The Newsletter: Fall 2019

T HE N EWS LET TER

FALL 2019

headmaster

Kerry P. Brennan assistant headmaster

Michael T. Pojman director of external relations

Erin E. Berg director of development

Thomas R. Guden ’96 photography

Suzanne Camarata Ball, Gretchen Ertl, John Gillooly, Mike Pojman, Adam Richins, Evan Scales, John Werner design & editorial

Erin E. Berg Marcus C. Miller the newsletter

The Roxbury Latin School publishes The Newsletter quarterly for alumni, current and former parents, and friends of the school. contact information

The Roxbury Latin School 101 St. Theresa Avenue West Roxbury, MA 02132 Phone: 617-325-4920 change of address?

Send updated information to julie.garvey@roxburylatin.org. alumni news

Send notes and correspondence to alumni@roxburylatin.org. Š2019 The Trustees of The Roxbury Latin School

The Newsletter

On October 5, more than 1,100 RL fans—alumni, families, faculty, and friends—gathered on campus for a special Homecoming and Fall Family Day, which kicked off the school’s 375th Anniversary celebration. The day included varsity contests in cross country, soccer, and football; a performance of the National Anthem by the Latonics; and the annual Sixies vs. Fifthies tug-of-war. (Class V emerged victorious, “restoring order to the school once again,” as put by Class V Master Darian Reid ’05.) Guests enjoyed dinner from the food trucks on campus—including local favorites Roxie’s Grilled Cheese, Bon Me, and Cookie Monster—and younger party-goers made their way to the bouncy house, bubble soccer arena, face painter, and live band inside the Indoor Athletic Facility.

Photos: Evan Scales and Mike Pojman

FALL 2019 | VOLUME 93 | NUMBER 1

Features 16

“To be old, to have survived, is not enough.”

Headmaster Brennan delivers the Opening of Fall Term address

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The Roxbury Latin School, over 375 years Timeline by Archivist Chris Heaton

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Alumni Journalists open “Men of RL” Anniversary Lecture Series

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Author Matt Desmond kicks off Anniversary Service Focus on Homelessness and Poverty

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Faculty Flashback: Bill Chauncey: Wisdom and Integrity, Incarnate

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Art in the Bernstein Tea Room, Care of Erik Zou ’19

Departments 4

RL News

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Student Reflections: Summer Immersion

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Welcome, New Faculty and Staff

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New Trustees: Two Alumni Join the Board

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Class of 2015 Updates

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Class Notes

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In Memoriam

Beaver Brook Tradition Continues for RL’s Youngest Students On September 6, 43 new Sixies—along with intrepid Class I leaders and faculty chaperones—trekked to Beaver Brook in Hollis, New Hampshire, for a tradition that dates back more than 50 years. Upon arriving, Class VI boys were immediately met with their first challenge: a test of their knowledge of “the oldest school in continuous existence in North America.” Charged with successfully separating Roxbury Latin fact from fiction and producing the most correct answers in the questionnaire, Sixies face an uphill battle: Those well-versed seniors and teachers may purposefully throw them off track with bogus answers, allowing for the single time all year when our watchwords “honesty is expected in all dealings” goes out the window.

The day, organized by Class VI Master Hunter White, continued with team building activities (a low ropes course; the famously frustrating helium hula hoop game; an orienteering challenge that required a crash course in terrain

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maps and compasses). After dinner, Sixies gathered in the barn for the annual viewing of the 1957 film Twelve Angry Men, with small group discussions to follow; these were animated but decidedly more civil than the ones depicted on screen. The evening ended around the fire, where Mr. Opdycke taught new boys The Founder’s Song before it was time for s’mores. Bracing for the remnants of Hurricane Dorian, the group opted for a camp-in—under the protection of the barn roof—rather than a camp-out. No rain dampened spirits on this Class VI retreat, however.

The following morning, after breakfast, each Sixie addressed a letter to himself, to be opened at his senior retreat five years from now. As they closed their notebooks, packed up their gear, and boarded the bus home, the Class of 2025 joined a brotherhood of RL men and boys who have sat around the campfire at Beaver Brook, singing about Roundheads and eating s’mores. It is a brotherhood that spans generations. //

Ave Atque Vale partners with the Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home in West Roxbury. Bob Lawler, whose brother and nephew attended Roxbury Latin, is flooded each year with burials for those with no family and no resources.

Since Mike and Bob teamed up to begin this program, RL boys have served as pallbearers and witnesses at nearly 100 funerals. “We’re not here to change the world,” Mike says.

“But everyone deserves a dignified burial. It’s the right thing to do.”

Ave Atque Vale: Class I Students Bury Boston’s Unclaimed Citizens Eternally resting atop a small hill in Fairview Cemetery in Hyde Park, Mayor Thomas Menino watches over the most destitute of Boston’s deceased citizens. Menino’s gravesite overlooks the City Poor Lot, a section of Fairview owned by the City of Boston and reserved for the burial of its indigent and unclaimed denizens. On Tuesday, a man by the name of Dennis Kelly joined those buried in this small patch of land. Mr. Kelly passed away on August 19 at the age of 66; no friends or family came forward to claim his body, and so he was to be buried in a simple casket, in a grave that would remain unmarked. Sadly, this is the reality for so many in our City. Government-owned land like the lot at Fairview Cemetery is scarce, and what does exist is rapidly filling.

Typically, Mr. Kelly would be buried with no one to bear witness, honor his life, or say goodbye. Instead, members of Roxbury Latin’s senior class carried his casket to its gravesite and read aloud a series of poems and prayers to give Mr. Kelly in death something he lacked near the end of life: company. The boys were there as part of the Class I service program, Ave Atque Vale. The phrase, which translates to “Hail and Farewell,” comes from the closing line of Catullus’s poem addressed to his deceased brother.

RL’s Assistant Headmaster Mike Pojman began the Ave Atque Vale program at RL six years ago, having seen it done at his own alma mater, Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr. Pojman believes that so much about this RL tradition is valuable for the boys. “We are thanked for many things,” he explains. “We get affirmation all over the place. This is a small thing, done for somebody who has no capacity to thank you. And there’s something important in that.” To stand together as witnesses for someone they do not know, quietly reflecting on an ultimate reality of life, also has a unifying effect, he believes. “I think boys feel a certain closeness in this experience,” he says. “There are so few times in their busy RL lives, after all, when the boys can pause and stand together in silence.”

On September 17, six seniors carried Mr. Kelly’s casket to the hearse, processed behind him to the funeral, and presented six readings before he was lowered into his grave.

They ended with this: We pray, Lord, that when it is our time to depart this world, we will be surrounded by those who love us. Sadly, Mr. Kelly was not so blessed. He died alone with no family to comfort him. But today, we are his family; today we are his sons. We are honored to stand together before him now, to commemorate his life and to remember him in death, as we commend his soul to his eternal rest.

Frater, in perpetuum ave atque vale; requiescat in pace, Amen. //

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Seniors Eric Ma, Avi Attar, Andrew Zhang, Jonathan Weiss, Ian Richardson, Chris Zhu, and David LaFond are 2019 National Merit semifinalists.

Twenty-Five RL Boys Recognized in National Merit Scholar Competition The National Merit Scholarship Program recently announced the names of students in the Class of 2020, across the country, earning recognition for their academic achievement. This year, 25 Roxbury Latin boys have been recognized (representing 48% of the class)—seven named National Merit Scholar semifinalists, and 18 others earning commendations from program officials.

In this 65th annual National Merit Scholarship competition, semifinalists have the opportunity to become finalists and compete for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships, nationwide. The awards are supported by the organization and approximately 400 businesses and educational institutions, to “honor the nation’s scholastic champions and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence.”

About 1.5 million juniors in more than 21,000 high schools entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship program by taking the 2018 PSAT, which serves as an

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initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to become finalists.

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for academic success at the college level.

Roxbury Latin boys earning recognition this year include semifinalists Avi Attar, David LaFond, Eric Ma, Ian Richardson, Jonathan Weiss, Andrew Zhang, and Christopher Zhu; and commendation recipients Ian Balaguera, Joey Barrett, Nick Chehwan, Jack Cloherty, Aidan Cook, Cameron Estrada, John Harrington, Rijs JohansonGordet, Evan Kisselev, Christian Landry, Austin Manning, Kameron Miller, Hari Narayanan, Liam O’Connor, Jack Ringel, Tim Smith, Michael Stankovich, and Blair Zhou. //

Dr. Dalia Hochman on Ancient Rituals with Modern Relevance “Today we honor one of Roxbury Latin’s most important customs by recognizing the Jewish High Holy Days,” began Headmaster Brennan in Hall on October 10.

“Our taking note of various religious holidays is not simply because knowing about the world’s religions is an important part of being a well-educated person. As a school we are committed to gathering all kinds of boys and understanding and celebrating the differences they represent, including their differences of faith. In hearing from the witnesses to different faith traditions, our own journey toward meaning and fulfillment can be most hopefully informed, as we consider abiding questions such as Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? and What kind of life shall I lead?”

To share her own experience as a devoted member of the Jewish faith, Dr. Dalia Hochman—in her first year as head of Gann Academy, a coeducational Jewish high school in Waltham—spoke to students and faculty during Hall, in the midst of the Jewish High Holy Days. Joining her was Kobe Deener-Agus, a junior at Gann, who demonstrated how to blow the shofar—the sacred Jewish instrument, fashioned from a ram’s horn and used in the Jewish holiday celebrations.

with very ancient commitments,” began Dr. Hochman. She continued by sharing her family’s personal story, which began with her grandfather, living as an Orthodox Jew in Poland in the 1930s. “In the late 1930s, he enrolled in the University of Warsaw Law School. Then, in 1938, he was made to stand in the back of the room because he was Jewish. In 1939, he was expelled. On August 31, 1939, as Germany was invading Poland, my grandfather got on the last boat leaving Poland and secured a ticket to the United States, coming to Ellis Island in New York. My whole life, my grandparents have taught me about the Jewish customs, but they also have also encouraged me to live in the modern world.”

Dr. Hochman discussed Jewish values—their history and how they have deep relevance today. She pointed to the Jewish cultural importance of “being awake” to the world around you; to doing your part in “repairing the world”— caring for your family and your broader community; and to the annual “accounting of the soul—asking yourself Have I been the friend I want to be? Have I been the parent I want to be? Have I been the educator, the professional I want to be? Have I been the citizen I want to be?” Dr. Hochman shared stories related to her own personal and professional journey, related to these values, and how that trajectory brought her to Gann Academy. She also talked about the diversity of individuals and practices within the Jewish faith tradition.

Dr. Hochman earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale and her PhD in education policy, politics, and leadership from Columbia. She began her career as a teacher and administrator in the New York City public school system, and she is well known for her leadership and strategic advisory work for Summit Public Schools, the highprofile Silicon Valley charter network funded by The Chan Zuckerberg Education Initiative. Dr. Hochman has deep connections to Judaism, Torah, and Israel. She graduated from Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston and has studied at The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem during a Dorot Fellowship in Israel. //

“Your school is, by U.S. standards, an ancient school with very modern commitments. Our school is a modern school

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Globetrotting Boys’ Reflections on Their Summer Adventures

Cádiz, Spain

by ROHIL DHALIWAL, Class II

This June, 23 of my classmates and I went on an immersion trip to Spain for a little over three weeks. Chaperoned first

by Sr. Ryan and Srta. Moreta, and later by Sr. Solís and Dr. Guerra, we explored Madrid and Granada, and stayed with host families in the beautiful beachfront city of Cádiz. It being an immersion trip, we all took a language pledge to try our hardest to speak only Spanish for our entire time there, leaving behind anything and everything that could connect us to English and America.

