Fall 2025 Journal

PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL WINTER 2025

Ben Mezrich ’87 On big breaks, bad brakes, and high-stakes storytelling PAGE 24

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Winter 2025 Volume 63, No. 1 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Deanna Harkel P’38 EDITOR Ashley Stenger P’38 ART DIRECTOR Kelly Koching DESIGNERS EmDash Sarah Oskay PHOTOGRAPHERS David Bremer P’18 Thatcher Cook P’35 Kelly Koching Andrew Lee P’37 ’39 Lauren Stavros

24 BEN MEZRICH ’87 From blackjack teams to Facebook’s founding, Mezrich has built a career turning high-stakes true stories into blockbuster films — and he’s not done yet.

ABOUT THE COVER Bestselling author Ben Mezrich ’87, whose books have been adapted into films including The Social Network and 21, photographed at his home in Boston

by Princeton Day School Upper School photography teacher Thatcher Cook P’35. pds.org/journal The Journal is published twice annually by the PDS Office of Marketing and Communications.

Email editor@pds.org with comments, questions, or ideas for future stories. All submissions are subject to editing for clarity and length. © Princeton Day School Princeton, New Jersey All rights reserved.

This Journal arrives as we’re deep in our planning for the future of PDS — wrestling with questions about the learning experience, the people who guide and sustain it, and the skills our students will need in a changing world. The work is paramount, yet it can so easily become abstract. Reading these stories, I’m reminded of what becomes possible when that process is grounded in purpose: The teacher who knows that learning begins when students feel truly seen.

The student who builds accessible technology for a fraction of the cost.

The storyteller who uses radical empathy to bridge divides.

The mountain guide who learns that setbacks teach what success never could.

This is why strategic planning matters — because what can seem like an ordinary process creates the conditions for extraordinary things: for teachers to see possibility before proof, for students to question the world as given, for failure to be seen as necessary, not final.

Jack Wallace PCD’48 understood this. For thirty-five years, he asked one question: How does this help the kids? He was asking whether we were creating the conditions for young people to discover the full range of their humanity.

Our students inherit a world that urges them to optimize rather than explore, to perform rather than become. These stories remind us what must be protected: time to grow at a human pace, permission to begin without knowing the ending, and space to rediscover that the most meaningful parts of any endeavor are the human ones.

As we envision the PDS of tomorrow, these stories steady us.

We’re not simply designing schedules, curricula, or new facilities.

We’re safeguarding the conditions for human flourishing — messy, unpredictable, and absolutely essential.

Warmly,

Kelley Nicholson-Flynn P’26 Head of School P.S. The gratitude notes on these pages appeared across campus one September morning, when our Lower School students decided that everyone deserved a thank you. Humanity, flourishing.

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CONTENTS

DEAR PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL COMMUNITY,

FEATURES 16 THE ABCs OF EMPATHY

Pre-K teacher Shonell Best P’29 creates a classroom where four-year-olds learn that being seen, feeling safe, and loving school are just as important as the ABCs.

32 HELLO, HUMAN

Justin Sheehan, the first chair of PDS’ Computer Science & Innovation Department, is teaching students that the most exciting elements of computer science are the human ones.

DEPARTMENTS

04 THE COMMONS 45 FROM OUR LEADERS 48 CLASS NOTES OTHER READING THE WORK OF SHOWING UP:

12 JACK WALLACE PCD’48 38 DESIGNING FOR DIGNITY 42 ON BELAY olers:

r Scho e Lowe from th l! ia c Pro tip so n DS o follow P

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THE COMMONS

THE COMMONS SNIPPETS AND STORIES FROM THE GREAT ROAD

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ARIEL OF JERSEY The Creative Legacy of Ariel Ruvinsky ’08 The Anne Reid ’72 Gallery opened its fall season with an exhibition celebrating the life and work of Ariel Ruvinsky, a 2008 PDS graduate who passed away last year.

The exhibition grew from a connection spanning generations: former faculty member Jerry Hirniak, who taught both Gallery Director Gwen Shockey ’06 and Ruvinsky, reached out after Ruvinsky’s passing. Over the past year, Shockey worked closely with Ruvinsky’s parents and sisters to select works that best captured Ariel’s vision. “It has truly been an honor to collaborate with Ariel’s family on this exhibition,” Shockey reflects.

Ruvinsky’s Hillsborough, N.J., studio revealed a portrait of relentless creativity — filled with projects, materials, and ideas in every corner.

“Ariel had enough fabric, yarn, beads and other materials to fill a craft supply store,” Shockey recalls. “She always found a way to make what she envisioned, even if she didn’t know how to do it.”

Ruvinsky’s artistic journey began at PDS under Hirniak’s mentorship, which shaped her experimental approach. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.

Under the name Ariel of Jersey, she found success in fashion, designing shoes, knitwear, and accessories — one pair of boots even worn by Grammy Awardwinning singer Chappell Roan in a Rolling Stone photoshoot.

For Shockey, who now teaches in the position once held by Hirniak, the exhibition carries special meaning.

“It’s powerful to see how art made in these studios can continue to shape lives long after graduation,” she says.

In thinking about the next generation of artists, she hopes current students will follow Ruvinsky’s example. “Ariel followed the threads of her many interests and didn’t let obstacles get in her way. I hope students trust that their passions are enough to sustain a lifelong studio practice.”

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THE COMMONS

READING THE WORLD SOMETHING FISHY Trout Eggs Transform a Classroom into Living Science Lower School science teacher Aaron Schomburg P’16 ’18 has turned his classroom into a living laboratory through Trout in the Classroom, a program that lets students observe the complete life cycle of trout while learning about ecology and environmental stewardship.

The inspiration came from Schomburg’s work with the Watershed Institute, where he served on both the education and science committees. “I use both the garden and the Stony Brook, which is a 10-minute walk with my fourth graders, as a way to introduce them to the ecology,” he says. “So, actually having trout in our classroom and witnessing their life cycle and behavior felt like a natural next step.”

A 55-gallon tank now hums in his classroom, its filtration and chiller system keeping the water at a steady 52 degrees, the temperature trout eggs and fingerlings need to thrive. In partnership with the Pequest Trout Hatchery, students received the eggs this fall and will care for them through the year as they grow.

Students in grades two through four are keeping detailed journals of the project, but Schomburg has opened the experience to the entire school. “All grades will be invited to stop by and use the tank in whatever way fits into their learning,” he says. “Poetry might be based on tank observations, art projects, perhaps graphing the population of young fry each week.”

The project is as much about process as outcome. “My biggest goal is to model how much science, along with time and effort, it takes to work on an experiment like this. Can we keep them alive through chemistry and our knowledge of their needs? Can we learn from them and better understand the systems that happen in ecology?”

In the spring, students will release their fingerlings into streams selected by state biologists — a hopeful conclusion to a yearlong experiment in curiosity, collaboration, and care.

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Leila Estes named CFR Education Ambassador Upper School English faculty member Leila Estes has been selected as one of 70 high school educators nationwide for the Council on Foreign Relations Education Ambassador Program for 2025–2026. The eight-month initiative connects teachers dedicated to advancing global literacy by exploring international issues, economics, and public policy through monthly meetings, award-winning resources, and a national professional network.

“I’m excited to learn how to incorporate current events into English lessons,” Estes says. “Critical thinking skills are essential for engaging thoughtfully in today’s world.”

Graphic novels are one tool she finds particularly powerful. “They give glimpses into how others lived,” she says.

“Reading works like Maus or Persepolis shows personal experiences that transform history and make it relatable for students.”

Through the ambassador program, Estes will help shape classroom resources and bring new global perspectives back to PDS, from discussions of world literature to exploring how media shapes public understanding, encouraging students to think critically about their place in an interconnected world.

NINTH GRADE TRANSFORMED Brain Science Meets Big Ideas Current ninth-graders are experiencing their Upper School journey through a new lens — one that weaves executive functioning skills into every part of their day, from core academics to advisory.

Led by Learning Specialist Zaneta Chambers ’95 and supported by the David C. Bogle Award and the Ostro Grant Fund for Interdisciplinary Programs, faculty teams spent the summer embedding these cognitive skills across the curriculum, ensuring that students master both course content and the strategies essential for college and lifelong success.

“Ninth-graders often don’t recognize when they’re stuck,” Chambers explains.

“We’ve designed supports that address their developmental needs — working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility — tools that will serve them well beyond this year.”

This purposeful shift grew from a year of divisional professional development on the

science of learning, culminating in a spring visit from cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham of the University of Virginia, whose strategies for connecting brain science to classroom practice shaped the summer’s curriculum work.

English 9 faculty members Jill Brown, Niccolo Bechtler, and Nathan Weaver applied Willingham’s insights to reshape how students engage with literature, moving from broad questions to targeted prompts that build analytical skills step by step, and teaching students to plan and manage complex writing projects.

“When students are immersed in learning, the energy in the room is electric,” says Brown. “We want more of that.”

New History Department Chair Tom Brinkerhoff ’s world religions team also designed an immersive approach in which students explore one tradition at a time, developing deep understanding alongside

critical thinking skills. “We’re building cultures of thinking where students grapple with big ideas,” says Brinkerhoff.

Biology teachers have made similar changes, helping students develop learning strategies specific to science.

The restructured advisory program threads these skills throughout the year, from organization and time management to self-monitoring and flexible thinking.

When combined with social-emotional learning components, including wellness activities and conflict resolution, advisory provides students with a foundation for growth in a pivotal year.

Head of Upper School Katie O’Shaughnessey P’27 sees this purposeful grade-wide shift as fundamental to the school’s mission. “Teaching academic behaviors using cognitive science directly echoes our commitment to cultivating intellectual vitality and strength of character,” she says.

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THE COMMONS

FUTURE FORWARD Community Design Day Maps Where Mission Meets Possibilities Ideas flowed and conversations sparked as more than 140 families, employees, trustees, alumni, and students gathered this fall to envision the school’s next chapter.

On Sept. 20, Community Design Day brought the PDS community together for a daylong workshop that turned shared purpose into new possibilities. Building on a year spent refining the school’s mission, vision, and values, the event invited participants to imagine how those ideals could take shape.

In small groups, they explored key questions about how students learn best and how the school can continue to grow and connect. Teams brainstormed, sketched concept maps, and developed ideas to strengthen learning, support teachers, deepen relationships, and enrich

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student experiences.

The format encouraged momentum, with short working sessions punctuated by 1-minute presentations in which each group shared its vision. The ideas that emerged reflected insight, imagination, and a shared commitment to the school’s future.

“Seeing our community collaborate so thoughtfully and dream so boldly about what’s ahead was truly inspiring,” says Head of School Kelley Nicholson-Flynn.

“The creativity and care that day will serve as a compass as we continue shaping the story of PDS.” The ideas generated during Community Design Day will inform the school’s strategic priorities, to be shared with the community later this year.

PETER PAN COMES TO PDS Sophia Glasgold ’22 Reimagines a Classic When Sophia Glasgold ’22 graduated from PDS, she figured her time on the school stage was behind her. Now a senior at New York University studying dramatic writing, she’s back on campus with a new role: playwright of this fall’s Middle School production of Peter Pan. “It’s pretty cool and a little surreal,” she says. “I was in the fall play in eighth grade, and coming back like this feels full circle.”

Glasgold’s adaptation picks up where most end: the Darling children return to Neverland for a second adventure. One of her biggest changes is reimagining Wendy. “She’s usually the caretaker who needs saving,” Glasgold explains. “I wanted Wendy to keep her nurturing side but also stand on her own.

She’s a lot stronger in this version.”

The play blends J.M. Barrie’s original text with Glasgold’s own writing, set entirely on a playground, a concept Middle School Theater Director Jonathan Martin has envisioned for more than a decade. “When Peter Pan hit the public domain, I knew it was time,” Martin says. “I thought about trying to write a version myself, but I remembered that Sophia was pursuing this as a career and thought she’d be great to team up with.”

Glasgold built the script around Martin’s ideas and the 23 students in the cast. The story begins in the real world before transporting audiences to a whimsical Neverland filled with Hook, mermaids, and “some cool battles.”

For Martin, the collaboration shows students that a creative future in theater isn’t limited to acting. For Glasgold, it’s a return to her roots. “PDS played a big role in my life,” she reflects. “I’ve always loved reading and writing. When I started writing scripts, it just felt natural.”

THE ART OF ADAPTATION Students Explore Connections Between Plants and Neurodiversity What could have been a botany lesson became a lesson in neurodiversity, thanks to a collaboration between ceramics teacher and greenhouse manager Eric Rempe and learning specialist Zaneta Chambers ’95.

The collaboration began in August, when Rempe introduced plant neurobiology to the faculty during opening meetings and Chambers recognized parallels to neurodiverse learning styles.

“We made connections between the ‘superpowers’ that plants have developed to thrive and what we do in the classroom. No two people think the same way, and learning how our brains work best helps us thrive,” says Chambers.

It quickly grew into an engaging greenhouse experience.

Students explored exotic plants with unusual survival strategies — from Venus flytraps supplementing their diet with insects to air plants drawing nourishment from humid air rather than soil. The exercise encouraged students to see how, like plants, people adapt and thrive by using their unique learning styles as a strength.

Rempe shared his own experience with colorblindness, taking a live perception test in front of students and showing his artwork. Like the plants they studied, he shows how adapting to a limitation can lead to new ways of thriving. “My color blindness could be viewed by others as a weakness, but it has caused me to see form really well, which helps me create my ceramic work,” he says. “It might not be the color everyone else sees, but it is brilliant and beautiful nonetheless.”

“We hope more students will explore the greenhouse and see connections between plant neurobiology and how we learn,” Chambers adds.

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SWEET DEMOCRACY

The Middle School Candy Election When Middle Schoolers headed to the polls in November, they weren’t choosing between politicians — they were deciding whether M&Ms, Twix, Reese’s, Starburst, or Jolly Ranchers deserved to reign supreme in the Middle School. But don’t mistake this for a simple popularity contest. The PDS Middle School candy election is a sophisticated civics lesson, and this year was the first time the entire operation was run by students themselves.

Working closely with humanities teacher and UPenn Fellow Jared Leveson ’18, Middle School humanities teacher Jason Haber designed the project to extend far beyond teaching students how to cast a ballot. Each seventh grader was assigned a specific role — campaign manager, communications director, financial advisor, debate moderator, journalist, or superintendent of elections — based on

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their interests and aspirations. Students explored each position’s responsibilities before submitting thoughtful requests for the roles that interested them.

Haber designed the candy election to cultivate skills spanning collaboration, critical thinking, and organization while helping students understand themselves as active participants in civic life. The setup mirrored real political campaigns: each History 7 class served as home base for one candy party; students could raise funds through donations to purchase advertising; and designated faculty could sponsor campaigns with “Panther Bucks,” — though all campaign messaging had to celebrate, not denigrate.

For Haber, the best part was watching his students make it their own. “I hope that students see themselves as true actors in our world,” he explains. “So much of

Cassia Appleton-Seeg ’31

“The most important thing I’ve learned is that every vote matters.

Each person has significance, and their voice adds value to the results.” learning can be limited to the page, the screen, or the classroom. I always want students to see how their work can impact others and the world around them.”

Alma San Martin ’31, a representative from the Starburst campaign, saw how the project reinforced the importance and impact of teamwork. “I could not have done everything we accomplished without my fellow classmates and peers. Whenever I was confused about something, I would ask my campaign team, and we would figure it out together. From making posters to arranging meetings, it was all done with the help of my friends,” she says.

Others discovered that even a playful election requires serious planning. Twix campaign manager, Ryan Baazet ’31, reflected on the challenge: “I learned quickly that deadlines and organization really matter in a campaign,” he says. “I didn’t always stay on top of the schedule, and that meant we produced less content than we planned.”

When the votes were finally tallied, it was Jolly Rancher that rose to the top. “I think they were successful because they marketed with fun,” Haber says. “They hosted interactive games, sponsored a ‘Minute to Win It’ game during a divisional assembly,

and worked hard to reach out to the fifth and sixth grades.”

Charlotte Hayes ’31, the victorious campaign manager, reflected on what made her team successful. “The most important thing I’ve learned,” she says, “is that every vote matters. Each person has significance, and their voice adds value to the results.”

In six years, these students will cast their first real ballots. They won’t need anyone to explain why it matters — they already know what democracy tastes like.

Middle School students line up to cast their votes

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THE WORK OF SHOWING UP

The Legacy of Jack Wallace PCD’48 At schools, as in any institution balancing policies and budgets, conversations drift. A board meeting might begin with enrollment numbers and conclude with facility updates. Reports zero in on outcomes and assessments. Daily urgencies can crowd out the reason the institution exists in the first place.

For 35 years at Princeton Day School, Jack Wallace countered that tendency. His method was disarmingly simple. At the right moment, he would lean forward and ask the question that defined him.

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“How does this help the kids?”

It was plainspoken, pointed, and never rhetorical. Jack wanted to know, and he asked it relentlessly, meeting after meeting.

That question became his hallmark, but it was how he lived beyond the meetings that gave it weight. He didn’t just serve; he showed up — for every need, whenever the school called, and often when it didn’t.

He was simply “Jack the Elder,” a leader without ego, whose judgment was trusted, whose advice was sought, and whose example was impossible to ignore.

CHARACTER IN FORMATION Jack’s connection to the school began in 1942, when he entered Princeton Country Day as a fourth-grader. The world was at war, and daily life was unsettled.

Air-raid drills cut into lessons, bond drives filled assemblies, older classmates disappeared into military service. Even then, his character was emerging: a love of spirited debate, a mind that sliced through complexity, an instinct for turning conviction into action. By the time he graduated from PCD and then Hotchkiss, those qualities were set.

At Princeton, Jack studied international and public affairs and enrolled in the Naval ROTC program. In his senior year, he returned to PCD to coach the JV soccer team, steering them to a 3-0-3 record before promptly retiring. He left as the school’s only undefeated coach, a lighthearted footnote in a life otherwise defined by decades of service.

The mid-1950s carried him to sea,

“There is no one person more responsible for the success of PDS over the past decades than Jack Wallace. He was always the first person every head of school and trustee would seek out for his wisdom and knowledge of PDS history.” where he rose to become aide to the vice admiral commanding the entire Atlantic amphibious fleet. The role demanded polish, discretion, and a keen understanding of how large organizations function day to day — perfect preparation for the institutional leadership he would later provide.

When Jack returned from service, he briefly considered a history faculty position at PCD but turned it down, fearing he “wouldn’t be able to keep the course interesting year after year.” The irony soon became clear: over the next half-century, no one proved better at keeping an entire institution vital and true to its mission.

Instead, he took a job as an analyst at Morgan Stanley. Around that time, he met Marjorie “Happy” Goebel, and romance bloomed. Their first date spanned an entire October weekend: Princeton–Dartmouth at Palmer Stadium, lunch at the Stockton Inn, a Rangers hockey game. Six weeks later, they were engaged; within the year, they were married. Jack and Happy’s whirlwind courtship became the steady foundation for a marriage marked by devotion, community, and resilience.

The Wallaces soon traded Wall Street for Nassau Street. Back in Princeton, Jack accepted the role of assistant teller at First Trenton National Bank; three decades later, he retired as CEO. His impressive rise wasn’t just a matter of ambition — it was born from a deep-rooted conviction that communities deserved institutions that served people fully and fairly.

That same conviction drew him into civic leadership. Like his father before him, Jack joined Princeton’s township committee and served two terms as mayor in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Beyond government, he devoted his time, talent, and treasure

The Wallaces visit a Lower School classroom during Imagine the Possibilities

to McCarter Theater, the Princeton Area Community Foundation, the Watershed Institute, Trinity Counseling, the Princeton Senior Resource Center, and the local hospital. And yet, Jack held no institution closer than Princeton Day School — a connection woven through familial generations.

Jack’s father, John H. Wallace, had helped raise funds for PCD’s first gymnasium and auditorium. His mother, 1927 MFS alumna Margaret Wallace, co-founded The Outgrown Shop, directing its proceeds to financial aid. His brother, Bill, attended PCD; his sister, Penny, PDS. Jack and Happy’s three children — John ’78, Chris ’80, and Margie ’84 — all attended, and four grandchildren would follow: Christopher ’10 (and his wife, Katie Kwon-Gibson ’08), Katie ’11, Cord ’12, and Coby ’17.

In 1995, Margie returned to PDS as an assistant field hockey and lacrosse coach, marking the beginning of her own journey of service to the school. She coached for over a decade, serving as head Middle School coach for both sports in the early 2000s and contributing to the 1998 field hockey team’s Hall of Fame season. In 2007, she joined the faculty as a Lower School teacher and was later named PreK–12 director of service learning, carrying the family’s commitment forward in a new way. Her work with students

reflects the same values her father had long championed: that education is about developing the whole person and encouraging students to think beyond themselves.

IMAGINING THE POSSIBILITIES From such foundations, Jack’s 1978 election to the PDS Board of Trustees united family legacy with personal calling.

Over the course of three decades, spanning twenty-three years as an active trustee (1978–1984, 1996–2013) and more than a decade as a trustee emeritus, he became the longest-serving board member in school history. He sat on finance and development committees, championed The PDS Fund, and rolled up his sleeves for several capital campaigns. He guided six heads of school and four interim heads, cutting through complexity and turning intention into action.

“There is no one person more responsible for the success of PDS over the past decades than Jack Wallace,” says Trustee Emeritus Andy Okun P’14 ’16. “He was always the first person every head of school and trustee would seek out for his wisdom and knowledge of PDS history. Jack was a role model for all of us on how to act and live.”

Jack’s voice proved most crucial during moments that demanded clear perspective: the 2008 financial collapse, the technology

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A family portrait at the wedding of Christopher Gibson ’10 and Katie Kwon Gibson (Brossman) ’08

revolution of the 1990s, the aftermath of 9/11. He helped oversee the building of a new Science Center, a Lower School wing, and the Lisa McGraw ’44 Skating Rink. During his tenure, PDS transformed from a young merged institution into an established independent school of renown.

“Jack was a forward thinker who welcomed new ideas while drawing on decades of wisdom,” recalls former Board Chair and Trustee Emeritus Barbie Cole ’78 P’08 ’13 ’17. “He had an innate sense of what was right and never shied away from tough conversations. With grace, humor, and steadfast commitment, he challenged us to see beyond our successes and imagine new ways to enrich the student experience.”

Through all these milestones, Jack’s defining question — how does this help the kids? — took on its most profound meaning when he and Happy lost their son John to AIDS in 1990. A charismatic member of the Class of 1978, John was deeply creative, channeling his passion into writing, music, and theater. Faced with unimaginable loss, the Wallaces found a way to transform their sorrow into lasting

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purpose. They turned to honoring his life through the work of the school.

The tribute took shape as the John D. Wallace Jr. ’78 Memorial Guest Artist Series Fund, which in time grew into Imagine the Possibilities. What began as a single visiting artist has evolved into one of PDS’ most transformative traditions, a living memorial that honors John’s artistic spirit. Each year, novelists, poets, illustrators, and scholars step into classrooms and community spaces for multi-day residencies, immersing students in the creative process and expanding their sense of possibility. U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, scholar Cornel West P’17, and 2018 Caldecott author and illustrator Matthew Cordell are among the voices who have shared their work and wisdom with students.

By the early 1990s, it was impossible to imagine PDS without Jack Wallace. When the Alumni Service Award recognized his exceptional contributions in 1993, it felt exactly right. Twenty years later, the award itself was renamed in his honor.

He accepted the distinction with grace, but recognition was never his focus.

What mattered to him was that the work endured and the kids remained at the center. For Jack, that had always been enough.

“Jack lived the truth that love shows up,” says Head of School Kelley NicholsonFlynn P’26. “He loved this school so deeply that he never stopped asking the question that would make us better. Still today, when we’re deep in planning and strategy, I can hear his voice bringing us back to what matters most.”

THE ENDURING QUESTION Jack Wallace PCD’48 P’78 ’80 ’84 was many things — beloved patriarch, steward of institutions, servant of community, unwavering friend. His mark endures in the bank he led, the township he guided, the hospital and theater he strengthened, and the countless organizations that have flourished because he showed up. Even in his final weeks before his passing in May 2025, he and Happy sat together in the back row of a Lower School classroom, watching a guest artist spark young imaginations — witnesses, as ever, to what that simple question has made possible: How does this help the kids?

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QUESTIONS

WITH TOM BRINKERHOFF Tom Brinkerhoff ’s arrival as the new Upper School History Department chair is a full-circle moment. His own family history is woven into the school; his father and uncles attended Princeton Country Day before its 1965 merger. Now he’s tasked with teaching the next generation to understand their place in history. We spoke with him about what it means to be a historian, why classroom disagreements are essential, and how to find the voices missing from the narratives we’ve inherited.

What was it that made you fall in love with history in the first place?

It was actually a book I read as an undergrad at Lafayette College: Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History. It completely changed how I thought about the discipline. I started asking: How is history produced? Whose voices shape our understanding of the past? That curiosity about inclusion and exclusion — about which perspectives make it into the story and which don’t — is what drew me in. I’m still asking those questions today.

How do you help students see themselves as historians, not just history students?

I tell them history isn’t about memorizing facts — it’s about making arguments. In class, we engage with primary sources, analyze them, and build interpretations supported by evidence.

Students aren’t just consuming history; they’re shaping our collective understanding of it.

Thanks to digitization projects, high school students now have access to incredible documents.

When they read, analyze, discuss, and argue, they’re joining a larger historical dialogue.

That’s powerful.

It really is powerful! When students clash over interpretations, how do you turn that into something productive?

Honestly, I love those moments. History is a discipline of argumentation. The possibility of conflicting interpretations is expected, and it actually aids our learning. We always ground analysis of the past in primary sources, and different interpretations of those sources are an invitation for discourse. Discourse in a history classroom is not debate, but rather a means of collective learning where students actively listen and learn through the analysis of their peers.

