Loomis Chaffee Winter 2015 Magazine by Loomis Chaffee

MAGAZINE

WINTER 2015

Party of the Century A Career in Show Biz Centennial Campaign

School-spirited puppy sisters Sadie and Elsie (a.k.a. “LC”) examine the Senior Path. Photo: Jay Thornhill ’05

INSIDE 3 | A Night at the Museum

An elegant evening at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City kicked off the public phase of Loomis Chaffee’s Centennial Campaign.

20 | Party of the Century

A photo essay from the Centennial Celebration on September 20, 2014, lets you enjoy the event again, or witness it for the first time.

38 | Joe Hill’s Perspective

3D street artist Joe Hill ’93 explains how he makes paintings that are giant, mind-boggling optical illusions and how his multi-faceted career in art, theater, and screen writing has unfolded.

42 | Centennial Essay:

Don’t Put Your Children on the Stage Actor, director, and producer Jamie Widdoes ’72 offers a “mostly affectionate look at a career in show business.”

17 | ATHLETICS

47 | OBJECT LESSONS | An Impressionist’s View

Winter 2015/ Volume LXXVII, No. 1 ON THE COVER Senior Gabby Roncone “rides” on the back of the pelican as it flies over Grubbs Quadrangle while seniors Sophie Lary-Kaplan, John Kim, Cherie Yin, and Miguel Esteban try not to fall into the picture, created by Joe Hill ’93 in celebration of Loomis Chaffee’s Centennial. DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING | Lynn A. Petrillo ’86 MANAGING EDITOR | Becky Purdy DESIGNER | Patricia J. Cousins CLASS NEWS | James S. Rugen ’70 OBITUARIES | Christine Coyle CONTRIBUTORS | KeriAnne Travis, Christine Coyle, Abigail Googel, Bobbi Moran, Alexandra Muchura, Katherine Langmaid, Timothy Struthers ’85, Lisa Salinetti Ross, and Nathan Follansbee SUBMISSIONS/STORIES AND NEWS Alumni may contribute items of interest to: Loomis Chaffee Editors The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor CT 06095 860 687 6811 magazine@loomis.org PRINTED AT LANE PRESS Burlington, Vermont Printed on 70# Sterling Matte, an SFI sheet SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor CT 06095

48 | ALUMNI NEWS 56 | IN MEMORIAM

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64 | THE LAST WORD | A Singing School

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

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HEADLINES | BY SHEILA CULBERT

Curriculum Review

E are fortunate at Loomis Chaffee to enroll talented and motivated students. Fifteen percent of them are international students; another 26 percent are domestic students of color; and 34 percent of them receive financial aid. They come from a range of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. While many are well traveled, some have never previously left their hometowns. They are all digitally literate and fearlessly embrace social media. They are athletes and artists, young scientists and polyglots. Some are interested in student government while others are passionate advocates for social change and the environment. They have wonderful potential and are determined to make the most of their Loomis education. So how do we best serve them? The Loomis Commencement photograph of 1917, the school’s first graduation, shows 17 boys, all white and all dressed in their cadet uniforms—a reminder that the United States was on the brink of joining the war against Germany. As Nathaniel Batchelder took on the role of setting up a new educational establishment, he must have thought long and hard about exactly what to teach, how to teach it, and what sort of people he wanted to hire as teachers. We know that he and our Founders cared a great deal about character and that they wanted the education provided by the school to be both practical and relevant. Some of the boys graduating in 1917 would have taken the agricultural track; still others more of a business track; while a third group followed the college preparatory track and a curriculum that had been designed in large part by Charles Eliot, the president of Harvard University. In the years since, the faculty has eliminated the agricultural and business tracks and has implemented other changes, both incremental and large, to the college preparatory course that has gradually evolved into the liberal arts curriculum that we have today. Loomis concluded its last curriculum

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Sheila Culbert. Photo: John Groo

review in 2011, the first comprehensive review since 1980. The faculty reaffirmed our commitment to a broad-based liberal arts education that requires students to study the range of academic disciplines from the arts and humanities, to the social sciences, to mathematics and science. We emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary courses, the need for global competency, and the efficacy of experiential learning. Individual departments also looked at their offerings and made changes to reflect new interests and disciplinary evolution. One of the most important conclusions of that review was that good schools need to continually update and question their curricula. We could not afford to wait another 30 years before taking another critical look at what we teach and why we teach it. With this recommendation in mind, I have appointed a faculty committee chaired by Dean of Academic Affairs Webb Trenchard to review the curricular changes made a few years ago and to continue a broader faculty dialogue over the next 18 months CURRICULUM | continued 16

“

One of the most important conclusions of [the 2011 curriculum] review was that good schools need to continually update and question their curricula.

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AROUND THE QUADS

A Night at the Museum

ECLARING “Our Time Is Now,” Loomis Chaffee publicly launched a $100 million capital campaign on October 23, 2014, with a heart-warming and heart-felt gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. So far, the school has raised $71 million in commitments toward the campaign.

“There is one thing to which everyone in this room can attest — the best education is one that allows students to envision a world without limits and equips them to flourish and prosper in times that have yet to be defined,” Campaign Co-Chair Joel Alvord ’56 said to the 450 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the school gathered in the museum’s Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. “Loomis has provided just such an education since we first opened our doors 100 years ago, thanks to the school’s dedicated faculty, staff, Trustees, and donors. So let it be said that Our Time Is Now: The Centennial Campaign for Loomis Chaffee will raise $100 million by June 30, 2017 — a million for each year since 1914.” As Loomis Chaffee enters its second century, the campaign will build on the school’s considerable momentum on five fronts: academic excellence and innovation, faculty support, financial aid, facility needs, and annual support. Along with Joel, Elizabeth Richmond ’80, Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan ’87, and Duncan MacLean ’90 co-chair the campaign, which began its “quiet phase” several years ago. MUSEUM | continued next page loomischaffee.org | 3

Gala dinner in the Hall of Ocean Life and violin performance by Sirena Huang ’12.

MUSEUM | continued from 2 The gala included a reception in the museum’s Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, site of the famous Barosaurus display, and dinner in the Hall of Ocean Life, which features a 94-foot-long model of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling. Head of School Sheila Culbert kidded that the school tried to convince the museum curators to mount an enormous pelican in the hall for the event, “but they wouldn’t have it.”

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76 opened and closed the evening’s program with remarks on the transformative experience that Loomis, Chaffee, and Loomis Chaffee have provided and continue to provide for students. “When I reflect on the Founders’ hope that at Loomis ‘boys and girls shall take the highest inspirations for better and grander lives,’ I can speak with the first-hand knowledge as an alumnus, the son of an alumnus, the father of alumni, and

Photos: 5th Avenue Digital

a Trustee that a century of faculty, heads of school, and Trustees have faithfully stewarded the Founders’ vision, and thousands of students have been the beneficiaries,” Chris said. Sheila attested to the extraordinary adolescents whom the school enrolls, teaches, challenges, nurtures, and proudly watches thrive. “These are young people who yearn for intellectual stimulation, to be surrounded by other bright young people who are serious about their

education, who want to be inspired by great faculty, and who want to make a difference,” she said. “They come from all walks of life, from around the country and the world. They come to us full of promise and potential. They come with natural talents, and it is our job to cajole and nurture, to direct and encourage. We are their training wheels, there to support them but also ready to let them go, to allow them to race ahead.” The evening’s program culminated with a solo performance by Sirena Huang ’12, a world-renowned concert violinist who is a junior at The Juilliard School in New York. For more about Our Time Is Now: The Centennial Campaign for Loomis Chaffee, visit the campaign website at www.loomischaffee.org / campaign.

MacLean Family Creates Unprecedented Challenge

HE MacLean family believes in the transformative power of a Loomis Chaffee education and the inspirational power of a groundswell of support. For both of these reasons, Duncan ’90 and Gillian ’91 MacLean and their family have laid $1 million on the line to challenge Loomis Chaffee alumni to carry the Annual Fund to new heights. Inspired by the Centennial year and the ambitious goals of Our Time is Now: The Centennial Campaign for Loomis Chaffee, the MacLeans have launched the “50 NOW” challenge. They have pledged to donate $1 million to the school if 50 percent of alumni contribute to the Annual Fund by June 30.

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Duncan A. MacLean ’90 and classmates on the 25th Reunion Committee gather for a group photo on the “Step and Repeat” at the gala: (front) Lee T. Guzofski, Brett D. Rodriguez, Peter W. Kolp, Julie Woolwich Martin, Jennifer Steiner Pool, and Martin E. Vulliez; and (back) Victor M. Samra, Nicholas A. Phillips, Duncan, and Timothy M. Marshall. Photo: 5th Avenue Digital

“We want alumni to know that gifts of all sizes have an impact on campus life. This challenge illustrates that in a very real way,” Gillian says. “This challenge is not about how much you give. It is about joining together to make a difference for Loomis Chaffee.”

Ambitious as this goal may be, 50 NOW is within the grasp of Loomis Chaffee alumni, according to Director of the Annual Fund KeriAnne Travis, who notes that more than 56 percent of alumni have contributed to the Annual Fund at least once in the past five years. And, she adds, “What better way to celebrate 100 years of excellence?”

Already generous and loyal supporters of the school, the MacLeans understand that annual alumni support forms the foundation of philanthropy on the Island and that Loomis alumni are passionate about their school. Alumni participation has grown over the past five years, climbing from 30 percent in 2009 to 38 percent last year. But reaching 50 percent participation in the school’s centennial year would be an unparalleled accomplishment, the highest alumni participation rate in school history.

“I am proud to be a part of this unprecedented effort by alumni, but we cannot succeed without you,” Duncan says in a message to fellow graduates of the school. “Do not assume that your friend, your classmate, or someone else will come through. We need you to join us and make a gift this year.” Alumni have until June 30, but there’s no need to delay. To make an Annual Fund gift online, go to www.loomischaffee.org/giving. The time is now — 50 NOW.

Sharing a Century of Memories

HE school launched its examination of “Memory,” the 2014–15 school theme, with a look at — and listen to — people’s memories of Loomis, Chaffee, and Loomis Chaffee in its first 100 years.

In a September convocation, school archivist and history teacher Karen Parsons and historian and former headmaster John Ratté, authors of the Loomis centennial history book, Cherished Hopes and Honorable Ambition, shared stories from the book, vivid recollections of the school from generations of alumni, faculty, and students. John and Karen read passages from alumni of the 1930s through 2014 who recounted tales and impressions from their days on the Island: a boat ride to Hartford during the flood of 1938, a chemistry teacher’s profound influence, the smell of molasses cookies baking in the Homestead, the quiet of Founders Chapel, a snowy trudge from the train station to campus, a cow on the Warham Hall balcony, and many other memories.

Bussel Grants Help Fund Study Abroad

John Ratté autographs a copy of the centennial book for history teacher Rachel Engelke after the convocation. Photo: Lynn Petrillo ’86

“People form memories in different ways and then keep those memories alive in different ways,” Karen said. Karen and John asked the students to help preserve the next 50 years of Loomis memories. A half-century ago, then-Loomis archivist Lou Fowles wrote and sealed a letter to the centennial authors after he had finished writing the history of the school's first 50 years. Karen and John unsealed and read that letter

four years ago as they prepared to write the centennial book. In that same spirit, they wrote a letter to the future authors of Loomis’ 150th anniversary book. At the convocation, they held up the letter, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax impressions of the Loomis seal. They asked the students to remind the school about the letter as the year 2064 approaches.

ITH the goal of enabling more Loomis Chaffee students to gain international experience, former Trustee John Bussel ’87; his mother, Ann B. Bussel; and his sister, Deborah Bussel, established a new fund through their family foundation this fall. The Bussel Family Fund for Study and Travel Abroad, an endowed travel scholarship program, will help Loomis students who are financial aid recipients to participate in trips offered by the Center for Global Studies. “Travel abroad has clearly become a fundamental part of the Loomis Chaffee experience, and it is essential that all Loomis students have a chance to enjoy and learn from that experience,” John says. About 10 percent of Loomis students now travel through the center’s programs each year. The new gift is the second fund that the family has created to support Loomis’ mission to educate its students “for service in the nation and in today’s global civilization.” In 2013, John, Ann, and Deborah established the Bussel Family International Lecture Series.

The freshly sealed letter to authors of Loomis Chaffee’s 150th anniversary book. Photo: Lynn Petrillo ’86

“Loomis does a wonderful job of exposing students to world events, cultures, and histories in our classrooms, but there is little substitute for actually being there,” explains Alexander McCandless, Christopher H. Lutz Director of the Center for Global Studies. In 2014–15, the center is sponsoring student trips to Quebec, the Dominican Republic, India, South Africa, Peru, and Spain. loomischaffee.org | 5

AROUND THE QUADS

Winged Beauty The Bronze Pelican, by artist Jodi Jubran, was installed between Founders and Batchelder halls this fall. The iridescent sculpture honors late faculty member Glover Howe â&#x20AC;&#x2122;48 and was donated by Milan Kirby â&#x20AC;&#x2122;83 through the support of the A.P. Kirby Jr. Foundation. Photo: Patricia Cousins

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Elizabeth Richmond ’80, Nelson Schulman, Spencer Richmond Schulman ’11, junior Anita Richmond, Robert Richmond, and Richmond Hall dorm head Naomi Appel listen to remarks at the dedication and plaque unveiling. Photo: John Groo

Good Vibes at Richmond Hall Dedication

ORE than 200 people, including 24 Richmond family members and their guests, gathered on September 20 in an intimate courtyard just west of Kravis Hall to celebrate the dedication of Loomis Chaffee’s newest dormitory, Richmond Hall. Opened this fall and home to 50 underclass girls and four faculty families, Richmond Hall is named in recognition and honor of Anita B. and Howard S. Richmond ’35. Howie was the first of three generations of the Richmond family to attend Loomis, and he extended his dedication and generosity to the school throughout his life. In remarks at the dedication, which coincided with the school’s Centennial Celebration, Head of School Sheila Culbert recalled receiving

roots as a predominantly boarding school with 70 percent of the student body residing on campus.

a package in the first days of her tenure at Loomis with a handwritten note and two pieces of paper with “Good Vibes” printed on them. The letter was from Howie explaining how much Loomis meant to him and sending Sheila his good vibes. “At times Howie spoke of Loomis as his ‘sixth child,’” she remarked, “and we have certainly been the beneficiaries of his extraordinary love for our school.” Richmond Hall was made possible through the generosity of several

donors, lead among them Howie’s children Frank ’71, Larry ’72, Rob, Phill, and Elizabeth ’80, who, through the Anita B. and Howard S. Richmond Foundation, “wanted to honor Howie’s lifetime of involvement with and dedication to the school,” Sheila explained. Sheila also acknowledged and thanked Joel Alvord ’56, Joan Joseloff Kohn ’43, Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan ’87, Duncan MacLean ’90 and his family, Temp Keller ’94 and his family, and two anonymous donors for their support of Richmond Hall, which also includes a state-of-the-art health center located on the garden level. The addition of Richmond Hall this fall and Cutler Hall in 2016 will enable the school to return to its

“Richmond Hall is destined to be yet another thread woven into the fabric of the Loomis Chaffee experience, linking the people of its past with the incredible living force of todayˇs faculty and student body,” commented Howieˇs son Rob, whose daughter Maddy is a senior. “I believe that my father would view Richmond Hall as part of the mystical, magical transformative energy that is the place you call the Island.” A successful music publisher, Howie served on the Board of Trustees from 1975 until 1984. The school presented him with its Distinguished Service Award in 1985, and he remained an Honorary Trustee until his death in 2012. To read the remarks of the dedication speakers and to see more photos of the event, go to www. loomischaffee.org/magazine.

Dedication celebrants: (front) Lois Gartlir, June Gartlir, Head of School Sheila Culbert, Elizabeth Richmond ’80, junior Anita Richmond, Dana Saks, and Victoria Saks; and (back) Bruce Deely, Lauren Richmond, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Christopher Norton ’76, Kenneth Gartlir, parent of alumni and current parent Nelson Schulman, Jeremy Richmond, Danielle Richmond, Caitlin Richmond, Harrison Richmond Schulman ’13, parent of alumni Robert Richmond, and Spencer Richmond Schulman ’11. (Missing from the photo are Larry Richmond ’72, Benjamin Richmond, Olivia Richmond, and senior Maddy Richmond.) Photo: John Groo

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AROUND THE QUADS | THE BIG PICTURE

Movie Night in the Courtyard Students spend a warm weekend evening watching movies in the new courtyard between Kravis Hall and Richmond Hall. Photo: John Groo

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AROUND THE QUADS

Titania (junior Kirsten Mossberg) and her fairies enchant the mythical world. Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

OOMIS CHAFFEE’S Norris Ely Orchard Theater stage was transformed this fall into a magical and metaphysical world in a spirited interpretation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The farcical examination of the irrationality of gender roles came to life on the NEO stage, and the ensemble cast carried the audience deftly through the play’s intersecting plot lines and parallel realms. “This play is really a challenge for students to take on,” says director and faculty member David McCamish. “It is amazing how well students grasp the language when they understand the story. I am so impressed with their accomplishment.” Anchored by senior John Kim as jealous Oberon, King of the Fairies, and junior Emily Cuevo as Puck, his mischievous minion, the cast delivered the Shakespearean dialogue with assurance while interpreting the roles in their own unique styles, from the lovesick lamentations of the

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mortal lovers, characterized by senior Mollie Richter, juniors Damon D’Amico and Derek Martinez, and freshman Anna Essick; to the slap-stick shenanigans of the Mechanicals, led by sophomore Preethi Kannan as Preethi Quince and junior Andrey Vdovenko as Nick Bottom; to the mesmerizing actions of Titania, Queen of the Fairies, played by junior Kirsten Mossberg, and her fairy crew, who moved almost as one living, breathing being on stage.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been performed for more than 450 years, and its motifs still resonate with audiences across cultures and generations,” David says. “We all share memories of the bewildering experience of falling in and out of love — and the treacheries of unrequited love and jealousy. We all recall waking from a dream and not knowing if it was real or not, and the subsequent relief upon waking from a nightmare.”

