Mercersburg Magazine - Spring 2007

Mercersburg A magazine for Mercersburg Academy family and friends

VOLUME 34 NO. 1 SPRING 2007

One roof, unlimited possibilities: The Burgin Center for the Arts opens. page 18

Jeff Goldberg/Esto

VOLUME 34

NO. 1

SPRING 2007

The Arts at Mercersburg

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A magazine for Mercersburg Academy family and friends

Mercersburg Art Appreciation With a long and storied history at Mercersburg, the arts are a fundamental part of the Academy’s past, present, and future. Page 12

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Live, From the Top A national radio broadcast shines the spotlight on Mercersburg and one of its star student musicians. Page 17

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Form Meets Function The Burgin Center is the Academy’s new nerve center for creative exploration, and a window on the world. Page 18

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Mercersburg Profiles Get to know a wide variety of Mercersburg’s arts alumni, who are stars of stage, screen, and everything in between. Page 26

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My Say What makes us happy, and why should we spend our time in pursuit of anything but happiness? Florian Langenscheidt ponders these and other questions. Page 57 From the Head of School Letters Via Mercersburg (news and events) Athletics Alumni Notes

You Should Know A shining, new, truly world-class building now calls Mercersburg Academy home. The Burgin Center for the Arts is 65,500 square feet of performance space, classrooms, galleries, studios, rehearsal space, and offices. Nestled into the hillside on the southwest side of campus where Boone Hall once stood, the Burgin Center is a true home for the arts at the Academy. The building opened its doors for the first time last August, but was officially christened in November with a gala performance by virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman and two members of the New York City Ballet. Keep reading for full details.

Photo credits: p. 5 (upper left) Chris Crisman; p. 8 (bottom right) Michael Dwyer; p. 9 (upper left) Chris Crisman; p. 10-11 (all photos) Bill Green; p. 13 (upper left) Martha Stewart; p. 14 (upper left) Martha Stewart, (middle photos) Michael Dwyer; p. 15 (upper left, bottom middle) Michael Dwyer, (upper middle) Martha Stewart, (top right, bottom right) Michael Dwyer; p. 16 (upper left, upper right, lower right) Michael Dwyer, (lower left) Lee Owen; p. 17 (upper right) Martha Stewart, (lower right) Renee Hicks; p. 22 Martha Stewart; p. 23 (all photos) Martha Stewart; p. 29 Martha Stewart; p. 32 (Kanan) ©2006 Maury Phillips/WireImage.com, (Branch) ©2006 Albert L. Ortega/WireImage.com, (Rooks) Vassar College; p. 33 Martha Stewart; p. 36 (lower right) Michael Dwyer; p. 37 (first, second, and fourth from left) Michael Dwyer, (third from left) Renee Hicks; p. 57 (lower right) Jan Röder.

Illustrations: cover, p. 12, back cover, Tom Nick Cocotos; p. 57, Napat Waikwamdee ’09.

Mercersburg magazine is published three times annually by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.

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Editor: Lee Owen Alumni Notes Editor: Jenn Flanagan ’99

Mercersburg Academy 300 East Seminary Street Mercersburg, Pennsylvania 17236

Contributors: Jim Applebaum, Mark Flowers, Matthew Kearney, Annie Kimsey, Florian Langenscheidt, Kate Manstof ’07, Jay Quinn, Chuck Roberts ’07, Jay Sullivan

Magazine correspondence: Lee_Owen@mercersburg.edu

Art Direction: Lipman Hearne, Chicago; Lyndon Shank

Alumni Notes correspondence: Jenn_Flanagan@mercersburg.edu

Head of School: Douglas Hale

Alumni correspondence/ change of address: Barb_Myers@mercersburg.edu www.mercersburg.edu

Assistant Head for External Affairs: Don Hill Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications: Heather Sullivan

From the Head of School

State of the Arts

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t Mercersburg, we tend to go about our days without much consciousness of how routine actions and encounters can connect a person to the school in deep and abiding ways. Often, the processes of age, reflection, and distance serve to bring the significance of those encounters into focus, and people decide to examine more closely the role this school has played in the choices they make in living their lives.

On a single day in December, I spoke with an alumnus who wanted to find creative ways to bring exceptionally talented students with exceptional financial need to Mercersburg; read an email from another alumnus who sought an appropriate method to honor a beloved Mercersburg teacher, who had profoundly shaped his own desire to become an architect; and showed a visiting college professor, on campus for an admission visit with his son, the name of his grandfather (a 1934 graduate and Olympic medalist in swimming) on the plaque at the Irvine Memorial honoring Mercersburg’s Olympians.

Each example vividly illustrates how past encounters here can inform and shape people’s choices, actions, and decisions.

Similarly strong ties and connections were abundant and evident during the Burgin Center opening celebration the first weekend of November (page 24). Every person present encountered an extraordinary moment in the life of this great school, a moment deeply connected not only with the school’s The ultimate magic of any new space is in the encounters present, but also with its past and future. that students will invariably have there with one another, In an essay entitled “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” T.S. Eliot referwith their teachers, with their own work, and with special ences this phenomenon when he observes, guests of all kinds this year and in years to come. “what happens when a new work of art is created is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art which preceded it.”

Although Eliot was describing the connectedness of all writing, he could just as easily have been speaking about meaningful human encounters of any kind, or the creation of a magical new teaching and learning space. Of course, the ultimate magic of any new space is in the encounters that students will invariably have there with one another, with their teachers, with their own work, and with special guests of all kinds this year and in years to come.

Another significant encounter that means a great deal to me is the one between you and what you hold now in your hands: this collection of words and images and ink on paper that has traveled from Mercersburg. This redesigned magazine holds familiar substance and subject matter within a lively—but simple—visual framework. We hope that it warrants close reading and that you will also bring to it affection for and connection to this good place.

Douglas Hale Head of School

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

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Letters

We want your letters, your suggestions, your comments, your concerns, your compliments, and your feedback.

Guidelines Letters to the editor should typically address a single issue and be no more than 150 words. Please include your name (and class year, if applicable), address, telephone number, and email address for verification.

We reserve the right to edit submissions for content or clarity.

Send feedback to: Lee Owen, editor Mercersburg magazine 300 East Seminary Street Mercersburg, Pennsylvania 17236 Lee_Owen@mercersburg.edu

W

e hope you enjoy the revitalized, fresh look of Mercersburg—both in our magazine and online at www.mercersburg.edu.

We hope that the magazine, which now publishes three times annually and features additional pages in a bolder, more vibrant format, will inform and entertain the Mercersburg family and strengthen the bonds that connect us all with this important place.

Likewise, the Academy’s redesigned website features increased functionality; news updated daily; alumni information and class notes; blogs authored by students and faculty, giving readers an inside look at life on campus (and a chance to respond); photo galleries; expanded magazine content; and the opportunity to support Mercersburg by making a gift online.

Visit anytime at www.mercersburg.edu.

We want to hear from you. Send comments about the magazine to Lee_Owen@ mercersburg.edu; send comments about the website to Pat_Myers@mercersburg.edu.

“ EV EN THE SMALLE S T E FFOR T S T O MA K E L IF E BE T T E R ARE AS T R ONOM IC ALLY IMPOR T A N T . . . ” Following are excerpts from a handful of blogs maintained by Mercersburg students and faculty.

A few generations ago, the headmasters of the nation’s most prestigious prep and boarding schools simply phoned the deans of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities and informed them which of

their graduates they would be sending along the next fall. Today, after the G.I. Bill and the civil rights and women’s liberation movements, the college admissions process is more meritocratic than it has ever been, but it is not strictly so... posted by Frank Betkowski, associate director of college counseling

I hear people complain often about the world’s problems, but what good is that doing?

It’s not like Captain Planet or Superman is going to hear our cries for help. The change lies within us, so why are we waiting for something to fix these problems? I’ve been inspired by the people I’ve met and seen who have taken action. I’m not saying go join the Peace Corps or cure cancer, but even the smallest efforts to make life better are astronomically important... posted by Mark Herring ’09, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

So many people find it impossible to take a pencil or pen to a book. They feel as if they are defacing a sacrosanct object by writing in the margins of a book or by circling a word. They learn this from librarians in their youth. And yet, others take pleasure in writing vast amounts, cramming notes in the corner of pages… posted by Matthew Kearney, English department chair

Dates to Remember

Apr 11

Schaff Lecture on Ethics and Morals: National Players Present Othello, 7 p.m., Burgin Center for the Arts, Simon Theatre

Apr 16

Tex Lezar ’66 Memorial Lecture: Tom Andrews, 7 p.m., Burgin Center, Simon Theatre

Apr May Jun Jun Jul

Spring Family Weekend

27–30 11–12 1 2 4

Spring Board of Regents Meetings Baccalaureate, 7 p.m., Chapel Commencement, 11 a.m.

National Bell Ringing Ceremony and Carillon Recital, 2 p.m., Chapel

A roundup of what’s news, what’s new, and what Mercersburg people are talking about.

THE VISUAL STORY

© 2006 USPS.

In fall 2006, the Academy introduced a new graphic identity, which features a crisp set of symbols in Mercersburg blue and white. The logotype and shield variations replace the “green cupola” logo, which featured Main Hall.

“The redesign conveys the modern personality of the school, while referencing the school’s history,” says Heather Sullivan, director of strategic marketing and communications.

The graphic identity is used on everyday materials, including stationery, admission publications, and baseball caps and sweatshirts. The replacement of the cupola has no effect on the Academy’s usage of the historic seal (C, below), which will continue to be used (as it always has been) on legal documents, class rings, and diplomas.

The new symbols (B, below) have a stronger relationship to the historic seal than previous iterations. The echo of via lucis, translated as “way of light” or “illumination,” is borrowed from the seal’s via crucis, via lucis. The Latin integritas, virilitas, fidelitas— integrity, strength, fidelity—encircles one variation of the logo.

“By referencing via lucis, we recognize both the school’s founding as a seminary and its present as an institution of learning that welcomes students of many faiths,” Sullivan adds. “The use of via lucis recognizes and celebrates a good school’s intention to seek knowledge and meaning—to value learning, discovery, and spiritual growth in a pluralistic society.”

All rights reserv ed.

Via Lucis and a Fresh Look

It’s a Wonderful…

Stamp One of Mercersburg’s favorite sons may be appearing in your mailbox soon.

James Stewart ’28, whose billing as an American cinematic icon will endure for ages, will be featured on a United States Postal Service stamp this year. A dedication ceremony is planned for July in Hollywood.

Stewart, a native of Indiana, Pennsylvania, graduated from Princeton in 1932. He made his film debut two years later and received his first Oscar nomination in 1939 for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Two years later, he would capture an Academy Award for his performance in The Philadelphia Story.

Following military service as a pilot during World War II (he flew bombing raids over Berlin), Stewart returned to the silver screen for one of his most beloved roles: the portrayal of George

A. “Green cupola” logo (no longer in use)

B. New Mercersburg logos

C. Historic seal (still in use)

Bailey in the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). He garnered his third Oscar nomination for the film, and went on to pick up two more for Harvey (1951) and Anatomy of a Murder (1960).

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

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BOOK REVIEW

The Adventures Of Michael Macinnes

By Jeff Carney ’80 244 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux $17 Part J.K Rowling, part A Separate Peace, Jeff Carney’s new “young-adult” novel tells the story of Michael MacInnes—orphan, poet, lothario, and rebel—and his riotous transition from life in an orphanage to life at the prestigious prep school Stoney Batter. MacInnes arrives at Stoney Batter as a junior and, along with fellow newcomer and roommate Roger Legrande, refuses to conform to the school’s rigid social mores or kowtow to its various bullies—among others, the oily house proctor, Entwistle; the nauseous editor of The Stoney Batter Review, Trent Bloxom; and the sinister and sadistic Dean Reverend.

Donald D. Hill

Before the end of first term, MacInnes and Legrande manage to steal the dean’s car, disrupt Entwistle’s trade in bootlegged whis-

After 37 Years, Hill to Bid Farewell to Academy

key (the novel is set in the 1920s), publish an underground literary magazine, and escape the gunfire of the headmistress of a nearby

Assistant Head of School for External Affairs Donald D. Hill will retire in November 2007. He came to Mercersburg in 1970 as a mathematics teacher and baseball coach and, in 1973, became director of admissions. For 29 years, Hill has led the alumni and development office.

“Don’s contributions are as remarkable as his service is long,” says Head of School Douglas Hale.

During Hill’s tenure, the school has received gifts totaling approximately $200 million, and the endowment has grown from about $3 million to $180 million.

In January, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) honored Hill with the Robert Bell Crow Memorial Award, which recognizes an independent school advancement professional for distinguished service.

“Don’s leadership style is steady, understated, and unassuming,” Hale wrote in a letter nominating Hill for the award. “He has a coherent sense of right and wrong and profoundly desires to do what is right.”

Mary Carrasco, director of external affairs, also supported Hill’s nomination. “He takes his relationships with donors seriously,” Carrasco wrote. “They know that Don is authentic.”

Carrasco has accepted an appointment to succeed Hill as assistant head of school for external affairs.

“Mary’s talent and years of service at Mercersburg give me great confidence in her ability to lead the alumni and development team with clarity and purpose,” Hale says.

Carrasco, who has 25 years of development experience, joined Mercersburg in 1999 as the director of capital programs; in 2002, she was named director of external affairs. Prior to Mercersburg, her two most recent positions were as the major gifts officer for the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and campaign director of Aiglon College, The British International School in Switzerland. Her appointment is effective upon Hill’s retirement.

Hill’s service to Mercersburg will be celebrated in fall 2007. Send tributes to Hill (to be shared with the community) by emailing Heather_Sullivan@mercersburg.edu.

girls’ school on a bicycle-powered zeppelin.

While marketed to the teenage set, the book is replete with somewhat risqué subject matter: sneaked cigarettes, drug and alcohol use, and budding sexuality. All that is leavened, though, by the appearances of a mysterious fortuneteller, Miss Aubergine Dubois; the curious and slightly magical inventions of Legrande (including a jury-rigged defibrillator and the aforementioned zeppelin); and

by Carney’s knack for capturing the charming ability of adolescents to become intoxicated simply with the feeling of being alive.

Alumni and friends (and even students) will enjoy the book’s numerous allusions to Mercersburg and its traditions. (The climax of the novel occurs during the “Quintilian Oratory” competition on “Craxton-Marshall Weekend.”) The Adventures of Michael MacInnes asks adolescents of all ages to relish their figurative Stoney Batter.

–Jay Sullivan

INSIDE MERCERSBURG

Restoring History Project shines new light on Chapel’s windows

“In point of construction, the church is solid and enduring, without any structural subterfuges of any sort.

It is conceived not only in terms of form, but also of light, and, therefore, a great number of very large windows have been provided in all the walls, in order that these may be filled with splendid memorial glass furnished by many artists.” —Ralph Adams Cram, architect In June 1924, First Lady Grace Coolidge, mother of two Mercersburg boys, laid the cornerstone of the Chapel. Its October 13, 1926, dedication—on the 61st birthday of founder Dr. William Mann Irvine—was captured in the October 18, 1926, issue of Time magazine: “There was about the new chapel… that which made it appropriate for a President as well as a lost boy’s father to be present at its dedication. [One of the Coolidge sons died of septic poisoning before graduation.] It was a memorial to the 1,700 Mercersburg graduates who served in the War, 55 of whom died.”

The article also pays homage to the architect of the edifice, Ralph Adams Cram, and highlights the carillon bells in the 150-foot spire (which mirrors the spire of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Oxford, England). The Mercersburg bells contain metal from sundry historical icons, including fragments of Old Ironsides and the Liberty Bell.

The treasures that Time neglected to mention are the Chapel’s 40 stained-glass windows, designed and created by nine international artisans. Another artisan, Dieter Goldkuhle, began restoration of the windows in October 2006. The process will take approximately five years to complete.

“These windows are the best of the best,” he says. “If you go to Princeton University or the Heinz Chapel in Pittsburgh, you’ll [also] find windows of this caliber.”

Archival correspondence indicates Irvine and Cram believed the Chapel should be filled with light, and that the windows were central to the architectural concept. Cram selected the windowmakers, while Irvine chose the subjects, consulting with leading theologians along the way.

The windows depict the life and teachings of Christ, the Archangels, the Saints, and King Arthur and the Round Table. Two windows feature Irvine’s pet dog, a lighthearted nod to his domestic life at the Academy.

“In addition to their beauty, the windows are invaluable,” says Mary Carrasco, director of external affairs. “We want to preserve the history, power, and value of Dr. Irvine’s vision.”

For more information about the restoration project, email Mary_Carrasco@mercersburg.edu.

–Heather Sullivan Editor’s note: Some content referenced in this article is from Messages: Stained Glass of the Mercersburg Academy Chapel, narrated by late faculty member Nancy Heefner.

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Hail To The Victor

Can You Dig It?

Kristy Higby’s documentary chosen for Santa Fe Film Festival A short documentary film by fine arts faculty member Kristy Higby was selected to play at the Santa Fe Film Festival in December. More than 1,700 films were considered, but only 100 were chosen for the well-known festival. Higby’s film, Bowl Digger, is a 16-minute documentary that tells the story of octogenarian Maxie Eades, a South Carolinean and one of 16 children, who creates and sells beautiful wooden bowls. “At the heart of the story,” says Higby, “is one woman’s creative spirit and the way it is heavily influenced by wood.” The film was also selected to appear at festivals in Jersey City, New Jersey; Beaufort, South Carolina; and Asheville, North Carolina.

To learn more, visit www.calhounstudios.com.

Maxie Eades, star of Bowl Digger

Imagine an artist’s studio in New York City— the smell of oil paints, the artist at work on an epic classic scene (the Battle of Corinth). Greek warriors move at darting speed, striving in the bloody heat of battle.

The artist, Edwin Howland Blashfield, executes his work carefully, mixing the paints on the palette, applying the finishing touches to a battle shield, settling on the final shading of a warrior’s sword. In the very same months that this talented artist struggles to re-create the Battle of Corinth, he paints another work: a young athlete immortalized in oil and canvas, standing triumphantly, ever waiting to be crowned by the hovering Angel of Victory with the ennobling laurel. The latter painting is called The Victor, and now hangs on the inner The Victor, Edwin Howland Blashfield, 1913 east wall of Traylor Hall nearly 100 years later.

A stunning 14 feet by 11 feet, The Victor proffers an image of a Mercersburg boy frozen in time, never aging, never succumbing to disease or death. Blashfield’s painting captures ideals elemental to Mercersburg’s culture: youth, strength, and optimism.

When Edward W. Bok, then the editor of Ladies Home Journal, commissioned the painting for Dr. and Mrs. William Mann Irvine in 1913, its first destination was the tower of the trophy room in the Gym. In 1927, the painting found a new home in an assembly hall, where it remained until 1963. Unfortunately, it was then rolled up and placed in storage, and needed repair and restoration following its re-discovery in 1973 before arriving in its current home.

Rich in detail, the painting was a work the artist fretted over long after its completion.

He wondered, for example, should he have depicted the boy in bare feet as opposed to track shoes? On a campus with so many notable works of art, it behooves one to study this particular piece for its integrity and its balance, its symbolism and its value.

—Matthew Kearney

The Hot List Three historical tours to discover on your next visit to the Mercersburg area

A faculty member since 2000, Emily Howley teaches a course in local Mercersburg history that examines the rich and notable past of many locales not far from campus. Following are three of her suggestions, grouped together by theme, for visitors to explore on a future trip to Mercersburg:

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1.

The James Buchanan Tour “There’s his birthplace at Stony Batter [Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park]; the Mansion House [a tavern on the town square], where he announced his bid for the presidency; his parents’ burial plot in Lemasters [five miles northeast]; and of course, the cabin on our campus [moved to the Academy grounds in 1953].”

2.

The French and Indian War/ 18th-century Tour “I like to take the students to Fort Loudon [six miles north], and then to Stony Batter to talk about settlements along the mountain.

Then we go to the Conococheague Institute in Welsh Run [seven miles south]—it has a great tour and several restored buildings.”

3.

The Civil War Tour “Civil War history is really rich here. There’s a series of African American sites—Fayette Street, and the AME church on California Street and Zion Union Cemetery, where many African American Civil War veterans are buried. And there are other important Civil War sites like South Cottage and the Methodist church, which were used as hospitals for men wounded at Gettysburg.”

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

PASSAGES

Remembering an Artist Before his untimely passing, Leonard Cave created a work of art for a prominent Mercersburg place

I was so pleased that the Class of 2006 chose one of Leonard Cave’s marble sculptures as a class gift last spring. When I was a teenager, Lenny was one of my dad’s best art students at Furman University. I always looked up to Lenny as an artist and a high school art teacher. He produced so much while teaching a full load of classes.

His sculptures have been exhibited as far away as Japan, and in the White House and several public areas around Washington, D.C. The untitled sculpture, a gift from the class of 2006, now sits flanked by glass walls in the Burgin Center’s southeast corner.

In the mid-1990s, Lenny’s visiting artist residency here produced a scrap-metal sculpture that graced a spot near the front of campus. More recently, I called him when we cut down large trees on campus, and now much of Mercersburg’s wood is part of his latest works of large painted wood abstractions that hang off the wall. A prominent New York gallery promoted the new work this past summer with advertising in Art in America.

Lenny was 62 years old and in the culmination of an art and teaching career when he was killed by a drunk driver in July.

We are so lucky to have his work—and a symbol of his grace and energy—here on campus. His energy and passion for creating still lives on in his work and in my heart.

–Mark Flowers

Shemi Sculpture Brings New Life to Sycamore Lane Israeli artist Yehiel Shemi deftly attempts to create sculpture that does not show off, astonish, or seduce the viewer, he seeks the purest form possible. This is, for Mercersburg, quite relevant as one looks out across campus.

As a result of the continued generosity of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest ’49, Mercersburg now possesses a beautiful new Shemi sculpture. The piece, an untitled abstract, was installed in September 2006, and rises along the rock sculpture by the bend on Sycamore Lane. Its frame is a bucolic cornfield—an unexpected place to find such a grand sculpture, but that is part of the point. Mercersburg is becoming ever more rich in terms of the visual art found in unique settings around campus.

Shemi’s artwork tends to be a purposeful gesture toward the essential and not, in his view, mere minimalism. This piece, in particular, is open to the space that surrounds it, creating an interesting interplay between its internal energy and the various planes of view outside of it. Like the Burgin Center for the Arts, it engages its natural landscape.

In the fall of 2000, Gerry Lenfest approached Lisa Hanover Tremper and Muriel Berman to help him acquire a sculpture for the grounds of the StarNet offices in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Berman and her late husband, Phil, had quite a collection of sculptures on the grounds of their estate in Allentown, Pennsylvania, so Lenfest knew that she could help him acquire what he was looking for—and Berman actually gave him the Shemi sculpture in the process.

In turn, the Lenfests donated the Shemi piece to Mercersburg along with a larger collection of artwork (additional pieces of sculpture and numerous paintings). Included in the group are four stainless steel sculptures by artist Michael Baker purchased by Lenfest expressly for the Academy.

(On November 24, 2006, The Wall Street Journal featured Lenfest and his gift in support of the Burgin Center—another oeuvre d’art.).

Shemi was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1922. His work is on display at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Storm King Sculpture Park near West Point in New York state, and in museums in Israel and Belgium.

–Matthew Kearney

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Eboo Patel

Ammerman Lecturer Appeals for Tolerance Chuck Roberts ’07

Globe-trotters In Taiwan, a conference becomes an invaluable student experience In December, after a nearly 30-hour trip from Mercersburg, I found myself in Chiang Kai-shek International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan, with fellow seniors Matt Von Lunen and Madison McConnell and faculty member Phil Kantaros. We had traveled around the world for the International Youth Conference, and were welcomed by our host families and the organizer of the event, Lewis Lu of Changhua Senior High School.