How do you teach students to notice whose voices are missing from a story?

I think it is important to include a multiplicity of voices. That can encourage students to look at the past through different lenses, and that can help elucidate which voices are missing. The Gilded Age, for example, looks quite different if you’re examining child laborers as opposed to business owners. Studying history through primary sources is important, but equally important is hearing from many different people to understand lived human experience.

Okay, last one: If you had to drive cross-country with three historical figures, who would you choose, and who’s getting control of the music?

Wow, that’s a tough one! I think it would be Dr. Martin Luther King, President Abraham Lincoln, and Sojourner Truth. I think we would need to take turns controlling the music to get the best playlist!

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A is for Apple. B is for Ball. C is for Care.

In Shonell Best’s Pre-K classroom, the youngest Panthers practice empathy, integrity, and belonging from day one.

WORDS BY ASHLEY STENGER

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Pre-K student Allison Lee ’39

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queaky Spiderman sneakers race down the hallway.

A birthday tiara bobs past Bubbles, the class goldfish.

“Excuse me, Ms. Best!” rings out as small hands tug at her sleeve — one student eager to share weekend news, another wondering if it’s garden class today, and two more determined to settle a debate over whether the scissors are purple or magenta.

Best moves easily through the cheerful bustle, greeting families at the door and offering quick reassurances about forgotten lunches and teary goodbyes.

At 8:15, a soft chime. The class gathers on the community rug for the day’s morning meeting, a hallmark of the Responsive Classroom approach that builds respect and belonging. Their greeting song rises in three languages — “Good morning, good morning! How are you, how are you?” The final note barely lands before hands shoot up, eager to ask and answer all at once.

Three deep breaths, and the day begins.

That deliberate arc from exuberant arrival to purposeful gathering captures the essence of Best’s teaching. Over twenty-one years, including thirteen at Princeton Day School, she has honed the art of turning four-yearold energy into readiness to learn.

“My top priorities are simple: helping students feel safe, ensuring they feel seen, and making learning so exciting that they love coming to school,” Best says. “They have a long journey ahead of them, and how they begin that journey matters.”

Each morning, Best stands

at her classroom door and greets every student by name. Some rush in for a hug; others offer a quiet “good morning.”

This ritual is deliberate — the first of countless moments designed to make students feel seen.

Left: A morning welcome sets the tone for the day.

Above: Students gather on the rug during Morning Meeting to check in, share, and get ready to learn

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“Belonging starts when every student is recognized as an individual,” Best says.

“The most wonderful part is that this greeting is a gift I also receive. It creates an instant connection that builds our community.”

For many families, Best is the first face of PDS, a calm presence who helps parents as much as students through those tender first days. A coat that won’t unzip, a locker that won’t quite close; Best smiles reassuringly.

“They’ve got this,” she’ll say, inviting both students and parents to trust the process.

That sense of connection once included her own son, Joshua, now a freshman in the Upper School. Best laughs remembering when he was in her Pre-K class. “Everyone called me Ms. Best, but he still called me ‘Mommy,’” she remembers.

“One day, I heard his little voice call out, ‘Ms. Best!’ and it was like the whole room stopped. We all noticed it was him. We laughed, and Joshua smiled because he was able to get my attention. From that day on, he always called me Ms. Best at school.”

Balancing the roles of teacher and parent

wasn’t always easy, she added, “But in that instant, it gave me a deeper understanding that all students long to be listened to and acknowledged. It highlighted for me just how important communication is for building a connection with both students and families.”

In her classroom today, she learns what matters to each student — a love of dinosaurs, a sibling’s name — and threads those details into lessons. She speaks to four-year-olds with the same courtesy she offers adults, modeling the respect

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“My top priorities are simple: helping students feel safe, ensuring they feel seen, and making learning so exciting that they love coming to school. They have a long journey ahead of them, and how they begin that journey matters.” she hopes to instill. Throughout the day, students comfort upset classmates, share favorite books, and hold doors for one another — small gestures that have become the natural rhythm of the room.

The playground is an extension of the classroom, and when conflict arises there, Best meets it with the same thoughtful care, giving students the tools and space they need. When two students end up in tears over who gets the only open swing, Best kneels down with a tissue, ready to listen. “I really want to hear what you have to say,” she tells them, “but first I need to understand what you’re saying.” She gives them space to breathe, to compose themselves, and to think about how to express what happened. She guides them in sharing their experiences with “I” statements and brings them together to listen to one another. “Sometimes students aren’t sure how they’re feeling, or they think being angry or sad is not okay,” Best explains. “It is okay to feel,” she assures them. “I want to help you with this, so how can I help you?” Her approach, rooted in respect for each student’s dignity, turns conflict into quiet lessons in empathy.

“When students learn these positive social and emotional skills in Pre-K, they carry them forward,” says Samantha Dawson ’85, director of counseling and learning support.

“It shapes how they navigate friendships,

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WINT E R 2 0 2 5 | 2 1 Best helps John Henriquez ’39 sound out the day’s message

A change of scenery for storytime on a nice day

“My Pre-K students remind me every day what joy looks, sounds, and feels like. I am the direct beneficiary of their enthusiasm and joy.”

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tackle challenges, and contribute to their communities for years to come.”

Lower School Psychologist Kim Nizolek sees how social-emotional learning (SEL) comes alive in Best’s classroom. “Shonell is amazing at weaving SEL into every part of her day,” she says. “She creates a classroom where students feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and build relationships. Whether it’s a morning meeting, a moment of conflict between friends, or imaginative play, she’s helping kids learn empathy, cooperation, and selfregulation. She models kindness, patience, and respect, which really inspires the children to do the same.”

Best’s thoughtful, whole-student approach earned her the 2025 Robert C. Whitlock Award for Distinguished Teaching, a faculty-nominated award and the school’s highest honor. But for Best, the true reward comes daily: “My Pre-K students remind me every day what joy looks, sounds, and feels like,” she says. “I am the direct beneficiary of their enthusiasm and joy.”

To an outsider, the Pre-K

classroom might look like delightful chaos — block towers leaning precariously, paintbrushes trading hands, pumpkins and dried leaves scattered across tables mid-sort. What appears spontaneous is, in fact, what Best calls playful learning — the intentional weaving of play into meaningful learning experiences.

“There is so much learning happening during play,” Best says. “It’s the academic work that supports their growth.”

And that learning takes many forms: students problem-solve, express creativity, disagree respectfully, build emotional regulation, and strengthen memory and focus. “Empathy and play are the foundation for everything we want kids to learn in early childhood.” Nizolek adds. “Play gives children the chance to explore, imagine, and learn to care about others. When we nurture these skills early, we’re helping kids grow into confident, compassionate people who can handle challenges and build strong relationships.”

Over two decades, Best has refined her

Above: Selasi Yenn-Batah ’39 practices ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Left: Students work on an interactive lesson

approach to balancing open exploration with steady structure. Early in her career, she planned every lesson down to the minute. Watching how her students actually learned changed her approach.

“I recognized that genuine engagement

and deeper learning happen most naturally when students are allowed to follow their own interests and curiosity,” Best says.

She now threads the Pre-K curriculum — phonemic awareness, foundational math — into lessons that grow from her students’

questions. The alphabet still gets learned, numbers still get counted, but the path depends on the kids in front of her.

This spring, that path comes full circle.

Best’s very first Pre-K class will graduate, the same students who once learned to share the swings and take deep breaths on the community rug. Soon they’ll cross the Colross lawn as young adults, carrying with them the early lessons in care and kindness that began in her classroom.

And come September, new four-yearolds will appear at her doorway, sneakers squeaking, hearts full of first-day courage.

Best will greet each one by name, ready to begin again.

“Every year, I’m reminded how precious it is to watch my students grow into caring and confident learners,” Best reflects. “It’s a joy that never fades. Every laugh, every milestone, every spark of understanding reminds me why I fell in love with this work in the first place.”

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Ben Mezrich ’87 O N B I G B R E A K S, BA D B R A K ES, — and —

H I G H - S TA K ES

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WORDS BY DEANNA HARKEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY THATCHER COOK

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For years, a Hollywood director had been pitching Ben Mezrich ’87 one dangerous story after another.

“Gun runners in Miami. I’ll embed you with them,” he’d say. When Mezrich asked how dangerous, the answer never changed.

“On a scale of one to ten, it’s a nine.”

He always said no.

Then came a different call — an incredible story, the director promised, but first Mezrich had to fly to London. “What is it?” he asked.

“I’m not going to tell you. If I tell you, you won’t do it.”

This time, Mezrich said yes.

In London, he walked into a hotel bar under heavy guard and sat across from a Russian oligarch whose rivals, he would later learn, had a habit of falling from windows.

For a year, he returned every weekend, meeting with men who treated murder as routine. For years after, he wouldn’t touch a drink he hadn’t opened himself.

“Every moment I spent writing that book was terrifying,” he says. “I thought I was going to be killed.”

The book, Once Upon a Time in Russia (2015), followed Boris Berezovsky and the men who helped bring Vladimir Putin to power. It was also the last time he’d risk that much for a story. “I wouldn’t write that book today,” Mezrich says. “Once I

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had kids, I stopped chasing these intensely terrifying stories.”

Still, the fundamental draw of his work remained.

Mezrich writes real people rendered at mythic scale: the MIT students who took Vegas for millions, the Harvard kid who built Facebook on betrayal, the Reddit traders who tried to break Wall Street.

It’s a method requiring radical empathy, inhabiting minds without judgment.

“I’ve always seen myself as sort of a cipher for the people I write about,” he says. “I fall in love with all my characters.

I absolutely do. I think they’re great, even if they’re horrible. I just see it from their perspective.”

His brother calls it the Muppet Theory.

“Muppets don’t have politics. They don’t have opinions. They just are,” Mezrich says.

“Nobody thinks they’re the villain in their own story. If I do it right, you understand them enough that it’s uncomfortable.”

Mezrich was always going to end up here — living inside his characters’ logic, writing the drama from the inside out. But long before any of that, before the movie deals and bestseller lists, he was just a kid at PDS, fueled by Hoagie Haven and the

certainty that stories mattered more than anything else.

The household rule was simple.

“We had to read two books a week before we could watch TV. I became a speed reader for all the wrong reasons,” he says.

Mezrich’s mother is a lawyer, his father an engineer-turned-physician. His older brother, Jonathan ’84, once a corporate lawyer, is now an associate professor of emergency radiology at Yale. His younger brother, Joshua ’89, is a transplant surgeon at the University of Wisconsin. By twelve, Mezrich knew he wanted none of it. He was going to be a writer.

“John the Mouse was a small brown mouse who loved Swiss cheese,” he recites of his first story. “It’s still the best sentence I’ve ever written.”

At PDS came Avenging Savior, a homemade sci-fi novel whose plot he can’t recall, contributions to the school’s literary magazine, co-editing the yearbook — anything that kept him writing.

He devoured Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis, imagined himself as Hunter S. Thompson — “without the guns and drugs” — and eventually found in Michael Crichton the kind of cinematic storytelling he’d been chasing. His teachers noticed. Steve Lawrence would assign an essay, and Mezrich would turn in a detective story, exceptionally written but entirely off-prompt. Anne Shepherd told him what he already suspected: “You’re going to be a writer.”

Outside of the English wing, Mezrich found himself drawn to the stage. By his count, he acted in 18 productions on the McAneny stage. “Maybe the most since Christopher Reeve,” he says, with a grin that’s half joke, half pride. “The opportunities I had at PDS in art, in writing, it’s hard to find that. I had a great experience.”

Now, looking at his yearbook photo, he laughs. “The Wimpy quote — ‘I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today’ — that was definitely me. I was always begging for a ride.”

Mezrich’s parents had given him what he calls “the worst car in high school.” The 1978 Buick Skylark idled at 15 miles per hour and couldn’t stop without stalling.

“You’d come to a red light praying it would change.” Once, the power steering went out while turning onto the Great

Road, and he went in a straight line across someone’s lawn — quite possibly that of his classmate Clay Benchley ’87, whose father, Peter Benchley, had written Jaws. If accurate, the parallel is almost too perfect: the future chronicler of hubris skidding across the lawn of the man who wrote the defining tale of misreading danger.

For Mezrich, Benchley had cracked the code. “Jaws was a special book, and the movie made it mythic,” he says. “You don’t have one without the other. That’s what

I’ve always chased — a book that’s elevated by a movie, and a movie that doesn’t exist without the book.”

By the time he arrived at

Harvard, the cinematic wiring was already there. He gorged on television and big, blow-the-doors-off movies. He majored in social studies, roomed with Scott Stossel — future national editor of The Atlantic — and soaked in the energy of it all. But college isn’t forever.

“My dad gave me a year after graduation to make it,” he says. “So I locked myself in an apartment under a dentist’s office and wrote nine 400-page novels, thirty to forty pages a day. Which I don’t recommend.” Every morning, he went to the post office, where the clerks knew him by name, dropping off yet another padded envelope. He wallpapered his apartment with rejection slips — 190, by his count. “I looked like a serial killer,” he says. “I just kept thinking, somebody’s gonna say yes.”

Ben and Tonya Mezrich at home in their private theater

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By the end of the year, Mezrich had landed an agent. A year after that, he sold his first thriller. Five more books followed, but as he puts it, “nobody really cared. My audience was my mom and some guy in Cleveland.” Then a friend called about a group of MIT kids beating Vegas. “They were math geniuses, pulling hundreds out of their pockets like it was nothing.”

His agent was skeptical, but Mezrich knew what he had. So he joined their blackjack team and started writing. The result was Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions (2002). “We sold that book for the least amount of money I’d ever gotten,” he says.

Despite modest expectations, the book landed Mezrich two major TV appearances in a single day: The Today Show and CNBC’s Power Lunch, which was then considered essential viewing across America’s trading floors. The book sold out within the hour.

“Every banker at their desk tried to order it at the same time,” he says. “It froze the Amazon page. My life changed in one day.”

What appeared to be luck was actually a blueprint. He had found something new — true stories told with thriller velocity.

“I realized you could write nonfiction that reads like fiction,” he says. “Real people, real stakes, but structured like a movie.

Scenes you can watch.”

He started working backward: find the story, write a twelve-page treatment, sell the screen version, then write the book. Bringing Down the House turned into 21. The Accidental Billionaires (2009) became The Social Network.

The Antisocial Network (2021) led to Dumb Money. “If I don’t sell the movie or television show, I won’t write the book.”

It’s a method that puts him at odds with traditional journalism. He grins at the mention of tech journalist and fellow PDS alumnus Kara Swisher ’81. The two first crossed paths during his research for The Accidental Billionaires. Once, he asked her to connect him with sources. “She said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m not giving you any stories,’” he says, amused. Last year, when Mezrich hosted her onstage at the Miami Book Festival, she put it plainly: “I can’t do what you do because I have to tell the truth.” He laughs. “I do consider what I write to be the truth, just a different sort of truth than what Kara does. I’m not a journalist. I’m trying to capture how it felt in the room.”

At home in Boston and

Vermont, the pace slows. Mezrich runs through new ideas with his wife, Tonya, a writer herself and longtime style editor for Boston Magazine. “We go over every book before it even exists,” Mezrich says.

“She helps me see it from the outside, when I’m too deep in it. I’m really a very anxiety-ridden, hypochondriacal, lockdown hermit half the time.”

You’d never know it from the work. After all, this is the man who taped $250,000 to his body to get through airport security.

Flew to Aruba to interview a gun-toting fugitive. Answered a 2 a.m. email that landed him in a dive bar with Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook cofounder who’d just been cut out of the company. “When I’m out following characters around,” he says, “I’m doing whatever it takes.”

There’s also the red carpets and award shows, celebrity house parties, calls with Tom Cruise. His teenagers remain unimpressed. “Do you know MrBeast?” his son asks. He doesn’t.

Lately, the Hollywood side has taken more of Mezrich’s time, though he doesn’t mind. The Social Network sequel is filming now, written and directed by

Above: Mezrich’s personal chess set — a nod to the subject of his upcoming book. Right: The Mezrichs gather for family game night

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“I think people still want to be taken somewhere. I think they still crave the slow burn. That’s the bet, anyway — that the stories outlast the system.”

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His teenagers live on YouTube, Reels, TikTok. “What are they going to consume when they’re adults? I just hope the stories survive. If there aren’t storytellers in the next generation, that’s a real loss.”

He pauses. “I think people still want to be taken somewhere. I think they still crave the slow burn. That’s the bet, anyway — that the stories outlast the system.”

“My goal is really a book a year, for as long as I can.” He does the math. “Another twenty, twenty-five books, maybe.”

John the Mouse knew what he wanted.

So does Mezrich.

His next book, Checkmate, releases in June. Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone already hold the film rights. “It’s this wild story,” he says. “The greatest chess player in history accuses a nineteen-year-old of cheating, and it explodes into lawsuits, billion-dollar companies, AI paranoia. Any twelve-year-old with a phone can beat Magnus Carlsen now. Chess is the canary in the coal mine — there’s no real point to a great chess player anymore.”

The parallel isn’t lost on him. “How does any long-form anything survive when we’re pushing people toward tiny things that give you a dopamine hit?” he asks.

Aaron Sorkin. Once Upon a Time in Russia is being adapted into a television series.

Woolly, his book about the return of the woolly mammoth, is headed for the screen with the real-life de-extinction company Colossal behind it. “Hopefully it lines up with the actual woolly mammoth revival, which is pretty wild.” And then there’s the stuff he can’t talk about until the ink dries.

But no matter how big the projects get, the page is still where it begins.

“I love movies. I love television. I love the art of making that stuff,” he says. “But I always start with the book. The book is the platform that makes the story real.”

The Risk List

Threshold

Reaper

1996

1997

The X-Files: Skin

Fertile Ground

Straight Flush

Seven Wonders

1999

1998

The Accidental Billionaires 2009

Sex on the Moon 2011

Charlie Numbers and the Man in the Moon 2017

2013

Bitcoin Billionaires 2019

2019

Ugly Americans

Busting Vegas

Rigged

Bringing Down the Mouse

Once Upon a Time in Russia

The 37th Parallel

Woolly

2004

2002

2014

Charlie Numbers and the Woolly Mammoth

Bringing Down the House

2014

The Antisocial Network 2021

2007

2005

2017

2016

2015

The Midnight Ride 2022

Breaking Twitter 2023

The Mistress and the Key 2024

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HELLO, HUMAN Creating Connection Through Computer Science

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Justin Sheehan works with Jahnavi Shankar ’29 and Reanna Patel ’29 in the Wellemeyer STEAM Center

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AS A THIRD-GRADER, Justin Sheehan discovered he could make a taser with a disposable camera. “I’m lucky to have survived my childhood, honestly! That moment became one of my earliest lessons in workshop safety,” he says, reflecting on his early experiments with electronics, rockets, and anything he could pull apart in his family’s garage.

That spirit of curiosity and hands-on discovery now guides his approach as the first chair of PDS’ Computer Science & Innovation Department.

After moving through seven states — “a central U.S. road tour of all the flat places,” he jokes — he earned a finance degree from DePaul University in Chicago.

But five months in the financial world convinced him it wasn’t for him. “My mentor encouraged me to think about doing something else,” he recalls. “I floundered for a while until I fell into curriculum writing.”

That detour sparked a 19-year career in education. From early IT work at Catherine Cook School to building computer science programs in Mexico, Sheehan jumped at every opportunity to learn and create. He earned a master’s in Mathematics Education with a concentration on STEM leadership from Illinois Institute of Technology along the way and discovered his true passion: project-based learning that connects students to real-world challenges.

“School was incredibly hard for me,” he admits. “Learning wasn’t hard — I was a precocious kid — but the ‘sit, listen, do the worksheet’ structure was brutal.”

His refuge was building, experimenting, following his curiosity wherever it led. “My whole approach to learning as a child was

project-based. Learn as you need to. That really informed me.”

In classes across the department, students are collaborating with Lower School Science teacher Aaron Schomburg to create solar-powered sensors monitoring beehive temperatures in the on-campus apiary. Others are designing accessibility devices, exploring sustainable materials for 3D printing, and grappling with the ethics of artificial intelligence. “Computer science is typically seen as one of the least ideological spaces, and one of the least human,” Sheehan says. “But the potential to tap into humanity, empathy, compassion, and community building is really extraordinary.”

Head of School Kelley NicholsonFlynn saw that potential too. “We’ve had outstanding computer science faculty doing strong work within our Math Department for years. Establishing a distinct department is about bringing that work together with intentionality and creating a cohesive PreK-12 vision where every student has a progressive experience designed for the future,” she says. “The world our students are inheriting demands ethical problem-solving, empathy, and

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“The world our students are inheriting demands ethical problemsolving, empathy, and the capacity to design human-centered solutions. Justin is ensuring our students learn to use technology not just skillfully, but purposefully.”

Above: Nikita Paladugu ’33 and JJ Singer ’33 test their build. Right: Tommy Graham ’33 and Sequoah Hadley ’31 during Middle School Robotics Club

the capacity to design human-centered solutions. Justin understands that, and he’s ensuring our students learn to use technology not just skillfully, but purposefully.”

With the youngest learners, Sheehan takes a deliberate step back. He prioritizes play, motor skills, and social engagement over early coding. “There’s an instinct to push complex computer science concepts down into the younger years,” he explains, “but young students aren’t developmentally ready for them.” Pushing too soon reduces learning to what he calls a “copytorial”— students follow instructions without truly understanding. Instead, he focuses on what early childhood students actually need: “Productive play, social engagement, and motor development are powerful drivers

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of wellness, compassion, and executive function.”

Sheehan sees tremendous possibilities ahead — from expanding robotics to deepening cross-divisional work, bridging technology with other disciplines. “I’m excited to blur the lines between computer science and the natural world, between technology and design, so students walk away with not just the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of computer science, but also the ‘why, where, and when,’” he says. “We have a ton of room to play with our curriculum.”

While AI may automate certain tasks, he believes what matters most won’t change: the relationships with mentors, peers, and global communities of makers.

“The fundamentally exciting elements of computer science are almost universally the

human ones,” he says. As students grapple with emerging ethical questions in the classroom, he’s committed to ensuring they approach these complex issues with both rigor and the playful, exploratory spirit that makes the work meaningful.

From a tinkering third-grader to leading the school’s CS & Innovation Department, Sheehan’s story is defined by experimentation and connection. Whether students are building robots, coding websites, or designing sensor-laden bird feeders, he wants them to embrace the same spirit that shaped his own learning.

“I hope students walk away knowing that curiosity is the most powerful tool they have.”

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DESIGNING FOR DIGNITY One Student’s Mission to Make Assistive Tech Affordable

Ankith Namireddy ’26 and Umang Sharma ’26

Umang Sharma ’26 was five years old when he first noticed a problem worth solving: his dad was always losing his glasses. So, Sharma designed a holder for them. It was a small thing — a kid’s solution to a parent’s daily frustration — but it stuck with him. If there was a problem, Sharma was thinking about how to fix it.

Years later, he felt that same instinct when he came across an ad for a $7,000 Braille keyboard. “The number stopped me cold,” Sharma says. “Most people who needed this would never have access.”

So, Sharma bought keyboards, took them apart, watched teardown videos, traced circuits, and tested designs late into the

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night. He discovered that the “expensive parts” weren’t expensive at all — the real problem was scale. By combining discarded keyboards with 3D-printed Braille keys, he could reduce the price from $7,000 to under $10.

This was the start of Jdable, Sharma’s bedroom workshop turned nonprofit dedicated to making assistive technology affordable and accessible. At first, it was just him and a few dozen keyboards scattered across the floor. But soon, Sharma was gaining support.

PDS classmate Ankith Namireddy ’26 was the first to sign on. “When I saw what Umang was building, I knew I wanted to

help make this technology reachable for everyone,” he says. Upper School STEAM teacher Matt Tramontana offered his lab after hours. “Umang had the vision and drive. He just needed the tools,” Tramontana says.

“Umang has presented his work at our Hour of Code and hackathon events, and he’s one of the main organizers of our annual PantherHack,” says Upper School Computer Science teacher Theodor Brasoveanu, who is also Sharma’s advisor.

“I witness his commitment to innovation and creative problem-solving daily.”

From prototypes to production, Jdable now reaches internationally: several

“PDS helped shape what Jdable has become.

Student Council, STEAM, Day of Service…all of it taught me how to lead, build, and give back without losing sight of everything else that matters.”

Sharma shares Jdable technology with the visually impaired community in Delhi, India

hundred keyboards have been produced for nearly 1,000 students in the United States, India, and Finland, with a branch in the UAE. Funding has kept pace with ambition, with one Microsoft grant totaling $45,000 and Google providing over $400,000 in grants and materials.

“It’s hard to put into words how much these companies have helped us,” Sharma says. “So much of the technology we use, even our website, all of it has been funded through these grants.”

A student in India wrote to tell Sharma what it meant to finally have independence while doing homework. “Knowing this kid could suddenly do their homework on their own terms, which is something so many of us take for granted — that’s what makes the late nights worth it,” Sharma says.

Quality control also comes through direct user feedback. “One of the first major problems we encountered was that the Braille we were printing was rough on people’s fingers,” Sharma says. “We switched materials, and it made all the difference. We have two team members who are visually impaired, and their feedback also helps us catch issues early.”

When it comes to accessibility devices, Sharma isn’t stopping at keyboards.

Watching his grandmother struggle at an airport inspired Jdable’s next project, an

autonomous wheelchair that navigates crowded spaces independently. He’s also developing a smart cane, Braille maps, and geometry sets — all low-cost, user-focused, and environmentally conscious. The cane, which gives real-time feedback to visually impaired users, was presented at MIT in October.

The team builds with both users and the planet in mind. They retrofit discarded keyboards and design everything to last.