In Cádiz, we met our awesome guides, Juan and Vicky, who had planned an exhilarating three weeks for us. There we attended the Las Esclavas School, where we participated in classes about Cádiz’s culture, history, language, and more.

During recess, we interacted with kids of all ages from the

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school, who were very eager to meet us and ask us interesting questions. (Many of them used the opportunity to test out the English curse words they had learned, and laughed at our startled reactions.) We quickly learned that the people of Cádiz have a very specific accent, called the acento gaditano, which involved pronouncing the “ch” sound as an “sh,” cutting off the ends of words, and many other things that frightened us initially. And while many of us struggled to understand our host parents at first, we quickly adjusted and got much more familiar with their accents.

Thanks to Juan and Vicky, we were able to surf and kayak, attend cooking classes, visit museums, and watch Frankie Lonergan (II) get demolished by “Hercules” in a historically themed gymkhana, or scavenger hunt. (My team did, in fact, win the event and get some cool Cádiz CF jerseys). In our free time, we frequented the many beaches of Cádiz to play soccer and Spikeball, listen to Spanish music, and simply chill.

Our host families were incredibly kind and took us all around Cádiz and even on weekend excursions. Some of us—hungry boys that we are—were concerned about the food, and picky eaters were nervous. The food was, however, delicious and our host families were great cooks. Even the infamously picky Eric Auguste (II) enjoyed the food.

This trip was an incredible learning experience. Most notably, many boys discerned a significant improvement in comprehension ability from when we first arrived to when we left, in addition to an enhancement in speaking the language. We picked up lots of new vocabulary and learned cool (and sometimes vulgar!) phrases from the students at the school. Not only was it a valuable opportunity to travel internationally, but we also had an absolute blast. //

In terms of what we did during the day, there’s simply too much to cover: From lessons at the University of Caen, to visiting neighboring towns, to roaming the streets of the city with classmates, we truly became immersed in French culture.

I could go on about different adventures we had over the course of the trip, but I’ll point to one moment of personal growth that was most impactful for me: We were doing a ropes course called accrobranche. I was 50 feet in the air, perched in a tree, locked into a harness, facing a 20-foot-long tightrope walk to the next stage of the course. I was terrified.

But there was only one way down: finishing the course. After several minutes spent looking around and trying to conjure up an alternative route back to solid ground, I lifted my trembling leg and took my first step onto the course. Step by step, I made my way to the next stage. That notion—of having the courage to take a step of faith—really defined the trip for me. I’m glad I had the courage to take those steps. //

Caen, France

by EDOZIE UMUNNA, Class II

Just be polite and respectful, there’s nothing to worry about.

No, but there is a lot to be worried about! What if they can’t understand me? What if I offend them? What if the food is bad?

Oh, God, I miss Boston!

These were the thoughts running through my head as I sat in the hotel lobby. Another car pulled into the parking lot.

Madame White turned to me and said, “Edozie, je pense que ci, c’est ta famille.” My heart began to race. All the nervous thoughts grew louder in my head. Slowly, three people emerged from the car and walked into the hotel. This was the start of my adventure. This was France.

What followed that initial introduction were nothing but good times: My family was fantastic. Each day I got to do something with them that I enjoyed immensely, from learning how to make French delicacies with my French sister to going out to the bar with my brother. The simplicity of daily life was the real highlight. Luxuries like television and game consoles that we enjoy regularly in the United States were not part of my stay in France; and yet, I didn’t miss them. That sentiment culminates what made home life in France so special: You had everything you needed and made the most out of that.

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professional vocal lessons and singing in their local chapel choirs (which, in England, is a large commitment requiring a great ability in singing and sight-reading music). While I’ve spent much of my life around music, I’ve never had the formal vocal training that the other students had. At times, the disparity was daunting: While I was struggling to keep up with difficult new repertoire, many of the other students were able to sing complex pieces at first glance. The ECC choir wasn’t just the best choir I’d ever been in—it was the best choir I’d ever heard in person. While that left me starry-eyed and excited to contribute, frankly, it was terrifying. In the end, though, being immersed among all that talent helped me grow immensely as a musician.

Eton College, England

by IAN RICHARDSON, Class I

Over the summer, Blair Zhou (I), Eric Ma (I), and I were fortunate to attend the Eton Choral Course—a 10-day program at England’s Eton College, where the country’s most talented singers, ages 16 through 18, go to learn and perform advanced choral repertoire; to participate in singing lessons with some of the nation’s best vocal trainers; and to engage in other informal singing activity with their peers. RL typically sends two or three boys to participate in the program, and we were happy to continue this tradition. There we were taught by the mildly eccentric genius Ralph Allwood, head of the program’s full choir, and backed by an array of talented staff—nearly all of whom had music degrees from Oxford or Cambridge. Led by these teachers, students sang together in a full choir, in smaller “consorts” of fifteen students each, and in informal small groups formed by the students themselves. Performances included the full choir singing at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle (where the last Royal Wedding was), the chapel at King’s College of Cambridge, and the chapel at Eton itself.

We rehearsed for about ten hours every day. Nearly everyone there had spent much of his or her life participating in

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Of the 76 students, only seven were from outside the U.K. (only four Americans, including us three RL boys!). Our peers were fascinated by our cultural differences: vocabulary, school experience, snack foods, political opinion. Nonetheless, every student and teacher at the program was welcoming, warm, and friendly. In such a short time, I made several friends with whom I’m still in contact months later. Amidst a group of people with far more musical experience than I have, I found myself loved and supported—without which, my experience would have been drastically different.

From performances of classical pieces—Magnificat Primi Toni,

by Tomás Luis de Victoria, and Abendlied, by Rheinberger—to jazzy renditions of Bare Necessities (arr. Nicholas Hare) and I Got Rhythm, by Gershwin, the Eton Choral Course was a vibrant, dynamic experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. //

Curriculum, boarding, and coed environment, it was a very different experience.

We were lucky to have had host families who were willing to take us on weekend trips while we were in Africa. The first weekend we traveled to Victoria Falls on the ZimbabweZambia border and Kasane, Botswana, home to the Chobe game reserve. On the 13-hour drive up, we observed Botswana’s and Zimbabwe’s incredible wildlife, spotting kudus, ostriches, and impala. We had to stop the car twice to avoid being trampled by elephants. The second weekend we traveled to Bogosi’s grandparents’ cattle post outside of Serowe, Botswana, with Bogosi’s family. Bogosi’s grandfather, a retired engineer, showed us around the small community made up of retired people living in the traditional Tswana way. We witnessed the construction of a traditional clay hut like those in which the residents lived; cooked traditional Tswana food over an open flame; and learned how to craft axe handles from a local woodcarver.

Maru-A-Pula School, Botswana

by LIAM O’CONNOR, Class I

This summer Ian Balaguera (I) and I traveled to the Marua-Pula school (MaP) in Gaborone, Botswana, as exchange students. Upon arriving in Gaborone, we were warmly welcomed by the families of Milit Ranjith and Bogosi Mabaila, whom many students and faculty remember from their time at Roxbury Latin this spring.

During the week we boarded at MaP, attended lessons, and played sports with the other students. Despite some less-thandesirable test scores (a 32 percent on a physics test sticks out in my memory), we enjoyed our lessons. We felt especially engaged in our literature class where we were able to contribute an American perspective on imperialism and racism.

During our final week at MaP, the school let us know that a French exchange student’s host family had a connection to Botswana’s First Family, and that we would have dinner with the First Lady of Botswana, Mma. Neo Masisi, that very night.

Surprised as we were, the dinner proved to be one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Mma. Atsile, as she is called in Botswana, preached a message of international cooperation and tolerance, praising opportunities for young people to go abroad. The experience was certainly a humbling one— both Ian and I were called out for our lack of knowledge of Southern and Central African languages!—but we were very appreciative of her for spending time with us. It was an honor to represent the school abroad, and I will always cherish the friends we made. //

At Maru-a-Pula we quickly became friends with our classmates in the lower sixth form, our fellow boarders, and the other exchange students. In the afternoons, we played soccer, rugby, and—much to the disappointment of Abhinav, our friend and the cricket captain—cricket. MaP was similar to Roxbury Latin in its intensity, although with the Cambridge

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and uncover a poem—peel back layers and dimensions—but it’s not a prerequisite to loving a poem. You just have to allow a poem to happen to you.”

Writer Arundhathi Subramaniam on the Role of Poetry in Our Lives “Meaning is just a very small part of language,” began poet Arundhathi Subramaniam in Hall on September 23. “Many of us realize this early on but are encouraged to forget.

We are encouraged, instead, to use language as a strictly transactional medium. But there’s rhythm and sound and texture—words have flavor. We forget the sensuous possibilities of language.”

One of India’s most acclaimed poets, Ms. Subramaniam spoke with students and faculty about the possibilities of language; about her own entry into the world of poetry; about her work since; and about the freedom we should all feel to enjoy a poem without the pressure to exact meaning from it.

Ms. Subramaniam walked the audience through several defining moments in her life, one being, as she said, her “first emergence into a verbal universe.” “I remember hearing poems in multiple languages—if you grew up in Bombay, you grew up polyglottal, with Hindi and Marathi and Gujarati and Tamar and English. I grew up not really knowing where one language ended and another began.”

In her earliest encounters with poetry—nursery rhymes, doggerel—she gathered only fragmentary glimpses of meaning, but she knew, even then, that this is where she wanted to be.

“The business of poetry is to remind us that life is not all about conclusions—it’s about questions, watery and wandering.”

“You don’t really need to understand a poem,” she said. “Even before you understand it, you’re capable of recognizing it. I remember being asked in school the terribly boring question, ‘What is the poem trying to say?’

This question always filled me with great gloom, because I had this instinctive ability to respond to a poem, but I had no ability to verbalize that response.”

“It seemed to me there existed this somewhat boring world of grownup speech, which I thought of as prose, which was plodding, pedestrian, predictable. I realized there also seemed to be a place where language was startling, unpredictable, dangerous, where language did all kinds of surprising things. It was capable of diving and swooping and soaring. That was poetry.”

“A poem is not trying to say anything. A poem is just saying it, and that’s all you need to remember. You just need to receive it. You don’t have to try and decode it. You don’t have to try and paraphrase it. You might be inspired one day to go

Ms. Subramaniam read aloud and contextualized three of her poems:

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Where I Live: About Bombay, “the city that I live in, the city

that I love, and the city that I love to hate—a challenging, exasperating, crazy city. Don’t try to understand the poem.

Just let the poem happen. This is the way Bombay happens to me.”

A Strong Showing for RL Public Speaking

To the Welsh Critic Who Doesn’t Find Me Identifiably Indian: “Too often we have voices around us telling us how to belong. One of my pet peeves is a voice that legislates on belonging—telling you how to be yourself, how to be a man or a woman, how to belong to a particular faith, how to belong to a particular culture. This poem was my response to that voice.”

And, finally, Winter, Delhi, 1997, about the last time she saw her grandparents together.

