Nobles Magazine Spring/Summer 2023

Nobles

CRAFT AND CREATION

Left to right: Emily Zhang ’23 works on a charcoal drawing in AP Studio Art; Maxwell Delinsky and Ryder Carlson, both ’28, create an artifact drawing for their middle school "Who We Are" identity week project; Visiting Artist Paul Briggs puts on a pinch pot ceramics workshop in Foster Gallery.

CLASSROOM CULTURE Top left: Jacinta Wangari ’26 and Payton Maley ’27 enjoy homemade dumplings in Chinese class for a Lunar New Year celebration. Bottom left: Pete Nicks ’86 visits with Michael Turner’s AP music theory class to talk about film music and his upcoming documentary Anthem Read the cover story on Nicks on page 26.

Hakeem Daphnis ’23 goes up for a dunk. Read more about the varsity throwback games played in the old gym on page 23. Top right: Girls varsity hockey celebrates a goal. Bottom right: Simon Juknelis ’24 works on a custom robot. The robotics club competed in RoboStorm events at Andover High School and won best software design and the award for energy efficiency. They also hosted a hackathon event at the Castle, bringing together 35 students from local schools to work on coding projects for the Immigrant Family Services Institute.

The Experiences That Connect Us

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AN UPLIFTING REMINDER of the power of storytelling and the importance of these stories to our community and our relationships—now more than ever.

I am often asked by Nobles graduates how the school fared during the most challenging days of the pandemic. There were, of course, many obstacles we had to face as a school as we worked tirelessly to adapt our teaching, make major changes to facilities, repeatedly change our schedule, and manage an evolving stream of health and safety standards. As hard as all of that was, however, at the top of my list of challenges was the impact on human connections and relationships as our ability to forge connections was sharply interrupted.

As we have gratefully returned to so many of the routines and traditions that fuel the Nobles experience—with classrooms, alcoves, and Lawrence Auditorium again filled with the buzz and laughter of students—we have been working hard to reinvest in the connections and relationships that sit at the center of our community. Among the most powerful tools we have is storytelling.

When we tell our stories to others, we not only allow others to get to know us, but we also offer up mirrors that enable others to see themselves in our story, whether to forge connections or draw inspiration. We also invite and challenge others to share their own stories, and for our community and the relationships that define it to deepen further. Embedded in storytelling is so much of what is central to the Nobles mission and core principles, as our humility, empathy, and humor are woven through our personal narrative of how we each strive to make a difference in the lives of others.

This year, one of the ways we have brought storytelling to Nobles is through a new graduate leadership speaker series in assembly. Throughout the year, a widely diverse range of graduates has come back to campus to talk about their life experiences in their years after Nobles. Often connecting their journey back to where they sat in Lawrence Auditorium and the many ways their identity, interests, and experiences twisted and turned since, these graduates have offered our students so many mirrors and windows into what lies ahead.

Nobles magazine is another important vehicle for us to share your stories. I am so deeply proud of the thousands of Nobles graduates who live our mission each and every day and know your dedication to making a difference in the lives of others serves as inspiration for the thousands to come.

catherine J. hall, Ph.D., heaD of School

Nobles

SPRING/SUMMER 2023

EDITORs

Ben Heider

Associate Director of Communications & Director of Video and Photography

Anne McManus

Associate Director of Communications & Director of Graphic Design, Web Development and Content

Kim Neal

Associate Director of Communications & Director of Social Media and Admission Marketing

CREaTIvE DIRECTIOn anD DEsIGn 2communiqué www.2communique.com

PHOTOGRaPHY anD IllusTRaTIOn Timothy Archibald, Tim Carey, Sol Cotti, Ben Heider, Grace Helmer, Leah LaRiccia, Anne McManus, Frances Murphy, Kim Neal, Risley Sports Photography, Sophie Sahara, Drue Wagner

Nobles is published three times a year for graduates, past and current parents, guardians and grandparents, students and supporters of Noble and Greenough School. Nobles is a non-sectarian day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven (Class VI) through 12 (Class I). Noble and Greenough School 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 up-to-the-minute graduate news, visit www.nobles.edu.

Letters and comments may be emailed to communications@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 781-326-3700.

© Noble and Greenough School 2023

Nobles has enabled me to recognize the power each layer of my identity holds. I am confident that all of you have the ability to continue making your school a more inclusive place.

Campus Drive

CAMPUSES AGAINST CANCER'S annual Valentine’s Day rose sale fundraiser generated approximately $11,000 for several organizations with longstanding connections to Nobles and some newer partnerships.

Researching Family

Uncovering connections to the past

Doug Jankey’s history elective “Who Am I?” is a family history seminar where students embark on a personal research project. After studying models of family history to understand the evidence needed to tell a compelling story, Jankey’s four students set out to focus their own research on one ancestor. They built family trees and interviewed family members to shape the initial pursuit, and then used sources from family archives, immigration records, government documents and newspapers to explore deeper.

In researching their respective great-grandfathers’ World War II naval histories, Austin Tasca ’23 and Owen Fitzsimmons ’24 discovered that both of their ships fought in the battle of Leyte Gulf. Will Chiasson ’25 researched his grandfather’s ties to the mafia in New York and how he broke away from a potential life of crime. Wudiana Février ’24 examined her great-grandfather and the notorious Duvalier regime in Haiti.

Jankey says the memorable moments from the class that happen all the time are “when the students teach their parents and grandparents things they didn’t know. That’s how you know the research has been deep. The process brings a sense of connectedness to difficult parts of one’s family history and places that in a bigger geopolitical story.”

Photographs, letters and documents that students in Doug Jankey’s “Who Am I?” history class used to research their family history

NOBLES CONNECT

Nobles has always had a strong and active parent-guardian association supporting families and the school overall. In recent years, it became clear there were opportunities to adapt and rethink its role, creating a more inclusive, flexible and equitable group to work hand-in-hand with Nobles to deepen community. This effort, which started in 2019, culminated in a rebranding and relaunch in 2022. The name was changed from the Parents Association to Nobles Connect to reflect what the organization does best: create a chance for families to belong, gather and volunteer in support of students and the school community.

Follow Nobles Connect on Instagram

@nobles_connect

THE CAT’S MEOW

In January 2023, the chess world was taken by storm by a villainous kitten bot named Mittens. The mastermind behind this feline sensation was Will Whalen ’19, a senior at Hamilton College who moonlights as the creative strategy lead at Chess.com

Whalen’s passion for chess began at Nobles, where he was a member of both the chess club and chess team. He credits longtime science teacher and chess club advisor Christine (C.P.) Pasterczyk for giving him the confidence to try a new activity.

“C.P. reeled me in, partly with free Oreos, and I quickly got up to speed,” reflects Whalen. “I am so grateful for the people who were patient with me because I was, by no means, the best player. C.P. was paramount to developing this type of learning environment.”

A STELLAR CAST of seven upper school students performed “Till Death Do Us Part,” a play written in the fall of 2022 by Larkin Gifford, Octavia Reohr, Jackie Zhang and Madeleine Li, all ’23, and Kathryn Cloonan ’21. In the murder-mystery comedy, extravagant characters gather at a wedding in which the groom dies at the altar. Suspense and a lot of laughter made for a fun start to the day for students, faculty and staff.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Whalen’s mother, Whitney Connaughton ’84, pushed him to apply for an internship with Chess.com, the No. 1 online chess platform. At first, he worked part time managing social media for the site, but eventually, he started overseeing larger projects, including creating an online marketing campaign for the 2021 World Chess Championship coverage and several B2B activations with corporate sponsors.

When his team began brainstorming for its January 2023 monthly bot theme, Whalen proposed developing a kitten bot for players to compete against that appeared empathetic but was a nearly unstoppable force on the board. Hence, Mittens was born. Whalen humbly says, “The creative team took my initial idea to the 15th level. Our talented copywriters brought Mittens to life through her use of insane literary references, including quoting Nietzsche, during play.” By the end of January 2023, nearly 1 billion games were played on Chess.com, a new record for the website.

Whalen plans to work full time for Chess.com as director of audience engagement after graduating from Hamilton. “One of my biggest aims is to make chess accessible to more people so that more people can feel empowered,” he says. With his drive and creative mindset, the smart bet is on Whalen making a brilliant game a more inclusive and popular pastime.

Will Whalen ’19 finds success with a devastatingly cute chess bot.

Mittens, the Chess.com bot

THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY, the Black Student Union organized thoughtful assembly presentations about inspirational figures in Black history, from poets to musicians and dancers. The first assembly kicked off the celebration with Imani, a gospel and multicultural vocal group open to everyone in the Nobles community, singing “Still I Rise” as well as the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” with solos by Max Daniello ’24 and Christian Hess ’25.

“This class has help ed me realize which things I think will make me happy actually won’t. Most importantly, I’ve learned to recognize and savor the moments that bring genuine happiness.”

Brian

grant ’23, a

STuDenT

in

Jennifer hamilTon’S PSychology anD The

gooD life claSS

Brian Grant and Matty Tully, both ’23, complete an exercise on gratitude at the beginning of their Psychology and the Good Life class while NBC film crews capture the moment. The class was developed by Director of Counseling and Psychology Jennifer Hamilton and her team in coordination with Dr. Laurie Santos at Yale University.

Advice in Assembly

YASMIN CRUZ FERRINE ’02

“You will find your own path marked by firsts, and you will do it on your own terms. Do not ask for permission from a system that was not built for you anyway. Exercise your own agency, and instead of asking for a seat at someone else’s table, get ready to build your own. You will take on hard things head-on, but just know everything you need is already there, because leadership begins within.”

GEORGE SHOLLEY MARA ’04

“First, don’t text and drive. Second, always behave as if you’re being filmed. Third, show up for yourself and your teachers and prepare with everything you’ve got. Fourth, use success as a way to help those who may not have your level of blessing. Fifth, wellness—physical and mental—is the key to a happy life. And sixth, use your passions in life to power your profession. Find the thing that you love. Go after it. The more closely you align your interests with your chosen path, the more authentically you will show up in this world.”

HANNA ATWOOD FINISSI ’09

“Start identifying what brings you true and authentic joy and happiness. And this might not be the identity that you’ve built yourself. It might not be on the lacrosse field or onstage or in the art studio. When I was at Nobles, I outsourced basically all of my autonomy and decision-making power to other people. So, my message to you today is to get to know yourself. I wish that I had someone telling me that my opinion matters the most. When you commit to those things, you show up as the best version of yourself for others.”

DENNA LAING ’10

“My injury took a lot from me, but it also has taught me a lot—a lot about myself and a lot about how it is to navigate this world with a disability, and on wheels, a lot about the importance of sharing your knowledge. All of you, right now, have access to some of the best education available and are surrounded by people with unique and interesting stories. Take advantage of that; share with each other. And then, when you leave here, keep sharing. You never know who you may inspire, or what lesson you could learn.”

CHASE HAYLON ’15

“How to Dance in Ohio is a show about human connection, finding community, and, most importantly, challenging yourself to create your own unique path in the world while enjoying every single surprising obstacle along the way. I strongly encourage you all to utilize your time here, challenge yourself to try something new, and take advantage of all of the unique opportunities that Nobles has to offer you. Even if you don’t like it or find it challenging, stay with it— because it might surprise you.”

FIVE ALUMNI LEADERS, ONE TAKEAWAY

DURING THE THIRD QUARTER, assembly promised daily competitions on the stage in Lawrence Auditorium. A student from each grade level, along with one faculty member, participated in “Assembly Olympics” contests such as 1v1 basketball, competitive recycling, statue word games, balloon toss challenges, yam relay races (try rolling a yam across the stage with only your nose—Chris Pratt ’10 for the win!—Ping-Pong ball blowing, egg transfers and more.

LUPERCAL LATINISTS

When classics teacher Meghan Glenn and Maddie Wee ’23 cofounded a Nobles Lupercal chapter for women and nonbinary Latin scholars, neither predicted that it would open doors to a global Latin sisterhood. Wee, now a senior, had approached Glenn in her sophomore year, saying, “I want to do something involving women and Latin.” Through Glenn’s local Latin spoken circle, she was friends with Skye Shirley, who founded Lupercal in 2018. The group had grown wildly popular, not only in the United States, but also in China, Italy, Mexico and France.

“Luper refers to the cave where Mother Wolf raised Romulus and Remus—Lupercal was supposed to be a female safety space. In the past, sadly, women, and certainly non-binary people, have been excluded from this male-dominated field, and even to this day,” says Glenn, who has experienced her own frustrations as a woman in the profession, like the lack of resources for balancing scholarship with parenting.

Glenn says, “Skye recognized that there are almost no female authors in Latin curricula. Why are we looking only at this small time period where the writings of women were less likely to be preserved? Let’s look across time. In Lupercal, everyone speaks in Latin; they discuss a female Latinist.” Understanding that Nobles students needed the club to be both fun and intellectual, Glenn suggested to Wee, “Why don’t we make it kind of like a book club? You speak a bit of Latin,

read a bit, learn about a female author, and have a theme-related snack.”

When Glenn told Shirley about the Nobles group, she responded, “You’re the only high school chapter of Lupercal!”— no college chapters yet exist. Nobles was invited to France to present at the University of Lille for Lupercal’s first international conference, October 24–26, 2022. Glenn surprised students with the news (and some sparkling apple cider!), and they were elated. Longtime classics faculty member Dan Matlack, who retired in 2021 and was familiar with Lille, accompanied them.

In the months before their trip, Nobles Lupercal prepared an hourlong presentation for which each student presented about a particular female, chose some Latin they had read, and led an audience activity. For example, violinist Josie Kelleher ’25 played a medieval piece and made everyone sing; Val Lane and Julia Santry (both ’25) presented about the Amazons and the film Black Panther, analyzing modern clips of women in society who took on a warriorlike role.

At the conference, students attended lectures in Latin and French, welcomed other high school Latin classes via Zoom, and connected with international Latinists—but also cruised the Seine on a bateau-mouche and savored chocolate at Hemingway’s café in Paris.

This group formed the Nobles Lupercal because of their passion for the

Team Lupercal on a Bateaux Mouches tour along the Seine in Paris

classics; now the lure of the conference has generated more widespread interest. Glenn says, “Initially, for us, it was about the club; the trip was a side benefit. For this next chapter, it’s really important to the group that the integrity is preserved. It was a whirlwind experience that was super empowering for the students. They realized, ‘There are brilliant women out there doing things, and we’re right in there with them—maybe not quite at their level…but we can see how to get there.’”

HIGHLIGHTS:

“One takeaway was how global the Latin language is, and especially how dedicated so many women across the world are to making the classics a more accepting environment for all genders that usually are not represented within the subject.”

macKenzie elliS ’25

“I loved meeting Latinists from all over the world. They were all so welcoming and accepting toward us, and it was inspirational to meet so many women dedicated to making the classics more accessible (and to hear them all speak Latin so fluently!).” —JoSie

Kelleher ’25

“One of my favorite moments was when one Latinist, Abi López Ortiz, told me something like, ‘The argument that Latin isn’t a real language is a pretty weak one. In México, that’s the same argument they use to prevent us from learning native languages.’ It really stuck with me and showed me how Latin is important, even symbolically, in the modern day.” val

lane ’25

“Lupercal has allowed us to discuss the triumphs and struggles of women throughout history, all while connecting our knowledge to the present.”

gemma SouKaS ’25

“Speaking with a French teacher, I was touched by how eager she was to learn from us despite the language barrier. It shows the power language has to connect people, no matter if that language is considered ‘dead’ or not.” maddie wee ’23

FACULTY FOCUS

Harnessing Technology

Devareaux Brown ’97 on learning and leadership

Whether running a cybersecurity training or a leadership series for employees, Chief Technology Officer Devareaux Brown ’97 radiates enthusiasm for learning. Brown’s family immigrated to Boston from Jamaica when he was seven for better educational opportunities; he came to Nobles as a Sixie in 1991 as a member of the Steppingstone Foundation’s first graduating class.

While attending Williams College, Brown got an internship in information technology. “It felt like a good blend of communication, people, strategy and hands-on work. I was a tinkerer, that’s why I went into engineering and computer science,” he says. Over the next decade, Brown worked at medical software company Meditech while coaching at Thayer and taking computer science classes at night.

“I came to Nobles because it offered me the opportunity to exercise three of the passions in my life—coaching, technology and education—in one job,” says Brown. Since starting in the information services and support department as a systems specialist, Brown now serves as the school’s chief technology officer and chair of the computer science department.

Brown has also taught at the Upward Bound and Achieve programs during the summer and coached middle school football and junior varsity lacrosse. He believes in learning from those around him, describing himself as “a sponge—that guy who is always asking, ‘Hey, if you don’t mind, can I watch what you’re doing? Because I just find it really interesting.’”

Brown is passionate about harnessing technology to empower Nobles, and also has a keen interest in fostering leadership development. “Technology weaves itself into so many different facets of what we do. I thrive on making things run more efficiently. How can we streamline? Let’s look at the big picture and find where the holes are. Because of all the different spaces I’m in, I can facilitate relationships and help do that.”

“Our production of Twelfth Night was a glorious collaboration between designers, directors, instrumentalists, technicians and actor-singerdancers. Students poured time and energy into the production, even though some tasks were difficult and/or tedious. They gave of themselves for the greater good of the company and, more importantly, to create engaging, enjoyable and meaningful performances for our audiences. I am immensely proud of our students! Hopefully our technicians, band members and actors all saw a bit ‘through the eyes of another’ as we encouraged audience members to do the same, and the world got just a tiny bit smaller.”

—DirecTor of TheaTre dan halperin

Staging for the number “What Kind of Man R U Gonna Be?” from Nobles Theatre Collective's production of the musical Twelfth Night set a duel between Cesario/ Viola (Molly Hughes ’23) and Sir Andrew (Zach Green ’24) as a boxing match. The pit band was uniquely and visibly situated upstage for the duration of the show.

ROOM FOR POETRY

Dr. Joshua Bennett on wonder through verse

Poetic inspiration, for author, professor and artist Dr. Joshua Bennett, springs from the wonder of his childhood, and, more recently, fatherhood. “What did little Josh think was beautiful? What did he think was worth praising? I try to praise those things.” Beyond childhood, Bennett says, “I find real inspiration in my parents’ dreaming. And I grew up with multiple family members with disabilities. I knew from the time I was a little boy that people showed up in all sorts of minds and bodies, and that they were all worthy of celebration and care and understanding.”

Bennett captivated the Nobles assembly audience on January 25, sharing his journey from his childhood in Yonkers to the Ivies, and the people and experiences that shaped his writing and worldview. In his process, he draws from his academic arsenal and powerful memory while also intentionally unlearning the conventions that inhibit creativity. “Part of what I think I’m writing about in my poetry is that it took me years to get back to the things I loved as a child, because I was trained in schools that taught me those things were nothing.…It wasn’t until I finished grad school [that] I realized I used to have a much better ear for music.” Bennett’s poems are characterized by hope, tenderness and wonder; he also illuminates inequity and brutality. Above all, his writing is honest.

Bennett opened with an ode to his first group of 12-year-old students, “Say It, Sing It If the Spirit Leads” (after Vievee Francis). He segued into a love poem, “Balaenoptera,” born of his discovery that a blue whale’s heart is the size of a car. At age 20, he hoped “to give someone a love that big one day,” finding her in his wife, Pam.

Bennett’s life arc sparkles with accolades and honors, including the 2009 invitation from former President Barack Obama to perform at the White House poetry jam. Bennett’s selection, “Tamara’s Opus,” explored his relationship with his sister, who is deaf. He followed Lin-Manuel Miranda’s sneak peek of his revolutionary hit, Hamilton, and velvet-voiced James Earl Jones’ recitation from Shakespeare’s Othello. Later that same year, sharing a soundcheck with an incandescent Beyoncé Knowles showed Bennett the path to excellence is to “practice the way you want to play.…It’s all reps.”

Read the full story at: nobles.edu/news/room-for-poetry/ and learn more at drjoshuabennett.com.

MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY and social science faculty Melissa Lyons ’97 brought 11 of her former students onstage to compete in an impressive single-elimination geography bee. Despite the challenging format, students were tough to eliminate, and several of them beat Lyons to the punch with the answer before she could even share the multiple-choice options. The students crushed it, showing just how well they had been prepared in middle school.

ENGLISH FACULTY MEMBER

Kim Libby-Genecco shared a personal reflection about the reasons she chooses to read a variety of stories—and not just happy ones—to her young daughter, as she shares the first stories of her childhood with her. Libby-Genecco explained that the stories that are not “all happy” help to build the emotional muscles that will allow her daughter to learn that she is capable of figuring things out, and that while her fears are real, she’s not fragile.

Dr. Joshua Bennett visiting Nobles’ Race and Identity class

BECOMING A U.S. CITIZEN

On December 15, 2022, Melanie Morales Alvarez ’23 was surrounded by her family in Lawrence, Massachusetts, as she became a U.S. citizen after a journey she recounts as long, emotional and expensive. Her relatives traversed between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic for years, applying for citizenship, working and sending money back to family.

In 2021, Alvarez helped her parents study for their civics test, but Covid restrictions prevented her from attending their naturalization ceremony. She remembers a group project in U.S. History about immigration; when her class took the test, three students failed, while several others barely squeaked by.

Alvarez’s new status as a U.S. citizen is freeing and bittersweet. “Someone told me, with every new adventure you take, you’re mourning the loss of something else. I’m obviously glad that the process is over, but it was also like closing the chapter of my childhood.”

Alvarez also feels empowered, and recently voted for the first time. “I sat my whole family down to tell them, ‘This is who you’re supposed to be voting for.’ I got my permit. And I just got called for jury duty! I was like, ‘Whoa, they were literally waiting for me to become a citizen.’”

Alvarez is considering a career in law, or maybe business. “Somebody’s always benefiting from or profiting from somebody else, whether in the health industry, big pharma or the food industry. In order to start applying social justice, I’m finding where the issues are and getting to understand how business works. Tiny businesses can change people’s lives.”

“One of the best things about Joan was how large a role the ensemble played. Each student had a moment to shine on their own, but it was as a collective that their impact was truly felt.”

adaire roBinSon-BohnSlav, miDDle School TheaTre faculTy, DirecTor

Joan, the Nobles Theatre Collective’s winter 2023 middle school production

RETIREMENTS

Fond Farewells

EMILY PARKER

n At Nobles since 2003

n Nobles Day Camp director, ombudsman, personal development teacher, middle school admission interviewer

n 2019 recipient of the Cora Hidalgo Holland Award, which recognizes a Nobles staff member who contributes to the community through excellent work, character and dedication

n Seamlessly led Nobles Day Camp through a pandemic with grace and humility.

n Only the fifth director of the camp in its 75-year history, and she served as director for 19 years.

“Emily ’s leadership and commitment to Nobles Day Camp are remarkable. Her contributions have allowed Nobles Day Camp to grow and flourish. She connected with employees and campers, creating a fun, safe and welcoming community. She has put her whole heart into making Nobles Day Camp the amazing camp it is. She will be missed more than she knows.”

colleen collinS, camP aDminiSTraTor

“Emily ’s impact at Nobles extends well beyond Nobles Day Camp, building relationships with colleagues and students. She lives out our mission each and every day. As a result, she has earned tremendous respect from every corner of our school and will therefore be missed in every corner.”

Steve ginSBerg, chief financial anD oPeraTing officer

LINDA HURLEY

n At Nobles since 1992

n Director of the EXCEL service program for three decades following work as a Nobles Day Camp Counselor, CIT trainer, activities director and office manager

n Nurtured longtime relationships with more than 15 service partners, from the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans to the Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI) in Boston.

n Maintained momentum through Covid restrictions at partner sites through the More Good News community service and outreach initiative.

“Who would not want to work for Emily Parker? Fair, yet firm, Emily has guided countless counselors to invest long term in Nobles Day Camp summer after summer. I have benefited from her leadership as a parent of four campers, a colleague, and a counselor myself. My children have thrived at camp because of the excellent hires she has made and the way she has guided staff to become instrumental mentors.”

Karen gallagher, maTh Teacher, camP counSelor, anD ParenT of four nDc

camPerS

“Linda truly exemplifies the adage that we can all make a difference one small act at a time; she is a master at human connection and has modeled this for thousands of students and adults. She shares her warmth, humor and empathy, and makes everyone around her kinder. I have so enjoyed partnering with her to build relationships with our community partners and our students.”

hollY Bonomo ’86, excel faculTy/communiTy Service coorDinaTor

“Over three decades, Linda has been the engine behind our community service program. She simply puts others first because that’s what really matters to her. Linda is responsible for Nobles’ connections to many local partner organizations and communities, building the program from the ground up by creating good working relationships. She has excelled as an ambassador of goodwill for Nobles, leading by example. She leaves Nobles a better place than she found it, while leaving many of us better human beings as well.”

louiS BaraSSi, hiSTory DeParTmenT chair

MARK SHEERAN

n At Nobles since 1997

n French teacher, girls varsity cross country coach, member of faculty evaluation and professional development teams

n Led 25 EXCEL trips, including to Cambodia, Vietnam, France, Senegal, India, and a biking trip down the U.S. Pacific Coast.

n Avid ultrarunner, competing in national races

n The annual Michele Dufault ’07 Run, organized by Sheeran, has raised more than $40,000 to support girls’ education in Cambodia.