“We’re thinking about two futures,” Sharma explains. “One for the person using the device right now, and another for the world we live in.”

All of this — the patents, prototypes, international partnerships, and leading a 50-person team — happens alongside Sharma’s life as an Upper School student.

He hasn’t let one replace the other.

“PDS helped shape what Jdable has become,” he says. “Student Council, STEAM, Day of Service…all of it taught me how to lead, build, and give back without losing sight of everything else that matters.”

And when it comes to the number one thing Sharma wants people to know about Jdable, he says simply, “We are serious about Jdable. This is for life, and we’re only getting started.”

Top: A prototype of Jdable’s autonomous wheelchair.

Bottom: A visually impaired student uses a Jdable accessible keyboard

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THE SMALL THINGS THAT BUILD US The apple orchard wasn’t on the training schedule. Neither was the ropes course, the pool party, or the college soccer match that turned into a team tailgate. These moments don’t show up in box scores. But ask any PDS athlete what stands out from their season, and it’s rarely the final score. It’s the team dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, the bus ride sing-alongs, the overnight camp when nobody slept and everything felt possible.

“Competition is just the framework,” says Katie Fay, director of athletics and physical education. “The real story of athletics is what happens between people — when teammates trust each other, support each other, and find ways to celebrate the work they’ve done together.”

Victoria Sichel ’27 agrees, saying, “From pool parties to spontaneous soccer scrimmages, we’re always finding ways to bond. The other day at practice, we spent ten minutes trying to hop without bending our knees and learning the worm — neither of these things were very successful,

but we were laughing so hard we started our run on the happiest note. My favorite tradition is apple picking at Terhune Orchards every October. For three years now, I can picture us at the same picnic tables, eating apple cider donuts and competing to see who can shovel a pie the fastest. These moments bring us so much closer.”

Those connections linger long after the season ends, shaping the way our athletes grow and lead.

This year, Fay put that belief into action through a new initiative connecting teams across seasons to build a stronger culture of support. Girls volleyball partnered with boys basketball, cross country with fencing.

The idea is simple: show up, bring energy, and mean it.

“Every team commits to attending at least two of their buddy team’s games or matches,” Fay says. “It’s been amazing to watch how naturally it’s taken off, and how

much the athletes genuinely enjoy being there for each other.”

“I think the new buddy program has brought a lot of school sports spirit to our games,” says Aiden Luciano ’26. “I’ve noticed a lot more people cheering in the crowd!”

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to build something that lasts,” Fay says. “It’s bigger than one team or one season. It’s about a community of athletes who show up for each other, every time.”

The scores fade, and the standings blur.

But the athlete who cheered from the stands before their own season began, the player who noticed when another needed support, the night the team jumped into a pool fully clothed — that’s what lasts.

In the end, they’re the small things that build us.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to build something that lasts. It’s bigger than one team or one season. It’s about a community of athletes who show up for each other, every time.”

BELAY ON The Ascent of Zoe Hart ’96

Above: Zoe Hart ’96. Right: Hart climbs alongside her son, Mathias

In climbing, every ascent begins with a simple exchange between partners: “On belay?”

“Belay on.”

One person climbs, the other protects.

For Zoe Hart ’96, who became only the fourth American woman to earn certification from the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), that ethic of protection extends to her children, her community, and the planet she’s working to preserve from her home in ChamonixMont-Blanc, France.

Daughter of longstanding Lower School

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teacher Christine Hart P’94 ’96 ’00, Hart entered PDS in the first grade. Strong academically and athletically, she played three varsity sports and was a recipient of the Gold ‘P’ Award, given to members of the senior class for outstanding athletic achievement and sportsmanship. Yet it wasn’t competition that shaped her most — it was the setting itself. As a member of EnAct, the school’s environmental action club, she found her truest sense of belonging outdoors.

“The Lower School playground nestled in the forest, the ropes course, and the adventurous Mini Course Week

opportunities were probably the most influential parts of my PDS experience,” she says. “These were spaces where I felt happy and comfortable.”

Her life was following a predictable trajectory until her freshman year at Boston College, when her father passed away unexpectedly. “I had it all mapped out,” Hart says. “But that loss turned everything upside down. After that, I lived more by my heart than by what I felt I ‘should’ be doing. While I would trade the world to have him back, the path it set me on was magical.”

Something fundamental had shifted for Hart. Instead of pursuing the career she’d once imagined, she drove west to Washington’s Mount Rainier during her senior year, taking a job as an assistant guide. The mountains became her way of processing grief, where physical challenge provided solace and quiet grandeur offered healing.

The work was demanding — heavy packs, pre-dawn starts, supporting climbers through altitude and exhaustion. Yet around evening campfires, seasoned guides spoke with reverence about winters in Chamonix, describing a life built entirely in the mountains among an international community of climbers.

Hart was 21. She couldn’t ski, knew no one in France, and spoke only rusty high school French. She bought a one-way ticket anyway, hoping to survive just one season.

The alpine town exceeded every expectation, yet Hart immediately noticed how few women worked as professional guides, especially with IFMGA certification — the highest international credential in mountain guiding. That disparity sparked her determination to prove women belonged in every arena.

The path to certification demands mastery across every mountain discipline: rock guiding, alpine guiding, and ski mountaineering, plus wilderness first responder and avalanche credentials. The exam process includes a years-long process to pass the prerequisites, and then various level exams in the three disciplines. Each level exam spans seven to 14 intensive days, with required guiding experience between stages. When Hart earned the credential in 2008, there were approximately fifty certified guides nationwide.

“I loved the process of training,” Hart

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“I took advantage of doors that opened and created doors when others were closed. Don’t be afraid to not know where you’re headed.”

Above: Hart’s family out for a snowy hike. Below: Sharing Cookies for Climate with their community

says, though the exams themselves were grueling. During one in the Canadian Rockies, rockfall cut through her rope while she hung from it. But it was the ski guiding exam that nearly broke her.

“I knew within the first two days I would never pass. It was the hardest thing to do, to show up every day and try to learn more to try again.” She failed that first attempt, but passed on her second, feeling she’d truly earned it.

“I was always the only female on the exam, and it was always male examiners,” Hart recalls. “I felt sometimes that I had to be better, stronger, and more confident than all the guys to pass. Sometimes it was real, sometimes perceived. But in the end, it made me a stronger guide.”

With her certification in hand, Hart built a career that spanned continents, guiding expeditions from Alaska to Nepal and becoming the first foreign-trained guide (and only the second woman) to teach at the French Mountain Guide School. Teaching clinics at ice climbing festivals connected her with top athletes and outdoor brands, including Yeti and Patagonia, where she’s been an ambassador for nearly twenty years. “Someone once told me Patagonia is a family,” Hart reflects. “If you want, you can be in it for life; you just have to define how you evolve.

For me, that has been very true.”

Once her children arrived, Hart shifted

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from global expeditions to working closer to home in Chamonix, balancing local guiding with consulting for Patagonia, writing, and producing impact events.

She even served as master of ceremonies for climbing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, another door opened through decades of building relationships.

Her evolution as both parent and guide comes through in her Patagonia film series, “Parenting: Disaster Style,” which follows Hart and her husband, Maxime Turgeon, as they share wild adventures with their sons, from backcountry hut skiing in Italy to lessons in simple living along the French coast.

“I think society has moved to a place where childhood has lost autonomy and risk-taking,” she explains. “Taking away calculated risk, success and failure, suffering and hard work — that’s taking away essential skills our children will need to succeed in adulthood.”

This philosophy drives Mont Blanc 2.0, a nonprofit founded by Hart’s family to transform climate worry into concrete action. Rather than burdening young people with despair, the organization gives them “power, action and agency in the future they will inherit.”

Her son Mathias embodies this perfectly.

After attending a climate march at six, he began selling homemade cookies to support environmental causes. His

Cookies for Climate project has raised over €4,500, planted more than 45 fruit trees throughout the Chamonix Valley, and taken him to speak at schools and conferences across Europe.

“When he started this project, I fell in love with watching him learn he had a voice and was capable of action, even as a little person,” she says.

Hart’s love of learning and her ability to evolve have helped broaden her philosophy on guiding. “When I was younger, I sought out high-end clients for high-end objectives. Now I love working with beginners and families, using the mountains as a catalyst for rethinking priorities — valuing experience over consumption, the journey over the difficulty.”

Each summit, Hart’s learned, simply reveals the next. “There’s a lot of pressure to know what path you’re on, especially at the end of high school,” she adds. “I’m grateful for my education and for my parents’ encouragement to get a university degree, but there isn’t just one right path. I took advantage of doors that opened and created doors when others were closed.

Don’t be afraid to not know where you’re headed.”

FROM OUR LEADERS

It feels fitting for this issue of the Journal to begin with a reflection on what has always defined Princeton Day School at its best: our shared humanity. You can see “the qualities that connect us and foster a sense of belonging” everywhere — woven through our traditions, events, and programs.

I think of the Lower School’s Maypole dance, watching second graders step in and out to weave and unweave the ribbons. Inevitably, things don’t always go as planned. Yet as the students work together to complete the dance, you see something more important than perfection: they care for one another as individuals.

In Middle School, eighth graders deliver focus speeches to their peers. The topics are as varied as our students themselves, but each reveals something unique about the speaker and deepens the connections within the class.

The Peer Group experience offers another bridge across generations — seniors sharing wisdom with ninth graders, helping them find their place at PDS through lessons and conversations that continue all year.

Beyond these programs, there are countless moments when we affirm one another: at class parties, on the sidelines cheering our Panthers, in the theater celebrating performers, at art gallery openings, and in so many other spaces where we recognize each other as beloved members of the PDS community.

As my son’s senior year unfolds, I often think about my own time as a PDS parent. Naturally, my children’s academic and athletic journeys have shaped my experience. But more than that, it’s the teachers, parents, staff, trustees, friends, and classmates who have made my years on the Great Road so meaningful.

Christopher B. Bobbitt P’22 ’26 Chair of the Board of Trustees

I consider myself lucky to serve as the new president of the Alumni Council Executive Board, acting as a two-way voice between our alumni community and the school.

This role connects past and present at a time when PDS is deepening its commitment to humanity as a core value.

It’s a commitment I’ve witnessed firsthand throughout my relationship with the school.

During my student years, humanity felt both palpable and natural on campus. My adviser, Andy Franz, offered a sympathetic ear on any topic. As a freshman in Peer Group, I shared genuine feelings in confidence and without judgment. The school's embrace of these experiences fostered the openness and empathy that continue to define PDS today.

Each time I return to campus, I feel this same vibe, and I see it growing stronger. Through board meetings and conversations with current students and faculty, I witness how PDS continues to prioritize the whole person. In an era when online interaction can make us "abstractions" to one another — as I feel historian and former president of Rutgers University Jonathan Holloway put it best — PDS stands as a model for creating authentic human connection.

What excites me most is watching how our community embraces this value across generations.

Alumni, families, and students all contribute to an environment where intellectual curiosity thrives alongside compassion, where individuals develop not just as scholars but as empathetic citizens ready to make meaningful contributions to the world.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ashley Aitken-Davies P’27 ’28 ’30, Vice Chair Sanford B. Bing H’87 P’81 ’84 Christopher B. Bobbitt P’22 ’26, Chair Marc Collins ’88 Kerri Cook P’25 ’28 ’33 Jixin Dai P’26 ’33 Beth Geter-Douglass ’82 P’20 Georgia B. Gosnell P’03 ’08 ’09 ’14 Anna Horner P’27 ’30, Secretary/Parliamentarian Su Jin P’27 ’31 Dylan J. Leith ’04 Amanda Maher P’28 ’30 ’34 Wesley D. Markham Lee S. Maschler P’23 ’24 Kelley Nicholson-Flynn P’26 Howard Powers ’80 P’11 ’12 ’12 Stephanie Richman ’87 P’24 ’26 Stacy Sarvis P’28 ’30 ’33 Shefali Shah P’30 Jacob L. Silverman ’89, Treasurer Vinay Trivedi ’09 John C. Wellemeyer PCD’52 P’18 ’18 TRUSTEES EMERITI Marc C. Brahaney P’11 ’15 Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70 Barbara (Barbie) Griffin Cole ’78 P’08 ’13 ’17 Marilyn W. Grounds P’88 ’92 John P. Hall P’79 ’85 Thomas B. Harvey P’89 Samuel W. Lambert III P’83 ’86 ’89 Edward E. Matthews P’76 ’80 ’83 ’86 Andrew Okun P’14 ’16 David R. Scott C. Treby McLaughlin Williams ’80 P’12 ’15 ALUMNI COUNCIL EXECUTIVE BOARD Marc Collins ’88, President Zaneta Chambers ’95, Vice President Neal Bakshi ’10 Jay Bavishi ’05 Kaylah Bland ’18 Joanna L. Bowen ’03 Jill Cacciola ’13 Sara Chopra ’18 Brooks Herr ’10 Lynch W. Hunt ’85 Taylor K. Hwong ’88 Peter Powers ’12 Anu Shah ’05 Jacob Shavel ’15

Marc A. Collins ’88 Alumni Council President

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MEET THE FIVE NEW TRUSTEES GUIDING PDS FORWARD Princeton Day School welcomes five new members to its Board of Trustees this year. Alumni, current parents, educators, and entrepreneurs, they bring professional expertise across education, technology, diplomacy, and finance, along with a shared commitment to preparing students for lives of intellectual curiosity and purpose.

Marc Collins ’88 Marc Collins spent more than a decade as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department before moving into the aerospace and defense industry. He now leads international business development for BAE Systems’ platforms and services sector. His PDS education, particularly the English Department, shaped both paths.

“So many of the good things that have happened to me in my life trace back to the teachers who taught me to think, write, and express myself intentionally and well,” he said. Now serving as Alumni Association President, Collins sees his board role as an opportunity to help guide the school that shaped him.

“The school prepared me so well for the rest of life by teaching critical thinking skills, fantastic writing skills, and intellectual curiosity. The chance to be a voice at the table regarding how the school continues to do that for its kids is so exciting.”

Collins lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and children.

Kerri Cook P’25 ’28 ’33 Kerri Cook has been a dedicated PDS parent and community leader for more than 14 years. This year, she joins the Board of Trustees and begins her term as Parents Association President-Elect, continuing her long-standing commitment to supporting families, students, and faculty across all divisions.

With one daughter at Tufts, another serving as a Panther Guide, and her youngest in the Middle School, Cook has insight into every stage of school life. Her years as both a parent and volunteer have given her a deep understanding of the culture and values that define the PDS community.

“I am excited to give back to a school that means so much to my family,” she said. “I aim to support our educators in their mission and help maintain PDS’ cherished traditions while ensuring students are given every opportunity to flourish.”

Cook lives in Princeton with her husband and children.

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Stacy Sarvis P’28 ’30 ’33 Stacy Sarvis has worked in technology product strategy at Merrill Lynch, nonprofit math education, and undergraduate admissions at MIT, her alma mater. For more than a decade, she’s also been a PDS parent, watching her three children grow from the Lower School through where they are now in the Middle and Upper Schools.

That dual perspective — strategic expertise paired with years of lived experience in the community — shapes how she approaches her work on the board. She sees her role as connecting what the school needs with how it can get there, drawing on both professional insight and a parent’s understanding of what works on the ground.

“I’m most excited about the opportunity to listen — to hear from all parts of the PDS community about what’s working well, the challenges they’re facing, and where they could use help,” she said. “It’s a chance to support a shared vision and help move it forward in meaningful ways.”

Sarvis lives in Princeton with her husband and children.

Vinay Trivedi ’09 Vinay Trivedi spent eight years at PDS, from fifth grade through graduation. The school, he says, taught him to take risks and think independently — qualities that now shape his work as a Vice President at General Atlantic, where he focuses on technology investments.

Before joining General Atlantic in 2019, he worked in private equity at Blackstone and SoftBank’s Vision Fund. He was also a Product Manager at Citymapper, an urban mobility startup, and is the author of How to Speak Tech, a book on technology education. Trivedi holds a degree in computer science from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“The school’s intimate environment and dedicated faculty created a place where I felt supported to try new things and grow,” he said. Trivedi received the PDS Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2019.

He sees this as a pivotal moment for independent education. “We’re living through extraordinary change — in technology, AI, geopolitics, climate, social cohesion, and the nature of work itself. This feels like an important moment for schools like PDS to reimagine education for the future while staying grounded in core values.”

Trivedi lives in New York with his wife and newborn daughter.

Su Jin P’27 ’31 Su Jin grew up moving between countries as the daughter of a diplomat. That childhood gave her a lasting respect for education’s power to shape not only what students learn, but who they become and where they belong.

Her background includes serving as Board Chair of the International School of Beijing and CEO of an education group focused on Montessori learning and teacher development—experience in both international education and organizational leadership.

“What resonates most with me is the school’s unique ability to create an atmosphere that is both academically rigorous and emotionally nurturing,” she said. The mission, vision, and values work recently led by the Board deepened that connection. “It’s clear that PDS is a community that honors both tradition and innovation.”

Su Jin lives in Lawrence Township with her husband and children.

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CLASS NOTES 1957 MISS FINE’S SCHOOL

1954 Joan Kennan joankennan@gmail.com I’m sorry to say that I have heard from few classmates this year, but fortunately, I did hear from Anna Rosenblad Davies, who wrote: “Last Christmas I was in the hospital with a broken leg, or hip, or whatever.

This led to a six-hour operation and 10 days in the hospital. Nightmare! Anyway, things are better. My daughter, Josephine, is an angel.

She works at Gucci in Cannes but comes home every night, so we have dinner together. Sun is shining! All is well!”

As for your correspondent, aside from the usual ailments common to those of a certain age, I am doing well. My biggest sadness was the loss in April of my beloved Golden Lab, Maeve. She had been my constant companion for almost 14 years and a very good traveler on auto trips to both New England and the Deep South. On a cheerier note, I managed a trip to California in June (by car, driven by a friend, via the northern states of South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, and Washington), which gave me a chance to see parts of America I had never seen before.

The Anselms and Betsy had the pleasure of the short ferry trip to Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, Maine, where Hobey gave us a delicious lunch and a golf-cart tour of the island. We plan to do it again next summer!”

Church in Naples, Florida, where she has sung in the choir for twenty-five years and is also active on the Nominating Committee. On the athletic front, she serves as Communications Chair of the ladies’ golf league at their club, and on the cultural front, she is a docent at ArtisNaples, the home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic.

Rosalind Webster Perry rosperry@impulse.net

Gerd and I are still living in “temporary” housing after a tree fell on our home in August 2024! Dealing with insurance is a challenge, as is rebuilding a home. We had a wonderful trip to Spain with our daughter, son-in-law and one of their sons in April.

1958

Nancy Hudler Keuffel acornnhk@aol.com In March, Linda Mullaly Masten set up a Zoom call that included Lisa Fairman Heher, Sue Frank Hilton, Jinx Prather Tirana, Faith Wing Bieler, and me; it was very enjoyable.

Truly, we reaped the benefits of technology to have this get-together.

In the fall, Lisa Fairman Heher plans to visit her granddaughter, Phoebe, a senior at Trinity College Dublin, who has been named a Trinity Scholar, which entitles her to a full scholarship for a master’s degree at that institution. Alessandra, her elder granddaughter, is starting a master’s degree in social work at Hunter in New York. She had taught at Pingry for two years after graduating from American University. At year’s end, Lisa is moving from Maplewood, New Jersey to the independent living section of Friendship Village in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

Sue Frank Hilton and her husband, Dick, plan to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to the Canadian Maritimes. Sue keeps very busy at the Vanderbilt Presbyterian

1959

Ann Kinczel Clapp AnnClapp@hotmail.com It is with sadness that we report the death of Michael Mathews, husband of Cecilia Aall Mathews. They traveled to exotic places, loved their homes and their children.

He will be missed.

Camilla Turnbull is a fellow fox feeder.

Jean Schettino Conlon continues to visit London a few times a year. They also visited the Cézanne exhibition in Aix, France, his renovated home, and the David Hockney Exhibition in Paris.

Nan Nicholes Goodrich, although legally blind, travels extensively with Jim, including upcoming cruises to the Caribbean and the Amazon. She divides her time between Jim’s home in MN and hers in Boston and reported: “This is the best time of my life.”

1955

L. Chloe King lchloek@comcast.net Sadly, Chloe fractured her elbow just before the fall class notes were due and was unable to send her notes. Please send her your best wishes; you will really cheer her up by sending your news for the spring Journal!

1956

Charlotte Cook ccook@csus.edu Betsy Thomas Peterson sent news: “Mini reunion in August! Joan Pearce Anselm, Hobey Alsop Hinchman, and I talked up a storm while husbands Klaus and Dave listened patiently.

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MFS 1956 classmates Joan Pearce Anselm, Hobey Alsop Hinchman, and Betsy Thomas Peterson had a mini reunion in Maine this past summer.

Susan Stevenson Badder is rejoicing after a very successful hip replacement this spring. She is pain-free, walked with a walker the afternoon of the operation, and had her son as her trusty nurse for several days.

Now, more than sixty years later, I understand the song’s real meaning:

Abby Pollak is cleaning her garage, culling her treasures like so many of us.

And these few precious days

Lucy James, Judy Levin, Susie Stevenson Badder, Cecilia Aall Mathews, and I had a mini-reunion in Manasquan over Labor Day weekend.

1960

Penelope Hartnier Pbragon@gmail.com “Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December.

But the days grow short when you reach September….”

I was fifteen years old, dancing cheek-to-cheek with a boy I liked, at a teenage party in a boathouse in the Adirondacks. “The September Song” emanated from the family’s player piano. It was the most poignant music I could imagine: September was approaching and, with it, the end of summer.

“Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few September, November.

I’ll spend with you.

These precious days I’ll spend with you.”

My 88-year-old husband, his legs unsteady, helps me lift the kayak out of my little blue PT Cruiser and carry it down to the Vineyard Sound. He’ll sit in the car (small for his large frame) reading a book, as he has done so many days this summer, until I return an hour later, aglow from my time on the water. “How was it?” he asks as we load the kayak back in the car and head home.

We must treasure every moment. Harriet Gaston Davison is always aglow from having her family nearby but also from reading in her lovely garden and taking long walks with a friend along the river.

And there’s Louie Scheide Kelly, always off to somewhere with her friend, Scott; the Galapagos comes next after a trip last summer to Norway and Iceland (“lots of puffins”).

But we’re realizing our limits. Carol Garrigues Scofield and her husband, Robert, are finally free to relax and simply enjoy their wonderful island in Rangeley, Maine, now that their son has relieved them of responsibility for its maintenance and the hosting of multiple guests.

Also in Maine, Caroline Godfrey Werth is thankful every minute of the day for the warm and supportive Piper Shores community she lives in. “There’s plenty of entertainment here to keep me out of mischief.” Sense of humor intact, she added, “I just wish I had the energy to get into mischief !”

Martha Thompson Eckfeldt also appreciates the offerings at her retirement community, such as a “fabulous” current events meeting held each week. (But the food served is “awful,” says she, the gourmet cook.) She rejoices in singing with a group in Brooklyn Heights (“I love, love, love it!”).

Both Caroline and Nancy Davis Sachner have faced serious health challenges this year.

Caroline has had an as-yet undiagnosed lung disease. Nancy underwent cancer surgery, which her doctor said could not have gone better. She is now cancer-free and on the mend.

May there be a bit of mischief left in all of us as we move forward. Please keep in touch. Our decades-long bond is a treasure.

1961

Mahala Busselle Bishop mahalabishop4@gmail.com Julia Holofcener Holofcener holofcenerltd@comcast.net Sheila Long: “I am in Italy for the whole month of September, where I’ll be at the monastery with which we are affiliated in Tuscany. Nobody here speaks English, so we’ll see to what extent my years of online Italian conversation lessons have been effective. I’m glad I’ve been keeping up my Italian, because I can actually converse, now that I’m here. In May, I spent a week at the French monastery, of which I was a member for 25 years. It was a wonderful, joyful reunion, a veritable lovefest.

They said they would welcome me back with open arms, but despite my deep love for them, my roots are here.”

MFS 1959 mini reunion this past summer: (back, l-r): Judy Levin and Susie Stevenson Badder; (front, l-r): Ann Kinczel Clapp, Lucy James and Cecilia Aall Mathews

Joan Yeaton Seamon: “Our summer highlight, as for eight years now, was our time at the Chautauqua Summer Institute in upstate NY. The theme of our week was The Rise of Autocracy....yes, how timely! As always, outstanding featured speakers in the huge amphitheater each day, symphonies or opera or ballet in the evenings, with any number of seminars, theater or book events during the

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CLASS NOTES

days. Every morning was a non-denominational worship service featuring a variety of church clergy. The rabbi who sermonized during our week was exceptional.

“Other major events. Two more grandchildren off to college. Matthew to NYU spending his first year in the NYU Music Business Steinhardt program in London, then three years at the NYC campus. He is our performer.

Scott off to the journalism program at GWU in DC. He led his Austin high school program as managing editor of their newspaper and online communication. Our two other grandsons continue their studies: Luke at TCU in the advanced business program, and Mark is at Chapman University in CA, a research institution where he hopes to be admitted soon to its Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, after finishing language studies in Siena, Italy. You know, it amazes Hal and me at how worldly and focused this generation of kids is.

“And, last but not least, we follow the activities of great-grandsons Joel (eight) and Isaac (five) in Wyncote, PA and look forward to the arrival of a sister in October. YES! At last, a GIRL in this new generation.

“Our three...John, James and Julie are ever so busy with their jobs and families. Doing, as ever, global travel that is required. We enjoy vicariously.”