She encouraged boys to read poems out loud: “Taste them on your tongue. If you read a poem on a page and don’t feel the impulse to say it out loud, I think you’ve actually lost something”; and to make poems their own: “Consider why you like it, rather than feeling pressure to articulate what it means. Start with simply reading and allowing yourself to enjoy a poem, and build on that.”

“Poems have an ability to creep up on you and to change your life in very profound ways when you least expect them to,” concluded Ms. Subramaniam. “Hang onto poems. They are frequently a lifeline in ways that you don’t and can’t yet imagine.”

After Hall, Ms. Subramaniam spent a class period with Mr. Lawler’s Class V English students who had read her poetry and came prepared to discuss it with her. Mr. Lawler encouraged the Listen, Look, Read approach as the students made their way through these poems together and with the author, identifying out loud that which resonated with them and why.

Arundhathi Subramaniam is the award-winning author of eleven books of poetry and prose. Widely translated and anthologised, her volume of poetry When God is a Traveller was the Season Choice of the Poetry Book Society, shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. //

From left: Avi Attar (I), Teddy Glaeser (III), Daniel Sun-Friedman (II), and Colson Ganthier (II)

On September 29, four students traveled to Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, MA, to compete in the annual Stoneleigh-Burnham Public Speaking Tournament. Avi Attar (I), Teddy Glaeser (III), Daniel Sun-Friedman (II), and Colson Ganthier (II) comprised this year’s team, securing a second place finish overall in the tournament. Competition events included Interpretive Reading, Impromptu, After Dinner, and Persuasive Speaking.

Senior Avi Attar earned a first-place finish in both Impromptu and After Dinner Speaking.

His topics, respectively, were “Necessity is the mother of invention” and “How to rob a bank.”

Roxbury Latin has long been a participant in this tournament and routinely places well among competitor schools. This year RL boys faced students from BB&N, Choate Rosemary Hall, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Northfield Mount Hermon, St. Luke’s, St. Sebastian’s, StoneleighBurnham, Taft, and Winsor. //

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Kevin Breel Helps Alleviate the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health “As you know, we care not only about helping you develop your intellectual passions and pursuits, but also about helping you develop the tools to lead physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy lives,” began Headmaster Brennan, speaking to boys at the year’s opening Health and Wellness Hall. Last year, Roxbury Latin launched a new program for boys aimed at further addressing topics related to health and wellness. This year we will continue that program by bringing to campus individuals who will broach such topics as depression and mental health, addiction, and nutrition.

This fall, mental health activist and comedian Kevin Breel spoke not only to students in Hall on September 26, but also to a packed room of Roxbury Latin parents the evening of September 25.

“This conversation, about mental health, has been really personal to me for almost my entire life,” began Mr. Breel.

He grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, in a home where his father struggled with depression and addiction.

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“Growing up in that home, one of the first things that I picked up on as a young boy was that we weren’t supposed to talk about what my father was struggling with. I internalized that it wasn’t to be discussed, because we never talked about it. As a young kid, I’d come home at 2 or 3 on a Wednesday afternoon and find my father passed out, blackout drunk, on the couch. On a Friday night, I would hear a knock at the door and find two Canadian police officers standing at the door to bring my father home from the drunk tank. I thought these experiences were normal, because they were all I knew. No one ever used words like ‘mental health’ or ‘depression,’ ‘addiction’ or ‘alcoholism.’

It was just swept under the rug, and I developed this understanding that this was a secret—something to be ashamed of.”

Mr. Breel went on to discuss the lifeline that his childhood friend, and his friend’s father, afforded him, offering security and a safe haven in an otherwise chaotic family

life. He went on to share how that middle school friend was tragically killed in a car accident, and how the grief of that loss triggered his first experience with his own depression.

“I remember thinking, ‘No matter what happens today, if the best thing in the world were to happen to me today, I wouldn’t feel joy. I wouldn’t feel happy.’ I was just numb.”

Because Mr. Breel didn’t have the language to describe what he was going through, he didn’t seek help—he didn’t know help was an option. So, as he says, he got good at pretending. He pretended for four years until one February evening, when he was 17, he sat on his bed with a bottle of pills and wrote a suicide note. In a moment of clarity he realized that he’d literally never told anyone what he was feeling, or what he was struggling with. “I thought, how can I quit on myself if I’ve never tried to help myself?”

He talked with his mom the next morning, and she immediately connected him with a professional counselor who—several years later—he still sees today.

it’s not about any of those things. Maybe it’s just about showing up for someone and letting them know that you care about them, that they can talk to you, that you won’t judge them. We all have that ability and opportunity, but we need to start seeing it as a responsibility. I believe that if we change the conversation, we can change our communities, change our culture. Then maybe we can live in a world where there are not a million suicides a year, but because of the conversations we start right here today, there are zero.”

Kevin Breel’s honest—and often humorous—take on his experience with depression, and his message of ending the stigma around mental illness, resonates with all kinds of audiences. Deftly combining his mental health activism with his comedy, Mr. Breel has been a guest speaker at Harvard, Yale, and MIT, as well as for Fortune 500 Companies, and even for the Government of Canada. His memoir, Boy Meets Depression, achieved critical acclaim.

Mr. Breel has been featured on a wide variety of news outlets including NBC, CBS, The Huffington Post, MTV, CNN, Today, and in The Wall Street Journal. //

“We have this culture that treats physical health as real and important, and mental health as, kind of, made up and not okay to talk about,” Mr. Breel explained. “That’s just incorrect, and silly, and—frankly—dangerous.”

Emboldened by the support he received; his promise to be honest about what he was feeling; and by the news of a tragic teenage suicide in a neighboring area, Mr. Breel decided to share his story—with the knowledge that if he reached and helped even one person struggling as he had, it would be worth it.

“We don’t relate to statistics. We relate to stories. We all have a story, and I’ve learned you only have two choices with that story: You can share it, inviting people into it, or you can be ashamed of it, hide it, put up walls. Either you own your story, or it owns you.”

Mr. Breel’s first public talk about his experience was at a TEDx event for youth in 2013. Today, that video of his talk has garnered more than 4.4 million views. “So often we think, ‘I want to make a difference in someone’s life, but I don’t know how. I’m not qualified. I don’t have a degree. I don’t know the right things to say.’ I’ve realized that maybe

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N

ot every institution gets to celebrate its 375th anniversary. It is our privilege and our pleasure, however, to do that very thing on behalf of the idea, the history, and the school, that binds us together. And binds us to countless boys, and teachers, and staff who have constituted Roxbury Latin in its earlier, various incarnations. Europeans are used to marking significant birthdays. Thanks to Western Civilization (the parade of history, not the course) we have the pleasure of encountering regularly the antecedents of what we would boldly call modern. Our contemporary edifices and art, let alone our institutions, serve the whims and whys and wherefores of popular, current culture. And yet all that is now, all that is boldly contemporary, is somehow connected to that which went before—either as an extension of or in opposition to. But the main thing is the acknowledgement that we are, like it or not, the products of that which preceded us. In Europe, the caves, and monuments, and churches, and graveyards evoke earlier times, values, and priorities.

They indicate more primitive, but nonetheless impressive, technology. They, for all their differences, are the product of a constant of humanity: a striving to be more, to be better, to advance the systems and the symbols that mark a culture.

Last April people around the world looked on in horror as Notre Dame de Paris burned. Thankfully, much of this remarkable building was saved—as a result of brave efforts by the Parisian firefighters, les pompiers—but much of the roof and ceiling was destroyed. The estimate is that it will take at least five years to restore the cathedral to a state in which people may begin to enter it again. You may know that France has become one of the most secular countries in Europe. While most French would indicate that their heritage is Catholic, not many are active churchgoers nor adherents to the rules and practices of the Church. Yet, when Notre Dame burned, all French people expressed horror at the potential loss of their proudest symbol. This was not about their religious commitment or faith even. It was about a recognition of something important created in the 12th century: a beacon for communicants who sought solace and reassurance; an aesthetic marvel in which stained glass windows brilliantly illuminated the interior with colors and narratives of the Old and New Testament; an architectural phenom in which flying buttresses and other clever structural features provided

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“To be old, to have survived, is not enough.�

Kerry Brennan delivers the Opening of Fall Term address

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support for what mainly seemed to be a free standing, soaring interior; and a place where French kings as well as modern political figures went to affirm their Frenchness and their continuity.

Not many French could articulate what I just described as the reasons for their devotion to Notre Dame, but they could feel their connection to this continuity, through generations of predecessors (including the remarkable craftsmen who fashioned the cathedral over two centuries), through devastating challenges—both natural, and especially the result of war and the relentless bombing of Paris, and a staunch feeling of belonging, of community. The French people’s feeling of resilience and an attachment to that which was meaningful, enduring, and beautiful was embodied in that Gothic wonder. But the anxiety and sadness associated with the burning of Notre Dame was felt by more than the French people. It was felt by more than Catholics or even Christians.

It was felt by anyone who had ever visited that space and been moved by it, or even others, who though never having visited it, nonetheless understood it to be a reliable, awesome example of humankind striving to express the inexpressible, to marry technology to beauty, to offer a space that allows for the expression of and discovery of faith.

Notre Dame de Paris is one of the relatively few institutions to have celebrated a 375th anniversary marked by continuous existence. Even in our own country there are plenty of organizations founded before 1645, but not many of them have been continuously sustained. We laugh at that obligatory phrase “in continuous existence,” but it does speak of a characteristic of the school not to be minimized, and that is its enduring, resilient nature. Our school is emblematic not just of the kind of commitment made to education in the early years of our nation, but has been successful, it seems to me, at honoring our often distinguished past with reverence for history and traditions, while imagining a modern school, one that prepares all of you for meaningful lives and the possibility of affecting positively the communities in which you will live.

Today, as we launch this special year, with commemorations and celebrations, I want to pause to consider a few other phrases that are part of our distinctive catechism. Some of these emanate from John Eliot himself; most of them have

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“Over the years the trustees and schoolmasters have been committed to the school’s evolution, to incorporating values and traditions that seemed consistent with the founding principles but served to shape a school that was ever modern, always eager to serve its current students and to anticipate the world they would inherit and fashion.” been the phrases of others and gained momentum over many years, to the point that we believe that who we are and what we do are somehow preceded by 375 years of similarly minded school masters proclaiming the same priorities and values. Alas, such is not the case. If anything, Roxbury Latin has endured not because in 1645 John Eliot declared the formula for an exemplary school and his descendants have assiduously adhered to his beliefs, but, rather, that over the

years the trustees and schoolmasters have been committed to the school’s evolution, to incorporating values and traditions that seemed consistent with the founding principles but served to shape a school that was ever modern, always eager to serve its current students and to anticipate the world they would inherit and fashion. The phrases are the result of that evolution, and, if they have any merit it is not because they have mystical historical antecedents; it is because they inform who we are today and who we wish to become.

