Andover magazine Fall/Winter 2023

FALL/WINTER 2023 THE MAGAZINE OF THE PHILLIPS ACADEMY & ABBOT ACADEMY COMMUNITY

Digging Deeper The Peabody, archaeology, and Native American justice

From the Head of School

FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

I Up First Brandon Fu ’25 and friends performed some cool jazz for a packed house at Grasshopper Night, the Academy’s annual studentrun variety show held during Family Weekend in October.

Photo by Gil Talbot

can’t imagine Andover in a static state, sitting comfortably with the status quo. A key reason why Andover has remained relevant for 246 years is its eagerness to evolve. It is a trait that attracted me to this school and continues to inspire my leadership. Intentional evolution also means identifying moments to explore profound change.

I believe now is that time for Andover.

Over the past decade, we have seen dramatic shifts in the education landscape. Rapidly changing technology and globalization greatly influence how we teach and the way that knowledge is generated and consumed. Coming out of the pandemic, we also continue to grapple with mental health as a factor in students’ social-emotional development and their ability to learn to their full potential. With these factors in mind, what are the skills students will need to make a difference in a world that is more complicated than ever?

To harness this moment, we have launched a long-range planning process that will span the next two years. Our goal is to secure the strongest possible future for Andover by developing a vision and action plan to guide our next 20 to 30 years.

Andover has a history of long-range planning that dates to the 1880s, when a fourth year was added in response to new requirements for college admission. Every 20 to 30 years thereafter, the school undertook a similar process to reflect on its strengths, examine its gaps, and then adapt to meet the future needs of its students.

A more recent effort led by former head of school Barbara Landis Chase in the mid-1990s resulted in a long-range financial plan followed by comprehensive reviews of academics and residential life. This set a vision for increased student access, eventually leading to our current need-blind admission policy.

Today’s initiative is organized around three working groups, each with a distinct charge: • Learning Steering Committee—To ensure cutting-edge excellence in academics and student life amidst ongoing change, and focus on the full student experience, academic rigor, and mental health and wellness.

• Fiscal Sustainability—To protect intergenerational equity.

• Operations—To develop policies and systems needed to implement new strategic initiatives.

It takes extraordinary human and financial resources to deliver our program. Our $130 million annual budget includes more than $27 million for financial aid. Even families who pay full tuition are not charged our actual cost to educate a student. We are confident that our investment in every student yields an unmatched experience—and it will take an Academy-wide commitment to preserve and enhance this “Andover experience” for generations to come.

We have begun to grapple with questions around academics, student life, and finances. This winter and spring, we will hold a series of open forums to hear from the campus community and will follow with outreach to alumni and families.

It is an exciting time to be part of the Andover community. Thank you for your continued support.

Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, ’27 Head of School

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EDITOR

Allyson Irish MANAGING EDITOR

Rita Savard

CONTRIBUTORS

Jill Clerkin Katie Fiermonti Ann Blumberg Graham ’74 Nancy Hitchcock Sara Ingram ’71 Joseph P. Kahn ’67 Christine Yu ’94

ART DIRECTOR

Ken Puleo

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Anne Marino P’19

Main PA phone: 978-749-4000 Changes of address and death notices: 978-749-4269, alumni-records@andover.edu Phillips Academy website: www.andover.edu Andover magazine phone: 978-749-4677 Email: magazine@andover.edu Postmasters: Send address changes to Phillips Academy 180 Main Street Andover MA 01810 ISSN-0735-5718

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• Our campus—From the Great Lawn to the Elm Arch to Abbot’s Secret Garden (see page 28), we all have benefited from time spent on this beautiful, serene, and cathartic landscape.

• Abbot Academy—I’ve garnered extra appreciation for Abbot this year as we celebrate 50 years since its integration with PA. Read about Abbot’s legacy on campus today on page 24.

“Art tells stories that have the power to shift students’ perspectives, from viewing problems as opportunities to risking failure by taking a novel approach.”

RAMSON LOMATEWAMA PAGE 16

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1 Head of School

9 The World Comes to Andover

4 Voices

13 Alumni Recognition 15 Bookshelf

FEATURES

16 Digging Deeper

36 Alumni Up Close

How the 122-year-old Peabody Institute is taking a new approach to teaching archaeology by putting Native voices front and center.

40 Philanthropy 100 End Note

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CLASS NOTES 42 Class Notes 91 Alumni Trustee Election 92 Photo Gallery 96 In Memoriam

24 Abbot’s Legacy Today A look at the Abbot educators who strengthened Andover and how their contributions can be seen— and felt—across campus today.

28 The Secret Garden Sara Ingram ’71 reveals the history behind an Abbot Academy hidden treasure.

\ Allyson Irish Editor magazine@andover.edu @andovermagazine

DEPARTMENTS

8 Buzz

11 Off the Wall

Wishing everyone a wonderful and gratitude-filled holiday season.

© 2023 Phillips Academy, Andover, MA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ALL SCHOOL

HENRY MARTE

• Andover alums—When I first started at Andover, I was a bit intimidated by its history, academic excellence, and remarkable alumni body. Yet every alumna/us I’ve worked with (see alumni profiles beginning on page 36) has been extraordinarily gracious and thankful for the opportunity to be part of Andover magazine.

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SARA LEITH-TANOUS ’73

GIL TALBOT

Andover, the magazine of the Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy community, is published four times per year. It is produced by the Office of Communication at Phillips Academy, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810.

“As a student, the Abbot campus felt very alive—as if super-charged with the buoyant energy of students exploring their sparks of passion.”

FALL/WINTER 2023

Volume 117, Number 1

COURTESY PHOTO

Tracy M. Sweet

When my sons were little, my husband and I would initiate a “thankful dinner” a few nights each week. The idea was that each of us would share one thing we were grateful for that had happened that day—no repeats!

It was very sweet to hear the boys share their thanks for the kindness of a teacher, a special treat at lunch, or having a conversation with a grandparent.

As we head into the holiday season, I’ve been reflecting on the Andover community and what we— collectively—are thankful for. With so much divisiveness in the world, it sometimes seems hard to identify anything we can all agree on, but I think the following list is a good start.

COURTESY PHOTO

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

EDITOR’S NOTE

CRISTINA TACCONE

Andover magazine reinforces the special connection alumni have with Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy. Through thought-provoking stories, contemporary design, and inspiring profiles of alumni, students, and faculty, we aim to highlight the school’s enduring values, recognize our unique history, and celebrate the rich diversity of our community.

ON THE COVER Ceramic figurines from the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico. Excavated by Richard “Scotty” MacNeish during his explorations into the domestication of maize in the 1960s. Cover Photo by Henry Marte

29 Home Returning to campus, three alumni photographers capture images of their “home.”

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VOICES

ABBOT

Andover

SUMMER 2023

THE MAGAZINE OF THE PHILLIPS ACADEMY & ABBOT ACADEMY COMMUNITY

SUMMER 2023

“Perhaps the most meaningful and lasting impact that Abbot has had at Andover is one of accountability.” Page 16

—ANN GOODWIN ’75

Next

Now When I opened the most recent issue of Andover magazine, I saw the article commemorating 50 years of Andover coeducation, which included a piece about my own personal story along with the way that alumni use their Andover education to break stereotypes and guide others who have been historically excluded from spaces to claim their places. With Andover and Abbot Academy as a singular institution, I am so proud to be among these pathbreaking alums ushering in social change.

Coming back to campus this past September for Alumni Council Weekend, I was inspired by students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are taking on the mantle of boldness, innovation, and caring.

—JASMINE MITCHELL ’99

The first year I taught at Abbot Academy, I took a group of students to a program that PA ran called Search and Rescue—a staple at the school. We went climbing at a steep spot called Devil’s Den. The male instructor wasn’t happy that he was going to have girls in his class. There was a ballerina named Amy who had incredible strength in her legs.

The instructor started off by showing the students how to do three-point climbing. Amy was harnessed up and told to wait while the instructor climbed up about 15 feet. When he told her it was OK to go, she went up that rock like a spider, right past him. I thought to myself, “You go, girl!”

—MICHAEL MCCANN ABBOT ACADEMY BIOLOGY INSTRUCTOR

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When the Abbot Academy Fund approached me in August 2022 to produce a film showcasing their first 50 years, I was thrilled, not only for the opportunity to learn about the fund’s history but also to gain insight into the emotional landscape through which it was born. To have an opportunity to sit in conversation with those who lived through the merger and listen to the ways the transition changed the trajectory of Phillips Academy was a great responsibility— and one I did not take lightly.

What I had not anticipated, however, was how the spirit of Abbot would imbue itself into the making of the film. Through the process of filming more than 25 interviews over eight months, our team was moved again and again by the love that alumnae hold for Abbot Academy and their awareness of how transformative the school had been for them. The stories that were shared fostered an environment of caring among our whole team, as well as an appreciation for the trustees who had the foresight to ensure that Abbot’s legacy would continue.

The process of creating this film has illuminated the reality that Abbot’s legacy does indeed live on through AAF-funded projects like Non Sibi Day, Andover Bread Loaf, the Abbot Academy Dance Suite, mental health awareness and support, and student-led clubs that offer a sense of home and belonging. The Abbot Academy Fund has done much more than provide funding for important projects; it’s made people feel seen and shifted the entire culture of a school.

In any filmmaking project there are lessons to be learned about how to exist as an emotional being in this world. As I reflect on the making of this film, I’m left with an awareness of what it means to profoundly love something.

As mortal beings in a mortal world, there is this universal hope that what we love will live on, that letting go doesn’t have to mean forgetting, and that with change there can also come new beginnings. The new beginning created by the merger of Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy fostered an environment that continues to benefit many.

When I think back to my time at Phillips Academy and all the ways it transformed me, I see now that Abbot was there too—weaving its spirit through campus in many ways—as it will be for years to come.

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ANDOVER

“Abbot lives on through the alumnae who preserve the Abbot legacy and advance Andover as well—through serving on the Alumni Council, Abbot Alumnae Engagement Initiative, Abbot Academy Fund, and as class secretaries and class agents.”

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Andover magazine welcomes letters addressing topics related to the Phillips Academy and/or Abbot Academy community. Letters will be edited for clarity, space, and civility. Opinions expressed in the “Voices” section do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the magazine editorial staff or of Phillips Academy.

