Priorities #49: Spring 2011

A Magazine of the Priory · Issue #49

· April/May 2011

This Years Auction is fashion NY style!

TOC TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Woodside Priory School Celebrating 52 Years of Benedictine Education In This Issue Fall at a Glance. Pages 5-8 Gala/Auction. Pages 9-16 Alumni News & Notes. Pages 18-20 Q&A with Alum Larry David ‘62. Pages 22-23 Hope Unlimited. Pages 24-25 Trip to Patagonia Argentina. Pages 26-27 The Green Page. Pages 28-29 Don’t Call it a Grandfather Clock. Pages 30-31

Board of Directors Abbott Matthew Leavy, OSB Father Mark Cooper, OSB Brother Edward Englund, OSB Father Martin Mager, OSB Father William Sullivan, OSB

Board of Trustees Janet Brownstone Lisa Carlos Jennie Chiu Sherri Coats Monica Corman Wayne Davison Kathy Feldman Bob Finney Chris Galli ‘84 Hilary Giles George Hohnsbeen Father Eric Hollas, OSB Peter Kasenchak Bob Latta Rick Magnuson Bud McElroy ‘83 Cecilia Montalvo Father Tom Moran Jami Nachtsheim Father Maurus Nemeth, OSB Dale Pfau Hank Plain Patti Plummer Ray Rothrock Kari Rust Ken Tehaney ‘66 Paul Titterton ‘82 Dan Turner Keith Van Sickle Lisa Wan Mark Wilson

Priorities magazine is published in March/April, June/July, and December/January by Woodside Priory School for its alumni, parents, students, neighbors and friends. Contact the Communications Office at 650-851-6193 or the school at 650-851-8221.

Editor: Sean Mclain Brown Contributing Writers: Maddie Pierson. Gulliver Lavalle, Hovey Clark, Sean Mclain Brown Design/Production: Jim Kirkland, Copperline Multimedia Photos: Sean Mclain Brown, Jim Kirkland, Tina Paulson, Kelly Sargent, Br. Edward, Tim Molak Printing: Communications on the Mark, Mark W. Allen

Chapel Services

Masses at 7:15 a.m. Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m. Sunday Hungarian service 8 p.m. third Friday (Taize) ecumenical service All are welcome.

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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear Priory Community, Lenten season is here and our students and staff discovered some very creative ways to use their special talents to raise money to help underwrite the renovation of the home of Flora Hurd a resident of East Palo Alto. The Priory, for the past 18 years, has partnered with Rebuilding Together, a one day home renovation project at the end of April.

The students’ energy and enthusiasm for the day is contagious and as the eight-hour day progresses, they are able to see dramatic changes and improvements to the exterior and interior of the house. When they leave, the students have pride in what they have accomplished.

In a similar way, Lent is very much like this project. We focus for 40 days on ways we can improve certain aspects of our life and how that change can benefit the community we live in. Lent calls each one of us at the Priory to reflect on our values, perceptions and attitudes, and use that insight to become a better person.

I just returned from Washington DC, where three other chaperones and I travelled with the 8th grade to experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s capitol. I love visiting that city – everywhere you look you see memorials, museums, government buildings that remind you of the great history of this country and the significant individuals who stepped forward to direct and guide our destiny. The students were able to sense the importance around them and, maybe for the first time, understand what being a citizen means.

They were quiet as we walked through the Korean and Vietnam Memorials, they were awe-struck by the expansiveness of the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and they were proud when four members of their class placed a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery.

In the Capitol, they witnessed a lively debate on the floor of the House about home mortgages and while at the National Cathedral heard the thunderous sound of its pipe organ. At Mount Vernon, they saw the home of George Washington and heard stories about his passions, strong sense of service to country, and his love for the land he called his own. This class experience is one they will remember for as long as they live.

I just returned from Washington DC where three other chaperones and I travelled with our current 8th grade to see and feel the sights and sounds of the nation’s capitol.

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Our Priory Gala, Meet me in Manhattan, features the Fashion Show and Auction and will take place on May 14th. It is always the highlight of the school year and, since it happens at the end of the year provides many of the Priory community an opportunity to come together to celebrate. We have a new format, as we offer a matinee, as well as the usual evening spectacle. We have combined the efforts of the Fashion Show with the Auction to showcase our students as models and designers intermingled with silent and live auction items. The Gala team has been hard at work for many months planning and organizing, so I encourage you to consider a “night on the town” when May rolls around.

Recently, we celebrated the feast of Saint Benedict, the Founder of the Benedictines. Our Benedictine roots go back over 1500 years, and what happens in our classrooms each day is a living example of what he envisioned for education.

May the season of Lent and Easter be one of personal fulfillment for all of you.

Sincerely,

Tim Molak Head of School

Top L-R: Alison Stasney, Todd Turner, Julia Duncan ‘05, Doug Sargent, and Tim Molak.

Above L-R: Caroline Hickman and Lizzie Boyle Above Right L-R: Julia Teymourian, Mayra Barriga, Brigid White, Olivia Peek Bottom Right L-R: Tim Molak, Liam McCarthy, Bailey Marsheck, and Olivia Peek

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WINTER Above L-R: Gala/Auction Chairs Francesca Purvin and Peg Phelps.

P’Daddy performed to adoring fans at the Gala/Auction wine donation event.

Priory alum John Maxwell Bryan Hampton holds a photo of himself from his time at the Priory. John was on campus to oversee filming of a movie he helped produce.

Art department chair and faculty, Reed Eisley helps students enjoy the humor in Art History.

Dormers strike a contemplative pose while on a hike near the ocean.

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Priory’s inaugural Middle School Dodgeball tournament was a smash.

AT A Above Left: Jack Hammond aims for a winning shot Above: Nadia Faisal winds up for a rocket shot.

Right L-R: Nora Siegler and Julia Bounds get pumped before the game!

Left: Mariana Galvan points to teammate to coordinate a shot.

Above: Varsity Girls Soccer team (2nd in WBAL and made it to the CCS semi-finals).