“Mark is the personification of warmth and support. He is a gentle guide: He shares his wisdom with others as they navigate various stages of their personal, professional and athletic endeavors. He is a leader who does not need to be in the front, rather he stands firmly behind his colleagues, or better yet, right next to them.”

dave ulrich, moDern languageS faculTy member

“Mark Sheeran is the embodiment of all that is ineffably good about Nobles. A teacher-coach to the core, Mark quietly lives and models the values that are the bedrock of our community: integrity, compassion, generosity and deep respect for all human beings. When I think of the handful of mentors who have influenced me the most in my own career, Mark vaults to the top of the list. In all of the selfless ways he loves and serves others, Mark inspires and humbles us all.”

Shannon clarK, engliSh faculTy member

“Mark has been the embodiment of what I think of when I think of the rare ‘school person.’ With his indefatigable work ethic, deep care and abiding commitment to his students and colleagues, Mark has taught all of us how to lead a principled life in the service of others.”

michael denning, heaD of The uPPer School

“At Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI), Linda is known as a community champion. She is the most resourceful person, always willing to go the extra mile to help our families. Once Covid-19 hit, Linda was the first one to ask how to help the IFSI community. Our virtual after-school program has been very successful, serving over 300 students, in part because of Linda’s leadership and commitment to the greater good.”

geralde gaBeau, P’17 ’21, execuTive DirecTor of ifSi

Q: How long have you been skiing competitively?

A: Since I was six years old, so about 11 years.

Q: How was the ski season this year? I know it was a challenging start, and then a warm finish.

A: We were a little snow-challenged this year. But one of the great things about the ski team is there’s just such an amazing team culture. So whether we’re actually on snow, or on the turf playing Ultimate Frisbee, which is a team tradition, it was just really great to be with everyone. And it really felt like we were a team, even though we weren’t always able to actually ski.

Q: How often did the team get out to actually train on snow?

A: Normally, in past years, we’ve trained up to two times a week. But this year, we were only able to actually train four or five times total.

Q: Where did the teams end up in the ISL standings at the end of the season?

A: It was very exciting. Both our girls team and our boys team won the ISL this year.

Q: How was the NEPSAC championship race at Berkshire East?

A: It was really cool. I had never really skied in Western Massachusetts before, but it’s a real mountain. I was expecting something kind of similar to Nashoba, but they have a really cool setup there. I got second, so I was very proud, and then the girls team won, so that was really incredible.

Ellie Batchelder ’24

Ellie Batchelder ’24 earned All-Scholastic ISL and All-NEPSAC honors on the girls varsity ski team.

SUCCESS IN SQUASH WITH COACH ANDREA GARDOS ’01

1 . PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT

Always ensure you are using good form, because how you practice is how you will play in matches. Your muscles’ memory is strong, and your racket preparation and footwork will follow in matches—however you practice it.

2. SOLO DRILLING

Soloing is a great way to improve your stroke when you can’t find a partner. Get out on court; give yourself a goal. Work on straight drives, drop shots, serves. Aim for targets and work hard for 20-30 minutes.

3. PLAY MATCHES

If you aren’t on a high school or college team, join a league at a local club. Since squash is a lifelong sport, you will always find someone at your level with whom to play matches. It can be a social or team-oriented activity, but getting out and playing with different people is a great way to improve.

4. A POSITIVE ATTITUDE WILL GO A LONG WAY

In an individual sport, you need to keep cheering yourself on. Talk to yourself the way you would a teammate or friend. Give yourself a break for making mistakes and errors. You will benefit and learn more with a positive attitude.

5. IT SHOULD BE FUN!

If it is becoming a chore, switch it up. Find new partners with whom to drill and/or compete. Make sure you are always enjoying the fun of the game.

THROWBACK NIGHT

On February 10, the girls and boys basketball teams took on BB&N at home in the old Richardson Gym for a throwback night. The student section was standing room only, and at times narrowly avoided spilling onto the court. Decked out in their own personal interpretations of vintage outfits, they had organized a “silent night,” where they were quiet for the first nine points our teams scored and then erupted into thunderous cheering on the 10th. Girls basketball got out to a quick lead, hitting the 10th point on a Christina Pham ’25 threepointer, and they carried that momentum forward with electric anticipation as Tori Balser ’24 entered the game with 996 career points. One minute into the second quarter, the home bench rushed the court to mob Balser after she put back an offensive rebound to hit the 1,000-point milestone. Nobles dominated the whole game and won with a final score of 70–18.

The boys game’s silent night explosion got off to a false start when Hakeem Daphnis ’23 was called for a questionable charge that the student section unanimously thought was an and-one. They redeemed themselves on the next possession when Will Loewenguth ’23 scored the true 10th point. The Dawg Pound organized a layup, free throw, three-pointer, half-court shot competition at halftime. The first contestant, Chris Ryan ’24, remarkably drained the half-court shot on his first try, and the crowd went wild. In the second half, the Knights fought their way back to close the gap, but the Bulldogs held on to win.

WINTER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS Girls varsity basketball was ISL co-champions and won the NEPSAC Class AA championship; Grace Oliver ’24 was named Gatorade Massachusetts Girls Basketball Player of the Year; both the girls and boys alpine ski teams won ISL Championships, and the girls also won the NEPSAC championship; Ellie Batchelder ’24 was named alpine skiing ISL All-Scholastic; Brooke Manning ’23 was named girls hockey ISL MVP; Matty Tully ’23 was awarded the boys hockey ISL Flood Shield.

FAILING WELL

Finding strength and embracing possibility

BY KimYa charleS | illuStration BY Sol cotti

ONE OF THE MANY REASONS I enjoy working with young people is the myriad of opportunities that exist to encourage them to challenge themselves, stretch and grow. I have had the great pleasure of joining students on these journeys over my 13 years at Nobles—urging advisees to try an elective in a new field, co-leading EXCEL trips to South Africa, coaching athletes who have never played volleyball before, and supporting students in exploring what comes after Nobles. In each scenario, the individual eschews what is comfortable and certain, and enters a space in which the potential for disappointment and failure abounds.

In my time at Nobles, I have also come to embrace opportunities to heed my own advice. So, one winter afternoon in early 2022, I found myself in a small basement gym in West Newton. No fancy cardio equipment greeted me…just eight squat racks and an eager coach. This was my first day of powerlifting. I had dabbled in weight training as a mediocre high school and college athlete, but at 40, I was seeking a new health and fitness challenge.

The structured program I embarked upon offers small-group coaching three times a week in four main lifts: low back squat, overhead press, bench press and deadlift. In each session, the weights get heavier, and the need for strength increases. The progress I have experienced has been a rush, especially in the supportive space created by my coaches and the other folks I lift beside day in and day out. Today, I am lifting weights I never even considered a possibility. A few months in, though, everything was trending well until the inevitable happened: I reached

my upper limit, and the bar did not move. I had failed a lift for the first time, and there were many more to come.

I know and espouse that risk and failure—at least the possibility of it—are necessary facets of growth. How many times have I encouraged it? Volunteer an answer or comment in class, even if you’re not sure. Audition for that play or a cappella group. Go out for that leadership position. Living it hits differently. Months ago, I mustered everything in me to deadlift 275 pounds, only to find the barbell cemented to the platform. More recently, I crumpled under a 240-pound barbell and crawled away on my hands and knees after failing a squat.

What I am reminded of through my novice lifting tenure, though, is that there is pride in failing. Yes, there is an upper limit to what is possible—now. Never facing that upper limit stifles the examination of what could be. Failure offers a prime opportunity to reassess, recalibrate and reapproach the challenge at hand. Was that miss due to a physical hurdle or a mental one? What adjustments might offer a different outcome? What “wins” can I take from this loss? Sometimes the next attempt goes well. Sometimes it doesn’t.

I know I will face the upper limits of my capabilities hundreds more times, not only as a powerlifter, but in my work and in my life. With each challenge, though, I will always aim to do the same thing I encourage the young people I work with to do: to revel in the failures and chase the possibility and growth that exist just beyond.

Pete Nicks ’86 knows hardship—he has held his share of trauma—but he holds something else, too: an unwavering conviction that meaningful change can happen for the individuals and communities that need it most. How does Nicks find such optimism amid adversity? One story at a time.

BY Anne McMAnus | PhotogrAPhY BY tiMothY ArchiBAld

AStory PowerfullyTold

The boy at the kitchen table with the silver microphone in his hand is wearing a navy zip-up with light blue stripes down the arms and a red-billed, white trucker hat with “The Kinks” written across the front. His brown eyes smile behind gold-rimmed prescription glasses shaped like Ray Bans as the kitchen of the Cape Cod house where they gather each year transforms into a recording studio. With Uncle Ray’s video camera rolling, the young storyteller readies his mic at his lips, turns to a family member beside him, and the latest episode of “The Pete Nicks Show” is underway. This past January, a grown Nicks—now an accomplished filmmaker—returned to the Sundance Film Festival to screen Stephen Curry: Underrated, his recent documentary about the NBA star. These days, Nicks directs films alongside Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed), but before the days of Sundance, Hollywood and the telling of others’ stories, Nicks turned the camera on himself. His personal documentary, which aired nationally on ABC in 2000, offers a quick sketch of the mixed-race child adopted by a Boston family, the Nobles student, and the Howard University English major, then zooms in on the story that temporarily derailed his time at Howard: his struggles with addiction, his subsequent incarceration, and his journey back through rehab. What saved him? The people in his life who never stopped seeing him. Ever since—and through a tremendous personal loss in 2019—Nicks has been telling stories that extract hope from adversity, crafting a narrative of change through the lens of the people and communities who most need to be seen. Nicks tells it best— have a listen.

What is your “why” for doing the work that you do— for telling the stories that you tell?

Part of my “why” did emerge from a recognition that we weren’t seeing each other—we need to see each other—and that empathy is so powerful in storytelling. The reason why I became a storyteller is because of the feeling that I got from a story powerfully told. I was brought into someone’s life that I didn’t have access to or would never have access to, and that’s a privilege. The most powerful stories immerse us in a world that maybe we don’t have access to, and that is a vital part of a healthy democracy, in my mind. Storytelling helps broaden and unpack and connect people. We’re at a point now where we’re trying to come to an understanding of who we are as one nation and identity, and it does feel like there has been a sort of separation, or cleaving—a creation almost of two nations, or two groups, and there’s all kinds of subsets. They don’t see each other; they don’t experience life together; they don’t have to hold each other when they’ve fallen. That sort of tactile touch or proximity does enable powerful transformation to happen, and you can do that through storytelling. If any one thing could help us navigate this and heal, it’s the power of storytelling and the power of empathy and seeing each other, so that’s a big part of my why.… Some films will change a lot, but some films will change your mind or change your heart, and I think that there’s a ripple effect of that. That’s why novelists get the Presidential Medal of Freedom; you can’t quantify the impact of Toni Morrison’s work, but there’s something about that empathy piece, I guess. A story powerfully told can change how you see yourself and the world around you.

In 2020, as you began the filming of Homeroom , about the Class of 2020 at Oakland High School, you experienced the tragic loss of your daughter, Karina, who would have graduated with that class. In what ways has this tremendous loss impacted and informed your work?

DOCUMENTARY FILMS

The Wolf (2000)

The Waiting Room (2012)

The Force (2017)

Homeroom (2021)

Stephen Curry: Underrated (2023)

Anthem (2023)

The work that I’ve done has, to a large degree, been about stepping into individuals and communities that are facing challenges or trauma, and how they come out of that. My personal film was about that—it was about the impact that my addiction had on my family. The Waiting Room was about this entire community that’s trying to exist without access to health insurance. The Force was about a community that felt traumatized by the police—this institution that was ostensibly there to protect them. A lot of my work has been trying to draw hope out of these really difficult circumstances and how to lead a path forward, and with losing a child, it’s very much about that. How do you continue, how do you carry on, when something so backward happens? You’re not supposed to outlive your child. So, my personal loss points directly back to the work that I’ve been doing, trying to explore what trauma and loss mean in a community like Oakland and how we forge a path forward despite those challenges.

What is your earliest memory of knowing that filmmaking was what you wanted to do?

I was playing with expression in media from a very young age. I come from a big family. My mom’s one of 10 kids, and she’s from East Boston. Her parents came over from Cape Verde, West Africa, when they were young, so she’s first generation—big family, lots of cousins, big family reunions. My Uncle Ray had a video camera—at a young age I kind of was drawn to that—and I would grab his camera and start playing with it, interviewing my family members. I had something called “The Pete Nicks Show.” A little seed was planted there.

Did your education at Howard University directly inspire your eventual path to filmmaking?

At Howard, I was an English major and I was writing. I took a creative writing course, and I thought, I’m going to be a writer. Maybe a novelist or screenwriter. I was writing about my family, I was writing about myself, and I was starting to express my experience as an adopted kid and a mixed-race kid. I was thinking about my cousins, one of whom was sort of estranged from the family, and for some reason I was very fascinated by her and

her story and found myself wanting to express that in some kind of way. Then, parallel to that, I started playing with the documentary stuff.

What factors influenced your decision to attend UC Berkeley and major in journalism?

I’ve always not just been a journalist—I’ve always had a creative side that goes beyond the limitations of journalism. John McPhee is one of my favorite writers; his narrative nonfiction style was something that attracted me, and when I applied to Berkeley, I wrote an essay talking about both John McPhee and August Wilson. Wilson’s work, his plays about the African American experience, had a huge influence on me. If you look at my work in Oakland—The Waiting Room, The Force and Homeroom—that’s very much an August Wilson influence. I wanted to do the documentary program. I wanted to be more of an artist than a journalist.…John Ellis had just taken over the program, and he was a producer on this series called Eyes on the Prize that was produced out of Blackside Inc., in Boston, which was Henry Hampton, and I was like, “I can study with this person?” So that kind of sealed my decision to go to Cal.

To what extent does your background in writing play a role in the work that you do as a filmmaker?

Writing is an immense part of the process—a critical part of the process—because it not only allows you to organize your thoughts, get them down, and start to see them coming to life, but it helps you sell your idea. Because you have to sell it—you have to sell it to a foundation, a funder, your parents, your uncle. It starts with words—writing down “What is this?” And then you pressure-test it. You share it with people. You sit with it. And if it keeps tugging

at you, if it keeps poking at you, it’s generally something that’s going to be worthy. Because in order to execute on an idea and then go and try to make a movie, it has to be something compelling enough that you can sustain two to three years, sometimes four or five years. Entrepreneurs have the same thing—every independent film is like starting a company: You have to have a business plan. You have to articulate it. You have to pitch it. The first step of that is words, and then usually those words will lead you to some financing or funding to then convert those words into images.

How would you define documentary filmmaking today?

It’s evolved, right? Documentary was always the word. Nonfiction is another word that’s used often. At a certain point, this thing called reality emerged, and unscripted. And now we’re in a world where there’s been a kaleidoscopic explosion of forms and formats—subgenres that could fall under nonfiction. Documentary has always had a kind of journalistic connotation to it—that it’s grounded by the rigors of journalism, ethics and process— whereas I think with nonfiction, we started to see an evolution of more entertainment-driven things that were blending with journalistic approaches, and some of them were political.…So, I kind of came of age studying documentary right at the cusp of stage one of the step of documentary into entertainment in the mainstream. That was 20–25 years ago, and today we’re in a new phase that has accelerated nonfiction even more into a commercial environment that is posing all kinds of ethical and existential questions that we’re all grappling with in different ways.

How would you characterize your style of documentary filmmaking?

Storytelling. It’s all storytelling at the end of the day. The ways stories are told have changed and evolved over time, but there are still styles of storytelling—objective storytellers and those with a point of view. It’s more acceptable now to come at storytelling with a point of view.…I think we’re at a time now that you can’t limit yourself to labels. There are stories that prioritize a cinematic experience and an artful presentation of a character or an issue, and then there are stories and ways of storytelling that feel more journalistically driven, that don’t prioritize an artistic rendering of the issue or the character that result in distinct categories of style. To me, they’re just styles. I mean, ultimately, it’s storytelling, whether it’s a news article, a talking-head documentary, a cinéma vérité film with no talking heads, an experimental film—these are all expressions of the teller who has something to say.

What was the context around your decision to work in the Hollywood film industry?

I did it because Ryan [Coogler] asked me to do it. He’s a very special person who has had a profound impact not just on Hollywood but on culture. He was one of the finalists for Time magazine’s Person of the Year after Black Panther came out, for the significance of what that movie represented. I saw that movie when my daughter was in treatment in Utah, in a packed theater with white Mormons. I mean, just think about that for a second—that’s a powerful notion. And so I joined the company for Ryan, to support what he was trying to achieve, and recognizing that in a commercial environment, you’re gonna face different challenges....But we have to stay true to the integrity of what we’re trying to say, and I believe that Ryan is trying to do that; I think it’s evident in all of his work. It’s a core foundation

of my own work, and if we can scale that, if we can bring that to more people, that’s a powerful idea. To me, that’s what this opportunity represents, is the potential to bring this message and these stories to bigger audiences, to eventize them in a way that allows these conversations to happen in a meaningful way, and, hopefully, that will help.

Are you seeing a promising shift in equity and accessibility in the film industry?

Traditionally, the people who could make documentaries were people who could withstand not having any money, or who were exposed intellectually to these spaces…but that’s changing. And it’s gonna be slow. It’s not like it’s changed overnight, but you now have more young people exposed to the power of documentary and the power of storytelling. Ryan Coogler showed people that someone from Oakland could tell a story of a young Black kid like himself and do it in a big way—go to Sundance and win the Grand Jury Award, and then pitch to Sylvester Stallone, who was going to shut down the Rocky franchise: “Let’s reimagine it from the perspective of a Black family. But not just that; let’s do a superhero movie about Afrofuturism.” So, all of a sudden we have people like Ryan coming along, showing that there’s no limitation and inspiring, and all that is having sort of a ripple effect on all of these young people. I work a lot with young people. I’ve been working with this group called Youth Beat over at MetWest High School in Oakland over the years, talking to the kids, mentoring them, hiring them as interns on our films, telling them: “Hey, your story is authentic; your story matters. We don’t see enough of your stories. Your story has been told forever by white people—tell your own story.” So, that reality now is emerging as access becomes easier, as people like myself and Ryan rise and enable and can inspire other people. So that’s the most promising thing right now about where we’re at.

How does your recent film, Underrated, about NBA star Stephen Curry, align with the other work that you have done? I mean, it’s not like Underrated is about an urgent social issue, but it’s a human story that represents the power of being seen and the consequences of not being seen. I think we’ve all experienced this moment where we haven’t been understood or our potential hasn’t been unlocked, so a story like Steph’s story—he’s someone who was overlooked, underrated—is something that we’ve all experienced in some way or another.…So we felt that it would be a universal story—a hopeful one and an inspiring one—at a time when we’re all suffering national trauma, with Covid, political divisions, the war in Ukraine, climate change. There are so many things weighing on us that sometimes we just need fundamental, powerful inspiration and a reminder. And that’s what this represents.

How did your approach to Underrated differ from that of your trilogy of films about the institutions of education, healthcare and the police department in Oakland?

There was a framework for following [Curry]. We used the season as the structure, and he was trying to finally get his degree and fulfill a promise that he made to his mom, and we didn’t know if he was going to be able to do it. We weren’t so much focused on “Are they going to win the championship?” That was secondary. The primary story was going to be his coming-of-age at Davidson and this backwater college that nobody had ever heard of. That, in and of itself, felt misunderstood and not seen. This is a very good liberal arts college—very strong academics—that nobody had ever heard of.…It was a great story, and the form and the approach that we took made the most sense for the story that we were telling. You always want to do that. You want to pick the best approach that matches the story that you’re trying to tell, rather than say, “We’re going to shoot it all observational.” That wouldn’t work that well.

What new challenges are you faced with in your current work at Proximity Media that you might not have faced earlier in your career?

Where I’m situated, I’m at a big commercial Hollywood company, and my responsibility is to build a nonfiction division that can both satisfy the needs of a commercial endeavor but also protect the integrity of the documentary, which I feel very strongly about. So, we’re doing things like Steph Curry, and we’re also trying to get a mental health series off the ground. We’re looking at social issues, and we did a film about questioning the origins of the national anthem. So, it’s a tricky balance, but if you approach it with intention, and you keep yourself open to critique—by yourself, by the community—then we can at least have a good chance to try and stay on a good path.

Many of your films look at the challenges faced by people and communities like Oakland and how they emerge on the other side. What is the story that should be told next that you feel can keep us on the “good path”?

Right now, the story is our kids. Our kids are in an incredibly vulnerable position, and I think it’s just the beginning because we’re just coming off of Covid; we haven’t fully seen the manifestations of what these kids are holding.…We had been struggling for years with our daughter, who was facing profound mental health challenges from a young age, and I don’t know

at what point I recognized or realized that this was a national thing, but it was pretty evident in the beginning because of who Karina had access to on social media. I recognized that that was something that as a parent I had no control over, and it gave me that first bolt of anxiety. I also got thinking about other kids—What was their experience? And that’s what led us to want to make Homeroom. It was a film to explore, what is it like to be a young kid today growing up in this culture? In this society? In this technological environment? And losing our daughter in the midst of that just underscored for me what’s at stake, as a parent being very involved in the school district that Karina went to, and seeing that there was a profound lack of attention on emotional health. We’re educating kids—how to write an essay, how to solve complex math problems, how to speak a foreign language—but we’re not paying close enough attention to their emotional lives, their emotional intelligence, their resiliency and their ability to hold trauma.

When we started making Homeroom, we realized, “Oh, we’re not just making a film about these kids.” The story, in fact, became they’re dealing with Covid, but it was these kids in the school recognizing that they were spending millions of dollars every year on a school police force, and that money could be used for mental health for the kids. That was their mission, to say, “Not only are we afraid of the police for the obvious reasons, but we don’t feel that that’s necessary, and those millions of dollars could be spent supporting the mental health of our students.” And so all of these things dovetailed in both my work and in my personal life in a really powerful way. And I’m just trying to remind people what’s at stake, and it’s not just kids of color in a city like Oakland—kids from all spectrums of the class ladder, of all races, are dealing with this. It’s just kids who have less of a safety net, and there’s further to fall—I think that because there’s no safety net, their exposure to consequences is radically elevated.

Can you explain the ways in which Homeroom is an example of the potential for storytelling to bring about real change for individuals and communities?

I think the change is the kids themselves finding their voices in the wake of such profound loss: losing social connection; not being able to go to school; being isolated; maybe having college delayed because you’re not going to graduate, or not being able to perform in the school play; not being able to go to prom, which you might have been dreaming about since you were a 10-yearold kid. Those are profound losses for a young person—those are

milestones. Those are thresholds. And to have that turned upside down and taken away, and then in response find this mission, and to see your work and your activism making a change—they changed the policy at the school. They were successful in the school board voting to remove the school police and to reallocate those dollars to mental health. They did that—the kids did that. I just saw a couple of them—we had a screening at the local theater, and one of Karina’s friends, Emily Ramirez, came, and she’s a student at Berkeley. Another kid in our film, Jessica Ramos, is

also at Berkeley. They’re developing their voice as young people, future leaders, future politicians, future business people. And so we’re seeing the impact of being able to see themselves reflected on that screen. Being able to see themselves in that way, I think, had a profound impact on those individual kids who are now young adults. And so that’s the most powerful thing for me that I see as a documentarian, is the ability to see community and individuals reflected—that they matter, that they have power, and that they have potential. And that’s a lot, you know?

Conversations

By

When it comes to having constructive conversations around personal mental health, connection with a trusted adult is essential for a young person in crisis.

Dr. Lucas ZuLLo ’09 | ILLustratIons By FrancEs MurPHy

* DISCLAIMER: Reading this article does not mean you’re trained in SAFETY-A, an intensive process that takes several months. Only a licensed mental health provider can deliver SAFETY-A after completing the required training, and your first step in supporting someone at risk for suicide should always be to link them to a trained mental health professional as soon as possible. The information provided here is not meant to replace mental health treatment in any capacity and is instead meant to empower families to have conversations about mental health in a way that allows them to better support and understand one another.

Following a Calling

Clinical psychologist and youth suicide prevention expert Lucas Zullo ’09 reached out to Nobles magazine to express admiration for Nobles’ and Head of School Cathy Hall’s commitment to mental health and wellness— and to share his professional perspective so people can have more constructive conversations around personal mental health.

