Nobles Magazine, Spring 2014

NON-profit U.S. Postage PAID BOSTON MA Permit No. 53825

NOBLES • SPRING 2014

Noble and Greenough School 10 Campus Drive Dedham, MA 02026-4099

Nobles the magazine of noble and greenough school

spring 2014

Honoring The Rev. p. 42

THE MAGAZINE OF NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

Edward S. Gleason Jr.,

Michael Beach ’82 in Los Angeles, the day after “Crisis” premiered.

contents spring 2014

in every issue

Justin Levy ’95 sees the future of entertainment.

Letter from the Head

3 Reflections What Nobles folks are saying on campus and online

2

4 The Bulletin News and notes from campus and beyond 13

By the Numbers Surprising facts about graduates

14 Sports

Recap of the winter varsity

athletic season 18

features

20 Off the Shelf All about the books and music we make

25 Cover Story: Show Time Old Hollywood glamour and studio dominance are gone. What survives is a formidable work ethic and spirit of innovation as the industry reinvents itself.

22 Perspectives A graduate and a faculty member share their stories

36

Photo of the day Spring is here. Play ball! photo by michael dwyer

Cover Photograph by Max Gerber

42

46

Process and Practice—Not Perfection Nobles requires students to try new things and validates the importance of experiencing discomfort—and maybe even failure. Read why.

Saying Goodbye to Gleason The former head of school’s leadership was pivotal, his storytelling legendary, his spirituality still resonant.

April 4, 2014

Graduate Affairs Be Nobles Bold

Graduate Profile Cultivating a New England crop

48 Graduate News Nobles graduate updates 72 Archive A moment in Nobles thespian history

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This symbol indicates additional content on the iPad version

letter from the head

One summer in the 1990s, when I was headmaster at North Yarmouth Academy, near Portland, Maine, I was sitting at my desk in my office, focused on writing.

I heard rapping on the window of my hallway door and looked over from my computer screen. There was Ted Gleason, smiling and waving at me! I was stunned, and about fell off my chair. I had that feeling that students must get when summoned to see me—what does the headmaster want with me! Ted and Anne, however, were in Maine on other business and just stopped by to say hello. I had not seen Ted in many years; he was delighted to witness me hard at work at a job that he understood all too well. We had a very nice visit, initiating a steady correspondence that continued until shortly before his passing last fall.

A great deal will be said about Ted Gleason in this issue of the school magazine, most notably in a marvelous piece written by Peter Howe ’82. Many wonderful remembrances have also been posted to the school website. I wanted to share, however, two powerful ways in which Ted shaped my career as an educator. The first is from my days as a student at Nobles. I recall sitting in morning assembly in Lawrence Auditorium, watching Mr. Gleason deliver some of his remarkable inspirational oratory, thinking to myself, “I could never do that!” The reality is that I can’t do what Ted did, and I have nowhere near his mastery of language and the spoken word, but he did help me discover my eventual career direction through his encouragement to find, as the school mission asserted, “a life of service to others.” And as a secondary educator, I hope to encourage future generations to do the same.

In my senior year in college, I found myself floundering through corporate job interviews, and I was discouraged by the prospect of applying to law school. I called Mr. Gleason and asked if I could talk with him about my future. He enthusiastically agreed to see me, and in the conversation we had in his office, he offered me a teaching fellowship (then called a teaching internship) for the following year. I accepted, loved the experience, and never looked back, as I embarked on a career in secondary education. As that school year began, I recall Ted saying to the faculty at the opening meeting that “you teach a subject, but more importantly, a great teacher is teaching himor herself.” What he meant by that is that great teachers may love their material but must never forget that at all times they are modeling for young people what it means to be an admirable adult of character and intellect. I still believe this with all my heart.

While the school has always held a morning meeting, and Mr. Wiggins’ and Mr. Putnam’s talks and readings there are legendary, the institution of assembly, as the school currently understands and experiences it, is the creation of Ted Gleason. Gathering daily in Lawrence Auditorium for shared words, ideas, performances and video creations (in Mr. Gleason’s day, some unforgettable and marvelous short films), experiencing a sort of secular chapel service and celebration of the community, emerged from Ted’s sense of how a great school should work. While most schools have abandoned this habit, pressed for time in busy schedules, Nobles has clung to it ever more tenaciously. Therefore, next fall, at a time in the school calendar when we can do this properly, we will hold an “Assembly for Ted.” For all of us who were shaped and inspired by Ted Gleason during his remarkable tenure at the helm of Noble and Greenough School, it will be a moving and special evening; more about this later in this issue. I hope to see you there.

—robert p. Henderson, Jr. ’76, head of school

Nobles spring 2014

Editor Heather Sullivan Director Of Communications

Assistant Editors Tiffany Tran

Assistant Director of communications

Melissa McClung

writer and DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCER

Michele Costa-Bell

writer and digital content manager

Design 2Communiqué Www.2Communique.Com

Photography Victoria Collins ’14 Brad DeCecco Michael Dwyer Matthew Fahey Max Gerber John Hirsch Leah LaRiccia Grace Maloney Tiffany Tran The Editorial Committee Brooke Asnis ’90 John Gifford ’86 Tilesy Harrington Bill Kehlenbeck Sarah Snyder Nobles is published three times a year for graduates, past and current parents and grandparents, students and supporters of Noble and Greenough School. Nobles is a co-educational, non-sectarian day and partial boarding school for students in grades seven (Class VI) through 12 (Class I). Noble and Greenough is a rigorous academic community that strives for excellence in its classroom teaching, intellectual growth in its students and commitment to the arts, athletics and service to others.

For further information and upto-the-minute graduate news, visit www.nobles.edu.

Letters and comments may be emailed to Heather_Sullivan@ nobles.edu. We also welcome old-fashioned mail sent c/o Noble and Greenough School, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham, MA 02026. The office may be reached at 781-320-7268. © Noble and Greenough School 2014

“

Want to read more community musings? Go to www.nobles.edu/blogs.

You can also follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/nobleandgreenough.

For the first 20 years of the school’s existence, all the efforts to organize games and participate in competitions were borne by the students. As late as the 1880s, Mr. Noble was still unquestionably indifferent to athletics.

—Archivist Isa Schaff, posted to the Archives blog

It was born from a dash of nostalgia and academic interest. I graduated from college with a Massachusetts certification to teach kindergarten through third grade.

Part of my studies involved a great deal of research into what young kids were reading and how the books impacted literacy skills.

—assistant head of school and Head of Mid dle School John Gifford, on his collection of Newbery and Caldecott-winning books, posted to the Putnam Library blog

The unmade bed is the student who forgot to print the assignment, forgot which laptop he or she saved it on, and the one who lost the handout, the study guide, the assignment sheet. You know the unmade bed, don’t you?...In my office, we not only specialize in the unmade bed, we love the unmade bed. These are our people.

We spend our day in the backpacks of unmade beds—rife with crinkly papers, extra hockey socks, granola bar wrappers and binders that have the same multilayered effect of a blooming onion appetizer at the Outback Steakhouse.

—Learning Specialist Gia Batty, posted to the Adolescence blog

The Community Service Board not only works within the boundaries of the board members, but we also work with many other clubs to support ideas brought to us from other students. This teamwork helps take a small idea and make it a huge reality.

—Cody Todesco ’15, posted to the Admission blog

2 Nobles spring 2014

March 4 via instagram: Crew getting ready for spring

Feb. 10 VIA INSTAGRAM: Food collected by JV athletics to donate to A Place to Turn spring 2014 Nobles 3

the bulletin

very social The Nobles homepage features social

media posts from community members. Read them at nobles.edu

news from our campus & community

Jake Atwood ’15 (center) and Avery Gibson ’16 (right) meet a student from another school.

Model Citizens Giving a global perspective On Jan. 30, 27 Nobles students joined

3,000 high school delegates from around the world for Harvard Model United Nations 2014. Students from 19 states and 40 countries came together for four days of debates and conflict resolution

assembly highlights

on some 50 international issues.

Representing a person and a country, delegates met in committees of between 10 and 200 students, four to six times a day, for 15 hours a day. They discussed solutions to global problems such as

A Grad Visit

assembly during their

Music Director Mike

Katherine Doherty ’12

winter break tour.

Turner performed “All

Lulu Miller on NPR Editing your life stories can make you a better student. Setting up a fake bus stop outside of a nursing home can keep dementia patients from wandering away. Looking into the composition of rocks reveals that they have once been alive.

What do all of these tidbits have in common? They are elements of radio stories produced

by Lulu Miller ’01. Miller looks for stories where “duct tape solves the ethereal sadness.” Huh? “Realizing the world isn’t what it seems to be—that’s what tickles my fancy. It suddenly seems less flat,” Miller says. Miller is currently a producer for the science desk at National Public Radio (NPR) and has produced pieces for Radiolab and This American Life.

Miller was assisting at a woodworker’s studio in Brooklyn when she first heard Radiolab.

“It was there that I first started to fall in love with radio,” Miller says. She was excited to know that the programs she heard on the radio were produced down the street.

After writing an enthusiastic email to Radiolab, Miller volunteered for the show. From there, Miller got hired as a producer and started to create her own pieces. “I learned everything hands-on. I remember sitting with Jad [Abumrad, Radiolab producer] and watching him edit a piece. We started talking about story structure, and my mind was blown.”

Miller worked full time for Radiolab for five years before pursuing a master’s degree in fiction writing. It didn’t take long for radio to start calling her name again. Specifically, it was NPR’s Alix Spiegel who called Miller about a radio story. “We always joke that she dragged me back. I was at my desk trying to be a writer, but she had other plans.” Miller says.

The two are now co-hosting a new series on human behavior (due this fall). Miller appreciates the return to documentaries. “What I love about documentary pieces is that they feel like a puzzle,” Miller says.

How does Miller find her stories in the first place? She happens upon most of them by keeping her ears open as she goes about her daily life. “I might hear something incredible from a friend or from someone I’m interviewing, as an aside. If it intrigues me, I want to know more,” Miller says.

Currently, Miller is intrigued by that duct tape: contraptions or situations that result in a changed worldview. And we’ll be listening when she turns that duct tape into audio tape.

confidence, featur-

comment affected him

Student-Made

project. The app gives

and athletic game

Scholars Honored

ing modern language

throughout his ado-

Carlo Abelli and Alex

students and faculty

information. See

Head of Upper School

A Teacher’s Effect

faculty member Mark

lescent years. Watch

Yu, both ’16, intro-

access to everyday

their launch video

Ben Snyder congratu-

Dream Tribute

by the Everly Brothers,

The Calliope staff

Sheeran. Sheeran

the video here: http://

duced the finished

information, such as

here: http://youtu.be/

lated three Nobles

all-female a cappella

Math faculty member

to pay tribute to singer

produced a video

discussed how one

youtu.be/K4hEcPFq-f0

product of their

personal schedules,

zUgV87quYts.

candidates for the U.S.

group, performed in

Bill Kehlenbeck and

Phil Everly, who died

about creativity and

teacher’s negative

yearlong Nobles app

calendar, Castle menu

his acoustic guitar

and the Chattertocks,

Math faculty member

and sang “Billy Jean,”

Brown University’s

John Chung performed

by Michael Jackson.

4 Nobles spring 2014

in January 2014.

Delegates worked with students from around the world, including those from China, Turkey, Peru and India, while obtaining a deeper respect and appreciation for different global perspectives.

Although Hazard belonged to a small group, she says it still had its challenges. “You have people who are incredibly bright, and they are opposing what you want.” Hazard rose to become a leader in her group and won the Best Delegate Award in her committee.

Members of the Debate Club began preparations for the event in September 2013—researching topics, writing position papers, and learning about how Model UN runs. They also attended parliamentary debates. Former Debate Club president Julianna Wright ’12 visited the group to help strategize and talk about her experience working in Senegal.

Seck says students leave Model UN learning leadership for the common good. He says they gain “a better understanding of how we belong to one interconnected global village with the opportunity to do good work. The United Nations is vital to not only world peace but also for creating and supporting initiatives to fight hunger, poverty, inequalities and injustices.”

I Have to Do Is Dream,”

Billy Jean

in assembly. He played

human trafficking, piracy in African waters, nuclear globalism and women’s rights in the Arab world.

Delegates were challenged to find their voices. “It’s important to have a strategy and find opportunities to be noticed, even in a room of 200 delegates,” says faculty advisor Amadou Seck. “You have to be present and have an opinion about anything that is raised, but also be able to generate discussion.”

Strategy is an important component of Model UN. Whitney Hazard ’14 was assigned to the special historical committee of fewer than 20 delegates. She represented Richard Steward, clerk of the closet to King Charles I, in the English Civil War Crisis Committee.

Students are often thrown curveballs as roles in the committees constantly change and new conflict arises. “It made me work on my feet,” says Hazard. “Because it’s a crisis committee, we were presented with pending issues that needed to be faced immediately.”

Students stretched themselves to represent their assigned personas and adopt positions they may not share. Says Hazard: “It was a challenge when some of my personal opinions differed from the country or character I was playing. That was hard embodying who I was supposed to be and suppressing what I would have done in this situation.”

photo by Arthur Nguyen and Alex Pong, Harvard Model UN

photo by grace maloney

Presidential Scholars

spring 2014 Nobles 5

the bulletin

began to rise and simply did not stop?

That exercise underscores Jackson’s feelings about trying to understand others by bearing witness to the range of human emotions, including feelings and actions born of chaos and the love of family and home.

Jackson told Nobles students that he didn’t pick up his first camera until he was a freshman in college. While long enamored with visual storytelling, he said he had initially focused on the visual arts. “I loved the way the camera could communicate,” he said.

Jackson also spoke to AP Photo students in the gallery. He told stories about some of his best-known images, including one of Robert Green Sr. (pictured on page 6 ). Jackson explained how Green had—just before his home was swept

Robert Green Sr. of New Orleans

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Pulitzer Prize Winner

away—tried to save both of his granddaughters by moving them to the roof of another house. The first child fell into the current as he was lifting the second.

He could not save them both. He also lost his mother by the morning after the storm hit.

The image of Green shown here was made on the one-year anniversary of the storm. Jackson had stopped by Green’s FEMA trailer to share a CD of images from a year before, when they first met.

Green emerged from the trailer with the flag from his mother’s casket (she was in the U.S. Navy).

Jackson saw the sky turning dark before a storm and asked to take Green’s portrait on the steps of what had been his mother’s home. Instead of sitting, Green remained standing.

Dance Studio Opens

The wind took up the flag. Lightning came. And the moment passed.

“Every time I pick up my camera, it’s not magic,” Jackson said. But he said that magic does come. “You show up and ask, ‘What are the possibilities?’ You get the technical aspects right, and you wait. You see it coming together, and you capture it.”

The Nobles community connected with Jackson when a student-faculty group went to New Orleans to do service work in 2007. As a staff photographer for the Times-Picayune, Jackson met with students. Nobles has visited the south every year since.

“I take my job seriously,” he said.

“With special talent comes special responsibility.”

Ryan Smith ’98 returns to teach a master class in honor of the new dance studio.

The dance program now has a space that matches the strength of the program.

The dance studio, with an industry-standard, multilayered floor of springs, hardwood and marley, is part of an addition to the arts center. The space, which opened on schedule Jan. 6, houses offices and classrooms on the upper level.

“The new space has changed dance at Nobles,” Director of Dance Jillian Grunnah says. “We now have a big, inspiring, safe space for dancers to challenge themselves.”

Grunnah teaches contemporary, modern, jazz, hip-hop and ballet. “I try to get students to think creatively with their bodies,” she says.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Ted

Jackson earned recognition as an intrepid photojournalist in the moments, days, months and years following Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 23, 2005. He

captured the horror, fear, despair—and later, hope—that changed a city and shocked the nation into recognizing the frailty of infrastructures once thought to be infallible.

Jackson, whose exhibit “Visually Speaking” occupied the Foster Gallery Feb. 24–April 4, asked students in assembly to imagine the unimaginable: What if the Charles River on the Nobles campus

Program: Akshat

Let’s Paint

also known as TGIF

Wrestling

the Graves Kelsey

classes: Clay Mizgerd

pounds; John Keally

fifth place at 220

place in February. The

Anderson ’14, who

Putnam ’14, second

Club (ACC) hosted Tori

Agrawal, Lucas Hicks

Visual arts faculty

OPS. Students of all

Tournament

Tournament in Febru-

’17, fifth place at 106

’14, second place at

pounds.

judges were visual

sampled all the

place; and Alix Santos

Stephens, a member

and Mia Murphy, all

member David Roane

skill levels are wel-

Wrestling coach Steve

ary. Individually, the

pounds; Winfred Li

182 pounds; Michael

arts faculty member

submissions during

’15, third place.

of the Peace Corps

’14. Visit http://1.usa.

announced Thank

come to paint during

Toubman announced

following wrestlers

’16, sixth place at 113

Hazard ’15, fifth place

Chili Cook-Off

David Roane, execu-

assembly. The win-

gov/Nys5gk for more

Goodness It’s Friday

X-Block.

that Nobles placed

earned medals in their

pounds; Andrew Fai

at 195 pounds; and

The seventh annual

tive chef Michael Ryan

ners were Lexie Laing

Typhoon Haiyan

Philippines from 2010

information.

Open Painting Studio,

sixth as a team at

respective weight

’14, first place at 132

Martin Williams ’16,

Chili Cook-off took

of Flik, and Abbey

’14, first place; Finn

The Asian Culture

to 2013. She discussed

6 Nobles spring 2014

photo by Ted Jackson

who worked in the

spring 2014 Nobles 7

the bulletin A Great Adventure

Strasburger’s Starring Moment

On Feb. 12 and 14, 11 middle school students performed in the play East of the Sun and West of the Moon, by Tina Howe. The Norwegian folktale tells the story of Tove, the youngest daughter of a poor peasant family who trades her to the White Bear—a cursed prince—for wealth. The Bear promises the family, “I’ll make you as rich as you are poor.” Tove and the Bear fall in love but are separated. Puppets, including trolls, hags, spirits and magical objects, follow Tove’s journey as she travels to the land that lies east of the sun and west of the moon, to find the Bear, her prince. Pictured: Samantha Alves ’18 as Tove

Castle Earns Gold LEED Certification

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The Castle project, which included the renovation of existing space and the addition of 13,000 square feet, earned Gold certification from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. The project was completed at Nobles in fall 2012.

Designed by Architerra and built

by Shawmut Construction, the project implemented practical and measurable strategies for energy efficiency, materials selection and environmental quality.

“Our talented architects, Architerra, and the remarkable folks at Shawmut Construction have managed to revive and restore the historical Castle, while at the same time rejuvenating the building for the next century,” said Head of School Bob Henderson at the reopening of the campus gem in fall 2012.

The original construction of the Castle, designed by H.H. Richardson, was completed in 1890.

Science faculty David Strasburger is always looking up—at the stars, that is.

Strasburger is one of a group of high school teachers selected to participate in the 2014 NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP). Through NITARP, Strasburger and three other teachers have been paired with a professional astronomer to take part in an original research project.

The project is a data-mining mission, and the group will be sifting through an archive of images from the Spitzer Space Telescope. They will be hunting for previously undiscovered star-forming regions and active galactic nuclei, identifiable by their signatures in the infrared spectrum. In addition to participating in weekly team teleconferences, Strasburger will present at a conference and attend a research camp at Caltech this summer. He will bring four students with him: Toni Abate ’15, Ishaan Bhojwani, Skyler Beach and Olivia Harden, all ’16.

Strasburger sees countless possibilities in astronomy for both teachers and students. The advancement of telescope technology and the digital revolution have provided astronomers access to data that wasn’t available a few decades ago. “Astronomy is suddenly a really young science,” Strasburger says. “Modern astronomy is flourishing.” The vast amount of new data is publicly available and provides cutting-edge research opportunities.

Strasburger thinks that turning students into stargazers will make for more inquisitive learners. He finds that students often feel like they’ve failed when the results of an experiment are different from what they expected. He wants to use astronomy to show students that “when we find things we can’t explain—that’s an exciting opportunity to learn more.”

Strasburger hopes to bring astronomy research into the Nobles curriculum. Currently, advanced students have the opportunity for hands-on lab experience in a biochemistry research class.

“Astronomy research projects would be another significant step toward a high-level inquiry-based curriculum,” says Strasburger.

the devastation by

a rice sale; proceeds

Students Associa-

in recognizing black

Rose Sale

for cancer research.

all the work she has

Sweethearts

dedicated the first

SLC Mingle

both ’14, created a

here: http://youtu.be/

typhoon Haiyan and

will benefit victims of

tion showed a video

history in America.

The Campuses

This year, they gave

done for the school.

The Nobleman an-

three copies to a stu-

In honor of Valen-

humorous Nobles

NPTs2GiKzOY

how students can

the typhoon.

about the history of

Watch it here: http://

Against Cancer club

an honorary rose to

The fundraising initia-

nounced its annual

dent of their choosing

tine’s Day, School

online dating com-

African Americans

bit.ly/1j0iysR.

tive raised $7,000.

Valentine’s Day issue.

during assembly.

hosts a rose sale each

Community Service

Life Council co-pres-

mercial to promote

Go, Dawgs!

families affected. After

Black History Month

and the importance

year for Valentine’s

Coordinator Linda

In keeping with tradi-

idents Katherine Kirk

a daytime social in

Representing Dawg

assembly, ACC hosted

The Multicultural

of Carter Woodson

Day to raise money

Hurley to thank her for

tion, the Class I editors

and Ben Perelmuter,

Gleason Hall. Watch it

Pound, the school spir-

directly help the

8 Nobles spring 2014

spring 2014 Nobles 9

the bulletin

Nobles Day Camp registration open

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Going Global

Noises Off In the dull winter months, the Nobles Theatre Collective production of Noises Off was anything but. No sooner had the audience removed their coats and eyed the curiously thick programs (are there two plays going on here?) than dimmed lights lurched them into a unique theatre experience.

Act I opened on a hilariously unprepared theatre company as they take the jolting steps through a final dress rehearsal. Mo Afdhal ’14 played the exasperated director of the play-withina-play Nothing On, reminding the actors of their lines and cues with a biting dry

This year, Nobles Day Camp (NDC) celebrates its 66th anniversary of providing a fun, safe environment for children to explore interests and develop life skills. The camp was founded in 1948 by Nobles faculty members Grandin Wise and George K. Bird ’33.

From 48 children and six staff members, the camp has grown to more than 800 campers and 300 staff members. According to NDC Director Emily Parker, “The camp has grown and continues to thrive.”

The camp offers programs for children ranging in age from 3.5 years old to those entering ninth grade. A counselor-in-training program allows former NDC campers entering 10th grade to assist the counselors.

When Bird and Wise founded the camp, Parker says, they offered a range of activities, from archery to art to sewing to swimming. The number of activities has broadened and evolved over the years.

Registration is available through the camp website at www.noblesdaycamp.org.

The first day of camp is June 23.

humor. The group of inarticulate actors, who are equal parts clueless and careless, was played by Nolan Thomas, Ava Brignol and Tom Morrison, all ’14, Ryan Kelley and Joelle Sherman, both ’15, and Anna Haigh ’16.

Against all odds, the cast arrived at Act II, and the audience was transported backstage to sneak a behindthe-scenes look at Nothing On. Hilarity ensued as Maxwell Halperin and Monica Alves, both ’16, convincingly bumbled about as stagehands, tasked with the surprisingly difficult job of keeping the Nothing On cast from kill-

ing one another. Interpersonal drama among the company unfolds silently, occasionally interrupted by an actor running off to perform onstage. Pranks and whispered conversations were executed perfectly with physical slapstick comedy.

“On we blindly stumble!” back to the front of the theatre for Act III, a final chance to glimpse complete chaos masquerading as a play. Dozens of door slams, several sardines and a few lost contact lenses later, the audience headed back into the cold—with smiles on their faces.

In March, students, faculty and staff embarked on seven experiential learning and service trips throughout the world. A total of 111 students and 25 faculty and staff members traveled to Guatemala, Honduras, India, New Orleans, Paris, Romania and South Africa. The trip to Romania was in its 15th year, while this year marked the school’s first trip to Guatemala.

March trips ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Guatemala: 11 students, 3 adults Honduras: 10 students, 2 adults India: 16 students, 4 adults Romania: 9 students, 3 adults Paris: 8 students, 2 adults South Africa: 21 students 3 adults New Orleans, Louisiana: 36 students, 8 adults

TOTAL: 111 students, 25 chaperones

it group, Max Mont-

School League. The

Guest Dance Teacher

his latest dance film/

Prize for Excellence in

The ‘N’ Word

use of the “N” word.

Nobles vs. Milton

Milton prank in 1959

South Africa Dares

to take dares in front

by Jake Calnan, Maya

gomery ’14 announced

girls varsity basketball

Director of Dance

music video, which can

Performing Arts, the

Harvard Law professor

He discussed the

In honor of Nobles vs.

and shared the his-

In a fundraising

of the assembly audi-

Keenan-Gallagher and

that all girls varsity

team had a 65-game

Jillian Grunnah

be seen here: http://

Class of ’98 Prize and

and author Randall

history of the word

Milton weekend, John

tory of the hockey and

initiative for South Af-

ence. Max Montgom-

Trevor Spence, all ’18,

athletic teams this

streak, winning by an

welcomed Ryan Smith

vimeo.com/63366379.

the Scudder Prize for

Kennedy talked about

and its use in various

Beadle ’14 unveiled a

basketball teams at

rica, students, faculty

ery ’14 kissed a snake;

each ate a live insect;

winter are undefeated

average of 35 points.

’98 to teach a class on

At Nobles, Smith was

Excellence in Fine Arts.

his controversial book,

contexts today.

PowerPoint presenta-

Nobles.

and staff pledged six

faculty member

Head of Middle School

Feb. 19. She showed

awarded the Eaton

community members

Colette Finley, joined

John Gifford sang in

in the Independent

10 Nobles spring 2014

which centers on the

tion on the Nobles/

spring 2014 Nobles 11

the bulletin

by the numbers

graduates

1,887

hed_whitney_bold_18pt text_whitney_semibold_noindent

100

gave to the Annual Nobles Fund in 2013.

are living abroad full time.