Nicholas Arslaner breaks away from opponent.

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GLANCE Father Maurus played host to the Hungarian Catholic Mission at the Priory. At left he poses with Belazs Bokor, the Ambassador to Hungary. The event included a mass, luncheon reception and a variety of Hungarian cultural performances in the PAC.

Priory thespians performed to critical acclaim in Shakespeares’ Comedy of Errors.

Ben Krauz as “Egeon”

Below L-R: Katie Taylor as “Luciana,” Alix Traeger as “Adriana” and Malik Reid as “Duke Solinus”

Left L-R: Reed Cornish as “Antipholus” and Brian DiGiorgio as “Dromio”.

Above L-R: Alex Klein as “The Officer” and Drew Levine as “Dromio” Left: Alix Traeger as “Adriana”

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Left: Corey Cheung shoots a layup against a rival.

Far Right: Delara Fotovatjah prepares for a shot.

Right L-R: Julia Bounds and teammate Nora Siegler

Above: Coach Turner talks strategy with the 6th Grade Basketball team (JV WBAL League Champions!).

Left: Gabor Somogyi makes a shot.

2011 Athletic Hall of Fame L-R: Athletic Director Mark Stogner, Father Martin, Larry David ‘62, Darryl Laye ‘62, Brother Edward, Tom Ducharme ‘86, Joseph Hilbe ‘62, Head-of-School Tim Molak, and Father Maurus.

MEET IN ME MANHATTAN AUCTION & FASHION SHOW

The Priory Gala 2011 - May 14th 2011

It’s time to make your plans for The Priory Gala 2011, Meet Me in Manhattan! Pull out that cute dress, shine up those shoes, search out that city chic outfit because we’re headed to Manhattan! The Big Apple is packed with wonderful items to purchase thanks to your generous donations. Whether you’re from the upper East Side, or lower East Village, there is something for you. AND, for the first time in Priory’s history, the fashion show and auction have joined forces to provide the most epic event and school fundraiser. Everyone is abuzz about the show. The Priory Fashion Club student designers are working hard to finish their latest masterpieces, while the models are delighted to make it to the Manhattan runways. If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere, it’s up to you, New York, New York! The entire Priory community welcomes the students to the show. There will be two revues including a Matinee Tea and Evening Dinner & Dancing.

Pick your venue or better yet, come to both!

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The Priory Gala Meet Me In Manhattan officially kicked off on February 13th during a live “P’ Daddy” Wine Gathering Gig! As promised, the P’Daddy band blew us away with their extreme musical reverberations! The band features Priory Dads: Jeff “El Jefe” Purvin, Lloyd “The Voice” Willhite, Marvin “Marvy” Wenger, “Eddie O” Oates, “Doc” Blumenkranz, and Peter “Sticks” Thielen.

Admission was a bottle of wine to be auctioned off at the Priory Gala, Meet Me in Manhattan. The Priory community got together in the PAC, enjoyed scrumptious appetizers (courtesy of Virginia Taylor and her “Taylormade” specialties) and got crazy! AND we were treated to special guest performances by Father Martin on the guitar and Ray Rothrock on the sax…what groovy tunes these guys can crank out! Our special thanks go to all who came to rock out with us and who brought generous selections of wine. We’ve collected enough wine to please even the most discriminate sommelier when they go to the bidding tables on May 14th!

Priory’s Fashion Club is going to Bryant Park aka Crowne Plaza Hotel Priory’s 2011 Gala, Meet Me In Manhattan will showcase our Priory students’ fashion talent. Our annual charity fashion show has joined the fabulous auction team, and this year your favorite models (over 70 of them!!) will strut their stuff at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel. Francesca Sterlacci Purvin put her New York touch on everything, and her fabulous Project Priory Fashion Club put together an edgy, trend-setting show.

Meet Me In Manhattan will feature the unique work of 8 student designers. Francesca lights up when you talk to her about her fashion club kids and the program she and art faculty Teri Scott developed together almost 3 years ago. “Teaching fashion design for more than 15 years in New York and San Francisco,” said Francesca, “I have never seen such an inspired group of design talent than at the Priory. The kids come with only the de-

The P’Daddy Band: Lloyd “The Voice” Willhite, Jeff “El Jefe” Purvin, Marvin “Marvy” Wenger, “Eddie O” Oates, “Doc” Blumenkranz, Peter “Sticks” Thielen, and guest musicians Ray Rothrock and Fr. Martin (not in order of appearance).

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sire to be creative and, like magic before their eyes, they learn how to drape, pattern make, sew, and sketch their ideas from concept to creation. Fitting their clothes on their models makes it all real!”

We are always overwhelmed by how many high school students sign up! This year we have 44 girls and 26 boys participating, along with 9 very adorable faculty children! Beyond the sleek elegance, you will also see the confidence and the poise our students radiate while on the runway. Meet Me In Manhattan Co-Chair Chris Willhite tells her models in their first training session that this is NOT about replicating an image we often see projected on the front pages of glamour magazines or in Hollywood. This is about having a positive self-image and in, “Putting that out there on the runway.” She tells the students right away that she will help teach each one of them to walk down that runway and be proud of who they are. Our models may start the training process feeling a bit shy, but by the time they strut down that runway on show day, they are sassy and exuberant.

The Fashion Police will be out in full force as our student models strut down the runway.

Putting her New York touch on everything, co-chair, Francesca Sterlacci Purvin, and her fabulous Project Priory Fashion Club are putting together an edgy, trend-setting show.

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Auction! Auction! Auction!

The Priory’s Gala Meet Me in Manhattan Auction is the school’s largest annual fundraiser.

The Auction team, a dedicated group of over 60 Priory parents, brings the most creative and well-received items to you at this year’s event. There is truly something for everyone, whether you anxiously await the Monastic community or faculty and staff Priory Spirit items, or if you love signing up for parties, the silent and live auction is amazing. We have unique items that you can’t find in your local stores, and we’ve found ways to gain special access and field passes to VIP events!