Fiona Morgan Fein: “The highlight of my summer was spending 10 days going to rehearsals and concerts at the Marlboro (VT) Music Festival, which I first attended in 1968 while working at The Clark in Williamstown, MA. When I realized that the museum world wasn’t the best fit for me, it was a contact at Marlboro that led to my years working in classical music concert production, which I absolutely loved. The one exception was the day I had to rouse the members of a chamber orchestra out of their very comfortable hotel beds at six am to get to the airport for a flight that was cancelled… while we were waiting to board!!! No cell phones or flight apps in those days. Happily, I lived to tell the tale, and we arrived at the next gig on time. On the family front, I am a great-grandmother (thanks to Harvey) and a great-aunt (thanks to my sister, Patience ’66). How did I get that old??

I remember having two great-aunts myself, one of them still wore button-up shoes and a long skirt! My more recently met friends never cease to be amazed at the longevity of our contact with each other and often express the wish for that in their lives—a constant reminder of how lucky we are.”

Lucia Norton Woodruff: “The highlights of my summer were getting to Maine twice. Renewed connections with friends and early summer landscape on North Haven Island in early June.

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We Nortons no longer go there, but I sure have roots! Then in August, I spent time in western Maine at our Woodruff family rustic camp and hung out with family. I also enjoyed my 60th Swarthmore reunion in late May. Long friendships mean more and more as time goes by!”

Jeanie Shaw Byrne: “Nothing exciting—we have sold our Florida house and returned HOME to the house we have lived in since 1975, and to two families who are in the area.

And now to reacquaint ourselves with what is Princeton. Just dealing with possessions has been a full-time job since we returned in May. Now, hoping to find a life with friends, our garden and maybe a little golf. Not to mention being 82! Hope all of you are well and finding love and fun in your lives”.

Julia Fulper Hardt: “As promised, here are some notes on the ‘Roots of Excellence’ celebration at PDS on Friday, May 16th.

Mimi O., of the Princeton Tour Company, has anchored many of the alumni events at Princeton Day School over the years, and, with her humor and energy, launched the day for a busload of us. The Head of School, Kelley Nicholson-Flynn, and her husband were on board for the entertaining hour. As was true during our own tour with Mimi in May 2023, we were encouraged to share our own tales, which, for us, remain indelibly attached to town neighborhoods—younger and older participants personalized the geography from different perspectives. One PDS graduate identified herself as the sister of Mary Chapin Carpenter ’76 and, in her own right, a Pulitzer Prize nominee in journalism. She claimed that her awareness of her particular gift was revealed in fifth grade when Mrs. Peck handed back a graded essay to her and asked, ‘Do you know that you are a writer?’ Proof positive that often those important years, to varying degrees, yielded transformational moments. Thinking that it would be difficult to top that first feature of the day, I walked the short distance to Behr House and was greeted there by Julia Cornforth Holofcener. I was truly delighted to have the chance to catch up with her in person and to hear of her significant ventures here and in England. Then the call to lunch was announced by the Middle School cast of “Beauty and the Beast,” who energetically summoned us with the musical invitation to “Be Our Guest.” On that rainy afternoon, what will remain in memory for me was the gracious hospitality of the young Head of School, her genuine interest in the stories that we were asked to share, and the exciting future that she is helping to craft at the school.

And then, of course, there is simply the pleasure of being with some old friends to happily reinforce the context of those MFS years in our lives.”

Julia Cornforth Holofcener: As I sit here collating your class notes, admiring the beautiful, still lake in Beech Mountain, Drums, PA, where I am living at present, I am filled with appreciation to all of you who updated me with your lives. Thank you! I have been in this country since March and will return to London next February, hopefully with a couple of productions “on the boards,” so to speak. I am trying to be patient, as my General Manager continues to organize commitments from actors and theatres. Securing a well-known actor to play Churchill for Alliance (www.alliancetheplay.com) is proving a challenge. We have a Roosevelt, an Eleanor, and a General Marshall.

My GM is dedicated to getting the play on and assures me that she will. Fingers crossed!

Before I left, we had a very successful reading in London with professional singers and actors of “I Don’t Live There Anymore,” Larry’s musical, which chronicles the true story of Ellenton, SC, the town that was destroyed to build a bomb plant in 1953. Crazy man thought it was great material for a musical when he read an article in Newsweek about the town! Yes, I have been blessed with an interesting life because of Larry’s ability to think out of the box. Life continues to amaze me, as I wonder, “What’s next?”

Tibby Chase Dennis: “As Cynthia and I were chatting in ‘our’ little NH cabin early in August and I was idly checking emails on my phone, I was astounded (but delighted!) to see that the publisher to whom I had sent a book proposal with sample chapters two days earlier had already written to say that they wanted to publish this new book, tentatively titled When Sharing Our Faith Feels Hard: Talking about Jesus, Struggling with Evangelicalism.

That is the great news. The less great news is that, thus far, the contract has failed to arrive by its promised date. Simple bureaucratic snags?

Something more ominous? Time will tell…

On a less exciting but still very happy note, Cherry Raymond and I have had some wonderful conversations over soup at our favorite Northampton restaurant. I am so happy that she now lives in the next town over!”

Cynthia Weinrich: “I don’t have anything especially exciting to mention, but I did have a nice New Hampshire visit with Tibby in August. Also, my torn shoulder is doing better, and I finally bought a nebulizer to deal with asthma flare-ups—so far successfully.

I have been dealing with adjusting to aging realities and resulting anxieties and occasional depression. But I’m feeling better as I get back to being able to do more things, and also once I began to view the negative feelings as part of a transition time, which we all go through at stages during our lives. I remember feeling similarly down in my early 70s. At that time, I was bucked up by attending my 50th college

reunion, expecting it to be about nostalgia and instead being surprised into positivity by all the interesting new things my classmates were undertaking. ‘Oh, so my life isn’t over,’ I thought. So now I’m starting to see my early 80s as a sort of a time of birthing travail into a new segment of my life. The 80s will be different, but that doesn’t necessarily mean bad(!) So I don’t know what the new segment will be, but am learning to be patient about, as well as working on, learning! Part of this is considering once again ‘who am I?’ I saw a wonderful sentence in a 1990 newsletter from Auburn Seminary (yes, I’m de-cluttering!) about opportunities ‘to understand the quiet tyranny of an unexamined past.’ I’ve learned before about the concept of ‘life scripts’ —many we are not aware of—but I feel now is a time for new consideration, in finding out who my 80s Cynthia will be.”

Cherry Raymond sent news: “Yes! How uplifting to hear of the fresh doings of those of you who wrote, lots of grandchildren, reunions, summer visits, anticipations, returns to Princeton, making the transition into yet another phase of aging.

“A wonderful event this summer was attending the first Psychosynthesis (my work community) conference in 10 years at Garrison Institute, site of a former Franciscan monastery,

now Buddhist, on the cliffs above the Hudson River. The conference structure was based in part on a murmuration of starlings, and somehow managed to function without status hierarchies. I had a wonderful time reconnecting with colleagues old and new, found it very healing, and was able to offer before breakfast dreamwork as one of the ways to catch a glimpse of what is emerging before it happens. Garrison is where I lived for third and fourth grades so all around it was a homecoming trip.

“I continue to enjoy free-ranging conversations with Tibby at a Northampton cafe; we are getting to know each other most enjoyably.”

1962

Linda Maxwell Stefanelli linda.stefanelli@gmail.com I was delighted to receive photos and an update from Gail Cotton last spring.

Unfortunately, it arrived too late for the last Journal so I’m including it here. Gail has always been a great correspondent, and she kept us all in touch during her long stint as Class Secretary from which she retired in 2012. She definitely deserves a medal for loyalty and tenacity because she is still submitting news even though macular degeneration has rendered her legally blind. She sent the following with the help of her daughter, Anne Andrews. Gail’s new email, which Anne can read to her, is gmcotton44@gmail.com.

Anne wrote: “My mom’s vision is not good, but she is in an amazing assisted living facility.

There are always activities, and she enjoys many of them. She still watches Jeopardy every night and is still super-smart. She is loving and loved by many in the facility. I see her as

Leelah, 7 in white, and Ariella Gail, 6, the greatgranddaughters of Gail Cotton ’62

Gail Cotton ’62 with her great-grandson Amare

Cindy Brown ’62 traveled to the north coast of Spain in June

much as possible, and we see the grandkids and my daughter every Sunday. She still has lots of friends and stays very happy and busy. We adore her and get her out as much as possible!

She loved hearing all the Miss Fine’s news, and I did as well. You can email me anytime at anneandrews2267@yahoo.com and I’ll call to read your message to her or go see her in person. We send our love to all of you.”

We should all hope to have as loving and closeknit a family as Gail, and we send our thanks to Anne for making it possible for Gail to remain such a vital part of our class. I talked to Gail in September and can attest that her positive spirit and enviable common-sense approach to life are still very much in evidence.

Kate Sayen Kirkland had planned a trip to Princeton last summer, but it was postponed until October. When I implored her to give us more details on the book she was working on as well as the titles of the other two she’s written, she kindly sent the following. “My book is slow as molasses and is now due out in late November. It is entitled “Community Building in Houston: Alice Baker, Julia Ideson, and Ima Hogg” and is about three female civic leaders who built institutions in the early 20th century that are still important today. One of my other books is “Captain James A. Baker” of Houston, about the 50-year chairman of the board that created and built what is now Rice University.

It was published in 2012 for the university’s centennial. The other one is “The Hogg Family and Houston: Philanthropy and the Civic Ideal.” These extremely boring titles are the result of losing fights with the academic presses who published them and the selffulfilling fear that they will only sell in Houston.

Personally, I think anyone might be interested in these people. That said, very few write about the city in a serious manner, so I suppose the overuse is justified.” Kate added that her interest in those subjects was probably developed at MFS where she said, “I always loved writing history papers.” See, they told us that process would be valuable someday!

Once again, we rely on Cindy Brown to add an international flavor to the column. She said: “I will join my far away stepfamily on Long Island’s North Fork in October for the marriage of the last grandchild and possibly meet the two newest great-grandchildren. You know the highlights of my days are travels.” (We do, but in the last column she vowed to never again venture out alone in a foreign country, however, it seems she quickly broke her own resolution and had a wonderful time!) “In June I went to northwestern Spain from Madrid by bus and then I drove to northeast Spain on my own. It was beautiful in every way. I count myself lucky to have three good friends here, one much younger, who join me on many local doings. We have moved from email to text, an

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improvement—old dogs, new tricks. On my Meals on Wheels route, I now have a former Vietnamese soldier, my age, who is an avid gardener, an interest we share, but his plants are exotic. I try not to mourn the loss of some, not all, physical activities. I have moved so many times, I sometimes think of the wonderful people lost in the past, many vivid in my memory with little clips.” I think we all treasure those mental snapshots of our childhood and are glad to have this way of extending those connections. Of course, it would be even better to have some real snapshots to bring the next column alive!

As for me, I’m now a full-fledged resident of North Carolina with a NC driver’s license and voter’s registration card to prove it! Tony and I actually followed through on our plan and moved to Wilmington, NC on May 9th.

We’re renting a place 20 minutes from our son, Trip, and his family. It’s a big change from Princeton but I love the warm climate, beautiful blue skies, friendly people, the gorgeous nearby beach with blue-green 82-degree water, the southern cooking, and the roads: no potholes, fast speed limits, little traffic, and lots of lanes for making U-turns. There are a lot of things— and people—I miss in Princeton, but the move has offered new perspectives and focused our priorities. Not sure what the future holds but this is a great place to think about it. Looking forward to hearing from more of you next time.

1963 Virginia Elmer Stafford vesalb@aol.com Sharon Stevenson Griffith wrote: “Have had a less than happy winter as I have suffered from foot pain since the end of January that led to surgery in mid-June. Turns out it was a lateral tear in the tendon and I’m finally two weeks into PT. A long haul but the end is in sight.

It better be, because Chuck and I leave for Australia and New Zealand in three weeks.”

Sharon mentioned having contact with Polly Miller, Kathy Kilgore and Susan West Ross.

Liza Maugham wrote that she has five grandchildren with only one still in high school.

She also reports that Maine is busy in the summer, but that the weather has been good— not too hot. She is enjoying living in Maine full-time and lives a minute away from the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens, “so come by!”

Kathy Sittig Dunlop wrote that she and Richard took a two-week cruise to Alaska to celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary and her 80th. Unfortunately, she came home with Covid and was very sick. “Beware — the evil monster is still out there!” She marveled that at their local hospital you are not allowed to use the water fountain because of Covid, but there are no masks in sight! She reported that Alaska was beautiful, and they saw lots of waterfalls and incredible wildlife. She expressed gratitude for all the beautiful places they have seen and wonderful memories created. She went on to report “a snapshot of my life in 25 words or less: learning, love, marriage, family, volunteering, travel—friends all over the world. Seeking to make a difference: mentoring, working with the blind, helping friends with ALS, etc.”

Polly Miller wrote, “I am still singing in the community chorus, church choir and performing in On the Isle Productions every July. This year we did the uplifting show ‘Working.’ I am also the head of a committee dedicated to helping immigrants.” She has five grandchildren that give her great joy, “as they forge on with hope for our country that is throwing curve balls at anyone starting out life.”

Cindy Brown ’62 got a look at Queen Isabella’s bed on her recent travels to Spain

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Andy Updike Burt wrote, “In these unsettling times, I remember back to the Cuban missile crisis and standing in assembly at Miss Fine’s as we sang ‘Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide.’ That was the first time I ever felt fear of larger dangers in my life.

Today, more than ever, I am compelled to be active in the movement to save our democracy and the ecosystems of this beautiful planet we call home. Here in Maine, that means seeking to preserve absentee voting, protecting neighbors of all backgrounds, partnering on a program to build trust between Wabanaki

Nations and non-native communities, and supporting youth activities in their climate campaigns. I have a film currently on a back burner in the research stage. But I am also trying to practice the wisdom of a Penobscot Nation woman, Sherri Mitchell, who advocates working 80% of our time for a vision of the world we want to live in and 20% opposing those activities that are destroying that world.

To that end, I am spending time rethinking old friendships and collegial relationships, family ties, and putting down memories through an online project called Storyworth. Also doing art in needlework and painting. Early this summer our middle son and I spent nearly a week together near Long Beach Island (many childhood memories) and visiting places around Princeton and Lawrenceville. Our time concluded with a memorial service for my oldest cousin at the Updike Farm, now the Princeton Historical Center. The dining room where my parents and aunts and uncles sat each Thanksgiving now houses an exhibit of Einstein’s furniture and life. I’m so pleased that our family has contributed to preserving the history of Princeton. I’m still living in Maine and bit by bit we are recreating our house to further aging in place. Love to see anyone visiting in the neighborhood.”

I, Virginia Elmer Stafford, am enjoying my move further north in Washington, which has me a short ferry ride from Seattle. I continue to have a full-time counseling practice and feel this is what I can do to ease a little of the immense stress in the world. I am very grateful that I have the energy and strength that I have at 80, and to have family nearby. I would love to see anyone visiting in the Seattle area; I have a lovely big yurt in the forest if anyone wants to do some glamping!

1964

Barbara Rose barbarabrose@me.com

1965

Margaret Woodbridge Dennis hotyakker@gmail.com This seems to be the year of my classmates downsizing.

Barbara Putnam reported: “I sold thehouse that my husband and I built 18 years ago and where he died three years ago. I’m now living in a two-bedroom rental in town (Litchfield, CT) and I’m very content to own less stuff and have less responsibility.”

Molly Dorf Purrington said: “After living in my current house for 32 years, I am moving from a 2200 square foot residence to a 750

square foot refurbished cabin (on acreage) on my island home in the Pacific Northwest.

While moving isn’t my favorite pastime, I am looking forward to a new adventure of sorts.

“My daughter and her husband, who are starting a family, are moving into my old house.

My son lives close by, so I am blessed, and I am surrounded with as much nature as I wish, which buoys up my spirits.

“Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy retirement from the University of Washington, love working in my garden and volunteering on the island. Also, I spend time as a political activist with the intention of preserving our democracy, which George Warren taught us about so well in school. He is often in my thoughts.”

The last three years have been extremely tough for Merethe Lange-Nielsen Ytterstad, but she reported that she “is doing better now. My husband, Børge, former surgeon and professor in injury prevention, has now moved to an institution due to Alzheimer’s.

He is still physically active and plays jazz daily on his piano. I visit him as often as possible, and I finally can sleep well at night, knowing he is safe, too.

“Our daughter has taken over our house with her twins Markus and Malene (17), and I have bought a small flat in the middle of Harstad city. I have lived here for two months, and it is situated even closer to the sea! The library and cultural house are in walking distance. I participated in a dance performance in our annual art festival in June. The Iceland National Dance Company applied for dancers between 18-80 years old, so being 79, I just made it! We were on stage the whole time, for 70 minutes, amateurs and professionals together. I was afraid of having a heart attack, but it went well.

I chose jazz ballet to “September” with Earth, Wind and Fire. My son, Petter (50), also performed with a break dance.

PRINCETON COUNTRY DAY

“I still work as a guide for Hurtigruten, only a few times a month, since I prefer only one language at a time. Most often it’s a combination of French/English, very seldom Spanish. I also do some health-related work for retired people in our county, which is rewarding.

1950

“My desire to travel has definitely decreased, so I doubt any more visits to the U.S. I hate the long flights but I still go to Mallorca or Gran Canaria. We have direct flights there from our local airport, Evenes, Harstad/ Narvik Lufthavn. I won’t go into politics, too depressing globally.”

My husband and I (Peggy Woodbridge Dennis) had a fabulous four-week trip this spring. To avoid jet lag and cut costs, we took the Queen Mary II to England. It costs less to cross the pond that way than for one person to fly business class! And way more fun and luxurious. We spent a week with Bob’s siblings and their spouses, then flew to Portugal and spent a week with our son, Alex, who has emigrated and plans to become a Portuguese citizen in four years. Then he can work as a multi-lingual tourist guide anywhere in the E.U…One last week on the Viking River cruise up and down the River Douro. Vineyards and wine everywhere! Only one drawback to being away so long during the spring: our yard was taken over by weeds. Four months later and we’re still trying to recover, Joy and pleasure come from singing with Encore Rocks, a rock and roll group for senior singers. Encore is now a national organization at encorecreativity.org.

If your class is without a correspondent, please send your news to classnotes@pds.org.

Michael Erdman mperdman57@gmail.com

1952

Philip Kopper PhilipKopper23@gmail.com Having guessed (and had my suspicion happily confirmed), I am proud to claim a special distinction for the PCD Class of 1952. All of us, 100 percent, gave when the school asked for financial support. Yes, every surviving member of the class (at least those I know to have survived)—all four of us— pitched in. Thus Tim Cain, Bob Hillier, John Wellemeyer and I reward ourselves with a respite from reporting new activities this time around. Backatcha next year—God willing and the Creek don’t rise.

1954

Fred “Fritz” Blaicher fritzblaicher@yahoo.com

1955

Patrick Rulon-Miller prmiller322@gmail.com Clark “Chuck” Travers cgt1781@gmail.com

1956

Robert Dorf bdorf@slifer.net Well, classmates, since I only need to publish once a year, I would expect to hear from everyone. Would love to hear from John Davison, Hugh Sloan, Danny Quick, Chris Shannon, and, of course, John Stein.

If any of you know of any updates on these guys, let me know.

Kay Fraser ’65 at a singing opportunity in Salzburg with a West Coast choir with outreach in Munich as well.

“Followed by a quick stop in London for friends and throwback walking around, no tourist fare—quite special.”

After the deadline last year, I received the following from Peter Moock; “I must have missed the deadline for the fall PDS Journal, given that I’ve just received a hard copy of that issue in the mail! Thanks for continuing to do an excellent job as class secretary, although our class numbers have dwindled, sadly, to the extent that you don’t really have all that much to do.

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“You end the latest PCD ’56 report by asking if anyone has been in contact with Chris, Hugh, Danny, Vern, and Moke. Is that Moke Raymond (was he in class of ’56?), or is it a misspelling of my last name? You wouldn’t be the first. Our son, Alastair, posted this recently on Facebook: ‘Attended a Moock distant-family reunion yesterday. Learned from one of our German cousins that the name (and variations Mock / Moog) in Middle High German means ‘a lump, or a plump person.’

“This is actually an improvement over the contemporary English definition for the related ‘mook,’ which means a ‘a stupid or incompetent person’ or ‘moke,’ which was early 19th century slang for ‘donkey.’

“But for some reason Jane Roper [Alastair’s wife] chose to keep her last name.

“Last year, we sold our house in Larchmont, NY, after splitting our time for 15 years between NY and MA. With Joyce and me both mostly retired (reminds me of Billy Crystal in “The Princess Bride,” ‘mostly dead’), we had no good reason to keep both places, and in 2020, as Covid was raising its nasty head, we switched our primary residence to MA and started only going back to NY to deal with ‘problems,’ like when Hurricane Ida dumped three feet of flood water into our basement, knocking out the furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer.

We’re now living full-time in Winchester, MA, not far from Alastair, Jane, and the grand-twins, Clio and Elm (who are about to turn 17 and have just started driving!), in Melrose.

“After retiring from teaching (Columbia U, 1973-83) and international development work (The World Bank, 1983-2003), I continued to work as an independent consultant/economist (pretty much full-time in the beginning, and now practically not at all). I read (slowly—bad eyes), watch streamed movies and TV series, support the Celtics (I’m still a New Yorker when it comes to all other pro sports), and walk our two golden retrievers, Guthrie (after Woody) and Monty.

“The memorial for David Smoyer was last year in Jamaica Plain, MA, was moving and well attended by folks who knew, studied, or worked with David over the years. I spoke, as did a colleague of David’s at Roxbury Latin, and the son of the Swedish woman who was an au pair for the Smoyers when David ’61 and Nancy (and Billy ’60) were little, as did Mary and several children and grandchildren. There were a number of David’s Dartmouth classmates there (one of whom remarked when I met him that I must not have gotten into Dartmouth) and a few from Harvard Law, but very few (to my knowledge) from PCD or Andover. Patrick Rulon-Miller ’55 was there from Princeton.

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“You wrote that you keep up with me and our son, Alastair, and his family on Facebook.

Last night we attended the first night of a high school production of Grease in which granddaughter, Clio, appears as Sandy. She has a lovely voice, and she portrayed very well the shy transfer student from Australia, but no one will ever quite match Olivia Newton-John’s belting out of ‘You’re the One that I Want’ in the movie. The very large ensemble cast from Melrose High School were impressive with their lines and their singing and dancing; and unlike the actors in the movie, they are actually the age of the characters they are playing.

our work. Website taken down. I sold my cabin in Indiana two years ago and gave the money to my daughters. ‘Simplify, Simplify!’ wrote Thoreau.

“I don’t suppose we’ll ever manage to organize a final PCD reunion, but if I’m wrong, I would try to be there (in 2026?).”

“All things with the Kamensteins seem to be going along in good order. After spending the better part of June in New York visiting our multitude of doctors, we left for Europe with our two children and two grandchildren; we visited London and then took an extended cruise. We only got back home a couple of days ago as our grandchildren (14-year-old twin girls) start school next week.

Larry Estey wrote: “It’s been a busy spring and summer, with a fair amount of short-to-midrange travel. To the Catskills to visit my sister, Carol, then a train trip to Montreal for a few days; later a drive to Albany, NY for a wedding and a meet-up dinner with a college friend I hadn’t seen in over 60 years. And most recently, a few days in Nova Scotia, meeting up with Elizabeth’s Toronto family, who were scouting out colleges for her oldest granddaughter. We took the ferry from Bar Harbor, expecting a beautiful cruise, and instead found ourselves in dense, zero-visibility fog. Still, a good trip— we enjoyed Halifax and visiting Grand Pre, from which the British deported the Acadian residents around 1755, which Longfellow immortalized in Evangeline. We have felt welcome in Canada, but Canadian visits to Maine have dropped by about thirty percent in recent months.

“Until recently, I had done a good deal of supply ministering—filling in for churches while their clergy have been absent. But now I’ve decided to set that aside. I’ve enjoyed feeling connected to the work I did for so long, but need to use my energies elsewhere.

“I often look at our class picture on the PCD steps, 75 years ago, I am the guy in the front right. Bob, how many of us are left?”

David Kamenstein can always be counted on to reply: “Good to hear from you. I must admit to being a little concerned about you when I did not receive your usual spring email. Now I understand after reviewing the chart you sent— you are a busy man!

“It doesn’t take much to keep me busy, and helping my son a little bit with his business seems to do the trick. It’s pretty quiet in Palm Beach during the summer—the weather is horrible until October.

“I know you go to Mexico to escape the winter but if you ever find yourself heading our way, please let me know, as I would love to see you.”

Glad to hear that Ed Benson is still among the living: “I cannot claim to have been doing much; I am now sporting a pacemaker. I live in southern Rhode Island, a state I had never stopped in on my way to Andover but grew to love during my time in the Navy, then at Brown, and finally at URI. I then took off

“My health remains pretty good ‘for my age’— a phrase we’ve all probably heard. And our decision to move to Portland, Maine, six years ago is something we have never regretted.

Life goes on!”

Vern Hagenbuckle replied: “I am still standing at the age of 84 and jogging (geezer shuffle) two miles every other day.

2024 was a rough year with colon cancer, chemotherapy and three hurricanes here in Florida. We beat all five, and I have a goal of finishing a 5k in November. To stretch a metaphor, we survivors are all in the November country now. We awake early, walk carefully and hold on to our car keys for a little more time.

We drink less scotch and savor it more.

“Jan and I paint daily in our studio here in Clearwater. We no longer exhibit or market

1956 Classmates David Smoyer and Peter Moock

across the country to the Midwest all the way to New Mexico, only to return to UConn for my last gig. I remain curious about any inclination to make it back to Princeton next spring to clap eyes on each other, in all likelihood for the last time.”