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50 Words for 50 Years

As members of the Andover community, we invite you to share your reflections. Do you remember your time as an Abbot student or teacher? Do you recall what it was like to be on campus during this transitional period? What about current students, faculty, and younger alumni—how do you perceive the impact of two schools joining together and/or of Abbot Academy? Please send reflections to alumni@andover.edu.

Visit andover.edu/thennownext to learn more.

—TAMARA ELLIOTT ROGERS ’70 CHARTER TRUSTEE

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—ALEXANDRA MORROW ’12

LETTERS POLICY

at 50

We’d like to hear from you! This academic year, Andover celebrates the impact of half a century of Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy becoming a singular institution.

CREDIT NEEDED

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am so interested in the summer magazine’s coverage of the merger in 1973. Thank you for featuring it.

I was in that first group of girls, entering in 1973 as an 11th-grade student for the first two years of coeducation. It was indeed a complicated time to be there, and I realize now how oblivious I was about what came before our arrival. For example, I had no idea how many of the girls in my class had attended Abbot or how many, like me, were totally new to the school. I also had never before considered that some Abbot girls felt intimidated by the “new” girls. I felt at the time that the merger was easier for the Abbot girls, especially socially, which just underscores how blind we can be to the challenges faced by others.

It is fascinating, all these years later, to revisit that time with the context that this article Abbot & Andover at and other magazine articles about Abbot have provided.

Then

Front row, from left: Courtnie Bolden ’09; Leislie Godo-Solo P’13, ’17; Linda Carter Griffith; former dean of Community and Multicultural Development Bobby Edwards; David Brown; and Graeme Griffith. Back row: Michelle Gittens ’99; Veda Robinson; Derrick Wallace ’75; Assistant Head of School for Admission and Financial Aid Jim Ventre ’79; Charter Trustee Chris Auguste ’76, P’09, ’12; Rev. Gina Finocchiaro ’97; former head of school John Palfrey P’21; Director of Admission Jill Thompson; and Associate Director of Admission and basketball coach Terrell Ivory ’00.

inda Carter Griffith, associate head of school for equity, inclusion, and wellness, received the inaugural Founder’s Award from A Better Chance (ABC) in October. She is pictured here surrounded by an all-star cast of PA luminaries, including alumni and current and former staff. Founded in 1963, ABC supports high-performing middle and high school students of color as they attend prestigious independent boarding, day, and public schools.

“ Huge congratulations!!

We’re so lucky to have you as a leader and connector in our community!” @SUSAN ESTY Via Facebook

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All School FIELD HOCKEY ON FIRE Andover’s varsity field hockey team—shown here practicing in Phelps Stadium—earned an impressive second-place finish in the fall NEPSAC Class A finals. The team has won the championship four times since 2015.

Congratulations players, coaches, and trainers!

Photo by Heidi Wall

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The World Comes to Andover

All School

Visiting campus anytime soon? Thanks to work done by PA Archives and Special Collections and Chloe Rhee ’24, you can access a guided walking tour online that includes information about historical buildings and notable alumni. Enjoy a leisurely tour starting at Abbot Hall and ending at Stowe House.

Trying out the app? Take a selfie while on the tour and send it to magazine@andover.edu.

BU Z Z

Continuing Andover’s focus on health and wellness, Hanna spoke to students about the dangers of substance abuse and addiction. Hanna is part of the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program (ASAP), which provides national leadership in evaluation and treatment of substance use problems and disorders.

Lee Howell

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David Schwartz ’72 and his wife, Susan, love a good bargain so much that they spent seven years visiting more than 200 Costco warehouses around the world. The couple recently published The Joy of Costco and have received media attention from the Today show and Business Insider, among other outlets.

FPO

Marie Beecham Social Justice Advocate, Podcaster

Host of The Changemaker podcast, Beecham provides relevant, practical, and actionable ways to be a proponent of racial equity. “Racial equity,” she says, “is about equitable opportunities, diverse communities and cultures flourishing, and respect for differences. It’s about ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity.”

Grammy Award–Winning Drummer

Managing Director, World Economic Forum Political newcomer Stefanos Kasselakis ’05 made international news in September when he was elected president of Syriza, a left-wing political party in Greece. The former Goldman Sachs trader has injected some excitement into the party by highlighting his business acumen and leveraging social media platforms like TikTok to raise his visibility.

How can teachers and students talk about AI? What does it mean to use AI responsibly in the classroom? Hudson led a discussion with students and faculty to explore these and other questions related to one of the most significant topics in education today.

Terri Lyne Carrington

NEIL EVANS

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Boston Children’s Hospital

A leading voice on global sustainability, Howell serves as executive director of the Villars Institute in Switzerland, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the transition to a netzero and nature-positive economy through intergenerational and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Carrington founded the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, which she directs at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Along with her band, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, the drummer “hit it off ” with Andover this fall, speaking at All-School Meeting and interacting with students as this year’s Kayden Guest Artist.

MICHAEL GOLDMON

CAMPUS WALK & LEARN

Education Consultant

Dr. Marie Hanna

COURTESY PHOTO

Andover families have a new resource this year with the establishment of the Academy’s first Office of Family Engagement.

A direct result of recommendations offered in 2022 by the Andover AntiRacism Task Force, the new office reports to the associate head of school for equity, inclusion, and wellness, and aims to purposefully engage and inform parents, guardians, and families by enhancing communication, developing resources, and strengthening families’ connections with campus partners.

“I am filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for the meaningful partnerships we will forge between Andover and families,” says inaugural director Jennifer Vasquez.

The Office of Family Engagement is located in George Washington Hall.

To contact Vasquez, please email jvasquez@andover.edu.

GEORGE ASHAM, MD

KEVIN BLINKOFF

NEIL EVANS

MAKING FAMILIES A PRIORITY

Eric Hudson

“ A good artificial intelligence analogy is the emergence of the calculator in math.

What does the calculator do for us that we used to expect students to do on their own?”

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Off the Wall

All School UNCOMMONS-LY COMMITTED

GIL TALBOT

“Billy!” Anyone who’s been to Paresky Commons in the past three decades knows this greeting and the charming, bespectacled staff member being referred to.

Billy Flynn has worked at Andover for nearly four decades. What started out as a two-week trial period in 1989 has turned into something much more than a job. “The PA community is like my second family,” says Flynn.

“Billy loves interacting with students, staff, and faculty,” says Karen VanAvery, senior director of dining services.

NEIL EVANS

BU Z Z

Abbey Siegfried P’25, ’26, music department chair (left), signed the ceremonial final steel beam minutes before it was raised 80 feet and placed atop Falls Music Center in November. The tradition, in which the tallest and last beam is placed on a building, was special for many reasons, including its significance for Larry Muench, director of facilities, who recently retired after 19 years with the Academy. Other signees included trustees, senior administrators, and members of the Andover Development Board.

The new facility will open in fall 2024 and is made possible by nearly 650 donors, with a lead gift from the Falls and Rogers family. Trustee President Amy Falls ’82, P’19, ’21, expressed gratitude for the Academy’s outstanding music faculty and to all who made the project possible.

“Music is such an important part of everyone’s life. Whether you can’t sing a note or can’t play a note, we all can listen and feel healed,” she said. “Remembering the power of the arts is incredibly important in our world today.”

Led by German instructor Lisa Svec, this group of hearty faculty hiked up Mt. Major in Alton, N.H., on the last weekend of October.

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COURTESY PHOTO

From left are McKee Poland P’07, ’09, ’12; French instructor Libby Poland P’07, ’09, ’12; physics instructor Clyfe Beckwith P’15, ’17; Lisa Svec ’81, P’08, ’10; biology lab assistant Melanie Poulin; emerita faculty Deb Olander P’07, ’10; Tina Corbitt; athletics instructor Martha Fenton ’83, P’17, ’21, ’23; athletics director Lisa Joel; and Russian instructor Kassie Bateman ’06 with Skye the pup.

Chromium Dip, 2022, acrylic on linen,

TURNING A BIG SHIP

“TOPPING OFF”—A HIGH NOTE

the

Reggie Burrows Hodges,

In his fall solo show at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Reggie Burrows Hodges presented a new body of work that contemplates the notion of turning a big ship—of marshalling collective will and labor to resist a powerful current. The sloop and the sea captain are central motifs as Hodges engages with and expands the tradition of maritime painting.

“This exhibition unveils a profound body of work that speaks to our current moment while entering into a provocative new dialogue with the Addison’s treasured collection,” says Allison Kemmerer, the Mary Stripp and R. Crosby Kemper Director of the Addison Gallery of American Art. With a new suite of nearly two dozen paintings completed in 2022 and 2023, Hodges reveals an inky black ground peeking through gauzy layers of color. Masts and sails morph into female forms that steward and navigate vessels through uncertain waters. Here, the artist casts his gaze on a broader narrative: as the poet Derek Walcott writes, “the sea is History.” This history—one of both exploration and exploitation—forms another ground for the paintings, surfacing as clearly as his signature black underpainting. At the same time, these are works of art oriented toward the future: redirecting the ship requires the collective embrace of possibility and change.

Hodges, a painter currently based in Maine and the Bay area, is the inaugural recipient of the Bartlett H. Hayes, Jr. Prize, awarded by the Addison Artist Council (AAC). The AAC builds on the Addison’s nearly century-long commitment to supporting living artists.

The Hayes Prize continues this extraordinary tradition by providing an emerging and/or under-recognized artist their first ever solo show at a collecting museum, along with a publication, acquisition of art for the collection, and an artist’s residency on campus.

“Reggie’s artistry serves as a powerful testament to the enduring relevance of American art,” Kemmerer says. “His work encapsulates the spirit of the Hayes Prize and the museum’s dedication to supporting American artists.”

110 x 239 1/4 x 2 inches, © Reggie Burrows Hodges.

Courtesy of the artist and Karma

This exhibition is sponsored by the Addison Artist Council and AAC Founders Alison Beaumont Hoeven ’83, Nicholas ’94 and Sasha Olney, and Sarah ’83 and Nathanael ’83 Worley; the Winton Family Fund; and the Edward E. Elson Artist-in-Residence Fund. To learn more, visit addison.andover.edu.