Known and Loved When I first worked at Roxbury Latin in 1978, I was not admonished to “know and love” every boy. This has become part of the secret sauce of RL over the years, and I believe that Mr. Jarvis can be credited with making it essential. One of the greatest surprises I had when I became Headmaster was the testimonials of many alumni who had not had a great experience at RL. Especially for the oldest of these alumni—graduates of the 30s, 40s and 50s—they often felt that teachers were decidedly adversarial. Indeed as has always been true, I surmise, the teachers knew their disciplines well and had mastered certain ways of delivering their curricula to mainly brainy students, but they were not committed to the whole boy, to understanding and celebrating his personality, to finding a way to understand him and to affirm him. I would imagine that in the first years of the school, starting with the first class consisting of young Johnny Eliot, that the

schoolmaster understood his young charges fairly well. He doubtless knew their families as they were gathered from the same neighborhood, and they represented a narrow slice of the demographic of that time—white, Anglo, male, Protestant, smart. Given presumptions about how one teaches and how students learn I could imagine there was some effort made to ensure that each boy succeeded, that each knew enough Latin primarily so he could pass the exams for Harvard College, and then go on to life as a member of the educated, dare I say professional class of that time. But in the ensuing three hundred years, I expect masters cared most of all about their students’ mastery of material—and I’ll bet the measure of that mastery was through daily recitations and performance on tests and exams. There certainly was no consideration of learning styles or possible crises within particular households that might have affected students’ ability to engage with the program. Even for graduates of the mid-20th century, RL was seen as a Darwinian place, a place where you would sink or swim, and where there necessarily would be some who did not make it, who were not “invited back” for a subsequent year.

The alumni of that time didn’t feel great about their school.

Those who were asked to leave (sometimes half the admitted class) felt resentful that they were not given more of a chance, and those that remained and graduated felt a certain degree of survivor’s guilt, unsure often why they had been spared the sword of Damocles and been allowed to remain, always fearful that each “could be next.” RL during those years felt much like

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the most rigorous of exercises, in many cases a joyless, airless regimen with the reward being survival, graduation, and admission to a desirable college.

That we insist each boy be “known and loved” contributes mightily to the attitude of the school, and the responsibility that adults on the faculty and staff feel for understanding, supporting, and celebrating each and every student. Our relatively small size fosters an intimacy that allows people to know each other, to encounter each other in different venues—gathered in the Hall and the Theater, as part of an academic class, in athletics, in publications, debate, Model UN, theater, musical groups, on trips, and as part of service. It is, therefore, conceivable that the covenant to “know and love” is not just fostered by the adults, but is part of our general philosophy, our mission, practiced by you boys yourselves.

As you know from your families, loving is not the same as liking. On more than one occasion, when I had not been my best self, my mother would remind me that “while she would always love me, she was not liking me very much” at that moment. We find plenty of ways to love one another— by acknowledging, by trying hard to understand each idiosyncratic person, by offering generosity, encouragement, recognition, approval. So much, especially for younger boys, has to do with older boys noting their presence, getting to know their names, and addressing them. I ask you to do that.

It, too, is part of the knowing and loving we ask you to realize.

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And even when you are welcoming and kind to strangers on campus, you are offering a loving gesture, a helpful hand intended to make those who are new to us feel at home. In its most basic form “knowing and loving” has to do with a cadre of committed adults, often in their advisor roles, but as teachers and coaches and activities directors, or simply as alert neighbors in the school community, who extend themselves to get to know the students, to take a share of responsibility for their tending and feeding and growing up, and even to admonish when required, in order to ensure that each boy comes to realize his best self in all regards. I find that if a boy feels trust, and affection, and care that he will benefit from any observation or suggestion even when those call him to task for behavior less than ideal.

Democratically Gathered As I have already noted, RL at the beginning was made up of boys who had a lot in common—in their ethnicity, religion, gender, and socio-economic station. They even came from the same neighborhood. Eliot, in founding the school, cared selfishly about the educational fortunes of his own boy, but he was also aware that the new colony needed an educated citizenry to advance both the virtues of scholarship—as students and teachers—and also to utilize Classical exemplars especially in order to imagine a community, a colony, and a nation that appreciated the kinds of justice, freedom, and democratic ideals that caused many to seek the openness

and possibility of the New World. In other words, during Eliot’s time and for 250 years after, the emphasis was not so much on who was being educated (a relatively constant parade of WASPish boys constituted the school well into the 19th century), as what content and skills were being taught them. Around the turn of the 20th century, things changed.

“Given its founding principles, yet more important its latter-day emphases, Roxbury Latin is about an implicit deal. In essence, the school offers a superb education, access to great teachers, programs and facilities, and the boys give unstintingly of themselves.”

The United States, and especially Boston, had experienced waves of immigrants, primarily from Europe, who came to the United States 250 years later for opportunity, as Eliot and his compatriots did. Some of these immigrants came for religious and political freedom, but most were driven by economic concerns, pursuing better lives in America, the land of opportunity, where streets are paved with gold. At about

the same time, somewhat in reaction to the deluge of new immigrants, established WASP families retreated to enclaves of privilege and protection. Many of our country’s great boarding schools were founded around the turn of the 20th century ostensibly offering educational opportunities based on the European, especially British, model. But they ended up being more about preserving the status quo, ensuring that Protestant, monied families were given unique opportunities to preserve their standing in the culture and hobnob with the same small, subset of society that constituted its elite clubs, colleges, vacation spots, and religious hegemony. Certainly many of the young people—predominantly boys—who were afforded these opportunities were bright and went on to offer leadership of all sorts, especially politically.

Back in Boston, however, there were many who felt quite far removed from the Andovers, Exeters, St. Paul’s, Deerfields, and Grotons of the world. In an era when those kinds of boarding schools offered few scholarships and were essentially for the well-to-do, many families in Greater Boston cared greatly about the educational opportunities available to their own sons. They could not afford those rarified boarding schools, and yet they knew that education was the pathway to success in American society. They were eager to find secondary schools and colleges that would give their children this ladder to upward mobility.

Roxbury Latin took on new stature in those days. Thankfully, the Boston public schools then, as public schools across the land did, afforded excellent training and possibilities for a diverse population. In Boston, Boston Latin became the most famous school for offering this chance. It was swarming with bright, immigrant children and offered aspiring public schools in urban centers around the country an example of excellence.

For those who wanted something more intimate, perhaps even more Classical, there was Roxbury Latin.

Well into the 20th century, Roxbury Latin was free for all those who lived within a catchment known as “Old Roxbury”; this extended to Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. In the first couple centuries, Roxbury Latin drew from its local neighborhoods, primarily because it was handy and it was free! The school, especially under William Coe Collar, began to attract national attention for the rigor and effectiveness of its academic program. Since its founding, Roxbury Latin had provided well-prepared scholars to Harvard, and throughout

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the late-19th century and beyond, students began to consider other undergraduate options. The makeup of the school foreshadowed what we have come to take for granted today—a school made up of boys from families of modest means. As Boston changed dramatically in the late-19th century and early-20th century, so, too, eventually did the demographic of the school. New waves of immigrants—from Ireland, Italy, and Central Europe—were drawn to Boston, and especially if parents made education a priority—they were drawn also to Roxbury Latin.

It would be fair to say that Roxbury Latin was not in the vanguard of accepting boys from “newly arrived” families.

In the early-20th century, however, RL accepted students representative of ethnic groups and religious groups that the most prestigious boarding schools were not. A few weeks ago at a local diner, I ran into a priest who had grown up in West Roxbury; somehow he had heard what my job was. “Do you have many Catholics there now?” he asked. “When I was growing up, my mother said that was a school for Protestants, not for the Irish Catholic likes of me. It was always sort of a mystery none of us dared to penetrate its boundaries.” I explained to this confused cleric that he and his mother had it all wrong. In fact, in the early-20th century, RL began to take the sons of newly arrived European Jews, as well as a fair share of the sons of newly arrived Irish. They generally came from aspiring families eager for education to help raise up the next generation, and ones with little financial wherewithal.

In each instance, the school made a point of considering the individual boy, what he was capable of, and what he could offer. Organically, the school embraced all kinds of talented boys, even at the end of the 19th century. Our records show Irish, Italian, and Latin names in the 1870s; names of boys who were likely Jewish began to show up around the turn of the century. Regrettably, it would not be until the 1960s that Roxbury Latin’s first Black student was admitted. I fear that the arrival of students of Asian or Hispanic descent might even have been later than that. What I am certain of is that the tapestry of ethnicities reflected in our school population today is a good thing. Still today students are admitted as individuals, not because of or despite the fact that each is a part of a certain ethnicity or religion. Once a boy arrives at school he may indeed get to know others who are from the same ethnic group, or the same faith tradition, or come from

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the same neighborhood. But, more important, he will get to know boys from many other ethnicities, faith traditions, and neighborhoods. Most important, each boy will come to realize that he was admitted for his qualities—for his smarts, interests, personality, character—and never because his parents could or could not afford the school. Unlike virtually any other independent school I know of, Roxbury Latin is a meritocracy, in which one is admitted, and then the financial aid officers determine how much money his family needs to come here and award that financial aid. However “diverse” some other schools claim to be, there is none I know of that quite so dramatically claims this priority and affords this access and affordability. We must monitor closely the financial model that allows this to be true, but we know that that vigilance is worth it thanks to the dynamic student body that results. I say we are democratically gathered because no one has a special claim on the place except because of his talent and his ambition. And yet I am not bashful about boasting that 38% of our student body is constituted by boys of color.

Diligent Use of One’s Talents Given its founding principles, yet more important its latterday emphases, Roxbury Latin is about an implicit deal.

In essence, the school offers a superb education, access to great teachers, programs and facilities, and the boys give unstintingly of themselves. At our school that means that a boy does his level best in his studies—which are rigorous and unrelenting—and then also he freely offers his talents and determination to countless extracurricular activities, as well as being a model citizen. The covenant simply states: We’ll do our best for you and you do what you can to make the community the best it can be. In recent years, we have celebrated the generalist. For me, being “the generalist” at Roxbury Latin does not just mean that a boy is expected to contribute what he can to enterprises that call for his proven gifts; it also means giving other things a try—ones with which one has no previous experience. This could mean playing a sport that he has never played before, but could also mean giving debate a try, auditioning for a play, singing with the Glee Club, volunteering for service opportunities, signing on to trips.

Truth be told, until the middle of the 20th century, there was neither much choice about courses one could elect (the big choice for decades was whether to take biology or German

sophomore year!), let alone very many “after school” or “extracurricular” options. You need only look at the athletic teams in the Perry basement to see how recently sports like track, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and even basketball came to be offered. There were no service options and very few chances to participate in debate, Model United Nations, or travel.

Some semblance of a Glee Club has existed for a long time, and so, too, has there been a long-standing commitment to dramatic productions. But the array and the high quality of these offerings is something new. More and more we learn of athletes who are pressured to specialize very early on in their young careers. We have mainly successfully fought against this trend, but the work goes ever on. In each season last year, I had a conversation with a boy who was opting out of a non-required sport because of feigned commitment to spend more time on a particular out-of-season sport. And also, in what seems an obligatory but wrongheaded contention, “to spend more time on my studies.” When a boy drops a sport to spend more time on his studies, he virtually never does better at those studies. Indeed, he usually fritters away the time that he could have and should have spent playing the sport of that

season. In each of my conversations I reminded the boy of his responsibility to the credo of the school—and to use his talents diligently—and I also suggested that selfishly he would be better off contributing something we needed and having the gift of camaraderie that would come from that endeavor.

(Unfortunately, only one of these three boys acceded to my strong suggestion.)