Matinee Tea

1:30 PM

• Champagne Reception, Silent Auction, Tea & Fashion Show • Students, Family and Friends Strongly Encouraged to Attend

Evening Dinner & Dancing

5:30 PM

• Cocktails, Silent Auction, Dinner, Live Auction, Fashion Show • Studio 54 Nightclub Immediately Following, Post-Party & Dancing

May 14th, 2011 – Crown Plaza Cabana Hotel, Palo Alto More details & info at: www.prioryca.org/gala/

Silent Auction Start the evening with cocktails and bidding, Manhattan style! We have parties galore, travel and excursions, Priory Spirit Items, a stocked wine cellar, and hard-to-get tickets to some of your favorite events.

Dinner with Roger Craig, 49ers Great

You and up to 6 guests will have an intimate dinner with Roger Craig, winner of two Super Bowls and 1988 Offensive Player of the Year. Signed photos and footballs are included for each guest. Hosted by the Sonmez Family.

Beach Front Vacation in Panama City, Florida

Enjoy a week’s stay in a 5 bedroom, 5 ½ bath, 3 story beach house in Panama City, Florida. The house includes an elevator, golf cart and all the toys: 5 bikes, razor scooter, and tennis gear. Plus a 2 bedroom, 2 bath guesthouse. Perfect for family reunions or multiple family getaways. Minutes from top restaurants, movie theaters, shopping and more! Donated by Pamela & Scott Weiss.

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Perfect for Manhattan, Reed’s 1950’s pop bead inspired necklace is sterling silver and gold. Retro, chic and wearable, this choker can be taken apart and converted into 2 bracelets. One of a kind and SO gorgeous!

Draeger’s Interactive Cooking Class for 20

A skilled, personable chef-instructor and experienced assistants will guide up to 20 guests in a hands-on class. Everyone will participate in the creation of the meal, enjoy the fruits of their labors and go home with new recipes! Beverages, including wine, will be selected to complement the menu. Come, learn, cook, eat, drink, and be merry.

Donated by Peter and Ann Marie Draeger.

Back by Popular Demand—Paintball

Donated by Priory’s talented trio of Doug & Kelly Sargent and Todd Turner! Enjoy 3 hours of paint-flying fun at Santa Clara Paintball. Food, drinks, group photos included! March 24, 2012.

We want you to Uncork New York! Enter the Wine Raffle to WIN! Every party needs some pomp and circumstance as well as a chance to win something BIG. This is serious wine! A baby vertical, the classy magnum, some serious bubbles. 22 bottles chosen for high scores & great taste. Plus a $75 K&L Gift Card! Enter now to WIN! Buy one ticket for $20 or six tickets for $100! Experience New York Uncorked!

This Year’s Meet Me in Manhattan Live Auction is Not to be Missed!

The live auction, the grand finale, provides truly unique, exciting and extraordinary items.

Tim Molak, “New York City Mayor,” will be master of ceremonies. Here is a sneak preview of our fabulous items.

Priory Spirit Lives On!

We are happy to report that your most cherished items and long-time favorites will be back this year! Get your consortiums together, make a plan, and come prepared to bid on: • Father Martin’s Pizza Party • Father Maurus’Hungarian Duck Dinner • Father Martin and Brother Edward’s Lobster Party • Head Council’s Dinner • Father Martin’s Clock • Senior Graduation Package: Seating & Parking

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Live Auction In a fast-paced city there’s a lot of change and we’ll have some FRESH Live Auction items at Meet Me in Manhattan: Let Them Eat Cake

Let’s get the live auction rolling this year with Cake! Priory Faculty, Staff and Seniors are baking cakes and confections that will be auctioned off at both the matinee and dinner shows. As a lucky winner, you can have your cake and eat it too right then and there, or take it home to share with your family. Consider enlisting your table to bid together on a cake, or host the cake for your table to share. Any way you slice it, we want you to eat cake!

Meet Me At AT&T Park

World Series Champions Take On New York Mets • July 10, 2011 Here is your opportunity to watch the San Francisco Giants take on the New York Mets from the comfort of a luxury box located directly behind home plate (Suite #29). Package includes suite tickets for 12, additional stadium seats for 4 that can be used as suite passes, 2 parking passes, and $1,200 that can be used for catering. And to make it even more interesting, we have 6 pre-game field passes! The game is on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 5 p.m. Grab your favorite baseball fans, don your orange and black, and cheer your world champions to victory over the Mets while enjoying great food and drinks in the comfort of a luxury box!

Donated by Aon Insurance, the Finney and Geoly Families.

Maserati Weekend Lease

Experience Maserati’s racing history embodied in a sporty, luxurious and elegant road car.

Enjoy a weekend lease in one of the following: GranTurismo, Quattroporte or GranTurismo Convertible, based on availability. Donated by Ferrari Maserati Silicon Valley.

Shop ‘Til You Drop!

Six lucky ladies will be whisked down to Los Angeles in a Pilatus private plane for a shopping extravaganza. Upon touchdown, the “Ladies Who Lunch” will be picked-up by a limousine that will chauffeur them to their first destination, Spago, Beverly Hills. Creative director of Bagatella, Ava Chang, will host lunch and educate you on the finer points of exotic leathers. After lunch, visit the Bagatella showroom which will titillate your eyes with gorgeous handbags. Next stop to Decades and Decades Two. Shop like the celebs do!

Vintage couture, gorgeous clothing and accessories to boot!

Donated by Schilling, Chiu-Schaepe, Bagatella, Decades, Inc., Decades Two.

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Virginia Taylor’s Dinner for 8

Not to be missed. A Virginia Taylor dinner party. Priory parent, chef extraordinaire and everybody’s favorite gal, we are all wondering what we will do without her next year.

At least we have her “last supper” to look forward to as she is donating her gourmet skills for a dinner party for 8. The menu can be personalized according to your preferences and occasion. Check out Virginia’s blog: www.taylormademenus.com for menu ideas under “Taylor Made Menus.” Location is flexible. Let’s eat!