15 are currently working at Nobles.

Members of the Noble and Greenough School graduates LinkedIn group.

120 hours

Congrats, Girls Varsity Squash

4 vs. 119 1868 and 1870: Smallest graduating classes 2013: Largest graduating class

The cumulative volunteer hours from reunion committees.

In early February 2014, girls varsity squash traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships—the largest squash tournament in the world, involving 151 schools and 1,403 players, representing 16 states. The team came in fourth in Division I. In addition, the girls had another impressive season as an undefeated team in the Independent School League (ISL), with a record of 7–0, winning the ISL title for the second year in a row and the second time in program history. The team’s overall season record was 10–2.

They placed fourth in Division A in the New England tournament.

assembly (for the first

into the Charles River

Village Orphanage

The Inventor

assembly on April 2.

scraps for his village

time!); Carter Sanders

(caught on camera!).

and St. Brendan’s

William Kamkwamba,

He shared how one

in Malawi. He has built

’14 got an amateur

The event raised

School.

an inventor and author

book inspired him to

a solar-powered water

haircut on stage; and

more than $1,900 for

and friend of Head

build a electricity-

pump that supplied the

Head of Upper School

the Kliptown Youth

of Upper School Ben

producing windmill

first drinking water in

Ben Snyder plunged

Program, the Bakhita

Snyder, spoke in long

from spare parts and

his village.

12 Nobles spring 2014

1,246

The number of nominations the graduate affairs office received on behalf of 44 candidates for the Nobles Athletics Hall of Fame since 2011.

83

13

U.S. Olympians (see page 15).

spring 2014 Nobles 13

sports

Michelle Picard ’11 on the ice against Canada in the Winter Olympics.

A Dream Come True for Picard Hard work, determination and passion took defenseman Michelle Picard ’11 to the ice in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The first-time Olympian joined 20 U.S. women’s hockey players.

The rink has been Picard’s home for as long as she can remember. “I was born into playing hockey,” said Picard in the Taunton Daily Gazette. “I just loved being on the ice. It became a family thing with my brother [Tim] playing. Being at the rink is what my family did.”

14 Nobles spring 2014

At Nobles, Picard played varsity hockey for five years. She also played varsity softball for four years and was captain of both the hockey and softball teams in her Class I year. Nobles girls varsity hockey coach Tom Resor says it was special to coach Picard because of her strong work ethic. “She understood the game as well as any other player I have coached,” he says.

Having coached hockey for 28 years at Nobles, Resor can recognize exceptional talent. “I coached her for five years, and from her very first day of practice,

I realized we had a very special player,” he says. “Shelly is the rare athlete who combines great talent with exceptional athletic sense and composure. She is also incredibly humble, and her teammates have the utmost respect for her.”

The hockey team was Independent School League champions all five years while Picard was on the team. She was the recipient of several athletic awards, including the Bird Bowl for greatest contribution to the softball team; the Anne Dudley Newell Hockey Cup for dedication and excellence; and

photos by Jeff Cable, USA Hockey

the Nobles Shield for most respected female athlete. She also earned the Class of ’98 award, presented by the outgoing school president to a respected member of the class.

“My five years on that team helped me transform into the player and person that I am today,” says Picard. “They [Coach Resor and Coach Cedorchuk] taught us to never underestimate the opponent, because anything can happen.

I will never forget Coach Resor saying that just because we are supposed to win doesn’t mean we will. ‘Earn it,’ [he said].”

Picard’s accolades extend beyond Nobles. As a member of the U.S. national under-18 team for several years, she played in two Under-18 Series and two International Ice Hockey Federation U18 Women’s World Championships, where she earned a silver medal in 2010 and a gold at the World Championships in 2011.

As a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, Picard played in four Nations Cups and two International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships, earning silver in 2012 and gold in 2013.

For her family, seeing Picard compete in the world’s top international sporting event felt like a dream. In the Herald News (Fall River, Mass.), Picard’s mother, Linda, said, “It’s kind of crazy to realize what she’s doing. I feel very proud. It’s surreal. She did what she wanted to do, and we are very proud of that.”

The Nobles community gathered in Lawrence Auditorium to cheer on Picard and her teammates in the last game against Canada. The United States lost to Canada 3–2 in overtime, earning the silver medal.

Picard had dreamed about playing in the Olympics since she was very young.

She says the experience was more special than she imagined. “Competing in the Olympics isn’t just about the fight for the gold medal,” she says. “That’s a huge part and the reason we train and practice so hard for so many years, but the Olympics are also about representing your family, friends, hometown and country in a way that makes them proud. I was blown away by the response and support….Never in a million years would I have imagined the incredible sense of pride they would feel in seeing someone they once met or lived near compete in the Olympics.”

Picard, who is an anthropology major at Harvard and plays defense for the Crimson, will return to the university as a junior in fall 2014.

Graduate Olympians ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

Robert B. Cutler ’31 (crew, 1936) Roger W. Cutler ’33 (crew, 1936) William C. Haskins ’33 (crew, 1936) Edward H. Bennett ’33 (crew, 1936) Goodwin Harding ’39 (hockey, 1948) Kurt Somerville ’75 (crew, 1980) Chris Havlicek ’89 (handball, 1996) Whitney Post ’91 (crew, 2000) Dan Weinstein ’98 (speed skating, 1998 and 2002) Karen Thatcher ’02 (hockey, silver medalist, 2010) Helen Resor ’04 (hockey, bronze medalist, 2006) Sarah Parsons ’05 (hockey, bronze medalist, 2006) Michelle Picard ’11 (hockey, silver medalist, 2014)

Bonus: English faculty member Peter Raymond competed in the 1968 and 1972 summer Olympics as an American rower.

spring 2014 Nobles 15

sports

On the Playing Fields Alpine Skiing

Boys Varsity Basketball

Girls Overall Record: 26–0 (ISL Champions, 4th consecutive year) NEPSAC Class A Champions Boys Overall Record: 22–11 (4th in ISL) NEPSAC Championship 9th Place Awards: James H. Bride Ski Bowl (for enthusiasm, spirit and sportsmanship): Noelle Anderson and Milan Chuttani, both ’14. Coaches’ Award (for selfless attitude and consistent effort): Andrew Orgel ’16, Lexie Vocatura ’15 and Colby Conley ’17 All-League: Lauren Barta ’15, Maya Abouhamad ’16, Caley Dickinson ’15 and Nicola Katz ’16 Honorable Mention: Aidan Crawford ’16 and Sophia Kocher ’17 All-Scholastic ISL: Nicola Katz ’16 All-New England: Lauren Barta and Nicola Katz, both ’16 2014 Captains: TBA

Overall Record: 17–8 ISL Record: 10–5 Awards: Clarke Bowl (for contribution

to team spirit): Johnny McCarthy ’14.

1983-’84 Basketball Award (for the player who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication, determination, attitude and improvement of the 1983-’84 team): Connor McNeill ’14 All-League: Johnny McCarthy ’14 and Robert Martin ’15 2014 Captains: TBA Girls Varsity Basketball Overall Record: 28–0 ISL Record: 12–0 (ISL Champions)

NEPSAC Class A Champions Awards: Seadale Bowl (given by the Seadale family for overall contribution to the basketball program): Lauren Dillon

and Kate Kerrigan, both ’14. Richard Nickerson Award (in honor of the longtime coach, awarded to a non-senior for courage and determination): Katie Benzan ’16 NEPSAC MVP: Katie Benzan ’16 All-League: Katie Benzan ’16, Lauren Dillon ’14, Amy Duggan ’16, Kate Kerrigan ’14 and Alex Maund ’15 2014 Captains: Katie Benzan ’16, Amy Duggan ’16 and Alex Maund ’15 Boys Varsity Hockey Overall Record: 20–7–1 ISL Record: 12–2 (ISL Champions)

NEPSAC Division I Quarterfinalists Awards: Todd Flaman Award (for the JV player who demonstrates spirit, enthusiasm and love of hockey as exemplified

by Todd Flaman ’97): Tommy DeAngelis ’15. 1974 Award (for improvement in hockey): Pat Murray ’16. Sziklas Hockey

Season Highlights ■■ ■■

■■

■■ ■■

The winter girls varsity athletic teams were undefeated in the Independent School League (ISL) in the 2013–2014 season.

Girls alpine skiing secured the ISL championships for the fourth successive year—11 out of 12 in the past 12 years—and captured the Class A NEPSAC title.

The girls varsity basketball team’s 65-game winning streak (28–0) earned them the 11th consecutive ISL championship and the third consecutive Class A NESPAC title.

Girls varsity hockey won the 15th consecutive ISL championship (11–0–1) and were runner-ups in the NEPSAC Division I. Girls varsity squash team secured the ISL title for the second year in a row and second year in program history. Players Grace Doyle ’16, Emma Roberts ’15, Emily Woodworth ’16 and

16 Nobles spring 2014

■■

■■

■■

Alexis Lazor ’17 were undefeated in the ISL. Boys varsity squash finished in 10th place at the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships—the best finish in the program’s history.

Boys varsity wrestler Andrew Fai ’14 won the Graves Kelsey Championship at 132 pounds and teammate John Keally ’14 came in second place at 182 pounds. The Nobles team came in sixth place in the tournament.

Winter afternoon programs collected 21,000 pounds of donations for the #AllDawgsGottaEat initiative to benefit local food pantries. In total, more than 50,000 pounds of food have been collected this year—achieving over 65 percent of the 75,000-pound goal.

N Ryan Smith ’14

Trophy (for contribution to the team): Alex Hreib ’15 All-League: JC Brassard ’14, Cal Burke ’15, Billy Sweezey ’15, Cody Todesco ’15 and Miles Wood ’15 Honorable Mention: Mike Fahie and Luke Stevens, both ’16 League MVP: Miles Wood ’15 All-New England: Miles Wood ’15 2014 Captains: TBA Girls Varsity Hockey Overall Record: 28–1–1 (NEPSAC Division I Finalists) ISL Record: 11–0–1 (ISL Champions) Awards: Anne Dudley Newell Hockey Cup (for dedication and excellence): Lexie Laing, Haley Mullins and Courtney Pensavalle, all ’14.

ISL MVP: Lexie Laing ’14 All-League: Brigit Bergin, Lexie Laing, Haley Mullins and Mallory Souliotis, all ’14 Honorable Mention: Kenzie Kent and Courtney Pensavalle, both ’14 NEPSAC Division I 1st Team: Lexie Laing ’14 (NEPSAC player of the year) NEPSAC Divison I 2nd Team All Star:

Kenzie Kent and Mallory Souliotis, both ’14 2014 Captains: TBA Boys Varsity Squash

Overall Record: 13–4 ISL Record: 10–2 Awards: Cutler Cup (awarded to the

member of the team who has shown the

Lauren Dillon ’14

greatest devotion to the sport): Carter Sanders and Ryan Smith, both ’14 All-League: Ryan Smith ’14 2014 Captains: TBA Girls Varsity Squash Overall Record: 10–2 ISL Record: 7–0

Michael Hazard ’15 (Graves-Kelsey5th place at 195 pounds), Martin Williams ’16 (Graves-Kelsey 5th place at 220 pounds) All-New England: Andrew Fai ’14 (6th in New England at 132 pounds) and John Keally ’14 (3rd in New England at 182 pounds.)

2014 Captains: TBA

4th Place Team at Class A New England Championships 4th Place Team at Division I Nationals Awards: Cutler Cup (awarded to the member of the team who has shown the greatest devotion to the sport): Becky Brownell ’14 All-League: Becky Brownell ’14 and Gracie Doyle ’16 Honorable Mention: Emma Roberts ’15 and Emily Woodworth ’16 2014 Captains: TBA

Boys Varsity Basketball

Varsity Wrestling

Jayden DePina ’17 James Welch ’17

Overall Record: 8–6 ISL Record: 7–5

Girls Varsity Basketball

6th Place Team at Graves-Kelsey Tournament Awards: Warren E. Storer Award (for hard work and improvement): Michael Hazard ’15. Wilbur F. Storer Award (for the most outstanding wrestler): Andrew Fai and John Keally, both ’14 All-League: Andrew Fai ’14 (GravesKelsey Champion at 132 pounds) and John Keally ’14 (Graves-Kelsey 2nd place at 182 pounds) Honorable Mention: Clay Mizgerd ’17 (Graves-Kelsey 5th place at 106 pounds),

First-Time Varsity Letter Winners Alpine Skiing Dani Abouhamed ’18 Sibley Dickinson ’18 Sophia Kocher ’17

Amaya Finklea ’17 Addy Mitchell ’17

Boys Varsity Hockey Cam Burke ’17 Billy Carrabino ’15 Brendan Cytulik ’16 Michael Fahie ’16 Alex Hreib ’15 Ou Li ’16 Sam Parizeau ’15 Harry Sherman ’17

Luke Stevens ’16 Seve Tocci ’16

Girls Varsity Hockey Bridget Doherty ’17 Emma London ’18

Boys Varsity Squash Reg Anderson ’17 Sagar Lal ’15 Lucan White ’19

Girls Varsity Squash Jessie Brownell ’19

Varsity Wrestling Clay Mizgerd ’17 Alberto Valle ’17 Noah Cohen-Harding ’17 Iain Sheeran ’17 Christian Yeh ‘16

spring 2014 Nobles 17

graduate affairs

Hall of Famers Inducted Three individual athletes, one beloved coach and one team will be inducted into the Nobles Athletics Hall of Fame on May 10, 2014, at reunion.

Automatic Jack

Jack Carney ’49 was a dominant wrestler,

undefeated throughout his three-year varsity career. In 1948, Carney led the undefeated team by pinning eight of his 10 opponents. He topped that performance as senior captain in 1949, pinning all 11 opponents. One opponent lasted only 16 seconds against Carney. The Boston Globe dubbed him “Automatic Jack” and featured him in a weekly piece throughout the season. Carney was captain of the football team and the clear leader of the team on both sides of the ball as the starting quarterback and middle linebacker. He also amassed five varsity letters with the crew team in the spring, leading the Second Crew to two consecutive undefeated seasons. He went on to play football at Middlebury before serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Carney died in 2012.

A Beloved Coach and School Leader

Richard T. Flood Sr. ’23 was a well-round-

ed student-athlete at Nobles. He was president of his class, co-editor-in-chief of the Nobleman and manager of the football team. He also won the Trustee’s Prize in 1922. He played hockey and baseball and won a letter in crew. He became the varsity hockey coach in 1932 and compiled a total record of 138–54–21 during his career for a remarkable winning percentage of .697.

Flood served as assistant headmaster for 28 years until he retired in 1971. He also led the admissions office and contributed to Nobles through fundraising, teaching and chairing the history depart-

18 Nobles spring 2014

an ISL title in 1988. She also played four years of varsity hockey at Middlebury, co-captaining the team senior season. In lacrosse, Hyland was a skilled, strong, speedy attacker. She scored 68 goals her Class I year and earned both All-League and All-American honors. A three-year varsity starter, she co-captained the team, won the girls lacrosse cup, and was a co-winner of the Nobles Shield in the spring of 1989.

Hyland played lacrosse at Middlebury, where she holds the record for goals in a single game (10) and is tied for the record for points in a single game (12).

An Olympian

Richard T. Flood ’23 with former Headmaster Eliot Putnam

ment. He started the Annual Nobles Fund, the First Class Fund and the vocal quartets of the Glee Club, and he was the first editor of the Bulletin. A U.S. Navy veteran, Flood died in 1996.

Helen Resor ’04 was a three-sport dominant varsity athlete and captain in soccer, hockey and lacrosse at Nobles. She was the recipient of the Nobles Shield in spring 2004 and is remembered as one of the school’s best pure athletes. On the ice, Resor dominated on an entirely new level. In her three years on the Nobles hockey team, her teams went 73–4–3 and won three ISL titles and two New England titles. In 72 career games (she missed seven games her Class I season

A Three-Sport Standout

Kim Griffith Hyland ’89 was a five-year

letter winner in soccer during an era of dominance for Nobles girls in that sport. She co-captained the team to a 14–0–1 record and a fourth straight ISL championship in her Class I year. In her Class III and Class II years, the team also won New England championships.

In soccer, Hyland’s team accomplished an astonishing accumulated record of 51–1–4. She won the senior bowl for soccer in 1988 and was a two-time All-League honoree. Hyland played varsity hockey for four years, winning

recovering from a broken leg), she had 45 goals and 73 assists for 118 points as a defenseman. She was All-ISL three times and MVP of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference tournament in 2004. At Yale, she was named a team MVP in 2009 and was a finalist for the 2009 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the best Division I women’s hockey player in the United States. Resor won a bronze medal as a member of the 2006 Olympic team that competed in Turin, Italy.

A Dominant Team

The 2002 boys soccer team will be inducted for a dominant season, in which it won both the ISL and New England Class A Championships, with a record of 14–0–3. Coach Ben Snyder attributes much of the team’s success to captains Phil Boulay, Nick DiCarlo and Justin Oppenheimer, all ’03. “They were an extraordinary leadership group…among the best I’ve worked with in my 20 years of coaching. Seniors Ashwin Advani, Ian Graham and Todd Levin, all ’03, rounded out the strong senior leadership group.”

This team also featured two future professional soccer players in Chris Tierney and Mike Videira, both ’04. Tierney set a single-season goal-scoring record with 26 goals and was voted First Team AllISL. He now plays for the New England Revolution. Videria ’04 led the ISL with 16 assists, was the Gatorade State Player of the Year and Boston Globe/ISL AllScholastic Offensive Player of the Year.

He was also voted to the Massachusetts and All–New England Prep Teams. He now plays for the Chicago Fire.

—Brooke Asnis ’90, director of graduate affairs

Hall of Fame inductee Helen Resor ’04 (left) and fellow Olympian Sarah Parson ’05.

For more information about reunion or to RSVP, visit www.nobles.edu/reunion

Be Nobles Bold: The Campaign to Secure Our Mission launched in fall 2013. This is the first in a series of related updates.

Tim Carey Scholarship Fund Launched

After 37 years at Nobles, faculty member Tim Carey will retire in June 2014.

Carey’s contributions to Nobles as teacher, coach, advisor, colleague and friend are many and profound.

(The fall issue of Nobles will reflect further on his contributions.) As part of reunion weekend, Nobles is hosting a graduate soccer game in his honor. We hope you will come back to play soccer or cheer on fellow grads and celebrate Tim Carey, May 9–10.

If you would like to make a gift to the Tim Carey Fund for Faculty in honor of his remarkable service to the school, please contact Campaign Director Lisa Rose at 781-320-7003 or lisa_rose@nobles.edu.

Numbers Count

Educating students who will have the skills and attitude to inspire leadership for the public good is already a bold enterprise, and we are committed to doing it better than anyone else. Here are several critical ratios and percentages that demonstrate our commitment to an exceptional program.

Critical Ratios

Student/faculty ratio: 5:1 Average class size: 12.5 Teams coached by at least one Nobles faculty member: 97% Upper school students who have taken an experiential service-learning trip by the time of graduation: 84%

Our Plan for the Endowment

Be Nobles Bold focuses on strengthening the school’s endowment.

Endowment is the only source of revenue with significant growth potential for the future.

■■ Nobles tuition doesn’t cover the cost of a student’s education. That means that all students are being subsidized.

■■ The true cost of a Nobles education is $62,785 ($40,900 tuition and fees; a $21,885 difference).

■■ Costs are growing faster than inflation. Nobles Day Camp is restricted by enrollment, and the Annual Nobles Fund cannot be expected to grow beyond 4–5% a year.

■■ How do we make up the difference? By increasing the endowment.

■■

spring 2014 Nobles 19

off the shelf

The Bipolar II Disorder Workbook: Managing Recurring Depression, Hypomania & Anxiety with bipolar II disorder workbook,

auhor Louisa Grandin Sylvia ’96 offers support for managing the mood disorder Bipolar II includes a pattern of hypomania and depression but not full-blown manic episodes. Hypomania usually lasts a shorter time and is less severe. It is a persistent elevated, irritable or euphoric mood, with periods of high energy.

An associate director of psychology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Bipolar Clinic and Research Program and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Louisa Grandin Sylvia and her co-authors have provided the first workbook designed to help manage bipolar II disorder.

Honkers & Twangers

Ace Records

Ace Records released a compilation album, LongLost Honkers & Twangers, featuring instrumental music from the early 1960s. Of the 26 songs from a variety of artists, Nobles graduates Don Beckwith ’65 and Dave Wilkinson ’63 appear on three songs with their band, the Reveliers.

Both Wilkinson and Beckwith were guitarists for 20 Nobles spring 2014

Sheri L. Johnson, director at Cal Mania (Calm) and lab professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, writes, “With refreshingly clear language, three experts in the field draw from the best science in the area to provide a clear road map for how to come to terms with bipolar II disorder. This book offers great advice on how to recognize and gain better control over manic, depressive and anxious symptoms.”

The workbook outlines symptoms and incorporates the principles of both mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). This is illustrated in the book’s exercises on guided mindfulness, breathing and imagery.

the Reveliers, a band that was part of the New England surf music scene in the 60s.

Following the likes of the instrumental “Wipe Out,” by the Surfaris, the Reveliers had a hit with “Hanging Five,” which made it to the Billboard Hot 100.

The guitar-heavy songs of the Reveliers incorporate the musical elements of the time with a nod to blues and rock and roll. This compilation is a gem, including several unreleased tracks, and basks

N

The workbook is available at http://www. newharbinger.com.

Tyre” are two songs from the Reveliers that were previously unreleased.

N in the nostalgia of an earlier time. The album includes the Reveliers’ song “Patch,” which appeared on the B-side of “Hanging Five.”

“White Water” and “Flat

The album is available at Amazon or via Ace Records at acerecords.co.uk.

album, Something Greater.

The album follows his first EP, Come on In, which was released in 2011.

Paraschos’ album has gospel, Motown and R&B influences. With a sound reminiscent of early Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, the singer-songwriter tackles themes of love, artistic struggles and social inequality. The song “I Love You” follows the excitement of new love, while the songs “Here to Stay” and “In Love” speak to the ups and downs of a relationship.

The song “Carry On” focuses on social inequalities and a call to action evocative of Marvin Gaye, with lyrics like “We’re still living for the city, now tell me what’s going on?” On his blog, Paraschos describes how his experience as a substitute teacher was the inspiration for “Carry On.” He explains how the students, with their enthusiasm and desire to be proactive, illustrated the importance of being an “active learner and citizen.”

Something Greater is available on Amazon, at iTunes and at www.alexisongs.com.

Something Greater Alexi Paraschos

CD Baby

In February 2014, Nobles faculty member Alexi Paraschos released his first full-length

N

5

my books...

sabbatical reading list

by Steve Ginsberg, business manager

I am drawn to books in which I have a clear connection to the characters or story. Maybe I need a better imagination...

THE INTERESTINGS, BY MEG WOLITZER I did not attend a school like Nobles. My biggest educational influence as a kid was my experience at overnight camp (seven years, eight weeks each summer), so the backdrop for The Interestings was a natural draw for me.

I often wonder who my childhood camp friends became, and this book proves that it is not always what you would have expected. Balancing humor, struggle, sadness and the reality of growing up, The Interestings tells the story of six people who met at camp in the 1950s and traces their lives into adulthood.

THE CIRCLE, BY DAVE EGGERS The scary part about this book is that it is actually believable. The Circle is a tech company, not much different from Facebook or Google, that becomes all-encompassing for its employees. It is Big Brother on steroids, including cameras, GPS and medical monitoring that can be seen by everyone. Just when I was ready to write it off as far-fetched, I purchased a Fitbit—which tracks my steps, sleeping, calories burned—and started to see the potential reality depicted in the book.

THE STARBOARD SEA, BY AMBER MCDERMOTT I am a sucker for books that take place at boarding schools. Set in the 1980s, this story merges everything seductive and controversial about life at a boarding school (love, death, alcohol, awkward social moments, parent issues, etc.). And it is believable enough to be compelling, especially for someone who has worked at a boarding school.

THE BOYS IN A BOAT, BY DANIEL JAMES BROWN Athletics have played a crucial role in who I am, and I am fascinated by trying to figure out what makes a team work. This book tells the story of the University of Washington crew team’s plight to qualify for the 1936 Olympics in Germany. It combines personal stories with vivid descriptions of team efforts, all against the backdrop of post-Depression America and pre-WWII Europe.

MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN, BY JOSHUA FOER Since I turned 40, I have been on a quest to find something that I can be competitive at on the world stage. Unfortunately, most athletic pursuits are off the table (perhaps curling?), but this book gave me hope. The author studies for and enters the U.S. Memory Championships. It is incredibly funny and inspiring for those of us who hope to make the big time in something.

spring 2014 Nobles 21

perspectives

Underwater

When Difficult Students Are Our Teachers

Swimming Through Time

By Kate Boyle Ramsdell, college counselor

It’s the first time I can remember feeling proud of myself, and maybe that’s what made me a swimmer. I’m 4 and eager to jump into Joan LaClair’s backyard pool, running up the dark-stained deck steps with my bathing suit already on, hair in pigtails, TIME towel tucked under my arm (my dad worked for TIME magazine; the towels would go on to live longer than he). I’m 4, and I know how to touch the bottom of the deep end, how to retrieve a rubber ring to show I’ve really made it to the bottom.

Mrs. LaClair, her skin made leathery by decades of teaching swim lessons outside, her hair bleached by chlorine, is teaching a class of 8-year-olds when I bound in. “Katie! Can you show them how to get the ring?” Swelling with excitement, I jump in, stroke to the bottom of the pool, and grasp the prize. I’m not sure what broke the surface first, my fist or my grin. It didn’t matter. I was 4 and they were 8, and I showed them how to get the ring.

