An Enduring Legacy by Stacy Gillis His skinny legs, electrifying smile, and athletic prowess were a sight to behold on the basketball court. You knew when he was in the dining hall because everyone liked to be near him. He had the humor and timing of a seasoned comedian. His extraordinary wit, his force of nature drew people to him. And so did the haircuts he occasionally gave classmates to earn extra pocket money. Todd Isaac ’90 died in the 9/11 terrorist attack, but his spirit and legacy live on. The Todd A. Isaac Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in 2002 by friends from alma maters Andover and Holy Cross and business associates. The scholarship has enabled a student to attend Phillips Academy each year since 2003. In June, the endowed scholarship reached a milestone $500,000, commemorating what would have been Isaac’s 20th Andover reunion. “Todd would be proud that his life inspired so many in such a positive way. He transcended the various high school cliques, and he embodied the Andover ideal,” says Uche Osuji ’91. Isaac grew up in the Bronx. He attracted the attention of the ABC (A Better Chance) program, which helps talented minority students raise their educational sights, and later entered the Academy on an ABC scholarship. Bobby Edwards, former dean of Community and Multicultural Development, remembers Isaac well. “He soaked up this remarkable opportunity, and Andover unlocked his excellence. Then, for his life to be cut short just when he was able to realize his capacity to give back as much as he had gained at Andover, well, that could bring you to your knees—but not this community,” says Edwards.
Class of 2010 Inspires Others to Support Andover by Stacy Gillis The Class of 2010 has set a new class-giving record, with 96 percent donating to the senior class gift. Beating the 93 percent participation record set by the Class of 2009, this year’s seniors chose to dedicate their gift to the faculty. “Andover has made a profound difference in all of our lives. Here, we matured from shy teens to educated adults,” says Caroline Gezon ’10, student alumni representative. “Andover is sustained by our non sibi spirit just as much as our Big Blue spirit. We’ve shown that every gift makes a difference.” The Class of 1985, which celebrated its 25th Reunion in June, helped spur the seniors’ success by pledging to match dollar-for-dollar every gift seniors made up to $10,000 if they reached 90 percent participation. “Our goal not only was to have more seniors involved, but also to become a valuable resource for the Class of 2010,” says Michael Schaus ’85, class agent. “Their strong leadership inspired us to act. We wanted to demonstrate to the Class of 2010 that Andover represents both an outstanding education and a much wider community of all ages throughout the world that helps each other.”
“His scholarship embodies the belief that people can do extraordinary things if given the opportunity,” says Chris White ’93, a junior when he met Isaac, who was a proctor in his dorm. “It allows a child with promise and need to have his or her shot, just like Todd did.” “Todd’s life and legacy are testament to the invaluable lesson we learn at Andover, that no matter how smart or popular or talented you are—or how little or how much you have—character matters,” says Tiffany Chanel Corley ’91. “That is the reason Todd is so revered to this day. It’s why we loved him and why we love Andover.” The creators of the fund hope to raise a total of $750,000 toward this scholarship in the upcoming year. To make your gift to The Todd A. Isaac Memorial Scholarship Fund, please visit www.andover.edu/todd90.
New graduates Whitney Ford, Katherine Sherrill, and Alex Farrell at Commencement
FALL 2010 Volume 1, Number 3 BLUEprint is published three times a year by the Office of Communication as an insert in Andover, the magazine of Phillips Academy. Editor Victoria A. Harnish Director of Campaign Communications vharnish@andover.edu Assistant Editors Jill Clerkin Stacy Gillis Designer Kenneth Puleo Photographers Michael Malyszko Yuto Watanabe ’10
© 2010 Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.