Movies, Moguls and “Stargazing”: 5 night stay in Deer Valley, Utah

Pursue your love of film and winter sport at the same time! Make your way to Deer Valley and Park City, Utah for a five night stay during the Sundance Film Festival (January 18-29, 2012). Dodge the paparazzi in a private 6 bedroom / 5.5 bath home that includes 3 fireplaces; gourmet kitchen; an outdoor hot tub; pool table; sauna; and a large game room with ping-pong, air hockey and video games. The home comfortably sleeps 4 couples and 6-8 kids, or your favorite gal-pals for an amazing getaway!

Thanks Bob & Elisha Finney for opening your home once again this year.

Music and Magic

Two classic music lovers will join the Grammy Award winning San Francisco Symphony in its Centennial Season for an unforgettable night of music and magic. You will be treated to dinner in the exclusive membership-only Wattis Room for a wonderful threecourse meal. Following dinner, experience an exquisite concert in premium seating featuring a world famous musical talent. During intermission, you will be taken for a special backstage tour and a rare opportunity to personally meet the headliner artist.

Custom Wood Surf Board, courtesy of Rick Riebhof!

Mahalo! Surf’s up with this 15 foot all wood classic board that harkens back to surfin’s early days in Honolulu. Team Boff spent many long hours hand crafting this masterpiece of hang ten.

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We’ll just be getting started at The Studio 54 Nightclub & Post Party immediately following Live Auction & Fashion Show!

Keep that sitter a little longer on May 14th, because we’ll just be getting started at the Studio 54 post party! After the auction and fashion show, we’ll leave the ballroom and enter Studio 54 Nightclub where we can dance, compare auction “wins,” and unwind after a long day of bidding.

Bring those dancing shoes and we’ll meet you there!

RSVP Today for Best Seats

Buy a table for yourself and your best girlfriends or consider sponsoring a table of students, teachers and monks. For those who wish to hobnob with VIP’s and the Paparazzi, you can go in style and sit next to the runway for the slightly higher cost (of course!) per ticket. Be a part of it right now! New York, New York!!

A “Big Apple” Thanks To All of You! A heartfelt thank you goes out to the entire team of enthusiastic parent volunteers and talented students who have created a sleek, hip, and extraordinary fashion show and an inspired auction extravaganza. It takes the entire Priory Community including faculty, staff, administration, monks, parents and students to make The Gala a success, and we are truly grateful. From every licked envelope and peeled stamp to every “big ask” and donation, we couldn’t hope for a more generous, kind and helpful community. We couldn’t have done it without you!

See You In Manhattan!

Gala Chair: Peg Phelps Fashion Show Chairs: Francesca Sterlacci Purvin, Chris Willhite, Karen Hill Live Auction Chair: Jennie Chiu Solicitations & Volunteer Chair: Sharon Fotre Silent Auction Chairs: Felice Rebol, Gina Maya, Jean Young Decoration Chairs: Lisa Wan, Joye Scott Corporate Sponsor Chairs: Alison Poetsch, Catherine Boyle, Sarah Ryland Donation Coordinator: Andy Koontz RSVP Chairs: Linda Bader, Karen Gregory Back row: Barrett Moore, Heather Young, Megyn Lansing, Judi Jaeger, Kim Guthrie, Andy Koontz, Suzanne Montgomery, Sharon Fotre, Felice Rebol, Brenda Munks, Mary Rose Theis, Alice Valentine, Ann Marie Draeger. Front row: Amy Magnuson, Alison Poetsch, Francesca Sterlacci Purvin, Peg Phelps, Jill Caskey, Jennie Chiu, Karen Hill, Linda Bader, Karen Gregory

Follow us on the Priory website at www.prioryca.org/gala/

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Dear Priory Alumni, This year has been one of many changes in the Alumni Office and I am excited to tell you about them. These changes allow the Priory to reach more alumni and re-connect with so many that have wanted to return to campus, but haven’t had the opportunity. In August of 2010 we had our first Alumni Board meeting, which consists of 6 dedicated alums who are focusing on building a stronger and well thought out plan to help the Priory in its efforts to expand the alumni community activities. We have had 4 meetings since last summer and by this fall we hope to expand the board with more members and continue the quarterly meetings. If you are interested in getting involved with the Alumni Board please email me at alumni@prioryca.org.

In January we sent out our first alumni survey, via email and facebook, and more than 10% of the alumni community responded. Thank you to everyone who participated. If you haven’t taken the survey yet and would like to, you can find the link on our facebook group (Woodside Priory Alumni Association) or on the Priory Alumni Blog (www.prioryca.org/ alumni). Your feedback will help us to plan for the future in terms of what alumni events we offer, what type of mailings we send and how we communicate with you.

We have begun advancements in our communications with alumni by starting an alumni blog on the Priory School website and will soon unveil a new look in our monthly broadcast emails. Due to your feedback and an effort to keep up with changes in technology, we have decided to eliminate the online community and only use facebook and the blog to inform the alumni of what is happening at Priory and the Alumni Office.

There are several alumni events coming up this year and we hope to see new faces along with the “regulars” at these events. Our 3rd Annual “after work social” in San Francisco will be at the MarketBar on May 11th. Father Martin and I will also be making a trip down to Los Angeles this May for an “after work social.” Reunion Weekend is September 9th - 11th for the classes that end in 1 or 6. This year will be the first year that we have a 50th reunion class and we look forward to celebrating this milestone with our alumni.

I would like to thank all of you for your generous support and participation in our events.

The Priory is grateful for all that you do.

Sincerely,

Casey Wynn Alumni Relations

We have begun advancements in our communications with alumni by starting an alumni blog on the Priory School website and will soon unveil a new look in our monthly broadcast emails.

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CLASS

ALUMNI Note: Class Agents’ names appear at the beginning of each Reunion class year. If your year is not represented, or if you would like to become a Class Agent, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@prioryca. org or (650) 851-6137. And don’t forget to check out Woodside Priory Alumni Association on Facebook for additional photos and updates!

