at PA following the merger. In 1982, she became the first woman to chair PA’s English department. Born in Lowell, MA, St. Pierre graduated from Lowell High School and earned a BA degree at Wheaton College and an MA degree at Columbia University. Although the town of Andover was her home for four decades, she traveled to Europe often. Her study of Romantic literature at Oxford University in 1979 sparked a passion for theatre that led to a renaissance in dramatics at Andover. St. Pierre helped produce and direct dozens of ambitious student performances and was instrumental in persuading Head of School Donald McNemar to pursue the renovation and expansion of George Washington Hall’s theatre space. In 1983, St. Pierre became a member of the Coeducational Study Committee, formed to assess the outcomes of the merger 10 years on. The committee’s landmark report, A Portrait of a School: Coeducation at Andover, concluded that much work remained in creating a climate of gender equity. The report also gave rise to discussions about the climate of racial inequity on campus and the creation of the Faculty Equity Committee, led by St. Pierre and Vincent Avery, then chair of the philosophy and religious studies department. The group’s decisive and aggressive measures to recruit more teachers of color led to the eventual formation of the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers and Andover Bread Loaf. St. Pierre received the McKeen Award in 2003 for four decades of teaching (her signature course, Man and God, remained among the Academy’s most popular courses until her retirement, in 2004) and for her role in creating a healthy coeducational environment at PA. Her final visit to campus took place on May 7, 2013, when she celebrated the dedication of both the newly renovated Bulfinch Hall and, with dozens of former students and colleagues, the outdoor St. Pierre Classroom. She is survived by her sister, Mary Baroni; two nephews; and numerous godchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the Jean St. Pierre Scholarship Fund at www.andover.edu/giving. A memorial celebration of Jean M. St. Pierre’s life and teaching at Andover will be held on Saturday, November 5, at 11 a.m. in Cochran Chapel with a reception on the Abbot campus to follow. All are welcome to join in this special occasion.
FORMER FACULTY Yi-an R. Chou
New York, NY; April 12, 2016 “Miss Chang” taught piano at Abbot Academy from 1958 to 1962 and left a lasting impression on many of her students. She died of pancreatic cancer at age 89. Yi-an was young and cosmopolitan, filled with energy and a zest for life. Students loved her fascinating stories about a childhood spent in Europe, where her father was China’s ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Portugal. Others stories were about her Juilliard days and touring Europe in the 1950s, giving recitals and studying with Walter Gieseking and Marguerite Long. Yi-an especially loved learning about Abbot girls. She wanted to know about your family, your interests, and where you bought those terrific shoes! “She certainly affected many of us in a wonderfully positive way,” said Sandra DeLeeuw Dell ’63, Yi-an’s former piano student. “My life would have taken a very different path had she not been in it.” “Miss Chang was a light of positivity and kindness in the halls of Abbot,” said Anita Schenck Zednik ’63. “It was a special treat to have her at our 45th Reunion.” —Danica Miller Eskind ’63 David E. Irwin Jr.
St. Petersburg, FL; June 23, 2016 David Irwin taught music at Andover from 1975 to 1980. He was described in a 1980 letter written by former headmaster Ted Sizer as “singularly successful as a teacher of music at the high school level.” Irwin gave clarinet lessons, worked with experienced music students of all abilities, performed in many faculty recitals and with students in concerts, and served as a Whitney House house counselor. “David loved to laugh, and that humor helped as he conducted orchestras for musicals and traveled with PA student musicians and actors to England in 1978,” said Irwin’s former student, Timothy Regan ’79. “His students adored him.” Said Brian Linse ’79, “Dave was an inspiring teacher, a monster musician, and for all these years since Andover, a cherished friend whose sense of humor, intellect, and vast musical knowledge made every conversation memorable. He taught me for 35 years. I will miss him terribly.” “He was far and away the best shaggy-dogstory-telling, joke-telling person I ever knew,” says current music instructor Peter Lorenco, who kept in touch with his friend and former colleague over the years.
Raymond A. Wolff Jr.
New York, NY; May 23, 2016 Raymond A. “Dutch” Wolff Jr. died in Manhattan at the age of 91. After serving in the 142nd Infantry Division during WWII and then graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Dutch Wolff joined Phillips Academy in 1952 as an instructor in music. At Andover, he established the Aces and a student jazz band, and was chosen by the senior class in 1954 as one of Andover’s favorite teachers. As a further indication of their affection for their music instructor, the class dedicated the 1954 Pot Pourri to Dutch and his wife, Joan. After leaving Andover in 1954, he played saxophone and clarinet professionally in Manhattan and, in 1970, established Dutch Wolff Orchestras, which he managed until his death. He is survived by daughters Margaret Layne and Melora Wolff, seven nieces, and two nephews. He was predeceased by his wife in 1994. —Melora Wolff & Margaret Layne
ABBOT AND PHILLIPS
1930 Elaine Burtt Johnson
Tampa, FL; Sept. 27, 2009 1932 Edwin O. Tilton
Buffalo, NY; April 4, 2016 Edwin O. Tilton died in April at the age of 100. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Ed served in Army Intelligence from 1941 to 1946. He came to Buffalo, NY, in 1946 to join the Hodgson Russ law firm, from which he retired as senior partner in 1985. A longtime member of the Buffalo Tennis and Squash Club and the Harvard Clubs in New York City and Buffalo, he also served as a member and secretary of the New York State Dormitory Authority from 1974 to 1978. He is survived by his son, Samuel Tilton; his daughter, Anne Jalali; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 69 years, Elizabeth, and son Stephen. —The Tilton Family 1938 Mary Elliot Brown
Stony Point, NY; March 12, 2016 Mary Elliot Brown, a former resident of Andover, died peacefully at her home surrounded by her three children. She was 95. After graduating from Andover | Reunion 2016
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