Loomis Chaffee Winter 2026 Magazine

Magazine

Winter 2026 VOLUME 89 | NO. 1

A Recipe for Community-Building The entire school community gathered in Grubbs Quadrangle on a picture-perfect September evening for the first of three all-community dinners planned for this year. A mix of seniors, underclassmen, and faculty were assigned to each table to increase the likelihood that everyone would meet someone they didn’t know.

A second all-community dinner took place in the Scanlan Campus Center in November, and the third dinner is planned for May.

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40 Cover: Sophomore Jocelyn Valentin performs her self-choreographed solo, “Unspoken,” in the Fall Dance Showcase in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater.

Contents Wi n te r 2 02 6 | Volum e 8 9 | No. 1

FEATU RE S

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Students as Teachers

EDITORIAL & DESIGN TEAM

Learning isn’t a one-way street, as Loomis Chaffee teachers who have learned important lessons from their students can attest.

Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing

Lynn A. Petrillo ’86 Becky Purdy Managing Editor

Behind Every Brush Stroke

Kelley Albert

Pauline Chen ’82 reflects on this year’s school question: What does it mean to be human?

Jeff Otterbein

Small Things in Life We turn the school-year theme on its head for a while and ask, “What small things in life make being human meaningful to you?”

Senior Graphic Designer

Obituaries Editor CONTRIBUTORS Jeff Otterbein, Paul Thompson, Paige Abrams, Lisa Salinetti Ross, Heidi E.V. McCann ’93, Deidre Swords

PHOTOGRAPHY & ILLUSTRATION

DEPARTMENTS 4 5 23 24 26 44 50 64

From the Head Island News Faculty and Staff News Pelican Sports Object Lesson News from the Alumni/Development Office Obituaries Reflections

Megan Du Plessis, IRIS Photography, Jessica Ravenelle, Kelley Albert, Defining Studios, Courtesy of senior Shamyra Glenn, Courtesy of junior Kelly Kassab, Mary Coleman Forrester, Catherine Johanna Photography, Stan Godlewski, Cloe Poisson, Joe Derosiers, Loomis Chaffee Archives, John Groo, Nicole Bushey, Courtesy of Donnie McKillop, Tuul and Bruno Morandi (Alamy), Lynn Petrillo ’86, GIUGLIO Gil / hemis.fr (Alamy), Clement Philippe (Alamy), Dominic Robinson (Alamy), Helen Kovrigo (Dreamstime), Cmwatercolors (Dreamstime), Yuliia Kostenko (Dreamstime), Olga Anistratenko (Dreamstime), Juliasha (Dreamstime), Dink101 (Dreamstime), Olha Kostenko (Dreamstime), Yuliia Shmadchenko (Dreamstime), Greg Maki (Dreamstime), Heidi E.V. McCann ’93, Aram Boghosian Photo, freshman Nathan Koehler, Neil Chaudhary ’05, Courtesy of the Beckford family, Paul Winik of Boston / Wikimedia Commons, Yufa12379 (Dreamstime)

SUBMISSION/STORIES & NEWS

School community members may contribute items of interest to: Loomis Chaffee Editors The Loomis Chaffee School • 4 Batchelder Rd • Windsor, CT 06095 860.687.6811 • magazine@loomis.org Facebook (@loomischaffee) X (@loomischaffee) Instagram (@loomischaffee) Linkedin (The Loomis Chaffee School)

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.

Printed at Lane Press, Burlington, VT Printed on Sterling Ultra Matte

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FROM THE HEAD

Collective Effervescence

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n my first year of teaching, I taught a double section of humanities for English language learners in grades 7–9. I was still very much a teacher learning how to teach, but my students were ambitious and engaged, which made it easier on me.

At the end of each week, we would spend a little time talking about idioms in the English language. I recall with great fondness our exploration of the silliness of so many idioms — what does it mean that something is “easy as pie,” or why are you “driving me up the wall?” I think back to those classes where we just laughed and laughed about those expressions and the meanings (or ridiculousness) behind them. It was always a great way to end a week of hard work.

As a new teacher, I often felt very unsure of my effectiveness, but I was confident that those moments of reverie helped my students to feel connected to me and to each other. I hope it also made them feel safer studying for the first time in a new country. One of those students ended up successfully matriculating to Loomis Chaffee, so something worked out!

When I started my career in education, I did not know if it was my life’s work. But as I continued to experience those moments of levity and joy in the classroom, fields, and dorm, I realized that spending my life in schools laughing and connecting with young people and hilarious colleagues was truly my calling. At the very least, it has been great fun. In one of my favorite books, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, author Douglas Abrams notes, “Humor, like humility, comes from the same root word for humanity: humus… .

Is it any surprise that we have to have a sense of humility to be able to laugh at ourselves and to laugh at ourselves reminds us of our shared humanity?” As we spend this year considering the answer to the question “What does it mean to be human?,” I have been reflecting on the need we all feel for a deep connection with others and how that connection can be shaped and

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actually become lonelier. But in cultures where they pursue happiness socially, … people appear to be more likely to gain well-being.” I love this concept of collective effervescence, where we build a joyful community that serves to inoculate us against the difficulties of life and builds resilience.

So much of what we do at school involves hard work, long hours, and deep effort. However, the more that we look at rigor and joy as necessarily connected, the more we understand that learning together should and can be a truly joyful experience. strengthened through our shared joy and laughter.

There is a sociological concept referred to as “collective effervescence.” Dr. Adam Grant wrote about this concept in July 10, 2021, in an opinion guest essay in The New York Times titled, “There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing.” Dr Grant suggested that during the COVID-19 pandemic we were desperately missing these moments due to our social isolation and lockdowns.

He wrote, “We find our greatest bliss in moments of collective effervescence. It’s a concept coined in the early 20th century by the pioneering sociologist Émile Durkheim to describe the sense of energy and harmony people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose. … Psychologists find that in cultures where people pursue happiness individually, they may

We have been trying to build these moments into our all-school meetings. In October, Dean of Community Life Chris Howes and senior Daniel Gao orchestrated a “get to know the new faculty” quiz game where we had to match new faculty with their fun facts. The facts that were provided were intentionally silly (and hard to guess!), which led to surprise and much laughter.

These moments — truly human moments — are pure gold in the life of a school. They create a shared moment when we laugh together because we genuinely are in this experience together. As David Brooks writes in his book How to Know A Person, “When the hosts of retreats and workshops want the participants to get to know each other quickly, they encourage them to play together. … We do this because people are more fully human when they are at play. … In the midst of play, people relax, become themselves, and connect without even trying. Laughter is not just what comes after jokes. Laughter happens when our minds come together and something unexpected happens: We feel the ping of common recognition. We laugh to celebrate our shared understanding.”

One of the great joys of my career has been to experience these moments with colleagues and students. Learning can be a serious endeavor. So much of what we do at school involves hard work, long hours, and deep effort. However, the more that we look at rigor and joy as necessarily connected, the more we understand that learning together should and can be a truly joyful experience.

It will feel more so as we continue to deepen our relationships, bringing our minds and hearts together in moments of collective effervescence.

I S L A N D N E WS

ISLAND NEWS

Senior Teema Thanunmanee had two weeks to complete his first project for his College-Level Art Seminar, which is a yearlong program.

He knew he had little time to waste. The CL Art students were on a tight schedule so that they could display a piece in the first art show of the season in the Barnes and Wilde galleries. He sketched out the hallway in the Richmond Art Center (RAC) using a drawing app, Procreate, on his iPad. He then turned to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for help.

“I pasted my completed drawing into ChatGPT and asked for eight examples that applied various painting styles and coloring approaches, Teema says. “This helped me start thinking about possible stylistic options before committing to one.

The first few times AI gave me random coloring pictures, which wasn’t even my initial image that I pasted in, so I had to tweak it and give it even more specific directions. My first request was, ‘Please generate me eight to 10 images using completely different styles in coloring.’

I had to tweak it again and again, telling it what to do. I had to use phrases like ‘use the full drawing’ or ‘make it clearer’ and even ‘give me more options.’”

The completed piece was hung on a wall in the RAC. There is the original line drawing, the eight ideas that AI produced, and the final product. Under the final product is this explanation for viewers: “The work began with a line drawing of the red corridor I created on my iPad. Since I wasn’t sure which style of coloring I wanted, I asked ChatGPT to help generate possibilities, giving it directions aligned with my vision.

I didn’t copy the results directly — instead I used them as inspiration to refine and

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ISLAND NEWS

develop my own final outcome. This process showed me how AI, when guided thoughtfully, can be a creative tool that expands ideas rather than replaces a student’s originality.”

In the end, Teema says, he was happy with the process. “I got a lot of work done in that short period of time,” he says. “If I didn’t have AI, I probably would not have made what I did in two weeks. I thought it could give me some inspiration on what I wanted to do, and it did. And for some reason, using it this time didn’t make me feel guilty — it felt like a helping hand.

I was the one who drew the initial sketch; I only asked it to give me inspiration. And I made my own piece. It didn’t really look like the ones AI made, but I was inspired by them.”

He says some might come to the conclusion that AI took away “my creativity or my way of thinking, but not at all. Without AI, I would not have had what I had.”

Top left: Art teacher Mark Zunino and Teema discuss his work.

Above: Some of the results Teema received when he pasted his original drawing into ChatGPT and prompted the program to make stylistic suggestions. Below: Teema’s final piece.

Mark Zunino, a visual arts teacher and the director of the Visiting Artist program, says he thinks Teema’s use of AI was “perfect.”

“In the arts, we have dealt with technology since the dawn of tech,” Mark says. “Painting was supposed to be dead with the camera — but people still paint. We don’t have an issue with AI because the work that gets done is usually done by hand. The beauty of this is that Teema used AI as a tool to inspire him to work one way or another, but the most interesting thing to me is he didn’t follow any of it.”

“A lot of times you need to see what you don’t want — to get to what it is you might want,” Mark continues. “You might have these things in your head but not quite know, and when you see them, you say, ‘OK, I don’t want that intensity of color, I don’t want that lightness, I want something more proportional to what is happening in front of me. So, AI becomes a tool just like the iPad becomes a tool, the stylist or the brush becomes a tool. Everything is a means to an end and not an end to itself. And Teema’s intent was correct — that’s my biggest thing. The intent determines whether it is an appropriate or inappropriate use.”

Teema has been doing art since he was 10 years old growing up in Bangkok, Thailand. At first, he says, he didn’t like it. Too much structure and direction. “I don’t like to be told exactly what to draw,” Teema says.

Not by a human. Not by a machine. loomischaffee.org 7

ISLAND NEWS

Culbert Hall: A Building That Stands for Much More

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ulbert Hall was dedicated in October, the building a brick-andmortar tribute to former Head of School Sheila Culbert, who built today’s school in many ways during her 16 years as its leader. She retired in 2024.

“The list of accomplishments during Sheila’s time here is nearly endless, and we are still seeing the fruits of her labor today,” Chair of the Board of Trustees Duncan A.L. MacLean ’90 said at the dedication of the residence hall, which opened for the 2024–25 school year and was made possible through the generosity of Trustee Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan ’87 and her husband, Patrick Scanlan.

Head of School Jody Reilly Soja welcomed those in attendance, who included Sheila;

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her husband, Richard Wright; their son, Matthew Culbert, and his partner, Rachel Petrone; and current and former faculty.

Speakers included Jody, Duncan, Mary, Culbert Hall dorm head Ned Heckman, Culbert Hall resident assistants (RAs) seniors Natalie Pereira and Eli Somberg; and Trustee Doug Lyons ’82, chair of the board’s Building and Grounds Committee.

Sheila spoke at the conclusion of the ceremony, saying she hoped that Culbert Hall would be a home where generations of students discover themselves, challenge themselves, and find the friendships and mentors that last a lifetime. “May it be a place,” she said, “where curiosity is encouraged, compassion is practiced, and possibility made real. So thank you to

everyone. Thank you for this extraordinary honor. I will always carry it with gratitude and humility.”

Sheila’s many successful initiatives as head of school made the name for the newest residence hall an easy choice, said Mary Scanlan, whose philanthropy over the last decade has included her lead support of the Scanlan Campus Center, her establishment of an endowed fund for teacher compensation, and her support of the financial aid endowment through an endowed scholarship and the matching dollars for the Scanlan Financial Aid Initiative.

“There was only one name that felt right when naming this building,” Mary told the crowd.

Culbert Hall offers a vantage point to the

Meadows, the Farmington and Connecticut rivers, and the trails on which Sheila walked her dogs and took photos of birds and wildlife when she lived on campus. Even on this day she had arrived early and, with Richard and her camera, walked the Loop Road overlooking the Meadows and the Cow Pond.

NEW

Harman Terrace Provides Sense of Harmony

“Inspired by Sheila’s tremendous career at Loomis Chaffee, I strive to cultivate a community built on three simple but powerful words I repeat often to our students: respect, positivity, and fun,” Ned continued.

“Sheila helped Loomis Chaffee expand the boundaries of possibility, and Culbert Hall carries that same spirit. As the only dorm on campus with 10th- to 12th-grade students of all genders, Culbert is a model for what the future of residential life might look like.

We don’t shy away from the challenges of our diversity; instead, our students embrace them, building a family-like community where everyone belongs.”

Natalie and Eli talked about the dorm camaraderie and introduced the audience to Ghime, the dorm’s sourdough starter that was created by the RAs and quickly became “a wonder to the rest of the dorm,” according to Eli. “Something as simple as Ghime reflects the heart of Culbert Hall: a place where curiosity turns into connection, small traditions grow into shared meaning, and every resident contributes to the warmth that makes this community feel like home,” he said.

Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Culbert Hall, as seen from the Loop Road. Sheila with the dedication plaque. A reception and dinner followed the dedication. Ceremony guests included Sheila’s family, current and former faculty, trustees, and Culbert Hall faculty and resident assistants.

HARMAN TERRACE

Ned spoke about stewarding the dorm that bears the name of an educator he knows and deeply respects. “In shaping Culbert Hall’s identity, I’ve tried to put a bit of Sheila into the place,” he said. “We have our bird-themed dorm merchandise; some of Sheila’s own photography, which hangs proudly on every floor; and of course, my own front door would be incomplete without the Sheila face fan handed out at SheilaFest two years ago.” The annual SpringFest event on the last day of classes was dubbed SheilaFest in the spring of 2024, when hundreds of handheld fans imprinted with Sheila’s image were distributed.

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new terrace behind Harman Hall looks out onto the Meadows and the infinite possibilities that stretch beyond the fields. The terrace offers that same feeling — opportunity awaits. A place for students to hang out. A place to sit and read. A place to let the mind wander. A place to study, have a barbecue, listen to music. A sense of harmony.

“On a lovely day,” says Reed Harman ’64, who was on campus with his wife, Nan, in October to see the terrace, “it might be an easier way to learn rather than sitting in the [dorm] room.”

Reed sees the terrace as a casual spot that can create warm memories, extending beyond just the students who live in adjacent Harman and Carter halls. He can envision a string quartet playing music for 50 to 75 people. He sees possibilities for many uses. “That is the hope,” he says.

Reed takes pride in Harman Hall, which opened almost 30 years ago in honor of his parents, and the family’s monetary commitment to the residence hall remains steadfast. The latest gift by the Harmans not only paid for the terrace area, but also will provide air conditioning for Harman Hall, renovations to the social room and bathrooms, and a breezeway between Harman and Carter. Much of the work is a nod to the importance Reed places in the architecture and beauty of the campus. “Our family, Nan and I in particular, feel responsibility for the building,” Reed says.

A four-year student from West Hartford, Connecticut, Reed played varsity soccer, ran track, and was involved in several committees and activities when he was a student. “The time I spent here was very formative for me,” he says. He served on the Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1993. He also has hosted events on behalf of the school in Los Angeles and served on reunion fundraising committees for his class.

Reed and Nan live in Palos Verdes Estates, California. Their son, Hayden, is a 1988 Loomis Chaffee graduate. Reed’s sister, Hollis, is a 1967 Chaffee graduate. loomischaffee.org 9

ISLAND NEWS

Five Norton Fellows Give Back The Norton Fellows program offers a selected group of Loomis Chaffee students the opportunity and funding to pursue an interest and engage with their local communities over the summer break. There were five Norton Fellows last summer: seniors Shamyra Glenn, Roan Cowan, and Simone Link-Staenberg and juniors Blair Sontag and Kelly Kassab.

Shamyra Glenn THE PROJECT

Distributed care packages for mothers and infants at her church in Bloomfield, Connecticut

opportunities with the next generation of potential engineers.” The kids were so engaged in the activity that the camp was extended for an extra day. “The camp was one of the most rewarding experience I have had and makes me want to continue to help expand STEM access in the future,” he says.

Kelly Kassab THE PROJECT

Cleanup of the Hasbaya El-Metn community trails in Lebanon

Shamyra distributed 60 care packages — 10 each Sunday from July 6 to August 10. Each care package included “essentials such as diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, baby blankets, postpartum care, and more,” Shamyra says. Beyond providing essential items for mothers and children, Shamyra feels something else was accomplished.

“I think it also was about bringing others together and showing [that] people still care about each other in this world,” she says. “It never hurts to lend a hand if you have the time and the resources.”

Roan Cowan THE PROJECT

Hosted a two-week robotics camp at a New York high school working with Lego robotics kits Roan was inspired to run the camp by his experiences with the LC robotics team. “The team gave me my first look at hands-on programming and engineering, and I quickly realized how lucky I was to have these opportunities,” says Roan, engineering captain of the robotics team. “Hosting the camp was my way of sharing these rewarding 10 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

“I was amazed by the turnout,” Kelly wrote in a reflection that was part of the Norton Fellowship process. “It wasn’t just adults who came to help but also young kids with eager faces. Seeing so many different people come together for the common good filled me with joy. Once we split into groups and began, the reality of the problem hit us.

The amount of trash was overwhelming.

People’s reactions were a mix of sadness and frustration: how could anyone treat our beautiful trails this way? However, that shock fueled our motivation. Everyone worked with energy.” After many hours and many bags filled with trash, the trails took on their “natural beauty,” Kelly says.

Simone Link-Staenberg THE PROJECT

Worked with San Francisco families navigating early stages of Alzheimer’s disease to help with memory preservation and cognitive support In a reflection, Simone recounted some of the conversations she had with patients.

“These extraordinary conversations shifted the way I perceive aging and memory,” she wrote. “While dementia can modify the lines of an individual’s current reality, it does not lessen the value of their past — it does not take away their ability to experience joy and connection, and it certainly does not take away their dignity. …

This experience has taught me how powerful listening can be. It’s not just about gathering information, but about acknowledging someone’s existence and worth.”

Blair Sontag THE PROJECT

Helped create the Bedford Community Composting Initiative in Bedford, New York Blair helped the group to distribute composting bins and information packets to participating families, post fliers around town, and launch an Instagram presence and website. The initiative was founded

by St. Paul’s School student Luke Childs.

Blair was asked to join as a co-founder.

The group distributed about 25 three-gallon compost bins and arranged regular pickup of the bins. Blair says she was moved by the willingness of community members to participate, and the support she received from family and friends.