The next morning, we met the other five English-speaking nations’ contingents, which included three students and one faculty member from schools in England, South Africa, India, New Zealand, and Canada. After a tour of the grounds and a welcoming ceremony, we 24 foreigners returned to the library to begin.

The goal of the conference (and the trip in general) was to increase intercultural understanding among all nations in attendance. In conference rooms for the first two days, that goal was accomplished through presentations by each “delegate,” followed by questionand-answer sessions. At the end of the day, several groups from the high school performed for us—from a string quartet to fire-breathing “Boy Scouts.”

Intercultural understanding also grew during the second part of the conference, but in a different way. On our sightseeing excursions around Changhua and Taipei, we spent hours on the bus chatting with the other students and teachers. Conversations turned to school life, families, experiences, and even politics at home. I would say we learned just as much in those rides as we did in the conference room.

We will always remember the classroom visits at Changhua, the tears shed by our host students when we departed for Taipei, the view from atop the tallest building in the world (Taipei 101), the goodbyes to the other English-speaking students in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and the thousands of other experiences from the trip. The trip opened our eyes and minds to six other cultures and left us with friends on four other continents.

–Chuck Roberts ’07

Growing up an American Muslim of Indian descent, Eboo Patel found that society erected barriers to force him to choose who he was.

“I was told that if I wanted to be one [American, Muslim, or of Indian descent], I could not be the others,” Patel said to the assembled audience of students and faculty during the 2006–2007 Ammerman Family Lecture December 4.

So Patel, a Rhodes Scholar who has worked as a teacher, organizer and artist on four continents, founded Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicagobased organization dedicated to bringing youth from different religious backgrounds together through service.

He and his organization promote religious pluralism, which he says is not defined as forced consensus; rather, it is the belief that “the wellbeing of each and all depends on the health of the whole.”

Patel spoke against the dangers of religious totalitarianism and offered his frustrations with political correctness.

“We live in a world where millions of kids are dying from hunger or AIDS,” he said, “and yet we still argue about whether to call a tree a ‘Christmas tree’ or a ‘holiday tree.’”

Endowed in 1999, the Ammerman Family Lecture Series is made possible through the generosity of Andrew R. Ammerman ’68 and his mother, Josephine Ammerman, in memory of Andrew’s father, H. Max Ammerman, and his brother, Stephen C. Ammerman.

The series brings to the community speakers of national renown whose perspectives can help young people understand the issues of the day.

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Counter-clockwise from top left: Dick ’55 and Ed ’49 Schmidt; members of the Class of ’56 enjoy the festivities; Beth Spurry Keller ’89 and Board of Regents President Denise Dupre ’76; (l-r) Doug Hale, Sally Anne Epstein ’81, Liz Gildea Logie ’81, former Dean of Students Tim Rockwell; face-painting; Steps Songs; the view from above.

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CELEBRATIONS

Alumni Weekend October 20–22, 2006

(l-r) Tom Steiger Jr. ’66, Serge Grynkewich ’66, Jim Morgan ’56, Doug Hale

(l-r) Larry Sheridan ’51, Bert McGann ’51, Paul Pollinger ’50 at the dedication of the Kuhn Wrestling Center

More than 450 alumni, family, and friends returned to campus for reunions, gatherings, a bonfire, athletic contests, and an after-dinner dance party with live entertainment. Other highlights included the dedication of the Kuhn Wrestling Center, a Stony Batter reunion, a talk

by NASA’s William T.Johnson ’56, and the Alumni Remembrance and Recognition ceremony.

Alumni Council Achievement Award

Alumni Council Service Award

Class Of ’32 Plaque

Serge E. Grynkewich II ’66

Thomas B. Steiger Jr. ’66

James C. Morgan ’56

Grynkewich is the managing director-Philippines of International SOS, the world’s largest medical and security assistance company. He has devoted much of his life to helping increase the standard of living for the poor in the country.

A trustee and past president of the American Association of the Philippines, Grynkewich has been elected chair of the organization’s American Historical Collection, which comprises thousands of volumes and concentrates largely on the Philippines’ American period. The collection has been deemed “unique and priceless” by the Library of Congress.

During his four years at Mercersburg, Grynkewich was secretary of Kazaki (the school’s honorary Russian club), sang in the Chapel Choir and Glee Club, and was a member of the Stony Batter Steering Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of St. Francis de Sales, and did postgraduate work at the University of the East College of Medicine. He is a U.S. citizen with permanent residence in the Philippines, where he has lived for 33 years.

Established in 1997, the award recognizes Mercersburg alumni who have distinguished themselves not just in their professions, but also have outstanding records of service to their communities and others.

Mercersburg is in Steiger’s blood. He is the grandson of Charles S. Tippetts ’12, the Academy’s third headmaster, and was preceded on campus by generations of Steigers, including his father, Thomas Sr. ’35 (a winner of the same award in 1985).

Tom Steiger Jr. is in the private practice of law in Mercersburg with his father, as well as fellow Academy graduate Shawn Meyers ’86.

Like his father before him, Steiger has provided countless hours of legal counsel to the school on a pro bono basis, as well as advice to senior class members concerning their civil and legal rights in college and university environments.

He also served 18 years on a volunteer basis as a track coach at the Academy.

Off campus, he has provided significant civil legal aid to many low-income residents of Franklin County, and serves on the board of Franklin County Legal Services, a non-profit agency. He is active in the Mercersburg Area Youth Organization and was instrumental in the development of the town’s Historical Architectural Review Board.

As a student at Mercersburg, Steiger wrote for the News, was a four-year member of the Classics Club, lettered in track and captained the cross country team, and was a member of Irving and The Fifteen. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

First presented in 1958, the award was established to honor an individual for outstanding service to the Academy.

Morgan, president of California-based Applied Materials Inc., has been called one of the “Best CEOs in America” by Worth Magazine, was named one of the 10 most influential people in Silicon Valley by the San Jose Mercury News, and received the National Medal of Technology from President Bill Clinton in 1996.

After graduating from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s of business administration, he joined the U.S. Army as a ROTC officer.

He held positions at Textron and WestVen Management before becoming president of Applied Materials, which designs and constructs equipment for the manufacture of semiconductors. He served as the company’s chief executive officer from 1977–2003 and has been chairman of its board since 1987.

In 1991, Morgan authored the successful book, Cracking the Japanese Market, with his son, Jeffrey.

At Mercersburg, Morgan was a member of Irving, editor-in-chief of the 1956 Karux, a member of the Cum Laude Society and lettered in football, basketball, and tennis. He is a lifelong supporter of the Academy and a member of the McDowell Society. Additionally, he is a former member of Cornell’s Board of Trustees and a current member of the worldwide board of the Nature Conservancy.

The Class of 1932 established the award at its graduation to recognize former students who have distinguished themselves regionally, nationally, or internationally through their character, service, or achievement.

The Arts at Mercersburg

ART

APPRECIATION Mercersburg has long provided students with a strong foundation in the arts

by Jim Applebaum

On an interior south-facing wall of the new Burgin Center for the Arts, the Fine Arts Memory Wall, a multimedia creation of art teachers (and husband and wife duo) Mark Flowers and Kristy Higby appears as a huge bird taking flight.

Spanning 20 feet, this amazing creation of rich woods and a medley of materials and textures—everything from copper, parchment paper, and paintbrushes to glass, remnants of Boone Hall, and brass printing plates from old yearbooks—is a spectacular montage of the history and currency of the arts at the Academy. The history, of course, is more than a century old; a glee club first performed in 1894, and Stony Batter premiered in 1899.

The wall includes a series of shallow wood containers of exotic hardwoods and

interesting pulls that open to display interactive, laminated spiral-bound books. Up close, they are a treasure of photos of Mercersburg theatre, visual arts, music, and dance.

Research shows that exposure to learning in the arts positively influences students’ disposition to think critically. A study by the College Entrance Examination Board found that students who studied arts and music score an average of 31–50 points higher on the SAT than those who do not participate in artistic pursuits, and the U.S. Department of Education states that “using arts processes to teach academic subjects results not only in improved understanding of content, but it greatly improve[s] selfregulatory behavior.”

Mercersburg has provided its students with just such an education for decades, equipping students with a rich foundation in visual and performing arts. And now, with the opening of the Burgin Center, the arts have a nerve center on campus.

Inside the grand new building, sounds of student instrumentalists drift through the high spaces, dancers stretch in one of the two studios, young actors occupy

themselves with their lines and getting “off book,” and theatre techies learn about lighting and sound or pore over set construction in the ample scene shop. Potters straddle their wheels down on the lower level (gone are the thumping intrusions above Irvine Hall classrooms). A phalanx of young designers lean into computer screens lit up with artistic creations in the digital arts lab, and painters stroke canvas in spacious and naturally lit studios on the upper level. It is a creative caravansary, an eclectic hub of artistic exploration.

The Burgin Center’s 65,500 square feet stretch over and beyond the footprint of what was (for 44 years) Boone Hall.

Figuratively, it rests squarely on the shoulders of many hundreds of alumni whose lives were enriched by the attention of people including Jim Smith, Jay Quinn, Sue Wootton, Nancy Heefner, Joseph (Adams) Adamo ’48, John Kortlander, and Bo Burbank; and before them others including Pratt Tobey, Lucian Bareham, Paul Suerken, and Earle Grover.

The diaspora that was the various venues of Mercersburg’s arts programs until the

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Bryan (left) and Pat Morgan with their stand-ins for an Octet performance.

Bryan Morgan ’07 Hoover, Alabama Instrumental music (clarinet and piano), Vocal music, Stony Batter Music is an essential part of my life. It puts me in a good mood. I start my day with it; it’s like my morning coffee. When I perform, I treat it like a showcase. I hope I can impress people—to make them say, “He can play sports and perform?”

Burgin Center opened its doors is gone.

Today, students eagerly file across the front quad, pass through the glass doors and into an airy lobby where the Cofrin Gallery displays a fine collection of the Academy’s artistic holdings. A knot of musicians heads to the Boone Recital Hall, where the string ensemble will wrestle with a new score. One member of the group, cello player Trenton Woodham ’08, offers how bright and airy the new practice room feels and says it’s great to have ample storage for his instrument. The panorama of the borough and the Tuscarora ridge from the recital hall is breathtaking and the acoustics are first-rate.

“This space opens up many new possibilities for more intimate music performance,” says Richard Rotz, the Academy’s director of music. More than 25 percent of

the student body is involved in the performing arts, and many are superior academic performers—some are athletes as well.

Floor-to-ceiling mirrors and natural lighting create perfect studio conditions for Mercersburg’s young dancers, says Director of Dance Denise Dalton Gray, and having two dance studios expands opportunities for guest professionals to train students.

Meanwhile, student actors pass through one of the main doors and into the Simon Theatre and its striking horseshoe-curved tiers of balconies. Here, in this sophisticated playhouse, they will rehearse a future Stony Batter production on a spacious proscenium stage with full fly-space fronted by an adjustable orchestra pit.

For its official opening in November, the theatre hosted renowned violin virtuoso

Without music, my life would be boring. It wouldn’t be complete. I think music helps shape your character.

The Burgin Center is a comfortable

Clockwise from top left: Tiffany Tseng ’07 prepares for a performance; images and souvenirs from productions past are part of the Fine Arts Memory Wall; Regent Emeritus Charles H. Moore Jr. ’47 talks with students in the Moore Ceramics Studio.

place for the visual and the performing arts. You walk in, and it’s like your mind goes into this artistic zone. There are no distractions. Everyone is doing the things you’re doing.

Pat Morgan ’08 Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania Vocal music, Stony Batter I enjoy performing because, in a sense, I don’t have to be myself. For me it’s not necessarily about the challenge—it’s just fun to do.

I’m glad I came here, because I would never have had the chance to experience this side of myself. Had I stayed at my old school, I don’t think I would have wandered from sports. Here, you can perform and get involved in the arts without being an outcast. It encourages you.

No matter where we end up going to college, we won’t have anything quite as nice as the Burgin Center.

Mercersburg Arts Timeline 1860s

1873

1893

1894

1899

1924

The school hymn is written by Dr. Henry Harbaugh to the tune “Jesus, I Live to Thee.”

It is officially adopted when Dr. William Mann Irvine arrives on campus.

Irving and Marshall societies receive charters, and later establish competitions featuring a variety of different artistic events (readings of essays and stories, poetry, debates, musical performances).

Steps Songs are introduced. They continue today as part of Alumni Weekend.

The first show put on by the Academy Theatrical Club, The Egyptian Mummy, debuts in the Brubaker Opera House on North Main Street.

Stony Batter begins.

The group, of course, is named after James Buchanan’s birthplace.

Mercersburg’s first dance band, The Blue and White Melodians, is created with assistance from Camille Hart Irvine.

They perform at many events on- and offcampus until 1963.

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Alexandra Gekas ’07 Frederick, Maryland Stony Batter I enjoy being a different character and putting on a performance to entertain others. I like the challenges that a new role brings, and I enjoy working with people that are passionate about the arts.

I think being involved in the arts teaches certain life skills; how to communicate with others, how to gain a sense of confidence by being in front of a crowd. It’s different than something you can learn in a classroom.

The Burgin Center is so full of opportunities. We’re privileged to be able to perform in such an amazing place. It’s an opportunity so many people won’t have—everything is at our fingertips here.

Clockwise from left: a Chorale rehearsal in the Chapel; a ballet performance in the Simon Theatre; Matt Salomon conducts an orchestral piece.

Honor Zimmerman ’08 Fayetteville, Pennsylvania Dance, visual arts For me, dance is like a

Itzhak Perlman as well as two principal dancers of the New York City Ballet. Later that month, the Simon Theatre was the venue for a live taping of From the Top, a show heard on 250 National Public Radio stations (page 17).

There is no mistaking the Simon Theatre as an ordinary high school auditorium; it is a first-rate performance venue with outstanding acoustics and lighting. “It’s a little daunting as you make your first entrance onto that stage,” says Emily Joseph ’07, a veteran of three Stony Batter productions. “You really feel as if you are in a professional space, yet there is a real intimacy with the audience.”

Joseph, the arts editor of Blue Review, loves that all the arts are now gathered in

one building: “I think having it all under one roof gives you a special creative spark.”

Theatre director and fine art department head, Laurie Mufson, notes that having all arts in a single place “can only provide new opportunities for Mercersburg students to try themselves in new artistic disciplines, and to experiment with their creative impulses… The Burgin Center is the realization of many dreams.”

While Mercersburg may have gotten off to a fast start in music and theatre (founding headmaster Dr. William Mann Irvine was an avid booster of music and led the school’s glee club for a number of years, while his wife, Camille Hart Irvine, mothered a nascent theatre club),

1941

1947

1962

1980

2000

2005

Jimmy Stewart ’28 wins an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in The Philadelphia Story.

The founding year of the Octet, which was originally called “Eight Sharps” and “Double Quartet”; John Payne ’32 stars with Natalie Wood in the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street.

Boone Hall is completed, and becomes the first real “home” for Stony Batter. The first show in Boone is Silver Whistle, directed by Hampton Abney.

The arts are added to Mercersburg’s academic curriculum.

The Chorale sings at the Washington National Cathedral; Traffic, for which Benicio Del Toro ’85 will earn an Oscar, is released.

Construction begins on the Burgin Center for the Arts.

reward. You express yourself through movement. It’s fulfilling, and it opens many levels of expression and gives people the chance to respond.

I think the arts balances your education more than anything. It educates you about how people really are.

I think the Burgin Center takes the talents that people already have, and furthers and encourages them. It makes people want to try new things—new ways of expression.

And it brings all the arts together.

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J.B. Crawford ’09 Charles Town, West Virginia Visual arts, vocal music I’d been exposed to art before and always liked it; my aunt and uncle are both potters. I took a ceramics course when I got here and fell in love with it. I was in the studio all the time, and I still feel like there’s a lot I haven’t done with it that I can do. I look forward to taking sculpture and drawing classes.

I wouldn’t mind going to art school and studying to become a potter. I could see myself doing this as a career.

I think the arts are a big part of the educational process. It’s like any other area; if you make students take a class in something, it might open their eyes to something they never knew they would be interested

A scene from Pride and Prejudice, the inaugural main-stage production in the Simon Theatre (l-r): Matteo Scammell ’07, Elyse Carr ’07, Matt Kessler ’07, Ashton Vattalana ’09, Alex Gekas ’07.

in. It’s a different side of the world, and it keeps people from being close-minded.

Emily Joseph ’07 Milford, New Jersey Visual arts, Stony Batter I come from an artistic family, so art has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve always been interested in drawing, but my love for painting has really taken off here.

My advanced studio art class, especially, has been open to real creativity. I’ve also become really interested in photography.

The arts are important because they develop elements of creativity. Individual thought is something that you can’t teach—it has to be found inside a person.

You can use the creative elements from the arts in conjunction with math, science, and other areas to make real progress.

With everything going on in the Burgin Center, kids are more likely to take another look at the arts here and get involved. It brings the arts into everyday life. And I can work in the studios upstairs [on painting and drawing] and just go downstairs for Stony Batter rehearsals.

the arts played second fiddle to athletics at the all-male Mercersburg (as at many similar boarding schools) until coeducation raised the ante. Headmaster Walter H. Burgin Jr. ’53 brought an interest in the arts that furthered an institution seeking to attract women as well as men, and studio art as an academic discipline was established on campus.

Lean financial circumstances hampered Mercersburg’s investment in a broad and articulated visual and performing arts program until the 1990s. But a far-seeing and activist Board of Regents and an amenable administration, understanding the worth of the arts to a selective college preparatory institution, gave priority to what was a historically rich but financially poor aspect of the educational and co-curricular program. Some of the Academy’s biggest supporters (see box, page 21) have made the Burgin Center, and the Mercersburg of today, a reality.

The 1993 remodeling of Irvine Hall made ample room for studio art, and the arrival of Douglas Hale as head of school, in 1997, brought a leader with a dynamic vision of the arts as a full partner to the educational mix of a successful coeducational boarding school.

Along with like-minded regents, Hale got to work. In 1998, coinciding with the launch

of the ambitious and successful Mightily Onward capital campaign, Mercersburg’s original academic courses in theatre were created when the Academy’s first professionally trained, full-time theatre director arrived (Mufson). In short order, the music program was broadened under a newly hired but veteran music director (Rotz), who established new performance groups.

Dance came to Mercersburg during this period, too—quickly capturing the imagination and energy of cohorts of coeds. Yet Boone Hall, built to an older vision of the performing arts, was straining under the demands being made on it as the new century arrived.

Happily, that was to change. The arts at Mercersburg had achieved critical mass.

Two of the Burgin Center’s three floors contain visual arts studios for ceramics, digital work, drawing, and painting.

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Live, From the Top Radio broadcast takes the Burgin Center nationwide

In their first days of life, very few performing-arts venues are fortunate enough to host the likes of virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman or a group of young musicians billed as future successors to the world’s most talented instrumentalists and vocalists.

But in its first season, the Burgin Center for the Arts has done both. Less than a month after presenting Perlman and members of the New York City Ballet, the Burgin Center’s Simon Theatre was the setting for a November 28 taping of From the Top, one of public radio’s most-heard programs.

Perhaps best described as Live from Lincoln Center meets A Prairie Home Companion, From the Top celebrates the excellence of America’s best young classical musicians—and doesn’t take itself too seriously in the process. The show featured five student musicians, including Mercersburg’s own Julie Sohn ’09, during the taping of the hour-long program.

In early January, the show broadcast on 250 National Public Radio stations across the country, reaching 750,000 listeners.

Additionally, local NBC affiliate WHAG-25 visited campus to interview Sohn and Mercersburg faculty about the show and the new Burgin Center.

Sohn, a pianist and native of South Korea who has lived in Canada and New Jersey, was joined on the show by student guest musicians Benjamin Hyman (voice) of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; Priscilla Wadsworth (flute) of West Blocton, Alabama; Alexis Smith (trombone) of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and Piotr Filochowski (violin) of Saddle Brook, New Jersey (by way of Poland). She performed the opening movement of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 in C Minor to a thunderous reception from the assembled audience of students and faculty members.

“It was just a wonderful experience for me to share my music and my life story with others, and to meet other musicians who are just great both, in musicianship and personality,” Sohn said after her performance. “I was overwrought before the taping, but [afterward], I felt like I was dreaming!”

She also chatted and participated in a skit with host Christopher O’Riley and announcer Joanne Robinson about what O’Riley called “the most mapped-out future for a student performer we may have ever seen.” Sohn, who often travels 12 hours round trip by car, train, and taxi to study with her piano teacher in New York City, hopes to attend Princeton University and Yale Law School before embarking on a career in corporate law and philanthropy. Her brother, Lawrence Sohn ’08, also attends Mercersburg.

From the Top is a Boston-based non-profit that calls the New England Conservatory of Music’s Jordan Hall its home. Through the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and support from foundations and individuals, From the Top supports young people ages 9–18 who are committed to music and the arts. More information, including show archives, is online at FromtheTop.org.

Top photo: Julie Sohn ’09 at the piano. Bottom photo (l-r): Benjamin Hyman, Piotr Filochowski, host Christopher O’Riley, Sohn, Alexis Smith, Priscilla Wadsworth.

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Walls of glass on all four sides of the Burgin Center invite the outside world in, and the inside world out. Below, the Cofrin Gallery doubles as the building’s front lobby and exhibition space.

Maxwell MacKenzie

Jeff Goldberg/Esto

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FORM MEETS

Jeff Goldberg/Esto

FUNCTION

Maxwell MacKenzie

The Burgin Center is a new home for the arts and a work of art itself

by Matthew Kearney

he curtain of Tuscaroras encompassing Mercersburg Academy serves as a gorgeous frame for the various architectural gems that lend Mercersburg its well-reputed beauty. Architects designed many campus buildings with the surrounding landscape in mind. The aesthetic value of the Burgin Center for the Arts, for example, relies heavily on this intent in design.

People can quarrel over aesthetic values, and they have throughout history.

In this transient world, however, we probably

T

will not debate the extent to which the art of architecture gives the human landscape fixed points of aesthetic reference. As Head of School Douglas Hale says, “Architecture is one of the purest forms of art.”

In its grand way, the Burgin Center proffers the sort of artistic reference point to which we can respond again and again. It would be regrettable if in our habits of thinking about the arts occurring in the building, we forget that the building itself is a work of art. Myriad artistic endeavors thrive inside the Burgin Center for the Arts, and yet the Burgin Center itself is its own architectural— and thus, artistic—achievement.

The building, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, a New York-based firm, rises dynamically and energetically into the aesthetic moments it creates. The floorto-ceiling glass that sheathes its outer wall allows the interplay between the internal space and external space, which emphasizes the very engagement with landscape the architects intended. It also creates a wondrous luminosity when lit at night.

With the vastness of the campus and the immense backdrop of the landscape, the building responds well to the scale of the campus and its other structures. The multileveled building fits nicely into the sloped

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Jeff Goldberg/Esto

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Maxwell MacKenzie

site that welcomes it, and the Pennsylvania limestone marries it to the architecture of many of the other buildings on campus and to the indigenous landscape.

“Looking down the quad at Irvine and Lenfest, you see an extensive use of glass and contemporary architecture,” Hale says.

“I think they made it work well in that context. The design is an elegant solution to the space the building occupies.”

At the same time, Hale points to the fact that the Burgin Center resonates with a classical structure. “While it is very contemporary, it is very classical,” he observes.

“It is a modern iteration of a very simple, classical design, like the Parthenon. Its democratic, open nature keeps it from turning its back on the town. It is gorgeous from all sides.

Maxwell MacKenzie

“The small details—the copper, the teak, the Pennsylvania limestone—are all so wonderfully blended. A distinctive part of the beauty lies in the details.”

Attributing a spirit of life to the building, Hale suggests one take note of the building at different times during the day. As the light plays with the glass and other textures, the building changes for the viewer.

“It changes shades with the light,” he says.

“It feels alive during the day, the evening. Its appearance vibrantly shifts; sometimes it’s gray, sometimes it’s blue. Sometimes it shimmers in the mists.” For Hale, the building is “a living, working, functioning piece of art” that is compelling in all sorts of ways and that fits into the campus infrastructure wonderfully.

