “Investigating the cardiac effect of toxicity by microwaved plastic products using Daphnia magna.”

At Boston College, Greg studied business and soon gravitated toward courses related to environmental and climate change-related work.

He worked part time during college at a solar energy firm and, upon graduation, was offered a position at a startup company in solar development. When that opportunity fell through, he took a job at a bank in New York.

After one year at the bank, he devoted himself to pursuing environmental work. He made cold calls, networked, and followed leads.

 At the Harvard Economics Tournament in April, Loomis's team won two out of three round-robin matches against 47 teams from the United States and abroad and qualified for the 16-team elimination round.

“In that process I heard a lot of no’s,” he said. “I heard a lot of maybes. But eventually it worked out.” Greg advised his listeners not to be afraid to reach out to contacts and school connections as they pursue their dream careers, and not to be discouraged by “no” and “maybe” and “not now” because those connections still are valuable.

Thirty-two seniors were awarded Global & Environmental Studies Certificates during the luncheon, organized by the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies. Each successfully completed the requirements for the certificate, which include completion of at least five Loomis Chaffee courses with the global studies designation; language study through the fourth-year level; participation in an off-campus program; involvement in Loomis extracurricular activities with international, multicultural, or environmental focuses; participation in the Global & Environmental Studies Seminar; and presentation of a final paper or project. In addition to the senior recipients, approximately 90 juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are working toward the certificates by the time they graduate.

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 Junior Lily Liu was recognized in The New York Times’ Third Annual Student Editorial Contest. Lily’s article, “Are Microaggressions Really Micro?” was among 44 entries chosen out of 6,300 submissions from students around the world.  The math team took second place overall at the regional Math Majors of America Tournament for High Schools at Yale University on April 2. Senior Chang Vivatsethachai won an individual first place award, and junior James Koh and sophomore Zeno Schwebel were on the winning “mixer” team with students from other schools.

Sixteen students competed for Loomis at the tournament.

 Students wrote, directed, and performed in 10 one-act plays during the FramedIn Theater Festival in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater in May. The festival, produced entirely by Loomis students, required that each play meet certain parameters, including focusing either literally or figuratively on the theme of “media,” confining all action to a six-cubic-foot framed-out set, running approximately 10 minutes, and using predetermined opening and closing lines.  Student environmental program leaders set up facilities for the school community to donate usable clothing, bedding, and small housewares as well as unused grocery and health and beauty aids before leaving for the summer — an effort to keep these items out of the waste stream and help local service organizations.  Student leaders from Loomis and four other independent schools met on the Island on April 6 for a community service “hackathon,” sponsored by the Norton Center. With mentors from service organizations providing guidance, the students discussed their schools’ community service programs, brainstormed unconventional solutions to problems, and proposed initiatives for positive change — all aimed at continuing to engage students in their service learning programs.  Junior Claudia Liu’s still-life painting “Breakfast in Kyoto” won a National Silver Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a competition for teens in grades seven through 12.  Twelve students joined volunteers from the Windsor community on a Saturday in April for a service project with Feeding Children Everywhere. The group packed 12,000 meals for several local food banks and social service programs.  A campus book drive for the Good Shepherd School in Uganda yielded 346 books, donated by students, faculty, and staff.

Read more about these brilliant accomplishments. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

Artist Randy Garber works in the printmaking studio with senior Madden Aleia.

Photo: John Groo

Juniors Bryson Carter and Isaac Guzman observe John Brickels as he builds a sculpture.

Photo: Patricia Cousins

Visiting Artists Share Their Expertise in Printmaking and Sculpture

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RINTMAKER Randy Garber and sculptor John Brickels each spent time on campus as Visiting Artists in April, working with and among students in the Richmond Art Center.

During her April 11–15 residency, Ms. Garber demonstrated printmaking techniques and offered encouragement to students in art teacher Mark Zunino’s printmaking class.

She also spoke to art students about her work on display in the

Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery and about her career in the visual arts.

Ms. Garber encouraged students to think of their careers and lives as chapters, rather than to try to accomplish all their goals at once.

She used her experience of having three different careers as an example. A visual arts teacher at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the College of the Holy Cross, Ms. Garber is also co-owner

of Mixit Print Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Later in April, Mr. Brickels shared his professional expertise in clay and stoneware sculpture with students in several art classes and worked with Ceramics II students on a collaborative sculpture in the ceramics studio. Known for his imaginative ceramic sculptures with architectural and mechanical themes, he shared some of the techniques he uses creating sculptures from slab

and extruded stoneware clay.

Several of Mr. Brickels’s sculptures were featured in the Ceramic Sculpture Invitational show in the Mercy Gallery this spring. A resident of Vermont, Mr. Brickels has worked for 30 years as a professional artist.

He has exhibited in the Smithsonian Institute and has garnered national attention with features in Ceramic Monthly Magazine and Hemming’s Classic Car Magazine.

Music Students Perform with Guest Musicians from The Hartt School

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OOMIS music students performed with the Hartt School Orchestra, conducted by Edward Cumming, in a concert this spring in the Hubbard Performance Hall. The evening concert featured music by Haydn, Beethoven, Sibelius, Bartok, and Richard Strauss.

Mr. Cumming is director of orchestral activities and an associate professor of music at The Hartt School, University of Hartford’s comprehensive performing arts conservatory. Mr. Cumming previously spent nine years as music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra; served as resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony; and has conducted ensembles across the United States as well as in Europe, Asia, Israel, and South Africa.

Loomis Music Department Head Susan Chrzanowski and Orchestra Director Kalena Bovell, both

Conductor Edward Cumming Photo: Courtesy of Mr. Cumming

graduates of the Hartt School, were pleased that Loomis students had an opportunity to perform under Mr. Cumming’s direction and with advanced-level Hartt music students during a portion of the concert. Kalena also served as a guest conductor during the performance.

The concert was one of many musical highlights this spring, including a chamber music performance by Duo Alterity, comprised of flutist

Loomis Chaffee Jazz Band concert Photo: John Groo

Allison Makensie Hughes and classical guitarist Joseph Van Doren; concerts by the Loomis Chaffee Concert Band and Orchestra, Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, and Jazz Band and Guitar

Ensemble; a performance by the A Cappelicans student music group; and individual student recitals to culminate the year.

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AROUND THE QUADS | OF NOTE | FACULTY & STAFF

 Retired faculty members Frank Merrill, Aubrey Loomis, Richard Venable, Bert Thurber, David Newell, and Barry Moran (above) got together at Dom’s Broad Street Eatery in Windsor for a meeting of the “icons,” as facilitator, group photographer, and semi-retired icon Chuck “Bruno” Vernon called them.  English teacher, director of writing initiatives, and long-time boys cross country and track coach Sally Knight was selected as Teacher of the Year by the Student Council this spring.

Students submit essays each year nominating teachers for the honor, and the Student Council choses a recipient. Senior Ruth Kornblatt-Stier wrote the essay nominating Sally, which included this line of praise: “Ms. Knight’s energy, like a wave, lifts you up, teaching you not only a keen eye for detail, a love of literature, and the power of motivation, but truly how to live.”  The professional expertise of the Music Department faculty is in demand off the Island as well as on campus. In just the month of May, Kalena Bovell, director of the Loomis Chaffee Orchestra, served as assistant conductor for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; David Winer, director of the Concert Band, served as an adjudicator/clinician for the Waterford (Conn.) High School Music Festival; and Susan Chrzanowski, choral director and head of the Music Department, was invited to reprise her session “Choral Music: A Global Denominator” at this year’s Think Tank on Global Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Faculty members Eric LaForest and Alexander McCandless presented at the Global Educators Conference this spring in New Orleans.

Eric, director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, and Alec, the Christopher H. Lutz Director of the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies, spoke about “Global Curriculum Development: Challenging Questions, Practical Solutions, and Looking Ahead.”  “‘Clues in Academe’: A Cross-Disciplinary Lesson Study,” an article co-authored by Rachel Nisselson, head of the Modern and Classical Languages Department, was published in the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching in February.

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 Girls varsity hockey head coach Elizabeth Leyden received the 2016 Vincent J. Reilly Coach of the Year Sportsmanship Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials Association. Liz also teaches economics and serves as head of Harman Hall.  Dean of Students Nicholas Barker and his wife, Katie Gravel Barker, welcomed their second child, son William Gregory Barker, on May 15, 2015. He joined big sister Lizzie.  Science teacher Koby Osei-Mensah received the Austin Wicke Prize at the Community Honors Banquet in June. The prize is awarded each year to “a faculty member with less than 10 years of service who has demonstrated a dedication to the discipline of teaching and a commitment to fostering the growth and development of young persons.”  Language teacher Courtney Carey was presented with the Distinguished Teaching Award at the Community Honors Banquet. The prize, established in honor of retired philosophy teacher Dominic Failla, goes to a senior faculty member each year. Courtney also was celebrated at the banquet along with fellow retiring faculty Debra Aniello, Aaron "Woody" Hess, Roseanne Lombardo, Mary Jo Regan, Geneviève Réla, Jeffrey Ross, and Kurt Winkler. (Read more about the retiring faculty on page 48.)  Three faculty members received instructorships at the end of the school year. Molly Pond was named the Jennie Loomis Family Instructor in History. The associate director of the Norton Center and a longtime history teacher, Molly received the instructorship “in recognition of outstanding teaching, of dedication to her students’ success, and for her devotion to the development of passionate engaged learners.” Choral Director and Head of the Music Department Susan Chrzanowski received the Thomas Benedict Carter Instructorship in Music “in recognition of accomplished teaching, of dedication to her students’ growth as musicians and learners, and for her passionate advocacy of the arts.” Math teacher Adnan Rubai received the Herbert Savin Instructorship in Math “in recognition of masterful teaching, of devotion to the success of every student, and for his work cultivating curious and persistent learners.”

 In recognition of their significant contributions to the success of the 2015–16 academic year, Service to the School Awards were presented this spring to Heather Fox, of the Physical Plant; Vicky Scanlon, of the Athletics Department; Rachel Engelke, head of the History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Social Science Department; Joseph Cleary, head of the Math Department; Andrew Matlack, associate dean of faculty; and Robert DeConinck, associate director of studies.  Faculty and staff members marking 20 years of service to Loomis were recognized at this year's Community Honors Banquet. They include Doreen Slomski, assistant director of nursing in the Health Center; Nancy Cleary, senior associate director of admission and director of financial aid; Lisa Salinetti Ross, director of alumni and parent relations; and Edward Pond, physics teacher, head of Kravis Hall, and water polo coach.  Housekeeping staff members Rosa Ballestas and Estella Angulo retired this year after working on the Island for 22 years and 20 years, respectively. Both were beloved by students and faculty, especially in Carter and Ammidon halls, where they worked for much of their tenure.  Faculty members departing this year for other ventures include math teachers Ashley Hansberry, Stephen Sacchetti, and Michael Wijaya; science teacher Simon Holdaway; history teacher Thomas Pipoli; English teacher Sophia Rabb; art teacher Joe Saphire; history and English teacher Rick Taylor; Associate Director of the Annual Fund Emily Cranshaw; Director of Athletics Bob Howe ’80; College Guidance Counselor Lynn Macgovern; Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Erby Mitchell; Associate Director of Athletics, head field hockey coach, and head of Carter Hall Bobbi Moran; and Associate Director of Admission and head softball coach Missy Pope Wolff ’04.  Administrative changes this summer included the appointments of Webster Trenchard, formerly dean of academic affairs, as associate head of school; Lynn Petrillo ’86, director of strategic communications and marketing, as dean of enrollment; and Susan Cabot, who is new to Loomis, as director of athletics.

AROUND THE QUADS | ATHLETICS | BY BOB HOWE ’80

Seniors Cobey Adekanbi and Beaufils Kimpolo both were high-level multi-sport athletes at Loomis, Cobey in basketball and track, Beaufils in soccer and track. Photo: Tom Honan

The Multi-Sport Athlete

D

OM STARSIA, head men’s lacrosse coach for 30 seasons at the University of Virginia, wrote an article a few years back that I continue to use as my first line of thought in my personal war on sports specialization. In the article Coach Starsia wrote, “How do you practice team offense or team defense in the off-season in our sport? The answer: by playing football, soccer, hockey and basketball.” He continues, “I wince when a young man tells me that he is giving up a sport to focus on his main sport. You simply cannot do enough by yourself in the off-season to outweigh the benefits of going to practice in another

sport, especially if that activity is being served at a high level. You can certainly find your way to the weight room in your spare time and on weekends. But coming to understand the flow of the game, anticipating the movements of your teammates and opponents, developing the ability and willingness to talk and help a teammate and the ability to make quick decisions under pressure, learning to deal with success and disappointment … these are the most valuable of skills in a team sport and, like any other skill, they need to be practiced and reinforced every day.”

Many believe that single-sport students will get better grades than their multi-sport peers. Without the daily grind of practice, conditioning, and games, the argument goes, these students have more time for course work and can give more attention to their classes. More times than I can count I’ve had students, and their parents, come to me asking to be excused from playing a sport so that they can focus on improving their academics. Rarely, close to never, have I seen this strategy work. It is a very rare student who is more productive in his or her newly acquired free time, and the lack of structure and activity sets a tone of inefficiency that doesn’t serve the student well.

Richard Ginsburg has written for many years about the effects that sport specializaloomischaffee.org | 25

Senior Justin LaRose

Sophomore Connor Galante Senior Elaine Dealy

tion can have on student athletes. In an article, “Responding to Sport Specialization,” in Independent School magazine, he makes these points: “There is evidence that specialized athletes, compared with multisport athletes, face a greater risk for less enjoyment, burnout, and overuse injuries. The level of entitlement and fragility that can develop in a highly specialized youth and high school sport career can also weaken the resolve of college athletes.”

Many Loomis varsity players aspire to play in college. So who are the most successful athletes at the college level? According to Richard Halgin, a psychologist who has worked with the University of Massachusetts hockey team for almost 20 years, a balanced approach to life and sports is the distinguishing feature of the most successful players. Does our current sports culture cultivate such balance? In my experience speaking with numerous college coaches, of both men and women, college coaches seek players who haven’t yet reached their potential and who are versatile athletes.

One scenario I have seen repeatedly stems from the pressures that premier soccer programs place on students participating on Loomis soccer teams. To maintain their place on outside soccer clubs, students are practically required to play soccer in the winter and spring. I see many younger soccer players who will never reach their potential without developing a greater level of athleticism fall into this “more is better” mentality. For example, an underclassman playing JV soccer at Loomis might want to play more soccer to achieve the dream of one day starting on a Loomis varsity team.

The problem is that this player is too slow and doesn’t see the field well. These are problems that can be cured through multisport participation. Often a player in this situation continues playing soccer off campus, doesn’t fully connect with the positive ethos of the athletics culture on campus, and doesn’t improve as a soccer player as effectively as he or she might have.

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I use soccer as an example, but the same is happening with basketball, lacrosse, hockey, volleyball, and many other sports.

Year-round training schedules for younger athletes and the pressures to do more are not only harming children emotionally and academically, but also athletically. When I read article after article about the ill effects of over-emphasis on a single sport, I often wonder why more people aren’t pushing back harder against the idea of specializing early in one sport. For any of us with active children, we are constantly being told the opposite. Playing more and specializing early are required to become “elite,” we and our children are told. People who make these arguments couldn’t be more wrong, in my opinion. Our young athletes need to play more of their secondary and third sports to help them more fully reach their potential.

Aside from this point, which some will argue is conjecture, there are many other equally important benefits of playing a secondary sport. Athletes who do too much of a single activity for too long burn out, or their intense investment in a single sport creates a fragile situation. For instance, a student who identifies himself or herself as a college-bound lacrosse player might attain the goal of being recruited by a school and gaining acceptance, only to find upon arriving at training camp the following fall that he or she will have a minor role on the team.

More often than I like to see, this person is unable to accept a lesser role and eventually decides to stop playing the sport altogether, laying blame on the coach or the college.

Learning to play different roles in different activities is one of the most important lessons we can teach student-athletes.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article by Ben Cohen about NBA superstar Stephen Curry’s approach to youth sports, I was pleased to see how much playing other sports contributed to the physical coordination and seeming superpowers that make Curry the athletic icon he is today: “Curry is the poster child for a saner approach to

athletics. In an age of hyper-specialization, Curry has reached the pinnacle of his sport by doing the exact opposite. He played basketball, but he also played football, soccer and basically everything else in a sports buffet. What worked for Curry, experts say, could work for anyone.” Mr. Cohen finishes the article by making this point: “[S]ports specialization robs impressionable athletes of a diversity of experiences that can benefit them as they develop as athletes and adults.

My final argument against specialization is the most obvious of them all: It’s not as fun.”

Should there never be any specialization with Loomis athletes? I am quick to say no.

In some cases, athletes are far enough along in their development where specializing in their primary sport for an extra term can be beneficial. However, playing sports for fun, connecting more deeply in the community, contributing to one’s school teams, and strengthening the mental capacity for facing adversity by experiencing different roles are just a few of the many reasons that we need to consider. We must be careful not to take our children’s athletics careers too seriously at a critical time in their overall development as young adults.

At Loomis Chaffee we have a deep commitment to athletics at all levels and a coaching staff dedicated to developing the whole person. We don’t get paid extra for the number of kids in our programs or by how well our teams do. We are counter-cultural in our beliefs in what is right for young athletes.

Whenever you introduce economics to athletics, a program’s need for sustainability can influence the advice given to families.

It should never surprise us to hear that an AAU basketball or premier soccer coach says that more is better and necessary. Buyers be aware. Keep what I’ve written above as part of the decision-making process. ❦ Bob Howe ’80 was director of athletics at Loomis Chaffee for the last 12 years.

Junior Emma Trenchard Photos: Tom Honan

VARSITY SCOREBOARD SPORT

RECORD

ACCOLADES

Boys Track: 8-2 Founders League Champion

2nd Place at Division I New England Championships Girls Track: 7-3 Founders League Runner-up

3rd Place at Division I New England Championships Girls Water Polo: 10-7 New England Tournament Quarterfinalist Baseball: 16-2 Colonial League Co-Champion Softball: 10-6 Western New England Tournament Semifinalist Boys Lacrosse: 10-8 Western New England Secondary School Lacrosse

Association Team Sportsmanship Award Girls Lacrosse: 17-0 Founders League Champion

Western New England Champion Boys Golf: 20-7 Bader Cup Champion Girls Golf: 14-4 Boys Tennis: 9-6 Girls Tennis: 1-10

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Five Pel ica ns

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m o

PHOTOS BY JOHN GROO 28 |

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BY BECKY PURDY SAM led the Student Council and captained two varsity teams. JOE combined scholarship, athleticism, and stage presence. JOSEPH never met a musical or academic, or Rubik's Cube, competition he didn't like. BOBBY pitched and organized community events with equal skill and contagious spirit. STEPHANY learned to add balance to her soaring academic life. And there's even more to these five stories from the remarkable Class of 2016.

READ ON.

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Samantha Roy ◗ Recipient of the Jennie Loomis Prize at Commencement ◗ Student Council President ◗4 -year varsity basketball player, 2-year captain, Class A New England All-Star as a sophomore, junior, and senior ◗4 -year varsity field hockey player, 2-year captain ◗R ecipient of a Founders Prize ◗R ecipient of the Barbara W. Erickson Senior Athletic Achievement Prize and the Junior Physical Education Prize ◗P eer counselor, admission tour guide, Boston Model U.N. participant

F

or someone who often steps outside of her comfort zone, Samantha Roy rarely gets rattled. And even when she does feel unsure of herself, you’d never know it. Maybe her willingness to try new endeavors and push the limits of her expectations are the keys to her calm demeanor. Or maybe this natural leader was born with the equanimity of a surgeon. Or both.

Whatever the origins, this Student Council president, varsity athlete, team captain, peer counselor, and diligent student earned the respect and affection of Loomis students and faculty alike through her understated, thoughtful, and inclusive manner of leadership and friendship. She received a Founders Prize, awarded to about a dozen juniors each year for outstanding academic scholarship and significant contributions to the Loomis community. And at Commencement, she received the Jennie Loomis Prize, which is given to the senior girl who is recognized by the faculty for outstanding contributions to the school. Sam’s citation for the Jennie Loomis Prize included these words of praise: “Admired for her strength of character, extraordinary work ethic, and selfless, mature leadership style, Sam’s contributions to the school are many and her positive influence extensive.”

The opportunity to try new things at Loomis Chaffee presented itself to Sam even before she enrolled. She and her family were new to the independent school world,

and until she toured the campus, she had no idea that communities like Loomis existed just down the road from home. She says she was amazed to discover “this whole other world right here in Connecticut with people from all over the world.”