What would my class notes be without a note from John Cook: “Jeanne and I are up in Woolwich, Maine, a haunt you remember well from 70 years ago. The main difference from then is that we now have 10 houses on Montsweag Road instead of one, and a family gathering can easily generate 50 souls. There is fishing, tennis, golf, water skiing, sailing, paddleboarding, hiking, running, biking, great dining, poker and any other activity you can think of. It’s amazing how this place draws our families, which are growing exponentially. There is a ton of action here with a lot of fun and no chance of getting bored! All the best to you.”

And finally, I add: My year has not been as golden as I had anticipated. On my last trip to our home in Mexico, I woke up one morning exhibiting walking difficulties. I had been experiencing back pains, but that was par for the course for my last 50 years. I immediately suspected stroke, but I had none of the symptoms. Upon my return to Vail, my visit to our orthopedic experts revealed that I was one fall away from becoming a quadriplegic. With that looming, I managed to get all the necessary scans, which showed that nerves in my neck were pinching off the nerves to my legs. A seven-hour neck operation relieved the pressure and pain, but the damage persists, so skiing and skating became wonderful memories. I walk a little like a drunk, but I think that adds to my persona.

My wife, Patty, has had her own battles with Lymphoma, which was originally diagnosed in 2015 and has resulted in multiple treatments, which, while debilitating, have managed to delay the inevitable while giving her a reasonable quality of life. We maintain our optimism, but have included, among our setbacks, a move from Vail to Grand Junction, CO. If I can’t ski it or skate on it, I didn’t want to step in it, and they have excellent cancer care here.

1957

James “Tim” Carey tcarey4442@gmail.com (note new email address) Hello to everyone who reads this column.

I am starting off with a note about myself and two PCD graduates. My older brother, George ’49, and Bevis Longstreth, of the same class, were close friends. When Bevis’ mother came down with TB, he lived with

our family for a year and a half. He saw my email address in the last issue and wrote to me. I went with my younger sister, Nan (attended Miss Fine’s and left in 1957 after eighth grade), to visit him in Small Point, Maine. Bevis and his wife are in their 90s and moving ahead with great positive energy.

It was so much fun to see him again and to talk about our respective times, teachers and activities at the school. Part two has to do with a note I received from Ann Wiley ’70 and editor of these class notes, who wrote to ask if I had worked at Middlebury College in the late 60s. She indicated that Calvin Johnson, a classmate of hers, had mentioned my name in a correspondence he had with her. I not only interviewed Calvin in 1969 but taught him for a semester when he enrolled at the college. And now we have been reconnected after more than fifty years. You might be able to tell I am forever looking for connections. And boy was I rewarded this past summer.

I was hoping that I might be able to attend the ceremony at Andover’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction celebration this spring, but I know that Webb Harrison was inducted on June 7. He joins both David ’56 and Billy Smoyer ’60. A worthy honor for an exceptional athlete, not to mention scholar!

Kudos to Randy Hobler ’61 for spearheading that effort.

Once again, I was able to travel into the past and unearth a person we all remember. Sandy Matthews. He and I have corresponded, and he gave me good information on his whereabouts and what he has been doing all these years living in England, where he moved following his departure from PCD. “I spent 25 years in whackademia, writing and lecturing. I retired in ’97, I think, and have done some writing. Four of my plays have been in the West End, each for about a month. I am writing three more and then I’m going to call it quits. I am operating with a company called Arden Productions.

“Shirlee and I have been together since 1970, and we’ve lived in Devon. We could just as easily have ended up in Princeton or somewhere in the States if there had been a job available. But most of Shirlee’s family lived over here in the UK. This is from a blurb I found on the internet: ‘Now living in the beautiful South Devon region of the UK, Alexander Matthews was born in New York City in 1942. He has published in philosophy and physics.

His other writings include poetic drama, plays, short stories and a travel book.

Three titles by Sandy: My One True Friend Lazarus Revived Do You Love This Planet?’”

Here is what Staff Keegin wrote in response: “OK, so I think my sister had a crush on Bevis. No other noteworthy news except Pony (Fraker) and I have occasional lunches at which our discussions center on our respective health issues and about which I shall go no further. But he clarified one issue of note: he is no longer Pony, but ‘Harrison,’ to which I responded that I was no longer ‘Staffy,’ but “Stafford.” My summer was jammed: Maine and Brittany with multiple family generations.”

And this note from Rob Kuser: “Quiet in our personal lives. Trump is keeping our public lives in turmoil. We hope to survive the next 3.5 years.”

Joe Wright, also in response to my email, wrote: “So Tim, since lunch with you on April 25, my story is more about what didn’t happen than what did. For the first summer in many years, I have not fished once. Beach fishing is no longer my thing. Fly fishing from a flat boat in the ocean is still my favorite, but as I age, I need to be more careful in my choice of guide and equipment and partners.

“Last October, I lost a fishing partner of 20-plus years, so no more June trips to South Dartmouth to fish for striped bass. In Nantucket, my guide of many years has a rig for fishermen on the front of her boat, which is not 83 friendly. In November, I am headed to the Bahamas for what is likely the last bonefish trip with a group of friends from Toronto who have fished together for well over 20 years. At our age I am the second youngest in the group.

We are aging out.

“Other than that old people news, I am in pretty good shape and remain a very lucky person with high-quality problems.”

And how about this adventure from Andy Harris: “Sue and I took two of our grandchildren (ages 12 & nine) tent camping this week (Aug 18) at a state park. Nothing to it...right? We were planning a two-night adventure of biking, swimming and feasting on pancakes, bacon and hamburgers. But after one sleepless night on a too thin sleeping pad, Sue declared she was never going to ‘sleep on the ground again.’ Fortunately, fate smiled on Sue, and at three pm our grandson developed an acute case of vomiting, spraying undigested hot dogs all over the back seat of our daughter’s borrowed car. As our grandson was looking pale and ill, but not gravely sick, we alerted our daughter and son-in-law that we would be returning the kids a day early. In no time we

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cleaned the car as best we could, packed up the tent and gear, and headed home with windows wide open. If you would like a bargain on a tent, we will not be using this one again…EVER!” Adam Hochschild had “no great news to report other than that my wife, Arlie, and I are grateful for good health, children, and grandchildren.

Although the latter have grown up much too fast! I’m sure some of the rest of you have experienced that. As for me, I’m still writing, but still failing to change the world by doing so.

Recent pieces in the Washington Post (Trump, etc.) and the Nation (Mark Twain) and Mother Jones (prison reform).”

1958

Gordon “Toby” Knox toby@tobyknox.com Jobe Stevens reported from Kentucky that he did not go to the Adirondacks this summer but did make it to NJ in June for his granddaughter’s eighth grade graduation from East Amwell. “Mia will be going to Hunterdon Central HS to join her sister, Chloe, who will be a junior. Mia is slated to be on the JV girls’ soccer team to start with (some genes there).

Ben is ‘chef-ing’ for the Vail Corp in Park City, Utah, and Liza lives with us in Shelbyville on the farm. She works retail for REI in Louisville part-time and also is a vet tech for a local small animal practice. Ludie and I are doing well with normal aches and pains and will have been married for fifty-one years in October. Last but not least, oldest daughter, Sarah, still lives in Ringoes and teaches at the Lewis Clinic in Princeton!! Hope all my classmates are hanging-in there.”

John White relayed he doesn’t have much to share with classmates other than “I’ve been eating too many lobsters, an abundance of oysters and wild blueberry muffins that I now bake myself !” Tough life being in Maine for the summer……

Sandy Kirkpatrick offered advice to octogenarians with bad knees: “Jeanie and I love, love, love our two-story house, but my knee pain while doing the stairs has been threatening to force us into a dwelling without them. While searching for anything that could delay this eventuality, I found something called the ‘farmer’s carry’ exercise. Within a week or so, it largely eliminated the pain, and in the ensuing six weeks of doing it roughly every other day for about five minutes, the pain has not returned. It simply involves walking (around the inside perimeter of the local Planet Fitness in my case) with weights suspended in each hand. Google has descriptions and videos, though not necessarily aimed at our demographic, vis-a-vis weight and distance. I

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exercise with weights regularly and cannot do more than 25-lb. in each hand for perhaps 150 yards. If you try it, #1: I am NOT qualified to advise ANYONE, and #2: start small and work up. Hope this helps someone as much as it has helped me.”

David Stewart checked in: “I have retired (again), this time after teaching international law full-time for 16 years at Georgetown Law—following 33 years as a State Department lawyer (and yes, very glad not to be in the government these days!). Jennifer and I have just returned from several weeks in Brazil, including a week way up in the Amazon.”

Toby Knox: First, some happy Knox news— Our son, Andrew and his wife, Catherine, in West Hollywood, CA, added a Knox son to their family. So, now that the birthing season is completed, Kathryn and I have three granddaughters (Amanda has two and Andrew one) and a grandson. We’re looking forward to the LA Knoxes being in Vermont for Christmas. On a sadder note, August 4th was the tenth anniversary of Perry’s passing.

So many good memories of him. One less “good,” I’ll never forget his chewing me out at Baker Rink, when I was playing goalie in a PCD game. He was not happy because I let a very easy shot go into the goal. Not my best performance. Best wishes to all ’58 Panthers.

1959

Stephen Cook stevecook566@gmail.com

1960

Karl “Pepper” Pettit pettitk@wpunj.edu

1962 John Gaston jmgaston3@gmail.com

1963

John Ritchie jhnritchie@yahoo.com

1964

William Ring mwmaverick@gmail.com My wife and I are living minutes from Laguna Beach, California and get to see our three grandchildren in between travel vacations and gigs that my old-school soul band, The Rhythm Rebels, have in Southern California. You can check us out at rhythmrebelsband.com.

PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL

1966 Deborah Hobler dvhobler@cox.net Margery Cuyler Perkins, author of over 50 children’s books, has now delivered another winner: Stompie the Zombie, published on August 12th, she said: “The Stompie is not scary. He’s a friendly zombie who plans a family reunion since it has been 500 years since his family last gathered. But then he breaks his leg. Will the reunion still take place? Lots of fun with puns throughout.” In addition to her

1961

Peter Raymond peterh.raymond@protonmail.com

Margery Cuyler Perkins ’66 with her sons, Tim and Tom Perkins, and her stepdaughter, Sarah

Jobe Stevens ’58’s donkey friends: Gidget and Megan

Vicki Willock ’71 and Debbie Hobler ’66 had dinner together in August

writing, she attended her 55th reunion at Sarah Lawrence, recently visited the newly opened Frick Museum and the Morgan Museum in NYC and had time to visit with her two sons and stepdaughter. She and Jan also celebrated his 86th birthday. Happy Birthday Jan! I was lucky to have a birthday dinner with Vicki Willock ’71 and her husband, John Frankel, here in Santa Barbara in late August. Of course, we talked about Mercer Road (as we both lived on the street growing up. A side comment: my AI just told me to write “were homeless,” as in lived on the street) and Princeton Day School adventures in our younger years and caught up on the latest updates on our mutual friends.

And do I need to remind anyone that we’re 77?

How did that happen?

PDS continues to present incredible educational challenges to their students: most recently in March an exhibit by the (HI) Story in Film and Literature and Advanced Ceramics classes.

They created a moving exhibition that honored those who served in Vietnam, including Bill Smoyer ’60. One of the students wrote beautifully about Bill and his life, and another made a ceramic vase with words that reflected Bill’s spirit on one side, and the Marine Corps logo on the other with hockey sticks behind it.

Bill was always known at PCD for his warmth, good humor, and athletic achievements, including playing varsity soccer and hockey at Dartmouth College. He later enlisted in the Marines and gave his life in service to our country in 1968. As you know, PDS has a soccer field in remembrance of him named The Bill Smoyer Turf Field.

hugged and said goodbye. Mary Carol seemed comfortable with her upcoming death, which is best reflected in a poem she wrote:

In early May, I informed all our 1966 classmates about the sad passing of Mary Carol Bilderback on May 3, 2025. She had stage 4 cancer and had been in hospice for a few months before her death. Andrea Hicks and Patty Morgan Irigoyen had a wonderful visit with her in April sharing Miss Fine’s School and PDS stories; they laughed, cried, and

my last breath

Margery Cuyler Perkins ’66’s latest book

The Hicks’ sisters, Daren ’73, Libby ’77, Lindsey ’70, and Andrea ’66, got together recently in Massachusetts.

These girls know how to have a good time!

The Bill Smoyer ’60 ceramic vase

“My Last Sweet Breath When death comes, as she will I hope she smells like she just came in from the garden with a pearly cobweb caught in her hair and a fallen leaf stuck to the bottom of her bare foot And if she’s slightly out of breath from tending the roses way up on the hill when she sits down near me I can share with her And lighten the labor she has come to do” Through her memorial service soon after, (which was on Zoom) we learned that Mary Carol was a published writer, known best for her beautiful poetry and articles, she always credited George Packard for helping her become a writer. After graduating from Skidmore College, she received her master’s in Culture and Spirituality from the Sophia Center, Holy Names College in Oakland, CA. Later, in 1996, Mary Carol entered the Sisters of Mercy from St. Francis of Assisi in Brant Beach, NJ. She taught biology at Georgian

Andrea Hicks ’66, Patty Morgan Irigoyen ’66, and Mary Carol Bilderback ’66 sharing memories

Yearbook photo of Mary Carol Bilderback ’66

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CLASS NOTES

Court University for many years and was the assistant director of Sr. Mary Grace Burns Arboretum for more than 25 years. She loved gardening. Known for her high intelligence and spirits, pranks, kindness, and warmth, she left an indelible mark on everyone who knew her. A story that captures her best was when she first became a nun, she had stepped into an elevator with two Sister of Mercy’s “older” nuns—they said to her, “We’re watching you closely. Any mistakes will be recorded”. And Mary Carol retorted “You better have a big book.”

We will miss her and are grateful for her presence in our lives. We send our condolences to her brothers, Peter and John, and their families.

daughter, Shradha, has left the lobster industry and Maine and now lives in Pelham, New Hampshire where she is working for a food packaging company. The eldest, Rachel, lives in Boise, Idaho, and is still teaching American history at the College of Idaho. She and her husband, Walt, and our grandson, Sid, visited us for a month this summer. What fun! This past year we spent a month in Malaga, Spain, and went on a safari tour in Africa. We are enjoying retirement!”

Mary Woodbridge Lott wrote: “Where did the summer go? I spent most of it in Maine where I entertained several relatives almost every month.

When not doing that, I’ve been working in

the garden, hanging with neighbors or playing pétanque (also known as boules) with the Maine Boules Club. I’m even going to France to play in a boules tournament in October!”

Phoebe Knapp said she doesn’t have news for this issue, but “I wish all my classmates the best for the next year!”

As for me (Susan Fritsch Hunter), Bill and I had our annual get-together lunch with Julia Lockwood and her husband, Marc Miller, in June at their lovely house in Cumberland Foreside, Maine, on our way up to the Hunter family cottage in Georgetown, Maine. It was generous of them to host us just a week before their daughter, Priyanka’s, wedding!

And for the next class notes for the Journal, I shall be contacting you all to squeeze MORE information on what the hell you are doing.

Watch out.

1967

Susan Fritsch Hunter ares543@comcast.net I’m so happy to continue to receive wonderful photos and news from the class!

Francoise Foassier shared that she’s been reading classmates’ names in the (email) contact list. “So many memories come to mind. My goodness—1966, 1967— the last century?!

Apart from that, I’ve taken a beautiful cruise along the coast of Norway, visited Berlin and spent a wonderful time visiting the three Baltic States—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. So, I keep fit as much as possible. Love and best wishes from Gradignan, near Bordeaux.”

Julia Lockwood wrote: “We’ve had a great summer! Our youngest, Priyanka, was married in June at our house in Maine in an outdoor ceremony overlooking the ocean. We had three tents, a dance floor, catered Indian food and 60 clear umbrellas for the slight drizzle. Priyanka and her husband, Peter, live around the corner from us and are now looking for a house—a daunting prospect in these times. Our middle

Susan Fritsch Hunter ’67 and Beth Schlossberg ’68, met up for coffee in Pine Hills, Plymouth, MA, where Susan has lived for the past seven years. Beth has recently moved to the Rowen at Pine Hills.

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Priyanka Miller, daughter of Julia Lockwood ’67 and Marc Miller, was married to Peter Cogley on June 28 at Julia and Marc’s house in Maine

Mary Woodbridge Lott ’67 sits with her granddaughters, Comley and Harriet, daughters of Sara Springer ’96

Sidney Gerald, son of Julia Lockwood ’67’s daughter, Rachel, enjoyed the beach during a vacation in Maine

Francoise Foassier ’67, stands with her daughter, Peggy (r), and Peggy’s daughter, Manon (l)

1968 Mary Hobler Hyson – retiring correspondent bassett7750@cox.net New Class Correspondents Sophia Godfrey Bauer sbauer2086@gmail.com Punky Brewster Rutledge peytonrut@gmail.com Sadly, we heard from Ann McClellan’s brother Rob ’77 that Ann passed away on March 20, 2025. We all think of Ann fondly.

A remembrance will be written by Punky Brewster Rutledge for the spring Class Notes.

Joe Chandler wrote that he and partner, Noom, are good, happily living their dual lives in Maine and Thailand. Joe’s son, Nick, lives with his girlfriend in Massachusetts, but there are reports of them moving to Maine, closer to Joe. Sia Godfrey Bauer wrote: “When I was up in Blue Hill, Maine this summer, Mazzie Madeira Gogolak’s sister, Tanny, and I went out in Mazzie’s boat to an island for a delightful

picnic and swim. I am planning on returning to Florida this winter and hope to catch up with Leigh Keyser Phillips and Lynn Behr Sanford.”

Mary Hobler Hyson’s entire family was together for a week in Maine. I had the pleasure of visiting with Sia and Punky at my house in Cheshire, Connecticut in April of this year. I will be retiring as your Class Correspondent, and Sia and Punky have agreed to take over those responsibilities starting with the spring 2026 issue of the PDS Journal. It has been great getting news from classmates over the last 40 years. Please stay in touch but send your future news for the PDS Journal to Sia (sbauer2086@gmail.com) and Punky (peytonrut@gmail.com).

Many thanks to Mary for her very long service as one of the best class correspondents!

We are most grateful that Sia Godfrey Bauer and Punky Brewster Rutledge are taking over as correspondents.

1969

Beverly Bevis Jones beverly@bbjonespr.com Bertina Bleicher Norford wrote: “As recent (almost) retirees, my husband and I were grateful to travel this summer to Venice to see the Biennale Architettura 2025. We also explored Florence, fascinating in spite of heat and crowds. We revisited Sweden, where our daughter lives and I used my recently acquired (very basic) Swedish language skills. We continue to be active home-swappers as part of HomeExchange.com, and when we’re home, we can often be found gardening.

Best wishes to all!”

Rob Reynolds reported: “Though I didn’t graduate with the class (I left after freshman year), I have a lot of good memories of the people in our class. During the summers of my high school and college years, I was a mate on a trawler in Woods Hole, MA and collected specimens for research. Later I joined an oceanographic consultancy company and traveled to quite a few countries (and oceans) doing oceanographic and geophysical work. In 2010 I semi-retired and started a non-profit marine science education organization, Zephyr Education Foundation in Woods Hole. We take about 2000 students per year out on the water for short trips where they engage in hands-on oceanographic and marine biological activities. As a result of this, I am a Guest Investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, but actually I am self-unemployed.

My wife, Kris, and I have two sons: one living in Woods Hole and one in Norfolk, MA, with their families.

Ed Purcell wrote: “I live in Newton, Iowa (outside Des Moines) and work online. I’ve been married to my wife for 53 years. We bought the house directly across the street from one of our daughters and five of our grandkids, although some are grown and on their own now. I’m still working. I am Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the University of Medicine and Health Sciences.”

We were so sorry to learn that Gail LymanHatzell passed on August 1, 2025, after a brief illness. Gail was an incredibly talented artist and graduated from Dean College for Art, and later, Insituto Allende in Mexico, where she studied jewelry making.

Francoise Foassier ’67 is flanked by her grandsons, Mathieu, 25, and Antoine, 23

1968 Classmates Sia Godfrey Bauer and Mazzie Madeira in Blue Hill, Maine this summer

Mary Hobler Hyson ‘68 and her family in Maine

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CLASS NOTES

According to her obituary: “She became a premiere cloisonne jeweler, hand making elaborate pieces of jewelry, often oceanic themed, that reflected her love of nature, the sea, and the animals that lived in it.

She opened a jewelry studio and shop in Vermont, settling in South Royalton, after having a gallery in the Cayman Islands in the early 80’s.

“Gail was a member of the South Royalton Volunteer Fire Department, an EMT, and an avid animal lover.

“Throughout her life, she had several careers, including a hiking guide business, and as a mental health counselor for at-risk clients in the state of Vermont. However, she always came back to her first loves, art and animals.”

Beverly Bevis Jones: I’ve lived on the east coast of Florida in Stuart for 35 years! If you come to Florida, please be in touch (772-341-2122). My parents moved here in the ’70s so that’s how I ended up here after I married in 1990. Unfortunately, we divorced, and my ex-husband died later in a helicopter crash. I’ve been retired for two years after having my own business in public relations, marketing and websites. I enjoyed it very much. Looking for some interesting volunteer work to do.

1970

Ann Wiley awileyemail@gmail.com The challenge: Summarize your life since graduation in 25 words or less — and other updates: Tom Berger: “College, grad school, marriage, work in NYC, Saudi Arabia, DC (US govt), London (investments). With retirement there are infinite choices once again as the amount of sand in our hourglass starts to run out. So, my wife and I spend our time equally in the UK, France and Italy and follow the example of former UK leader, Margaret Thatcher, who ended each day by asking colleagues: ‘Well, what do we have to be cheerful about today?’”

Lew Bowers: “Cohousing founder, municipal city making career, married 40 years— Susan—one adult daughter, still love history, enjoy travel, bike riding and beer drinking, social justice advocate” Rebecca Bushnell: “School (college), work, school (graduate), marriage, writing, school (teaching), kids, cats, writing, school (deaning), writing, retirement (no more school!), non-profit leadership, grandparenting, writing, resting” Rett Campbell: “Polymath”

60 | JOURNAL

Freddi Cagan Doeringer: “Heading to our 50th wedding anniversary—crazy. two children, three grandchildren—wonderful. Non-profit leader and fundraiser—challenging. After living in the Midwest, now in Gloucester, MA—happy by the sea. Still enjoy a good conversation—surprise”

So, Doug McClure, Anne Shepherd, George Packard, Arlene Smith, and Peter Sears became the PDS “team that cared.” I will never forget them, along with the kind hearts of the Class of 1970 and those in the Class of 1969 who opened their hearts too. As a person of deep faith, I say: God bless you all.”

Tena Davies: “Farmington… Wheaton…

Tahiti… sailed across the Pacific… Barnard…

NYC… Burson-Marstellar… Antigua…

Navy Motion Picture Service… over 40 countries… ASPCA… New York City Ballet…

RETIREMENT!”

Richard Kendall: “Married 44 years to Lisa See, two sons, two grandsons, founded boutique law firm; still practicing law in LA. Fighting for the rule of law”

Ann Wiser Fries: “Smith ’74, Advice columnist Seventeen, UVa M.A. 1977, NYC: Editor/ Writer, Glen Fries ’83, Princeton: Elizabeth ’87, Willis ’89, stints teaching, fundraising, volunteering, interior design” Calvin Johnson: These thoughts, certainly not 25 words, are about people who cared.

In 1968, this kid from Harlem returned from Basel, Switzerland, fluent in German and Swiss German, moderately fluent in French, and having learned to ski in a serious way.

That summer, through connections, I worked in Trenton. Greg Farrell (he cared) arranged school interviews—one at Lawrenceville, one at Exeter, both 15 minutes long—and lastly, PDS. The headmaster, Douglas McClure (to him I give my eternal thanks), interviewed me for two hours. He really cared. Anne Shepherd, Peter Sears, George Packard, and Arlene Smith (to her, too, my eternal thanks) also cared.

I was given a one-year scholarship to PDS. McClure, recognizing I wasn’t quite ready academically, extended it to two years.

Allison Gilbert Kozicharow “Between years in college I lived with my family in Europe and Mexico. After that I headed to Washington, DC, and got a job as an editor in a small publishing company. I soon met my husband on the Metroliner going back to DC from Princeton. We married the next year and moved to Brussels, Belgium, for five years where my first daughter was born, and between fun travels, I worked as a freelance writer. We returned to DC, and I had my second daughter. I worked for ICF Next as an editor and writer in English and Spanish on public outreach projects for federal contracts for NIH, HHS, CDC, USAID, etc. for 20 years. I retired a few years ago but remain on call. Haven’t worked much lately because guess what happened to those federal contracts?

We all know, Mr. Trump! Today I enjoy my family, especially my grandchildren, and my dogs and cat. I am also a board member for an NGO my dad helped start almost 30 years ago: wiredinternational.org. I am healthy so far (!) and enjoy my life except for the constant horrific news created by the present administration. Join Indivisible!”

When it came time for college, I had no idea where to go, so I returned to New York.

Columbia rejected me (though I would later complete three master’s degrees in its School of Architecture—Robin’s field of expertise and a kind heart). Baruch welcomed me, but McClure wasn’t satisfied. He had a plan.

It was late in the admissions season, but many schools still held reserve placement opportunities. McClure asked about my languages and skiing, though I didn’t yet know why. Then Peter Sears stepped in; he knew the comptroller at Middlebury College. During Spring Break, Sears (he really cared) drove me up there, even though Middlebury had already accepted its freshman class.

I interviewed with Assistant Dean Tim Carey (PDS ’57). Like McClure, he spoke with me for over two hours. At the end, he asked, “Do you want to come here?” After another long conversation, I said yes. Carey told me, “Fill out this application and return it tomorrow—you’re in!”