Staging and costumes further defined the contradiction between the mythical world and the mortal world. Mortals wore the staid garb of the Edwardian era and struck solid poses, and their counterparts, the Mechanicals, clomped around in the clunky boots and overalls of their occupations. The fairies, meanwhile, expressed themselves with free-form body movements and flowing garments. The costumes, set, and lighting combined to create an enchanted, dream-like atmosphere.

While nightly ovations underlined the success of the play for audiences, student participants like stage manager Isabelle Raposo confirmed the value of the experience behind the scenes as well. “I was excited about working on this production,” the senior says. “I think the NEO has an excellent atmosphere this term — hardworking actors, great directing, wonderful production management, and skilled tech crew all coinciding to make something truly special.”

The school-year theme of “Memory” led to the choice of the Bard’s play for the fall production.

To see photographs from the play, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

brilliant!  Sophomore Gaurang Goel received the award for first place speaker among the 124 novice debaters in the Debate Association of New England Independent Schools tournament held at St. Sebastian’s School on October 12. Gaurang and his partner, freshman Tommy Shi, were undefeated (3-0) on the day.  Junior debaters Laurie Zielinski and Alex Zilkha went undefeated (3-0) and placed fourth out of 34 teams competing in the advanced division at the Connecticut Debate Association tournament on October 26.  Students in the Pelican Service Organization raised more than $400 for UNICEF on Halloween when they hosted a haunted house in the former health center in Gwendolen Hall. The building, already known for its haunted lore, was vacated this summer to make way for a new dormitory, which is in the planning stages. A new health center opened this fall in Richmond Hall.  For the sixth year in a row, Loomis Chaffee ceramics students created and donated bowls to help the hungry this fall through the Hartford area’s Empty Bowls Project. Each visitor to the annual event, hosted by Foodshare, selects a handmade bowl filled with soup provided by local restaurants, for a donation of $15. After a simple meal of soup and bread, the participant keeps the bowl.  Penelope Shao’s junior-year history research on the effects of laws excluding Chinese migrant workers from becoming U.S. citizens in the late 19th century drew the attention of international scholars, who invited her to present her research at an symposium in Guangzhou, China, last summer. “It was such an honor. I was the only person who didn’t have some kind of Ph.D. in that room,” says Penelope, now a senior, looking back on the September symposium. “They were the people who wrote the books that I was referring back to.” Historians, archaeologists, professors, and other experts from around the world attended the symposium, the International Conference on North American Chinese Labor and Guangdong Qiaoxiang Society at Sun Yat-sen University. Penelope gave a 20-minute presentation on her research and paper, which delved into the effects of exclusionary laws on Chinese people, many of whom were building railroads in the United States. Among other topics, her paper examined “nativism,” the backlash against migrants who were needed for their cheap labor but not allowed to become citizens, she explains. The essay was Penelope’s major research paper for the Advanced Placement U.S. History course during her junior year. The research fascinated Penelope so much that she also applied for and was granted an independent study for her senior fall term on broader American ethnic and immigration history, under the guidance of history teacher Eric LaForest. During the independent study, she read a book related to the topic each week, analyzed the way historians have shaped the story, then wrote a research paper.

Photographic Memories Restored

HAT started for Becci Manson as a small project to restore some damaged photographs after the 2011 tsunami in Japan grew into a global effort to return memories to families who had lost everything else in the devastation. Ms. Manson, a photographer and photo retoucher, shared her story during a visit to Loomis in November and conveyed her discoveries about the profound importance of photographs in shaping our perceptions of the past. During her two days on campus, Ms. Manson spoke at an all-school convocation, visited globalization and photography classes, met with Freshman Seminar students, and addressed parents and alumni at an evening discussion. Her visit was the first of this year’s Hubbard Speakers Series, which is focusing on the school’s theme of “Memory” in 2014–15. “Working as a photographer and in retouching photographs, I have an understanding of the attachment people have to their photos,” Ms. Manson explained to the students gathered in the Olcott Center. “I recognize how much they help preserve memory and how they affect our memory of the past.” She acknowledged that in today’s digital age the speed and haste in which we take and share photographs may lead us to underestimate their value. Sometimes, we recognize the value of something only when it is lost. This reality crystalized for Ms. Manson while volunteering in Japan after the tsunami. Clearing debris as part of a humanitarian aid project, Ms. Manson discovered many photos that had been damaged by the seawater. These personal mementos, many severely marred, were the

Becci Manson speaks to students during a classroom visit. Photo: Patricia Cousins

only belongings that remained for many individuals and families who lived in that area — the only record of their history. Moved by this realization, she enlisted her fellow photographic professionals to join her in an effort to collect and repair damaged photos found among the wreckage, to help in some way to ease the pain of such overwhelming loss. Over the next several months, a team of professionals worldwide was able to restore some 135,000 photos. Ms. Manson and her team also trained local volunteers in retouching methods so that the work could continue. These local volunteers have preserved countless thousands of photos in the years since. For links to Ms. Manson’s online portfolio and her TED talk, go to www.loomischaffee.org / magazine.

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Art and Music Series Presents Alumni

Christopher Durrenberger ’84 Photo: John Groo

N recognition of the school’s Centennial, the Visual Arts and Music departments are featuring alumni artists and musicians on campus throughout the school year.

In the fall, pianist Christopher Durrenberger ’84 and mezzo-soprano Danielle Coombe ’10 presented recitals in Hubbard Performance Hall and worked with music students; photogravure artist Jon Goodman ’71 exhibited his work in the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery; Deborah Zlotsky ’80 and Catherine Monahan ’08 shared their work with students as Visiting Artists; and 3D pavement artist Joe Hill ’93 created a largescale painting in the Mercy Gallery. (See photos of Joe’s painting on the cover and pages 25–26 and an interview with Joe beginning on page 38.) “Hosting alumni as guest musicians is a great way to include them in our centennial celebrations this year, and it is such a great learning opportunity for our students,” acknowledges Susan Chrzanowski,

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head of the Music Department and director of choral and vocal music. Jennifer McCandless, head of the Visual Arts Department, concurs. “When we have an opportunity to feature the work of a Loomis Chaffee alumnus in the gallery, it adds another dimension to the experience for our students,” she says. Alumni art exhibits will continue throughout the year. • A selection from the collected artwork of Mickey Cartin ’66, featuring contemporary artist Andrew Sendor and curated by Stephen Holmes, will be on exhibit January 13–February 15 in the Mercy Gallery. • An exhibit of photographs by James Pomerantz ’96 will run in the gallery February 24–April 17, and James will be a Visiting Artist on campus April 20–24. • Painter and mixed media artist Sarah Lutz ’85 will be a Visiting Artist April 27–30, coinciding with

Mezzo-soprano Danielle Coombe ’10, accompanied by Stephen Scarlato on piano. Photo: John Groo

the opening of her show in the Mercy Gallery, which will run April 28–June 14. The Music Department’s all-alumni slate of guest musicians also continues throughout the year, with concerts in the Hubbard Performance Hall. • John ’05 and Chris ’05 Robison were scheduled to perform a program of indie chamber music with their band All the Friends in the Hubbard Performance Hall on January 8.

• As part of the Winter Choral Concert on January 25, David Snyder ’80 will conduct the Concert Choir in a performance of “Where Rivers Rise and Fall,” a choral work he composed in commemoration of the Loomis Chaffee Centennial, with words by David, music teacher James Rugen ’70, and Director of Studies Timothy Lawrence. The concert begins at 4 p.m. • Solon Gordon ’03 and Jennifer Chang will perform a recital for piano and viola at 10:55 a.m. on February 26. • The Huang siblings — violinist Sirena ’12, pianist Christine ’11, and cellist Anderson ’14 — will perform a Huang Family Recital on March 28 at 7:30 p.m. All of the exhibits and performances are open to the public and free of charge. To confirm dates, times, and gallery hours, visit www. loomischaffee.org.

Before Exams, a Brainy Lesson for Freshmen

RESHMEN received a timely lesson this fall in how the brain learns. Just before final exams in November, Scott MacClintic ’82, science teacher and director of the Henry R. Kravis ’63 Center for Excellence in Teaching, presented “Study Smarter — Not Harder” to Freshman Seminars. The lesson shared what scientists have discovered about the workings of the brain, and how students can use that knowledge to their advantage. “We have been discussing the concept of striving to become our ‘best self’ in order to better serve a common good,” notes Al Freihofer ’69, director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, which coordinates the Freshman Seminars. “By suggesting methods for study success, this program helps students obtain their ‘best self’ through personal growth and academic achievement.” In the first part of the lesson, Scott led students through a series of exercises to explain how dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, contributes to memory formation and retention. He then introduced students to the four basic steps involved in converting sensory information into long-term memories.

highlighting passages of text upon the first read-through. Then he explained study methods that leverage the way the brain operates, allowing students to better understand and remember what they learn. One strategy is basic: repetition, the time-honored idea that “practice makes permanent.” Scott said practicing that which gives a student the most difficulty is especially beneficial to mastery of a subject. In another strategy, “blank page review,” students draw from memory and summarize information they are trying to learn before referring to notes. In “retrieval practice,” students quiz themselves on a topic before studying so that they can direct individual study to the area that most needs practice. “You must mentally manipulate the data in some way, creating connections in the brain in order to commit it to long-term memory,” Scott told the students. Scott also recommended spacing

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Learning is deeper and more durable when it is effortful. It does not necessarily mean spending more time.

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— Scott MacClintic ’82

out practice into several sessions and “mixing it up” between subjects. He emphasized the importance of sleep in cementing information in the brain, and he encouraged the students to maintain a growth mindset. Believing that there are no limits to how much anyone can learn helps a person to expand his or her learning, he explained. Rather than thinking, “I don’t know that,” add the word “yet” to the sentence, he suggested. To punctuate the message, each student received a lapel pin printed with the word “Yet!” “Mr. MacClintic’s presentation was not only extremely entertaining but it taught me so many study skills and strategies,” freshman Greg Alexander remarked a few days after the seminar. “In the past two study hall nights I have already employed the strategy of studying things like vocab and conjugations, taking a break from them with other work, and coming back to them rather than studying in chunks.”

Next, Scott outlined strategies for using the information about how the brain works to “study smarter — not harder.” “Learning is deeper and more durable when it is effortful,” he explained. “It does not necessarily mean spending more time.” Scott exposed the ineffectiveness of some common study practices, including always studying in the same place, re-reading class notes, and

Scott MacClintic ’82 answers questions during a Freshman Seminar. Photo: Patricia Cousins

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Seniors Paulos Aklilu and Michaela Esteban converse with Andrea Rooks Straccia in Chaffee Lounge. Photo: John Groo

How can alumni and other members of the Loomis community aid in your initiatives?

Questions & Answers About Experiential Learning

NDREA STRACCIA, director of the Office of Experiential Learning & Enrichment Opportunities, explains the role of the newly developed office and her plans for its continued growth. Share with us a bit of your background and experience at Loomis Chaffee. I came to Loomis Chaffee in 2010 after having worked in undergraduate admissions at Washington University in St. Louis. I joined the school as an associate director of college guidance, and in my time on the Island, I have also served as a dormitory affiliate in Palmer Hall and been a trip leader on the school’s March Break trip to India. I also am faculty advisor to the Pelican Peer Support Network and a member of the school’s Faculty Council. I officially took on a second role as the director of experiential learning and enrichment opportunities last July; today my time is split between this role and my work in the College Office. What are experiential learning and enrichment opportunities as they pertain to students? Experiential learning is about students owning their education — it allows students to delve deeply into areas of interest and to learn by doing. It necessitates active engagement with subject matter, resulting in

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a much deeper, more profound level of understanding. Experiential learning and enrichment opportunities can include a lot of things, but at Loomis we focus on helping our students find jobs, internships, scientific and scholarly research, volunteer work, shadowing opportunities, academic and scholarly competitions, summer programs, travel and language programs, online learning, conferences, independent study projects, senior projects, and gap years. What is the role of the office? I work closely with faculty, alumni, and parents to help develop, coordinate, implement, oversee, and provide counsel on experiential learning and enrichment opportunities for Loomis Chaffee students. My goal is to help students identify areas of interest and uncover ways to explore those interests through three possible avenues: by engaging in activities and opportunities already present at Loomis, by identifying existing opportunities provided by outside organizations, or by creating specialized opportunities by connecting our students with alumni, parents, and other community members. In what kinds of opportunities do Loomis students currently participate? Facets of experiential learning have long been woven into the fabric of

a Loomis Chaffee education. The work our students do on our FIRST robotics team, in guided research projects, and through our Center for Global Studies international trips, for example, fall into this category. We also have students who take advantage of opportunities during school breaks. For example, they do internships, shadow professionals in their work, engage in languageintensive programs abroad, and conduct scientific research. But until now, many students found those opportunities through personal connections — often through their parents — to professionals, research labs, and so on. My goal is to assist all students in developing connections to access these kinds of educational opportunities. What kinds of opportunities would you like to see in the future for students? I would love to see our students connect with alumni, parents, and other community members to identify and create experiential learning and enrichment opportunities. This is, in my eyes, one of our greatest untapped potentials. We have alumni and parents working in a wide array of fields in all corners of the globe — why not connect them to students aspiring to their fields of work?

They can help us build our ExCEL Network: Experience, Collaborate, Engage, Learn. Individuals may become a part of the network by completing our online survey, accessed through our web page on the Loomis website. The purpose of the survey is to collect relevant information about who you are, your educational and professional background, and ways that you are willing to engage with students. We want to give people the opportunity to be as active in the ExCEL Network as they want to be — whether they are willing to have a phone conversation with a student interested in their field of work, participate in a panel discussion based on their profession, or even go so far as to create a specialized internship opportunity for a Loomis student. Why participate in the ExCEL Network? First of all, it’s a wonderful way to give back to the Loomis community. Second, it’s a great way to take something you already know a lot about — your profession — and use it to help someone else. Third, the students at our school are bright, engaging, passionate, and eager to learn; I hope that alumni would find it both fun and rewarding to have an opportunity to interact with them. I know I do. To find out more about the Office of Experiential Learning & Enrichment Opportunities and the ExCEL Network, go to www.loomischaffee. org/magazine for a link to the office’s web page, or contact Andrea at andrea_straccia@loomis.org or 860.687.6352.

AROUND THE QUADS | ISLAND ARRAY Fall happenings, night and day, inside and outside, at Loomis Chaffee INSIDE “Men in Black” faculty members Jaci and Marc Cardwell on Halloween Visiting Artist Catherine Monahon ’08 and freshman Cameron Morosky

MIT brain scientist Steve Ramirez

Sophomores Skyler Dovi and Sharon Frankel in Halloween attire

Centennial Quilt, a collaborative project organized by the Loomis Chaffee Parents Association

Richmond Hall gathering

Dog-sitting, or sitting with dog, in Batchelder Hall

DAY

NIGHT The Norris Ely Orchard Theater, decked out for opening night

Sunny fall afternoon on Grubbs Quad

Elsie, a.k.a. "LC," one of the newest four-legged campus residents, sniffs out the Richmond Hall porch.

Music and friends in the courtyard Soccer team spirit

OUTSIDE

Photos: Patricia Cousins, John Groo

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AROUND THE QUADS | OF NOTE | FACULTY & STAFF

 Science teacher Naomi Appel and math teacher Andrew Bartlett welcomed their first child, Emily Julianne Bartlett, on November 25.  History teacher Elliot Dial taught at the African Leadership Academy’s Global Scholars Program in Johannesburg, South Africa, last summer. The four-week program brought together promising high school students from around the world, including China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and throughout Africa, to study entrepreneurial leadership and develop action plans they could use to help individuals and communities like Soweto, outside of Johannesburg.