When driving down Constitution Avenue or looking across the quad, one cannot help

but feel absorbed by the sight of the building. It is majestic, yet simple; modern, yet classical; functional, yet art—a living set of paradoxes that embolden its aesthetic vibrancy. Polshek Partnership Architects clearly paid attention to the practical needs of the Academy when crafting its plans, but well beyond that, the firm responded to the landscape, the other architecture with which the building would be engaged, the culture of the school, and an array of other aesthetic concerns.

As a result, Mercersburg now possesses this gorgeous building, this piece of art.

Clockwise from left: instrumental rehearsal in Boone Recital Hall; the Cofrin Gallery illuminated at night; a suspended staircase in Boone Atrium.

Facing page: a view from the Simon Theatre stage.

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Maxwell MacKenzie

At a Glance: Burgin Center for the Arts Named for Former Headmaster Walter H. Burgin Jr. ’53 and wife, Barbara (naming gift from Marguerite and H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest ’49) Total square feet 65,500 Location Site formerly occupied by Boone Hall Construction time Approximately 20 months Designer Polshek Partnership Architects Notable spaces Simon Theatre (Deborah Simon ’74): 599-seat proscenium theatre Hale Studio Theatre (Edgar ’48 and Margery Masinter, in honor of Douglas Hale): seating for up to 120, black box theatre Boone Atrium and Recital Hall (Josephine Ammerman and Andrew Ammerman ’68, in memory of Vice Admiral Joel T. Boone ’09): space for rehearsal and performance; atrium includes a pair of suspended staircases Cofrin Gallery (Dr. and Mrs. David A. Cofrin, David H. Cofrin ’66, and Paige W. Cofrin ’70): home to paintings, sculptures, and other works from the Academy’s permanent collection

Other interesting facts • Designed so that the surrounding landscape is visible from nearly all points inside the building • All rooms are wired for recording capability (from an inside studio) • The rear elevator, which runs from scenery shop to Simon Theatre stage, holds up to 12,000 pounds and is large enough to transport a Volkswagen Beetle • Reeder Dance Studio is identical in size to the Simon Theatre stage, giving stage productions additional rehearsal space • Moore Ceramics Studio includes three kilns; gas hookups for additional kilns are outside the building New endowed funds for the arts Deborah Joy Simon ’74 Endowed Fund for the Arts Distler Family Fund for Guest Artists and Student Arts Travel Palmer Chair for the Fine Arts Reeder Family Fund for the Performing Arts

International Architecture Exhibition to Feature Burgin Center The Burgin Center for the Arts is one of 17 venues chosen for exhibition in the United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s contribution to the Architecture and Technology Section of Prague Quadrennial 2007.

The theme for the American entry in the international competition, which is held every four years, is architecture for training facilities for the performing arts in the U.S. Polshek Partnership Architects of New York, whose projects have included cultural, educational, governmental and scientific institutions, designed the Burgin Center. Some of Polshek’s performing arts work includes the Santa Fe [New Mexico] Opera Theatre, the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, and renovations and expansions to New York’s Carnegie Hall and Ed Sullivan Theater.

The Prague exhibition will be held in June, and will feature exhibits from more than 50 countries.

1,057 Words It almost glows. The Burgin Center for the Arts, with its 65,500 square

feet of performance and rehearsal space, visual art and dance studios, and digital classrooms for all kinds of creative exploration, is already at work producing tomorrow’s artists and performers.

So look closely—you just might see a passion being shaped or a career being born.

Maxwell MacKenzie

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Starry Night

The new Burgin Center for the Arts was in such high demand last fall that it couldn’t wait for a grand-opening celebration to open its doors. But alumni, friends, and invited guests nonetheless traveled from far and wide (and all corners of the world) to witness the dedication of the building and the festivities surrounding it November 3–4 in Mercersburg.

The weekend kicked off with a school meeting for students featuring Academy Award–winning actor Benicio Del Toro ’85, (see profile on page 33) whose love of painting as a student planted a creative seed for a career in Hollywood. Following a questionand-answer session with students, Del Toro

Itzhak Perlman, Benicio Del Toro join students, alumni in Burgin Center kick-off festivities

and actress Anne Reeder ’00 hosted afternoon workshops. Later that evening, a student dance concert graced the Simon Theatre stage.

Saturday featured a midday ribboncutting and dedication ceremony honoring former headmaster Walter H. Burgin Jr. ’53 and wife, Barbara, for whom the 65,500square foot building is named. The event followed the closing of Board of Regents meetings; board members, including president Denise Dupre ’76, and former presidents H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest ’49, Edgar Masinter ’48, and William Zimmerman ’67, cut the official Mercersburg-blue ribbon and welcomed guests, including producer Michael Davies ’85 and photographer

William Wegman, to an afternoon of student performances.

An evening concert featured worldrenowned virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman (made possible by families of Mercersburg’s Korean students) and New York City Ballet principal dancers Yvonne Borree and Nikolaj Hübbe in “Duo Concertant,” a piece donated for the evening by Kay Mazzo-Bellas, its original dancer. Attendees included supporters and members of the Board of Regents whose vision made the building possible.

Prior to the opening weekend, the facility had already hosted two student theatre productions, as well as numerous concerts, lectures, school meetings, and other events.

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“Winston Churchill once observed, ‘First we shape our buildings, then they shape us.’ You have helped shape this building, and it is already beginning to reshape our school. Everyone who cares about Mercersburg is in your debt.”

Former headmaster Walter Burgin ’53

Clockwise from top left: the ribbon is cut; Walter Burgin ’53 (back row, far right) with members of the Burgin family including William Wegman (back row, fourth from left); Deborah Simon ’74; Polshek Partnership’s Timothy Hartung (far left) and wife Holly Ross, Susan Strauss (second from right) and Todd Schliemann (far right) with Doug Hale (center); students enjoy an impromptu concert in the Cofrin Gallery; Andrew Graham ’07 speaks; Barbara Burgin and Denise Dupre ’76; Josephine Ammerman (center) with Evan Pavloff ’09 and Pat Galey ’07; Kay MazzoBellas, Nikolaj Hübbe and Yvonne Borree in rehearsal.

“This building is amazing. It’s a statement about how important the arts are here.”

Academy Awardwinning actor Benicio Del Toro ’85

Mercersburg Profiles

O

ne worked on the film Kiss Kiss Bang

Bang. Another appeared on television’s Lost and Entourage. Still another won an Oscar for his role in Traffic. And one more has his art displayed at the Met. And the Guggenheim. And the Hirshhorn.

They, of course, are Mercersburg Academy alumni. It’s not surprising that Mercersburg, with its rich history of visual and performing arts education, would produce a crop of such outstanding creative artists. But reading through the following profiles, one is reminded of the volume and variety of talent that once called the Academy home.

Bill Mikita ’73, whose brother, Steve, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, has dedicated himself to bringing Steve’s story to the big screen. “I had a lot of faith in myself, and had a lot of passion about wanting to succeed in telling this story,” he says in the profile that begins on page 30. “I made a deal with myself that I would do everything I could to get this movie made, but I wouldn’t lose my family or my faith over it.”

Mercersburg is proud to have Mikita, and all of the following alumni, as members of its academic family. For more about Steve and Bill’s story, as well as other success stories, read on.

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The artwork (left) and members of the Burbank family

The Burbank Bunch Bo Burbank and his six kids leave their indelible mark Bo Burbank spent nearly 35 years on the Mercersburg faculty (1962–96),

Eclectic Visuals from the Burbank Family Studios, an exhibition that ran last

and wore more than a few hats. Burbank served the Academy as chair of

fall at the Robert Lehman Art Center in North Andover, Massachusetts.

the mathematics and art departments, as a squash, tennis, swimming, and football coach, and as a parent—he and his wife, Eloise, sent all six of their children to Mercersburg.

Today, that sextet of Mercersburg graduates—Brad Burbank ’76,

Visitors to the exhibition encountered a variety of pieces, from paintings and sculpture to woodworking, photography, weaving, and mixed media.

Bo and Eloise’s cottage on the shore of Massachusetts’ Buzzards Bay has essentially become home base for the family’s artistic pursuits. Six of the 11

Charlotte Burbank Fiorentino ’80, Doug Burbank ’81, Tim Burbank ’83, Amy

Burbanks are based in Massachusetts. Amy, her husband, Chris Kelaher ’88,

Burbank Kelaher ’89, and Sarah Burbank ’95—is part of three generations of

and Brad and Tina all live in Tucson, Arizona, where Amy weaves, Brad builds

Burbanks involved together in art. Eleven members of the family, from Bo and

Hollywood sets, and Tina paints and crafts jewelry. Sarah is a quilter and

Eloise to the six children, as well as Doug’s wife, Bobbie Crump-Burbank, son,

painter in Costa Rica, and Tim, who lives in Barrington, Rhode Island, works as

Andrés Burbank-Crump, and Brad’s wife, Tina Burbank, contributed work to

a decorative artist and has an on-going artistic partnership with Bo.

Acting on Her Instincts Anne Reeder turns a childhood passion into her life’s work Anne Reeder ’00 had been interested since childhood in plays, ballets, and musicals, but it was at the Academy where she truly immersed herself in the arts. She was active in Stony Batter productions (a favorite role was “Leading Player” in the musical Pippin) as well as dance and art classes, sang in the Chorale and Women’s Ensemble (now Magalia), and even helped build the former dance studio in Boone Hall. Her on-screen credits include The Bold and the Beautiful and the Showtime series Brotherhood.

FASH I ONING A NE W PAT H Lawyer-turned-designer Liz Logie creates shirts for working women

by Annie Kimsey

L

Liz Logie ’81 has seen her name adorn an office at a New York City law practice and the mailbox at her Connecticut house where she stayed at home with her three children. Today, though, “Liz Logie” can be found in a much different location—the label of fine women’s shirts.

Armed with degrees from Yale University and Georgetown University Law School, Logie (who serves on the Academy’s Board of Regents) spent several years at a New York City practice before deciding on career No. 2 as a stay-at-home mom.

With her husband, Scott, in corporate bond trading, Logie cared for the couple’s two sons, Jackson and Emerson, and daughter, Ryan.

But after several years, Logie could no longer ignore an itch to seek out something new, so a leap of faith landed her in night classes at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

“It was so creative and so new compared to what I had done before,” Logie says. “I began to think I should make something and really use my talent and love for creating.” Always a fan of the design of men’s shirts—“I loved the way my husband’s shirts always had sturdy collars and cuffs, and I wanted that kind of shirt for a woman”—she decided she could make her mark in the field of fashion production.

With $25,000 borrowed from her father and help from Frank Rostron, an Englishman well connected in the garment

industry, Logie crafted a prototype and began production of the first Liz Logie– branded shirts.

“I knew I wanted to use European cotton, so I began looking for an Italian, Swiss, or Portuguese clothing mill to work with,” she says. “I started with stripes and solids. In the last two years, I’ve focused on prints.”

Logie’s shirts are crafted from brightly colored European fabrics and are often adorned with intricate (and even vintage) patterns and designs. The first Logie-

The company outgrew its former home (a small workroom in New Jersey) and now manages production at The Fall River Shirt Company, a 100-year-old factory in the historic mill town of Fall River, Massachusetts.

“My labels have a flag on them,” Logie says. “I’m philosophically committed to garments ‘made in America,’ and I try hard to stay true to that spirit.”

Logie’s old field of law is known for its long hours, but she says the shirt business is much more time consuming. “You can’t

“ I’M PH IL O S O PH IC A L L Y C OMMIT T E D T O GA R ME N T S ‘MA DE IN A ME R IC A , ’ A N D I T R Y H A RD T O S T A Y T R U E T O T H A T S PIR IT . ” produced shirt debuted five years ago; today, about 4,000 shirts are sold annually in stores ranging from Barney’s New York and Neiman-Marcus to more than 50 small boutiques nationwide. Katie Couric has even worn Liz Logie shirts on the air. But Logie’s biggest media buyers are Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts of Good Morning America.

With several collections of shirts, including a holiday line featuring silkier, glitzier items, Logie’s merchandise typically appeals to working women between 35 and 55, though her shirts can be found on the backs of women of all ages.

The Liz Logie 2007 line is expanding to include 10 shirt styles, four jackets, three vests, one coat, and two skirt styles.

imagine the wheels that have to turn to make one shirt,” she says. “But I’m my own boss, and I control my own hours and set my standards. And I do have more flexibility in my job than before.

“I wear so many hats and have so many tasks. I have to do everything on my own that a big company does.”

And her legal training has helped her navigate the sometimes-treacherous waters of fashion.

“I think education makes you better no matter what [you end up doing],” she says.

“I can use logic and analyze, and I can figure out a process from A to B. Because I was in corporate law, I was exposed to business… and I can write a wicked collection letter to people who owe me money.”

Liz Logie ’81

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

BON D OF BROT HE R S A family’s story goes from Bill Mikita’s pen to the big screen

The Cincinnati Enquirer/Michael Keating

by Lee Owen

Bill Mikita ’73 with memorabilia from his family’s beloved Pittsburgh Pirates, who figure prominently in Chasing 3000

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What happens when a 32-year old father of three from Cincinnati decides he wants to make a movie?

In the case of Bill Mikita ’73, his 20-year odyssey to bring his family’s story to the big screen is nearing its conclusion. Chasing 3000, starring Ray Liotta, Rory Culkin, Trevor Morgan, and Lauren Holly, should open in theatres in 2007, but the events leading up to it begin several decades before.

Bill Mikita was a regular kid and star athlete growing up in Steubenville, Ohio. The life of his brother, Steve Mikita, was different: he was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy that denied him the ability to walk and would later cost him the use of his arms. Few children live past age 12 with the disease, and even fewer make it to 18. Doctors gave Steve little chance to survive until his second birthday.

But Steve’s mind—and spirit—were far from deterred. Spurred on to overcome his physical limitations, Steve Mikita did survive, and has thrived. He became the first wheelchair freshman in the history of Duke University, and worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee while pursuing his law degree. For the past 24 years, he has served as Utah’s assistant attorney general. “The doctors told us that they’ve never seen anyone anywhere live as long [with the disease] as he has,” Bill Mikita says.

Bill Mikita (who is a year older than Steve) came to Mercersburg in January of his 11th-grade year, in the middle of basketball season. By the end of that season he was the basketball team’s starting point guard, a position he didn’t relinquish until graduation. He went on to graduate from the University of Cincinnati and

Ohio Northern University’s law school, and today is a partner in the Cincinnati firm of O’Connor, Mikita & Davidson.

“I always thought I was a pretty good writer,” Mikita says. “I thought I had a knack for creative writing, although I never really expressed it to anyone. I didn’t really think it was a practical thing, and I guess I thought that no one would understand.”

That would change when Bill and Steve’s mother, Mildred, died suddenly of a brain tumor at age 61. “All of a sudden it hit me that my life could be half over, and so I needed to do what I wanted to do,” Mikita says. “And I wanted to write.

“I had always loved the movies. I even remember at Mercersburg, the one time we were allowed off campus was to go to eat and go to the movies at the little theatre in town.

So I decided I wanted to write a movie.”

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

On the set of Chasing 3000 (l-r): Trevor Morgan, Bill Mikita, Rory Culkin

31

Field of Dreams Andrew Wentzel’s bass-baritone warms up Tennessee football fans How many opera singers have performed both at the Met and before crowds of more than 100,000 people?

Mikita flew to Los Angeles and, through a friend who worked at Disney, was able to make some contacts. He was quickly told that there were two ways to get into the movie business.

“The first was to be a gofer,” he says. “I had kids [his wife, Patricia, was pregnant with their fourth child at the time] and I was almost 32 years old, so I had to hope the second way was better.

“No. 2 is that you have something somebody wants. So I thought for the rest of the day about what I had that somebody else wants, and I figured out that I had the story of my family.”

Mikita bought several books on how to write a screenplay, and obviously had little trouble finding inspiration.

“I think my mother and father gave my

lot of passion about wanting to succeed in telling this story. I made a deal with myself that I would do everything I could to get this movie made, but I wouldn’t lose my family or my faith over it.”

Mikita returned to Cincinnati, but kept working on pitching the script (and wrote five more screenplays, including an action script, a legal thriller, and a comedy).

Eventually, Mikita found a match for Chasing 3000 in independent producer Ryan Johnson. Financing was arranged for the film through Mark Motley, a friend of Mikita’s from Cincinnati. Roles were cast, with Liotta playing the adult incarnation of Mickey (the character based on Bill Mikita). Culkin and Morgan were cast as the two brothers. The movie was shot during the winter and spring of 2006, and a

Andrew Wentzel ’69 has done both.

Wentzel, an associate professor of music at the University of Tennessee and a sought-after bass-baritone, is the official “Anthem Man” at Tennessee home football games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, the second-largest college football stadium in the country. Put all those big crowds together, and Wentzel has sung for more than 4 million pairs of ears.

He is a regular with major symphony orchestras such as the National Symphony and Boston Symphony, and is an in-demand recitalist. Wentzel has been featured from Philadelphia to Tokyo and Spokane to Spoleto, Italy. It’s a long way from “singing with the Octet at some hunting lodge, warming up in a little room while a herd of cows stuck their noses up against the screen windows.

“I T HOU GHT I HAD A K N A C K FOR CREAT IVE W R IT ING, ALT H O U GH I N E VE R REA LLY E XPR E S S E D IT TO A N YO N E . ”

“I remember countless hours under the tutelage of Jim Smith and Paul Suerken… and the opportunity to be ‘in residence’ at some girls’ schools under the guise of singing some

brother his vision, that his life shouldn’t be limited because he couldn’t walk,” Mikita says. “My father always told him that if Franklin Delano Roosevelt could do it, he could, too.”

Mikita penned the story of two brothers, based on his and Steve’s childhood experiences in Steubenville. In the script, the boys set out on a cross-country journey from California to Pittsburgh in 1972 in the hopes of seeing their baseball hero, Roberto Clemente, collect his 3,000th career hit.

He showed the script to some people in L.A., but the script remained unsold. And with a wife and family back in Cincinnati, Mikita couldn’t remain in Hollywood indefinitely.

“Maybe my family thought I was a little crazy,” Mikita says. “But they realized after all this that it wasn’t some midlife crisis— I had a lot of faith in myself, and had a

distribution deal is in the works. Mikita says he’s “pretty confident” the film will be in theatres this year.

“Like a lot of things in life, it’s taking longer than we thought,” he says. “But I’ve probably learned more in the last 18 months than in the previous 12 years.”

Steve Mikita turned 51 in December, and is in good health. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, is a sought-after motivational speaker (appearing before organizations as diverse as Americorps, Prudential Securities, and the United States Tennis Association), and is the author of a 2006 book on how to be an effective parent to a disabled child.

Bill Mikita has been able to screen the finished version of the film for his family and some of the investors. “I was thrilled,” he says. “The only word to describe it is ‘surreal.’”

of the great choral literature,” Wentzel says.

“We did sing some of that literature on those occasions, but the payoff was more than musical.” (Mercersburg, of course, was an allmale school then.)

Wentzel holds a bachelor’s from Middlebury College and a master’s of music from the University of Southern California.

He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1985. His appearances this season include the world premiere production of Stephen Hartke’s The Greater Good or the Passion of Boule de Suif with Glimmerglass Opera.

As for Wentzel’s football engagements, the Tennessee Vols rebounded from an out-of-character 5–6 campaign a year ago to reach a New Year’s Day bowl this season.

Wonder if “The Star-Spangled Banner” had anything to do with it?

–Lee Owen

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Checking in with...

Sean (Perelman) Kanan ’85,

Heart of darkness Jamie Wollrab directs tales of political turmoil

has landed starring roles in General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful and guest appearances on Who’s The Boss, Walker, Texas Ranger and The Nanny. Kanan, son of Dale Perelman ’59, also played in The Karate Kid, Part III and produced and starred in the indie film Hack!

Painter and lithographer William Clutz ’51 has works on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and Washington, D.C.’s Hirshhorn. His art is also part of collections at Harvard University, New York University—and, naturally, Mercersburg’s own Burgin Center for the Arts.

Publicity poster for Two Rooms, directed by Jamie Wollrab ’95 (right)

Karen Craig ’81 works as a freelance artist, graphic designer and toy designer.

Craig also oversaw product design at Nickelodeon before moving to Woodstock, New York, where she has branched out into children’s book concepts and freelance graphic design for dozens of children’s toys, games, and clothes.

Vanessa Branch ’90, who makes her third appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy this summer, has also landed parts on TV’s Lost, Entourage, and Gilmore Girls. Branch is also the Orbit Gum spokeswoman and will star alongside Andy Richter in the upcoming NBC comedy series Andy Barker P.I. Steve Rooks ’73, the 2003 winner of the Alumni Council’s Distinguished Alumni Award, is resident choreographer and associate professor of dance at Vassar College. Rooks was a founding faculty member of Howard University’s Dance Degree Program, and he serves as a guest instructor at the Alvin Ailey

The resume of Los Angeles-based director, actor, and producer Jamie Wollrab ’95 stretches from off-Broadway to off-off-Broadway and stages nationwide, as well as to the silver screen (his film credits include the 2005 movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which starred Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer).

Last summer, Wollrab directed Lee Blessing’s Two Rooms at the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica, California. The play tells the story of an American professor held hostage in the early 1980s during the Lebanese Civil War and his wife at home in the U.S. In the following Q&A with Mercersburg magazine, Wollrab talks about Two Rooms, political theatre, and his future plans.

MM: On the surface Two Rooms is a pretty dark play—it feels like Beckett with hostages at points. Were you ever worried about scaring an audience off?

Wollrab: In this culture we are so afraid of dark feelings—grief, despair, helplessness.

But I thought the only way to touch the audience here was somehow to embrace and process those emotions.… We, as artists, have a responsibility to face those

and Martha Graham Schools of Dance.

ADDITIONAL AND EXPANDED PROFILES ONLINE:

feelings and hone them into a message, and by doing so, hopefully we are able to tell the audience that this ride will be worthwhile.

MM: Any time a piece of art deals overtly with issues of current events or politics it runs the risk of sounding preachy, hollow, or just boring. Did that concern you here?

Wollrab: If you find the beauty and flaws in the characters, you don’t have to worry as much about the preachy aspect. Preachy only comes when you lack humility, and in rehearsal we definitely tried to avoid the soapbox.

MM: Theatre critic Jeff Favre said that your

production of Two Rooms “offers a lot to think about, though not much of it is optimistic.” So what’s next? Something lighter, maybe?

Wollrab: In April, I’ll be directing the West Coast premiere of Elizabeth Meriwether’s The Mistakes Madeline Made, which ran at the Yale Rep this fall. It is a comedy. And I’m ready to laugh. Two Rooms was great, but I’m ready for something ridiculous.

—Jay Sullivan

www.mercersburg.edu

TH E UNU S U AL S U S PE C T Benicio Del Toro’s unique road to on-screen stardom

by Lee Owen

G

Wars: The Camarena Story) to a Growing up as a basketball star and Madonna video (“La Isla Bonita”) painter is hardly the normal route and more movies (Christopher for becoming an Academy Award– Columbus: The Discovery, China winning actor.

Moon) before the role that many Yet Benicio Del Toro ’85, who consider his breakout performance captured the famous Oscar statuto that point: the portrayal of wiseette for Best Supporting Actor in “FOR ME , A C T IN G IS L IK E cracking Fred Fenster in 1995’s 2000 following his performance in PU T T ING E L E ME N T S OF PA IN T IN G The Usual Suspects alongside the Traffic, describes basketball and art AND S PO R T S T OGE T H E R . ” likes of Chazz Palminteri, Stephen as his two main loves during his Baldwin, and Kevin Spacey (who four years at Mercersburg. Del Toro co-captained the men’s basketball team and and there is an element of team when you won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film). spent long hours in the Academy’s art studio do movies.”

