PA R K S C H O O L C L A S S O F 19 8 3
25TH REUNION BIOGRAPHIES
Laura Knapp Davidson lived in Australia before moving back to the Boston area with her family.
happy anywhere. She’s 14 months old and snotty in the mucus rather than Parisian sense, tho’ the latter is in the offing, I fear. I’d also like to add that our classmate, Willy Yates, left this world on September 10, 2002, and that his departure, while sadly no surprise, is a real loss for those friends who loved him through the difficult years. A pure-hearted boy capable of intense love, he is as half-present now in my life as he was halfabsent before.
John Claflin I left Park School in the dead of night after eighth grade and went on to Phillips Academy, Andover, and then to Harvard. After graduating with a degree in film studies, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue — surprise! — a film career. For my first five years, I worked as a feature film development executive for producers at Universal Studios and Warner Brothers — where I oversaw the creative development of several films, including Quiz Show, The Paper, and Passenger 57. I then became director of development for producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli where I worked on the development of several James Bond films, including Goldeneye, and lived in London during the production of that film. After leaving the Bond producers, I turned to screenwriting and sold my first original screenplay, The Longest Night, to 20th Century Fox — which, like many Hollywood projects, is gathering dust on a shelf. Since then, I have been slowly clawing my
way to the middle of the Hollywood food chain, selling screenplays to New Line, Warner Brothers, and USA Network. I did the production rewrite for Anacondas, and most recently my original screenplay Fool’s Gold was released earlier this year, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. I am currently rewriting a script for a small thriller called Run For Her Life, which is set to start shooting in a few weeks. To round out the cliché of the Hollywood screenwriter, I live in the Hollywood Hills and am married to Camille Natta, who — in addition to being a very talented actress — is a wonderful woman and the greatest addition to my life.
Laura Knapp Davidson Despite a very short time at Park, I have remarkably vivid memories of my Kindergarten year there. I remember the first day of school, clinging to my mother’s coat and resisting all of Miss Arends’ (now Mrs. Eckel) efforts to entice me into the classroom. It was only when she pointed out Laura Church, sitting happily at a table coloring, that I decided I’d like to sit with that little girl and do what she was doing. I walked in, and I never looked back! I remember lying next to Hillary Gooch during rest time and pretending to be asleep. I remember playing outside on a climbing structure and confiding in Diana Gardner that my favorite number was 16, a fact that felt very significant at the time. I remember Miss Arends telling us how she had been so sleepy one morning that she mistakenly brushed her teeth with shampoo. I
The Park Bulletin | Fall 2008
remember feeling both excited and embarrassed when Peter Wilde and I, wearing tights and elf caps, were pulled around the gymnasium on a faux log for the Yule Festival. And finally, I remember sitting in a circle with my classmates when Miss Arends explained that I would be moving away. To this day, I can remember wishing I was going on to first grade, as it sounded like so much fun. After Park, I moved to Luxembourg, England, and France and attended six different schools before finally graduating from Groton. I went to Yale as an undergrad and Columbia as a graduate in journalism, and I had some crazy but wonderful years in New York City working at ABC’s PrimeTime Live and NBC’s Nightly News. I married an Aussie and ultimately put my career on hold to raise our three children. We settled back in the area in 2001, and I have since been lucky enough to get to know some old Park friends all over again.
David Doran I am living on Martha’s Vineyard where I have been for about 17 years, except for a year and a half off when my family and I lived in Naples, Florida. I am the happy husband of Tricia, whom I have been married to for six years, and the proud father of Meghan (4), and Robert (1). Both are great kids, and, I am told by their grandparents that they both have the same energy as I did when I was there age! I have been doing custom building here for about 15 years and have learned quite a lot about the industry and continue to learn every day.
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