REUNION YEARS: 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006

1961

50th Reunion Year Class Agent: Csaba Hrotko

1966

45th Reunion Year

1971

40th Reunion Year Class Agents: Dave Rogers and Mark Apton Ford Greene is now mayor of San Anselmo.

1976

35th Reunion Year Class Agent: George Stromeyer

1980

Barnett Fung was recently appointed and approved by the hospital board (where he has been on staff since 1992) to be the Section Head of Podiatry in the Department of Surgery.

1981

30th Reunion Year Class Agent: Dan Hart

1986

25th Reunion Year

1991

20th Reunion Year

1994

D.C. McEachern and his wife, Catherine, had a baby girl on January 26th. Her name is Cadence Ashley McEachern. She was 19.5 inches long and weighed 6lbs 5oz.

NOTES

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1995

Dr. Maura Ambron graduated from The Royal Veterinary College, University of London (Class of 2010) and is now a fully qualified veterinarian.

Alejandro Chavez and his wife Natacha, became parents on February 8, 2011 to a son, Alejandro Robert Felix Chavez.

1996

15th Reunion Year Jonathon Saunders is the co-founder and CEO of a telecommunications startup called Callspring.com.

1997

Brooke Barry married Robert Revels on October 30, 2010 in San Ramon, CA. They were joined by friends and family as well, as Mr. & Mrs. Trudelle, and Luz Lopez ’98. Brooke and Robert live on the Peninsula and are now proud parents of 2 new babies--Kimba and Krystal, their Yorshire Terrier pups.

Nicola Cicciari had twins on December 24, 2010. Baby Filippo (18 inches and 4 lbs 14 oz) was born at 10:14 am and baby Gabriella (17 inches and 4 lbs 2 oz) was born at 10:15am.

2001

10th Reunion Year Class Agents: Bryan Quinn and Jason Kado Elena Basegio married Ricardo Carpenter on January 15th, 2011 in Las Vegas. Elena was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle on February 18th for her new bakery, Fillmore Bakeshop, which she opened with her father, in October 2010.

Robert Christian has been named a Fellow at Democrats for Life of America, as well as a Graduate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, as he finishes his coursework for a Ph.D. in Politics at The Catholic University of America.

2003 Stephanie Sibal is currently living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia volunteering for a nonprofit.

Hobie Thompson and his wife, Leti, recently celebrated their 1 year anniversary. They currently live in Los Angeles and he is working in the entertainment industry

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2005

Chris Chan ’05 and Jonathon Kwong ’06 pictured in Shanghai.

Julia Duncan works at the White House and met up with the Priory 8th graders on their D.C trip.

She told the kids about her job and that she sees the President at meetings 3-4 times a week. She is the first Priory alum to work at the White House.

2006

5th Reunion Year Class Agent: Molly Magnuson Kathy Lim graduated from University of Washington in June 2010, majoring in Communication, and moved back to Korea where her family lives.

Sara Verhalen, Laura Koenig, Molly Magnuson, Alex Swan, Tori Patton, Scott Bader, and a friend, gathered for Christmas festivities in December 2010. Mr. Molak and Santa joined, too!

2007

Christine Ahlstrom is graduating from Santa Clara University in June 2011 with a B.A in Communication and a Minor in French. She held an internship with Warner Music Group in Los Angeles last summer, and studied abroad in London, UK two summers before that.

Theresa Dai graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in December 2010 and is now living in Taiwan.

2008

Greg Somogyi and Brian Yam (‘07) return to the NCAA Tournament as the Gauchos defeated Long Beach State 64-56. This marks the first time in UCSB history that the team has won back-to-back Conference Tournament Championships. The Gauchos played the Florida Gators in Tampa, Florida, Thursday March 17th.

2010

Melissa Perna got herself an FM show! If you ever want to listen, the shows are archived on www. wzbc.org under “ZBC Archive Stream.” Her show is called “Laughing on the Bus” (after her favorite Simon & Garfunkel song), and they broadcast on Mondays, 7AM-10AM.

Alumni Gathering in Washington D.C. in February From Left to Right: Sara Rappaport ’05, Julia Duncan ’05, Brian Schlaak, Anna Costello-Dougherty ’05, Scott Parker, Susan Lyon ‘05, Caitha Ambler, Laura Brent ’04, Rebecca Rappaport ’05, Matthew Lai, Helene Jernick ‘05

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HELP! LOST ALUMS We are expanding our efforts to find lost alumni. The following names are from the classes that will be celebrating reunions in September 2011. If you know where these alumni are, please contact Casey at alumni@prioryca.org.

1961 Dennis Duff 1966 Allan J. Bianco Christopher Cogley James R. Eastep James Goggin Timothy J. Kelleher Stephen Sziebert 1971 Peter Brown Michael M. Cox Alberto Guirola Paul T. Hewitt Douglas McAllister Kevin P. O’Meara Scott Setterfield 1976 James Grein Joaquin Guerrero Jorge Regalado 1981 Naoto Hara Naokazu Kuboyama

1986 John A. Furze Jeffery J. Glasow Lars R. Haitz Hassan Jafri Samuel T. Liu William C. Millard Jeff Pringle William R. Schneider Jason G. Williams Charles T. Wong Anthony J. Xavier 1991 Odisseus D. Berouklis Mark Burton John T. Gonczol Min Ho Lee Wei-Chia Lee Alan S. Liang Gavin H. Lindores Michael Seymour Ken Woo 1996 Peter Adams Harry Chang Jason Chang Philip Chu

Philip Dauchy Paul Hutchins Raymond Lau Bruce A. Patten Jonathan J. Saunders Anthony Tsai Nathan J. Williams 2001 Kristina R. Campbell Ayari L. Diaz Jason C. Lam David A. Lando Helene Nguyen Phung L. Nguyen Stephen T. Rice 2006 Aracely Aceves Jordan B. Amdahl Beom Jin Kim Joonsik Kim

Q&A Larry David ‘62 22

An Inteview with

After retiring from a successful business career, why not become a lawyer?