W

hen I was 11, my dad died. I spent every afternoon at Piranhas practice in the Darien YMCA pool, a routine that I’d established long before he was gone. Clear recollections of my grief are spotty. And yet I remember looking up at the rafters, 30 feet above me, as I did laps of backstroke, imagining my dad sitting there. At swim meets, he would perch himself on the end of the 3-meter board, and sometimes he’d show up at the bottom of the pool during a particularly trying stretch of a race. I was equally convinced at the time that I might see him in a movie, another extra among the commuters jammed onto a Manhattan sidewalk, making his way to the Time-Life Building. These 22 Nobles spring 2014

imaginings went on for about five years.

By high school, he appeared only once a season or so at state championships or during a brutal distance set, and then sometime during college, it became harder to convince myself he could appear anymore, and so he didn’t.

The smell of chlorine is intoxicating. Hours after I’ve climbed out of the slippery-tiled Williams College pool, rinsed off in the fogbank of a communal shower, lifted the handle on my rusty locker, thrown clothes over a still-damp body and quickly dried my hair with the hand dryer, awkwardly bending to get my head under its short-lived puffs of warm air, I lick the back of my hand— “the sniff test,” my friend Chloe calls it—and take a whiff of my skin. In that moment, I don’t think it will ever leave

Recognizing Your Personal Buddha

H my pores, this chemical perfume. I’m not sure I know a competitive swimmer whose olfactory memories aren’t stoked upon encountering a chlorinated pool deck. Even now, as a college counselor at a school that doesn’t have a competitive swim team, I linger at each college or university’s pool, examining the record boards, comparing them to the times of swimmers I knew. Chlorine seeps into my nostrils just long enough to remind me of the 16 years and millions of laps I spent following a double black line at the bottom of a pool.

“ONE! TWO! THREE!” I throw Whit’s tiny body into the air, waiting for the top of his head to plunge beneath the surface. He disappears beneath the crest of water his body created, and almost as quickly, I yank him back into the air. A

few quick blinks are followed by peals of laughter. “AGAIN!” Thrilled by my infant son’s seemingly immediate love of the water, I joke with my husband that we’d better start saving the iPhone videos of his bath-time bubble-blowing antics because ABC will need the footage for the video montage before he takes the blocks at the Summer Olympics. I wonder if he, too, might someday mentally rehearse his marching band music as he counts through his warm-up laps, or find pure joy in suspending himself in the deep end while floating giant, lung-busting bubbles up to the surface at the end of every high school swim practice, or lick the back of his hand to conjure the fading scent of the pool.

ere’s a paradox: Teachers are skilled in the art of teaching, but often don’t recognize their most teachable moments. These are moments in our classrooms or careers that challenge us and make us grow for the better, moments in which our students are teaching us to be better teachers—if we would only learn.

Shortly after having my first child, I came across a book called A Path with Heart, by Jack Kornfield. I was a typical teacher, looking to books for answers to my problems—in this case, a chronically fussy baby.

One passage caught my attention.

Kornfield talks about the small, daily challenges that undo us one knot at a time—the student who doesn’t have his homework again, the colleague who snips at you unfairly, that parent’s email with a certain tone. Kornfield, a Buddhist monk by training, suggests that for one entire day, you imagine that everyone and everything you encounter is your teacher, a personal Buddha existing solely for your growth, giving you the lesson you most need in that moment.

I tried this and experienced a radical shift. I’d been focused on the exhausting demands of new motherhood. On

By Alexis Wiggins ’95

the “Buddha day,” I saw my crying son as an opportunity to cultivate patience.

My son was a teacher—and I hadn’t realized it.

It Was All About Jack Alert to this idea when I returned to teaching, I realized that my classroom was full of Buddhas. All teachers know there are students who push buttons.

For most of my career, these students drove me crazy. But Kornfield—and motherhood—had me reconsidering my students.

One of my best teachers in this regard was “Jack,” a high school junior who monopolized discussions, loved to shout down everyone else, and relished saying things to provoke (“Women are whiny”). Early in my career, I’d have agonized over Jack and felt that he was ruining the class dynamic. But after reading A Path with Heart, I saw there were two things I could do: ask myself what I most needed to learn as an educator, and reach out to a kid who wasn’t expecting it because he worked hard to push others away.

Jack loved to hear himself talk. I use a kind of Socratic seminar in my classes called Spider Web Discussion. The approach requires students to discuss a topic in a balanced, collaborative way and assesses the class performance on

spring 2014 Nobles 23

perspectives

each discussion as a whole group so students all get the same grade. Any student who leads the group away from good collaboration brings the group grade down.

Jack stymied the process. The pattern of our discussions was such that a student would speak, and Jack would respond. Jack began every response with “I agree” or “I disagree.” Jack believed discussion in English class was an exercise in deciding whether or not he agreed.

I tried a variety of tactics. I talked during debriefings about the importance of having a balanced discussion, not letting one person dominate. This message was lost on Jack. He was unable to let the conversation develop without him at the center. . . .Until It Wasn’t Jack was affecting morale. How could I get him to listen to his peers and allow them space to communicate in a way that didn’t seem like a punishment? That’s when I hit on it: roles.

I designed a series of roles for the whole-group discussion that asked students to accomplish different tasks.

One role was to be the “feedback giver,” a student who doesn’t speak but who takes notes on the discussion. The first time I assigned Jack this role, he stayed silent the whole class, then gave very critical feedback on all the ideas the students didn’t discuss. Another role was “three question asker.” This person could speak only three times during the whole conversation, with each contribution being a discussion-inspiring question. Once Jack had asked his three questions, he tuned out completely.

Yet another role was “host.” This person was to engage students not involved in the discussion. The day Jack was host, he responded to a comment with “I agree, but . . .,” and I saw him catch himself and remember that he was supposed to play host.

Jack awkwardly turned to an insightful student who also happened to be shy and asked, “What do you think, Marcus?

“ I also found that when I reached out to students like Jack and made them feel especially valued, something unexpected happened: The Jacks of the world became some of my favorite students.” —alexis wiggins ‘95

What did you find in last night’s reading?” Marcus didn’t skip a beat in sharing what he’d noticed reading Tobias Wolff’s In Pharaoh’s Army.

“There’s this motif related to watches and time.” Marcus cited three quotes about watches, a nuanced and insightful look at the relationship between time and death in the text. I was impressed; I had taught the book twice before and had never noticed the motif. Jack was also impressed. “I agree,” he enthused while underlining the passages.

During the debriefing, I focused on that moment and showed how Jack had tossed the ball to Marcus and we’d all benefited. It might have been the first time that Jack realized he could benefit from others in the room, especially from someone so shy.

Embracing Our Jacks As a Buddha, Jack offered me an opportunity to push past my limits, to invent ways of reaching students and help them work through their intellectual and social blocks.

I also found that when I reached out to students like Jack and made them feel especially valued, something unexpected happened: The Jacks of the world became some of my favorite students.

How had I stopped at that outer, abrasive layer and not seen the funny, critical minds underneath?

So I thank Jack Kornfield for teaching me that we sometimes need to embrace difficult realities. It takes humility and patience to approach challenging kids.

But if you do, you may find that your least favorite student (or parent or colleague) becomes your greatest teacher yet.

Wiggins teaches English at the American International School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN EDUCATION LEADERSHIP. IT IS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION © 2014 ASCD

24 Nobles spring 2014

The actor. The writer. The producer.

The media mogul. The artist.

The casting agent. These six Nobles graduates prove there’s no business like show business. by me l issa mcclung, he athe r sul l ivan and tiffany tr an spring 2014 Nobles 25

THE ACTOR

BEING MICHAEL BEACH photo g r a p h by ma x ge rbe r

26 Nobles spring 2014

His adolescence sounds like it could

be a Hollywood storyline: Handsome black kid from Roxbury—loving mother, absent father—gets accepted to fancy prep school. Plays football, then lacrosse.

Thinks he’s not good at much else. Gets injured on the field. Is afraid he will be asked to leave because he no longer wears shoulder pads, no longer commands the field. He finds his voice onstage making assembly announcements and is cast in the school production of The Diary of Anne Frank. He’s hooked from the first rehearsals. A year or so later, coached intensely by Lake Bobbitt Jr., who assisted with Nobles productions, he auditions at Juilliard, his first time in New York. He doesn’t quite get that others in the room have spent a lifetime preparing for this moment—but he likes the passion and pressure just fine. He is accepted, and he graduates. This boy, now a man, is an actor. His name is Michael Beach, and he graduated from Nobles in 1982.

“It was the late ’70s when I first went to Nobles,” Beach says, “and it was like taking a trip to the moon, really. I had zero frame of reference.”

Even those who don’t recognize Beach’s name probably know his face.

During his three decades in TV and movies, he has had a recurring role on “ER,” acted alongside Angela Bassett and others in Waiting to Exhale, and was in 100 episodes of “Third Watch” as Doc, an EMT. Beach has been a lover, a healer, a sidekick and a gun-wielding Harley-rider.

His Internet Movie Database (IMDb) profile lists more than 100 credits. He attributes his staying power to a deep love of his work and avoiding classic Hollywood pitfalls. He and his family have no domestic help, no nanny. “I’ve raised my own kids,” says the father of six. “And I respect everybody unless somebody gives me a really good reason not to.”

If Beach sounds like a good guy, he is. He’s also the kind of person you might rely on in a crisis, which is fitting,

because his latest gig, “Crisis,” premiered March 16. And as director of the FBI, Beach is playing the good guy (in kind of a badass way). But Beach isn’t sure he’d be playing any part if it weren’t for Bobbitt and those early days in Dedham.

“The man was a godsend to me,” says Beach, “I just thought, ‘Man, this guy has some stuff, some info to give to me. He understands things that I want to understand.’ We had discussions about character and about how to explore them.”

Bobbitt helped Beach prepare to play Shakespeare’s Duke Orsino from Twelfth Night for his Juilliard audition. “I had never done Shakespeare,” Beach says. “I [had] never even read Shakespeare. It was just about me jumping off the cliff and going for it. I was able to trust him.”

The audition went well. “I didn’t know the depth of the training that I was about to experience, and I also didn’t know the heartlessness.” Beach remembers that the cuts were relentless, and after two years of training, many of his classmates, including his girlfriend, were cut from the program.

Beach says the show was never a monster hit but had a loyal fan base. When the producer, John Wells, shared the plan in season five to amp up the action to keep the show on the air, Beach opted out.

“John Wells, who has been very good to me, said, ‘Listen, Michael, we’re doing this, and you can stay, but we’re not going to use you in every episode.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah. It’s time to move on.’”

And moving on has proven fruitful.

Beach’s most recent time on set has been in Chicago, shooting “Crisis” with Gillian Anderson and Dermot Mulroney.

The drama centers on the kidnapping of teenage children of the nation’s elite—by clever, well-organized terrorists. Early reviews are promising. The New York Times calls it “terrific.” Newsday says, “‘Crisis’…[is] giving viewers a reason to care—about the characters, outcome and mystery... and ‘Crisis’ delivers.”

Of course, Beach hopes “Crisis” will succeed, but regardless, he keeps things in perspective and realizes how lucky he is to get to do what he does. “It’s a great life. I love what I do. It all started at

"LOOK WHAT’S OUT THERE. IF YOU WANT IT, CRUSH IT, WORK HARD, AND YOU CAN HAVE IT.” He says that his work ethic and respect for others have served him well during the harrowing auditioning process. “They don’t necessarily know what they’re looking for. They just want somebody to show them what they’re looking for. You have to be so well prepared that your want, your need, your desire, your hunger is more powerful than your fear.”

In 1999, after “ER,” Beach says it was a time when the networks were being criticized because there were few minority leads in TV series. It was then that he earned the role of Doc in “Third Watch.”

Nobles. When I think back to the people and the kids from my neighborhood and the kids who are in that situation now, it’s a question of access. It’s a question of knowing what’s out there and giving someone a chance to earn a right to be in whatever field they want.

“Education changes everything and it’s not about, ‘Oh, well, this guy was a perfect A student,’ because I surely wasn’t,” says Beach. “But it’s about, ‘Hey, kid. Look what’s out there. If you want it, crush it, work hard, and you can have it.’

That’s what Nobles did for me.” spring 2014 Nobles 27

Passionate About Process Lindsey Jaffin Conway ‘99 knows the hit show House

THE ARTIST

28 Nobles spring 2014

like the back of her hand. Sure, she’s a fan, but her knowledge of the show surpasses that of even the most avid viewer. As a former producer, Conway was primarily responsible for the overall tone of the show and looking for inconsistencies between episodes; it was her job to know it better than anyone else.

To achieve a macro view on set, Conway worked closely with many different departments. “As a producer, you wear a lot of different hats,” Conway says.

“You’re involved in all of the action. In a lot of ways, you’re the glue that holds together all of the different pieces.” Conway was involved with everything from casting and editing to publicity and marketing.

A certain aspect of marketing caught Conway’s eye. Looking at the different advertising concepts for the show fascinated Conway—mostly because she understood that the 10 concepts in front of her were only the tip of the iceberg. “I looked at the concept presentation and I thought, ‘This is so cool!’” Conway says. “I know that by the time it gets to the producers, it’s been narrowed down from the executives at the network. So what’s the process before it gets to us?”

Before she knew it, Conway was seeking advice from people on the marketing side about how she could be involved in putting together the advertising concepts and creating “key art,” the art used to market television and movies. She started taking classes so she could learn the software programs required and landed a part-time position in the design department at Fox Broadcasting Company. Conway was then hired as a full-time freelance designer and, eventually, the associate art director for the network.

Conway has never looked back. After five years on House, the career switch was surprising to many, but Conway knew that she wanted to explore other aspects of the business. She finds that her background on set helps in her new job. “I have a different perspective as a producer who is now an artist.… I feel like I’m still a producer, but I’m producing art now,” Conway says.

She spends her days creating advertising concepts and key art for many different shows, which are sent on to the marketing executives and the producers; Conway now has a complete view of the process. “It may have been a bold move [to leave House], but now I work on many different shows on the network and with other artists to create exciting campaigns. It’s a great gig,” Conway says.

Conway’s path to Hollywood was similarly bold. After graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in film and television production, Conway spent about a year and a half pursuing projects in New York. During that time, she became curious about Los Angeles; a quick trip west resulted in a job offer from the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). “It was a ‘start on Monday’ sort of situation. I just said, ‘I’ll make it happen,’” Conway says.

Conway had an idea of how helpful working at CAA would be for her career. “At CAA you learn about the entire town. You learn about the executives of the studios, you learn who the talent is,” Conway says. “You are introduced to everything and find out the aspects of the business you want to be in.”

It was there that Conway decided to join the set of a new show House, as an assistant to the executive producer. As the show gained in popularity, Conway was given more and more responsibility, eventually moving into the producer role.

How is Conway so fearless when it comes to pursuing her passions? “I am able to see an opportunity and jump at it,” Conway says. “I am able to say, ‘I know this may seem radical, but I think this is an opportunity that’s going to get me somewhere.’”

Conway’s first opportunity in film came when she was a senior at Nobles. Conway worked on the set of a feature film, directed by a Nobles graduate.

Although Conway had never been involved in film before, she had taken a lot of visual arts classes at Nobles and was intrigued by the fact that film is first and foremost a visual medium.

“My senior project is what sparked my interest in film. It made me want to be on more sets,” Conway says. “I would encourage Nobles seniors to take advantage of the opportunity to explore their interests.”

photograph by matt he w fahe y

PICKING THE PLAYERS THE casting director

It’s another day at the office: People emitting bloodcurdling screams, speaking in tongues, being possessed by the devil, agonizing in pain, and suffering ghastly deaths. It’s not an ordinary day for many, but the more distressing the cry and the more rattling the experience, the better the day is going for Nancy Nayor ’78, who is in Hollywood casting a horror film.

Two things occur when someone is auditioning: Nayor is evaluating and assessing the actor’s suitability for the role, and she’s also wincing at the pain she’s witnessing. “The hairs on the back of my neck stand up,” she says. “Then I know the audition is going well.”

Producers and directors often get recognition for box-office hits. However, often working alongside them is a casting director with keen instincts. That’s

where Nancy Nayor Casting comes in. Based in Los Angeles, the company has cast for Scream 4, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Grudge, My Bloody Valentine, The Possession and soon, Visions and Ouija, both coming out in 2014. And although Nayor casts for other genres as well—drama and comedy, including Road Trip, The Whole Nine Yards and Nim’s Island—she has found her niche in horror.

But Nayor’s initial interest was in acting. At Nobles, she performed in Anything Goes, by Cole Porter and The Sandbox, by Edward Albee. She enrolled in New York University as an acting major but transferred after her freshman year to Wellesley College to become a political science major because she preferred a more well-rounded liberal arts education. spring 2014 Nobles 29

Nayor returned to New York after college for an internship casting offBroadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. With that opportunity came a fortuitous realization. “My first 48 hours on the job, I realized that what I really preferred to do was casting,” she says. “I literally thought [casting] was going to be the gateway to my acting career and then decided that my destiny was in casting.”

At 24 years old, Nayor became the senior vice president for feature film casting at Universal Studios. For 14 years, she oversaw the casting of films for such directors as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Oliver Stone and Spike Lee. In 1997, Nayor founded her freelance casting company, where she has built partnerships mostly through referrals. “A lot of it is by word of mouth after showing off your taste in terms of who you choose for different projects,” she says.

Working closely with producers and directors to understand their vision for the movie and its characters, she delivers on their expectations while also pushing the limits to bring some unexpected choices.

when casting. “If your taste is continuously validated because other people enjoy it, then you know your instinct is good,” she says. “A lot of times when I am watching auditions, I know after the first sentence that it’s either going to work or it’s not going to work.”

In any given month, she meets with a multitude of actors and hears the same scenes recited hundreds of times. The few who can evoke emotion are usually promising. “When we’re doing a dramatic piece, and if I am literally in tears during the audition, that’s a good sign that the audience will be moved,” she says.

In addition to reviewing an abundance of footage of new actors sent by LA talent agents, Nayor also scouts new talent by watching independent and European films.

Whether a movie hires a well-known superstar or discovers a novice actor is contingent on the project and the director. For Scream 4, director Wes Craven and producer Bob Weinstein sought to find the best up-and-coming talents, so Nayor scoured the globe for a young ensemble, finding anyone imaginable

"ACTORS ARE…CONSTANTLY SHAPESHIFTING. THAT’S THEIR JOB. AS MUCH AS I FEEL LIKE I’VE SEEN SOMEONE BE A PARTICULAR WAY, I ALWAYS WANT TO BE OPEN TO GIVING THEM A CHANCE TO SHOW ME SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT.” “Actors are…constantly shapeshifting,” she says. “That’s their job. As much as I feel like I’ve seen someone be a particular way, I always want to be open to giving them a chance to show me something new and different.”

Nayor relies heavily on her intuition 30 Nobles spring 2014

that would be the best fit for the roles.

“I’m always asking myself every day, who might I have missed, who should we see that we have not seen, so we have the best options,” she says.

Nayor has had her share of success discovering new talent. During her time

at Universal Studios, she cast Gwyneth Paltrow at 17 years old in her first film, Shout, starring John Travolta. A more recent example is Megan Boone, who plays Elizabeth Keen on NBC’s The Blacklist. Nayor cast her in her first movie, My Bloody Valentine.

In the competitive landscape of Hollywood, where executives, including casting directors, are often perceived as intimidating and uncordial, Nayor says she often reminds actors that she wants to see them succeed. “We’re busy and we’re rushed, but we’re on their side,” she says. “We want them to do a good job. We are really rooting for every actor to knock it out of the park and be sensational, and then we get to go home earlier.”

But actors must be resilient. Rejections are painful but ineluctable. When an actor is not the ideal fit for a project but has showcased talent, Nayor says she often keeps them in mind for future projects. “It could be two months or three years down the road, but I’ll remember that audition, and I might bring them in for some fantastic role that they wind up booking.”

Being surrounded by actors all day, every day, Nayor understands what they go through. “Being an actor is a difficult job. It’s an emotional roller coaster all day long when you have three or four auditions—one for a thriller, one for a comedy, one for an action movie. Actors have to be so versatile and constantly morph into different moods, personalities and characters.”

No matter how busy Nayor’s days are working on multiple projects simultaneously, she finds time to share her knowledge with aspiring actors through private coaching lessons or workshops.

“I’ve seen decades of auditions day in and day out, so it’s great to be able to have the opportunity to share what I know, which is what I wanted to do when I was first starting. I wanted to get that inside scoop, and now I can share it.”

constructing the content photograph by m ax gerb er

spring 2014 Nobles 31

from nova to new york

THE MEDIA MOGUL

Plenty is changing in the way we view

TV and film. In 2013, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire grossed $424 million. Its marketing strategy included websites, social media and publications that blurred the line between the fictional world of the Capitol and reality. Also in 2013, Netflix’s award-winning series “House of Cards” was the most streamed content, according to a Feb. 24, 2014, New York Times article. Netflix is not a traditional network. “House of Cards” never had a pilot episode. Yet the series is wildly successful, based on a model that did not exist until now.

Justin Levy ’95, who majored in English literature at Cornell University, plans to be at the center of this seismic shift in programming. In December 2013, Levy left his post as senior vice president of scripted programming at MTV, where he was responsible for “Awkward” and “Teen Wolf,” and in March he joined Imperative Entertainment, formed by partners Dan Friedkin, Zak Kadison, Tim Kring and Bradley Thomas. According to Variety, Imperative will focus on the development, production and financing of original and branded entertainment

are 52 channels now that have original scripted programming on them, plus now, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.”

Imperative is positioned to support quality programming, says Levy. He explains that it’s not just television channels or video-streaming websites that are interested in storytelling. “Microsoft is getting into the game on the Xbox platform. Sony has been talking about it.

These are all companies that are producing or will shortly produce original, scripted, high-quality content. As a result, there’s a demand for a lot of good shows.”

The challenge, Levy says, is that the audience has seen content—say, “Game of Thrones”—that has an enormous budget.

People love it. And they don’t care what it costs. But how can the History Channel compete with HBO? “That’s where this birth of independent TV financing can fill the gap,” Levy says. “Why that’s really exciting to me is that it gives more control back to the creators.” Levy says that in the more traditional model, there’s a lot of “managing up,” trying to deliver a sure thing to the boss rather than something fresh, innovative and risky.

"I THINK WHAT WE ARE DOING IS A PIONEERING MOVE. ONLY TWO COMPANIES UNDER THIS NEW MODEL HAVE PUT A SHOW ON THE AIR.” across film, television, video games, books, comics and new media. Why make the move?

“There’s a very small independent market that covers original ideas,” Levy says, “and that’s where a lot of the most interesting movies are made. What’s great about television is that the smaller independent shows can be just as successful as the big broadcast shows. There 32 Nobles spring 2014

Levy’s new company, funded by the Friedkin Group, will create, coproduce, and acquire original concept-driven material with an emphasis on the action, comedy, adventure, science fiction, fantasy and thriller genres. Imperative will apply a multiplatform approach to development, creating self-contained content across different media channels simultaneously, reports Variety.

“I think what we are doing is a pioneering move. Only a handful of companies under this new model have put a show on the air, including MRC, with ‘House of Cards’ on Netflix, and an international television production company called Gaumont. They have ‘Hannibal’ on NBC, and they have ‘Hemlock Grove,’ a werewolf show, also on Netflix.”

Imperative was born, Levy says, when Kadison connected with Kring, who created “Heroes,” and Thomas, who was the Farrelly Brothers’ producing partner for the last 20 years. “So we have Zak’s incredible business plan and marching orders, Tim’s history in television, Bradley’s history in film. Ultimately, there was a personal connection through our agency with this guy, Dan Friedkin. He backed the company in a very big way.”

With all the experience that the partners have among them, none of them have produced someone else’s ideas for television, Levy says, which is where he comes in. “We all have a shared taste and mind-set and storytelling abilities. We are all ready for the wild, wild west.”

Levy explains how Imperative will operate differently. Usually, if a writer has an idea, he pitches it to a studio to get financing, then to a network. If a script sells, a writer gets paid to write the script, and the show becomes part of pilot season. “It can be as many as 80 scripts that are whittled down to six or seven pilots, which are whittled down to one or two series,” Levy says. Imperative’s model is different in that they will pay writers for a script and then they’ll target preferred networks, sweetening the deal with a high-profile director or actor attached.

“Along with any TV show or movie that we produce, the goal would be to have it exist as a transmedia experience— in a novel, in a comic book, in a video game….I’ve been looking for this kind of opportunity for a little while because I think this is the future.”

THE PRODUCER

Hollywood is regarded as the place for American film and television production. However, over the past 10 years, TV and film productions have declined in Los Angeles. Of the nine films nominated in 2014 for the best picture Oscar, just one was filmed in California. Kate Churchill ’86 found her place as a producer in New York, which, according to a study released in early 2014 by the Milken Institute, gained 10,675 entertainment jobs between 2004 and 2012.

Churchill is co-producer of The Cobbler, directed

by Tom McCarthy and starring Adam Sandler—a story of a lonely New York shoe repairman who discovers a family heirloom, which allows him to magically “walk in another man’s shoes.” The supporting cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Method Man, Melonie Diaz, Ellen Barkin, Dan Stevens and Steve Buscemi.

The comedy-drama is Churchill’s first narrative film produced with Golden Spike, McCarthy’s production company. Churchill works closely with McCarthy and two co-producers. Her job is to keep production moving and on track.

During preproduction, Churchill spends her time scouting locations. The Cobbler was filmed predominantly on New York’s Lower East Side—of 250 locations scouted, 75 were chosen. She works closely with McCarthy on all fronts including casting and supporting key creative personnel, including the production designer, costume designer, art department and director of photography.

Producers, she says, do a fraction of everything.

“If you do your job well, you’re pretty much invisible,” she says. “When there’s a problem, I plug in and try to solve it.”