 Math and philosophy teacher Curt Robison traveled to Jordan last summer to teach pre-algebra to young Middle Eastern students in a summer program at King’s Academy. Modeled after New England independent schools, King’s Academy was established by King Abdullah II of Jordan, whom Curt taught at Deerfield Academy in the late 1970s. Many of the students in the summer program aspire to enroll at King’s Academy for high school. “I was very eager to teach there and learn firsthand about the school he created,” notes Curt. “It is one of the few schools of its

kind in the Middle East and shares many of the educational values and teaching philosophy of strong independent schools like Loomis Chaffee.”  Al Freihofer ’69, director of the Norton Family Center for the Common Good, presented at the Fourth Annual Westminster Teaching Symposium in September. The focus of the symposium was “The Theory and Practice of Community Engagement.” Al and presenters from several other independent schools joined keynote speaker Jon Isham, director of Middlebury College’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship.  Head boys lacrosse coach and Associate Director of Admission William Lee presented to coaches, parents, and youth players at the kickoff to the Lonestar Lacrosse Shootout on November 22–23 in Dallas, Texas. Bill and professional

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 Art teachers Chet Kempczynski and Mark Zunino exhibited their art work in Open Studio Hartford during the weekend of November 15–16. The annual event takes visitors all over the city to celebrate local arts and crafts in the studios of people who create them. Chet hosted one stop in his home studio on Washington Street, featuring his paintings as well as paintings and prints by Mark and paintings by Chet’s brother John Kempczynski.

balance between content and skills? Do students learn to think independently as well as to collaborate with others? How do we continue to incorporate the latest technologies as well as research on the most effective pedagogies?

about a curriculum that is relevant, current, and appropriately challenging and that continues to prepare students to excel at college and to lead fulfilling lives. I expect that students will always need to know how to write well and to be numerate and scientifically literate—and we teach these things well. But what else do our students need in order to not only succeed but to thrive and prosper in the world? We want to incorporate more opportunities for hands-on learning during the school year as well as during the breaks. We think our students would benefit from

lacrosse players Kyle Hartzell, of the New York Lizards, and Jesse Schwartmann, goalie for the Denver Outlaws, offered lessons and tips on goalie and defensive play. Bill spoke on the topics “Goalie Warm Up Drills for Coaches” and “Defending the X and the 5x5.”

Photo: John Groo

more global travel. We want to foster increasing interest in environmental science, sustainability, and even agriculture. And there are

other questions that we need to continue to address: Do our students learn both critical and creative thinking? Do they encounter the right

All in all, we are confident that just as the curriculum in the school’s early years prepared students for the world of change that they would confront, so too does today’s curriculum. But we cannot rest on our laurels. For our curriculum to be as vital as it needs to be, we must continually assess what we teach and why. ©

AROUND THE QUADS | ATHLETICS | BY BOB HOWE â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80

Senior Kristina Cheyne Photo: Tom Honan

Highlights of a Remarkable Season

ALL has always been my favorite sports season. I love it because fall sports begin with a preseason, welcoming new students to campus and reigniting old friendships, and the energy of the opening day is unmatched throughout the rest of the year. In particular, this fall, the fall of 2014, was my most memorable beginning of a school year. The school celebrated its Centennial. Our teams had a remarkable success rate. And we have a remarkable group of faculty coaches who keep the game simple in a very complicated world. They understand that sports teach life lessons about failure, joy, disappointment, excitement, winning and losing, maturity, teamwork, humility, and selflessness. continued next page loomischaffee.org | 17

8. W ater polo’s season trajectory.

Looking back on this great fall season, I put together a top 10 list of highlights. Here they are, in no particular order: 1. September 20. The day we celebrated our school’s 100th anniversary. Our athletes were all a part of this. Cross country boys and girls were the only teams not here that day, but they contributed to the magic. The all-day Centennial Celebration was the culmination of months of planning, and the weather could not have been better as many of our teams faced off against Andover. The Island had that feel of a big-time college campus. At one point in the day, there were more than 4,000 people on campus loving what they saw, and part of that was all the athletes, coaches, and parents. The day also marked the start of something special – our outstanding fall sports season. Loomis Chaffee’s varsity teams won 85 games and lost only 25 this fall. We won three Founders Championships and a Western New England title, and several of our teams went deep into the New England Tournament playoffs. 2. Both cross country teams. The boys and girls varsity cross country teams won every event they entered leading up to their final races at the New Englands. That’s everything: Canterbury Invitational, Northfield Mount Hermon Invitational, Shaler Invitational, dual meets, and the Founders League Championships. Both teams had unbelievable seasons — and with many new and young-to-the-sport runners. 18 |

Senior Dontay Downer, junior Lars Schuster, and junior Tristan Rhodes

3. School spirit. Here’s just an example: On one day this fall, a large crowd cheered on the volleyball team to victory in an important match with Choate. Sitting there watching the match, I could tell the fans’ enthusiasm raised the level of play on the court, and our girls dominated the match. When the match was over, the crowd filed out of the gym, and I went to watch the end of the JV match on the other side of the Olcott Gym curtain. Through the other door came the same crowd of supporters back into the gym to support the JV team. I had never seen crowd support like that at any JV sporting event. 4. F ield hockey’s journey to the New England Class A championship game. We knew these girls were good, but they showed us all how good, and gritty, they could be by knocking off the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Andover, and then No. 4 Tabor to take their place in Loomis Chaffee field hockey history as the first to make it to the championship game. 5. Community. When I think of our fall, I can’t help but think of community — fac brats running lines at soccer

matches, watching at field hockey games, sitting on team benches at games, even traveling all over New England with our teams. At the end-of-season athletics awards, I reminded the varsity athletes about this community aspect of their participation and asked them always to remember the impact they had and can have on those younger players and people around them. 6. Loomis Chaffee soccer. Combined, the girls and boys varsity soccer records stood at 30-4-5 this season. Both made the tournament for the umpteenth consecutive year. The boys won Founders League and Western New England titles. The girls made it all the way to the semifinals of the New England Tournament. Even better, both teams emphasize sportsmanship and team play every day. 7. Football’s 6-0 start. The team’s run was one the best football starts in the school’s history. This was a fun season to watch. For me, it’s still hard to believe the progress of the program and the kind of success that we now come to expect from this team both on and off the field.

The water polo team had its ups and downs throughout the fall with a young squad, but the team’s energy and dedication to getting better never waivered. Coach Ed Pond worked his magic and made this group competitive. Polo’s winning streak at season’s end is a good sign of things to come. 9. V olleyball’s spectacular season. The team went 17-3 and made its way to the semifinal game of the New England Tournament. Each year the fan base for this sport at Loomis grows. People sit and wait to see our players fly through the air and pummel the ball through the opposition’s arms. The athletic skills of the whole group made Olcott Gym the place to be all fall. 10. True Pelican dedication. This fall we had eight graduates among our coaching ranks, just for this fall alone. Adrian Stewart ’90 and Mike Scott ’88 coached with the football program. Maggie Kennedy ’05, Jay Thornhill ’05, and Jack Mahoney ’10 coached soccer. Kathryn Mullin ’08 and Anna Giannoni ’08 coached with the field hockey program. And Chris Lee ’10 assistant coached the girls cross country team. These alumni and our remarkable group of faculty coaches were instrumental in what was the most successful athletic start to the school year in a very long time. © Bob Howe ’80 is director of athletics.

Senior Ethan Ericson Photos: Tom Honan

Junior Paul Douglas

Junior Nancy Coulverson

Equestrian team

VARSITY SCOREBOARD SPORT

Sophomore Jason Liu

RECORD ACCOLADES

Girls Cross Country 7-0 * Canterbury Invitational, 1st Place * Founders League Champion * New Englands, 2nd place Boys Cross Country 7-0 * Canterbury Invitational, 1st Place * Founders League Champion * New Englands, 3rd place Girls Soccer 13-3-3 * New England Class A Tournament semifinalist Boys Soccer 17-1-2 * Founders League Champion * Western New England Champion * New England Class A Tournament quarterfinalist Water Polo 7-11 Field Hockey 11-6-1 * New England Class A Tournament finalist Football 6-2 Volleyball 17-3 * New England Class A Tournament semifinalist Equestrian * Reserve Champion team at Windcrest Farm IEA Show * Team-record 29 points at Mystic Valley Hunt Club Show

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PARTY Century of the

THOUSANDS CAME TO THE ISLAND for Loomis Chaffeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Centennial Celebration on September 20, a day filled with outdoor fun, music, dancing, art, history, sports, pageantry, and good feelings all around. Enjoy the day again, or for the first time, through pictures on the pages that follow.

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Photo: John Groo

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The Fun Fair Even the weather celebrated the Centennial, bringing blue skies and warm sunshine to the Family Fun Fair on Sellers Field, where the Make-Your-OwnPelican booth, bouncy house, inflatable obstacle course, photo booth, face painting, pizza, and more drew a festive crowd. Photos: Patricia Cousins, John Groo, Jeuley Ortengren

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The Dancing “Dances through the Century,” the postgame show on the football field, offered a musical montage of dance steps, from the Charleston to “Thriller” to Hip Hop, all performed by students in period dress. Photos: Patricia Cousins, John Groo

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The 3D Fun Celebrants “flew” on the back of a pelican over Grubbs Quadrangle through the magic of Joe Hill’s ’93 3D pavement art, commissioned for the occasion. Joe (center) had as much fun as the steady stream of alumni, students, and other community members who visited the Richmond Art Center to interact with the painting and see the illusion through a camera’s lens. Photos: John Groo, Mary Forrester

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The Story Contributors to Cherished Hopes and Honorable Ambition: A Centennial History of The Loomis Chaffee School joined the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authors, school archivist Karen Parsons and former head of school John RattĂŠ, in the Katharine Brush Library for a book signing and an opportunity to share stories with former colleagues and classmates. Photos: Patricia Cousins

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The Games The Pelican could hardly contain his enthusiasm at the football game, the culmination of an afternoon of exciting sporting events. Students presented a halftime show, “Athletics through the Years,” and athletes of various sports ran onto the field for a special “flash mob” at the end of the football game (which, by the way, Loomis won 13-0 over Andover). Photos: Patricia Cousins, Abigail Googel, John Groo, Jeuley Ortengren

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The Parade A pipe and drum corps led the parade from the football game to the Centennial Ceremony at the Homestead. Lining the parade route were flags from all the countries represented by the current student body. Photos: Patricia Cousins, John Groo

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The Founders The Founders were not about to miss the party of the century, and they (or, rather, actors playing James, Osbert, John, Hezekiah, and Abigail Loomis) charmed the crowd when they emerged from the Homestead to read the Loomis Family Testimonial as part of the Centennial Ceremony in the slanting rays of the setting sun. Photos: Patricia Cousins, John Groo

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The Finale Glowing with paper lanterns, an enormous tent in Grubbs Quad provided the venue for dinner, dancing, a presentation by Loomisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; student Centennial Ambassadors, and the unveiling of a special square on the Senior Path that will mark the site of the Centennial Time Capsule. After dinner, spectacular fireworks lit up the Meadows and the faces of celebrants, a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary day. Photos: John Groo

To see a slideshow and videos from the Centennial Celebration, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine.

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Joe Hill’s Perspective By Becky Purdy

O Joe Hill stands on the edge in his piece “Room with a View.” Photo: Courtesy Joe Hill

VER THE COURSE OF FOUR DAYS in September, London-based artist Joe Hill ’93 created 3D “pavement” art with a distinctly Loomis Chaffee theme for the school’s Centennial Celebration. The picture, painted on wood panels on the floor of the Sue and Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery in the Richmond Art Center, attracted curious students and community members while Joe worked and even bigger crowds on the day of the celebration, when visitors could pose for photographs seemingly on the back of a pelican or the rail of the cupola weather vane high above Grubbs Quadrangle. Joe’s large-scale optical illusions have amazed and charmed curbside viewers around the world for the last decade. But Joe didn’t set out to be an artist. Although talented and interested in art — he worked closely with former art teacher Marilyn Rabetz during his year at Loomis as an English Speaking Union Scholar — he stopped painting in his early adulthood, studied history in college, and worked as a stage actor in London JOE HILL | continued 40

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JOE HILL | continued from 38

before starting to write screenplays. While he was still breaking into screenwriting, he landed a job creating pavement chalk drawings in Spain. He asked his artist friend Max Lowry to join him, and their 3D installations were so successful that they quickly attracted a host of clients. They went on to create works for Disney, Google, Coca-Cola, Reebok, and others. After Mr. Lowry’s death in 2010, Joe continued on his own with their venture, 3D Joe and Max. Last summer he created 3D artwork for the release of Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season in England, enabling viewers to interact with the painting and “scale” the famous Wall from the TV series. Joe also has continued writing screenplays. His film Blackwood, starring Ed Stoppard and Sophia Myles, was released last summer, and several other projects are in the works. For his Loomis Chaffee Centennial painting, Joe collaborated with students in developing the idea for the picture. Student

artists also designed and, under Joe’s guidance, painted the brick pattern that served as a visual frame for the image. While Joe was working on his creation in the RAC, he graciously agreed to an interview with Loomis Chaffee Magazine:

Q: D o you find it distracting to have people watching you work?

A: I t’s really what I’m all about, what I try

to be anyway, which is making art much more inclusive. I’ve found over the years that art can be extremely exclusive. An art gallery can be intimidating. Some people feel that art is for the elite, not to be enjoyed by everyone. And that’s why I like street art because it takes art out into the public domain. On a personal level, more people see my work. And because of photography and Facebook and that kind of thing, more and more people see it, which is lovely for me. But also [I like] the inclusiveness of it.

Whenever possible I like people who are passing by to add their mark to the picture, to express themselves. Max and I took the inclusive element a step further when we realized that people loved having their pictures taken with the pictures, so we started making them much more interactive so that people would actually be, for example, sitting on the back of a pelican, interacting with the art work. Serious art that’s in galleries has its place; it’s wonderful, but I don’t think that’s all there needs to be.

Q: W hat is the process for creating these kinds of optical illusion pictures?

A: I t’s a very old technique. In fact the

Romans were doing mosaics with this technique. It has different names. Some people call it trompe-l’oeil. It’s also called anamorphic art. I call it, technically incorrectly, 3D street art. “3D” in the art world is actually sculpture, but I think calling it 3D street art means something to people.

Joe Hill at work Photo: Courtesy Joe Hill

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Q: How do you create the 3D effect? A: I use a certain magic spot where people stand to view the picture. The pictures only work from one angle. I mean, you can still enjoy them from the wrong angle, but they look peculiar. It’s really only when you look through the lens of the camera that the illusion comes to life. So I draw everything from one point. I use perspective to create depth and height, if necessary, and then it’s just a question of using tone and color to push something back and something forward and create a sense that there is something actually there.

Q: How do you do that with tone and color?

A: Y ou see, for example, that I’m work-

ing in blue. It’s good that I’ve got blue because it’s sky, but it also helps because blue will sit further back in the picture and give a sense of distance. If I were to use the reds, for example, of the bricks, that comes forward, so in the brain you see it like the closest thing to your hand, which with the design the students came up with, is actually the case.

Q: How does the original sketch get onto the pavement or canvas?

A: W e’ve tried all sorts of ways to bring the

pictures to life. We were trying to work it out mathematically. We were playing around with glass screens and transposing, but the truth is the simplest and best way to do it if you’ve got time and you’re willing to make a lot of mistakes along the way, is to do it by eye. There’s no better judge than your own eyes. So my knees and my thighs have taken the brunt because I spend my whole day getting up, running over to the camera, checking if it looks right and running back. If there’s anyone else thinking about doing this professionally, they need to invest in some good knee pads.

Q: Why did you choose acrylic paint for this picture?

A: W hen I first started with Max, we

worked in chalks, but we moved away from that. One reason is we realized that the most important part of our work was the interactive element, and of course with chalk, people would be sitting on dusty chalk and not only will they be ruining their clothes and we’d be very unpopular, but they’d be rubbing off the picture as well. So I tend to work in acrylic and painting directly onto the

pavement. Sometimes we’ll put down a substance, like a transparent material. But more often than not, I pre-prepare things in the studio on canvas, which means I just go to the location [and lay out the finished picture]. There are high fees to install [in many major locations], and there is just a minimal amount of time. And also they can roll it up and use it again.

Q: S o less and less often you’re doing what

you’re doing now, which is to paint the picture where it’s going to be displayed.

A: T his is what I would prefer. Given the

choice, I would always try and go for this. But I work with a lot of corporate clients, and they generally want to do an event, a big kind of splash, so they’ll only have a location for a day. But I’m not complaining too much because the advantage is the pressure is slightly off. When you’re doing things live, as the public is watching, it’s like having people watching you write an email, if you can imagine that all day, and every mistake you make, they’re going (nods, shakes head).

Q: How do you have time for your art and

strands have in the last couple of years really rocketed. But I don’t think it’s a question of people just spotting you on the street. It does happen, but I think it’s important to just keep plugging away, make mistakes, make a lot of mistakes because you learn so much, and learn to take criticism.