ISLAND NEWS

Opening Convocation Subject: New school year. New opportunity. Who will you be this year?

have, feel the way you want to feel, decrease anxiety. It is simply this — never, ever, ever, ever, ever again lie in bed with your phone.”

studied what our minds do while we dance.

Colby College philosophy professor Ben Baker

other animals — and from machines, or AI. These qualities include creative expression through writing, painting, and other art forms; communication of ideas, emotions, and experiences through dance; proving of theorems; creation of tools; and investigation of the natural world.

Professor Baker explored traits that are often used to distinguish humans from

Head of School Jody Reilly Soja: “This summer, one of my favorite novels was a book titled My Friends by author Frederik Backman. This line from an exchange between characters stood out to me: ‘Don’t be ashamed to be a human being — be proud! Inside you one vault after another opens endlessly. You’ll never be complete, and that’s as it should be.’ As we engage with our school question this year — ‘What does it mean to be human?’

— this passage speaks to the truth that to be human is to be constantly evolving.

How freeing that there is no such thing as a perfect human. Our time on earth will always be about progress, not perfection.”

“Ask yourself,” she continued, “which new vault opens today?”

Student Council Vice President Daniel Gao, a senior: “I’ve tried not to just follow the script, working to make my path at Loomis unique, unexpected, and personal. ... And I encourage every one of you to do the same.” Daniel came to Loomis Chaffee figuring he would continue taking Spanish but instead tried Arabic, and he ended up spending the fall of 2024 studying abroad in Jordan.

Sports psychologist Jarrod Spencer Subject: The importance of sleep for performance and mental health.

Did you know? The optimal nap, Dr. Spencer said, is about 26 minutes.

After that you start getting into a deeper sleep and wake up after, say, 40 minutes and you’re groggy. You would need to complete the nap cycle — about 90 minutes — to feel good.

Dr. Spencer on smart phones: “You’re not going to like this, but I am going to tell you how you can perform better, get into that college you want to get into, have the season you really want to

Subject: This year’s school theme, “What does it mean to be human?”

A friendly disclaimer: Professor Baker began by saying, “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your school theme this year is impossible. ‘What does it mean to be human?’

I’m quite convinced this cannot be given a singular answer.” At Colby’s Davis Center for Artificial Intelligence, Professor Baker researches how we understand and interact with AI. He also is an accomplished dancer and hip hop choreographer, and he has

Top: Jarrod Spencer had students on their feet for the start of his talk. Bottom left: Ben Baker addresses the school. Bottom right: Head of School Jody Reilly Soja, Student Council President Charlotte Preuss, Student Council Vice President Daniel Gao, and Associate Head of School Webb Trenchard after the opening convocation.

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Prepare for Mirth

Two Stages, Two Shakespeare Comedies Shakespeare was in the air in the Nichols Center for Theater and Dance this fall, with two of the bard’s plays in production. In the Black Box Theater, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was performed by sophomores and freshmen in October. And across the lobby in the Norris Ely Orchard Theater, Much Ado About Nothing was performed by juniors and seniors in November.

ISLAND NEWS

Much Ado About Nothing The comedic play is about misunderstanding, deception, and love.

Let’s try this: Just minutes before the play was to start, the cast milled about among the audience, chatting with each other, talking with family and friends. Then, without fanfare, cast members took to the stage and the play began. The idea came from Director David McCamish.

“Mr. McCamish just threw it out there one of the days — ‘Why don’t we try going out into the audience?’ — and we just went with it,” says senior Adam Pendergrass, who played Borachio. “The beginning of the show is just a normal conversation, so it really seemed like a nice segue, a fun way to get into the play.”

Backstage: Wardrobe supervisor Natalie DeMarco had made sure that the costumes were ready and that wardrobe switches would go as smoothly as possible.

All items on the “fix list” had been crossed off — fixing a feather on a mask, some washing and steaming of clothing items. Makeup was applied, hair done just so, and all were ready to go.

A nice twist: Benedick, played by senior Nina Gitlitz, provided a few moments akin to a Cirque du Soleil performance. Benedick does acrobatics using aerial silks hanging above the stage. Nina says she first used aerial silks two years ago at a summer theater, and using them in a scene of Much Ado About Nothing “fell into place.”

“I remember talking to Mr. McCamish, and he said the set is going to be very flowing with silks everywhere,” Nina says. “I said, ‘Mr. McCamish, you have to let me do them. I love silks.’”

He worked the aerial silks into the show. Nina says she routinely showed up early for rehearsals to work on them.

Director’s note: “In our world, where messages travel at the speed of light, Shakespeare’s vision feels hauntingly current,” wrote David in the playbill.

“Miscommunication, deceit, and impulsive judgment still have the power to undo reputations and relationships in an instant. Yet, through forgiveness, humor, and love, Much Ado About Nothing restores hope in our shared humanity, the possibility that grace can triumph over grievance.”

Opposite page: Hero (senior Natalie Pereira), Ursula (senior Sophie Singer), and Margaret (junior Blair Sontag). Above: Sophomore Zoe Rhodes and junior Lilly Autry in the booth.

This page: Benedick (senior Nina Gitlitz) on the aerial silks. Don Pedro (senior Evan Thomen), Leonato (junior Vivaan Chaturvedi), and Claudio (senior Zane Habig) in a moment of hilarity.

The audience in rapt attention. Beatrice (junior Joy Smith), Margaret (junior Blair Sontag), and Hero (senior Natalie Pereira) thicken the plot.

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Top: Helena (sophomore Zieozi Olen) Above: Hermia (sophomore Katy Su) and Lysander (freshman Nathaniel Kelly) plan their escape to Athens.

Left: Nick Bottom (sophomore Phoenix Olen) reunites with pals Peter Quince (sophomore Tonnam Jongcharoensiri), Tom Snout (freshman Kaya McLean), Snug the Joiner (freshman Shlok Muthavarapu), and Francis Flute (freshman Emory Connell).

A Midsummer Night’s Dream The comedy involves the stories of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors, and a mischievous group of fairies.

One last time: Katy Su was in her last play in the Black Box Theater. A sophomore, she will move up to the main-stage productions next year. “I have made so many great memories here,” Katy says, indicating the Black Box Theater, “and I constantly get reminded how great theater is.”

Seeing double: The audience included the parents of sophomore twins Zieozi Olen (Helena) and Phoenix Olen (Bottom).

“The joy of the [cast] is infectious,” their mom, Ngozi Bolin, said after the play. Their father, Jim, had a smile as big as the parts Zieozi and Phoenix played, each time they were on stage.

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“I feel small, I feel very small,” Jim said about watching the twins on stage. “What they are able to accomplish in six, seven weeks putting all this together — they’re memorizing lines, doing their classwork, and this is Shakespeare. This isn’t easy, so it is incredible what they are able to do. ...

They’re passionate about this, and you can see it. You can’t ask for anything better for your children than to love what they’re doing, and if they are doing it at a place like Loomis, that’s a win-win.”

Director’s note: “We encouraged [the actors] to take chances, and when they did, that folded into our interpretation and changed it,” the director, English teacher Will Eggers, says. “It added an element of courage. They were being courageous in their performance, so it changed the theme a little bit. I think that’s wonderful. That’s the way it should be. It’s not my vision. It’s our vision.”

ISLAND NEWS

Alumnus Returns to Shake Things Up Derrick Garcia ’17, still has his Dance Company sweatshirt from the 2016–17 school year. His nickname back then, “Latin Spice,” was written on the back.

“I’ve always cherished [the sweatshirt],” Derrick says. “It was one of my first pieces of dance merch, and I’ve always been proud to have it.”

Derrick was back on campus in October, spending two days leading dance workshops and meeting with students and members of affinity groups. His visit was co-sponsored by the Center for Inclusive Excellence

& Belonging and the Performing Arts Department in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Derrick works as a freelance dance instructor/ choreographer. He teaches hip hop dance to preschool children in a Brooklyn, N.Y., public school and is a Latin and ballroom dance teacher/choreographer at Linda’s Studio for Performing Arts on Long Island, where he works with students ages 4 to 17, preparing them for competitions and performances.

He also gives private lessons to clients.

“Coming back to LC for dance seems surreal

and yet feels right,” Derrick says. “[It’s] a way to say thank you for what I’ve been given and show what I’ve been able to do with their support.”

In one 45-minute workshop in the Jocelyn Marshall Wallace Dance Studio, Derrick kept the students on their toes — or rather, on the balls of their feet — as they practiced salsa moves, first individually and then in pairs.

“He was an important part of our company back then and was always curious and excited to learn new things,” says dance teacher Kate Loughlin after one of the workshops. “He was innately a good mover and worked really hard ... and it’s a thrill to have him back.”

“I came into LC already having a desire to dance, and training under Kate Loughlin further empowered me,” Derrick says.

Now he was providing the empowerment.

Derrick says the main message he wanted students to take away was to “find their passion and follow it lovingly. … If they truly believe in it and make hard decisions to build a path for it, then anything is possible.”

Top: One of Derrick’s workshops in the dance studio. Far left: Sophomore Oj Ika and a partner practice salsa moves. Left: Derrick demonstrates a step for the class.

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ISLAND NEWS

“My Heart Is Tight for You,” an exhibition of work by photography teacher Mahsa Attaran, opened in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in November.

M

ahsa Attaran arrived in the United States in December 2021 from Shiraz, Iran, to pursue a degree in fine arts.

She brought along warm clothes for a winter she had never experienced and even warmer feelings for the place she was leaving.

“I also had so many little bags of spices, dried fruits, snacks very carefully packed with my parents’ hands, with all the love and care they had for me,” Mahsa says.

She never threw out those bags or the hand-written labels on the bags. Her parents, she says, were a treasure. “When I was so far from them and couldn’t bring that whole life with me, I just had [these bags] as a treasure,” Mahsa says. “I think that was the start of shifting my mindset about art Top: Part of the exhibition features “treasures” Mahsa brought with her from Iran and handwritten labels from her parents. Right: Mahsa in Mercy Gallery.

16 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

and what I wanted to do, what my message would be.”

An exhibit of her work, My Heart Is Tight For You, opened in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in November, and the handwritten labels were part of the exhibit, which ends in mid-January. The show speaks to her love for her family and her country, but also to the human rights situation in Iran and its restrictions on freedom of expression, particularly among women.

Mahsa says her work can be considered political. “I was feeling guilty about that, saying that people already don’t have a good view of my country, so why am I doing this?” Mahsa says. “Then someone said to me, ‘The criticism is coming from your

love. It is an act of love and care.’ And that is right. ... At the same time [that] I am criticizing and I am trying to educate people about the women’s rights and human rights issues we have in Iran in a patriarchal system, I want to show Persian art, hints of that. I know the government is oppressive, but we have a very rich culture, rich art.”

Mahsa started teaching photography at Loomis Chaffee this fall. “I have always loved the idea of sharing what I know,” she says. “It feels so good — the ‘oh, wow’ moments students have in my classes when they figure out the magic of art, what this little tool can do, and what their hands can do. … I love to share my stories with students, to inspire them to think about using art and the camera as a tool to make a better world.”

ISLAND NEWS

The Yale Alley Cats The Alley Cats worked with members of the Loomis Chaffee Acapelicans followed by an evening concert in Hubbard Performance Hall.

Did you know? The Alley Cats were founded in 1943 and have performed around the world and for many public figures, including former President Barrack Obama and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Of note: Senior Sophie Singer was excited to learn from a college a cappella group. To her singing in such a group, in this case the LC Acapelicans, is about “the community that forms around people who love to sing and the excitement we all get when a harmony is perfect. I also love how we stay gathered as a group after meetings to sing whatever songs come to mind.”

Their visit was sponsored in part by the Jed Bradley Fund.

The MIT Logs Did you know? In the spring of 1949, a group of MIT students came together to form the Logarhythms.

The MIT Logs celebrated their 75th anniversary in March.

Of Note: The group sang tight harmonies, says Susan Chrzanowski, head of the Performing Arts Department.

“Their set just kept getting better and better — eight-part harmonies, soaring solos, and high energy with emotive delivery.

The audience was terrific, responsive, and engaged, too.

What a concert.”

Surcari

Their visit was sponsored in part by the Jed Bradley Fund and the Joseph S. Stookins Lecture Fund.

The band, which plays a blend of South American and Caribbean music, performed in Hubbard Performance Hall and conducted a workshop.

Did you know? The name Surcari comes from a combination of two words: Suramérica and Caribbean.

Of Note: “The performance itself was super educational as well as interactive as they welcomed people to play some special instruments from cultures across the world,” junior Ethan Feng says. “They started off with a performance showcasing instruments that were able to mimic the sounds that could be heard in the Amazon rainforest. It was intriguing to see how they were able to replicate the sounds of the forest with simple percussion instruments.”

The concert was sponsored in part by the Joseph S. Stookins Lecture Fund. loomischaffee.org 17

Shaped by Experiences “I really love people,” says ceramics teacher Sophie Gibson, whose fall exhibit, Aerial Reverie, in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery reflected her interest in portrait sculpture, the human figure, and getting to know people.

ISLAND NEWS

N

ot unlike the kilns that are a part of Sophie Gibson’s work, she was fired up and ready to go in September. Sophie is in her first year as the Loomis Chaffee ceramics teacher and just weeks into the school year had an exhibit, Aerial Reverie, in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery.

“I like what I do, and I like being in a group environment. Sharing the magic of working with clay with people who haven’t experienced it before is such a joy.” Sophie says.

She stretches out the word “such,” and a smile comes across her face as if she were molding a piece of clay right then and there. “Clay,” she says, “requires patience and resilience, and I think that practicing these qualities is a beneficial antidote to our fast-paced contemporary culture.”

The centerpiece of her exhibition was a larger-than-life sculpture of a meditating/ dreaming being titled “Constructive Rest.”

The weighty mass of this reclining ceramic body was juxtaposed against 16 small,

foreshortened relief figures that danced across the wall and evoked a skyscape.

Curiosity, wonder, and a passion for working with people have led Sophie to many places. In the summer of 2015, she spent three months with 20 others cycling from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Vancouver, British Columbia, to promote affordable housing through an organization called Bike & Build. Along the way they helped build homes.

Well before that, in the summer before she was in eighth grade, she participated in the Bridges to Community program, which built houses in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. She would go on many more trips with the organization as a student and then led two trips when she was teaching at her alma mater, St. Anne’s Belfield. In the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she found comfort outside, working as a farmhand, planting

and harvesting, for a community-supported agriculture organization in Virginia.

She has gone back each summer.

Sophie says she was drawn to portrait sculpture by the people factor. “I really love people,” she says. “When I am getting to know a person, I ask a lot of questions about their background.

I studied history as an undergraduate, and I’m always digging to understand why people behave as they do, or where their specific interests come from. Portrait sculpture is a different way of getting to know someone.”

Sophie takes pictures of her subjects and might videotape a conversation with the person, all to understand the subject better, see their expressions, and bring them to life through clay. “It is easy to focus on the anatomy,” she says, “but if you render something to death, you can lose the essential spark that makes the person feel unique.”

Opposite page: Sophie Gibson’s sculpture “Marita and The Whale” This page: At the opening for the exhibition, Sophie speaks about the sculpture “Constructive Rest.” Top inset: “Ascencional Psyche #5”

loomischaffee.org 19

ISLAND NEWS

Lighting the Way for Students When senior Sonia Barinskaya almost ripped the roof off the Hubbard Music Center with a wonderful rendition of “Alphie” to start the second day of the Illuminators Gathering at Loomis Chaffee, the stage was set for another invigorating day.

including Bates College president and professor of politics Garry W. Jenkins and Amin Abdul-Malik Gonzalez ’96, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid at Wesleyan University.

And when the day’s main speaker, Bettina Love, a professor at Columbia University and a much-acclaimed author and sought-after speaker, took the stage, that energy went up a notch, if possible. She was serious, she was humorous, and her voice needed no amplification from a microphone, even though she was in front of one.

Roland hopes the conference also reminded the educators “why they chose this work in the first place.”

About 150 educators from New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, and as far away as Ohio, attended the gathering, hosted by Loomis’ Center for Inclusive Excellence & Belonging, in November.

“It’s easy to get caught in the grind of school life, where joy and purpose can get buried under emails, meetings, and expectations,” he said. “My hope is that attendees walk away feeling seen, grounded, and re-energized to return to their schools with new clarity, community, and courage. More tangibly, I hope they take away fresh ideas from the scholars presenting here — ideas about belonging, identity, and joy-centered education that they can weave into their daily practice. But at its core, the real takeaway is belonging itself: feeling it here and carrying it back home.”

When the national People of Color Conference was paused in 2025, Loomis Chaffee decided to host a regional gathering, calling it the Illuminators Gathering. The term “illuminators” comes from the book How to Know A Person, by New York Times columnist David Brooks, in which he describes illuminators as those who “shine the brightness of their care on people and make them feel bigger, respected, lit up.”

Attendees heard from several college and university administrators and professors,

Top: A workshop session during the conference.

Bottom: Loomis Chaffee Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging Roland Davis, who was instrumental in organizing the conference, speaks to attendees in Hubbard Performance Hall.

20 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

“At a time when the concepts of diversity, equity, and belonging are being debated and, at times, distorted in public discourse, a gathering like this provides something deeply needed: connection, reflection, and renewal,” Roland said before the conference began. “Educators who support students from underrepresented backgrounds often do this work quietly, tirelessly, and sometimes in isolation. The Illuminators Gathering is about giving them space to breathe, to learn, and to be in community with others who understand both the joy and the complexity of what they do.”

Roland Davis, the dean of inclusive excellence and belonging at Loomis, who was instrumental in pulling together the gathering, opened and closed the two-day conference.

His final message included a thank you to all who attended. As attendees got up to leave, one stood up to thank him, sparking a standing ovation, fitting since he had been one of the Loomis leaders to stand up and host the event.

Alexis Liston, the dean of community life at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire, awaiting the closing of the gathering, said she was excited for her work ahead.

“It is hard work being an educator today, and especially being an educator who deeply cares about making sure all students have a space to be seen, to feel values, and to bring

value, and there are days it feels like we’re pushing a boulder up a hill. ... To be in a space with so many educators who are so deeply committed to this work is incredible,” Ms. Liston said. “It is inspiring. It is really invigorating. I’m ready to go back to our campus and just get to work.”

Family Weekend 2025

Ms. Liston also appreciated the way the conference was framed, bringing in professors and educators from the college level “so that we could attend this space as a self-care.

I really loved that.”

Roland was thankful for all who made the event happen. “I’m deeply grateful to the Loomis Chaffee community for rallying behind this vision and helping bring it to life,” he says.

The first day started with Loomis Chaffee students bringing the crowd to life as they welcomed all to campus. The four presidents of PRISM — seniors Aster Conway-Reppert, Abdoulaye Sow, Cookie Danchaivijitr, and

Above, clockwise from top left: Amy Pereira and her daughter, senior Natalie Pereira, stroll across Rockefeller Quad. An appreciative Family Weekend crowd applauds the Loomis Chaffee Orchestra at the Performing Arts Sampler. Dancers sophomore Chloe Song, senior Claire Cen, and sophomore Kaylee Wang prepare backstage at the Performing Arts Sampler. Dogs are family too.