This isn’t Churchill’s first role as producer. She had worked in documentary filmmaking as the writer, producer and director of the PBS series Nova for six years, traveling to make movies on Mount Everest and in South Africa, Europe and Central America. “We would shoot with a really small number of people and with really simple means,” she says. “That is where I learned initially to make stories and capture things.”

In 2009, she released Enlighten Up!—the first feature documentary film from her company, Nama Productions—about a skeptic’s journey into the world of yoga.

After becoming a mom in 2010, Churchill sought relief from the demands of writing and directing and shifted focus into producing and developing. She made the transition from documentary filmmaking to narrative film in 2011 after partnering with McCarthy, who wrote and directed some of her favorite films, including The Station Agent and Win Win. Churchill says since the recession, making movies is more arduous. “There was a period of a few years in New York where there was very little production,” says Churchill. “But there’s so much happening now.”

The industry is seeing a new trend of either highbudget (over $100 million) or low-budget (between $3 million and $10 million) movies. Mid-range movies of $30 million to $50 million are fading. The Cobbler is budgeted at about $10 million.

Awaiting financing is one of the biggest challenges in Churchill’s work. She has learned that patience and flexibility are essential. “That’s always challenging, no matter how good your script is and how good your cast is. It’s just the reality of making movies.”

The Cobbler was, in fact, a backup project for Golden Spike. “It was a project we had in the wings, but we didn’t know when we were going to make it,” she says. “Then we had casting issues with another movie.” spring 2014 Nobles 33

In a given year, McCarthy and Churchill have several projects in various stages of development. “We always try to have one project that we’re going to make and then one project as our backup, because there are 1 million reasons why a movie doesn’t get made.”

At Nobles, Churchill learned the importance of being in a supportive community. She credits Nobles for giving her the opportunity to explore her passions and acknowledges faculty member Tim Carey for making an impact on her. “He was both my teacher and my advisor, and he was hands down my favorite teacher in my entire education,” she says.

Churchill explored theatre at Nobles, playing Emily Dickinson in a one-woman show called The Belle of Amherst for her Class I project.

She pursued theatre at Connecticut College and afterward moved to Chicago, where the theatre scene was emerging. “It seemed less intimidating at the time than New York,” she says. “And more inviting to me at the time than LA.” Churchill was the first producing director for the now worldrenowned Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. One of the projects she was working on incorporated film into a theatre performance, and the rest is history. “I just kind of got the bug for making film,” she says.

The Cobbler is in post-production, where editing, scoring and other technical processes occur. It is slated for release in theatres in late 2014 or early 2015.

Churchill’s next project is Spotlight, the story of the Boston Globe Spotlight Team’s investigation of the Catholic Church’s 2001 sex scandal. Shooting is slated for fall 2014 in Boston.

34 Nobles spring 2014

flipping THE script THE writer

Sam Forman ’95 loves theatre. If he could do nothing but write “books” (scripts, for the uninitiated) and musical lyrics in New York, he probably would. But writing for TV pays the bills more efficiently, and it turns out that Forman is pretty good at that, too.

Forman, who wrote and produced several plays at Nobles, just finished a two-season stint as a staff writer for the wildly popular Netflix series “House of Cards,” starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Forman was one of five writers cloistered in a room in Los Angeles, developing the story arc of the show, based on a BBC show of the same name. For months, the writers, most of whom have roots in New York City

photograph by br ad dececco

theatre, brainstormed, wrote, workshopped, critiqued, tweaked, rewrote, and rewrote again.

One of the coolest moments? Forman named a pivotal first-season character after his friend and roommate of six years, Peter Russo, played by actor Corey Stoll. Russo was a troubled congressman manipulated by Spacey’s character.

“One night we were sitting around the table thinking about what’s a good Italian name for this guy. Once we

decided we wanted him to be from South Philly and that he had a certain sort of background, I said, ‘What about Peter Russo?’ My friend Peter Russo has had literally thousands of people now coming up to him saying, ‘You know, there’s a guy named after you on “House of Cards?’”

Forman says that “House of Cards” was an amazing learning experience and calls it a rare thing to be close to “partly because it was Netflix and it seems like everything that we were doing was a little bit different than the usual way it’s done. A lot of the people at the top on ‘House of Cards,’ while very accomplished in film, had never done TV before, so the whole thing was kind of being reinvented.”

Forman says he is also writing something still in development for TV. It’s about a real-life blogger, Penelope Trunk, who lives in Wisconsin. She has Asperger’s syndrome and she gives sought-after advice online. Trunk has a devoted group of fans, in part because her advice is direct and unvarnished.

“This is not a documentary,” Forman explains. “The idea is to do it as a scripted show on cable, sort of like ‘Weeds’ or ‘The Big C.’” Forman is working with the producers who made NBC’s “Smash.” “They hired me on as a writer to try to see how the story feels. We will see. If it sells, it would be a really cool show, and it would be fun to have my own show.”

He is also working on rewriting the story and the book for a musical, Factory Girls, set in Lowell, Mass., in 1840.

He says that the emotions and power of musical theatre are a welcome release after writing for TV. “It is a beautiful kind of rock-country musical that has a very contemporary feeling, but the show is set in 1840,” Forman says. “One of the things we did was turn the story into an opera, so it’s like Jesus Christ Superstar or Les Miserables.”

Forman moved to New York right after graduating from Northwestern’s theatre program and says that he went into theatre in part because his experience at Nobles had been so good. “I got a lot of encouragement from Vicky [Seelen] and Tim Kelley [former theatre director] that this is something I really might be able to make a living at someday. I would credit them quite a lot with giving me the kind of confidence to think that this crazy field was something that I could actually do.”

Forman wrote and directed a play at Nobles, which was later published, retitled Newton’s Second Law, and performed at high schools. “The first play I ever wrote was put on at Nobles when I was just a kid.” He says he also was able to direct As Is, an AIDS drama from 1984. “It was cool of Nobles that they supported it. I cast faculty and students together in it, which felt like a very inclusive kind of project.”

Forman says that many writer friends seem to avoid the business aspect of the business. “There’s a certain level that we all have to get in and hustle and grind it out,” he says. “It’s mostly a freelance life, even if you’re lucky enough to be on a show for a limited period of time. You have to package yourself, present yourself, so there’s a certain level of hustling.”

He says that TV is becoming a little bit less centrally located in Hollywood, but how to balance a love of theatre with work in television remains a challenge.

“A lot of TV is not being shot in LA anymore, but I think the head writers are [there], and they keep their writers there, obviously. I am moving more in the direction of going to LA as I start to get more into the business part of show business.” At press time, Forman was in LA, writing for a new HBO show “The Brink,” starring Jack Black and Time Robbins. n spring 2014 Nobles 35

by m el issa m cclu ng, he athe r sul l ivan and t if fany tran photography by m ichael dw y er

Clockwise, from top: Christine Hong ’15, Jack Radley and Johnny McCarthy, both ’14

How Specialization Can Undermine Education

What is an ideal education and—given the modern cultural milieu and its vision of “success”—how do we create an environment that allows for optimal academic and social-emotional adolescent growth?

36 Nobles spring 2014

On the bookshelves of folks who think about education, you might see Carol Dweck’s MindSet, which suggests that effort trumps “talent” and leads to achievement, or Wendy Mogel’s The Blessing of a B Minus, which posits that failure and resilience are essential to maturity. Paul Tough’s How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character is another bestseller among the teaching set.

If there’s a theme emerging in adolescent psychology and educational philosophy, it’s that young people should not be coddled or overpraised. They need to test themselves and stand up, without shame, when they falter. And a mixture of empathy, perseverance, creativity and curiosity are optimal attributes as students mature into good citizens who, true to the Nobles mission, are equipped to lead for the public good. spring 2014 Nobles 37

Yet one powerful force potentially at odds with this wisdom is the national trend of specialization.

Specialization, loosely defined, is focusing on a single activity or talent.

While developing talents may build confidence and strengthen a college application, its implications can be more complex: If an athlete plays a single sport and becomes injured, what’s next? If a math whiz opts out of auditioning for a play or learning to wrestle, what’s at stake? If a young person’s sense of identity is tied too heavily to exemplary performance in a single pursuit, what are the implications when disappointment comes?

Even when a person is successful in cultivating talent, the opportunity costs can be high and can include deficits in understanding how to work within diverse groups or practice problemsolving in unfamiliar situations.

“The challenge is that specialization is a societal trend that’s inescapable,” says Head of School Bob Henderson.

“Every school has its history and context.

Historically, Nobles has pushed students to have multidimensional commitments, and we will continue to do that.”

THE TENSION, DEFINED

obles enrolls students who show exceptional promise.

Often, students who come to Nobles already excel in one or more areas.

In addition to academics, Nobles requires students to participate in afternoon programs all three seasons in Classes VI through III. (Classes I and II are allowed one exemption.) This means that every day after school, students will play a sport or participate in the arts, community service or another activity.

Nobles requires 80 hours of community service for graduation. In addition, nearly 90 percent of students participate in service-learning travel or other experiential activities with Nobles. The establishment of EXCEL (Experiential and Community-Engaged Learning), which formalizes and expands upon these programs (see sidebar), underscores that community learning is central to the Nobles mission.

38 Nobles spring 2014

Visual Arts faculty David Roane

Jack Radley ’14 has rowed two seasons, run cross country three seasons, is active in the Nobles Theatre Collective and takes AP Drawing. “I think the hard part about Nobles is that you come into Class IV and you are the small fish in a big pond,” Radley says. “Everyone has this one talent they think got them into Nobles. Then they realize [that] by exploring different interests and trying new things, we’ve found that we can be really good at something we never thought we were.”

For students who are specialized, commitments to participate across the school can seem unnecessary or perhaps even in conflict with their best interests.

Director of Athletics Alex Gallagher ’90 oversees one of the most successful independent school athletic programs in New England, and he often talks with prospective parents who are concerned about the requirements. “I have more parents than ever before calling me and saying, ‘I know that you say you have requirements, but my kid is really great at specialized activity X.’ And I tell them, ‘We really do have requirements, and our kids do fulfill them.’”

Johnny McCarthy ’14 will play basketball at Amherst College in the fall. Despite his love of the game—and his talent for it—he has been a threesport athlete at Nobles, playing varsity football, basketball and baseball. He has also developed a love of poetry in Sarah Snyder’s English class, attended his first

theatre production (student-directed one acts), taken studio art classes and done community service on the annual March trip to New Orleans.

“I wasn’t coming here just for sports,” says McCarthy, who also participated in a club basketball team. “Math is a strong suit for me, and I really love economics with Mr. [Brian] Day. “Originally I thought some of the requirements here were going to be a pain,” he says. “But I actually enjoyed things like learning to play drums in the drum ensemble.”

One thing McCarthy didn’t expect was to become a public speaker: “Earlier this year, Mr. Gallagher asked me to speak at an open house. I only did it because I wanted to help him out. But being on the student panel taught me to speak up— that I had something worth saying.”

Christine Hong ’15—though not an athlete—is certainly specialized. “In my old school, everyone knew me as the girl who does violin and studies,” says Hong, who is one of the top violinists in New England.

“Nobles was an opportunity to try new things,” she says. “I was ready to take risks.”

In addition to her community service (including benefit concerts as a violinist) and being part of the dance program, Hong also tried sailing, which imparted some important lessons. “You are not alone on a boat,” she says. “You have to communicate with each other. Sailing

taught me that I’m not in control all the time. It made me less self-absorbed.”

Director of College Counseling Michael Denning concedes that conventional wisdom is that tremendous focus and effort are necessary for excellence, with many colleges rewarding specialization.

“You have ecosystems [especially in athletics and club sports] that feed that cycle,” he says. “It’s challenging for students. Good grades, good scores and being a good person are necessary but no longer sufficient in the college process [at highly selective institutions],” he says.

Denning went on to discuss an article

by Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, in which Friedman talked with Laszlo Boch, senior vice president of people operations at Google, about what he looks for in a candidate. Interestingly, he looks first for general cognitive ability; expertise was the least important attribute on his checklist, he said. He cited the importance of qualities like collaboration, humility, flexibility, and knowing when to lead and when to follow—skills that don’t necessarily come from specialization. “The net result is that at Nobles, we intentionally help develop those [desirable] skills. We develop breadth and depth,” Denning says.

FACULTY WEIGHS IN

f the philosophy behind requiring robust participation in nonacademic activities is sound, it can also follow that too much is, well, just too much. Finding balance and the value in multidimensional pursuits requires the guidance of teachers and administrators.

Before the opening of the winter 2014 production of Noises Off, Director of Theatre Dan Halperin wrote to the theatre faculty colleagues: “In the end, [we ask ourselves], did we challenge the students in a significant but mindful healthy manner given who they are and everything else being asked of them by the school and life? Did we push them to give all they could in a way that recognized who they are and everything else being asked of them by the school and life? Did we model patience and empathy as we encountered interpersonal chal-

Katherine Kirk ’14 ‘specializes’ in Community A co-president of the School Life Council, Katherine Kirk ’14 is a public figure on campus. In addition to leading student government, she is an active member of the Environmental Action Club, sings in the coed a cappella group, plays varsity field hockey, volunteers at the Needham Community Farm, and has tried tennis, squash and theatre during her time at Nobles.

Kirk has many interests and is glad that she has been able to use her time at Nobles to explore them. “I love being involved in a lot of different things—it’s exciting,” Kirk says. Kirk does not see herself as unfocused; instead, she is focusing on discovering the connections among her passions.

Kirk says viewing her varied interests as part of a broader story helped her prepare an effective college application. “You have to build a story for yourself in the college process. My story was about my interest in communities and my intellectual curiosity,” Kirk says.

The story that Kirk creates in her college essay, excerpted below, highlights the complexity and cohesiveness of her passions. In this excerpt, Kirk writes about her experience meeting Senator Elizabeth Warren and how it influenced her choice to go into leadership and community-building: The rainy evening I drove to the event, the wipers flung fat droplets of water away from the glass in front of me, forming a clear window. Cat Stevens sang through the speakers: “Don’t wear fear or nobody will know there / just lift your head and let your feelings out instead.” The uplifting melody laughed at the darkness surrounding the car. My chance to meet Senator Warren came as the evening started. Before introducing myself, I took a deep breath. This was my opportunity to discover if she, too, looked up to Frances Perkins. I introduced myself and shared my admiration of Perkins.

Warren clasped her hands together and said, “Every morning when I worked on the Consumer Protection Agency, I drove by the Frances Perkins labor building, saw her name, and thought, ‘If she could do it, so can I!’” The energy of Warren’s direct and thoughtful words matched a similar voice within me.

The following spring, driven by love for my community, inspired by my desire to bring people together, and instilled with the confidence of Perkins’ and Warren’s example, I ran for co-president of Nobles. Just like Warren and Perkins, I strove for leadership, because I believe in the greatness of those in my community. This year, in morning assembly, when I stand on the stage sharing my awe of magnificent, migrating geese or describing a school event, I hope to instill in others the same openness in sharing ideas and passions, so everyone’s voice is heard. Perkins passed a torch to Warren.

One day I hope to become worthy of carrying that torch.

Kirk will attend Bowdoin College in the fall and hopes to continue to explore her love of community and nature. She is enthusiastic about Bowdoin’s emphasis on community-based learning, as well as the liberal arts curriculum. She says that the clincher for her was reading the poem “The Offer of the College,” written in 1906 by Bowdoin president William Dewitt Hyde, and now featured prominently on their website. The offer reads in part: “To be at home in all lands and all ages/to count Nature a familiar acquaintance/and Art an intimate friend/to carry the keys of the world’s library in your pocket.”

“It may be romantic, but it made an impression on me. It’s about being a friend of nature and the arts, and being able to appreciate the entire world that’s around you,” Kirk says. She can’t wait to see what that world holds. spring 2014 Nobles 39

lenges with students and colleagues? Did we demonstrate the to stay positive and calm through some long difficult days?

Did we maintain some balance with our other professional obligations as well as our personal lives?”

Visual arts faculty member David Roane says that trial and error in studio classes can, as in team sports, have reverberations for problem-solving in other areas. “Students are learning about process and also about how to apply creative values and creative principles to other aspects of their life,” he says.

Michael Turner, director of music, says that preparation is the focus of the Nobles program—but that the excitement of performance is powerful. In a way, it’s like life itself: “That’s the thing that is both frightening and exhilarating about it,” he says. “You just don’t know how it’s going to go.”

Ben Snyder, head of the upper school, says that specialization too often focuses on individual achievements rather than fostering a sense of community for the common good. “We educate [our students] to have a broader responsibility

John Beadle and Katherine Kirk, both ’14, with Head of Upper School Ben Snyder

to the collective. That doesn’t mean we have to be apologetic about the achievement of our students. It’s not an either/ or,” he says. “It’s a both/and.”

Denning says that a measured view of the college process is helpful for students and their parents, who sometimes have misguided notions about admission

Oliver Halperin ’17

officers and their preferences. “[Admission officers] have demands placed on them that are complex and not necessarily about whether your child is worthy so much as whether your child fills a need at the school.” Denning says the role of the school is to prepare students to be successful adults, to be adapt-

head of school bob henderson on EXCEL: An Antidote to Specializing Too Narrowly This year, a faculty committee led by Head of Upper School Ben Snyder and Science Department Chair Jen Craft has been working on the development of the EXCEL program and requirement.

EXCEL is the acronym for “Experiential and Community-Engaged Learning.” This work follows a study by the board of trustees and is part of the strategic plan. To understand EXCEL, a bit of history is in order.

In 1978, former Nobles photography and journalism teacher Joe Swayze organized and led what many consider to be the first official Nobles trip. He and a group of Nobles teachers and students paddled canoes down the length of the Hudson River for several days in the summer. Nobles teachers had led travel groups before this event, but they had done so privately. Swayze’s expedition, therefore, is where we generally mark the unofficial birth of the experiential education program at Nobles. It expanded slowly from that point, remaining an entrepreneurial enterprise for various members of the faculty. Starting in the 1990s, spurred by the support of former headmaster Dick Baker and inspired by key members of the faculty, including Head of the Middle School John Gifford and Snyder, the travel program grew. Over the past decade, it has become formalized and centrally organized, and last year more than 230 students 40 Nobles spring 2014

traveled with the school to locations all around the nation and the globe; most of those trips had a significant service component.

When headmaster Ted Gleason arrived at Nobles in 1971, he sought to create a community service program. He hired Bill Chamberlin to do this work, and for the first time, Nobles students were regularly shuttling out to sites to support various nonprofits in surrounding towns and cities. (Chamberlin moved on over a long career at Nobles to fill many roles, ultimately retiring as the assistant head and business manager in 2007.) The service program grew slowly but steadily on an entirely voluntary basis through the 1970s and early 1980s. Then, in 1985, an 80-hour community service graduation requirement was approved, and the first class to complete the requirement graduated in 1989. After the arrival of community service director Sandi MacQuinn in 1998, service became more integral to the basic ethic and function of the school.

Today, the vast majority of students graduate with many more hours of service than is required, and service is part of the activities of most clubs, varsity teams and travel opportunities at the school.

Over the past two decades, we have seen the emergence and blossoming of a number of other experiential education opportunities at the school as well, including study-away programs (such as

able, and to help them find balance.

Rick Wilson is consulting psychiatrist at Nobles and, in addition to his private practice, he works closely with the school’s team of counselors. In working with young people, he often encounters parents and children who feel pressure to attain elusive “happiness,” which they

narrowly define. “Happiness is not an end goal. It really comes from caring for other people.”

Our values come from this selfless place, he says. It’s not just about achievement. “If doing well becomes decoupled from character and community, it gets to be a false god,” he says. “I ask parents to consider making affirming character comments rather than affirming achievement comments.”

Denise Dupre P ’10 ’14 ’16, an executive member of the Nobles Board of Trustees, says she believes that character is built when young people face challenges and disappointments. “My kids are athletes,” she says. “But there’s nothing better for them than to lose sometimes or do something that they are really not very good at doing.”

Dupre’s daughter, Casey Nunnelly ’14, is an accomplished athlete. She is also learning to play the guitar—her first musical pursuit—for her senior project.

“I’m thrilled that Nobles has structured an opportunity for her to focus on something new.”

Dupre says that when they enter the

School Year Abroad and the Island School), internships and Class I projects. As the school undertook its last strategic planning process a few years ago, it was quite clear that experiential learning at Nobles was a uniquely strong component of our overall program, representing both a distinguishing quality and an opportunity for the future. The trustees decided to fund experiential education at Nobles so that it is available to all students, and so that the program can be staffed appropriately and sustained in perpetuity.

They also created a committee to study experiential education more thoroughly, co-chaired by Director of College Counseling Michael Denning and trustee Gita Iyer P’09 ‘12 ‘15, and consisting of trustees, faculty, parents and graduates. Articulating that experiential learning was critical to the future and the mission of the school, that committee recommended, and the trustees subsequently approved, that all the experiential learning programs be merged into a single concept and office at Nobles. From that the idea of EXCEL was developed. The trustees’ report concluded, “Experiential learning is a must have rather than a nice to have. In addition to academic skills and knowledge, leaders for the public good today need the attitudes and competencies developed through experiential learning challenges, and the adolescent years are ideal for learning and developing these skills and values.”

As a result of this work, the faculty this year will be making a recommendation about what the EXCEL program will become. It is likely that we will be talking about some form of an EXCEL require-

workforce, today’s high school students will need a different skill set than earlier generations. “They will change jobs more frequently. They will have to be more nimble and be able to manage diversity.

They will need the stuff that allows you to perform better under pressure.”

The bottom line: Finding balance is a moving target, complicated by cultural expectations and the college process.

At Nobles, faculty members are mindful of the tension that can exist between achievement and true intellectual and personal growth. But meaningful growth often comes from doing things that are not easy. “To protect kids from struggling inhibits resilience,” says Wilson.

“As a graduate,” says Henderson, “I appreciate the historical context of the school’s commitment to the afternoon program and other opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. As a parent, I’ve seen the benefit for my children.

And as an educator, I’ve seen 14 years of students who have been well-served by the balance of our program. The work of a school is to create adults.” And that’s just what Nobles is doing. n

ment for graduation rather than simply a community service requirement. It will also be part of this group’s challenge to integrate the EXCEL philosophy effectively, and EXCEL opportunities, into the overall program of the school. EXCEL will enhance, and not diminish, the service ethic of the school. This will be exciting work, and I am eager to witness the progress and review the outcome. I want to close with the statements of purpose and philosophy for EXCEL developed and approved by the trustees in 2013: “Experiential and Community-Engaged Learning (EXCEL) is critical to the Nobles mission to motivate students to achieve their highest potential and to inspire leadership for the public good. EXCEL provides the tools, context and inspiration for each student to discover and pursue his or her passions with confidence, creativity and responsibility. It is through EXCEL that Nobles best develops citizenship, collaboration, empathy, resilience, appropriate risktaking and character. On campus, EXCEL principles are integrated into the academic and afternoon programs. Off campus, EXCEL principles foster the development and sustenance of more than 100 partnerships for study, service, exploration and community engagement in Greater Boston, across the country and around the world.

Finally, EXCEL strengthens the rigor of the academic program, and it is where we most effectively motivate students to, as our mission says, lead lives characterized by service to others.”

THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN THE PARENT NEWSLETTER IN FALL 2013. spring 2014 Nobles 41

1933

By Pet er J. H ow e ’ 82

Born July 20, in Newton, Mass.

1955

Married Anne Mather Vermillion, June 18

Q. How do you view your role as headmaster?

A. With much excitement, a great deal of hope and some trepidation.…The greatest rewards and results in my life to date have come from working together with others.

U.S. Naval Officer, 1955–57 1967

School Minister and Instructor in Religion, Phillips Exeter Academy, 1967–71

1971

Interviewed in March for the Graduates Bulletin announcing Gleason’s appointment

1981

From June 4 faculty meeting remarks, “Where We Are”:

1982

In May, Gleason delivered the commencement address

1987

Gleason faces health scare in April In May, Gleason retires as head of Noble and Greenough School. Interim Head Dick Baker assumes leadership.

In July, Gleason gives final Annual Report summary

1988

“Assembly. Each day the school gathers as it has through time here, and the headmaster speaks—often…I believe it’s the essence of the school and perhaps our most noted symbol. Unpredictable, wonderful, a town meeting, a sense of who we all are together.”

Gleason publishes Redeeming Marriage (Cowley Publications). An Associated Press reviewer called it “a paean to marriage’s beauty.”

2004

2013

“Quality. While no one expects a Class II student to understand a calculus problem as well as Bill Kehlenbeck or read French with the nuances of Michel or understand Shakespeare as well as Baker, each teacher works in that classroom to bring a student to his level and beyond, and we hope they will go beyond. They will not do that unless we ask them. No growth takes place without stretching—none at all.”

“It is not lost on me that I have been the great beneficiary of the vision, hard work and love that you bestowed upon Nobles during your tenure here.” —Bob Henderson, in a letter to Gleason dated Oct. 27.

Edward Stone Gleason Jr. dies, Oct. 31.

42 Nobles spring 2014

“Nobles is different. Different in our bonds. Different in our care. Different in our ability to communicate, to know more about what matters, really matters. Nobles standards are the standards of love. Nobles rules are born of concern. Nobles goal is wholeness, completeness, a sense that life matters, just as every person connected with this school matters.”

T

Ted Gleason Goes Down in the Book of Ages

Ted Gleason goes down in the book of ages as the pivotal, transformational fourth headmaster in the 148-year history of Noble and Greenough School. He also lives on in the memories of hundreds of grateful students as a teacher, in word and example, of unforgettable lessons, from “be on time and answer your mail” to the deepest meanings of service, excellence and faithfulness. spring 2014 Nobles 43

T

Ted Gleason’s penchant for the epistolary is well-known.

Throughout his life, he cultivated many relationships through regular and robust correspondence. Here is just one of thousands of examples: May 20, 2003 Dear Fred:

Every detail—every detail—of our first meeting at 4:30 p.m. on an afternoon in early January 1972 is clear to me, as I am sure it is true for you. That may have been my very first interview with a potential faculty member, and I learned a great deal, established clear guidelines that served me well. I followed my heart, searched for persons who are passionate and religious (in the best sense), and know who they are. As a result, I offered a job that I did not have to offer, a position that did not become available until January 17, and a meeting I also remember well.