She didn’t have much time to accustom herself to the idea of attending Loomis, either. She says the school initially could not provide enough financial aid to cover her family’s need. Then, two days after she started attending the public high school in her hometown of Stafford, Connecticut, she received a call from the Loomis Office of Admission: Some additional funding had been freed up, and Loomis asked her to join the freshman class. In fact, the school invited her to join preseason field hockey practices the next day. “It was a weird day, but it was cool,” she recalls. The next day instead of returning to her local high school, she was doing drills on Pratt Field and choosing her Loomis freshman courses.

Coming to preseason and playing varsity field hockey helped her social transition to the new school, she says, but it took a few weeks to adjust to Loomis’s academic atmosphere. She was surprised, for instance, that connecting with teachers was so easy and expected, and that seeking extra help was “normal.”

She found it harder to adjust to the distance from home and her close-knit family, even after four years at Loomis. Sam and her family and her dad’s two brothers and their families live in three adjacent homes that share a big yard — they call it the “Roy Family Compound” — so Sam was never far from her cousins growing up. And although she lived at home while at Loomis, classes, sports, Student Council, peer counseling, and other activities meant she spent a lot of time on campus, and it was hard to be away from family. When she began looking at colleges, she was opposed to attending a school too far from home — and she considered Maine too far. But an overnight visit with the basketball team at Bowdoin College convinced her that the college in Brunswick, Maine, was the right place for her. She

felt the same way about Loomis.

Sam’s leadership ability first emerged on the basketball court and field hockey turf. She was elected captain of both varsity teams as a junior and senior, and she led by example.

Whether in practices or in games, she was the hardest working player on the court or field.

What defines Sam as an athlete is her preparation, tireless work, and unselfish play, her coaches and teammates say. And in games, her gutsy, selfless play make her both crucial to her team and vexing for opposing teams.

“Her approach to everything from warm up to cool down and stretch is steeped with hustle, intensity, and precision,” says Adrian Stewart ’90, head coach of the girls varsity basketball team. “Sam absolutely raised the level of play for anyone on the court with her, and she did that from the moment she stepped foot on campus.” Adrian could list a dozen or more alumnae, many of whom went on to successful college athletics careers, who say Sam made them better players.

Sam influenced the overall basketball program as well. “We recruit differently, we approach practice differently, and we play better basketball because of the standard she set for herself and her teammates throughout her tenure,” Adrian says. “Every coach should have the opportunity to coach someone like her, and I feel lucky to have had the experience. … If I was never able to coach another minute again, I think I’d be OK because I’ve had the opportunity to coach a person like Sam.” When Sam decided to run for Student Council president at the end of her junior year, she knew the role would require more overt leadership and communication than she was accustomed to showing on her sports teams. “By nature I think I’m a quieter person,” she explains, but she decided to run for president because she wanted to help perpetuate the positive experience SAM | continued 40 loomischaffee.org | 31

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Joseph Hinton ◗ Recipient of a Charles Edgar Sellers Faculty Prize on Class Night ◗ Recipient of the Chéruy Senior Foreign Language Prize in Spanish ◗ Recipient of a Founders Prize, Junior History Prize, and Junior Science Prize ◗ Member of the Cum Laude Society ◗ AP Scholar with Honor ◗ Roles in 2015 and 2016 winter musicals ◗ Varsity football, soccer, and lacrosse player ◗ Academic All-American in lacrosse ◗ 4-year Student Council representative ◗ Peer counselor

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ho is Joe Hinton?

He is a talented athlete who played three varsity sports as well as JV baseball and club basketball during his four years at Loomis. He is a charismatic actor who played Cord Elam in last winter’s musical, Oklahoma!, and took on the role of Inspector Hans Kemp in the musical Young Frankenstein this winter. He is an accomplished scholar with a long list of honors and prizes. He is an active community member who served as a Student Council representative for four years, advised and supported freshmen as a peer counselor, and received the Sellers Faculty Prize on Class Night. He is a big brother whose sister Lauren was a sophomore this year and whose sister Jessica will be a freshman next year.

But who is he? Joe is still figuring that out.

What’s remarkable isn’t so much that he is still finding out about himself. What young adult is not still determining who they are and who they will be? What’s remarkable is that Joe recognizes and accepts his search for identity, and he is patient with himself.

“I’m kind of an enigma. I’m still confused by myself every day,” he says.

The Athlete: When Joe arrived at Loomis as a freshman, he wanted football to be his identity. “I wanted to be the running back

and score touchdowns,” he says.

He played on the football team for three years, gaining playing time each year and working hard over each summer to improve his strength. But, he says, he didn’t grow much physically or as a football player, and he didn’t love the game. By the end of his junior season, he had decided it would be his last. As a senior, he played varsity soccer.

Joe tried a couple of different spring sports as well. He had played baseball since the fourth grade. He also had played eighthgrade lacrosse and did well, he says, because he was a good overall athlete. But when he got to Loomis, he was intimidated by the lacrosse players’ skills. “I decided to play it safe and play baseball,” he says, and he joined the JV baseball team.

Then he discovered he didn’t love baseball either. In his sophomore spring, he played JV lacrosse. The small, injury-plagued team went 0-13 that year. (Not all of the games were demoralizing losses, he is quick to note.) More importantly, Joe and his teammates had fun and got better. Here was a sport he enjoyed and in which he could improve. A defensive midfielder, he moved up to varsity lacrosse as an upperclassman.

“I do what I can to help the team when I’m in there,” he reflected near the end of his senior season. He was named an Academic All-American in lacrosse this spring for his combination of academic excellence and athletic achievement.

The Actor: Joe acted in elementary and middle school plays, and he took acting classes at Loomis. While watching the annual Student Council Benefit Concert during his sophomore year, he realized that he missed performing on stage. The following year he auditioned for the winter musical, Oklahoma!, and he landed the part of Cord Elam, the federal marshal in the town.

After deciding to give up football, being in the Oklahoma! cast helped Joe reshape his sense of identity. “Doing the musical really helped me out, not only for my acting, but being able to mesh with a whole new group of friends,” he reflects.

Joe was cast in an even bigger part this winter, in the musical Young Frankenstein.

As Inspector Kemp, he played the Transylvania town’s zanily serious lawman with an eye patch, a wooden right arm, and a wooden left leg. Investigating the strange happenings at the Frankenstein castle with a mob of villagers in tow, Inspector Kemp and his temperamental artificial limbs were the source of much slapstick humor. His eyes darted at stark angles; his head jerked sideways unexpectedly; and his artificial arm or leg would suddenly freeze, forcing the inspector to kick or punch the errant limb into motion. The role was both physically demanding and great fun for Joe, and the audiences loved it.

As a returning actor, Joe already felt comfortable in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater this winter, and he felt a sense of unity with the Young Frankenstein cast and crew. In sports and in the previous year’s musical, he says, he tended to focus solely on himself and his own performance. During Young Frankenstein, he watched rehearsals of scenes in which he didn’t have a part to see how they were developing. “I was concerned when other people were struggling with something,” he notes. “I cared about the entire musical as a whole, not just my own role.”

Joe applied his knowledge and talent as an actor and his skill as a writer to a senior project this spring. During the last two weeks of the term, he and classmate Declan Moylan created a thriller movie that one member of the enthusiastic audience of students and faculty described as a film inspired by famed director Quentin Tarantino.

The Scholar: Along with an expanded understanding of his talents and interests, junior year brought an important acceleration in Joe’s academic growth. An intelligent, high-performing student from the beginning, he developed a passion for learning in his junior year. “I really began to engage and like academics,” he says. He took the JOE | continued 40 loomischaffee.org | 33

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Joseph Lee ◗ Recipient of Donald M. Joffray Senior Mathematics Prize, J. Newfield Senior Science Prize, Aaron P. Pratt Jr. ’35 Senior Music Prize, Junior Math Prize, and William C. Card Junior Music Prize ◗ Resident assistant in Taylor Hall ◗ Double bass player in Chamber Music Ensemble and Orchestra ◗ Pit orchestra musician for Oklahoma! ◗ Member of math team and science team ◗ Member of Cum Laude Society ◗ Regional semifinalist in Siemens Foundation competition ◗ Winner of Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition on double bass ◗ Semifinalist in U.S. Physics Olympics ◗ Second in United States in Rubik’s Cube competition and 11th in world in Pyraminx puzzle competition

I

n the J.K. Rowling novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, brainy Hermione Granger uses a Time Turner to add hours to her days so that she can take more classes than would fit in a regular day. While the Time Turner is a figment of fiction, it sometimes seemed that Joseph Lee had discovered just such a device during his three years at Loomis. He managed to engage intensively in some of the most advanced courses at the school while also devoting hours to honing his considerable musical skill, pursuing academic and puzzle competitions at every turn, and thoughtfully guiding his peers as a leader in the dorm.

Academically, Joseph pretty much exhausted the math curriculum at Loomis by the time he graduated, taking Multivariable Calculus as a junior and Linear Algebra as a senior. He says he always enjoyed math, but during his junior year, he discovered the beauty of the discipline. Joseph previously strove to find the correct answer, but his multivariable teacher, Michael Wijaya, showed him there are many ways to solve a problem but only one that is the best and most elegant solution.

Michael also encouraged Joseph to conduct mathematical research, leading to his entrance in the Siemens Foundation Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Out of nearly 1,800 projects entered in the competition, Joseph’s was one of 466 regional semifinalists — one of just eight from Connecticut schools — in this premier math and science research competition for high school students.

As a member of the math team, Joseph shared his love of math with his peers. And as the driving force behind Math Circle, a program on campus for middle school students to explore math outside of their classrooms, Joseph passed along his enthusiasm for the subject to younger students.

He excelled in science at Loomis as well.

He completed Advanced Placement Physics II as a junior and qualified as a semifinalist in the U.S. Physics Olympics this year — an honor equivalent to being named a Physics All-American, according to physics teacher Edward Pond. As a senior in AP Chemistry II, Joseph earned the J. Newfield Senior Science Prize. Until this year, however, he thought chemistry was his nemesis. After receiving an F in middle school chemistry, he says, he avoided taking high school chemistry for as long as possible. He took beginning chemistry in the 10th grade during a high school year at home in California.

(He attended Loomis for his freshman, junior, and senior years.) When he enrolled in AP Chemistry II this year, he was surprised by how much he loved the course. “With a new mindset, I can step back and see the [big] picture and enjoy it,” he says.

Musically, Joseph discovered a passion through trial and error.

Here’s how he describes his initial experience playing musical instruments: “I started on violin. Hated it. Quit. Moved on to cello. Hated it. Quit.” But he needed an arts credit in middle school, so he decided to play the double bass because his older sister, Elizabeth ’14, played and the family already owned the instrument. He still never practiced, he says, until one Wednesday in the fall of his junior year at Loomis,

when he decided he should give practicing a sincere try. He went to a practice room in the Hubbard Music Center at 12:30 p.m.

Before he knew it, it was 6 p.m. and he had been playing the double bass the whole time, happily. After that, he says, he started “pretty much living in Hubbard.”

Last summer Joseph studied at the renowned Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. And last spring, he entered the Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition on the double bass and won, earning the opportunity to play at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City in November 2015. The performance was a collective recital, so each musician played one piece. He says the first half of his piece was “nerve-wracking,” but then a calm washed over him. “It was kind of a surreal experience,” he says. “There’s a feeling when you’re on that stage when you feel like it’s just you and the music.” Elizabeth, who was in the audience, sensed the change and told him he played especially well during the second half of his piece.

Joseph says he likes the kinship of the music community and the form of expression that music offers. As a senior project, he spent the last two weeks before Commencement writing songs to go with three poems that he had analyzed, “A Dream Within a Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe, “It Sifts From Leaden Sieves” by Emily Dickinson, and “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Loomis music students recorded the original songs.

Accepted to the New England Conservatory for the Arts for college, Joseph was not sure he wanted to study music exclusively for four years. He chose instead to attend Columbia University. His plans for the fall are still taking shape, but most likely he will study engineering at Columbia and pursue music on the side through another program in New York City.

From the math team to the Golden Era music contest, Joseph likes to participate in competitions. “I like the way competition JOSEPH | continued 41 loomischaffee.org | 35

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Stephany Palaguachi ◗Y earbook co-editor-in-chief ◗ Member of robotics team ◗ Sophomore class president ◗ Recipient of a Founders Prize

application process for college-preparatory independent, magnet, and charter schools.

◗R ecipient of History Department honors as a freshman and senior and Science Depart- Stephany applied and was accepted into the program during sixth grade. For the next ment honors as a freshman and senior three summers she and others in the pro◗ Dedicated member of the III girls soccer gram would attend classes to supplement team for all four years their academic progress.

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tephany Palaguachi first heard of Loomis Chaffee when she was in eighth grade and received a list of potential independent schools from the Hartford Youth Scholars, an intensive enrichment and high school preparation program in which she participated throughout her middle school years. She first heard of the Hartford Youth Scholars program when she was in sixth grade and one of her teachers at Noah Webster Magnet School in Hartford encouraged her and several classmates to apply.

Smart and hard-working, Stephany seized these educational opportunities and made the most of them. She will be the first person in her family to attend college when she enrolls at Yale University in the fall, and her trajectory as a scholar continues to arch upward.

Stephany’s parents immigrated from Ecuador to the United States when they were young adults. Although their families knew each other, her parents did not meet until they lived in the same apartment building in New York City. They married and had two daughters, Stephany and Devi, and when they were expecting their third child, son Bryan, the family moved to Hartford.

They devoted themselves to providing their children with the best possible educations.

The Hartford Youth Scholars and its academic enrichment program, Steppingstone Academy Hartford, aligned with the Palaguachis’ dreams for Stephany and her siblings. The program prepares motivated students from the city to attend and succeed in college. Along the way, the program engages its scholars in rigorous summer academic work and guides them through the

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” she reflects. Although she enjoyed the summer program, the academic stimulation, and the company of her fellow scholars, the work was demanding. The paper assignments, long readings and annotations, grammar-focused writing, and accelerated math required long hours of homework. During that first summer, she remembers realizing that she couldn’t come home from school, watch TV, and speed through her homework as she had been doing until then. But by the third summer, she says, she was accustomed to the work load.

In eighth grade, she visited Loomis, decided to apply, and was excited to be accepted.

She chose to board because the logistics of commuting from Hartford would have been difficult on the whole family. Her parents leave for work at 6 a.m., she says, so they would have to have dropped her off at Loomis even earlier. And she had two younger siblings still at home.

Steppingstone Academy prepared Stephany well for the schoolwork she encountered at Loomis, she says. She expected to study diligently from the very beginning. “That working mentality to try to be … dedicated really helped me freshman year,” she says.

Her family’s input also fueled her dedication, she says, as her parents expected her to do well. She admits she was hard on herself. She worried that if she didn’t work hard enough, she would fail. And she was intimidated by how smart many of her classmates were.

Lilian Hutchinson, Stephany’s advisor freshman and sophomore years in Carter Hall, saw the potential and commitment in Stephany, but she also saw the pitfalls of such single-minded drive. “There was no stopping this kid. She grinds it out,” Lilian

says. “She saw her parents work many jobs to provide for her and her siblings, and she was going to honor that no matter what.”

Lilian encouraged Stephany to involve herself in activities beyond academics and to ease the academic pressure she placed on herself.

Stephany took Lilian’s advice. By sophomore year, she says, she realized she could dedicate herself to her school work without being so hard on herself.

“I pushed her to enjoy the small things at LC: friends, diversity, opportunities, even going to the mall,” Lilian says. “I still remember our conversation about getting involved and how that would change her world. Little did I know that she would go for broke and run for class officer. She won!”

Stephany also joined the yearbook staff, rising to the co-editor-in-chief position as a senior. And she eventually joined the robotics team. Robotics interested her; she wanted to know how the students built the robot. But the trophies on the robotics team’s table at the annual student activities fair intimidated her. When she was a junior, one of her friends on the robotics team convinced her to try it. “I wish I had gotten involved earlier,” she reflects. She hopes to learn robotics coding while in college.

Throughout her four years at Loomis, Stephany also played on the III girls soccer team. “I’m really bad at it, but I love it,” she says. The team is known across campus for the joy its players share for the game.

As she engaged in the life of the school, Stephany’s academic progress continued to rocket upward. “Her academic development over the years has been astounding,” says Frederique Dupre, Stephany’s college guidance counselor. Stephany started in the standard curriculum for freshmen at Loomis but added more challenge her sophomore year, with a five-course load that included Advanced Placement European History and two other advanced courses. As a junior, her courses were all at the advanced level, including Physics I Advanced, AP STEPHANY | continued 42 loomischaffee.org | 37

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Robert Cecere ◗ Recipient of the Ammidon Prize at Commencement ◗ 4-year varsity baseball player, Colonial League All-star, Colonial League Pitcher of the Year, coach’s award recipient, Colonial League co-champion team as junior and senior ◗ 3-year varsity swimmer ◗ Recipient of the Matthew Whitehead Prize as a senior ◗ Recipient of a Founders Prize ◗ Member of the Cum Laude Society

T

◗ Peer counselor, admission tour guide

ake our advice: Avoid batting when Bobby Cecere is pitching. A baseball player since he was 3 years old, Bobby pitches with accuracy, consistency, heat, and an element of surprise. His regular fastball, which has been clocked as high as 90 miles per hour, is a sinker, moving downward and to the right as it travels toward a batter. Players tend to “ground out” (hitting a ground ball that leads to an out) against sinkers, and such is the case with batters who face Bobby. He also likes to throw unexpected pitches, to keep batters guessing.

“He gets the most out of his body [that] any pitcher can get, and he is able to repeat his delivery with amazing regularity,” says Jeffrey Ross, Loomis head varsity baseball coach, who retired this summer.

Bobby’s mental focus is even more formidable than his fastball. When he steps on the mound, his emotions disappear. His face relaxes, and his mind seems to turn inward.

He describes a feeling of invincibility and calm. “I’m totally at peace when I’m on the mound,” he says.

His preparation and his pitching itself reflect the intensity of his concentration, says Jeff, who describes Bobby as “one of the most focused and mentally tough baseball athletes I’ve ever coached.”

“You clearly see that mental toughness on game days when a critical situation arises,” Jeff adds. “Bobby quickly grasps when a hitter he is facing or a pitch he is about to throw is of great import; ‘clears the mecha-

nism,’ as they say in a baseball movie from a few years ago; and far more often than not, gets the job done.”

This ability to “lock in,” as Bobby terms it, helped him through one of the most high-pressure situations of his high school baseball career. When he was a sophomore, he pitched a no-hitter through five innings against perennial powerhouse and rival Avon Old Farms. Soon after the Avon game, he pitched an eight-inning shutout against Choate. College coaches took notice, and five or six of them sat in the stands pointing speed guns at Bobby when Loomis faced Avon a second time that season. Bobby says he was nervous before the game, but not when he was on the mound. He pitched well, and although the Pelicans lost the game and Bobby gave up a home run — to an opponent who went on to play for Boston College — the college coaches were impressed. One told him later that watching Bobby pitch when he was in a jam revealed more about his ability than an easy outing would have.

Shortly after that season, Yale University offered him a spot with the Bulldogs after he graduated from Loomis. Bobby accepted on the spot.

Baseball, however, is far from the only focus of Bobby’s attention and talent.

As far back as he can remember, he has wanted to become an orthopedic surgeon, combining his love of biology and his fascination with the way the body works.

His all-time favorite classes at Loomis were the advanced science courses Microbiology and Molecular Biology. At Yale, he plans to follow a premed course of study and major in cellular and molecular developmental biology.

Bobby was perhaps best known on campus for his central role in bringing the Special Olympics to campus. When he was a sophomore, he heard that the Special Olympics Northern Connecticut Spring Trials needed a new competition site for track and field, swimming, and other events. Bobby jumped on the opportunity, convinced Loomis to

host the event, and then took charge of organizing a major volunteer effort.

With a committee of other students, he recruited what he hoped would be 70 to 100 volunteers among the students, faculty, and staff at Loomis to help athletes, serve lunch, coordinate events, run activity tables, and serve as supportive “fans in the stands.”

More than 300 volunteers stepped up for the May 2014 event.

“Coolest sight ever to see that,” he says.

The Spring Trials returned to the Island in 2015 and 2016, each year with more volunteers than the year before. This year, Bobby and the coordinating committee received 100 applications for the 11 leadership spots.

Anticipating his graduation, Bobby helped junior Grace Usilton to transition into his role this spring. Bobby’s brother, freshman Danny Cecere, also is involved.