Q: Was taking criticism ever hard for you? A: Y es, I was incredibly arrogant. I thought

I was amazing when I was 20 years old. I don’t hate myself now, but if people say, “This is rubbish,” then I go, “OK, why?” and if they don’t have a good reason, then I dismiss it. And if people say things that have good reasons behind them, then I think it’s really great because I can fix that. This art form, particularly, is such a learning process. I make mistakes on pretty much every picture that I do because it’s something that’s done in three or four days, I don’t get to go back and fix it. Other artists work on a picture in a studio for months, and with this, you’ve got a deadline and you’ve got to get it right. The advantage of that is you don’t edit yourself too much, you just go for it.

A: I don’t really. I’m aging rapidly. I try to

Q: What is your film Blackwood about? A: I t’s a supernatural thriller, and it’s a lot

Q: The multiple facets of your career are

Q: What’s next for you? A: I ’ve got a couple of [art] jobs coming up.

your screenwriting?

write in the mornings and then if I have a [3D art] job, which is generally all the time, I try to do this in the afternoon. I haven’t had a weekend off for — I can’t remember how long — years. I can’t really complain because there are worse ways to spend my time. I’m getting to paint pictures and write stories. Not having a day off isn’t exactly a hardship. But actually my business partner on the film side has said, “Enough’s enough. You need to take some time off, start enjoying your life. This is crazy.” He’s a really good friend of mine. all things that many people only dream about breaking into — art, acting, screenwriting. How have you succeeded?

A: I t wasn’t massively easy all the time.

I was quite lucky with the acting. I was pretty consistently working doing theater, but I didn’t do much TV or film until actually I was a writer and I’d get hired to [play a part.] But in terms of the art and writing, you have to make a lot of sacrifices — choosing between buying bread and butter. But as I’ve said, I’ve been very lucky. Two of the [career]

of fun. Even though it’s a genre film, I like to add a theme in there, and I was looking at divorce and the pros and cons and debating that in a more accessible genre, with spooks and scares and twists and turns. At its heart it’s a debate about whether sometimes it’s better for people to be apart. As much as you’re told, “Never quit. Keep fighting something,” there is a point sometimes when maybe letting go is better for everyone.

And then we were set to get started on our next film in January in Thailand — with a much bigger budget this time – but we’ve had a couple complications. Certainly the first half of [2015] we’ll be making the next film. ©

Joe’s Centennial painting appears on the cover and pages 26_27 of this issue. To watch a video of Joe and students creating the piece, go to www.loomischaffee.org / magazine.

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CENTENNIAL ESSAY | BY JAMIE WIDDOES ’72

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Don’t Put Your Children on the Stage (A mostly affectionate look at a career in show business)

EDITORS NOTE: Over the next few years, Loomis Chaffee Magazine offers its readers a special feature: the Centennial Essays. These pieces have been commissioned from Loomis Chaffee graduates who have made their marks in various fields. They offer perspectives derived from their work at this, the school’s centennial moment. Some make connections between the writers’ years at school and the experiences that have shaped their views. Some focus on a national or global crisis. All present cutting-edge ideas. Most importantly, all bring to bear on their subject the insights gained from years of study and action, and from a compelling need to deepen understanding, shape opinion, and provoke commitment.

Y title is taken from a Noel Coward song, “Don’t put your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington,” a cautionary tale in which Mr. Coward tries desperately to persuade a certain Mrs. Worthington that her daughter does not have what it takes to succeed in a career in show business, and it is reluctantly up to him to convince the mother that her daughter’s dream should be discouraged, at all costs. He sings: Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington Don’t put your daughter on the stage The profession is overcrowded The struggle’s pretty tough And admitting the fact she’s burning to act That isn’t quite enough She’s a nice girl and though her teeth are fairly good She’s not the type I ever would be eager to engage I repeat, Mrs. Worthington, sweet Mrs. Worthington Don’t put your daughter on the stage Minus the cleverness of Noel Coward’s words, this was pretty much the sentiment of the day when I was a boy in 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Truth be told, The profession was overcrowded The struggle was pretty tough And admitting the fact that I was burning to act That wasn’t quite enough As some will recall, back then a boy’s career dreams pretty much ranged from policeman to fireman to professional baseball player, and for some strange reason in my case, becoming president of United Airlines. That was no doubt from the combination of my early love of travel coupled with my need to run things. However, knowing what I know now, I can safely say I am content in these current economic times with the security and stability of my career in show business.

Jamie Widdoes, actor, film and television director, and Loomis Chaffee Trustee

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But the fact is that in the Pittsburgh of my youth the notion of making a living in the entertainment business was not something one imagined — those dreams were seemingly reserved for people who lived in New York and Los Angeles, and had

some dreadful experience in their past that drove them to a life of emotional exhibitionism. Whether you wanted to act, write, direct, play music, or dance, if you wanted a career in any of those fields you were clearly counter-culture, an outsider — a bohemian if you will. Comedian (and coincidentally Pittsburgh native) Dennis Miller puts it this way: “There’s no doubt about it, show business lures the people who didn’t get enough love, attention, or approval early in life and have grown up to become bottomless, gaping vessels of terrifying, abject need. Please laugh.” Or another favorite of mine: “You can pick out actors by the glazed look that comes into their eyes when the conversation wanders away from themselves.” With this in mind, I want to introduce you to Pete Widdoes, my father. Pete was a wonderful guy with a giant sense of humor and an even bigger smile. He coached my little league team, he stood behind me and taught me how to tie my bow ties in the mirror, and he was one of the most quotable men I have ever known. One of his favorites was, “Get the work done … and then have the fun.” A saying that hit home for me in my junior year at Loomis when one late fall morning, I walked out of Flagg to see Headmaster Torrey, my advisor Jim Wilson, and MY DAD coming to pay me an unannounced visit! In short my father had taken a day off from his work in Pittsburgh as a commercial real estate broker and flown to Hartford to light a little fire under yours truly. Apparently, way too much fun and not enough work was the diagnosis, and I needed to get serious. Then there was Babs, my mother. She was as close to show business as anyone I knew back then. She had been a theater major at Vassar and grown up in New York, so she went to every Broadway show as soon as it opened. If there was any performing gene passed along, one would think it was clearly on her side. But while Mom had every cast album from every Broadway show, Dad answered with the complete Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Allan Sherman, Bob and Ray, Stan Freeberg, and Spike Jones collections. Fred Allen was another of his

Jamie directs Ashton Kutcher in the hit television sitcom Two and a Half Men. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS.

loomischaffee.org | 43

favorite comedians. He was famous for saying: “An actor’s success has the life expectancy of a small boy about to look into a gas tank with a lighted match.” As you can imagine, that was not helpful to my cause. Well from that surprise visit by my Dad the candle was lit and I got serious … enough, but something else happened along the way to my graduation from the Island: I was lured into the NEO by some wonderful teachers like Phil Lebowitz, Hal Sullivan, Helen Stevenson, Dexter Bullard, and Spencer Grey. I was encouraged by my coaches (Charlie Vola, Jim Wilson, Chuck Vernon, and Ben Meyers) to try and play sports and act in the plays. And by the time I graduated, I was not only loving what I was learning in the theater, I was also very serious about it. After a year at Skidmore as a theater major and two years at NYU in the professional acting training program (now the Tisch School), I announced to my parents in January of 1975 that I was leaving NYU a year early to start a career as an actor. Well, I might as well have been telling them I was moving to the Horn of Africa to become — well, any number of things, most of which they probably would have supported, but none of which they would have understood. You see, for all the love and support my folks were able to provide me growing up, they had absolutely no clue what was involved in making a career in the entertainment arts — especially for my Dad and, I am sure, for many of those men who interrupted their high school and college careers to fight in World War II. His children were meant to get good educations and then enter the workforce — and by workforce I am talking the Big 3: Businessman, Doctor, or Lawyer. Or if you were thinking really outside the box, you might become an architect. But that was about as “artsy” as it got. My favorite example of the dissonance that existed between my dad’s desire for me to succeed and his total lack of understanding as to how this success might come to pass occurred in 1975 when I was performing in a summer stock production of the musical The Fantasticks in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. My parents were driving through the area on their way home to Pittsburgh from the East Coast, and I arranged for them to stop by the old barn of a theater I was working in to watch a dress rehearsal of the show the afternoon before we opened. After rehearsal I walked them out to their car to say goodbye, and as we were doing our hugs and kisses and they were telling me how much they loved the show and how proud they were of me, my dad said, “Oh and tomorrow night when you open, drop dead.” I, of course, answered, “What?” And he said, “Isn’t that what you say to actors in the theater to wish them good luck?” Now for those of you who don’t know, the phrase is actually “Break a leg.” You laugh, but from that day forward in my family whenever we wish someone good luck, we say “Drop dead.” Seriously, I have a telegram from the opening night of my first Broadway show that reads “Drop dead, Love, Your family.” OK, so that’s where it all began. Regarding yours, dear Mrs. Worthington Of Wednesday, the 23rd. Although your baby may be keen on a stage career How can I make it clear that this is not a good idea For her to hope and appear, Mrs. Worthington Is on the face of it absurd Her personality is not in reality quite big enough, inviting enough For this particular sphere 44 |

Jamie as The Jester in Once Upon a Mattress on the NEO stage in 1971. Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

“

From that day forward in my family whenever we wish someone good luck, we say ‘Drop dead.’ Seriously, I have a telegram from the opening night of my first Broadway show that reads ‘Drop dead, Love, Your family.’

”

seen the movie and did not really care for it. What was it with my family? Well, as that little piece of “soft core porn” swept the nation and the world, it also marked the beginning of a new age of popular acceptance of careers in the entertainment industry. In fact, prior to 1980 I don’t think anyone referred to it as the “entertainment industry.” It was all just “show business” with its two subsets — Hollywood, where you made movies and TV shows; and Broadway, where you went for theater, music, and dance. Otherwise you might as well be in Pittsburgh, figuratively — or, in my case, literally. Several things that happened in the mid- to late-1970s began to legitimize the pursuit of show business as a career. With the creation and ultimate success of the National Lampoon Magazine in 1971, there was a growing market for young, anarchistic comedy in this country, and this led directly to Animal House, which was developed by the Lampoon, and more indirectly to a TV show called Saturday Night Live, which took most of its original cast and writing staff from the Lampoon magazine and stage shows. As these young, anarchistic comedies took hold, they needed people to write, perform, and direct them. And where did they come from? Well, at that time in New York the pipeline seemed to head straight to Cambridge, Massachusetts. All of a sudden Harvard men — sons of bankers, lawyers, and doctors — were creating mainstream entertainment: Doug Kenney (from Cleveland), editor of the Harvard Lampoon, a founder of the National Lampoon, and one of the three writers of Animal House. Al Franken, now U.S. Senator Al Franken (from Minneapolis), Harvard ’73, an original writer for Saturday Night Live. And this trend continued to grow on through Conan O’Brien, Harvard ’84, who wrote for The Simpsons and SNL. These three and a host of others emerged as America’s new comedic voices. Jamie (left, as fraternity president Robert Hoover) and Tim Matheson (as Eric "Otter" Stratton) in Animal House in 1978.

But apparently MY personality was. From that barn in the Poconos to playing Young Abe Lincoln on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, to Taming of the Shrew in Lake George, New York, and doing about 100 TV commercials to pay the rent, throw in a fair amount of luck, shoe leather and, I would like to think, a modicum of talent, and somehow I woke up in the summer of 1978 as one of the leads in this little movie called Animal House that was about to become the largest grossing comedy film to date — or as my mother liked to call it, “soft core porn.” Needless to say, that was a very heady time for all of us connected with the film. It is important to note that what made the success of Animal House so sublime was the simple fact that no one had a clue it would be that successful. And it was. Everywhere. It wasn’t the exclusive domain of the ADs at Dartmouth, or the Betas at Stanford. It seemed like it belonged to everyone who went to college — anywhere. I remember having lunch with my grandfather just after the movie came out. We were at the Yale Club in New York, and four men at a table across the room were staring at me all through the meal. I kept trying to pay attention to my grandfather, but eventually one of the guys stood up and pointed to me with a huge scowl on his face and bellowed, so the whole place could hear him, “No food fights!” And the whole restaurant started to laugh. Except my grandfather. I explained to him that that was from a scene in Animal House, and he then told me, reluctantly, that he had gone out one afternoon and

Now, I am not saying this influx of talent was a domain that was exclusively Crimson or limited to comedy for that matter, but I am saying that as the Harvard comedy mafia of the ’70s and early ’80s made their way west, they helped to pave the way for other talented people from places like Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, and schools like Dartmouth, Princeton, Stanford, and Cal to become the driving forces in all aspects of show business. The second event to further legitimize the entertainment industry occurred in March of 1973 when Time Life Inc. gained control of a company called Home Box Office. On September 30, 1975, HBO became the first TV network to continuously deliver signals via satellite when it showed the “Thrilla in Manila” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Within the next 10 years the Fox Network began, spelling the end of the three-network universe (plus PBS for all you Mr. Rogers and Masterpiece Theatre fans), making way for the five network/hundreds of cable channels universe of today. Direct TV now advertises that they offer over 200 channels of programming (including 10 different HBO channels) and well over half of those 200 produce some original content. Add to that the original output of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Yahoo, and YouTube, and you are a long way from the ABC, NBC, CBS world of my youth. Naturally, as the number of writers, actors, and directors who were needed to create programming for all those new cable and broadcast networks grew, so did the opportunities for all those men and women who in previous generations would have gone to law school or business school or medical school then sat moping at their desks dreaming of the bright lights of Broadway or Hollywood. John Hughes, for example, who wrote and directed Ferris Buelloomischaffee.org | 45

“

There is no quick path to success. Value your education, respect your talent, treat yourself as a business, then go ahead and enjoy the ride. In short, ‘get the work done and then have the fun.’

”

ler’s Day Off, Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and many other great comedy films was working, like so many others, in an advertising agency in Chicago submitting freelance articles to the National Lampoon until suddenly by the late ’70s it was OK to reach in the drawer and send your scripts to Hollywood. In fact, a study shows that in 1975 there were 15 colleges and universities that offered a bachelor’s in fine arts in film, theater, or television, and now there are more than 100. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, the film and television industry contributes $120 billion in sales each year to the U.S. economy and sustains 1.9 million American jobs. More broadly, according to leading industry officials, intellectual property industries account for half of U.S. gross domestic product. It is with mixed emotions that I draw from this the conclusion that, as we in this country struggle with how to make competitive automobiles, steel, textiles, and so on, it seems there is one product that we export more of than ever — entertainment. Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington Don’t put your daughter on the stage She’s a bit of an ugly duckling, you must honestly confess And the width of her seat would surely defeat Her chances of her success It’s - it’s a loud voice, and though it’s not exactly flat She’ll need a little more than that to earn a living wage On my knees, Mrs. Worthington, please Mrs. Worthington Don’t put your daughter on the stage Ugly ducklings, loud voices. Now it seems everyone wants to be in show biz. I can’t tell you the number of emails and phone calls I get from people I went to school with, people I went to camp with, people I had lunch with, and people who eat lunch. It seems these days that everyone has a little Mr. or Mrs. Worthington in them! That’s not to say some of our beloved children don’t have talent and will do well, but in my opinion we are witnessing a very distressing cultural change in my business and, in fact, in our society. As there has become more and more demand for product in the entertainment fields coupled with multiple ways to view that product besides the traditional television set, there is more and more media coverage of the field itself. We now seem to celebrate celebrity as much if not more than talent. With all the Access Hollywoods and Entertainment Tonights and People Magazines and TMZs out there, we are made to think we know all about how the sausage is made when, in truth, we have no clue about the real sacrifices and work 46 |

that went into getting it into the store. This has created a new kind of career in show business: the professional celebrity, the obvious being folks like Paris Hilton or the Kardashian family or the stars of shows like Celebrity Rehab, The Real Housewives of Orange County, and Jersey Shore. We used to refer to someone’s 15 minutes of fame as something that might occur by happenstance. It now seems that, to many, those 15 minutes are a birthright — and that if you play your cards right, you can turn that 15 minutes into a career — thus further obscuring the actual work that goes into being a dedicated actor, director, or writer. Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington Don’t put your daughter on the stage Though they said at the school of acting She was lovely as Peer Gynt I’m afraid, on the whole, an ingénue role might emphasize her squint She has nice hands, to give the wretched girl her due But don’t you think her bust is too developed for her age No more buts, Mrs. Worthington, nuts! Mrs. Worthington Don’t put your daughter on the stage I was asked by a friend once who taught at Yale Drama School if I would come speak to her class about the practicalities of a career as an actor. These are amazing kids — bright, curious, talented. After the class, a couple of the students stuck around to ask more questions about how to break into a career in show business, and one of the girls was talking to me about how her agent in New York says this, and her mother says that, and her friend who graduated Yale Drama last year and just got a 200-square-foot apartment in the West Village for $3,000 a month that she shares with four other girls told her such and such. I stopped her to ask a very simple question. I said, “Is anyone in your life discouraging you from becoming an actor?” And she looked at me very confused. I continued, “because if not, you need to go find someone who will. And make it someone you respect and care about so it will really resonate.” Well, by now I had spread a giant soaking wet blanket over her plan for stardom. But then I said, “because then when you ignore them and you do it anyway, you will have a real foundation for why you have chosen a career in show business.” Forty-six years ago I left Pittsburgh headed to Loomis, where the acting light was turned on in me, then on to New York to study and work to be an actor — Broadway, film, TV, any and all of it. I loved the challenges, the risks, the rewards, the fun, and frankly the nobility of a life in the creative arts. And I took that with me into my directing and producing career. The outside noises may be louder now, but the essence of why we choose a life in this business remains. In fact, my opinion is that there is more great work being done in theater, film, and television than ever before. It is just that with all the artistic and entertainment choices out there these days, very frankly, it’s hard to find and enjoy it all. And now we all seem to have children who want to dive into this wonderful mess. What do we tell them? First of all, avoid the noise. There is no quick path to success. Value your education, respect your talent, treat yourself as a business, then go ahead and enjoy the ride. In short “get the work done and then have the fun!” That and make damn sure you have a Noel Coward or even a Pete Widdoes in your life to lovingly and elegantly discourage you. And to any of you who decide to go forward after all that, I say with all love and encouragement, “Drop Dead!” ©