It hardly seems possible that more than 30 years have passed. You are a great colleague and a true friend, and you embody the very best in every regard.

Thank you for coming to see me in your brown tweed suit on that dark January afternoon, bringing with you light and energy and great wisdom.

In Christ’s Love, Ted

The Rev. Edward S. Gleason—known to all as ESG—inherited a 240-boy school in 1971 that was not fundamentally different from what it had been in 1921. Within three years, he led Nobles to coeducation, and by his retirement in 1987 to head the Episcopal Church’s publishing arm, Nobles had a student body of 440 and significantly greater diversity. On his watch, Nobles built the Putnam Library, Lawrence Auditorium, Keller Field, new offices and a second floor to what’s now the Shattuck Schoolhouse.

ESG did all of that with tireless energy, a radiant smile, a stiletto wit, a pocketwatch secured by a chain in his lapel, trouser cuffs well clear of his shoes and a Churchillian mastery of the English language. A lover of his entire student body, if not necessarily close to every single student, maybe Ted’s signature demonstration of care for his flock was knowing—and using— the middle names of all 400-plus members of his six classes.

It epitomized his hope to know and to shape his students as thoughtfully as he could.

“This man, with his out-there enthusiasms, ready smile and laugh, and personal approach, seemed, well, a bit much,” says Sam Pillsbury ’72, recalling the Gleason he met in the fall of 1971. “Surely, he couldn’t be for real. Turned out he was.”

A former chaplain at Phillips Exeter Academy, “ESG wasn’t leaving the ministry [when he came to Nobles]—he was broadening it,” remembers Bill Bissell ’80. How many high school teachers would have had the sheer courage to teach classes named “Separation and Grace” and “Love and Marriage”? “What do you take seriously and without reservation?” was a classic ESG question, his secular probe of faith. “Intellectual growth and a sense of self-worth” were what ESG sought to build up in his students.

As one of his trustee chairmen, Tim Russell ’35, pithily puts it: Ted made his mission at Nobles “to make big kids out of little kids.” Harrison Miller ’79 recalls: “We arrived as young teenagers and were suddenly surrounded by a lot of people who—with surprisingly little cynicism or embarrassment—were striving to do things very, very well, and they were asking us to do the same.” His former secretary, Charlene Richardson, recalls: “He expected the best. He was tough in that way.”

Wendy Fay ’78, who came to Nobles in the earliest years of coeducation, says, “As a man who had three daughters and

Save the date: a celebration of ted gleason In honor of Gleason’s life and leadership, a special “assembly” will be held in his honor on campus on Sept. 13, 2014. Watch for event details. “Ted believed that assembly was at the heart of our school community,” says Head of School Bob Henderson, who was a student during Gleason’s tenure. Gleason spoke at nearly every assembly, sharing wisdom from myriad sources, including favorite children’s book such as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

who was a model of partnership with his wife, Anne, he ‘got it’ when it came to girls. He was an intellectually vital teacher. As a minister, he embodied the synergy between one’s work and one’s ideals. He was unflappable.”

“He always greeted me as if I were someone of great value,” remembers Alex Childs Smith ’79. “And eventually, inevitably, he was right. I try to live that truth every day, seeing that which is buried in each of us.”

Students could sometimes find him unapproachable. But most would agree that ESG wove his beliefs and his moral character into the fabric of every facet of the school. Perhaps no bigger channel for that inculcation was 8:05 a.m. assembly, four days a week, when the Lawrence Auditorium became ESG’s secular pulpit and parish. When he wasn’t imparting lessons— like “taking ownership” and realizing that during your first 12 weeks at Nobles (or anywhere), you will create impressions that last your whole career—Ted screened eclectic, unforgettable short films like Peege, The Man Who Had to Sing and Warm Fuzzies.

“If you’re talking about Gleason legacies, assembly remains the central ritual in our life as a school,” Head of School Robert P. Henderson Jr. ’76 says. “The creation of community, the establishment of a daily rhythm, the perpetuation of the school’s culture—all of that takes place in that room every day.

That is the legacy of Ted Gleason.”

ESG hired more than 100 teachers over his years at Nobles, including many of the giants of today’s faculty: Nick Nickerson, Bill Kehlenbeck, Mark and Tilesy Harrington, Tim Carey, Deb Harrison and Bob Kern. His two most important hires might be a young Berkeley graduate who would become his successor,

Dick Baker, and Baker’s successor—a young Dartmouth graduate named Bob Henderson—whom he persuaded to consider a Nobles teaching fellowship at a moment in his life when Bob could never have foreseen he’d be a teacher.

“Some of whatever you may have learned from me,” English teacher Chris Burr tells his students, “flows from the River Gleason.” Beloved former chemistry teacher and cross country coach Fred Sculco says, “He taught me that teaching was not a profession but a way of life.” Students saw what ESG fostered.

“Who the teacher is—what he or she cares about and stands for, how he or she is in relationship to others—that’s what a student learns most, and long after the course has been forgotten,” recalls Miller.

For years after his retirement, right through the final months of his life, ESG was a prodigious correspondent with a steel-trap memory for the details of graduates’ lives and families. It’s hard to imagine a more active email account than esgleason@aol.com.

“He had an incredible gift of correspondence and collected and kept up relationships as though we all were family—and in many ways we were,” says Scott McCartney ’78.

Maybe the single greatest tribute is how many of Gleason’s former students and faculty would say they simply cannot imagine being the people they are without having been not just touched by, but suffused with, ESG. “Your grace,” Michael Young ’81 said in a remembrance addressed directly to Ted, “was to inspire hope within your students by believing openly in them.” n Former Nobleman editor Peter J. Howe ’82 is business editor of New England Cable News in Newton, Mass.

graduate profile

Cranberry Man In late September and early October, systematic flooding begins in Southeastern Massachusetts. Famers pump water into their cranberry bogs, transforming the cultivated geometry of the landscape into a palette of vermillion pools. It’s harvest time.

For the past 35 years, Austin Mason III ’63 has tended and harvested his 8.6-acre crop on his property in Carver, Mass. Since 1979, he has produced cranberries as part of the Ocean Spray collective, a group of more than 600 family growers and the largest producer of cranberry products in the United States.

Throughout the years, Mason, whose love of the outdoors led him to study forestry at the University of Montana, has witnessed the ups and downs of the agricultural industry.

A retired forester with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, Mason uses his cranberry business to supplement his income. Beyond the financial gain, however, it’s clear that he derives true joy from working the land and being part of a community of growers. “During the past 10 years, cranberries have rebounded after the ‘cranberry recession’ in the late 1990s, though the price has leveled off. Crops in the past five years have been good. We’re all part of something important to this state’s economy and history.”

Growing cranberries is an increasingly scientific exercise, and Mason’s career in natural resource management has served him well.

While growers like Mason use native varieties, they continue to cultivate hybrid plants, which yield larger fruit and are resistant to blight, insects and drought. When asked about the environmental impact of growing cranberries, Mason says, “We have to use pesticides and herbicides, otherwise we would have unpredictable yields. But our approach is to create a balanced ecosystem within the bog.

There are plenty of organisms and insects that are essential to a healthy crop and a healthy environment. Of course, everyone is concerned

46 Nobles spring 2014

about water conservation and quality, too.”

Like most businesses, cranberry production has become a global endeavor.

“Ocean Spray is facing increased competition from big operations in Canada.

We also compete with Wisconsin growers,” says Mason. Ocean Spray continues to grow its business in places like China, with traditional products like juices and Craisins, as well as new products.

As for how he chose his career and his avocation, Mason recalls, “Eliot Putnam, former headmaster, knew that I loved being outdoors, hiking, fishing and camping. He encouraged me to pursue that interest after Nobles.” The call of the outdoor life remains strong in the Mason family. Mason’s son, John, is a foreman for a large cranberry producer. “He seems to have taken after me. John loves being outside, working with his hands on machinery and growing crops. It’s hard work, but he loves it,” says Mason. On a crisp, sun-splashed October morning, the bogs ablaze with ripe berries, who could argue?

—peter hamilton

Photographs courtesy of Ken Mallory ’63 and Margaret Mallory

spring 2014 Nobles 47

graduate news

reunions Save the date if your class year ends in a “4” or an “9.” Go to www.nobles.edu/graduates for more information—you won’t want to miss the celebration!

notes & announcements from classmates

1940

1941

Class Correspondent

Pat Grant writes, “When you are close to or over 90, what’s there to say? I seem to need assorted forms of help and need a walker some of the time. I get visits from children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. We see movies here and get exercise. I see a lady friend. What else is there to do?”

Percy Nelson 617-244-4126 percylnelson@comcast.net Percy Nelson writes about his grandson’s prowess as a fisherman. “Each summer, Nelson deCastro ’06 spends vacation time on the Nelson family island, located among the archipelagos along the north coast of the Georgian Bay, in Lake Huron, Canada. Occasionally, some Nobles classmates will spend time on the island with Nelson. Nelson is the family’s expert fisherman, and he has adopted a strict catch-andrelease policy.

A couple of years ago, he caught a large muskellunge, the largest member of the pike family. He hooked it and brought it alongside the boat using a 10-pound test line with no leader.

The fish was 42 inches long and probably weighed 25 or 30 pounds. In order to not harm the fish by landing it with a gaff, Nelson took off his shirt, leaned over the edge of the boat, hugged the fish, lifted it out of the water, had his cousin take a picture, lowered the fish back into the water, and released it unharmed.

Nelson is also the nephew of Edward Nelson ’68 and Paul Nelson ’72, and cousin of Alex Nelson ’06 and Tim Nelson ’08.”

48 Nobles spring 2014

1942 Class Correspondent

Putty McDowell 781-320-1960 pbmcd2@verizon.net

Nat Harris is still playing hockey for a team in New Bedford.

Clint Nangle is the recipient of the 2013 Hugo Dalmar Trophy for longtime contribution to polo and the United States Polo Association (USPA), and the 2013 Clint Nangle National Equine Welfare Award. Clint participated in the USPA for many years and held several positions, including club delegate, circuit governor of Florida for 12 years, governor-atlarge for nine years and club polo committee chairman.

1949 Class Correspondent

1946

John Guilbert 520-887-0628

Class Correspondent

Gregg Bemis 505-983-7094 gbemis@swcp.com Gregg Bemis writes, “Sad to hear from Phil Baker that after 62 years of marriage, his wife, Ginny, lost a battle in December to melanoma. We send our condolences. Beezer wrote that he represented us at the annual and victorious football game against Milton. Well done, all.”

1948 Class Correspondent

Bill Bliss 781-326-1062 wlbliss@comcast.net

1950 Class Correspondents

Peter Briggs 513-474-2520 hbriggs@cinci.rr.com Sid Eaton, Jr. 503-223-7548 sidandmeg@msn.com Howard Jelleme reports that he still travels back and forth from Nantucket Island to his farm in New Hampshire, where he is making pretty good wine: Chianti, to be almost exact—a blend of his farm’s white wine with some red wine—the source of which he did not say. No, his Chianti is not

for commercial use, but it is good for home consumption. With vines in New Hampshire and his garden on Nantucket, he manages to keep his hands good and dirty.

He and Robin are off to a rental in the Florida Keys, where they hope to escape this year’s unusually cold weather.

1951 Class Correspondent

Galt Grant 781-383-0854 galtgra@gmail.com Galt Grant, Hal Knapp ’52, Sam Gray ’55 and their wives, Dick Willis and Bill Yates’ widow, Sonja, recently met for lunch in Plymouth. All are well, sick of the cold weather, and looking forward to an early spring!

1952 & 1953 Class Correspondent

Winston “Hooley” Perry perrydise@tampabay.rr.com Winston “Hooley” Perry writes, “Snow, snow and more snow was the weather order starting off the new year and well into February (and maybe beyond) for all of you hardy New Englandites who just love living in the exhilarating damp, cold, beautiful ‘white stuff’ all around and on top of you. We Floridians recently endured our cold winter of 40 to 50 degrees

for a couple of weeks, which when you live down here for any length of time, you learn that your blood thins out, and any temperature below 70 degrees is considered freezing. But at least you don’t have to shovel 40- to 50-degree rain.

One of our classmates, Peter Hallett ’52, foolishly chose to tough it out this winter in Dover, N.H., to deal with some issues with the local veterans administration, while his lovely wife, Carol, made the very smart move to periodically head south to their Florida home to thaw out. If you see them, Carol is the healthy-looking one with the nice tan, and Peter is the one tightly holding (probably frozen) on to his trusty snow shovel, next to the big snowman with the carrot nose.

Two of our smarter-than-theaverage-bear snowbirds, Grace and Evan Geilich ’53, decided this year to fly from Concord, Mass., down to Palm Beach, Fla., for the winter, and to ship their car south rather than drive down the East Coast’s ultraboring Interstate 95, which never seems to end (other than stopping at the kitschy South of the Border facility for a little humorous redneck relief).

Pete ‘Benuche’ Bennett ’52 and his wife, Nancy, made their usual ‘Let’s stay warm’ southern sojourn to Naples, Fla. (from St. John’s in the Virgin Islands), for the winter, and I’m told when they return north in the springtime, they are planning to move into a fancy

retirement community in Leesburg, Va., and to vacate their home in Vienna, Va., near the Beltway.

A number of our Nobles classmates are also moving into a well-known retirement community just down the road from the Nobles campus. Connie and David Thibodeau ’53 vacated their Vero Beach, Fla., winter home (just in time to enjoy the pretty piles of snow) and moved into the Fox Hill Villages in Westwood, Mass. (just off Route 109, where it crosses I-95), which is just down the street from where they used to live, by the Dedham Country and Polo Club, and where Emmie and Louis Newell ’53 presently live. Sorry, Louis, there goes the neighborhood. David and Connie will still spend their summers in their beautiful Salters Point home in South Dartmouth, so ‘gin and ginger’ or 7UP cocktails on Buzzards Bay will still be the drink of the day.

Also, Syddie and Dr. Jimmy Sowles ’53 vacated their Chestnut Hill home and recently moved into the same Fox Hill Village complex where the ‘Tib’s live. And much to their surprise, Bob Chellis ’55, Patrick Grant ’41, and Jim Doty’s ’55 wife, Koko Doty, also live there, so none of the ‘Fox Hill Village Gang’ have any excuse to miss any of the future events held on Noble and Greenough campus. I’m sure that carpooling the short distance to the school can be arranged for all who want and/or need it (just like the old days).

Another questionable ‘where should we spend the winter’ decision was made by Carol and Peter Willauer ’52, who opted for life in Scarborough, Maine, as opposed to the sunny warm climes of Nevis in the Caribbean, while periodically day cruising on The Eight Bells.

Peter is becoming our latest bionic man, with a knee replacement, a repaired broken hip and a rotator cuff repair, which was enough to get Peter out of the task of snow shoveling, while allowing nurse Carol to enjoy the pleasures of caregiving (and snow shoveling).

On the other side of the world, I periodically receive postcards and/or pithy emails from Katherine and Bo-Bub Wakefield ’53, who are in the midst of their hot summer months. If you can believe the weather reports, they are experiencing a historic heat wave while traveling around their vast Down Under Australian continent, visiting hard-to-pronounce areas, towns and pubs.

Our famous intrepid worldtraveling fishing expert, Benny Taylor ’52, has once again traversed the big A to the Tweed River in Scotland in search of the perfect salmon-fishing experience, in addition to Benny’s and Louis ‘Nails’ Newell’s fishing forays on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. So if you need any ‘how to catch the big ones’ tips, Benny is the man to ask, with Louise’s experienced two cents thrown in for good measure and Pete

Hallett yelling in the background, ‘Don’t use the Royal Wullf Bomber.

You’ve got to use the single orange bug.’ For some unknown reason, I recently received a large, colorful and beautifully illustrated Fish in Scotland catalog, describing in great detail the best rivers to fish, along with the best places to stay, and the most famous guides to hire, which I then forwarded to Benny to drool over. I’m told it enticed Ben to look for a ‘wee Scottish cottage’ to rent or purchase (similar to his ‘wee cottage’ in Peterborough, N.H.) so he would have a home base in Scotland to pursue his salmon-fishing passion.

And speaking of beautifully illustrated books, I just received an announcement from none other than (you guessed it) Ben Taylor ’52 that his latest literary effort has just been published called I Know Bill Schaadt—Portrait of a FlyFishing Legend. You can access the site, billschaadt.com, to learn more about it and where it is available for purchase. Ben’s love of fishing has obviously evolved into his all-abiding passion, so happy times and tight lines to ya, Ben! Periodically (like every other week), I receive either an email or a call from our Kentucky land baron Dudley ‘Doodles’ Dumaine ’52 with some nugget of information about life in general, or a question about Nobles and the origins of American football, or about the Oneida Football Club who developed ‘The Boston Game’

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as it was called on the Boston Common (plus after all of these years), questioning if there was any other undefeated football team at Nobles, plus, plus, plus. In retrospect, I truly feel that it is a wonderful experience for one, and/ or anyone, to have those exceptionally fond long-ago memories, and that after all of these years, Dudley is still in awe of the significance of that fact, and he still gets excited when he thinks about that wonderful November fall day way back in 1951, when he, along with a bunch of other exceptional football players, close friends and classmates, were all members of the unbeaten football team that beat Milton 14–7 in the final game of the season. Interestingly enough, history has a strange and unusual way of repeating itself, when on the weekend of Nov. 9, 2013 (62 years later), the then-undefeated Milton football team came to Dedham to play Nobles on a very cold and windy day, and again Nobles was the spoiler, to the delight of the local fans, by beating Milton 14–12.

A Hollywood scriptwriter couldn’t have done any better.

I have always wondered about the married life of Joan and Sam Bartlett ’53 after Sam graduated from Dartmouth College and Joan graduated from McGill University. I wonder about their ensuing exciting and bizarre adventures and exploits, with Sam working as a foreign diplomat in the State Department, stationed in and around Central America, including El Salvador, Guatemala and Northern Ireland (among others). Now you can find out the real-life story of Sam and Joan in a book that Joan has recently written and had pub-

50 Nobles spring 2014

lished called No Ransom (which, incidentally, is available on Amazon and Kindle, and in paperback). It is one of those novels that, once you pick it up, you won’t want to put it down until you finish it. It is sort of a fiction/nonfiction book, because knowing both Sam and Joan, it is easy to see that it is a fictional story about the two of them and their actual nonfiction lives in the foreign service. Congratulations, Joan! An excellent read.

Along those lines of who did what after they graduated from Nobles, I recently received a copy of a thank-you letter that Jack/ John/Denny (take your pick) Farlow ’53 had sent to Ms. lovely Brooke Asnis ’90 regarding her help in unloading boxes of books Jack had donated to the school that he had collected over the years, and how and why he had amassed the books in the first place. In his letter, Jack went on to explain in great detail the many unusual and exciting adventures he had pursued over the years after graduating from Nobles and Harvard, which I found to be extremely interesting and very informative, and which I am sure I/we never knew about. I should have originally thought of including Jack’s historical treatise in one of my Nobles magazine submittals, but I soon realized that its length took up more than half of the allotted number of words that the magazine staff allows me. But I thought it was unusual and exciting enough to be of great interest to the members of the Class of ’52 and ’53 and special friends.

Therefore, in an effort to spread the word, and to hopefully have everyone write about what

has been happening in their lives in the past 60-plus years after Nobles—like we did many years ago when we were sent a questionnaire to fill out prior to class reunion, which was then collated and distributed to everyone at reunion—I thought that I would make it easier, and less stressful, and more fun by emailing individual ’52 and ’53 classmates throughout the year, and asking everyone who wanted to write a short or long story of their life’s adventures after Nobles and return it to me. Then blast it out to everyone on my ’52 and ’53 Nobles classmate and close friends list. Please believe me, this is not a required homework assignment, nor is it a necessary one either, nor will you be graded on its content. It’s but only for the fun of sharing your “life after Nobles” experiences with your 80- (plus or minus) year-old classmates and friends. It is totally acceptable to embellish the truth, or lie a little or leave out and/or add stuff, because as Mark Twain always said, you should ‘Never let a little truth, get in the way of a good story.’

Above all, please have fun with it, because you know full well that Neil ‘The Wink’ Childs ’52 will write an inspiring, adventurous and unforgettable tale. As a matter of fact, I can hardly wait for Wink the Wonderful’s ‘My Life After Nobles’ submittal, which I then promise to forward to everyone for your wonderment and enjoyment.

So please stay well and warm, and think spring and green grass, tulips and crocuses, and flowering tree thoughts, and I’ll look forward to seeing everyone at the school on our next springtime reunion weekend of May 9 and 10.”

1954 Class Correspondent

Peter Partridge 508-548-9418 ppart767@comcast.net

1955 Class Correspondent

Bob Chellis bchellis@campuscontinuum.com Bob Chellis writes, “We regret to report that Graham Shipman died Nov. 26 in California. Graham moved to Mt. Shasta, Calif., with his two dogs after his wife, Dede, died in 2004. He wanted to be near family and to more easily enjoy hunting and fishing. We were glad to see him when he came east in 2005 for our 50th reunion. We may remember ‘Monster’ best for his good humor and great cartooning.

One of his last Marshall Spleen comic strips is on my wall, celebrating ‘that evil insurance man, Jeeves Jimson Dirty, and the conflagration of Señor Nichols’ birthday cake.

Near it is the picture of our 1955 wrestling team, where Graham was our successful heavyweight.

Regarding annual giving, the question has come up as to how donations are handled—annual giving versus memorial funds. When you write an annual giving or other check to the school, it applies to our class participation percentage in giving that year. We achieved 100 percent in 2005! If you mark a check for ‘annual giving,’ the school can use it as most needed for general expenses, or you may direct some or all of it to a special fund like the Pi Newell Fund or the newer Chub Newell Fund, which goes into

that designated fund, not to the general expenses of annual giving.

But either way, our class will be credited with your participation.

FYI, here are the descriptions of the two funds of special interest to our class. I think that Pi’s fund, which is 33 years old, has more than $500,000!

The Piatt A. Newell ’55 Memorial Fund was established in 1981 by friends and family of Piatt A. Newell. Income to provide funds for students for outdoor education, sports camps and community service, or for special school projects or purchases.

The Franklin S. ‘Chub’ Newell ’55 Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2012 by his family and friends. Income to provide financial assistance to worthy students with preference given to an athlete who embodies the spirit of competition at Nobles.

Also, it’s good news that the school is preparing a significant filmed memorial tribute to Eliot Putnam. Jim Bride is a skilled filmmaker and taught English at Nobles for 27 years, initially under Mr. Putnam. He left and founded Bride Media 20 years ago. He has earned glowing credits for his work, including Shakespearean plays and the Concord Transcendentalists, so he’s a great choice for this task. I was honored to be one of the many interviewed for it. I think I echo the positive feelings we all have about Eliot Putnam and look forward to seeing it—maybe during the reunion weekend this May. The report from Bill Thayer and Darthia Farm is all positive.

They were way ahead of the curve and have been certified by Maine Organic Farmers for 36 years.

They’ve seen many changes and hosted more than 250 apprentices, many of whom now operate their own farms. They have a community-supported agriculture program and a busy farm store, and they participate in a farmers market in Winter Harbor. Orders can be placed online. After their tragic fire in May 2012, almost a thousand kind people have helped rebuild a new barn with horses, sheep and equipment. The animals are happy in their new homes. Bill and Cynthia will soon be breeding their island sheep, and a new Coopworth ewe should lamb in the spring. And a new Haflinger horse, Star, arrived from the Amish community nearby. You can’t keep a good farmer down!

By the way, the May reunion weekend is a great time to revisit the school, even if it’s not a fiveyear reunion. I highly recommend the Friday night dinner in the renovated and glamorous Castle.

All graduates past their 50th reunion are invited every year, spouses too, so it’s a great chance to see the several classes we knew best. On Saturday, there is an assembly, a headmaster’s report, a nice picnic lunch, sports in the afternoon, and usually cocktails and an art exhibit late Saturday afternoon. A nice weekend if you can make it for our 59th (yikes!).”

1956 Class Correspondent

Gren “Rocky” Whitman 410-639-7551 grenwhitman@verizon.net John Turtle writes, “Retired life isn’t quite as exciting, but I don’t

need to get up early to beat the rush-hour traffic. I am keeping my brain alive by auditing courses at Wellesley College. Auditing astronomy, my current interest, brings me up to date with happenings since my major in astronomy in 1960. Last semester, it was archaeoastronomy, the study of early people’s understanding of the skies. This semester, it’s galaxies, stars and planets. Next will be life in the universe.

A year ago, Anne and I visited Brazil with Iguassu Falls and the Amazon on the itinerary. Last summer, we visited Cornwall in the U.K. We hiked several days with a group along the rugged Atlantic coast. Then we drove—on the left!—to Bath, Salisbury Cathedral, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle.

In London, we took a cruise on the Thames to Greenwich and visited the observatory, where time begins. Our 2014 adventure will be a trip to the Galápagos Islands to tour on a 200-foot schooner, then on to Peru, where we will go to Cuzco and the Inca site at Machu Picchu.

In my spare time, there is plenty of work to do around the house. We live in Wellesley, on Old Farm Road. Several classmates used to live in the area.

When we moved here 20 years ago, it was a quiet neighborhood with deer running through the woods. Unfortunately, now, within a block and a half, there are six teardowns and McMansions are being built. Progress?

Periodically, some of my former colleagues from the Air Force Research Laboratory get together for a casual lunch. As retired government employees, we call our-

selves ‘ExFeds.’ It would be nice to know if some of the local members of the Class of 1956 periodically get together.”

Kit Hayden reports, “I have been stalked by depression since grade school. It is a disease that appears to worsen with senescence ‘as body and soul begin to fall asunder.’ Recently, nagged by family and friends, I have begun medication. Will this help? I certainly hope so. I want to be able to say with sincerity, ‘Not here, not here, the darkness in this twittering world’ (both quotations from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets).”