“This event has become a seminal moment in our community,” says Bobby’s advisor, Dean of Students Nick Barker. Along with many others on campus, Nick marvels at Bobby’s skill and commitment. “Organizing this event is a major undertaking, and Bobby (did) an amazing job delegating and developing leadership opportunities,” Nick says. “His dedication to Special Olympics forges a legacy of his selfless spirit.”

In large part because of his work with the Special Olympics, Bobby this spring received Loomis’s inaugural Matthew Whitehead Prize, which honors students who create and maintain an inclusive community at the school.

Bobby’s family has been involved in the Special Olympics organization for generations. His great grandmother was a Special Olympics pioneer in New York, his aunt works for the Special Olympics in New Jersey, and his cousin also is involved in the organization.

But it was playing sports with peers with special needs that cemented Bobby’s enthusiasm for the Special Olympics.

BOBBY | continued 42 loomischaffee.org | 39

SAM | continued from 29

she had as a three-year Student Council member and as a Loomis student.

Her peers elected her to the high-profile post, and she rose to the challenge, gaining confidence in her words and actions, learning to identify what she knows and doesn’t know, and taking charge as needed but sharing duties, decisionmaking, and successes with the rest of the Student Council. Before she took office, her father told her she would change considerably through the leadership experience. She didn’t believe him, but now she says he was right.

At a faculty meeting this spring, Sam stood alone in front of her teachers, coaches, and deans in Gilchrist Auditorium and presented a disciplinary rule change proposed by the Student Council. Another council member who was supposed to join Sam at the meeting couldn’t make it, so Sam went solo. With a seasoned leader’s seriousness and calm, she answered questions from the faculty, listened to concerns, and acknowledged differing

JOE | continued from 31

college-level science courses Microbiology and Molecular Biology among mostly seniors, and he thrived. “I never really thought of myself as a science guy,” he says, but he loved the sophisticated laboratory work and the challenge of analyzing results and articulating what he learned.

History has been a keen interest all along. He took the demanding year-long courses AP European History as a sophomore, AP U.S. History as a junior, and AP Government and Politics as a senior. He talks about his fascination with the narrative of history (“It’s just a big story to me,” he says.) and the opportunities to connect themes related to historical events that happened centuries apart. His senior course load included four other AP or advanced courses and two psychology term courses.

Joe made an impression on many at Loomis for eschewing singular labels. When the Student Council held a "town hall"

40 |

opinions, and she respectfully stood her ground in supporting the proposal.

The faculty meeting was daunting, Sam says, but she channeled a quote from field hockey head coach Bobbi Moran: “Fake it till you make it.”

this new circle of Loomis peers, forging friendships that continued long after the weekend event.

In college, Sam thinks she might pursue a government-related major. Her junior history research paper examined an aspect of the criminal justice system in the United Sam’s confidence reveals itself in her natuStates. Sam’s father’s work teaching carral lack of pretense. “She’s just cool. She’s pentry at a prison sparked her interest in got a very low center of gravity. She doesn’t the prison system, she says, and she chose get ruffled,” says Head of School Sheila to research the idea of freedom in relaCulbert, Sam’s advisor this year. tion to the criminal punishment system in the United States and look at how this Sam tested herself beyond the realm of dichotomy changed from the 17th century sports and student government as well.

Her roles as admission tour guide and peer through the 19th century. Sam also is considering a college minor in psycholcounselor required her to step out of the ogy or philosophy, fields that she enjoyed background where she is more comfortdiscovering in Loomis courses. able. She also took academic risks. She acknowledges feeling a little scared after From all her comfort zone-busting experishe signed up to participate in the Boston ences, Sam is ready for the next step in Model United Nations last year. She didn’t her life, just as she was ready to tackle the know the other students in the Loomis challenges of attending Loomis Chaffee. delegation, and she didn’t know what to When Sam was looking at high schools, expect at the Model U.N. with hundreds her eighth-grade gym teacher asked her if of other highly prepared students from she wanted to be a big fish in a little pond schools around the country. But she imor a small fish in a big pond. She rememmersed herself in the new experience and bers wondering, “Why can’t I be a big fish found that she liked it. “It helped me prove in a big pond?” As it turns out, she can. ❦ to myself that I was more than just an athlete,” she reflects. And she bonded with convocation in January 2015 and invited students to share meaningful life lessons from their time at Loomis, Joe, a junior at the time, talked about the importance of following one’s interests. Although he was better known on campus as a multisport athlete, he told his peers, “I took my talents to the NEO because I wanted to.”

He encouraged the other students to do the same. Loomis, he told them, is a place where individuality is respected and fostered.

His citation for the Sellers Prize, given in recognition of personal achievement and service to the Loomis Chaffee community, praised the diversity of Joe’s passions. “Joe followed his myriad interests to all corners of the Island. … Joe lives his life with purpose, and Loomis is a stronger community for it,” the citation read, in part.

A person’s identity, Joe has discovered, is not binary. He is a scholar, an actor, an athlete, and more.

He is ready to discover the “more” in the next stage of his education. When it came

time to choose a college, he found himself examining his sense of identity once again.

Acceptances arrived in his in box from Harvard University, Brown University, and Amherst College, among others. Eventually, he chose Brown, which he says appealed to him because it has an open curriculum, fewer graduate schools than Harvard, access to professors, and a city environment without being a major city. He also felt the Brown atmosphere would best enable him to continue discovering himself. “At Brown there’s no box. You can be whatever you want to be,” he says, explaining that he doesn’t know yet what major or profession he wants to pursue. A self-motivated individual, his challenge is to decide in which direction to apply that motivation.

“I’m a man of many contrasts,” Joe says in describing himself. He has bright sides and dark sides, he notes. He’s a romantic some days and completely the opposite on other days. “I think a lot. Sometimes I’ll be walking around campus, and it will seem like my mind’s blank. But I’m always thinking.” ❦

JOSEPH | continued from 35

makes everybody strive to reach perfection,” he says.

He entered the U.S. physics, biology, and chemistry Olympiads after hearing about them from friends who had advanced all the way to the international level.

“Once I started preparing for them, the mindset of competition and perfection jumped in as I wanted to see how well I could do compared to other students [who were] working just as hard,” he explains.

“I really enjoyed these exams and competitions even though some people think no sane person should. … There is a lot of fulfillment for me when I see my scores improve, and see some of my close friends either surpass me or try to keep up, because in the end we all do better than we would have without the competitive scene.”

Joseph’s advisor, Taylor Hall dorm head Andrew Hutchinson, describes one time this year when “he dazzled the entire dorm with a tutorial in blindfolded Rubik’s Cube solving in the social room at late check-in one night.”

Back in eighth grade when Joseph was

“

Without the community that was available to me, I don’t see myself doing what I did. People are on your side. They want to see you succeed.

Although he has fared well in many competitions, winning is not his goal. On his first day on the Loomis math team, he answered one out of the seven problems correctly in an online meet. That result didn’t bother him, nor did the fact that other, more experienced math team members tutored him on competing in math meets even though he was in a higher-level math course than they were. “That’s how Loomis Chaffee is,” he says, referring to the collective effort of the team. In the annual American Mathematics Competitions, for instance, the group goal is to get as many people to pass as many rounds as they can.

— Joseph Lee He says with a grin that he finally passed the first round of the AMC this year, by one point.

”

Among Joseph’s many other talents is his prowess at solving Rubik’s Cube and other puzzles. He has competed in a number of contests that test how fast entrants can solve Rubik’s Cube, the fewest number of moves contestants can make in solving the puzzle, and who can solve the puzzle fastest while blindfolded, or one-handed. He is especially skilled in solving the Pyraminx, a four-sided pyramid puzzle similar to Rubik’s Cube. He says his goal in these competitions is to learn to solve the puzzles as fast as he can without memorizing the steps. He adds that physical training is important too, a fact made clear when you watch him twist and turn the puzzle in a blur of motion.

deciding where to attend high school, he applied to a number of boarding schools, but he chose Loomis in part because his sister Elizabeth had a great experience on the Island and thought he would love the school too. “It’s the way you think,” he remembers her telling him. What she meant, he says, was “here [at Loomis] you are encouraged to ask why and how instead of just getting the result.” The family legacy continues on the Island. Younger sister Julianna was a freshman at Loomis this year.

Joseph also chose Loomis because of the opportunities to try everything that interested him. At his middle school at home, he says, there weren’t enough resources

to include less experienced participants in activities such as the science bowl or the advanced orchestra. He couldn’t make the math team there, either, he says. His challenge at Loomis was learning to balance all of his pursuits, both academic and extracurricular, and not to overcommit himself, a mistake he says he made and learned from freshman year.

Though, or perhaps because, this humble young man did not trumpet his many accomplishments, Joseph influenced the students around him, especially as a resident assistant in Taylor this year. “Uncountable hours in the Hubbard, dealing with some rowdy juniors on his floor as an RA, accomplishing hours of homework that would bury most students, and still [finding] time to socialize, where he was often at the center of an activity, are all things that make him special,” Andrew says.

Joseph’s ability to balance his many commitments, including a dedication to community life, offered a model for other students to follow, Andrew notes, but Joseph’s leadership extended beyond the example he set. “His junior year in Taylor Hall was enough to let me know that he would make a fantastic student leader, but I did not know just how much reach Joseph would have within a dorm full of so many different kinds of residents,” Andrew says. “He approaches everyone the same, with a sincere interest in their wellbeing and a keen understanding of how to communicate with any crowd.”

And his influence as a leader reached well beyond the walls of Taylor Hall. “Joseph has unleashed a tour de force of mastery in almost every area of his career at Loomis,” Andrew says. “The academic rigor speaks for itself, and then to see him command a presence in a dormitory filled with a group of boys with a myriad of interests without ever raising his voice, then to hear that voice expressed through his inimitable double bass playing leaves all of us scratching our heads. He is uncanny as an affable, unsettling, unbalancing figure but all for the right reasons … to get the best out of the community around him.”

For his part, Joseph believes the Loomis community gave him at least as much as he offered. “Without the community that was available to me, I don’t see myself doing what I did,” he says. “People are on your side. They want to see you succeed.” ❦

loomischaffee.org | 41

STEPHANY | continued from 37

the laboratory and what she had learned in previous science courses.

Calculus AB, and English III Advanced Seminar. Freddi describes Stephany’s senior Stephany is excited to continue her studies course load as “her most demanding in college. She wrestled with choosing curriculum to date.” Her courses among several outstanding colincluded Multivariable Calculus, lege options, but ultimately she Advanced Placement Senior chose Yale. Overall, she could see Seminar in Literature, AP herself fitting in there when she French IV (Stephany’s third lanrevisited the campus this spring. guage), Psychology of Loss, two The strong Latino community term courses in economics, and at Yale appealed to Stephany althe college-level science courses though she was surprised to discover Microbiology and Molecular Biology. this aspect was so important to her. And the tone and caliber of a pre-freshman class “What I really love [is] to be able to make she attended made a strong impression. connections, to see things from different The group chose a subject for discussion at perspectives,” Stephany says. She looked random from a bowl. The topic was whether forward to Micro- and Molecular Biology political correctness is a good idea, a parclass every day, for instance, because of the ticularly hot topic on college campuses this connections between what she learned in

BOBBY | continued from 39

In the sixth grade he started playing Unified Sports, a Special Olympics program with co-ed teams that combine equal numbers of players with and without intellectual disabilities. The program was offered at his middle school in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and Bobby’s mother encouraged him to try it. He admits he wasn’t excited about the idea at first, but once he started playing Unified Sports, particularly basketball, he loved the experience.

“To see the sportsmanship they had was incredible,” he says. “They’re smiling because they love playing the game.”

The following year, the Unified Sports basketball team didn’t need any more players without special needs, but Bobby didn’t want to miss out. He asked if he could just practice with the team, and the team agreed. “I just absolutely loved hanging out with these athletes,” he says. Bobby will never forget one game when a teammate, a girl with significant special needs, missed basket after basket but never seemed to become discouraged. When an opponent stole the ball from her and scored, the girl ran over and hugged the opposing player.

Although he played town baseball and swam competitively from an early age, Bobby liked participating but didn’t relish competing. “I was a sore loser,” he says. “If my teammates didn’t do well, I’d get on them.” When he began playing Unified Sports, he caught on to the joy of camaraderie and sportsman42 |

year. “It was very intellectual,” Stephany says of the discussion. “People really wanted to know the other side.”

With her contagious desire to know all sides of an issue, with her familial grounding in the value of education and hard work, and with her growth at Loomis into an energetic intellectual with an appreciation for balance in life, Stephany no doubt will continue to make the most of opportunities to explore the world of ideas in the years to come — to the benefit of all around her. ❦

Bobby also learned not to take himself too seriously. Jeff Ross tells this story from the 2016 baseball season: “I mentioned to him that he needed to find ways to help lead the team, even if he was not leading us with his arm. He started to figure out how to do that As a freshman at Loomis, he recognized as the season progressed, and then one day that he would have to go up against older he (built) a ‘campfire’ out of baseball bats and bigger athletes to earn spots on varsity and water cups — the bats in a tepee as the teams and to play for those teams. His logs for the fire and the cups beneath them days of age-group competition were as the flames. The idea was that our bats behind him. He started to push his had all of a sudden gotten ‘hot’ and needed limits and play more aggressively, Bobby’s campfire to stay that way. It was and his competitive spirit was funny. It was positive. We all relaxed and, as unleashed. He made the varsity usually happens when you laugh and start swimming and baseball teams. He to think more positively, a tough situation sought competition everywhere. “I became much brighter, and we went from used to try to beat everyone at everything down 3-0 to winning 8-3. It was great leadI did,” he says. At swim practice, he wouldn’t ership. Bobby had the guts to stand alone just try to finish first in the workouts. He’d and look a little ridiculous, but it wasn’t long try to win the warmup and cooldown too, he before others followed.” recalls with a sheepish smile.

Bobby’s leadership extended well beyond His competitive nature matured as he the boundaries of the baseball field, into the became an upperclassman. Winning is still classrooms and community life of the Island. important to him, he says, but it has a differAt Commencement, he received the Ament meaning, wrapped up in what the team midon Prize, given annually to a boy in the accomplishes in the effort to win and in graduating class who, in the judgment of the the satisfaction of knowing you did everyfaculty, has been outstanding in his concern thing you could to help the team succeed. for other people.

He has more respect for his opponents as Ambitious, accomplished, confident, and well. Competition motivates him to better competitive, Bobby found a way to make himself, he says. situations that could have been all about him Nick has seen the change in Bobby as well. into experiences that were all about com“He is a very competitive person, and I think munity. “At the end of the day, he wants to he has figured out how to relax while still improve the lives of those around him,” Nick holding himself to high standards,” Nick says. “He seeks to lift people up.” ❦ says. “Likewise, he has learned to trust others and help set them up for success.” ship. He turned to encouraging his teammates instead of blaming them for mistakes.

He still, however, took a passive approach to competition, which isn’t a problem unless an athlete wants to excel.

O SENI R THE

PROJECT A RITE OF SPRING

STORY BY CHRISTINE COYLE

When he was a Loomis Chaffee senior, Matthew DelGrosso ’10 created a functioning computer touch screen, cutting-edge technology at the time.

Photo: Courtesy of Matthew DelGrosso

loomischaffee.org | 43

E

very spring for the last 20 years, a dozen or so Loomis Chaffee seniors have spent their final two weeks of high school engaged in intensive independent projects, crafting a seaworthy wooden boat, for instance, or writing, illustrating, and publishing a graphic novel; composing and recording digital music; or working with medical staff in a hospital neonatal unit. The projects, aptly named Senior Projects, have been as varied as the students themselves because they have sprung from the participants’ individual interests. Senior Projects have covered the arts, craftsmanship, science, technology, design, research, education, agriculture, business, the environment, and community service. What the projects have in common is the opportunity for the participating seniors to conceive, collaborate, execute, and present on subjects beyond the reach of the curriculum.

Self-discovery is the ultimate objective.

Students across the two decades agree that Senior Projects helped them develop creativity, independence, and organization and presentation skills as well as the courage to take calculated risk. For students who opt to engage in Senior Projects — and whose proposed projects are approved — the experience serves as a capstone to their Loomis educations. Rather than winding down as graduation approaches, participants gear up for an intense, in-depth exploration of a particular area of interest and are granted the time and support to enhance their learning in an unconventional way.

Senior Projects officially began in 1996. Science teacher Joseph Neary and math teacher Stuart “Rem” Remensnyder were among the faculty who initiated the program. Alice Baxter, then

44 |

Seniors Dani Hove and Emily Esposito work on creating a virtual reality system.

Photo: Christine Coyle

observations and demonstrating, in many cases, a finished product.

“

It’s amazing to see the transformation of both the student and the project from start to finish.

”

— Joseph Neary, science teacher

a science teacher and dean of faculty who has since retired, also was involved from the outset. They were inspired by observing similar programs at peer schools and other learning institutions, Joe and Rem say, and they endeavored to tailor a program for Loomis students. A handful of students were tapped for a pilot program in 1995 to assess the value of offering this kind of experiential learning, both to enrich the curriculum and to focus student energy on positive pursuits at the end of the school year.

Today, a growing number of seniors — 30 in 2016 — apply to participate each year after seeing their predecessors’ activities and final presentations.

Naomi Appel and Edward Pond, both members of the Science Department, now direct the program, which requires that

interested participants make a proposal during the preceding winter term. Proposals cover the project objectives, budget, timeline, and support needed from a faculty mentor. Accepted participants, who must be in good academic standing, are required to complete a considerable amount of advance work, including conducting research, making necessary professional connections, obtaining materials, and sometimes even doing initial construction. They are then excused from attending class during the final two weeks of the spring term while they devote their time to their projects. During the two weeks, they meet regularly with their faculty mentors and also keep Naomi and Ed informed about their progress. At the conclusion, the participants make presentations to the community, sharing their outcomes and

“It’s amazing to see the transformation of both the student and the project from start to finish,” Joe says. Many of the students are so personally committed to their projects that their presentations are full of emotion and passion for their subjects, he adds. Joe says students have told him that their Senior Projects influenced an educational or vocational pursuit or, equally valuable, led them to reconsider a previously desired career path.

Senior Project alumni from the last 20 years report that the experience was overwhelmingly positive and valuable. Naomi notes that the projects also benefit peer students, faculty, and staff, who learn from observing the projects and attending the presentations.

During the program’s infancy in spring of 1996, then-senior John Cannon ’96, a recipient of the Aaron P. Pratt Jr. Senior Music Prize, traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado, to work with Robert Covarra, organist and music professor at Colorado State University, where John had been accepted to join the freshman class that fall.

For his Senior Project, John wanted to write a piece of sacred music for the organ. His undertaking was much like a student internship, focusing on an area where he already had some inclination and talent.

Working with Mr. Covarra, John composed a piece of new sacred music for the organ, and performed the piece with a choir in a local community

church. Being immersed in the musical community and performing for an audience beyond the confines of the Island influenced and provided “immeasurable benefits” to his further education and vocation, John says. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organ performance at Colorado State, and he has performed on church organs throughout the United States and Europe, including at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. He serves as organ-choirmaster of Christ Episcopal Church in Cooperstown, New York, and provided the organ music at the memorial service during Reunion Weekend 2016.

John’s classmate Colin Thompson ’96 produced a 20-second digital animation piece for his Senior Project. The cuttingedge animation required the computing power of seven Apple Macintosh computers and Colin’s commitment of about 20 hours a day for the entire two weeks, Joe recalls. Not surprisingly, Colin went on to work on feature-length films with Pixar Animation Studios in California.

Ten years after the inaugural Senior Projects, Hannah Moshontz de la Rocha ’06 and classmates Sarah Badami and Jackie Dow worked on a communitybuilding project that involved interviewing members of the Loomis dining hall and maintenance staffs and posting their photographs and biographical information in public spaces on campus.

Two decades after he composed a piece of sacred music for the organ as his Senior Project, professional organist John Cannon '96 plays in Founders Chapel during Reunion Weekend 2016.

Photo: Christine Coyle Seniors Mallory Kievman and Catriona Hong sell their Cow Pond soaps during Springfest.

Photo: John Groo Senior Alex Lawson shows off the guitar he built with assistance from Physical Plant staff members Frank Pereira and William Marchuk. Photo: Patricia Cousins

“Our purpose was to raise awareness and encourage students to interact with people that we saw in our everyday activities,” says Hannah, who was back on campus for her 10th Reunion in June. Part of the project involved creating a photo display of the kitchen staff at the east entrance of the dining hall. Hannah was pleased loomischaffee.org | 45

that a couple of staff members recognized her during Reunion Weekend and that the display still exists and has been kept up to date. She is pursuing a doctorate in social psychology at Duke University, so her Senior Project was not far off the topic of her professional aspirations.