OBJECT LESSONS | BY KAREN PARSONS

An Impressionist’s View of the Homestead

N the 1930s, American Impressionist painter Guy Carleton Wiggins (1883– 1962) turned his painterly eye to the Loomis Homestead in Windsor, Connecticut. His snowy landscape of this centuries-old landmark draws attention to the building’s front steps and foundation riven from local red sandstone as well as two red brick chimneys, most likely constructed of bricks made in the once-prolific local industry. These red ochre features punctuate the painting’s winter palette of greys, whites, and blues. Wiggins most likely created the Homestead scene during the four years his son, Guy Arthur Wiggins ’38, attended Loomis. In September 1934, Mr. Wiggins exhibited 15 of his paintings on campus. The entire student body later discussed these in an assembly. In 1936, the Loomis LOG mentioned two spring and fall landscape murals by Wiggins, one in Mason Hall and one in Taylor Hall. Guy C. Wiggins became known for his winter cityscapes of New York City, scenes made distinctive in part by colorful elements of busy street life appearing through snowveiled skies. The use of color in the Homestead painting alludes to these city views despite the divergent subject matter. Wiggins had moved his family from New York to Connecticut when the art market turned sluggish during the Great Depression. Guy Arthur recalled in a recent phone interview that his father’s outgoing personality and critical success in the art world made him an ideal teacher. Guy, the elder, opened an art school bearing his name in Lyme, Connecticut, and William C. Card, longtime Loomis music teacher, studied with Wiggins during the summer of 1934. Mr. Card's own painting of the Loomis Homestead — a winter scene — shows the influence of the master artist in its sparse dashes of color and vigorous brush strokes. Guy Arthur mentioned that it was from Mr. Card that his father had learned about Loomis and met Headmaster Batchelder. He recalled, “I was taken into Loomis as a freshman in 1934 in exchange for paintings to be painted by my father.” At that time,

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Guy C. Wiggins became known for his winter cityscapes of New York City, scenes made distinctive in part by colorful elements of busy street life appearing through snow-veiled skies.

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annual room, board, and laundry costs at the tuition-free school amounted to $900, more than the family could afford. During the Great Depression, Mr. Batchelder found it hard to turn away, as he admitted, “boys who so critically needed us and could not afford more expensive schools.”

When Mr. Wiggins and Mr. Card made their Homestead paintings, Jennie Loomis lived in the house. Her death in 1944 marked the end of an unbroken three-century Loomis family residency. © Karen Parsons is archivist and teaches history. loomischaffee.org | 47

2015

ALUMNI NEWS | EDITED BY JAMES S. RUGEN ’70

Reunion

June 12–14, 2015 1914

2 01 4

1918

For news of a posthumous honor bestowed on Elmer “Red” Leary, see the entry for his son, William C. Leary ’56.

1941

CLASSES ENDING IN 0s AND 5s! LOOMIS CHAFFEE wants YOU to celebrate this year! Join classmates, friends, and faculty as we close out the Centennial year with a bang. Look for your invitation this spring. Be sure to receive electronic updates by sharing your email address with the school. Update your information and find out more about the weekend at www.loomischaffee. org/reunion or call 860.687.6815.

48 |

John S. Flint reports: “During the past year Warren Eginton and I attended each other’s 90th birthday party.” John makes an appearance in the news from Rob Kohl ’73.

1943

“Loomis was so great for me,” writes Steele Taylor. “I hope all is well.”

1945

News from Dick Pinto: “We live in a cottage in a retirement community in Burr Ridge, Ill. I still play golf, sing with the Jolly Boys, run a monthly Yale alumni lunch group and a Chicago fall history group. My best to all my classmates.”

1951

Semi-retired, John Voorhies continues to teach general chemistry as an adjunct at the University of Connecticut– Stamford. A poem by John F. Foster earned first place in a statewide Florida contest for free verse with the theme of 9/11. It has been read at numerous local ceremonies commemorating the heroes of that day.

1953

Francine Berth Myles writes: “Keeping in shape (such as it is) by chasing after our 18-monthold grandson Myles now that his sister Paige is in kindergarten! Who needs the gym? In

my spare time, I am involved in a couple of amateur theater groups. I think Mr. Orchard (Norris Ely Orchard ’29) would be proud.”

1956

William C. Leary informs the school of the wonderful news that his father, Elmer “Red” Leary ’18, a member of the first graduating class, was recently posthumously inducted into the Windsor Locks (Conn.) Athletic Hall of Fame. A significant factor that led to this recognition was his athletic achievement at Loomis from 1914 to 1918. Star athlete, U.S. Army veteran, successful local businessman, community activist, and exemplary family man, Red was a lifelong resident of Windsor Locks. At Loomis, he was a star on the football team and played other varsity sports as well. He was pursued by several colleges to play football, but he enlisted in the Army. Back in Windsor Locks, he joined the local Clay Hill football team, which went undefeated in the early 1920s, winning 14 games and two successive championships in two years. Red also played two seasons with the West Side professional football team in Hartford, and he played on various semi-professional basketball teams in Connecticut. A local retail merchant, Red opened the first gasoline station in town and later opened a hardware and appliance store. Active in the community with 4-H and Boy Scouts, he was a charter member of the Windsor Locks Lions Club, which purchased the first ambulance for the town, and was also a member of Gensi-Viola Post 36 American Legion and a com-

municant of St. Mary Church. Red was the 1967 recipient of the VFW Sportman Award. Red and his wife, the late Wilhelmina Driscoll, were the parents of three children, and they lived for many years at 60 Suffield Street in Windsor Locks. “Loomis remains the most educational and developmental period of my youth,” writes Marty Nemirow. “I see Jane and Ted Kotchen and family frequently. My companion Alison Taylor and I enjoyed dinner with Barrett Dower and his charming wife two years ago.”

1957

News from Dorothy Smith Pam: “Last June, my husband and I hosted a major family reunion in celebration of my mother Caroline Rakestraw Carter Smith’s life; she was 101 when she died in October 2013. Three generations ate, talked, and played for 10 hours in the Victorian splendor of the Amherst Woman’s Club, next to the Emily Dickinson House, Amherst, Mass. One watching the 5-year-old Lego boys on the porch and the kite flyers and frisbee throwers on the treeshaded lawns might think it was 1957 still. We were sorry we had to miss Charles Fidlar in his latest performance in Under Milkwood with the Sandisford Players on the same weekend. My latest performance was as La Poncia in Lorca’s House of Bernarda Alba at Holyoke Community College, where I still teach English and communications.” Susan Schaffer Patricelli writes: “Still in Surprise, Ariz., enjoying life in the desert, even the four months of plus 100 de-

grees! We had a recent get-together with siblings at the Palo Alto, Calif., home of my twin sister, Alice Schaffer Smith, including Sally Schaffer Martin ’50 and Bill Schaffer ’52.”

1959

Craig Stewart and Steve Sundgaard ’60 met up recently. Craig writes: “Steve met me at the Dallas airport with his lovely fiancée. We shared dinner at a great favorite Cajun restaurant where we proceeded to fill in the past 57 years. We were roommates in 1957 in Warham. We both recalled Larry Muzroll’s heroic efforts to get us successfully through geometry. Many good memories of our beloved school were shared that evening. What an amazing and enriching experience it was for us.”

1961

Chris Brooks continues to teach English at Community College of Rhode Island, where he also takes a weekly class in Italian. He plays with several music groups — Celtic, blues, jazz, and country-western — and spent three weeks last summer in the Yucatán Peninsula. After more than a decade away from chef responsibilities, Jeremiah Tower has been appointed executive chef at New York’s famed Tavern on the Green, which reopened last spring after major renovations. One of the fathers of California cuisine, Jeremiah first gained fame at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse and at the Santa Fe Bar and Grill in Berkeley. He went on to create the noted restaurant Stars, an enormously successful and popular San Francisco restau-

rant that earned considerable fame and culinary accolades in the 1980s and 1990s. Tavern on the Green is Jeremiah’s first New York City assignment, a high-volume icon that seats 400.

JOHN METCALF TAYLOR SOCIETY

50th Reunion Alumnus Invests in the Future

Lynn Hayden Wadhams reports: “My volunteer ‘work’ as a docent at the dynamic New Britain Museum of American Art is one of the most rewarding [jobs] I have ever had.”

1964

In the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Religion & Health, for which he serves as editor in chief, the Rev. Curtis Hart published an article, “Franklin Delano Roosevelt: A Famous Patient,” and dedicated it to “George Upson Warren, teacher and friend.” Curt notes: “This is the same dedication of the Loomiscellany for 1964 when Jim Ponet, Hollis Huston, and I (all of us his former students) graduated. He was a remarkable person and teacher. A portion of his legacy remains for those of us who feel history and the art of teaching are crucial and whose impact is felt over time.” Curt is a lecturer in the departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, Division of Medical Ethics, at Weill Cornell Medical College. He was recently presented an Excellence in Teaching Award for his efforts in the Medicine, Patients, and Society curriculum there. He and his classmates Jim and Hollis officiated at last June’s Reunion Memorial Service on the Island.

1970

Richard Rapaport has a new book out: California Moderne and the Mid-Century Dream:

Lea and Richard Rubenstein ’65 live in West Hartford. Richard, who will celebrate his 50th Reunion in June, is president of Plymouth Spring Company in Bristol, Conn.

“L

OOMIS CHAFFEE has always been a breeding ground for leaders. It gives me great satisfaction to see the leadership being fostered at Loomis, and I am confident that our students will provide what this country needs in the future. “I have always considered my experience at Loomis a very special time in my life. The education and skills I learned have served me well the past 50 years. I had wonderful, caring teachers who worked hard to challenge us, and much of what they taught extended beyond the classroom. My son, Peter ’91, also values his Loomis Chaffee experience. “Years ago my parents established the Rubenstein Family Scholarship Fund to benefit students from Greater Hartford with disadvantaged backgrounds because they believed these students deserved the same opportunities as other students. Lea and I and our family are pleased to be able to add to the Rubenstein Family Scholarship with a sizeable gift through our estate plans. In doing so, we know that this will help students benefit from a Loomis Chaffee education for generations to come.” — Richard Rubenstein ’65 The John Metcalf Taylor Society honors more than 550 alumni, parents, and friends who have remembered Loomis Chaffee in their estate plans through bequests, trusts, or other provisions. To learn more about how you can join Richard and fellow members of the JMT Society, please contact Tim Struthers ’85, chief philanthropic officer, at 860.687.6221 or tim_struthers@loomis. org or Katherine Langmaid, associate director of development, at 860.687.6822 or katherine_langmaid@loomis.org. loomischaffee.org | 49

’59

’76

’60

’79

Steve Sundgaard ’60 and Craig Stewart ’59, Warham roommates 57 years ago, enjoy a reunion in Dallas.

’80-

’70 A recent gathering at the home of Gordon Ulmer ’80: (back) John Cobb ’79, Peter Lewis ’79, Jeffrey Scanlon ’79, Gordon, Rex Joffray ’76, Victor Morganthaler ’79, and Jak Bestle ’79; and (front) Chuck Vernon, Liam McTeague ’79, Dan Dumais ’79, and Diane Coogan-Pushner ’80. Missing from the photo are Mark D’Antonio ’79, Revell Horsey ’79, and Bob Howe ’80.

John McArthur ’70, Charlie Darling ’70, and David Yerkes ’70 got together last April. Charlie writes: “Earlier, I had signed up to be a ‘shavee’ at a St. Baldricks.org head-shaving event to help fight childhood cancers, and they wanted to check out my new look. When I had asked them for a donation, they urged me to shave the beard I’d worn for over 40 years, and I countered, ‘Sure — for $1,000!’ They and Mark Wawro ’70 came up with the donation, and I’m left looking like a plucked chicken. Since no one from our class could be at the event, I drafted my friend and neighbor Don Kaplan ’47. We had a great time together, waiting for my turn in the barber chair.”

’84

’80 ’81 ’82 ’84

’70 ’47

Charlie Darling ’70 and Don Kaplan ’47 before Charlie’s tonsorial alteration for charity

The Brown siblings enjoy a rare home event in Connecticut: Heather Brown-Alling ’82, Cristabel Brown Feeley ’84, Vance Brown ’81, and Amy Brown Bonomo ’80 as an inset (since the auto-timer failed). Amy writes: “It’s too bad due to circumstances and distance none of us sent our children to Loomis Chaffee. Still, my years there brought much angst, joy, and growth. To one of my very best friends, Michael Dooman ’81, ‘Goodspeed! You are a great educator!’”

Terry Jacobs Walters ’84 adds to her growing shelf of influential cooking guides with the recent publication of Eat Clean Live Well. It includes more than 175 new recipes, offering healthful, delicious nourishment. Carla Hall of ABC’s The Chew writes: “An absolute gem of a book filled with valuable, useful and approachable information. Terry Walters draws you into her passion for the season and shows what each, uniquely, has to offer.”

’87

Oliver Charles Tondreau Dahl, the first grandchild of Lynne Weinerman Calder ’71, was born last September to Lynn’s son Zachary and his wife, Alexa.

’71 Francis “Skip” Symonds III ’75 moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, last October, for retirement. “I’m looking forward to a wonderful life with great people and culture in a beautiful country,” he writes.

’75

50 |

Tracee Petrillo ’87 and Dan Murphy were married July 18, 2014, in Newton, Mass. They are joined in this photograph by maid of honor Lynn Petrillo ’86 and best man Tom Murphy. Tracee and Dan live in Framingham, Mass., and Tracee works at Biogen in Cambridge.

Chaffee

BOOK CLUB

ALUMNI GAT

HERIN GS

NEXT CHAFFEE BOOK CLUB Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Longbourn by Jo Baker

1914

2014

Discussion facilitators Sally Knight of the English Department and Kathie Popadin of the Katharine Brush Library will be joined by several junior and senior girls for the evening’s reading, dinner, and discussion. Head of School Sheila Culbert hosted the October 8 gathering of the Chaffee Book Club and led the group in conversation about Pat Barker’s Regeneration, the first of three novels in the Regeneration Trilogy on the first World War. Attendees: (front) Florence Ransom Schroeter ’71, Gretchen Schafer Skelley ’45, Betty Collins ’72, and Katie Cox Reynolds ’45; and (back) Priscilla Ransom Marks ’66, Kate Butterworth de Valdez ’67, Elaine Title Lowengard ’46, Sally Crowther Pearse ’58, Mims Brooks Butterworth ’36, Peggy Hanson Sparrow ’50, Anne Schneider McNulty ’72, and Sheila.

Regional Centennial Events 2014–15

Dinner 6 p.m. Discussion 7:30 p.m. Burton Room, Athletics Complex Loomis Chaffee

FEBRUARY

The Architecture of Edward H. Fickett. Amazon describes the book as “a dazzling presentation of the mid-century California style, offering a fresh perspective on the work of this influential yet widely unknown figure.”

1971

Lynne Weinerman Calder reports: “My son Zachary and his wife, Alexa, had their first child, Oliver Charles Tondreau Dahl, September 24, 2014. Yup, I’m smitten! Zachary is a senior planner for the city of Los Altos, Calif., and Alexa taught first grade at the Carden School in San Jose. Oliver was born on my daughter Courtney’s birthday. She is now living in Lund, Sweden, where she teaches at a three-language Montessori school. Varsågod! I’ve been spending a month or more there every year now, so too am I enamored of Sweden. Such amazingly advanced environmental practices they have there and in Norway and Finland. Approximately 40 percent of government ministries are headed by women. How very sane! My youngest son, Leif, is a 3-D com-

puter graphic modeler, associate producer at Animax Entertainment, and producer at Night Light Interactive. I still have my Computer One-on-One business where I go to homes and offices and do computer instruction and help with purchasing and setup and web design for several non-profits. Also, I’m very involved with knitting up a storm for the grandkid, starting my first quilt in 20 years, gardening, and photography. I try to do only things that I passionately love, and still it’s so hard to get myself to bed because there are so many activities I enjoy but have not been able to do working full time. I’m a very lucky woman indeed.”