Below: The registration tent is bustling with activity as families pick up their nametags and check the schedule of events.

junior Tiger Song — were followed on the stage by junior Alice Li, who provided a musical interlude on the piano.

“We see you, we appreciate you, and we are glad you are here,” Aster told the educators.

Abdoulaye thanked the audience for what they do, saying that leaders are helped along by people such as those sitting in the room, “people who saw us, believed in us, and helped us believe in ourselves.”

Above: Senior Sonia Barinskaya sings “Alphie” to start the second day of the Illuminators Gathering.

Family Weekend

ISLAND NEWS

THAT’S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! CIVIL DISCOURSE Juniors Victoria Ribeiro and Tiger Song accompanied Head of School Jody Reilly Soja and four of her colleagues to Nashville, Tennessee, to participate in the inaugural Open Dialogue Summit for Secondary School Leaders at Vanderbilt University. The conference aims to help high school students develop civil discourse skills and foster these skills in their peers. Victoria and Tiger are members of the Shultz Fellowship, a bipartisan group that regularly meets to discuss politics and current events. The group takes its name and inspiration from former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz ’38.

STORIES OF WOMEN VETERANS Juniors Ria An and Katie Pham published a book this fall with the stories of women veterans with Connecticut connections.

Unspoken Valor: Voices of Our Women Veterans was a joint project of the two friends, who began work on it last winter and continued through the summer when Ria was home in South Korea and Katie in Vietnam. The pair shared much of the writing and editing, Ria provided artwork, and they had assistance from other members of the club they co-founded at Loomis Chaffee last year, ArtSOAR. Ria says the idea for the book came about for a few reasons, including last year’s school theme of storytelling, her interest in the mentality of veterans, and the fact that she had rarely encountered stories of women veterans. The book contains 10 stories of women veterans, including that of Lindsay Gabow ’12, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2016, served for seven years as a military intelligence officer, and now is at Harvard Law School. The book starts with this dedication: “To all women who served with strength and

22 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

bravery. To all whose hearts burn with unyielding courage. And to all still seeking the valor that waits within.” Ria says proceeds from the independently published book will be donated to nonprofit organizations for veterans.

TAKING ACTION About 30 students in the Global & Environmental Studies Certificate (GESC) program visited a hydroponic urban farm in Hartford, Connecticut, in November to learn more about food deserts, efforts to address this problem, and the impact that teenagers can have on global issues. The urban farm is run by Levo International, an organization that works to address food insecurity in Haiti, Mexico, and the United States. Hydroponics, a farming method that grows vegetables without soil and with minimal use of water, is well-suited for an urban setting, and the Hartford area has a number of food deserts, where residents have limited access to fresh, nutritious food.

Levo’s founder, Christian Heiden, was a 17-year-old student at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford when he founded the organization. “I think it’s important to recognize that even as a student, you can make a difference, and that the projects we’ll be working on in GESC could have influential and long-lasting impacts,” says senior Brookie Olson, one of the students who visited the farm.

MONOLOGUE COMPETITION Senior Nina Gitlitz won a Best Monologue trophy in November at the Connecticut Drama Association’s annual monologue competition, held at the Nafe Katter Theater at the University of Connecticut. Nina’s monologue came from the character Benedick from the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing.

Nina played the role of Benedick this fall in

a production of the play on the Norris Ely Orchard Theater stage. Three other student thespians earned Honorable Mentions in the monologue competition: sophomore Zieozi Olen (Lana in The Theory of Everything); sophomore Katy Su (Biff in Death of a Salesman); and freshman Sarah Spannhake (Leah from DNA.) In all, 11 Loomis Chaffee students participated in the competition.

“All of our actors did an outstanding job representing the Loomis Chaffee performing arts program and the NEO Theater,” Theater Director David McCamish says.

KITCHEN LEARNING The new classroom kitchen in the Clark Center for Science & Mathematics was as busy as — well, as a beehive this fall. In fact, extracting honey from the school beehives was one of the activities that happened in the space, located on the building’s top floor. In addition to the honey extraction, groups of students used the classroom kitchen to bake cookies for a local shelter and soup kitchen, make matcha drinks for an evening club meeting, learn to create healthy on-the-go snacks, and engage in other projects. A faculty and staff cooking series is taking place in the classroom kitchen this winter, with pastamaking up first on the agenda.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS Twenty-four Loomis Chaffee students participated in the University of Connecticut Model United Nations Conference in November, the first conference of the school year and the first ever for most of the Pelican participants.

The conference was meant to be a learning experience for the novices, and the Loomis delegates “engaged deeply in debate, reflected on their experiences, and set new goals for future conferences, demonstrating a genuine growth mindset,” according to faculty member

ISLAND NEWS

Reem Aweida-Parsons, who attended the conference with the students. Three Pelicans earned Outstanding Delegate awards: sophomore Devikshaa Jain, representing China in the Security Council; sophomore Sia Dhingra, debating in the Commission on the Status of Women on issues of gender equality; and senior Aditi Bhor, a member of the Press Corps.

The team is looking forward to conferences at Yale University in January, Boston University in February, and Yale Model U.N. Europe in Rome during March break.

and sophomores Jason Jun and Vicky Jain, organized the children’s activity area. Soul Afire, featuring music teacher Netta Hadari and history teacher Kevin Henderson, provided live music for the event. Senior Wyeth Andrews volunteered his time and drone expertise to capture the event from a bird’s-eye view.

And Mike Mango, Jim Jubrey, and the rest of the school’s Physical Plant staff provided the tables and chairs for the large-scale meal.

THE LONGEST TABLE

The Pelican Service Organization’s annual Color Run in September raised more than $1,700 for the Windsor Food & Fuel Bank. As it does every year, the fun event brought the school community together in support of neighbors in need. Accolades were announced for the class with the most participants (the sophomore class), the team with the highest participation rate (boys JV soccer with 100 percent), dorms with the highest participation rates (Longman, Flagg, and Cutler halls), and best costume, which went to four students who ran together as The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

With valuable contributions from Loomis Chaffee students, faculty, and staff, the town’s Windsor Hunger Action Team put on a meaningful community meal for more than 250 people on the Windsor Town Green on a Friday in September. The Longest Table dinner was part of a nationwide event celebrating community and raising awareness about food insecurity. Pelican Service Organization officers, seniors Brookie Olson and Shamyra Glenn, juniors Lisa Pang and Brian Zeng,

COLOR RUN

REGIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL Twenty-nine Loomis Chaffee musicians earned positions in the 2026 Connecticut Northern Region Music Festival based on auditions during the fall. The students were selected to participate in the Band, Orchestra, Chorus, and Treble Choir in the two-day festival in January at New Britain High School.

This achievement also qualified the students to audition in February for the Connecticut All-State Music Festival. The program is sponsored by the Connecticut Music Educators Association.

BOOK CHATS All across campus on an afternoon in September, students and faculty gathered in groups to talk about books they had read over the summer. As one of their summer reading assignments, students each chose a book that piqued their interest from a list of 25 titles, fiction and nonfiction, covering a range of topics. The Book Chats brought together students who had chosen the same book, for group discussions led by faculty members.

Faculty and Staff News Eric LaForest, head of the History, Philosophy & Religious Studies Department; Karen Parsons, a history teacher and the school archivist; Chinelo Osakwe ’23; and Mercy Olagunju ’22 ran a workshop about the Loomis Chaffee Ethical History Project at the Second Foundings Conference at Rice University in Houston, Texas, in October. The three-day conference was the fall meeting of the Universities Studying Slavery consortium, an international collective of more than 100 colleges and universities. Eric, Karen, Chinelo, and Mercy led a workshop titled “Where the Research Leads: Reflection and Renewal in Loomis Chaffee’s Institutional History Project.” The Ethical History Project is a student-faculty research project, in which all four of the workshop leaders have been collaborators. Launched in 2021, the project “set out to research the lives of Black people enslaved by the Chaffee, Loomis, and Hayden

families as well as the historical contexts in which they lived,” according to the project’s website. In 2025, the project expanded to include “research that aspires to tell the history of the Loomis Chaffee campus through Indigenous histories and perspectives.”

New faculty for the 2025–26 school year include visual arts teachers Mahsa Attaran and Sophie Gibson; Dean of Enrollment Jake Dellorco; Director of Spiritual Life Cienna Dumaoal; history and philosophy teacher Jared Hall; Dietitian Liz Hoiberg; admission fellow Brady Jalili ’19; science teachers Rushmi Jamil, Paul Oberto, and Crystal Peña; English teacher Abby Orso; Assistant Athletic Trainer Evan Ostrowski; Director of Institutional Research Maria Raviele; English and Spanish teacher Connor Rogers; mathematics teacher Alejandra Ross; Associate Director of College Guidance

Anastasia Tabasco-Flores; and Counselor Nate Taylor. Two new Penn fellows, mathematics teacher Brian Villalta and English teacher Hailey Young, also joined the faculty.

The campus welcomed several new babies in recent months. Oliver Smith Parker, son of Associate Director of Admission Devin Smith Parker and her husband, Andy Parker, was born on July 7, 2025. Giorgia Neil Dial, daughter of Molly Giorgio ’06 and her husband, Dean of Students Elliott Dial, was born on October 1, 2025. Rhodes Wilco Self, son of Dean of Students Stephanie Bissett and her husband, Chad Self, was born on November 6, 2025. And Gus Étienne Beaton, son of Associate Director of College Guidance Freddi Dupré and her husband, Jeff Beaton ’08, was born on November 12, 2025. loomischaffee.org 23

PELICAN SP ORTS

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VARSITY RECORDS BOYS CROSS COUNTRY 5-1 Founders League Champion Division I New England, Third Place GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY 5-0 Founders League Champion Division I New England, Fifth Place EQUESTRIAN 4 Shows, including 2 First-Place Finishes FIELD HOCKEY 8-9 FOOTBALL 3-6 BOYS SOCCER 14-5 New England Quarterfinalist GIRLS SOCCER 15-2 New England Quarterfinalist VOLLEYBALL 16-3 Founders League Champion New England Semifinalist BOYS WATER POLO 6-10

24 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

1:

The boys cross country team at the start of a home meet.

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Senior Tenn Murphy

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Senior Maleah Cogle

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Senior Romy Jain

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Junior Gillian Tang

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Sophomore Maggie Bell

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Senior Wyeth Andrews

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Senior Cathy Zhang

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Senior Makai Badeau

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loomischaffee.org 25

OBJECT LESSON

P

A History of Poke Inn

oke Inn, a building known variously as Poq Inn or the White House, was used as a faculty residence or dormitory between 1916 and the early 1940s. Located about a mile from the Loomis campus, it housed between seven and 12 boys during years when enrollment outpaced available beds in the quadrangle dorms. The winter 1943 Loomis Bulletin announced the school’s sale of Poke Inn and recounted memories of the close bonds formed by students living there. The article noted “one more Loomis landmark in Windsor has disappeared” but omitted mention of the two years when the building fulfilled the outcome of a landmark ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court. Referred to during those years as “Poq Inn,” it housed the reopened Loomis Girls Division from 1925 to 1927.

The Loomis Institute acquired the building, located at the corner of Poquonock Avenue and Spring Street, through the estate of Hezekiah Bradley Loomis, one of the five school Founders. He had, in the 1860s, inherited half of the so-called “Flat Lot” just to the north of Windsor center from his parents, James and Abigail Chaffee Loomis.

Hezekiah, his estate, and, later, the school’s Trustees retained the land and its three dwellings as rental properties until 1916.

A hand-drawn map, accounts listing rent payments, and local water bills from this earlier period refer to Poke Inn as “the White House.” In 1916, U.B. Mather, one of Loomis’

Court in 1924 for an injunction on the closing, but he failed to persuade the court that the Loomis Institute had an obligation to provide an education for girls. Healy waged a vigorous appeal the next year.

Assisting him was Andrew Storrs Campbell, a well-respected Hartford lawyer, and Hugh Alcorn, a brilliant and aggressive state’s attorney. Their appeal asked the court to look more closely at language used by the Loomis Founders in their wills and in the 1874 Loomis Institute Charter, including the phrase “education for all persons.” The final ruling of May 1925 determined the wording used throughout the documents validated “the construction of ‘all persons’ to include those of both sexes” and that “the charter plainly requires the trustees to furnish to girls the educational benefits of the Institute.”

first math teachers, moved there with his family. It was transformed into a dormitory in the early 1920s.

The original Loomis Girls Division opened in 1914 and held classes for day students at the west end of the William H. Loomis Refectory on the Island campus. The Trustees voted in March 1923 to suspend the girls’ classes because of “languish[ing]” enrollment.

The town of Windsor fought the decision in court. State Attorney General Andrew Healy argued before the Connecticut Supreme

Top: A late 19th-century hand-drawn map identifying Poke Inn as “the White House” on Poquonock Avenue. Above: A 1935 photograph of Poke Inn. 26 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

With planning and renovations done hastily over the summer of 1925, Poq Inn was repurposed into classrooms for the fall opening of a day school that aligned with the court’s ruling. Three Loomis faculty agreed to teach at Poq Inn, and Katherine Ahern, a member of the original Girls Division faculty, was rehired as preceptress. Applications were accepted only from those who would be first-year students; previous students could not reapply. An additional class would be added over the next three years to make a full, four-year school. Eleven students entered that fall.

In 1927, the Loomis Girls Division moved to a group of buildings on Windsor’s Palisado Green and was renamed The Chaffee School.

U.B. Mather’s two daughters, Clara Louise and Edith, graduated from Chaffee in 1936 and 1937. Hugh Alcorn’s granddaughters, Carolyn and Elizabeth, graduated in 1947 and 1950. Celia Storrs Campbell, a student at the Girls Division from 1921 to 1923 and daughter of attorney Andrew Storrs Campbell, received her Loomis diploma in 1987. John Ratté, who was then Head of School at Loomis Chaffee, awarded diplomas to six women whose Loomis educations had ended abruptly with the closing of the Girls Division. They had been deemed too far along in their high school studies to rejoin Loomis at Poq Inn. Celia returned to the Island 64 years later for her belated graduation.

T S T N E D U T S S R E H C A TE C H , plest form im s ir e h t n to rs ared dow e. Teache s r Schools, p u o c f o e learning, ts, and th n e d are about u t s ir he nts ssons to t ter, stude la s r a impart le e Y . nd be profou and what m e h t t effect can h g tau h, mber who ou, thoug y ll e t l still reme il ers w e ed. Teach ed, and th n r u t e r a they learn tables later, times the e m o s nt. Years t e a d u th t s e h t mis arns from some Loo e r a teacher le e r e .H emember te. teachers r at resona h t s le p m xa Chaffee e

tterbein

By Jeff O

loomischaffee.org 27

Don’t Jump to Conclusions “Years ago, early in my high school teaching career, I had a junior who was a nationally ranked wrestler,” recalls English teacher Dan Dow. “He was an amazing athlete but rather taciturn in class, and while his athletic prowess had been celebrated at the school, his academic promise had not been.

“Once he was a student in my class, however, I started to see why — he had terrible handwriting — to the extent where his scribbling, which meandered and jumped around a page with letters of differing sizes — looked like a kindergartner had written his answer. I think, at first, I probably jumped to the quick and very false conclusion that his athletic rep and his childlike handwriting signified something was missing with his academic ability.

“I was soon proven wrong. In fact, when I followed and paid close attention to the terrible and meandering handwriting, I saw an intellectually curious and thoughtful mind at work, someone who had thoroughly digested the reading and come to very apt and insightful conclusions.

“So, what did Nick C. teach me, the young teacher? First, to pay attention to students, to listen and meet them where they are — and, especially, not to let quick judgments stand, since they usually prove false. Give a student enough time to show what he or she can do — and the right circumstances to draw it out — and great learning can happen.”

Prompting a Lesson Plan Rachel Nisselson, who teaches in the Modern and Classical Languages Department and is director of the Kravis Center for Excellence in Teaching, shares this story from the fall of 2020: “In my Spanish I class, I was teaching about the gender of nouns and noun/adjective agreement, when [a freshman] asked about how these grammar rules that assume a gender binary and

EAST

WEST

Latino Latina Latinx demand that speakers identify on one side or the other affect non-binary folks. This thoughtful question inspired me to create a lesson plan about the language inclusivity movement in Spanish, which has proposed alternative, inclusive endings for adjectives and gendered nouns. Latinx (as opposed to Latino or Latina) is an example of a gender inclusive word that’s become popular in some parts of the U.S., though it’s not favored by all U.S. Spanish speakers.”

When East Meets West History teacher Rick Taylor recounts this experience: “Two Chinese students in one of my [World History] sections taught me (and the rest of the class) that the Chinese word for ‘thing’ or ‘commodity’ is (dōngxi), which is a compound of the characters for ‘east’ and ‘west.’

This came up during our investigation of the cosmopolitanism of Chang’an, the capital of Tang China, specifically during our analysis of the city’s plan, which had an Eastern Market that sold domestic goods (commodities/ things) and a Western Market that sold foreign goods from all over Eurasia, and several laws regulating business and behavior in these two markets.”

Rick says the student’s insight provided “a nice present-day example of the type of cosmopolitanism we were exploring in the past.” He adds that he is “grateful to work with brilliant kids from all over the world.”

COMMODITY

“Grit and Team and Heart and Support and Compassion” On May 21, 2022, the Loomis Chaffee baseball team beat Kingswood-Oxford 10-0 in a Founders League tournament semifinal. A congratulatory text came from coach Donnie McKillop’s parents who were driving from California to Connecticut to spend time with Donnie, his wife Katie, and their four children. His parents were planning to get to Windsor in time to see the championship game four days later. Yet, the best of times for Donnie turned into the absolute worst of times: Donnie’s parents were killed in an accident on the way to Connecticut.

“The whole community, the whole team, before I was coaching that Wednesday, made hats and shirts that said family,” Donnie says.

“What I had been coaching and teaching — what I believed in as a program, what sports were for me and what sports are all about, just came full circle. Grit and team and heart and support and compassion.”

teammates and good people,” Donnie says.

“When things were really difficult in my personal life, being able to share a common goal and be with people chasing that one goal, and to have that clarity and vision and direction, was really beneficial.”

On May 25, 2022, Loomis Chaffee defeated Avon Old Farms 5-3 to cap off an 18-2 season with the Founders title. Many former players came back to support Donnie and the team that day.

“What all this did,” Donnie says, “was show me how important this place was to my personal life.”

That feeling might have started with his 2018 team. When he was among those asked how students or athletes have left a lasting mark on teachers and coaches, he, of course, went to that 2022 team first.

“But,” he says, “there’s also 2018. I have to say my 2018 LC baseball team taught me how to coach and be as a leader of a program.”

This was a team that included members of Donnie’s first recruiting class, a team that had gone through COVID together.

That team had little depth — every pitcher played another position — but it had heart.

“The kids supported me in a time of need, showed up for me, and they were just good

“They showed me how to create internal competition and joy with each other and for

the game,” Donnie says. “They have always been the team I lean on in my upbringing as a young coach. They help me remain relentlessly positive and optimistic no matter what opponent we have ahead of us.

We swept Avon that year when they had a first-round [Major League Baseball] draft pick pitching and another first-round draft pick in center field.”