While there were many intrinsic benefits to her participation in the project, Hannah says, one aspect that she especially appreciates today is the practice in presenting, which she is often called upon to do in her doctoral program.

Matthew DelGrosso ’10 created a “multitouch display akin to the Microsoft PixelSense” for his Senior Project, before touch screens and tablets became ubiquitous. “No matter how well you plan for something, you can never take away all risks,” Matthew says. He applied the finishing touches to his project in the final hours before presenting his 4-by-4-by-2.5-foot fully working computer touch screen.

“I tackled the uncertain parts by trying to work on tasks in parallel and thereby saving time,” he recalls. “For example, I worked on getting the software running while I waited for the paint to dry on the exterior wood. This made up for a lot of lost time spent scratching my head or fixing problems.”

Learning to manage his time and the uncertainty of trying something new were good practice for Matthew as he set out to study computer science engineering in college and graduate school. Because of his Senior Project experience, he was able to secure a competitive position as a college freshman working in the multimedia lab at Johns Hopkins University. He held the position for five years while earning his bachelor’s degree in computer science engineering and master’s degree in engineering management.

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Ben Mazzara ’11 was an aspiring writer in high school, and he tested the waters by writing and illustrating a graphic novel as a Senior Project. The 14-page creation concerned a superhero-like character that Ben had conceived of during his years at Loomis. Taking part in the program allowed him the time to commit his thoughts to writing and produce the accompanying visual artwork. Making the illustrations and keeping to a time schedule were the biggest challenges for Ben. The most valuable takeaway, Ben says, was the storytelling advice he received from his chosen mentor, Andrew Baker, an English teacher at Loomis at the time with experience as a Hollywood writer. The advice: “Before you think of anything else, you need to know how the story begins and how it ends.

Everything else can be fleshed out,” Ben recalls. He still follows this piece of advice in his writing career. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University, Ben found work as a professional writer, but has abandoned drawing. “[I] kind of realized it’s not my bag, but I still sketch a character every now and then,” he says.

Ben’s classmate David Fischer ’11 was inspired to work on a Senior Project that involved translating ancient text found on Mesopotamian clay tablets.

In a previous summer, David’s Latin tutor, a graduate student at the State University of New York at Albany, had been involved in a project at the New York Public Library translating Sumerian tablets that contained “royal” inscriptions or temple dedications in Cuneiform — the oldest written language. David spent part of his sophomore and junior summers helping with the project, and he used the Senior Project time to complete his work.

Seniors Habiba Hopson and Olivia Diong teach local kindergarteners. Photo: John Groo Derek Martinez creates theater masks as part of his Senior Project exploring Commedia Dell'arte, a dramatic form that thrived in 16th-century Italy. Photo: Patricia Cousins Senior Zane Diamond creates a mixed-media sculpture titled "The Wanderer."

Photo: Patricia Cousins For her Senior Project, Tatiana Lovera creates a costume for the character Mrs. Lovett from the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd. Photo: John Groo

the limited demographic data about racial diversity at Loomis.

Recognizing that it is important to understand the history of racial diversity at the school in order to assess what needs to be done in the future to meet the needs of the multicultural student community, Helene says the project tapped into her personal interest in psychology and human behavior. “Diversity is about more than numbers, it’s multidimensional,” she says.

The project also helped her to recognize the satisfaction she derives from taking ownership of her work and working in a structured and organized environment, she says.

Helene earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hunter College, and while working at Loomis she is pursuing a master’s degree in social work from Boston University.

Senior Kendra Offiaeli throws a pot in the Richmond Art Center's ceramics studio as part of her Senior Project. Photo: Patricia Cousins

David says the project management skills that he put into practice on the small scale of a two-week project set him in good stead for writing a yearlong college senior thesis, a requirement of his undergraduate degree at Cornell University, and in setting timelines for marketing campaigns in his current role working for Viacom in New York City.

Even when a Student Project does not produce the anticipated result, the student can learn valuable lessons. Such was the case with the ceramics project of Garrett “Garbo” Garborcauskas ’11. The objective was to create a model of a human spine and pelvis. After sculpting the spine and rib cage two times out of clay, both sets “exploded” during the firing process in the kiln, leaving only a portion of

the pelvis and tailbone to present upon completion.

“I don’t think it’s a failure if I didn’t complete it,” Garrett reflects. “The skills I learned by the clay exploding twice were exactly what I was supposed to learn from the project: patience, perseverance, creativity in problem-solving, and humility.”

Both Neil Chaudhary ’05 and Helene Ramirez-Guerra ’07 have a dual perspective on Senior Projects. Both engaged in projects when they were seniors, and both are now Loomis faculty members. Helene is associate director of admissions, and Neil is a science teacher who also served as a Senior Projects mentor this year.

Helene and Lesley Faulkner ’07 conducted historical research and collected and documented

Neil and classmate Alex Hyner’s Senior Project was a satirical film production, which Joe Neary remembers being “exceptional.” Alex went on to work in television and film production, but Neil says the experience didn’t affect his own education or career choices in any noticeable way. It was, however, an opportunity to exercise his penchant for theater, and the experience of working with friends for a sustained time in the creative process was both enjoyable and rewarding, he says.

staff, and he demonstrated its hard-rock capacity for a crowd of teachers and peers. Emily Esposito and Dani Hove designed, built, and programmed two virtual reality systems using readily available materials, with mentoring from science teacher Ewen Ross and Director of Information Technology Daniel Corjulo. Mallory Kievman and Catriona Hong created a line of natural health and beauty products in the kitchen of Carter Hall and developed a marketing plan for their sale. Their products were the hottest-selling item at Springfest. Tatiana Lovera, who had no previous sewing experience, created a costume for the character of Mrs. Lovett from the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd.

One of the best things about being a Loomis student is having a wide variety of available learning opportunities, Neil says.

“With access to the school’s considerable resources and the time to pursue something in depth,” he says, “Senior Projects are a really cool, wonderful way to end one’s time here on the Island.” ❦

Read about more Senior Projects. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

As a mentor to Senior Projects participants, Neil says he appreciates being part of some of the interesting and unusual ideas that students have pursued for their projects.

Of this year’s 30 Senior Projects applicants, 17 were given the go-ahead for independent study singularly or in groups of two or three. Among the projects, Alex Lawson designed and crafted a working electric guitar with direction from Physical Plant loomischaffee.org | 47

Life’s Work Reflecting on the many contributions of nine retiring members of the Loomis Chaffee community.

Stories by Christine Coyle & Becky Purdy

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Woody Hess Photo: John Groo

AARON “WOODY” HESS

N

ineteen seventy-four was the year of President Richard Nixon’s resignation, Hank Aaron’s record-setting 715th home run, the invention of Rubik’s Cube, and the publication of Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie. It was also the year that Aaron “Woody” Hess Jr. took a job teaching English and coaching wrestling at Loomis Chaffee.

Although it is offered only for context, it should be noted that Woody would not like this recounting of the year based on the deeds, good or bad, of individuals. “I am no respecter of persons,” Woody has said on many occasions, alluding to a phrase often quoted in the Mennonite tradition in which Woody was raised. The enigmatic saying has been interpreted in many ways, and Woody himself leaves you to consider its meaning rather than parsing it for you.

Perhaps it suffices to say, then, that Woody arrived on the Island 42 years ago and, upon his retirement this summer, completed an opus of devoted work for the sake of the school and its community of students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni. As a teacher, a coach, an advisor, a dorm head, a dean, and an associate head of school, Woody understood people individually and collectively and conveyed a principled belief in their basic goodness as well as their ability to learn from mistakes. His influence reached every aspect of the school and will endure as part of the Loomis Chaffee ethos.

“The things he values in life are the same things the school reflects, right back to the Founders,” says Nat Follansbee, associate head of school for external relations. Nat believes the enduring values of integrity, honesty, and egalitarianism are primary reasons that Woody continued to serve Loomis — effectively and productively — for so many years, and well past the age when many people retire.

“There is no one [who] works harder than Woody Hess. There is no one who loves the school more. There’s no one who cares more about the kids,” says Head of School Sheila Culbert.

Anecdotes, lessons, and reflections gathered from people who have known Woody in his many roles at Loomis bear out the laudatory remarks from Nat and Sheila and many others. We share a few of these memories as merely a sampling of his impact on the school community through the years.

Woody, who grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and attended the Lawrenceville School and Princeton University, started teaching in 1964 at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas. He then taught at King School in Stamford, Connecticut, from 1965 to 1973. During that time, he met Martha Mann on a blind date arranged by one of Martha’s cousins. The two had grown up two blocks from one another, but they hadn’t met until the summer of 1971, in part because a highway separated their childhood homes and because Martha was seven years younger than Woody. They married in December 1971.

After leaving King School, Woody sold computers for Honeywell for six months, a venture he describes as “just a sabbatical, of sorts.” He was highly successful, the leading new account salesman for Honeywell in the Northeast region during the six months that he was on commission.

This piece of Woody’s employment history invariably shocks those who know Woody’s upbringing and his relationship with technology, which might be described as that of a “late adopter” or, more wryly, a Luddite. Woody’s mother was New Mennonite, and Woody says he and his siblings were influenced by Mennonite elders and their belief in simple living.

His mother dressed plain, in the Mennonite tradition, and people stared. “I was very protective of my mother,” he says. “I would stare back at them.”

Woody admits he knew little about computers when he went to work for Honeywell, and his boss saw that lack of knowledge as an advantage. He wanted Woody to talk to vice presidents of companies and convince them to move away from IBM. He didn’t need a salesman who could talk tech with computer experts, and his boss was right, as Woody’s sales records confirmed.

Despite this success, though, Woody returned to teaching. He missed the collegiality of education, and he wanted to be back in the classroom.

When they first arrived on campus, Woody and Martha lived in Mason Hall and later moved to Taylor Hall, where he became dorm head. Woody taught English, coached wrestling with Sam Pierson, and coached club sports.

He also became a mainstay of Twilight Softball, which pitted seven dorm teams and a faculty team against one another for the coveted Commissioner’s Cup each spring. “While the rivalries between dorms was intense, nothing, and I mean nothing, was more a focus than beating the faculty,” recalls Chair of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76, who lived in Mason the same year that Woody arrived.

Woody was a good hitter, known for hitting long balls.

“He had a tendency to pull the ball, but the other team would back up” when Mr. Hess came up to bat, says Nat, who was another stalwart of Twilight Softball.

For a board dinner this spring, where the Trustees celebrated Woody’s service, Chris pulled out a poem from the 1975 Confluence that recounted the championship game of Twilight Softball that year: … The stage was set for the final tilt ‘Tween Palmer and the Faculty squad Whoever had it left in the end Would own bragging rights in the quad It was simply a question of too many bats With Hess and Goldie and Ray Poor Palmer was out of it right from the start With a year’s bad luck in just one day.

Woody became dean of boys in 1981 and accepted then-Headmaster John Ratté’s request that he become the school’s first associate head of school in 1983, a position he held until his retirement this summer. He and Martha moved out of the dorms to Chamberlain House the same year that Woody became associate head, and they moved to their home off campus in Bloomfield in 1996, although even then, he would on occasion return to campus in the wee hours of the night if he was worried about students making questionable decisions.

Throughout his years as associate head, Woody continued to serve as a dean of students and always taught at least one section of English. He says he not only had fun in the classroom, but he believed it was important to “be in the trenches” along with his teaching colleagues.

As a school, he says, “you can’t be successful without a robust

colleagueship.” He extended that principle to duties beyond one’s job description. People must be able to rely on each other to pitch in when needed, he asserts, and he was a master at convincing other faculty to do just that.

Through his work as a dean, Woody guided generations of students and served as a trusted colleague and advisor to other deans. As associate head, Woody served as counselor to three heads of school, John Ratté, Russell Weigel, and Sheila Culbert.

To students, he was a serious, respected dean, and they feared him in the way that they might fear the voice of their own conscience. With few words, a penetrating gaze, and a reputation for fairness, he could convince students to own up to infractions. In his view, most disciplinary matters provide opportunities for students to learn, grow, and change. “Being in a difficult situation invites people to listen,” he says.

His belief in the basic goodness of people enabled him to handle discipline with fairness and without judgment, according to several of his fellow deans.

“Students who broke rules were still respected and treated with kindness,” says Ruthanne Marchetti, a dean of students alongside Woody from 1989 to 2012.

Dean of Student Life Mary Liscinsky recalls some advice Woody offered in her first year on the Island, advice she tries to summon every day. “He said, ‘You know, Mary, a little bit of extra kindness goes a long way.’”

To his colleagues, Woody was a principled person, trustworthy, respected, dedicated, and at times wickedly funny.

Many say they will miss his quick-witted, ironic sense of humor, which often arrived unannounced but perfectly timed. “I arrived knowing that loomischaffee.org | 49

hard work and a good sense of humor made all jobs more fun,” Ruthanne recalls, “but Woody’s ability to on occasion point out certain absurdities with the line ‘If you can’t laugh about it, you’re in the wrong business,’ helped to lighten some challenging moments.”

Ruthanne offers a litany of lessons she learned from working with Woody. “Never expect from others what you, yourself, would not do. Woody always led by example,” she says. “[I learned] the value of presence.

Showing up and being there speaks volumes in good times as well as difficult times. I learned the value of speaking honestly and directly in the most respectful way I could manage.”

“He helped me to learn to value my own authority,” she continues. “… I always agonized over decisions longer than Woody.

He used to tease me with his uncle’s old adage: ‘Move it, milk it, or build a shed over it!’ Honestly, he did trust me to believe in my ability to make good decisions and to have the courage necessary to do so.”

Mary says she learned a lot about listening from watching Woody. He was the first person Mary met at Loomis besides Sheila, with whom she had worked at Dartmouth College.

He interviewed Mary over dinner when she was a finalist for the dean of student life position. “I remember thinking that he was listening to everything I was saying,” she recounts. Woody listens intently and without an agenda. Even his body language — leaning forward when he is in conversation with students or colleagues or parents — conveys respect, Mary notes.

In her second year at Loomis, she recalls, a discipline situation arose one night involving a number of students. The scene was chaotic in the health center until Woody arrived. He listened, unwrapped a lollipop, put it in his mouth, and spoke 50 |

individually with one of the students. Calm prevailed. “He puts it in perspective. Discipline isn’t the worst thing,” Mary says.

Mary finds it difficult to sum up her admiration for Woody, from his vast knowledge of literature and history and music to his “stealth-like” sense of humor and from his ability to remember what it was like to be a student to his reliable practicality.

“What does Woody think?” was a common refrain in discussions among deans or administrators.

“There are people in your life who make you better at your job. There are people in your life who make you better at the rest of your life. And he’s both,” she says.

To the heads of school with whom Woody worked, he was an honest counselor. He spoke the truth to them. He was willing to argue with them.

For his part, Woody says he had a positive relationship with each of the heads during his tenure.

Each was different in their personalities and leadership styles, he says, “but all erred on the side of compassion.”

Woody and Martha’s children, Anna Hess Barresi ’97 and the late Aaron ’94, grew up on campus and attended Loomis before matriculating at colleges in New York City. “Our children helped us to see our faculty colleagues in a new light and how special they really were,” Woody says.

Martha also taught English at Loomis for more than two decades. She chose to shift to parttime teaching about 10 years ago and retired a few years later.

Woody jokes that she managed to escape the fanfare of retirement. He has not been so lucky.

Now that they both are retired, they will have more time to travel; to enjoy their homes in Spain, New Jersey, and Bloomfield; and to enjoy their granddaughter, Sylvia, the daughter of Anna, who works in the Loomis counseling office, and her husband, John Barresi. ❦

JEFF ROSS

H

ome runs, runs batted in, earned-run averages, batting averages, innings pitched. Baseball fans love statistics, and the sport provides plenty of numbers to analyze. Here are a few statistics to consider about head varsity baseball coach and Associate Director of Admission Jeffrey Ross, who retired this summer after 30 years as a Loomis Chaffee faculty member:

The baseball team’s victory over Taft on May 25 was Jeff’s 200th win as head coach, the most wins ever accumulated by a Loomis baseball coach.

Jeff’s 18 seasons at the helm of the baseball program ranks him second historically among Loomis baseball head coaches, after Ralph Erickson (21 seasons) and ahead of Al Beebe (16 seasons).

The varsity team’s 13-0 run at the end of this spring’s season is the longest winning streak in the century-long history of baseball at Loomis.

Jeff’s reach, however, extended far beyond the numbers or the baseball diamond. In the Office of Admission, Jeff interviewed hundreds of applicants over the last 18 years. He advised applicants’ families, guided them through the application process, and helped them to determine whether Loomis was the right fit for their child. He also helped coordinate the office’s work with prospective Pelican athletes and Loomis coaches. He forged a relationship between the school and the Boys Club of New York, initially by bringing a baseball showcase to the Island and then by connecting the admission office with inner-city kids from the Boys Club who were promising students.

Before working in admissions, Jeff taught history and served as a college guidance counselor. During his tenure at Loomis, he also coached football, including three years as head coach, assistant coached baseball, worked as a dorm affiliate, and served as a faculty advisor, among the many other hats that faculty members wear. Jeff and his wife, Susan, raised their sons, Matt ’01 and Tim, on campus, living for many years in Brewster House on the corner of Faculty Row. Through the decades and in all of his roles, Jeff says he treasured the collegiality of the school and the feeling that he was helping to make the school better. He found mentors at every turn, something he had not found at the two previous boarding schools where he had worked before arriving on the Island in 1986. At Loomis, he says, “I found good role models, good mentors, people who have challenged me to be better, to grow.” His bosses built good teams and enabled Jeff and others to play to their strengths. He cites Rist Bonnefond and Alison Burr, heads of the College Guidance Office during his time as a counselor; Bob Southall and Bob Howe, athletic directors during his tenure; Tom Southworth and Erby Mitchell, heads of admissions over his 18 years in the office. And he counts former headmaster John Ratté, former head football coach Bill Eaton, and former head baseball coach Duane Estes among his mentors.

Jeff recalls a conversation with history teacher Karen Parsons during their first year at Loomis. “She said, ‘You really seem to appreciate the collegiality of this place more than anything.’ Boy, that was insightful,” he says. “I had all these great people to work next to. It was hard not to be good, or at least decent.” Members of the

Jeff Ross Photo: Patricia Cousins

Physical Plant staff have been among Jeff’s closest colleagues and friends on the campus.

“They know that I take pride in what I do here. And I know that they take pride in what they do here,” he says.

In Jeff’s first years at Loomis, he didn’t coach baseball at any level. At his previous school, he had been the head varsity coach of football, hockey, and baseball — a daunting combination.

He says he was relieved when Loomis needed him to be an assistant football coach and an assistant JV boys hockey coach.

The school didn’t need any baseball coaches at the time.

After two years, Jeff became the head JV baseball coach and stayed in that coaching position for a decade, learning from Duane and others about developing a program at Loomis.

When he moved up to the head varsity spot for baseball, Duane switched to the JV coaching position to support Jeff and the program as it moved forward.

For Jeff, and for Duane and others before him, Loomis baseball was a program, developing JV players to move up to varsity and emphasizing the importance of JV players and JV coaches in the big picture.

Even some of the Pelicans’ most successful varsity players began on the JV team. Starting pitcher Robert Cecere ’16, who will play at Yale next year, pitched for most of his freshman spring for the Loomis JV team, enabling him to develop as a player rather than riding the varsity bench to wait for a few chances to take the mound. When he moved up to varsity as a sophomore, he was ready. During

his sophomore season, Bobby pitched a no-hitter through five innings and attracted the notice of college coaches. Bobby sees that season as a turning point.

Jeff describes it as a natural progression. “I think coaches often see a player’s potential and upward trajectory sooner than the player does, so I’m not surprised that Bobby would point to things that happened that season as major turning points or developmental landmarks,” Jeff says. “We knew [Bobby] was ready to pitch well at the varsity level, even against the top competition we face, but since it hadn’t actually happened yet, Bobby didn’t realize it was possible. Once he did, Bobby seized on things.” (See a profile of Bobby on page 39.)

ness and help nurture — seeing a person’s potential and helping him or her to recognize it and make it blossom. As one who has always sought out and valued mentors in his life, Jeff has cherished the chance to pass the favor on to young people and colleagues alike.

Jeff and Suz will live full-time at their home on the New Hampshire coast, just a few miles from both Suz’s mother, who has lived in New Hampshire for many years, and Jeff’s father, who moved there from Ohio this year. Jeff expects he’ll be involved in the sport of baseball in some capacity well into his retirement. ❦

Those are the kinds of student success stories Jeff loves to witloomischaffee.org | 51

to live with and run a dorm full of teenage girls. And she took another chance on Loomis in 2002 when she accepted the added responsibility of running the 24-hour-a-day Health Center. Ruthanne and Woody say they knew Deb would do a great job in both roles, and they were right.