Allison Gilbert Kozicharow ‘70’s granddaughters: Scarlett (age 12) and Allison (almost age 11)

Pam Orr Marck: “College. Married 51 years.

Lived in PA, CT, MA. Teacher. Volunteer.

Author. three daughters. Unexpectedly loving being a retired snowbird! Teaching Burdenko water classes and digital scrapbooking. six precious grandkids keeping me busy”

Meg Brinster Michael: “College, marriage, head of PDS Alumni Association, Alumni Board member and Class Secretary, three amazing kids, divorce, painter/artist, curator the last 10yrs, travel, summers at the beach, and grandson, Henry”

Janet Masterton: “I have been busy traveling in the west: Colorado, Nebraska Wyoming and South Dakota visiting family and friends!

I even managed to take a train ride through part of the Colorado Rocky Mountains with my family! I stay in touch with Meg Brinster and Ann Wiser, which is always fun!!! All good with me! I hope you and all, in our class are doing well! Stay safe and healthy!”

John Parrott: “The Gunnery, Jesus, Penn/ Philadelphia, Susan, Temple Law, history teacher, Latin Program, St. Joe’s, history @ Bodine High, David, Julia, Haverford, Pennsylvania, Victorian house”

Cintra Huber McGauley: “Eldest child/ Hometown Princeton/ Woodstock Girl / Studied Art History then Finance/ Became Fine Art Investment Analyst/ NY NY/ VP Marketing International Auction Business/ Then VP Marketing International Equestrian Federation-American Horse Shows & Olympics/ Married the smartest man I knew a widower) / Had two children, adopted his three children/ Moved to “the wild west”- Florida/ Battled developers and built multiple children’s sports facilities and parks/ Now in Charleston with grandchildren /Ah Serenity!”

Wendy Lawson-Johnston McNeil: “Immature, learning a lot, married, becoming a mom twice (greatest experience of my life), discovering a smidgeon of confidence, deep appreciation for the importance of family, stewarding a legacy, connecting to a higher being through nature, needing to be on a horse, learning to run a tree farm, having an insatiable desire to spend time with my children and grandchildren, soaking up the happiness of being with good friends, camping, appreciating the calm of the woods, experiencing deep gratitude for my parents, currently wishing that, at 73, my list of doctors had not tripled but content that life is good and fulfilling”

Bob Peck ’70 and family

Jon Paynter: “College, 39 years National Park Service (Indiana Dunes NL, Everglades NP, married, Biscayne NPr, Colorado NM, Wash. DC, Denali NP, divorced, retirement, bought a boat” Bob Peck: “Hippie Southern Cal UCRiverside Punker Dread Dirty 80’s Hep C Riv Public Defender’s Private Investigator Rodney King Crash & Burn Bay Area Escape RE Appraiser ALCO Assessor Office ACERA Rich Grlfrd Easy Street DS DynamoKid Now What?”

Liz Hamid Roberts: “Mount Holyoke, marriage to Bill, two daughters, high school science teacher, four grandsons, lived in MA, VA, NH, MA again, NY, and back to NH” Eve Robinson: “55 years post PDS. I lived in Wisco, Mass, NYC and NJ. I have two daughters who are the best. I have one grandson who is perfect. I have one husband for over 40 years who is my life partner in everything. I still work/still teach/still play tennis/ still swim laps/still stay active in my town.”

Marjorie Shaw: “Graduate school (anatomy), post-doc, marriage, teaching dental school, Florida mom, two daughters, London/ Amsterdam ex-pat, museum docent, teaching medical school, retirement: teaching, reading, puzzling, granddaughter”

Laurie D’Agostino Stoumen: “College, moved to CA, worked in the natural food business, married, three children, back to school, started landscape design business, still working part- time, swimming my laps, walking, working in my garden, and enjoying our seven grandchildren” Judi Migliori Ward: “six grandkids. tennis. family. hubby Frank. Croatia. Montenegro.

Ireland. Scotland. England. Israel & Jordan before the war. Normandy. Portugal, Morocco, Czech Republic. Austria. New Zealand. Cuba.

Sicily. Berlin. Hungary. Brazil. Argentina.

Mexico. Peru. Thailand. Japan next. Two open heart surgeries” Bumper White began his update reminiscing about early days in Lawrenceville with Deebs Young, Shelly Brewster McMahan (who, in the second grade, gave him his first kiss!), and Ann Wiley, along with Deebs’ cousins, Matthew and Jimmy, who all met before going to MFS. PCD or PDS… “Were Lindsay Hicks and Wendy Lawson-Johnson McNeil at Lawrenceville Elementary, too???

“I never wanted to leave PDS as I had lots of friends, it was a new school and girls!!! I had not been in a classroom with girls since third grade (and would not again until college), but off I went as many of us did.

“And yes, I was there that day in Mrs. Roberts’ class. Was it a coed class? I didn’t think we had any that first year? Her looking at the class while she pointed out the geographical ‘features’ on the map… to our surprise. Then turning around and ripping the map from the hangers and leaving the room in a huff. I can’t remember who came up with that brilliant idea!!! Were they ever revealed? I do remember that we all had to contribute to buy a new map as when she tore the ‘picture’ off the map the tape ripped it.

“After boarding school, I went to Lake Forest College and, coincidentally, there were other guys there that had gone to PCD; we all skated together. While there, I majored in psychology and volunteered in local daycare centers and elementary schools. Since that time my life has been devoted to public education, first as a preschool teacher and then with the older kids :) second graders. I also became an elementary school principal. After that I became an academic and taught in several universities and colleges developing elementary teacher education ‘school-based programs’ something that was very unique and innovative at the time. I finished my teaching career in a higher education as a professor in the University of Maine system.

“Over the years I have kept in contact with Freddy Erdman, Deebs and, of course, Chris Reeve. Chris was so generous and invited me

WINT E R 2 0 2 5 | 6 1

CLASS NOTES

to his big birthday party in New York City.

What fun sitting at a table with Robin Williams and Glenn Close, etc., etc. Everybody seemed to be there—about 50 famous actors, etc. Fortunately, there was room for Freddy, Deebs and me, so we were all together again. I stayed the entire weekend with Chris and Dana met the older kids and I got to see a very young Will play peewee hockey!

“I have lived in Maine pretty much since graduating from college, since the mid ‘70s, I am now retired living on the coast with a wonderful wife and partner, AnnMarie. We have one child, Emily, who is married and lives in Portland with two kids, and like so many of us, find being a grandparent is wonderful. In my ‘spare’ time I am on the board on the local Land Trust and have worked on local community committees. I played hockey up until five years ago when I had to retire due to injuries.

“PCD/PDS is never far away as my brothers went there and from time to time I see some of their old classmates when they visit Maine and we sing the school song and chant the cheer. It was so long ago!!

“Sorry to say, I have not been back to Princeton for a long time and when I did, I hardly recognized it. Maine ‘is the way life should be’—and I rarely leave New England.”

Ann Wiley: College, teaching, teacher placement, PDS Development Office for 32 years, retirement, class notes editor, travel, volunteer work at church; never married, no kids.

Joan Williams: “Two kids, 10 books, a move from DC to San Francisco, nearly 50 years with my soulmate. A bit of social change but not as much as I would have liked!”

for coffee at a new French bakery (Belle Journee) on Chambers Street in Princeton. It was wonderful to catch up with them and the pastries were delicious!

“I do, however, have literally hundreds of photos of our recent trip to Africa. In June, my husband and I travelled with our daughter (Rachel ’13) and her husband, Kyle, to Kenya for a couple of weeks of safaris. We saw every animal native to that part of the world including some I had never heard of (gerenuk, hyrax, dik-dik…). It was unbelievably fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone who has any interest in seeing animals in their natural habitats.”

Rick Kramer: “It’s been a busy three years here in Tennessee. I am now a great-grandfather to two beautiful children by my oldest grandson.

Fortunately, he was transferred from Hawaii to Virginia, so we’ll be able to visit them soon.

Nancy and I also celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in August. Thanks to Jeremy Bonner, he recommended the Omni Inn and Garden resort in Asheville NC. It was fantastic. Later this year it’s back to my alma mater for my 50-year college reunion. Where did all the time go?”

Vicki Willock: “Since Covid, my husband, John and I have ventured to Santa Barbara regularly in the summer to escape the desert heat in lieu of cooler seaside weather. We made plans to have dinner with Debbie Hobler ’66 and had an opportunity to catch up with her on a variety of subjects ranging from her father’s war experiences, update on her siblings, her current book— political commentary—and the status of her two coon cats. What an idyllic life she lives on the California ‘Riveria,’ all well deserved. For fun look at her picture in the 1966 yearbook, Debbie has hardly changed.

Deebs Young: “Ithaca, Greensboro, NC 1974, Easco Aluminum (Freddy’s father) 25 years, children: Deebs, Sloan, Kemp, Adams Electric- 1999—still working, Saratoga, Carolina Hurricanes.”

So great to hear from so many classmates!

Hoping more of you will send something for the spring Journal!

1971

“I continue to enjoy ‘retirement’ being on two boards and mentoring aspiring business professionals. Keeps me busy and constantly learning. Off to the East Coast for a week in September to see friends and conduct a little business before returning to La Quinta.”

Jeremy Bonner reported on the wildlife captured on camera on his small patch of woods and field in Asheville, North Carolina: There have been three black bear cubs and a rather large mom hanging around this summer. They sometimes play under our apple trees. We have also seen two other lone bears. One large and fat plus a smaller juvenile. Our game cameras also pick up the usual crowed of critters: fox, coyotes, possum, racoons, rabbits, skunk, an occasional deer and even a bobcat a year or so ago. We also have a five-unit wild bird feeding station. It has a ‘must have’ electric fence around it to keep the bears away. The birds love it and are determined to eat us out of house and home.

Along with our three chickens and two dogs, life is busy on our little three-acre plot.”

Willie Remsen gets our distant correspondent award: “I just got back from Iraq where I am working with the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures on the conservation and presentation of the ziggurat of the archaeological site of Nippur (c. 2100 BC) and the fortified Shamash Gate, (c. 650 BC), which was part of the walls of ancient Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire. Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC by the Medes and the Persians. Iraq is difficult to get to and work in, but it is great fun as we studied the archaeology back in eighth grade at PDS. Thanks Wes! I am enjoying my two grandchildren, Jamie (four) and Ella (two), who live nearby. Otherwise, my wife, Jane, and I are living the dream in Annisquam, MA.” Nina Shafran shared: “I have sad news to relay, my mother, Mary, passed away in the spring. It was not unexpected, and she died peacefully at home of natural causes.

Nonetheless, we are all utterly heartbroken and still trying to adjust. We were blessed to have her as long as we did, far longer than so many of my friends’ mothers, but I think no matter the age, you are never ready to lose your mom.

My dad is struggling but persevering, and I visit him frequently to help out. I’m also still working full-time, as crazy as that sounds.”

Thomas Worthington worthington_tom@yahoo.com

Melissa and Tom Worthington (me) continue to have a wonderfully busy life together in Minnesota—lots of volunteer work, travel, and time together with our four grands!

Lisa Warren confirmed: “It is not true that if there is no photographic evidence, it didn’t really happen. A couple of months ago Lizette Mills Hardie, Katie Poole and I got together

Bill Flemer has already kindly offered to host our 55th reunion in 2026 at his place in Stockton! I hope we have a great turnout.

Save the date: May 15-16, 2026.

Blythe Kropf blythekropf51@gmail.com

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Lisa Warren ’71 and family in Kenya

1972 John Moore johnlmoore3@gmail.com Kudos to the six (out of 70+) classmates who kindly took a few minutes out of their day to send in some news for the rest of us to enjoy.

Like a broken record, I will repeat that it would be really nice if more of you would take a few minutes and share some news. Although we are scattered across the country, we’ve been a pretty close class that cares about each other regardless of the many decades that have passed. It’s hard to keep that going unless people communicate.

Ginny Myer Kester shared lots of good news: “Greg and I are happily retired and living in Madison, WI. In February and March of this year, I traveled to Southeast Asia with two friends (one of whom was Jan O’Neill, also from Princeton) for three weeks of travel through Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

What a beautiful part of the world and what a great time to be on the other side of the world! Walking through the old city in Chiang Mai, dodging crazy city traffic in Hanoi, and admiring the many spectacular temples throughout all three countries were only a few of the highlights. From Siem Riep, Cambodia, I flew to meet Greg (who had just retired from his job as Director of Renewable Resources for the California Association of Sanitation Agencies) in Sydney. Another great city!

We spent two weeks in Australia, splitting our time between Sydney and Queensland in the north. I was able to knock several things off the bucket list, which included snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and walking the trails in the Daintree Rainforest. From Australia we flew over to Queenstown on New Zealand’s South

Willie Remsen ’71 in Assyria

Island where we spent 10 days. Hiking in Queenstown, an overnight cruise on Milford Sound, a trip through a glow worm cave, and the final three days in the spectacular Mt. Cook National Park made for a perfect ending to the trip.

“After six weeks of travel, I was back home and ready to get back to a more normal daily rhythm. Here my time is spent rug hooking, jigsaw puzzles (thanks to Andy Scasserra who got me hooked on this pastime), doing some political work as well as volunteering at a local school. I also help out with my grandson, Teddy, as I’m lucky to have our son, John, a fifth grade teacher in the public schools here, and family here in Madison. Yoga, biking, gardening, and walking with friends pretty much take up the rest of my time. We also try to visit our daughter, Lane, and family often in Chinook, Washington. Keeping up with our two granddaughters there keeps us running.

Finally zooming with Andy Scasserra, Cici Morgan Pastahov, our dear late Tom Reynolds (who is missed!) with an occasional cameo by Alex Laughlin has kept me in touch with East Coast happenings. Recently visiting with Daren Hicks ’73 in Los Angeles rounded out a good year to date. I look forward to seeing you all at our next reunion! Thanks again, John, for doing this and for the reminder too! Hope all is well with you and your family!”

My cousin, Al, wrote in: “John, I just wanted to say you are a great person. You and I and many have felt sadness this year. Days like the Tommy Reynolds passing has opened quiet times in my day. Life is pretty peaceful for

me and it’s okay to miss people. Family and grandchildren help me feel strong most of the day. I love naps. Thanks John! From Cousin Alex L (Alex Laughlin Sr. ‘AL;)” Kate Merlino sounds busy: “I continue to live in Manhattan and have two terrific ‘retirement jobs:’ working in guest services at the Metropolitan Opera and as an associate at Eileen Fisher. Both are quite different from my communications career but not really—they all need the power of persuasion. Travel, the arts, and enjoying my wonderful nieces fills in the rest of my time, and not in that order!”

Steve Zudnak wrote: “I hope all is well in your camp. Time does keep plowing forward. I don’t really have anything overly exciting to share. I have remained very busy playing with my local band. I also get out on my boat as often as I

Ginny Meyers Kester ’72’s grandchildren

Ginny Meyers Kester ’72 with her husband, Greg

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can. I have zero complaints with my retirement.

I had a knee replacement last October, so I’m back in good physical shape again. Better watch out. I do have my ‘almost annual’ two-wheel trip planned with Johnny K (John Kalpin). We missed hooking up last year. So, we’re currently planning on cruising the Northeast in midOctober. Perhaps we can arrange to stop in and see you and others living the great Northeast life. That would be fun. My best to all.”

Zud—Glad your knee is now bionic. My wife had hers done late spring and she is like a new woman. Let me know if you will be in Maine on your two-wheeled adventure—we’ll cook up a meet-up with the many classmates who live all around this beautiful state!

Jan Hall Burruss wrote: “In the horrors of the current world and national situations, my little family is, thankfully, thriving. In July, our third granddaughter, Rowan, was born, in Cambridge. She joins Emma and Ava who live in northern Vermont. Our three children all live in New England, so I can see them all fairly often. My health continues to hold, for which I’m eternally grateful to my great team of doctors and some amazing medicines. This summer we have been able to spend more time in Annisquam, now that I’m fully and happily retired and John is only consulting one day a week. We’re still planning to sell lots of land and our old family farm in Sherborn and then move closer to Boston and public transit, but the process is painfully slow. I hope you and all our classmates are well.”

Take good care. Jan, the mention of Annisquam brings me back to happy days living in Marblehead. We’d take our boat up the Annisquam to the river side of Wingaersheek Beach. It was great swimming for our young daughters.

that I will miss him very much. I had two separate opportunities to reconnect with people from PDS and Miss Fine’s this spring. First, in San Francisco at a memorial service for one of my father’s oldest, dearest friends —and also a Dartmouth roommate of my ninth grade English teacher, Huson Gregory. That’s how I bumped into Liza Gregory ’83, Huson’s daughter, who I hadn’t seen since she was a little girl. She works at an architecture firm in the Bay Area, is married with children, and flies east every six weeks to see her parents, Huson and Mimi Gregory, who as of this writing were STILL living in their house on Long Island.

Then, in May I drove to Princeton for the 125th anniversary of Miss Fine’s School (and the 100th anniversary of PCD), reconnecting with some wonderful people, including the new Head of School Kelley Nicholson-Flynn, who was not only very impressive but grew up in Pittsburgh! (Which explains everything.)

I also saw Jody Erdman, Annie Williams ’74… and Regan Kearney ’65, who grew up in the same house I did (but not at the same time)!

Plus, a hilarious ride with Mimi, our guide, through our old neighborhoods in a giant tour bus! Things in Princeton have changed, but not THAT much…”

Those who were aware were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our dear classmate, Tommy Reynolds this past April. He was one of the nicest, kindest, humblest and most genuine people I’ve ever known. Tommy and I pursued different passions at PDS, different paths in life, but we always connected, always enjoyed each other.

He leaves a huge hole of loss inside me, but I am so grateful and better for knowing him.

MacKenzie Carpenter shared the following: “A sad spring for me, notably because of the loss of Tom Reynolds. I can’t possibly add anything to what has already been said about him except

Tom Reynolds ’72 with his daughter, Dr. Grace Reynolds, at one of their favorite annual events

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Huson Gregory, former PDS English teacher

Tom was a lifer; having started at Miss Fines and continuing through PCD and then on to PDS. He was a big believer in PDS and gave back in many generous ways. Our deepest and warmest love go out to his wife, Karen, son, Thomas Byrne Reynolds Jr, and daughter, Dr. Grace Reynolds, as well as brother, Carl D. Reimers III ’80.

1973

Cassandra “Sandy” Oxley cassandra.oxley@gmail.com Anne Macleod Weeks shared: “2025 began with a bang, including a right knee replacement for me and my husband having a heart attack. By July, things seemed to be evening out, and we began to enjoy summer, always a treat on the coast of Nova Scotia, with warm days and cool nights. My husband finished the sequel to his novel, “Nodding’s People,” and is hopeful the publisher will take it. My novel is still making the rounds of agents. I did have one very positive response from a publisher, who didn’t take it on but said to keep sending it out because it’s good.

I hold that thought! I have had success with my photography with pieces in collections in Canada, the UK, the US, and Japan. I am currently reinventing myself by leaving college admission guidance behind (after eight years working for a company in China), and I am training to be a certified Pet Loss and Bereavement Specialist. I am enjoying the course, the readings, but not the quizzes!

Otherwise, I spend my time gardening, hiking, reading, and volunteering with the local dog park, and the yearly folk music festival. We were very happy that our grandson, at age four, was granted his Canadian citizenship, the sixth generation! He and his parents reside in Baltimore. I keep in touch with Robin Maltese Dintinger, Sue Ross Cusack, Liz

Anne Macleod Weeks ’73

Pratt Amory, Tucky Fussell, Daryl Janick Kent, and Hilary Morgan. Despite our all living so far apart, we check in regularly.”

Take care Anne, wishing you all the best.

Roger Williams was recently interviewed by “The Jersey Vindicator.” Its introduction included: “Williams, the state historian for the New Jersey chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, has been living and breathing American history since he was a boy. He recently retired from the book publishing industry and now pursues his passion for history through the Sons of the American Revolution as a public historian.

He also co-founded a nonprofit called Ten Crucial Days, which focuses on the Continental Army’s week-and-a-half-long campaign to save the Revolution during the winter of 1776.”

As for me (Sandy), I recently lost my job due to DOGE. I was a technical writer (contractor) for the Federal Aviation Administration (develop air traffic courseware primarily) but as of June 1, our contract was canceled. It’s been quite an adjustment, and I am diligently looking for work. I did take off a few days in August to head down to Freehold and Asbury Park, visiting several Springsteen hot spots! It was a celebratory weekend, 50 years since “Born to Run” came out! I also visited some old haunts west of there, even tooled around PDS, and spent a night in New Hope, PA (my family had moved to Lambertville, NJ when I was in 11th grade) so it was a favorite hangout. Things had certainly changed since I was last there.

That’s all the class of 1973 has for this issue!

1974 Mary “Polly” Hunter White pwhite2224@gmail.com From Terry Ward: “There have been eventful times since our wonderful 50th reunion in May 2024). In the fall of 2024, I had the great pleasure of attending the 50th reunion at Hopewell Valley High School.” (Terry attended HVHS for grades 9-10). “At the Hopewell Valley Regional High School reunion, I saw many childhood friends.

I kept thinking how much the two classes, HoVal and PDS would have enjoyed each other. Truly!

“This year, we lost my partner, Gary’s, mother at the age of 98. I need not detail the many challenges of the final weeks—so many of us have been there. And so now I am supporting Gary as he goes through treatment for mantel cell lymphoma. The prognosis is excellent so there is no panic and solid optimism, but I tell you the chemo does sap his energies.

We’re taking things slow. There are three more monthly chemo sessions to go. My own health is fine, just the usual aches and pains of a budding geezer. I look forward to flying to Vienna, Austria with my brother, Keith, for a 10-day visit in early October. Ever since I spent a year off from college in Austria, Vienna has been a frequent stop. Well, that’s enough from me. Best wishes to everyone.”

From Ted Dowey: “I retired in May. I am adjusting to having more time in the day, but not at a loss for things to do. I have done bike trips in Maine, rented a camper van in Norway, a bike trip with Sab Russo in

October. I wish we had a forum, other than Facebook (which most of us have ghosted) to follow the class of 1974 adventures. Any suggestions out there.”

From Polly White: In response to Ted’s comment about our class Facebook, we can bring the page back. For anyone interesting in being a part of our Class of 1974 Facebook group, please email me your current Facebook account name so I can get a new page up. I do have some names but not the full class. So, if you are interested, please email (pwhite2224@ gmail.com) me your current information. The page would be private and solely for our class to stay connected via social media.

As for me, I will be “snow birding,” for the first time in southern Oregon. As some of you may know, I live in the Chicago suburbs.

I will be enjoying a warmer, and still a four seasons climate for the winter months.

I am looking forward to not shoveling and plowing snow, no negative wind chill temperatures and no long dreary winter…a winter that lasts far too long and results in a very short spring, a spring that does not come to the month of May. I often question why I am still in the Chicago burbs. If any of you will be in the southern Oregon area, I will be in Grants Pass, I would love to have you visit and I do have room for guests.

1975

Yuki Moore Laurenti ymlaurenti@gmail.com Molly Sword McDonough mollyswordmcdonough@yahoo.com From Molly: Wow! What a fabulous 50th reunion for the Class of ’75! What fun for all of us that so many classmates made the effort to attend. How incredible that we had classmates come from Italy, Patagonia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Vermont, Maine, North Carolina and Florida!

It really was a wonderful gathering, and we all want to thank our incredible hosts for Saturday evening, Curtis McGraw Webster and his wife,

Anne Macleod Weeks ’73’s grandson, Amos

1975 classmates John Brinster, Bill McClellan, and Lars Selberg aboard a two masted boat heading out on Egologic Reach

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Jennifer Ortega. Curtis and Jennifer welcomed us into their beautiful home with love, spectacular food, ambiance and a jazz trio! We enjoyed the opportunity to visit with each other in a truly “moveable feast” of friends.

Many thanks to our 50th Reunion Committee: John Brinster; Kathy Burks Hackett; Jane Farley von Oehsen; Kip Herrick O’Brien; Molly Sword McDonough; and Keith Thomas!

Special thanks to Brian Crowell ’11 and Amy Gallo ’03 from the PDS Alumni Office for their leadership in helping us organize our 50th reunion, and for hosting the wonderful Friday night dinner and gathering at PDS. The local contingent would like to encourage any classmates who are visiting town to get in touch with Molly Sword McD, and we will organize a lunch!

I will try to get a class Facebook group created or re-invigorated to share the many photos that we could not include in the Journal.

From Yuki: While much news was shared at the reunion, not much has been submitted for inclusion in the Journal.

Lars Selberg and his wife, Julie Sly ’74, stayed with John Brinster while attending the reunion.

Then, in early August, John visited them in Brooklin, Maine. The three of them along with Bill McClellan and his wife, Nelda, went for lunch and a sail. John reported “It was great!”

Lars’ recent news is that “our daughter, Kat, and her boyfriend have decided to tie the knot. Julie and I are very pleased.”