Del Toro says that he often incorporates Del Toro’s first formal training in actworking on his craft—at least, that is, when he wasn’t enjoying his status as Big Man ing was a class he took at the University of pieces of his personality—and of people he on Campus or yelling Mick Jagger lyrics at California at San Diego. “College is like a knows and stories he’s heard—into the charBritish friend (and future Hollywood col- piece of cake compared to Mercersburg,” acters he plays. Preparation for a role involves he told students during a question-and- exhaustive research. “In some ways, it’s a lot league) Michael Davies ’85.

Del Toro spent his early childhood years answer session, “and I wanted to make my like being a journalist,” he says. “When you in Puerto Rico before coming to the United schedule ‘very easy,’ so I signed up for an study the problems and issues your character States at age 12 and later following the acting class. And I discovered I could really faces, you’re able to understand those problems and start building a character. footsteps of his grandfather, grandfather’s put my energy into acting.”

“For me, [the research] is the most fun Del Toro considers his big break to be a brother, and several cousins and uncles to Mercersburg. And while he didn’t participate scholarship to the Stella Adler Conservatory thing about working in the movies. With in stage productions during his Academy in Hollywood, where he studied the every character I play, I feel like I underyears, the foundation for Del Toro’s future Stanislavski Method of acting (others pupils stand life a little better.”

And no matter how many statuettes he of the discipline include Gene Hackman, career in acting was laid here.

“For me, acting is like putting ele- Meryl Streep, and Morgan Freeman). He has in common with Jack Nicholson, Del ments of painting and sports together,” was in Los Angeles for a weekend, audi- Toro looks back proudly on his days in Fowle Hall, representing the Marshall Society, and Del Toro said during a visit to campus in tioned, and was accepted.

In 1989, Del Toro became the youngest his entire Mercersburg experience.

November for the grand opening of the “I have great memories of Mercersburg,” Burgin Center for the Arts. “And I think a actor ever to portray a villain in a James sense of composition from painting class Bond film (Licence to Kill; he was 21 when he says. “If I had kids, I’d ask them if they here played out in what I do now on more the film was made). Appearances followed wanted to come here—and then I’d send levels than one. Basketball is a team sport, in everything from a TV miniseries (Drug them here.”

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

TH E WR IT E ST U FF From tennis star to Hollywood hot shot, Will Davies has ‘it’

by Lee Owen

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Will Davies ’79 has enjoyed quite a ride before, during, and following his Mercersburg experience. Such is life as both a father of twins and a father of Twins.

Davies, who grew up in London and came to Mercersburg in January 1979 on an English-Speaking Union (ESU) scholarship, is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after screenwriters. His credits include Grumpy Old Men, GoldenEye, the current animated hit Flushed Away, and a certain late-1980s comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as long-lost twin brothers.

Before he broke into the blockbuster business, Davies starred on Mercersburg’s tennis team, cruised around town with a Secret Service detail (not his own—we’ll get to that later), traveled the globe while writing a book with tennis star John McEnroe, and covered Super Bowls and America’s Cups as a sportswriter.

As a high schooler in the Blackheath section of London, Davies remembers a full day of interviews with the EnglishSpeaking Union, an organization that awards scholarships for students from English-speaking countries to study abroad, in the hopes that he could study in America before entering Cambridge University. (The process would be repeated six years later by his younger brother, Michael ’85—see accompanying page).

The ESU selects destinations for successful applicants, and sent Davies to Mercersburg. Thirty years later, Davies still describes the months he spent at the Academy as “absolutely fantastic.”

“In those days, not many people had the opportunity to go back and forth between England and the United States,” he says.

“It was an eye-opening experience in every way. Being over here was great, and getting

to know so many people [in America] made me want to come back.”

Davies lived in Main Hall and struck up immediate friendships with fellow athlete Lacy Rice III ’79 and others. “Everything about Mercersburg was so American—they all seemed like they loved bluegrass music, and here I am, very English,” Davies says.

“But it was a completely different thing than I’d ever experienced. I think Mercersburg made me much more outgoing.”

Davies played line No. 1 on the tennis team and helped the Blue Devils, as they were then known, to a 10–4 mark which included wins over “a load of teams we’d been losing to before, which was really great,” he says. Tennis at Mercersburg also allowed Davies his first brush with fame; the summer after enrolling at Cambridge, he returned to teach at the Academy’s tennis camp. Among the campers was President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy.

Images © 2006 DreamWorks Animation LLC and Aardman Animations Ltd. Flushed Away ™ DreamWorks Animation LLC

Flushed Away featured the voices of Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet, and the screenplay of Will Davies ’79.

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

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Will Davies ’79

“We’d all go out to eat in town, and there would be an entire Secret Service detail with us,” he recalls. “It was the most fantastic time.”

The year following his graduation from Cambridge, Davies found himself ghostwriting a book for McEnroe, who in the early 1980s was arguably tennis’s biggest star. The book, Tournament Tough, was written with McEnroe and his coach, Carlos Goffi, and would help Davies land a position as a sports and feature writer at London’s Daily Mail.

At this point, Davies was living a pretty nice life by any stretch. But he was determined to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter. So with his writing partner, fellow ESU scholar Will Osborne (who had attended the Robert Louis Stevenson School in northern California through the same program), Davies set out to create

a killer comedy script that would take Hollywood by storm.

“We wrote our first screenplay in three weeks,” Davies remembers, “and it was horrible. We threw it in the trash.” But the pair kept writing and eventually settled on a pair of scripts to pitch to bigwigs in the industry.

They were unable to generate any interest in the scripts in England, so they decided to try their luck in California.

“We found a guy who knew somebody, and after just one trip, we were in the business,” Davies says. Both of the screenplays were sold, but more importantly, news of the sales appeared in the trade magazines, including Variety—meaning that all of a sudden, the pair could get an agent and commission a deal.

The agent was able to arrange a meeting between Davies, Osborne, and Ghostbusters producer Ivan Reitman. “He told us he

Stranger than Fiction

his “gap year” before college, just as his older broth-

Michael Davies is the creative force behind successful reality TV shows.

wanted to do a comedy with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and asked us to pitch him three ideas,” Davies says. “The third and last idea ended up turning into the script for Twins.”

More recently, Davies worked on Flushed Away. “It was such great fun to do, even though I’d never been a part of anything animated before,” he says.

Speaking of animation, Davies’ next big project is the highly anticipated Shrek the Third, which is due out this May. He’s also working with DreamWorks on a possible Shrek spinoff and a 2009 release called How to Tame Your Dragon.

Davies and domestic partner Sarah Wilson have the aforementioned twin girls (almost two years old) and three older sons (ages 15, 14 and 10); and if that’s not all, the couple also runs a British production company together.

er, Will ’79, had before him (previous page). Both Davies brothers attended Mercersburg via scholarships awarded by the English-Speaking Union.

If you’re a fan of reality television, you have Michael Davies ’85 to thank.

No one had a better seat for Who Wants to

A budding television executive’s career was born in the common room of Fowle Hall, the television lounge in Ford Hall or anywhere else

Be a Millionaire?’s meteoric sprint to the front of

Davies could find a set. “I saw Miami Vice for the

American pop culture in 1999 than Davies, the

first time here; I saw Saturday Night Live, nightly

show’s executive producer.

news programs, Good Morning America, and the

His production company, Embassy Row

Academy Awards—which I later supervised when

Productions, is involved with multimedia

Whose Line is it Anyway?, Davies has helped

I was at ABC,” Davies recalls. “I remember on

projects (including THE 9 on Yahoo!), and Davies

create a pair of Academy Awards shows, Bill Nye

spring break that year seeing MTV for the first

authored a popular blog on ESPN.com during

the Science Guy, Win Ben Stein’s Money, Debt, The

time and thinking it was one of the most exciting

the 2002 and 2006 World Cup Finals. He has

Man Show, David Blaine magic specials, The World

things I’d ever seen.”

served on the Academy’s Board of Regents, and

In addition to Millionaire, Wife Swap and

Series of Darts, The World Series of Pop Culture, the

Fresh out of the University of Edinburgh

is now a Mercersburg parent; daughter Brea ’10

Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts series, and ESPN

in Scotland, Davies re-crossed the Atlantic to

is in her first year on campus. “I’ve said a lot

game shows Stump the Schwab and 2 Minute Drill.

work at Merv Griffin Productions, Buena Vista

that I spent 12 years in school in England, but

Productions, and ABC, where Millionaire, which

the six months here made all the difference.

his boyhood home in London and ran through

had premiered to wide acclaim in Great Britain,

It changed everything.”

Mercersburg, where he spent six months as part of

would change American television forever.

–Lee Owen

Davies’ road to your television set began at

Athletics Dates to Remember

Apr 14

Hill at Mercersburg: golf, 10 a.m. baseball/softball/men’s tennis, 1:45 p.m. men’s/women’s lacrosse, 2:30 p.m.

Apr 21

Peddie at Mercersburg: baseball, golf, men’s/women’s lacrosse, softball, men’s tennis (all 1 p.m.)

May 12

MAPL Track and Field Championships and Golf Championships, 1 p.m., Pottstown, Pennsylvania (The Hill School)

The Rule of Four Mercersburg’s varsity men’s soccer coaches share common bonds In the nearly 60 years that Mercersburg Academy has fielded a varsity men’s soccer team, just four men have held the title of head coach.

All four, Tom Steiger Sr. ’35, Dave Tyson, Tom Rahauser ’74, and Peter Kempe, call Franklin County home to this day. (And until November of last year, each member of the quartet still resided in Mercersburg; Steiger and his wife, Katherine, have relocated to nearby Chambersburg, yet he still maintains a law practice in Mercersburg with son, Tom Jr. ’66, and fellow alumnus Shawn Meyers ’86).

Mercersburg’s men’s and women’s soccer programs play their games on a field named in honor of Steiger, who founded the varsity soccer team in 1948 (Jimmy Curran, who coached 13 future track and field Olympians at the Academy, had created a non-varsity team in 1931). Steiger presided over Mercersburg’s soccer and track and field squads on a volunteer basis.

He also provided the Academy (and his firm continues to do so) with decades of legal consultation and representation.

Continuing a lineage that traces its roots back at least as far as the turn of the 20th century (Steiger’s father, Seth, graduated in 1904, and father-in-law, future Academy headmaster Charles S. Tippetts, graduated in 1912), both of Steiger’s children (Tom Jr. and Susan Klann ’71) attended Mercersburg.

A complete set of Mercersburg varsity men’s soccer coaches: (l-r) Peter Kempe, Tom Steiger Sr. ’35, Tom Rahauser ’74, Dave Tyson.

When Steiger retired from coaching in 1976, Tyson, who had started Mercersburg’s junior-varsity soccer team in 1958, became the Academy’s second varsity head coach.

Tyson led the program from 1976–83 and taught mathematics on campus for 40 years (1958–98).

Tyson’s replacement, Rahauser, knew both of his predecessors well; he had played for them in the early 1970s while a star student-athlete at the Academy. In addition to captaining the soccer team, Rahauser held the same honor for the basketball and baseball teams and won the Headmaster’s Prize.

He also was the first of three Rahausers to capture the team’s coveted Schweizer Cup (his sons, Eric ’04 and Tim ’07, would later earn the honor themselves).

Rahauser had started teaching at Mercersburg in 1978 and served as Tyson’s

assistant. In a role reversal of sorts, when he took over the program he asked Tyson to serve as his “terrific assistant.” Rahauser credits Tyson with helping him learn to be a coach. Among the noteworthy moments from their time on the sidelines together included Mary Curtis ’86 becoming the starting goalkeeper on the team (Mercersburg’s women’s soccer team began play in 1992).

In turn, Rahauser influenced Kempe, who came to the Academy in 1994 to teach German and spent two years coaching the B team before assuming the varsity duties in 1996. Having led the Blue Storm to a 7-6-2 mark in his 11th season at the helm (including an historic win over longtime rival Lawrenceville), Kempe is excited for the future—a sentiment no doubt shared by his fellow coaches.

– Kate Manstof ’07

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

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(l-r) Taylor Riley ’10; Cameron Jones ’07; Claire Atkins ’07 and Alicia Furnary ’09 (foreground); Jordon Exeter ’07.

Fall Varsity Athletics Roundup Men’s Cross Country Captain: Tyler Small ’07 Most outstanding runner: James Finucane ’08 Most improved runner: Mark Herring ’09 Head coach: Betsy Willis (4th season) MAPL finish: 3rd (of 6) Other notes: Finucane became the first runner to win the Mid-Atlantic Prep League’s individual championship in Mercersburg’s seven-year history in the league, and Small’s second-place finish gave the Storm a 1-2 sweep... Finucane and Small were named All-MAPL... Small earned the Colbert Award (for sportsmanship and dedication).

Women’s Cross Country Captain: Madi McConnell ’07 Most outstanding runner: McConnell Most improved runner: Remy Wheat ’08 Four-year letterwinner: McConnell Head coach: Betsy Willis (4th season) MAPL finish: 2nd (of 6) Other notes: McConnell and Anne Spencer ’08 garnered All-MAPL accolades... McConnell also finished second at the Pennsylvania Independent School State Championships and sixth at the MAPL championships… Spencer won the Colbert Award (for sportsmanship and dedication) and was third at the MAPL Championships.

Field Hockey Captains: Laura Diller ’08, Christiane Volk ’07 Most outstanding player: Mary Lancaster ’08 Most improved player (Beck Field Hockey Improvement Award): Arcadia Hartung ’09 Four-year letterwinner: Volk Head coach: Gretchan Frederick (2nd season) Record: 4–9–1, 0–5 MAPL Other notes: Team won the MAPL Sportsmanship Award... Lancaster was named All-MAPL, and was joined by Hartung and Amelia Goebel ’09 on the [Chambersburg] Public Opinion honorable-

mention all-star team… Volk captured the team’s Outstanding Contribution to Hockey Award… the team set a school record for goals scored in a season (23) and scored on league power Lawrenceville for the first time.

Football Captains: Andy Eshleman ’07, Neil Gordon ’07, Zach Hart ’07 Most outstanding player: Bryan Morgan ’07 Most improved player: Tyler Mort ’08 Head coach: Dan Walker (4th season) Record: 0–10, 0–5 MAPL Other notes: : After a MAPL championship a season ago, three of the team’s losses were by three points or less… Morgan and Kenny Burns ’07 were named to the All-MAPL team… Morgan, Cameron Jones ’07 and Colin Jones ’07 have committed to play at Duke… a rash of injuries forced the team to send out a different starting lineup for each game.

Men’s Soccer Captains: Chris Marston ’07, Tim Rahauser ’07 Most outstanding players: Rahauser, Matt Engle ’07 Most improved player: David Strider ’08 Head coach: Peter Kempe (11th season) Record: 7–6–2, 1–3–1 MAPL Other notes: The team beat Lawrenceville for the first time, meaning the program now has at least one win over each league team... Rahauser, who was named to the All-MAPL first team, became the third member of his family (joining father, Tom ’74, and brother, Eric ’05) to win the Schweizer Soccer Cup for hard work and determination… Marston was the team’s Defensive Player of the Year… five of the team’s six losses were by a single goal.

Women’s Soccer Captains: Claire Atkins ’07, Addie Crawford ’07, Jenelle Paolini ’07, Kristina Trudeau ’07 Most outstanding players: Trudeau, Lauren Dobish ’08

Most improved players: Paolini, Atkins Four-year letterwinners: Atkins, Crawford, Paolini, Trudeau Head coach: Heather Reichhart (4th season) Record: 7–6–1, 1–4 MAPL Other notes: Dobish was named first-team All-MAPL, and Trudeau and Lizzy Loveland ’07 each earned honorable-mention recognition… Dobish and Trudeau were named second-team all-area by the [Hagerstown] Herald-Mail… Trudeau’s header gave the team a 1-0 win over Blair… Loveland received the Hendrickson-Hoffman Coaches Award for sportsmanship and dedication.

Women’s Tennis Captains: Sami Lin ’07, Tara O’Malley ’07, Katelyn Wiley ’07 Most outstanding player: Lena Finucane ’09 Most improved player: Kelsie Bittle ’08 Head coach: Mike Sweeney (3rd season) Record: 5–6, 1–4 MAPL Other notes: : Team’s 7–0 victory over Blair was first MAPL win since 2003... additional victories came against Harrisburg Academy, Highland School, and Notre Dame Academy.

Volleyball Captains: Lizz Harvey ’07, Noelle Saracino ’07, Laura Willwerth ’08 Most outstanding player (Erin Carey Memorial Award): Cree Riley ’08 Most improved player: Kelsie Cubit ’08 Four-year letterwinners: Harvey ’07, Saracino Head coach: Eric Fleming (1st season) Record: 13–10 Other notes: Team won the Mercersburg Invitational… Riley was named the tournament’s most valuable player, and Harvey joined her on the all-tournament team.

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Alumni Notes ’43 After more than 58 years as a physician, Charles R. “Bob” Bepler retired in December.

’44

Charlie ’32 and Dorothy Marschner on their 60th wedding anniversary, July 23, 2005.

’36

On Thanksgiving 2006, Harold Bellis watched the 100th renewal of the annual high school football grudge match between Phillipsburg (New Jersey) and Easton (Pennsylvania).

Eighty years before, at age 10, he saw his first Phillipsburg-Easton game, and the only games in the series he’s missed since were during World War II (when he served in the Air Force).

Harold was Phillipsburg’s head coach from 1954-67, compiling a 7-6-1 record against Easton. The 2006 contest was won by Easton, 21-7.

’42 In 2008, Thomas C. Marshall Jr.‘s home

Submit class notes and photographs online, or by email to Jenn_Flanagan@ mercersburg.edu or your class agent. Find a list of class agents at www.mercersburg. edu/alumni. Submissions may appear online or in print. Mercersburg reserves the right to edit submissions for space or content, and is not responsible for more than reasonable editing or fact-checking.

in Yorklyn, Delaware, which is known as Auburn Heights Preserve, will become the newest addition to the Delaware state park system, and Tom and his wife of 21 years, Ruth, will move to a retirement facility. Since Tom has lived in the home all his life and has no relatives to keep the legacy alive, he is excited that the state will preserve his family’s history. The preserve includes the Marshall family home, the site of the first Stanley automobile dealership in Delaware (where Tom’s father, Thomas C. Marshall Sr., sold cars from 1910-18), a museum including a collection of vintage automobiles, a 1/8-size running steam train, and approximately 200 acres of surrounding parkland.

Elizabethtown College awarded an honorary degree to Frank M. Masters Jr., who contributed $4 million to the college’s Masters Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering. He graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and most of his professional career was spent in that field. Frank has served on several boards, including his current position on the board of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County, Pa.

’46

Alexander A.M. Manos is in his 32nd year as a real estate broker working with his team, which also includes his son, Alex Jr., and daughter-in-law, Carolyn. He is involved in local, state, and national associations of realtors, as well as the political arena.

Kenneth Perry spent two weeks in the Northwest Territories of Canada with an Earthwatch Program studying climate change at the edge of the Arctic Circle. Forgoing a 300-kilometer hike across the Mackenzie Mountains, Ken opted instead to fly into the base camp lodge in a twin-engine Otter, which landed on an unmaintained strip.

Last year, Charles W. Young moved into Deerfield Retirement Home in Asheville, North Carolina. He has become friends with Robert “Bob” Harkens ’35, and writes, “We delight in sharing Mercersburg memories.”

’48

John R. Faust retired from the Department of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University in 1998. He co-authored the second revised edition of a college text, China in World Politics.

His daughter, Linda, accompanied him to his 50th reunion at St. Andrew’s College, University of Sydney, Australia, where he was a Fulbright student. Last year, he also visited Aruba, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada.

He keeps busy playing “old time” piano bar for community functions, and attended his 50th class reunion at Mercersburg in 1998.

Hugh C. Miller, FAIA, received an Allied Profession Award from the Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The award recognized his continuing programs and projects for the preservation of historic landscapes and his outstanding contributions to the landscape architecture profession.

Maj. Gen. Jim Pfautz (Ret.) has been named to the “Selected List of Old Salopians,” the second listing of distinguished former students to be published by the Shrewsbury School in England since its founding in 1561.

Jim attended Shrewsbury in 1948-49 under the auspices of the English-

Ann Glenn, Vonny Stanier, Lt. Col. Dick Stanier ’47 (Ret.), and former U.S. Senator Col. John Glenn at the funeral for Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale, father of Jim Stockdale ’68 and grandfather of Elizabeth ’02 and Bond ’09.

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

39

An annual get-together lunch in Naples, Florida (l-r): Dr. William Bair ’48, Jack Tanger ’48, Ken Stark ’46, Bill Marsh ’49, Andy Soffel ’48, and Jack Harris ’49.

Speaking Union. The Shrewsbury list is a select one, containing just 150 names (including Charles Darwin).

Jim visited Mercersburg in November, giving the Veterans Day Address to the Mercersburg chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

sells insurance for Liberty National. Jim writes, “Instead of ‘life begins at 40,’ it is now 60! I hope all my classmates are enjoying this bonus.”

Left: The wedding of Todd Friedman ’83 and Megan Andrews, April 21, 2006.

Right: The wedding of James Finlay ’87 and Genevieve Theriault, May 6, 2006.

’49

Stanley E. Fulton owns approximately 100 racehorses that are based in California, Kentucky, and at his home track of Sunland Park, New Mexico.

A.P. Warrior, owned by Stan, was one of the horses in the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby last May.

’51

John H. Kerr lives at Derrydown Hermitage in Newport, Rhode Island, where he “enjoys silence, prayer, contemplation, and getting close to God’s spirit day by day.” His youngest son lives with him and handles his affairs. John asks to hear from you by letter at RFD #1, Newport, RI 02840.

Lawrence Lattomus II wants the class to know that his lack of attendance at reunions is not from a lack of interest or desire. He would enjoy joining the class for some good old-fashioned fellowship, but the logistics and effort to do so would mitigate his enjoyment.

A year ago, he moved to the northwest outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Last year, Larry and his wife, Angie, traveled to Colorado, California, and to Seattle as part of a weeklong Alaskan cruise. “I’ll sic a bounty hunter after you if you ever whiz through Tucson without contacting me, preferably with a brief advance notice,” Larry says to his classmates.

James E. Turney Jr. and his wife, Audra, celebrated their 24th anniversary in March 2006 and enjoy vacationing at their waterfront house and boat on Lake Buchanan, about 70 miles from their home in Austin, Texas. Jim has completed his Ph.D., has run three marathons, fast-walks 3.5 miles a day, and survived prostate cancer a few years ago. He still teaches computer science at a community college and

Larry Sheridan ’51, shown here with his wife, Ellen, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April 2006.

’53

U.S. Ambassador to Romania Nicholas F. Taubman joined officials from the U.S. government and the American Consulate in Bucharest in July for the signing of three grants awarded to the Romanian government. The common thread in these three projects was their important role in helping Romania meet the standards to proceed with its European Union membership. Romania joined the EU on January 1.

’55

James L. McClelland received the Harold E. Meyer Professional Award at the 2006 National Park and Recreation Association Southeast Region Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The award is the highest acclamation presented to a professional in the field of parks and recreation by the Southeast Region, and is considered one of the most prestigious in the nation. Jim asserts, “My years at Mercersburg gave me the solid foundation upon which to build a rewarding and exciting career.”

George A. Jocher is on the President’s Advisory Council at Roanoke College, his alma mater. Two of George’s sons have followed him to Roanoke.

W. Bruce Walsh presented the 2005 Leona Tyler Award Address, “PersonEnvironment Psychology and Work:

At the wedding of Marcelo Tenza ’90 to Mabela Martin, June 17, 2006: Ruben Acoca ’90, José Coballasi ’90, Marcelo, Zasha Robles ’92, and Pablo Coballasi ’91.

Michael Galligan ’90 to Emily Grill, September 23, 2006.

Sassan Emral Shaool ’91 to Bahareh Nazarian, August 24, 2006.