From Dave Carroll in Michigan: “Feb. 5 was Babs’ and my fifth wedding anniversary. It snowed seriously, and we stayed in.”

John Fritts remembers classmate Sam Edwards’ first encounter with snow. “In Mr. Bird’s German class, we were translating something, or at least trying to, in my case, when Sam jumped up, ran to the window, and shouted, ‘Look! It’s snowing out there!’ We all laughed. Seeing snow was no big deal for us, but Sam was from Marysville, Calif., and snow was a big deal for him.”

Kathleen and Tom Oleson spent New Year’s at her family’s ranch in North Dakota: “The worst of the weather reached minus 51 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill.

The actual temperature was a balmy minus 20.”

To atone for a minor act of nonviolent direct action, Rocky Whitman’s 40 hours of community service were spent filing records and rearranging closets in the Rock Hall municipal building.

Impressed by his Nobles-inspired work ethic, the police chief told the

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town manager he’s looking forward to busting the Rock again.

1957 Class Correspondent

John Valentine 413-256-6676 jvalj1@yahoo.com Eliot Putnam writes, “Looking for a good read? I highly recommend Stop Here, the new novel by Charlie Wiggins’s partner, Beverly Gologorsky. Set in a working-class neighborhood of Long Island, it follows a group of female friends, most of whom work at a local diner, as they struggle ‘to hold together their disordered lives’ (as described on the book jacket), beset by illness, family tragedy and the depredations of the Iraq war. Each of the friends is strong, resilient and flawed in her own way. Most of their menfolk are just flawed. How the women deal with (and care for) the men in their lives and draw strength from their friendships is told through vivid scenes and pitch-perfect dialogue.

The book is a worthy successor to Bev’s earlier novel, The Things We Do to Make It Home—a compelling look at women struggling to make or remake the lives of families damaged by the war in Vietnam.

The way she treats women in both books is clear-eyed, loving and deeply moving.”

Loring Conant writes, “Although several moon cycles have passed since my witness trip to Israel and the West Bank, I’m still trying to formulate a coherent response to the number of disturbing instances of collective punishment and violation of hu-

52 Nobles spring 2014

man rights and international law, particularly around the issue of the settlements and Gaza. I wonder if there are any other fellow mortals out there in the Nobles community who have beheld the towering walls and watchtowers; the ubiquitous IDF; the stark contrast between the arid desert terrain (Palestinian); the lush hilltop settlements (Israeli); the onceproductive Palestinian-owned olive grove now rendered stumps— some of the older uprooted and transplanted for settlement roadway ornamentals; or the nets over the Hebron market keeping out the thrown objects by the settlers, but not stopping the urination on the Palestinians in the market. And there were those checkpoints!

It used to take 20 minutes to travel to the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem from Ramallah; now, one can no longer take the direct road but must pass through three checkpoints, taking one hour and 40 minutes. How to offer commentary without appearing to be anti-Semitic? (Fortunately, there are Israelis who are equally concerned about the settlements.)

Where to take all this?

Next time, I’ll write about our grandkids! But I’ll close with graffiti wall art in a refugee camp of a monarch butterfly with the writing in English: ‘Here, only butterfly and birds are free.’”

Charles Wiggins writes, “Read Stop Here, by Beverly Gologorsky.

You’ll love it.”

Bob Macleod checked in to say he had such a great time bicycling in Hawaii last winter, he’s off to New Zealand for a three-week tour, some with a group and some solo. If he remembers to stay to

the left, maybe he’ll be able to give us an account of pedaling below the equator.

1958 Class Correspondent

Bob Puffer 978-263-0199 puffer@alum.mit.edu

1959 Class Correspondents

Whit Bond whit.bond@verizon.net Buzz Gagnebin bgagnebin@mac.com John Gibson jgib1963@aol.com Buzz Gagnebin writes, “While we plan our 55th, I found a 1915 photo of my father, C. Louis Gagnebin Jr. ’20—99 years ago. He is back row, third from left (see photo below). Football was not my dad’s sport, though. He was captain of

the Nobles hockey team his senior year. Things just keep getting better at Nobles, but they were pretty good back then.”

Henry Schwarz reports, “I’m back from Lebanon and am living in Portland, Ore. Lebanon has a beautiful side—spectacular scenery, thousands of years of history, excellent fresh food and more. But two general reasons prompted us to come back to Portland. First, our students were, with a few exceptions, lazy, not engaged in learning, entitled and spoiled. They were not much fun to teach. And secondly, as the year wore on, there were more and more bombings, gunfights, snipers, assassinations and the like. This spilled over from the Syrian war and got much worse when Hezbollah joined on the side of Assad. It is entirely likely that some group will choose an American target for the next bombing, so we are glad to be home again.

In January, we spent a few weeks in Mexico, and then 10 days in Cuba. They are very different and both fascinating.”

Buzz Gagnebin ’59 shares a photo of his father, Charles Louis Gagnebin Jr. ’20, at Nobles (back row, third from left).

1961 Class Correspondent

Jim Newell 802-467-3555 newell43@gmail.com Bert Dane writes, “Two weeks after my birthday in July, my son and I climbed Mt. Washington, via the Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail. The first part was easy. Climbing up the ravine was much harder, and by the time we got to the cone, I could barely move. Thank goodness for my son, who carried my pack and cajoled me into pressing on.

After a total of about five hours, we finally made the summit. Next summer we’ll try something a little less challenging.”

1962 Class Correspondent

David Mittell damittell@gmail.com Ben Soule writes, “At a recent Bowdoin-Williams women’s hockey game, I chanced to sit in a seat given in memory of Dave Rogerson, Bowdoin ’54, by one of his teammates. Mr. Rogerson taught history at Nobles from the late 1950s through the late 1960s, coaching varsity hockey most of those years as well as assisting in football and baseball. He was a top-notch player at Bowdoin and a great guy.”

Paul Foss writes, “In midDecember, upon the conclusion of our son, John’s, MBA graduation from the Monterey Institute for International Studies, he and I packed his car and headed east to New Hampshire. We went via

Riverside, Calif., where I wanted to revisit the Mission Inn, a derelict historical and architectural wonder that I helped finance to restore it to its current glory during my commercial banking days in the mid-1980s. Then we crossed the Central Valley and drove into the gorgeous mountains of western Utah, where I-70 begins. We used this route as an excuse to visit some of the places where our forebear, English-born Methodist Prof. Rev. John Wheeler D.D. (1805–1881), lived and taught from the 1830s to 1880s. He was president of Iowa Wesleyan College (1870–1875), where he died; president and professor of Baldwin University (now Baldwin-Wallace University) (1854–1870); student in the first graduating class at Indiana Asbury College (now DePauw University) (1840) and later professor of Latin (1842–1854); and undergraduate student at Allegheny College (1837–1839).

Looking at some of the materials in the colleges’ archives from those eras, I was deeply impressed by the utter sparseness and primitiveness of the existing conditions and how out of whole cloth those pioneers were able to craft beautiful campuses, buildings, churches, dormitories, libraries and study halls, and to raise big families to boot. Honestly, I know nothing about confronting such difficult living conditions and making a lasting success of things.”

Paul Foss and his wife, Karen, had lunch with Ken Reiber and Mi Herzog at Zazie’s Restaurant in San Francisco in December, while they were both visiting the Golden Gate city. Foss had a very

nice soup and a nouvelle cuisine burger. Since Ken and Mi had visited the nearby Japanese tea garden on the previous day, they decided to go together to see the Cable Car Museum. There, Foss was fortunate enough to find a brass bell as a souvenir in the gift shop. Thereafter, they had a delicious latté in a little cafe across from the museum and finally said their adieus.

1963 Class Correspondent

Jim Lehan 508-520-1373 jblehan@aol.com

1964 Class Correspondent

Ned Bigelow 781-704-4304 moe9817@aol.com

1966 Class Correspondent

John Martinez Office: 214-688-0244 Cell: 214-675-7543 johnmartin@artdallas.com

1967 Class Correspondent

Drew Sullivan 781-461-1477 drewsull49@aol.com

1968 Class Correspondent

Andy Lord 617-899-3948 ajliii@hotmail.com

1969 Class Correspondent

Peter Pach 860-267-9701 pbp06456@sbcglobal.net Peter Pach writes, “Wigs Frank recruited Toby Burr, Peter Gates and Stew Young for the 45th reunion committee planning, which will be held May 9 and 10.

Reminder letters with details to come. Plan for the dinner at Peter Gates’ house in Weston, Mass., on Friday night along with a Saturday schedule of sports, campus tours (including the Castle addition), a cocktail party and our class dinner on campus—all good reasons to join us.

Globetrotting Wes Wellington reports he will come east from his Colorado spread for the reunion.

Tod Whittemore wrote that he plans to come too.

John Clark, who just moved to Epping, N.H., says he hopes to ‘make an appearance’ sometime during the weekend.

Baird Brightman checked in from southern California: ‘We are dealing with a solar vortex here—unbroken months of endless sunny skies. I expect my California water bill will soon rival my Massachusetts gas bill. Not that I’m complaining! I will reflect on my Dedham days during a beach stroll as virtual reunion participation.

Best to you and all fellow ’69ers!’

Steve Baker says all is well on the Cape. ‘My driveway has filled up with snow twice this year so far.

The first blizzard put something like three to four feet onto the end of my driveway, where it dips down in between two banks of the yard.

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Needless to say, I let it melt on its own instead of shoveling it all up and out! I will be coming up for the day on May 10. I plan on being there relatively early and spending the day hangin’ out. I’ve driven through the campus once since I got back from the West Coast, so I know there’s a lot of new stuff to explore. I wonder if I’ll recognize anyone…’

These reunions only happen once every five years, and when you get to the 45th, we have put on some miles. But it is remarkable how quickly old faces merge with their younger selves. Brad Wilkinson and I spent two of the coldest days of the winter skiing in Vermont—great snow, great fun.

Brad is retired from his practice but continues to deliver plenty of medicine in a mobile clinic for the poor in Hartford and a clinic in the Dominican Republic that he oversees with some other doctors.

Otherwise, he reports ‘spending lots of time with Mary and family, and spoiling three adorable grandchildren. Looking forward to seeing as many of my classmates as possible on May 9!’”

1970 Class Correspondent

Levy Byrd 781-449-7555 levbyrd@comcast.net

1971 Harry Blackman, John Dewey, Nick Mittell and Win Perkins gathered the following class notes: “You may have seen in the winter Nobles magazine (attached to the

54 Nobles spring 2014

Class of ’72 notes, with accompanying picture) that in August 2013, Win Perkins and Chad Callahan joined several other members of the 1970 varsity football team to pay their respects to former coach and teacher George ‘Lee’ Sargent when he was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. The winter issue (Class of ’67 notes) also included a picture of Ames Byrd, wearing a beautiful psychedelic tie-dyed shirt with his brothers, Dick ’67 and Lev ’70, at Sunrise High Sierra Camp in Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 2013.

In July 2013, Rick Grogan was one of a small group of intrepid cyclists who participated in the Pull Out All the Stops Bike Ride as part of the final push in the restoration of the Royal Festival Hall organ in the Southbank Centre in London. (See picture on page 55.)

The challenge was to ride the 266 miles from Durham, U.K., where the organ was restored, to London in only 24 hours to bring back the final organ pipe and raise the final £100,000 needed to complete the Pull Out All the Stops restoration project. Crank on, Rick!

In September, John Bailey hosted a dinner party get-together for Jeff Franklin, to celebrate a rare trip east for Jeff that included Harry Blackman, John Dewey, Nick Mittell, Peter Smith and Jeffrey Schwartz. A good time was had by all.

In November, Nick and Jeffrey (Schwartz) joined Harry at Nobles for the graduates soccer game in which Harry, playing, had moments of demented, geriatric exuberance but managed to muff the best chance at a goal that

he has had in years! The threesome then watched and gloried in the varsity football team’s incredible win over Milton. Eerily reminiscent of the 1970 victory, it was a game that came down to a last-minute attempt by Milton on a two-point conversion (for a tie) that was defeated, with several players taking on the role of our own Phil Crawford and stopping it cold! It was beautiful! Later that night, John Dewey hosted a party especially in honor of Nick’s 60th birthday, but really for all of us who have reached that ‘milestone’ (sic or sick), which, at this point, is all of us!

Scott Adams reports from Columbia, Mo., that his daughter Haley is getting married this June back in Massachusetts. Scott and his wife have recently moved into ‘empty-nester’ housing and are loving life in Columbia. They recently enjoyed a visit with Rob Johnson ’72, when he was in Columbia for treatment for acute/ advanced Lyme disease. Best wishes to Rob! Jim Rosen writes, ‘I am sure enjoying being a grandfather at last, since my 37-year-old son finally got himself hooked! They live in St. Maarten too, so we get good quality time.’

David Amory and his firm, Amory Architects, is working with Historic Boston to save and renovate the Kittredge House, a 19th-century Greek Revival mansion on Fort Hill, in Roxbury. A recent article on the Buckingham Browne & Nichols website reports on Rob Leith’s Round Table literature class for seniors. One student was quoted, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been in a classroom where

the discussion flows as freely. It reflects how comfortable we feel with one another and Mr. Leith.’

More revealing and impressive is what Rob had to say: ‘In 12th-grade classes…I expect to learn a great deal from them over the course of the term. I think they enjoy being treated as equals, and it’s easy to treat them that way because intellectually, they really are at a level where I think they are my equal, so we try as much as possible to have a conversation involving everybody in which maybe I’m—what is the expression?—primus inter pares, first among equals?’ he chuckles.

‘Nonetheless, I’m one of the group sitting at the round table.’ Wonderful stuff, Rob! Rob is in his 35th year as a teacher at BB&N. We are aware of other Nobles grads who have similar records of commitment to and longevity as teachers (Mike Sherman ’68, with 40 years or so at Belmont Hill, is one other example). While that kind of service was more common when we were students at Nobles, it seems more rare in this day and age. Hint to editor: great potential topic for a future graduates magazine! In recent years, this country has made a real effort to recognize those who serve in the military and as policemen, firemen, etc. Rightly so! Despite valid concerns about our educational system, we should similarly recognize those who serve as teachers.

Speaking of that kind of recognition for service, for many years, David ‘Hector’ Pendergast has served on the volunteer committee of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, which raises money for the children of Marines killed or seriously wounded in action.

gamut from the marriage of children to the birth of grandchildren to the passing of parents, along with the ongoing aspects of career and the ways we choose to spend our time. Transitions. Transitions.

‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…’ What ETP didn’t tell us, and we were perhaps too young to realize, is that new potential paths come up every day—new beginnings, new endings and new opportunities. Keep on keepin’ on!

Rick Grogan ’71 (fourth from left) with his team at the Pull Out All the Stops Bike Ride at Royal Festival Hall

This spring, there will be an inaugural Boston dinner to honor some individuals who have given back to the corps in one way or another. There will also be a golf tournament fundraiser in June.

Those interested can find out more on the scholarship’s website (www.mcsf.org).

Pendergast started a new business named Agora Gardens.

This is an online garden consulting company focusing on raised-bed construction, maintenance, e-commerce and recordkeeping. Learn more at www.agoragardens.com.

Remembrance of things past— get any group of grads together, and it’s bound to happen. With the recent passing of Coach Lee Sargent and the election of our own Greg Garritt to the Nobles Athletic Hall of Fame, a lot of memories about sports at Nobles in our day have been flying back and forth. Some funny, some sad, but certainly one of the most articulate and ‘right on’ was this one from Reed Austin. He writes, ‘You know, maybe what I took away from Nobles sports was that you don’t have to be a gifted athlete—

and I was the furthest thing from that. (Reed, humble as always! Not true, Reed, not true!) Even if you’re surrounded by them, to make a difference, contribute meaningfully to a winning season, maybe end up seeing yourself as a winner, or at least knowing what it takes to win, are important takeaways. On the field, we each have a job to do, and pride counts for a lot. These were important lessons, and I doubt I could have learned them any other way.’ Well said!

Reminiscing about varsity baseball back in those days also brought up memories of the consistent play at third base by ‘Electrolux’ Joe Phillips. Shout out to Joe! We haven’t heard from or about Joe in a very long time. Same can be said for his varsity soccer co-captain, Larry Bardawil. Guys, if you’re reading this, we would love to hear from you.

Nick Mittell, Peter Smith, Greg Garritt and George Parker all gathered in Dover in January for the memorial service for John Bailey’s father, at which John delivered an eloquent and moving eulogy. This version of the class notes runs the

1972 A graduate from the Class of 1972, who requested to be anonymous, writes the following: “Ted Gleason was one of the most spirited, disciplined and inspiring men I have ever known. His was a life of courage, grace and joy. I feel blessed to have had a personal relationship with him that extended far beyond our brief, shared time at Nobles. I was a senior when Ted arrived at Nobles to take on the larger-than-life task of following the revered Eliot T. Putnam.

I cannot say that our class made it particularly easy for him. We were a pretty wild bunch! However, Ted managed to ride out that early turbulence, and it was clear to me then what a special man he was. I would not know how special until more than another decade had passed.

In January 1985, Ted and Anne came to La Jolla, Calif., to attend the Executive Health Program of the Preventive Medicine Center at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation (where I practiced and served as department chair), a two-day, soup-to-nuts medical and

behavioral evaluation concluding with an individually designed personal lifestyle modification plan. Concluding the final day, I met with Ted to summarize the results. It was a daunting task, because the news I had to give was not good. Ted was in his early 50s, had high blood pressure, was 50 pounds overweight, had smoked cigarettes for 30 years, disliked and did not engage in any exercise and had a likely genetic predisposition to heart disease, as his father had also developed heart issues in his 50s and died of a heart attack in his early 60s. I asked Anne to join us in this consult, and she did.

I began, ‘Ted, it is not a question of if but when you will have a heart attack, perhaps massive. Less than 50 percent of those who have a first heart attack survive. You are 52, in the prime of your life and career, yet also ‘prime time’ for such an event to occur, and it will.

The only other question is essentially your choice: What can you do for Ted to optimize the odds of survival?’

We then reviewed all test results, clinical indices and implications of risk, and we concluded with what, indeed, he, and only he, could do. He left with his personal lifestyle change plan—exercise prescription, nutritional and behavioral modifications, and his own plan for stress management through prayer. I later learned that when Ted returned to Nobles, he addressed the entire school at morning assembly and told them about his trip to California. He told them, ‘I happened to run into a former Nobles student of mine, and he boldly made it clear to me that my life was on the line and only I

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could do something about it, and he provided me all the tools to do so.’ He then asked the community, the family of Noble and Greenough School, to help him meet the challenge: ‘First period of classes are canceled. We are all going for a walk together, as I need your support in changing my life forever.’

Ted quit smoking and started walking, a prudent progression up to four miles a day. He made significant nutritional and eatingpattern adjustments and complied with scripted medication to treat his hypertension. He continued and strengthened his commitment to the practice of daily prayer. In addition, he quit drinking alcohol, after deciding it depressed him.

Despite these efforts, nine years later, Ted suffered a heart attack, but he survived it and the subsequent surgeries, and his surgeon made it clear that the lifestyle changes he had made over a decade previously were the major factors in that happy outcome.

Ted’s case was reported—with names changed—in Treating the Aching Heart, by Lawson R. Wulsin, M.D. The following quote is taken from the book: ‘Had all those miles [Ted] walked done nothing to reduce his risk? Was it bad luck or bad genes, despite giving up his delightful vices, making a mockery of his hard work? [Ted] didn’t see it that way. Call it faith, call it optimism, call it hard knocks knowledge, confidence or defiance. ‘The life that had almost been taken away from me had been given back to me.’ [Ted Gleason] had what it took to sail through heart surgery without capsizing. In fact, he made it through a long, rewarding life…

He beat the odds and kept the

56 Nobles spring 2014

cardiologist away. The joyfulness of this man prolonged his days.’

My meeting with Ted in Torrey Pines in 1985 was really the beginning of a friendship that I will always cherish. I last visited with Ted and Anne at their home in Washington, D.C., for a wonderful ‘lunch and learn’ in summer 2013.

Ted greeted me as he always did whenever we met, spoke or wrote, by saying, ‘Thank you for saving my life.’ I responded, as I always did, ‘Hey, come on, Ted. I was just doing my job.’ The truth, as I told him on more than one occasion, was that the person who saved his life was Ted Gleason. His response to the grim prognosis I gave him in 1985 was one of unqualified commitment to his health, and was in my view a living expression of his own belief and teaching about the power of restoration and renewal that is at the heart of what he would call ‘the gift of grace.’ It is a gift that he gave to so many in the course of his life.

In the famous phrase of his predecessor as headmaster at Nobles, Ted Gleason was always, ‘the tall gentleman helping somebody.’”

1973 Class Correspondent

Craig Sanger 917-705-7556 craig.w.sanger@gmail.com

1974 Class Correspondent

Kevin McCarthy 617-480-6344 kmac56@gmail.com In February, Kevin McCarthy spent an evening with Chris Reynolds

’78 at the regatta-bar at the Charles Hotel, listening to Offiong Bassey ’03. Peter Strzetelski ’78 and his wife, Debbie Lavin Strzetelski ’78, were also in attendance.

Kevin McCarthy writes, “Has it been 40 years since I had that meeting with Bill Chamberlin, my independent study advisor, to discuss the significance of me spending time observing the processes and practices of the Department of Youth Services’ locked facility in Roslindale?

Has it been 40 years since our lacrosse team went undefeated and Nobles became a coeducational school? Forty years seems like yesterday, when I had that conversation with Coach Sargent about coaching football at Nobles while attending Boston College as a freshman. Forty years—where has the time gone? So much has changed, with me, at Nobles and in the world.

But you know what hasn’t changed? What hasn’t changed is the feeling I get when I return to 507 Bridge St. in Dedham. What hasn’t changed is the familiar smile and cheerful hello I get when I see my old classmates in Boston.

Life for me right now is work and school, so time with friends is precious. I am looking forward to reunion weekend and dinner with my classmates. I was fortunate to spend some time with Harry Elam, his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Claire, when I went west to visit with family in Santa Cruz.

Last year was filled with blessings, and I look forward to more of the same in 2014. I look forward to seeing members of the Class of 1979, many of whom I coached, as they celebrate their 35th. I look

forward to seeing the members of my Nobles family, who continue to enrich my life.”

1975 Class Correspondents

Andrea Pape Truitt 609-646-5361 apape57@gmail.com Jed Dawson 508-735-9663 Jeddawson711@gmail.com Doug Floyd 781-788-0020 doug_floyd@yahoo.com

Andrea Pape Truitt writes, “Thanks to two classmates, you are spared from my ramblings. I would like to point out that 2015 is around the corner, and we need to start planning for a tremendous 40th reunion celebration. After all, we were the first coed class, so let’s make it celebration-worthy of being first.

I hope to see you all soon.”

Kip Dunkle writes, “Greetings from Jen and Kip Dunkle! It’s been a while since giving an update, so here goes. First, our two sons continue to amaze us. The youngest, Jeff, recently received his brokers license and is now working for MFS Investment Management in Boston after working several years at Fidelity Investments.

The oldest, John, is now a regional sales manager for Santander Bank in their consumer credit division. Who would have guessed in 1975 that I’d be writing about my sons in 2014? Where does the time go?

Other news? Jen and I are

finally winding down our projects in Haiti—the orphanage, two schools, foster family care services, university scholarship programs, etc.—as they are now mostly self-sustaining. With more than 1,700 children and young men and women who have been positively affected by the simple 501(c)(3) we incorporated over seven years ago, it’s been an incredible challenge, and more so, tremendously rewarding.

Finally, with all my newfound spare time, I’ve started picking up photography again and work with local realtors, photographing their listings, and I’m branching out into the professional gallery side of the art. We’ll see where that takes me—if anywhere. Anyway, just waiting for spring to finally arrive so I can get back to the racetrack and start the driving season again.

My best to all graduates from the Class of ’75!”

Ted Almy writes that the two older of his three kids became engaged last fall. His oldest daughter, Gillian, will marry in Portland, Ore., in November 2014, and his middle son, Jon, will marry on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in September. An exciting year awaits the Almys, including Ted’s parents, Nancy and Ned ’55, and sisters Laura ’77 and Roz ’80.

1976 Class Correspondents

Tom Bartlett +44 1908 647196 tom_bartlett58@hotmail.com Rob Piana 617-491-7499 robert.piana@vanderbilt.edu

1977 Class Correspondent

Linda Rheingold licorh@comcast.net

1978 Class Correspondent

Christopher Reynolds Cell: 800-444-0004 Home: 508-358-7757 chreynolds@comcast.net

1979 Class Correspondents

Holly Charlesworth Casner 781-632-3919 hollyccharlesworth@gmail.com John Almy 617-448-3119 jwalmy@comcast.net Dan Rodgers 212-423-0374 drodgers@wfw.com Dan Rodgers writes, “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, but by the time you read this, it will be spring, and our 35th reunion will be upon us.

I look forward to seeing you there on May 10.

Not much to report from the depth of winter. Yesterday was a big snow, sleet and rain day here in NYC, but Nobles managed to hold its annual alumni reception in the city nonetheless. Big Bob Henderson ’76, currently Le Grand Fromage, ahem, Head at Nobles was unable to attend (drop and give me 20, Bob), but yours truly was there so that I could be ‘the oldest alum in the room.’ Yep, that was a great moment.

I met Christine Klotz Haney ’88, Brian Cullen ’88 and Brooke Asnis ’90, and had a nice time chatting with them. Turns out that Mr. Cullen is in the insurance biz and bears a more than passing similarity to our own Tom O’Brien, of whom Mr. Cullen spoke fondly, as they worked for the same insurance company some time ago in NYC. Having now incorporated the name of at least one classmate into this note, my work here is done.”

Alex Childs Smith submits the following letter of gratitude to her classmates in response to the support her family has received following the passing of her husband. “Because, as it turns out, grief never truly dies, I am so very glad that neither does love.