After 28-years in business, Larry David decided to reinvent himself and pursue his lifelong dream to become a lawyer. Larry sat down and told us how he went from the Priory, to his M.B.A., to his J.D. Larry David as a Priory student Interview by Sean Mclain Brown, Director of Communications at the Priory

SMB: What do you enjoy most about your practice in family law?

LD: My law practice consists of family law (concentrating on cases where children are involved and domestic violence has been a component of the parental relationship), corporate, contracts, and general real estate not having to do with development. What I enjoy about practicing law is the variety you experience and the constant thinking that is required as you go through your daily routines.

SMB: Law is a second career for you, going back to school later in life must have presented some challenges, can you speak to this?

LD: Attending law school was the single most difficult educational challenge I have ever undertaken. I think the thing that made it so difficult is that a mind between the ages of 56 and 60 (the years I attended law school) is not anywhere near as supple as the mind of a person attending school in their early twenties (the age at which I attended business school and received my MBA, Finance).

SMB: How did you become interested in law?

LD: I have always been interested in law. However, beginning my business career directly out of business school, I never had the chance to pursue law except as a “practicing” client. When I retired from business in 1995, and then read about a cost effective online law school, Concord Law School, in 1999, I was able to pursue my long held dream.

SMB: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

LD: The most challenging aspect of the work is keeping up with the deadlines. Litigation is a young person’s game and, in family law, by nature there is litigation. So, as one of the older “new” practitioner’s in the area, I find litigation a challenge that in my younger years I think I could have handled with much less consternation than I do now.

SMB: You’ve spent more than six years as an attorney volunteer with the LACBA Domestic Violence Project. How did you get involved with them and what do you enjoy most about your volunteer work?

LD: When you are a 61-year old first-year attorney, the clients are not breaking your door down. I sent inquiries to a number of legal services agencies offering my talents at no cost. Only two of them responded, and one of them was LACBA’s DVP. After I had been volunteering there for a while, my first trial case developed, and I embarked on a yearlong struggle to remove a convicted child molester from a four-year old female child’s life. This effort was successful, and I have kept up my relationship with DVP to this day. The people I work with at DVP and the people I am able to help provide a periodic exhilaration that I find uplifiting.

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SMB: How did your experiences at the Priory help shape your passions in your career and personal life?

LD: Having the good fortune to be surrounded by the founding community of the Priory (Fathers Egon, Christopher, Leopold, Charles, and Pius to name a few), along with some of the lay faculty, who were also pioneers at the time (Mr. Goode, Mr. Omlor, and Mr. O’Neill) have been the greatest influences in my life as I have lived it. I attribute all the good I have ever done to these mentors and the not so good to myself.

SMB: What advice would you give for current students interested in a career in law?

LD: Go into the law to do some good for society not for the money that could be made in my generation and, if you have the talent to be a great lawyer, find a field where you can contribute something more meaningful to society.

SMB: What did you enjoy most about your experience at the Priory and do you have a favorite memory you can share?

LD: I don’t know whether you can describe it as “enjoyment”, however, looking back, my Priory years were years I cherish every day. There is not a day that goes by that they do not emerge in my mind.

SMB: What do you believe is the most serious issue facing the human race today?

LD: Survival!

SMB: What are some of your personal goals in life?

LD: I have found that my personal goals are forever changing.

From 2000 through 2004, they were to pass law school and then the California Bar Exam. Now they are to use my talents as a lawyer to help others. When I left graduate school in 1967, they were to have fun and embark on a successful business career. Mixed in with all this are the goals wrapped around family and children.

This is a long-winded answer to get across the idea that my goals are not extremely focused and change daily.

SMB: Outside of your work in law, what do you enjoy doing?

LD: Aside from family and the law and serving on some civic and school boards, there is not much else that I do. As I have been involved in the law for only the last six years, it remains new and exciting to me and provides the “hobby” that others might enjoy.

SMB: Who has been the biggest influence in your life and why?

LD: The biggest influence in my life has been the founding Priory monastic community. These men came to a foreign country with nothing, did not speak the language, bought land in an area of which they had no knowledge, and began educating young men, many of whom might not have wanted to learn what these men had to teach. This experience introduced me to “risk taking”, and provided the foundation upon which I have built my own life since. I consider this experience to be the most significant life gift I have been given, with the exception of my children.

Larry with his wife, Beverly

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Hope

by Maddie Pierson, Class of 2012

Imagine a girl

Unlimited

who lives in a comfortable suburban house surrounded by a loving family. She attends Stanford games and vacations in Newport Beach with her family. She attends private school.

Imagine another girl who lives in a home of cardboard and plywood, without plumbing or electricity. She walks barefoot on a dirty, trash-filled street. Her mom suffers from mental illness and has to leave the house and take medication to avoid hurting her children. The father is a drug addict. On the way home from school, this girl sells herself on the street to earn money for her family.

These two girls met this past summer. If you haven’t already guessed, I am the first girl.

Last summer, I traveled to Brazil to visit a Christian nonprofit organization, Hope Unlimited, which rescues children who have been sexually exploited and are living on the streets.

When I returned to the US, I struggled to understand what I had seen and experienced. It was hard for me to find the words to describe it.

In American culture, we tend to use a narrow definition of the word “love” to describe romantic relationships, or close relationships with friends and family members. We encourage love and compassion towards others, but we do not really consider who or what we would be without the love we experience. My whole life I’ve lived in a tight-knit environment where I have experienced love and expected it from those around me.

In Brazil, the family system works differently in some segments of society.

In the poorer classes, many families are so desperate as a result of poverty and addictions, that they make money off of their children by selling them into prostitution or using them to sell drugs. The children are not cherished members of the family, but are products used to support the family.

Hope Unlimited works with social service agencies in Brazil to rescue teenagers living in these situations of imminent risk.

Hope provides homes for these children with loving house par-

25 In the poorer classes, many families are so desperate as a result of poverty and addictions, that they make money off of their children by selling them into prostitution or using them to sell drugs.

ents on spacious ranch facilities at three locations in Brazil. Hope Unlimited provides health services, food, clothing, a safe place to live, and education and vocational training.