Carl, at Lake Seminole Square Retirement Village in Seminole, Fla., and happened to be seated at dinner next to John. They shared stories about Loomis and one teacher in particular. John talked about his days playing football for Charlie Pratt ’23, and Rob remembered Charlie as a math teacher. Both men are very proud of what the school has become today.

From Paul Henderson: “Loomis Chaffee is the most wonderful institution. The centennial celebrations were great. Congratulations to everyone involved. For the future, my best wishes to the school and to everyone associated with it.”

Michael Scott assisted with the Loomis Chaffee varsity football team in the fall. His son, sophomore Alex, was a member of the football program. The Pelicans had a very successful 6–2 season.

1973

Rob Kohl recently had a chance encounter with John Flint ’41. Rob was visiting his father,

1985

Stephen Mugford recently finished in fifth place in the 200-meter backstroke at the Masters Swimming World Championships.

1988

1989

Laurie Perez has left Hartford’s FOX affiliate WTIC to work at KCBS in Los Angeles. Her husband, Jeff Collette,

15 Miami 16 Vero Beach 18 Atlanta 19 Charlotte, NC MARCH 9

San Francisco

11 Los Angeles 12

Las Vegas

18 London APRIL 9 Boston 16 Denver 22 Washington, DC 23 Philadelphia 27 Chicago 30 New York City JUNE 12–14 Reunion Weekend, on campus More details will be available as the event dates approach. Please note: Some dates may change as plans are finalized.

loomischaffee.org | 51

2014–15 Annual Fund

100 Reasons to Give

In celebration of our Centennial, we collected 100 reasons why alumni, parents, and friends give to the Annual Fund. There are many reasons to support Loomis Chaffee. What’s yours? Give today at www.loomischaffee.org/giving. To see the full list and add your reason, go to www.loomischaffee.org/reasons.

accepted a position at the NFL network in California.

1993

Dave McGrail is the author of a new book, Surviving Middle School: An Interactive Story for Girls. Written for tweens in a choose-your-own-adventure format, the book is about the empowerment that comes with making tough decisions. Though some of the issues (such as bullying, dieting, Internet stalking) are serious, the narrative is light and often humorous.

1996

Yushen Chu Michelsen works in Hartford at Travelers Insurance as an information engineer, eBusiness Technology, and is a member of the 100-member Travelers Chorale. The chorale performed December 18, 2014, at Mortensen Hall at the Bushnell in a winter concert closing out a celebration of the ensemble’s 90th year.

1997

Jenn Welch writes: “I was so excited to catch up with JinBon Kim ’99 in Korea. We had a great time reliving our OLD Loomis days! He was so funny — trying to convince me to leave Thayer admissions and start doing college admissions at, say, 52 |

REASON #1

A Loomis Chaffee education transforms lives.

Yale, Princeton, Harvard — so I could help his daughter get into college in 17 years! He thought he had a good ‘in’ at Loomis, so that was covered! I was also in New York City recently and caught up with Derek Marcus and his wife, Stacy. They have two children: Liam, 5, and Lila, 2. Emily Ingardia and I took a trek to Maine to visit Jim and Amy Bonnefond Smucker. We try to do an annual summer visit to see them and spend time at their lake house. It’s always a great time.”

1999

Jonathan Oppenheimer, a resident of the Hamline Midway neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn., leads a year-long partnership of artists, business leaders, and community residents to transform the neighborhood through public art. The Midway Murals project focuses on Snelling Avenue, one of the most highlytravelled roads in Minnesota and home to thriving immigrant-owned businesses — but a thoroughfare that struggles with graffiti, litter, and a lack of foot traffic. Four experienced artists are working with business owners to highlight community diversity, together creating four murals that weave together the theme of starting

anew. The project will reflect the neighborhood’s evolution as well as the promise of the community over time. The culmination will be a neighborhood celebration next Labor Day. Midway Murals also will create a public art workgroup that will oversee future mural projects and ensure upkeep of the existing ones. The project already has received a $25,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knights Arts Challenge. Additionally, Jonathan co-founded and leads the Friends of Hamline Park group, which serves to make the park along Snelling Avenue a vibrant, welcoming, and inviting space. He is part of a workgroup exploring the formation of a neighborhood investment cooperative, and he pursues a dual master’s degree program in social work and public policy at the University of Minnesota.

2001

Daniel Patrick Griffin narrates his story, “The Punchline,” in issue 1:13 of The Flexible Persona, a biweekly audio and iBook literary journal of characterdriven fiction and nonfiction: https://soundcloud.com/theflexiblepersona. According to his biography on the journal, Dan is a “raconteur, gourmand,

and bon vivant.” A graduate of Fordham with a bachelor’s degree in history, he went on to earn a master’s degree in creative writing from Emerson College. Dan lives in Somerville, Mass. You can visit his blog at forthillblues.blogspot.com.

2002

From Kathryn Kenney: “At long last I have earned my master’s degree! Following many years of coursework, I rounded out my studies at the Boston Architectural College with a year-long thesis exploring how to design a residential/medical space based on cognitive behavioral therapy concepts for military veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder. Professionally, I am still contracted with DCAMM (the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance) in Boston, Mass. I have applied for a permanent position here. My role as an accessibility compliance assistant has been the most rewarding experience in my professional development. I have learned so much and have connected with some amazing and inspiring people. I’ve learned to think beyond the wheelchair when it comes to accessibility and universal design. I am incredibly thankful for my

Walker Thomas Sparks was born May 17, 2014, to Amy Edwards Sparks ’01 and her husband, Sean. Amy writes: “Big sister Mackenzie is a great big sister!”

’01

’87

’02

Designer Kathryn Kenney ’02, here with Joshua Elliott, receives her master’s degree.

’08

Former faculty member and coach Jim Wilson enjoyed a round of golf last summer with David Zazzaro ’87 and Eric Russman ’87. Eric was about to embark to Costa Rica for the summer. Z serves as lacrosse coach at Rhodes College and helped Carlos Trujillo ’90 coach Team Mexico in the lacrosse world games in Denver, where Ari Sussman ’06 played for Israel, David Gal ’07 for Australia, and Drew Snider ’07 for the United States.

’93

’94

’96 The July 4, 2014, wedding of Ali Hard ’08 to Michael Weng brought many together from the school community: (back) Dakota Hunter ’13, Jake Hard ’10, Mark Ferreira ’11, Robert Scott ’85, Polly Pearse Lavalley ’85, Nancy Covello Murray ’83, Amy Cohen Paul ’85, and faculty member Barry Moran; and (front) Annie Ferreira ’13, Marissa Gallerani ’09, Claire Hard ’13, the bride, mother of the bride Suzanne Cohen Hard ’80, and faculty member Louise Moran.

James Ryan McCann was born December 17, 2013, to Heidi Erdmann Vance McCann ’93 and her husband, Paul. Heidi reports that James’ older sisters Martha “Mattie,” 9, Ava, 7, and Caroline, 4 are loving having a baby brother.

“Our family was so excited about the arrival of our second precious daughter on June 26, 2014!” writes Tanya Travis Kurz ’94. Leia Morgan Kurz is held here by her approving older sister, Lauren. Tanya, Justin Kurz, and their daughters live in Cypress, Texas.

Nancy Webster Gleason ’96 and her husband, Alexander, welcomed their third child, Isabelle Webster Gleason, in April 2014. Nancy reports: “She is wonderful, and her two brothers are having a blast with her here in Singapore.”

’13

’95

’99 ’97 Producer Chris Merrill ’95 (left) won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special – 2014 for “AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Mel Brooks.” Accepting with him were Bob Gazzale (middle), the executive producer of the special and CEO of AFI; and Cort Cassady, supervising producer.

JinBon Kim ’99 and Jenn Welch ’97 catch up in Korea.

’03 ’13

Last summer, Paul Kyumin Lee ’13 retraced the first recorded pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle St. James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from the Asturian capital of Oviedo. Paul continued to Finisterra (the end of the Earth), marking 450 kilometers in 19 days. “It was one of the most life-changing experiences of my life so far,” Paul reports. “I befriended incredible people from around the world, and I kept a fairly extensive journal of the pilgrimage (in Spanish of course!).” Here he poses in the Plaza del Obradoiro, adjacent to the cathedral. Paul is in his second year at Yale, where he continues to play cello in the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

Last summer, Reginald Paige Jr. ’13 (center) served as an intern in the Government Relations Department in the office of Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy (left). Paul Mounds Jr. ’03 (right) serves as director of the Government Relations Department.

loomischaffee.org | 53

The Loomis Chaffee Alumni App

It’s a

PELICAN 100 Hours in the Life of Loomis Chaffee

Introducing EverTrue, a Loomis Chaffee exclusive alumni mobile app! The app features:

• Searchable alumni directory tool to search by • Nearby location and view the results on a map

• Integration with LinkedIn • LC news and events on Facebook, Twitter, and the LC website

• Ability to make your gift to Loomis Chaffee using our secure giving page

Access all this on your Apple or Android smartphone by downloading the free Evertrue app from the App Store or Google Play store today! 54 |

role in state government; it has transformed me into a more conscientious designer.” Lydia Fair Shackelford and Matt Shackelford were married October 3, 2014.

2003

Jacob Lassow attended Middlebury as an undergraduate and then the Bread Loaf School of English, where he earned his master’s degree. He also trained to be a pastry chef, worked at Appalachian Mountain Club huts as a cook/chef for several summers, and worked in the Middlebury College bakery for the campus dining halls. After moving to South Carolina with his girlfriend, an English teacher, he worked in several high-end restaurants as a chef. Jacob plans to make the transition to teaching in the public school system and is working to earn his teaching certification.

2007

Lucy Copp is in graduate school at the University of

WORLD April 8-12, 2015 Stay tuned …

Southern California. She has been working on a short film and has been offered a podcast on the university’s radio station to talk about her experience studying Arabic.

Adobe Systems.”

Rebecca Wentworth is living and working in Arusha, Tanzania, as an engineer for Global Cycle Solutions. After graduating from Union College, she worked first in Nigeria before moving to Tanzania to join the GCS team.

2009

2008

Ali Hard and Michael Weng were married July 4, 2014, in Groton, Conn. Ali writes: “It was the first hurricane of the East Coast season, but we think it brought us good luck, as we were surrounded by wonderful friends and family. Mike and I recently moved from Boston back to New York City, where we met at Columbia University. I am back at Columbia, starting a master’s in nutrition, public health, and public policy; and Mike continues to work for

Kathryn Mullin is a varsity field hockey assistant coach at Loomis Chaffee, and Anna Giannoni serves as head JV coach. Liz Hackett works in a high school as part of a two-year College Advancement Corps program at Franklin & Marshall College. College Advancement Corps works with underrepresented communities in 14 states. As one of 13 advisors in Pennsylvania, Liz helps rural and farm students find their way to college. Liz was inspired by her college guidance counselor, former Loomis Chaffee faculty member Jennifer Kincaid. Hired prior to her senior year at the University of Florida, Pamela Daitch works as a geologist for Freeport-McMoRan, one of the world’s largest producers of copper and gold. Pam writes: “I work at the Morenci copper mine, which is near the border of Arizona

ALUMNI GAT

and New Mexico. My job is a geologist’s dream — using hitech equipment and learning state-of-the-art procedures. A few months ago, I even got to experience my first earthquake and aftershocks when this area had its first earthquake in over 50 years! I live 200 miles from Tucson, the closest airport. Visitors welcome!”

2010

Chris Lee is an assistant coach with the Loomis Chaffee girls cross country program and is teaching Molecular Biology this winter on the Island during a full-time faculty member’s maternity leave. Jack Mahoney is an assistant coach with the Loomis girls varsity soccer team.

2011

Darren Ting works in public relations for Everykey, Cleveland, Ohio. He writes: “Everykey is an innovative universal access device for everything that requires a physical key or password. The Everykey wristband is an attractive Bluetooth-enabled band that allows immediate access to a user’s password-protected electronics as well as physicallylocked items, including doors, car doors, bike locks, and other controlled-access devices. We have received inquiries from CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, news channels, and others about our product.”

2012

West Pointer Lindsay Gabow led Army women’s cross country this fall. In her second race of the season, she was out front for Army, finishing the 6K

course with a time of 22:45.8, more than a minute faster than her time of a year before. She finished ninth out of 164 runners at the Iona Meet of Champions on the challenging Van Cortlandt Park course in the Bronx on September 20. Later in the season, at the Northeast Regional Championships in Van Cortlandt, Lindsay was the only Army runner to place in the top 50, recording a time of 21:23.92. After joining the Division I Niagara University cross country team for preseason last August, Brianna Malanga was chosen to captain the team, and she was the team’s No. 1 runner this fall. Injured near the end of her season as a freshman runner at Bowdoin, she transferred to Niagara University as a sophomore and took a year off of competitive running.

2013

Forward Danielle Marmer is a member of the women’s hockey team at Quinnipiac University.

HERIN GS

HEAD’s HOLIDAY

02.05.2015 A Toast to Osbert BOSTON: Stoddard's Fine Food & Ale 48 Temple Place HARTFORD: McLadden’s Irish Publick House 37 LaSalle Road, West Hartford NEW YORK: PS 450 450 Park Avenue South WASHINGTON DC: City Tap House 901 9th St. NW

5O%

NOW In honor of this historic year, the MacLean family (Duncan '90 and Gillian '91) will give $1 million if 50% of alumni contribute to the 2014–15 Annual Fund. Your gift, of any amount, will make a big difference in the lives of our current students and faculty. What a great way to celebrate 100 years! Give today at www.loomischaffee.org/giving.

1 91 4

20 1 4

loomischaffee.org | 55

IN MEMORIAM | BY CHRISTINE COYLE

Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

1932 Charles Edward McConnell Jr., on August 14, 2014, in Charleston, W.Va. Ted was a three-year student from South Orange, N.J. He was involved in the Dramatic Club, the LOG Board, and the Publications Board. He was active in fencing and served as fencing manager. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University. In 1936, he moved to Charleston to begin his career with Union Carbide Corporation, where he became associate director of engineering. He was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and served on the boards of directors of Edgewood Summit Retirement Community and of Kanawha Hospice Care. He organized the 56 |

Edgewood Summit Residents’ Association, and was its first president. He assisted in the design of additional wings at both Edgewood Summit and Hubbard Hospice House. Ted managed the Philosophy Club, which included many people from Charleston, W.Va. He was a former member of the Princeton Club of New York and of Edgewood Country Club, where he and his wife, Leila, taught ballroom dancing. They brought the Lester Lanin Orchestra to the New Year’s Eve party for 10 successive years, and the ballroom at Edgewood Country Club is named in their honor. Ted was a member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. He and his wife were active in St. John’s Church, where Ted

served three times on the vestry and was Sunday school superintendent. Ted met his future wife, Leila, en route to Europe, and their romance matured into marriage that spanned 64 years. Together, they enjoyed many trips to Europe, Asia, and Africa and were received by Indira Gandhi, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, and Pope John Paul II. Ted was predeceased by his wife, Leila. He is survived by his children, Leila Daw and “Teddy” McConnell III; two grandsons; and three greatgrandchildren. A memorial service was held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Charleston, W.Va., and he is interred in St. Mathew’s Columbarium, which Ted was instrumental in having built.

1934 Richard W. Cutler, on August 17, 2014, of natural causes. A three-year student from Westport, Conn., Dick was involved with the Debate team, French Club, Chess team, and Political Club as well as the wrestling team, second football, and the track team. A summa cum laude graduate of Yale University in 1938 and the Yale Law School in 1941, Dick served his country during World War II. He was a member of the U.S. Air Force and the O.S.S. and met his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth Fitzgerald Cutler, at the Nuremberg Trials. After the war, he returned to New York City to practice law with the law firm of Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Lumbard. He loved tackling complex

problems, and hard work never gave him pause. A member and managing partner of Quarles & Brady in Milwaukee, Wis., from 1954 until his retirement in 1987, he twice argued cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Dick served as president and, later, vice president of the Milwaukee Innovation Center; commissioner of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission; chairman of the Milwaukee Branch of the Foreign Policy Association; and president of both the Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin and Neighborhood House of Milwaukee. He was a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. Dick was a member of the team that brought the Milwaukee Brewers to Milwaukee from Seattle, and he served as secretary of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club from 1964 to 1973. He was a founding investor and secretary of the Sunset Investment Company. An avid reader and author, he wrote seven books. In 2004, he published Counterspy: Memoirs of a Counterintelligence Officer in World War II and The Cold War, his best-known work. His love of reading, writing, and correspondence perhaps was exceeded only by his joy for thoughtful discussion and debate any place and with remarkable ability — he was willing to share with one and all. Dick was a member of Loomis Chaffee's John Metcalf Taylor Society. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Liz; and his grandson, David. He is survived by his three children, Marguerite Cutler, former Loomis Chaffee Trustee Alexander “Sandy” Cutler ’69, and Judith C. Rauh, and their spouses; his four grandsons, Billy Cutler ’05, Michael McGoohan, Peter McGoohan ’00, and Scott McGoohan, and their spouses; and three great-grandchildren.