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Alumni Recognition

All School ALL RISE:

ANDOVER ALUMNI AWARD OF DISTINCTION RECIPIENTS

Students had the unique opportunity in November to learn “It’s a chance to see the court in action,” said Wolohojian. more about the judicial system when Appeals on Wheels, “We want to show you what we do and help foster confidence an event including three alumni judges, turned Kemper in the judiciary. We’re very proud of the work that judges in Auditorium into a courtroom.

Massachusetts do and we believe the commuThe civics education outreach used three nity will be proud as well when they have an real-life cases and presented proceedings opportunity to experience it.” just like it would in an actual appellate court When talking with the judges, students hearing. Appellate courts do not retry cases or discovered their meaningful paths along the hear new evidence. Instead, judges review the journey from Andover to the halls of justice. procedures and decisions in the trial court to “I didn’t really like law school,” Wolohojian make sure the proceedings were fair and that confessed. “And by the time I finished, I was the proper law was applied correctly. convinced I wouldn’t become a lawyer because The event welcomed Massachusetts I disliked it so much.” But a clerkship helped justices Gabrielle R. Wolohojian ’78, Eric her find her calling.

Neyman ’86, P’22, and Sookyoung Shin ’92 “It was a watershed moment for me,” and marked the first time Appeals on Wheels Wolohojian added. “To get behind the scenes brought its traveling oral arguments to a secand see what the judge did and how the judge ondary school. could help transformed my entire sense of —JUSTICE GABRIELLE R. Following the hearings, three additional everything.”

WOLOHOJIAN ’78 alumni—Justice Daniel E. Dilorati ’75, Justice All six judges cited their English courses at Mary F. McCabe ’71, and retired Justice Andover as foundational to their future careers Howard J. Whitehead ’68, P’02, ’04—joined in law, making them not only good writers but the panel for Blue Runs Deep, a program connectalso good communicators. ing students with alumni working in various in“In 11th-grade, I had Mr. [Craig] Thorn as my dustries. The student-led Q&A was broadcast to a English teacher,” Neyman said. “He was a wonderful larger alumni audience. man who made me a very effective writer…I’ve taken “Why is it important to come to Andover and his words with me in my legal career every single day.” share these appeals cases with students?”

Watch the video at andover.edu/magazine asked Izzy An ’24. “What do you hope we gain as constituents?”

f ierce environmental advocate. A consensus builder and historical preservation expert. An astute social commentator and television writer.

The 2023 Andover Alumni Award of Distinction recipients span four decades and multiple industries, yet all share a passion for their work and an appreciation of their education at PA and Abbot Academy. Paula Caballero ’80, Elaine B. Finbury ’68, P’99, and Peter R. Saji ’96 each spoke to the assembled student body at the annual Finis Origine Pendet All-School Meeting in October.

Caballero, regional managing director for Latin America at The Nature Conservancy, shared her story of disruption and transformation, including her work to create the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Talking about the urgency of climate change, Caballero said, “You must yourselves become agents of change and transformation. You have to challenge the status quo.”

“We want to show you what we do and help foster confidence in the judiciary.”

In her remarks, Finbury, principal of Rufus Choate Associates, described her 40-year career of “saving historic places,” which includes the Abbot campus. Finbury urged students to become financially literate, regardless of their chosen field. She also emphasized the importance of finding—and cherishing—a sense of place.

“You will know it when you see it because you can feel it in your heart,” Finbury said. “Beauty is important to our well-being.”

Saji chose not to focus on his remarkable career, which includes credits as a writer for the TV show Black-ish,

COURTESY PHOTO

Head of School Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, ’27, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary Dan Koh ’03 and Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Senior Advisor Jing Qu ’13. Kington was joined by Director of Alumni Engagement Jennifer Savino P’21, ’24.

MARC HARRISON

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co-creator, writer, and producer of the TV show Mixed-ish, and three Emmy nominations. Instead, he shared a personal story about vulnerability and the need to acknowledge grief.

Saji talked about the enormous pain that he pushed aside for many years after his younger sister died while he was in high school. Grief, he said, is like a grizzly bear. “You can’t outrun it and you can’t hide from it.”

Read more about the award recipients at andover.edu/news

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

BU Z Z

What do Chrissy Teigen, Reese Witherspoon, and President George W. Bush ’64 have in common? All appear in a recent issue of People magazine highlighting “celebrities” who were cheerleaders. Known for his Big Blue spirit while at Andover, the 43rd president led weekly cheers during all-school assemblies.

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Award winners and their presenters, from left: Peter Saji ’96, Saraya Angbazo ’25, Elaine Finbury ’68, P’99, Angie Ceballos Cardona ’25, Paula Caballero ’80, and Dominique Williams ’24.

ISTOCK: SCANRAIL

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Six Alumni Judges Give Students a Civics Lesson

Congratulations to the six recipients of the 2023 Distinguished Service Awards.

This year’s recipients were honored at a luncheon during September’s Volunteer Summit Weekend for their commitment, unique contributions, and effectiveness on behalf of the Academy.

Pictured with Head of School Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, ’27 (third from left), are Stephen E. Matloff ’91, P’24; Tobey H. Duble Moore ’06; Anstiss Bowser Agnew ’67, Dr. Monica B. Palmer and Malcolm E. Palmer ’89, P’23; and Dr. Harold Young Kim ’82, P’16, ’19, ’21, ’23, ’26, ’27.

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Bookshelf

All School HUGS FOR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

AN FBI THRILLER IN THE PHILIPPINES

HOT POTS

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BY NANCY HITCHCOCK

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ABBOT &

ANDOVER at 50

TH ( XT EN• NOW •NE

COURTESY PHOTO

alencia Zhang ’25 has always been a dog lover and looks forward to Wednesdays when she can see Muesli, a 3-year-old English golden retriever. Muesli and her human, Micheline Pelletier P’20 (pictured below), are a certified dog therapy team who come to campus weekly.

“I love visiting Muesli because she helps me destress about homework and I feel at home again,” says Zhang.

“She’s always loving and happy to see everyone.”

Pelletier delights in bringing such joy to students. “It is incredibly rewarding when a student sees Muesli and their face lights up,” she says. “Students immediately start talking about how much they miss their own dog at home or have always wanted a dog—or they simply express their happiness in getting to pet her.”

Spending time with animals such as Muesli can improve health by reducing the stress hormone, cortisol, and increasing the happy hormones—oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, says Dean of Health and Wellness and Chief Medical Officer Amy Patel, MD. “All these benefits are important goals of the Big Blue Be Well initiative and ways that we are prioritizing student health and wellness on campus.”

PA’s ceramics program began at Abbot Academy with Audrey Bensley P’69, ’71, ’76, ’78, ’88, a beloved art and ceramics instructor. After the schools merged, Bensley and the ceramics program moved up the Hill to PA. In the early 1980s, the kiln was updated and returned to service thanks to a donation from Kate B. Lilly ’72.

“The Kate B. Lilly is a great kiln,” says Thayer Zaeder ’83, P’17, art department chair. “It fires beautifully and evenly and has produced thousands of wonderful ceramic pieces.”

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THAYER ZAEDER

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OFFBEAT MAGAZINE/NOÉ CUGNY

FolkRockDiva Lilli Lewis ’93 returned to Andover this fall to perform a concert with her former piano instructor, Faculty Emeritus Christopher Walker.

The Andover and the Military Committee welcomed Cmdr. Catherine A.B. Reppert ’02 to campus as its 2023 Veterans Day guest speaker. Reppert recently earned an MA at the College of Command and Staff at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., where she currently serves as military faculty in the War Gaming Department at the Center for Naval Warfare Studies.

hen FBI agent Yaqub Prowell ’98 traveled among remote islands in the Philippines to investigate a series of horrific crimes, he faced daunting challenges that inspired his first novel.

A Crime in the Land of 7,000 Islands, recently published by Black Spring Press, is a suspenseful story of how FBI agents track down an American predator who “takes the innocence” of vulnerable children in the United States and the Philippines. Navigating areas of extreme poverty, agents overpower armed guerilla soldiers and travel by boat, planes, and on foot to find documentation for families so they can travel to America to sentence the criminal.

As the main character, a female agent named Ikigai, explains the story of the search to her young daughter, she depicts the main characters as warriors and uses allegory to explain difficult details.

Important themes emerge, says Prowell, including generational trauma, internalized oppression, explorations of different societies, and economic inequality. “A lot of people don’t realize that great economic inequality can lead to something as harrowing as child sex tourism,” he explains. Prowell hopes the book—written using his pen name Zephaniah Sole—might influence readers to do what Andover did for him, and that is to take steps to make the world a little bit better.

Prowell is grateful that, through the Oliver Scholars program, he was able to attend Andover and leave his dangerous New York City neighborhood at a time when kids 16 and under were getting killed by gangs’ stray bullets.

“Having to constantly switch back and forth between two extremely different environments was very challenging,” he says. “But that helped breed in me a certain mental and physical toughness that has helped me be successful in the FBI.” While at Andover, Prowell developed a passion for writing and learning about history with Vic Henningsen ’69, P’01, 05. “Because of that class, I love writing about people in different societal circumstances and how history affects them,” he says.

Prowell has always wanted to give back. He first became a middle school teacher and then pursued his longtime passion of joining the FBI. “I have a deep interest in serving my country,” he says, “and making it a better place for every citizen.”

To be considered for “Bookshelf,” please send a brief summary of your recently published book and a high-resolution image of the book cover to magazine@andover.edu.

I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan

BY KATIE PORTER ’92 The Crown Publishing Group U.S. Representative Porter reveals in this honest, funny memoir what it’s like to work in Congress while also raising three children on her own. Porter, a Democrat, talks about representing Orange County, California, while driving her kids around in a minivan and other relatable life moments.

Building: A Carpenter's Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work

BY MARK ELLISON ’80 Random House For 40 years, Ellison has worked as a master carpenter, managing high-end construction projects in New York and beyond. Some of his famous clients have included David Bowie, Robin Williams, and Woody Allen. Ellison shares inspirational stories on crafting not just impeccable buildings but also a meaningful life.

Reckoning with Race: An Unfinished Journey

BY FREDERICK ALLEN ’66 Simon & Schuster Over the course of his 50-year career, award-winning journalist, CNN commentator, and author Allen has investigated the complexities of race and its changing landscape in America. With a desire to improve race relations, Allen presents a collection of 18 essays that explore what promotes and/or prevents equality.

Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II

BY EVAN THOMAS ’69 Random House In this suspenseful, immersive account of a crucial turning point during World War II, Thomas details the unimaginable decision to drop the atomic bomb and how that action ended the war. Drawing on new access to diaries, the author tells the story of three men who were involved in the agonizing decision.

Sibilance

BY SALLY VAN DOREN ’80 LSU Press The word “sibilance” refers to sounds of speech resembling “s” or “sh” and is a literary device used to create hissing or tongue-twister sounds. Van Doren’s fourth book of poetry, Sibilance includes poems that play with sounds and word combinations, which convey life’s moments ranging from the slight to the significant.

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The Peabody, archaeology, and Native American justice

BY RITA SAVARD

S

tanding over a long white table,

Ramson Lomatewama reaches across an abstract collage of cut glass in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

The educator, artist, and poet explains that there is no word in his native Hopi language for art.

“We use the word for ‘children’ to define art,” Lomatewama says. “There is a part of you, the creator, in the creation. That extension of you—that connection—is never lost in what was made.”

The first and only Hopi glass blower, Lomatewama uses art as a bridge to link the past with the present. He shares his experience with students and faculty at the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology during a balmy week in October. Since its inception in 1901, the core of the Peabody’s mission has been to teach students. But today’s Peabody is not only taking a new approach to how archaeology is taught in the classroom, it is also helping correct history by putting Native and Indigenous peoples at the center of their own stories.

“Bringing in educators like Ramson to tell their personal stories is vital,” says Ryan Wheeler, director of the Peabody. “Native Americans are still here despite centuries of discrimination and oppression that included murder, forced relocation, and cultural assimilation. Their stories are very much present tense.”

The Peabody’s Marla Taylor and Ryan Wheeler hold 17th-century sherds from a large bowl with traditional black-on-white designs on the interior and a Spanish-inspired motif on the exterior. From near East Mesa, Arizona.

HENRY MARTE

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Left to right: Santa Clara Pueblo contemporary ceramic tile by Jason Garcia, depicting the Pueblo Revolt of 1680; contemporary vessel by Maria G. Romero, Jemez Pueblo; contemporary seed pot with sgraffito decoration by Aaron Cajero, Jemez Pueblo; contemporary vessel made by Teri Cajero, Jemez Pueblo; contemporary seed pot by Clara Gachupin, Jemez Pueblo; and contemporary vessel made

by Lorraine Chinana, Jemez Pueblo.

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L

Unearthing a Complex Cultural History

T

omatewama’s journey—from premed

student to becoming an educator to discovering his calling as an artist—has been a winding road fraught with hurdles. Now 70, his childhood is marked by a long, dark legacy of cultural cleansing in the United States, when the Native American boarding school system was an entrenched, government-funded institution that separated Native children from their families and cultures.

It’s no wonder the first lesson he teaches students about working with glass as a medium isn’t actually learning about glass.

“It’s all about overcoming fear,” Lomatewama says. “As we learn more about what we’re capable of, we find a balance point.”

Native Americans are still here despite centuries of discrimination and oppression that included murder, forced relocation, and cultural assimilation. Their stories are very much present tense.”

RYAN WHEELER PEABODY INSTITUTE DIRECTOR

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Hopi glass artist, poet, and educator Ramson Lomatewama worked with students in the fall, teaching them how to make their own glass creations that were fired in the Benner Hall kiln.

As the first Hopi artist to put glass blowing on the map, Lomatewama had to fight to take control of his narrative.

“Initially, showing my work at art markets was difficult because I took a nontraditional path,” he explains. “People would say, ‘That’s not Indian art,’ because they had formed a stereotype of what they thought Native art should look like. I had to validate myself to the art world, but I knew I had something rich. I found a way to express Hopi ideas and concepts through a totally nontraditional medium, and that is what I continue to do today.”

Phillips Academy is the only secondary school in the United States that can count an archaeology institute as part of its curriculum. For the modern-day Peabody, this presents a unique opportunity to bring long-term perspective to the human experience—an experience where Native stories are alive and illuminating.

he ruins of Pecos Pueblo are about

28 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was here that an excavation from 1915 to 1929 by Alfred V. Kidder, sponsored by the trustees of Phillips Academy, uncovered more than 2,000 human remains, thousands of funerary items, and a number of objects of cultural patrimony. Worn by time but preserved by the earth they were buried in, Kidder’s findings provided a key to unlocking Pecos’s past—and established a new scientific methodology in American archaeology.

Introducing the concept of seriation, Kidder helped develop a classification system to distinguish the different cultural periods of the region going back 2,000 years. Derived from geology, the basic concept is that the youngest material is found on the top, with each underlying layer representing an older deposit—making it possible to assign a relative date to materials removed from the various levels. Kidder’s approach was the first new, explicitly scientific archaeology in the Americas, explains Wheeler, and through his work the Peabody “became an exemplar of scientific archaeology in the Southwest.”

“Today, most of our knowledge of Pecos’s archaeology comes from A.V. Kidder’s excavations,” Wheeler says. “That dig led to Kidder becoming known as a founder of American archaeology.

His work changed the field of study, but that legacy is marred.”

Kidder, according to his own records, was not prepared for the discovery of so many burials. Still, he took all the ancestral remains he found, with no consideration of or discussion with descendent communities. While Kidder’s methodologies were common practice at the time, they stand in stark contrast to advances in practice since the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush ’42 in 1990.

A critical human rights law, NAGPRA required museums, institutions, and federal agencies to return Native remains, sacred items, and objects of cultural patrimony to the lineal descendants and Tribes they were taken from.

“NAGPRA held a promise,” says Marla Taylor, the Peabody’s curator of collections. “But more than 30 years after the law was passed, so much cultural property is still held up in museums and institutions across the country and around the world.”

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At the Peabody, NAGPRA is ingrained in daily work. Wheeler and Taylor defer to Tribal Nations’ knowledge of their customs, traditions, and histories when making repatriation decisions. Their network of community members—from the institute’s advisory board to long and close relationships with Native and Indigenous leaders—offers collaborative insight that informs stronger practices, including the completion of a major inventory project in 2021.

(Read more about the modern Peabody on page 40.)

Since the 1990s, the Peabody has repatriated thousands of cultural items through NAGPRA. But for the first time in the institute’s 122-year history, all 600,000-plus items in the collection have been cataloged and are accessible through a searchable database. Led by Taylor, the four-year project, which she refers to as a labor of love, has identified thousands more items potentially subject to repatriation. “These resources are critical to our educational mission,” Taylor says. “Starting with NAGPRA gives perspective and opens the door for conversations about control over cultural heritage.”

Establishing Connections to Tribes

F

or some, there was never a ques-

tion about which way to go concerning NAGPRA. James Bradley was director of the Peabody in the 1990s when talks began with the people of the Pueblo of Jemez to return their ancestors and transfer ownership of cultural items, excavated by Kidder, from the Academy back to Jemez Pueblo and Pecos National Historic Park in New Mexico.

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The Jemez have been there for hundreds of years and to be welcomed into their homes, to share their food, to hear them speak their language, join in their festivals, and be fully immersed in their culture—it was powerful.”

ANDREW LYMAN ’09

Fertile Ground for Learning

S

HENRY MARTE

A sherd from Pecos Pueblo, N.M. Peruse the Peabody’s vast collection, blog, and digital archives at Peabody.pastperfectonline.com

The long and difficult process took more than six years, but in May of 1999 the remains of 2,500 ancestors and thousands of associated funerary belongings were returned. Bradley, along with Leah Rosenmeier, the Peabody’s former director of external programs and education and repatriation coordinator, attended the burial ceremony with the Jemez and people from other Tribal Nations.

Around 200 Jemez Tribal members spent three days walking the 120-mile-journey from Jemez to Pecos Pueblo, retracing their ancestors’ steps.

Bradley penned an essay about the experience in the book Glory, Trouble, and Renaissance at the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology, edited

by Wheeler and former Peabody director Malinda Stafford Blustain. During the ceremony’s presentations and acknowledgments, Bradley describes the bright blue sky darkening as clouds moved over western cliffs.

“Soon plumes of rain sweep down from the purple-black sky, turning portions of the intensely colored landscape into a gray scale of silhouettes,” Bradley writes. “Here, rain is a blessing that brings life to a beautiful but otherwise barren world…the Native people all notice and nod.”

The Pecos Repatriation of 1999 remains the largest physical repatriation to any federally recognized Native American Tribe in the United States due to NAGPRA. The return of Native remains is being closely documented by the nonprofit investigative news source ProPublica and can be tracked on their website. The Peabody ranks among the highest return rates in the nation, reported to have made 95 percent of its ancestral remains available. Ongoing efforts aim to raise that number to 100 percent, Taylor adds.

Of the 617 institutions that reported holding Native remains, 104,539 ancestral remains—49 percent—have not been made available to Tribes.

Archaeologists, Wheeler adds, have an ethical responsibility to work alongside descendant communities to protect their cultural heritage from the forces of greed and unchecked cultural imperialism.

But so does the public at large.

“Every time we talk about Native people in archaeology, we emphasize that these are people who are still here,” Wheeler says. “And that is not something that is typical in curricula anywhere.”

ince the 1990s, an ongoing, active relation-

ship between Jemez and the Peabody continues to impact student learning. From cultural exchange programs to Native and Indigenous guest speakers and teachers sharing their insights, primary sources provide new perspectives for students and faculty. Visiting the Jemez community through the Peabody’s Pecos Pathways program during his senior year, says Andrew Lyman ’09, was “transformative.”

“Being on the reservation was incredible,” Lyman says. “The Jemez have been there for hundreds of years and to be welcomed into their homes, to share their food, to hear them speak their language, join in their festivals, and be fully immersed in their culture—it was powerful. We were all friends by the end, and those friendships remain a valuable part of my life to this day.”

This fall, 14 years after Pecos Pathways, Lyman was reunited with longtime Jemez friend Jesirae Lucero, and the pair visited Andover. Their first stop: the Peabody.