“From day one you knew exactly the mix of drill sergeant, teacher, counselor, mom, and playmate the girls needed,” Ruthanne wrote in a tribute scrapbook that the dorm gave to Deb when she retired. “Best of all, you knew when to have the right part of that mix step forward to meet the needs of the moment.”

Deb Aniello Photo: John Groo

DEBRA ANIELLO

“T

he school really took a chance on me,” says Debra Aniello, the longtime director of health services and Palmer Hall dorm head who retired this summer.

The way Deb sees it, former Dean of Students Ruthanne Marchetti and Associate Head of School Aaron “Woody” Hess risked the unknown in 1997 when they asked her to become head of Palmer Hall. At the time Deb was the assistant head nurse in the Health Center, a staff member who “worked a shift” and lived off campus. She was untested as a key figure in the boarding community.

Ruthanne and Woody — and the rest of the Loomis Chaffee community — see it the other way around: The school is fortunate that Deb agreed to give up the relative predictability of life off the Island

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Deb, or “Ms. A,” as the kids called her, kept her door open to the dorm whenever she was home, whether she was on duty or not. “Hi, Ms. A! Are you in there?” the girls would call as they passed by her door. “Goodnight, Ms. A.,” they’d holler as they headed to bed. Deb’s husband, Fran, who worked for many years off campus as an athletic director and high school coach, enjoyed the dorm atmosphere too. He was the dorm dad when he came home each evening. NonLoomis friends asked Deb how she could stand the noise and the constant interruptions of living in the dorm, but Deb says she liked hearing the kids come and go and traipse up and down the dorm stairs. Every summer when the dorm first emptied, it seemed strangely quiet to her.

As a dorm head, advisor, and nurse, Deb earned the trust of students, parents, and faculty.

“There was no story that could scare you off,” Ruthanne wrote.

“Hence people could share their real concerns with you. Their trust in who you were and the respect you had for them truly encouraged people to try their hardest to become their own ‘best selves.’ And they knew that you could help them to find and accept the support they might need to do so.”

The tribute scrapbook, compiled by this year’s dorm residents and dorm faculty member Elizabeth Bucceri ’07, includes reflections from the girls who lived in Palmer in 1997–98, Deb’s first year as dorm head. In their mid-30s with established careers and their own families, the alumnae recount seemingly insignificant things that Deb said and did that left powerful, long-lasting impressions on them. One recalled having a bad cold and Deb bringing her “good tissues” for her sore nose.

The recollections are a reminder, Deb says, of the power of even the smallest deeds and words.

She has kept in touch with her Palmer girls long after they graduated. Before the advent of cell phones, texting, and social media, it was harder to say goodbye, she says. In recent years, the tearful farewells have been softened by promises of “I’ll Facebook you” — promises that invariably were kept.

Deb also formed strong bonds with her colleagues in the Health Center, where they shared the camaraderie engendered by a 24-hour operation, and she will miss working with these longtime friends. “We’re like family here,” she says.

“We’ve gone through births and deaths and weddings.” Registered nurses Clare O’Malley and Doreen Slomski have worked with Deb in the Health Center for two decades. Nurse practitioner Bernadette Hirst, who went to high school with Deb in Windsor Locks, has worked in the Health Center for 14 years.

Deb earned her registered nurse certification at the Hartford Hospital School of Nursing, and she worked at Hartford Hospital for 15 years before coming to Loomis in 1989. For her first five years at Loomis, she worked the 11-to-7 shift as the night nurse in the Health Center, which was located in the original infirmary, Gwendolen Hall. She moved to the day shift and worked her way up to assistant head nurse

by the early 1990s. In 1997 she and Fran moved into Palmer, and when Barbara Shaw retired as head of the Health Center in 2002, Deb took over that role while continuing as Palmer dorm head.

Deb and Fran moved out of Palmer, with Deb continuing as a dorm affiliate, for several years after Fran had open-heart surgery in 2006. But in 2010 they moved back into Palmer. “I always knew that I’d come back,” Deb says. “It was kind of like a dorm heading sabbatical.” With the demands of the Health Center continuing to grow, Deb enlisted Fran to serve in an official capacity in the dorm when they returned so that she could rely on him to cover for her in case she was called away to the Health Center. He happily agreed, working as a beloved indorm affiliate and advisor. Sadly, Fran died last October.

This spring Deb decided to retire.

“I’ve had two 24-hour-a-day jobs since 1997. It’s just time,” she says.

“It’s just the demands of it, and I feel that I’ve stayed at this party long enough.” After the school year ended, she moved to her house in Old Lyme, Connecticut, where she and Fran had spent their summers through the years, and she plans to renovate the home for year-round living. She also looks forward to more time with her children and grandchildren. Her daughter, Kelly, and her husband have two children and live in Coventry, and her son, Danny, and his husband live in Stamford. Deb says she also plans to “take some time to heal and kind of figure out my next life adventure.”

That sounds like the kind of wise counsel she would give to someone else in her shoes. She’s heeding good advice. ❦

Courtney Carey Photo: John Groo

COURTNEY CAREY

C

ourtney Carey is a natural teacher and a master of language. A teacher of Spanish and French since 1968, including 27 years at Loomis Chaffee, Courtney also speaks Italian, German, of course English, and even the language of animals, especially horses.

She has shared her love of linguistics with generations of students, and luckily for everyone, she will continue to spread her gift for languages as she embarks on her retirement.

full, serious academic curriculum as well as sports, activities, and an open, welcoming atmosphere.

“It was so supportive,” she recalls.

“The faculty was a collection of admirable, exemplary role models.

They were very, very caring.”

Between high school and college, at the urging of her father, a former merchant marine, she lived in Europe for two years. She resided in Italy for the first year, adding another language to her repertoire, and then in France before returning to the Americas to attend Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Courtney met Morgan Carey at Westledge, where he worked in the business office, and the couple later married and moved to Germany for Morgan’s military service.

(Westledge grew to 270 students but folded for financial reasons in 1978, long after Courtney and Morgan had moved away. “It was ahead of its time,” Courtney says fondly of the school, whose campus now is the Master’s School of Simsbury.)

After college, she learned about an experimental, inclusive school being founded by Lou Friedman in Simsbury, Connecticut. The Westledge School opened in 1968 with 90 students from a variety of racial and personal backgrounds, and Courtney was a member of the original faculty, teaching French and overseeing horseback riding. The school offered a

When Courtney and her husband returned to the United States from Germany, where she, of course, picked up yet another language, Loomis Chaffee Language De-

Courtney grew up tri-lingual. From the age of 18 months, she lived in Chile, where her father was a mining engineer for a copper business.

Her parents, both American, spoke English at home. Out and about, Courtney spoke Spanish, the native language of Chile. And when she reached kindergarten, her parents enrolled her at the Alliance Française in Santiago, which she attended through high school.

loomischaffee.org | 53

partment head Joseph Stookins hired Courtney to teach French.

She suspended her teaching career to raise the couple’s children, Nathan ’96 and Elizabeth ’98, and then taught for a few years at Miss Porter’s in Farmington.

Sadly, Morgan died in 1989, and in the early 1990s, Courtney and her children, ages 9 and 12 at the time, moved to Chile — “for a change,” Courtney says. A lifelong horseback rider and former junior national equestrian champion in Chile, Courtney helped to train horses for the Chilean national team while she lived in the country with her children.

In 1993, on the recommendations of French teacher Anne Sbarge and other former colleagues from Loomis Chaffee, Dean of Faculty Alice Baxter hired Courtney over the phone from Chile.

Thus began Courtney’s 22-year return stint teaching Spanish and French on the Island. She taught every level of language, from firstyear to Advanced Placement and beyond, and whatever the level, she says she loved to watch her students develop intellectually and mentally over the course of the year. “The possibilities that people have — to me, that’s what teaching is all about, to tap into the abilities they didn’t know they have,” she says.

Her students and her advisees appreciated her genuine interest in their individual progress, her warm manner, and her enthusiasm for language and culture, particularly Latin American culture.

They also spoke in hushed tones about the rumor that “Ms. Carey’s dad was in the CIA in Chile.” The truth, Courtney says, is that her father worked in the mining business, but he did cooperate with the Central Intelligence Agency, as did many Americans living abroad.

Teaching and learning are so central to Courtney’s nature that she is temporarily stymied when asked what she has learned during her long career. But then a torrent of lessons come to mind: “What did I learn in my career?” she says. “To improve my teaching 54 |

at every turn, to love the way the relationship with each of my students grew and developed over the year, to depend on and support colleagues, to share my love for travel and to open students’ minds to all things Latin American and beyond, to enjoy the way students puzzled over the literature based on magic realism to finally understand and appreciate it, to watch students understand the way Spanish or French has a different word order to express itself, to see students better understand English grammar through Spanish or French grammar.”

As much as she loves teaching, she says she decided to retire at the end of the school year because she has energy and things she wants to do. Although her plans are still taking shape — and what is retirement if not a release from set plans and a chance for flexibility? — she would like to volunteer as an interpreter for people who cannot afford translators at such places as social services organizations. She also hopes to put her extensive equestrian experience to use in training horses for therapeutic riding, and she is interested in training service dogs for people with disabilities. Her desire to help people with physical disabilities and her comfort around people with mobility challenges may stem in part from growing up with her sister, Gerry Jones, who had polio as a child and, though she has a full and thriving life and family, has lifelong disabilities from the disease. Courtney’s altruistic tendencies also seem to have influenced her own children’s career choices. Nathan teaches adaptive skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Elizabeth works with young adults who have aged out of foster care in Baltimore, Maryland.

While Courtney’s students and colleagues on the Island will miss her daily presence, the wider world is gaining a greater share of her gently guiding hand. ❦

Kurt Winkler

Photo: Patricia Cousins

KURT WINKLER

K

urt Winkler is a planner, so it should come as no surprise to those who know him that he has a plan for his retirement, which began this summer.

Kurt had a plan when he graduated from Notre Dame University. He wanted to work as an engineer. In a 23-year career in the power industry, he put that engineering plan into action.

And he had a plan 17 years ago, when he traded in his engineering job for a new career as a math teacher at Loomis Chaffee. He wanted to teach, and he and his wife, Andrea, wanted their daughters to benefit from a Loomis education.

This plan also worked out well. Kurt quickly put his math and engineering skills to good use in the classroom, helping students to apply mathematical principles to practical applications. He created a Math in Engineering course, teaching students the practicality of mathematics in such projects as bridge construction — in their case, the construction of toothpick bridges. He also helped develop the school’s popular interdisciplinary course Model T and the Ameri-

can Industrial Revolution.

The course combined history, science, and math to look at the influence of the Model T on the car manufacturing process, the U.S. highway system, and the American landscape.

Students also had a chance to drive a Model T, and they learned to take apart and reassemble an internal combustion engine to better understand the mechanics of the vehicle.

Whether in interdisciplinary courses, Geometry, or other math classes, Kurt was known as a careful lesson planner.

He came to campus early every day to make sure he had everything prepared for his classes that day. “He value[d] his students, and every day he want[ed] things to be perfect for them,” says Joseph Cleary, head of the Mathematics Department, who spoke about Kurt at this year’s Community Honors Banquet.

Kurt also planned meticulously for the Pelican basketball and golf teams he coached.

From practice plans to gameday strategies, his advance thinking helped his athletes succeed. His boys varsity golf teams set records and won championships, including the New England golf title in 2014.

His girls JV basketball team played to an undefeated season in 2006–07. His boys JV basketball teams won in exciting style. Joe recalled the team that beat Taft at the buzzer on Taft’s Parents Day as one of Kurt’s coaching highlights.

An avid fan of his alma mater Notre Dame, which is known for its sports enthusiasm, Kurt injected the same kind of positive passion into coaching his own teams.

Kurt and Andrea’s plan for their daughters also came to fruition. Shannon and Michelle both graduated from Loomis Chaffee, in 2005 and 2008, respectively. ❦

Roseanne Lombardo Photo: John Groo

ROSEANNE LOMBARDO

“B

e the change you wish to see in the world.

That’s been my motto,” says Roseanne Lombardo, known simply as “Bardo” to her students and advisees, who retired this spring after 17 years as Loomis Chaffee’s director of community service.

A sign displaying the quote, attributed to Gandhi, was a fixture in Roseanne’s office. During her tenure, Roseanne wore many hats, including serving as advisor to the student-led Pelican Service Organization; as coordinator of standardized testing; and as dorm affiliate in Flagg and Ammidon halls. However, foremost in her Loomis career and characterizing her life’s vocation is Roseanne’s commitment to serving others and the common good.

Prior to joining Loomis, Roseanne retired from a 25-year career working in various capacities in Hartford for the Connecticut Judicial Department, including as a probation officer. Through her work in Hartford and the courts system, Roseanne became active in a number of community agencies, educational groups, and civic organizations, and her involvement will continue into her retirement.

While her retirement plans include visiting the Galapagos Islands and observing penguins in Antarctica, Roseanne says she always will volunteer in the community in some capacity.

“My son [Jonathan Lombardo ’99] says community service is in my D.N.A.,” she says.

Over the years, Roseanne has enjoyed encouraging young people to participate in service work. She hopes she ignited a spirit of altruism and philanthropy that will continue in students’ lives when they leave the Island.

Roseanne’s influence also helped connect students to the local community, even if they lived far “I owe thanks to Ruth Duell for encouraging me to apply for the posifrom Windsor when they were tion here and a debt of gratitude to Woody Hess and Alice Baxter for not in school. “Roseanne Lomtaking a chance on hiring me for the job,” Roseanne says. (Ruth is a bardo has been responsible for psychology teacher and former director of studies at Loomis. Woody countless students experiencing was associate head of school and Alice was dean of faculty when intergenerational activities with Roseanne was hired.) As part of a boarding school environment, the elders,” says Cheryl RosenRoseanne says, her position at Loomis has been a wonderful second baum, director of therapeutic career that allowed her to continue being an agent for change in her recreation at The Caring Concommunity. nection, the town of Windsor’s loomischaffee.org | 55

adult day program. “Wednesday afternoons all through the school year students and elders have played, socialized, created, and entertained each other during this very successful partnership. Smiles, wisdom, fun, and friendships are just a few of the benefits [that] the students, staff, and seniors were the beneficiaries of.”

Eric LaForest, director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, worked in partnership with Roseanne. “Anyone who has seen her work directly with our students knows this one big truth about Roseanne: She knows how to illuminate problems hidden in plain sight and how to bring Loomis students to the point of engagement,” he says. “She knows how to disrupt the rhythms and cycles of boarding school life.

She does not simply work for the common good; she proselytizes on its behalf and urges us to act upon our lofty principles.”

“Bardo’s” mischievous spirit and zest for life will be missed by her students and colleagues, and the campus will seem a quieter, and slightly less joyful, place without Roseanne’s occasional raucous bursts of laughter echoing around the campus. ❦

Mary Jo Regan

Photo: John Groo

MARY JO REGAN

H

elping students overcome obstacles to achieving their academic potential was Mary Jo Regan’s primary focus at Loomis Chaffee. Though she officially retired in December 2015 after 14 years as director of academic support services, Mary Jo remained a consultant to Loomis through the end of the 2015–16 school year.

Mary Jo also was connected to the school as an advisor to students; as head of the Prize Committee for eight years; and as a member of a number of other committees during her tenure. Her husband, Mark Regan, served as a volunteer varsity baseball assistant coach alongside Jeffrey Ross for 10 years through this past spring season.

“I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to work with a large crosssection of individuals who are authorities in their field of expertise,” Mary Jo says. “Just having lunch with members of the Science Department is a learning experience.”

Mary Jo’s role grew tremendously in her years at Loomis, to the great benefit of the students she served and the school in general, according to Director of Studies Timothy Lawrence, who paid tribute to Mary Jo at the Community Honors Banquet this spring. Her job initially was three-quarter time but within two years became a full-time position. She served as the school’s services for students with disabilities coordinator, oversaw the Special Needs Committee, and was a key initiator and member of the Concussion Committee, among other roles.

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She also helped create the Learning Resource Center when Chaffee Hall was renovated.

The center is a hub of tutoring, learning skills support, and guidance for faculty, parents, and students, whether the students qualify for learning accommodations or not, Tim said.

“In Mary Jo,” he said, students “recognized excellence, strong guidance, and effective support, and in the [Learning Resource Center] a welcoming and quiet space in which to find success.”

A lifelong learner herself, Mary Jo holds a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and a master’s degree in special education from St. Joseph’s University. Mary Jo was grateful to be able to take advantage of many professional development opportunities as a faculty member, experiences that helped her stay current in the field and enhanced her students’ learning.

Prior to joining Loomis, Mary Jo worked in public and private schools and as an independent consultant to individual students and families. Through her participation with the New England Association of Learning Professionals, Mary Jo had access to information about learning and the brain from experts in the field as well as from leading authorities on learning disabilities, including attention deficit and autism spectrum disorders.

A resident of Windsor, Mary Jo’s plans for retirement include spending more time with her husband and her two sons, who live in California and Florida.

She has missed doing the volunteer civic work she used to do when she was at home raising her family, and she says she plans to renew her involvement. When not visiting her family’s cabin in Vermont, Mary Jo hopes to return to the Island for occasional performances.

She especially enjoys the dance revues and the student recitals in Founders Chapel. “The music recitals were always such a pleasant break” for the whole community in the sometimes exhausting, but rewarding work of learning, reflects Mary Jo.

Genevieve Rela

Photo: John Groo

GENEVIEVE RELA

“I’

ve always loved words,” says Genevieve Rela, “Mary Jo has a huge heart and who retired in June after many years of teachendless patience, despite how ing French. “And all my life, I’ve wanted to tested it was in some cases,” Tim be a French teacher. It’s just what I’ve always said. “We and the students we wanted to do.” serve are indeed fortunate to Genevieve spent the last 10 years following her have benefited from the legacy calling at Loomis Chaffee. She says she loved teaching on the Island of Mary Jo’s incredible chambecause of the small class sizes and students who were respectful pioning of success in all those whose lives she has touched.” ❦ and eager to learn.

A native speaker from near Toulon in the south of France, Genevieve came to Connecticut to complete her master’s degree in French literature at the University of Connecticut. She says her love of art kept her in this area, where she met and then married local artist Chet Kempczynski, who teaches in the Loomis Visual Arts Department.

Genevieve was an instructor at Manchester Community College and at the Berlitz School in West Hartford before joining the faculty at Glastonbury High School, where she remained for 14 years.

After taking a hiatus to look after her young family, Genevieve says her friend and colleague Ann Sbarge, a long-time member of the foreign language faculty at Loomis Chaffee, eventually convinced Genevieve to return to teaching.

Through her years of experience, Genevieve says she came to understand that teaching language is a mix of science and art, and

involves much more than practicing grammar and assigning grades. “Developing a curiosity for another culture is as important as learning the language itself,” she says. Her ultimate teaching goal was to ignite an interest and appreciation in her students for “the Francophone world on our little planet.” Genevieve also sought to debunk the standard clichés about French society, and she believes it was important to instill in her students a global social consciousness.

Seeing students become enamored with learning about French language and culture was the most rewarding part of her career, says Genevieve. She was especially gratified to receive a note from a former high school student thanking Genevieve GENEVIEVE | continued 58 loomischaffee.org | 57

GENEVIEVE | continued from 57

With a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and many years of serving clients in the corporate world and other institutions, including boarding high schools, colleges, and summer camps, Fred’s lengthy experience helped him to deliver on high expectations. He credits a high school teacher for steering him toward the culinary institute. He is also grateful for his mentors at Aramark who taught him the business and showed him how to develop good client relationships. Fred is quick to point out that he enjoyed leading a great team at Loomis and owes much of his success to their hard work.

for the inspiration to pursue a career in teaching language.

The commitment necessary to be a good teacher, to continually find fresh ways to present lessons, and to sustain the energy needed to keep pace with young learners takes its toll over time, she says. And while she enjoyed being in the classroom immensely, Genevieve says she is ready to take a deep breath and relax.

An avid reader, Genevieve was scolded as a young girl for staying up too late reading by flashlight under her bed. She says she is looking forward to having the time to continue her own education by reading books about history and re-reading books she remembers enjoying.

Genevieve has plans in the works to visit France with her two daughters, Eva Kempczynski ’09 and Margot Kempczynski ’11, both of whom she says had great experiences as Loomis students. She also hopes to take advantage of off-peak travel discounts and spend more time visiting her friends and family in France.