Lucas Zullo ’09 was double-majoring in political science and psychology at Swarthmore College when a presentation about youth suicide in his Children at Risk class altered his aspirations of going into family law. Curious about the then-emerging field of prevention and intervention, he saw how much work could be done. A career-services advisor told him, “I’m hearing passion from you. Not for law school— I’m hearing passion for psychology.” A summer internship and work in a suicide prevention lab sealed it: “I knew then that this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

Recently named clinical director of the David Farber ASPIRE (Advancement of Suicide Prevention, Intervention, Research, and Education) Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Zullo was previously a clinical psychologist at UCLA’s Youth Stress and Mood Program (YSAM) and project director of the $13M PCORI-funded Youth Partners in Care for Suicide Prevention Study, a multi-site clinical trial in five emergency departments nationwide. As training director of the UCLA-Duke ASAP Center, Zullo leads national trainings for healthcare organizations on trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches to youth suicide prevention; he also serves as a clinical consultant for the Trevor Project (the largest crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people) and 988 (the national suicide and crisis hotline). Zullo’s research focuses on evidence-based approaches to youth suicide prevention, with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ youth, and is dedicated to leadership development through the lens of antiracism and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Zullo envisions a more supportive climate for mental health and says, “I get frustrated with how our society and culture view mental health. It’s so important to me, especially as a man acutely aware of the toxic messages around masculinity and mental health, to be a role model for boys to talk about their emotions so they can understand [that] talking about feelings is more than okay—and also for dads to know it’s okay to talk about mental health and therapy. What motivates me is helping families learn how to have these conversations, because talking about our feelings should be normalized. One of the highlights of my job is to see that progression in families. When they first start working with me, things might be really rough; kids and parents might not be speaking to one another. Fast-forward to the end of our time together, when they’ve remembered the joy that’s possible and are so much closer, maybe even checking in with each other on a regular basis. That’s what keeps me going.”

“We have science-based, research-based approaches that people just are not using. As a training director, I love partnering with organizations and saying, ‘How can we talk to your inpatient unit, your emergency department, your outpatient services? How can we make sure that everything you’re doing is informed by the science, by the research, so that the families who see you get the highest possible quality care?’” Youth lament to Zullo about ineffective therapists and recognize that his approach is different, leading to reduced symptoms in a relatively short period of time. Zullo shares, “That’s when I get really fired up—because it’s a disservice to our kids and to our community when evidence-based care is withheld.”

Zullo recognizes that for young people, “It can feel powerless to be stuck in a home without strong communication with caregivers when you’re stressed or overwhelmed. You don’t know how to regulate your emotions, because maybe you were never taught. It’s so important to catch this upstream as early as possible, when kids are still learning communication skills, emotional regulation—before it potentially evolves into something so much worse. It gives them that empowering experience, of ‘You know what? I can understand how to navigate this.’”

Here, Zullo shares his own experience-informed advice for making the most of mental health conversations with those you care about. —KIM nEaL

A FRAMEWORK FOR CONVERSATION

It goes without saying that the past several years have been incredibly challenging for families across the country in a variety of ways. One of the most significant strains has been on the mental health of youth and young adults. Currently, suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10–24 in the United States, representing more deaths than any single major medical illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as more deaths than the major medical illnesses combined for youth ages 15–24, according to a study by Xu et al.

Fortunately, there are promising evidence-based approaches for youth suicide prevention, and because of the clear national public health crisis, there is an increased focus on funding and disseminating these treatments. As training director of the UCLA/Duke ASAP Center, I train providers across the country on an intervention called SAFETY-A. While dissemination efforts have already been extremely successful, it will still be several years (or

more!) before evidence-based therapies are the national standard of care and readily available to families of all backgrounds.

When I’ve conducted trainings, it has quickly become apparent that SAFETY-A, beyond providing a critically important way to address suicidality, can effectively enhance broader communication among family members and loved ones about how to care for one another during times of distress. Here, I want to focus on the components of this intervention that strengthen general communication about mental health, so we can support our young people and each other.

While the past several years have been challenging in the field of mental health, I’ve been encouraged to notice that not only are people having more conversations about these issues, but also that the stigma is reduced. Sure, this is likely due to the explosion of the need for mental health services across the nation, but instead of families getting stuck on what feels like never-ending waitlists for care, I hope that by sharing some guidance on having these conversations with your own loved ones,

you feel empowered to communicate and support them better, drawing from the evidence-based framework of SAFETY-A.*

THE SAFETY-A APPROACH

The SAFETY-Acute (A) intervention was originally referred to as the Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention (FISP), a flexible, evidence-based approach used in emergency departments, inpatient units, schools, homeless shelters and more. A mental health provider delivering SAFETY-A in the context of suicide prevention completes specific therapeutic tasks with the youth, with the parent or caregiver, and both together. These shared tasks really help to strengthen family communication and understanding on how best to support someone who is struggling.

Collective data on SAFETY-A shows promising clinical benefits, including stabilizing youth, enhancing safety, increasing the link to follow-up care, and— in combination with evidence-based follow-up treatment—reducing suicide attempts over the highest-risk threemonth follow-up interval period.

SAFETY-A Therapeutic Intervention Tasks

List three self-strengths and strengths about the family and/or environment.

Use “emotional thermometer” to help the youth understand their emotional reactions.

Develop safety plan by engaging the youth in identifying behaviors, thoughts and interpersonal strategies (e.g., go to a parent or a friend) to use instead of self-harm.

List at least three people who can support them in staying safe during a future crisis (prioritizing responsible adults in safety plan).

Get commitment to use safety plan skills instead of self-harm behavior when in distress.

List three strengths about the youth and strengths about the family and/or environment.

Work with parent/caregiver to support youth to use safety plan and manage stress that could increase risk for self-harm.

Share strengths listed by youth and caregiver.

Share youth emotional thermometer; allow caregiver to ask questions.

Discuss safety plan as a family.

Review plan for next steps in care and get commitment to both seeking care and following safety plan.

Explain importance of restricting lethal means (e.g., securing firearms) and identify immediate safety steps, including supervision.

So how can all families use components of SAFETY-A to enhance communication about mental health in a more general context?

SAFETY-A FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION

Having a trusted adult to talk to is essential to a young person’s mental health. To enhance broader communication within the family and with other loved ones about mental health, the core components of SAFETY-A stay the same.

One possible way to structure those conversations:

1) Identify strengths about the individual and the support network to build on during the conversation.

2) Develop an “emotions thermometer.” Set anchors to describe levels of emotional distress and associated thoughts, feelings and behaviors using an objective numerical ranking (rating of 1–10) to communicate better about current feelings.

3) Develop a coping plan using information from both the strengths and emotions thermometer conversations. Include warning signs of distress, coping actions and thought strategies, and specific people to go to for support.

What does this look like in real life?

Consider the following three examples: a family dinner, a coach and her athlete, and parents helping their son adjust to college.

EXAMPLE 1: CARLOS

Carlos wants his family to feel more comfortable discussing their mental health and to be more open about needing

help on tough days. During Sunday dinner, Carlos tells his daughter and husband that he’s noticed that the whole family has seemed more stressed, so he thinks it would be nice to start with a reminder not only of each family member’s individual strengths, but also their strengths as a family unit. He asks everyone to take turns listing strengths about themselves, as well as strengths about each other. By the time they start listing strengths about the family as a whole, a palpable weight seems to have been lifted, as the family reflects on what really makes them a family, and the joy that has seemed so elusive during the past few weeks of stressors.

Carlos introduces the emotions thermometer, which can help everyone practice being more aware of their own emotions and learning when to ask for help and when to use coping skills. He explains that emotional distress can range from 0 (relaxed and comfortable) all the way up to 10 (overwhelming crisis). A point in between called the “boiling point” or “danger zone” is the warning to start using coping skills to avoid escalation to a 10. When explaining the emotions thermometer, Carlos asks each family member their current rating and how they feel about checking each other’s “emotional temperature” when someone seems to be stressed or overwhelmed. His husband jokingly says that he looks forward to using this with their daughter and getting a response other than “fine” when he asks how she is doing. His daughter sarcastically rolls her eyes and says this will actually be helpful so that her dads

know they don’t need to be worried if she’s below a 7, but if she’s an 8 or higher (her boiling point), she needs support in coping with her emotions.

Recognizing that it’s a perfect time to discuss what it means to get help when trying to cope with emotions, Carlos starts a conversation about what each family member can do on their own (as well as with others) after they’ve identified their own warning signs of being in the “danger zone.” Each shares what is most helpful to them at different levels on the emotions thermometer, as well as what adds to their stress. This open conversation reveals to each of them that even with the best intentions of helping, they have all inadvertently acted in ways that added stress— but now they can avoid those actions in the future. They agree to let one another know when they act in ways that are helpful, or ways that make things worse. Surprising everyone, Carlos’s daughter asks if they can start using Sunday dinners to check in with one another so they can update and share their coping plans as they continue to practice.

EXAMPLE 2: TANISHA

Tanisha is the head coach of a men’s varsity swim team. One of her athletes, Matt, doesn’t seem like his usual self, so she checks in. Despite their strong relationship, he makes it clear that he doesn’t want to talk to her about his feelings, saying that unless she wants to update his training program, he’s going to resume practice. Tanisha says that she does, in fact, want to update his training program and begins asking him about his strengths as an athlete. One of the strengths Matt lists is his relationship with his teammates. Tanisha says that she’s made the same observation and that she thinks there’s a good chance Matt will be elected as the next team captain.

Tanisha compliments Matt on his hard work creating a personal training plan that has led to his success as an athlete and reminds him that swimming has both

physical and mental components. She tells him that since he hasn’t been himself, he hasn’t been competing as well at swim meets. Before Matt can cut her off, Tanisha assures him that she’s not asking him to disclose what’s going on but asks if he would be open to creating a “training plan” for his emotional health, just as he has for his physical health. Tanisha introduces the emotions thermometer, explaining that just as the body shows warning signs prior to a physical injury, Matt can also watch for warning signs prior to an emotional crisis. She helps him fill out the thermometer so he can learn to monitor how he is doing during the day, around specific stressors, and during swim competitions. Tanisha then introduces the Coping Plan as the emotional equivalent to Matt’s training regimen in the pool. She reminds him that one strength he listed was his relationship with his teammates, so when he fills out “Who I Can Go to for Support,” he is able to fill in several of their names.

Now, before every swim practice, Tanisha asks Matt for two ratings: how he’s feeling physically and his rating on the emotions thermometer. If either approach a “danger zone,” Tanisha is prepared to help her athlete use his respective training plan to avoid any injuries—whether physical or emotional.

EXAMPLE 3: MAX AND WENDY

Max and Wendy have just dropped their eldest son, Leo, off at college. After the first week, he calls them in tears, saying he’s extremely overwhelmed and stressed and might want to come home. His parents notice how distressed he is, and to help calm him, they shift the conversation

to reminding him of his strengths and their strengths as a family (one of those strengths being that he can call them whenever he needs help, which they are happy he’s doing at that moment).

Wendy notices that Leo sounds more tired than usual, so she asks him to help her understand what his emotions look like over the course of a day using the emotions thermometer. He says that he’s most stressed in the mornings when he has to get up for his 8 a.m. class, after going to bed at 3 a.m. because he stays up late with friends. Max explains to Leo, since he’s never lived away from home before, that it can be helpful to have a plan to stay emotionally healthy—part of which is coping during stressful times, and part of which is being more observant of how different events impact his emotions. After helping Leo to create a coping plan, Max and Wendy ask him to monitor his emotions when he gets different amounts of sleep, to see how that affects his self-ratings on the emotions thermometer.

The next week, when Max and Wendy get a call from Leo, he feels much better, which he attributes to now getting at least seven hours of sleep each night.

BUILDING ON STRENGTH AND HOPE

Before bringing the framework of SAFETY-A to a conversation with a friend or loved one, take a moment to mentally note your own strengths and the strengths of your relationship with this person. SAFETY-A truly shines when it is used to complement these natural strengths that already exist in yourself and in the relationships with those you care about. If you are a Nobles student or graduate, the words spes sibi quisque may come to mind. SAFETY-A is a tool that can allow you to find your hope within yourself, remind others of their own hope, and then build on that together. My personal hope is that sharing this approach to conversations will help you and your loved ones feel more at ease talking about mental health, reaching out to others, and creating a plan that supports your joy and well-being for years to come.

A FINAL NOTE: Dr. Zullo has generously offered to connect with anyone who has questions or would like to chat more about the material covered in this article. He can be reached at lucas.ps.zullo@gmail.com.

Interpersonal connections draw people to Nobles, infuse our experiences with meaning, and create lasting bonds. Those bonds have been tested—and proven—over the past few years by a variety of virulent strains, both ideological and biological. While Nobles continues to evolve, what remains is this reassurance: There are a myriad of meaningful, overlapping ways we connect in this place. Together we question, lean on each other, and learn who we are and how dazzlingly multifaceted those around us are.

In 2021, Nobles entered its fifth year with Stanford University’s Challenge Success, a research-based institute focused on the intersection of rigor and wellness in schools. Data from Nobles’ student surveys, most recently in 2021, informed our new schedule (launching this fall) and will help prioritize strategic planning. Encouraging findings showed us that 88.2 percent of middle-schoolers had a peer they could go to, and 93.4 percent had an adult; in the upper school, 97.3 percent felt they had a peer they could go to, and 85 percent had an adult. The value of connection is a common refrain at Nobles, and faculty and students frequently remind one another of the courage it shows to seek support.

Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, who currently direct a longitudinal Harvard University study on happiness that originated in the 1930s, published their takeaways in a 2022 book: The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. To promote longevity, they write, “Contrary to what many people think, it’s not career achievement, or exercise, or a healthy diet…one thing continuously demonstrates its broad and enduring importance: good relationships.” So, positive social ties help us live happier, as well as longer. The most important practices the authors preach? Prioritize relationships, be present, and show people how much they matter to you.

So that’s just what we did. Universal feelings of pandemic-induced isolation rendered our relationships more precious, and naming their qualities more necessary. We asked the following pairs, all of whom are in some way connected at Nobles, to share those messages with each other. Their conversations elicited hilarious memories, heartfelt appreciation, and some tears. Mainly, they revealed genuine mutual admiration. We hope these small glimpses inspire you to reflect on some of your own connections, Nobles or otherwise, and that those bring you joy.

circles of connec tion

BY Kim Neal | PhotograPhY BY BeN heider, aNNe mcmaNus aNd Kim Neal

PARTNERSHIP assembly booth

OCTAVIA

“We both like the adrenaline every morning (even though the stakes are fairly low unless something goes terribly wrong). I love when I’m talking to Karina on our headsets, but we’re also getting stuff done. She’s a very good person to trust in those moments, and I know we’re able to work things out together. Especially this year, she’s definitely taken on more of a leadership role. She’s taught me to be calm. She has this stable presence and appears to be in control of things when we’re in a stressful situation, which is reassuring to everyone. I’m going to miss just laughing together in the morning—my best days are when I come in early even though I don’t get to sleep in, and we just hang out and laugh and make up really stupid ‘national days’ [for the projected walk-in slide].”

KARINA CRUZ ’24, BOOTH CREW

“It’s all the little things, like making the walk-in slide every morning or getting Mr. Polebaum to let us play Taylor Swift. It’s about all being there together and constantly making jokes. Octavia’s really good at planning transitions and mapping everything out; she does so much. She taught me to just go after it, to take charge instead of waiting for someone to say, ‘Oh, we should do this or do that.’ My friends know that I’m not a morning person. I hate mornings. So they’re always like, ‘Why do you do booth, especially when you live so far away and have to get up early?’ To me, it’s hard for me to have a bad day when it’s a good day in booth. I feel like everyone else needs their own little booth to get up to in the morning.”

FUN FACT: While running morning assembly, Reohr and Cruz often trade witty banter over their headsets, struggling to stifle their laughter—and prank faculty advisor Michael Polebaum ’08.

REOHR ’23, BOOTH CREW

LEADERSHIP

SCHOOL LIFE COUNCIL

NITTY MOORE ’23, SLC CO-PRESIDENT

“Carter and I are always in communication about everything that we do and bounce ideas off each other. We’re also friends with different people so we can bring different perspectives to the table. He’s optimistic about everything, even when things aren’t going as planned. And he’s also really hardworking, like being on top of his emails and keeping things organized. Part of our jobs can be kind of monotonous, like organizing 50 clubs or running pizza sales, but being friends makes those jobs more fun. Carter makes lots of puns and has a very dry sense of humor. When we address the whole school in assembly, and the energy is genuinely positive, it’s contagious.”

CARTER BARTEL ’23, SLC CO-PRESIDENT

“We both care about Nobles a lot and match each other’s energy about wanting to do things for the greater good of the community, like showing up for assembly prep, putting up photos in Shattuck, or going to the middle school play. It’s one of the reasons we get along so well. Being members of multiple groups together, like SLC, prefects or sports captains, means we can get and bring ideas across Nobles. Nitty is very well spoken, and when she talks, whether it’s in a meeting or in an informal setting, people listen. She gets along very well with a lot of people, and her ability to have relationships throughout the school makes it easier for us to reach the entire community.”

DETERMINATION

BOARDING AND BASKETBALL

ORIS BRYANT, VARSITY BOYS

BASKETBALL COACH, CAMPUS RESIDENT

“Freshman year on varsity, Marc wanted to improve. And it was: ‘I want to do the work. Are you willing to meet me? Like, 6 a.m. meet me?’ He was just never satisfied. One thing I try to teach the team is that it’s hard to get better; it takes focus and discipline. Marc not only puts in the work, but he always has fun. That type of growth mindset is what he brought to the team, leading by example. The showcase last year was when it really came together. He averaged 30 points a game, every game. But to me, that was all the result of all his hard work, and then it just really clicked, and all in one weekend. All of his teammates were in awe of him, but I wasn’t—because I’d seen it all along.”

MARC GARRAUD ’23, VARSITY BOYS

BASKETBALL PLAYER, BOARDER

“Before I could dorm, I had to travel [at least an hour] from Lynn, and my mom usually got out of work late. When there was no place to go, and the library was closed, I’d just go to Mr. Bryant’s house. We also shared a passion for basketball. Freshman to sophomore year, I didn’t like the way I was shooting. We were starting to better my jump shot when March break hit, and the dorms were closing. I asked, ‘Can I just stay a week here?’ So, we’d wake up, go to the park, and shoot, shoot, shoot. He’d tell me, ‘Just keep working, you’re getting better every day.’ There were times I’d have five bad possessions in a row and say, ‘Coach, take me out of the game. I’m not helping the team.’ He’d say, ‘No, you’ve got to stay on the court.’ His confidence in me, both on and off the court, has really helped me as a student, as a person, and as a player.”

FUN FACT:

Befriending Bryant’s son Channing ’22, Garraud found himself an honorary member of their family—and a frequent guest at their dinner table.

FUN FACT: When they found out they were going to be SLC Bartel’sco-presidents, first text to Moore was a GIF of Vice President Kamala Harris saying, “We did it, Joe.”

GUIDANCE ACHIEVE/COLLEGE COUNSELING

DARVENSKY DANIEL ’23, ACHIEVE GRADUATE, BOWDOIN ’27 “Ms.

D-L was there for me literally every step of the way. I never realized how much I appreciated her until looking back on my life over the past six years. She helped me get into Nobles; she helped me get into Bowdoin. One time, I was looking for a summer program, and I needed to pay for this application—she just did it for me. I was very, very nervous about coming to Nobles. When I visited, the Castle was just so loud and chaotic for me. But I always had her right by my side to help me with anything I needed, for emotional support and to talk to. [Working with her during the college process was] very calming, actually. She just knew what to say and how to say it. I want to tell her, ‘Thank you. I texted you when I got my college response—but I feel like that was not nearly enough for my joy at being with you.’”

NORA DOWLEY-LIEBOWITZ, COLLEGE COUNSELOR, FORMER DIRECTOR OF ACHIEVE, BOWDOIN ’04

“When Darvensky was a student at Achieve, he was very introverted. But I also noticed how brilliant he was—really capable in the classroom, best writer in our English class, above and beyond the skills of most students in math. It became clear that he would be great at Nobles. In his family, Darvensky is one of four, the oldest and the only boy; his sisters adore him, and seeing them together has been one of the highlights of my time with him. Darvensky and I have had a lot of overlap: advisor, college counselor, Achieve. What I admire most, what he models, is how he just rises above ‘the noise.’ This place can be intense, and he doesn’t care about what the person to his left or to his right is doing. He’s so guided by his own value set, and his own interests and desires. When he was a freshman, he went to guitar ensemble even though he had never played guitar. The teacher questioned his lack of experience, but Darvensky just kept showing up. He asked if anyone at Achieve could teach him to play guitar, so we got him a guitar tutor. He learned how to play, and then he performed in the guitar ensemble—that’s Darvensky in a nutshell. Seeing him at Nobles has been the single greatest experience of my time here.”

FUN FACT: LiebowitzDowleyfirst met Daniel when he was an 11-year-old student at Achieve—now they’re both cheering on the BowdoinBears.Polar

“

JOURNALISM THE NOBLEMAN

CHRIS TILLEN ’23, NOBLEMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The entire staff has been so collaborative, and a lot of that is due to the fact that Oona is so accessible to her writers. She gives them her number, she’s always online to help them, and she answers their questions immediately. Their work is a lot better because of it. She has great command of grammar, she’s a fantastic writer—she’s just a fantastic resource. All the people on the editorial core have that drive to find the truth, to write the hard article. In our first edition, Oona was the one writing about eating disorders… and she did an amazing job with that article. I really do admire her writing—I haven’t told her that enough. I’m super lucky to work with her.”

OONA LUNDGREN-LAHAV ’23, A MANAGING EDITOR OF THE NOBLEMAN

“We had a lot of long meetings at the beginning of the school year about what we wanted for our staff and for our paper. One of Chris’s biggest goals was making sure everybody felt happy to be there and supported by their editor core. He and I bring very different perspectives to the table, which works really well, because when either of us has a concern, we can just go to each other and air that idea. It’s great working with such a good listener, but also someone so organized and so proactive. We really play off each other whenever we observe something we can improve, and work together very quickly and very positively. I’m very lucky to work with such an accomplished person and such an accomplished staff.”

FUN FACT: The two toured Slovakia, Poland and Austria together this March on the EXCEL Central Europe history trip.

SUPPORT

MARCH 2023 EXCEL RWANDA TRIP

LATASHA SARPY, COUNSELOR, RWANDA CHAPERONE

“Carly is hilarious. I absolutely love her. She’s like my little sister. We didn’t know each other at all before Rwanda. Our first connection when we got there was being responsible for other people’s stuff; we instantly connected because I had a greater appreciation for the work that she did to prepare us for this trip. She is an unsung hero. Carly has such a wonderful relationship with students. She’s witty; she’s able to correct them if they’re out of line. She held her own. And she was so receptive and mindful of how I was feeling. I felt overwhelmed sometimes, so we would just go on our little walks and just talk, and it was helpful for me. A lot of times I feel like I have to be attentive to everyone’s emotions, and Carly was attentive to mine. It wasn’t the easiest trip; we had a lot of hard moments. But we had our laughter and our joy, our hugs—we just have so much in common that we didn’t know we had in common. Our dreams, our desires, and even our differences are funny; we complement each other very well. Every decision that we made, even difficult conversations with the kids, we took the time to talk to each other. She respected my opinion, and I respected hers. Our connection helped the kids make connections too; it matters to them if adults feel connected.”

FUN FACT: Taking 21 students to Rwanda this March marked several firsts for O’Hern and Sarpy—first EXCEL trip, first time to Africa. Now, they’re so close they’ve coined a nickname: CarTasha.

CARLY O’HERN, ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD OF SCHOOL, RWANDA CHAPERONE

“From the airport on, LaTasha and I connected about the kids, like, ‘Dang, they really can’t keep track of their passports!’ That’s how it started. From there, it was pretty easy to read each other. We became each other’s buddies. It was a very meaningful and powerful trip where we saw and listened to stuff that wasn’t easy. We use humor in similar ways, and LaTasha is really good at balancing between ‘Maybe it’s time to get out of this dark headspace because we’re still here to learn and deal with that,’ but also, ‘It doesn’t all have to be negative; we can have a good time.’ Every single one of the students can confide in her; everyone was saying, ‘Dr. Sarpy, be my mom’—but they also clearly respect her greatly. She’s a person of action. Just hearing how she got involved in all 47 of her activities in life while having kids, she actually puts her money where her mouth is, and that’s a great quality. She’s far too humble. Also, there were some really scary bugs; LaTasha saved me every time. I will say—this is not my proudest moment—one of the last days I saw a spider and I locked myself in my room, and that was our one hiccup! I truthfully don’t think our paths would have crossed if it wasn’t for the trip, so I am extremely grateful. It was an amazing opportunity and very educational, laced with laughter and just an overall experience that I won’t ever be able to match. Still, minus having LaTasha there, I feel like I could have felt pretty alone, but I never actually did for a single second—I owe that all to her.”