“The Peabody opened my eyes to travel and experiencing new places and cultures,” Lyman says, adding that his next destination is Romania, a place the institute also put on his radar when he worked as a student volunteer. “I owe my lifelong passion for history and travel to my time there.”

Each year, Andover faculty see transformations like Lyman’s up close.

“For nearly 10 years now, the Peabody has funded a weeklong workshop for my students where they get to

21

Archaeology at the Peabody is multidisciplinary.

It’s baked into courses that touch history, art, biology, chemistry, math, everything.”

work closely with the Toya family, all ceramic artists, from Jemez Pueblo,” says art instructor Thayer Zaeder ’83, P’17. “Those experiences are truly unique for young people and in many instances mark their first interaction and connection with Indigenous Americans. Those workshops enrich their worldview and strengthen their humanity.”

“Without the Peabody,” adds English instructor Sarah Driscoll, “students would not have the in-person conversations and discourse so vital to developing cultural competency.”

Living Archaeology

I

nside Benner Hall, where students explore

the art of glassmaking, Lomatewama tells the story of his own journey into a world of light and color. After taking a tour of the famous Corning Museum of Glass in New York during the late 1990s, Lomatewama remembers saying to a security guard, “I think I found my calling.”

Since then, he opened his own hot shop next to his house on the Hopi reservation in Arizona,

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Change the Story, Change the Future

T

he Peabody’s work in recent years

stretches far beyond Andover. Wheeler, Taylor, and their small but dedicated team are sharing their knowledge with other museums and academic institutions around the world. Nearly three years ago, Taylor co-founded the Indigenous Collections Care Working Group (ICC), composed of 20 Indigenous and non-Indigenous members who are creating an Indigenous Collections Care Guide—a how-to for helping re-educate and shift perceptions.

Historically, museums and academic institutions have acquired and amassed Indigenous cultural items for their own use and benefit with minimal consideration of descendent communities. The ICC was established to advocate for approaches that privilege

GIL TALBOT

RYAN WHEELER PEABODY INSTITUTE DIRECTOR

built by hand through research and welding skills he learned in high school. Lomatewama teaches glass art for the Hopitutuqayki (Hopi School) and the Idylwild Arts Academy in Southern California, passing his passion on to a new generation.

“The strong point about coming from an older culture like Hopi is that it is very art oriented,” says Lomatewama. “You build your reality around your environment, around your community, around ceremonies and rituals. I came from a strong background, learning my cultural identity from the stories passed down by generations.”

For a very long time, non-Natives wrote as though Native American history was set in motion by the so-called “discovery” of the New World. In early historical works, explains Wheeler, Indigenous people are portrayed as supporting actors in the story of America.

“By writing Native peoples out of the past, this version of America’s story also denied them a present and a future,” Wheeler says. “Archaeology at the Peabody is multidisciplinary. It’s baked into courses that touch history, art, biology, chemistry, math, everything. Students engage with people, with items, with cultural differences, and as we engage with difference, we open up a greater space for inclusivity.”

Marcelle Doheny’s classes widen the lens on the history of Indigenous peoples, which includes teaching about The Dawes Act of 1887, that regulated land rights on Tribal territories within the United States, NAGPRA, and Indigenous Civil Rights.

Archaeology at the Peabody plays an important role in experiential learning for her students, presenting tangible ways to learn about the past and present.

“It’s so valuable to have students learn to read objects,” Doheny says. “The archaeological record is central to a fuller understanding of history, and the Peabody’s collection forces kids to think outside the usual box of written evidence.”

Speaking truth to history is the future of American history, according to Wheeler and Taylor. And the Peabody is actively working toward a future where Native peoples and Tribal sovereignty are respected and supported—and where Native peoples shape, author, and control their own narrative.

“Letting Native and Indigenous peoples share their stories firsthand, and the stories their ancestors shared with them, is a powerful way to increase understanding of perceptions, places, histories, and issues we all value,” explains Taylor. “Just like we lean into our own family histories, descendants are the historians and persistence is forged from their stories.”

Indigenous knowledge and center concepts of culturally appropriate care for items in museums. The guide, explains Taylor, will provide a framework to respect and recenter collections stewardship practices around the needs and knowledge of Native American community members.

“The Peabody has been at the forefront of repatriation from the very beginning, with the Pecos repatriation in 1999,” says Melanie O’Brien, manager of the National NAGPRA Program. “Most of all, through its leadership, the Peabody Institute has demonstrated the ability to listen to the needs of its Tribal partners and museum collaborators first. While the Peabody has made steady progress on its own collections, Ryan and Marla have facilitated exponentially more repatriations by being responsive and open to any options that assist with the overall goal of returning Native property back to the rightful owners.”

Laws alone are dry, adds Taylor. Humans experiencing joy over the outcome of the law has emotional impact. For some students the Peabody’s programs, which bring them closer to understanding the human impact, are life-changing.

Collectively, explains Anthony Chung Yin Woo ’24, Native voices tell a singular story of Indigenous survival through more than 500 years of colonialism—one of the most extraordinary stories in human history.

Recalling a miniature scene in a dated diorama of Native American life, Woo was introduced to the significance of historical depictions and the ethics and responsibility of who is telling the story—and who is missing from it.

“Having hands-on access to the Peabody’s collection brought stories to life,” says Woo. “The experience inspired me to think more closely about engaging with local groups to learn more about the vernacular side of history, which is often omitted in the classroom. Taking the time to listen not only demonstrates care, but also helps us better understand the people in our communities.” 

To learn more, visit andover.edu/learning/peabody

Students at the Peabody Institute of Archaeology practice close looking with Director Ryan Wheeler and engage with cultural items in meaningful and personal ways.

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ABBOT &

ANDOVER TH

at 50

( XT EN• NOW •NE

Abbot’s Legacy Today

BY ANN BLUMBERG GRAHAM ’74

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T

heir shadows float across the floor. Stretch. Bend.

Twirl. Warming up at the barre, the dancers are poetry in motion. And the Abbot Academy Dance Suite is their sanctuary.

PA’s impressive dance space in the new Pan Athletic Center is named for Cristina A. Rubio P’81, GP’12, ’17, the Abbot instructor whose stewardship laid the foundation for this art form to evolve and thrive. “It required vision to establish a rigorous level of coed dance training, a beautifully appointed dance studio, full-time dance instructors, and performance opportunities for students in both ballet and modern dance,” says Judith Wombwell P’01, theatre and dance instructor and former department chair.

Because of Rubio’s vision—and support from faculty then and now—dance was and continues to be seen as equivalent to any varsity sport in terms of athleticism, personal dedication, and time commitment. “I am so proud that dance is prominently featured in this realm of the school,” Wombwell says. “It is appropriate and representative of cultural shifts.”

A comprehensive dance program is among the many strengths

JESSIE WALLNER

Abbot educators strengthened Andover for future generations

that Abbot Academy brought to Phillips Academy when the two schools became one in 1973.

The student experience today—as reflected by academic excellence, strong cocurricular programs, and a focus on the arts—exists in no small measure because Abbot faculty and staff like Rubio, Susan McIntosh Lloyd P’77, ’78, ’79, Mary Minard ’55, Jean St. Pierre, Marion Finbury P’68, GP’99, and Susan Clark were on a mission to bring Abbot’s educational assets and traditions up the Hill.

“They all felt the loss of their world at Abbot, but they didn’t dwell on it,” says Faculty Emerita Kathy Dalton P’00, ’05, whose mentors include Lloyd, St. Pierre, and Minard. They also understood that to counter those who were against coeducation, dismissive of Abbot, or both, they needed to preserve Abbot and champion institutional change at PA to help the merger grow stronger over time.

Fifty years later, students, faculty, and Andover’s global community are the beneficiaries of what these women and their allies built that is uniquely Abbot at Andover.

The Abbot Way

The Andover model for classroom instruction at the time of the merger was “focused on a very charismatic male leading the classroom or, at best, a Socratic approach,” says Lou Bernieri P’96, ’10, a longtime English instructor. However, Abbot teachers introduced a different paradigm.

“Jean St. Pierre’s pedagogy was about care and inclusion,” says Bernieri. “She asked questions rather than making statements. I learned a lot from her about teaching differently—her way and the Abbot way.”

Based on their unique situation, Abbot faculty members, each in their own way, fought for and won changes in curriculum and teaching methods. The Abbot teaching style—inclusive, conversational, inquiry-based, and student-driven—was a consistent through line.

Faith Barnes ’74 remembers this to be true. “Sue Lloyd at Abbot and Tom Lyons at Andover were two fabulous history teachers, and yet they were so different.”

Abbot teachers’ initiative and creativity led to new discover-

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—Lissy Abraham ’74, Abbot Academy Fund Director

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Jean St. Pierre (inset) taught at Abbot Academy from 1963 to 1973 and joined Phillips Academy when the two schools merged.

She retired in 2004, after 41 years of teaching. Below: The Jean St. Pierre outdoor classroom located to the right of Bulfinch Hall.

JESSIE WALLNER

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four years at PA assisting elementary school children from Lawrence’s Youth Development Organization through after-school programming.

“Working with students from the Youth Development Organization, I became more conscious of and deliberate about my choice to participate in community engagement,” Kim said.

Students further explore the Abbot legacy through meaningful educational opportunities, many of them utilizing the vast Abbot Academy Collection, which includes administrative records, publications, photographs, student letters, and materials donated by Abbot alumnae, such as scrapbooks and memorabilia.

History instructor Dr. Miriam Villanueva and her students have used primary source materials from the archives to consider Abbot Academy during the turn-of-the-20th-century Progressive Era. Students researched a variety of topics, including food, gender norms, the McKeen sisters, Abbot curriculum, suffrage, fashion, sexuality, clubs, and sports.

Encouraging and guiding student research into Andover’s history, including that of Abbot Academy, is an important endeavor, says Paige Roberts, director of Archives and Special Collections.

“The history of Andover is so rich,” Roberts says.

“I advocate as often as I can for students’ regular, substantive research in the records of Abbot Academy, which is such an integral part of the school’s complicated and important history.”

Dream It, Do It

In addition to Cristina Rubio, other legendary Abbot teachers are memorialized in spaces and places

Abbot teacher Mary Minard ’55 (inset) was instrumental in her dedication to public service. A few years after her retirement, PA created the Community Engagement Office, which today oversees hundreds of projects and activities year-round.

across campus. An outdoor classroom dedicated to St. Pierre in 2013 includes a stunning circle of granite benches a short walk from her old classroom in Bulfinch Hall.

