Alumni
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T he T ie T hat B inds :
1689 Class Agent Jane F. Evans jevans@penncharter.com
Robert Gordon Hon. 1689, who retired after teaching math for 27 years at Penn Charter, ran into Mike Fernando, Ben Fries and Drew Bonus, all OPC ’09 (pictured, left to right), at Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.
A Lasting Legacy Following a 45-year career in early childhood, primary and secondary education, Stephen H. Watters Hon. 1689 retired in June 2015 from his double-decade-long post as headmaster of the Green Vale School, a nursery to middle school in Old Brookville, N.Y. His wife, Anne, worked alongside him for 19 years as director of admissions and school psychologist. Both previously served as members of Penn Charter’s faculty and administration – he as director of middle school and English teacher, she as director of lower school admissions and writing instructor. Watters is succeeded by Jesse Dougherty, former PC teacher, coach and chair of the Upper School English department. “The Penn Charter-Green Vale connection is still strong!” Dougherty exclaimed.
Gordon was enjoying his retirement on a 53-day road trip with his wife, Sue. The Gordons covered national parks and natural wonders in 10 states, from Virginia to Arizona. In a blog chronicling their journey, Sue wrote, “We are constantly amazed by the sites we see. Back east, when one of us was driving the other usually would nap. Not here! A person misses too much spectacular beauty if she or he makes the mistake of closing eyes. And the artistry of wind and water is so incredibly magnificent that it makes us question the vanity of our attempts to capture it.” Pictured: Secret Canyon, Utah, and Monument Valley, Arizona and Utah.
The longest-serving headmaster in Green Vale’s 92-year history, Watters was recognized for his distinguished leadership at the school’s record-breaking fundraising event, the inaugural Spring Gala, where he was humbly surprised to learn that the new 30,000-square-foot athletics and wellness center had been renamed the Watters Center in his honor. Retirement quickly proved to be a busy time for Watters, who sits on the boards of the Cloud Forest School Foundation, which supports a bilingual, environmentally focused school of the same name in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and the New York State Association of Independent Schools. He and Anne have recently begun sharing their expertise in a consulting capacity as the co-founders of Watters Educational Advisory. As Watters voyages into uncharted territory, he remains “in a state of transition and underemployment and enjoying immensely both these perspectives,” he said. He reflects upon his notable past: “Penn Charter had a profound effect on me. Its Quaker roots continue to influence and inform the way I perceive the world and my role in it.” PC
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