1939 Paul Francis Young, on August 30, 2014, at Harvest Hill in Lebanon, N.H. A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn. Paul served as Handbook editor, secretary of the Chess Club, assistant advertising manager of The Log, and on the Scholarship Committee. He was active in Allyn club soccer, fall tennis, club tennis, and the Rifle Club. Following graduation, he attended Dartmouth College and graduated with the Class of 1943. He joined the U.S. Navy and served as a communications officer on armed convoy duty in the North Atlantic during World War II. After the war, while a graduate architectural student at MIT, he met Ruth Crocker, and they were married in 1948. Their honeymoon was a drive across the country to California, camping along the way. Paul started his career at the University of California at Berkeley, working as an administrative assistant while pursuing graduate studies in educational administration. Paul and Ruth returned to Hanover, where Paul began work at Dartmouth College as assistant to the treasurer then as treasurer before leaving in 1971. He then joined Dartmouth Savings Bank as its treasurer, was named president in 1973, and retired in 1983. Paul loved Hanover, and during his six decades there he contributed to many community organizations. In recognition of his numerous contributions, he was named Hanover Citizen of the Year in 1992. Paul enjoyed playing bridge. He played in and directed several area clubs and met many new friends by inviting them to a bridge game. Paul maintained his relationship to Loomis Chaffee by editing the 50th Plus alumni newsletter, by serving as an alumni volunteer, and by remaining an active Reunion participant. He was a member of the John Metcalf Taylor Society. In retirement, Paul and Ruth enjoyed summers at their cottage on Pine

Island in Lake Winnipesaukee. Although nominally retired, he used his background in finance and real estate on several projects to protect the lake from overdevelopment. He attended the Union Church on Meredith Neck, where he became the treasurer of the board and a leader of fundraising projects. His last visit to Pine Island was on his 92nd birthday, closing a history of 84 years on the lake stretching back to his time as an 8-year-old at Camp Idlewild. Paul was known as a quiet and caring person, always looking out for friends and family and how he could help in their lives. He lived his life with a smile, a twinkle in his eyes, and a very dry sense of humor, with a special appreciation for bad puns. Paul is survived by his loving wife and bridge partner of 66 years, Ruth; their four children, Sally Manning, Larry Young, Arthur Young, and Charles Young, and their spouses; seven grandchildren; and four greatgrandsons. A memorial service was held on September 20, 2014, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hanover, N.H.

1940 Stanford Henry Shaw Sr., peacefully, on September 14, 2014, in Osprey, Fla. A four-year student from South Orange, N.J., Stan served as chairman of the Advisory Committee and was involved in the Glee Club. He was active in the Rifle Club, golf, winter track, club tennis, and Wolcott senior basketball and was co-manager of the first football team. A veteran of World War II, Stan served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was president of Shaw Plastics Inc. and was a member of the Society of Plastics Industry and Plastics Pioneers. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Shirley Dickason Shaw; his children, Stanford Shaw Jr., Cynthia Shaw, Gray Shaw, Eleanor Shaw-Pearson, and Frank Shaw; and nine grandchildren.

1942 Albert Lee Donnelly Jr., on August 12, 2008, in Rocquencourt, France. A four-year student from Hartford, Conn., Albert was secretary of the Debate Team, secretary of Student Council, president of Junto, and president of the Loom Board. He was involved with the Debating Council and the Scholarship Committee and was in the cast of H.M.S. Pinafore. He was active on the second soccer team, Allyn senior basketball, and club tennis. He won the Warham Loomis Memorial Prize for highest scholarship in the senior class. He graduated cum laude from Yale University and earned a master’s degree at Trinity College. Albert was in the Signal Corps in World War II, spending 18 months in Europe and taking part in the invasion of Normandy. Following the war, he taught English at the Honeywell School of Bethesda, Md., and pursued graduate study in government and law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency. In France, he taught English and history at the American School of Paris from 1952 to 1989 and was director of the middle school from 1965 to 1967. He returned many summers to teach English at Loomis Chaffee. He was a writer and translator for several French publications and for the American Embassy USIS Bulletin. He collaborated with French historian André Maurois on Maurois’ Parallel Histories of the United States and the USSR in the Twentieth Century. Albert was predeceased by his wife, Gisèle LeGalo Donnelly. He is survived by his children, Paul, Bénédict, Marie-Annick dePins, Elizabeth Ruby, and Claire Beillevaire; 16 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Thomas of West Hartford, Conn.

loomischaffee.org | 57

1943 John Steinert Strauss, on July 28, 2014, peacefully in Iowa City, Iowa. A one-year student from New Haven, Conn., John was a member of the Senior Ring Committee and the Photography Club. He was active in Military Drill, Wolcott intermediate football, and fencing, and he was an Honor Roll student. He served in the U.S. Navy and in the U.S. Naval Reserves. John went on to receive both his bachelor’s degree and medical degree from Yale University. He completed his internship at the University of Chicago. Following his internship, he completed his residency in dermatology and was a research fellow at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He served as an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania and then advanced through the ranks from assistant professor through professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. In January of 1978, John became chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Iowa, a position that he held until 1998. At the time of his death, he was a professor emeritus. John was the author of more than 275 articles in his field of expertise, including the pathophysiology of acne and its therapy, and the introduction of retinoid therapy in dermatologic treatment. He was elected to membership of the prestigious American Association of Professors in recognition of his accomplishments as a physician-scientist. John served in leadership positions of every major professional organization in dermatology, including president of the American Academy of Dermatology, secretarytreasurer and president of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, secretary-treasurer and president of the American Dermatological Association, and member of the board of trustees and president of the Dermatology Foundation. He served for nine years as director of the American Board of Dermatology and continued 58 |

to serve as a special advisor to the board for more than 10 additional years. In the larger world of academic medicine, John was the chairman of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and served as president of the Executive Committee of the American Council of Graduate Medical Education. John mentored many young academicians through his faculty positions and through his affiliations with professional organizations, and he provided a wonderful perspective and wisdom to all. John is survived by his wife of 63 years, Susan Thalheimer Strauss; and by his children, Joan Strauss and Mary Strauss-Penka. A special time of remembrance was held at a gathering of friends and colleagues on September 28, 2014, in Coralville, Iowa.

1944 Paul Brendel Dorain, on July 19, 2014, in Hanover, N.H. A four-year student from East Haven, Conn., Paul was involved with Student Council, the Founders Committee, the Endowment Fund, the Committee of Review, Military Drill, and the Concert Orchestra, and he was a laboratory assistant. He served as president of the Stagehands Union and was stage manager of Arsenic and Old Lace. He played Allyn senior hockey and Allyn senior soccer. He also was active in Allyn baseball, track, and winter track and was assistant fencing manager. After graduation, he served for two years in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Yale University in 1950, where he studied chemistry, and received a doctorate from Indiana University in 1954. After postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago, he was a professor of chemistry at Brandeis University from 1958 to 1981. He also served as dean of faculty at Colby College, was a research scientist at Yale, and was a professor at Amherst College. Paul is the author of

numerous papers and the book Symmetry in Inorganic Chemistry. Paul loved sailboat racing with his family on Quannapowitt Lake in Wakefield, Mass., and enjoyed “working” at his farm in Acworth, N.H. He is survived by his siblings, Alfred Dorain and Harriet Strout; his former wife, Elsie Dorain; his children, Melanie Green and Doug Dorain, and their spouses; and seven grandchildren. A memorial service was held on September 27, 2014, in Hanover. Frances Babcock Woods, on August 5, 2014, in Wallingford, Conn. A lifelong resident of West Hartford, Frannie was involved with the Chaffers and the soccer team and was interested in history. Frannie graduated from Smith College in 1948 and graduated from Columbia University Library School in 1951. Subsequently, she worked at the Brooklyn Public Library before taking a position at the Yale Law School, where she worked for more than 40 years. Frannie remained in touch with Loomis Chaffee over the years. She shared her wonderful memories of her Chaffee days at various alumni events and was a member of the John Metcalf Taylor Society. Frannie was a longstanding member of the Quota International Club of New Haven and the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. She is survived by her cousin, Alice Templeton Custer ’45; a niece; and three great-nephews. A private graveside service was held at the Fairview Cemetery in West Hartford.

1945 Robert Bush McGraw Jr., on August 28, 2014, in Hamden, Conn. A three-year student from New York City, Bob served as assistant to the permissions officer and in dining hall attendance. He was active in track and Allyn senior soccer, was secretary of the Rifle Club, and lettered in wrestling. Bob was raised in New York City and at

his family’s home in Newtown, Conn., where his passion for the outdoors and geology bloomed. After graduation, Bob served in the U.S. Army in Germany for two years. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1950 and a master’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming in 1954. A lifelong learner of many scientific fields, Bob was an expert on historic and high-tech tools. His work as a geologist led him to Wyoming and Utah before he returned to Connecticut. Bob held several positions with technology companies, receiving a patent for some of his work. Bob and his wife, Kate, enjoyed an active social life during their years in Hamden, Orange, and Westport, Conn. Bob had a remarkable intellect, but he is best remembered for his unusually kind, loving, and patient nature. Bob was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Kate. He is survived by his sister, Ann Davis; his three children, Sarah, Matthew, and Peter, and their spouses; six grandchildren; and a greatgrandchild. A memorial service was held on October 31, 2014, in Hamden.

1946 Richard Newcomb Crawford, on June 2, 2014. A three-year student from New York City, Dick was involved in the Endowment Fund Committee, the Jazz Club, volunteer medical aides, and the Ping Pong Club. We was active in Ludlow senior football and the hockey team. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1946 and attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., and graduated with the Class of 1951. Following graduation, he was assigned to the USS Pittsburg (CA 72), a heavy cruiser. In 1954 he was selected for postgraduate training at Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering

operas, concerts, plays, and baseball games; travel to tropical islands; and gourmet food. Peter is survived by his wife of 61 years, Melba; and his daughter, Melody. A memorial service was held at the Community Congregational Church, Tiburon, Calif.

Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

and concurrent master’s degree in naval architecture. He then attended Submarine School in New London Conn. He served aboard many submarines, including in Vietnam. Service with the Office of Naval Research and Development and Training Center rounded out his Navy career before he retired from active duty in 1970. Dick joined Lockheed Shipbuilding Company in Seattle in 1972 and remained until it closed in 1986. He then joined Sundstrand Corporation as an internal auditor until his retirement. He served as a consultant to Marine Spill Response Corporation through 2000. Dick volunteered his time to help senior citizens with computer skills and tax preparation. Dick loved travel, reading, sports, bicycling, opera, dancing, the symphony, and attending his children’s and grandchildren’s events. He had a keen intellect, a love of learning, and a great sense of humor — always giving the perfect toast on family occasions. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his daughters, Laura Crawford, Maureen Nikaido, Claudia Kilbreath, and Annmarie Lyons, and their spouses; and five grandchildren. A memorial service was held on July 11, 2014, in Bellevue, Wash., followed by military honors at Tahoma National Cemetery.

Peter William Palmer, on December 28, 2010. A fouryear student from Webster, N.Y., Peter was active in the Jazz Club, Chemistry Club, Dormitory Committee, Classical Music Club, and Athletic Council. He was also active in the Rifle Club and Ludlow senior tennis and lettered as equipment manager. While a student at the University of Rochester, he met and married Melba Potter, an organ major at The Eastman School of Music. After graduation, he and his wife moved to Berkeley, Calif., where he earned a master’s degree from the University of California. In 1958, he joined the Marin County Social Services Department. While there, he served as chairman of the Marin Mental Health Advisory Board. Following an early retirement, he became a volunteer docent at Audubon Canyon Ranch and volunteered at Family Service League Thrift Shop, Senior Companions, and Marindale School for Orthopedically Handicapped Children. His becoming a 10-gallon blood donor illustrates his caring nature. He served as an ordained elder and deacon of the Presbyterian church. In his final years, he helped nonprofit agencies of Marin raise challenge grants through the Marin County Community Foundation. He enjoyed reading; attending

Janet Hazel Smith Shogren on October 6, 2013, in Crossville, Tenn. Janet enjoyed knitting and reading. She is survived by her husband, Jack; her children, Bill Shogren and Karin DeLeone; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on October 10, 2013.

1948 Edward James Peterson, on September 21, 2011. A fouryear student from Dearborn, Mich., and Rincon del Bosque, Mexico, Ed was involved in Student Council, the Glee Club, The Pelicans, the Jazz Club, the Executive Committee, and the Endowment Fund Special Committee. He was a cheerleader and was in the cast of York Nativity Play, Macbeth, and Seventeen. He was active in Wolcott senior football, first team track, and ski club, and he lettered in first team wrestling. He attended Denison University before serving for three years in the U.S. armed forces. He subsequently earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College. He held a master’s degree in Latin American studies and a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University. He worked in many prestigious libraries, including the Harvard Lending Library, Princeton University Library, and Cornell University Business School Library. He lived in Coronado, Calif., and spent time in Oaxaca, Mexico. While he was in Oaxaca, Ed’s “experience, skills, and love of books was a huge contribution to the local library,” according to his good friend, Alan Goodin. Additionally, Ed tutored Oaxacans who wanted

to learn English. A memorial gathering was organized at the library in September of 2011. Peter Frederick Pruyn, on April 2, 2014, after a long illness. A two-year student from Glens Falls, N.Y., Peter was involved in the Study Hall Committee, Dining Hall Committee, Hallowe’en Night Patrol, Taylor Dormitory Committee, and Ping Pong Club. He was also active in physical education, Ludlow senior football, Ludlow senior basketball, and Ludlow senior tennis. Peter served for four years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston University. He built a career in the paper industry, holding positions with Fraser Inc., Gould Paper, and Georgia Pacific, among others, before starting his own company, Peter Pruyn Sales Inc., which later became Dakota Resources. Peter is survived by his wife of 45 years, Jane Reith Kennedy Pruyn; his brother, Howard; his children Elizabeth Ann and Peter David; and three grandchildren.

1949 Thomas Miller Woodson, on August 17, 2014, at Parkside Village in Westerville, Ohio, after a valiant struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. A four-year student from Hartford, Conn., Tom received many accolades, including junior and senior class prizes in scholarship, the Time Magazine Current Events Prize, the Connecticut State Latin Contest, Honor Roll all four years, and the Mrs. Thomas Warham Loomis Memorial Prize for highest scholarship in the senior class. He served as chairman of the Senior Scholarship Committee, secretary-treasurer of Le Cerle Français, and feature editor of The LOG and was a member of the Political Club, Press Club, Foreign Policy Association, Senior Library Committee, Executive Commitcontinued 61 loomischaffee.org | 59

Andrew M. Carter ’58 1940-2014

in assets; he then founded Standard & Poor’s/Carter, Doyle in 1972. In 1975 he joined Jennison Associates, where he led the bond department, became senior vice president, and remained until 1992 as he grew the fund to $10 billion in assets. He next served as president of the fixed income investment management firm Andrew M. Carter & Company LP and in 1998 became chairman and chief executive officer of Hyperion Capital Management, where he continued as senior advisor until 2010. Andy so loved what he did that he refused to call it work.

NDREW M. CARTER ’58, a Trustee of the school since 1986, died on October 17, 2014, at his Beacon Hill home in Boston. As Loomis Chaffee celebrates its 100th birthday, we have lost a true gentleman whose family connection with his school spanned 95 years. Andy’s father, Herbert Pratt Carter, graduated first in his class at The Loomis School in 1920 and went on to Princeton and Harvard Law School. Andy followed in his father’s footsteps at Loomis, also graduating first in his 1958 class, and went on to Harvard College, where he graduated in three years with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Like his father, Andy’s mother, Pauline Humeston Carter, distinguished herself, first at Abbott Academy, where she became the president of her class, and then at Wellesley College, where she was the president of Dana Hall. With his always optimistic approach to life, gracious manner, dapper attire, curled moustache, and keen mind, Andy Carter embraced a style all his own. During his three years on the Island as an Englewood, N.J., boarder, Andy lived in Palmer and Mason halls; was a member of Wolcott, of the Debate Club, and of the Scholarship Committee, serving as a co-chair in his senior year; wrote for The Loom, the school’s literary magazine, where he served as editor in his final year, and for The Log, serving as the contributing editor as a senior; presided over the French Club; and participated on the Dining Hall Committee and Junto. He also played tennis, ran cross country and track, and was the leading scholar of his class in both his junior and senior years. An early leader in the field of active bond management and one of the best bondsmen of his time, Andy spent his entire professional career in the financial sector and developed a much sought after expertise in the bond and fixed income markets. After a short stint on Wall Street, he discovered that while there were thousands of stock experts, there was a dearth of bondsmen, and he jumped at the opportunity this presented. Within a very short time, at age just 24, he was running

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Andrew M. Carter

Photo: Wayne Dombkowski

“

With his always optimistic approach to life, gracious manner, dapper attire, curled moustache, and keen mind, Andy Carter embraced a style all his own.