AWARENESS

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION CLUB

EDGAR DE LEON ’04, ENGLISH FACULTY, FORMER UPWARD BOUND STUDENT AND FACULTY

“I have known Alden for about 28 years now. When I was a student, he quickly became one of my favorite teachers. Not only was he a pleasure to be around, I came to understand the genuine care and compassion he had for me and my classmates at Upward Bound. Twelve years later, I took over UB and Alden worked for me. That same excitement and care he had for me as a student, he continued to have with students in the program all those years later. Now, I get the honor to teach with, and learn from, a true master of his craft. Just like I did those decades ago, I get to learn from him; I know I am a better educator and person because I get to sit next to Mr. Mauck every day. What a privilege it is to learn, laugh, debate and grow with him. I never take our time together for granted. He truly is the best of us.”

“We make a really good pair. I lack some of his stage presence and can sometimes have trouble articulating my ideas or getting out there to get club members. I can always count on Harrison to go up in assembly and make an announcement, to ‘get loud and weird,’ like he said. That’s really important—to show kids that they can get excited about the environment and our club and the things we do. You can’t just organize and plan things; you have to think on your feet, which Harrison is really good at, like in our most recent assembly recycling game. He’ll also go in the library and pull people for meetings, and we need that too. We knew it would be hard because the environment is kind of a doomer subject sometimes, if you watch the news, but we wanted to make sure it would be a club that kids were excited to come to and talk about on campus in a positive way. I’m proud of the way we’ve been able to run initiatives that are a bit lighter but still just as important. We’ve gotten more members but also realized we could do things in small groups, using the strengths of who we have to make those initiatives work.”

actually matter to me at first. I stumbled upon it. My freshman year, I accidentally walked in the wrong club meeting, and I was like, ‘I’ll join.’ I just wanted to be part of something. I wasn’t a huge environmentalist, but working with the team and seeing the actual impact of individual actions showed me maybe I could slowly but surely break down my bad habits and start to replace them with good ones. Elise is the perfect partner to have in the EAC, because for all that I lack, she makes up for in persistence, optimism, determination and her actual knowledge on the environmental stuff. I don’t think she gets the credit she’s due, because she and Ava [Kocher] put so much work toward the actual logistics. It allows me to do what I do best, and get loud and weird so the other kids will want to participate. As leaders, we said, we really can’t make change if we don’t have people on our side working. Turning this club into something impactful, but that’s also fun and has a big reach—that was our goal.”

“Well, what do you say about a colleague who has been both your student and your boss? I will start with this—for the past several years I have spent more time with Edgar than anyone else on the faculty, and I have learned a lot with him and from him. His positive impact on daily life at Nobles cannot be overstated; he possesses an indispensable mix of intellect, humor and judgment. Although we talk about serious and often difficult topics and events in our class and in conversations about Nobles, we share in the commitment, appreciation and enjoyment that comes from working with students, and we laugh a lot together. I consider Edgar one of the best ‘school persons’ I have ever worked with in over 40 years of teaching.”

ALDEN MAUCK, ENGLISH FACULTY, FORMER UPWARD BOUND FACULTY

ELISE RUEPPEL ’23, EAC CO-PRESIDENT

HARRISON DOLGOFF ’23, EAC CO-PRESIDENT “EAC didn’t

FUN FACT:Rueppel and Dolgoff agree their slicksecretEAC-sponsored revolutionizeshandshakewhat co-leadership looks like.

TEACHING

CO-TEACHING, UPWARD BOUND

FUN FACT: De Leon is a Yankees fan and Mauck loves the Orioles, but both happily root against the Red Sox!

OWEN FITZSIMMONS ’24, ATHLETE, VARSITY FOOTBALL, VARSITY BASEBALL

“Transitioning from public school after Covid was a lot, along with switching positions in football and meeting new people. Going into Ms. Chiaranda’s office and talking it out really helped. It’s a lot less stressful to take your mind off things with someone you know you can trust, who’s also dealt with a lot of similar adversity in their life. She’s always there to listen. I can talk about the deep stuff with her and the serious stuff, or just tell her, ‘I hung out with my friends this weekend.’ Whenever I am at the lowest point or happiest point in my life, I can talk to her. She’s always more than willing to give me advice or send me to someone else to talk to if that’s helpful—and just how to deal with everything going on. It helps a ton just to have a really friendly face around campus. I see my friends at home and kind of act in one way, and then come here and act a different way. With Ms. Chiaranda, it’s the same every time.”

HEALING

HEALTH AND WELLNESS/ATHLETICS

GWEN CHIARANDA, ATHLETIC TRAINER

“Even though I work with Owen as an athlete in a professional capacity in the training room, what I love is that now he’ll just come and chat. It reminds me that he’s more than just Owen the football player, or Owen the baseball player. He’s Owen, the young man with a job and a family outside of Nobles that he goes home to every weekend, and goals. There’s a level of relatability we have in terms of our family dynamics. One of the first things that Owen told me about himself was that he worked at some kind of farm. I don’t know that a lot of kids here have jobs. I know some do. For Owen, going home on the weekends involves a job or helping his mom with yardwork, or managing a connection with his friends at home as a boarder. And so it’s more than just schoolwork and the grind of everything that is Nobles. It’s like he’s fast-forwarded his trajectory to what most college kids are doing, and he’s doing it as a junior.”

FUN FACT: Fitzsimmons and Chiaranda also bond over football.college

FUN FACT: DaphnisBoth and Hirsch are fans of the show “Atlanta”, and of writer, actor, musician, comedian, producer and director Donald Glover (a.k.a.Gambino).Childish

AP ART (PHOTOGRAPHY)

JOHN HIRSCH, AP ART ADVISOR, PHOTOGRAPHY

“Watching Hakeem’s work transition into a project about his father’s church has been amazing. It’s both technically challenging and also emotionally hard: He’s moving around in a space where people are praying, they’re singing, and he’s making pictures in moments that are so intense. But he’s done it with such a beautiful sense of presence and being open to the moment that they’re in. Hakeem’s doing the same thing when he’s making pictures; he’s bringing everything that makes him who he is at this point to that when he’s making the work. That nine-month progression of students preparing for the AP show always gets me excited. Everything in the show is super intimate and personal; there are stories behind it all. When you make things and put them on the wall, the formality that entails and the vulnerability it creates is pretty magical, but it’s also scary—like, ‘I’m out here.’ I know Hakeem’s story, and I know how he got here, but all the rest of the community sees are the four photographs on the wall and his artist’s statement. I want to make sure everybody understands everything he thought about and put into it.”

EXPRESSION COMMUNITY

HAKEEM DAPHNIS ’23, AP STUDENT ARTIST, PHOTOGRAPHY

“Photo class freshman and sophomore year was interrupted with Covid, so I took it on Zoom. Junior year, I focused on the college process and packed my schedule with as many hard classes as possible. So this year, I was a little rusty, and there were fundamentals that I didn’t have. All my talented classmates were putting up this amazing work, and I felt like I was behind. I kept comparing myself, thinking my work wasn’t up to par. Something I really appreciate about Mr. Hirsch is that he never compared me to others. I had so many ideas in my head—and I don’t know how, but he kind of got into my head as well, which helped me figure out what I wanted to do. What’s interesting about my AP Photo project about my father’s church is that my relationship with church is really similar to my relationship with photography. Just like everything in my life, it was messed up with Covid. I started to pull away, not even intentionally. Life just got super busy. And even though it’s been difficult because I’m capturing people in these really intimate moments, this project has brought me back to such a core part of my identity from when I was younger.”

ASIAN 2 ASIAN (AFFINITY GROUPS)

ALEXANDER LEE ’23, CO-LEADER, A2A

“As a tiny, young Sixie, I joined A2A, where these towering, older high schoolers led the group. But it felt like an extended family; I felt at home. The gatherings used to be more discussion-based, but recently, they have also become ways for Asian-American students to just meet, connect, have fun (A2A Shark Tank and Asian Olympics!), and appreciate each other. Katie and I became co-leaders our junior year, and we hit the ground running; we focused on bringing everyone together after Covid. Seeing Sixies to seniors connect over food, games and conversations has given us so much joy. Ever since our first A2A leadership meeting, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, we’re going to do so much at A2A thanks to Katie.’ She always brings so many creative ideas to the table. But more importantly, she helps execute these ideas perfectly. She’s just overall a great leader.”

FUN FACT: The pair’s opposite opinions on spicy ramen (Lee loves it; Cheung can’t consume a single noodle) inspired A2A’s spicy challenge.ramen

KATIE CHEUNG ’23, CO-LEADER, A2A

“Covid was very heavy on the Asian community, and we didn’t want A2A to be another space where people were forced to confront that. As the number of Asian students grew, we wanted to make sure A2A would be a space where they could be with their Asian friends without the usual everyday pressures of school. That’s how Alexander and I became friends ourselves. We function executively in similar ways, so working together, we’ve been successful. He has a good way of connecting with what he hears and bringing it to our meetings, and he really tries to listen to what the community wants. It highlights who he is, how much he values being Asian, and having that experience be good for everyone else. A2A is a huge part of why we both love it here. We had Asian role models at Nobles when we were younger, and now I think we are those people for a lot of kids. A2A works because we’ve emphasized connections with the core itself, but also the rest of the community.”

INNOVATION

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

HYEWON SUH ’24, CO-LEADER, NOBLES SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

“Working with Kate has been such a pleasure in that she is the best partner that I could have asked for— she is kind, responsible, and always acts first and foremost for the team’s benefit. Establishing Science Olympiad during lockdown was a challenge, and we were able to mitigate these difficulties due to her extraordinary dedication. I can always rely on her to come through, whether that means sorting out competition logistics or planning our approach to the season, and I am so grateful that we’ve been able to connect over this activity. The whole team has grown so much since freshman year, which can be greatly attributed to her efforts, and I’m incredibly excited for next year’s season!”

KATE WEI ’24, CO-LEADER, NOBLES SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

“Hyewon was one of the first friends I made when I came to Nobles, and I’ve loved every part of leading Science Olympiad with her these past few years. It was through Hyewon and Science Olympiad that I first felt a sense of belonging to a community at Nobles, and I’ll always be glad I found this connection, especially during such a time of isolation due to the pandemic. Her support, dedication and genuine kindness have been driving forces behind our team’s incredible growth, and I can’t wait to watch us continue on this trajectory of success next year!”

FUN FACT: Wei (top) and Suh helped clinch 10th place in this spring's statewide competition—first amongschools.independent

FUN FACT: This pedagogical pair bonds over what Osifo deems “a healthy-ish obsession with fashion.” Brodie says, “A compliment from Efe is like my barometer of an outfit’s success.”

COLLABORATION

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHING (IDENTITY)

EFE OSIFO, CO-LEADER, MULTIDISCIPLINARY SIXIE “WHO WE ARE” IDENTITY PROJECT

“Brodie is super brilliant. I don’t think she gets nearly enough credit for her long-scope vision to plan and execute things. Post-Covid, when we were revamping this [“Who We Are”] project, I had a bunch of random ideas but no idea how to put them together in a long-format way. Working alongside Brodie and seeing the way that she thinks about things gave us both the sense, ‘This is important for our kids, not as a separate project but as something intertwined in our curriculum and completely tied to our mission at school. So how do we reimagine it that way?’ Our ability to a) eloquently state that, and b) then map it out, proved to me that she’s the only person I want to work on this with. Other factors, like our math/English split and different levels of expertise, make us good puzzle pieces together. The way that she communicates, the way that she leads, the way that she plans—they’re all things that I just admire and I’m stealing from her. I’m just happy I get to work with her.”

CLARA BRODIE, CO-LEADER, MULTIDISCIPLINARY SIXIE “WHO WE ARE” IDENTITY PROJECT

“Efe and I came to Nobles the same year, so we’re like classmates. Although we came from teaching at very different schools, we had a similar interest in talking about teaching and learning. We teach totally different disciplines, so it was cool to hear about the projectbased work he was doing in math, and he’s always been a really good sounding board in terms of how to tackle different books and, from his DEI work, how to approach different conversations. Because we’re both kid-first, we always return to, ‘What’s best for the kids?’ Sharing that vision and that vocabulary makes planning together a joy. We have some different strengths: I do the nitty-gritty big-picture planning and document management; Efe makes incredible connections with different organizations, takes an out-of-the-classroom experience and joins it to what we’re doing on the more academic side. We are both committed to the longer vision. That is something I really respect about him, because it gives us the freedom to try things, make mistakes, and keep working: ‘Let’s do this better. Let’s expand this part. This part isn’t working for us anymore.’ I think it’s one of the reasons we both like working at Nobles.”

ENGAGEMENT

STUDENT SUPPORT

KATE BOYLE RAMSDELL, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

“Mark and I have been ‘in the room’ together working on student life for so long. It says a lot that we seek each other out in moments where we each think, ‘I just really need somebody to talk to who understands me.’ We have joked about this, but it’s true: We have different backgrounds and took different pathways to get here, but we would have been friends back in college. In some ways, we only have the shared experience that we’ve had at Nobles, but we also have lots of resonance in our lives. Mark is my go-to when I need somebody who has both wisdom and patience, and who’s willing to say, ‘I don't know.’ He is incredibly deliberate about the work that he does; nothing he does feels knee-jerk or impulsive, ever, and that’s what I appreciate. Sometimes we move super-fast around here, and processing is important. He slows me down sometimes in a way that’s really helpful, to say, ‘Let’s really think about this…I just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing.’”

MARK SPENCE, DEAN OF STUDENTS

“I’ve always put Kate at the top of my list for advice or to consult about a particular kid. But there have also been times where an issue we’re dealing with has touched me personally, and again, she’s the person who comes to mind. Plenty of times I’ve poked my head into her office, and she’s waved me in. She’s a really good listener. What she might not realize is that sometimes there’s stuff I’m not saying out loud, that’s swirling inside, and she’s helping me by just talking about it. She’s somebody who I trust with everything, so I appreciate her. Whether it’s in meetings or conversations, we feel very comfortable talking to each other…but it’s the moments of silence where with a look, I know we’re on the same page. We’ll often have the same questions or concerns and wrestle with them together to find a solution. I continue to learn from Kate again and again. I know why we’re friends, and I love that aspect of working with her. She’s also supremely talented and humble—we’re very lucky to have her.”

FUN

Want to shout out someone you connected with at Nobles who made your time here that much more special?

Message us on Instagram at @noble_greenough or email kim_neal@ nobles.edu

Photos welcome! #noblesbonds

FACT: alwaysRamsdell starts her visits to Spence’s office by helpfully tidying errant chairs and restoring calm, a habit they both chuckle about and comforting.find

Graduate News

CYRUS VEYSSI ’13

POSITIVE INFLUENCE

With over half a million followers, Cyrus Veyssi ’13 is making their mark on the world of beauty, skincare, advocacy and more. Putnam Library Co-Director and Gender and Sexuality Specialist Talya Sokoll sat down with them to talk about their memories of Nobles, the world of online influencers and the impact of their advocacy for the LGBTQ+ and Iranian communities.

BY TalYa Sokoll | PorTraiT BY SoPhie Sahara

TALYA SOKOLL: How did your time at Nobles impact who you are now?

CYRUS VEYSSI: I think I surprised myself in becoming the first non-binary, queer Persian American to be the president at Nobles, a historically predominantly white campus. Being in that position was a reminder that not only do we need to be more inclusive and representative in terms of who’s leading the charge on certain initiatives, but also a lot of the younger students—maybe they were out, maybe they weren’t—could at least look up to me as some sort of positive reinforcement that things can work out for them, and that things will get better. I also have to say, I’ve never had better connections and relationships with teachers than I did at Nobles.

TS: Could you talk a little bit about the work you’re doing now?

CV: Only recently has society been more open to hearing our experiences as queer and trans people of color. I never thought being an online personality could be a career. It took the pandemic for me to realize that anything can change in two seconds. So why wait to do something today if it could be completely different tomorrow?

TS: How has it changed your life?

CV: Visibility-wise, people recognize me when I walk down the street. I’ve been able to work with some of my dream brands, meet public figures and people that I’ve looked up to, and actually collaborate with them.

TS: How does your work intersect with your advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community?

CV: If I’m talking about queer rights, it’s because it’s my life. These issues are important to me because they affect me. But I also have to remind myself that I’m a beauty, lifestyle, fashion, wellness content creator. It’s my job. That’s what I do.

TS: I’ve seen some amazing videos in which you’re responding to hateful comments. How do you deal with negativity?

CV: I strategically use those comments to my advantage as a mechanism to build engagement and respond with empathy. There were times that people would say disrespectful and rude things to me and I didn’t have the language and the maturity to be able to respond. I use those memories now as a way to rectify the situation of when I was younger, and reclaim my sense of power.

TS: A lot of your content includes your family. What is it like making content with them?

CV: It’s really what drove my career. I remember one day in the pandemic I made a silly video with my dad that went really viral. I gained like 20,000 followers overnight. And so I kept making those videos with my family. For many marginalized queer people, the reality is that a lot don’t have positive relationships with their family. Sometimes people coming to my page assume because I’m queer and Iranian that I don’t have a relationship with my parents, especially my dad. But my dad is my biggest advocate. So taking that stereotype and throwing it on its head brings me joy.

Athletics Hall of Fame

During a ceremony at reunion on May 13, these four outstanding individuals and one trailblazing team were inducted into the Nobles Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

2011 GIRLS XC COACHED BY MARK SHEERAN AND SHANNON CLARK

The powerful 2011 Nobles Girls Cross-Country team came together for a historic season. For the first time ever, they were Division I ISL Champions with a record of 11-1. The team had moved from Division II to Division I in 2010 and placed second in the championships, setting the stage for a triumphant 2011 season and proving they were a program to reckon with.

The team’s success can be attributed to their stellar regular season and championship record, their tremendous sportsmanship and the sisterhood formed by their close bond. The runners showed their dedication and positive attitudes by overcoming challenges and supporting each other.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail”—exactly what the team did. This team blazed a trail of victory, success and unbreakable bonds to be remembered for years to come.

The roster included Lara Abouhamad ’12, Captain Grace Aranow ’12, Chapin Atwood ’14, Lizzie Beer ’15, Arielle D’Angelo ’13, Kat Doherty ’12, Kelly Emery ’12, Rachel Lea Fishman ’13, Julia Fitzgerald ’14, Rachel Gardner ’14, Lily Grant ’12, Jessie Harthun ’15, Whitney Hazard ’14, Captain Meghan Hickey ’12, Savannah Horton ’13, Jenn Mace ’15, Hannah McNeil ’17, Caroline Monrad ’13, Caroline Muggia ’14, Haley Mullins ’14, Sophie Mussafer ’13, Olivia Mussafer ’15, Liz Neylan ’12, Jessica Peterson ’13, Elena Rodriguez-Villa ’12, Chloe Rosen ’14, Maggie Stimpson ’15, Meg von Schroeter ’14, and coaches Mark Sheeran and Shannon Clark.

STEVE TOUBMAN

Throughout his 38-year career at Nobles, Steve Toubman had an invaluable impact on the wrestling program. During that time, Nobles wrestlers garnered five Prep National medals including one champion, 54 New England medals with seven champions, and 23 GravesKelsey titles. Toubman also established the Nobles Pinathon, which continues to raise money for various organizations like Beat the Streets New England and Campuses Against Cancer. As a coach, he embodied the perfect combination of steady, supportive, technical and competitive. He epitomizes the Nobles teacher-coach-mentor model.

Toubman’s countless former wrestlers refer to him as “one of the most important people they have ever met in their lives.”

Toubman’s involvement with wrestling beyond Nobles includes having coached several youth club programs. As a wrestler himself since eighth grade, he wrestled at Amherst College and then competitively until he was 29, including in two Maccabiah Trials. Toubman also served as president of the New England Independent School Wrestling Association in the late 1980s and earned his USA Wrestling Silver Level Coaching Certificate in 2004.

In 2019, Toubman was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his Lifetime Service to Wrestling.

ALEX KATZ ’13

More than any other male skier in Nobles history, Alex Katz ’13 dominated the slopes for the six years he participated on the alpine ski team and set a very high standard for the athletes who followed.

A senior captain, Katz was a four-time All-ISL skier and five-time All-New England racer who gained a strong reputation across all the independent schools in New England. His junior and senior years, he was recognized by the Boston Globe as the male All-Scholastic skier, finishing #1 in the ISL each season—the only male skier at Nobles to have done so even once. Katz capped his Nobles ski racing career by winning the NEPSAC Class A Giant Slalom, and along the way earned All-New England (top 10) status in 8 of the 10 events he competed in over the course of his stellar career.

While Katz’s main sport was skiing, he was also a four-year varsity golfer. The team won an ISL championship his sophomore year, and a second during Katz’s senior year, when he was captain. Katz received the Dewey Golf Award his junior year and All-ISL recognition his senior year.

Katz continues to ski, and is a fully certified USSA ski racing coach. He spent a winter while in college instructing and guiding in Colorado.

SHELDON ROSS ’78

Sheldon Ross ’78 is a multisport athlete with an impressive athletic career at Nobles and beyond in football, basketball and lacrosse. As captain of the football team, he was a key player and his performances earned him Nobles MVP and a spot on the Patriot Ledger All-Star team. He was also named to the All-League team his junior and senior years.

Ross’s football career was marked with remarkable achievements, including scoring touchdowns in victories over BB&N and Roxbury Latin. Coach Nick Marinaro called him “one of the finest football players ever at Nobles” who “dominated every game.” Ross was also an accomplished basketball player and served as the captain and starting center. He was named to the ISL All-Star team, awarded the Navoni Sportsmanship Award, and led his team to a tight victory over Milton. For a brief stint, Ross also wrestled, where he was ranked as the #1 heavyweight.

On the lacrosse field, Ross was a starting defenseman his sophomore, junior and senior years. His athletic prowess was noticed by more than 90 colleges and universities, which recruited him for both football and lacrosse. He eventually chose to attend Williams College, where he continued to play both sports.

Even after completing his college career, Ross continues to coach as well as compete in lacrosse and basketball, demonstrating his passion and commitment to lifelong athletics. His athletic achievements are a testament to his dedication and hard work, and are an inspiration to young athletes.

DEB STURTEVANT WHITE ’78

Deb Sturtevant White ’78 pioneered girls’ athletics during the first years of co-education at Nobles, playing field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. Not only was she a dominant athlete then, but she continues to dedicate herself to coaching girls’ sports with tremendous and enduring impact.

White was on the very first girls’ varsity teams at Nobles after the school went co-ed in 1974. She started for the field hockey, basketball and lacrosse teams and was a strong leader on the field hockey pitch, scoring a memorable goal against Milton her senior year. She captained her basketball team her senior year with coach Nick Nickerson, and led the team to an undefeated season in the program’s third year. The Nobles girls basketball team, which still dominates today, went on to win the 1975 New England Tournament.

White has made meaningful contributions to girls athletics throughout her long and distinguished career. She was a two-sport Division I collegiate athlete at Brown University, where she received eight varsity letters. White has been coaching in one capacity or another since college. At neighboring Dedham Country Day School, she has coached the field hockey and lacrosse program since 1986, marking her 500th win in 2015. This spring, White is celebrating her 75th season.

1951

class correspondent

Galt Grant

1952 & 1953

class correspondent

John Childs

So, here we are on the first page of the Nobles Graduate News, and we are facing class reunions of 71 and 70 years coming up this May. That should tell you something about how old we must be, and perhaps instill a sense of urgency to return to our school of yesteryear to connect with a dwindling number of old friends. There are several local classmates who will attend,

and we look forward to sharing friendships and memories with those able to travel.

Pete Willauer moved to Falmouth, Maine, last fall, but then took off for Nevis in the West Indies for six months. Parkinson’s has finally “ended our boat life,” but he and Carol are still actively involved in the Hurricane Island Center for Science & Leadership, which they founded 12 years ago. This has been a great success, with the number of students increasing each year, and achieving recognition internationally, nationally and regionally. They have eight grandchildren and two greats so far. “Fond memories of Nobles friends still here and long gone. Also, of crew and football.”

Jack Farlow, always on the

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Please note: If you do not have a class correspondent listed, you may submit your notes online at www.nobles. edu/community/graduates/submit-a-class-note/ … or volunteer to become the class correspondent by contacting Director of Graduate Affairs Kate Treitman Brown ’99 at kbrown99@nobles.edu

go (particularly intellectually), reports that he is actively involved in “senior colleges” that are based on “the joy of lifelong learning.” This is a once-a-week, year-round commitment, in person or on Zoom, full of fun, interesting people. As to our reunion, “traveling is a pain,” and if he and Jane can’t make it, he’ll be thinking of us having a memorable time.

Lu Hallett is recovering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and seems to be as chipper as ever. He and Carol are full-time Floridians now, don’t drive, and are living on their daughter’s horse farm in Spring Hill. “Left my snow shovel in New Hampshire!”

So good to hear from Stanley Johnson, who, like several of us, is very pleased to be living in a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community), and I imagine he and Thora are very active participating in resident committees. Their three children and five grandchildren “keep us jumping. Life is good.”