Players on that team, he says, “always come back, stay in touch. Some have even coached with me since graduating. It’s a life bond that showed me how important the program experience was for them and

motivated me to honor the legacy of the Pelicans when leading the program.”

That team also taught him “the sheer joy of playing for and with each other. They allowed me as a new, young leader to be authentic, coach for the joy of the game, and not have to be [some stereotype] of what you read a head coach has to be. That was a [formative] piece in my career.”

Above: The 2022 varsity baseball team and coaches. Donnie McKillop is in the standing row, second from the left. loomischaffee.org 29

Making Someone Feel Seen Marahyah Ilah Richardson ’19 died on January 27, 2020, her freshman year at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, where she grew up. She was 18 years old.

She had been at the college only a matter of months.

Yet she made such as an impact that a year later, on the anniversary of her death, the Occidental president called for a moment of silence that day to honor her.

She had been a first-year class senator for the Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) and a program assistant for the International Programs Office (IPO), according to a school article written when she died.

The assistant director of IPO was quoted as saying she was “just ... vibrant. Magnetic.

Someone that is real. You want to meet them and get to know them. When I met her, I instantly knew she was special.”

So did a lot of people at Loomis Chaffee.

One of them was her advisor, Eric LaForest, the History, Philosophy & Religious Studies Department head.

He also taught her in a class called Race in America. Eric would fly to California for her funeral and give a eulogy not long before COVID shut down the world as we knew it.

“She was someone,” Eric says, “who carried herself in a way that helped people see things a little differently.”

He sees things differently as a teacher because of Marahyah.

She was working with another student on an independent study project on linguistics, part of which was language acquisition of young kids. She had asked Eric if she could record a session with his son, August, in 2018, when August was 4 years old.

“She came to the house,” Eric remembers, “and they played Legos for 30 minutes.

The Legos were a distraction. She was really focusing on how he was talking. I was observing. It was a very natural 30 minutes, and it was great.”

Right: Marahyah Richardson ’19 in Brush Library, February 2018

30 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

At one point August meant to say “instructions,” as in the guidance Lego provided for what they were building. He called them “constructions.”

“That was a great mistake for someone embarking on a study of linguistics. What an interesting slip,” Eric says.

Marahyah paused. August picked up on the way she paused.

“It can be easy for veteran teachers to forget what it is like to learn about something for the first time. For instance, I have taught some version of junior-year American history for 17 years, and, in my rush to get it all done in one year, I can overlook a student’s sense of their own learning. Marahyah reminds me how to learn with my students as if it is my first time through it. Just one of her many gifts to the Loomis community.”

— Eric LaForest, History, Philosophy & Religious Studies “Little kids can pick up on things, like did I mess up?” Eric says. “And I guess so, but she was just so fascinated by this word he used.

Marahyah listened intently to my son, pondered his fascinating mistake, and then told him how interesting it was that he used the wrong word. She did so in such a generous, gentle way that has stayed with me many years later. She seemed more focused on understanding his 4-year-old perspective than correcting it. She was able to be fascinated, be present, gently affirm who he was without him feeling judged ... that moment really has stayed with me and shaped who I want to be as a teacher. I think about it a lot and not only because of how her life was shortened tragically. She made him feel seen.

I hope I do the same with/for my students.

“It can be easy for veteran teachers to forget what it is like to learn about something for the first time,” Eric continues. “For instance, I have taught some version of junior-year American history for 17 years, and, in my rush to get it all done in one year, I can overlook a student’s sense of their own learning. Marahyah reminds me how to learn with my students as if it is my first time through it. Just one of her many gifts to the Loomis community.”

The Day the Tater Tot Flew “I see a tater tot go flying across the room in the dining hall one day,” remembers Dean of Students Mike Donegan.

Mike says it already has been a long day and that is the last thing he wants to deal with — but he knows he must confront the student.

“I leaned in and said, ‘I expect more from a future leader.’”

The student got up and cleaned it up.

“Flash forward three years later,” Mike continues. “As the student was preparing to graduate, he comes into my office and reminds me of that story. He said, ‘I have to tell you as a senior, I’m leaving and ending up being a prefect and an RA. There is so much I love about Loomis. That day you said to me ‘I expect more from a future leader’ really motivated me. No one ever called me a leader, let alone a future leader, and I want to thank you for that.’”

This was about 10 years ago, Mike says, yet it is a moment that keeps coming back to him.

“To this day it reminds me of those tiny interactions ... how powerful those small conversations can be. We should be reminded that even those small moments count. That small interaction and of course other factors, his teachers, coaches, his parents, helped him. But it reminds you we have a lot of influence.”

By Pauline W. Chen ’82

Behind Every Brush Stroke

Loomis Chaffee invited physician and author Pauline W. Chen ’82 to speak at a convocation this fall on the subject of this year’s school question, “What does it mean to be human?”

The text of Pauline’s thought-provoking talk, edited for print, follows.

Above: The Spotted Horses cave painting in Pech Merle, created during the Paleolithic Age.

I

have spent a good chunk of my postLoomis Chaffee life doctoring. I care for other human beings, who are sometimes well, but often in the throes of a debilitating symptom and occasionally on the cusp between life and death.

Another large chunk of my life has been devoted to thinking and writing about what I see, trying to make sense of the very moving human dramas that play out in my work life.

I suppose it would seem that I might have a bit of a leg up when it comes to this year’s school theme, “What Is Human?”

Nonetheless, in the months since [Head of School Jody Reilly Soja’s] invitation to speak, I have been at an utter loss. When it comes to existential and metaphysical questions, “What is human?” is right up there with “What is the meaning of life?”!

I have turned to essays, books, and academic journals. I have made it a point to query my friends and colleagues.

“Tell me,” I ask them. “What is human?”

Their responses after I explain why I am asking? “Ha! Good luck!!”

So, a couple of weeks ago, with my back to the metaphorical and, I suppose, metaphysical, wall, I finally resorted to something that I suspect many of us who are feeling anxious and pressured to produce have done.

being — capable of both great kindness and cruelty, creativity and destruction. Being human means not just existing, but being aware that we exist — and constantly trying to make sense of that fact.”

I turned to A.I.

Pretty impressive, especially that last sentence. So we humans are human because we are constantly trying to make sense of the fact that we exist.

First, figuring this question might fall appropriately into the medical research and scientific realms, I went to Open Evidence, an A.I. platform that synthesizes peerreviewed medical literature and clinical guidelines.

I typed in, “What is human?”

Open Evidence’s answer? “This question is outside the scope of Open Evidence.”

I was surprised, but I admired that A.I.-flavored sense of humility.

I then turned to ChatGPT. Maybe the answer required a generalist intelligence. Again, I typed in, “What is human?”

Well, there was no humility here. In seconds, Chat GPT spit out an entire outline that it summarized at the end in two sentences: “A human is a thinking, feeling, social

Indulge me for a few minutes as I tell you a little story about how I’ve been trying to make sense of one fact of my existence.

It’s 1922 in the southwestern countryside of France. The Great War, World War I, is over and the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 has finished taking its horrific and deadly toll.

Things are finally beginning to look up for the farmers in Cabreret, a tiny village whose name is derived from the local dialect’s word for “goat.”

“Goat” is an apt moniker, given that the village sits on and is surrounded by enormous limestone rocks and cliffs that only a goat could scale. The limestone rock is white, with sharp ledges and planes and visible cracks, even at the ground level.

Pauline Chen ’82 (at left) is a physician, author, and Loomis Chaffee trustee. Her medical career has included work as a liver transplant surgeon, as a cancer researcher, and now as a surgeon at the Boston Veterans Affairs hospital and clinic. Her 2007 memoir, Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality, was a New York Times best-seller, and she has written for the “Doctors” column in The New York Times, among other publications. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pauline started a journaling workshop series for health care workers. Building on its initial success, the program, now called VA Writes, has expanded to workshops for Veterans Health Administration health care employees across the country.

Above: Pauline speaks to students and faculty gathered for the convocation in the Olcott Center.

34 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

Andre David is 16 years old, and he has spent his entire life on the family farm in Cabreret. A few months before Andre’s birth, his father is caught in a huge and violent rainstorm while working in the fields. He takes refuge in one of those cracks in the limestone earth and is soon joined by a neighboring farmer who is also caught out in the storm.

But it’s a cramped space for two big men and the storm is not letting up, so they begin removing rocks from the little limestone pit to make more room for themselves. By the end of the storm, the men have uncovered a hole. When they throw a pebble into the hole, it seems to roll for maybe 50 feet before stopping, sending off echoes that seem to go to the very bowels of the earth.

Over the next few years, Andre David’s father and a few interested grown-ups in and around the village attempt to widen the hole

“A human is a thinking, feeling, social being — capable of both great kindness and cruelty, creativity and destruction. Being human means not just existing, but being aware that we exist — and constantly trying to make sense of that fact.”

— ChatGPT, in response to Pauline’s prompt and even descend into it; but they get only so far. They lose their nerve when they slip along the wet tunnels and hear rumblings — maybe even growls — coming from the darkest reaches.

By the time Andre David is 8 years old, his father has forbidden any further exploration of the mysterious hole.

Of course, you can imagine that the ban on exploring makes young Andre even more drawn to going there. Imagine, growing up with this mysterious hole in your back yard, one that might even go to the other end of the earth! Andre begs his parents over and over again to let him explore, but the answer

always is a hard and unwavering no.

But the year he turns 16, Andre convinces his best friend, 15-year-old Henri, and his 13-year-old sister Marthe, to descend down the hole with him. The trio quickly aborts the first attempt because their candles are snuffed out by the wetness in the cave.

Andre wants to persist, but Henri tells him that if they don’t leave right away and are trapped, he will have no reservations about eating Andre and Marthe to stay alive.

The three teenagers continue in their attempts, eventually devising a system where one end of a rope is secured around the waist of the person who descends while

Above: The village of Cabreret in the rural southwest of France, where three teenagers discovered 29,000-year-old cave drawings in 1922. loomischaffee.org 35

the other end is secured to a person standing above ground.

path and feeling his way around with hands pressed against the cave’s cool walls.

Finally, in October of 1922, Andre is able to go farther than he ever has, and he finds himself in an enormous cave with dozens of gargantuan stalactites and stalagmites. With candle in hand, he begins exploring the cave, stepping carefully along the moist limestone

Suddenly before his eyes, he sees a series of drawings on the walls, stunning renditions of mammoths, reindeer, and spotted horse-like creatures that, when viewed against his flickering candlelight, appear to be alive, galloping across the cave.

Above: A cavern in the Pech Merle Caves 36 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

He is completely overcome. “We felt that we had entered another world,” he would later write. The caves were “decorated with numerous drawings of animals and markings that allowed me to penetrate the metaphysical mystery of prehistoric man.”

So moved is Andre David, that the caves, the Pech Merle Caves, became his life’s

obsession; and he devoted his life to their exploration and preservation. Up until his death in 1970, Andre David would continue to descend down to the grottoes, those riveting pre-historic works of art mesmerizing him, entrancing him, and drawing him in again and again and again.

In the years since Andre David’s discovery, other caves with pre-historic drawings have been discovered, especially in the area of southwestern France where limestone abounds. In the late 1940s, scientists were able to apply the newly discovered technique of Carbon-14 dating to many of these cave drawings. Using this technique on samples of the charcoal of the Pech Merle drawings, scientists were able to estimate that they had been created 29,000 years ago.

This means that the artists who made those fantastic tableaus lived in the late Pleistocene age — the very moment in history when the first humans, the earliest homo sapiens, emerged from Africa and began roaming the earth.

Above: Many of the prehistoric cave paintings depict horses, bison, mammoths, and other animals.

Below: The entrance to the caves today is through a heavy wooden door at the back of the Pech Merle Prehistory Centre’s gift shop.

The first time I visited the caves of Pech Merle, I was 17 years old. I was spending my senior year in France on the School Year Abroad program; and that spring, in addition to museums and cathedrals, we visited the caves. I don’t remember the details of the visit, only that the images of those paintings lingered for so long in my mind that I sometimes thought of them as more of a dream than a memory.

Until I revisited the caves this summer.

There is a museum now above the caves. And to descend down, you have to walk through a heavy wooden door at the back of the gift shop and descend some 50 feet. Except for sounds of other tourists jostling about to get a closer look, it is silent down there, a series of enormous caves created over the millions of years by acidic ground water slowly dissolving the rocks.

Interspersed throughout these underground chambers are those fantastic tableaus. Those works of art, created by the earliest humans, the earliest homo sapiens, feel as vivid and as moving today as they did to me 40 years earlier, to Andre David more than 100 years ago, and, I suspect, to the humans who saw them 29,000 years ago.

I understand why Andre David kept going back. I understand the desire to immerse

oneself in the otherworldliness of these caves.

I understand the profound pull of these drawings and the sense of wonder and astonishment that they elicit.

In one particular branch of this discipline, scientists look at how neurotransmitters affect human behavior, or, you might say, make us human.

These cave drawings have such a hold on us because, I suspect, we know, without question, that they are undeniably human.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals produced by the brain that allow neurons to communicate. Oxytocin and dopamine are two such chemicals. Dopamine is linked to rewarding behavior and typically results in pleasure, motivation, and alertness. Oxytocin, like dopamine, is related to reward and pleasure but can also be calming and relaxing. It appears to promote bonding and socialization

There’s a new field of scientific inquiry, social neuroscience, that has emerged over the last two decades or so. It’s a fascinating multi-disciplinary field, one that examines how the brain mediates social interactions.

loomischaffee.org 37

and is famously associated with parenting, being released during breastfeeding and early skin-to-skin contact.

While still relatively new, the field of social neuroscience has come up with some very intriguing findings that offer potential biologic underpinnings of what is human. One of these is the idea that human evolution — becoming human, if you will — was predicated in part on an increase in the production of neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine.

as evolutionary psychologists write, “an ancient and central part of human life.”

The impulse to tell and listen to stories is as natural as the impulse to learn to walk. The ability to tell stories has been shown to be present in children as young as 2 1/2 years old. And children who are barely 2 years old can already sense, through language, when someone is about to tell them a story.

to capture a moment in time, to convey a cautionary message or shout-out, to elicit feelings and reactions in the viewers.

They reflect incredibly poignant human impulses that are not so far from the ones that compel some of us to create reels on social media.

Modern psychology researchers have termed

These neurotransmitters made the earliest humans more social, more goal-directed, more trusting, and more empathic. And more successful than their hominid counterparts when it came to the game of survival.

Neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine amplify social cues and inclinations that favor survival, like staying with others to promote reproduction, caring in teams to ensure the survival of the next generation, and communicating to others about places of danger or fields of bounty.

According to these social neuroscience theories, oxytocin and dopamine were the oxygen that fueled the other fire that humans were discovering, that is the use of stories or narratives.

Interpreted through this neurotransmitter theory, the remarkable drawings of Pech Merle become the concrete manifestation of a new rush of signaling in the brain, a tapping into and an outpouring of neurotransmitters.

With dopamine and oxytocin surging, the pre-historic artists told the stories of the creatures they had seen. They drew the herds of dappled horses that grazed nearby.

They etched the playful faces of horses that they had seen. They recounted violent encounters between those horses and giant woolly mammoths. And they recalled hunters or enemies who had been felled by arrows.

Behind all of this, behind every brush stroke and every line, were the hands of artists who were beginning to define what is human.

The ability to tell stories, to create narratives with pictures, writing, movement, speech, or song, is a defining characteristic of being human. Powered by our brain’s increase in self-produced chemical messengers, storytelling emerged among our pre-historic ancestors in highly elaborate forms across all cultures. It was as if storytelling was, 38 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

Listeners matter, and the ability to listen, or to bear witness — to be open, to empathize, to fully immerse oneself in the story of another, to offer our attention — is, I believe, what is human.

So it’s not surprising that we modern-day human beings can sense when one of our earliest ancestors is trying to tell a story.

The stories woven and painted by the artists of Pech Merle are particularly moving because despite the intervening 29,000 years, they seem so human. The drawings and paintings and etchings feel like attempts

this kind of storytelling the creation of a “narrative identity.” Weaving together the details of particular parts of our lives, we human beings construct a story and internalize that story. For example, part of my narrative identity is composed of the stories from my four years at Loomis Chaffee, as a day student from Windsor, as a member of the Orchestra, as a part of The LOG.

These stories that each of us possesses, these “narrative identities,” are how humans understand and “convey to themselves and to others who they are now, how they came to be and where they think their lives may be going in the future.”

I began this talk with the story of Andre David. I wasn’t sharing his story because he is an amazing example of what is human —

hand prints and thumb prints that adorn the animal paintings.

and empathy with others (triggered by the release of oxytocin).

These prints were created by blowing pigment over a hand or thumb held against the cave walls. They are placed very precisely, symmetrically often, and they pop out, like some prehistoric shout-out to future observers that “We are here!”

They were becoming human.

They seem to be the artist’s urgent insistence of their presence in their tableau of life, a direct call to their viewers then — and now.

I suspect that these negative handprints haunted Andre David from the moment he saw them until his last days. I suspect that those visual declarations of humanity drew him back again and again to the caves and that they lingered so deeply in his mind that he couldn’t be sure if they were real or a dream, until he saw them again.

I suspect all of this because it was those negative handprints that stayed in my own mind for more than 40 years and drew me back to Pech Merle.

Andre David’s story shows us that no matter how human, how miraculous, our impulse is to tell a story, what ultimately gives that story true meaning and power is the listener, the audience, the person who takes it all in, even if it is just the author alone or a 17-yearold some 29,000 years later.

A story is not a story unless it has a listener.

What is human is the singular ability to listen, to watch, to pay attention, to fully empathize with the storyteller. What is human is the ability to offer attention.

although he is also that.

And I wasn’t sharing his story because he devoted his life to exploring and protecting the Caves of Pech Merle, which in turn allowed others to catch a glimpse of the magnificence of pre-historic people — which he absolutely did.

I began with Andre David’s story because of this: In an essay he wrote much later in life recounting his first visit to the cave, Andre David describes one particular drawing that caught his attention, the ghostly negative

And, as it turns out, at the same time early humans developed the ability to tell stories, they also developed the ability to offer their attention because attention relies on precisely the same cocktail of neurotransmitters that good storytelling requires.

Twenty-nine thousand years ago, in a cool cave in southwestern France, pre-historic humans began to experience something entirely new. They found that by focusing on these groupings of scratches and lines and dots on the walls, these representations of great and frightening creatures, they would feel a rush of suspense and anticipation (mediated by dopamine). By leaning in closer to see more clearly, one body touching another, they could immerse themselves in another world and feel a sense of connection

Listeners matter, and the ability to listen, or to bear witness — to be open, to empathize, to fully immerse oneself in the story of another, to offer our attention — is, I believe, what is human.

So when I finally finished drafting this talk, I gave it to my twin daughters, Natalie ’20 and Isabelle ’20. They have become my best first readers, which is, I know, because of their education, not in college, but here at Loomis Chaffee.

Natalie asked if I happened to have any photos of myself at Pech Merle. Sadly, I answered, I didn’t. I explained that Pech Merle is one of the last caves with prehistoric drawings where the public is allowed to see the actual drawings, not replicas, and that flash photos are strictly forbidden because it can degrade the paint.