Ashley Bastholm ’93 to Antonio Piraino, November 26, 2006.

Shirley Jayakumar ’93 to David Dopson, March 18, 2006.

Charlie Baum ’95 to Megan Shaffer, June 10, 2006.

The wedding of Lt. Gill T. Tatman-Tyree Jr. ’95 and Anne Tatman-Tyree, May 27, 2006.

Matthew Baran ’97 to Kelly Marie Shaner, September 16, 2006.

Andrew Bramhall ’97 to Sarah Reed ’98, June 10, 2006.

Larissa Chace ’97 to Ryan Smith, June 10, 2006.

Zackary Shaffer ’99 to Hally Yandon, May 13, 2006.

Sarah Blackburn ’99 to Neal Brincefield, May 27, 2006.

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(Continued)

The wedding of Shannon Rawley Fisher ’95 and Christopher Fisher, July 30, 2005 (l-r): Beth Rawley ’97, Benson Kelsey ’96, Shannon and Christopher, and Max Merrill ’95.

Harry ’54 and Carole Pickle of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, with Head of School Doug Hale, Fine Arts Department Chair Laurie Mufson, and Carole’s modern abstract painting, Energy. The painting was a gift to Mercersburg and hangs in the Burgin Center for the Arts’ Cofrin Gallery.

Theory, Implications, and Issues,” at the 2005 conference of the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.

’57

Robert K. Park II plans to retire this year and then “travel a while.”

The wedding of Megan George ’98 to Jerry Herold in Buffalo, Wyoming, May 27, 2006 (l-r): Ann George ’00, Dr. Elizabeth George, Jamie Gelo ’98, Ben George ’96, Megan, Adrienne Herr-Paul ’00, and Dr. Robert George.

Cecelia Allison, granddaughter of Stephen Allison ’57 and daughter of Minna Jayakumar Allison ’85 and Dr. Andrew C. Allison, with the 1955 Karux showing a photo of her grandfather and his basketball teammates.

’58

Alan J. Wein was elected to Mercersburg’s Board of Regents, and says he is learning the ropes and hopes to contribute positively.

The wedding of Denah Marano ’99 and Michael D’Annunzio, April 9, 2005 (front row, l-r): Andrea Marano ’95, Alyson Marano Ward ’93, and Sarah Marano ’02; (back row, l-r): Kevin Walsh ’02, Nicole DeBone Morris ’01, Jake Koodrich ’99, Sylvia Saracino ’99, Sabina Martinko ’99, Lauren Molen ’99, Michael and Denah, Mary Catherine Corson ’00, Irene Papoutsis ’99, Christian Gocke ’97, and Mike Gocke ’63.

Paul Alois ’00 to Marika Israel, February 18, 2006.

Steven Toddes ’01 to Erin Keegan, June 17, 2006.

’59

Robert Hunter, president of Hunter Truck Sales and Service in Butler, Pennsylvania, was named the 2006 ATD/Heavy Duty Trucking Truck Dealer of the Year. Bob’s father, Homer, founded Hunter Truck Sales and Service in 1938. Some major accounts have been with the company so long that the third generation of Hunters is now working with the fourth generation of family members at those accounts.

F. Carter Karins’ daughter, Samantha, was married in April 2006 in the Florida Keys. Carter’s classmate Phares “Bud” Risser III ’59 was among the guests.

’60

John M. Colton III retired from teaching in 1999. He volunteers with a soup kitchen in Baltimore, and teaches a Bible study at an assisted-living home. One of his daughters, Beth, lives near Athens, Georgia, with her family (including three of John’s grandchildren). His other daughter, Joan, lives near him and works at a mortgage company.

John’s tennis career came to an end after he ruptured a quadriceps tendon three years ago, and recovery is slow.

He assumes Dave Frantz is still blazing the courts at Ohio State and hopes to see him at the next reunion, which will be their 50th.

’61

William C. “Bill” Putnam Jr. manages commercial real estate, and sold his real estate business in 2000. He also serves as executive director of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri.

The Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame exhibited five sports cars from the private collection of Thomas “Tom” Mittler in summer 2004. The five cars in the exhibit—1951 Cunningham C-2R, 1956 Jaguar D-type, 1959 Deutsch-Bonnet Le Mans, 1959 Porsche RSK Spyder, and 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial—represent America, England, France, Germany, and Italy.

’62

John Young retired from Boeing in 2002, and married Mary Kathleen “Kathy” O’Sullivan in 2003; they live in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. John sees Tom Hoober fairly often; Tom was his

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Richard “Dick” Cass is president of the Baltimore Ravens, where he oversees all aspects of the Ravens’ organization, including player and staff personnel, communications and business ventures. Dick is far from a newcomer to the NFL and its operations, having served as counsel to a number of NFL owners, including the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, and to the league office.

A Class of 1959 mini-reunion at Cheyenne Country Club (l-r): Sara and Mike ’59 Whitworth, John ’59 and Karen Genrich, and Bill ’59 and Frankie Tutt.

roommate at Dartmouth College and best man at John’s wedding. They traveled to Spain together with their wives last October, and celebrated their 40th reunion at Dartmouth last May. They also plan t0 attend their 45th reunion at Mercersburg in 2007, and hope to see a good turnout.

’63

Capt. Andrew E. Bisset retired from the United States Navy, having served as a Navy SEAL for 37 years. He has been asked to assist the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command with the establishment of a nationwide mentoring program for Navy SEAL candidates. At his retirement, he received a Meritorious Service Medal for his outstanding service to the SEALs. Barrett Burns has been appointed president and CEO of VantageScore Solutions, a company formed by the three national credit-reporting companies to offer a highly predictive and consistent scoring approach for determining consumer creditworthiness.

Robert R. “Rusty” Hitch retired from Progress Energy’s Robinson Nuclear Plant in 2005. He now teaches math at The King’s Academy in Florence, South Carolina.

Robert T. Sollenberger retired as a captain from the U.S. Navy in 1993. He volunteered with the Virginia Beach police department before returning to the Washington, D.C. area. He now serves as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, and also works as a technician in the emergency room of a local hospital. His daughter, Jen, presented him with his first grandchild in March 2005 and his son, Bryan, added a daughter-in-law to the family the following September. Rob plans to relocate to Colorado in 2007.

D. Paul Sommerville was elected to the Beaufort County (South Carolina) Council in November. A first-time politician, Paul challenged a two-term incumbent in the Republican primary and won by 40 percentage points.

He ran unopposed in the November election, and took office in January.

Former faculty member Joseph Adamo ’48 and student John Shipper ’63 are reacquainted. John is a professor at Salisbury University’s School of Business, and Joseph has retired to full-time painting.

’64

Alan M. Brody left Swaziland in May 2006 after six years as head of the UNICEF program there, where he had become known as “grandfather of Swaziland’s children.” In September, he retired from UNICEF after 22 years that had taken him to Nigeria, Turkey, Afghanistan, and China. He and his wife, Mary, have settled in Iowa City, Iowa (their home years ago during graduate school), where he begins his next career as a writer.

The Philadelphia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers named Michael “Mike” Radbill its 2006 Construction Engineer of the Year. Mike, who lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is a vice president at Urban Engineers in Philadelphia and serves as practice leader there after considerable experience at other firms and in the U.S. Army. He has been in the construction management field for 30 years.

Last summer, Joe Huber sailed on the USS Ronald Reagan from Honolulu to San Diego. The Reagan is the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier and the most powerful warship in the world, and was returning from a six-month deployment to Asia and the Persian Gulf. Joe’s son, Aircraft Commander Lt. Stephen Huber, is a helicopter pilot on the Reagan and completed two successful rescue operations during the deployment—one of which earned him a medal from Rear Adm. Michael Miller. It turns out that Miller is a friend of Phil Dunmire, so Phil arranged an introduction that led to Joe and Stephen having dinner with Miller during the cruise. Joe is in his 36th year with Credit Suisse, and serves on several boards, including Mercersburg’s Board of Regents, the Lenfest Foundation, and the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program. His boat, Reef Points, won its class at the 2005 Rolex Swan North American Championship, and finished in the top 10 in its class last summer at both the Swan’s 40th Anniversary Regatta in Finland and the Rolex Swan World Championship in Sardinia.

’65

Doc Bisset, his brother, Paul Bisset ’69, and Doc’s sons, Andy and Alex, completed a seven-day mountain climb from Devils Postpile National Park to Yosemite Valley National Park in California. Doc calls the journey proof that “we old men can still hack it.”

William W. “Tom” Thompson II accepted a position in the Labor Department as associate solicitor of labor for management and litigation services.

His job will mainly be running the internal operations of the Solicitor’s Office (about 700 employees) and handling some operational troubleshooting as well. Prior to this

position, he served a five-year, nonrenewable appointment as executive director of the board of directors of the Office of Compliance.

’66

Edward “Robin” Liston says that nowadays, he writes mostly on corporate issues for company publications and websites. It’s a lot more lucrative than newspaper journalism, which he prefers, but perhaps he is getting lazy in his old age. He used to work for major PR agencies (he says that if you’ve seen Thank You for Smoking, you get the idea). He was unable to make the 40th reunion, since he was working in Spain, but looks forward to hearing what his classmates are up to and how they are doing.

Serge Grynkewich II has been elected to the board of directors of the Philippine K9 Search and Rescue Foundation. He was also the 2006 recipient of the Alumni Council Achievement Award (page 11), and wants the council to know that the award is displayed in his office with special pride. Following his visit to Mercersburg, he traveled to Beirut to visit friends and to present a donation to the Lebanese Red Cross.

During the Israeli-Lebanese conflict last summer, the Lebanese Consul in Manila and the Philippine National Red Cross raised approximately $300,000 for the Lebanese Red Cross.

Thomas B. Steiger Jr. received the 2006 Alumni Council Service Award (page 11). He also was presented with the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Everyday Leader Award, which is given to individuals who perform good works to improve their communities and to better the Pennsylvania legal and judicial system.

Tom Trunzo and Bob Fairbanks spent the last week of September with three fellow graduates from Vermont Law School (class of 1980) for a reprise of their 1980 voyage down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine.

Classmates Tom Trunzo ’66 and Bob Fairbanks ’66 in Maine.

’67

The USS Ronald Reagan cruising from Honolulu to San Diego with Joe Huber ’64 on board.

Tom Motheral visited classmate Albert R. Perez ’67 in San Antonio, Texas. A.R. showed Tom around town, which included a tour of the “Toilet Seat Art Museum” in Alamo Heights. In this museum of approximately 800

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

artwork toilet seats, Tom signed the seat depicting Pennsylvania. “A.R. is doing well running the family real estate business and playing excellent golf—5 handicap,” Tom reports. “A.R. and his wife, Fran, are looking forward to the 40th reunion in 2007.”

Upon receiving an Evite to the alumni lacrosse game, Louis Prevost replied: “Thank you for the reminder. I have to decline. I now only play lacrosse with my first grandchild, James Prevost Brandmeyer, who lives in Brooklyn Heights, New York. A good man knows his limitations.”

James Prevost Brandmeyer, grandson of Lou ’67 and Susan Prevost.

’68

Doug Bressler has been in Guam for eight years, and holds food service responsibilities for Continental Airlines in Asia and the Pacific, as well as Continental’s subsidiary company, Continental Micronesia.

Andy Wentzel opened a Java Jo’z franchise in Knoxville, Tennessee.

’69

Robert J. “Bob” Cooley traveled to Greece with 12 seniors from Northfield Mount Hermon School for a senior seminar that Bob led. It was his seventh trip to Greece.

Rick Fleck’s daughter, Kat ’07, lives in South Cottage at Mercersburg.

Rich Freedman’s daughter graduated from Duke University and is looking for PR work in Washington.

Robert Lehrman is glad to report that he has started a family and has a 14month-old baby boy, who he and his wife dote on with much joy.

H. Richard “Dick” Seibert and his wife, Mary Beth, are starting a vineyard and winery on the Seibert family farm in Clear Spring, Maryland. “We have taken courses at Virginia Tech, worked with University of Maryland experts, and have done a lot of research,” Dick writes. Vines have been ordered and will be planted on more than seven acres. Dick is busy looking for investors and hopes to break ground in March of this year.

’70 Oscar Hunsicker III was a shy 14-yearold when he saw Barbara Hardy across the room at a soap box-derby banquet.

They fell in love and stayed together while Oscar attended Mercersburg, but at age 20, Barbara moved to Hawaii and the two lost touch. Both later married and had children. Years later, Barbara came across Oscar’s name on a website while looking for colleges for her daughter. Barbara was divorced, had no clue about Oscar’s situation, and decided there would be no harm in sending him an email. The reply came before the end of the day: he was divorced as well. Soon, the two were crisscrossing the country from Akron to San Francisco. They got engaged on Christmas Eve 2004, and were married August 6, 2006. “You have the excitement of a new relationship, and you have the depth of an old friendship,” Oscar says. “We get to be 50-somethings and 14-somethings at the same time.”

with President George W. Bush at one of the projects Kris developed, owns, and manages in West Sacramento, California. The building houses the California Fuel Cell Partnership and Kris discussed the important work being conducted on site as well as the installation of the photovoltaic solar system on the building’s roof. The visit attracted international attention to his tenants’ efforts to implement hydrogen fuel cell technology into cars, trucks, and busses. A Sacramento-based commercial real estate developer, Kris has completed projects throughout northern California and the greater Phoenix area. He hopes each of his classmates is well and cherishes the Mercersburg years as much as he does.

Jim Hayes claims to have skied with Vince Nacrelli, though Steve Flanagan has been unable to find any police reports to confirm this.

’71

Charlie Bell has been at Hotchkiss for almost 20 years, and has been married to his wife, Kay, for nearly 12 years. The couple has two fun, lively, and curious daughters, Amelia (8) and Eliza (5).

Charlie regrets that teaching and coaching keep him from Mercersburg reunions. Whenever he remembers the sound of the carillon, the view of Cove Gap, or any of dozens of moments from classes, games, or late nights in Tippetts, he smiles and wonders whether it all happened yesterday or in another lifetime. “Special hellos to classmates from ’71 and students from ’85,” he says.

This Old House magazine named Ethan Perry as one of the 40 best building pros in America in 2005. Ethan designs, builds, and restores furniture in his studio, Riverwood, in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Last year, Ethan restored some of the original furniture used in the famous 1935 Lindbergh kidnapping trial. Ethan also reports that his daughter, Hannah, attended the Young Actors workshop at Mercersburg for the second consecutive year.

’72

William “Bill” Carey has purchased 13 pieces of rare Chinese porcelain with funds invested in Xiling Group LLC, which buys items that were owned by Chinese royalty centuries ago. “This is not going to be an enormous collection, but it will be an important collection,” Bill says. The fund is his brainchild, and was developed separate from his primary job as president of Cortland Associates.

Kris Pigman, president of The Pigman Companies, recently spent an afternoon

Last summer, Stephen Flanagan joined 50 other artists working with diverse materials and viewpoints for an exhibition addressing the full spectrum of TRASH at The Atlantic Gallery in New York City. Stephen also had a showing of his art at the Earlville Opera House Gallery in Earlville, New York, a 9/11themed exhibit titled “Restless Sky.” His son, Bob, is in his second year at the University of Vermont, and while he has not settled on a major yet, he likes the fact that each veterinary student gets his own cow. Steve also managed to take in the Burbank family art show in North Andover, Massachusetts (page 27), and spent a little time with Bo and Ellie, both of whom are well.

Kris Pigman ’72 at his home on Maui with his three children: Morgan Leigh (13), Mason Eric (11), and Makenzie Love (9).

’73

Donald O’Brien writes, “In the 30-plus years since I left Mercersburg, I have had many struggles in my search for what is referred to as success. I have realized the purpose for my life—destiny, if you will—is to be a good father to my children as well as a figure for those young people without.

Mercersburg taught me that hard work and commitment are the true riches in life, and that faith is the key to success. I now find myself very wealthy.

Mercersburg now, again, helps me fulfill the purpose in my life by making it possible for my two sons, David ’08 and Patrick, to attend this world-class school. If you thought you would never be able to afford Mercersburg for your children as I thought, think again! I can’t thank the admission office enough for making this possible.

God bless the ‘Burg and all who fill its halls.”

’74

Judith Butler Webb is contemplating a return to her profession as an RN. Her husband, John, is computer manager for Black and Veatch; son, Luke, is a surfer/musician at the University of California, Santa Barbara; son, Paul, is a senior in high school and interested in filmmaking; and daughter, Elle, is 10.

Clayton Roberts’ Virginia Free Enterprise Foundation, which he founded, is still going strong after 19 years. He and his wife, Mary Beth, have four children; their oldest son, Wes, is at Warren Wilson College; daughter, Maggie, is off to the College of Charleston; second son, Aaron, is heading to Virginia Military Institute; and youngest son, Nick, is at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond.

They are “accepting contributions for the Roberts Tuition Fund.”

’75

Rebecca S. Boyer-Anderson has two children in college and has also returned to school, earning a medical technician degree.

David Ditto, management analyst and member of the Nuclear Power Plant Incidence Response Audit Team, received the 2005 PCIE/ECIE Award for Excellence for addressing issues that are a top priority for the safety and security of the United States.

Greg Morris was the Democratic challenger in Pennsylvania’s 30th District state senate seat in 2006.

Joe Szombathy worked for Coca-Cola for 24 years, and learned more than he ever could have imagined from the family-owned businesses he served.

One of the most important lessons: change, while emotional and often difficult to manage, can be good. “My career had moved along beautifully at Coke, which is one of the greatest organizations in the world, and I thought I’d be with the company forever,” he reflects. “And then things changed, and one of the changes involved my health.” The change he faced was abrupt. “Imagine going to the doctor for a routine physical and being told that you can’t set foot out of the hospital because you have to undergo open-heart surgery at 6 a.m. the next morning.” After his surgery, Joe began to re-evaluate his life. Today,

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

he serves as a vice president of retail channels with Benevolink, an Atlantabased organization that works to improve local communities.

’76

Anna Bierce was unable to make it to the 30th reunion due to foot surgery, but hopes someone can send her pictures. “I got out the old yearbook to refresh my mind of all your faces and names,” she writes. “I couldn’t believe how the faces and names came right back as if no time had passed.”

Dr. Anthony “Tony” Furnary, a cardiacthoracic surgeon with the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute in Portland, Oregon, has earned a Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award. Tony and his research team developed the Portland Protocol, an insulin drip therapy for diabetic patients in need of open-heart surgery.

David McQueeney, vice president of technology and strategy and chief technology officer for IBM U.S. Federal, spoke at the April 2006 Federal CTO Summit in Washington. The theme was “Is America Ready?: Partnering for Preparedness.” David spoke on the topic, “How Can We Improve Communications Systems in Crisis?”

’77

After nearly 30 years, Bruce J. Findlay confesses, “My roommate, Brad Baumgardner, and I are solely responsible for painting a giant ‘‘77’ on the hill portion of East Seminary in front of Main Hall. It had never been done before, but it does seem to have evolved into a tradition. Garrit V. Wamelink ’79 can vouch for this astounding hack.” On a more practical note, Bruce has had five patents registered in the U.S. Patent office, mostly on methods and systems for communicating a software-generated pulse waveform between two servers in a network. He lives in Santa Clara, California; his brother, Andrew ’79, is in Canton, Ohio, and his sister, Lois ’80, is in Arnold, Maryland. Bruce is glad to hear that Jim Smith and Jay Quinn are still involved with Mercersburg, as he has fond memories of his time here with them.

’78

Pilar Diaz Bennassi is an occasional substitute teacher in the Baltimore area. She has a daughter in the second grade and a son in fifth grade, and is still into sports; she tries to get to Lakeland, Florida, for Detroit Tigers spring training as often as possible.

Ceci Bennett is living with her family in Boise, Idaho, after relocating from Maryland. Inspired by the western landscape and the “big sky,” she has been painting more and more. She encourages classmates and friends to visit; email her at cecibennett@msn.com.

Dan Dougherty lives in the New York City area and loves all the city has to offer. He remembers chicken fights on the lower Ford patio, and also caught up recently with Heidi Kaul Krutek.

They reminisced about how fun and full of life the late Nancy Cromwell was.

Marie Furnary is living in Idaho and loves the rugged beauty there. Before the move, her family lived in Ojai, California. Both her children applied and were accepted at Mercersburg, but chose to stay on the West Coast.

Marie’s son is now at the Naval Academy, and her daughter is at The Thacher School in California. Marie owns a private school that offers an academically intensive humanities program. Her sister, Carol ’79, is often on campus as she drops her kids off at Mercersburg Adventure Camps and for Alumni Council meetings. Marie has a niece, Alicia ’09, at Mercersburg.

Dave Holzwarth, who teaches physics and astronomy at Mercersburg, has been busy coaching the kickers on the football team and serving as coach of the ski team. He still hears from Walter “Ernie” McGhee occasionally. Dave’s daughter, Wynn ’10, is in her first year at Mercersburg, and son, Zack, is in the sixth grade.

Raymond Kiess is still in Asheville, North Carolina, and has kept pretty busy the last couple of years. While continuing to work for the Air Force, he is pursuing a master’s of divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. He has about three more years to finish the remaining coursework, and is a part-time church pastor.

Heidi Kaul Krutek moved last summer to Asheville, North Carolina.

She enjoys that it’s a nice small city in the mountains, and is an account manager for an electronic components company.

Mercersburg asked her to join the Alumni Council. Her oldest daughter, Jordan ’10, is at Mercersburg, and Heidi has been busy getting her sixth-grade daughter adjusted to her new school.

Her next big project is starting a girls’ lacrosse league in Asheville. Her girls found her yearbook this past summer, and she doesn’t remember doing half the things her classmates wrote about. She apologizes to any of you she may have passed notes to. She has no memory of this; however, for some reason she kept some of those notes. If she affected your quest for education, she is truly sorry.

William Laingen spent many years in the Navy, and most of that time on carrier ships. He now works for

Boeing’s carrier stability office, has four girls and two grandchildren, and lives in Missouri.

Beth McShane lives south of Asheville, North Carolina, and was most helpful to Heidi Kaul Krutek when she moved to the area. They have been able to get together for lunch and shared some laughs about Beth and Katie Terrell going every morning to feed the cows at the barn. Beth can’t remember why they felt that was something they needed to do. They both agreed that finding Mercersburg was one of the best things that happened to them.

Beth has a seventh-grade son who has his own rock band. She has her own business and loves the flexibility it gives her.

Jim Owen has a son in film school.

Jim Roy has a son, Kyle ’07, at Mercersburg doing a postgraduate year. He has another son who is a high-school junior, and a daughter who is in the seventh grade. Jim is still a golfer, as are both his sons, and his daughter plays lacrosse and basketball. Jim lives in Syracuse, New York, and won the 50th Post-Standard Amateur golf tournament, which is central New York’s most difficult and prized amateur golf tournament. He also captured the title in 1979 and 1981.

Marc Strauss has been successful in the commercial real estate business, and loves living in south Florida, where he has been since leaving Mercersburg for Rollins College in Winter Park. Marc has a daughter who is a 10th grader.

She applied to Mercersburg, was accepted, and then changed her mind about going away. She has re-applied and hopes to join the upper-middler class next fall. Both of Marc’s children have gone to camp in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and will be there next summer. Marc challenges all to join him as a member of the William Mann Irvine Society.

Patty Seltzer Wagoner has a daughter who is a college freshman, a son who is a junior, and another daughter in the sixth grade. Patty’s son is practicing his role as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast.

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’79

Matt Beaver has been promoted to captain in the U.S. Navy. He is stationed in Jacksonville, Florida.

Molly Hall has returned to work full time as an assistant city attorney for the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin. She is enjoying life with her husband and two children, Ian (9) and Rosemarie (5), in Racine. Molly recently returned from Costa Rica, where she served as an interpreter for a church mission group.

Molly welcomes any and all visitors to the southern Wisconsin/Chicago area.