Old reliable Ben Taylor sent along a note of encouragement, but no specific news this time. However, it is safe to assume he is still entertaining his retirement home fellows with stories and comments, and beating everyone in sight at bocce.

Ted Jennings called the other day to say that he and Sally continue to thrive at their retirement community near Albany, where they have enjoyed living in a comfortable cottage for nearly 10 years. While Covid has changed many aspects of daily living for all of us, they participate as much as possible in campus activities. A recent high point was attending Ted’s 65th

reunion at dear ol’ Dartmouth. And here’s a wonderful report from Jake Dunnell’s nephew Jacob. He has been caring for his uncle for several years and keeps him abreast of everything Nobles. Jake will not be able to make it to Nobles in May, but Jacob has asked permission to attend in his place, to gather news for his uncle. Jacob is an extraordinarily dedicated relative and friend, and will naturally be warmly welcomed to join us.

Nearby, we keep in close contact with Bob Hoffman and Susan, and Dave Thibodeau is just down the street from us at Fox Hill. If health permits, I’ll make sure they will be drinking a toast in the Castle this May to those of you who are unable to make your way to Dedham.

1954 class correspondent

Peter Partridge

John Stimpson and his wife, Trish, visited Peter Partridge overnight in West Falmouth early last November. It was a great get-together after the passing of Peter’s wife, Gretchen, from a stroke last March. It is important to keep in touch with friends and family at our age, and I hope classmates will offer updates about how they are doing.

1955 class correspondent Bob Chellis

Living our golden years under the pandemic cloud takes away some of the joy—but here are some notes from 2022, as 10 of us persist.

Charlie Nichols writes that he “visited New England in August—saw family and friends. We’re lucky to have had a wonderful lunch at TCC with Wally Stimpson and Susie before Wally’s passing, then Christmas and New Year’s in Texas with Linda’s family. Enjoyed days on an 800acre luxurious ranch, the BBQ capital, for a huge lunch and a number of missions. Looking forward to a week in Charleston, South Carolina, on the Isle of Palms. Granddaughter Tyne is captain of her Bucknell tennis team and playing in a tournament there. Otherwise, our life is ‘same ole, same ole.’ I look forward to spring when I can get my cars out.”

Gerry and Sam Gray write: “We had six days with all our family in Sedona at daughter Alicia’s house, luckily leaving just before the rains came! And in mid-January, we were in Montana for six days; Billings weather was the same as Boston’s!”

Larry Flood, in Blue Hill, Maine, year-round, writes “no special news”—but, reacting to the Ukraine disaster, is studying tanks.

This year, in one week, we lost both Robert E. “Bebo” Gregg Jr. (d. November 9, 2022) and Wallace I. “Wally” Stimpson (d. November 11, 2022) and later this spring John Harrison (d. April 2, 2023). What a loss for the class! Three strong figures and contributors.

Bebo Gregg was an active classmate—outstanding on the

playing field in every season, and, memorably, chair of the Dance Committee senior year. His career included a company dealing with small planes, and then a real estate career with LandVest, dealing with major properties in the Northeast. In 1955, Bebo hosted our memorable graduation party in the Adirondacks at his splendid lakefront and forest camp. And closer to our “retirement years,” he hosted two weekend house parties for available classmates, spouses included. Both times we convened at the Saratoga Racetrack—and then caravanned together to find his great location. Great weekends.

Wally Stimpson was a class leader in every respect. Wally and class president Jim Doty (d. April 17, 2012) were two classmates who gave the class its special character. Wally was a leader in so many ways: academically, team captain, debating team, singing groups, actor. If there was a task, chances are Wally could suggest how to handle it. Jim was class president and reached out to every classmate on a personal level whenever he could help. They covered all our bases; we were very lucky, and both are missed.

Dave Fisher writes: “The loss of Wally Stimpson seems unreal. He is the most gifted and flawless individual I have ever known. I took physics my last year at Nobles—not my academic strong suit, but I studied hard and was gratified to receive an 88. Wally did not take the class, read the physics textbook the night before, and received a 105, having solved the bonus question.”

Bob Chellis writes, “I met Wally my first day at Nobles, on the Wellesley bus, in September 1949. Later, classmates all six years, we carpooled. And in 1953 we had a special summer. Traveling on our own to England, we bought bikes and maps on arrival, and pedaled from Cornwall to Scotland to London. We were 16, the youth hostels were often old estates, and we had a fine summer. Wally was a great traveling companion, as you can imagine—cheerful, steady, unflappable. And very good with maps!

“In December 2022, I shared a ride with Sam and Gerry Gray to Wally’s memorial service at the Wellesley Village Church—and it was remarkable. You can—should!— enjoy it by googling ‘Memorial Service Livestream for Wallace Irving Stimpson 12.2.22.’ An amazing service. Wally and Susie’s four children, 13 grandchildren and spouses contributed, with memories, stories and so many musical numbers. The final song was a multiverse tribute written by the family: ‘Everybody Sing About a Man Named Wally.’ Seventeen children and grandchildren, led by son John on guitar, took the stage. Hearing it again on the website as I write this, I am amazed all over again. It was a grand service and celebration.

“John Stimpson ’54 welcomed us at the Country Club reception, the last of the three brothers who graced Nobles in the 1950s.”

Before his passing, John Harrison shared his tribute to our classmate Wally, seen on page 58.

1956

class correspondent Gren “Rocky” Whitman

“I am busier in retirement than when I was working,” observes John Fritts

George Waterman reports, “Susan Firestone and I spent three weeks in Venice at the 59th Venice Biennale and at the Uffizi in Florence. The Visual Art Library is making good progress. An artist just donated $175,000 so that we could hire a librarian.”

“Almost everyone gets to pass through Albuquerque at least once in their lifetime,” claims Bill Wiese. “To my knowledge, there haven’t been any travelers from N’56 in quite a few years. I am open to hosting or at least sharing a meal with members of any Nobles class.”

Writes David Carroll, “I just took delivery on the only green BMW X3 on the planet. BMW doesn’t make them in green, never did, and said they wouldn’t do one just for me. But guess what? My salesman told them I’d been a good customer over the years, and they said they’d make an exception, but ‘don’t ask again.’”

In an email to his ’56 classmates, Tim Leland suggested that we “check out the number of classes that can claim 100 percent participation in last year’s gift campaign. Of the 82 classes listed in the report, the Class of 1956 is the only one with 100 percent. No, wait! That’s not true. There are three others: the Class of ’40, the Class of ’41 and the Class of

’47. But guess what? Each of those classes has only one living member. That makes achieving 100 percent pretty easy.” What Tim modestly didn’t mention is that he’s the sparkplug who reminds ’56ers when our annual gift is due. Thanks, Tim!

1957

class correspondent

Eliot Putnam

Bill Gallagher writes, “I have always found Reunion Weekend and the Noblest Dinner to be great fun, and last year, 2022 being the 65th anniversary of our graduation, was particularly enjoyable. The school programs, as always, were informative and impressive, the social activities pleasant and collegial. But the highlight of the weekend for me was actually a luncheon held at a local restaurant for classmates only. Out of our 1957 class of 29 boys, we have 18 surviving members, 14 currently living in various New England states. Others live much farther away. But eight of the 14 classmates from our region were able to attend. That’s 57.143 percent of us. Impressive! In some measure, due to Covid, many of us had not seen each other for years…or been out much for that matter. Laughter, high spirits and old stories prevailed. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and there was talk about doing a similar gathering in 2023. Hopefully, by the time of this publication, we will have enjoyed a repeat performance.”

Eliot Putnam shares, “Not knowing when these comments will be published, I thought that

Remembrance

By John harrison ’55, Before his passing in april

You who were so kind and strong We honor you this day Your spirit conveyed was like a song Cheering away dismay

Remorse we feel cannot depart For we who cared so dearly Will remember always your loving heart Which gave to others so freely.

This day we share sadness and love For the loss of one so true Yet, we have heard from up above Your wish for a happy Adieu

In these days we live without you We hold warm memories within our hearts As we fondly think about you While, for a while, we are apart. —

J.J.H. Jr.

I would instead talk about a visit to a new Boston landmark that will assuredly stand the test of time. On a cold, snowy early January day, my wife, Jan, my daughter, Jennifer, and I drove into Boston to see The Embrace, the new sculpture honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, which had just been formally introduced to the world on Boston Common. We were awed and uplifted by what we saw. The metal sculpture commemorates, in a massive yet graceful rendering, the embrace that MLK and CSK shared at the time he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It exudes a sense of peace, of human dignity, and most especially of the love that the two shared and that their time on earth never failed to evoke.

“The Embrace takes its place most appropriately as part of the Boston Freedom Trail and must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Newspaper photographs and written comments and critiques that I have read by those who have not seen the sculpture entirely miss its point, its grace and the peace that it exudes. On the other hand, the large, exceedingly diverse group of folks that surrounded it the day we were there was clearly captivated, as were we, by its aura and its sense of peace. People took photos beside it, walked under it to touch its metal skin, and simply stood and looked at it in quiet admiration. Inlaid in stones around its base are the names of the many Bostonians who have fought the good fight

for racial justice in our town and state over the years. The whole bears eloquent, forceful witness to the cost of freedom and to the power of love. It is a wondrous and welcome addition to our community. Go when you can.”

1958

class correspondent Chris Morss

Larry Daloz writes, “Hoping maybe to make it to the 65th—my first Nobles reunion in years! I am truly looking forward to it now that we’re living in these parts again.

“Sharon and I moved into Kendal at Hanover (a Quakerinspired Continuing Care Retirement Community) in late 2019, and have since become utterly absorbed in the life here, discovering a host of new and quite wonderful friends, staying in reasonable shape physically, still avoiding The Pestilence, and yet traveling as well—last summer twice back to the Northwest and once (and for all) to Iceland. We leave tomorrow for a week with fellow Kendal friends in Tucson. Meanwhile, I am on the editorial board of our literary journal and co-edit the newsletter of the climate initiative here that I helped to start in early 2020. Called Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment (SSAFE), it is the first-ever all-resident organization to link across nine Kendals from here to Chicago. We now number over 500 people working to move our administrations ahead on carbon-reduction actions, from

replacing fossil-fuel heating systems to tightening building envelopes, to replanting grounds in climate-friendly plants, to electrifying our maintenance fleets. In addition, we have mounted dozens of local and national letter-writing campaigns in support of climate reduction legislation. I have been a part of a number of startups for educational and environmental innovation over my lifetime, and never have I been a part of such a rapidly growing, effective, and downright fun initiative as this. Check out our website at https://seniorstewardsactingfortheenvironment.org or just google SSAFE.org and it will pop up. And while you’re in there, skim through our newsletters as well.

“As a cool sidelight, one of my good friends here is Arthur Holcombe, Milton ’58. He was a fullback on the team that crushed us in our final game, and a pitcher in the last, grim baseball game that we also lost to Milton. To prove it, he handed me a battered, dog-eaten baseball with the words ‘Milton 4, Nobles 2.’ He fondly remembers Bob Bland and Gordie Grant from his Harvard days. He remembers others too, but says he’s forgotten who they are…how could that be?”

Peter Norstrand writes, “Kathy and I did spend 10 days in early November in northern Italy, five on Lake Como, four on Lake Maggiore and one in Milan. Weather was ideal, high 60s, spectacular scenery, terrific food, and limited crowds. Kathy’s expansion project at the Coolidge Corner Theatre is slightly behind schedule with

a grand opening likely in early June (two new theaters, an education center and an expanded lobby and concessions). No more waiting in the alley, rain or snow.

“I retired as treasurer of the Brookline Community Mental Health Center but remain on the Board and Finance Committee. I continue to play tennis once a week in winter. Age, aches and pains have taken the bite out of my serve, but not out of the joy of playing the game. I trust that all of our classmates are well.”

Mike Whitman writes, “No moves, but moving to a smaller house in Lyme is in our sights. Still no new body parts below the neck. Hearing aids now let me hear louder what’s going on around me, but I kind of liked the quiet, so only occasional use. Isn’t every morning now a milestone of sorts for us?”

Henry Batchelder writes, “Move completed. Never again!”

All will agree that the iconic car of the Class of ’58 is the D Jag, the Jaguar D Type sports car driven by classmate Tom Rutherford, said to be the only one in the United States registered for street use. “So it was with particular pleasure that I watched the sole D Type entered win the first day Series 3 (front-engine sports cars from 1952 to 1957) time trials at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix in May, running against C Jags, Maseratis, Aston Martins and Ferraris, among others.”

George Foss writes, “No news. Greetings to all.”

Peter Horton writes, “I’m peacefully pacing through this

winter, succumbing to symphonic sounds and comforting concertos while enjoying Russian reads. I am looking forward to a joyful June.”

Bill Russell writes, “Since early last summer, I’ve enjoyed good conversation with several of the illustrious members of 1958. Tappy Wilder was in Maine and happily laughs as easily as ever; George Foss from northern Florida, still ready with provocative and illuminating insights about current affairs; Chris Morss regularly, thankfully, always prepared with a good joke; Henry Batchelder, still quietly advising the Prince; and Jean-Paul Brisson, from Uruguay, where he is still winning (senior) tennis tournaments. Best wishes to all.”

Charlie Long writes, “Rick Ruykhaver is living in Naples, Florida. His wife, Jane (Currier) Ruykhaver, sister of Charles Currier ’54, died in March 2021.”

Chris Morss writes, “In December, after 81 years, the wonderful 1941 Plymouth woodie that an uncle bought new and which I acquired in 1982, passed out of the family when it was sold to an enthusiastic younger friend who is busy fixing its minor problems. The car transported members of the wedding party when he was married, and both he and his wife are thrilled to have the car. I still have the 1940 Pontiac convertible, just like the one my father owned. Otherwise, I wish I could summon the courage to follow Marie Kondo’s advice to rid this house of clutter!”

Tappy Wilder writes, “We’ve been among the fortunate in Northern California not to

be flooded, but to have (all but) thoroughly enjoyed the rains falling from the heavens. Amid ongoing Thornton Wilder duties, I have squeezed in a steady diet of Georges

Simenon’s Inspector Maigret mysteries. You gotta love the socio-economic-cultural range and psychological portraits of those who commit Murder One in these stories. I can’t recommend them too highly for rainy or sunny days.”

Bill Danielson writes, “I continue to track the weather every day, recording conditions at my house, graphing interesting events, and writing very brief summaries. I am a member of the town’s Climate Action Team.”

1959

class correspondents

Whit Bond

Buzz Gagnebin

John Gibson

Thomas Quigley writes, “Fifty years ago, in April 1972, I helped my Marine Corps friend Carter Tweet take his hot-air balloon to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the first Hot Air Balloon Festival. Carter had taught me how to fly the balloon and get my FAA license. There were only 13 balloons attending, making it a rather special affair. Flying the balloon in the still morning air in the shadow of the Sandia mountains was one of those exceptional memories. Each balloon had its own color

scheme, which rendered an unforgettable visual picture in the early morning sun. We had a lot of fun then, even taking third place in the ‘Coyote and Roadrunner’ race. Come this September 2022, the Albuquerque Balloon Festival Committee invited the 13 pilots back for the 50th celebration. Without hesitation, Carter and I were eager to accept and headed again to ABQ, this time without a balloon, as Carter had sold his sometime before. The festival committee, however, had to limit the number of attending balloons from all over the world to just 650 for the weeklong event. What a difference from the original 13. After celebrations, dinners, morning launches, evening glows and mass ascensions, the unforgettable memories were enhanced. I loved being a balloon pilot and flying in the still morning air. If you have not taken a ride in one, make sure it is on your bucket list.”

John Gibson writes, “This has been a difficult several years for many of my classmates with losses associated with Covid and our increased age. My losses include members of my closest family: one son, Irina’s mom who lived with us, my only sister and her husband, and my closest cousin, as well as several friends, Nobles classmates and work associates. Losing a son in the middle of his vibrant and successful life was the hardest. Instead of grieving the losses, I try to cherish the memories. I have finally pretty fully retired from my actuarial career, but mostly as a volunteer, I plan to continue as an educator and as

a board member of the Middle Atlantic Actuary Club (MAAC), and stay active with Harvard and Noble and Greenough alumni groups. My wife, Irina, who has retired from a great career of teaching, and I will have celebrated 29 happy years together by April 2023 and share several grand-nieces and nephews.”

Charles “Buzz” Gagnebin shares, “This is a report of how remarkable experiences I had at Nobles have affected my personal, nonprofessional life ever since.

“Ever since writing a Thomas Jefferson paper junior year, I have been an avid enthusiast and follower and lover of everything he did in his life. Of particular interest to me was his interest in botany, including trees. Ever since, trees have been of particular interest and love for me, and I have many books helping me understand their history, importance and simple beauty. At our former house in Harvard, Massachusetts, we had five sugar maples, which I learned how to tap for the sap, and then invented an easy way to boil the sap into maple syrup. In our former away house in Charlottesville, Virginia, we had an interesting Polonia (paulownia) tree. We also had many black locust trees in Charlottesville. Their wood is one of the best for use in a fireplace because it provides very little damaging smoke to the flue and because it is extremely durable in the soil and was a major source of support in the 19th-century mines to the west. Now, here in Cambridge, there are so many varieties of trees it is a very in-

1. John Stimpson ’54 and his wife, Trish, with Peter Partridge ’54 in West Falmouth early last November.

2. Thomas Quigley ’59 at the 50th celebration of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival as one of the 13 original pilots.

teresting place to keep viewing them. Sweet gums are all over the place, dropping their prickly pods all year long, but have very pretty leaves, particularly in the fall.

“Now, on to Robert Frost. Ever since learning to love his poetry at Nobles senior year, I have been writing poetry that I think is of a similar style, if not quite as remarkable. I have celebrated many events and happenings in my family’s life poetically over the years and have also revised the lyrics of many songs I love to turn them from tragedy into a charming and positive happening. Among those tunes is a favorite, ‘Clementine.’ My lyrics prevent Clementine, the daughter of a Western gold miner in the 19th century, from falling into and drowning in a river while taking her ducklings for a drink. In my lyrics, she is washed down river onto a beach where she regains her breath, and after regaining her strength begins to climb the cliff behind the beach to get out of the valley of the river. In climbing the cliff, she loosens a big boulder, and staring into it sees glowing in the sun a load of gold nuggets, making her a rich lass and connecting with her boyfriend for a life of doing good. I have written another set of lyrics to that music to honor my mother-in-law, Connie’s mother, who passed away sadly at 100 years of age in April 2021. I read it at a burial ceremony for her in Lowell Cemetery and at her memorial service at her Chelmsford congregational church.

“Many of you have seen collages I make of local trees,

displaying their beauty, as we do a dog walk each day in Cambridge, and I usually write a very short poetic verse describing what is meaningful about those pictures every day.”

1960

Albert Vandam

1961

Peter Ward

As we all celebrate our 80th birthday, there may not be quite as much instant energy as we had at Nobles, but the good news is that we get to concentrate on those things we enjoy most. John Merrill has just finished co-editing the fourth edition of the book Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple , widely considered the definitive work on that subject. He is now researching the origins and history of the Ukraine conflict.

In 1962, Brad Willauer and Stu Finlay sailed the Newport Bermuda Race as crew on a boat owned by one of Mr. Putnam’s football teammates at Harvard—635 nautical miles of open ocean in less than two days. Brad has now sailed that biennial race 20 times, training his growing kids ultimately for an all-in-thefamily crew. So, in June 2022, when Brad’s cardiologist was worried about a slushy heart valve, his daughter Tori and son Ben raced the family yacht, Breezing Up, with a crew of Brad’s nephews, nieces, grand-

sons and son-in-law. Brad looks forward to racing again in 2024, but in the meantime is cruising the coast of Maine, sailing six weeks in Provence, sailing for a month in Mallorca, and trying to keep up with his grandkids skiing Sugarloaf in Maine.

Pete Miles is still enjoying skiing at Mt. Bachelor in Oregon several days a week.

Peter Ward spends most of his time researching the widely ignored and clearly mistaken physics of climate change, something no one wants to consider. He keeps sane by hiking regularly in the Tetons in Wyoming. He has given up downhill skiing in favor of more predictable snowshoeing. Feels like old times when he snowshoed to the top of half the mountains in New Hampshire while at Nobles. Last July, he organized a six-day raft trip for 19 family members down the Salmon River through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. An unforgettable experience for all.

Michael Wiggins writes, “I am enjoying twice-a-week ice hockey games at the Milton Academy rink with ‘The Legends’ (self-described), a league of truly ancient players founded and run for many years by Dick Byrd ’67, including a number of seriously mature Nobles graduates, among them Levy Byrd ’70, Charles ‘Chip’ Norton ’73, Dick Malcom ’72 and Chris Counihan ’70 and assorted former worthy opponents from our high school and college days. No-check hockey is kind to older limbs. Any seniors (preferably 60+) still in the game are welcome to contact us about playing, as the ranks are, ahem, thinning.”

Bill Miles says, “First, our group of Afghan refugees is still going strong. Heartbreaking in many ways… kids and wives in Afghanistan, dads here, etc. But added to the group are four Cuban refugees, one Venezuelan and five Ukrainians. The Ukrainians’ hometown is no longer (destroyed). The older dad, his daughter and granddaughter, and another woman and her little son all walked across Ukraine and got into Romania on their journey here.

“Next, I’m just back from 10 days in Copenhagen! Son Bill and a bunch of investors just bought a Division II (looking like they will move up this spring to Division I) pro soccer club. I somehow became the ad hoc link to all the old guys who used to be in charge. They’ve asked me to join their over70 league, which plays three times a week whenever I’m over there, plus their over-70 World Cup team. There are

class correspondent

class correspondent

two full-time people in Bill’s group working at the pro team offices. Bill somehow got to know them several years ago when they worked with the Cosmos and Red Bull. A ton of work to do, but good facilities and an avid town of followers. AB Copenhagen is Denmark’s oldest team, started in 1889. We worked with recruitees either found by one of the two hirees or brought in by agents: two Argentines, two Nigerians from England, a Dane now playing at U Maryland, two Germans, a Mexican playing in Atlanta, etc. Right now, the team is in between the fall and spring seasons, so re-signing many on roster and adding to it. Very fun, very challenging. Looking like I’ll be heading back and forth this spring and summer. Oh, there’s a 91-year-old on the old guys’ team! My idol. Lots more to tell. Retirement ain’t in the cards it seems—all good by me.”

Topher Cutler has worked diligently recounting his crew days, along with a number of other members of the Class of ’64. It is a wonderful read as he follows the paths of a number of his brew buddies, through Nobles and college until today. If you’re interested, please go to the class website (https:// nobles64.org/the-oars-of-64) and read his piece in its entirety. I’ll leave you with a quote from the end of “’64 Oars”: “These days, I row when the sun is warming, the winds light and the lake clear of powerboats. Getting in and out of the boat are the riskiest moments as old knees wobble. Who knew when I coxed a 3d boat race on Quinsigamond

in 1959 that I’d still be paddling its waters 63 years on.”

Alexander Caskey, who has been masterful as the primary creator of our class website, sent this in about one of the groups he’s involved with: “Braver Angels (braverangels.org) is a nationwide organization of over 10,000 members dedicated to depolarizing America.

Founded in 2016 and led by a (numerically) balanced group of Red (conservative) and Blue (liberal) volunteers, the group promotes live and online workshops with the aim of helping people communicate effectively with each other despite strong ideological differences. I wound up inviting one member, whose views I do not agree with, to work together in designing and creating an online environment that enables post-meeting discussions to move forward, conversations to continue, and participants to get to know each other better. A pilot version of the program shows promising results and may be an indicator that efforts to heal America’s toxic divisions may yet succeed.”

1965

Mike Sherman

David Robinson writes, “My solo music CD, One-Night Stand, is now available, so please contact me if you’d like a copy, and I’ll figure out the best way for you to get one. Thanks in advance! My son, Jake, played superb drums on this, and the recording was done 90 percent live in a studio in Amherst, Massachusetts. Original and classic rock and blues—meant to be played loud.”

Michael Sherman says, “Hi ’68ers! In medical news, dear friend, classmate and Manchester neighbor Dr. George Record paid a house call to me last May and in three seconds diagnosed appendicitis, took me to the ER, and sure enough I had a burst appendix...so, thank you, George, for saving my life. Fortunately I had the appendectomy in time to be on my feet to start the school year, and I’m really enjoying being back in the classroom, teaching two sections of calculus in my 51st year at Belmont Hill! Hope to see you all this spring at some kind of reunion. Cheers and best, Sherby.”

Bob Frazee writes, “Thoroughly enjoyed a 50th reunion at Hamilton College in June ’22, the college having pulled out all the stops for not just one, but three reuning classes. I hope other classmates had some similar celebratory experiences this past year. In November, we were overjoyed to welcome

a new grandson, Cameron Michael Frazee, in St. Pete, Florida. Extending very best wishes as always to the Class of ’68.”