Our commitment to the generalist philosophy—of participating in various activities; in being good at some and not so good at others; at learning about teamwork and both leadership and followership; in taking risks and suffering occasional disappointments, even defeat—all of this we believe is good for you and helps you to grow into balanced, collaborative men. It is not so far, either, from another of our most popular dicta: “From those to whom much has been given much will be expected.” In the assessment of what it is you have—indeed what it is you have been given—the expectation is that you will share those gifts freely, that you will satisfy the implicit covenant agreed upon when you arrived at our doorstep.

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Leading and Serving Of course, the admonition emblazoned on the far wall of the Refectory suggests much about this category as well.

One strong, distinctive statement made by Eliot about the school’s founding was that RL’s objective was to “fit students for public service both in Church and Commonwealth.”

We have extrapolated from that clear statement of its times a more general call to lead and serve. Given the gifts that you know—your intelligence, your determination, your discipline, your appetite, and now the training and exposure that comes from your participating in the life of this school—you have much to give, specifically to help others who have less than we in all sorts of categories. You have the capacity to inspire, persuade, and lead others to make our various communities—and, dare I say the world—a more just, fairer, kinder, more loving, more effective place. This reminds me of another conversation I had with a cheeky boy who had the audacity to tell me that he was tired of what he thought was our unrealistic expectation for leading and serving. He said, “Mr. Brennan, I’m just going to keep my head down and make lots of money. I suppose it will be great if I have a family and plenty of fun, but mainly I want to live a good life. And I suppose, if we’re both lucky, your statement about ‘from those to whom much has been given, much will be expected’ will be honored, because once I figure I’ll have enough for me, then I guess I’ll give some of my dough to the school because I know you’ll be panting for my millions.” You can imagine a relatively long talk, in fact several talks, followed that declaration. By the time the boy graduated he allowed that he wasn’t so sure what in his life would make him happy, and that some of my points about money not equaling happiness might be true. He said he’d let me know when he tested the proposition. I had tried to suggest that there were plenty of ways to lead and serve, and that some of my favorite leaders and servants also had a boatload of money. He had set up a binary proposition that was never intended. More important, however, I suggested that he would be squandering his numerous and obvious talents if he narrowly applied them to his chosen career in finance; rather I suggested he be open to the idea of teaching and leading others, of helping his community by serving on committees and boards, by volunteering for his kids’ organizations. Though this boy, now a man, has not come back to tell me I was right, I happen to know that he is both

successful at his profession and meaningfully involved in his community, in his church, and in his family. I expect because of all that he is closer to achieving happiness.

All that said, you know that I value greatly our involvement in the civic life of our nation. As I look at RL’s history, except for its first two centuries, there are far too few public servants, men who offer themselves for elected office. For you, then, comes the additional charge that you take leading and serving much more literally and involve yourselves in our nation’s political life. In an election year, I am bold to ask you again to pay attention, to understand the issues, to get to know the candidates, to support a candidate who reflects your priorities, to make a financial contribution, to work on a campaign, if you’re of age to vote, and if you’re not to get others to do so. And as adults I want some of you to run for office—locally or nationally—in order that your good thinking, balanced approach, and values might more broadly influence the communities in which we live. Lead and serve.

And you can also work in the helping professions, discover cures for diseases, ensure the world has clean water, advocate for social justice, sacrifice in order that others might know better lives, work that all children might go to good schools and have bright futures.

In Closing You will hear plenty throughout this year about Roxbury Latin, its history, its distinctive qualities, the impact it has had.

As was proven with Notre Dame, however, just to be old, to have survived, is not enough. While we are grateful for such a firm foundation, for people, and values, and aspirations that have allowed us to be here today, what ought to inspire us is our own promise, our own willingness to take responsibility for honoring the phrases we have mentioned—known and loved, inclusive, broadly engaged, and leading and serving.

Today we begin as we do every year with great optimism and great hope that we might write new, impressive chapters in this grand old school’s history—ones that resonate with us individually and collectively, and speak of our audaciousness, simplicity, humility, integrity, and excellence.

O Roxbury, old Roxbury, ever dear since the days of long ago, May the luster of thy Glory through thy children ever brighter grow. //

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The Roxbury Latin School, over 375 years Text and images compiled by archivist CHRIS HEATON

Roxbury Latin is defined by continuity and by its unwavering mission— over 375 years—to prepare young men to “lead and serve.” From its founder John Eliot to this year’s fresh crop of Sixies, Roxbury Latin has persisted—uninterrupted by wars and rebellions, recessions and relocations—since 1645. Richard Walden Hale, Jr., articulates the enduring legacy of the school in his 1946 book, Tercentenary History of The Roxbury Latin School: “But there is one last thing to do, to connect the finish of the school’s three hundred years with their start, and show how Roxbury Latin has been steadily consistent with its founder’s aims. It has educated for ‘public services both in Church and Commonwealth,’ through the study of the Humanities. It has been a ‘Free School,’ open to all comers and when possible free of cost, but also free from outside control. More than that, it has been a ‘Schola Illustris,’ at the forefront of movements in American education... it has continued to train men of importance and standing, as have witnessed recent graduates who have had time to make a mark on the world.”

“Furthermore, it can hold that this continued success... has been caused by its policy of independence for the purpose of keeping its standards high. The ‘Grammar School in the Easterly Part of the Town of Roxbury’ has tried to remain what it originally was, an Elizabethan Grammar School where the cleverest of boys of every walk of life could obtain the education they deserved, and at the same time to progress to meet new needs.”

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1645 Roxbury Latin is founded

by John Eliot, “the Apostle to the Indians.” The original sixty-four “donors,” including Governor Thomas Dudley, pledge annual donations in perpetuity, and their Agreement of 1645 is the oldest school charter in America. They agree to erect a free school to fit children “for public service both in Church and Commonwealth.”

1660 The Massachusetts General Court approves a grant of 500 acres to the town of Roxbury for the maintenance of a free school.

1669 John Eliot and Samuel Danforth outline the obligations of the schoolmaster John Prudden in a February contract “to instruct [the children] in all scholasticall, morall, and theologicall discipline.”

Along with the list of residents who pledge to support the school are four families listed under “gratis,” whose boys would also receive schooling.

John Wise

The Rev. John Wise of Ipswich, originator of the phrase “no taxation without representation,” graduates.

John Wise House in Essex, Massachusetts. Photos: “John Wise House” Elizabeth Thomsen (flickr, @ethomsen)

1670 25th Anniversary

Governor Thomas Dudley, John Eliot, Paul Dudley, Thomas Weld, and others pledge their continued annual support of the school.

1671 1695 Thomas Bell, one of the original donors, and an

50th Anniversary

original member of the

The school is taught by

Society for the Propagation

Joseph Green, A.M. from

of the Gospel in New

Harvard. Students from this

England, bequeaths that

era include Nicholas Sever,

the income from 151 acres

a 1697 graduate, who would

of his land in Roxbury be

later become Chief Justice of

entrusted to Trustees to

Plymouth Court.

benefit “the maintenance of a schoolmaster and free school� at Roxbury.

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1720

75th Anniversary Peleg Heath and

Benjamin Ruggles of the class of 1717 are the first RL graduates to bypass Harvard for Yale.

1745

100th Anniversary Thomas Dudley, Jr., a 1746 graduate, was grandson and great-grandson of

Massachusetts governors.

1752

The school is taught by William Cushing, who would go on to become one of the first six associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Cushing administered the oath of office at Washington’s second inauguration. Illustration: Max Rosenthal (1899) from a portrait

by James Sharples.

1755

Letter from Warren regarding payment for teaching at RL from 1760 to 1761 (Warren portrait by John Singleton Copley).

General Joseph Warren graduates. After later graduating from Harvard, he taught at RL from 1760 to 1761. Arguably the school’s most distinguished graduate and a leader of the Revolutionary Army, he died at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.

1763 Future Governor of

Massachusetts and Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Increase Sumner graduates. In 1792, he becomes president of the Trustees at the school.

1770

125th Anniversary There are 86 boys enrolled in the school.

Students are placed in divisions like “Latin Scholars” and “Cypherers.” The youngest are called “Spellers,” including Ebenezer Seaver, a future U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. One of the most distinguished students is John Warren— younger brother of Joseph Warren—a 1767 graduate who became a founder of Harvard Medical School.

1845

1789

200th Anniversary

The Charter of 1789

Henry B. Wheelwright,

combines the school’s

a former student, is

Feoffees (Trustees) and

appointed master.

Bell’s trustees into a single

1847

governing board known as “The Trustees of the Grammar School in the Easterly Part of the Town of Roxbury.” The Charter is signed by John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts.

Charles Short, known

Francis Cabot Lowell,

as the school’s first

founder of textile industry

headmaster, is hired.

in Lowell, Massachusetts, also graduates.

1795 1820

150th Anniversary William Hyslop Sumner

175th Anniversary

is a student. He later serves

Charles Fox, MD, a

as a Trustee from 1802 to

graduate from the Class

1805. Son of Governor

of 1809, is hired for $300

Increase Sumner (RL

as a master teacher for

Class of 1763), Sumner

six months “provided he

led the development of

suspend his practice as a

East Boston, the City’s first

physician.”

planned neighborhood.

Boston’s Sumner Tunnel is named for him.

1853 Augustus H. Buck, the

school’s second headmaster, joins Roxbury Latin.

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1857

William Coe Collar, a student

1870

225th Anniversary

The school comprises about 80 students. Theodore

at Amherst College, begins

Chickering Williams, class

his 50 years as a member

of 1872, would return to

of the faculty, including 40

alma mater as headmaster

years as headmaster. For his

in 1907. In 1872, just seven

longevity and innovation,

years after the Civil War,

Collar is called the school’s

Williams was elected “4th

“second founder.”

Sargent” in the Roxbury

1860

Latin School Company and received military instruction from Col. Hobart Moore.

The Trustee minutes show that Trustee Supply Clapp

Thwing purchased a safe for the school for $35.

The school moves from an

1835 schoolhouse erected on part of the original Joseph Warren estate to a building erected in 1853 on Kearsarge Avenue, Roxbury.

1868 Joseph Warren Homer

graduates. While working for Alexander Graham Bell, he coined the term “telephone.”

Headmaster Theodore Chickering Williams

1872 Noted architect of Jordan Hall and the Longfellow Bridge (and creator of

1895

The Harvard Lampoon), Edmund March

Wheelwright graduates.

1888 1889

250th Anniversary

Enrollment expands to 185.

Frederick Winsor, founder of Middlesex School, graduates.

The first issue of the student newspaper The Tripod was

published. It is still published four to five times each year.

One of its first editors was Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., noted landscape architect

Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.

who graduated in 1890.

Edward Lee Thorndike, inventor of the IQ test, was a year behind Olmsted.

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Edward Lee Thorndike

Roxbury Latin Class of 1895

1920 1907 275th Anniversary

Theodore Chickering Williams, an 1872 graduate, becomes the school’s fourth headmaster.

Students, faculty, and alumni enjoy the school’s traditional night at the Boston Pops on Founder’s Day, May 21.

1900 Roxbury Latin Track Team

1921

Daniel V. Thompson becomes the school’s sixth headmaster.

Roxbury Latin School in 1904

1909

D.O.S. Lowell becomes the school’s fifth headmaster.

Roxbury Latin Class of 1913

1927

The school moves to its current location in the “westerly part of Roxbury” (West Roxbury). It is comprised of fifty acres of the Richard Codman estate. The Act of 1927, Chapter 214, enlarges the authority of the Trustees of the Grammar School in the easterly part of the town of Roxbury and the Trustees were “hereby given full power and authority to provide for the education of youth, with or without regard to the place of residence or to the financial ability of them or their parents and with or without charging tuition….”