Finbury, Lloyd, St. Pierre, and Dalton are also all recipients of the Brace Center for Gender Studies McKeen Award, named after Philena McKeen, principal of Abbot Academy from 1859 to 1892, who was considered a trailblazer in education. Fittingly, it is famously said of McKeen that “from her discontent rose the [Abbot] Academy itself.”

Located on the Abbot Campus within Abbot Hall, the Brace Center for Gender Studies is a unique resource for high school students. Working closely with the Office of Community and Multicultural Development, the Brace Center sponsors lectures, films, and forums and funds research that sheds light on a broad range of issues related to gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. Recent Brace student fellows have explored topics such as the concept of the “male

gaze” in relation to ballet, transnational partnerships between Isan women and Western men, the “muxe” or transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary identity in Latin America, and transmasculine experiences and imagery in the American Wild West period.

“The Brace Center exists and stays relevant largely because of its commitment to collaboration,” says Tricia Har, director of the Brace Center.” Its programming, scholarship, and outreach are continually reshaped as much by the needs and wishes of students as by the vision of faculty members. I feel so incredibly lucky to be a part of this vibrant community that in various ways keeps the spirit and legacy of Abbot Academy alive.”

Abbot alumnae agree. “It’s gratifying to see that Abbot is being recognized as more than just an avenue to coeducation,” says Lissy Abraham ’74, coproducer of the 2023 documentary Dream It, Do It: The Abbot Academy Fund’s First Fifty Years. Celebrating the AAF’s

extraordinary contributions, the film provides a compact portrait of Abbot’s wide-ranging impact on student life. More than just a funding source, the AAF has institutionalized a startup-like pitch process that, on its own, is a real-world education for students.

Continuously improving, staying relevant, and looking toward the future is a tall order for a 246-year-old institution. But Andover’s community remains committed to listening, learning, and growing through educational and societal challenges.

Many of today’s faculty, administrators, staff, and alumni credit the unwavering determination of their Abbot predecessors for laying the groundwork to a more open-minded, humane, and worldly community.

“Culturally, the bar is a lot higher today than it was in 1973,” says Bernieri.

“As a teacher, I struggle with race, class, and gender, particularly in this polarized political climate. There is a lot our school tries to grapple with that most schools won’t, which is a great thing. Abbot has helped make the Andover experience so much richer and deeper.”  COURTESY PHOTO

Gross, a former PA Catholic chaplain.

PA’s Community Engagement Office was created a few years after Minard retired in 1997. Ten years later, its staff organized the first Non Sibi Day, during which students undertook projects to help the local community. By 2019, Non Sibi Day had grown to include nearly 70 projects with 46 different partner organizations and was designed around four areas: children and families, the environment, hunger, and homelessness.

Today, the Office of Community Engagement nurtures the non sibi spirit by overseeing hundreds of volunteer projects and activities yearround. Community partners include Academy Manor Nursing Home, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence.

Anthony Kim ’21 was involved with community engagement during all

COURTESY PHOTO

ies and pathways to modernize and improve the curriculum. Across literature, languages, history, science, and math to dance, theatre, and music, their marks are indelible. They were also strong advocates and mentors for international students, study abroad programs, and the global study of humanity.

History instructor Mary Minard was known for her popular class, When Strangers Meet, a penetrating look at clashes of civilizations and cultures across geographies and centuries. But it was her dedication to public service that became a hallmark and was transformative for the entire school.

“Mary saw this as Abbot’s legacy. She believed that expressing concern for others is essential to building a kinder and more humane school and society,” says Dalton.

The revival and expansion of PA public service and community engagement programs can be traced directly to some of Minard’s projects, such as the partnership with the Bread & Roses Community Kitchen and Food Pantry in nearby Lawrence, Mass. Minard founded this nonprofit in 1980 with Richard

“ It’s gratifying to see that Abbot is being recognized as more than just an avenue to coeducation.”

Ann Blumberg Graham ’74 is a veteran business writer specializing in creative collaborations with nonprofits, academic institutions, and entrepreneurs.

Read more about the impact of Abbot Academy, including several research projects and reports, at andover.edu/thennownext.

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Secrets

The

BY SARA INGRAM ’71

Like the enchanted city of Brigadoon, Abbot Academy’s Secret Garden rises to the consciousness of the Andover and Abbot communities every few decades only to vanish again, forgotten in the mists of time. Over the years, myths and misconceptions have arisen about the garden’s origin and history. In fact, many people, including Abbot alumnae, do not know that the hidden garden even exists.

For many years, some misunderstood the garden as a commemoration of T.S. Eliot’s visit with Abbot teacher Emily Hale and of his poetry reading to Abbot students in the 1950s. This confusion is further bolstered by the inclusion of a section of Eliot’s poem “Burnt Norton” on a plaque in the garden. The

of Abbot’s

Garden

poem refers to an English garden that sounds uncannily like the Secret Garden.

However, the real credit for creating the garden goes to Bertha Bailey, Abbot principal from 1912 to 1935. An inveterate gardener, she often received plantings from friends, family, and alumnae for her personal garden. When former Amherst College professor John Mason Tyler sent some rhododendrons in memory of his daughter, Emily Stearns Tyler, Miss Bailey knew something special was required.

Emily Tyler had been an Abbot French instructor from 1913 to 1914.

She went to France in 1918 to serve under the aegis of the American Red Cross as a secretary and interpreter, aiding

ABBOT &

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at 50

( XT EN• NOW •NE

the medical staff that treated soldiers suffering from tuberculosis during World War I. Sadly, Miss Tyler died in France from bronchitis in 1919.

After the war ended, Miss Bailey memorialized Emily Tyler by creating what she called “The Garden of Memory,” tucked away in Abbot’s oak grove toward the end of the Maple Walk. The Garden of Memory (also known as The Garden of Remembrance) featured benches for repose and a small cement reflecting pond. Along with perennials and other plants, the garden was rimmed with the rhododendron plantings given by Miss Tyler’s father.

Exactly when it began to be referred to as The Secret Garden is not documented, but decades of neglect plus growth of the surrounding forest effectively hid the garden. It’s no wonder that those who stumbled upon it called it The Secret Garden.

In the late 1990s, Andover English instructor Ada Fan discovered the overgrown space, which was badly in need of a cleanup and renovation. A 2004 Abbot Academy Fund grant requested

by Ms. Fan paid for its restoration. The Andover community, including Ms. Fan, got to work clearing out fallen trees and deep undergrowth as well as adding new plantings and boulders for seating.

The commemorative bronze plaque, dedicating the site to “the Women of Abbot Academy,” was installed in 2004 as a special feature of the “new” garden.  Sara Ingram ’71 is a retired financial services director. She earned BA and MA degrees in American history from UPenn and an MBA from the Stern School of Business. She resides in New York City and volunteers as the writer and editor of the Abbot@ Andover Committee newsletter.

Located in the wooded area off of Phillips Street, the Secret Garden was created by Abbot Principal Bertha Bailey as a quiet spot for contemplation and reflection.

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“ Home”

through the lenses of alumni

“At a school like Phillips Academy, the campus is a central character in our collective story,” says Denise Simon ’94.

A photo of Andover’s bucolic campus can bring a rush of memories: dinner with friends at Commons, sweating over a final exam in Sam Phil, the sound of the organ welcoming students to All-School Meeting in Cochran Chapel.

With its sweeping lawns, stately brick buildings, and towering elms, Andover has inspired generations of students who, like Simon, called the Academy home for at least a portion of their adolescence.

We asked three alumni photographers from different decades to return to campus and capture images of significance to them. What follows is their interpretation of “home.”

PHOTOS & WORDS BY SARA LEITH-TANOUS ’73, DENISE SIMON ’94, AND PETER VANDERWARKER ’65

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leith-tanous ’73

Sara November Now, at sixty, I know that feelings, however powerful, won’t do me in.

But back then, in the tumultuous time of figuring out who I was, I clung to a few things to keep me afloat.

Making pictures with a camera that captured light on film in a darkroom where silver prints emerged magically in trays of pungent chemicals; A few captive friends and supportive teachers, eager, or at least willing, to look at my most recent prints; And trees, A giant copper beech with undersides of branches light, like human arms;

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Maples on either side of a narrow walk, brilliant yellow, lighting up Fall when daylight diminished; Trees that showed no sign of wavering when they lost their leaves, when they faced winter with only skeletal limbs; Trees that budded and burst into green when days lengthened and spring arrived.

I visited after a long absence.

Stalwart buildings were alive with new purpose.

Gone, the giant copper beech, ravaged by invisible disease. But a new one grows back—less prominent and thriving.

Sara Leith-Tanous’s photography has been described as projecting a “state of dream and lyrical recollection,” so commented Faculty Emeritus Kelly Wise P’80, ’83, ’86, GP’21, in his Boston Globe photography review of Leith-Tanous’s 1988 group show.

Based in San Francisco, LeithTanous has exhibited across the United States and in Canada, most recently with the “Dreams of Transformation” exhibition at Smith Andersen North in San Anselmo, California.

Coming back to campus after having been away for so long, I was struck by the beauty of the campus—natural and built—and abundance.

Remembering the brilliant yellow leaves on the trees in the Maple Walk behind Draper Hall and walking there again felt surreal. It’s humbling to feel wonder at such small things.

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simon ’94

Denise Absence. Change. Renewal.

My memories of life at Andover are somewhat fragmented—a mixed collection of experiences and images, friendships with other students and adults, and intellectual and artistic pursuits.

At a school like Phillips Academy, the campus is a central character in our collective story, a story that spans generations of “youth from every quarter.” The spaces where we study, sleep, eat, and socialize deeply influence our personal and academic growth.

I’ve returned to campus several times, but there has always been a full schedule of events, with little time to explore.

This project gave me the room to reflect on my time at PA, camera in hand.

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My first home on campus was in a three-story building named Abbey House. One of my earliest recollections is of making the trek to and from Abbot, through morning fog and cold, and dark evenings. Years later, during my final winter at Andover, I would stand outside Paul Revere one night, alone in the midst of a snowstorm, taking it all in.