Amy Stover Garofalo reported: “Though I’ve lived outside Bologna, Italy for 35 years and, have had the great fortune to enjoy all the things this cradle of civilization is known for, raised children (long gone) in a uniquely welcoming environment, worked as a translator and ESL teacher, eaten more tortellini and had more fascinating encounters than can be counted, my true self belongs in the States and that’s why I didn’t hesitate to attend our reunion in May. It really takes little to resurrect our 1970s selves, pangs and all, and there was a sensation that it was the same for others; it just felt so natural to be side by side and I would have loved to engage with

more of our classmates. Of my PDS days, I particularly recall Madame Noel, her art flashcards and taxing grammar lessons; Mr. Lott who transmitted a love of history; Peter Buttenheim and his passion for Mark Twain; and, of course, Mr. McAneny who, like for so many, passed on a love for the theatre arts. And that’s not counting old-school Mrs. Vogt in seventh grade, who taught me how to compose an outline, resulting in my opus on colonial furniture, and Mr. McCaughan, who was treated to my other major work on Ancient Roman cuisine, something which came in handy later in life. Of course, Phil VanDusen sits high in

1975ers enjoying their reunion: Janet Quigley with our host for the Saturday evening dinner Curtis McGraw Webster, and Lucy Gorelli

1975ers enjoying their reunion: Curtis McGraw Webster, the host for the Saturday evening dinner with Jody Myer Lynch, (front) Lucy Gorelli, Suzanne Bishop Willis, Jane Farley von Oehsen, Peter Chalverus, Michael Hill

1975ers enjoying their reunion: Kip Herrick O’Brien, Ellen Albert, Yuki Moore Laurenti and Keith Thomas making an appearance in the background

1975ers enjoying their reunion: Sally Blodget Carton, Molly Sword McDonough, Ruth Barach Cox, Amy Stover Garofalo

1975 Reunion class photo

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1975ers enjoying their reunion: John Brinster, Gary Salup, Marita Sturken, Anne Russell Barrett

the pantheon. Curtis Webster said, perhaps jokingly, that he’s game for a 55th reunion repeat, and I think we should hold him to it.”

The joy of togetherness and the reconnections that resulted were tinged with sadness later in the summer when we learned of the passing of our classmate Mary Lane. John had spoken with her in the spring, encouraging her to join our festivities. We regret this lost opportunity and the loss to her family.

Life is precious and so are the friendships made over 50 years ago.

1976

Katharine Kehoe kgkath@verizon.net It’s been a weirdly mild summer here in North Texas, but I am not complaining. I’ve been busy moving my business to Walmart’s online platform, growing my brands, and working to launch a new one. Business has taken me to Cancun and Vegas, and I’ve also traveled to Tampa to see my brother, Roger, and his family, but I generally am a homebody. I am still enjoying my rec center oil painting class each week and have discovered that I’m not half bad!

No artist I, unlike E. J. Barnes who is a professional. She wrote: “This year is a much busier one than last, as I sign up for more events indoors and outdoors. At the New England Folk Festival in April, I led workshops on Latvian folk songs and on Shaker songs.

I’m slated to lead two plein air outings for the New England Watercolor Society this year, one in New Hampshire, the other in Western Massachusetts. I’ve sold my art at several outdoor craft fairs this summer (all in Massachusetts) and am returning for the first time since 2018 to the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, in September. My watercolor work on the Cagliostro graphic novel continues (slowly, with some memorably ghastly hiccups), while I’ve just scripted a one-shot comic focusing on a major figure in the Shaker West (Ohio).”

after tracing my father’s side of the family back to 1736 in the islands of Shapinsay, Kirkwall, Westray, and Papa Westray. To our amazement, we connected with two distant relatives on tiny Shapinsay (population 299). It was a deeply meaningful journey—part adventure, part homecoming—and one I reflect on often.

“Professionally, I continue to serve as Clinical Supervisor and Executive Director at Isaiah House, a long-term residential program for men recovering from substance use disorders in Ellijay, GA. We are currently expanding our services to include an intensive outpatient program, broadening our reach and deepening our commitment to recovery support.”

I think most of us were saddened by the news of Mr. Franz’s passing. Murray Wilmerding shared some thoughts: “I think the class of ’76 had the most grateful and appreciative students at the two Andy Franz memorials. His care, guileless nature and ability to see the beauty in both wood crafting and students were beyond measure. His teaching of the practical will live on in my hands till my death. Hopefully, I can pass some of his abilities to the next generation.

Cyndi and I have made the shift to RV living.

From the days of me haunting the doorway of Kopp’s Cycle, riding to PDS so I could sleep in, and the quiet mentoring of another two classic men, Fritz Kuhn and Dick Swann. Bikes, my parents’ VW. Mr. Jacobson’s bike club at the Colross garage took over my life. On the road racing and traveling. Today, we are on the road riding and traveling. Exploring the USA. Kids and grandkids are thriving, and we are enjoying that space of semi-retired. Looking forward to next May’s gathering.”

Gwyneth Hamel Iredale wrote that she “has enjoyed exploring the vast expanses of Oregon—the sagebrush ‘sea’ geology of the John Day River, hiking the Cascade Range

It was nice to hear from Sally Lincoln Jeffery, who said: “Last year, my oldest daughter, Sarah, and I traveled to the Orkney Islands in Scotland

EJ Barnes ’76 at the Cambridge River Festival last June

Shelley Gordon-Feryus ’75, Jeri Hafitz ’72, Andy Hafitz ’80, Livia Wong McCarthy ’77, Michael Hafitz ’73, Becky Hafitz Hull ’77 celebrated Becky’s daughter’s marriage

and parts of the PCT, the dense forests and expansive beaches on the coast. Please look me up if you plan a vacation in our beautiful state.

I plan to visit Princeton on family business and hope to combine the trip with our 50th reunion.

I’ve joined our class reunion committee to help get the word out and would love to reconnect with friends I haven’t seen since I moved West in ‘91.”

I haven’t made it to Spain, but if I do, I will surely take Amos Harris up on his offer of hospitality for any of his former classmates. He says: “No sightings of PDS alums to report this year from Granada, Spain, but can report that life in Europe is lovely.”

It was nice to hear from Jeb Burns, who shared: “Leslie (Ring Burns) and I are living in Essex, MA, our home for the past thirty-eight years.

We see Tom Moore and Bill Erdman on a regular basis as they both live relatively close by.

Leslie stays involved in the local community, volunteering at several non-profit organizations and immersing herself in local artists groups. I am enjoying my work, entering my fortieth year in the world of finance. I spend a fair amount of time in The Outer Banks (Hatteras Island) pursuing my passions, kite surfing and wing foiling. Last year during one of our road trips from the Outer Banks back to Massachusetts, Leslie and I detoured to Lewes, Delaware to stop and visit Steve Judge. Steve looked and sounded great; he doesn’t seem to have aged much since high school! Steve and his wife, Tammy, are grandparents, as are Leslie and I.” Bill von Oehsen offered: “I don’t have a lot to report. I saw Mark Greco when I was last in New Jersey visiting family. It turns out that Mark lives right across the street from my mother in Pennington. Mark practices dentistry, like his father did.”

I understand that Mark’s son is a veterinarian in Hopewell, as is our own Judy Glogau.

Jonathan Stein and I stay in touch. Jon’s update: “Our big news is the move to Delaware after 36 years in PA. It has been an adventure, and not always a good one.

As a result of the move, we’ve not been traveling. Too many things to attend to here.

I did drive out to Detroit to participate in a unique Concours d’Elegance run by a college freshman and his team. I think it is the fourth or fifth year, which means he was in high school when he started it. All the judges are under 21, some as young as 10 or 11. There are experienced judges to guide them, but the kids make the calls. I was pleased to be a mentor judge this year. Then, I extended the road trip to visit an MG friend in Rochester and a first cousin in the tiny town of Charlotteville, NY. In August, I’ll make my annual trek to judge at the Pebble Beach Concours and visit

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(daughter) Remy in Salt Lake City on my way home. In August and September, I’ll hit a couple of smaller concours and take one of the MGs to a pair of British Car shows.”

I recently saw someone tootling down the road in a green MGB and was suddenly 17 again (I wish, lol!). Jon also mentioned that he caught up with Carl Spataro after a long communication drought.

Julie Stabler Hull said, “I don’t really have anything to report except that we have grandchildren # four and # five on the way (not twins).”

As many of you are aware, Julie has graciously volunteered to be our 50th Reunion Chair with support from Gwyneth, Sandy Shaw, Joanne Kind Hinton, and Judy. Please reach out if you are not receiving emails so that we can get you connected and mark your calendars for May 15-16, 2026. Julie is juliehull01@gmail.com and I am sure would welcome additional offers of help with everything.

1977

Sandra Benson Cress sbcress@aol.com Livia Wong McCarthy wrote from Martha’s Vineyard, where she was celebrating the marriage of Becky Hafitz Hull’s oldest daughter, Eliza. “The festivities have been spectacular, and the ceremony took place at Becky’s new Edgartown Great Pond home.

“Also, I had a Beth Johnson Nixon encounter in Newport, RI this summer where we were guests at a Route 66 birthday party. We noted how old friends are the most precious and the importance of showing up to keep relationships strong and growing. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our 50th in 2027, if not sooner.”

Clooie Sherman shared: “We’ve spent the last six months: visiting my mom in Maryland for her 93rd birthday, attending a memorial service, visiting family in Colorado, and hiking up to Panorama Point on Mt. Rainier during

Simeon Hutner ’77 accepting the Shouldice Family Award for Best Vermont-Made Film

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wildflower season! That hike is short but steep. We were delighted to make it and had very good views of various mountains to the south and Mt. Rainier itself showing up in and out of the clouds. The wildflowers did not disappoint—they were gorgeous!

the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, nearly filling their largest theater (250 seats).

I couldn’t have asked for a warmer or more generous reception. The film was honored with the Shouldice Family Award for Best Vermont-Made Film.

“Very sad to hear about the losses of Mr. Franz and Doc Ross. Such wonderful teachers and kind men. I hadn’t thought I actually needed to read a chapter in our woodworking textbook on using the lathe. Then I started to use the blade tool upside down and Bam! Mr. Franz hit that red power cutoff button so fast and I was the lesson for the day. He had eyes in the back of his head, that man!

Condolences to the Franz family and beyond.

“Just before the screening, the festival showed Walk With Me, a film I edited about a couple facing early-onset Alzheimer’s. That film premiered last year at the Hamptons International Film Festival and has since played widely on the festival circuit.

“Doc Ross was perhaps my favorite teacher at PDS. He made me laugh all the time and made learning fun. I smile every time I think of him. My condolences to Ralph ’79 and Amy ’82 and their families and beyond.”

Lisa Yokana contributed: “Lovely summer in northern Vermont with my girls, son-in-law and grandson. Another baby on the way—a girl, hopefully in December! All good here and looking forward to our 50th! We gave a housewarming party at the beginning of August to celebrate one year in our new house and were lucky enough to have my kids with us for about six weeks this summer in Vermont. We had hot, sunny days with lots of lake time. Now it’s back to consulting with three trips to Saudi Arabia this year, working with educators to develop entrepreneurial mindsets in the k-12 classroom, as well as work in NY and NJ around innovation and AI. to work with teachers there. Life is good!

Hope all is well with you and yours.”

Simeon Hutner shared, “I’ve been keeping busy with new film projects. My most recent, Traces of Time, is a personal documentary about the last six years of my mother’s life, living alone in the mountains of Vermont, where she lived for more than two decades. I directed, produced, shot, and edited the film.

We held a preview screening in August at

Lisa Yokana ’77 with her girls, son-in-law, grandson, husband and pup, Cece

“Our family is doing well, and both of our kids are at the same school near our home in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I look forward to our next reunion—it’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 50 years!”

I heard from Julia Penick in response to my plea (begging? whining?) for “news.” She said she had nothing to add this go-around, although she was writing from Georgian Bay, Ontario, which, apparently, is a popular summering spot for several of the class of ’77!

Somehow, I missed the memo!

Harold Tanner added, “Sounds like an eventful summer! My account is much less dramatic.

Spent most of the summer preparing a book manuscript for publication—dealing with the people who were making the maps for the book, the copyeditor, making the index. As is inevitable, once everything got done and the book went into production, I looked at the

Simeon Hutner ’77 (second from left) with his son, Simeon Jr., his wife, Lucy, and his daughter, Julia

1977 Classmates Quinn McCord and Steve Farr at a “really great” Trombone Shorty show in Selbyville Delaware.

manuscript again and noticed more typos and other such minor errors that should have been caught during the copy-editing. So: if anyone wants to play ‘find the embarrassingly stupid typos in Tanner’s new book,’ “War in Modern China: A Military History,” published by Routledge, it will be available from all purveyors of books, in hardcover, paperback and e-book formats on September 30th, 2025. Buy copies for friends and family to play along! Prizes galore! Obviously, while writing the book, I often thought back to the first course I took in Chinese History—Parry Jones, in one of those basement classrooms in Colross. I still have the textbook—a battered copy of Imanuel Hsu, “The Rise of Modern China” (2nd edition).

As I write this, it is the first week of the fall 2025 semester—I’m preparing to teach my class on Modern China—I shall try to live up to the standards set by Mr. Jones (though I am sure to fall short, perhaps in both the intellectual and certainly the sartorial respect).

Best wishes to all!”

Rachel Abelson Hickson wrote: “David and I recently celebrated 43 years of marriage. (No idea when this happened.) We relocated to Kalamazoo in July for retirement, and to be near our two tiny granddaughters, Zipporah and Zimrah. They are so much fun. Most of our year to this point was taken up with the logistics of selling a house, buying a house, packing, and moving. That hard work is now done, and we love our new house.

“I recently spent a week at an adult symphonic band camp at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in northern Michigan. I have been attending for many years, but the trip to camp is now much shorter!

at the event, and I could see her from my seat, we never got to speak in person. What an incredible competition it was to attend live.”

Quinn McCord shared: “Mary Eileen and I continue to enjoy retiring in Milton, Delaware. We did however pickup full-time jobs gaining custody of our four-year-old grandson, Keaton McCord. The cutest boy ever I might add. Getting him into school and getting insurance and becoming parents again has had ups and downs.

“On another note, I ran into Steve Farr at the Freeman Arts Center at a Trombone Shorty and Dumpstaphunk concert. Great to see him again and talk about the past and current events……. Wishing everyone well! Stop into see us in Delaware if you get close….”

And from your trusty class scribe, Sandra Benson Cress: Goodness, it’s been an interesting year so far! Doug and I were lucky to be able to spend a month in Paris this summer, and another three weeks this fall. We are trying to figure out the balance of toggling between Portland and Paris. We also have a family wedding in Buenos Aires in November and have taken up Tango for the occasion— who knew, Portland is the self-proclaimed US epicenter of Argentine Tango! I am happy to be back into choir season after a summer break.

This summer, we will be singing “in residence” for a week at the Durham Cathedral (UK). I will also take advantage of Portland State U’s free class auditing for “senior citizens” (can you believe we are now well into this category?).

Busy with the “resistance” movement, as well.

Looking forward to seeing you all in 2027!!

“Besides music, I make quilts, and I swim four days a week. I also love to cook, and the farmers’ markets around here are awesome. So, like you, I have a lot of corn on the cob in my life this time of year. I hope classmates reading this are having a happy, healthy year.

1978 Nora Cuesta Wimberg nlazz@mac.com Nora Cuesta Wimberg wrote: “On August 27, 2025, my husband and I left for Alaska on a cruise and land vacation of 14 days. Being a Miami resident for so many years, I was able to go on various cruises, so this one was unlike any of what I am used to. Seeing this part of the world, especially going on a dog-sled ride, was amazing. We were flown on a helicopter to a glacier where 300 dogs live during their season, standing on 150 feet of snow and 1,500 feet of ice below that. A miracle what nature has created. If you are thinking about visiting Alaska, we recommend it highly—worth every penny.

Our travel agent?? Lucy Englander VandenBrand. She is amazing…. Go see her for your travel experience. And my ‘concierge’ on what to do, see and explore? Greg Morea!

With their help I was ready!”

Tom Gates wrote: “Wally is in town this week, seeing and helping his dad. I know so many of us are going through this process. How lucky we are to have parents that live this long.

We had a good long chat on the porch in the sweltering July heat. Hi to all.”

Sarah Jane Nelson wrote: “It’s been a busy summer of Yiddish immersion, (including my French-Canadian husband who can really roll his r’s!), [almost] 30-year-old children in and out of the house, and trying to get going on the next book tentatively titled “High Times with Balalaika.” My most recent publication, “The Sasha Polinoff After-Story” just came out in New York Folklore’s Voices journal, and I’m giving an artifact-based talk at the New

“I attended the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston in March. Though Julie Stabler ’76 and I kept track of each other

Sandra Benson Cress ’77 and her husband, Doug, protesting

Nora Cuesta Wimberg ’78 and her husband ready for a dog-sled ride in Alaska

PDS jacket—still looking new. 45 years later…

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York Public Library on November 7th, (shaky knees!), so I guess I’m becoming an honorary New Yorker for the time being. I might need a place to stay ahead of the talk since I’ll also be making a research visit to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts that week, so if any alums have a crash pad in the city, please let me know!”

Brad Clippinger wrote: “All is well, and I retired to my home outside Phoenix, AZ about a year ago. Enjoying this time with pickleball (yes, and it is fun) and coaching youth baseball.

Hope everyone else is doing well.”

Sue Fineman Keitelman wrote: “After 23 years working in classrooms, I have started a new job that still keeps me connected with education without the stress of being in the classroom. I work for the Lutheran Social Services National Capital Area as a ‘school liaison.’ We provide services for refugees and help them establish their new lives in America. I am responsible for enrolling families with children ages 0-18 in our program called VRSAP: Virginia Refugee Student Achievement Project. We support and advocate for students who are navigating and adapting to the American school system. Most of our families are from Afghanistan, but we also serve people from Ukraine as well as other countries. They are all legally here. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to leave everything you’ve known your whole life in order to be safe.

My grandparents immigrated to America in the early 1900s, so I have a soft spot for families who have uprooted their lives for a better future, and I’m glad to be part of their stories.”

commitment to showing my photography this year! Subject matter includes nature/landscape prints, water drops, twirls, and cityscapes.”

In July, our first grandchild, Grant Wesley Morea, arrived. Grant is the son of our son, Joseph, and his wife, Alicia. Wow.

Greg Morea wrote: “What a beautiful six months it has been for my lovely wife of 42 years, Barbara, and me. In March, I finally retired after 42 continuous years at Electric Boat. The send-off from my coworkers was amazing, and I shall miss them (the coworkers, not the work). In May, Barbara and I took a cruise down the Mexican Riviera and through the Panama Canal; nineteen days of wonderful company, spectacular food, and incredible sights.

“On top of this, my priest, who could sell ice and snow to Eskimos, talked me into taking on the part-time job of maintenance man for our church, Our Lady of Lourdes, in Gales Ferry.

So much for doing nothing but relaxing.”

Suzanne Vine wrote: “After way too many years, I got together with Sabrina Barton and Leslie Nicholson in August at our new place in Somerville, MA. The years melted away while we talked, ate, drank a little wine, and danced together. Yes, Brick House was involved. “

Robert Cottone ’78 with (l-r) his daughter Emma, age 33, wife, Lauren, and daughter Ellie, age 31, on a hike around the lake at Zugspitze Mountain in Bavaria, Germany

Keith Baicker wrote: “I am excited to inform you that I have another showing of my photography. My work will be up for three months at a local business. They are very active with a local charity, and I am donating a portion of sales to the charity. This is the third

Sarah Jane Nelson ‘78 with unusual instruments at the University of Illinois

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Brian Trubee wrote: “I’m busy in retirement, I am happily single, meaning that I do whatever I want, whenever I want, all the time! That means putting new avionics into my plane, improving my property, working on cars, traveling, spending time with my dog, working out, and more. I recommend it highly.”

Greg Morea ’78’s wife, Barbara, with their first grandson, Grant

Amazing photography from Keith Baicker ’78

Greg Morea ’78 with his wife, Barbara, while on a cruise last May

Nancy Chen Cavanaugh wrote: “Steve and I are still enjoying retirement in North Carolina. We live near the Intracoastal Waterway, so we just joined a boat-sharing club. Don’t have to own the boat, but still able to have a fun day on the water. Love to all my ’78 great classmates and many thanks for gathering our messages, Nora!

Happy summer.”

Patricia Metzger wrote: “Summer is one of my favorite times as I can slow down and visit family. Jeff and I went to see my eldest, who is now a permanent resident in Toronto. We had fun going to a Blue Jays game. My grandson provided a hilarious commentary on the play... he is seven, I was caught by surprise by how astute his observations were! Jeff is a big race fan, so we planned our trip to coincide with the Indy car race. On the way home, we stopped at Niagara Falls. The last time I was there I was five! We just returned from a week in St Thomas and St John’s. My favorite excursion was snorkeling and kayaking in the mangroves.

In September I return to my 26th year of teaching. I really love this part of my life.

Trying to keep up with middle schoolers keeps me feeling young.

Sheila Mehta wrote: “I continue to revel in retired life, taking classes, doing volunteer work, and hiking. I am also looking forward to trips to: Greece this fall with my husband and a group of friends; India with my sister, Jaya, this winter; hiking in England in the spring with my hiking group; and a family trip to France in June for a wedding. I am grateful to be in good health and to have these opportunities.”

1979

Catherine White Mertz cathywhitemertz@gmail.com

college baseball games a year. Equally as insane, I’ll be moving in with my Life Coach and Spiritual Advisor, Maggie, whom many of you met (and consoled?) at our thoroughly delightful 45th Reunion. Daughter is thriving as a dosimetrist at a hospital in the Philly area, and she and her boyfriend have found a place in which to cohabitate. (I approve!). Son is with his gal in San Antonio, working in the more creative side of IT.” Karen Polcer Bdera reported: “So, not a lot going on. Only big things on the horizon are Nick’s and my 36th wedding anniversary this month (September), and my training for my 25th NYC Marathon—what’s 26.2 miles among friends?” (Ed: And she says there’s not a lot going on!!!)

From Chris “Alvin” Horan: “Well, the only real news was the arrival of Anastasia ‘Annie’ Horan on July 20th of 2025! My son, Sean, and his wife, Izzy, are nearby, so my wife, Laurie, and I get to see her often. Other than that, after taking some time away, I’m back behind the bench coaching U12 boys’ hockey.”

Geoff George shared that he is a year-round chauffeur to his 10th-grade son and his 9th-grade daughter. The days of the week are dependent upon the season but currently, it’s volleyball, soccer, volleyball, soccer, volleyball, with tournaments on the weekends. Geoff is looking forward to back surgery but he’s waiting for Medicare. While Geoffrey does not remember the names of his children, he does know the names of his mini goldendoodles: Lux and Rocky, ages 8 and 4.5, respectively!

Nick Donath, Esquire, stated that he “does not care about any of you, but he misses pizza cheese steaks from you-know-where!”

Joe Lapsley shared: “I’m still teaching history that is now illegal to teach in several states…all about slavery, natives, queer people, etc. A sad state of affairs. My dog, Lucy, passed away this summer at age 16. My band, PortmanteauZone, put out an album this year. And now I have a new puppy, which keeps me very preoccupied.”

Harriette Brainard: “I have been deeply engaged in the soil health and agricultural investment sectors, advancing global initiatives that support farmers and ranchers through innovative technology, alternative systems, and data security. I’m also helping to launch a new business intelligence platform that enables organizations to measure and manage intangible assets—often 90% of a company’s value. In addition, I continue to mentor youth leaders through Youth Unite and work with international groups to promote regenerative food systems and community resilience. I’ve moved from Vermont to the Portland, ME, area as my home base. I’m happy to be in touch with many PDS friends, and my north star has been the constellation of my four children: Z and Sara with four children on Flowering Sun Ecology Center farm, located in the Catskills, selling amazing produce; daughter, Samantha, a leader in social impact strategy, and her husband, Steve, who live in South Portland, ME, and have a son (my fifth grandchild); daughter Spencer (Harriette), a leader in the advertising sector, who will be married on October 10th to Ben; and Bradford, a climate action advisor and a senior associate at Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment.

Princeton and PDS are always a part of the direction I take in life.”

From Adam Gibson: “Who would’ve thought, 46 years after PDS, I’d finally have learned a thing or two? I’m thrilled to report that

Evan Press EvanRPress@gmail.com From Evan R. Press: “I’m physically devolving into a hobbling form of succotash as I still umpire around 450 high school and

Patricia Metzger ’78 with her family: (l to r): Sebastian (the fiancé of Amanda, her eldest daughter), Kai (her grandson), Amanda, Nami (her granddaughter), Colin (her son-in-law), Miki (her husband, Jeff’s eldest), Patricia and Jeff

Nancy Chen Cavanaugh ’78 at the Blueberry Festival in Burgaw, North Carolina

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my love, author Kara Kavensky, said ‘Yes!’ to my proposal. We’ll marry next April on our eighth anniversary. Some wait a year or two; I took seven—reinforcing what some accuse me of: thorough deliberation (a.k.a. slow). And since no announcement is complete without a shameless plug: Kara’s memoir, Tell Me About Joy, is headed for presale soon. Buy it, brag about it, and pretend you discovered her first.”

Martha Hicks shared: “I’m writing this as Labor Day has once again come far too quickly after a busy and, in spite of challenges near and far, fun-filled summer on Cape Cod that included lots of pickleball, dune hikes, and dancing foolishly into the wee hours with sweaty friends and strangers. (If I’d known getting old was going to be this fun, I’d have done it way sooner.) At the beginning of the year, I began working with a group of friends organizing a charity pickleball tournament to benefit a foundation here on the Cape called Behavioral Health Innovators, created and run

by Stephanie Briody, whose name you may recognize as PDS’s former Alumni Director as well as a PDS parent. Stephanie is the co-founder and, until recently, the CEO of BHI. Her passion in creating this organization for youth and young adults struggling with the challenges of substance use is truly inspiring.

Because of Stephanie’s gracious spirit, it took very little effort to find people who wanted to help out and play in the June 1 tournament, which pulled in around $15K for BHI’s programming. Hope to do it again next year.

Throughout the summer I was able to squeeze in a few fun visits and dinners with Cathy White Mertz and her family. With

any luck I’ll get to see Harriette Brainard and maybe (fingers crossed) a few others before year’s end. Hope everyone is keeping calm and carrying on.”