Steve Hummel is the executive director of VAST, a para-transit company which specializes in transportation for the elderly and disabled, and an associate pastor for St. Peter’s United Church of Christ. His duties include serving as chaplain for Phoebe House, a faith-based nursing home. Steve and his wife, Dawn, live in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while their daughter, Caitlyn, is in her first year of college at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she is studying to be a lawyer.

Steve is “looking forward to seeing everyone at the 30th reunion, where you will all be astonished when you see that I have lost at least one-fifth of myself through Weight Watchers.”

Jim Carbone can’t keep himself out of the pool. He and his wife, Gina, live in Brentwood, Tennessee, with their three boys. Jim works for AIG as VP of new venture business development, and is looking forward to the 30th reunion.

Rob Johnson writes, “I recently renewed several Mercersburg friendships and picked up with many where we left off in the last century. For those I haven’t caught up with, I’m an IT geek working in Burbank, California. I completed a three-year consulting gig for Warner Music this year and started on a fiveyear contract for Warner Brothers. I’m married with two children, 10-year-old Evan and 6-year-old Erica, and they are the center of my universe. I met my wife in the 1990s when we both worked at Price Waterhouse. I totally enjoyed laughing hysterically while telling stories about high school over the last month or so and looking forward to catching up with others at our 30th reunion.”

Brooke Kinney ’79 and his wife, Lynne, along with Lacy Rice III ’79 and his wife, Lisa, hosted a reunion for several members of the classes of 1979 and 1980. Attendees included Skip Lyshon ’79, Laura Pisano Lyshon ’80, Brooke, Lacy, Rob Johnson ’79, David Dupont ’80, Kevin Williamson ’80, Laurie Emerson ’80, Elise Gery ’80, Tom Beyer ’80, and Bill Carnahan ’79.

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

’80 Jeff Carney is an associate professor of English at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. His first novel, The Adventures of Michael MacInnes, was published last fall and is a story about a 16-yearold orphan’s experience attending a prestigious boarding school in 1924 (read a review on page 5). Jeff received a master’s from the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been teaching at Snow for 15 years, and can be contacted at jeff@jeffcarney.net.

’83 Megan

Todd Friedman married Andrews April 21, 2006, in Key West, Florida. The wedding event consisted of a four-day cruise that departed from Miami with 45 guests, friends and family, and a ceremony and reception at a beachfront hotel in Key West, the first port of call. Todd writes that it was a memorable event, and that he highly recommends getting married in shorts. Many classmates met Megan at the class’s 20th reunion in 2003. The couple lives in Plano, Texas.

Jeffrey Curry is excited to report that he has returned to the consulting profession.

He is working with Ensemble Business Advisors, who work with business owners in western Pennsylvania to help resolve issues and to pursue opportunities.

Todd Friedman ’83 (far right) and Russell Weaver ’85 (second from right) with their team at the 20th Annual Open Water Swimming Championship in Kagoshima, Japan.

John Hollinshead ’80 with Olympic gold medalist Melvin Stewart ’88 at John’s daughter’s swim-team banquet.

Ra’id Shihadeh teaches mathematics at the community college on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. Assistant Head of School Don Hill and wife, Linda, paid Ra’id a visit in July.

’81

John D. Koch has redeployed from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions in Afghanistan. He has returned to Sigl, Germany, and the Joint Multi-National Training Center at Grafenwoehr with the Directorate of Simulations.

’82

John Balbach works for Cleantech Capital Group, which brings together large institutional investors with entrepreneurs and growth companies to accelerate commercialization of clean technologies. During the past year, John has had the good fortune to work with Michael Harshfield, who is vice president of deployment, customer care and supply chain for Reactrix, a fast-growing company in Silicon Valley.

Betsy Mitchell moved to Meadville, Pennsylvania, and began work in July at Allegheny College as director of athletics and recreation. Her stepdaughter, Claire, has attended summer camp at Mercersburg for the past two years.

Ming K. Sui left the federal government in May 2006, and is a lead economics business analyst in the Center for Acquisition and System Analysis division at the MITRE Corporation, which is a not-for-profit consulting firm that mostly deals with government issues. In his position, he also works with the Department of Homeland Security.

’84 Deirdre Murphy Barone, her husband, Michael (an assistant professor in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins), and their daughters, Bridget, Meredith, and Emily, were named the 20052006 Maryland PTA Family of the Year.

The award honors the family’s seven years of dedicated, selfless service to the Rodgers Forge Elementary School community.

Cmdr. Anthony T. Calandra graduated in 2003 with highest distinction from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He served on the staff of Striking and Supporting Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) as an air planner and information operations specialist, and now lives in Anacortes, Washington, with wife, Tamara, and their two children, Alexis and John Robert.

Amie Schaufler Hellauer lives in Newport News, Virginia. She and her husband have two girls, Mary (8) and Erin (6), who keep Amie busy with all sorts of activities. Her brother, Andrew Schaufler ’86, lives in nearby Virginia Beach.

Andrea White Hosbein left Harris Bank in Chicago to start her own fixedincome money management firm, Cypress Capital Partners.

Christian Rubeck lives in Warwick, Rhode Island, with his wife, Shari, and two children. He is the project manager for twin towers being built at Waterplace Park in downtown Providence, and he and Shari recently had an art exhibit of some of their work at 17 Peck Gallery in Providence.

Robin Sarner is a family physician in Tacoma, Washington, and is pursuing a master’s in public health at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

In his spare time, Robin competes on an outrigger canoe racing team. Last year his team completed a 40-mile race from Molokai to Oahu, Hawaii.

Bill Suggs finished flying in December as the last commanding officer of Sea Control Squadron 30 (the Diamondcutters). He is now in Washington, pursuing a master‘s in national resource management at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

’85

Billy Butkiewicz is a PGA head golf professional at Waters Landing Golf Park in Germantown, Maryland. He can be reached at billy_b@pga.com.

Former Mercersburg faculty member Angela Carstensen is chair of libraries at Convent of the Sacred Heart on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and sings in the Riverside Church Choir, a 60-voice professional group.

Dan Henderson reports that he is still in touch fairly regularly with Paul Furigay, Byron Wilfong, and Bruce Keizler ’86. Dan is sorry that he missed the reunion last year, and can be reached at dannyhenny@yahoo.com.

Glenn Houck co-founded LeadQual LLC (www.LeadQual.com) to help businesses improve their returns on Internet-based marketing.

Kimberly Hall Klein and her husband, Joe, live in Mill Valley, California. They were married in Maui in July 2004.

Kimberly and Joe are frequent competitors in triathlons and biking events, and Kimberly has even learned to surf. She has been working in medical sales, and she and Joe are expecting twins in March.

Margaret “Peggy” Raley accepted the 2006 Arzt Award from the Delaware Celebration of Jazz. The award is

presented to an individual for educating and inspiring young musicians.

Russell Weaver and Todd Friedman ’83 competed in the 20th Annual 2.5-mile Open Water Swimming Championship last July in Kagoshima, Japan. They were part of a four-person team representing Miami, which is Kagoshima’s sister city, and were the only foreign team invited to participate (a total of 100 teams competed in the event). Russell is fluent in Japanese, and, having studied abroad, has established many professional and personal relationships throughout Japan. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

’86

Neil G. Jones, Ph.D, was promoted to a University Senior Lectureship in Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He was previously a university lecturer, and last year became editor of the Journal of Legal History. He supervises and lectures in legal history to both undergraduates and postgraduates, and also supervises undergraduates in modern land law. Neil’s Ph.D. dissertation on the history of trusts in England from 1536-1630 was awarded a Yorke Prize by the University of Cambridge in 1996, and he is working on a book in the same field.

Barry McCann moved with his wife, Michele, and daughter, Lydia (4), from south Florida to Colorado Springs. He has taken a new position as brand leader of PaperDirect at Current USA. Barry says to feel free to stop by for a visit.

’87

Valerie Johanessen LeGrone and husband, Tim, live on the water in Virginia Beach with their two sons, Jimmy (10) and Daniel (8). She is working for Sentara Medical Group as a nurse practitioner in the palliative care/hospice department. Valerie still enjoys running and swimming, and would love to hear from anyone in the area.

James “Jamie” Finlay married Genevieve Theriault May 6, 2006, in St. Columbia’s Church of Scotland in London with a reception following at the Royal Geographical Society, where James is a Fellow. Genevieve is French Canadian with family originally from New Brunswick, and her immediate family is now based in Seattle and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She is an architect who had been living and working in Chicago for many years until the couple met on a mutual friend’s boat on Lake Michigan in August 2004 when James was visiting his family. The couple lives in south London, and James is continuing with his photographic work while Genevieve starts work at an international architectural firm.

Births

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

James writes, “If any of you are passing through London, do look us up!” Their address is Ramsden Gate, 25c Ramsden Road, London SW12 8QR UK. Jan Moller is a state capital correspondent for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for its work covering Hurricane Katrina. The newspaper was honored in the breaking-news category for its coverage of the storm’s immediate aftermath, and shared the gold medal for public service with the Biloxi Sun-Herald.

Julia Streeter Berle was involved in a segment Dateline NBC aired in June 2006 on children recovered from autism. Julia’s son recovered from mild/moderate autism.

Kirsten Thompson lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and has two boys, Cody (5) and Alex (3), and two dogs. She works for IBM and is writing a master’s thesis at New York University.

’88

Steve Cohn writes, “This past year has been a bit of a mixed bag for me, not in the sense that goes with life, love and the ongoing search for meaning... but more like a brush-back pitch, where you have to get back up and take another swing. In January of last year, I went to the hospital in tremendous pain with what turned out to be a kidney stone.

A CAT scan revealed that I had a tumor about the size of a baseball. They say life can throw you curveballs, but you don’t usually expect them to wind up in your ribcage. Anyway, it turned out to be something called adrenocortical carcinoma... a one-in-a-million kind of cancer. (My mother always told me I was one in a million.) There is a lot of drama, doubt, and faithlessness that goes with cancer, surgery, chemo, etc.

What I can tell you is that now, after it all, today, I feel fine. I’ve learned to live for the day, the minute, the moment.

And I’ve learned that there is much that is beyond my control, so you might as well just go with the flow—enjoy the ride, whatever cliché you choose. It gave me the opportunity to take a year off, reconsider my life, and join a new firm where, as a partner, I’m treated with respect. Y’all be well. I miss you turkeys.”

Kristin Butterfield Vickery of Alexandria, Virginia, joined the American Academy of Physician Assistants in April 2006 as a lobbyist and assistant director of federal affairs.

She lives with her husband, Stuart, and children, Thomas (6) and Cate (2).

Thomas is very much looking forward to Junior Adventure Camp next summer.

Michael McGinn reports that he has a new job as lead GIS analyst at Harvard Design & Mapping in Chantilly, Virginia.

Janet Shaffer and Jill Stansbury have moved north to live in the South.

They left their Tampa bungalow, the sunshine, and the storms to relocate to Durham, North Carolina. Janet is studying processology and enjoying a sabbatical from acupuncture practice.

She writes, “I’m in flip-flops. Bring yours and come visit! Drop me a line at janetkshaf@aol.com.”

’89 Baher Biltagi is back on the East Coast

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To Patrick J. Flanagan Esq. ’84 and his wife, Erinn: a daughter, Devin Coyne, July 9, 2006.

To Alison Garner Louie ’84 and her husband, Michael: a daughter, Emilie Peyton, June 28, 2006.

To David Madgwick ’87 and his wife, Barbara: a daughter, Tessa Elizabeth Ann, January 4, 2006.

to pursue an MBA at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. For the last eight years, he has worked at home in Saudi Arabia for Aramco, the national oil company. He became a CPA and a certified SAP consultant during that time, and would love to hear from alumni in the D.C. area.

Jean-Louise Card and her partner, Stuart, decided they had enough of the hectic life in Northern Virginia and moved to Bar Harbor, Maine, in the fall of 2005. Stuart works as a graphic artist for a local newspaper and Jean telecommutes to the group of weekly newspapers in Northern Virginia that she worked with for almost 10 years.

Amy Sheridan Fazackerley has started a new business, The Monogrammed Monkey (www.tmmonkey.com), which offers elegant monogramming on baby and children’s clothing, towels, bags, and shirts. Her friend Julia MacInnis ’86 shares the following: “I am so excited for her. We, little biz people, live off of word-of-mouth referrals.”

Left: Nina K. Bertrand, born October 29, 2006, daughter of Rob ’88 and Colleen Bertrand and granddaughter of Lou Bertrand ’61.

Right: Children of Chris ’88 and Amy ’89 Kelaher: Keegan and Erin with their new baby sister, Kaci Van Winkle, born July 2, 2006.

Ben Tutt has moved to Bermuda and taken a job as managing director of The Reefs Resort. His first child, Tori, was born March 24, 2006. He would like to find out about any alumni on the island.

’90

Trent Hultman lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife, Suzie. They had their first child, Robert Keane Hultman, July 11, 2006. Trent attended the September wedding of classmate Mike Galligan to Emily Grill in upstate New York. Andrew Fiorillo and Rob Walton ’89 were also in attendance.

Jason Pastorius has accepted a position as senior investment analyst with Moncrief Willingham Energy Advisers, an energy-focused hedge fund in Houston. “That’s right, I’m moving the whole family down to Texas, so all of you who thought that I am as Yankee as New England clam ‘chowdah’ were wrong,” he writes. Jason is excited about the opportunity and the new adventures that await.

Left: Megan Moody, born June 25, 2006, daughter of Paul Moody ’89 and his wife, Jill.

Right: Tori Tutt, born March 24, 2006, daughter of Ben Tutt ’89 and his wife, Ade.

To Steven Wagshal ’90 and his wife, Emily: a daughter, Lili Sophia, September 25, 2006.

Births 46

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

(Continued)

Left: Robert Keane Hultman, born July 11, 2006, son of Trent Hultman ’90 and his wife, Suzie.

Right: Thomas Finnegan McCullough, born September 14, 2006, son of Harry ’91 and Lori Jo Ruohomaki McCullough ’91.

To Lakshmi “Lucky” Sarma Ramani ’92 and her husband, Deepak: a daughter, Meenakshi Sarma, September 13, 2006.

To Rosalie Heuer Steckel ’92 and her husband, Hanno: a daughter, Helena, March 2006.

To Kevin McCormack ’93 and his wife, Sarah: a son, Dylan, June 5, 2006.

’91 Astrid Haggerson McLendon had a busy year. Her daughter, Alex, finished kindergarten with perfect attendance and perfect behavior. Her son, Jake, is 3 now, and is showing his independence, stubbornness and hard-headedness (Astrid wonders where he gets that— at least he comes by it honestly). Her husband, Jay, is still with Wachovia Bank. Astrid has been working part time at Bath and Body Works for five years, and also teaches 12-to-24-month-old children at Jake’s school. The family is building a house in Harrisburg, North Carolina.

Sassan Emral Shaool married Bahareh Nazarian August 24, 2006, in New York. More than 450 guests were in attendance, including Sassan’s classmate John Eldridge. Sassan works in real estate, and Bahareh is completing a doctorate of pharmacology at St. John’s University. The couple lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Susannah McNear Barnes reports that she and her husband, Brad, are enjoying living on her family farm in Washington, Virginia. They were able to host their second foreign exchange student, Camilla, who is from Denmark.

Suz spends most of her time horseback riding, running, or home with Sam (5) and Nicholas (2). She continues to work as a nurse at Fauquier Hospital.

’92

Left: Brinley Beck, born June 25, 2006, daughter of Megan Gilbert Beck ’94 and her husband, Billy.

Right: Vail Carruthers, born September 24, 2006, daughter of former faculty member Delia Carruthers and her husband, Chris.

To Stephanie Shepard Ragland ’96 and her husband, Chester: a daughter, Elizabeth Grace, November 10, 2006.

To Bethany Hartman Van Schoick ’99 and her husband, Tim: a son, Jesse Charles, June 25, 2006.

Faculty To Ryan Bennett and his wife, LeAnn: a son, Jason Michael, June 5, 2006.

Nancy Abudu is a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, and works on voting rights cases in the Atlanta regional office. She started in December 2005 after taking a year-and-a-half off to be home with her daughter (now 3). She is also completing a fellowship with the Environmental Leadership Program and is active in local bar associations.

Nancy writes that she has the 2007 reunion on her calendar and hopes to be able to show her daughter and husband the beautiful campus. “Any Mercersburg folks living in the Atlanta area, please send me your contact information—maybe we can have a mini-reunion here.”

Nariah Broadus lives in New Hampshire, and has taken on a new role as assistant to the president at Dartmouth College.

Brent Halversen got married in June 2006 in Highlands, North Carolina.

Among the attendees were Brent’s brother, Blake, and fellow classmates Clifford “Chip” Nuttall, Eileen Sheffler, and Maureen Sheffler.

Adrian Kiger is back in the States after several years living and studying in Milan, Italy. She teaches Italian at West Virginia University, and is the North American consultant for Customized Educational Programs Abroad.

Chip Nuttall joined C3 Consulting, a boutique management and information technology consulting firm providing personalized services for companies headquartered in middle Tennessee. He, his wife, Alice, and their two dogs, Felicity and Annie Oakley, would like to “welcome fellow alumni for a visit if you are ever in Nashville.”

Maureen Sheffler of New York was promoted to vice president of polling and public opinion research for Mercury Public Affairs, a corporate and political consulting firm.

Rosalie Heuer Steckel spent a year in Pittsburgh with her husband, Hanno, who is doing a research fellowship.

Their daughter, Helena, was born in March 2006. The family planned a return to Germany at the end of last year.

’93

Ashley Bastholm married Antonio Piraino November 26, 2006, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Antonio’s hometown of Durban, South Africa, where she teaches blind children. She writes that it has been a bit of an adjustment to live in a country surrounded by poverty, but the journey has been tremendously enriching.

Alex Crothers of Burlington, Vermont, is currently retired and hoping to catch up on episodes of CSI: Buffalo in his newfound free time. He planned a trip to Southeast Asia in November “to see what all the fuss is about,” and also because he’s “officially the last Westerner that hasn’t been yet.” He says he “is dating but continues to lack commitment.”

Danielle Dahlstrom of Vienna, Austria, joined the International Atomic Energy Agency as a press and public information officer. She covers all aspects of the work of the IAEA, a UNspecialized agency entrusted with ensuring the safe and peaceful use of the power of the atom. Danielle recently returned from a mission to Warsaw, where she participated in the repatriation of highly enriched uranium from Poland back to Russia.

Stirling Elmendorf reports that Stirling Elmendorf Photography is in its second year of business covering Washington’s economic, social, fine art, and business scene. He spent five weeks in China on a personal portfolio building project, covering everything from historical locations to the official Ferrari F1 party, and climbed a 17,500-foot mountain in the wilds of western Sichuan.

Sasha Jael Emral Shaool is a designer for Shook Kelley, a Los Angeles-based firm specializing in both branding and perception design. She loves tending to all of her plants and experimenting in landscape design, and is working on the hills behind her house.

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Shirley Jayakumar married David Dopson March 18, 2006, in Pittsburgh.

The wedding party included her sisters, Minna ’85 and Nita ’89; brother, Richard ’97; and Rachel Brull Tuer. Colby Riblet ’97 was also in attendance. Shirley completed a residency in internal medicine in 2005 and served as chief resident at a hospital in Philadelphia until June 2006. She and David live in Charleston, South Carolina, where she has a fellowship in nephrology at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Elgin Marsted writes that she and her husband have moved from Vieques, Puerto Rico, to Denver, Colorado. She is vice president of business development for Braddock Financial, and loves seeing the Mercersburg girls at least once a year. Last March, she joined Danielle Dahlstrom, Jackie Crane Peacock, Alyson McKee Humphries, and Ali Foster Fortmann at Sarah Smith’s house in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Kevin McCormack is happy to report the birth of his first child, Dylan, June 5, 2006. Dylan was born at 11:59 p.m., avoiding the dreaded 6/6/06 birth date by a single minute. Kevin lives in Atlanta with his wife, Sarah, and is senior website manager for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers.

Rusty Parks and his wife moved to Los Angeles from Dallas in June 2006 with their two children, Reilly (3) and Katy (1).

His email is russell.parks@gmail.com.

Erin Ryan Pedersen lives in Chicago with her husband, Steve, whom she married August 20, 2005.

Rob Pitts lives in Washington, where he regularly hosts wine tastings with fellow alumni Molly Marino ’94 and Jay Sternberg ’91.

Alyson Marano Ward’s ’93 daughter, Anna Kate, and her husband, Joe.

Alyson Marano Ward works as a research nurse on a surveillance and intervention initiative aimed at reducing the unacceptably high prevalence of heart disease and diabetes in West Virginia. In her free time, Alyson enjoys singing and dancing with her 2-year-old daughter, Anna Kate, and cozying up to her husband, Joe, who serves as legal counsel to Governor Joe Manchin.

The Ward clan lives in Charleston, and would love to hear from the class of ’93.

’94 Dr. M. Timothy Gocke is finishing his residency in Dallas and is moving back to the East Coast. He looks forward to rekindling old friendships.

’95

Charlie Baum married Megan Shaffer June 10, 2006, in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. His brother, George Baum ’92, served as best man. Other guests included Maximilian Merrill ’95 and Nathan Vink ’94. The couple is moving to Boise, Idaho, where Charlie accepted a position as systems manager with Micron Technology, and will also complete his MBA at Boise State University.

James Barnes left IBM to join 2020 LLC, which works with the Forest Service. He then went on to MetLife in Scranton, Pennsylvania, as a senior Internet tech specialist. In June 2006, he was promoted to advisory software engineer. He looks forward to being closer to Mercersburg.

Faculty member Jim Malone ran into Kendra Flowers at the April 2006 Darwin Exhibit reception in New York.

Kendra is a grad student at New York University and has recorded a few CDs of original music. Her website is www. kendraflowers.com.

Andrea Marano earned a law degree from West Virginia University.

Ashley Marcus completed a master’s in international affairs at Columbia University in May 2006, and will work with USAID in the Bureau for East Africa. She will be an international cooperation specialist for Ethiopia, and will serve as point person in D.C. for the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia. Ashley will remain in New York since the security clearance process will take several months.

Shawn Patten reports that he is serving the U.S. Army and happily based in Germany. He works as a JAG and is an administrative law attorney. He’s been there for about three years, and will be moving on to another duty assignment in the spring—ideally with the Southern European Task Force in Italy.

Lt. Gill T. Tatman-Tyree Jr. married Anne May 27, 2006. Gill is stationed in Iraq, and Anne is a teacher in Savannah, Georgia.

’96

Misty Dippel is attending Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center in Fort Lauderdale.

She can be reached at dippel_m@ bellsouth.net.

Laura McNear is engaged to Duane Morey. The couple planned a January wedding in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The U.S. Army has promoted Josh Smith to captain. Josh has served two tours in Iraq, and will soon be joining the Special Forces.

Wes Wrightson writes that he proposed to his girlfriend of four years in August; the wedding is planned for August 2008.

Liz Yates is finishing a master’s in information and library science at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and will work as a reference librarian for Skadden Arps, a corporate law firm in New York. She has also moved to Astoria, Queens.

’97

Andrew Bramhall married Sarah Reed ’98 June 10, 2006, in the Mercersburg Academy Chapel.

Immy Byrd has been in Richmond, Virginia, for three years practicing real estate and building her wedding photography business. She can be reached at immybyrd@yahoo.com.

Kurt Muhler ’96 visited Immy Byrd ’97 in Richmond, Virginia.

A summer engagement party for Laura McNear ’96 and Duane Morey (l-r): Richard McNear, Jennifer McNear Loutzenheiser ’89, Duane and Laura, Jeanie McNear, Brad Barnes, Samuel Barnes, Nicholas Barnes, Susannah McNear Barnes ’91, and Camilla Christensen.