For the most part, though, Genevieve plans to have no set plans.

Retirement for her is to “live life at a more natural pace and in a mindful way,” and always to have a book at hand. ❦

Fred Aransky Photo: John Groo

FRED ARANSKY

F

red Aransky, with nearly 45 years as an employee of global food service company Aramark, spent the last 14 and a half as food service director at Loomis Chaffee before retiring this spring.

“To be exact, it’s 44.7 years with Aramark,” notes Fred.

It is that kind of exacting attention to detail that Fred will be remembered for at Loomis. The day-to-day business of running the Dining Services Department requires a high degree of organization and foresight, according to Fred. Unlike in other kinds of businesses, the dining hall can’t delay today’s lunch until tomorrow if something doesn’t go right with it. Lunch has to be served every day — at the right time.

“In this business — you have to think three days ahead. That’s what I mean by needing foresight,” Fred says.

Through the oversight of all daily meals as well as numerous special occasions, Fred consistently provided high quality food at Loomis while catering to a wide range of tastes and dietary requirements.

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Serendipity led to Fred’s retirement this spring. While hanging holiday decorations outside his home in Plantsville last winter, he says, he and his wife, Jeanne, received an unsolicited offer for its sale. The offer solidified their plan to retire to Florida. Having to make a quick decision on a home in Florida meant Fred had to leave before this year’s Commencement exercises. He was sorry to miss being part of the celebration this year as he’s always enjoyed community events at Loomis, including Commencement, Parents Weekend, and Reunion Weekend.

Fred is looking forward to relief from the inherent stress of leading a full-scale food service operation, but he is uncertain how he and Jeanne will adjust to the change from his working 60-hour weeks to not working at all. He plans to be active in his community, and he might try to work part time at Disney World, which is near his new home. That way, he says, he can get discounted tickets for the grandkids.

The dining hall is at the center of everything on the Loomis campus, and during Fred’s tenure, he was a fixture in the middle of it all. He says the community atmosphere is what he will miss most on the Island. ❦

A D NCE

S

pring Dance Revue 2016 culminated the year’s study and practice of dance on the Island. Dance classes, the school’s two dance companies, the Choreography Club, and the Ballroom Dance Club as well as individual student dancers and choreographers presented three sold-out shows of artistic expression in May in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater.

Under the direction of Loomis dance teacher Kate Loughlin, the show featured ballet, jazz, hip hop, modern, contemporary, Irish, and tap dancing performed to a variety of music, from Tchaikovsky to Beyoncé.

Photos by John Groo & Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko

Senior Ana Scanlon in silhouette Photo: John Groo

loomischaffee.org | 59

Sophomore Emily Dias, backstage in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater Sophomore Haleigh Stewart, in rehearsal for the Spring Dance Revue Technical crew members sophomore Jette Elbauly, senior Zane Diamond, and junior Ramal Rauf, working on lighting in the NEO before the Spring Dance Revue Photos: John Groo

“Spies vs. Spies� by Dance Company One Photo: John Groo

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loomischaffee.org | 61

“Chicago Overture” by Dance Company One Photo: John Groo

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“All That Jazz” by Dance Company Two Photo: Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko

Junior Justin McIntosh with Dance Company One in “Stone Cold” Photo: John Groo Freshman Molly Henderson in "To Infinity," a contemporary dance choreographed by sophomore Sarah Gyurina Photo: John Groo

loomischaffee.org | 63

Junior Susanna Vdovenko, junior Alexandra Eyvazzadeh, and freshman Melissa Scanlon in “Clique” Photo: Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko

Senior Hannah McCarthy Potter and Dance Company Two in “Groove Is in the Heart” Photo: John Groo

The cast of the Spring Dance Revue 2016 Photo: Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko

Dance Company One in “You Can’t Stop the Beat" Photo: Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko

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Sophomore Claire Lavalley in “La Esmerelda” Photo: Anna Zuckerman-Vdovenko

Festival founders Leonie Kurzlechner and Emily Dias with local teacher and hip-hop performer Anthony “PopKorn” Thomas Photo: John Groo

A Grassroots Dance Festival

S

OPHOMORES Emily Dias and Leonie Kurzlechner launched the first New England Preparatory Dance Festival on campus in April. Despite a spring snowstorm that prevented some registrants from attending, about 50 dance students, enthusiasts, and novices from Loomis and the Ethel Walker School participated in the day of workshops and performances.

Emily and Leonie, who study dance at Loomis and serve as artistic directors of the Choreography Club, organized the festival with the help of dance teacher Kate Loughlin and Dean of Students Michael Donegan. The girls envisioned the event as a parallel experience to the interscholastic academic and athletics events that many Loomis students enjoy. They say a multi-school education and performance event that focused on dance didn’t previously exist among the region’s independent schools.

Workshop instructors included Kate, Ethel Walker dancer teacher Cheri Soule, local teacher and hip-hop performer Anthony “PopKorn” Thomas, and yoga instructor and Loomis faculty member Bobbi Moran.

“We were … really pleased that a number of kids who joined in the workshops aren’t regularly involved in dance. Our intent was to make it open to anyone, not just dance students,” Leonie says. She and Emily already have ideas for next year’s festival.

See more photos from the festival and Spring Dance Revue. www.loomischaffee.org/magazine

loomischaffee.org | 65

OBJECT LESSONS | BY KAREN PARSONS

In 1969, Loomis faculty member Joel Sandulli wrote to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black asking if he would meet with students enrolled in his Constitutional Law course. Black’s response, shown here, set the stage for an extraordinary moment of experiential learning. Letter in the collection of the Loomis Chaffee Archives, gift of Joel Sandulli

could see was the top of his head.” The Log reported that the discussion with Black — an “extremely sharp [man], and very interesting to talk to” — ranged broadly, with students asking “questions about unions, the draft, discrimination, and freedom of speech.” Joel remembered the justice’s responding to one question by referencing his absolutist view on the Bill of Rights and drawing out from his pocket “a dog-eared copy of the Constitution,” reading aloud the First Amendment to the Loomis boys. Two years later, The New York Times obituary for Black noted, “a well-thumbed copy [of the Constitution] was always in his pocket.”

Constitutional Law at the U.S. Supreme Court

O

N May 5, 1969, a small group of Loomis students met for an hour with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in his Washington, D.C., chambers.

The esteemed jurist, then 83 years old and on the Supreme Court for 32 years, told them that he welcomed the opportunity to hear from young people about issues of the day.

It was the late 1960s, and harbingers of change in American society were evident, including decisions made that year by this court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, on freedom of speech in public schools and the media, peaceful assembly, voting rights, and lawful search and seizure. On the Island,

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students in the Constitutional Law course, taught by Joel Sandulli, had taken turns arguing landmark cases in American legal history, especially in regards to the First Amendment and the freedom of religion, before their own “court” of classmate “justices,” who later wrote decisions. Sitting in the grand Court Chamber that Monday morning and then later with Justice Black in his private chambers provided the ideal opportunity for the abstract to become real, for ideas to become experience.

Joel recalled the justice’s office during a recent phone conversation: “There was an enormous desk covered with books and briefs. Black was a small man, and all we

Appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937, Black sat on the bench during the final years of the New Deal, World War II, and the first two decades of the Cold War. He voted with his fellow members of the Warren court on unanimous decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education that significantly expanded civil liberties, and in the words of the Times obituary, Black “argued — and prevailed time and again — that the 14th Amendment required every state to obey every part of the Bill of Rights.” He was well respected for his jurisprudence and informed by a deep understanding of American history and a strict constructionist reading of the Constitution. His biographer, Steve Suitt, told NPR in 2005, “Judge Black had written hundreds of opinions … expanding the rights of free speech to those whom society considered unpopular, weak, poor, zealous, or hated. During the bleak years of McCarthyism, few, if any, Americans provided a steadier moral force to fight against the … hysteria about disloyalty and communism than Judge Black.”

How did Loomis students come by the opportunity to visit with Hugo Black? While teaching at another school, Joel had taken a class to visit Supreme Court Justice Byron White, with whom he shared a mutual friend, but he believes it was student research that yielded Black’s name as the justice they were most interested to meet. ❦ Karen Parsons is archivist and teaches history.

ALUMNI NEWS | EDITED BY MADISON NEAL

1933

“Enjoying my 101st year” writes Lawrence M. Baldwin. “I assume I’m the only living member of the Class of 1933, but I am still driving, caning chairs, and making Nantucket baskets.”

1941

William “Moe” S. Hatt retired last year at 91 years old and continues to stay active, running three days a week. He enjoys living with his son Richard in Sarasota, Fla.

1945

Gordon W. Thomas writes, “It is unfortunate that I report the death of my wife Alice in 2015 after 62 years together. She died in San Jose, Costa Rica, while on a cruise of the South and Central American coasts, during which we were accompanied by our two daughters.”

1946

1948

Lucien Sellet reports, “Sue and I still live in Chapel Hill, N.C. She enjoys feeding birds and deer, and also loves her flower garden. I try to play tennis three times per week when travel and weather permit.”

1949

Shirley Snelgrove Currie writes, “It’s been a rough year medically! Fell down my back steps last November — fractured my back!” After four months, Shirley is mostly recovered and continues to enjoy time with her family. “My great-granddaughter is almost 2 years old!” she reports.

1950

“Founded lifelong learning program at the University of Virginia in 2001, which has been very successful with 1,500 students,” writes James McGrath.

Arthur “Art” Lombard and his wife, Denise, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on February 14. The couple has two sons, Howard, 59, and Peter, 58; five grandchildren, ages 17 to 36; and six great-grandchildren, ages 8 months to 6 years. Art writes, “I can’t believe I graduated from Loomis almost 66 years ago!”

1951

Frederic “Ted” M. Cowles III reports, “Jan and I moved to the Duncaster Retirement Community in Bloomfield, Conn., in May 2015. It’s a 10-minute drive to St. Alborn’s Episcopal Church, where we have been active for 55 years; 15 minutes from the Avon-Canton Rotary Club; and 30 minutes to Canton Land Trust activities as well as our beautiful home in Canton, which is presently rented until my son Rick and his wife sell their nearby home so they can assume a third generation role in the 1760-built historic structure, among the oldest in Canton.”

CHAFFEE BOOK CLUB

“I’m still enjoying life in Putney, Vermont, with its lively arts and community scene,” writes Margaret “Margot” G. Torrey.

“I’m rich with family in close touch!” Margot enjoys being a grandmother to a growing family and looks forward to adding two more grandchildren soon.

Margot celebrated her 88th birthday in Culebra, Puerto Rico, with friends.

1947

James H. “Beaver” Cunningham writes, “Living in a retirement home where my neighbors mostly appreciate my bad puns …. That’s because I listen and laugh at theirs!”

The May gathering of the Chaffee Book Club featured the New York Times bestseller The Soul of an Octopus

by Sy Montgomery. Head of the Science Department Betsy Conger led participants in the fascinating discussion. Attendees were: (front) Evelyn Smith ’50, Mims Brooks Butterworth ’36, Elaine Title Lowengard ’46, Gretchen Schafer Skelley ’45, Alice Smith Templeton Custer ’45, and Jane Dewitt Torrey ’67; and (back) Betsy Conger, Anne Schneider McNulty ’72, Katie Cox Reynolds ’45, Peggy Hansen Sparrow ’50, Kate Butterworth de Valdez ’67, Sue Fisher Shepard ’62, Jenefer Carey Berall ’59, Beverley Earle ’68, Sally Hoskins O’Brien ’55, and Priscilla Ransom Marks ’66. Florence Ransom Schroeter ’71 attended but is not pictured. loomischaffee.org | 67

’45 ’46 ’47 ’64 A mini-reunion this summer, organized by Sam Blumenthal ’47, brought together alumni from the mid-1940s and their spouses: Polly Dyer, Katie Cox Reynolds ’47, Arline Doxsee Herriott ’46, Phil Isenberg ’47, George Hastings ’45, Laura Hastings, Dan Dyer ’47, Elaine Title Lowengard ’46, Bill Bernhart ’47, Frances Blumenthal, Sam, and (kneeling) Dave Van Vleck ’47. Not pictured: Alice Isenberg.

Ron Bogdasarian ’64 (middle) visited former faculty members Don and Sue Joffray in July 2015.

’66 ’64

’64

George Massey ’64 and Tom Barefoot ’64 attend classmate Don Hooper’s retirement from the National Wildlife Federation in Montpelier, Vt., on March 24. Dan Jones ’64 and Ron Bogdasarian ’64 also attended the special tribute.

’57

Ron Bogdasarian ’64 and his wife, Mimi, join Donald Hooper ’64 at Don’s retirement recognition party after 17 years heading the eastern section of the National Wildlife Federation. Ron writes, “‘Hoop’ was lauded and applauded for his great work, vision, and passionate commitment for environmental preservation and action to mitigate climate change.”

’64

Reunion 2016 — Chaffee Class of 1966 — 50th Reunion: (front) Martha Ritter, Carole Crane Finck, Sally Perrin Gibbs, Jane Sobuta Rath, Jan Manocchio Hickcox, Evelyn Traeger Haas, Cindy Weaver Lincoln, and Kathleen McQueeney; and (back) Melinda Smith Partridge, Brooke Gilbert Mallory, Betsy Mallory MacDermid, Priscilla Ransom Marks, and Melissa Smith Hubbard Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

’66

In May, after 42 years practicing the specialty, Ron Bogdasarian’s ’64 otolaryngologist uniform gets mothballed.

He writes, “I’ll miss it dearly, but know how to look and move forward!”

John Paoletti ’57 published Michaelangelo's David: Florentine History and Civic Identity in 2015. A second printing will be available soon.

’63

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In 2015 Paul Schwartz ’63 published The Rosendale Suite. The novel “follows four major episodes in the life of an American artist, Richard Rosendale, who left his home in Milwaukee in the early 1930s to study art at Paris’s École des Beaux-Arts.”

Reunion 2016 — Loomis Class of 1966 — 50th Reunion: (front) Bill Lang, Rick Standish, Rob Spurrier, Bill McKissock, Doug Viets, and Walt Bell; and (back) Steve Johnson, Anthony Newfield, John Bonee, John Gantz, Hersey Egginton, and Charlie Waiveris.

Attended Reunion, but missing from photo: Doug Karp, Howard Law, Jack Larson, and Ron Sieber. To see an additional class photo taken at another point during the weekend, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine. Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

1952

“The girl I took to the senior prom and I have now been married 64 years,” writes Frank “Bob” Cook. “We recently sold our Vermont house and moved back to Riverton, Conn., to be closer to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

Mystic Seaport will present its 2016 America and the Sea Award to Bob Johnstone and his brother Rodney ’54 on October 22. The award is given annually by the museum and recognizes individuals or organizations whose contributions to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character.

President of Mystic Seaport Steve White had the following to say about Bob and Rod: “Over the past 39 years, the Johnstone family and their company have influenced American yachting and sport of sailing in incomparable ways. They have established a record of accomplishment that few will ever challenge, and they have instilled in countless Americans a passion for enjoying time on the water with family and good friends aboard good boats. For these reasons and many more, Mystic Seaport is proud to bestow its America and the Sea Award to Bob and Rod Johnstone [of] J Boats Inc.”

1953

John D. Little writes, “Living in Maine is still the way life should be — thank goodness only 1.2 million people understand this to be true!”

Peter Hendrickson reports that he “retired” in 2001 after 35 years of architectural practice in Southampton, N.Y., and moved to Portland, Ore. In 2013, Peter returned to Southampton and renewed his part-time practice. (www.bytheseaxllc.com)

1954

For news of Rodney Johnstone, see newsnote for Bob Johnstone under the Class of 1952.

1955

Lee H. Ellison reports that his son Alexander graduated from Williams College in June. His daughter Laura has another two or three years of college. Lee writes, “I continue to sculpt. I have a large granite sealium in the Mystic Seaport Gallery.”

1956

“After 15 years of being snowbirds, Arlyn and I live full time at Ballen Isles in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.,” writes David R. Bamberger III.

“Extremely impressed with all the advances in the school’s teaching and student activities,” writes Marty Nemirow. He helps teach history at Georgetown Day School and tutors inner-city students. Marty sends his regards to his classmates from 1956.

Edward “Ted” Quirk reports, “We see Richard “Dick” Sharpe and Trudy, who also live in Las Vegas, often. We spend summer on the beach in Carlsbad, Calif.”

1957

“Same old, same old,” writes Susan Schaffer Patricelli. “Retired and living in the desert of Arizona these past five years.

Miss Connecticut friends but not Connecticut weather.”

1959

Debbie First writes, “Enjoying being on Head’s Council and applaud the school in its 2016 incarnation. The program is exciting. The campus beyond words — the faculty exciting, engaging, and cause to celebrate! My personal and professional life continue to keep me out of trouble — family and friends keep me real!”

1960

Barry O’Neal wrote about his excitement in seeing his granddaughter Kayleigh in June when his family celebrated his 74th birthday. “Still singing at St. Michael’s Church,” notes Barry, “and writing the odd song (very odd!).” Barry keeps in touch with Frank McGuire regularly and announces he is still in good health, “Thank the good Lord!”

1961

“I was heartened by the clarity and candor (and absence of defensiveness) in Sheila Culbert’s recent communication disclosing the investigation into sexual abuse allegations on campus, thus earning my continued strong support going forward,” writes Michael C. Smith.

Investing for the future

“O

UR shared Loomis experience was something of great importance to my father and me. It tied us together through my young adulthood, and returning to campus together was a joy we both reveled in late in his life. I remain deeply grateful for my time at Loomis. My decision to follow in my father’s footsteps by including the John G. Gantz ’37 Scholarship Fund in my estate plan was an easy one — and simply a continuation of a lifelong commitment to supporting the school. I am John G. Gantz Jr. ’66 delighted to make lives in White Plains, this further invest- N.Y. He chaired his 50th in June. His ment in the future Reunion late father was John G. of Loomis Chaffee, Gantz ’37. and I hope my gift allows others to have the same opportunities as my father and I had.”

J. Chris Brooks still teaches English at Community College of Rhode Island. He reports that he will again study Italian in Tuscany this summer. He adds that his “newest musical endeavor, ‘Western Stars,’ plays classic Western swing music.”

The John Metcalf Taylor Society honors more than 600 alumni, parents, and friends who have remembered Loomis Chaffee in their estate plans through bequests, trusts, or other provisions. To learn more about how you can join John and fellow members of the JMT Society, please contact:

Edward E. Maxcy reports, “I was co-chair of my Rollins College Class of 1966 50th Reunion, after which I stayed on in Winter Park to be a volunteer at the 59th Sidewalk Art Festival.”

Tim Struthers ’85 Chief Philanthropic Officer, 860.687.6221 tim_struthers@loomis.org

1962

loomischaffee.org | 69

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T

ANNUAL FUND

HANK YOU for your tremendous support of the 2015–16 Annual Fund. With your help, we had our most successful Annual Fund year in the history of the school — raising $4,254,483 from alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and friends.

THANK YOU! 1963

Although Linda Fowler has retired from the Dartmouth College faculty, she continues to teach and write. “The great benefit of retirement is not having to attend meetings and serve on committees,” she adds. She and husband Stephen planned to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June with a trip to Italy.

1964

Ron Bogdasarian keeps in touch with classmates frequently. He writes that he visited the “Joffs” in July 2015 and attended Donald Hooper’s retirement party in March 2016.

He is excited to be 70 years old and close to retirement. He and his wife, Mimi, will soon celebrate their 50th year of marriage. Ron writes, “Reaching for college and med-school 50th reunions.”

1966

Sally Perrin Gibbs was excited to return to the Island for her 50th Reunion and reports that she is still working full time at LabCorp.

“Enjoyed our 50th Reunion immensely,” writes John Bonee, “especially working with our 70 |

dedicated committee of John Gantz, Thomas R. Andrews, Hersey Egginton, Douglas Karp, Robert Spurrier, Richard Standish, and Douglas Viets plus the wonderful Katherine Langmaid and Lisa Ross of the Alumni and Development Office. They even taught me to play golf — a surprise benefit for life!” John adds that he “sadly missed Henry ‘Terry’ Spencer, who passed away, as well as everyone else who could not attend.”

1967

Peter Rowley writes, “Glover Howe ’48, I think, called our class the lost class, as we disappeared after graduation into the hazy ’60s. I haven’t been lost, but I have been absent, as have many of my classmates, from alumni reunions. Who’s going to our 50th?”

1973

Peter R. Ogilby writes, “The Dr. Jekyll side of me continues to function as a chemistry professor (or is that my Mr. Hyde side?). The Mr. Hyde side of me just released a new CD.” (www. peter-r-ogilby.com).