There were classes in Bulfinch, Sam Phil, and hours spent in the library. I learned my way around a darkroom and joined other students in the Addison’s galleries, newsprint and charcoal in hand, for figure drawing and pizza.

As an Af-Lat-Am member, I attended Friday night meetings, parties, and sleepovers in Cooley House.

Denise Simon began her media career as a writer and editor working with multiple publications, independent producers, film festivals, and local universities. After serving as a photographer for various nonprofits, she established a New York–based studio specializing in portraiture and documentary photography.

The weight of history and tradition is always there, informed by faculty, students, and contemporary culture.

Borden Gym—where I finally found the nerve to jump from the balcony for the ropes class and danced until curfew on Saturday nights—is well preserved. The dance studio where I took ballet is also there, although today students dance in a new, modern, light-filled space in the Pan Athletic Center.

The chapel still sparks memories of All-School Meetings, and the fare at Commons—where I shared meals and spent many quiet Sunday mornings—is a bit fancier. I miss the wooden tables.

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vanderwarker ’65

A Visual Learner's Journey Since Andover was the place that I discovered photography, it was an honor to be asked to return after more than 50 years to make some new pictures.

I love wintertime and I made plans to photograph when there was snow. One Saturday afternoon, I got lucky.

Andover’s campus becomes abstracted during the winter. Colors are muted, sounds are softened, and the line work of the trees becomes important. We make our own heat, and I believe we have more freedom to think when it is cold.

During my time at Andover, I had an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder.

I struggled with reading and history, but I found a place for myself in the (then–brand new) studio art center. It was there I discovered photography.

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Peter I had trouble getting admitted to college, and I took a year off to work. I owe a debt to Dean Benedict, who wrangled me a place at the architecture school at UC Berkeley. After graduation, it took me three miserable years to learn that although I hated practicing architecture, I did have the skills to photograph buildings. I have been doing this now for 40 years.

Peter Vanderwarker is a photographer and artist whose prints are in the collections of the Addison Gallery; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Boston Athenaeum.

He is the author of three books about Boston. Vanderwarker’s work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Graham Foundation. He is represented

by Gallery NAGA Boston.

The studio art center was the place where Gerald Shertzer helped me realize several steel sculptures over a very hot gas forge. I still have one of the forged steel sculptures I made at Andover [see opposite page]. In 2010, I was asked to take some photographs of the new Addison Museum Learning Center, which was a pleasant assignment that brought back many memories.

For many alumni, Andover’s campus is beautiful. It is also a place that brings back strong feelings: some failures and regrets, but also some triumphs and discoveries of one’s own particular skills. 

What I love about this school are the spaces, like the extravagant space of the Great Lawn, which is punctuated by an intimate tunnel of trees that form the Elm Arch.

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A LU M N I U P C L O S E

Leveraging Change Before becoming a lifelong environmental rights advocate, Jerry Secundy ’59 helped desegregate Harvard

BY JOSEPH KAHN ’67

E

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sionally fraught; while helping integrate a local junior high school, he and other Black students were greeted by ugly racist lawn signs. His parents were set on his getting a quality education, though, and after gaining acceptance to Andover he joined a class with just three other students of color.

“Andover was like being on a different planet,” Secundy recalls. “I struggled mightily at first, because I didn’t know how to study.”

He learned quickly and graduated near the top of his class. Nevertheless, he rarely felt fully assimilated and would introduce himself by announcing, “Hi. I’m Jerry, and I’m a Negro.” His intent, he says, was to let others immediately know “who I was and where I came from.”

Crediting PA with unlocking his academic potential, he also remembers mostly feeling like an outsider. Harvard, a bastion of white privilege in 1959, was not much different. Before his class came along, no more than a small handful of Black undergraduates had attended; there was

1959 POT POURRI

COURTESY PHOTO

ach Thursday morning, Jerry Secundy joins a group of Harvard classmates on a Zoom call from his home in Pasadena, California. Topics for discussion vary from the personal to the global, usually centered around a guest speaker.

The group itself is historically noteworthy— several participants are among the 18 alumni profiled in the 2020 biography, The Last Negroes at Harvard—and Secundy is among its most accomplished members.

During a career spanning six decades of government service and private sector employment, Secundy has worked for a U.S. Justice Department office suing environmental polluters; various divisions of the Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO); the National Audubon Society and its California affiliate; and his state’s Water Resources Control Board and Council of Environmental and Economic Balance (CEEB), a trade association focused on air, water, and waste issues.

At 82, Secundy remains fully engaged, not only with protecting our natural resources but also with his lifelong passion for birdwatching, which grew out of an Andover biology class field trip. Yet even before PA and Harvard, he was navigating a world where racial identity and love of nature played outsized roles.

He grew up in a poor Black section of Washington, D.C., the son of a Black mother and white Jewish father. He received an early education in discrimination and what it meant to keep people apart from one another based on how they looked.

Summers were spent by the Chesapeake Bay at the only beach open to Black families. All other beaches were for whites only. There he spent many happy hours as a young boy catching crabs in a nearby lagoon. Even then, he found joy in nature.

“In retrospect, that started me on the road to becoming an environmentalist,” Secundy remembers. “It was a magical place for me.”

His early schooling was mediocre and occa-

Jerry Secundy ’59 is also an avid birdwatcher—an interest that grew from a PA biology class field trip. He formerly served as executive director of Audubon California and vice president of the National Audubon Society, dedicated to protecting birds and wildlife, providing inclusive and equitable access to nature, and mobilizing to fight climate change.

“ We broke that color barrier, and after that there was a deluge of Black students admitted to Harvard.” no Black Studies curriculum nor a Black student organization. With the civil rights movement gaining momentum, though, the university was facing an internal push to diversify, a change that would accelerate as the ’60s marched onward.

The Last Negroes at Harvard is equal parts memoir, group biography, and history of a turbulent era as it chronicles 18 remarkable Black men admitted to Harvard’s class of 1963. The term Negro was used for the title because it was the identifying term used during the four years the Black students were there. However, by the time they had graduated, the standard term shifted, and they were calling themselves African Americans. Secundy and his classmates became game-changers: the “last Negroes” to pass through Harvard’s gates and part of the first wave of a revolution that would forever change other elite institutions.

“We broke that color barrier, and after that there was a deluge of Black students admitted to Harvard,” says Secundy, noting a highlight of his college experience was a one-on-one, hour-long meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “It was a great deal of personal satisfaction to be part of this movement.”

After college came Columbia Law School, then two years with the Peace Corps in Peru before Secundy entered the workforce and turned his passion for environmental justice into various career opportunities.

The world was different then, he acknowledges.

“Climate change was not talked about that much,” he says. “What was talked about was water quality and air pollution and how we could make a positive impact.”

His work today as an environmental consultant reflects similar priorities. Yet he is realistic, too, about how quickly—or slowly—humans can adapt to the threats posed by climate change.

“No energy source is pure or pristine,” including electric vehicles, he asserts. “Nothing is free, either.” In California, he adds, “We’re trying to do the things that are the most cost-effective and easiest to achieve.”

A defining issue of our time, climate change comes up frequently during Secundy’s weekly Zoom calls as does the continued struggle for racial equality.

“Having understanding peers to lean on in good times and bad can be lifechanging,” he says. “We don’t all agree on everything, but it’s fascinating to hear what people have done and how they’ve survived all these years later.” 

The Last Negroes at Harvard is the compelling story of the Harvard class of ’63, whose Black students fought to create their own identities on the cusp between integration and affirmative action.

Learn more about the 18 Black men who changed Harvard forever, and hear what they have to say about “being Black in America for 80 years” at thelastnegroesatharvard. com/podcast/.

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LIZ LINDER

A LU M N I U P C L O S E

Gun Violence Prevention Alumna takes holistic view of national epidemic

BY ALLYSON IRISH

The statistics are horrific. Approximately 50,000 people die each year in the United States from gun violence. Gunrelated suicides account for the largest portion of deaths—54% according to the latest data—with murder, including mass shootings, accounting for 43%.* These staggering numbers highlight a problem that may appear too large and complex to ever solve, but Dr. Chana Sacks ’03 and her team at the Massachusetts General Hospital Gun Violence Prevention Center are pressing for change.

“The misperceptions around this is-

sue are huge, yet there is so much more common ground than people realize,” says Sacks. “Rejecting the learned helplessness when it comes to this issue is one of the biggest challenges we face.”

A health policy researcher and general internist, Sacks studied at the University of Chicago. She lived and worked in Chicago’s South Side, an area known for regular gun violence. Sacks thought she had a solid understanding of the issue. Then the unthinkable happened.

On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Among the 20 children who died was her cousin’s 7-yearold son, Daniel.

The issue immediately became personal. And more urgent than ever.

Throughout the heartbreak, Sacks’s medical training kicked in and she began to delve into the research to learn all she could about the root causes of gun violence and the opportunities for intervention. What she found was both surprising and disturbing.

“I was struck by how weak the literature was,” says Sacks. “I couldn’t believe that a problem of this magnitude—that affects so many people—had so little research. It was striking.”

Unsatisfied with existing research and the dearth of training for medical professionals, Sacks and her colleague, pediatric trauma surgeon Dr. Peter Masiakos, cofounded the MGH Gun Violence Prevention Center in 2019. The center, which is approaching its five-

“ We’re very good in our healthcare system at repairing the physical bullet wounds.

But what do we do after that?”

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year anniversary, focuses on reducing firearms-related injuries and improving trauma-informed care through education, community engagement, and research.

The ethos of the center, says Sacks, is the development of solutions coming from communities most impacted by gun violence. One example is the partnership with Emerson College, which resulted in the Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence Initiative. Emerson students work with the center and community organizations such as the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute to better understand and report on the nuances of gun violence to change the media’s depiction of this problem, especially as it relates to communities of color.

Sacks says our health-care system is very good at assessing and treating the immediacy of gun violence. What the system lacks is a comprehensive understanding of and training on the “tremendous ripple effects” of gun violence, including the lasting trauma it creates not only for survivors, but also for family members, friends, first responders, and others in the community.

The solutions to such a complex issue will need to be multifaceted, and the question of where to begin seems daunting. Sacks’s answer is simple: start where you are.