”

Harvard University’s $500 million bond portfolio. In 1968 Andy helped form the bond group for Wellington Management Company, which he grew to more than $500 million

In a wonderful story from 1986, Andy approached Headmaster John Ratté on the sidelines of a football game to inform the headmaster of his intention to fund and name Carter Hall in honor of his parents. The first new dormitory on the Rockefeller Quadrangle, Carter Hall began the shift in the school’s boarding-to-day student ratio and the balancing of girl and boy boarders. Later in his 28-year tenure as a Trustee, during which he served as vice chairman of the Board and longtime chair of the Investment Committee, Andy endowed a scholarship in music in memory of his brother, Thomas Benedict Carter; named the Development Office in honor of his wife, Renée Krimsier Carter; and gave generously to Sellers Hall, today’s Office of Admission. Andy is survived by his wife, Renée, an accomplished flutist and faculty member at the New England Conservatory and Boston University who also performs as principal flute of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra; by his sister, Susan Pratt Carter of Englewood, New Jersey; by James P. Carter, his son from his first marriage to Dale Marsha Peterson; by his nephew, Tyler Carter, and his wife, Catherine, and their daughter, Sadie; by Renée’s parents, Lois and Robert Krimsier; and by Renée’s sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Jonathan Aranow, and their children, Catherine and Matthew. Family and friends celebrated Andy’s life at a memorial service in Founders Chapel on Saturday, November 8, where the remarks and music were as remarkable as the man. ©

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tee, Loom Board, and Herald Tribune Forum. After graduation, Tom earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in English from Yale University. At Yale, Tom was chosen for membership in Phi Beta Kappa and The Elizabethan Club. He served in the Army Central Intelligence Corps from 1953 to 1955. Tom taught English at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., from 1959 to 1961. He went on to have a long career with the English Department at The Ohio State University, beginning in 1963. He also served as chairperson of the Comparative Studies Department at OSU from 1975 to 1977, and retired from the English Department in 1995. In 1968–1969, he was named a Fulbright Scholar and taught in the English Department at the University of Pau, France. He served as a visiting scholar in the Department of American Studies at Yale University from 1969 to 1970. His scholarship includes articles on American writers Henry David Thoreau and Herman Melville, and he authored a book about Edgar Allan Poe. His scholarship on Nathaniel Hawthorne included serving as editor of The French and Italian Notebooks and serving as general editor of The Consular Letters and The Centenary Edition of the Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, all published by The Ohio State University for Textual Studies. The Centenary Edition received an award from The London Times, England, as Literary Research Book in 1995. Tom was president of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society and received the House of Seven Gables Hawthorne Award for Hawthorne Scholar of the Year, 1991. Tom lived wisely and simply. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Potter Woodson; his brothers John ’51 and James ’53; his children, Paula Woodson Markovich, Sarah Potter Lukken, and Andrew Woodson, and their spouses; and his grandson. A memorial service was held

on August 23, 2014, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, in Worthington, Ohio.

1950 Douglas Tyler Putnam, on August 23, 2014, in West Hartford, Conn. A one-year student from Hartford, Conn., Doug was involved in the Librarian Glee Club and Ely House Committee. He was active in football, Wolcott senior basketball, and Wolcott senior baseball. Following graduation Doug attended Yale University, where he was affiliated with Timothy Dwight College and was an active member of the crew team. After graduating from Yale in 1954, Doug enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Germany for two years. He and his wife, Ann Fisher, were married in 1954 and raised their four children in West Hartford. He was a dedicated family man, ardent community member, and avid learner of American history throughout his life. In both his personal and professional life, Doug was known for his honorable principles, optimistic outlook, classic gentleman’s style, and sense of humor. Early in his professional career, Doug worked for Paine Webber in Boston before he returned and settled in West Hartford to work in the family stock brokerage business, Putnam & Company of Hartford. Later, he became a partner for Advest and ended his career at RBC Dain Rauscher of Hartford. Doug gave his time generously to local organizations. He was a committed member of many boards, often managing their finances and investments, including the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, The Salvation Army, and the International Farm Youth Exchange. He presided over the development of the Seabury Retirement Community as chairman of the board for Seabury Church Homes of Hartford. Doug served as president for the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of the

Cincinnati and the Colonel Daniel Putnam Association in Danielson, Conn. He was also a member of the Connecticut Society of the Order of the Founders & Patriots of America and a board member of the Ancient Burying Ground Association. An active member of the Republican Party, he was elected and served as state senator for the 5th district between 1977 and 1979. Doug was a lifelong member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford and served on its vestry for several years. He was a trustee of the Pequot Chapel, New London, Conn. Doug was a member of the Dauntless Club; the Freemasons Moriah Lodge #15, Brooklyn, Conn.; and the University Club of Hartford. Doug was a dedicated blood and platelet donor to the Red Cross. He is survived by his beloved wife of more than 60 years, Ann; his four children, Andrew Putnam, Jennifer Putnam, Susan Lamprecht, and Tim Putnam, and their spouses; and nine grandchildren. A memorial service was held at Trinity Episcopal Church. Burial is in the family plot at the Old Trinity Church Cemetery, Brooklyn, Conn.

1951 Sue Jane Simonson Lescher, on July 2, 2014, after an extended illness. A four-year student from Hartford, Conn., Sue was active as class secretary and as president of the Glee Club. She was known at school for her dancing, her artistic talents, and her love of the symphony. Sue graduated from Hartford College for Women and worked as a cytologist in Hartford Hospital’s cytology lab. Sue was active with Girl Scouts for more than 50 years. She was a member of the Windsor Historical Society and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists and was a longstanding member of Grace Episcopal Church in Windsor. She was active with her husband, Nevin Colville Lescher, in various Volkswagen and camp-

ing clubs. She enjoyed crossstitch, quilling, needlepoint, and family genealogy. Sue was predeceased by her son, Nevin Charles. She is survived by her husband, Nevin; her daughters, Ann Lescher Savoca ’76 and Jane Moticka, and their spouses; and five grandchildren. A memorial service was held on July 13, 2014, at Grace Episcopal Church in Windsor, Conn. Stanley Frank Watters, on November 8, 2014, after a long illness. A four-year student from West Hartford, Conn., Stan was secretary-treasurer of the Rifle Club and manager of club soccer. He was active in Ludlow tennis and lettered on the rifle team. He graduated from Trinity College in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. An amateur photographer, boatman, and audiophile, Stan also could fix anything mechanical or electrical. He is survived by his sisters, Marjorie Pray and Nancy Pinckney; and his daughter, Kimberly.

1952 David Mather Ryan Sr., on June 15, 2014, at his home in Venice, Fla. David was a threeyear student from Toledo, Ohio. He was involved with the Mather House Committee, Photography Club, Loomis Publications Board, and Science Club, and he was in the cast of Julius Caesar and Madwoman of Chaillot. He graduated from Colgate University in 1956 with a degree in English. He enlisted in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored “Spearhead” Division and was stationed in Garmisch, Germany. Peter was employed as a salesman with H.H. Donnelly & Associates, became president, and subsequently purchased the company in 1981. David was a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Church in Sylvania, Ohio, and later of historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio. He was an author of several children’s stories, a novel, and countless business articles. In his later years, he developed loomischaffee.org | 61

an extraordinary talent for watercolor painting, wood carving, and pottery. He had a never-ending capacity to make time for his family. David is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ellen “Ellie” Moran; his siblings Joseph ’45, Frank ’57, Natalie, and Sarah; his children, David Jr., Elli, Richard, and Molly; three grandchildren; and a niece, Isabel Yordan ’03. David was predeceased by his brother Burt ’40.

1959 Geoffrey Twining Egginton, on July 22, 2014, following a long illness. A three-year student from Garden City, N.Y., Geoff was president of the Key Society, and editor of The Handbook. He served on the Senior Scholarship Committee, Library Committee, Chapel Committee, and Dance Committee and was a member of the Stagehands Union and the Athletic Council. He lettered in first team tennis, was involved in Ludlow senior football and Ludlow hockey, and was a cheerleader. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and attended Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where he received his master’s degree of architecture. Over the course of his more than 40 years in the aviation industry, Geoff established himself as an expert in the design, planning, and construction of airport terminals throughout the world. Most recently, he was associate vice president at AECOM in New York City. A resident of Lewisboro, N.Y., since 1975, Geoff played a number of significant roles in the community. He served as chairman of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals and was a member of the Lewisboro Architectural Review Council and the Cross River Theater Company, where he designed and built sets for several productions. Geoff was commissioner of the Lewisboro Baseball Association. He was a 62 |

warden at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Katonah, N.Y., and an active participant at St. John’s Episcopal Church in South Salem, N.Y. Geoff was an avid golfer, tennis player, and lifelong Mets fan who excelled at working with his hands — building model aircraft and constructing a multi-dimensional model train village. He managed the Colgate 13, an alumni singing group from Colgate University. He took great pride in supporting Loomis Chaffee as a class agent, reunion fundraising volunteer, alumni volunteer, and member of the Common Good Society. He is survived by his wife, Susan; his brothers, Hersey “Pete” Egginton II ’66 and Everett Egginton; his sons, Peter ’93 and Robert, and their spouses; two grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

1962 Thor Leonard Halvorssen, on July 20, 2014, in North Miami, Fla. A four-year student, from Caracas, Venezuela, Thor was a member of the Student Council Executive Committee, Key Society, Junto, and Glee Club. He was head counselor of Taylor dormitory, president of the Spanish Club, and a medical aide. He was active in varsity lacrosse, Ludlow lacrosse, cross country, JV football, and Ludlow wrestling. He received a General Award at Commencement. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and returned to Venezuela and “became an unexpected figure in the country’s political and economic life,” according to a July 22, 2014, Miami Herald article by Armando Valladares. Thor was a highly successful business leader and outspoken human rights activist. At a young age, Thor received the government appointment of chief executive officer of the Venezuelan telephone giant CANTV. He went on to serve as president of the important Venezuelan charitable organization

Dividendo Voluntario para la Communidad. He was the owner of Axxa, a Venezuelan insurance company that represented international conglomerates, including Dunlop, Ericsson, and British Cellophane. Additionally, he maintained vast real estate holdings and was a real estate developer. Thor’s commercial success allowed him a platform to voice support for victims of human rights violations in Central America. In the early 1990s he was instrumental in the development of the post-Cold War human rights forums in Geneva. He served on the boards of the Andrei Sakharov Institute and headed the Pan-American Committee of the International Society for Human Rights. In 1989, Thor was appointed as a presidential commissioner, serving as Venezuela’s highest-ranking diplomat for anti-narcotic affairs. According to The Miami Herald, Thor’s focus in the fight against drug trafficking became the money laundering activities of Pablo Escobar Gaviria, leader of the Medellín Cartel, who had connections with Venezuela’s banking and business elite. Without government structural or financial support, Thor’s work was ineffectual, so he began a cooperation with U.S. law enforcement authorities. He was arrested in his country and held for 74 days without charge or evidence, and after Amnesty International, Germany’s International Society for Human Rights, and the Helsinki Committees of various countries came to his legal aid, he was released. The banking system in Venezuela subsequently collapsed due to deep-rooted corruption. “With the rise of Hugo Chávez to presidency of Venezuela, Halvorssen enthusiastically organized exile discussions in Miami and published frequently about the dictatorial nature of the government,” The Miami Herald article concludes. Thor was predeceased by his brother, Stein L. Halvorssen ’49. He is

survived by his wife, Nelly; his children, Eduardo ’88, Thor, Randi, Margarita, Karena, and Vilhelm; his brothers Erik ’59 and Olaf; and nephews Michael ’73, Erik ’85, and Andres ’87.

1966 Henry Morgan Spencer III, on November 2, 2014, after a long illness. A four-year student from Bloomfield, Conn., Terry was senior advisor of Russian studies and a member of the Student Council Executive Committee, the Handbook Committee, the French Club, the Senior Room Committee, and the Senior Scholarship Committee. Terry lettered in varsity football, was on the Honor Roll all four years, and was a member of Cum Laude. He graduated from Dartmouth College. Terry served as assistant director of operations for ARA Services at Bradley Field Airport in the 1970s and as vice president of marketing for Brennan College Services in the 1980s. Afterwards, he formed his own company, Spencer Associates, using his gift for writing and humor to assist other companies with their marketing needs until his illness forced him to retire. Even then, he was always willing to do a favor for a good cause. Terry took great joy in being able to see his children grow up into the people they are today. Terry is survived by his wife, Judy Campfield Spencer; his siblings, Judy Henderson and Jonathan Spencer; his children and step-children, Morgan Spencer, Sam Spencer, Joe Pioggia, and Gina Pioggia; and two grandchildren. A service was held on November 8, 2014.

1968 Peter Edward Sargent, on October 19, 2014, in Kennebunkport, Maine, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. A student from West Hartford, Conn., Peter was involved with the Student Admissions

Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives

Committee, the Dining Hall Committee, the Glee Club, the Pelicans, the Press Club, and the Senior Library Committee. He was active in Allyn senior football, Allyn senior basketball, and junior club lacrosse. Peter moved to Kennebunkport in the early 1970s, which immediately became his home. Peter was a founding member of the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. He served on the Planning Board and Youth Services Commission and volunteered with Kennebunkport Emergency Medical Services for 20 years. Peter was a caring and devoted man to his family, friends, and the Kennebunkport community. His passions ran deep — music, conservation, bicycling, and volunteerism. His entrepreneurial spirit resulted in the successful establishment of Cape-Able Bike Shop. Peter’s heartfelt commitment to cycling put generations of people onto two wheels and left a lasting legacy in southern Maine. Peter is survived by his wife, Karen MacGregor; his siblings Pam Newsome and Bill Sargent; and his son, Mac. A celebration of his life was held on November 2, 2014, in Cape Porpoise, Maine.

Faculty & Staff Joseph A. Gasner, on October 20, 2014, in Newington, Conn. Born on May 11, 1936, Joe was a native of Hartford, Conn. A 1955 graduate of Hartford Regional Technical School, Joe lived in Newington for the past 48 years. He served in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored “Spearhead” Division from 1955 to 1957 and, prior to that, was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. Joe served as a carpenter for more than 40 years on the Loomis Chaffee campus. He was involved in general carpentry and also worked to maintain the slate roofs. During the flood of 1984, he was “the boatman” who made many trips back and forth from campus to the Geissler’s Supermarket parking lot because the campus roads were underwater. (See photo above.) Joe made many friends in his years at Loomis, and he retired in 1998. His son, David, works in the engineering department of the Loomis Physical Plant. Joe loved to spend time outdoors, gardening, working in his yard, fishing, and walking in the neighborhood. He was a humble man who

lived his life with quiet dignity. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Joe is survived by his wife, Jean; his children, Laurie Jean May and David; and three granddaughters. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on November 3, 2014, in Newington, Conn., followed by burial with military honors in Mount St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, Conn.

More News The Alumni Office has learned of the passing of William H. Scheide ’32, on November 14, 2014; Robert P. Hubbard ’47, on November 20, 2014; Susan Seymour Reinhart ’60 on November 18, 2014; and former longtime business manager David M. Sherman in October 2014. More information, as available, will be printed in future issues.

loomischaffee.org | 63

THE LAST WORD | BY THE LOOMISCELLANY

A Singing School Editor’s Note: At the Winter Choral Concert on January 25, David Snyder ’80 will conduct the Concert Choir in the debut performance of the Loomis Chaffee Centennial song, “Where Rivers Rise and Fall.” David composed the choral work and, along with James Rugen ’70 and Director of Studies Timothy Lawrence, wrote the lyrics. Fittingily, Loomis Chaffee is still a “singing school,” as it was in its earliest days.

Photo: 1916 Loomiscellany

“

We are starting well to build up a reputation as a singing school. Let us continue, let that be our aim; and let the reputation be deserved! Write Loomis songs, and sing them. Sometime you will produce an immortal one.

”

—Loomiscellany, Volume One, 1916

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The 1915â&#x20AC;&#x201C;16 Loomis Glee Club Photo: Loomis Chaffee Archives.

The Loomis Chaffee School 4 Batchelder Road Windsor, Connecticut 06095

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Loomis Chaffee School

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Alumni and Parent Travel Programs

CUBA

May 9–16, 2015 Join Loomis Chaffee for an unforgettable 8-day expedition to discover the classic art and culture of Cuba. Space is limited — inquire today. Sponsored by the Center for Global Studies and the Alumni & Parent Relations Office For more information, visit www.loomischaffee.org/cuba or call 860.687.6298. Registration deadline: February 7, 2015