1969 class correspondent

Peter Pach

Don Watson said, “Pretty dull around here.” But it would seem his life is busy. He wrote, “Unfortunately, I have retired from playing hockey due to a possible hip replacement. I still heat almost entirely with wood. It’s a lot of work, but wood heat is the best, and it is very rewarding to know I am using no electricity or fossil fuels.”

Don also provided an update on his project to restore a 28-foot powerboat. “I took out every wire and hose, the engine and all tanks. I have modified the windshield, built new larger hatches for the cockpit sole, and painted the deck. I have installed new fuel tanks and a water tank, and I built a new carbon fiber hardtop. I have just begun new wiring. Launch sometime in 2024 is hoped for.

“I am chair of a nonprofit foundation that benefits youth sailing and the New Bedford Yacht Club Sailing School. We have been traveling to James Island, South Carolina, pretty often to visit Ellen’s [his wife] family and get her some time in the South. We have also traveled twice to the Bay Area in California, where our daughter and my older sister both live. Our grandson now lives two miles away, so we see a good bit of him.

“I am feeling really good about my choice to have been a custom boat builder. I basically took a year off from education, and it lasted 45 years. I had some success and met a lot of interesting people. It was all very interesting and was never boring, and I feel very lucky to have grown up in the ’60s. A year or two either way, and I might not have had the opportunity. Best to all.”

George Pendergast reports that he is still working as a fulltime employee at Tufts University as the head golf coach. “My team is very good, top 1 or 2 in the NESCAC conference (good coaching?).”

Steve Baker wrote a note from Florida that makes birdwatching seem ho-hum. “My situation remains a quiet one, still taking care of my mother. Here in the Orlando area, I can actually see rockets launched from the Cape Canaveral area. If I’m at home, I just need to look out my kitchen window or step out into the parking area. If I’m with my mother at her apartment, I can sit on her couch and watch the flight through her sliding glass doors.

“Daytime launches are good, but nighttime launches can be quite beautiful. The first launch of the Artemis I rocket was truly incredible, lighting up the night sky for a hundred miles or more, with the solid rockets glowing brilliant orange until they separated, then deep blue light for the center LOx/ LH2 engines. It was visible for several minutes. Absolutely the best launch I’ve seen yet.

“I think NASA should put some extra elements in the

solids, like the colored logs you can burn in your fireplace. Then the colors through their burn would change from orange to blue to red to green—it would be great!”

Tom Taylor reports from Parish, New York: “Upstate New York continues to be a good move for me. Covid is nonexistent. Fishing for king salmon, coho salmon and steelhead remains good. Still working on remodeling my old house and improving the property. I’m cutting and selling lots of firewood. My grandson is becoming a pretty good hockey player. New aches and pains, it seems, arrive every day. Oh well, it’s to be expected.” Just to prove that he’s not telling fish tales, Tom sent along a photo of a fish he caught. (See left.)

Peter Litman, who has retired, says, “I am coaching a few young guys with business issues, doing some PT on my never-ending supply of sore body parts, and marveling at the irrational, self-destructive behavior of my fellow humans. My days seem pretty full.”

Brad Wilkinson writes that 2022 was noteworthy due to both of his sons. In early July, Brad flew with his oldest son, Ben, into a remote trout lodge in Labrador. He landed an eastern brook trout in the five- to seven-pound range. The trip, twice delayed by Covid, was a 70th birthday gift from Ben and his brother, Freddie (who unfortunately couldn’t make it). But Freddie, Brad said, did make another extraordinary trip. “In December, Freddie was the guide and journalist for a National Geographic expedition

1. Phelps Brown III ’67 2. Debbie and Peter Gates ’69 at Manda Bay on the Indian Ocean 3. Brad Wilkinson ’69 with his son, Ben, in Labrador 4. Tom Taylor ’69 holding a salmon while standing in a stream near his home in Parish, New York 5. The Byrd brothers in Maine last summer: Dick ’67, Lev ’70, Ames ’71 and Harry ’73. All of us were captains of various sports at Nobles, but up here in Vinalhaven, we’re just a bunch of swabbies.

to Saunders Island, just off the coast of Antarctica, to explore for the first time the volcano there. We followed his incredible adventure via his daily satellite cell phone reports. This fall, you will be able to read his article in NatGeo and watch the TV show they are making.”

Peter Gates and his wife, Debbie, continuing to revive Covid-delayed travel plans, spent three weeks in East Africa last fall, visiting with gorillas in the mountains of southwest Uganda, and trucking across the savannah and dried lake beds of central and southern Kenya. Peter said, “There is nothing quite like watching a lion munch on a leg-o’-wildebeest from 20 feet away (in the safety of a Toyota Land Cruiser).” The trip included a few days languishing, fishing and waterskiing at Manda Bay on the Indian Ocean.

Mark Haffenreffer writes, “I took the plunge, now two years ago, into retirement and prepared for it with something medical, something project-oriented and something sportsbased and social. The ‘something medical’ is developing a short program of exercise that is based on the most common areas to be affected with age, with a second portion that is guided by a learned self-examination that tells us your particular limitations. The program is daily and requires commitment, but is only 5–7-minutes long, so no one really has an excuse not to do it. The beta testing has been successful about 50 percent of the time with very encouraging results, as a short program done frequently can be powerful. It has required a lot

of observation and modification, but I have been at this for 40 years, as my practice was always in one place so that I could see what is age decline and what is lack of effort. I am not sure I will do a website, as it requires a lot of time to explain the program correctly, but I will probably work with a limited number of people (which is what I am doing now) and follow my progress.

“I will not bore you with the ‘something project-oriented,’ but I am putting my limited carpentry skills to work. My golf is erratic, my social life has had a wonderful turn, and I am feeling good in spite of some health setbacks that I refuse to let stop me.”

John Clark chalked up a year full of activity and is already filling his schedule for 2023. “My highlights for 2022 included officiating at my granddaughter’s wedding in June, spending time with my children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, completing the 48 New Hampshire 4,000-footers, retiring on September 30, and rekindling my friendship with Chip Harding—whom I hadn’t seen in more than 50 years—at the 70th birthday party for my younger brother, Tim Clark ’71, in December. My goals for 2023 include spending more time with my family, hiking and biking, donating platelets at least 20 times, and seeing Chip perform his music.”

For my part, Peter Pach writes, “life in Middle Haddam keeps me busy. I agreed to become a member of the Middle Haddam Historic District Commission, which is charged with reviewing any exterior changes

THE FINAL ACT

Onstage With the Class of ’76

Happy 47th anniversary to our ’76er team effort in staging the musical Guys and Dolls—the show that former Headmaster Eliot Putnam hailed as the best he’d ever seen.

Expert directorship was provided by Michael Percival, Peter Kerns, Brian Jones and supporting staff. André Stark and others backstage took care of the logistics and “front of house” priorities.

Cast members Jon Eder and Henry Singer stated that Tom “Nicely-Nicely” Pierpont’s belting of “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” was a standout. At the other end of the performance spectrum, your correspondent’s lingering memory of my role as Big Jule is an embarrassing mistake. As I was making my way through the darkened auditorium and up a wooden ramp to downstage right, the stage gun I was pulling out of my shoulder holster slipped from my grasp and fell onto the ramp with a loud clatter. The cop played by Adam Sholley ’77 was waiting for us to start a dialogue, so I managed a brief, quiet ad lib to one of the thugs at the back of the group to “fetch my piece, pronto,” and all was well from there.

Who can forget Sarah Bloy as Miss Adelaide (“poyls,” not “pearls”) and Jeanne Hilsinger as a Hot Box Girl (“goyle,” not “girl”). Caroline Coggeshall, Allen Gifford and Linda Davis also served up command performances.

It was the time of our lives, a true team effort, and many were those who hoped for additional performances. Let’s all now remember our sadly missed classmates—Doug Boles, Ruth Witbeck and Jim O’Donnell—who played central roles in the production.

to houses, new or old, in the district to try to keep them compatible with the village that has homes, including ours, that date back to the early 1700s. It’s rewarding work with the occasional ruffling of feathers if the commission denies a particular application or sends it back for redesign.

“My restoration of the wood paneling, ceiling, plaster walls and wide-board floors of our dining room finally emerged from behind plastic sheets to contain the dust after six months. I hand-scraped all surfaces of decades—if not more—of paint, and then hired a painter to give it a professional finish. We’ve done some travel around New England, out to Chappaquiddick in August, and a trip to Chicago to help my daughter, Nell, who broke her leg in the fall and who has recovered quickly. We’re happy to have our son, Sam, back in Connecticut having finished his medical residency in Washington, D.C., and now working here as a hospitalist in a hospital close to us.

“Send me some news, whether you’re checking off life goals, writing poetry, or raising heirloom vegetables. Reading any good books or considering the meaning of compassion? It’s all interesting. Would love to hear from classmates if only a hello or to make sure I have a new email address. My email is at the top of this column.”

1971

class correspondents

Harry Blackman

John Dewey

Nick Mittell

Win Perkins

1973

Nathaniel Watson writes, “1) I got married to Melissa Matson in July 2022. (First marriage! Yes, it took me a while.) We are living near Rochester, New York. I moved here after 28 years in Montréal, quite a change! 2) I am still singing and have a new recording out of Schubert’s “Winterreise” on the Canadian label Leaf Music. And 3) I am still spending a lot of time on my bike—rode back to Montréal from John Stalvey’s house in Anchorage two years ago! Cheers!”

1974

class correspondent

Kevin McCarthy

1975

class correspondents

Jed Dawson

Tom Bartlett

Rob Piana

1977

In July 2022, with gratitude for an engaging career in public service, Hugh Martinez retired from the Environmental Protection Agency’s legal office after 34 years.

1978

class correspondent

Christopher Reynolds

1979

class correspondent

Dan Rodgers

I reported on in these notes, I decided to check in again on Bob Roach. Bob tells me that he remains in good spirits despite some setbacks in his long health journey. But getting to hear Bob laugh made my whole day.

It would be really great to hear from any of you, just to catch up. Stay well, my friends.

1980

class correspondent

Martha Kittredge Rowley

Margaret (Marmie) Bowman is consulting with foundations and NGOs on equitable water infrastructure issues and enjoys having both children living nearby, one working at an environmental organization and the other in law school. “Sending hugs to all of my classmates.”

Levy Byrd

Doug Floyd 1976

It’s January now, and a dreary one, without even a snowflake this winter in NYC. And although I’m led to believe it has actually snowed in the Boston area this winter, there was scant evidence of it when I came up to Weston January 26–29. But on the plus side, I did get to go to the Celtics-Lakers game at the TD Garden with my good friend and our classmate Wyc Grousbeck. It was an exciting game that the Celts won in overtime, but the best part of it was getting to hang out with Wyc, who is in his 20th season of ownership of the franchise. Quite an achievement.

After having last spoken to him in March 2022, which

With the world reopening after Covid, Steve Ellis is once again traveling regularly for work. He and his wife, Robin, “bounce” from Dover to Boston to the Cape to New York. Their son Graham Ellis ’24 is an avid golfer; Steve’s daughter is a research analyst for an environmental company in Boston, and his other son is a game designer at Striking Distance in Northern California.

In January, Deb Smith shared that 2023 was “rolling along pretty well and 100 percent better than January 2022” when she broke her arm and suffered significant nerve damage. Thankfully, she continues to make great progress in her overall recovery. Deb still enjoys her teaching and secondary school placement job at Fay, and her son, Nathaniel, is doing

well at American University (’25). Deb had an awesome mini-reunion last fall with Lynn Hinckley Coughlin, Kris Koehler Normandin, Pam Bowers Notman and Martha Kittredge Rowley. Deb added that “probably the biggest shock in her life so far was turning 60!” She hopes everyone is doing well.

Bill Bell writes, “Susan and I continue to live south of Boston in Cohasset while enjoying time in the Scottish Outer Hebrides as well. Over the past months I have had the opportunity to catch up with Tim Carey and Peter Grant over lunch, as well as some fun times with Peter and John Earley on Lake Sunapee and Sugarbush Mountain.”

Martha Kittredge Rowley and her family had a fantastic trip to Australia and New Zealand in the fall of 2022, largely to visit her daughter, Susan Rowley ’19, who spent the fall semester in Sydney. In addition to a couple of destination weddings in 2023, Martha was looking forward to “bouncing” around the Northeast (to use a Steve Ellis phrase) to watch college lacrosse in the spring.

Peter Marcello writes that he is still working at Lahey Hospital as chair of colon and rectal surgery, traveling and teaching others innovative techniques to remove polyps endoscopically to avoid colon surgery. He spends his summers in North Scituate and sees Tim Nash and enjoys buzzing around Hingham harbor in the Nash boat. Peter and his wife and ski partner of 30 years, Maureen, spend winter weekends skiing at Sugarloaf. Their daughter, Bianca, a UCLA grad, is now at Lewis and Clark Law

School, in Portland, Oregon.

1981

class correspondent

John Fiske

Four from Class of ’81 attended Joe Swayze’s memorial service in September. Stokely Towles made the cross-country trek from Seattle; local folk Linda Lynch, Sam Smart and John Fiske squared the group. Several graduates from other classes as well as numerous retired and a few current faculty also attended. The four from 1981 agreed to organize a mini between-reunion gathering sometime in 2023.

1982

class correspondent

Holly Malkasian Staudinger

1983

Hello, Class of ’83! I have loved reconnecting with reunion committee members and hearing from classmates as I send out reunion info and collect new contact info. Here’s the latest and greatest…

In August, Steve and I hosted a get-together for our former classmate Kevin Williams (who graduated from Portsmouth Abbey). He has lived and worked in Japan for decades with his wife, Aya, and three kids. He hadn’t been back to the United States in years due to Covid, so we thought it

class correspondent Nancy Sarkis Corcoran

1. Peter Marcello ’80, daughter Bianca and wife Maureen 2. From left: Stokely Towles, Linda Lynch, John Fiske, Sam Smart (all Class of 1981) at Joe Swayze’s memorial service 3. Stephen Corcoran ’83, Holden Corcoran ’18 and Nancy Sarkis Corcoran ’83 at Holden’s Georgetown University graduation weekend in May 2022 4. Lindsey Plexico ’83 and Jeff Schwartz ’83 at their wedding in Cohasset in June 2022 with officiant and former Nobles faculty and coach Tim Carey 5. Class of 1983 gettogether for former classmate Kevin Williams: In attendance were Nancy Sarkis Corcoran, Haley Clifford Adams, Jane Fogg, Kristen Forsberg Diebus, Amy McCulloch Brown, Fred Ewald, Davis Fulkerson and Chris McCusker. 6. A group of graduates from the class of 1985 out to lunch on a beautiful fall day. From left: Amy Fay Kopfler, Denise Finn McDonough, Temi Dogon Correll, Cathy Simmons Browne, Amie Carroll Abdal-Khabir and Liza Connelly.

would be fun to put together a mini Nobles reunion. Thanks to the following classmates who joined us for BBQ and summer fun on the pond; Haley Clifford Adams, Jane Fogg, Kristen Forsberg Diebus, Amy McCulloch Brown, Fred Ewald, Davis Fulkerson and Chris McCusker (and wife Tina). So great to see everyone and catch up! (See photo on page 66.)

Big congratulations to Lindsey Plexico and Jeff Schwartz, who have tied the knot! Former Nobles faculty member and coach Tim Carey married the couple in a fun family wedding in Cohasset in June 2022. Tim even included a poetry lesson. (See photo on page 66 of Tim, Lindsey and Jeff.)

Last fall, Kimberly Huskins and I enjoyed a nice get-together. She looks great and is enjoying her job in the economics department at Boston University.

Suzanne (Munchy) Holway Conran wasn’t able to join us for reunion as she was wedding dress shopping with her daughter, who is getting married next year.

Doug McLeod still runs his business in Maui and Oahu, Hawaii, but commutes to his home in Portland, Oregon, regularly to be closer to his twin daughters, who are now in college. Lily is a neuroscience major at UCLA and Lucy is an education major at McGill.

Allen Davidson is another classmate on the move. He has started a new business (ADD Associates Inc.) and splits his time between Massachusetts and Illinois.

Thomas (Toby) Gillis works

for a tech company and splits his time between California, Florida and Cape Cod.

Last but not least, we have the best reunion committee that deserves a shout-out! Thanks to all of these great classmates for giving their time and energy to make our reunion fun and productive. And to our Nobles cohorts, Jenny Evans and Diane Marangoly, for keeping us on track and making things happen. Very grateful. Haley Clifford Adams, Kristen Forsberg Diebus, Jane Fogg, MaryBeth Long, Margot Hartley MacArthur, Martin McDonough, John Montgomery, Greg Pastore, Lindsey Plexico, Wendy Riseborough, Deborah Paine Sabin and Mark Young

1984

class correspondent

Christine Todd

1985

class correspondent

Neil Bleicken

Liza Connelly writes, “On a beautiful fall Saturday, six of us from the Class of 1985 (Amy Fay Kopfler, Denise Finn McDonough, Temi Dogon Correll, Cathy Simmons Browne, Amie Carroll Abdal-Khabir and I) caught up over lunch outside.”

(See photo on page 66.)

Richard Morse writes, “Recently I’ve reconnected with several classmates, and it’s been such a pleasure. It’s amazing how quickly it all feels familiar despite—or because of?—the fact that we’ve known one another for ~40 years. Last year,

I passed 10 years living in Palo Alto, California, where I find myself with two kids of my own in college, happily remarried to a psychotherapist/equestrienne/musician, and with an eighth-grade stepson. Despite my NOLS career fading in the rear-view mirror, I still enjoy getting to the mountains—California, Colorado, Wyoming and Oregon—and bike and hike locally. Silicon Valley is a hard place to build community, I’ve found, which is perhaps why reconnecting with Nobles friends has been so enjoyable. In 2021, after almost 10 years, I left a talent development role at Gilead Sciences to start my own consulting practice focused on team development, effectiveness and strategy, plus leadership program facilitation. I successfully launched this past year, and it’s been hugely rewarding to focus on the work I most enjoy and to spend more time hiking our boxer dogs. Best wishes to all.”

1986 class correspondents Heather Markey Jessica Tyler

Elise Gustafson

Sean Farley writes, “On December 7, 2022, I celebrated my 30th year at John Hancock Investment Management. Traveling quite a bit for work, but I still enjoy my job. I live in Norwell with my wife, Cheri, and three kids. Ryan works at Fidelity, Shaylin is a sophomore at Clemson, and my daughter Kayla just graduated from Sacred Heart. Hope everyone has a fantastic 2023.”

Chrissy Kelly writes, “I am in year 27 at Greenwich Country Day School, teaching our youngest students. My girls are in third grade there and loving school. Always thankful for the amazing teachers and friends from my Nobles years!”

1988

correspondents

Eliza Kelly Beaulac

1993

1998

class correspondent

Nina Freeman Hanlon

1994

1995

Molly Hamill reports that she has reached a real turning point in parenthood after having had kids later than most—showering more often with the door closed and seeing stand-up comedy with friends a few times. Oh, a Nobles-related highlight? Working/laughing with Jenny Sherman ’96 on any/all photo gigs possible and reminiscing about “dayz with the Swayze. Thanks for everything, Joe!”

Katharina Grautoff Form writes, “We had a great time last summer in Hingham all together when I picked up my oldest son from boarding school in Vermont with two of my other kids and visited Brett Holmgren’s family at his wonderworld house in Hingham. All his kids wear German traditional clothes (lederhosen and dirndls), so they are all set for their—hopefully soon—visit for Oktoberfest.”

After 22 years at Casewise/ erwin/Quest (via several acquisitions), Deena Zhelezov Freed took a position on the sales team at Ardoq, a Norwegian software company, in January 2022. The same month, Deena became co-owner of Simply Yoga, a yoga studio based in Belmont,

Massachusetts (where she has been teaching since January 2017). Working both jobs while raising two wonderful teenagers and having one foot in the corporate world and the other in health and wellness, it feels like a balance has finally been reached.

1996

class correspondents

Matt Kane

class correspondents

Andrew Lamb writes, “My wife and two kids still live in Boston (North End) and are loving it. I am working for InfluxData (startup number six, depending on how you count), where we are building some very cool open-source analytic and timeseries database technology in Rust. On a more personal note, I was fortunate to spend an evening with Adam Taub and his family when I was in the Bay Area this summer speaking at a technical conference. If anyone is working in similar areas, I would love to connect.”

1999

class correspondent

Gabriela Herman

Eric Hanson writes, “After several months of planning and a well-timed layoff, I’m taking an extended break—which may turn into a full departure—from New York, my home for the last 18-plus years. Over the next nine or so months, my girlfriend and I will travel around Central and South America, with plans to go to Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and perhaps a few other places as well. I’m excited to see many new things, improve my Spanish, and experience what it’s like to live in other places for a while before I make decisions about my next steps.”

Olivia Achtmeyer Boger writes, “I am not necessarily

class correspondent

Sam Jackson

class correspondent

Marni Fox Payne

Sean Greenhalgh 1997

Bobbi Oldfield Wegner

Jessie Sandell Achterhof

1. Steph Mills (left), founder and co-owner of Simply Yoga, with Deena Z. Freed ’95 (right), September 2022 2. Deena Zhelezov Freed ’95 in Iceland on a company trip with Ardoq, April 2022 3. From left: Katharina Grautoff Form ’95, Brett Holmgren ’95 and their families 4. Eric Hanson ’99 during a climb up a volcano in the Galápagos in December 5. Kate Holmgren, Brett Holmgren ’95 and Katharina Grautoff Form ’95

Dream-Maker

When the Jonas Brothers tour tapped young production staffer Bianca Mauro ’99 to take over for a veteran automation operator a few weeks before their European leg, she was intimidated—but up to the challenge. She hunkered down in a warehouse with the set and union labor for two days to study up, then shipped off to Italy. “My entire career is defined by impostor syndrome. Realizing that you will always be a student is super important. Whether you call it impostor syndrome, or the need to always improve yourself—that quality of it is healthy.”

At Nobles, Mauro was obsessed with pushing creative boundaries in theatre. She always wanted to be someone “who brings joy and inspiration into people’s lives.” A job during college at Boston University loading post-show trucks at the then-Boston Garden led to touring gigs over 15 years and across six continents from “the most incredibly uninhabitable conditions on the planet” to stadium venues including Gillette here at home. Ready to move on from touring with the experience and knowledge she’d accumulated in that environment, Mauro spun her passions for art, logistics, entrepreneurship and fulfilling dreams into her production management firm, BRM.

Whether working on an art installation or a music festival like Austin City Limits, Mauro thrives on bringing artists’ visions to life. “I’m privileged they are trusting me with their wild ideas, their shower thoughts.” Mauro’s mantra is “Everything is figure-outable. Acknowledging what you don’t know is the only way to continuously learn.”

sharing a personal update—life is chaotic and awesome raising three boys and running my nonprofit. However, I did want to write in and just give a huge amount of praise to the Nobles of 2022–23 as I was on campus this fall. Walking into assembly at 8 a.m. and seeing the place that we all knew so very alive and well was a moment that has stuck with me all fall and early winter. The level of expertise by the students working on the tech crew, the eloquence of the other presenters that day in allschool meeting, the love of the faculty members who remembered me, and the generosity of new faculty was something to behold. If you haven’t had a chance to get back to campus, go. The school buildings have certainly been updated and expanded upon, but the essence of the place is so very much there, and it was a gift to witness. Hope everyone in the Class of 1999 is doing well—love to you all.”

2000

class correspondent

Lisa Marx Corn

2001

class correspondent

Lauren Kenney Murphy

2002

class correspondent

William N. Duffey III

2003

class correspondent

Laura Marholin Garcia

Courtney Smith shares, “After almost two years and about 1,000 Covid tests later, I returned to the stage this past June in a new musical called Heartbeat of America: The Classics of Country at the Bristol Valley Theatre in Naples, New York. We sang the best of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, and I got to swing a baseball bat around while belting out Carrie Underwood’s classic hit “Before He Cheats.” Just when I thought life couldn’t get much sweeter, I returned to NYC and was promoted at Ralph Lauren! I now help to manage our global hospitality department and oversee all five restaurants: The Polo Bar in New York City, RL Restaurant in Chicago, Ralph’s Restaurant in Paris, The Bar at Ralph Lauren in Milan, and our newest addition—Ralph’s Bar in Chengdu.”

2004

class correspondent

Carolyn Sheehan

Wintner

2005 class correspondent Saul Gorman Anne Benjamin writes, “I recently moved to NYC after a year of traveling and living abroad as a digital nomad.”

2006 class correspondent E.B.

Bartels

Well, well, well, if it isn’t 2023.