Vance Camisa added, “Last September, my dad passed away. He was a few weeks shy of turning 96 and was sharp as a tack until the end. He was truly a unique and special guy, and I miss him terribly. He worked for the NJ Corrections system for 52 years, starting as a guard and then as a teacher. He wrote a book about his years and crazy experiences there, Inside Out. (Check it out on Amazon). He grew up with Laura’s dad, Charlie Farina— they were classmates in school.

“Last fall, Ruth and I finally had a honeymoon after 42 years of marriage—we went to Niagara Falls for a week. We had such a good time there and in Buffalo that we’re planning to go back this fall.

Cathy White Mertz ’79 and Martha Hicks ’79 at the Hands Off Rally in Orleans, MA, on April 5

Chris Horan ’79’s beautiful granddaughter, Anastasia “Annie” Horan

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1980 Reunion class photo

“My elder daughter, Holly, is now a fourthyear associate at the Philadelphia office of the Polsinelli law firm, where she practices real estate law (like her dad!). They just moved into their new offices, and she managed to get assigned a corner office with direct views of the Philadelphia Library and Logan Circle (a million-dollar view!). Sydney, my younger daughter, continues with her position as Development & Events Manager for the Mount Airy CDC (Community Development Corporation), a non-profit organization that promotes local Mount Airy businesses. She was just successful in landing a $350,000 grant to support the continuation of the organization’s Literacy Rich Neighborhood initiative.”

We have many heartfelt condolences to offer to all of you who have lost loved ones. We have learned that, since our reunion in May 2024, many of our classmates have lost parents: Laura Farina’s mother, Jane Henderson Kenyon’s mother, Pam Kulsrud Corey’s mother, Katie

Martha Hicks ’79 (l) at the Behavioral Health Innovators Charity “Dink It Forward” Pickleball Tournament on June 1

Jeffers Goldfarb’s father, John Sweeney’s father, Vance Camisa’s father, Jeff Johnson’s mother, Drew Rosenberg’s mother, and Ann Gillespie’s father. Please do take a moment to appreciate these amazing, accomplished, beloved humans who were known and loved by so many of us.

1980

Suzanne Albahary D’Amato suzannemndamato@yahoo.com Karen Kelly k2pk@comcast.net

1981

Camie Carrington Levy camie@palousetravel.com Kirsten Elmore Meister kmeister5@yahoo.com Lily de Jongh Downing wrote: “Proud Mother moment: Dr. Jackson Burke graduated from Larner College of Medicine 40 years to the day of my undergrad graduation at UVM. He will be completing his residency at Kaiser Permanente Oakland in Internal Medicine, followed by a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley. His twin sister, Libby Burke, graduated in 2023 from Fordham Law. She is now a second-year associate at Read Smith. During my years at PDS, I would have never thought that I would have such accomplished children. I suspect my peers at PDS would have thought the same!”

1982

company was acquired, I have been helping new life sciences and biotechnology companies start up by running a new Incubator and Accelerator in Birmingham, AL.” Matt Kohut shared that he had recently visited John Jennings and Joe Pagano. John lives in Chicago with his family, and Joe and his wife Amy recently resettled in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, after a one-year stint in Minnesota.

He also had a long conversation with Chris Lariche, who lives in LA and continues to practice as a psychiatrist.

Philip Clippinger is engaged to Melissa Marks ’82 and was inducted to the PDS Athletic Hall of Fame this year for coaching the 1985 boys lacrosse team with Bob Kruger. His daughter, Emily Clippinger ’13, got engaged in September 2025. Phil still spends lots of time with the old gang: Newell Thompson ’82, Eric Jensen ’82, Laird Landmann ’82, Howie Powers ’80, Stephen Thomas ’81, Mark Egner ’82, Kip Thomas ’82, Liza Wakefield Peck ’84, Jamie Phares ’80, and Leslie Pell ’82. He also enjoys seeing Stewart von Oehsen, Jon Drezner ’81, Jeff Olsson ’81, Jon Brush ’81, Jen Powers Mitchell ’82, and Tom Marshall ’82 at various times throughout the year. Life is good. Everyone is healthy and doing well, if not aging.

Ted Willard has retired as class correspondent after 41 years of great work. Thank you very much, Ted! Jonathan Leaf, with assistance from Christine Sampson-Clark, have volunteered to serve as the new class correspondents (although not for 41 years…) When they request news for the spring Journal, please make their job easier by sending them your news.

Thanks Jonathan and Christine!

Jonathan Leaf: “As you know, I have gotten a fair amount of flattering critical notice as a playwright and novelist. But I have a non-fiction book coming out in October that I’m equally proud of. ‘The Primate Myth: How The Latest Science Leads Us To A New Theory of Human Nature,’ the book looks at human evolution from a rather

1984

Jonathan Leaf jileaf@aol.com Christine Sampson-Clark cclark0566@gmail.com

After many great years as class correspondent, Lorraine Herr has retired. Thanks Lorraine! If you are interested in serving as the new class correspondent, please email classnotes@pds.org.

1983

Stewart von Oehsen ’83 and his recent catch

Noelle Damico revdamico@gmail.com Sylvia Wills Millar sylvialmillar@gmail.com Rena Whitehouse renawhitehouse@hotmail.com From Rena: Happy 60th birthday or belated birthday to many of you!

Erik Schwiebert wrote: “Stewart Von Oehsen joined me and a few other friends to celebrate my 60th birthday in Pennsylvania in early April to catch more than a few large trout. After my

Erik Schwiebert ’83 and his 60th birthday trout

1983 Classmates (l-r) Joe Pagano, Craig Phares, Geordie McLaughlin and Andy Hawkes in Guadalajara, Mexico for Geordie’s daughter’s wedding in May 2025

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radical perspective, one that has enormous implications with respect to the most basic issues of life, including why people commit suicide and why countries go to war. It’s getting extraordinary advance notice, touting it as one of the most important and interesting books of recent years, and I want classmates to go out and buy it. They can find it online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

From Christine: Brian Luscombe: “I have worked nearly 30 years in healthcare in marketing and sales, launching new products into surgery for companies including J&J. In 2019, I moved from New Jersey to Charlotte, NC, and have been an independent consultant ever since.

“If anyone finds themselves wanting to move south, or even just visiting, I would welcome the opportunity to show you around! We absolutely love everything that Charlotte has to offer. The weather and the people are amazing. Let me show you some southern hospitality!”

Eric Hastings: “It’s been quite a journey these last years. In 2015 I left the Catholic priesthood and married my wife, Rheanna, who is a middle school teacher. Subsequently I adopted my two sons and have had three more! All boys with the first initial of ‘D.’ Damian (20) is in his second year at West Point. Dominic (19) is a freshman at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Daniel (8) loves riding his bike. David (6) loves working with tools, and Dimitri (2 ½) loves exploring his world. In 2022, I returned to ministry as an Orthodox priest; I am currently serving as a pastor at St. George Orthodox Church in Lawrence, MA and reside in Brewster, MA on Cape Cod. Blessings and joy to all the class of ’84!”

1985 Lynch Hunt lynchhunt@alumni.upenn.edu Marisa Lenz Petrella sales4metoo@msn.com Lynch Hunt: My wife, Sharon, and I just purchased a travel agent franchise! We have definitely enjoyed traveling over the years.

So... In addition to our own traveling, we’ll now be able to help people while doing something we enjoy! See ya!

1986

Mollie Roth mollie.roth@pgxconsulting.com

1987

I’m still active with my nonprofit, Doors for Cures, where we use doors as canvases for original art to inspire those battling illness or to honor the memory of loved ones. Last year, nearly 40 PDS students created a door for a classmate who was battling a disease and is now doing well—it was displayed at PDS for weeks and was an incredibly moving project.

Allan Kyle reported: “Not much of an update. We live in Wilmington, Delaware (for no discernible reason). Kids are grown

Sterick “Stick” Ivey sterickivey@gmail.com Sofia Xethalis sxethalis@yahoo.com.au From Stick: A quick personal update from me: Life is busy and exciting in the Ivey household.

My daughter, Makenzie, is heading into her senior year at the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall, and my younger daughter, Peyton, is starting her first year at Washington University in St. Louis this week. I’ll be driving her out there on Thursday— exciting times, though I’ll miss having them nearby.

Christine Sampson-Clark: We would like to share that our classmate, Ted Willard, has been an amazing Class Secretary for the past 41+ years! We want to thank him for his commitment and efforts to keep us all connected. This almost seems impossible since none of us are over 35! LOL Anyway, he is passing the baton to Jonathan and me.

We are excited to work together to keep the lines of communication open.

I have just started my 37th year in education and just finished 12 years as an elected leader for the National Education Association.

Trenton is still home to me, and I’m very active in community affairs. I have three sons, one stepdaughter, and one stepson. They have blessed me with eight grandchildren (and two grand “cats”)! I hope we can stay in touch and keep everyone connected!

1985 Reunion class photo

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I’m also proud to share that I am now a certified clinical hypnotherapist and a graduate with high honors from the Hypnosis Motivational Institute (HMI). I’ve launched my own practice, HopeKnowsis—a faith-based subconscious therapy that uses Scripture to help clients overcome fears, phobias, smoking, weight loss challenges, and even find motivation for adventures like hiking the Grand Canyon.

Lynch Hunt ’85 and his wife, Sharon, in Santorini, Greece, in May 2024

with our oldest, Seattle, taking classes at UD and our youngest, Grayson, a rising sophomore at Stanford. I’m winding down on the work front and looking forward to finding new projects on which to focus my energies. My wife, Alaina, is looking forward to us having time to travel and relax.”

Rachel Stark wrote: “Our family is still holding down the fort here in Princeton. Our youngest son, Jacob, plays baseball at Hun, where he is a junior. Unfortunately, PDS is not on their schedule, so I don’t get the opportunity to root against him! I loved bumping into Cheryl Taylor at the U.S. Open last week. Call me if you are ever in town!”

Liimu Simms McGill wrote: “Since graduating in 1987, life has been full of surprises, dreams realized, and challenges that reshaped me. This year I celebrated 30 years of sobriety, and I have been blessed with an amazing husband of 24 years and four incredible children.

“I built a multimillion-dollar consulting company, sang on national TV with Patti LaBelle, and performed a one-woman show about my journey out of corporate America. More recently, I have had the opportunity to start over and am now rebuilding my business with fresh eyes, staying energized by regular interest from investors and the possibility of an eventual exit.

“Our kids are nearly grown, with one in college, one in her first apartment, one studying musical theater in NYC, and our youngest just starting high school. These days, I’m focused on health (training for the Turkey Trot), writing my memoir, and building what comes next with way more wisdom, faith, and humor than I ever had at 18. I am grateful for this chance to share and even more excited to hear from everyone else!”

“Drop me a line if ever in Berlin or Munich.

Oktoberfest actually starts in September in a few weeks.”

Karen Cunningham reported: “I have been on vacation in France the past two weeks. I am splitting my time between our home in Princeton and Brooklyn. We are newly empty nesters and are looking forward to living in Princeton full-time in 2026.

“I am working full-time on my art in my Princeton art studio with a few pieces in show upcoming in London this November, Woolwich International Print Fair. I am retired from bedside nursing and work per diem occasionally as a nurse case manager at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. I have recently signed on the be a substitute school nurse at the Chapin School, which is a stone’s throw from my house.

“I am happily back in touch with Eileen Hohmuth Lemonick. She is retired from PDS. Robin has generously hosted me twice to photograph at her beautiful farm. Liz Hoover Lampert and Tracy Needle and I are still very close and see one another often. They are both doing very well.

scene. Will likely be spending more time in NYC (where our older daughter is in her senior year at Barnard) but Washington still remains home base.”

1988

Mike Lingle mlingletonic@yahoo.com

1989

Doria Roberts Donati doriadonati@gmail.com

1990

Deborah Bushell Gans gansdebby@gmail.com

1991

Aly Cohen alycohen@yahoo.com

“I would be happy to reconnect with anyone and can be easily reached through social media.”

Well, it’s a bit of a dry spell this round, with no new news sent in by classmates. My guess and hope are that everyone is happily busy with work, family and other life activities, so stay tuned for next spring class notes!

Dafna Tapiero wrote: “My husband, Alan, and I are now empty nesters with our youngest starting her freshman year at Vanderbilt! I’ve become a huge fan of the Nashville restaurant

My boys are off to a running start with Landon beginning his junior year at PDS, and Asher an incoming freshman and men’s lacrosse player at Tufts University. Although

Robin Cook McConaughy reported: “Hello amazing class of ’87! We’re spending a bit more time traveling now that we’ve sold our Hopewell market and restaurant. Have had pisco sours in Chile, been cave swimming in Bermuda, prepared many extended family dinners in Maine, hiked, skied and graduated our youngest in Colorado, are spending a week Italy hiking the Dolomites, and are hoping to connect with our son Drew ’21 as he travels over the next year.

Still raising turkeys, chickens, pigs and lambs on the farm. Oldest son (Finn) in Phoenix, baking in the summer heat but he works as a CAD programmer and loves it. Time is passing so quickly, but we are trying to catch it by the tail.”

Alex Wolfson is “Still living in Berlin since 2010 (working for BMW since 2014) with my wife, Chika, and our two boys, Kai (14) and Teo (12). I usually make it back every summer to visit the parents (still in Yardley) and if I am lucky, I get to hit Philly or NYC happy hours with Allan or make it up to Ben Mezrich’s (unfortunately not this year).

1990 Reunion class photo

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I thought it would be much easier, this transition of watching your kid/s literally take off into adulthood is both exciting and sad at the same time.

After the launch of my third book, “Detoxify: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System, and How to Defend Against Them” (Simon & Schuster), I’m back into curriculum writing for physician training programs (the latest being the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine). My next focus will be on implementing environmental health curricula into high school education nationally.

Please reach out if interested in working with me! You can follow my information and recommendations on social media at TheSmartHuman.com, @thesmarthuman on IG, TikTok, X, FB, Bluesky, and YouTube, sign up for The Smart Human newsletter, and listen to The Smart Human podcast on iTunes where I interview the most fascinating and sciencebased experts and researchers in the fields of medicine, integrative medicine, environmental health, bioethics and more!

1992

1993 Darcey Carlson Leonard darceyva@gmail.com

1994

Cynthia Shafto Cynthia.678@icloud.com To our very own Dan the Man Oppenheim, Mazel Tov!! As he reported from the Upper West Side, he and his wife welcomed a daughter, Tali Emma Oppenheim, on June 30; she joins her brother Jonah.

A new daughter is a reminder of all the hope we have for the world in which we bring our children and without that hope we can not enjoy all the love it brings. Tali, we hope for all things bright & beautiful for you!

As Dan begins his new journey, I now have TWO sons in high school!! Charlie is a senior with his sights set on UCLA; there is no second choice. So, he drives straight

Sharon Thomas Haber ziggythomas@hotmail.com

for the sun. He knows there are infinite possibilities; patience, determination and steadfast commitment are required—that being said anyone with a direct line to UCLA admissions office please do feel free to put in a good word ;) Beckett is a freshman, (ah, the beginning, do we recall that first year? Oh, treasures of our Panthers past buried deep within our personal Time Machine!!). He is simultaneously pursuing his interest in the fashion arts program, while trying to apply the fundamentals of personal finance class to his own fashion budget—one must earn what he spends! He will take to the lacrosse field this spring. I hope his experience will be as profound as it was for me, on our field, together as Panthers, racing to victory from start to finish of every game.

HOPE. LOVE. VICTORY. May these be yours every day.

1995

Melissa Woodruff Mccormick mwoodruf99@yahoo.com

1996

Judson Henderson jhenderson@callawayhenderson.com

Dana DeCore Falconi dana.falconi5@gmail.com

1997

Ellyn Rajfer Herkins ellynrajfer@gmail.com L. Amanda Rabinowitz Plonsky mandyplonsky@gmail.com 1995 Reunion class photo

Dan Oppenheim ’94 with his family

Cynthia Shafto ’94’s sons, Charlie (l) and Beckett (r) off to high school

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2000 Reunion class photo

1998

2001

Giovanna Torchio Lockhart gray.giovanna@gmail.com

Carolyn Yarian Morgan carolyn.morgan2012@gmail.com

1999

Joanna Woodruff Rominger jbw1980@gmail.com

2000

Natasha Jacques Nolan nkjphoto@hotmail.com Sapna Thottathil sapna.thottathil@gmail.com

Wilson Weed wweed1@gmail.com

2002

Aviva Perlman Fintz aperlman26@gmail.com Rebecca Bramlett wrote: “In July, I was in Princeton for the first time in 15 years to attend the Somerset Harp Festival (I still play the harp). I went on a nostalgia tour of Princeton restaurants, and it was amazing being back! Otherwise, in November, I’m leaving MIT Libraries to start a new job as the Special Collections Research Center Curator at Syracuse University Libraries. If anyone lives in central New York, I’d welcome any connections.”

As you are all aware, our beloved teacher, Ross Hindley, passed away earlier this year. I dedicate this column to him, my teacher, my mentor, my friend.

For many of us in the Class of ’02, McAneny Theater became a second home for months and weeks at a time each year. We’d walk through those doors, shed our high school personas, and transform into members of our very own theater company.

Ross had this magical ability of seeing everyone’s potential. He understood what we each needed in order to thrive and always trusted our abilities to be successful in the roles he gave us. He rarely treated us

like teenagers, often giving us pretty lofty responsibilities such as handling weaponry and live butane torches or letting us go up in “The Gurney” unsupervised.

He had high standards for his productions and as a result we got to work besides wonderful professionals in the industry. One such mentor, Charles Duff, of the Globe Theater, told me that he could see me stage managing professionally because I was, as he said, “very good at it”. While I disagreed with him, that comment reflected the respect we all received as players of the PDS PAP. It’s cliché to say, but Ross had a profound impact on me, and I am not sure I would be where I am and who I am today without him.

I am forever grateful.

2003

Elizabeth Sayen elizabethsayen@gmail.com

2004

Katherine Chimacoff Dickens Mrskatedickens@gmail.com Scott Rosenberg rosenbergse@gmail.com

2005

Hilary Richards Conger hilary.conger@gmail.com Harrison Epstein wrote: “I left my fulltime corporate job in 2023 to found Revaire, alongside best friend Luke. Revaire is a

Aviva Perlman Fintz ’02 and Ross Hindley at the 2016 NYC Alumni Gathering

Harrison Epstein ’05 (r) and his business partner with one of their Revaire airplanes

2005 Reunion class photo

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CLASS NOTES

members-only community that uses tech to allow its members to seamlessly come together and share private flights. What started as an idea born out of too many hours spent in airports is now alive and thriving, with flights taking off and a great member community. It’s been a wild and rewarding journey, and I’m excited to keep building what’s next.”

Nick Maloney said: “After five years at SNL I decided to make a pivot in life and recently took a job as a park ranger in Yosemite National Park. Life is slow out here, but it’s been a match so far. Come out and visit! Let me know when you’re on the way.”

Rajiv Mallipudi said: “Just six weeks after getting third place for my body weight class in the 2025 USA Powerlifting CT State Championships on March 15, 2025, I finished another Spartan Race Ultra 50k on April 26, 2025. This one was much more difficult, given the rain and mud. Many were removed from the course due to the storm conditions. The weather was terrible, and I was fortunate to complete it! I’m amped for 2026 and already signed up!”

pronouns. In a couple of months, as long as the courts don’t lift their stay of various executive orders, I will officially be Charlie and a man in the eyes of the government. I am currently living near Boston with my cat and working in higher ed, and have built myself a great little community of other queer people here.”

2007

Nina Crouse ninacrouse@gmail.com Vishal Gupta vishgupta2@gmail.com Alexandra Hiller Rorick ali.rorick@gmail.com

Both living in New Jersey, Hilary Richards Conger and Jessica Burns Caravella were able to get their families together this summer at Needle Creek Brewery in Pennington. They’re glad to live within driving distance of each other again!

2006

Jacob “Mendy” Fisch mendyman@gmail.com Charlie Bloom (formerly Emily Bloom) wrote: “I am in the process of legally changing my name and gender. I’m a man and using he/him 2010 Reunion class photo

Hilary Richards Conger ’05 and Jessica Burns Caravella ’05 with their families this past summer

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PDS crew at Allie Reilly ’11’s wedding this past summer

2008 Tessica Glancey Crampton tessicaglancey@gmail.com

2009

Ashley Smoots asmoots@gmail.com Vinay Trivedi vt1090@gmail.com

2010

Anna Otis annaotis92@gmail.com

Alexandra Feuer Portale awfeuer@gmail.com

Annie Nyce Questell annienyce@gmail.com

Alejandra Arrué and her husband, Yuri, moved from California back to the East Coast. They’re now proud dog parents of Lapa, and they’re excitedly expecting a baby boy in the fall!

Annie Nyce and her husband look forward to welcoming their third baby boy in November.

Anna Otis got engaged to Alex Feindt in March. They live in Bergen County, NJ, with their dog, Mia.

2011

Evan Seto eseto17@gmail.com Allie Reilly wrote: “I got married this summer and a wonderful group of PDS alumni were in attendance. My husband, Jacob Calvert, and I are thankful to have nurtured friendships with these PDS grads over the years in the many places we’ve lived. We are especially grateful to the incomparable Meg Reilly ’09 and our dear friend, G.J. Melendez-Torres ’07, for being an integral part of our wedding day. This fall, I’ll be starting a PhD program in the Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics. We look forward to being back in the UK and living near Rachel Beardsley ’09 and G.J. once again!”

2012

Rachel Maddox rachelhmaddox@gmail.com Peter Powers peterfpowers@gmail.com

2015 Reunion class photo

2013

Leah Falcon lgfalcon04917@gmail.com Robert Madani robert.s.madani@gmail.com

2014

Rory Finnegan ref8af@virginia.edu Mary Travers Potter marygrtravers@gmail.com

2015

Grace Lee gracelee6666@gmail.com Caroline Lippman crlippman@gmail.com

2016

Kathryn Cammarano Helen Healey helen.healey97@gmail.com Peter Klein pwklein3@gmail.com

From Peter: Issac Rosenthal reported: “Our time at PDS taught us to dream big while staying grounded in friendships, integrity, and purpose-driven work. To this end, I’m happy to report that I recently married an amazing woman, work on clean energy projects at National Grid, and continue to build a great community of friends in Boston. Come visit!”

Panthers stick together! Aiden Jones and Julia McCusker reported: “We got engaged this summer, almost 10 years after our first date at Thomas Sweets. We currently live in Boston with our fourmonth-old puppy, Junebug, who keeps us busy when we’re not at work.”

2017

Abigail Atkeson abigail.atkeson@gmail.com Tyler Birch tbflyers@gmail.com

2018

Hallie Hoffman halliebryn@gmail.com

2019

Amon DeVane amond1234567@gmail.com Raina Kasera raina.kasera@gmail.com

Newly engaged PDS alums Aiden Jones ’16 and Julia McCusker ’16 with their new pup, Junebug

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CLASS NOTES

2020

2022

Brynna Fisher brynnavansantfisher@gmail.com

Milan Shah milanushah1@gmail.com

The Class of 2020 had an incredible turnout at our 5th Reunion this May! It was so exciting to see so many classmates back on campus, catching up, laughing, and picking up right where we left off.

After missing out on many of our senior traditions in 2020 due to COVID, this reunion felt extra special—almost like the celebration we never got to have. The energy, camaraderie, and school spirit were on full display, and it was a true reminder of how strong the bonds in our class remain.

Here’s to many more reunions and reasons to come together!

2021

Please send submissions to classnotes@pds.org.

2023

Jai Kasera jai.kasera@gmail.com

2024

Arun Patel arunpatel100905@gmail.com

2025

Please send submissions to classnotes@pds.org.

IN MEMORIAM Princeton Day School mourns the passing of the following members of our community. We honor the memories of those we have lost and extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Carol Herring P’82

S. F. Lichtenstein P’78 ’80 ’89

ALUMNI William C. Harrop PCD’43 P’72 ’73 ’75 ’79 Marina von Neumann Whitman MFS’52

Ellen R. Kerney MFS’53

Nancy S. Ford MFS’54 P’62 ’65

Ellen Jamieson Franck MFS’55 Nat C. Hutner PCD’65

Mary Carol Bilderback ’66 Gail Lyman-Hatzell ’69 Bill K. Power Jr. ’70

Tom Byrne Reynolds ’72

Sam Borden Starkey ’72 P’03 ’04 ’09 Mary Kuser Lane ’75

FORMER EMPLOYEES Wendy B. Varga P’93 ’00

PARENTS David C. Denise P’02 ’05 ’13 Jean Farina P’79

JOIN US!

ALUMNI WEEKEND 2026 May 15-16

For full details and to register visit, pds.org/aw

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George C. Ford P’62 ’65 Phyllis Hamel P’76 ’79

Peggy Harrison Henderson P’79 ’85 ’89 ’92

Steve Lichtenstein P’78 ’80 ’89 Michael S. Mathews P’99

Barbara Mott Patton P’62 ’65 Myron Pawliw P’05

Jael Judith Ramirez P’26

Herb Spiegel P’78 ’81 ’84 ’88

Gough W. Thompson P’73 ’74 ’78 ’81 ’86 Bruce J. Westcott P’96 ’99 Benjamin Yeh P’27

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PDS! On September 17, Princeton Day marked its 60th birthday with a celebration worthy of the milestone.

Head of School Kelley Nicholson-Flynn led the students in a joyful “Happy Birthday,” and the Advancement Office provided the perfect finishing touch: cookies for all!

PRINCETON DAY SCHOOL | WINTER 2025

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 270 Princeton, NJ

P.O. Box 75 Princeton, NJ 08542 (609) 924-6700 pds.org

SEMPER LUCEAT Upper School students gathered for a bonfire on a crisp October evening, complete with s’mores, night tag, and a whole lot of joy.

Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Kenney P’27