“There’s certainly a lot that needs to be done in terms of education, funding, advancing a research agenda,” she says, “but we need to get to work, to look locally and ask, ‘What can I do right here to solve problems in my own community.’” *As of November 2023. Data from Gun Violence Archive & Pew Research Center

“I loved going to tap rooms— the tanks and canning line, the live music and food trucks— and I wanted to be part of that.”

—HENRY MANICE ’05 is co-founder

of Mighty Squirrel Brewing, Co., based in Waltham, Mass.

Read more online about Manice’s career pivot from health care to beer, his entrepreneurial drive, and his experience at PA.

TOM EATON ’89

SOUND AND SUBSTANCE

A

BY CHRISTINE YU ’94 s a kid from rural New Hampshire, Tom Eaton ’89 was intimidated when he first set foot on the Andover campus. “It was this global community of high-performing individuals. I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’”

Eaton began to uncover the answer to that question in an unlikely place—the basement of Graves Hall. More than three decades later, Eaton, now a Grammy-nominated artist, reflects on the importance of those formative years.

It wasn’t until he was an upper that Eaton wandered into a music practice room and began playing the piano.

Although he had taken music lessons when younger, this encounter was different. “I was starting to figure out my relationship with the piano on my own terms,” he says.

After taking an electronic music class with instructor Vincent Monaco, Eaton’s relationship with music deepened. “I started to understand the physics of it, how to make sounds and wrangle sounds together into something that approximated coherent music.”

In 1993, Eaton opened a recording studio, serving as mastering engineer and producer. A few years later, in 2009, his musical journey took another turn when Eaton began working with Will Ackerman, one of the founders of Windham Hill Records, an influential instrumental music record label in the 1980s and 1990s. This partnership inspired Eaton to compose and release his own music beginning in 2016.

Eaton describes his music as ambient, combining electronic and piano-based sounds to create “sonic landscapes.” His latest album, Weathering, debuted in August 2023.

The creative process is part magic and part practice, he says. “You need to allow yourself the space to explore.”

Read more about Dr. Sacks’s work and her time at PA at andover.edu/magazine.

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P H I L A N T H RO P Y

The Peabody’s Next Chapter Donors Unite for Beloved Campus Treasure

T

students who participate annually in the institute’s innovative classes, dynamic programming, and myriad learning opportunities. (See cover story on page 16.)

The educational benefits will be “huge,” says Marla Taylor, Peabody curator of collections. She and Director Ryan Wheeler are grateful for the sustained commitment of the Academy and the nearly 200 donors who make a difference at the institute each year.

“Internally, we’d been laying groundwork for roughly 10 years to get to this point, working with donors to fund the cataloging of the collection, making improvements,” she says. “Once the Board of Trustees voted in 2022 to move ahead, the pace dramatically accelerated.”

The Academy is committed to this project and, to date, $1.98 million toward the $4 million fundraising goal has been secured. Special naming opportunities remain, including for the secondfloor library, collections housing spaces, and the director’s office.

Phase I, currently ongoing, focuses on the lower level spaces, including installation of high-density shelving, museum-standard climate control systems, fire suppression, and an elevator. Phase II will address the institute’s ground and

—RAYNARD S. KINGTON, MD, PHD, P’24, ’27

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The stunning central staircase of the Peabody Institute will lead students to new classroom space.

upper floors once the collection is moved to its new basement housing.

When all renovations are finished, the Peabody will be equipped with climate control and fire suppression throughout the entire building, reimagined office and work spaces, and double the number of classrooms—from two to four. Notably, a dedicated consultation room will enable the continued return of sacred cultural items and ancestral human remains to Indigenous Tribes, strengthening the Peabody’s position at the vanguard in the national repatriation movement.

“Supporting the Peabody is so much more than just the building or the collection,” says Taylor. “It advances teach-

JOAN MAGUIRE

“ The Peabody Institute gives us a unique opportunity to model what it means to be engaged, ethical, and active recipients of a history that can sometimes be complicated.

It’s an extraordinary resource.”

Students helped Peabody Curator of Collections Marla Taylor move portions of the boxed collection out of the basement prior to demolition.

GIL TALBOT

he Peabody Institute of Archaeology’s infrastructure will soon reflect the progressive spirit within, thanks to a passionate group of leadership donors.

Motivated alumni, families, and friends are banding together to push a significant renovation project over the finish line. And encourage others to join them with gifts of all sizes.

“The Peabody’s time is now, and it is vital. You can feel the energy!” says Lorna Elkus P’91, ’92, whose family— son James ’91 and daughter Jenny ’92— has chosen to prioritize the institute in its philanthropy. “The renovations are part of the future of the Peabody, and we are eager to support that.”

So too is Charter Trustee Michael Schmertzler ’70, P’05, ’07, whose call to action is clear. “My family is excited to kickstart giving for this campus priority.

I would urge anyone thinking about donating to do it now.”

The two-phase renovation project will safeguard the Peabody’s unrivaled collection of more than 600,000 cultural items, photographs, and documents. And elevate a singular learning experience for the approximately 1,100

EMMA LAVOIE

BY KATIE FIERMONTI

The renovations will create museumstandard collections housing and boost accessibility. Shown here is the elevator shaft during construction.

ing and fosters our relationships with Indigenous Nations, which is also equity and inclusion work. And, of course, it’s about being appropriate stewards of this collection.”

That notion of stewardship influenced the Elkus family’s investment, says Peabody Board of Advisors Chair Jenny Elkus ’92.

“Echoing Robert S. Peabody’s own words about his founding donation of the Peabody to Andover, I also believe it is my responsibility to leave PA a better place than I found it,” she says. “If there is one value that the institute teaches, it’s stewardship. It’s taking care of the resources you have and amplifying them for the next generation.”

Kuni Schmertzler P’05, ’07, agrees.

She realized the impact of the Peabody when her sons—Ian ’05 and Ethan ’07— were Andover students. Ian even did his work duty at the institute.

“The Peabody is remarkable. Every day, these educators are helping Andover students become ethical citizens of the world,” says Kuni, a member of the Peabody board. “That’s important. It makes sense to put money into this building now and make it functional for the future.”

To that end, Michael Schmertzler hopes the Andover community will be galvanized to give.

“Our goal is to stimulate the financial enthusiasm of all those who love the Peabody and recognize its immense value,” he says. “The renovations are only half done, and it’s incumbent upon us all to finish the job. The Peabody absolutely merits all philanthropic support. Join us.”  For more information, please contact Nicole Cherubini, director of development, at ncherubini@andover.edu.

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APPLY NOW for Summe 2024 r

Paying Forward a Passion for Art

BY NANCY HITCHCOCK

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terful teacher who was generous, open minded, and understood how to combine fun and learning. “The scholarship helps students experience visual arts education at a high level and to find the joy and passion for creativity that so motivated Emily throughout her life,” he says.

Grateful to be the first scholarship recipient, Lin immersed himself in a

creative community of art making. “For the first time, I had the opportunity to assemble my own still-life model, take my own reference pictures, and hang up my own artwork,” says Lin. “I was given my own studio space with amazing supplies and materials. I sat in front of an easel and just painted for hours.” The program also presented new experiences like painting outdoors, collaborative artworks, and peer critiques as well as 3D sculpture and stop-motion animation.

Lin’s passion for art has bloomed at Andover, thanks to supportive faculty, friends, and classmates. He started creating illustrations for The Phillipian and the literary and arts magazine The Courant, and volunteering at student exhibitions.

Now a board member of several art-oriented clubs, Lin encourages all students interested in exploring their creativity to join Andover’s art community. 

Give your child the gift of a transformational experience at Andover this summer!

Andover Summer programs are defined by academic excellence, global perspectives, student independence, life-changing interactions with peers and teachers—and plenty of fun! Outstanding faculty, small classes, and hands-on learning will keep your child engaged and motivated.

SUMMER SESSION

ADVANTAGE

July 2–August 4, 2024

Session I: July 15–26, 2024 Session II: August 5–16, 2024

Boarding & Day Students • Grades 7–12 COURTESY PHOTOS

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odd “Avery” Lin ’25 fills his sketchbooks with just about everything—from pencil cases and water bottles to caricatures of friends and travel scenes. “Whether I’m in class, at the airport, or in my dorm room, practicing my observational drawing skills is my favorite thing to do,” he says.

This past summer, Lin, the first recipient of the Emily Trespas Memorial Scholarship, was able to expand his creative pursuits by attending an intensive pre-college program at Tufts University’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA).

A champion of the arts, Emily Trespas taught a full range of courses in painting and drawing, printmaking, and visual studies at PA from 1999 to 2021. She passed away after a diagnosis of cancer in 2021. Before her death, she discussed with her husband her desire to establish and fund a scholarship to enable students and faculty to pursue their own passion for the arts.

Emily’s husband, Peter Copelas, explains that Emily appreciated the opportunities provided by the Academy in her early teaching years, such as attending art workshops in Bennington, Vermont.

“It was in that spirit that she wanted to be able to provide for students and faculty,” says Copelas. “I think that Avery attending the Tufts summer school deepened his hopes for the future about how he wants to practice art.”

Art department chair Thayer Zaeder ’83, P’17, notes that Emily was a mas-

I was given my own studio space with amazing supplies and materials.

I sat in front of an easel and just painted for hours.

Our flagship five-week academic enrichment program, Summer Session brings students together from across the country and around the world to the Lower School and Upper School institutes. Visit our website for a look at the more than 60 course offerings designed to appeal to the most curious and dedicated student. Classes are supplemented by weekly off-campus trips, weekend social events, and more!

Day Students Only • Grades 6–9

Focused on banishing brain melt and building confidence, Advantage is our openenrollment program that runs Monday–Friday as a two-week session. Students choose from classes like Critical Reading and Writing, The Physics of Flight, and Math Acceleration.

This program is specifically designed for students who live within commuting distance to the Andover campus.

—Avery Lin ’25 Applications from rising 7th- through 12th-graders are now being accepted!

Visit andover.edu/summer for more information on all Andover Summer programs.

Periodicals postage

PAID at Andover, MA and additional mailing offices

Andover’s think tank for learning and teaching, the Tang Institute provides students and faculty with resources to explore real-world issues and develop innovative solutions.

Learn more at tanginstitute.andover.edu.