The Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center:
A Renewed Commitment to Empathy and Balance It was an emotional return to campus for former associate head of school Becky Sykes when the new Rebecca M. Sykes Wellness Center was dedicated May 6. The state-of-the-art facility supports student health, both mental and physical, and is a fitting reflection of the Strategic Plan’s emphasis on empathy and balance.
Inset: Barbara Landis Chase, 14th head of school, Becky Sykes, and John Palfrey, head of school Left: Peter Currie ’74, president of the Board of Trustees Below left: Sykes with sons Emerson ’01 (holding his son, Otis), Eliot ’97, and Emmett ’92 Right: Sykes and husband Elwin Sykes, faculty emeritus
Sykes, who left PA in 2013 to head the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, wore numerous hats during her 40-year tenure at Andover, from college counselor to residential dean to dean of Community and Multicultural Development. After opening remarks from Board President Peter Currie ’74 and Head of School John Palfrey, Sykes addressed the crowd assembled on the lawn outside the new facility. With characteristic graciousness, she thanked the many supporters who made the Sykes Wellness Center possible; she also teared up when noting that it was the first building on campus named for an African American woman. “Today is proof,” she said, “that we continue to be the recipients of the grace of this community. Even the naming of the wellness center is a privilege I know I will spend the rest of my life working to earn.”
Thirteen Years and Counting
A Story of Consecutive Giving
E
ven as a youngster, Dorothy Voorhees ’04 had her sights on Andover. When she finally arrived on campus as an upper in 2002, Dorothy carried on a legacy started by her father, Steve ’72, and continued by her brother, Paul ’06. Born and raised in Birmingham, Ala. (“I had my first snow-shoveling experience at Andover!”), Dorothy immediately felt welcomed into the Phillips Academy community, meeting people who would become lifelong friends. “While everyone at Andover is extremely gifted in one area or another, the school really is greater than the sum of its parts,” she says. As an athlete, Dorothy competed fiercely in volleyball (having an undefeated season her senior year), captained the softball team, and cheered wildly as a Blue Key. In the classroom, she dove into AP French literature, reveling in Hale Sturges’s dynamic reenactments of works by playwrights Molière and Balzac. Carroll Perry’s economics class sparked her interest in learning more about poverty in the developing world, eventually prompting her to move to Senegal through the Peace Corps after college. Dorothy’s 13 years of consecutive giving started with her senior gift. “Andover does a great job of demonstrating the value of your education, even when you’re still a student,” she says. “Giving to Andover every year is my way of ensuring that the school continues to attract and retain ‘youth from every quarter.’ Many of my friends wouldn’t have been able to attend without the school’s need-blind admission policy. The economically diverse student body truly enriched my learning experience, and it’s an honor to help pass that opportunity on to others.” Dorothy Voorhees ’04, a merchandise buyer for Target Corporation, lives in Minneapolis. She has been a PA alumni admission representative for three years.
Steve ’72, Paul ’06, and Dorothy ’04
To learn more about making an annual gift to Phillips Academy, please contact Stephen Rodriguez, director of annual giving, at 978-749-4312 or srodriguez@andover.edu.