“Ah,” Natalie said. “So you have to listen to the past, you have to pay attention. Not try to capture it.”

“Attention is,” the brilliant and unparalleled French philosopher Simone Veil said, “the rarest and purest form of generosity.”

And it is, I would posit, the most precious of gifts.

So as you engage in this great, wondrous exploration of what it is to be your best self, to work for the common good, and to be human, I hope you will remember my take on that ultimate existential and metaphysical question.

Remember, always, the very human gift that each of you possesses. Use it wisely, but also generously.

Fire up those neurotransmitters by telling your stories to your peers, your teachers, the staff, the administrators, and your family. But really show them your humanity by listening, observing, immersing yourself in their stories, and offering them your attention.

Left: One of the handprints left on the cave walls by the prehistoric artists, as if calling out to future viewers of the paintings. loomischaffee.org 39

40 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

Small Things in Life

By Jeff Otterbein

The school community is asking a big question this year: “What Does It Mean To Be Human?” The question calls for deep thinking and profound conclusions. But what if we turned the question on its head for a while and asked ourselves what simple things make being human meaningful to us? We asked faculty, staff, students, and alumni to share their answers.

Slipping out alone in my little red canoe during the quiet seasons of fall and spring.

There’s something sacred about those moments — when the air is crisp, the water still, and the world feels both vast and intimate. As I paddle through a winding creek or across open water, my breath deepens. I notice the trees arching overhead, the birds tracing patterns across the sky, my muscles stretching and pulling, the soft play of reflections on the surface. I become aware of the fragile balance between myself, the canoe, and the living world surrounding me. Paddling is meditative: a steady rhythm that lets my mind wander freely yet cling to nothing. It grounds me even as it lets me drift.

Out there, I shed the noise and hurry of daily life and return, simply, to being a breathing, observant human, part of something much larger and quieter.

— Julia Hinchman, Science Teacher The many ways water reflects light.

— Sophie Gibson, Visual Arts Teacher

Our uniquely human ability to recognize beauty. It’s such a simple yet profound gift — to notice something fleeting and feel awe because of it. For me, that’s always been fall foliage. Each year, I look forward to the brightness and variety of the colors — the yellows and oranges that appear just after the start of the school year, giving everything a sense of renewal and possibility, and then the brilliant reds and more subdued purples that come later, signaling reflection and change. There’s something deeply grounding about watching that slow, colorful transformation and realizing that, in noticing it, we’re participating in something timeless and human.

— Roland Davis, Dean of Inclusive Excellence & Belonging When someone laughs or smiles.

— Richard Karrat, Modern & Classical Languages Teacher

A baby’s giggle. A bucolic view. A loved one’s hug. A puppy’s wagging tail. A cat’s purr.

— Patti Donovan, Senior Systems Administrator

Being human reveals itself in the small moments of everyday life — the quiet conversation over coffee, the laughter that erupts unexpectedly among friends, the simple gestures that show care and understanding between people. There’s something deeply human in these fleeting moments that often go unnoticed.

— Sandrine Sebag, Modern & Classical Languages Teacher

Each year in the Chaffee Leadership Institute, Lillian Corman and I are reminded what it means to be human through the small, powerful moments that unfold — when the young women begin to find their voices, encourage each other, or take brave first steps out of their social comfort zones and into authentic leaders and role models. Watching their confidence take root and kindness ripple out fills us with gratitude. It’s in those quiet, genuine connections where courage, empathy, and shared growth unfold that we most appreciate life as educators.

— Mike Donegan, Dean of Students

loomischaffee.org 41

Here are the small things that help me see God, i.e, appreciate life and being human: Trees dancing in the wind.

Stunning clouds. Music you can feel in your chest.

— Kate Seyboth, Director of Digital and Computational Learning

Laughter/humor ... Supporting others — empathy — noticing and choosing to help ... Being together for the sake of being together.

— Lena Sadowitz, Director of Learning Access and Student Achievement

Seeing the progression of the leaves changing color in the fall. It starts so slowly and then there’s a riot of color, seemingly overnight. ...

Belly laughing over a stupid joke or something silly with a group of friends.

— Maria Raviele, Director of Institutional Research

How excited the freshmen in my dorm get to shout out “study hall!” each night. I see their eyes light up when the prefect asks, ‘Who wants to call it?’ and their ability to take something seemingly so mundane and turn it into something so full of magic, wonder, and joy is a truly special and human quality. It’s a tiny but beautiful thing.

— Klara Oppenheimer, sophomore

Biting into a really good piece of pizza feels very human. Reading a good book feels very human. I will say I have seen very recently a squirrel eating a piece of pizza up in a tree, so I’m not sure that counts toward being uniquely human. ... I’m a big fan of Tootsie Pops. Tootsie Pops are so human, you have to really work for that Tootsie Roll in the middle. I think Tootsie Pops are a really good reflection of humanity.

— Will Hall, senior 42 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

My two little boys (7 and 4), who remind me to have a dance party, act silly, make messes for the sake of fun, and get excited for new experiences. … So that makes the runner-up coffee. I appreciate that coffee is there to support me in these endeavors.

— Lindsey Beer, Assistant Director of Summer Programs

My little sister’s smile — A.I. hasn’t yet perfected the cheesy 7-year-old grin the way she has.

— Aanum Khan, senior

“This is how I’m feeling human, connected to my mother as she ages, and I support my dad in caring for her. It is deeply personal,” shares the faculty member who wrote the following and wishes to remain anonymous:

On Being My Mother’s Daughter She used to dress me up her living doll in frills.

Dressy shoes discarded before I wiggled out to feel grass between toes run sweaty in sunshine.

She relented, sewing strawberry patterned pants bell-bottoms streaked green, cuffed with mud, worn with sneakers, hand-me-down flannel tops, barrettes my compromise.

She borrowed my fleeces envied my quick-dry pants bought clogs and Keens, comfort our matching bunioned feet, high praise for plain dresses raised brows for hiking boots.

I dress her in her style, slip on shoes, no buttons for stiff arthritic hands no complex choices or fussy accessories just grace to be herself.

There is a Korean word (nang-man). It doesn’t translate directly into English, as it does not quite mean romance, nor sentiment, nor nostalgia. The definition may differ by person, but to me it means the small things that might seem useless at first, yet in the end are what gives life its color and warmth, and leaves no regret. It is the tenderness of doing something beautiful even when it serves no purpose, blowing meaning to moments that do not demand it. To be human, I think, is to carry in the heart: to choose to wonder and wander over a straight, safe path; to seek warmth in impermanence; and to leave traces of color even in the grayest hours. It is to live knowing that not everything needs to last to be worth loving.

For me, the meaning of being human has been the opportunity to share love throughout my life (85 years so far). I have been completely blessed to have shared love with family, friends, classmates, animals, nature, and God (during my NDE — near death experience — in 1973). All this sums up my personal experience of being human.

— Sally Crowther Pearse ’58

— Ria An, junior

A smile from a stranger ... A hearty laugh from a toddler ... Loving licks from a puppy.

— Brooks Chamberlain ’59

Sydney Hallowell ’25, a freshman at Tufts University who participated in the Tufts Civic Semester in the fall, shares:

here, there have been two major moments where I have truly gotten to know what it means to be human.

“My time in Thailand has slowly helped me find my small answers. For the past two months, I have been living and studying in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and recently have moved into homestay. Throughout my time

“The first occasion was when I would walk back home from the gym. The streets were still busy at 8 in the morning in Chiang Mai, as it seems the streets are always busy in Thailand, no matter the time. However, consistently on my way home I would always run into a woman sweeping the streets. At first, I would walk past quickly in hopes she wouldn’t say anything because my Thai was terrible. That fear came true one day. She spoke to me in Thai, yet to my surprise I understood and even responded. This became an almost everyday thing, and it made me realize that I was a person who made mistakes, but making mistakes was better than not trying.

“The second occasion is when my cohort and I all visited an elephant sanctuary. Just being near the massive creatures was incredible, but it was even more incredible to see how resilient these animals were. Not only are they resilient, but you can feel just how gentle they truly are. As I thought about this experience over and over again, I learned that being human (as well as being an elephant) means being resilient and gentle in times of struggle.

“Though I have so much to learn about being human, and what that means for me, Thailand has helped me find a couple of answers. It is easy to see you can find your answers in small moments or in moments that are monumental. Our experiences make us who we are and also show us what it means to be human. These moments have helped me slow down and appreciate the small acts of kindness, my mistakes (which happen quite often), and the world around me.”

Companionship — Katy Su, sophomore

loomischaffee.org 43

NEWS FROM THE ALUMNI / DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

NEWS FROM ALUMNI / DEVELOPMENT

ALUMNI GATHERINGS

Boston Reception

OCTOBER 14 Top left: Kacy Hughes ’85, Amy Fiske ’85, Deb Manning ’85, Phil Cunningham, Carolyn Volpe Cunningham ’85, Sue Horn Angelides ’85, Suzanne Smore ’86, Nicole Morganthaler Lugli ’83, and Val Van Vleck ’86 Top right: Host Nancy Bilezikian P ’24, ’26; Head of School Jody Reilly Soja; host Beatrice Bilezikian ’24; and host Jeffrey Bilezikian ’87, P ’24, ’26 Left: Rob Shapiro ’08, Amanda Harris Shapiro ’08, and Tom Repko ’08 Right: Chris Avallone ’21, Mercy Olagunju ’22, Laith Hijazi ’19, and Carol Yu ’20

CHAFFEE BOOK CLUB

Walking Solo but Not Alone

by Jane Pitkin Archibald Head of School Jody Reilly Soja hosted the fall gathering of the Chaffee Book Club on December 3, 2025, at the Head’s House. Author Jane Pitkin Archibald, retired Loomis Chaffee English teacher and department head, led the discussion.

From the book summary: “Walking Solo but Not Alone is a collection of fifteen discrete essays that present the warmth of our humanity in the 2024 context of a somewhat unsettled earth. It is a book about the author’s and humankind’s journey to a destiny shaped meaningfully by our forebears.”

In attendance were: (front) Jane Torrey ’67, Lynn Hayden Wadhams ’61, Jane, Julie Rybeck P ’15, ’21, Betsy Mallory MacDermid ’66, and Director of Alumni & Parent Relations Lisa Salinetti Ross; and (back) Lisa Silvestri ’71, Cindee Herrick ’76, Carey Shea ’78, Jody, Anne Schneider McNulty ’72, Kate Butterworth Valdez ’67, and Beverley Earle ’68.

loomischaffee.org 45

NEWS FROM ALUMNI / DEVELOPMENT

Loomis Chaffee Gatherings in Asia Head of School Jody Reilly Soja, Dean of Enrollment Jake Dellorco, and Chief Advancement Officer Tim Struthers ’85 visited Loomis Chaffee alumni, parents of alumni, and friends of the school in Asia in November 2025, with receptions in six cities.

NOVEMBER 4 • SEOUL

NOVEMBER 6 • BEIJING

NOVEMBER 8 • SHANGHAI

Shanghai 46 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

NEWS FROM ALUMNI / DEVELOPMENT

NOVEMBER 10 • HONG KONG

Jody, Jake, and Tim in Hong Kong

Leigh Newman ’74 “It’s hard to believe it’s been over 55 years since I first set foot on the Island, and I’m so grateful for how Loomis Chaffee prepared me for the twists and turns of my life since then. Teachers like Mr. Joffray and Mr. Johnson nurtured and encouraged my love of numbers; Mrs. Servici and many others spurred my love of languages; Mrs. Lowengard broadened my horizons; and Mr. Wiggins taught me to think outside the (non-Euclidean) box.

I’ve been privileged to find success first in the business world and then in the law after a midlife career change, and to serve in leadership positions in several nonprofits that are important to me. Supporting the Annual Fund has always been an obvious way for me to give back to the school, and it gives me great satisfaction to endow my annual gift, as well as to support the scholarship fund that my class created in honor of our 50th reunion, through an estate intention, ensuring that my support for, and gratitude to, the school will outlive me.”

NOVEMBER 12 • SINGAPORE

For more information about planned gifts and the John Metcalf Taylor Society, please contact Heidi E.V. McCann ’93, P’23, ’25, ’28 at 860.687.6273 or heidi_mccann@loomis.org.

Above: Leigh with her husband, Gary Starr

We invite you to join the JMT Society if you have made, or plan to make, a commitment to support Loomis Chaffee through a gift in your will or other planned gift. www.loomischaffee.giftplans.org

NOVEMBER 14 • BANGKOK loomischaffee.org 47

NEWS FROM ALUMNI / DEVELOPMENT

Stay Connected: Become a Class Agent

ALUMNI GATHERINGS

Networking Reception

Class agents are essential connectors for Loomis Chaffee. In partnership with the Alumni/Development Office, they encourage support for the Annual Fund, promote alumni events, and celebrate classmates’ milestones — all with just a few hours of volunteer time each year. It’s a meaningful way to stay involved, give back, and help shape Loomis Chaffee’s future.

“Becoming a class agent gave me the perfect excuse to reconnect with old friends,” says Sarah E. Napier ’03. “It was so easy to get started, and the reward of rebuilding those connections has been incredible. I’ve been in touch with my LC roommates and friends I’d lost touch with for more than a decade — and we’re even planning meetups! It’s been such a meaningful and rewarding way to feel part of the Loomis community again.”

Interested in joining Sarah and other class agents?

Contact Mandy Carroll, associate director of the Annual Fund, at mandy_carroll@loomis.org or 860.687.6275 to learn more.

Loomis Chaffee hosted a professional networking reception and panel discussion in Hartford on September 16 for young alumni from Loomis Chaffee, Choate, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Taft, and Westminster.

Panelists represented six different industries to offer a range of perspectives.

Top: Panelists Lily Estabrook ’10 (Taft), Patrick Ononibaku ’14 (Deerfield), Ben Kleinschmidt ’14 (Westminster), Maggie Smith ’20 (Hotchkiss), Paul Mounds ’03 (Loomis Chaffee), and Dan Kroeber ’00 (Choate) Left: Martha Paluch Prou ’04, Charlie Moroni ’06, Jennie Cohen Kelly ’02, and Rachel Ramenda ’18

Reunite, Reconnect, and Reminisce June 5–7, 2026

SAVE THE DATE

Classes ending in 1s and 6s — this is your year! Mark your calendar for Reunion Weekend and join us on the Island for the festivities.

Visit www.loomischaffee.org/ reunion for more information or call 860.687.6815.

REGISTRATION OPENS THIS SPRING! 48 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

As passionate champions of Loomis Chaffee, our chairs play a vital role in inspiring support for the Annual Fund — fueling the people, programs, and possibilities that make Loomis exceptional. Their leadership helps ensure that every student has access to transformative opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

SAVE THE DATE

FEBRUARY 26 PHILANTHROPY DAY CHALLENGE

Y

We’re thrilled to welcome Trustee R. Samuel Fisher ’09 and Erin Shoudy Meyer ’97 as Annual Fund chairs.

N

O T H R PY

DA

Introducing Our 2025–26 Annual Fund Chairs

PHILA

NEWS FROM ALUMNI / DEVELOPMENT

nge e l l a Ch

!

Get ready, Pelicans! Every February, the Loomis Chaffee community comes together to show how powerful collective generosity can be. On February 26, we’ll celebrate our 14th Annual Philanthropy Day — a day when alumni, parents, and friends unite to make a lasting impact on our students, faculty and staff, and school.

Please join us in thanking Sam and Erin for their commitment to our community and for helping us advance the mission of Loomis Chaffee.

This year, we’re focusing on participation and community spirit — and every gift, no matter the size, helps us reach the goal.

Stay tuned to hear from Sam and Erin in the year ahead.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Volunteering is easy and fun and makes a big difference. All it takes is a few minutes to share your Loomis pride on social media, text a few classmates, or encourage your network to give. Plus, volunteers will receive fun LC swag as a thank you for their support!

Submit a Class Note

Send us your news!

Email the Class Notes Editor at magazine@loomis.org to share news with classmates and friends.

High-resolution photographs are welcome; please clearly identify all people. Class Notes appear on the school website and social media channels.

CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Want to be part of something meaningful? Reach out to Deidre Swords, director of the Annual Fund, at deidre_swords@loomis.org to sign up or learn more.

To show your early support or get more details, visit www.loomischaffee. org/philanthropyday or scan the QR code below.

Let’s make this the best Philanthropy Day yet — together!

GET LINKED LinkedIn is our primary tool for alumni networking and engagement.

The platform’s extensive network allows for dynamic and interactive connections among the thousands of Loomis Chaffee alumni who have already joined our LinkedIn group. By joining this group, you enhance your ability to take full advantage of this growing network.

To join the private Loomis Chaffee Alumni LinkedIn group, go to www.linkedin.com/groups/68181/ Be sure to update your LinkedIn profile to include Loomis Chaffee in your education section.

Loomis Chaffee Alumni

Loomis Chaffee Alumni Group loomischaffee.org 49

O B I T UA R I E S

1943 Tom Lehrer, on July 26, 2025, at his home in Cambridge, Mass. A musician, singersongwriter, satirist, mathematician, and professor whose obituary appeared everywhere from The New York Times and The Guardian to The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone, Tom was a one-year student who was the co-winner of the Mrs. Thomas Warham Loomis Memorial Prize for highest scholarship in the senior class at the 1943 Commencement. He was in the Glee Club and Music Club and in the cast of Dead End and The Pirates of Penzance, which would come into play later in his life. After graduating from Loomis, Tom attended Harvard at age 15. In 1946 he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, graduating magna cum laude. Tom’s irreverent 20-year music career began in the 1950s. His debut album in 1953 was “Songs by Tom Lehrer.” Recorded for $15 in one hour, the story goes, Tom was issued 400 copies that he sold around Harvard for $3.50 each. Eventually, the record sold 350,000 copies and was distributed by RCA, according to Jeremy Bernstein, who was a contemporary of Tom’s at Harvard and wrote about Tom in his book Quantum Profiles.

“More of Tom Lehrer” came out in 1959. That same year, he wrote the song “The Elements,” in which he set the names of all the chemical elements known at the time to the tune of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern MajorGeneral” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. Nothing was sacred for Tom, who wrote “The Vatican Rag,” which spoofed Vatican II, a series of sessions from 1962 to 1965 that would modernize the Catholic Church. His song “Wernher von

Braun” was about the man who was a leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and later a leader of rocket and space technology in the United States.

Tom was a songwriter for the 1960s news satire show That Was the Week That Was, and his 1965 album “That Was The Year That Was” contained performances of songs originally written for the TV show. The album peaked at No. 18 on Billboard’s top-200 album chart. It was on the chart for 51 weeks. His songs were played regularly on Dr. Demento, a radio show in 1970s. He also wrote some songs for the children’s TV program The Electric Company in the 1970s. Tomfoolery, a musical, was based on his songs and debuted in London in 1980 and opened Off-Broadway in 1981. Tom had an easy-going way of sitting at the piano and presenting his work with a spoken-word introduction and then launching into song, his inflection making you feel the words. His songs made you think, and laugh,

maybe even cry if you thought too much about some of them. In his obituary, The Guardian said Tom’s songs “were by turns gloriously vulgar, ludicrously macabre or ferociously political.” The Times wrote of Tom, “A mathematician by training, he acquired a devoted following with songs that set sardonic lyrics to music that was often maddeningly cheerful.” Newsday, the Long Island newspaper, once wrote: “Some call Lehrer’s songs topical or satirical. Others call them sick. Few call them subtle.” Tom’s music career mostly ended by the early 1970s, by his own choice. He left the music scene to teach mathematics and musical theater history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. By that time, he felt he had said all that needed to be said. He taught at UC Santa Cruz from 1972 to 2001. He also taught at Harvard and MIT. He eschewed publicity.