BIANCA MAURO ’99

Happy New Year, Class of 2006! Hope that the first few weeks (months by the time you read this?) are off to a good start. But if they’re not, it’s okay. Life is about highs and lows, right? So let’s look at some highs and lows from our classmates: Champion Cory Rosenfield wrote in with an update before I even had to harass all of you for your life news. (Thanks, Cory!) Cory shares: “My wife, Aysha Majeed, and I (with our Mini Bernedoodle, Blue) moved from Seattle down to Los Angeles in August of 2021, and we recently traveled to Italy to celebrate our five-year anniversary! (Yes, I ate gelato at least once a day!) In terms of career, I most recently headed up business operations at an esports company called Skillz. I lasted about 11 months there and decided to step away from the organization. So, yes, I’m currently unemployed, but I wanted to share this story as a reminder that we’re not always going to be successful—as we define it for ourselves—100 percent of the time. I know others have experienced some professional or personal challenges in the past couple of years, so this update is for all of the grads who may feel disappointed with the state of their life/career. This doesn’t mean that we’ve failed; it’s just that we haven’t reached our destination yet! When reading the magazine, I’m in awe of what my fellow grads have accomplished. This is the friendly reminder to keep pushing through ‘the downs’ and know that you’ll get to where you want to be! Much love to all of the Nobles family and especially my ’06 classmates.”

Thank you for sharing, Cory! I really appreciate your honesty! Remember, not everything is as great as it looks on Instagram or in Nobles magazine (though that picture of Cory and Aysha on the left is pretty picturesque). Also, Cory adds: “P.S. Don’t worry too much about me as I will land on my feet soon :).”

Two other high moments happened in late August and mid-September when both Erin Bruynell and Erin Greene got married! (Not to each other.) Yes, it was A Tale of Two Erins: Wedding Edition! Yes, the same Nobles banner made an appearance at both weddings! And, yes, it was awesome!

Erin B married Sean Gallagher in Boston on August 27. Their ceremony was at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End, followed by a reception at the Newbury Boston, and a whole gang of Nobles people attended and danced their feet off: E.B. Bartels, Erin Greene, Janna Herman, Caroline Holland, Lydia Paine Hagtvedt, Melissa Weihmayer, Melissa Bruynell Manesse ’05, Rob Linsalata ’04 and Mike Harrington ’03. (See page 82 for pictures from the festivities!) Congrats, Erin and Sean! May you feel the joy and love from that day every day, and I hope it buoys you through any and all hard times. And, yes, Erin B is now Erin Bruynell Gallagher, so there are officially two Erin Gs.

The OG Erin G writes about her wedding (photos of which are on page 82): “2022 was certainly a year of highs and lows! I got married

to my

1. Cory Rosenfield ’06 and his wife, Aysha Majeed, in Italy celebrating their five-year anniversary. Cory ate gelato at least once a day! 2. Courtney Smith ’03 singing “Ode to Billy Joe” in Heartbeat of America: The Classics of Country at Bristol Valley Theatre in Naples, New York 3. Melissa Weihmayer ’06 (left) and E.B. Bartels ’06 (right) got to visit Joanna Swayze (middle) at her home in Rockport in August. While the visit was bittersweet (it was the first time Melissa and E.B. had been to Rockport since Joe Swayze’s passing in July), nothing beats hanging out with Joanna.

now-husband, Greg Millar, this September in Maine, in a ceremony beautifully co-officiated by the inimitable E.B. Bartels, surrounded by loved ones, including other ’06 all-stars Erin Bruynell Gallagher, Janna Herman, Brad Caswell and Josh Pollack. It was the most magical weekend! It also, sadly, gave both of us and numerous guests Covid. Thankfully, everyone has since recovered, and we’re trying to focus on the wonderful memories, but it made for an emotionally complex autumn. I guess we were a little too diligent in realizing the ‘in sickness and in health’ part of our vows!”

Well, Greene, you’ve always been diligent in everything you do, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from you and Greg. It was the greatest honor to officiate your wedding. Thanks for having me! Glad I didn’t screw it up. Also, if any other classmates are looking to get married, I am now ordained by the Universal Life Church and am available to officiate.

Caroline Holland wrote in with some highs and lows of her own: “Highs: I started a new job on the marketing and communications team at MENTOR, a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston; my fiancé and I set a September date for our wedding; I scored floor seats to Taylor Swift’s concert; and I’ve recently gotten to celebrate Nobles friends at events including Erin Bruynell’s wedding and E.B. Bartels’s book signing. Lows: Realizing we’ve really, truly, fully aged out of the ‘young graduates’ demographic.”

Congrats on all the good stuff, Caroline! And I’m right

there with you—I gasped when I saw the cut-off for the class years for the night-before-Thanksgiving event. Yikes.”

But now for some good news: Jay Romano is now a dad! Jay and his wife, Katherine, welcomed their daughter, Scarlett Grace Romano, on January 2, 2023, weighing in at 6 lbs. 14 oz. Jay writes: “Scarlett has been a joy these first few weeks, and we’re excited to bring her down to visit Boston and Nobles this spring.”

Can’t wait to meet her, Jay! Hopefully we won’t have to wait until our 20th Reunion in 2026! (Also, lol what? That is really our next reunion?) See page 83 for a photo of Scarlett!

More good news: Brendon Mills is also a dad! Brendon and his wife, Katie Frost, welcomed their daughter, Vesper Jensen Mills, on July 26, 2022, in Annapolis, Maryland, where they live. See page 83 for a photo of Brendon and Vesper chilling on the beach. Congratulations, Brendon! You look like a natural dad.

Even more good news: Greg Croak is a dad…again! Greg and his wife, Libby, welcomed their daughter, Paige Josephine Croak, on December 2, 2022. Hard to believe that Greg and Libby now have “TWO G-D CHILDREN” (Greg’s words), but I’m very happy for them. See page 83 for a photo of Paige!

And even more good news: Julia Carn reported, “Chris, Daisy and I are expecting our first (human) child in May—going to be a girl, due May 20!” Congrats, Julia! Can’t wait to include photos in the next issue of the magazine. Here’s to

a healthy and easy pregnancy and delivery. Love this army of ’06 daughters!

Everyone’s favorite expat, Melissa Weihmayer, wrote in: “It was a year of ups and downs! I made some beautiful new memories with Nobles friends, and I also appreciated sharing old memories during the sadder occasions. I got to visit Joanna Swayze in Rockport with E.B. the day after Erin B’s wedding, and that visit captures both the high and low sentiments. Joanna excitedly recounted stories of Joe teaching his young grandkids how to use a new camera over Zoom, and we also reflected on the many ways that Joe lives on in our lives and how much we all miss him. And, ever the supporter of her students’ varied pursuits, Joanna excitedly shared how she binge-read E.B.’s book in one weekend.”

I couldn’t agree more, Melissa. That day in Rockport was both happy and sad, just as Joe Swayze’s memorial service in September was, which felt both like a sad traditional funeral and also a joyful Nobles reunion. See page 70 for a photo from Melissa’s and my Rockport visit. Plus, in other good news: Melissa also tied the knot in 2022! In October, Melissa celebrated her civil partnership to Christopher Rowlands in a small ceremony in London, complete with British rain and afternoon tea. See page 82 for a screenshot I took while watching the nuptials via Zoom. Finally, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has so enthusiastically supported my book Good Grief since it was published in August. (I think Greg Croak has officially

bought more copies than my mom at this point?) It has been really wonderful to hear from so many of you who have read it or bought it for someone, or harassed your local library into carrying it. But seriously, talk about highs and lows. There were some truly incredible things that came out of publishing a book: Good Grief was featured in 55-plus media outlets including the Boston Globe, Boston.com and NPR’s “Here and Now,” and I did 35-plus book events, including an assembly presentation at our very own Noble and Greenough School, and so many Nobles alums, faculty, staff and my former students showed up for book events. But I also definitely did not take care of myself throughout all of that, and I did not rest as much as I should have, and in 2022 I got three terrible colds, Covid twice (yet, shockingly, not from Erin G’s wedding?!) and walking pneumonia. So, yeah. Lots of good along with the bad. But that’s how life is, right? We’ll all float on, okay.

2007

Kat Sargent

From Broghan Cully: “It’s been a busy fall in the Cully household! My wife, Sara, gave birth to our daughter, Kiehl Kennedy Cully, on September 7, 2022, and a few weeks later I started the Executive MBA program at MIT. Bye-bye, sleep!”

Matt Karis and his wife, Jess, welcomed their first child on December 28, 2022. Welcome, Sebastian Jonathan Karis!

FashionForward Thinking

Laura Zwanziger ’11, founder and CEO of Fit for Everybody, started to knit before she could read. Her dream was always to work in fashion in New York City. After graduating with a BS in Apparel Design from Cornell University, she did just this, taking a job in product development for Oscar de la Renta. “At Oscar, I had my hand in a lot of cookie jars and saw the entire story arc of design. I recognized that there was a ton of waste in sampling and production, and I didn’t understand why someone had not solved this problem,” reflects Zwanziger.

She headed to business school at MIT Sloan not with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur. However, it was during this time that her self-proclaimed “side hustle,” Fit for Everybody, started to take shape. The basic premise of the startup was to improve apparel fit and design by crowdsourcing body measurements. After completing MIT’s delta v accelerator program and finding initial investors, Fit for Everybody was officially launched in 2021.

“This past year, we have helped designers save as much as 30% of their budget,” remarks Zwanziger. In the future, she hopes to work with consumers by connecting them to brands that will best fit them.

From Jake Tower: “Lauren and I welcomed our son, Landon, to the family on November 8, 2022. Everyone is doing great! We love living in Boston and will try to hold out here in the city a while longer before looking for more space. Lando is already amassing a wardrobe with a healthy proportion of Boston sports apparel. Later this spring, I’m making a pivot and joining a private practice in Newton called the Spiegel Center. I’ll continue to grow a broad practice in facial plastic surgery, but I’m particularly excited to be joining another surgeon who is known worldwide for his pioneering work in facial feminization—2023 is shaping up to be a busy year for us!”

Anne Sholley and her husband, Peter Erhartic, welcomed their son, Graham Sholley Erhartic, on October 25, 2022. They’re living in Providence, Rhode Island, with their 2-yearold daughter, Marlow.

2008

class correspondent

Michael Polebaum

Taylor Cazeault ’08 and her husband, Ethan Littman, welcomed their son, Cooper, in September 2022.

2009

class correspondent

Maria Montes

Geanacopoulos ’12) and Uncle Vico (Victor Ordonez ’12)!

2010 class correspondent

Tori Goyette

2011 class correspondent Katie Puccio-Williams

2012 class correspondent

Coco Woeltz

ccwoeltz2@gmail.com

2013 class correspondent

Caroline Thayer

Shanti Gonzales received an AdWheel Marketing Award from the American Public Transit Association. She is working for Transit App, and the company won an award for a report she wrote.

2014 class correspondent

Alexandra Charron

2015 class correspondent

Natalie Hession

2016 class correspondents

Sabrina Rabins

Ally Geanacopoulos and her husband, Ben, welcomed their son, Owen, in June 2022. He loves playtime and snuggles with his Auntie Soph (Sophia

Mariana Vega

LAURA ZWANZIGER ’11

2017

class correspondent

Harry Sherman

2018

class correspondent

Jill Radley

Esther Lovett and Holden Corcoran ran into each other at the Georgetown University Senior Ball last May 2022. Esther was a neurobiology major and works for Guidepost Growth Equity in Boston. She had a good summer traveling in Europe. Holden was a psychology major and works in D.C. for a health-care consulting firm.

2019

class correspondents

Cyan Jean

Ally Guerrero

2020

class correspondents

Drew Barry

Hailey Brown

2021

class correspondent

Hadley Winslow

Grace Hayward and Olivia Hayward ran the NYC Marathon on November 6, 2022. They ran in honor of their grandfather, who passed away from Alzheimer’s, and raised

18k for the Alzheimer’s Association with the help of family and friends!

2022

class correspondent

Alex

Janower

Alex Janower has spent first semester with Where There Be Dragons in Bolivia and Peru, backpacking, hostel hopping and homestaying. “I’m picking up an internship with Sea Ahead for the spring semester, and then embarking on a big cross-country road trip.”

Armaan Bhojwani says, “On my gap year, I’m focusing on travel as well as education. I spent three months exploring India in the fall, and I’m currently working doing sailboat maintenance while taking a variety of academic courses. In the spring, I will participate in a cultural immersion program in Bolivia and Peru before getting back to offshore sailing racing over the summer, and then starting as an engineering student at Johns Hopkins.” Here’s a photo (at right) of Armaan repping Nobles 2022 at 15,500 feet in Kashmir, India.

Heath Lawry and John Ryan went to Australia during their fall semester, and now John Ryan and Will Canavan are in Costa Rica with a program for second semester.

In the fall, Lucy Johnson did a philosophy semester in Georgetown, Maine, and is now in Colorado working as a lift operator.

Ethan Anderson transferred from Purdue to NYU.

1. Esther Lovett ’18 and Holden Corcoran ’18 at the Georgetown University Senior Ball in May 2022 2. Grace Hayward ’21 (left) and Olivia Hayward ’21 (right) running the NYC Marathon on November 6, 2022 3. Alex Janower ’22 backpacking in Toro Toro, Bolivia, looking over miles of protected land filled with fossils 4. Armaan Bhojwani ’22 repping Nobles 2022 at 15,500 feet in Kashmir, India!

In Memoriam

PERCY NELSON ’40

Percy Nelson ʼ40, Nobles’ oldest graduate, passed away September 7, 2022, surrounded by family and friends in the home where he was born and lived in for all but a few years of his life.

During his time as a student at Nobles 85 years ago, Nelson played football and hockey, and rowed crew. He was also, not surprisingly, a leader among his peers, serving on Student Council and as a member of the Science Club and Classbook Committee. He won the Mathematics Prize and twice won the Trustee Prize. After graduating from Nobles in 1940, Nelson attended Williams College before earning two graduate degrees from MIT.

From 1948 to 1983, Nelson worked at Chas. T. Main, where he served as vice president with final responsibility for the engineering, design and administration of all steam and power projects for pulp, paper and industrial clients. His expertise took him to many parts of the United States and the world, including Sweden, Canada and South Africa. In 1983, he was retained by Stone and Webster and set up their pulp and paper division.

One of Nelson’s greatest joys was sailing. He enjoyed being on the sea and sharing voyages with family and friends on his 38-foot Shannon, The Victory. He and his crew completed three Marion to Bermuda races, in conditions ranging from fierce storms to the doldrums.

In everything he did, he brought his best self to make an impact on others, evidenced by his extensive professional accomplishments, his inspiring service in the U.S. Marines, his deep dedication to family, and his love of the places and people important to him. Nobles, of course, was one of those places, and Nelson’s dedication to Nobles over nine decades was extraordinary. He served as the chair of the Building and Grounds Committee; as class agent for 25 years; as chair of the Annual Nobles Fund; and as a member of the Graduate Council.

Nelson’s tremendous impact as a volunteer was recognized in 2002, when he was awarded the Lawson Service Award.

Nelson told the world that he would live to be 100. As always, he was a man of his word. Last May, during reunion, we celebrated Nelson, who had just turned 100, as well as the 100th year of the Castle being Nobles’ home. With the Greensleeves (Nobles’ soprano and alto a cappella group) leading the way, the Nobles community joined together to sing and celebrate a graduate who epitomizes the best of what Nobles can be.

Nelson led a very full life. He was a renowned and accomplished engineer, passionate sailor, gardener and family provider, Little League president and coach, harmonica player, World War II Marine veteran, and loyal and loving husband and family man.

Nelson is survived by his loving family, including his wife, Mary “Toni” Nelson, to whom he was married for 75 years; daughters Betsy Nelson and Molly Nelson; sons Edward Nelson ʼ68 and Paul Nelson ʼ72; brother John Nelson ʼ48; grandchildren Tim Nelson ʼ08, Alex Nelson ʼ06 and Nelson deCastro ʼ06; and nephews Stephen Nelson ʼ74, William Nelson ʼ76 and Ralph Nelson ʼ78.

RALPH LOWELL JR. ’41

Ralph Lowell Jr. ’41 passed away May 24, 2022, at the age of 99. At Nobles, Lowell was valedictorian and received the public speaking prize. In addition to playing football and being on the track squad, he was a member of the Student Council and the Dramatic Club. His Classbook entry stated, “Ralph has the distinctive honor of being one of our most silent members, although he is full of fun and subtle joking when in the right mood. In his schoolwork, ‘Rafe’ is a very hard worker and extremely capable. An hour after leaving history class with a long assignment he will have completed it with ease, much to the amazement of the slower members of the class.”

Upon graduating from Nobles, Lowell attended Harvard College and then went on to serve in the U.S. Navy in World War II.

He was a Navy line officer on the destroyer U.S.S. Earle, conducting convey escort missions in the North Atlantic.

In 1948, Lowell married Joan MacDuffle, and for the next 22 years, the couple lived in Westwood, Massachusetts, in the home of Lowell’s grandfather.

Lowell was a vice president of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith in Boston and highly involved in a number or nonprofit and charitable organizations. He was the director of the Family Counseling and Guidance Center of Boston, and he was a trustee and president of the Boston Floating Hospital for Children. In addition, he served as a trustee of the Dedham Country Day School, the Dedham Institute for Savings, the Faulkner Hospital, the New England Medical Center, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Lowell was also a member of the Harvard Club of Boston, the Massachusetts Charitable Society, the Boston Episcopal Charitable Society, and the Nahant Historical Society.

Upon his retirement in 1979, Lowell and his wife moved to Edgartown, Massachusetts, and fully embraced life on Martha’s Vineyard. They loved island life, both on Martha’s Vineyard and in the Virgin Islands, where they would vacation each winter to celebrate their birthdays.

Lowell was not one to sit still, and he constantly immersed himself in gardening, lobstering and “doing projects.” He learned lobster fishing at the early age of 8, and by the age of 13 had built a successful lobstering business. He hired his best friend, Pat Grant, as stern-man to help haul his hand-built wooden traps for 10 cents a day. Lowell continued to lobster until he turned 80 and was respectfully known as “The Old-Timer” by local fishermen. He was certain that it was his years lobstering in the salt air that led to his 99-year longevity.

Lowell is survived by his wife of 74 years, Joan MacDuffie Lowell; his children, Ralph “Rafe” Lowell III ’68, Evelyn Lowell Lynch and Amy Lowell; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; his sister, Lucy Grimm; and his brother, James Lowell II ’55.

HENRY PAYSON BRIGGS JR. ’50

Henry Payson Briggs Jr. ’50 passed away June 15, 2022. At Nobles, there was almost no activity that “Peter” was not involved in. He played football, soccer, tennis, basketball and baseball. On the music front, he was a member of the Quartets, the Winnings Quartet, the Glee Club and the Nobleonians. He was also a member of the Dramatic Club and Deutsche Verein, and was on the Student Council and in the Debating Club. He was circulation and sports editor and literary editor of the Nobleman and received the Wiggins Memorial Essay Prize, Time Current Events Prize, the Public Speaking Prize and the Wigglesworth English Prize. He was also class valedictorian. His Classbook entry stated, “One of ‘Pete’s’ pet characteristics is a small case of vagueness. To get money from ‘Pete,’ the sheriff is a necessary tool. Pete’s also a hard man to distract. His mind is capable of maintaining two conversations, but his mouth isn’t capable of speaking in two directions.”

After Nobles, Briggs attended Harvard University and, later, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

A lifelong educator, Briggs served as the head of school of Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio, for nearly 20 years. After stepping down from Seven Hills in 1995, he took an interim head of school job at St. James School in Los Angeles.

Briggs loved working in schools, especially the daily connections it afforded him with kids, teachers and parents. In retirement, he continued to stay active doing a lot of pro bono fundraising work for local fine and performing arts organizations and Seven Hills School. He loved to read, play tennis, and spend time with his grandchildren.

Briggs is survived by his wife, Charlin; his children, Payson Briggs and Heather Briggs; and three grandchildren.

EDWARD SUTTON STIMPSON III ’50

Edward Sutton Stimpson III ’50 passed away October 22, 2022, in Naples, Florida. At Nobles, “Ed” was a member of the football, hockey and baseball squads. He was four-

time class president and was a member of the Glee Club, Dramatic Club, Science Club and Quartets. He was awarded the Physical Fitness Prize and the Nobles Cup. His Classbook entry stated, “He is a natural athlete but never boasts of his skills.…Ed’s qualities aren’t evident only on the athletic fields, for he’s a leader, a scholar, an actor and a singer.”

Stimpson was born in Boston, but he spent his early years in Newton and Wellesley, Massachusetts. After graduating from Nobles, he went on to attend Princeton University and, later, Harvard Business School. At Princeton, he wrote his senior thesis on Virginia Woolf and therein discovered his life-guiding principles of love, awareness and humility. He was an accomplished college baseball and ice hockey player, as well as a devoted alumnus at Princeton.

Stimpson served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army in Hanau, Germany, before beginning his business career. He spent a year working as a case writer at Harvard Business School and later worked as an analyst at Fidelity Investments and T. Rowe Price.

A true sportsman, his love of competition was only equaled by his passion for honest play. An avid golfer and expert on the rules of the sport, Stimpson enjoyed golf and good fellowship as a longtime member of the Country Club and Woods Hole Golf Club, where he served two separate terms as president. For 63 years, he was married to Anne “Pinty” Bolster, until she passed in 2012.

Stimpson will be remembered for his entrepreneurial spirit and insatiable curiosity. At any age, he was eager to master new things, including photography, videography, woodworking, Civil War history, genealogy, flight simulation, lighthouses, backgammon, chess, checkers, weathervanes and fishing. He could consume an entire book in an afternoon.

Stimpson is survived by his wife, Maura Jean O’Donnell; his children, Joanna Stimpson and Sarah Strong; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

WILLIAM WANTON DUNNELL III ’51

William Wanton Dunnell III ’51 passed away on July 17, 2022, at the age of 89. At Nobles, “Bill” or “Buff” rowed and played football, and was the manager of the hockey squad. He was a member of the Dramatic Club, Glee Club and Cercle Français. His Classbook entry noted, “‘Buff’ has been in our ranks for four years, during which his friendly manner and his back-row humor have added greatly to the class success. Bill has proved himself a very capable young man as his interests have spread far and wide over the years.”

Dunnell was born in Boston and grew up in Wayland, Massachusetts. After Nobles, he went on to attend Harvard College before enlisting in the U.S. Navy.

Professionally, Dunnell was a lifelong teacher. He first joined the faculty at Fenn School in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1957, and in 1963 accepted a position in the English department at Brooks School. He taught at Brooks until his retirement in 1994.

He is survived by his brother, Jake Dunnell ’52; his three children, William W. Dunnell IV, Caroline (Circe) Ceresole Dunnell and Jacob Dunnell II; and two grandchildren.

JOHN A. BLANCHARD JR. ’52

John A. Blanchard Jr. ’52 passed away on February 5, 2022. At Nobles, he played football and was the manager of the basketball team. He was a member of the Dramatic Club and Glee Club, and was the recipient of the Scholarship Prize. His Classbook entry recalled, “He has a friendly manner about him and will long be remembered for his loud and hearty guffaws. We feel that he has also greatly benefited from Nobles, and his intelligence and friendliness—two necessary factors for success—should stand him in good stead in the years to come.”

Blanchard went on to attend Cornell University after graduating from Nobles, and then attended graduate school at the University of Chicago.

He lived life to the fullest, traveling, gardening, enjoying the arts, relishing family card games, and making people laugh.

Blanchard is survived by his partner, Milly Silverstein; his brother, Stephen; his children, Jack, Laura, and Scott; and his three grandchildren.

BILL BADGER ’53

William Clark “Bill” Badger ’53 of East Barnard, Vermont, died on July 14, 2022. Bill was born April 21, 1935, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Son of Sherwin C. Badger and Anna C. Badger, he lived most of his life in Dover, Carlisle and the North Shore of Boston, in Massachusetts, before moving to the small community of East Barnard, Vermont, in 1996.

At Nobles, Bill was on the football and basketball teams, and rowed crew for three years. “The type of fellow who can get along with everyone he meets,” Bill was an amateur photographer who contributed to the Classbook. He also participated in the Dramatic Club, serving as its president senior year. He was also a lifelong ski enthusiast and, according to the yearbook, would “disappear throughout the winter whenever he can make pilgrimages to the slopes of Vermont and New Hampshire.” Bill’s brother, David Badger, is from the Nobles Class of 1954.

After graduating from Nobles, he received a B.A. from Middlebury College in 1957. After serving in the U.S. Army, he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant. In 1966, he attended the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School.

Bill was a businessman working in manufacturing and real estate development, including as president of Badger Real Estate Consulting Services. He was active in many civic affairs. Early in the conservation movement, Bill became chairman of the Carlisle (Mass.) Conservation Commission, and after founding the Barnard Conservation Commission, served as secretary/treasurer. Bill served as co-chair of the East Barnard Community Church Capital Campaign to restore the church steeple and was chair of the East Barnard Community Club Task Force. In 2000, he became a trustee of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and chairman of the

Nature Center Committee. In addition, Bill was a former president of the Hochgebirge Ski Club, one of the oldest ski clubs in North America (Franconia, N.H.); former president of the Miles River Marsh Rats Skeet Club (Mass.); former commodore of the Ipswich Bay Yacht Club (Mass.); and former president of the Woodstock (Vt.) Rifle and Pistol Club. He was happiest outdoors on the move doing activities including skiing, sailing, canoe camping, biking, hiking, birding, hunting, fishing, woodworking and photography.