The new building is designed by architect William Perry, who shortly thereafter oversees the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg.

1933 George Norton Northrop

becomes the school’s seventh headmaster.

Top: The Perry Building; Middle: the Richard Codman property; Bottom: Chauncey Baseball Diamond.

1945

300th Anniversary Life magazine features the school’s 300th anniversary. Two years later, an Act changed the name from “the Trustees of the Grammar School, in the easterly part of the town of Roxbury…” to the Trustees of the Roxbury Latin School. Six acres, including Bogandale Field and the headmaster’s house, are purchased.

1965

1947

Richmond Mayo-Smith becomes the school’s ninth headmaster.

Frederick R. Weed becomes the school’s eighth headmaster.

1957

1970

The Albert H. Gordon Field

325th Anniversary

House was added, the first time a gymnasium was built for the students.

The school celebrates its 325th anniversary on May 8.

Walter Muir Whitehill, Director and Librarian at the Boston Athenæum, and Dr. John Knowles, General Director of the Massachusetts General

1964

Hospital, are key speakers.

Roxbury Latin begins its association with the Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, New Hampshire, the orientation spot for new Sixies.

The event was also marked by the formal re-dedication of the Joseph Warren statue and the publishing of 1928 graduate Francis Russell’s book Forty Years On.

1974

F. Washington “Tony”

Jarvis, III becomes the

school’s 10th headmaster, beginning a 30-year headmastership.

1992

The Robert P. and Salua Smith Arts Center is built.

Robert Smith was a member of the Class of 1958.

William Buckingham P’03 designed the Arts Center, along with the Gordon Wing, the Bauer

1987

The Mary Rousmaniere

Gordon Wing is added.

Science Building, the Gordon Fieldhouse, and the Jarvis Refectory. While adapting his designs to meet each building’s specific use, Mr. Buckingham ensured each structure was in harmony with the 1927 neo-Georgian schoolhouse.

1995

350th Anniversary

1990

Rappaport Fields are completed.

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President George H.W. Bush visits the school as part of the 350th anniversary celebration.

1998 The Charles T. “Ted” Bauer Science Center is built. Ted

Bauer was a member of the Class of 1938.

2000 The Gordon Gymnasium was

built. The gymnasium is named for Albert Gordon from the Class of 1919. Gordon served as a Trustee for more than 60 years.

2002 The Jarvis Refectory, named for

the school’s transformational 10th headmaster, is added.

2004

2005

Roxbury Latin affirms the school’s long-standing need-blind admission policy to provide aid

for all aspects of its programs. The school’s unique financial model results in a diverse demographic.

Kerry Paul Brennan

becomes the school’s 11th headmaster.

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2008

An additional 40 acres of

woodland is added to the campus.

2009

The school’s first strategic plan is launched, affirming the school’s commitment to its students and faculty and resulting in major athletic facility renovations.

2017

The school’s main football and lacrosse, and soccer and baseball fields are renovated, an Indoor Athletic Facility is opened, and the Hennessy Rink, funded

by Jack ‘54 and Margarita Hennessy, is completed, greatly expanding the athletic facilities for the 300 scholar-athletes currently enrolled and their teacher-coaches.

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TWO MAJOR THEMES WILL CARRY THROUGH THE YEAR:

2019

1. “Men of Roxbury” This year’s celebration will include publication of Tony Jarvis’s book Men of Roxbury—a collection of profiles about notable alumni of the school dating from its founding up through the 1940s. To

375th Anniversary

The school’s 375th academic year is underway, and this fall has already included anniversary events ranging from insightful and consequential—Halls featuring alumni journalists, and Matt Desmond, author of Evicted—to simply fun and festive—a Homecoming celebration on October 5 that included food trucks, games, music, and 1,100 of Roxbury Latin’s closest friends.

We are honoring this important year in the life of the school through a series of events and publications that are both commemorative and celebratory, nodding to the school’s founding, its traditions and history, its people, and to its vibrant life and evolution over nearly four centuries. The anniversary celebration is both infusing the school’s typical, annual activities and is leading on special anniversary elements throughout the year. We hope you will join us as we affirm those values that have always been

carry that theme forward, we will welcome individual alumni—as well as cohorts of alumni—to visit the school to participate in performances, exhibits, panel discussions, as well as individual Halls and classroom visits. These sons of RL represent diverse professional and personal paths—all examples of excellence, leadership, or service—to inspire students and help them gain a window into what’s possible.

• Artists John Semper ‘70, Christopher Payne ’86, Andrew McNay ’02, Winston Chmielinksi ’06 • Musicians Gilles Vonsattel ‘99, Stefan Jackiw ‘03, Lev Mamuya ‘14 • Journalists Chris Beam ‘02, Jamie Kirchick ‘02, Scott Sayare ‘04 • Chris Hannan ‘82 (Founder’s Day) • Colin Murphy ’05, Thomas Buckley ‘11, Joshua Rivers ’11 (Veterans Day) • Frantz Alphonse ’90 (Martin Luther King Jr. Hall)

central to Roxbury Latin’s mission; celebrate, with several

• Bo Menkiti ‘95 (Wyner Lecture)

community-building events; and highlight the energetic,

Two evening events—one in January, one in April—will be

substantive, and myriad ways in which RL alumni go on to “lead and serve.”

opportunities for the broader RL community—alumni, parents, friends of the school—to gather and enjoy the artistic talents of some of our illustrious graduates.

Opening Exhibit of Alumni Artists THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2020 GREAT HALL

An Evening of Music: Berman Artists in Residence

• Philip Leslie Hale, Class of 1883 (painter)

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 ROUSMANIERE HALL

• John Semper ‘70 (animation screenwriter)

• Gilles Vonsattel ’99 (piano)

• Christopher Payne ’86 (photographer)

• Stefan Jackiw ’03 (violin)

• Zach Kanin ’01 (cartoonist and screenwriter)

• Lev Mamuya ’14 (cello)

• Andrew McNay ’02 (metal work and sculptor) • Winston Chmielinksi ’06 (painter)

2. Service: Focus on Homelessness and Poverty The mission of the school, since its founding in 1645, has been to prepare boys to “lead and serve.” In this anniversary year, the theme of service will carry through the celebration, with a particular focus on homelessness and poverty. We have long

SAVE THE DATE 375th Anniversary Celebration: Honoring Our Faculty

partnered with organizations that care for the poor and the

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2020

homeless, as our boys and faculty volunteer their time with Haley

Alumni, parents, faculty, and staff will be invited

House, Pine Street Inn, Ave Atque Vale, Habitat for Humanity,

for a special evening celebration of Roxbury

and Norwood Food Pantry, to name a few.

Latin’s faculty—past and present. This event on

Throughout the year, boys will hear from various individuals whose work is devoted to caring for the homeless and povertystricken, from various and important angles. Boys will also be involved in hands-on projects consistent with our service focus.

(These morning Hall presentations will be available only to the boys, faculty, and staff.)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019 Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019 Tina Giarla Baptista, Director of A Bed for Every Child (a program of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless) *Following Ms. Baptista’s presentation, students will spend the morning building beds to be donated to children throughout the Greater Boston area.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 • Kate Walsh, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center • Bill Walczak, Founder of Codman Square Health

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2020 Chris Arnade, photographer and author of the book Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America

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campus will be complete with delicious food and drink, and wonderful company.

Alumni Journalists Kick Off Anniversary Lecture Series As part of the school’s celebration of Roxbury Latin’s 375th anniversary, a special series of Halls will feature RL alumni, “Men of RL,” who represent diverse personal and professional paths—all examples of excellence, leadership, or service, intended to inspire students and help them gain a window into what’s possible. The series began on September 19 with a panel of three accomplished journalists: Chris Beam ’02, Jamie Kirchick ’02, and Scott Sayare ’04. All three alumni nurtured their burgeoning writing and reporting interests while at RL by contributing to The Tripod, a publication also celebrating a big anniversary: 130 years since the publication of its first issue.

Fittingly—as he advised all three grads during their RL years spent working on The Tripod— long-time advisor of the school paper and Assistant Headmaster Mike Pojman moderated the panel. He guided the conversation through topics of fake news, media bias, and the role of the internet in the ever-changing journalistic landscape. The conversation was lively, revealing shared hopes and fears for the future of journalism and respectful disagreements between friends and former classmates. Within the 45 minutes, Chris expressed his fear that the self-censorship he witnessed in China will be an increasing practice in the United States as journalists fear losing precious political contacts; Jamie reminded us that “fake news” is not a new concept, recalling when Jefferson hired the journalist James Thomson Callender to call Adams a hermaphrodite in the news; and Scott asserted that any journalist who is absolutely certain about a viewpoint is to be questioned. Together, the group lamented that with social media dictating the consumption of news, many journalists are more concerned with being the first to report a story than getting a story right.

Chris Beam has written for The New Yorker, The New Republic, GQ, and The New York Times Magazine. For five years he

worked in Washington, D.C., as a political reporter for Slate Magazine, before moving to Beijing on a Luce Scholarship to write about China’s rise. Jamie Kirchick ’02 is a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and a widely published journalist. He spent time in Prague with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as their writer-at-large and has published a book titled The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues and the Coming Dark Age. Jamie is a recipient of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year award. Scott Sayare ’04 served for several years as part of the Paris branch of The New York Times and now writes as a freelance journalist for publications such as The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Republic, GQ, and The Guardian Long Road.

At the conclusion of Hall all three alumni met with members of The Tripod staff in the Refectory where they continued the conversation and dug further into these important ideas. //

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Matt Desmond, Author of Evicted, Kicks Off Anniversary Service Series

As part of Roxbury Latin’s 375th anniversary celebration we will focus, through various Halls and service initiatives, on the many challenges and potential solutions related to homelessness and poverty. “This year we will be honoring especially a mission characterized by concern for others—a mission that has been fundamental to Roxbury Latin since its founding,” Headmaster Brennan said by way of introduction in Hall that morning. “Each year we—individually and collectively—commit our time, talent, or treasure to organizations or efforts that aim to ease the burdens of others. Through Ave Atque Vale, the Pine Street Inn, Haley House, Norwood Food Pantry and others we play a small part in helping those who find themselves without a stable home or paycheck, without a family to support them, even without friends to lay them to their final resting place.” Our collective foray into the year’s service theme began this summer when students, faculty, and staff were provided copies of and encouraged to read Evicted. Mr. Desmond’s Hall kicked off for us a series that will focus on this theme from a number of angles.

In Hall, Mr. Desmond shared with students and faculty personal stories and grim statistics related to eviction in America. In the United States, for instance, the recommendation is that

“The United States is the richest democracy with the worst poverty,” began Matt Desmond in Hall on October 3. Mr. Desmond is the During Professor of Sociology at Princeton and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. In researching for his book—on the fraught relationship between tenants and landlords, and on the eviction epidemic in our country—Mr. Desmond lived in a mobile home in Milwaukee for five months and then in an urban rooming house for ten. He went with families from these communities—who were struggling to keep a roof over their heads—to eviction court, church, AA meetings, and funerals.