1978

Karen Lynne Eberle visited her 100th foreign country when

Every student and member of the faculty and staff relies on the Annual Fund, a critical resource that enriches all aspects of campus life and learning.

Your generous support enables us to provide exceptional educational opportunities for our students and important resources for our faculty. Your investment also allows us to offer a robust financial aid program, maintain and enhance our beautiful campus and state-of-the-art facilities, and above all, deliver on our Founders’ mission to inspire in our students a commitment to the best self and the common good.

Thank you again!

she and her husband traveled to Cuba earlier this year. “Cuba was such a great experience — old town Havana was the best!”

1980

Mark Nathan was named the chief executive officer and president of Tucker Toys after successfully restructuring the company. Mark reports, “The company grew over 450 percent in the past two years and is poised to be the No. 1 outdoor sports toy company soon!”

1981

Deirdre “Dédée” Murrell received an award from the American Academy of Dermatology, presented in Washington, D.C., in March. Deirdre was honored within the Members Making a Difference award category for volunteering and teaching in Vietnam and other countries in Asia.

1983

Timothy J. Sullivan Jr. is proud to announce that his son recently graduated from Classical Magnet High School and is headed off to Yale University in the fall.

1984

Susan King was invited to campus by the student leaders

of the Loomis Chaffee Business Club in May to discuss her experience as an entrepreneur.

Susan owns the Lite N Up Eatery in Granby, Conn., a café and gathering place that offers a range of fresh, healthful options for breakfast or brunch as well as sandwiches, soups, and fresh baked goods. The business, which she opened in 1990, also offers full-service catering for social events and corporate functions. Susan told students that the focus of her original mission statement — providing consistent quality with exceptional service — remains the focus for the business today.

While owning a business means she can set her own timetable, Susan noted that she works hard and is responsible for every aspect of the business.

“Hard work, consistency, attention to detail, honesty, integrity, and good customer service” are the keys to success, she advised the students.

1986

Matt Stevens reports that his sister Heidi completed their family’s genealogical study dating back to the 15th century. “Of this, I learned earlier this year that I’m a direct descendant of Joseph Loomis and Mary White Loomis on my mother’s

’69

John Edward Mooney ’69 spent a week in April at RightsCon in San Francisco participating in panels and workshops on human rights on the internet. John also helped open the Internet and Human Rights Resources Center for the Internet Society. Geoff Bishop ’69 and John’s brother Kevin Mooney ’74 recently visited John in St. Augustine, Fla. John adds, “Recently discovered co-worker Beth Gombala ’89 is a fellow Pelican. My wife just updated our coffee shop to a full-fledged bistro with music four nights a week, so please visit whenever you’re close to St. Augustine!”

’01

’86 ’15

Dana Gillette ’86, development director, and Maisie Campbell ’15, summer intern, crossed paths at the Connecticut River Watershed Council this summer. These alumnae share a love of the environment that was encouraged by their time on the Island. Dana was a Darwin Club member, and Maisie participated in Project Green and was an e-proctor.

’92

’52

During a visit to see her parents in New Canaan, Mary “Mimi” Bean ’92 captured a photo with her father, Elliot “Skip” Sisson ’52. “Too bad we aren’t wearing Loomis hats,” she writes.

Alex Casertano ’01 married Renee Bissell on June 20, 2015, on the Millbrook School campus in Millbrook, N.Y., the home of Alex’s parents, former Loomis Chaffee faculty members Drew and Linda Casertano. Alex and Renee live in Larkspur, Calif. Alex is the principal designer for Guideboat Company in Mill Valley, and Renee is a project manager for a nonprofit affordable housing developer in San Rafael. Victoria “Tory” Hoen ’02 first introduced Alex and Renee. Loomis was well-represented at the wedding: (front) Darin Kingston ’01, Tory Hoen ’02, Renee, Alex, Brad Pelletier ’01, Mackayla Kingston ’04, and former faculty member Martha Hess; and (back) Andrew Wilcox ’02, Associate Head of School for External Relations Nat Follansbee, Peter Merrigan ’01, Andrew Syfu ’01, Tyler Casertano ’04, and Associate Head of School Aaron “Woody” Hess Jr.

’91

Reunion 2016 — Class of 1991 — 25th Reunion: (front) Josina Reaves, Heather Cook, Adam Goldberg, Jeff Barber, Sarah Trautvetter, Melissa Trumbull Mitchell, Gigi Widham Freeman, and Laura Goldbarb; (second row) Bryan Carey, Corinne Gaffner Garcia, Sarah Larson, Gretchen Engster Howard, Kelly Hefner, Amanda Bryan Briggs, Maia Linask, Beth Quirk Sheeler, Emily Boyd Hanlon, Gillian MacLean Growdon, and Ellen Seitelman Erlich; (third row) Francesca Santorelli Breheney, Garret Fritts, Andrew Derr, Seth Cameron, David Longwell, Wes Del Col, Scott Havens, Turner Grant, John Howe, and Mike Joseloff; and (back) Adam Azia, Mike Herzig, Jeff Crolius, Rob Savin, Matt Whitney, Andrew Vernon, Matteo Grassi, Cooper Morrow, Mark Papadopoulos, and Ken Neal Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

loomischaffee.org | 71

JOIN US!

Loomis Chaffee Founders Day 2016 Saturday, September 24 FEATURING... ❚ L oomis Chaffee vs. Andover in six sports including football, soccer, field hockey, water polo, and volleyball. ❚ Guest lecture by Bert Thurber, Faculty Emeritus.

Founders Day September 24, 2016

side. Joseph and Mary Loomis are my 13th great grandparents.

I think that’s pretty neat!”

1997

Andrew Kurian is coaching both his sons in Darien U-10 youth travel hockey. “Four more years before they lace up for LC,” he writes.

1999

1987

Matthew Henshon’s Supreme Court brief helped win a decision in favor of affirmative action by a 4-3 vote.

Jessica L. Ritter was named partner at Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford in February.

Evan Baines received his doctorate of medicine from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences on May 21. His graduation comes with a promotion to captain within the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

Evan also was awarded the Association of the U.S. Army, the Stronger Than Iron Award, and

❚ Campus and specialty tours, community BBQ, admissions information sessions, family activities, and more!

For more information and to register, visit www.loomischaffee.org/foundersday.

the American College of Emergency Physicians Senior Student Award. His honors include Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and Gold Humanism Honor Society. Evan’s future plans consist of an emergency medicine residency at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University.

2000

Eric Kort is a science professor at the University of Michigan and is the lead author in a new study in the Geophysical

Research Letters journal. He and his team of scientists made a startling discovery about the link between domestic oil and gas development and the world’s levels of atmospheric ethane — a carbon compound that can both damage air quality and contribute to climate change.

Britt-Marie K. Cole-Johnson, a labor and employment partner at Robinson+Cole, has been appointed to the Federal Grievance Committee of the U.S. District Court for the District

COMMENCEMENT 2016: Members of the Class of 2016 join their alumni relatives for a photograph next to Huntington Wall before Commencement in May: (front) seniors Ana Scanlon, Margaret Stover, Will Kaplan, Isabel Hanson, Nathaniel Lyons, Ian Cushman, Peyton Runquist, Mallory Kievman, Habiba Hopson, Olivia Diong, Anita Richmond, Mark Byrne, Mia Edelson, and Ethan Cohen; and (back) Jeff Scanlon ’79, Claire Stover ’10, Susan Anderson Stover ’82, Sarah Robotham ’77, Will Hanson ’87, Doug Lyons ’82, Max Cushman ’15, Zoe Cushman ’12, Lars Runquist ’87, Leilah Diong ’15, Shahri Griffin ’82, Elizabeth Richmond ’80, Susan Galley Byrne ’85, Geoff Edelson ’76, Erin Cohn ’11, Robert Cohn ’76, and Rachel Kohn ’09. Photo: John Groo

72 |

of Connecticut. She will serve a three-year term through December 31, 2018. The Federal Grievance Committee reviews complaints alleging attorney misconduct relating to matters relevant to an attorney’s qualifications to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

2001

Dan Griffin was excited to attend his 15th Reunion. He credits Michael Klett for actively securing his attendance.

Dan enjoyed giving his fiancée, Courtney McDermott, a “unique fac brat tour of campus.” Dan also reports: “This July, Courtney and I will get married at the St. John’s Preparatory School Chapel, and our reception will be in Gloucester, Mass. Michael Klett and Christopher Buell will be groomsmen. Courtney and I are living in Medford, and I encourage any Boston Pelicans to be in touch. I am still working at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Mass.; however, I am no longer in admissions but I am teaching seventh- and eighth-grade English and coaching 8thgrade ice hockey and freshman lacrosse. In a small world coincidence, I am coaching Chris Gallup’s ’88 son, Jake. I was also fortunate enough to host Jeff and Sue Ross for lunch and a tour of campus last spring.”

2005

Colleen Valentine Tsilimos and her husband, Steffan, welcomed their first child, Elizabeth, in May. The family resides in Westchester, N.Y., and Colleen works in Information Security for Nasdaq.

2006

Charles Moroni will be pursuing an Executive M.B.A. at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, Class of 2018.

2007

Rebecca Wentworth writes, “I am nearing the three-year mark

assisting the CEO of Global Cycle Solutions in Tanzania with product and IT management.” Rebecca lives in Arusha, Tanzania, and proudly reports that she has completed four half marathons and is training for her first full marathon.

2009

Alexandra Dowe received a master’s degree in healthcare policy from Trinity College in Hartford and began working at Access Health CT in February as a health care policy analyst.

Caroline Russell and Carolyn Balk recently celebrated Yap Day, an annual cultural festival, in the state of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, where they are both Peace Corps Volunteers. Carolyn is based on the island of Asor in Ulithi Atoll, and Caroline is based in Fanif on the Yap mainland.

2010

Ashley Howen received her doctor of medicine in dentistry degree from Case Western Reserve University on May 15.

2011

Elham Abbas Ali Yusuf Ali worked as a project management specialist for the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain, where she specialized in performance and process improvement (PPI). Elham writes, “My drive for PPI has translated to improving the public health sphere in resource-limited settings. I’ve been inspired by the stories of people I’ve met in India, Kenya, and Uganda working for the nonprofit sector.

I am looking forward to learning at Columbia University and driving momentum to access to life-saving medicines and technologies to vulnerable communities.”

2012

Alexander Lafrance graduated with honors from Haverford College on May 14 with a bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology and a minor in psychology. His senior thesis is

WHAT IS ExCEL? The ExCEL network helps students to explore their passions and interests through experiential learning opportunities.

Alumni and parents make it happen.

Here’s how:  P rovide an internship or shadowing opportunity at your place of work  Be a guest speaker for a class  Participate in a career panel  T alk one to one with a student in person or via Skype to discuss your career

WHY PARTICIPATE IN EXCEL? For alumni, ExCEL is a great way to get involved and give back by sharing your professional expertise with today’s Loomis Chaffee students. For parents, ExCEL is another opportunity to be engaged in your student’s Loomis Chaffee experience.

For more information, contact Fred J. Kuo Director of Experiential Learning fred_kuo@loomis.org or 860.687.6091 www.loomischaffee.org/excel

loomischaffee.org | 73

ALUMNI NEWS

READERS’ VOICES

Recent Changes Align with Loomis Chaffee Mission titled “Disrupting the Small Subunit of the Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase Oxygenase Complex in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii via the CRISPR-Cas9 Genomic Modification System.” Alex will pursue a Ph.D. in molecular microbiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Dallas beginning in August.

2014

Judith Dooley, grandmother of Elizabeth Weathers, writes: “Best wishes for another successful Annual Fund. Our granddaughter Elizabeth had a wonderful experience! If the school had been what it is today, I would have taken my father’s offer of attending Chaffee. It is a wonderful place today. Being a Connecticut native, I couldn’t be more proud of what has transformed.”

After successfully completing a dunk from the freethrow line, Patrick Dickert’s #TakeFlightTuesday video went viral on social media. According to The Daily New Hampshire Gazette, “It totaled 252,000 views in three weeks. YouTube viewers watched the dunk more than 310,000 times, garnering interest from media organizations as large as USA Today and as far away as Taiwan.” STACK Magazine, a sports performance and athlete lifestyle publication, also wrote an article featuring Patrick titled, “Meet the Division III Dunk Star Who Takes His High-Flying Skills Around the World.”

Connect!

Please send your news to us! Email Alumni Newsnotes Editor Madison Neal at magazine@loomis.org to share news with classmates and friends. High-resolution photographs are welcome; please clearly identify all people.

Dear Editors,

T

he Loomis Chaffee alumni magazine always serves as a great way to catch up with the place that I called home for nearly 20 years of my life. As an educator, I am consistently impressed with the changes and evolution made to the school’s pedagogy while still consistently aligning with the mission. Most impressive is the recent concern for the holistic well being of the students at Loomis Chaffee, from the elimination of Saturday classes (gasp!) to the later first period start time. I am glad that the school has been conscientious of the burnout that is prevalent among high-achieving teenagers. I guess the old New England Yankee “break them then make them” philosophy has been properly disposed.

In my alumni response to your NEASC re-accreditation survey, I recall writing something along the lines of sexual education being the pink elephant in the room at Loomis Chaffee. The school was quite mum at the emergence of hook-up culture on campus. As someone who works with teenagers, I completely understand that discussing how to develop a healthy relationship with one’s sexuality can be a minefield. I was heartened to read about Cindy Pierce’s visit to campus ("Social Courage and Healthy Decision-Making," Spring 2016 issue). At this point in a teenager’s life, especially for an institution like Loomis Chaffee that claims “in loco parentis” over its students, it is imperative for them to receive clear and engaging education regarding sexuality and relationships.

As a Jesuit-educated Pelican (Fordham ’05), I was also thrilled to see a reference to Father Gregory Boyle in the article about Betsy Kalin’s East Los Angeles documentary ("Neighborhood Storyline," Spring 2016 issue). It should have been noted in the article that Father Boyle is a Jesuit priest. The Jesuits are a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers. They are the largest religious order in the world with over 18,000 ordained clergy on five continents. The Jesuits sponsor 28 colleges and universities within the United States. Boston College, Fordham, Georgetown, and Holy Cross are among them.

As Loomis Chaffee has started to engage your students in global citizenship and education, I highly encourage your faculty and students to study the Jesuits’ commitment to social justice. This commitment has led to the establishment of the Jesuit Refugee Services, an initiative that works in over 50 countries to meet the needs of those that have been forcibly displaced, and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, an initiative that leads recent college graduates to work for a year on anti-poverty projects across the United States and in several other countries. Their work aligns in an interesting way with the concepts of “the common good” and global stewardship espoused by the Norton Family Center for the Common Good and the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies.

—Daniel P. Griffin ’01 We welcome and encourage your opinions and reactions. Although letters may be edited for clarity, length, and accuracy, they always reflect the opinion of the writer and not necessarily that of the school. Please submit comments to Loomis Chaffee Magazine Editors, The Loomis Chaffee School, 4 Batchelder Road, Windsor CT 06095; or magazine@loomis.org.

74 |

IN MEMORIAM | BY CHRISTINE COYLE

1934 Everett Burton Miller Jr., on February 9, 2015, at Elim Park Place in Cheshire, Conn.

A three-year student originally from West Hartford, Conn., Everett was active in Ludlow soccer, baseball, tennis, and club hockey. He became a member of Yale University’s Class of 1938.

In 1940, Everett married his next-door neighbor, Margaret Anna Péard. Everett joined the Travelers Insurance Company in 1940, and his career took the family to Albany, N.Y.; New Haven, Conn.; and eventually to the home office in Hartford, Conn. While he was employed there, the Miller family lived in both West Hartford and Farmington. Everett retired from Travelers in 1976. Boating was Everett’s avocation, and from his high school years through retirement, he and his family spent many years enjoying the beach and boating. In retirement, Everett and Margaret lived for eight years full time on their yacht, Big Dipper, while traveling from Down East Maine through southern Texas.

The couple established a retirement home in South Harpswell, Maine, near where the two courted as teenagers. In 1998, they moved to Elim Park Place in Cheshire, an assisted-living community. Everett was an officer of the Connecticut Outboard Motor Association, where he raced small boats, and belonged to the City Club of Hartford and the Golf Club of Avon. He was a member of the Boy Scouts and the Power Squadron, and he served as commodore of the Orr’s Bailey Yacht Club. Predeceased by his sister Janet Miller

Ward, Everett was survived by his wife, Margaret; his two sons, Richard Miller and Everett Miller III, and their spouses; his four grandchildren; his sister Sally Miller Crabtree; and his niece and nephew. A private family service was held in West Hartford.

1940 Nelda Cain Seed, on November 4, 2014, peacefully in Manchester, England. A Chaffee School student originally from Windsor, Conn., Nelda had also lived in St. Andrews and Strathkinness, Scotland. She was one of two students in her class earning the superlative "Born to Succeed" as a senior. She was the beloved wife of the late Geoffrey Seed. A private family funeral was held in Manchester, England.

1942 Joseph R. Proctor Jr., on February 5. A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Joe was involved in Chess Club, Nautical Club, Rifle Club, Work Program, and Plantation. He was active in club tennis, winter track, first soccer team, Wolcott club soccer, Wolcott junior basketball, and Wolcott senior basketball. Joe made the Honor Roll in the 1939–40 school year. Joe graduated from Yale University in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree. As an engineer, he worked in construction supervision and management for 46 years on projects throughout the United States, North Africa, and the Middle East. Joe was a member of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, Ancient Free

& Accepted Masons, as well as the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, the American Concrete Institute, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, and Tau Beta Pi, an honorary engineering society. He was also a member of the construction panel of the American Arbitration Association. In World War II, Joe served for two years with an engineer battalion attached to the 18th Airborne Corps of the First Allied Airborne Army in the European Theater of Operations. Joe was married to his longtime love and best friend, Margaret Capers Proctor, for more than 64 years. In addition to his wife, Joe was survived by his five children, Margaret Jepsen, Rebecca Marks, Evelyn Proctor, Jennie Proctor, and Daniel Proctor, and their spouses; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on February 26 at Christ Episcopal Church in Lake Oswego, Ore.

1943 Jean Blease May, on February 19, peacefully, at Jefferson House in Newington, Conn. A lifelong resident of Wethersfield, Conn., Jean was a student at Chaffee for one year before going on to graduate from Wethersfield High School. She attended the University of Connecticut, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Jean was the wife of the late Connecticut Congressman Edwin H. May Jr. for 55 years.

Jean and Ed began their married life together at Wesleyan University following World War

II. Jean worked in the Admissions Office, and the two started their family while serving as house parents at the Chi Psi fraternity. They moved back to Wethersfield, where they raised their family and enjoyed special times with hometown friends.

Jean supported Ed throughout his long career in business and politics. Jean and her husband made many friends through the years spent as Jaycees volunteers in various civic projects, including the Insurance City Open/GHO golf tournament.

Ed and Jean were members of Wethersfield Country Club for more than 50 years. According to the family’s obituary, Jean was “the consummate lady and hostess, affectionately referred to by friends as the ‘Perle Mesta’ of Wethersfield.” Devoted to her family, Jean served as a Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts leader and a school volunteer, and she cared for her mother in later years. Jean enjoyed her grandchildren’s visits to “Camp Mariner Sands” in her Florida home during the winter, and summers with them in Connecticut.

Preceded in death by Edwin, her sister “Boo” Littlefield, and brother-in-law Carlyle “Hap” Barnes ’43, Jean was survived by her three children, Edwin “Ted” May, Laura McDonell, and Lisa Cusano, and their spouses; five grandchildren, including Heather May Eckert ’96 and Edwin “Ned” H. May IV ’99; four great-grandchildren; and many extended family members and friends. A memorial service was observed in February at The First Church of Christ, Wethersfield, where Jean was a member for more than 75 years. loomischaffee.org | 75

FORMER TRUSTEE | William Henry Flammer Jr. ’43 William Henry Flammer Jr., peacefully, on April 7 in Gladwyne, Pa. A Trustee of the school from 2001 until 2012, Bill will be remembered for his unflagging and enthusiastic advocacy for Loomis Chaffee; his more than 50 years of volunteering on behalf of his class; and his generosity and leadership supporting the school’s Annual Fund and Our Best Selves: The Campaign for Loomis Chaffee. Bill also created the Olive Maud Spence Scholarship Fund at Loomis.

A two-year student from Bronxville, N.Y., Bill was involved in the Glee Club and the Octet, and he was a cheerleader. He served on the Dining Hall and Dormitory Entertainment committees.