J. Robinson “Rob” Little graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School in May 2006. He is clerking for a judge in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

’98

After spending some time traveling through Europe, Dr. Robyn Gdula is working on a post-doctorate research assignment at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

She successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation in inorganic chemistry at the University of Michigan. In four and a half years of graduate school, Robyn published four papers in national scientific journals, is working on two more, and has presented work at three different national conferences, including an invited presentation at the Presidential Event of the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in 2003. She loves New Mexico and all the outdoor sports it offers, and urges classmates, friends, and any area alumni to get in touch with her at robyngdula@gmail.com.

Dean Hosgood, a graduate student at Yale University, helped gather a wide variety of items for Yale’s annual Spring Salvage Collection. Some items were donated to local nonprofit organizations, and others were shipped to Third World countries still recovering from natural disasters. One truckload went to Guatemala, which was devastated by Hurricane Stan in October 2005; another went to the Dominican Republic, where Hurricane Gene ripped through in 2004.

Beth Pniewski is engaged, and will be married August 18, 2007, in Lexington, Kentucky.

Kevin von Seldeneck was engaged to Jennifer Kirsch August 18, 2006, and plans to be married sometime in 2008.

Paul Yun was awarded the Army Achievement Medal by the U.S. Secretary of the Army for “exceptional service while assigned as an interpretation officer to the Commanding General to the Third Republic of Korea Army.” After serving for three years, Paul completed his mandatory military service, and left the army with full-time discharge as a first lieutenant in June 2006. He plans to

Paul Yun ’98, recipient of the Army Achievement Medal.

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

continue with his master’s coursework at Sogang University Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul.

’99

Trevor Baumgartner has returned from serving in Iraq and is now in nuclear school in Charleston, South Carolina.

Ambika Behal is in graduate school for international journalism in London.

She would love to hear from any alumni coming through town.

Isaac Brody is studying film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is the creator of an online writing forum, www.writersurinal. com. The Boston Globe published a feature on Isaac’s new website, Babe Go Boom (www.babegoboom.com), which is a quarter-life crisis forum for mid-twentysomethings to discuss life outside their 9-to-5 jobs.

Colleen Corcoran has been promoted to manager of business development for Embassy Row, a production company owned by Michael Davies ’85. In her new role, she focuses largely on international business development, exploiting the company’s programming and finding international formats to produce domestically.

Tom Dugan is engaged to Heather Reichhart, the Academy’s associate director of athletics. They will be married at Mercersburg in July 2007.

Alexandra Goerl has been working as a therapist at a residential group home for children. She was scheduled to switch jobs in January to become an outpatient therapist in order to move closer to Baltimore with her husband, Matt.

David Klapper is training for a Grandmaster title in chess. He lives in Tyrone, Pennsylvania.

Matt Kranchick signed with the New England Patriots in December. A tight end who played collegiately at Penn State, he has eight career NFL appearances (and two starts) with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, and has also spent time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ roster.

Jessica Malarik is finishing her last year of graduate school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is in the process of purchasing her first home in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, and is looking for employment as a historic preservation architect.

Julie Kaufman Nussdorfer lives in Washington with her husband, Michael Nussdorfer. She is employed as an academic program coordinator in addition to working on a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University.

Jon Palmer is working at Columbia College, Chicago, as assistant to the associate vice president/chief of staff in the president’s office. The college has just acquired a new art gallery and he will be working alongside the new gallery director, with the grand opening and all future events held there.

Carol Powers teaches English in Budapest, Hungary.

Sylvia Saracino interned at Surface magazine last summer with her sister, Jennifer ’04.

Courtney Tawresey has graduated from law school at the University of Notre Dame. She is moving to Colorado Springs to work in a law firm representing religious institutions. Her email address is tawresey.1@nd.edu.

Naureen Zaman married Muhammad Zubair December 26, 2004. They live in Pakistan and work at Samaa Motors, the Chevrolet dealership that Muhammad owns and manages.

’00

Paul Alois married Marika Rose Israel February 18, 2006. They honeymooned by backpacking through Southeast Asia and China. In August, they moved to Washington, where Marika is in medical school at Georgetown University and Paul works as a tutor.

Sebastian Berlit, who was a one-year German student and Paul’s 11th-grade roommate, was a groomsman and is studying medicine at the University of Hamburg. Paul’s sister, Emma ’05, was also an attendant at the wedding.

’01

Michael Best graduated magna cum laude with distinction in physics from Juniata College. It is hard for him to believe that is has already been five years since he both graduated from Mercersburg and survived an awful car accident. He attributes his full recovery to the many people who helped him and his family with home cooked meals, visits to the hospital and their home, countless cards, and so much more. The support he received from the entire Mercersburg community— from classmates, teachers, and even the dining staff—has meant a great deal. Michael decided to take a year off before entering medical school, and is working on his applications and working at Johns Hopkins Hospital as a lab technician in the neurology department. Once his EMT certification transfers to M.D., he hopes to volunteer with a local ambulance company.

Joshua Grahe is living and working in Chicago. In his free time, Josh spearheads a campaign to go door to door and meet and greet everyone in Chicago to unify the neighborhoods symbolically and ultimately prove how friendly everyone is. He pledges to know everyone in the city limits by the year’s end. He says that if you visit someone in Chicago, there’s a 65 percent chance he has met and shaken hands with the person you are visiting.

Laura Downs Niedosik works in a real estate law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. She started law school parttime last fall. Her husband, Lenny, is a Marine officer.

Amanda Crawford is sales manager at Astor Wines & Spirits in Manhattan.

Amanda says that she loves “learning about all kinds of wines, especially those off the beaten trail... but my favorite part of the job is turning customers onto something new, a wine they might not have tried otherwise.”

She has traveled through winemaking regions in Italy and France, as well as Napa and Sonoma.

In October, Emory Mort went to Japan to run in the Izumo City Ekiden, which is a road relay. An ekiden is a Japanese race in which six people run varying distances between 5-10 kilometers and pass a sash to one another instead of a baton. The race features the top 20 Japanese university teams (Emory’s Ivy League squad was the only nonJapanese team in the competition).

Emory writes, “Thank you for all your support in my daily life and helping make this trip possible.”

Andrew Miller and classmate Jeremy Berry met for lunch and attended the Darwin exhibit in New York. Jeremy has been promoted to project manger at NAEVA Geophysics.

Pamela Scorza received a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship, and left last August to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Ghana.

Laura Bushong Weiss is an advertising sales assistant for Details magazine at Condé Nast Publications in New York.

Laura lives on the Upper East Side, where she celebrated her first wedding anniversary with her husband, Stuart.

Lovro Vuksa graduated from Vern University in Zagreb, Croatia, with a double major in management and entrepreneurship. He started work with a construction company in September, and plans to marry next June in Zagreb.

He hopes his classmates are doing well, and would love to hear from them at lovrov@net.hr.

Trevor Yates works for Morgan Stanley in Chicago.

’02

Kristin Burkhart graduated magna cum laude from Muhlenberg College with a B.A. in English (with writing concentration) and theatre. She was also elected Phi Beta Kappa. Kristin spent her third summer working with the Mercersburg Adventure Camps. Kristin is a learning specialist at Penn State Mont Alto, and works primarily with a program called Start Smart, which helps at-risk first year students adjust to the rigors of college academics.

Laurel Kalp graduated cum laude from Lafayette College with a bachelor of arts in English and French, and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. She is pursuing a master of arts in teaching with certification in English at the University of Pittsburgh, and plans to graduate in June.

Lauren McCartney graduated from Washington College.

Jill Pniewski graduated from Elon University with a degree in corporate communications. While at Elon, she studied the role cathedrals played across Europe, and traveled through Germany, Italy, France, and Ireland. She looks forward to more trips abroad. Jill lives in Southern Pines, North Carolina, works at Challenge Magazine, and would love to get in touch with anyone in the area.

James Sprott graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in classics. He plans to attend Boston University part time beginning this fall, where he will seek concurrent degrees: a B.A. in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in nautical archaeology.

Ian M. Thompson, a John Carroll Scholar, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science in foreign service with Latin American studies certification from Georgetown University. Ian was also introduced as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Kevin Walsh began last fall at West Virginia University Medical School.

Jennifer Ware graduated from Middlebury College with degrees in Russian and political science. She was scheduled to move back to Moscow last fall.

’03

Lars Kalp is an art history major and a swimmer at Washington College.

Meredith Knott is in her first year of nursing school at Columbus State University. She misses Mercersburg and encourages her classmates to contact her at knott_meredith@colstate.edu.

John Kline attends Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and works with his family’s business.

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Nick Reed-Clarke planned to relocate to and work in New York beginning in January, and asks that all “chaps and chapesses” in the area drop him a line.

“After Mercersburg, evidently, I can’t get enough of the great U.S. of A,” he writes.

Vanessa Youngs, a senior at Lafayette College, is exploring her longstanding interest in the U.S. justice system through honors thesis research. Her thesis will examine how the system affects African American men, and she plans to use the findings from the study to establish the Bring Our Men Back Coalition, a non-profit organization.

’04

Amy Bruce studies Middle Eastern politics and Arabic at the Naval Academy. Last summer, she spent a month on the West Coast training with Marines and Aviators flying helicopters and training aircraft, and also attended summer school in Annapolis.

Nicole Brynes is a physics major and pre-med at Smith College. She spent half of the summer doing physics and cosmology research, and the other half scooping sorbet and working as a counselor. She’s been dabbling in art and dance and spends a lot of time walking in the woods. She’s seen Kenny Walker and Claire Bolton several times since graduation, “which has been lovely.”

Bettina Buck is studying international relations at Johns Hopkins University.

Over the summer, Bettina spent five weeks at home in Hong Kong and two months in Beijing with the CET Program. She is spending her junior year at Sciences Po (Institut d’Etudes Politiques) in Paris. Bettina reports that she is having an amazing time, and if anyone is in Paris, to please get in touch.

Eric Burkhart is majoring in engineering and is the junior class president at Harvey Mudd College. Last summer, he built a fiber-based, mode-locking laser for educational and research purposes at Harvey Mudd.

Anna Clarke is an English and art history major at Guilford College. She spent the spring semester studying poetry with Ezra Pound’s daughter in Merano, Italy, and the summer living in New York and interning with Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn.

Alexa Deaton, who plays lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan University, was named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference second team. Alexa plays for the Bishops with fellow alumna Liz Stockdale ’02, and participated in Semester at Sea last summer.

Marissa Franklin is studying English education at Dickinson College and

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is scheduled to go to England for the spring semester. She went to New Orleans last summer to do volunteer work for Hurricane Katrina relief. She also worked at a sports and arts camp in New York for middle school children.

Risa Fujita is studying dance and economics at Cornell University. She spent the entire summer in Tokyo dancing, singing, and working at a department store. She looks forward to catching up with classmates while she spends the spring semester in New York City.

Maggie Gindlesperger is in her third year at Penn State University, and is a double major in psychology and Spanish. She is a sister in the Delta Zeta Sorority and academic chair on its executive board. This spring, she is scheduled to spend a semester in Costa Rica. She worked last summer as a counselor for Camp Cayuga in the Pocono Mountains where she ran the drama program.

Will Gridley is a business management major and a member of Alpha Epsilon at Bucknell University. Last summer, he lived in Washington and worked for Bowie Gridley Architects. He says he misses room inspections and Monday night lectures.

Lindsey Harden studies communication and art history and is a member of Phi Sigma Sigma at McDaniel College.

She was also asked to be a member of Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society of Leadership and Success. Lindsey completed a summer research project on varicose veins for Diomed that was scheduled for presentation (and later, publication) last November at the American College of Phlebology in Jacksonville, Florida.

Stephanie Harris spent the 2006 spring semester studying marine ecology and lemon sharks in South Caicos. She and sister Amanda Harris ’97 ran a half-marathon last summer in Reading, Pennsylvania.

While studying human ecology with a focus in agriculture, botany, and environmental law at the College of the Atlantic, Leslie Heimer was given a great opportunity. She is the mate aboard the Schooner Zodiac, a wooden-hulled traditional 1924 160-foot Gloucester schooner that runs out of Seattle. She is working hard and enjoys seeing the other coast. She hoped to work in the Northwest for a while before going back to school this spring.

Sarah Heine transferred to Claremont McKenna College after a year at West Point and is studying art history in Vienna. She loves the Viennese and is learning hieroglyphics. Over the summer she worked at a climbing shop and recognized the beauty of being a student—and is considering making it a profession. She thinks this is her last year swimming and has been climbing and running. Sarah was able

Members of the Class of 2004 enrolled in service academies include Todd Small, Amy Bruce, Carlos Campos, Rachel Gray, Steve DeLeonibus, Brian Schaus, and Rob Mayer.

to see classmates Erica Koch and Arjun Kalyunpur ’05; they are at Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College, respectively.

Johan Hillergren is a physical engineering major at Chalmers University of Technology.

Zac Hilton is a chemical engineering major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Over the summer, he took part in a program at the University of California, Riverside, where he worked on developing new biosensors that employ functionalized CNTs. Julia Hopkins is a cinema and digital art major at Elon University, and had an internship with the Florida State Attorney’s office last summer. Her family has moved from Hagerstown to Florida.

Douglas Hummel-Price is a senior at Yale University, where he says he took a few philosophy classes and really found his niche. He writes that an observation project for his Galaxies and Cosmology class took him back to nights that faculty member Dave Holzwarth ’78 would take him and Sarah Olwell to the observatory. In hindsight, he realizes how lucky the two of them were, as the equipment at the Mercersburg observatory is nearly as good as at Yale.

On the non-academic side, Doug’s a cappella group, The Duke’s Men of Yale, recorded an album and competed in the national finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella at Lincoln Center last spring.

Additionally, the group performed for a school meeting in Mercersburg’s Burgin Center in January. Doug was also one of the leads in the Yale Drama main stage production of Assassins.

Matt Jackson is at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, studying real estate and finance. Last summer, he worked for a Washington-based real estate developer on the private development portion of the new Washington Nationals’ ballpark, and also backpacked in Western Europe. When not at school, Matt has been building a racecar with his father and working as a crewmember for a racing team. He is also vice president of the Wharton Real Estate Club, and works for the American Land Fund (a private real

estate investment fund) and Linneman Associates (a real estate consulting firm).

Katie Keller is a business management major and member of Kappa Alpha Theta at Bucknell University. She was a summer intern with Congressman Bill Shuster on Capitol Hill.

She enjoyed meeting up with Millie Lee and Stephanie Grimes ’05, and she and classmate Alex Lowe volunteered at and enjoyed the President’s Dinner.

E. Alanna McPartland is a French and psychology major at Georgetown University and “a home restoration expert, West Virginia style.”

Ryan Niland is on the offshore sailing team at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

After taking a year off and living in Costa Rica for two months, Sarah Olwell is now studying history at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Last summer, she relaxed at home and worked as a waitress.

Ryan Ostrow is a business management and economics major, and a member of Sigma Nu at Appalachian State University. Last summer, he traveled to Israel with the Hillel Birthright organization.

A wildlife biology major at the University of Vermont, Katie Proudman reports that she interned with raptor rehabilitation over the summer.

Jennifer Saracino studies art history and Spanish at the University of Southern California.

Sabrina Sydnor studies theatre and political science at the University of Vermont. She did a theatre intensive study at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York last summer, and she and Anna Clarke planned to visit Julia Walton in Paris for New Year’s Eve in December.

Mark Teroerde studies international business and economics at Rollins College, and enjoys Greek life there as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. During the summer, he worked in South Africa as a safari guide.

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MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Summer Thompson studies corporate communications at the College of Charleston, where she is a member of Delta Gamma and the rowing team. She spent her third summer as assistant crew chief for the Ocean City Beach Patrol; she boasts that they’re “better than Baywatch.”

Hunter Harrison Wade is a double major in English and Spanish at the University of Vermont. Last summer, he traveled in Thailand and Japan with Yeshe Wingerd (who he lived with in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood), took a cinema course, and traveled to Ireland with family. At the end of August, he moved to Seville, Spain, where he will be until May while studying Spanish history, cinema, and art. Hunter has started writing, directing, and editing films.

Kenny Walker is a philosophy and religious studies major at Andrews Presbyterian College. After taking several years off from music, he is in the college choir, chamber choir, and studying piano in pursuit of a music minor.

’05

Emma Alois has transferred to the University of Miami’s School of Communication.

Matthew Englehart holds the rank of corporal as a third-classman at Virginia Military Institute. He is a Cadre (trainer) for the “rat” class (the freshman class), and is member of VMI’s rugby team.

Hannah Galey writes that she had a great year at Columbia University, and that she “loves the Big Apple.” She was an All-Ivy League first-team swimmer

following her performance at the Ivy League Championships, and was voted the team’s most outstanding swimmer by her teammates. Hannah finished 21st in the 50-meter freestyle at the Canadian Swimming Nationals last summer. She would also like to congratulate the Mercersburg swim team on its successful season.

Alexis Imler is enjoying life at Duquesne University, where she majors in marketing and economics. Last year, she pledged Gamma Phi Beta, and spends her time doing philanthropy events. Her sister, Ariel ’09, is a lowermiddler.

Max Weidman went to India last summer with friends and enjoyed the culture and his experience.

Alex Kim competed in a regional flight competition with his EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University team at Auburn University. He also completed an internship with Korean Airlines last summer.

Thomas Ferry is a freshman attackman for the Fairfield University lacrosse team.

Jane Choi ’06, Natalie Blackburn ’05, and Kacey Ko ’05 on Jeju Island, South Korea.

Jenica Lee loves Kalamazoo College and has decided on biology as a major.

She tutors a kindergarten class at a local elementary school and is in the student-run dance company.

Jeff Greenberg, known for his brilliance in physics at Mercersburg, has deviated from that path to study international relations at Tufts University.

Cara Leepson writes that she enjoys Lynchburg College, and has completed preseason lacrosse workouts. She has converted to Buddhism, and plans to study abroad in India next year.

Burleson Grimes continues his studies in anthropology and history at Case Western Reserve University. He plans to study abroad in Australia and joined the pre-law society, and writes that he went skydiving last year.

Mackenzie Gwynne joined the Delta Delta Delta sorority at the College of Charleston. She loves living in Charleston and plans to study abroad and continue her studies in biology.

In her free time, she volunteers at the local hospital.

Zander Hartung is abroad in Europe, and met up with Raphael Langenscheidt, who flew from Philadelphia to Munich for Oktoberfest festivities. Both are enjoying school and doing well.

Karis Marsh transferred to Wichita State University, where she majors in graphic design. Her family followed her lead and moved to Wichita.

Tammy McBeth is enjoying Gettysburg College and has signed on as a Mercersburg class agent. Tammy hopes to study abroad in Costa Rica, and asks her classmates to contact her with any information and updates.

Aaron Moss completed the Appalachian Trail over a seven-month period. He said it was absolutely amazing, and he thoroughly enjoyed his experience.

He is back at the University of Vermont and is adjusting to reality.

’06

Kat Owens volunteers with refugees from Darfur. She writes that she pledged Chi Omega at Rhodes College, which is her “favorite part of college,” and she also plays intramural tennis.

Faculty Alisa Farrington won the women’s division of the Desert R.A.T.S. (Race Across the Sand) in June. Her time of 33:57:21 was just 4 hours, 53 minutes behind the overall (all-division) winner.

The challenging five-day race covers 148 miles of the Kokopelli Trail from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Moab, Utah.

Former Faculty Jeffrey Scott Bailey appeared in Sheer Madness at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Students from the Mercersburg Summer Programs’ Young Writers Workshop enjoyed a performance and met with Jeff after the show.

Joe Protacio took the MCAT medical exam and expects to graduate early from Kent State University.

Obituaries ’20 David E. Stauffer, March 31, 2005.

’27 Stanley J. Steer, April 6, 2006. (Maple Cottage, Marshall, orchestra, Blue and White Melodians) He studied business at New York University, and moved to San Francisco in 1936 to join Dean Witter & Company. Stan enlisted in the Army Air Force in World War II and rose to the rank of captain. He returned to Dean Witter following the war and became head of the commodity department, retiring in 1982. He died just two weeks following his 99th birthday, and is survived by his wife, Susan; a son; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

’28 Merle J. Graham, June 4, 2006. He was a graduate of Lehigh University and a retired senior executive for Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation. He moved to Hilton Head Island in 1970.

He was predeceased by his wife, Marianne.

’30 Harold A. Johnson, August 24, 2006. (Irving, orchestra, band, choir, Glee Club) He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, attended the Eastman School of Music, and earned a master of arts from Rockford College. He played the viola, piano, and clarinet, was vice president of Barnes Drill Company, and served as a class agent. Survivors include his

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

wife, Charlotte; two daughters; a son; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Fredric D. Lake, April 18, 2006. A retired Chicago radiologist, he graduated from Amherst College and Harvard Medical School, and served in World War II in the U.S. Army’s Medical Reserve Corps, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and received the Bronze Star. He was chief of radiology at Columbus Hospital and past president of the Illinois State Medical Society. Survivors include his wife, Harriet; three sons; a daughter; ten grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

’31 John H. Anderson, May 26, 2005. (choir, Glee Club, News, Marshall band) He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1960-82, and served as secretary to the Republican caucus and as speaker pro tempore. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, and three grandchildren.

James S. Avati, February 27, 2005. He graduated from Princeton University and served with the 9th Army in Europe. He was credited with inventing the art of paperback illustrations, and created covers for dozens of books, including The Good Earth and Catcher in the Rye. He later became an illustrator for Collier’s, McCall’s, and Atlantic Monthly.

Survivors include five daughters, two sons, 17 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Max Samuel Grumbacher, former chairman of The Bon-Ton department stores, June 7, 2006. (Marshall, swimming, spider football, intramurals, Life Saving Club) He expected to attend Dartmouth College, but his father’s health was very poor and The Bon-Ton, like so many retailers, was struggling through the Depression. He abandoned his college plans and quickly rose to the company’s leadership, serving as its president for 28 years.

In 1967, he turned over management of The Bon Ton’s day-today operations to his son, M. Thomas “Tim” Grumbacher ’57, and served as chairman until 1987. He remained on its board of directors until his retirement in 1996. Max also served on numerous boards, including Mercersburg’s Board of Regents, and pursued a lifelong commitment to community service. He was married to the late Mary McStravick Grumbacher, and subsequently to Mary Howard. He was predeceased by four siblings, including his brother, Richard ’32. In addition to Tim, he is survived by two daughters, five grandchildren (including Matthew Grumbacher ’96 and Joshua Schultz ’85), and a sonin-law, Malcolm Schultz ’57.

’32

William H. White, May 9, 2006. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School, Bill was an officer in the Army Quartermaster Corps Research and Development branch during World War II, and worked for 32 years in the paper industry. Survivors include his wife, the former Jane Northup; a daughter; two sons; and four grandsons.

Norman M. Wilson, January 25, 2006. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran of World War II, he was the retired owner of the Oxford Building and Loan Association. Survivors include his wife, Esther Gambill Wilson; two sons; a daughter; a grandchild; and two great-grandchildren.

E. Raymond Arn, December 5, 2005.

’33

Stitler A. Vipond, June 14, 2006. (Marshall, cross country, track) He retired as president of Vipond & Vipond in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, and is survived by his wife, Jane; two daughters; four grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Thomas Y. Mullen, April 5, 2006. (Marshall, orchestra, Blue and White Melodians, Glee Club, track, cross country, wrestling) He was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a fellow in the Society of Mechanical Engineers, and was a professional engineer specializing in hydroelectric and nuclear power systems. He was predeceased by his wife, Jane Wise Mullen, as well as a daughter and a brother, David ’38.

Survivors include two sons, 11 grandchildren, and 10 greatgrandchildren.

’34

John T. Benson, August 28, 2006. (Irving, track, captain of Marshals of the Field)

Harold F. Hays, April 14, 2006. A lifelong resident of Chambersburg, he served in the Army during World War II. He and his family operated Ray Hays & Sons, a men’s clothing store. Survivors include his wife, Alma Burkhart Hays; a son; two stepdaughters; a stepson; five grandchildren; and a greatgrandson.