He ate at their tables and slept on their floors. He also spent time with landlords, which again brought him to eviction court, and to homes across the city to pass out eviction notices. The product of these experiences and relationships is a book that reveals eviction as a cause of poverty rather than just a condition of poverty—a book about the power of a home in security, upward mobility, self-worth, and happiness.

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individuals and families spend 30 percent of their income on housing (rent or mortgage). But as housing costs soar and incomes remain steady, the majority of poor families are spending as much as 80 to 90 percent of their income on rent and utilities, Mr. Desmond explained. Three quarters of the renting families living below the poverty line receive no housing assistance; the waitlist for public housing in our major cities is measured in decades, not years. The last time applications for public housing in Boston were open, for example, was eight years ago; they were open for two weeks. There are nearly 2,500 evictions per day in the United States, and the odds of finding stable, safe, comfortable housing after an eviction are slim. As Mr. Desmond described, families in the chaotic aftermath of eviction are desperate to find a home quickly and struggle to find landlords who will lease to them due to their eviction record. They are most often, then, forced to accept appalling conditions: lead paint, no water or heat, unsafe neighborhoods.

The United States can afford, Mr. Desmond asserts, to make housing a universal right through housing vouchers for all poor Americans—in the same way that we acknowledge and support food and education as universal rights. Currently, however, the majority of federal funding reserved for housing goes to the wealthiest Americans as tax advantages. Mr. Desmond’s presentation was a sobering but rousing call to action, followed by thoughtful questions from RL boys.

Mr. Desmond was awarded the MacArthur “Genius” Grant in 2015 for “revealing the impact of eviction on the lives of the urban poor and its role in perpetuating racial and economic inequality.” In 2015 he received the Stowe Prize for Writing to Advance Social Issues, and in 2018 his Eviction Lab at Princeton published the first-ever dataset of millions of evictions in America, going back to the year 2000.

Joining us in Hall was RL parent Amanda Cook. Ms. Cook was Mr. Desmond’s editor for Evicted; she is vice president and executive editor at Crown, an imprint of Random House Publishing, and has served as editor to a number of awardwinning and best-selling authors, including Erik Larsen (Devil in the White City) and Rebecca Skloot (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks).

Both Mr. Desmond and Ms. Cook spent the morning in classes speaking with students about the book; issues and regulations related to eviction—in the United States and abroad; non-fiction research and ethical considerations; and the writing/editing process. Our guests spent time with Mr. Cervas and Mr. Nelson’s English 12 classes, as well as Mrs. Dromgoole’s Contemporary Global Issues class, which had prepared by reading selected excerpts from Evicted related to their unit on homelessness, and in preparation for Mr. Desmond’s visit. //

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Connection is the Heart of Service

by DAVID LAFOND, Class I Reprinted from the fall 2019 issue of The Tripod

On October 3, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Princeton sociologist and MacArthur Grant-recipient Matthew Desmond, whose book Evicted tells stories of and seeks to grapple with the harsh realities of the housing business in American cities. While RL always stresses the value of service, I point this speaker out in particular because of our school’s declared focus, in this 375th year, on homelessness and poverty.

Mr. Desmond’s book is most compelling in its narrative style. The title itself—Evicted, rather than, say, Eviction—communicates the work’s human, personal character. Unlike the theories formulated and digested in an Economics class, real service requires feeling and the ineffable connection of being for a moment present in the same place at the same time. Thus we’ve invited alumni panelists through the “Men of Roxbury” series, tying the values of place and familiarity to meaningful service.

As an example, I recall one recent September Saturday, the sun ablaze and air debilitatingly thick, when I went with some other seniors and attendant faculty to prepare and serve breakfast at Pine Street Inn, a lodging for the disabled and chronically homeless.

In a way, it felt fraudulent to slice up pineapple for fruit salad and call it charity. Shaking up an orange juice carton and pouring it robotically into cup after lifeless cup hardly felt like a selfless effort to be proud of. When I set out plastic cutlery and saw a dejected elderly man hunched in some cheap chair, something lively and human in his eyes lost or clouded over, I wanted to hide, to leave.

I felt fear. For if this was my service, if those vaguely defeated craters tilted up at me reflected the worth of my compassion, I

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had done no real good. I retreated to the kitchen in self-conscious nervousness, unsure how there could be something wrong-feeling about a universally-acknowledged act of virtue.

“Despite his present misfortune, this man didn’t need praise or affirmation.

He just wanted someone to talk to.”

But when I came back—the wonderful thing about school service is that you’re obliged to stick with it—I met the value of charity firsthand. As I sauntered about offering cream for the coffee, one man caught my gaze and spoke, thanking me in a muffled tone for “coming over.” On processing the man’s U.S. Marines hat, I rapidly realized that I should probably be the one thanking him, but the conversation had already begun. Despite his present misfortune, this man didn’t need praise or affirmation. He just wanted someone to talk to.

I learned his name was Steven. He had a brother who died in Vietnam. He recalled hurling two fists right through glass panes when he saw army cars groaning up the dirt road to deliver the news. He talked about battling drugs and alcohol. His mother had died. He was estranged from his brother and urged me, eyes far right with a somber air, to cherish my sibling relations. When he rose and extended his hand to shake, I tore off the latex kitchen glove without hesitation, knowing that I had just done more service in those ten minutes than I could ever do just pouring orange juice behind a wall and kitchen counter.

I hope I’ve succeeded in my narration, meaning I hope I’ve given a sense of the emotional side of service. I hope you’ve made the connection, in reading, that this trip to Pine Street Inn was a school trip. The opportunities are here, this year, and I hope you embrace them. //

FACULTY FLASHBACK

1998

Bill Chauncey, longtime varsity baseball coach and Director of Admission, retires after 39 years at Roxbury Latin.

Bill Chauncey with a group of Class VI students (c. 1995).

Bill Chauncey: Wisdom and Integrity, Incarnate A young graduate of Groton and Harvard, Bill Chauncey had just completed his service in the Air Force when he came to teach at RL in 1959. Bill never looked back, devoting his entire work­ing life to Roxbury Latin. He taught history at every level throughout his career, introducing the famed Sixie course, “From Subject to Citizen,” and with an “uncanny ability to foresee the main questions on the U.S. History A.P.” claimed Tony Jarvis at Bill’s retirement in 1998. Bill served as varsity baseball coach for 25 years, and “mentored the Intermediates” in football through 26 seasons. He was Roxbury Latin’s first director of admission; a longtime Sixth Class master; served as director of studies for several years; and led the school for a year and a half as acting headmaster.

“Mr. Chauncey is the incarna­tion of Wisdom,” Headmaster Jarvis once stated. “I have made no decision of any

consequence in my time here without first seeking his advice. In his calm, quiet, reflective way, he has cooled my enthusiasm for many a bad idea. And in the darker moments he has always raised my spirits and suggested a pathway out of difficulties and afflictions. He also defines the word Integrity. He is the perfect unity of manners and morals, of personality, perspective, and principle… In some mysterious but certain way, he will never leave RL.” The following remarks were delivered by Bob Baxter ’86 on the occasion of Bill’s retirement in 1998: I first got to know Bill Chauncey while he wore the hat (literally) of the varsity baseball coach. I played baseball for 21 seasons, for dozens of coaches from Little League through Triple A, and Coach Chauncey’s style and zeal for the game were unlike those of any coach I have played for.

On the field, he taught me that enjoying the game was more important than excelling at it—then he gave me the skills and the confidence I needed to excel. He motivated not through theatrics, but through support and encouragement.

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I’ll never forget my first varsity game, a freezing Saturday at Brooks when Coach Chauncey brought me into a one-run game with the bases loaded to face the opponent’s best hitter.

The fact that he believed in me, an unproven sophomore, allowed me to forget the cold and the situation and just pitch. In more examples than I can count, his coaching helped me understand what to do, and his confidence in me made me feel like I could do it. For a player, or a student for that matter, that is an ideal environment.

Watching him on the bench during a game, his sun-bleached RL baseball jacket keeping out the breeze, you could feel Coach Chauncey’s love for the game. He enjoyed ana­lyzing the situation, the possible outcomes, and how to allow each player to succeed. He wasn’t always smiling (even in the Golden Age of RL athletics, you can’t win ’em all), but I could almost see him smiling inside, doing something he loved.

I think his favorite day of the year was the start of day­light savings time, because it meant he had an extra hour to hit grounders, to demonstrate the correct pivot at second base, to share stories of games gone by and how their lessons might apply to our next game.

In my senior season, we opened the year with a resounding loss at BB&N, during which the BB&N hitters rained home runs onto the roof of their hockey rink. I remember driving home that afternoon listening to the song “All I Need Is a Mir­acle” and thinking that it was true for us and for our season. But Coach Chauncey’s outlook for the team could not be altered by one loss. He knew that we were a good team and that a season lasts a long time. He stuck to his routine in prac­tice, sharing his knowledge, and throwing strike after strike in batting practice while wearing the same old glove he used in college. At the end of practice, we would sit on the grass in front of the home team’s bench as Coach Chauncey talked about the next day’s opponent and went through our signs—sort of baseball’s version of a pop quiz. His demeanor relaxed us, his words prepared us, and his faith gave us confidence. That season, in Coach Chauncey’s final year as varsity base­ball coach, we won the I.S.L. Championship, not for him but because of him.

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In the years following graduation, I have had many more opportunities to listen to Bill Chauncey talk about the things he cares about, and it always strikes me that he truly wants to share them. He made many trips to see me play in college and in pro ball, and seeing him each time reminded me why I enjoyed the game so much. Bill is a friend away from the field, too. On a fall afternoon when my wife and I made an unannounced visit to RL to catch a glimpse of the ever­changing campus, Bill rushed up from the locker room, his hair still wet from showering after Sixie football practice, and made time at the end of a busy day to give us the complete tour.

In his most recent note, Bill explained that he was busy entertaining his three-year-old grandchild. He’s a lucky kid to have a grandfather so full of energy, enthusiasm, and love for young people, someone who has been such a great teacher, coach, and friend. My vision is of Bill sitting on a bench, legs crossed, with his right hand covering his right eye in a game of hide-and-seek. I wonder whether his grandson knows that’s also the sign for a squeeze bunt.

— Robert T. Baxter ’86 The lower baseball field—today the turf varsity field situated at the corner of Centre Street and St. Theresa Avenue—was dedicated as Chauncey Diamond in 1998. //

Art in The Bernstein Tea Room, Care of Erik Zou ’19 On June 8, 2019, Erik Zou walked across the stage of Rousmaniere Hall to receive his diploma, and we bid him farewell as he looked ahead to a year at Eton College followed by four at Harvard. But he had barely made it home for the summer when Headmaster Brennan beckoned him back to campus for a special project.

Mr. Brennan wanted to commission Erik—a talented visual artist already creating watercolors for celebration of the school’s 375th year—for twelve painted murals, one on each newly-exposed panel on the wall of the Bernstein Tea Room. Each panel, Mr. Brennan thought, could represent a month of the year, ultimately depicting the Roxbury Latin campus over all four seasons. The idea of providing a sense of place and time during this important year in the school’s history, while also adding some vibrancy to the newly painted Tea Room, appealed to Mr. Brennan.

Erik agreed, and he made quick work of the project at hand.

“I thought this would take Erik several months,” said Mr.

Brennan. “I thought maybe he would get a few done this summer and come back on vacation and get another couple done, and it would go on all year.” But when Erik got to work, he flew through the murals, completing all 12 works in 70 hours. “He was amazingly productive, sometimes completing one in a day,” said Mr. Brennan. By the time school began, all twelve were done and ready to be admired by new and returning boys, faculty, and staff.