Bill was active in Wolcott senior track, Wolcott senior soccer, and Wolcott senior hockey. After Commencement, Bill became a corporal in the U.S. Army, serving during World War II, where he taught small arms at Fort Knox and served as a gunner in the 716th Tank Battalion in the West Pacific. After returning home, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. Bill worked for Penn Mutual Life

1946 Wallace Andrew Faber Jr., on April 11 in Westerly R.I., after a brief illness. A two-year student from Enfield, Conn., Wally was involved with the Dance Orchestra, Darwin Club, Jazz Club, and Senior Gymnasium Committee, and he was in the cast of theater productions, including York Nativity Play, Princess Ida, and Wings Over Europe. He was active in Wolcott senior football, 76 |

Insurance in New York until he was subsequently named vice president of an agency affiliated with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance. He married Betsy Gage in 1952, and together they had three children. Following Betsy’s passing in 1976, Bill married Patricia Sinnett in 1981. In 1992, Bill retired to pursue his philanthropic interests.

In addition to his generous financial support to Loomis Chaffee over the years, including breaking records as the fundraising chair for his 50th Reunion, Bill hosted numerous alumni functions in Philadelphia, Pa., and Vero Beach, Fla. After Patricia’s passing in

Wolcott hockey, first team football, first team wrestling, and gymnasium, and he lettered in first team track. A graduate of Middlebury College, Wally went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force. He enjoyed a long career in the flooring industry, including as owner of a multi-location carpet business. After nearly 50 years in business, Wally retired to Westerly, R.I., with his wife, Mary, and began a new chapter in his life as a watercolor painter. Wally loved painting almost

2000, Bill established The Patricia Sinnett Flammer Gallery at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to honor her interest in the decorative arts. His passion for the Adirondack Mountains and his longstanding commitment to their conservation led to his establishing The Flammer Theater at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y. In 2002, he married Marian “Terri” Powers Flammer, who died in 2013. According to the family’s obituary, Bill was “known for his love of music and welcomed the opportunity to take center stage with the microphone or on the dance floor at family celebrations. A lifelong Christian Scientist, he also was known for the thoughtful way he reached out to friends and family facing difficult times through email, personal conversations, and letters — sharing his enthusiasm for life, his spiritual convictions, and offering words of strength.”

Bill’s friend Al Freihofer ’69, who also served on the Board of Trustees during Bill’s tenure, writes: “While Bill’s longstanding generosity to the school was extraordinary, I’ll always recall him most fondly

as much as he loved to cook and entertain. Predeceased by Mary, his wife of 56 years; his brother Donald P. Faber ’49; and his son Wallace J. Faber ’73, Wally was survived by two children, Carri and Scott, and their spouses; three grandchildren; and several cherished extended family members. A celebration of life was held on April 16 at D’Esopo Funeral Home in Wethersfield, Conn.

in two images that capture his energy, enthusiasm, and heart.

In 2009, as we Trustees first viewed the fully completed Hubbard Music Hall, Bill spontaneously vaulted to the stage and sang the school song.

Who knew we had a school song? Bill did, and he sang it beautifully. In the summer of 2006, while I was rowing from upstate New York to Baltimore, Bill drove almost two hours to ‘deliver’ a sandwich that I had forgotten to collect from his refrigerator the night before. From atop a fish processing plant’s towering pier, Bill’s perfect overhand pitch delivered the goods into my narrow, bobbing boat far below. He loved telling this story, and I’ll always smile as I recall the boyish enthusiasm of this remarkable, caring man.”

Bill was survived by his three children, William H. Flammer III, Hope M. Flammer, and Lucy F. Rhodes; his four stepchildren, Priscilla C. Fitzsimmons, Susan C. Davis, Hollie P. Holt, and Leigh P. Middleton; and his 13 grandchildren, including Richard J. Fitzsimmons ’09. A memorial service was held at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pa.

1947 Cynthia Comstock Benishin, on April 12 in Palm Harbor, Fla., after a difficult battle with Parkinson’s disease. A Chaffee School student originally from Hartford, Conn., Cynthia went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology from Cornell University in 1951. She worked for 18 years at the Maine State Public Health Laboratory.

Cynthia played the balalaika, a Russian stringed instrument,

FORMER TRUSTEE | Henry Ridgely Horsey ’43 Henry Ridgely Horsey, peacefully, on March 3 at home in St. Louis, Mo. Henry served as a Trustee of Loomis Chaffee from 1972 until 1978.

A three-year Honor Roll student from Dover, Del., Henry was involved in Military Drill and Flying Club, and he was president of the Stamp Club.

He served on the Palmer Entertainment Committee, Founders Committee, and Endowment Fund Committee, and he was a study hall supervisor. Henry was active on second soccer team and lettered in both Ludlow senior soccer and Ludlow senior baseball.

After graduation from Loomis, Henry was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served for three years during World War II. Achieving the rank of sergeant, Henry was discharged honorably and attended Harvard College and subsequently Harvard Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1952.

Henry was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1953. His long professional career included practicing law, serving as an

and was a member of several balalaika orchestras in Maine and New York. Cynthia was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and served the organization for 50 years at both the local and state levels. Cynthia loved to travel and enjoyed spending time in retirement living in Alberta, Canada, and in Dunedin, Fla. Her favorite pastimes included quilting, sewing, and gardening. Cynthia was survived by George, her husband of 62 years; her daughter Christina Benishin and son-in-law Wlodek Paul Zakrzewski; her two siblings, Deborah and

officer and assistant vice president of the Wilmington Trust Company, and serving in the Delaware Attorney General’s Office. During his 16-year tenure as a Delaware Supreme Court justice from 1978 until 1994, Henry authored more than 200 published opinions, many of which became landmark decisions.

According to current Delaware Supreme Court Administrator William Montgomery, Henry shared his “Ten Commandments for a New Judge” during the investiture of a young relative to the Superior Court

Fuller; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. A memorial service was held at St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor, Fla., on April 15. Interment was to be in Bath, N.Y., at a later date.

1948 James Alan Shepard, on July 31, 2015, in Pittsburgh, Pa., following a short illness. A three-year Honor Roll student from New York City, Jim was involved in the Chess Club, the Classical Music Club, and Le Cercle Français, which he served as secretary-treasurer.

He also served on the Scholar-

in 1984: “First and foremost, be kind. Second, be patient.

Third, be industrious. Four, be prompt. Five, there is no unimportant case. Six, give the office the prestige and dignity expected of it. Seven, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Eight, be tolerant of appellate courts if and when you are reversed. Nine, don’t leave home or the courthouse without your most precious tool, common sense. Ten, pray for divine guidance.”

Former Trustee Warren Eginton ’41, a U.S. District Court judge and Henry’s friend and colleague for many years, shared this remembrance: “The year Henry came to Loomis as a sophomore when I was a senior, we met and became friends while working on The Log. Henry and I shared an appreciation for Frank Grubbs, The Log’s faculty advisor at the time. In the 1980s and 1990s, when I was on the federal bench in Connecticut and Henry was on the bench in Delaware, we spoke often on the telephone.

ship Committee, on the Athletic Council, as senior English librarian, and as field manager.

He was active in athletics as manager of Wolcott intermediate football, manager of Wolcott basketball, and football game manager, and he lettered as first team basketball manager. Jim was a self-employed financial advisor and a member of the St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Green Tree, Pa. Jim was survived by his wife, Jane Lockhart Shepard, and his son, Robert Shepard.

I would call him or he would call me to discuss interesting situations that had come up [in our judicial experiences].

Henry was very knowledgeable, and he was modest about his many accomplishments, which were impressive. He was a delight to talk with and a wonderful, warm-hearted human being.”

Henry was survived by his seven children, Henry Ridgely Horsey Jr. ’73, Edmond P. Horsey ’73, Alexandra Therese Seibert, R. Revell Horsey ’79, Phillipa Ridgely Biddle, Robert Wolfe Horsey, and Josephine Elizabeth Horsey; his 11 grandchildren, including Abigail Biddle ’16; and his wife, Linda George Horsey, and her four children and three grandchildren.

Henry also leaves his cousin James G. Smith III ’78. A memorial service was held on April 2 at All Saints’ Church, Rehoboth Beach, Del.

1949 Robert Philip Follert, on August 24, 2013. A three-year student from Collinsville, Conn., Bob was involved in many organizations and activities on campus. He served on the Editorial Board and as editor-in-chief of the yearbook, Loomiscellany, as well as on the Editorial Board of The Log. In addition, Bob served on the Founders Committee, on the Student Endowment Fund Committee, on the Dormitory Committee, as dining hall supervisor, and in the Publications Association. Bob was involved in the Jazz Club, Ski

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Club, Ping Pong Club, Debating Club, Chess Club, Rifle Club, and Glee Club, and he served as president of the Sportsman Club. He was active in theater productions, including in the cast of Iolanthe and The Bat. He was on Wolcott senior football, first team hockey, and Wolcott senior baseball. Bob graduated from Yale University, after which he built a successful career in investment marketing that spanned six decades. Bob served on the Board of Governors of the Leash, and was a member of The Long Island Wyandanch Club and Squadron A. He had a lifelong passion for fly-fishing and shooting. Bob was predeceased by his brother, Richard L. Follert ’52. Bob was survived by his wife, Patricia; his two sons, Robert Jeffrey and Howard Vincent II, and their spouses; and five grandchildren.

According to the family obituary, Bob will be remembered for “the twinkle in his eye, his jokes and shaggy dog stories, his madras jackets, and his gentlemanly grace on and off stream.”

1950 William Sills Carpenter, on January 1, in Tampa, Fla. A four-year student originally from Crescent City, Fla., who, after the deaths of his parents, grew up with his siblings and cousins with a beloved aunt and uncle in West Hartford, Conn., Bill was involved in the Siti Club, Student Endowment Fund, Stagehands Union, Bridge Club, Glee Club, Dormitory Social Committee, Student Council, Entertainment Committee, Reception Committee, and Senior Executive Committee. He was active in Ludlow junior football, Ludlow hockey, Ludlow junior baseball, Wolcott junior football, Wolcott intermediate football, Wolcott senior football, Wolcott senior basketball, first team hockey, and first team tennis. After graduating from Loomis, Bill attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where he met and later married Patricia Gibbs. He enjoyed a 78 |

successful career in the life insurance business in New York, Connecticut, and Fort Worth, Texas, before retiring with 20 years of service from Transamerica in San Francisco, Calif. Bill was involved in the success of a number of start-up companies, including California’s Ravenswood Winery. His charitable interests were focused on youth education. An ardent golfer, Bill was also an enthusiastic cook and active volunteer at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in St. Pete Beach, Fla. He was survived by his brother, Thomas S. Carpenter ’48; his wife, Patricia; his four children, William, Charles, James, and Amy, and their spouses; and seven grandchildren. A memorial service was held at St. Alban’s Church.

1951 Richard J. O’Mara, on February 4 at his residence in Sandy Hook, Conn. A three-year student from Wethersfield, Conn., Dick was involved with the Bridge Club and Chess Club.

He served as captain of Allyn senior soccer and was active in Allyn intermediate basketball, Allyn junior baseball, winter track, and physical education.

After Loomis, Dick graduated from Yale University with the Class of 1955. He served in the U.S. National Guard and enjoyed a 41-year career at General Electric in Bridgeport, Conn. On June 30, 1956, he married Carolyn J. Spellacy, who preceded him in death in July 2011 after 55 years of marriage.

Together, Richard and Carolyn enjoyed watching UConn women’s basketball and dining at the Blue Colony Diner in Newtown.

Dick cherished the time that he spent with his family, especially with his grandchildren. Predeceased by Carolyn and by his brother, Edwin J. O’Mara III, Dick was survived by his two children, Maralyn Zinsky and Kathleen Kasper; and his three grandchildren. Funeral services were held at St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, and burial

took place in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Trumbull, Conn.

1952 Richard L. Follert, on January 21 in Montrose, Pa. A threeyear student from Collinsville, Conn., Dick served on the Mason Dormitory Committee, Senior Reception Committee, Dining Hall Committee, and Senior Library Committee, and he was president of the Concert Orchestra. He was a member of the Chess Club, the Spanish Club, and the Islanders. Dick was active in Wolcott senior football, Wolcott intermediate basketball, Wolcott senior basketball, Wolcott tennis, and winter track. After Loomis, Dick earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and psychology from Yale University in 1956. He served in the U.S. Army from 1956 through 1958. Afterwards, Dick went to work for CurtissWright Aviation in Rutherford, N.J., followed by a 25-year career at Link Engineering Company in Binghamton, N.Y., as a human factors analyst focused on flight simulators. Dick was active on the Parks and Recreation Committee in Montrose, where he was a founding member for what would later become the town’s KiwanisLions-Rotary service clubs’ Fourth of July Celebration. Dick was a jazz enthusiast and played the saxophone. His favorite pastimes included doing daily crossword puzzles, playing bridge, and spending time with his grandchildren. Predeceased by his brother, Robert P. Follert ’49, Dick is survived by his wife of 54 years, Philippa Hudon Follert; his five children, Susan, Katherine, Elizabeth, Jennifer, and Thomas, and their spouses; 13 grandchildren; and many extended family members. A Mass of Christian Burial was held at the Holy Name of Mary Church in Montrose.

Robert N. Little, on February 10 at home in Broad Brook, Conn. A three-year student

from Bristol, Conn., Bob was involved in the Jazz Club, Bridge Club, and Stagehands Union.

He served as supervisor of the Commencement Committee and on the Senior Library Committee. He was active in Allyn senior football, Allyn junior basketball, and Allyn senior basketball, and he lettered in first team basketball. After Loomis, Bob graduated from Tufts University and enjoyed a long career in the field of information technology. In retirement, he served for several years on the East Windsor Board of Finance.

Bob was an avid enthusiast of UConn basketball and enjoyed crossword puzzles. In addition to his wife of 38 years, Elsie “Ellie” M. Little, Bob was survived by his three sons, Jonathan, Paul, and David, and their spouses; and 10 grandchildren.

A funeral service was held at the Bassinger & Dowd Funeral Home in East Windsor, Conn.

1956 Mark William Zacher, peacefully, on October 25, 2014, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. A three-year Honor Roll student from Worcester, Mass., Mark was involved in the Political Club, Debating Club, U.N. Model Assembly, Dance Committee, and Student Council, and he served on the Circulation Board of The Log. He also served as chairman of the Chapel & Assembly Committee, and he was a cast member in a production of Androcles and the Lion. Mark was active in Wolcott senior football, Wolcott senior baseball, and Wolcott senior basketball. After Loomis, Mark earned degrees at Yale University and Columbia University. Having grown up in the Northeast, Mark was “afflicted (until recently) with a lifelong affection for the Boston Red Sox,” according to the family obituary. At Columbia in New York, Mark met his future wife, Carol, who was a graduate student at The Juilliard School. After graduation, the

two relocated to Bowen Island in Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada, where they lived for 50 years. Mark enjoyed a 40-year career as a professor in the Political Science Department at the University of British Columbia, serving for 20 of those years as director of the university’s Institute of International Relations, where he made significant contributions to the scholarship of international affairs. Mark enjoyed both personal and professional interactions with his colleagues and especially enjoyed teaching and mentoring his students. He took great pride in the success of his students, and many became his friends and professional colleagues. Upon his retirement, a number of Mark’s friends, colleagues, and former students established the UBC Mark Zacher Distinguished Speaker Series, an endowment to acknowledge his contribution to the study of international affairs. A devoted and caring husband, father, and grandfather, Mark will be remembered for his patience, kindness, modesty, love of laughter, and willingness to laugh at himself. He was survived by his wife, Carol; his children, Glenn and Nicole, and their spouses; his sister, Sue; three grandchildren; and many extended family members, friends, colleagues, and former students. A celebration of Mark’s life was held in December 2014 on the University of British Columbia campus.

1957 Samuel Bernard Nadler Jr., on February 4 after a long illness.

A four-year student from New Orleans, La., Sam was involved with the Dance Band, Jazz Club, Chapel & Assembly Committee, Sophomore Reception Committee, and The Log. He was active in track, cross country, barbells, and first team tennis. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Georgia.

Sam’s area of mathematical expertise centered on topology and hyperspaces, and he wrote the first text and research monograph on hyperspaces of sets. He taught at universities throughout North America, and his worldwide reputation as an expert in his field made him a sought-after speaker at numerous professional conferences.

He always said how fortunate he was to be able to work in a topic of study that he loved so much. In addition to mathematics, Sam enjoyed playing piano.

He played professionally in the French Quarter of New Orleans for a number of years. He learned classical piano from his mother and “boogie-woogie” music from celebrated New Orleans jazz pianist Fats Pinchon.

His other passions included duplicate bridge, and he achieved the status of Silver Life Master not long before his passing.

Sam was survived by Elsa G. Nadler, his wife of 53 years; his children, Sarah Nadler Fleisher, William R. Nadler, and David K. Nadler; and two grandchildren.

A Shiva service was held at the family home in Ohio.

1959 Richard David Barwise, on December 12, 2014, at his home on Bluffton, S.C. A four-year student from Plainfield, N.J., Dave was involved with Student Council, the Key Society, the Photography Club, the Sailing Club, and the Dining Hall Committee. He was active in Allyn and first team hockey, Allyn senior baseball, Allyn senior football, and first team lacrosse, and he served as co-captain and coach of Allyn junior football.

According to his former roommate and friend, Gerry Whitehead ’59, David played defense on the Loomis varsity hockey team and went on to help start a hockey program at Lehigh University. Gerry said in a letter to Loomis Chaffee Magazine that David had operated a small construction company and had built the house that he and

his family lived in. David was survived by Pat, his wife of 35 years; his sons, Andrew, John, and Patrick; his sister, Elizabeth “Betsy” Geary McClellan; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sarah Kathryn “Katie” Barwise.

1964 Stephen Street Carter, on July 3, 2015, after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Steve was involved with the Senior Scholarship Committee, Glee Club, and French Club. He was active in track and winter track, and he lettered in cross country. After graduation Steve attended Tufts University and then left to serve in the U.S. Army with postings at the Defense Languages Institute in Monterey, Calif., then Asmara, Eritrea (formerly Ethiopia), and finally at the National Security Agency in Bethesda, Md. He returned to Tufts after his military service and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1972 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Northeastern University in 1974. That same year, Steve married Elaine Frame, a graduate student in biochemistry at Boston University. After three years working at Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard, Mass., Steve and his wife moved to Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Steve continued to work as a power supply and power control design engineer for many years for a number of aerospace and commercial electronics firms.

He was most proud of his design work for NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. There, he was part of the design and reliability testing team for the three Mars Rovers: Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity; as well as a number of satellites and deep-space probes. His hobbies included personal computers and electronics, scuba diving, motor home travel, four-wheel-

drive off-road trekking, and amateur radio — his call sign was WA1ESF. Steve is survived by his wife, Elaine, a professor of chemistry at Los Angeles City College; and his brother, Alan L. Carter ’66.

Former Staff Barbara Milling, on March 13. Barbara was an employee of Loomis Chaffee in Campus Safety from 2000 until 2015. She was survived by her husband, George M. Milling; her children David, Raymond Phillips, Lisa Phillips, Deborah Phillips-Dean, and Yvette Phillips-Parker; seven siblings; 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and many extended family members and friends.

Barbara was predeceased her daughter Elizabeth A. Black.

More News The Alumni Office has learned of the passing of Judith Munch Pinney ’47 on June 12, Lyman Page ’49 on July 3, Roy A. Hammer ’52 on April 26, Penelope Pepeck Murphy ’63 on June 8, Stanley Pennock Holt ’50 on May 4, Bruce Abbey Marlow ’65 on March 26, and Amanda Angie Elliott ’74 on May 16.

More information, as available, will be printed in future editions.

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THE LAST WORD | BY AARON “WOODY” HESS JR.

The Island Editor’s Note: Associate Head of School Aaron “Woody” Hess Jr. shared reflections on the culture of the school in an essay for the school’s Centennial book. Woody, who retired this summer, arrived at Loomis Chaffee in the fall of 1974. (For more about Woody, see the feature story on page 48.)

“

Woody Hess Photo: Walter Rabetz

Another unchanging feature of our school is the beauty of our campus, a wonderful piece of land where two rivers meet, where the Loomis family was wise enough to settle, and where the Founders and the leaders who came after them built a harmonious physical plant. For a large school the campus is compact and intimate. That it may occasionally be under water is part of its charm.

”

— " Loomis Chaffee Culture,” Cherished Hopes and Honorable Ambition: A Centennial History of The Loomis Chaffee School 80 |

The Island

Autumn’s glow on campus Photo: Robert Benson

The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor, Connecticut 06095 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Salad Days

Students in the Summer Program drop in on the campus goats to offer a green snack.

Photo: John Groo

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Loomis Chaffee School