The Guardian’s obit said: “No one ever fought off the trappings of fame and success so fiercely. ... He was an enigma.” Mr. Bernstein recalled in his book Quantum Profiles, “I met a physicist from Santa Cruz and asked him if he ever met Lehrer. He said that although he did not know much about him, they shared an office. When I explained who Lehrer was, he was genuinely surprised.” Regarding his departure from the music business, Tom was widely quoted over the years as saying, “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” On the day after Tom’s death, the Daily Kos, which bills itself as a progressive news site, wrote: “Lehrer’s genius was making the uncomfortable funny and the complicated clear. He didn’t dumb anything down. ... He also knew when to quit. That kind of timing is rare, especially in an era when most public loomischaffee.org 51

figures cling to relevance like barnacles.

Lehrer left the stage when he had nothing left to say. It wasn’t cynicism. It was taste. If only more public figures had it.” (To read the satirical poem “Dissertation on Education,” which Tom wrote when he was a Loomis senior, see page 64.)

John Andrews Root Sr., on October 30, 2025. John was a four-year student who played football, wrestled, and was on the track team. He also was on the Athletic Council and Dining Hall Committee. John was born during a blizzard at his parent’s home in West Hartford, Conn. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy, achieved the rank of aviation machinist mate, and was honorably discharged in May 1946. He met the love of his life, Charlotte L. Johnson, at a square dance. After courting for a year, they were married in Hartford, Conn., in 1947. In 2022 they celebrated their 75th anniversary. John graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford in 1949, then with a medical degree from Tufts College Medical School in Boston in 1953.

His family moved to Portland, Maine, for his internship at Maine General Hospital (later Maine Medical Center). He stayed there four more years as a resident in general surgery. In 1958 he joined Dr. Robert Allen in a general surgical practice in Rockland, Maine, working first at Knox General Hospital,

52 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

then at Pen Bay Medical Center. He held memberships in the Maine Medical Society, the New England Surgical Society, and the Maine Vascular Society. With his best friend, Dr. Peter Giustra, he co-authored several papers dealing with general and vascular surgery, which were published in medical journals. In 1986, he closed his surgical practice. In “retirement,” he worked three years for a general contractor building houses.

He spent three more years learning cabinetry, and then he built his own house with his son John Jr. and others on the south shore of Rockland Harbor in Owls Head in Maine.

After selling his house, he lived on Beech Street in Rockland. John was a humble man, who always carried a handkerchief and a pocketknife and had a flashlight within arm’s reach. At 99 he would recite long works of poetry, many of which were read to him as a child by his mother. John had a lifelong passion for woodworking. He built two classic sailboats with his great friend Lucian Green prodding him on. He carved dozens of eagles, built several beautiful chests, and produced dozens of beautiful, detailed paintings. That, in addition to building two exceptional houses.

John was predeceased by his wife, Charlotte Root; one sister, Mary Saunders; and two brothers, Timothy and Stephen Root. He also was predeceased by his son Peter J. Root.

Peter and his father had a very close bond.

Peter, born with spinal bifida, was seen by

his father as an exceptionally courageous, friendly optimist who had a very positive influence on his thousands of online and personal friends. He devotedly tended to his medical needs daily until Peter passed away at the age of 56. John was survived by his son John A. Root Jr. and his wife, Susan; Jeanne and Howard Goldberg; Nancy and Ralph Hopkins; Kathryn and Eric White; a niece, Mary Root, whom he considered a daughter; a special nephew, John Hoadley, and his wife, Marie; eight grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. At John’s request, he was remembered by his family privately.

1945 Donn C. Jourdan, of Windsor Locks, Conn., and formerly of Windsor, Conn., on August 3, 2025. Donn was a four-year student who was in the Glee Club and Jazz Club, on the Entertainment and Nominating committees, and in the cast of three theater productions.

He played football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and hockey, earning a letter in football as a senior. Donn was a former alumni volunteer. After graduation he served during World War II in the U.S. Army. After the war, he received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and started a successful career in sales in the lumber and millwork industry that spanned more than 40 years. Donn

started working for his father’s company, Jourdan Lumber Company, on Pierson Lane in Windsor, and subsequently worked with Springfield Millwork Company, BrockwaySmith Company, Hastings Service, and Hartford Builders Finish. He was a dedicated and faithful member of First Church in Windsor for more than 80 years and was inducted into the John Warham Society after 40 years of dedicated service to his church.

His strong work ethic, faith, and drive inspired his children and grandchildren to be the best they can be every day. Donn was a great husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He will be remembered as a kind, caring, upbeat, and positive man who loved his family more than anything. He taught his children the value of faith, family, respect, discipline, how to treat others the way you would want to be treated, and to enjoy life. Donn made sure he was a big part of their lives, attended their events, and supported their dreams. He doted on his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Donn had a wonderful and playful sense of humor and an amazing talent for telling a joke or a story with his spin. His kids have great memories of him changing the names of classic stories and reading them with different accents, just to make them laugh.

His quick wit and ability to entertain the masses made him the center of attention at any function, and he earned the nickname “Happy Dad!” Donn married the love of his life, Elizabeth “Betty” Whipple Jourdan ’48, in 1951, and they raised their family in Windsor. In their retirement years, they moved to Black Point in Niantic, Conn., and spent nine years there before moving to Amelia Island, Fla., where they spent the next 10 years together. Over the years, Donn was a member of the Windsor Club; Windsor Public Building Commission; East Lyme Economic Development Commission; East Lyme Charter Revision Committee, where he also served as chairman; East Lyme Board of Selectman; and East Lyme Zoning Commission. After Betty’s death in 2019, Donn made the decision to be a part of the Stonebrook Village community in Windsor Locks, where his outgoing personality made him a beloved friend to the residents and staff. He was affectionately dubbed the “Mayor of Stonebrook” and was a member of the drama club; he will be remembered for playing the part of Lou Costello and reenacting the famous skit, “Who’s on First,” during a show. Music was a big part of Donn’s life, and he played several instruments over the years. While serving in the military, he played the bass

fiddle in the Army band and played a mean “Boogie Woogie” on the piano. Later in his life, he picked up the ukulele and spent countless hours entertaining family and friends. There was never a family gathering where he wasn’t part of the entertainment, planned or spontaneous. At Stonebrook, he made sure he knew who was celebrating a birthday and played his ukulele for them. He passed his love of music to his sons, David and Stephen, and they both became talented guitar players. In his younger years, he loved to travel with the kids, and they still laugh when they remember a seven-week crosscountry trip in the 1970s, with their station wagon hauling a trailer called the “Jourdan Burden.” Donn also enjoyed golfing, and he and Betty traveled the world together. He loved watching sports, especially golf, football, and hockey. On June 3, 2025, Donn was featured in an article on the Loomis Chaffee website, and he expressed his gratitude for the education he received at Loomis and said he would do it all over again. He was quoted as saying, “I’m the luckiest man I know. I’m 98 years old, and I am having and have had a wonderful life. I was married to my wonderful wife for 67 years. Donn was survived by his children, David Jourdan ’71 and his wife, Cathy; Stephen Jourdan and his wife, Linda; Barbara Andrukonis and her husband, Stan; Richard Jourdan and his wife, Natalia; and Douglas Jourdan and his wife, Cheryl; his nine grandchildren, his church family, his Stonebrook family, and many other friends he made over his 98 years of life. His family received friends at Carmon Funeral Home in Windsor.

1947 Robert Charles Cowie, on June 18, 2025, in Ocala, Fla. Bob was a three-year student who was in the Chess, Ping Pong, Bridge, Rifle, and Chemistry clubs. He played football, basketball, and baseball. Bob was born on the same day as golf legend Arnold Palmer, and Bob often quipped, “Apparently, he got all the good golf genes available that day.” Bob grew up in West Hartford, Conn., and earned a degree from Yale University in 1951. In 1953, he married Joan H. King, and together they raised three children in West Hartford. In 1952, Bob attended the U.S. Army Officers Candidate School at Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla., becoming a first lieutenant.

He served in the Korean conflict in 1953, commanding a forward artillery unit in the

204th Field Artillery Battalion. After his military service, Bob built a career at Aetna Life and Casualty, where he also nurtured a lifelong love of theater through the Aetna Players Theater. He performed in numerous roles, his passion for live production culminating in a final performance at age 80 in Ocala, Fla. In 1978, Bob moved to Keene, N.H., to work for the National Grange Insurance Company until his retirement in 1995. He met Marjorie “Marge” Rose Weaver in Keene. They married in 1982 and settled in Stoddard, N.H., where their home became a beloved gathering place for family and friends. In 1996, Bob and Marge relocated to Keowee Key, S.C., and in 2005, they settled in Ocala, where they lived for 20 years. His pride in his family shone brightest during gatherings, where his warmth and wit brought everyone together. Bob’s legacy of love, kindness, quiet humor, and optimism will live on in the hearts of all who knew him. He was survived by his wife, Marge Rose Cowie; his children, Frederick “Ted” Cowie and his wife, Joy; Peter Cowie ’77 and his wife, Wendy; and Anne Wilson and her husband, Scott; stepdaughter Kim Aldrich; and stepson Timothy Aldrich; 12 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and his first wife, Joan K. Cowie.

Raymond G. Hampson Sr., at home on February 14, 2025. He was a four-year student who played soccer and tennis and was in the Darwin and Rifle clubs. After Loomis, he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Trinity College. His career spanned more than 35 years at Westinghouse/Phillips Lighting in Bath, N.Y.; he retired in 1988 as senior manufacturing engineer. He was past president of the Bath Jaycees and a member of the group that started the Babe Ruth League in Bath. He was also past secretary of the Keuka Yacht Club and an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Corning, N.Y., serving as assistant treasurer and trustee. He was survived by his sister Barbara Hampson Ivey ’55; sons Brian and his wife, Sue Ellen; Jeffrey and his wife, Karen; and Robert; and five grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Nancy Litchfield, in 1989; and his second wife, Barbara Lyke, in 2012. He had many relatives with ties to the school, including Barbara; his late mother, Ruth S. Hampson, Class of 1923; his late uncles, Carl. R. Schneider, Class of 1928, and Wilfred C. Schneider, Class of 1929; and his late cousin, Margery S. Blake ’45. Services were private. loomischaffee.org 53

1948 Patricia Beach Thompson, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., and, more recently, Redding, Conn., on June 15, 2025. Patricia was a four-year student who participated in theater and was on the Library Committee. She was a class agent and reunion communications volunteer.

Patricia was raised in West Hartford, Conn.

Her family has a long history in New England and especially Hartford, Conn. Her greatgrandfather, James Goodwin Batterson, was the founder of the Travelers Insurance Company and was also a builder who built the Connecticut State Capitol and Newport’s Marble House and was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to build the U.S. Library of Congress. Patricia was also a descendant of Ozias Goodwin, one of the founders of Hartford; and William Bradford, an author of the Mayflower Compact and the second governor of the Plymouth Colony. Patricia graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and then attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City and the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon in the United Kingdom.

She grew up with a great sense of adventure.

Following her time at the Shakespeare Institute, she traveled solo to the Outer Hebrides Islands in Scotland to climb the coastal cliffs and later made her way to Istanbul with her sister, Penny. After meeting and marrying Calvin A. Thompson of New York City in July of 1959, they had four children and one beautiful angel, Megan Ariel. After their children had grown, Patricia and Calvin traveled the world and indulged a particular passion for exploring less-trodden paths, with trips to remote places such as Kashmir, Tibet, and Bhutan.

She even took a 12-day trek on foot to the center of the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang in the heart of the Himalayas. In 2019, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and six decades of adventure. Together, they inspired their children and many others to live life to the fullest. Patricia was also very involved in her community, particularly the New York chapter of the Herb Society of America and the Italian American Club of Northern Westchester. She performed in community theater and several one-woman plays, was an avid supporter of community concerts, and held numerous volunteer roles in the town of Mount Kisco, including as a board member of the Mount Kisco Beautification Committee. She was a longtime active member and lay reader at Saint 54 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, N.Y. Surviving Patricia were her children, Melissa Thompson Fischer ’78, Jennifer A. Thompson ’80, C. Alexis B. Thompson, and Thaddeus A. G. Thompson; son-in-law and daughters-in-law Stephen E. Fischer, Carmelina R. Thompson, Lucia B. Thompson, and Debbie Blanchard; five grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; her sister, Penelope Beach Chittenden ’50; and her nieces Hilary Chittenden Barhydt ’77, Heather Chittenden Borsari ’81, and Alison Chittenden Darley ’85. A service was held at St. Matthew’s.

1949 Donald J. Cantor, of West Hartford, Conn., at his home on January 25, 2025. He was a four-year student who played baseball, football, basketball, and tennis and was in the Ping Pong, Political, Chess, and Classical Music clubs. Don was a member of the Student Council, on the editorial board of The Log, on the Library, Executive, and Commencement committees, and chairman of the Nominating Committee. He played tennis doubles with his lifelong friend Edward Hyman ’49. Don went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 1953 before serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He was primarily stationed at a communications base in Morocco, where he created and played in a mixed-race baseball league. After his military service, he continued his education at Harvard Law School, where he earned his juris doctor degree in 1959. He moved back to Connecticut and began his distinguished law career, eventually practicing law with Eddie Hyman at Hyman & Cantor, P.C., for 36 years until Eddie’s passing in 2008. Don was a longstanding member of the Hartford County Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association, and he was named in Best Lawyers in America and Who’s Who in American Law every year for more than 20 years. Over the course of his career, he helped countless families navigate divorce and custody conflicts with kindness, skill, and integrity. Don was a prolific author and advocate for legal reform.

In the 1960s he was a contributing author for American Jurisprudence, and he wrote trailblazing articles on the need for criminal law reform related to divorce, abortion, narcotics, and homosexuality and sodomy law for The Atlantic Monthly, The Humanist, and The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology

and Police Science. In 1962, after publishing an article on the need for narcotics criminal law reform, he served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Narcotic and Drug Abuse. Don was also a champion of gay rights, and he sat on the advisory board at Mt. Sinai Hospital’s Gender Identity Clinic, established in the mid-1970s. He went on to publish three books that argued for legal reform — Escape from Marriage (1971), Child Custody (1989), and Same-Sex Marriage (2006), the latter of which he co-authored with his daughter Elizabeth Cantor. He also co-authored two children’s books with his son Michael Cantor ’90: The Perfect Pet (2010) and Animal of the Year (2014). Don was survived by his wife of 47 years, Patricia Cantor; his children: Rachel; Elizabeth and her husband, Paul Block; Michael and his wife, Elizabeth Cantor ’79; Jonathan and his wife, Jessica; and Stephanie Cantor Ryan ’97 and her husband, Kenneth Ryan.

He also was survived by his seven grandchildren and two step-grandchildren. Don acted in community theater in his younger days and had a lifelong love of world travel, cigars, and the Boston Red Sox. He will be remembered for his self-deprecating humor and quick wit, his gift for verbal oratory and storytelling, his brilliant mind, his affable and kind disposition, his empathy and enormous generosity, his passion for writing, and his unwavering devotion to his family, as well as his notable contributions to the field of law and social justice.

Frank Leeds Hunnicutt, at his summer home in Clinton, Conn., on July 8, 2025.

Frank was raised in West Hartford, Conn. He was a four-year student and an outstanding track athlete who was a captain of the team.

He also played basketball, baseball, and football. Frank was on the Student Council and the Athletic Council; in the Chess, Ping Pong, and Nautical clubs; and on the Senior Executive and Junto committees. Frank was a member of the John Metcalf Taylor Society.

Before serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he attended Williams College for two years. Frank then finished his college education at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. With his sharp engineering mind, he worked at Veeder Root in Hartford from 1955 to 1963. Frank started H & H Motors (Hunnicutt & Hartley) in Plainville, Conn., one of the first Volkswagen dealerships in the state, in 1963. After selling his interest in 1970, he continued to pursue a variety of entrepreneurial ventures during his semiretirement years. Frank married Jean Adams

Hunnicutt in 1958, and had three daughters, Lynda, Donna, and Lisa. The family lived in Avon, Conn., and spent summers in Clinton, with many memorable car trips to Florida during winter vacations. In 1968, the family moved to the warmer climate of Pompano Beach, Fla., but continued summer sojourns to Clinton. In the late 1970s, Frank met his future wife, Dollie Hemphill, who was by his side until the end. They shared a wonderful, active life together, playing tennis year-round in both Florida and Connecticut, and traveling to Europe and Canada and throughout the United States and the Caribbean, including visits to Maryland to see Dollie’s family. They lived in Fort Lauderdale, Stuart, and Vero Beach, Fla., before moving into Sand Hill Cove in Palm City in 2016. Frank’s happy place was the family beach house in Clinton, which he purchased in 1959, with 65 idyllic Connecticut shoreline summers to follow — creating many family memories of water skiing, sailing, motor boats, and jet skis; endless games of croquet, badminton, and backgammon; and teaching his girls to drive a stick shift VW Beetle. A consummate

gentleman and host, Frank welcomed family friends and neighbors to visit Sols Point Road, and everyone knew that happy hour on the sundeck was at 5 p.m. sharp. Frank patiently taught his daughters, Dollie, his grandsons, and numerous others how to waterski and sail over the years. And up until his 88th summer, Frank took at least one circle around on water skis himself — it was his personal summer challenge. Frank and Dollie both enjoyed spending time with their grandsons during the summer months, watching them become the special young men they are today. Dollie provided unconditional love and care to Frank, and the family was grateful for all she did for him over the 50 years they were together.

Frank was survived by his wife, Dollie Hunnicutt; daughters Lynda Tragakes and her husband, Ron Stevenson; Lisa Hunnicutt; and Donna Hunnicutt; his grandsons; and several nieces and nephews. Frank’s late siblings, Edgar W. Hunnicutt ’43 and Betty Ann Hunnicut Bailey ’44, were also Loomis Chaffee graduates. Burial at Wilcox Cemetery in Berlin, Conn., was private.

1952 Earl Canfield, a retired officer of the Library of Congress, of natural causes on September 29, 2025, at Northcrest Community, a retirement community in Ames, Iowa. Earl grew up in Essex, Conn., and was a four-year student who wrestled and was on the track and soccer teams. He was editor-in-chief of The Loom, assistant editor of Loomiscellany, in the Political Club and Le Cercle Francais, and on the Senior Reception and Maher House committees. He served as an Air Force navigator for six years, and he concluded his federal career as chief of the social welfare programs research group at the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress.

He received the Library of Congress Distinguished Service Award, which is its highest honor. Earl was preceded in death by his wife, Johanna B. Canfield, whom he met in 1952 at an American Friends Service Committee work project in the mountains of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. He was survived by his sons, Paul and John; and his three grandchildren. A memorial service

loomischaffee.org 55

was held at Northcrest Community, and he was laid to rest with his wife, Johanna, at Ames Municipal Cemetery.