And I’m especially gratified that the love, in the form of freedom from worry (aka money) continues to flow. Last month, I received an unexpected gift gathered from all (most) of you right after Bret died.

I was so pleased to receive it. It will again pay for summer camps and trips and babysitting (and sparkle socks, which is how my mother assumes I spend my money). I once scoffed at the idea of Nobles being a ‘family’ (of course, I scoffed at most everything once) but I do now better understand and appreciate and am thankful for my Nobles family. I am also thankful for my biological family.

Georgia, 13, is very involved in drama, guitar and ever-evolving (involving) friendships. She is also a self-motivated student, which is so great for me, I mean her. Elvis, 11, is a gifted athlete, artist and student. He is passionate about nearly everything, which will serve

him well provided he doesn’t suffer spontaneous combustion or some other unfortunate (less spontaneous) consequence. While I say grief never dies, healing does grow alongside it. My heart has regained its previous vigor, and I feel back to myself. So, overall, everything is as it ought to be, and I am better and better at recognizing that. And so I am at peace (except when I am not). Please feel free to write, visit and call: alexchildssmith@gmail.com or (401) 465-2448.”

1980 Class Correspondent

Rob Capone 781-326-7142 robcapwest@comcast.net Rob Capone writes, “Greetings, classmates! Here I am again to share some news that I received from a few folks in our eclectic class. Bill Bell said that he and his wife, Susan, have been living in Cohasset, Mass., for the past 14 years. Together they have two sons

Studies Show Did you know that learning specialists Gia Batty and Sara Masucci do a monthly podcast? Listen to their April edition about how the principles of gaming can aid studying: www. nobles.edu/ podcasts

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in college and are coming up on their 25th wedding anniversary. I recall that Bill was the male Nobles Shield winner in our class. He shows no signs of slowing down on the ice or on the playing fields. He gets back to Nobles frequently for the annual graduate hockey and lacrosse games. He was happy to see a number of Nobles graduates from various class years at this past January’s game—Bill Bliss ’79, John Almy ’79, Ben Lasher ’77, David Marcello ’77 and Jon Marshall ’76. Bill encouraged me to return to the ice for next year’s game, which was awfully nice of him, but since I can only play at best in a tripod league at this time, I may have to pass.

I also heard from Martha Kittredge Rowley, who has been immensely enjoying the life of a stay-at-home mom for the past 13 years. She and her family live in Dedham, about a mile from the Bridge Street entrance to Nobles.

She spends a fair amount of time on campus these days, as her son is a Class III student (Class of 2016). Her daughter is in the seventh grade at Dedham Country Day, which she reminded me is a mile in the other direction. As a local (or should I say townie?), Martha sees a number of Nobles graduates and teachers frequently.

Geez, Martha, I am in Westwood and I never see anybody from Nobles—I am getting a complex.

Anyhow, Martha says that the school remains a great place and she hopes that many of us will return next spring for our 35th reunion. OK, really? 35 years?

And finally, check out this picture of Jane Bliss Graham in Ghana on page 59. Janie has been

58 Nobles spring 2014

teaching art to middle school and high school students for the past 16 years. She states that she and her husband are empty nesters until their sons graduate in May. She is keeping busy with her volunteer work. She teaches an art class at Sing Sing Correctional Facility through the organization Rehabilitation Through the Arts. She also helps design batiks in Ghana through the fair trade organization Global Mamas. She is returning to Ghana for the seventh time this March. I was so humbled by all of the good work Jane has been doing that I did not have the courage to email her back and reveal my ignorance by asking what a batik was. So naturally, I Googled it, and thank the higher being for Wikipedia. Batik is a cloth made by using wax resistant dyeing techniques. Different design patterns and colors can reflect nobility and/ or specific Hindu gods, among other things. We can never stop learning, I guess, particularly from one another.”

1981 Class Correspondent

Kim Rossi Stagliano 203-610-1750 krstagliano@charter.net

1982 Class Correspondent

Holly Malkasian Staudinger 914-925-2340 hmalkasian@verizon.net

1983 Class Correspondent

Nancy Sarkis Corcoran

Home: 508-785-0886 Fax: 508-785-0887 NLSC3@me.com Jocelyn Webster writes, “I got married in early October 2013 on Cousins Island, Maine. My husband (Fred) has four adult kids and seven grandkids, so I’m an instant mom and grammie! The grandkids range from 4 months old to 11 years. They all live locally here in southern Maine, so we get to see each other a lot. We’ve had a busy fall, and I’m enjoying being an official part of the family!”

Dan Tarlin writes, “My news for the past year is that my eldest son, Solomon, was valedictorian of the Sharon High School Class of 2013. One of the proudest moments of my life! He started at Boston University in the fall.”

Sean Duane wrote to let us know about a great lax camp being held at Nobles this summer.

“I was able to introduce UNC lacrosse to Nobles. A very close friend of mine, Joe Breschi, is the head lacrosse coach for the University of North Carolina.

Coach Breschi, assistant coach Brian Holman and eight to 10 current UNC players will be hosting a two-day lacrosse camp at Nobles this coming summer (July 31 through Aug. 1). This is the first time the UNC program has ever run anything in the northeast. The camp will also be held at St. George’s in Rhode Island and Greens Farms Academy in Connecticut.

I am excited for my son, Jack (eighth grade), to attend the Nobles camp and get a small taste of what a great atmosphere the school and campus have to offer,

all while learning from one of the premier programs at the collegiate level.” For more information you can go to www.breschilacrosse.com.

1984 From the reunion committee: We can’t wait to see everyone at our 30th reunion! We want everyone to come back! A few tantalizing highlights: Enjoy a casual 30th reunion cocktail party on Friday, May 9, at Blue (Rod Walkey’s restaurant). Rumor has it that his band might be playing. On Saturday, head to campus and enjoy a family-friendly, free-of-charge day: Celebrate Jim Bride, who is being awarded the Coggeshall Award; cheer on our classmates crazy enough to play in either the men’s graduate lacrosse game or the Carey Classic (the women’s graduate soccer game being played in Tim Carey’s honor, as he is retiring in June); go to the Hall of Fame Ceremony; and head to the Castle for an open bar cocktail party to be followed by our class dinner, which will be held at the base of our 1984 Castle spiral staircase.

Jessica Tyler writes, “This month, we have updates from classmates spanning Oregon to Boston, and a few places in between. Thanks to all classmates for your exciting and interesting news.”

From Oregon, Rin Carroll Jackson writes, “My son, Sawyer, qualified and is competing in the Junior Olympics this weekend in Portland, Ore. He is an épée fencer.

The national competition includes fencers 20 and younger and will host 2,000 participants. Also approaching is the annual art event that I help organize in our local community. The 11th annual S.E. area ARTWalk features 72 artists on a self-guided unique art experience. Hope all is well.”

Kate Churchill writes, “We’re still in Brooklyn and getting sick of snowstorms! Our daughter, Posie, just turned 4 and has become an urban tike, zipping through Brooklyn on her scooter and memorizing subway lines. I just wrapped production on a movie called The Cobbler, which should hit theatres late 2014 or 2015. It’s a lovely and funny

film. I am getting a new perspective these days on Nobles from two of my nieces, Julia and Holly Lyne, who started there in the fall. Julia is in middle school under the reign of Mr. Gifford! I hear news that Tim Carey is retiring this year. What a great teacher! I hope there is a big celebration. Here’s hoping spring comes soon. Warm wishes to all.”

Read a profile of Kate on p. 33.

From Cape Cod, Andrew Partridge reports that he is “still with Sperry Tents after 14 years, and all is going very well. There are now 20 Sperry Tents offices throughout the United States, along with several in Europe and South America. Work requires that Andrew continues to divide his time between Naples and his home on the Cape, where he lives with his old dog, Marcus, his amazing girlfriend, Haley, and her wonderful daughter, Siena. They are all excited to celebrate becoming a family sometime later this year.”

And finally, from the Boston area, Joy Densler Marzolf shares, “This winter has been superbusy. I

have been teaching more photography programs at Broadmoor, including Photoshop workshops. I am looking forward to working on my own photography this March on a trip to the Bahamas to photograph dolphins and sharks. I have also been working hard on our Boston Sea Rovers convention in March, helping with the historic diving exhibit, marketing and the free kids’ day programs, to name a few things. I can’t wait for the show as my friend and National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry is going to emcee our big film festival, and Sylvia Earle, the explorer, and Flip Nicklin, also an amazing National Geographic photographer, will be presenting as well. I look forward to getting a chance to talk to both of them. On a different note, I recently added another ‘friend’ to my collection of critters: a bearded dragon named Irwin.”

Jessica Tyler continues, “As for me from Duxbury, the last time I wrote in was a year ago. I had finished my career in event planning and was wondering what the

next phase would bring. Well, now I know. Since April 2013, I have been working as a sales assistant to Duxbury’s number-one realtor, who happens to be a great friend of mine. I love the career change and enjoy getting up close and personal with some of Duxbury’s most beautiful homes. If you are in Duxbury, swing by Macdonald & Wood/Sotheby’s—I’d love to see you! Thanks to all who sent in news. Have a terrific summer!”

EdnaMay Duffy, mother of Michael Duffy, writes, “Jan. 30, 2014, marked 10 years since Michael Duffy was lost in an avalanche while skiing in British Columbia. Michael’s nephew, Michael Ahonen, who is also the nephew of Tracey Duffy Connolly ’84, was a member of the American Youth Football fifth-grade national champions in Orlando in December 2013 after beating teams from Detroit, Chicago and Gainesville. He reminds us of his uncle, who was a member of the last Nobles football team to win the ISL championship.

What a gene pool!”

1987 Class Correspondent

Emily Gallagher Byrne 781-721-4444 egbyrne@verizon.net

1986 Class Correspondents

Heather Markey Zink 508-359-9553 hjzink@mac.com Jessica Tyler 781-934-6321 jessicaytyler@gmail.com Eliza Kelly Beaulac 703-476-4442 embeaulac@verizon.net

Left: Jane Bliss Graham ’80 in Ghana; right: Joy Densler Marzolf ’86 with her new bearded dragon, Irwin

Emily Gallagher Byrne writes, “Thank you to everyone who sent in an update. It is so great to hear from you!

Chrissy Kelly Baird and her husband, Chip, are loving life with Murphy and Kelly, twin girls who arrived in October 2013. ‘We will look forward to showing them around Nobles sometime soon!’

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Ric Gazarian reports that he recently produced an adventuretravel documentary, Hit the Road: India, now available on iTunes and Amazon. The film follows two friends (Ric being one of them!) as they race in an auto-rickshaw for 12 days across India from Mumbai to Chennai, recognized by the Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 greatest adventures in the world. The film has found success, including being the number-four documentary on UK iTunes. You can check it out at www.hittheroadindia.com.

Liz Rosenbaum Von Wagner writes, ‘Since I saw everyone at our 25th reunion in 2012, I have reentered the workforce, albeit part time, but I find it very rewarding. I am working in the press and public relations office of the German Mission to the United Nations, so I work in the same building as my husband, Jakob. The job has required me to become much more up-to-date on social media, so now I can keep up with my kids! I commute into NYC, which can be a drag, but I enjoy being in the city when I’m there. Our kids (ages 14, 12, 10 and 7) keep us on our toes at home. I was so excited to hear from Chrissy Kelly Baird on the birth of her twin girls this past fall.

I would love to see anyone passing through this way!’

As for me, I remain busy at home in Winchester, Mass., with my three girls, Abby (11), Katie (9) and Caroline (6). We recently added a sweet rescue pup, Dixie, to the mix, and so my husband, Rick, continues to be wildly outnumbered by the females in our house. Becca Pratt Bromark and I meet often to walk our dogs

60 Nobles spring 2014

ers since writing the Miramax film On the Line with Nobles classmate Paul Stanton. He and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their first daughter, Audrey, last year.”

1990 Class Correspondent

Elena Weiss MacCartee 202-882-2132 eisabelmac@gmail.com

Deb Nicolls Barbeau writes, “JB and I welcomed our second son, William Stockwell Barbeau, on Halloween. We went into labor after the Red Sox won the World Series. Go Sox! We are also preparing for our move back to Boston this summer, looking forward to being back with friends and family.”

Sam Jackson 978-409-9444 sambjackson@hotmail.com

all yet.’ No other details on the engagement.

Ama Ofosu-Barko Lieb reports that she and her husband, Al, ‘welcomed to the world their beautiful daughter, Eliana Loveday Lieb, on Nov. 18, 2013. Ama’s alter ego, Nya Jade, continues her creative endeavors in music and young adult literature, with new releases planned for later in the year. She now lives in Mill Valley, Calif., where she’s ‘lucky enough to spend time with fellow classmate Annie Murphy!’ (her words, not mine).

And Carrie O’Connor Jamison is excited to share the news of the birth of her son, Wilbur, who was born in August. Wilbur’s big sister, Hannah, loves him more than anything! They’re hoping to come to the reunion in May.”

1994

1995

Class Correspondent

Class Correspondent

Annie Stephenson Murphy

Kelly Flaman kflaman@gmail.com

1992 Class Correspondent

1991 Class Correspondent

1991

Twins Massimo (left) and Alessandro (right), sons of Kim Kelly ‘91

and let our girls play together. I’m hoping to see more Nobles faces this spring. I will save that for a future update!”

1988 Class Correspondent

John Hesse john.hesse@me.com

1989 Class Correspondent

Rachel Spencer 917-921-5916 spencerw@georgetown.edu rachelwspencer@yahoo.com From the reunion committee: “T-3 months! Time flies when you’re having fun or remembering the fly times we had at Nobles. Come back for the 25th reunion to reminisce! The reunion committee members have been working hard to plan what will be an epic

weekend. J.P. Plunkett is organizing a round of golf on Friday, May 9, in the afternoon, for those interested. Erin and Mark Epker have generously offered to host the Friday evening cocktail party for all classmates.

On Saturday, May 10, there will be an assembly for graduates, where our class will be presenting the Coggeshall Award onstage to Mr. Bride. Following assembly, those who still got it can show the ‘young’uns’ their skills on the lax field and/or play in this year’s women’s soccer game, which will be played in honor of Tim Carey. The Hall of Fame Ceremony (inducting classmate Kim Griffith Hyland) will begin at 2 p.m., where we can praise the triathletes of our time before it is just a thing of the past. Saturday evening will get kicked off with a cocktail reception in the ‘new’ Castle. If you have not come back to campus yet, you are in for a real treat! Finally, we

will have our class dinner (also in the Castle) and a night full of fun entertainment. Can’t wait to get everyone back and let the good times roll!”

Susan Weintraub Stein is living in Sudbury and chasing after four kids, ages 4 to 12. She writes, “I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our 25th! My oldest just started at Rivers this year and is really enjoying it. Trying to juggle two different school vacations is a little bit of a challenge, but went to Punta Cana in March and enjoyed warmth.”

Paul Stanton shared an update about his classmate and life friend.

“Eric Aronson returned from the London set of his new film, Mortdecai, starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor. Eric penned the screenplay for the comedy involving the search for a stolen painting linked to a Nazi conspiracy.

Eric has been busy touching up some major Hollywood blockbust-

Kelly Doherty Laferriere kdl@snet.net Kim Kelly writes, “Living and teaching English literature in NYC for my 18th year (very much influenced by amazing Nobles English teachers!). And the varsity basketball team I coach is working through the playoffs! My twin boys, Massimo and Alessandro, have celebrated a World Series win with me—though I have now lived more years in Brooklyn than Massachusetts. I won’t give up my Red Sox! And the boys are loving it!” See photos of Kim’s sons on page 60.

Amy Farber writes, “A few weeks ago, I met up with Justine Mikulis, Mitzi Fowler Johnson, Amy McCarthy Donovan and Evonne Wetzner at the MFA to see Banker’s screening of The Genius of Marian. It was an incredibly powerful movie—so well done. We were all so touched by it. We were lucky enough to see Banker at the screening. We all stuck around for a discussion panel after the movie, then we went to lunch. It was so great to see everyone.”

Lynne Dumas Davis 703-623-4211 LynneDumas@aol.com

1993 Class Correspondent

415-377-4466 annie_stephenson@yahoo.com Annie Stephenson Murphy writes, “The Class of ’94 is gearing up for our 20th reunion in May and must be so busy. I guess we’re saving most of our updates for then! A few classmates have some exciting news to share.

I want to congratulate Matt Glassman and his new fiancée, Jeremy, on their engagement!

When pressed for more ‘deets,’ Matt writes, ‘Her name is Jeremy Louis Eaton. She’s a lady with a boy’s name. She’s an actor in the theatre company that I work in.

We hope to get married sometime, maybe fall, but not sure at

1996 Class Correspondent

Alex Slawsby ads@alumni.brown.edu Katie Cochran Delaney writes, “My husband, Tim, and I welcomed our son, John ‘Connor’ Delaney, to the world on Nov. 2, 2013. He weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 21.25 inches long. We are enjoying every minute with him. See page 70 for Connor’s picture from his newborn photo shoot with Jenny Sherman Moloney!”

Michael Fach writes, “We welcomed baby boy Andrew

Nobles magazine is now on your iPad, featuring multimedia content. Find it on the App Store by clicking on “featured” and searching for “Nobles.”

Michael Fach on Dec. 16, 2014.

Other than that, all is well, and we are getting ready for the upcoming season. Hoping for an Angels vs.

Red Sox ALCS!” Jenai Emmel writes, “I’d love to announce that I am a regional superintendent of schools in Dallas and that I am using my experience at Nobles to inform my perspective on what’s possible for children who attend high-quality schools.”

Kate Connelly Wade writes, “Love catching up with teachers and grads at the annual Rivers vs.

Nobles basketball game. Working on a master’s in education in school leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, expected July ’14.”

1997 Class Correspondents

Bobbi Oldfield Wegner 617-980-1412 bobbiwegner@gmail.com Jessie Sandell Achterhof 781-990-3353 jessie.achterhof@gmail.com

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Regis Ahern writes, “It seems like so many Nobles grads recently had twins, so it is timely that I am announcing the birth of our twins!

Holden Charles and Syrie Elizabeth were born on Oct. 17, 2013, at 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 4 pounds, 15 ounces, respectively. We are living in Jupiter, Fla., and I am still happily working as a real estate agent.”

1998 Class Correspondent

Melissa Tansey 617-696-7516 melissa.tansey@gmail.com

1999

1999 Class Correspondent

Stephanie Trussell Driscoll stephdriscoll32@gmail.com Stephanie Trussell Driscoll writes, “The reunion committee would like to thank everyone who has made donations this year and helped us reach our 99 percent participation goal. We hope you enjoyed seeing all the #tbt pictures. The committee has also been at work behind the scenes to plan an exciting 15year reunion for our class, and we hope that everyone is planning to

Clockwise from top left: The Class of 1999 gathered in NYC for a mini-reunion dinner at PJ Clarke’s with faculty members Alden Mauck and Tim Carey. From front left: Kate Treitman ’99, Kate Lynch ’99, Alden Mauck, Nicole Hanson, Eric Hanson ’99, Reis Alfond ’99, Tim Carey and Stefanie Noering Alfond ’99; Olivia West, daughter of Stefanie and Reis Alfond, on her 1st birthday.

62 Nobles spring 2014

attend the festivities in May. Now, for the updates: I heard from so many classmates I have not heard from in a few years, and I am really excited to share the updates with everyone.

Eric Hanson recently finished his second year at Yahoo, where he is working as a product manager, building their ad technology software. He lives with his wife in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and they are about to celebrate nine years in their apartment. In his free time, Eric has gotten back into photographing concerts around NYC and was fortunate enough to have one of his photos included in an alumni art show at his 10-year college reunion last year.

Congrats, Eric!

Steve Carpenter got married on Sept. 7, 2013, in Wiscasset, Maine, to Kristina Gordon. Nobles graduates Dan Cahan, Steve’s brother, Matt Carpenter ’04, and Steve’s sister, Meredith Carpenter ’05 were all in the wedding party. Nick Horbaczewski ’99 was in attendance as well. They spent two weeks in Hawaii to celebrate their marriage. Congrats! (See photo on page 69.)

Dan Cahan and his wife, Sarah, welcomed daughter Caroline into the world on Nov. 8, 2013. They are overjoyed with her arrival and are enjoying watching her grow each day. She is beautiful! (See photo on page 71.)

Nick Gorman plays poker professionally in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. If you are ever out west, look him up to see if you can catch a match.

Julia Monack married Chip McCletchie on Aug. 10, 2013, on the Cape. Beth Curley Sum-

mers was a bridesmaid and Cam Marchant ’02, Joe Gannon ’02, Tim Sheridan ’02 and Maggie McLetchie ’90 all attended the wedding. Julia and her husband are currently living in Charlestown while Julia practices civil business litigation and white-collar criminal defense at Collora LLP in Boston.

(See photo on page 69.)

Justin Gaither and wife Daniela welcomed their first child, Sofia Grace, on Dec. 2, 2013. We can’t wait to meet her in May! (See photo on page 71.)

Gabi Herman is engaged to Tyson Evans and will be getting married in June on Martha’s Vineyard. Her photography career has also been taking off as she has been shooting for top publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, Cosmopolitan and Martha Stewart Living. Look for some of her images in your favorite magazines.

Many of you have likely heard of Warby Parker or maybe even wear their glasses. Co-founder Jeff Raider first made headlines with the popular eyewear line and was recently featured in The New York Times for his latest venture, Harry’s, an online shaving company. Jeff and his partner recently secured funding for Harry’s and purchased Feintechnik, the source of Harry’s shaving products, all in just 10 months.

Congrats, Jeff! We can’t wait to see what your next venture will be.

Olivia Achtmeyer Boger loves living in Newburyport as a newlywed with her husband, Andy, and she invites everyone up for a day on the beach if you are in the area. She writes, ‘My work as the director of marketing at the Fenn School in Concord is so rewarding, and I have to say, working in an all-

2001

Left: from left: Colin Greenhalgh ’03, Ben McManama ’01, Jake Clapton ’01, Rory Walsh ’02 and Craig MacDonald ’01 participated in the Tilli Beach Classic at Fenway Park on Jan. 10, 2014. Ben noted that USHR.com’s summary of the game “shorted him two assists”; right: Sculpture by Jason Krugman ’01.

boys middle school is absolutely hilarious and keeps me quite entertained on a daily basis. It is also great because I get to hang out with the Nobles development team at school conferences, so it keeps me connected to the school. I hope you are all well, and I can’t wait to see you at reunion!’

Stefanie and Reis Alfond celebrated the 1st birthday of their third daughter, Olivia West, born Jan. 2, 2013. Olivia enjoyed celebrating with her two older sisters, and she is looking forward to meeting everyone in May. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in May! Please don’t forget to save the date on your calendar.”

2000 Class Correspondent

Lisa Marx lisamarx@gmail.com Scott Annan writes, “I’m living in NYC and nearing my 10th year

here. I’m in the process of starting a new company called LiquidTalent, which connects freelance workers with employers in real time based on location—all through your iPhone. In my free time, I enjoy painting. (I’ve included a photo of my most recent work below). I hope David Roane and Bob Freeman would be proud! I always look forward to catching up with Nobles friends at the NYC midwinter event, which is in February. As a graduate, I continually feel proud to be a part of such an active and accomplished group of graduates who truly do carry forward the Nobles traditions of hard work, innovation and citizenship—all values that I think are needed greatly in society today. Go Dawgs!”

Chris Milton writes, “It has been a busy year here in Denver.

I am now a portfolio consultant with Schwab Private Client, and I recently passed the certified financial planner board exam. When not at work, I have been doing a lot of

backcountry skiing and hiking all over Colorado.”

2001 Class Correspondent

Lauren Kenney Lauren.kenney1@gmail.com In December, Nobles friends reunited to celebrate Elizabeth Beedy’s marriage to Matthew Wendorf. They live in Natick, and Liz teaches math and economics at the Rivers School. The talented Jenny Sherman Maloney ’96 cap-

tured the day beautifully as their wedding photographer.

Elizabeth Clark Libert Sterner writes, “2013 was an exciting and busy year for me! I opened a studio storefront for my photography business in Cambridge, moved out to the ’burbs, and gave birth to Calvin Edward Sterner on Nov. 3. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with classmates through social media, and I look forward to receiving our Nobles class updates. All the accomplishments and milestones are impressive to say the least!”

Jason Krugman writes, “I am

Scott Annan ’00 shares a photo of his most recent painting.

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excited to share that I recently completed my first permanent sculpture commission for a public plaza in Bethesda, Md. The series features three 11-foot-tall works incorporating rolled stainless steel, glass and LED lights. I have also been teaching physical computing at Sarah Lawrence College and Rhode Island School of Design, a discipline that enables students to use microcontrollers, circuitry and programming in their work.”

On Oct. 29, 2013, Elizabeth Besser Novak and husband William Novak welcomed Brigham Tyler Novak into their lives. He joins big sister Tessa (2).

Matthew Wayne writes, “On Nov. 11, 2013, Annie and I welcomed our son, Zachary Shea Wayne, to the world. Both Annie and Zachary are doing great! Zachary’s hairy siblings (our dogs, Louie and Izzy) have taken to him nicely and can often be found ‘cleaning’ his face with lots of licks.

Annie and I live in Needham.

Annie is finishing up her residency as an emergency care critical care veterinarian at Angell Memorial, and I am still working at L.E.K. Consulting. I actually sit right next to another Nobles graduate at work—Dan Cahan ’99. We like to distract ourselves from our casework and reminisce about the good old days on Campus Drive.”

2002 Class Correspondent

William N. Duffey III 617-893-1040 williamduffey@gmail.com Megan Markey writes, “I recently moved to New York to continue

64 Nobles spring 2014

my career in residential real estate sales with the Corcoran Group.”

Eric Williams is also living in Brooklyn and shares, “I am still living in Brooklyn, N.Y., and have been in the same place for the past seven years! I am working as a grip on the TV show ‘The Following,’ starring Kevin Bacon.