Hilyard Stokes Simpkins, November 21, 2005. A graduate of Rutgers University and captain of its football team, he was a lifelong progressive and innovative farmer, serving as owner and president of the New Jersey Crop Improvement Association.

Survivors include his wife, Natalie Plumstead Simpkins; three sons; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

’36 Howard J. Hirschmiller, March 17, 2006. (Marshall, swimming) He graduated from Colgate University and the University of Buffalo, and practiced law as a member of the Erie County Bar Association. He had been a resident of Palm Beach, Florida, for 20 years, and is survived by his wife, Mary Beth.

Clair R. Stemler, June 26, 2006. (Marshall, baseball, track & field) He attended the University of Delaware before entering the Navy, and served in the 117th Seabee Battalion during World War II. He worked for the New Jersey Zinc Company Railroad for 40 years. Survivors include his wife, Shirley M. Dunble Stemler; three daughters; a son; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a great-great granddaughter.

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Obituaries

(Continued)

Holmes Van Mater, April 17, 2004. (Marshall, football, swimming)

’37 Robert R. Chisler, February 21, 2006.

William B. DeLuca, July 31, 2004. (Marshall, Downs Prize for Senior Leadership, Track, Cross Country, The Fifteen) John McGowan, May 31, 2006. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, leaving during World War II to work in the engineering division of Martin Aircraft, and spent 33 years at Aircraft Armaments Inc. Survivors include his wife, the former Esther Anderson, and a daughter.

Roy S. Zachary, October 9, 2005. (Irving, choir, Glee Club, band, orchestra) He graduated from Lehigh University, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve, and transferred to the Army Air Corps. He was commanding officer of Air Base Command, 108th Fighter Group of the New Jersey National Guard, and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He was a longtime marketing director for Merck. Survivors include his wife, Eleanor; a son; three daughters; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

’38 Albert W. Golden Jr., October 11, 2004.

Frederick W. Hoefler, February 8, 2006. (Main, Marshall, Glee Club, soccer) He graduated from Syracuse University, and he and his wife, Lorraine, moved to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1952.

Fred retired from the Alaska Railroad after 39 years, and was preceded in death by his wife. Survivors include three sons and seven grandchildren.

James “Ted” Meredith, October 26, 2006. (Marshall president, track, cross country, Chapel usher, YMCA Cabinet president, Press Club, News, Stony Batter, The Fifteen secretary, Les Copains secretary, cum laude) The son of Olympic champion Ted Meredith ’12, he attended Mercersburg as a working boy, graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Business School, and served in the Navy as a PT boat skipper during World War II. For 31 years, Ted worked for Lybrands, Ross Brothers & Montgomery (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), becoming a partner of the firm in 1957. He was a class agent and reunion chairman with classmates Thomas Flanagan and Nicholas Shields, a past president of the Alumni Association, and a member of the Board of Regents. Survivors include his wife, Suzanne Dryer Meredith; three children from a previous marriage; and two grandsons. He was preceded in death by his brother, John, and his first wife, June Louise Friehofer Meredith.

John B. Tonkin, March 23, 2006. He graduated from West Virginia University and was an engineer. He served in World War II with the 8th Air Force 457th Bomb Group in England, successfully completed 35 combat missions over Germany, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster, five Air Medals, a Presidential Citation and four Bronze Stars. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Nancy Sturdevant. Survivors include his wife, Betty Rolland Preston; a daughter; two sons, including John Jr. ’67; four stepchildren; three grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.

’39 Philip K. Hensel, October 12, 2006. (Irving, choir, Glee Club, Stony Batter president, baseball, wrestling, soccer, Class Prophet, Karux business manager) He was a graduate of the University of Virginia and its medical school, and an Army veteran of World War II. He worked as a general practitioner until age 47, when he decided to leave the practice of medicine to attend the Dickinson School of Law. He became a fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine. He was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy, and his brother, Edwin ’44. He is survived by his daughter, Cherie; two sons, Richard and Philip ’61; five grandchildren; and a great grandson.

Thomas “Kemp” Maples, March 12, 2006. (South Cottage, Marshall, football, track, orchestra, band, Blue and White Melodians) He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was a World War II veteran (U.S. Marine Corps). Kemp was an electronic engineer and administrator for Minneapolis-Honeywell. He was predeceased by his brother, James ’44, and his wife, Cedetta Miles Maples. Survivors include his brother, Sam ’40; a daughter; four sons; and five grandchildren.

George F. Rieman, April 26, 2006. (Main, Press Club president, News, Lit Board, The Fifteen, Stony Batter, Rauchrunde) He graduated from Colgate University, earned a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, and taught at Penn State University. Preceded in death by his wife, Nell Russell Rieman, he is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

’40 Donald P. “Sammy” Kay, December 31, 2005. (‘Eighty-eight, Marshall, Stamp Club secretary, track, cross country) He served in the Army and earned degrees from Penn State University and Youngstown University (now Youngstown State). He was a senior field cost engineer for the Bechtel Corporation on the Alaska Pipeline and in Saudi Arabia.

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

’41 Bob Billingslea, August 15, 2006. (‘Eighty-eight, Marshall, soccer) A graduate of Washington and Lee University, he served in the Marine Corps in World War II and Korea, and retired as a major from the Marine Reserves. He had a long career as an educator, and also served on the 50th Reunion Committee. Survivors include his wife, Helen Cooke Billingslea; two sons; five grandchildren; a step-granddaughter; and a great-grandson.

Peter N. Harlow, January 15, 2006. (Main, Irving, track) He was an Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War, received a Bronze Star, and served as an intelligence officer. He held an engineering degree from Cornell University, and worked for General Electric for 30 years. Survivors include his wife, Beverly; a daughter; two sons; and six grandchildren.

’42

Paul A. Duval, March 19, 2006. He built Navy aircraft during World War II, and later managed a Flexsteel Furniture plant and was in real estate. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Bertsch Duval; three daughters; a son; and 10 grandchildren.

Wendell S. Hall, September 30, 2006. (Main, Marshall, Class Historian, The Fifteen, the News, the Lit Board, Karux. track) He was a graduate of Princeton University and a retired Martin Marietta executive. Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Patricia, and a son and daughter.

William W. Wickerham, April 27, 2006. (Irving, choir, Karux) He graduated from Bucknell University and served the Navy in World War II and Korea, retiring as a lieutenant commander.

He was predeceased by his brothers, Earl ’39 and John ’39, and is survived by his wife, Virginia Stone Wickerham; his son, Wendell ’71; a daughter; two grandchildren; and a nephew, Earl III ’84.

Alvin Brown, February 15, 2006. (cross country captain)

’43

James H. Lamade, March 24, 2006. (Main, football captain, baseball, wrestling, choir, Glee Club) He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, served in the Air Force, and worked for more than 60 years at Grit Publishing Company in Williamsport. He was also an executive with Lamco Communications. Survivors include his wife, Ann Rogers Lamade, and a daughter.

Clifford M. Svikhart, July 14, 2006. (South Cottage, Marshall, News, Press Club, wrestling manager) He was a graduate of Wesleyan University, and served in the Army during World War II. He retired after 40 years with the Bank of New York (formerly Irving Trust). Survivors include his wife, Winfred; three sons; three daughters; and 12 grandchildren.

’44

Robert M. Richardson, June 29, 2006. (Marshall, baseball, track, tennis, band) He attended Princeton University and served in the Air Force. He flew for Capital Air Lines, founded Richcraft Engineering, and held executive positions at Litton Industries and ITT. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Courtney Richardson. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.

Harold C. Whitcomb, March 2, 2006. (Keil, Marshall, choir, Glee Club, Stony Batter, Les Copains) He graduated from Temple University Medical School and operated clinics in the Denver and Aspen areas.

’45 Walter R. Dent, May 29, 2006. (South Cottage, Irving, El Circulo Espanol, Radio Club) He graduated from Lehigh University, served in the Naval Reserve during the Korean War, and worked for 30 years in engineering at Bethlehem Steel.

Survivors include his wife, Marjorie Wieder Dent; two sons; a daughter; and nine grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, John ’41.

Robert K. Elliott, March 21, 2006. (Irving, The Fifteen, News Board, football, track, Chemistry Club, cum laude) He enlisted in the Army, and later attended Northwestern University and then law school at Stanford University, where he became friends with future Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and William Rehnquist. Survivors include his wife, Ann Helena Kearney; four sons; two daughters; and 12 grandchildren.

Thomas M. Francis, April 22, 2006. (Irving, El Circulo Espanol, track) He graduated from the University of Colorado and the Harvard School of Business, and was an officer in the Navy before establishing his own business, Windsor Industries.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Joan Daly Francis; two sons; a daughter; and seven grandchildren.

William B. Grove, October 5, 2006. (Irving, The Fifteen, Lataclavii, El Circulo Espanol, band, class historian) He served in the Army Medical Corps, graduated from Yale University, and attended the graduate school of public health at University of Pittsburgh. Following retirement, he had returned to the Mercersburg area, where he started Bill’s Driving School and helped develop the Chambersburg Transit Authority. Survivors include his wife, Patricia McMahon Grove, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Robert ’48.

William B. Leet, April 26, 2006. (Irving, News Board, Glee Club) He served in the Army during World War II. After 38 years with Nabisco, he retired as Midwest district sales manager.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy Ellen Ladd Leet; a son; and seven grandchildren.

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Obituaries

(Continued)

Horace E. Day, October 25, 2004. (‘Eighty-eight, Irving, wrestling, football)

president of National Equipment Leasing Corporation. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margot McCargo Follansbee, and is survived by his son, John III ’74; four daughters; and 11 grandchildren.

John B. Firenze, April 28, 2006. (Main, Irving, baseball manager) John served three years in the Naval Reserves and was medically discharged in 1949; nevertheless, he was drafted into the Army, served in the Pacific, and was awarded a Bronze Star. He later founded his own business, Chestnut Hill for Interiors. Survivors include his wife, Doris; a daughter; a son; and two grandchildren.

Herbert T. Lorentz, January 21, 2006. (Keil, Marshall, Glee Club) He graduated from Lehigh University, and began law school at the University of Chicago before being drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He joined Price Waterhouse as a certified public accountant, and retired after 22 years with Periodical Publishers Bureau. Survivors include his wife, Janet; three sons; and seven grandchildren.

James J. Groberg, April 17, 2006. (Main Hall Annex, Marshall) He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, served in the Army in Okinawa, and was a successful financial executive. Survivors include his wife, Carol Ann; three sons; a stepson, Tristen Bechet ’91; and four grandchildren.

Walter E. Reinman, December 2, 2006. (Marshall, Les Copains, Senior Club custodian) Survivors include his wife, Shirley Follansbee Reinman; a son; a daughter; and three grandchildren.

’46

Wilbur E. Johnson, May 2, 2006. He graduated from Rollins College and did post-graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. An Army veteran, he began his career with his father’s firm before founding Chadakoin Counsel Inc. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Perry Johnson; a son; and two grandsons.

James D. Tobey, June 10, 2006. (Marshall, Les Copains, El Circulo Espanol, football, basketball, baseball) The nephew of late faculty member Pratt L. Tobey, he was an Army veteran of World War II and a retired insurance adjuster for Home Insurance Company of Newark. He is survived by his wife, Joan.

’47 William H. Baker, October 18, 2006. (‘Eighty-eight, Irving, band, Glee Club) Bill graduated from Muhlenberg College, spent two years in the Army, and taught mathematics and history. He is survived by his wife, Mary Elizabeth.

Thomas C. Chidsey, August 17, 2006. (Irving, swimming, basketball) A graduate of Lehigh University and a Navy veteran, he began his career in banking and with DuPont before joining the General Service Administration in Washington as a sales administrator. He retired in 1986. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Martha A. Smoot Chidsey; two sons; a daughter; eight grandchildren; and his brother, Francis ’39.

John H. Follansbee Jr., November 6, 2006. (Laucks, Marshall, wrestling, soccer, Dance Committee chairman) The son of John H. Follansbee Sr. ’21, he studied at Babson Institute, and prior to his Navy service, was with Penn Transformer Company.

He also worked for McGraw Edison, and served as vice

’48 Charles M. Libby, August 18, 2006. (Marshall, track and field) He enrolled in September 1942, entered the Navy in June 1944, served in the Pacific, and returned to Mercersburg in September 1946. He spent 23 years as a Maine and federal game warden and 40-plus years in the antique trade. Survivors include his wife, Cynthia; four sons; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

’50 Craig M. Copper, September 17, 2006. (Keil Hall, Irving, cross country, track, Marshal of the Field) “Redo” was a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Architecture, was a principal in his own architectural practice for more than 40 years, and was also a captain in the Air Force. Survivors include his wife, Marcia Snyder Copper; a daughter; two sons; and several grandchildren.

Frederick M. Kohn, February 26, 2006.

Bradford D. Smith, September 1, 2006. (Maple Cottage, Irving, band, Blue and White Melodians, Caducean Club, baseball, basketball, The Fifteen, Rauchrunde secretary) He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the Drexel University School of Engineering, and was a professional mechanical engineer. Survivors include his wife, Anne Myers Smith; three children; and 14 grandchildren.

’51

Ralph N. Bing, May 29, 2004. (Main, Irving, football, track, Stony Batter)

MERCERSBURG MAGAZINE SPRING 2007

Clarence V. “Chick” Lee, March 1, 2006. (South Cottage, Irving, The Fifteen, El Circulo Espanol, Laticlavii, track, tennis manager) He graduated from Yale University and worked in the banking industry. Survivors include his wife, Catherine Hart Lee; two sons; and a daughter.

Lloyd P. Martin, April 5, 2006. He attended the University of Dayton, and had a long career in management with Wickes Lumber. Survivors include a son, two daughters, and four grandchildren.

William C. Hidlay, June 11, 2006. (Keil, Irving, football, track, choir, Glee Club, band, Stony Batter, Jurisprudence Society, Dance Committee) He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and served in the Army with the 101st Airborne Division. Bill was president of Hidlay Oil Company and a senior development officer for Geisinger Health Systems.

Survivors include three sons, 11 grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren.

’52

Frederick J. Fox, October 14, 2006. (Marshall, football, Radio Club, Chemistry Club, Rauchrunde) He was an honors graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He practiced obstetrics and gynecology, and retired to Maui before settling in Punta Gorda, Florida, where he owned and ran a bed and breakfast. He is survived by a son, two daughters, and six grandchildren.

Robert S. Lemke, August 13, 2006.

’53

Douglas A. Bird, July 21, 2006. After 20 years of service in the Air Force, Doug assumed a management position in the retail automotive parts business in Florida. He is survived by his wife, Karen Winters Bird, and three children from a previous marriage.

John D. McGink, October 22, 2006. He was a lifelong stockbroker and investment analyst. Predeceased by his wife, Nancy Morrison McGink, he is survived by two sons, three granddaughters, and a great-grandson.

Joseph H. Paulin, January 7, 2006. (Keil, Marshall, baseball, football, Laticlavii, Jurisprudence Club) He graduated from the University of Delaware and from Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve) Law School. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, two grandchildren, and his brother, Edward ’51.

Frederic B. Terry Jr., April 13, 2006. (Irving) He was a graduate of Lehigh University. He was predeceased by his father, Frederic Sr. ’23, and is survived by his wife of 47 years, Barbara Himes Terry; two daughters; two sons, including Ross ’98; and six grandchildren.

’54 William T. Cleverdon, April 7, 2006. A Navy veteran, he was the longtime owner of United Flight Services in Watsonville, California.

’56 Blair C. Guyer, September 9, 2004.

Oscar Doyle Johnson Jr., April 25, 2006. He was a retired computer programmer for the Frederick County Government.

He was predeceased by his father, O. Doyle Johnson ’26.

Survivors include his wife, Lynnda Whitlock Johnson; a daughter; and two grandchildren.

H. Joost Polak, March 20, 2005. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he worked as a reporter for the Middletown [New York] Record and the Washington Star. He subsequently held positions at the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, and in recent years had been a freelance writer. Survivors include his wife, Joan G. Blanchard; a son and a daughter; his parents; six grandchildren; and two nieces, Christin ’01 and Mallory ’07.

’57 Richard W. Brubaker, November 12, 2004.

Brewster L. Doscher, April 23, 2006. (Marshall, baseball, Marshal of the Field, Chapel usher) The son of the late Robert Doscher ’29, he worked in New York City as a sales executive in the garment industry. He is survived by his wife, Linda DeFuria Doscher; a son; two daughters; two grandsons; and his brother, Crile ’52.

’59 Howard R. Stepler, October 9, 2006. (Irving, Bridge Club, News Board) A graduate of Elizabethtown College and the University of Baltimore Law School, he married Mary Ann Duey in the Academy Chapel in 1964, and they practiced as a partnership until she became a judge in 1980. He had been a sole practitioner for the past 26 years. Survivors include his wife and two sons.

’60 J. Daniel Shaver, April 16, 2006. He graduated from Dickinson College with a degree in economics, and spent 40 years in computer sales and marketing. Survivors include his wife, Stacey; a son; and a daughter.

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Obituaries

(Continued)

’61 James Dixon Tay, February 26, 2006. (Main, Irving) He attended the University of Virginia before joining his father in the family business, and served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Survivors include his daughter and two grandchildren.

’70 Alan L. Scarborough, May 31, 2006. (Irving, fencing, cross country) Survivors include his mother, Grace V. Allison Scarborough; a son; his brother, Cary ’67; and two sisters, Lynne Garvin and Anna Meisheid ’71.

’63

’71

Jonathan S. Bowers, October 6, 2006. (‘Eighty-eight, Irving, Les Copains, Glee Club, soccer). He was a graduate of the University of Michigan. In addition to his proprietorship, he held professional positions with the firms of Cordon and Jacob and Arthur Andersen. Survivors include his wife, Lynn; two daughters; a stepson; and his brother, Henry ’67.

Timothy Heaton McKee, April 12, 2006. (The Fifteen, Octet, Glee Club, choir, Political Science Club, Jurisprudence Society, Stony Batter, Ridge Project, class vice president) He graduated from Kenyon College and founded Boston Proper Limousine Service. Survivors include his foster son, a brother, and two sisters.

Henry K. Hess, January 10, 2006. (Tippetts, Irving secretary, wrestling team captain, Student Council, Orientation Committee, Jurisprudence Society, Christian Service Group, Marshal of the Field) He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University, and earned an MBA from Harvard University. An active athlete and coach of youth sports, Hank completed the 2004 New York City Marathon and the 2005 Boston Marathon. In addition to his wife, Bette, he is survived by three daughters and a son.

Philip D. Schlecht, July 9, 2006. (Marshall, Stony Batter, Scuba Diving Club, WMER) Survivors include his wife, Cathy, and a daughter. He was preceded in death by his brother, Fred ’66.

James D. Strickler, June 4, 2006. (Marshall, Electronics Club, Kazaki) He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was employed

by Raytheon for most of his career. Survivors include his wife, Kathleen E. Boltz Stickler; three sons; a daughter; nine grandchildren; and two cousins, C. Walter Whitmoyer ’55 and John H. Whitmoyer ’60.

’72 John Scott Gregory, February 14, 2006. An avid golfer, he graduated from Flint Hill Academy and earned a scholarship to the University of Tampa. He was vice president of Gregory Construction Company. Survivors include his wife, Marie; three children; and two stepsons.

Former faculty/staff/friends Henry Campbell Dixon, mathematics faculty, July 23, 2005 Roy Cave, security chief, June 27, 2006

’64 Robert G. Childs, July 15, 2006. (Marshall, choir president, Glee Club, Octet, orientation committee) Rob graduated from Penn State University, rose to the rank of colonel in the Air Force, and was chief pilot for Sun Oil Company. Survivors include his wife, Carol Gibson Childs, and a daughter.

’68 Alex C. Stackpole, June 28, 2006. (Caducean Club, Jurisprudence Society, band) He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and was president of Classic Graphics and director of the Stackpole Corporation. Survivors include his wife, Spencer Morgan Stackpole, and two daughters from a previous marriage.

Maudeline Hamil, secretary/receptionist, February 10, 2006 Donald D. Unger, painter, June 28, 2006 Katherine Palmer Horgan, former owner of the Mercersburg Inn, December 24, 2005 Julia F. Menard, daughter of Edward E. Ford ’12 and mother of E. Ford Menard ’65, June 23, 2006

M y Say

Seeking summum optimum—the greatest happiness of all—might lead not only to moments of bliss, but also to more inspired decision-making for ourselves, our institutions, and our world.

Why do we spend so much time worrying? What is the point heaven. What is more, pleasurable anticipation of an event is of politics, ethics, law, medicine—or running a great school often more beautiful than the experience itself.

Happiness magically eludes any systematization or any specific like Mercersburg Academy? What is the point of living, if not to achieve happiness? Whether for the short term or the long purpose. It comes and goes and cannot be fully controlled. Selfterm, whether for the individual or for society, what principle realization seminars or “Don’t worry, be happy” are to no avail.

Happiness simply happens when we should guide our actions, thoughts,

by Florian Langenscheidt least expect it and is glaringly absent and judgments if not that of the where we might most expect it—at a summum optimum, “the greatest hapChristmas celebration, on a honeymoon, piness of all”? or during a graduation ceremony.

This goal should organize our We have all enjoyed an excelstriving as a measure of whether we lent mood without knowing why. use our time here well. We might ask: Sometimes it is only later that we realWill this war bring happiness over ize how happy a situation has made us. the long term? Will this advance in We may try to control it—lottery tickgenetic technology increase chances ets and insurance policies are striking for happiness or does it portend danexamples—but it doesn’t work. In fact, ger? This kind of questioning can happiness derives from unhappiness. It help us to address life’s ethical dilemthrives on the contrast. And, happiness mas. Can there be any other goal of alone is not enough, any more so than our decisions and actions? always kissing as the sun sets.

Nonetheless, the quest for sumBut what does a person need to mum optimum receives scant attenbe happy? Writer Theodor Fontane tion. Why is this so? Constant stress tells us: “Ein gutes Buch, ein paar distracts us from our inner voice; Freunde, eine Schlafstelle und keine and we become like hamsters on Zahnschmerzen” [A good book, friends, their wheels. Ever-present advertising a place to sleep and no toothache]. immerses us in promises of happiness “A German proverb tells us, ‘Dem That is charming, but it isn’t that are so exaggerated that serious Glücklichen schlägt keine Stunde.’ enough. Every life experience across people shudder. What kind of happiness can only be conjured by clean [When we are happy, time stands still]” all boundaries shows that efforts to define the substance of happiness are laundry, a sleek car, or a healthy mardoomed. Happiness is as individual as our eyes and our smile. garine—all guaranteed, of course, to produce fulfillment?

Any discussion of happiness leaves me open to being thought One person’s happiness is another’s ennui.

Nonetheless, there are conditions under which happiness will superficial or naive. In view of the state of the world, how could a serious person bother with such a lightweight subject? Isn’t it thrive. These conditions are rooted in our species and are essenobvious that we are not cut out for happiness? And if happiness tial to a happy life. They have to be taken care of by an excellent school. And with two sons at Mercersburg Academy, I believe that should come, won’t it be accidental and fleeting? this school—in addition to its academic excellence—is creating an I respectfully disagree: Happiness transcends the question of meaning. People who environment in which happiness can be sought and found. are happy do not ask themselves why.

Happiness defies any objective concept of time. A German Board of Regents member Florian Langenscheidt proverb tells us, “Dem Glücklichen schlägt keine Stunde” [When is a renowned author, publisher, and television personality living in Munich. He is the father of we are happy, time stands still]—and in view of the beauty of the Raphael Langenscheidt ’05 and Leonard Langenscheidt moment, Goethe’s Faust desires only one thing: that it should ’07, and the uncle of Joshua Rosenblat ’08 and Sofie linger. Happiness may only last seconds but can seem like a Tielebier-Langenscheidt ’08. His latest book is The small eternity; or it can last months and seem like an instant of Best of Germany: 250 Reasons to Love Our Country.

been the best “This was awesome! It’s two weeks of my life.”

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