1955 Steve Plank, on June 17, 2025, at Ramona Senior Lodge, holding the hands of his wife, Judy, and son, Derek. Steve was a three-year student who lettered in football and track and field. He also wrestled, played basketball, and was on the Student Council and the Reception Committee. While he spent his final years in San Diego, Calif., his history lies in Norwich, Conn. Steve grew up in the historic Bradford-Huntington House at 16 Huntington Lane, one of the oldest homes in Norwich, built in 1691. After a few years at Norwich Free Academy, Steve ventured on to Loomis to prepare for college. After playing football, wrestling, and running track during his high school years, he switched to rugby when he attended Dartmouth College.

At Dartmouth, Steve was in the Class of 1959 and became a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity, where he met his lifelong friend 56 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

Wayne French, who stayed in touch with Steve through his final day. Upon graduation from Dartmouth, Steve decided on a career in life insurance. Everyone with whom he interviewed sold the profession by telling him how much money he could make, until Bill Griffin from Northwestern Mutual Life told him it is a “wonderful business where you can help other people.” He instantly decided Northwestern Mutual was the company for him. He joined Northwestern after graduation and then decided to serve his country and spend a few years as a supply corps officer in the U.S. Navy. He was deployed aboard the destroyer USS John W. Weeks, creating some of his fondest memories. When his father died at a young age in 1962, Steve transferred to a submarine base in New London, Conn., so that he could help his widowed mother. Bill was discharged in 1963. He returned to Norwich and pursued his life insurance career with Northwestern Mutual. He purchased another prominent historic home in Norwich, the Olmstead-Lathrop House/Lathrop Manor.

Part of this home’s rich history is that Benedict Arnold lived there while appren-

ticing at the apothecary shop across the street. Steve took his first real vacation in 1971 to Club Med in Martinique, where he met Judy Purcell of Greenwich, Conn. He took her on a date to a mongoose fight, fell in love, and asked her if she liked old houses. They married three months later, and Judy left her job at Life Magazine in New York City to help him restore the Lathrop home. In 1972, they had their only child, Derek. During his career, Steve served on many boards and held numerous prestigious titles, including president of Eastern Connecticut Life Underwriter Association and president of NML District Agent’s Association, but one that was dear to his heart was president of the Norwich Rotary Club. The walls of all of his offices, and then the walls of his final bedroom at Ramona Senior Lodge, were decorated with Rotary plaques in honor of an international club that serves others. As a district agent for NML, Steve purchased another historic property in Norwich, the former Lord’s Tavern, built in 1760. He restored this building at 86 Town Street and turned it into an office where he mentored young agents.

As he neared retirement, he sold the office building and set up a home office in a portion of Lathrop Manor that was used as an apartment. Once he actually retired, he and Judy moved to Fallbrook, Calif., to be close to Derek in San Diego. Steve’s ashes were spread on August 7, 2025, in Lowthorpe Meadows on what would have been his 90th birthday. At one point he served as president of Lowthorpe Meadows Association, a group that manages the 20-plus-acre piece of land behind Lathrop Manor that was gifted to Norwich to be “forever wild” by its former residents, the Gilman sisters, in 1905.

Robert Whitney Ray, on August 16, 2025, with his family by his side. A resident of Weekapaug, R.I., Bob had previously lived for more than 40 years in Peterborough, N.H. Bob was a three-year student. He lettered in football and baseball and also played basketball. Bob was in the Glee and Sailing clubs and on the Student Council. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1959 from Middlebury College, where he played intramural sports and was a talented singer and member of the Dissipated Eight, an octet that entertained at Middlebury and other colleges. While at Middlebury, Bob met Polly Philbrick, and the two became a couple. Following college, he served in the U.S. Army Finance Corps for two years. In 1961, Bob and Polly married and moved to Peterborough, where they raised their sons, William and James. Bob was employed by the First National Bank of Peterborough, eventually becoming the president of the bank. As he neared retirement, he started his own financial advisory company, through which he enjoyed working with and building relationships with his clients. Bob was an active member of the Peterborough community. He was a member of the Rotary Club, where he became a Paul Harris Fellow; served on the town Finance Committee; and was chairman of the school board for two terms. Bob retired to Weekapaug in 2006, where he became an avid golfer and was a charter member of the Weekapaug Golf Club.

In retirement, he enjoyed fishing from his boat and the shoreline and playing duplicate bridge as well as spending summers with his family and supporting his grandchildren’s academic and athletics activities throughout the school year. He and Polly also traveled extensively with close friends. Bob was happiest when near, on, or in the ocean. He enjoyed spending time on the beach where he grew up, a gift that he shared with his

children and grandchildren. As a teen, Bob was a lifeguard at Seaside Beach Club in Westerly, R.I., and taught many local children to swim. A lifelong fisherman, Bob had a great love for nature and the outdoors and contributed generously to the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation. Bob lived his life tenaciously, bringing his strong work ethic to every endeavor. He built lasting, memorable relationships with those around him, becoming a pillar of each community in which he was involved and changing it for the better. He was a fun-loving man, with innumerable jokes and stories, loved to laugh, and always had a kind word to say. He will be remembered as a loving husband, devoted father, cherished grandfather, and dear friend. He was survived by his wife, Polly; sons William and his wife, Kerry; and James and his wife, Lara; four grandchildren; and a cousin. The family held a private burial service.

Thomas Billings Davenport Richardson, on October 21, 2025. Tom was a three-year student and a captain of both the tennis and soccer teams. He also was on the Athletic Council and Sports and Reception committees. His tennis talent earned him a place on the Junior Davis Cup team, and his athletic achievements continued at Amherst College, where he captained the tennis team, played soccer, and graduated with a major in mathematics. In 1959, he was awarded the Mossman Trophy for bringing the greatest honor in athletics to the college. After college, Tom began his professional career as a tennis pro at the East Chop Tennis Club on Martha’s Vineyard, where he further honed his skills and love for the game. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England College and worked as an accountant for Eastern Specialties Company, a paper company, until his retirement. In 1959, Tom married Suzanne Curtis, and together they raised five children. Tom and his father, James Richardson, formed an iconic fatherand-son doubles team in lawn tennis, achieving national recognition. Tom was a devoted Christian throughout his life, deeply committed to his faith and the gospel. His faith was a central pillar in his life, and he touched many people with kindness, humility, and commitment to service. After his first wife passed away in 2018, Tom found love again and married Carole Comtois in September 2019. They enjoyed six happy years together. Tom’s life was also defined by

his enduring love for tennis. In his later years, he continued to enjoy the sport that had brought him so much joy throughout his life. His legacy will be remembered for his remarkable athletic achievements, his devotion to his family, and his commitment to excellence in all he did. Tom was survived by his wife, Carole Comtois; his sister, Linda Collette, and her husband, Joe; his twin brother, Jim; his children Thomas Jr. and his wife, Cassandra; Pamela; Peter; and Bethany; and many other family members and friends.

Tom’s daughter Deborah preceded him in death.

John Dunbar Rusher III, a beloved member of the Boston, Mass., and Vero Beach, Fla., communities, on July 26, 2025. John was a two-year student who lettered in basketball and football and also played tennis. He was chairman of the Elections Committee and in the Political Club. John graduated from Yale University in 1959. He was dedicated to his family, career, and cherished pursuits, including golf and bridge. John enjoyed a distinguished career as a senior vice president at State Street Bank in Boston, where his professionalism and integrity in commercial lending, leasing, and asset-based finance were widely respected. A passionate golfer, he was involved with the Massachusetts Golf Association. John was a member of The Country Club in Brookline, the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in Scotland, the U.S. Seniors Golf Association, the Johns Island Club, and the Red Stick Golf Club in Vero Beach, Fla. John was a keen supporter of rowing for more than 40 years. Whether watching races on the Charles River, across the United States, or even around the world, John was a fixture on the banks or in the stands for his son’s, daughter-in-law’s, and three grandchildren’s crews. John was a Grand Master bridge player. His sharp intellect and competitive spirit were appreciated in bridge circles in both Milton, Mass., and Vero Beach.

Whether making a toast or an insightful observation, John made those around him smile and appreciate the value of words well crafted. His dry humor and quick wit will be missed. John was survived by his wife, Anne C. Bell; his son, Jack, and his wife, Cindy; his daughter, Annie O’Flynn, and her husband, Mike; his brother, Jim, and his wife, Marna; and six grandchildren. His father, John D. Rusher Jr., Class of 1925; his uncle, William H. Rusher, Class of 1929; and his cousin, William H. Rusher Jr. ’59, were also graduates. The family held a private service. loomischaffee.org 57

1957 Alex Kuo, in June 2025, in Anacortes, Wash., while vacationing on Lopez Island, a watery landscape he loved and visited for more than 40 years. For the last three years, he resided in Spokane, Wash. Alex was a one-year student who earned letters in soccer and track and field. He also was on the rifle team and played baseball. Alex was in the Chapel Choir, the Radio and Political clubs, and the Foreign Policy Association. Alex was born in Boston, Mass., while his parents were visiting the United States on research fellowships. He returned to Chongqing, China, when he was 9 months old. Alex survived the war years in Chongqing and Shanghai, leaving in 1947 for Hong Kong with remnants of his family.

At 17, he returned to the United States to continue his education, first at Loomis Chaffee, then at Knox College for his Bachelor of Arts, and finally at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop for his Master of Fine Arts. Alex had a distinguished career as a teacher, writer, and administrator. For 33 years he taught at Washington State University and had previous positions in Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, and South Dakota.

Committed to opening access to higher education, Alex was vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and chairman of the newly created Comparative American Cultures Department at Washington State. Alex was a dedicated teacher who worked tirelessly to inspire his students, giving them the means to become artists, writers, and independent thinkers. Alex traveled and taught in the United States, China, and Europe, receiving a Senior Fulbright Fellowship, a United Nations research award, and Lingnan and Rockefeller fellowships. These global encounters gave him an opportunity to learn from young people and writers of all ages who were often marginalized and silenced. A prolific writer, Alex received the American Book Award in 2002 for his short story collection Lipstick and Other Stories.

He received two National Endowment for the Arts grants and one fiction fellowship.

His poetry has been translated into Chinese, and a selection of his stories are 58 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

being translated into Italian. When not teaching, writing, or designing university programs, he spent summers working for the U.S. Forest Service, fighting fires, smoke jumping, living in lookouts, and studying the dynamics of fire management. The woods and mountains of Washington, Colorado, and New Mexico were not only an inspiration for his writing, but also a sanctuary away from the troubled past of war and political violence that he had experienced. Alex was survived by his wife, Joan Burbick. Alex and Joan were partners for 45 years, marrying in 2000 in Taos, N.M. He was survived by Joan’s daughter,

Claire; and Claire’s son. He also was survived by his son Michael and Michael’s mother, Carol Schmudde; his son Stephen; his daughter-in-law Jeanette; two grandchildren; and Stephen’s mother, Cherste Nilde. He also was survived by stepdaughter Leisha, daughter of the late Alexis Kuo.

1958 Lawrence J. Wartel, of Woodbridge, Conn., on October 6, 2025. He was a four-year student who played football, basketball, and baseball. He was in the Political Club, the Modern Jazz Club, and the Photography Club and was a reporter for The Log. He also was chairman of the Senior Elections Committee.

After Loomis, he graduated from Tufts University with cum laude honors in 1962, and from Tufts School of Medicine. He was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor

Society and the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society, of which he was elected president in 1965. Following graduation from Tufts Medical School, Larry did his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. From 1971 through 1973 he served as a major in the U.S. Air Force at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where he was chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 1973, he joined the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility Group P.C., where he remained in practice until his retirement. He was a member of the clinical faculty at the Yale School of Medicine and subsequently was promoted to clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, one of a few community physicians to achieve this highest of clinical ranks. He later joined the faculty of the Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University as clinical professor, where he was involved in teaching medical students.

Larry served as associate chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale-New Haven Hospital for 23 years. He was a member of numerous medical and obstetrics and gynecology societies, published multiple medical papers, and served on many hospital committees. He was elected Community Physician of the Year by the interns and residents he taught.

Larry loved and followed closely all sports sections of the local papers and was an ardent fan of the New York Yankees and New York Giants. He was an excellent swimmer and swam miles both at the JCC and the Payne Whitney Gymnasium pool at Yale.

He and his wife, Sheila, traveled near and far, and he loved touring Europe, the Middle East, and South America. He was a reader of mysteries and spy novels and a big fan of public TV and Brit Box. Over the past few years, Larry greatly enjoyed monthly lunches with his retired friends and former colleagues from Yale. Larry was a dedicated physician, always upholding the most stringent of ethical and compassionate practices for his patients. He was esteemed in the New Haven community and known as the “doctor’s doctor,” attending the births of many children of doctors and other professionals. Larry and Sheila were married for 61 years. Other

family members included his children, Matthew Wartel and his wife, Marsha; and Sharon Lurie and her husband, Keith; and five grandchildren.

1959 Cynthia Abell Allyn of Mystic, Conn., on July 2, 2025. Raised in East Hartford and West Hartford, Conn., Cindy was a four-year student who was president of the Student Council, in the Glee and Political clubs, and on the Nominating and Constitutional Revisions committees. Cindy attended Connecticut College. She met her future husband, Louis, at a dinner dance with what was then The Gunnery School in 1957; they were married in 1960. After starting a family in 1961, Cindy loved being a stay-athome mom in Longmeadow, Mass., where she eventually began a career as a tax preparer at H&R Block, putting her love of numbers to good use. She continued this work after moving to both North Grafton, Mass., and Mason’s Island in Stonington, Conn. Her family and circles of friends over the years were the most important aspects of her life.

People were drawn to Cindy’s kindness, warmth, sense of fun, and thoughtfulness.

She expressed her love and generosity through handwritten notes and cards — no birthday was missed — and gifts and gestures large and small. Naturally cheerful, she enjoyed hosting holiday gatherings and loved to cook, bake, knit, read, go to art museums and concerts, and have adventures and travels with her husband, family, and friends. She also greatly enjoyed sailing and cruising New England waters on their sloop, Allegretto, fully embracing her role as first mate. Though she prided herself on her organizational skills, she often cast those aside for a more haphazard and free approach when expressing herself creatively. She loved colors — she was known for her colorful socks — and brought an artistic flare to everything she touched. She took many photographs, especially of flowers, and created her own workshop to produce prints, calendars, small books, and greeting cards for her own and others’ enjoyment. Her house was decorated with plants, art, and whimsical collections of very small objects. She was proud of the 248,000 miles on her bright red Honda CRV and had a spotless driving record.

Cats were a lifelong favorite, especially Peep, whom she carefully tended to for many years.

A particular pleasure was co-chairing arts and crafts shows with friends at the Masons

Island Yacht Club, where she enjoyed selling her greeting cards. Cindy also served on the board of LitLife Inc., her son and daughterin-law’s educational business. Cindy was survived by her husband, Lou; her son, James, and his wife, Pamela; her daughter, Elizabeth, and her partner, Julie Whitney; brotherin-law Rufus Allyn and his partner, Roy Bohlander; two granddaughters; two greatgrandsons, and other extended family members and friends. A memorial service was held at the United Congregational Church of Westerly in Pawcatuck, Conn.

1960 David Andrew Lang, on October 26, 2025.

Andy was a two-year student from New Orleans who played football, basketball, and tennis. He was a reporter for The Log and in the Glee Club, the Chemistry-Physics Club, the Foreign Policy Association, and the United Nations Model Assembly. He led an active and successful work life, including serving as partner at McGlinchey Stafford Lang Law Firm, partner at Kullman & Lang Law Firm, and president and chief executive officer at Petroleum Helicopters Inc. He received both his undergraduate degree in business administration and his law degree from Tulane University, attending Loomis and Isadore Newman School before that. He and his father worked together and were regarded by many as experts in the field of labor law.

Andy was a prolific reader, both for pleasure and as a lifelong student of the law. He had an amazing sense of humor, and he loved to laugh. Andy loved all kinds of music, art, opera, and theater; spending summers in Maine; and traveling the world, but most of all, he treasured his family and was very grateful when friends and family came to visit him. Andy loved treating his family to dinners at such places as Galatoires, ordering more food than could be eaten, wanting to make sure that everyone was happy, full, and had a story to tell. Andy’s love of animals was always clear, and he shared that love with everyone around him. He was survived by his sons: Drew Lang, and his spouse, Graciela Bergner; and Timothy David-Lang and his spouse, Jenn David-Lang; his sister, Cindy Lang; his brothers, Joe Lang and his spouse, Sally Lang; and Bill Lang and his spouse, Maggie Lang; three grandchildren; and other extended family members. A private memorial was planned.

1965 Glen “Gig” Ortman, on August 3, 2025, in Alexandria, Va. He was a three-year student who played soccer, golf, and hockey; was in band and the Chess and Press clubs; and was on the Admissions and Senior Room committees. Glen brought warmth, humor, and joy to all who knew him. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Bowdoin College before earning his juris doctor degree from the University of Denver. With a sharp legal mind and unwavering dedication to his profession, Glen built a distinguished career in energy law. His excellence was recognized nationally — he was named in both the 2023 and 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and ranked among the top five percent in his field. Glen continued practicing law until May 2024, when he retired after decades of impactful work. Beyond his professional achievements, Glen was known for his deep faith and commitment to service. A devout Catholic, he attended daily Mass at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Alexandria or St. Matthews in Washington, D.C. His spiritual life was a cornerstone of his identity and guided his actions. Glen’s love for life extended far beyond the courtroom. He was an avid sailor, skier, and golfer. A passionate supporter of Washington sports teams, Glen held season tickets to the Capitals for more than 30 years. His enthusiasm for D.C. sports was matched only by his devotion to his family. His favorite week each year was when the family vacationed in the Outerbanks, at Bald Head Island in North Carolina, or at the Homestead. He was survived by his wife, Sue Ortman; his daughter, Sarah Sams; his son, Connor Ortman; and his brother, John Ortman. A funeral Mass was held at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

1973 W. Scott MacLachlan, from natural causes on July 29, 2025, while tending his garden at his home in Poultney, Vt. Scott’s life was full of curiosity about the natural world, and it was there he found spiritual connection.

He was a four-year student who excelled in math, biology, and lacrosse. He also played football and hockey, graduated with cum laude honors, and received the Yale Club of Hartford Book Prize. His enthusiasm and passion for the environment was unrelenting.

His devotion to, and love of, his family was bottomless. Scott grew up in West Hartford, loomischaffee.org 59

Conn. There were ponds, fields, and streams to explore, which undoubtedly laid the foundation for his love of the outdoors. He also had great freedom to explore when visiting the Maine coast, where his paternal grandparents lived. Hours spent at tide pools, learning to row, seeing the water’s iridescence at night, fishing, and the sun and sea air filled his sensitivities. Scott graduated from Williams College in 1977, where he continued his studies of biology and the environment and played lacrosse. He earned a master’s degree in wildlife management in 1980 at the University of New Hampshire. Of note was the study he conducted on bobcat habitat, resulting in a greater understanding of the cats. He was involved in annual loon counts, and he studied hawk migration, always looking forward to seeing them circling overhead. Throughout these times, Scott enjoyed skiing in Vermont and out West, canoeing, and hiking, particularly in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

He relished a campfire, sharing memories and stories with family and friends. He was a good home cook and griller, and among family and friends, his canning efforts were greatly appreciated. Scott earned a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1985 from the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine, where he met his wife, Kristine Smith, also a veterinarian.