Bill brought laughter and thoughtful questions when with friends and family. Bill’s family remembers him as an avid traveler who regularly regaled one and all with stories of his adventures, which began at an early age, including gold mining in Alaska one summer with high school buddies, cross-country skiing in Norway, and trekking in the Himalayas. One of Bill’s favorite pastimes early in life was hunting partridge, woodcock and white-tailed deer. His daughter remembers him as not being a very successful deer hunter but always returning home happy because he had walked in the woods all day.

He loved to joke around, enjoyed laughing with loved ones, making funny faces and exploring the joys of nature in person and in memory. All of these qualities remained with him, even during his later years, living with dementia. All will remember the twinkle in his eye when he was up to some fun.

He spent his last 25 years (his best ones) in the beauty of East Barnard, Vermont, 21 of them with his beloved partner, Jenepher Lingelbach, “the love of his life.” They enjoyed traveling, birding, canoe camping, hiking, biking, skiing and sailing together. They were avid explorers yet loved to be home gardening or swimming in the pond in the companionship of their many dogs over the years. Bill’s English Setter, Katie, survives him.

Bill is predeceased by his beloved Jenepher Lingelbach. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Badger, of South Portland, Maine; his son, Christopher Badger, of Portola Valley, California; his brother, David S. Badger, and his wife, Sue, of Santa Barbara, Cali-

fornia; his sister, Shirley B. Thatcher, and her husband, Peter, of Bozeman, Montana; three grandchildren, Jackson, Carson and Macklan Badger; and four nieces and nephews.

ROBERT ETHERIDGE GREGG JR. ’55

Robert Etheridge Gregg Jr. ’55 passed away November 9, 2022. At Nobles, “Bob” or “Bebo,” as he was known to family and friends, played football and basketball, and was captain of the baseball team. He served on the Student Council and was class vice president in 1955. Gregg was also a member of the Dramatic Club and Choir, and was the chairman of the Dance Committee. He received the Improvement Award in 1953.

Gregg was born in Boston but spent his formative years in Darien, Connecticut, and Dover, Massachusetts. After graduating from Nobles, he went on to attend the University of Vermont. There, he spent a year and a half before leaving to pursue his passion for flying and airplanes by working as a sales representative for Cessna Aircraft. He eventually launched his own aircraft sales business, Gregg Aviation, from 1963 to 1968. In 1969, he began a 48-year career working for LandVest Inc. in Boston. He served as the New Hampshire regional manager from 1970–1995 and continued working as a broker for LandVest, making his last sale in 2017.

Gregg married Mary Williams in 1962, and they lived in Medfield and Sherborn before settling with their four children at the “Ocean Born Mary House” in Henniker, New Hampshire, in 1974. The couple restored the landmark property to its original grandeur. After Mary passed in 1997, Gregg lived in Dublin, Hancock and finally Keene, New Hampshire.

Gregg dedicated his life to his family, his work and an array of hobbies. An active member of the community, he was a life member of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, incorporator of the Trust for New Hampshire Lands, chairman of the Henniker Mast Plan Committee, secretary of Henniker’s Quaker District Historical Society, and board director of

THROUGH THE NOBLES CONNECTION, Kate Treitman Brown ’99, the director of graduate affairs, had become very close with Bill Badger ’53 over the past four years before his passing last July 2022.

Kate writes: “In 2018, Bill and I discovered that we lived in the same tiny town of East Barnard, Vermont, where my husband’s family has a small home. We spend many weekends in East Barnard during the year, and every time I would reach out to Bill for a visit.

“Bill and I shared cups of tea in the winter and long walks through fields in the summer with his dog, Katie. We attended community events like the Strawberry Dinner at the town hall each June, and he even would come visit when my two young boys played on the snowy playground in town in the middle of cold Vermont winters. My sons knew ‘Mr. Badger’ and asked each time we went to Vermont if we would see him. Bill came to our home for dinner, always so happy to hear stories of Nobles, and shared many memories of rowing on the crew team, summer trips to Alaska and jobs with Dick Flood ’53 and other friends, and we always hoped that he could get back to campus for what would have been his 70th Reunion in May 2023. Bill and I wrote to each other often, and I have kept all his cards, often with pictures of birds on the front. Here are some photos with my son Huck from visits in 2018 and 2019, and one of my favorites Bill had framed in his home of him with Dick Flood as counselors at a boys summer camp.

“My friendship with Bill was special and unusual in that it came at the end of his life and serves as a reminder that good friends can transcend age and place.”

the Spaulding Youth Center Foundation. He may, however, be best remembered for being Henniker’s only Little League baseball coach who drove a green Ford station wagon instead of a pickup truck, and for his generous sweet treats from his amateur maple syrup operation.

He was passionate about the outdoors, and as steward of his family property in the Adirondacks, Gregg supported the New York Forest Owners Association, cofounded the Efnor Lake Association, and earned certification for his nearly 400 acres of forestland through the American Tree Farm System. In Maine, Gregg dedicated much time and energy to his beloved Camp Agawam, where he spent five summers of his youth as a camper and counselor. He served as a trustee, a board member and a term as president of the Agawam Council during the years 1985 to 2017, and was named director emeritus in 2017.

Gregg is survived by his children, Mary Gregg, Robina O’Rourke, Robert Gregg III and Walter Gregg; his sisters, Robina Gregg and Susan Gregg Renfrew; and six grandchildren.

WALLACE IRVING STIMPSON ’55

Wallace Irving Stimpson ’55 passed away November 11, 2022, surrounded by his family. At Nobles, “Wally” was a multitalented student-athlete who played football, basketball and baseball. He was on the Student Council, served as athletic editor of the Nobleman Board, and sang in the choir, quartets, Glee Club and Nobleonians. In addition to being on the Honor Roll and cum laude, Stimpson received the Trustee Prize for Scholarship and the Harvard Club Prize.

After graduating from Nobles, Stimpson went on to Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1959 with a degree in mathematics. He sang with the Harvard Glee Club and played on the varsity squash team when they won a national championship. Upon leaving Harvard, he joined the Navy as an officer and was deployed on the destroyer leader USS Norfolk Stimpson attended Harvard Business

School from 1962 to 1964 and began his professional career in Northern California with Kaiser Aluminum. In 1969, he ventured back to Massachusetts to help found the management consulting firm Applied Decision Systems, which was eventually acquired by Mercer Management. Stimpson, his wife, Susie, their four children, and dog Timmy made their way back east in a VW van taking in the sights as they went.

Perhaps Stimpson’s most notable professional accomplishment was an innovative, computer-based management-decision game called WISE that was used by countless companies and business schools around the country, including Harvard Business School and AT&T.

Stimpson served on the board of trustees at Nobles from 1983 to 1993 and was most recently president of the Naples Council on World Affairs.

A superb athlete, Stimpson was a twoterm president of the Longwood Cricket Club and achieved a senior USTA amateur tennis ranking of 7th in New England. He later joined the United States Senior Golf Association and traveled the country with his wife, Susie, collecting plates from countless USSGA tournaments. He absolutely adored the game of golf, became a rules official, and had three holes-in-one during his lifetime. He was particularly proud of his father’s invention, the “Stimpmeter,” which measures the speed of a green. He was a member of the Country Club in Brookline and the Holein-the-Wall Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

In addition to athletics, Stimpson was passionate about music, which was a constant source of joy that he passed along to his children. He was an accomplished pianist, sang in the church choir in Wellesley and Naples, and joined the Barbershop Quartet at North Hill with whom he sang as long as he was able.

Stimpson is survived by his wife of 62 years, Susan “Susie” Gilder Stimpson; his four children, John Stimpson ’79, Peg Gaillard ’82, Ginny Vatcher ’85 and Ted Stimpson ’85; and his 13 grandchildren, many of whom are Nobles graduates.

PAUL PILCHER ’62

Paul Schuyler Pilcher ’62 passed away January 28, 2018, surrounded by his husband and children. At Nobles, Pilcher played soccer, basketball and tennis, and was consistently on the Honor Roll. He was a member of the Debating Team, Outing Club and Dramatic Club. Pilcher participated in the East Coast Model United Nations and was president of the Cercle Français. He received the Trustees Prize when he was in Class II and the Nobles Cup in Class V.

Born in West Newton, Massachusetts, Pilcher attended Princeton University after graduating from Nobles and then went on to get his master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

In his professional life, Pilcher, or “Popeye” as he was later known, reinvented himself multiple times, from teacher, to headmaster, to camp director, to attorney, to Wellfleet select board member. Regardless of his position, he was always supporting and advocating for underprivileged children and families.

In 2009, he met his true partner, Daniel Alexander Lawson, and the two were married in 2012. Pilcher achieved the three pillars of a happy life: joy, success and love. He relished the time he spent with his beloved children and loved seeing them grow up, graduate, marry and have children of their own.

He spent the last 20 years of his life retired in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, the place he treasured most. There, he sailed, played tennis and pickleball, and watched the Red Sox. On the day he fell ill, he was to fly down to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the dredging of the Wellfleet Harbor. Wherever he went, his passion and dedication to his cause was obvious to all.

Pilcher is survived by his husband, Dan; his children, Jennifer, Katie, and Douglas; and four grandchildren.

JEAN-MARIE BURGAUD ’67

Jean-Marie Burgaud ’67 passed away on May 10, 2022, at his home in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Burgaud was Nobles’ American

Field Service (AFS) exchange student for the Class of 1967, arriving in Dedham, Massachusetts, in August 1966. At Nobles, he played soccer and was a member of the Community Service, Debating and Political Clubs. He was a member of Deutsche Verein and Cercle Français, in addition to being named an honorary member of the Student Council.

Burgaud applied for the AFS after obtaining his Baccalaureate from his hometown school in Tours, France, delaying his entry to L’École d’affaires publiques de Sciences Po for a year. He was a year older than most of his Nobles classmates, already academically advanced, and functionally fluent in English and German. During his time at Nobles, he lived with the Dwinell family on Westfield Street in Dedham.

His Nobles classmates fondly remember his infectious parody humor, charisma, wit and charm. Duncan Dwinell ’67 recalls two stories that personify this. The first story took place just a few days after he came to live with the Dwinell family and highlighted the long language journey they would take together. Burgaud had picked up a bug and had become quite ill. The doctor was called to his bedside. The thermometer was placed in and eventually pulled from his mouth: The doctor stated, “103 degrees, this is serious!” Burgaud replied, “Sérieuse? Mon dieu, je meurs, je suis en train de bouillir!” Burgaud had forgotten that Americans use Fahrenheit degrees and believed he was actually boiling to death.

The other story was when Pen Dwinell, a self-acclaimed Julia Child, decided to demonstrate her cooking skills to the Frenchman. Four courses later, Burgaud smiled politely, turned to Mrs. Dwinell, and declared, “Maman, ziz meal iz absolutely terrible!” Duncan Dwinell quickly intervened saying, “Not terrible, terrific!” And from then on, everyone was friends. After graduating with the Class of 1967 in June, Burgaud took off on board a bus across the United States, aiming to see as much of the country as possible. Burgaud became an economist who developed his professional career in the Dominican Republic, France

and Haiti. He was married to Adalgisa Pantaléon, an artist, for 23 years.

GEORGE REMEY WADLEIGH ’67

George Remey Wadleigh ’67 passed away November 7, 2022, in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Wadleigh was born in Bordeaux, France, but grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, with his three siblings. After Nobles, he went on to Stanford University, where he graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in religious studies.

Wadleigh served as a VISTA volunteer, running a youth center in southern Illinois after Stanford. There, he coached countless youth soccer teams and taught middle school in Alton, Illinois. He later started Habitat for Humanity in Alton. For over 15 years, he was a volunteer chaplain in mental health centers in Alton and Chicago, Illinois. He was active in the ministerial alliances since 1980.

Wadleigh devoutly worked as a Christian Science practitioner for more than 40 years. He spent 25 years researching and writing a book entitled The Ram in a Thicket: Rebirth and Reform in the Practice of Christian Science. It was published in 2021.

Wadleigh is survived by his wife, Bonniesue; his children, Rob, Allison and Sarah; his granddaughter; and his brother, Dave.

HENRY RIEMER ’73

Henry Fessenden Riemer ’73 passed away August 27, 2022, at age 67. After graduating from Nobles, Riemer attended Boston University. He enjoyed a long and fulfilling career at The Boston Globe in the sports department, a subject he was both incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about.

Riemer will be remembered by his family, friends and colleagues for his wry humor, bounteous generosity and keen observations of the world around him.

He is survived by his mother, Louise C. Riemer; his father, Dr. Karl Riemer; his wife, Joanne Hennessy; his brother, Karl Davis Riemer; and sisters, Louise C. Riemer and Elizabeth R. Reece.

GARY MARKOFF ’74

Gary Markoff ’74 passed away July 29, 2022, in New London, New Hampshire, at age 66.

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Markoff attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, after graduating from Nobles. At Trinity, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and was an avid football and tennis player.

Markoff went into finance after college, working for the brokerage firm of E.F. Hutton. In 1988, he took an opportunity with Morgan Stanley in Boston, following in his father’s footsteps. There, Markoff became a senior vice president wealth advisor and portfolio manager.

Markoff is survived by his sisters, Wendy and Lori Markoff; and his three children, Aiden, Liam and Natalie.

JOSEPH COUSE SWAYZE

Joseph Couse Swayze, longtime Nobles teacher, traveler and lover of the outdoors, passed away July 11, 2022. He was 77 years old.

Swayze was born in Middletown, New York, and attended Williams College. After graduating from Williams in 1966, he spent a year in Vietnam as a U.S. Army information officer. He wrote stories, took photographs, and escorted journalists in the field. Swayze said that the day he spent with Larry Burrows, a legendary British combat photographer, inspired him to make photography a cornerstone of his life. Upon returning from Vietnam, he went into the newspaper business, working for the Bennington Banner and the Berkshire Eagle.

He soon shifted gears and became a teacher at Noble and Greenough School. At Nobles, for 33 years, he shared his passion for newspapering and photography with hundreds of students. He taught students to see the world more clearly, whether by asking probing questions or looking through a camera lens. Swayze’s classrooms, in many cases, had no walls. He led legendary trips for students that included a canoe trip down the Hudson River, as well as biking adventures in Vietnam and Califor-

nia. He was never without a camera.

As faculty advisor to the Nobleman, his influence on the career choices of many of the magazine’s student writers and leaders was profound. Over the years, his students ended up working at The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Washington Post and National Geographic, among others.

In 2006, Swayze and his wife, Joanna, also a teacher in the Nobles art department, retired and moved to Rockport, Massachusetts. He continued to stay connected with family and friends through postcards from his photographs and letters written on his manual Smith-Corona typewriter.

Longtime friend and former Nobles English faculty member Tim Carey reflected on Swayze’s life:

“Swayze: parent, husband, teacher, friend, mentor, photographer, journalist, traveler, canoer, camper, cyclist, skeptic, inspirer and, occasionally, a stubborn pain in the butt. For me, Joe was all of those things, but mostly a friend whom I can never repay for the gifts he bestowed on me over the long time we knew each other. I met Joe in 1976 and witnessed his eagerness to show others what he loved in the world. I, like so many others, became his student. Were it not for him and Joanna, ever his support and guide, I would have missed the travel that took me and my children on cycling trips to Vietnam, Cambodia and Easter Island, and camping adventures to Nova Scotia and his favorite camping spot in Florida. He taught me to treasure the expeditions. He revealed, in the process, that recording the world with a camera, not only looking at but seeing the details we often miss, could result in enormous satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment in creating something of value. Like Joe, my mentor, I travel still and always with a camera.”

Swayze is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Joanna Clark Swayze; his son, Andrew ’91; three grandchildren; and his four siblings, Lynn Salyer, Robert, Richard and Anne.

Graduate Awards

To read full bios and see past recipients of the Graduate Awards, go to nobles.edu/gradawards

MIKE BEACH ’82 Distinguished Graduate Award

In addition to unquestioned character and moral qualifications, the recipient should have achieved excellence in his or her chosen field of endeavor. The recipient should also have demonstrated interest in the cultural, economic, governmental or sociological development of our society.

HIL MOSS ’08 Young Graduate Award

This award is given annually to a recent graduate of the last 15 years who models the spirit and values of Noble and Greenough School. Through professional, academic and/or volunteer roles, the recipient has demonstrated leadership for the public good and a commitment to serving others.

CHIP GOODE ’72 Lawson Service Award

This award recognizes a graduate who has given the greatest service and effort to Nobles projects, activities and/or organizations.

ANDERSON ’14 Graduate Trustee

Elected to serve a three-year term as a voting member of the school’s board of trustees.

ABBEYGALE

map lists official Nobles gatherings organized by the grad affairs office during the ’22-’23 school year. For photos of the events, follow @nobleandgreenoughgrads on Instagram.

GRADUATE GATHERINGS

1. San Francisco, Calif.

2. Palo Alto, Calif.

3. Durham, N.C.

4. Washington, D.C.

5. New York, N.Y.

6. Elmont, N.Y.

7. Williamstown, Mass.

8. Middlebury, Vt.

9. New Haven, Conn.

10. Hanover, N.H.

11. Providence, R.I.

12. Dedham, Mass.

13. Cambridge, Mass.

14. Boston, Mass.

15. Woods Hole, Mass.

16. Nantucket, Mass.

17. London, England

This

Announcements

engagements

Kenisha McFadden ’12 got engaged to Stephen Mendez on November 22, 2021.

marriages

Nike John ’10 married Michael Maguire in April 2022.

Ellis Tonissi ’11 married Stephanie Kapinos on September 10, 2022, in Harwich Port, Massachusetts.

Lindsey Plexico ’83 and Jeff Schwartz ’83 were married in Cohasset, Massachusetts, in June 2022.

Erin Bruynell ’06 married Sean Gallagher in Boston on August 27, 2022.

Erin Greene ’06 married Greg Millar in September 2022 in Maine.

Melissa Weihmayer ’06 celebrated her civil partnership to Christopher Rowlands in a small ceremony in London in October 2022.

’07,

Goode ’10,

John ’10, Michael Maguire, Emily Wingrove ’10, Alexa Zilberfarb ’10, Sarah Kistner ’10, Caitlin Aliquo Stone ’10, Molly Keady ’10

Erin

1. Kenisha McFadden ’12 got engaged to Stephen Mendez on November 22, 2021. 2. Graduates at the wedding of Nike John ’10 in April 2022. From left: Hadley Dawson ’10, Hannah Birnbaum ’10, Maggie Suprey

Owen Minott ’10, Eliza

Nike

3. Nobles graduates celebrating

Bruynell ’06 and Sean Gallagher’s wedding! Back row, from left: E.B. Bartels ’06, Janna Herman ’06, Rob Linsalata ’04 and Mike Harrington ’03. Front row, from left: Melissa Bruynell Manesse ’05, Erin, Melissa Weihmayer ’06, Erin Greene ’06 and Caroline Holland ’06

4. Erin Bruynell ’06 married Sean Gallagher on August 27, 2022, in Boston. 5. Erin Greene ’06 married Greg Millar on September 10, 2022, in Bristol, Maine. 6. Nobles graduates gathered at Erin Greene ’06 and Greg Millar’s wedding! From left: E.B. Bartels ’06, Josh Pollack ’06, Brad Caswell ’06, Erin and Greg, Janna Herman ’06, and Erin Bruynell Gallagher ’06 7. On October 14, 2022, Melissa Weihmayer ’06 celebrated her civil partnership to Christopher Rowlands in a small ceremony in London, complete with British rain and afternoon tea. The ceremony was broadcast via Zoom for long-distance family and friends, and E.B. Bartels ’06 managed to capture this happy screenshot.

8. Jay Romano ’06 and his wife, Katherine, welcomed their daughter, Scarlett Grace Romano, on January 3, 2023. 9. Greg Croak ’06 and his wife, Libby, welcomed their second child, a daughter named Paige Josephine Croak, on December 2, 2022. 10. Brendon Mills ’06 and his wife, Katie Frost, welcomed their daughter, Vesper Jensen Mills, on July 26, 2022. 11. Broghan Cully ’07 with wife Sara and daughter Kiehl Kennedy Cully, born on September 7. 12. Jake Tower ’07 and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their son, Landon, to the family on November 8, 2022. 13. Matt Karis ’07 and his wife, Jess, welcomed their first child, Sebastian Jonathan Karis, on December 28, 2022. 14. Graham Sholley Erhartic, born October 22, with big sister Marlow, children of Anne Sholley ’07 and Peter Erhartic 15 a & b. Michael Griffin ’08 and Sophie Mussafer Griffin ’13 welcomed Gracie Jane Griffin on October 24, 2022. Casey Griffin Giudicelli ’09 and Bryan Giudicelli welcomed their third child, Griffin Joseph Giudicelli, on November 7, 2022. Gracie and Griffin were born exactly two weeks apart—both unintentionally having the same initials, GJG! 16. Taylor Cazeault ’08 and her husband, Ethan Littman, welcomed their son, Cooper, in September 2022. 17. Ally Geanacopoulos ’09 and her husband, Ben, welcomed their son, Owen, in June 2022. He has loved getting to know some of Ally’s longtime friends from Nobles, including Brett Bothe ’09 and Megan Bunnell ’09, pictured here with Brett’s dog, Kappy, and Megan’s son, Will! 18. Lauren Martin Joullian ’09 had a baby on December 22, 2022, named Jack Martin Joullian.

Michael Griffin ’08 and Sophie Mussafer Griffin ’13 welcomed Gracie Jane Griffin on October 24, 2022.

Casey Griffin Giudicelli ’09 and Bryan Giudicelli welcomed their third child, Griffin Joseph Giudicelli, on November 7, 2022.

Ally Geanacopoulos ’09 and her husband, Ben, welcomed their son, Owen, in June 2022. Taylor Cazeault ’08 and her husband, Ethan Littman, welcomed their son, Cooper, in September 2022.

Lauren Martin Joullian ’09 and her husband, Ed Joullian, had a baby on December 22 named Jack Martin Joullian.

Broghan Cully ’07 and her wife, Sara Hourihan, welcomed a daughter, Kiehl Kennedy Cully, on September 7, 2022.

Jake Tower ’07 and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their son, Landon, to the family on November 8, 2022.

Matt Karis ’07 and his wife, Jess, welcomed their first child, Sebastian Jonathan Karis, on December 28, 2022.

Anne Sholley ’07 and her husband, Peter Erhartic, welcomed their son, Graham Sholley Erhartic, on October 25, 2022.

Jay Romano ’06 and his wife, Katherine, welcomed their daughter, Scarlett Grace Romano, on January 2, 2023.

Brendon Mills ’06 and his wife, Katie Frost, welcomed their daughter, Vesper Jensen Mills, on July 26, 2022.

Greg Croak ’06 and his wife, Libby, welcomed their daughter, Paige Josephine Croak, on December 2, 2022.

William C. Matthews Goes to Bat

From Baseball Pioneer to Civil Rights Lawyer

You may have seen the image above of the 1905 Nobles (thirds) baseball team framed and hanging up in the Castle Library. What you may not know is that the coach, pictured in the back of the group, is William C. Matthews, an African American National College Baseball Hall of Famer and pioneer in the sport.

William C. Matthews attended Tuskegee Institute from 1893 to 1897, where he captained the 1897 baseball team and helped create the school’s first football team. From Tuskegee, Matthews moved north and enrolled at Phillips Andover Academy, where he continued to excel in baseball and football. After graduating second in his class from Andover in 1901,

Matthews went on to Harvard University and was immediately accepted onto the varsity baseball team as a freshman. However, playing ball at Harvard came with significant challenges. Both Matthews and his team faced racism and discrimination during games against other teams, with some teams even boycotting games entirely. Despite the tensions and controversy Matthews’ presence on the team created, he was considered one of Harvard’s best baseball players by Boston newspapers.

After one season playing professional baseball with Burlington, Vermont, with the Northern League and still encountering abuse and ridicule, Matthews left baseball altogether and enrolled in

Boston University Law School. In order to support himself financially in law school, Matthews coached the Noble and Greenough School thirds football and baseball teams (additionally coaching at Boston Latin School and Dorchester High School). Even though Matthews was forced out of playing baseball himself, he was able to use his skills and love of the sport to coach youngsters. Matthews passed the bar in 1908 and went on to become a lawyer, fighting for the civil rights of African Americans. He eventually served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office under President Calvin Coolidge.

DIFFERENCE MAKER

Every facet of the Nobles experience for students and teachers is positively impacted by the generosity of the Nobles community. Make a difference by making a gift to the Annual Nobles Fund today: www.nobles.edu/giveonline