When students first come to Hope, they are taken to the doctor for a full medical exam. They also receive a bone scan, because almost all of the kids do not know their birthdate or how old they are.

After they arrive, they are given a welcome bag, which includes some basic necessities and some toys. For many of these children, this is the first time they have had any belongings they can call their own.

Hope helps prepare the children for the workforce by training them in the fields of culinary arts, computer and business, auto mechanics, and beauty/cosmotology.

After completing vocational training, students receive a certificate, which is highly valued in the workplace. Hope provides care for these children until they are 18, and then assists them in finding a job and moves them into housing with other graduates.

The staff members at Hope don’t just provide education and training, but also celebrate special moments of the children’s lives. Every month, the teachers take all the kids with a birthday, out to a local mall for a party consisting of arcade games, shopping, dinner and a movie. Many of the children have never had a birthday party.

I was invited to go with a group of boys celebrating their birthdays. I enjoyed playing games with the other teens. A twelve year old boy with whom I had played arcade games, offered me a piece of gum he had bought with part of his birthday shopping money.

While his gesture may seem weirdly inconsequential as we sit here today, for some reason it touched me. He had a degree of gentle and humble generosity that I wasn’t expecting. I later found out that before his time at Hope, he had wandered the streets high, and had been arrested for robbing people at gunpoint. The story seemed inconceivable.

Hearing the stories of the children at Hope made me uncomfortable And that is exactly why it was so important to listen. After struggling with their stories and pasts, I was amazed at how they had learned to love and move forward towards a new future.

The love I witnessed in Brazil was unconditional. It was about loving people simply because they exist. At Hope, that kind of love heals, and makes people feel that their past does not tarnish who they are in the present.

Theresa, the girl I met last summer in the slum and whom I mentioned at the beginning of this talk, has not yet made it to Hope.

Hope is currently trying to help Theresa’s parents recover from their addictions in an effort to keep the family intact. However, Theresa has not yet been able to experience what it is like to be unconditionally loved.

The ultimate proof of the effectiveness of love at Hope is evident in the graduates.

Not only have they become productive members of society, they are raising their own families and contributing money and time back to Hope to support programs for the current students.

Hope’s goal is not only to change the lives of its students, but to reshape the future of the next generation. The unconditional love provided at Hope is achieving that transformation.

My experience at Hope taught me that people deserve our love simply because they exist. We owe them that as a result of our common humanity.

Hope provides vocational training such a auto mechanics.

For kids who have never experienced a birthday party, a bag of gifts is a rare treat.

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Priory Students Tango Across

Patagonia Argentina

by Gulliver Lavalle

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T

ter the choir finished, our tour guide, The 2011 Priory Argentina chaperones Lucía, told us that the town didn’t get and students arrived in on Feb. 19th to many student groups performing for a hot and humid Buenos Aires. The end them and that they would remember of summer energy was palatable, and and cherish this experience. We stayed the students were excited to experience in Villa la Angostura for four days, and Carnival, as well as the color and flavor were reluctant to leave, as it felt like that Argentina has to offer.

“I loved the Argentina trip so much that at the top home.

After getting our rooms and resting of my bucket list I added Live in Argentina for a Our next destination was Bariloche, a bit, we set out to explore the city. Our which comes from Vuriloche (“people first stop was La Boca, which is a great year.” – Ashley Reyes, 12 from behind the mountain”) in the Marepresentation of early European influpuche language. This majestic region ence. Between 1880 and 1930, approxi“Nine days of awesome”- Matthew Putman, 12 is formed by abundant precipitations, mately 6 million foreign immigrants wide watersheds, exuberant vegetation, landed in the port of La Boca and liked “It was a brilliant experience, and I would go back a wide variety of natural pastures, and a what they saw so much that they dein a heartbeat if I could.”Colin Schreiner, 12 diverse and rich variety of flora and faucided to stay. The diversity had a huge na. While in the town, we visited some of effect on this area and its new inhabit“The Murga festival was a surprise; I loved attackthe biggest chocolate stores we had ever ants due to the different backgrounds of ing my classmates with fake snow” seen. The day after we arrived, we went the settlers. As they began constructing river rafting. Every time two of our rafts homes their supplies were limited, espe- Cary Hampton, 12 would get near each other, a huge wacially their supplies of paint. As a soluter fight broke out; we even got the tour tion, they used any and all leftover paint guides to help us. By the time we left Bariloche, most swore to they could find or afford from the shipyard.

The result of this painting frenzy was a one-of-a-kind neigh- return for what Bariloche was most famous for, the ski season. borhood that was adorned with every color of the rainbow. As we When we returned to Buenos Aires, we were excited, but sad walked through the streets, we admired the colorful buildings, that our trip was coming to an end. On our last few days there, local artisans, and tango dancers. Later, we went to a Murga cel- we visited Florida Street, a pedestrian-only street filled with street ebration. Murga is a percussion-based rhythm usually performed vendors and other shops. That night, we got one of our last tastes by a marching band, live on the streets, without amplification and of Argentine culture with a tango show and class. The class taught its dance sometimes involves complex aerial, almost acrobatic us some of the more simple tango steps. While some found it easy, moves. Cymbals and whistles rang out in the streets while drums others could not master this challenging Argentine dance. The kept beat for the colorful dancers in the street. Unexpectedly, lo- show was entertaining, and showed how the tango evolved from cals started spraying us with soap foam. We decided to fight back. a dance that men used to do with each other to a dance now more By the end of the parade, we were covered from head to toe with commonly done between men and women.

Although the trip lasted only nine days, the impressions will soap and wanted to come back every night. What a blast!

The next day, we hopped on a plane to Bariloche, then to Villa last a lifetime. We were all happy to be home with our families, but la Angostura, which is a small mountain village of about 11,000. look forward to when we can return and continue to explore the Villa la Angostura was a great place to see Patagonia in an “un- beauty of Patagonia. touched” state; it is located within the Nahuel Haupi National Park, dedicated to the preservation of the pristine natural environment. We explored it through canoeing, biking, and hiking.