They were married for 39 years. Scott and Kris chose to settle in Poultney, where they established Poultney Veterinary Services in August 1986. The practice served a mixed animal population, including exotics. Scott loved wildlife rehabilitation, treating a myriad of animals, including raptors, turtles, and snakes. At one point, Scott implanted rattlesnakes with tracking devices for a study.

Scott was a gifted surgeon and veterinarian whose generous compassion and empathy touched all he helped. Kris and Scott had a long and successful practice, retiring in 2017.

Scott was an avid photographer. His subject was the natural world, and photography was his way of seeing endless beauty. Whether he was in Vermont, on one of his yearly trips to the western desert, or on the coast of Maine, he found the essence of a place with his camera. Scott’s latest explorations were of the night sky, full of the stars he adored.

His love of gardening and the world of plants was tremendously important to him. He was generous with plant propagation and produce. Scott’s memory of the Latin names for plants and animals was phenomenal and never challenged; he was a supreme botanist.

Endless hours were spent volunteering his 60 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

time, talent, and treasure. His favorite places were Keewaydin Environmental Education Center (KEEC) and Keewaydin Camp on Dunmore Lake in Vermont, which he attended as a camper and then worked as a staffer.

Scott gave many talks about the environment and all it holds for us. He most enjoyed interacting with campers and staff, inviting questions and discussion. Many children at camp and in town were fascinated by the animal bone collection he had curated. Scott’s connection to the Keewaydin community ran deep as did his connection to the Poultney community. For a time, he served as the tree warden. His produce found its way to the food pantry, senior center, and many friends.

He supported the Poultney Library and the Poultney Recreation Department, and not long before his passing, he had started participating in open-mic nights with storytelling about his adventures. With all his interests, pursuits, and passions, Scott’s concern and love for his family and friends came first. Scott was intelligent, gentle, generous, compassionate, and empathetic.

His sense of humor was always at the ready, and he especially enjoyed the absurd. His life was quiet and huge at the same time.

Though his passing was no doubt a surprise to him, it was his belief that life begins anew at death, yet another adventure ahead.

Among those who predeceased Scott were his daughter, Heather. Scott was survived by his wife, Kris Smith; his sister, Dale MacLachlan Lewis ’75, and her husband, Richard; his son-in-law, Justin Barnish; and other extended family members and dear friends. There was a celebration of life at the American Legion Hall in Poultney.

1980 Alison Ellen Isenberg, of Princeton, N.J., on October 23, 2025. Alison was a four-year student and co-captain of the girls lacrosse team as a senior. “A smile,” she wrote under her photo in the yearbook, “like the sun, makes people happy. And in winter when it’s coldest, a smile is infinitely less expensive than a trip to Florida.” Alison graduated from Yale University in 1984, where she majored in history. Her early work and academic interests laid the foundation of a lifelong commitment to studying cities and writing about the changing, often contentious, dynamics of urban life. Alison’s senior thesis focused on a New England woman, Fanny Cheever, who made a new life for herself in

gold rush-era San Francisco. Before graduate studies, Alison worked in urban planning in the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and in low-income housing development for the Community Preservation Corporation in the Bronx. In 1995, she completed a doctorate in history at the University of Pennsylvania. Her awardwinning dissertation on the rise, fall, and transformation of downtowns across the United States was written under the mentorship of Michael Katz. The dissertation won the John Reps Award from the Society for City and Regional Planning History (SACRPH), an organization dedicated to promoting the cross-disciplinary study of cities over time and bridging the gap between academic scholarship and the practice of planning. During her graduate years, Alison served a short stint as historian for the Historic American Building Survey of the National Parks Service, deepening her knowledge and interest in cities, design, historic preservation, and urban/regional affairs. In a 30-year scholarly and teaching career that spanned multiple universities, Alison had a vast impact on students and colleagues, on urban history scholarship, and in the wider profession. At Florida International University (1994–97), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1997–2001), Rutgers University (2001–10), and Princeton University (2010–25), Alison became known for astutely mentoring students, building innovative programs in urban history and urban studies, maintaining a rigorous research ethic, writing acclaimed books, becoming a leader in the field, and exhibiting grace and a winning smile through it all. In 2024, she was recognized with an award at Princeton for graduate mentoring.

Throughout her career, Alison received scholarly and teaching accolades, awards, and honors with grace and characteristic modesty. Her first book, Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People Who Made It (2004), received the Ellis Hawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians, the Lewis Mumford Prize from SACRPH, and several other honors spanning humanities and historic preservation. From 2009 to 2011, Alison led SACRPH as its president. Alison’s second book, Designing San Francisco: Art, Land, and Urban Renewal in the City by the Bay (2017), received awards in architecture and urban planning, and for pioneering insights in landscape studies.

In 2021, a National Endowment for the Humanities award for work on her next

book, Uprisings, recognized the new project’s path-breaking promise. The book is an extensively researched epic story of the life and death of Harlan “Bruce” Joseph, a young man in Trenton, N.J., who was shot by a police officer in the volatile weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, at a time when more than 40 people died in what was called the Holy Week uprisings, or King riots. The book is to be published

by Princeton University Press. Alison also collaborated on a feature-length documentary film on Harlan Joseph and his times, and she began collaborations aiming to create a new Harlan Joseph Peace Park in Trenton.

Alison created and led transformative initiatives in urban affairs and the public humanities spanning multiple institutions.

In 2013, she became a founding, co-principal investigator of the $4.1 million, multidisciplinary Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism, and the Humanities at Princeton University, a project that catalyzed research, conferences, postdoctoral scholarship, and new courses on the built environment and “cities on the edge.” More

recently, she co-led the $1.8 million Robert Wood Johnson “Truth and Repair” project, partnering Princeton, Rutgers, and St. Peter’s Universities with cultural institutions across New Jersey to build community partnerships and produce, preserve, and share new scholarship on the impact of structural racism on health and well-being of marginalized communities in the state. Under the umbrella of her Trenton Project, Alison collaborated with playwrights and documentary filmmakers on community-based design, filmmaking, and engaged collaborations in the city. Work across institutions was a hallmark of Alison’s career. Her skilled navigation of historical archives also involved creating new sources to make the past more directly accessible. In a recent achievement, Alison located and initiated the acquisition by the Princeton University library of more than 60,000 Trenton Times newspaper photographs. As Alison explained, “by accessing a city through the photographic record, you just ask different questions. You see different things.” Alison’s teaching was skillful, engaging, and visually compelling;

her knowledge of U.S. history was capacious.

Alison taught immigration history, business history, the history of university design, suburban history, youth in the 1960s, urban policy research, documentary film and the city, and the history of urban unrest. Alison was welcoming, devoted, and loving to her family, network of friends, and students.

She was funny, lighthearted, and saw humor in small details of daily life. She had a boundless capacity to listen and gave measured, forward-looking guidance. She is remembered as a supreme connector, regularly introducing students, friends, colleagues, and family, and nurturing growth and fellowship. She was a devoted gardener and an avid and vigorous walker. Alison was survived by her husband, Keith Wailoo, a partner of 41 years and fellow historian.

Alison and Keith met in college in 1984 and married in Miami, Fla., in 1995. Alison also was survived by her daughters, Sahara Iman Wailoo and Myla Eleanor Isenberg Wailoo; her mother- and father-in-law, Lynette and Vibert Wailoo; her brother- and sister-in-law, Christopher and Alisa Wailoo; her brother,

loomischaffee.org 61

Neil Isenberg ’84, and his spouse, Nicole Gartland; and many extended family members. A memorial and celebration were held at the Princeton University Chapel.

1984 Daniel K. Sack, on September 27, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was raised in Windsor and was a four-year student. Dan was on the math team, was a student athletic trainer and a statistician for the varsity basketball team, and was part of the As Schools Match Wits program for four years. Dan graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in finance. Dan worked in the mortgage industry for 40 years. Most recently, he was a senior mortgage officer for Northpoint Mortgage, where he was celebrated for his high level of knowledge and his commitment to each borrower he served. One of his greatest joys was helping families embark on their journeys to home ownership. Even greater was Dan’s love and care for his family and friends. Dan and his wife, Sandra Schoen Sack, were married for nearly 35 years. Fiercely protective and supportive, he was a rock for his family and a role model for all who knew him. He was deeply loving, generous, and gentle, treating others with respect and kindness. Dan had a sharp wit, a mastery of puns, dad jokes, and wordplay, and he could tell a detailed story like no other. A devout Red Sox and UConn Huskies fan, Dan was a treasure

62 Loomis Chaffee Magazine Winter 2026

trove of statistics and trivia. He loved Star Trek, 1980s music, Disney, and reality TV. Visiting Ogunquit, Maine, and traveling throughout Vermont were among his favorite things to do with his family. He also cherished his pet rabbits, Hunny and Buzzy. Dan delighted in Thai food but always preferred his wife’s home-cooked meals. Dan was survived by his wife, Sandy; his children, Thomas Aaron Sack and Megan Charlotte Sack; his father; and an extended family of sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. Dan was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in South Windsor, where he served many leadership roles. He loved studying and discussing the Bible with his church family and strengthening his faith. A memorial service was held at Our Savior Lutheran Church.

1985 Anthony Ellis Scherer, of Avon, Conn., in his sleep on July 3, 2025. Tony was a four-year student who played club basketball and baseball and was co-president of As Schools Match Wits and co-president of the Political Union. He was a member of the Science Fiction Club and a contributor to The Log. “At Loomis, he was sharp, funny, bracingly honest,” remembers his classmate, Matthew Hay Brown. “A cum laude student, intramural athlete, fixture of Founders Lounge. ... Tony was a devoted husband and dad, a generous friend, a serious reader, current on the news,

a sportsman, traveler, and huge fan of music.

He was excellent.” A beloved teacher and coach for 25 years, Tony touched many lives with his wit, wisdom, and warmth. He spent most of his career as an English teacher, coach, and mentor at Renbrook School in West Hartford. His long association with the school began as a student in the Class of 1982. Tony graduated from the University of Chicago in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in English. After college he spent several years at ESPN before finding his calling as an educator. He remained a lifelong sports fan, especially baseball. Sharing his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers with family and friends was one of his greatest joys, and the names of his beloved Labrador retrievers, Dodger and Sandy, reflected that devotion.

At Renbrook Tony was well known and respected for his love of language and literature and his ability to bring out that appreciation in students. His love of learning and commitment to justice and fair play made him an esteemed figure among both students and faculty. Teaching seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-graders to test new ideas in class discussions and formalize them clearly in writing was one of his greatest gifts.

Tony also served as a three-season coach in football, soccer, basketball, and baseball and was known for his vast knowledge of sports and his ability to nurture each player’s skills.

During his career at Renbrook, he was eighth-grade coordinator, English Department chair, and faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, and he led or served on many committees. After he retired in 2022, Tony continued to serve as a Renbrook coach and as a corporator. Tony cultivated deep friendships, and he stayed in touch with many of the people he came to know, taking trips with college friends and arranging frequent lunches with work colleagues. He loved gathering over good food while trading hilarious stories. His circle included young and old because Tony was diligent about keeping his longtime friends close while he developed friendships with younger colleagues. He attended Renbrook alumni events faithfully, where he greeted old students by name and surprised them by remembering their favorite authors or best moments on the playing field. He remained a lifelong sports fan, traveling to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and many other major league baseball parks over the years to watch the Dodgers play. He loved reading good sports writing and connected many a reluctant reader with a sports-themed book

that ignited a passion for literature. Tony was survived by his wife, Alison; his sons, Sam Scherer ’21 and Hayley Scherer ’23; his father, Henry S. Scherer Jr. ’49; his stepmother, Marsha Fried-Scherer; his brother, Charles Scherer ’84, and his wife, Allison; and his nephew, niece, cousins, and extended family members. He was predeceased by his mother, Susan Michelson Scherer. Tony also was a beloved member of the extended Vance and Sullivan families, including his cousin, William Vance Jr. ’99, and parent in-law, H.A. Vance Jr. ’61. A celebration of his life took place at Renbrook School on September 20, 2025.

1989 Matthew Michael Murray, of Calhoun, Ga., on June 22, 2025. He was a two-year student who played baseball and came to Loomis Chaffee after attending Swampscott High School in Massachusetts. He was a member of the Swampscott Little League state championship team. Matt was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the first pick in the second round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft. In the minor leagues, he played for the Durham Bulls, Greenville Braves, and Richmond Braves. He was named to the Triple A All-Star team in 1995. Matt was called up to the major leagues with the Braves in August 1995 and got a hit in his first major league at-bat. Atlanta went on to win the World Series that year in six games over the Cleveland Indians. Matt was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the end of August 1995, so he did not play for Atlanta in the World Series, but he earned a championship ring.

He later played in Taiwan for Brothers Elephants Team in 1999. Matt worked for Mohawk Industries for 15 years, where he was a senior product director. He was a devoted father to his children, Jackson and Madeline. In his free time, he enjoyed deepsea fishing, watching Bravo TV, and beach time, and he had a vast love for music and concerts. Matt was a pillar of the community.

He taught many children pitching lessons and coached many teams. He will be remembered for doing anything to help someone. He was survived by his mother, Ann Feerick Murray; his children, Jackson and Madeline Murray; his brother and sister-in-law, Christopher and Maggie Murray; and many extended family members and friends. A gathering of friends was held at Trinity Baptist Church in Calhoun.

Former Staff Oswald Newton Augustus Beckford, of Bloomfield, Conn., on July 28, 2025. Ozzie, as he was known at Loomis Chaffee, held many jobs in the janitorial services field throughout his life, and he always brought professionalism, courtesy, and respect to his professional work. Yet he was most proud of being housekeeping supervisor at Loomis Chaffee from 1984 to 2002. Before and after that, he had stints as an outside contractor working at the school, the last one ending in 2017. He was born in Bensonton, Jamaica, where he learned skills that would last a lifetime. He often assisted in the family store, whether selling items or baking bread. He was fond of helping his father on the family farm, especially when it came to taking care of the animals or planting and harvesting vegetables. Ozzie was one of thousands of men from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands who were recruited to work on farms in the United States in the 1950s. In 1952, he worked on farms in Wisconsin and Illinois before coming to Connecticut later that year. In 1953, while visiting his uncle in Rhode Island, Ozzie met the love of his life, Gloria Ford. The two were married in July 1958, in Providence, R.I. The young couple lived in Springfield, Mass., for 10 years before moving with their four children to Bloomfield in 1969. His family

members were his pride and joy. There was no limit to the love he showed his wife and children, and he was never afraid of working hard for his family. Outside of work, Ozzie was a man of many talents. He loved to cook, exercise, and tend to his garden. He was also an exceptional handyman around the house.

Ozzie was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Gloria Beckford; his sisters, Bernice Melbourne and Edna Mae Williams; and his brothers, Selbourne Beckford and George Beckford.

Ozzie left his children, Lisa Beckford, Kerry Beckford, Christopher Beckford, and Kimberly Beckford; and his sister, Leila Thompson; as well as cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Chris, who works in housekeeping at Loomis Chaffee, celebrated 40 years of working at the school in 2025. Ozzie also left behind six grandchildren. He will be remembered as a man of integrity and for his unwavering love for his family. A Celebration of Life was held at The Lodge Community Chapel in Windsor, Conn.

More News The Alumni Office has learned of the deaths of former Trustee Sheila Ward Rome ’53 on November 6, 2025; and David J. Caley ’57 on November 15, 2025. More information, as available, will be included in a future magazine.

Above: Ozzie Beckford and his son Chris loomischaffee.org 63

Rhyming Reason

That Tom Lehrer ’43 would go on to teach mathematics at places such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, is no shock. After all, he was 15 when he entered Harvard, 18 when he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and 19 when he got a master’s in mathematics.

That he would go on to write zany, satirical songs also should have been no surprise. In the winter of 1943, his senior year at Loomis, Tom wrote “Dissertation on Education,” which appeared in the Loomis Alumni Bulletin.

The last line reads, “And maybe I’ll get into Harvard.” Which, of course, he did.

The following fall, The Bulletin updated readers on the poem, saying it “has attracted considerable attention.”

“The headmaster of Exeter, it is said, carries it in his wallet,” the story said. “It was read aloud to the entering class at Harvard last June; and the graduating class of a New England school sang it at commencement services. This fall Scholastic Magazine published ‘Dissertation on Education’ in its October 9th issue and a few days later made the request that the author appear on the regular Scholastic broadcast, Friday, October 15th, with the master of ceremonies, Ted Malone, who runs the Blue Network Program called Between the Bookends.” Tom went to New York and wrote an account of the experience, which The Bulletin also published. (An obituary for Tom, who died on July 26, 2025, at age 97, appears on page 51.)

Here is the 1943 poem that attracted so much attention:

REFLECTIONS

Dissertation on Education Education is a splendid institution, A most important social contribution, Which has brought about my mental destitution By its own peculiar type of persecution.

For I try to absorb In the midst of an orb Of frantic instructors’ injunctions The name of the Fates And the forty-eight states And the trigonometrical functions, The figures of speech (With the uses of each) And the chemical symbol for lead, The depth of the ocean, Molecular motion, The names of the bones in the head, The plot of Macbeth And Romeo’s death And the history of the Greek drama, Construction of graphs And the musical staffs And the routes of Cortez and da Gama, The name of the Pope, The inventor of soap, And the oldest American college-The use of conceits, The poems of Keats, And other poetical knowledge.

I’m beginning to feel I don’t care a great deal For the reign of the Emperor Nero, The poems of Burns, What the President earns, And the value of absolute zero, The length of a meter, The size of a liter, The cause of inflation and failure, The veins and the nerves, Geometrical curves, And the distance from here to Australia,

Reproduction of germs, Biological terms, And when a pronoun is disjunctive, The making of cheese, The cause of disease, And the use of the present subjunctive.

I wish that there weren’t Electrical current, Such places as Rome and Cathay, And such people as Watt And Sir Walter Scott And Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I don’t like very much To learn customs and such Of people like Tibetan lamas, And I’d like to put curbs On irregular verbs And the various uses for commas, International pacts All historical facts, Like the dates of Columbus and Croesus, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, And Ticonderoga, The War of the Peloponnesus.

But although I detest Learning poems and the rest Of the things one must know to have “culture,” While each of my teachers Makes speeches like preachers And preys on my faults like a vulture, I will leave movie thrillers And watch caterpillars Get born and pupated and larva’ed, And I’ll work like a slave And always behave And maybe I’ll get into Harvard...

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Andy’s Coming!

For a costume contest at an all-school meeting on Halloween, a group of faculty and staff members dressed as characters from Toy Story 2 (an animated movie about a boy named Andy and his toys, which, unbeknownst to humans, are alive). After the costume contest, someone in the Olcott Center crowd shouted “Andy’s coming!,” prompting the “toys” to flop over and play dead.