Tune in on Monday nights to see the fairly entertaining show that I spend long hours in the cold creating!”

Margaret Gormley Donahue married Captain David Donahue (The Rivers School, Class of 2003) on Oct. 5, 2013. Fellow Nobles graduates in attendance included bridesmaids Kate Gormley ’05 and Heather Summe-Aleksinas, Kellen Benjamin, Scott Johnson, Patrick Keneally ’01, Molly Lawson Barrett, Susannah Phillips Fogarty, Margot Lynn Davis, Courtney Weinblatt and Christine Kistner.

In other wedding news, Tara Mead England married Kevin England in December 2013.

Christine Kistner is living in New York and recently got engaged to Patrick Bowe.

Laura Bond Sunderland writes, “I am still living in southern Maine and teaching middle school art in New Hampshire. Last summer, I learned how to surf. I look forward to the upcoming summer vacation, so I can do more of that! If anyone wants a weekend away in Maine, my husband and I love having visitors. We have a couple of kayaks and a sailboat too. Hope everyone is well!”

Zach Foster and his wife, Janie, welcomed their first child, Jane Sidney Foster, to the world in November 2013.

2004 Class Correspondent

Carolyn Sheehan Wintner 781-801-3742 carolyn.sheehan@post.harvard.edu

For news about Nelson deCastro, see the Class of 1940 section on page 48.

2007 Class Correspondent

2005

Greg Keches gkeches@gmail.com

Class Correspondent

Saul Gorman 617-447-3444 saul.gorman@gmail.com Julia Spiro writes, “I was working as the assistant to the president of Warner Bros. Pictures for about a year. I just got promoted to creative executive, which means I’ll help oversee various projects on our studio’s slate at different stages of production, as well as bringing in new projects. Before that, I was an assistant at a production company and an agency. It’s really nice not to have to get someone else coffee every morning!”

2006 Class Correspondent

E.B. Bartels ebandersenbartels@gmail.com Ryan Maguire writes, “I was married on Sept. 29, 2012, to my beautiful wife, Sarah. I have been married for almost one and a half years now, and I enjoy every minute of it. See a photo of my wife, me and our beloved bulldog, Stella, who is a great Nobles mascot, on page 69!”

E.B. Bartels writes, “Speaking of weddings, check the great photo from Tim Furcillo’s wedding on page 69. What a good-looking group!”

2008 Class Correspondent

Aditya Mukerjee 212-935-5637 aditya.mukerjee@gmail.com Shivani Kumar writes, “Christina Matulis got accepted to medical school and will be matriculating in the fall of 2014! (I think to Tufts Medical). Amarilice Young will be starting at UPenn Law School in fall 2014. Liz Johnson will be starting at Harvard Law in fall of 2014.”

Taylor Cazeault writes, “I have recently moved to Nashville to change careers! I am superexcited to start in a new city and be back down South. If anyone is in the area, let me know!”

Aditya Mukerjee writes, “As for me, I recently founded BoardRounds, a transitional care management service for hospitals, with a classmate from both Cornell and Columbia. We are participating in the winter class of the Blueprint Health accelerator and are excited to be working in the health tech space!”

2009 Class Correspondent

Liz Rappaport 617-413-6070 lizrap@gwmail.gwu.edu

Hadley Stein writes, “I am finishing up my last semester at Georgetown as a government major with minors in Spanish and justice and peace studies. I found out recently that I’ve been accepted into Venture for America, a fellowship program focused on revitalizing cities through entrepreneurship, and I will be working for a startup for at least the next two years.”

Ian Graves writes, “Hey! I’m living in San Francisco now and still working for Solarcity. I’m hoping to be out here for the long term.”

Casey Griffin has a new job at Cushman and Wakefield.

Manny Perez is living in Northern Virginia, having a lot of fun and working at a tech startup in D.C. called Blue Tiger Labs, doing data analysis and marketing. He is also doing content marketing for a nonprofit in Maryland called Mi Casa, Inc. Derick Beresford says, “2013 was a very eventful year. In my last season at Wesleyan University, I reached the 1,000-point club. It was a great personal achievement to top off all that we (Class of 2013) did for the basketball program. In my junior year, we won the most games in school history and broke the attendance record for a home game when we hosted a NESCAC quarterfinal game against Bowdoin College.

I knew I wanted to stay involved with sports even though my career at Wesleyan was done. After graduation, I started interning with Van Wagner Communications under their sports group in NYC and living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. There I was able to gain some valuable experience with consulting and sales and even put

together the social media platform for one of our clients. After my six-month internship with Van Wagner, I got a full-time offer to work as a sales planner for SportsNet New York, the official TV home of the New York Mets and all things New York Sports.

I am pretty fresh in the role and am learning a lot from some great people. I’m looking forward to hosting clients this year in our suite at CitiField. My playing days are not quite finished. I stay connected to basketball by playing in two different basketball leagues and attending as many games around the city as I can afford.”

Nadia Lonsdale tells us that she is currently working in Lawrence, Mass., for a nonprofit organization called Unlocking Potential.

She works with kids on the autistic spectrum and teaches sixth-grade math. She writes, “I guess giving back to my community, cliché, but I love it and am looking to further my education on studying autism.”

She ran into Sophie Tyack early this year and bonded over both being teachers in Lawrence.

Hanna Atwood informs us of the incredible things she has been up to. “I am in the midst of my last semester at Colgate University.

As a double major in English and studio art, I am working toward completing all requirements and putting together my final art thesis project that will be shown in the Picker Art Gallery in April. As captain of the club squash team, I have been cheering from the sidelines with a recent knee injury. I am unfortunately unable to compete for my last season but excited to attend the National Team Championship along with my teammates

at Princeton University. I have also accepted a job offer from Teach for America and will be teaching elementary special education in Denver. I am very excited for this experience! With graduation in sight, I am both eager for my next step and also feeling nostalgic about my time spent at Colgate with close friends, professors and memorable experiences.”

Chris Lehman is currently teaching chemistry at West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C., with Teach for America. He dressed as Walter White for Halloween.

Kaitlin Spurling writes, “After graduating in May from Harvard with a government degree, I decided to continue with my passion of playing hockey and venture off to Europe. I have been living in Vienna, Austria, since August and playing semiprofessional hockey for the Vienna Sabres. I am having the time of my life living in the middle of the city, taking in the culture and traveling to parts of the world I never would have imagined. I will be heading back to Boston at the end of March. I have had such a great experience and am so thankful for all the time I have had here, I might even return for a second season. I would love to see anyone who is traveling in Austria. Can’t wait to reconnect with everyone at reunion!”

Kelsey Lawler says, “I got back from England in December after working for Skidmore as the program coordinator for their First Year in London program. Right now, I’m studying to take the MTELs in English, which is making me realize how much I miss studying and taking notes. I’m working

at Nobles in the theatre department, and so far I’ve designed the student-directed productions as well as the middle school play.

I’m designing the musical The Pirates of Penzance, which hopefully everyone will have a chance to see at reunion, as well as a production of Hello Again in London, opening in July (which no one will have a chance to see at reunion). On the weekends I work box office and front of house at Improv Boston, looking to work my way onto their in-house sketch team.”

Rob Troy shares, “I’m down in Philly, working for a place called Hartford Funds.”

Lauren Martin writes, “I started working in Boston at GS in September and sit on a team with some fellow members of the Nobles community (Jeff Leach ’08 and Rob Inches ’76—Go Dawgs!).

I am learning a lot and loving the work. I can’t believe we are five-year graduates out of Nobles.

I see fellow graduates all around town and actually work in the same building as Rob Owen ’07, Matt Bezreh ’08 and Elena Laird ’07, so there is no lack of Nobles pride on High Street. I’m excited for the weather to get better so I can catch some games this spring when I visit campus. I look forward to seeing everyone soon.”

Chris McDonald is still living in Seattle and will be attending the University of Washington School of Medicine in the fall. He is currently working as a medical scribe around the region and as an assistant coach for the University of Puget Sound Men’s Soccer team.

Alexandra Conigliaro writes, “I’m working in relationship management for Brown Brothers

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Harriman in Boston with Bobby Kelly.”

Karan Lyons writes, “I graduated from the USC School of Dramatic Arts in May, and I’ve gone on from working as a software engineer for Sony to working for one of their competitors, Radius 60, where I’m now building an arbitrage trading platform. I also run an improv troupe and a sketch comedy troupe in LA and light concerts whenever I get the chance. Sadly, there aren’t many Nobles grads I’ve been able to keep in touch with out here in LA, but I can’t wait to reconnect with you all again in person this coming May. I can’t believe how quickly five years went by.”

Cliff Reynolds is graduating in May, majoring in international relations and Chinese, and hopes to find work in government or in the private sector doing business with (you guessed it) China.

2010 Class Correspondent

Holly Foster 508-404-4616 hatherly.a.foster@dartmouth.edu

2011 Class Correspondent

Katie Puccio 508-446-0726 krpooch@gmail.com

2012 Class Correspondent

Coco Woeltz woeltz@bc.edu Samer Abouhamad writes, “I am now a sophomore at Wake Forest

66 Nobles spring 2014

Jeff Wong ’12 (left) represents Georgetown University and the USA in boxing at a match in England.

University. I play on the club soccer team and am involved in Greek life. I plan on studying business enterprise management with a concentration in marketing and minoring in Middle East studies.

I am also involved with Wake ’n Shake, a yearly event that helps raise money for the Brian Piccolo Foundation for cancer research.

Overall, I’m loving school and am thankful for having been so well prepared for college by Nobles.”

Ben Kent writes, “I just started second semester sophomore year at Duke, and soon I’ll declare a major in public policy. I’m a midshipman in the NROTC program, and right now my job is planning and leading physical training for our battalion. Outside of that, I helped lead the Duke Krav Maga Club, which practices and teaches self-defense to students. It’s also been good to see some familiar faces around. I had the honor of attending last year’s Navy-Marine Corps Ball with Tory Macdonald,

and I just joined the same living group as Braden Tierney.”

Kenisha McFadden writes, “I’m currently in my sophomore year at Quinnipiac University as a broadcast journalism major and sports studies minor. I’m involved with the on-campus HD television station called Q30 Television. I am an associate producer of a SportsCenter-style show called Sports Paws.

I also help broadcast and supply color commentary for both men’s and women’s ice hockey games.

During the spring semester, I’m interning at NBC Sports for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. I will be editing and cutting live game footage to be put on NBCOlympics. com and NBCSports.com.”

Jeff Wong writes, “This January, I took a trip across the pond to Portsmouth, England, with the Georgetown boxing team. Six of us flew to England to compete in a showcase against fighters from different parts of England, hosted by Gym 01. We arrived on a Wednes-

day and trained until Saturday, the night of the fight. On Thursday, we visited the British Royal Navy boxing gym, toured the shipyard, and trained with their boxing team. On Friday, we took a hovercraft to the Isle of Wight to sightsee, and we trained in a very cool rustic boxing gym that was transformed from an old Anglican church. On the day of the fight, many of us were tired from the jetlag but excited for the fight. Unfortunately, I lost my bout in a split decision against a tall, lanky fighter who kept me out of range with long straight punches.

Despite my loss, the day was still very exciting, as I got to watch my teammates compete while also observing the very controlled, technical style displayed by the English, contrasted against the more aggressive, forward style displayed by the Americans.

After the fight, my teammates and I visited Stonehenge on Sunday, and we stayed in London on Monday and Tuesday before our flight back to the States on Tuesday night.”

Nobles magazine is now on your iPad, featuring multimedia content. Find it on the App Store by clicking on “featured” and searching for “Nobles.”

memoriam Edward Perry Harding ’41 died on Feb. 2, in Portland, Maine. Harding came to Nobles from Dexter, and he continued the Harding tradition of excellence in athletics. Serving as captain of the hockey team, Harding was also a mainstay on the football and baseball teams from 1938–1941. He was active in the arts, showing an early interest in photography and classical music. He played clarinet in the orchestra and performed several original compositions for his classmates. Finally, he served on Student Council for several years and as vice president during his Class I year. Harding later served Nobles as a trustee from 1962–1965.

After Nobles, Harding went on to Harvard and graduated with the Class of 1945. In 1960, he moved to Washington, D.C., to work on the Nixon campaign. He remained active in local politics in Maine for the rest of his life and committed himself to galvanizing local business as a director of the Portland Chamber of Commerce. Harding’s early interest in photography, which was shown at Nobles, lasted throughout his life.

He cofounded the Harding Glidden Photography Studio in Dedham and purchased the Bicknell Photo Service in Portland in 1964. Harding eventually sold Bicknell to Konica Corporation in 1993 after growing its workforce from 12 employees to more than 1,200.

He was also passionate about sailing, participating in hundreds of races and joining several yacht clubs in the New England area.

Harding had three brothers who all attended Nobles: Austin ’35, Goodie ’39 and Bill ’42. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, daughters Laurie, Susan and Linda, sons Chip ’69 and Michael, stepchildren Peter and Kristen, 15 grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.

Robert C. McQuillen ’42 died on Feb. 4 at the age of 90. McQuillen was a modest athlete who contributed to the football, track and crew teams late in his career at Nobles but was known primarily for his musical talent. He was a mainstay in the Glee Club from 1936–1942 and served as president his Class I year. He also maintained a post in the Quartettes all six years and won the Quartette shield his Class I and II years. Throughout his Class I year, McQuillen also found time to be an integral member of the Nobleman board and Cercle Français, and was president of the Rifle Club.

After Nobles, he briefly attended Harvard before serving in the Pacific Theatre during World War II in 1943. He re-enlisted in 1952 and fought in the Korean War. After the war, he attended Keene Teachers’ College and graduated in 1959. This began a long career in teaching at Peterborough High School and ConVal High School in New Hampshire until his retirement in 1984, and as a substitute for the decade that followed.

McQuillen was also an accomplished contra dance musician.

His unique piano-playing style

set him apart during a career that included more than 1,600 musical compositions collected in 15 published volumes. He started performing at dances in 1947, where he met his wife, Priscilla Scribner, and was a pillar of the New England Folk Festival for nearly 60 years. In 2008, he received the Lifetime Contribution Award from the Country Dance and Song Society at the New England Folk Festival. He is also the first contra dance musician to receive a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002.

McQuillen is survived by his children, Daniel and Rebecca, his cousin, Mia, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Hugh Wallace Mitchell ’50 died on Feb. 8, 2014. His Nobles classmates credited him with being the “most eccentric” member of their class and a favorite among the boarders. “His first three years at the school, he stayed pretty much to himself—bright and intellectual. During his Class I year, he emerged from his social shell, which was the result of becoming a boarder,” said Sid Eaton ’50.

He participated on the crew, soccer and basketball squads while lending his voice to the Glee and Dramatic Clubs. Mitchell shone particularly in the classroom. He was a two-time winner of the scholarship prize. His future career as a copy editor for the Boston Globe was foreshadowed by his Little Memorial Essay Award, won in his Class I year.

After Nobles, Mitchell graduated from Yale in 1954 with a bachelor’s in English. He had a long and distinguished career in the newspaper industry, beginning with the New Bedford Standard Times and the Worcester Telegram and Gazette before spending many years with the Boston Globe.

Mitchell had many friends from the Stow Senior Center, Mel’s Commonwealth Café in Wayland and at the Central Street Café in Natick. He was admired for his musicianship as a pianist and fiddler. In summer 2013, he published Dream Horses, The Art of Prophecy: A Memoir, a book about using psychic ability to bet on horse racing.

Mitchell is survived by his cousin, John Hanson Mitchell of Littleton, two nephews and two nieces.

David “Graham” Shipman ’55 died on Nov. 26, 2013, at the age of 76. Born in Detroit, Shipman spent his childhood years in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., and in Iowa City, Iowa. He came to Nobles in 1952 and was active on the football and wrestling teams while making time for the Classbook Committee and Dramatic Club.

Classmate Charlie Nichols noted that Graham was the class artist and cartoonist and was known for his sense of humor and his love of ragtime/Dixieland music. His skill as a cartoonist would stay with him his entire life.

Following his graduation from Williams, Shipman relocated to San Francisco, where he began his

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lifelong career in the banking business. He married Dede Jenkins on Sept. 5, 1965, and the two of them lived in various parts of California until her death in 2004. Shipman then moved to Mt. Shasta, Calif., to be close to family and to pursue his hobbies of hunting and fishing. He was an avid reader and an expert on military history. He was also a mentor to the younger generation of the family.

He touched many people and will be dearly missed by countless family members and friends across the country. He was also a godfather to Melinda Nichols, the daughter of longtime friend Charlie Nichols ’55.

Samuel R. Edwards ’56 was known as “Dr. Edwards” or “Doctor Sam” to the thousands of folks he cared for in and around Santa Paula, Calif., where he lived and worked and raised his family after graduating from Harvard in 1960.

He was “Professor Edwards” to the young students he taught for many years at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine. He was “Commander Edwards” to those who served with him in the Navy in Vietnam. He was “Samuel Roger Edwards” in the formality of those in the State Department who produce passports.

But to those who knew and loved him in the Class of ’56, he was just plain “Sam.” And there was never a kinder, gentler, more honorable or more loyal graduate of Noble and Greenough School than Sam Edwards. Edwards’s brother, Selden, an educator and author, graduated three years after him in the Class of ’59.

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In a survey circulated to the Class in 1991 as part of its 35th reunion, one of the questions posed was: Given godlike power, what would you change first in your life?

Edwards’s answer was succinct: “I need more time,” he wrote.

Sadly, time finally ran out for Edwards on Jan. 25, when, at the age of 76, he died in his sleep after a long and courageous battle with muscular dystrophy.

His wonderful wife, Marcia, and his two sons, Harold and Charles, were at his bedside.

Another question in that class reunion survey 23 years ago: “What (do) you like best in life right now?” Edwards’s answer was encompassing: “My home, my family, my work, my colleagues, my country,” he wrote, covering all his bases. And he had a lot of bases to cover in an extraordinarily full life packed with a great number of interests.

Physician, hospital administrator, bank director, agronomist, paleontologist, fly fisherman, history buff, book collector, archivist—Edwards’s talents and curiosity knew no bounds, and everything he undertook he did with immense energy and spirit.

That energy was already in high gear at Nobles, where he was a member of the Student Council, the Nobleman (photo editor), and the Dance Committee, president of the Glee Club, winner of the Science Fair, president of the Camera Club, perennially on the Honor Roll and an enthusiastic, if not a starring, member of the varsity football squad.

Edwards began his medical career in a practice with four other internists and shortly

thereafter became head of the local Coronary Care Unit. Three decades later, he reported to his former Harvard classmates that he was the medical director of two different convalescent hospitals, was teaching residents in a nearby medical center, was “active in a variety of executive and medical evaluation committees,” and had served as president of the medical staffs of two area hospitals. He was also a director of a local bank and was serving as the chief financial officer for his family’s extensive agricultural business—a citrus and avocado production company that went public on May 27, 2010, when Edwards’s son rang the opening bell for the Nasdaq on Wall Street.

Edwards’s progressive disease eventually put an end to his medical practice, his beloved fossilhunting expeditions and his trips east to attend Nobles reunions.

Instead, classmates traveled to California to visit him and were always amazed at his unflagging hospitality and the cheerfulness Edwards radiated from his wheelchair, even as his health deteriorated. Dev Barker, Newell Flather, Whizzer Wheeler and George Waterman were among recent Class of ’56 visitors. Dev sums up the memory of our classmate this way: “Sam always thought of other people first. His kind, gentle manner endeared him to everyone who knew him.” That says it all.

(Submitted by Timothy Leland, Class of ’56)

Steve Carpenter ’99 and wife Kristina

Julia Monack ’99 and husband Chip McCletchie

Nobles classmates joined to celebrate the marriage of Margaret Gormley Donahue ’02 and Captain David Donahue in October. From left: Kellen Benjamin, Heather Summe-Aleksinas, Scott Johnson, Susannah Phillips Fogarty, Patrick Keneally ’01, Molly Lawson Barrett, Kate Gormley ’05, Courtney Weinblatt, Margaret Gormley Donahue, Margot Lynn Davis, David Donahue, Christine Kistner, all ’02 unless otherwise noted

Elizabeth Beedy Wendorf ’01 and husband Matt Wendorf, joined by Nobles friends.

From left, back row: Tom Hughes ’03, Liz Kingsbury Yoshino ’98, John Hughes, Diana Beedy Baruni ’98, Matt Wendorf, Roberto Iriti, Elizabeth Beedy Wendorf, Nate Holland, Joanna DeLong, Alexandra Templer, Lulu Miller, EJ Winter, Meg O’Sullivan, Jillian Tuck, Meg Curley ’02. Front row: Matt Wilkos, Mickey Palone, Devin Gallaher, Dan Cambria

Tim Furcillo ’06 married Caitlin Doran in September 2013.

From left, back row: George Maley (director of development), Hilary Segar ’06, Matt Rhone ’06, Drew Oppenheimer ’06, Greg Croak ’06, Matt Salmon ’06. Front row: Jake Doherty ’16, Katherine Doherty ’12, Caitlin, Sam Dawson ’06, Kelly Laferriere ’91, Rick Laferriere ’87, Jay Hegenbart ’87, George Doherty P’91

Ryan Maguire ’06 on his wedding day in September 2012, with wife Sarah and their bulldog, Stella

announcements Engagements

Marriages

Matt Glassman ’94 to Jeremy Louis Eaton Gabi Herman ’99 to Tyson Evans Jake Clapton ’01 to Sarah Marich Christine Kistner ’02 to Patrick Bowe

Jocelyn Webster ’83 to Fred in October 2013 Steve Carpenter ’99 to Kristina Gordon on Sept. 7, 2013 Julia Monack ’99 to Chip

McCletchie on Aug. 10, 2013 Elizabeth Beedy Wendorf ’01 to Matthew Wendorf in December 2013 Margaret Gormley Donahue ’02 to David Donahue on Oct. 5, 2013 Tara Mead England ’02 to Kevin England in December 2013

Tim Furcillo ’06 to Caitlin Doran Furcillo on Sept. 21, 2013 Ryan Maguire ’06 to Sarah Schreiber on Sept. 29, 2012.

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graduate news

Murphy and Kelly Baird, daughters of Chrissy Kelly Baird ’87

Eliana Loveday Lieb, daughter of Ama Ofosu-Barko Lieb ’94

Caroline, daughter of Dan Cahan ’99

Sofia Grace, daughter of Justin Gaither ’99

Syrie Elizabeth and Holden Charles, twins of Regis Ahern ’97

A stylish Calvin, son of Elizabeth Clark Libert Sterner ’01, ready for Nobles!

Zachary Shea Wayne, son of Matt Wayne ’01

Katie Cochran Delaney ’96 and husband Tim had a boy, John “Connor” Delaney, on Nov. 2, 2013.

Michael Fach ’96 and wife Christy had a boy, Andrew Michael Fach, on Dec. 16, 2014.

Regis Ahern ’97 and husband Robert

Loi Sessions Goulet ’01 and husband Jonathan had a girl, Clara Fairchild Goulet, on Nov. 28, 2013.

Elizabeth Besser Novak ’01 and husband William had a boy, Brigham Tyler Novak, on Oct. 29, 2013.

Elizabeth Clark Libert Sterner ’01 and husband Dan had a boy, Calvin Edward Sterner, on Nov. 3, 2013.

Matt Wayne ’01 and wife Annie had a boy, Zachary Shea Wayne, on Nov. 11, 2013.

Zach Foster ’02 and wife Janie had a

Harry Rex welcomes little brother William Stockwell into the world—sons of Deb Nicolls Barbeau ’91.

John “Connor” Delaney, son of Katie Cochran Delaney ’96

Hannah and Wilbur Jamison, children of Carrie O’Connor Jamison ’94

Clara Fairchild Goulet, daughter of Loi Sessions Goulet ’01

Big sister Tess with baby brother Brigham, children of Elizabeth Besser Novak ’01.

Jane Sidney Foster, daughter of Zach Foster ’02

announcements New Arrivals Chrissy Kelly Baird ’87 and husband Chip had twins, Murphy and Kelly, in October 2013.

Deb Nicolls Barbeau ’91 and husband JB had a boy, William

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Stockwell Barbeau, in October 2013.

Carrie O’Connor Jamison ’94 and husband Rich had a boy, Wilbur Jamison, on Jan. 8, 2014.

Ama Ofosu-Barko Lieb ’94 and husband Al Lieb had a girl, Eliana Loveday Lieb, on Nov. 18, 2013.

had twins, Holden Charles and Syrie Elizabeth, on Oct. 17, 2013.

Dan Cahan ’99 and wife Sarah had a girl, Caroline, on Nov. 8, 2013.

Justin Gaither ’99 and wife Daniela had a girl, Sofia Grace, on Dec. 2, 2013.

girl, Jane Sidney Foster, in November 2013.

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archive

A Life-Changing Gift Your support of the Annual Nobles Fund (ANF) helps shape young lives: Gifts to the ANF support the mentoring relationships that inspire students to reach their highest potential now and for a lifetime.

To make a gift now, go to www.nobles.edu/giveonline, or contact Director of Annual Giving Casey Hassenstein at Casey_Hassenstein@nobles.edu or 781-320-7011.

tiger at the gates Michael Beach ’82 (top, center) takes the stage in an undated photo of a production of Tiger at the Gates, originally published by Jean Giraudoux as La Guerre de Troie N’aura Pas Lieu.

After an athletic injury sidelined Beach (see story, p. 25), he found his grand passion as an actor. Tiger at the Gates, translated into English by Christopher Fry, takes place the day before the outbreak of the Trojan War, inside the gates of the city of Troy.

Also pictured, from left: Luke Olivieri ’82, Wendy Riseborough ’83 and Eliza Gleason Kean ’83

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spring 2014

Honoring The Rev. p. 42

THE MAGAZINE OF NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

Edward S. Gleason Jr.,

Michael Beach ’82 in Los Angeles, the day after “Crisis” premiered.