On our last day there, the choir performed for local residents. Af-

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The Green Page A letter from the Priory Sustainability Coordinator

Dear Priory Community, Greetings and a warm welcome to Spring! This school year has witnessed some changes and improvements to the sustainability of Priory operations. My focus this year is on energy efficiency and diversion from landfill. Here are some updates on the school’s progress at this point in time.

Working with helpful representatives from PG&E, the school has hosted auditors, consultants, and installers from third party ‘turn-key’ contractors to assess the efficiency of school energy use. Together, we have identified opportunities for some significant savings of power and money for the school. Representatives from Matrix Energy Services, San Mateo Energy Watch, and Eco Act have recommended major changes for campus lighting. Within the next month, these companies will be installing or retrofitting nearly 2000 new fixtures around the campus. These changes will be affected at no cost to the school, as part of PG&E’s efforts to assist and subsidize clients with improvements to their energy use.

Additionally, these consultants have helped us to validate the efficient operation of all kinds of appliances around campus facilities – from the compressors on our vending machines, to the kitchen’s ventilation system, and from the heating and air conditioning units that make our buildings comfortable, to the pump which is at the core of the pool’s heating and filtration system. As time goes on, we are continually reevaluating priorities, to maximize the return on investment for any of the low-cost measures that the energy utilities subsidize.

In material efficiency news, the school has also restructured its contract with our waste manager, Greenwaste. Working with our account manager, we were able to re-design the shape and flow of our recycling system to improve opportunities for students, teachers, and staff to divert as much material as possible from landfill, and save the school money in the process. The fundamental logic here is, the more recyclables that we get out of our trash bins, the less we pay and the less negatively affect the environment. As another diversion-from-landfill initiative, our intention here is to get food waste out of the trash and into an onsite composting system. Soon, we will be rolling out a new composting program to collect student plate waste. Students are helping with the promotion and implementation of this project, which we hope will tell a good story about our community’s collaborative efforts to close the loop on the disposal of organic

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materials, keeping the finished compost and soil products on campus and using them in the school garden and landscaping. As an avid and enthusiastic composter myself, I am very excited about this program and the learning opportunities that it will present. (Just ask the students in my Food Production and Natural Sciences class – they will attest that I am not squeamish about getting down and dirty with compost and the worms that live in it!)

Finally, I invite you to enjoy the campus’ natural beauty with your friends and family. If you have a keen eye, you might see increased population of western bluebirds foraging in the campus grasslands and perching in student-made brushpiles. If you hear what you think is the chirp of an athletic whistle but no games are scheduled, you might look up to observe an Anna’s Hummingbird, in the middle of its courtship dance, which is a dramatic high-altitude dive bomb followed by a ruby flash, the chirp – which is actually a small sonic boom – and breathtaking swoop back up to repeat the dance again. It is pretty cool to watch, even more so, if you can point it out to a friend or family member. And, walking in the neighboring hills and drainages, you will see higher waters in the local creeks and streams. Here, you will see great blue herons quietly stalking frogs and fish as prey (and gophers, if you see them on terra firma). Or, you might see orange newts and small trout and minnows snatching hatching flies from the surface of the deeper pools on Corte Madera creek.

As an effort to preserve this natural beauty, a few Priory students recently participated in the removal of French Broom from some areas adjoining the campus. This invasive weed threatens the diversity of our local plant ecology.

Please take some time to enjoy spring and the wonders of nature. Take a hike, visit the campus, tour the garden, ask the big questions. These are the activities of the life-long learners and stewards that we challenge our students – and ourselves – to become.

Best Wishes for a Green Spring!

Hovey Clark

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MONASTERY NEWS

Clock

Don’t Call it a Grandfather

by Sean Mclain Brown

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W

What is a clock? Is it a instrument that simply tells time, marking minutes and hours with chimes? If you ask Father Martin, he’ll flash a smile and shake his head. Father Martin believes a clock is more than glass and wood, gleaming brass gears, steel springs, counter-balances, and pendulums. He believes a clock is a metaphor for our lives, as all good horologists do.

“A clock is made out of dead wood,” says Father Martin, “it lived and breathed, like us, and by making a clock, it is brought back to life.”

It’s easy then, to draw parallels with the life of Christ and his resurrection, as well as the teachings of St. Benedict, in particular, the opening, “always we begin again.”

“It’s somewhat of a misnomer to call a long-case clock a Grandfather clock” says Father Martin “It’s either a long-case clock or a tall clock, but not a Grandfather.”

Father Martin has been making long-case clocks for the Priory auction for 27 years. That’s a lot of clocks. Father Martin’s clocks have helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the school, and he has no plans on stopping that tradition.

The Arts and Crafts movement that flourished between 1880 and 1910 heavily influences Father Martin’s clocks, and much of his woodwork.

“I’m attracted to simple lines and functional forms, particularly Shaker style,” said Father Martin. “The Arts and Crafts style evokes the sense of handcraftsmanship, and that’s what I enjoy making.”

Father Martin doesn’t consider himself an artist; rather, he prefers the distinction of craftsman.

Father Martin began woodworking in late 1960’s when he was working in the Admissions department at St. Anselm College. Father Martin has made crosiers, a classical guitar, mountain dulcimers, canoes, the pews in the Priory Chapel, mantel and long-case clocks, and so much more.

So, when you attend this year’s gala, bid up Father Martin’s clock for a chance to own a poignant metaphor for life, a piece of Priory history, and a handcrafted, valuable addition to your home.

But whatever you do, don’t call it a Grandfather clock.

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Celebrating Our 53nd Year

Saint Benedict Society The Priory recently established a St. Benedict Society to honor the special alumni, faculty, parents, and friends who have made a Planned Gift to the Priory through their estate plans. The Society celebrates this special form of philanthropy and looks forward to welcoming new members.

The Development Office will be happy to work with you and your advisors to arrange a gift plan that best suits your charitable goals. In addition, membership in the St. Benedict Society may inspire and encourage others to look toward the future and how they, too, may have an enduring impact on the Priory.