These murals depict many corners of campus—from the Perry building, to the arts wing, to the athletic fields.

Memorable moments from distinct, annual occasions appear—most notably fall’s Opening Day, all-school handshake and spring’s Closing Exercises. Viewers will even recognize some specific RL people: Mr. Brennan conducting the Messiah Sing in front of Rousmaniere’s organ, and Jack Hennessy ’54—the generous donor behind Erik’s own Eton College scholarship—appearing in the hockey rink named in his honor. Ultimately, the countless students, faculty, staff,

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alumni, and parents who move through the Bernstein Tea Room this year will find reason to pause and admire Erik’s work. “He created beautiful paintings,” said Mr. Brennan. “I think it just the right touch in that room, and in this year.”

Mr. Buckley, offered instrumental advice along the way. And none of this would have happened if Erik’s mother, Jenny Yao, hadn’t driven him to and from campus each day—well after she thought her RL commuting days were behind her.

Because Erik’s work was quick, it couldn’t have happened without the help of many. RL’s Buildings and Grounds team erected the scaffolding on which Erik painted, and the Technology team projected photos onto the wall for the artist to get a sense of size and scope before tackling each one. RL’s Communication team provided Erik with countless galleries of images from which he could choose, and Erik’s art teacher,

Many who joined us on campus in October for the 375th Homecoming Celebration had the chance to take in some of Erik’s newest work, and we hope that many more will have the opportunity to view these additions to the Bernstein Tea Room, as we host a number of events on campus in celebration of Roxbury Latin’s 375th year. //

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Welcome,

New Faculty and Staff

Sarah Demers, Zine Magubane, Emily Grubb, Alessandro Ferzoco, Mike Tomaino, Sonja Holmberg, Brian Larence (missing: Andrés Wilson).

Emily Grubb Emily Grubb attended the Kent Denver School, at which she was elected to the Cum Laude Society, played various sports, and assumed a host of leadership positions. She recently graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in engineering sciences and earth science. Ms. Grubb was a standout for the women’s crew team and the Dartmouth Outing Club, establishing herself as a premier kayaker. At Dartmouth she took on various jobs including as a math teaching assistant at a local middle school, as a tour guide, as a youth ski instructor, and as an intern in the athletics office; she also served as a youth soccer referee and a wilderness skills volunteer on behalf of local children. At RL, Ms. Grubb is one of two new Penn Fellows this year, teaching a math course and the new conceptual physics class for sophomores. Ms. Grubb will assist with Sixie soccer, third basketball, and on the Admission Committee.

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Sonja Holmberg Sonja Holmberg grew up on the campus of the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, at which her mother taught.

Her experience in boys’ schools began there given that she, as a faculty child, was able to take classes at Eaglebrook surrounded by middle school boys! She graduated from Deerfield Academy, followed by four years as a French, English, and Studio Art major at Tufts. She graduated summa cum laude and earned named prizes and fellowships in recognition of her work. While in college she spent a semester abroad in Paris, and taught summers at the Eaglebrook School. Immediately after graduation, Ms. Holmberg began work at New Hampshire’s Holderness School teaching three sections of French and a studio art course. At Greenwich Academy for two years, she has served as the visual arts teaching fellow with assignments that included teaching Art 7 classes and a film production class, advising, and coaching cross country and track. Ms. Holmberg is one of two new Penn Fellows to join RL this year, and she will

teach various courses in the visual arts curriculum, an English 8 section, assist with set design, lead the Film Society, serve on the Admission Committee, and coach varsity track and field.

Mike Tomaino Mike Tomaino joins RL as Director of Summer Programs, head varsity football coach, member of the Admission Committee, advisor, assistant junior varsity basketball coach, and co-director of the leadership program. A native of the North Shore, Mr. Tomaino graduated from Bates College with a degree in psychology and education. A standout football player, he was elected captain for his senior year.

He was persuaded to stay on at Alma Mater as a coach, assisting as a special teams assistant with the football team and as the assistant varsity basketball coach. In 2016 he ventured to Schenectady, New York, in order to serve as assistant line coach and assistant recruiting coordinator for Union College’s football team. This past season, Mr. Tomaino worked as a defensive line assistant at Wake Forest University. Mr. Tomaino got a jump on his new position over the summer by running the long-standing RL Summer football clinic.

Alessandro Ferzoco ’14 Alessandro Ferzoco returns to Alma Mater to serve as associate in the Alumni and Development Office. Mr. Ferzoco was a much beloved member of his especially unified RL class. As a student he made his mark in a number of areas—academically, in service initiatives, as an editor of The Tripod, a discus and shot put thrower, a debater, and a faithful friend. A committed Classicist, Mr. Ferzoco also exhibited a great love for genealogy, leading to the extensive chronicling of his own family tree, and gardening; in this capacity he established the first garden on campus and, thanks to his garden at home in Roslindale, he routinely won City-wide accolades for his green thumb and commitment to gardening. Mr. Ferzoco delivered the Kick-off Dinner address his senior year. He graduated from Harvard College in 2018 with a degree in history. Since then Mr. Ferzoco has been working at the New England Historic Genealogical Society as a researcher.

In addition to his duties in the Alumni Office—connecting

graduates with the school and each other—he will teach a section of Latin I, assist with the debate team, and serve on the Admission Committee.

Sarah Demers Sarah Demers joins the English Department after a series of impressive appointments related to teaching, coaching, and school leadership.

Ms. Demers graduated from Phillips Andover Academy and was named athlete of the year during her senior year. She was also named an All-American in swimming during all of her high school years. Ms. Demers attended Brown University where she continued swimming, played varsity lacrosse, served as assistant sports editor of the college newspaper, and earned distinction as the 2007 Brown Scholar Athlete.

She graduated magna cum laude and earned degrees both in English and in the history of art and architecture. For five years, Ms. Demers served on the faculty of Delaware’s St. Andrew’s School, where she taught English; coached varsity soccer, varsity swimming, and junior varsity lacrosse; advised a host of students; and ran a ninth grade girls’ dormitory. Beginning in 2012, Ms. Demers spent her summers working at New York City’s TEAK Fellowship directing and teaching programs to advance the opportunities for underserved students. In 2014, she was hired full-time by TEAK as director of high school placement and English teacher. For the past two years, she served as director of financial aid and associate director of admissions at Friends Seminary in Manhattan. In 2017, Ms. Demers earned her Ed.M from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. (Her grandfather, Richard Cashin, graduated from RL in 1942!) At RL, she will teach sections of English 7 and English 9, and assist with the fifthie soccer team, and with fourth lacrosse. She will also serve as a member of the Admission Committee.

Andrés Amatai Wilson Andrés Wilson joins the English Department teaching sophomores, juniors, and seniors. For the past nine years, Dr. Wilson has taught a dozen different courses (including English Composition, French 200, Comedy, Medieval Epic and

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Romance, Good and Evil, Philosophy of World Religions) at Quincy College, Newbury College, UMass/Amherst, and American International College. Dr. Wilson has written and been published extensively and he has presented at a host of different professional conferences. His academic odyssey suggests the interesting twist of his career and his suitable place in our generalist atmosphere. Dr. Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude at Berklee School of Music, as, among other things, a prolific guitarist.

Subsequently he received a master’s in medieval studies from Columbia, and then earned both a master’s in comparative literature and a doctorate in comparative literature from UMass/Amherst. He has also been a full-time Jewish Studies Fellow at New York’s Mechon Hadar. Dr. Wilson’s teaching beyond traditional academic settings includes teaching all ages guitar, as well as a Hebrew teacher, French instructor, and film writer. In addition to his course work, he will assist with our jazz band, offer special instruction to guitarists, and run a health and wellness offering for students and adults alike focusing on meditation and yoga.

Zine Magubane Zine Magubane will serve as this year’s Smith Scholar in Residence. For the past fifteen years, Dr. Magubane has served as professor of sociology at Boston College. Her specialty has been courses focusing on gender and race, and she will offer such an opportunity on “Race and Gender” to our seniors during the second semester. Prior to teaching at BC, Dr. Magubane taught at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. She chaired the department of sociology at BC from 2008 to 2011. A South Africa native, Dr. Magubane earned her bachelor’s in politics at Princeton, and subsequently received both her master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard. She has written scores of articles, made countless presentations, and served on various panels in service to her scholarship and teaching. In addition to her course, Dr. Magubane will present two lectures to the whole school in the spring. She is the mother of Kieran McCabe, Class III, and the wife of Pat McCabe ’87. //

Roxbury Latin Faculty 2019 – 2020

First row: Mrs. White, Mr. Lieb, Mr. Chappell, Mr. Buckley, Mr. Randall, Mr. Brennan, Mr. Pojman, Mr. Sugg, Mr. Diop, Mr. Thomsen, Mr. Teixeira; Second row: Mr. Quirk, Ms. Delaney, Mr. Guden, Dr. Hyde, Mr. Opdycke, Mr. Cervas, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Hiatt, Dr. Guerra, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Piper, Mr. Reid; Third row: Dr. Magubane, Mr. Heaton, Mrs. Carroll, Mr. Bettendorf, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Wildes, Mrs. Dromgoole, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Brown, Mr. Tomaino; Fourth row: Mr. Lawler, Mr. Sokol, Mr. Solís, Mr. Moore, Dr. McCrory, Mrs. Morris-Kliment, Mr. Poles, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Demers, Ms. Holmberg, Ms. Grubb, Ms. Moreta, Mr. Ferzoco (missing: Dr. Wilson).

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New Trustees Derek T. Ho ’92 Derek Ho is a partner at the boutique litigation firm Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick, PLLC, and a member of the firm’s executive committee. Derek’s nationwide practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and appeals in the federal courts of appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. Derek also has an active pro bono practice focusing on civil rights cases. Prior to joining Kellogg Hansen in 2003, Derek served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Michael Boudin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, and Associate Justice David H. Souter of the United States Supreme Court. Derek received his BA magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1996; his MA in political science with honors from Yale University in 1998; and his JD magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2001. Derek has served on the RL Headmaster’s Council since 2017. Derek and his wife, Maria Glover, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, live in Washington, D.C. with their two young sons, Oliver and Teddy.

James J. Quagliaroli ’93 Jim Quagliaroli is a managing partner at Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm that he co-founded in 2015. Over the course of his private equity career, Jim has served on the boards of numerous privatelyheld technology companies throughout the U.S., Canada, and U.K. He received an AB magna cum laude in English and American Literature from Harvard College in 1997. Jim has served as a member of the Development Committee and, since 2006, as a member of the Alumni Leadership Giving Committee (ALGC). Jim is an active alumnus of Harvard: he serves as co-chair of his reunions and, since 1997, has served on the Advisory Board of the Harvard Varsity Club. Jim lives in Boston with his wife Kim, son Henry, and daughter Caroline. //

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Class of 2015 Updates Alex Abelite is at Yale University. He will receive his BA in political science in 2020.

Alan Balson graduated from Princeton with a BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Philip Balson graduated from Harvard with his AB in history. He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Daniel Banks earned his BA in art history and German from Bowdoin College. He was awarded a year-long Fulbright grant in Germany and is an English teaching assistant at the Deutsch-Americanische FulbrightKommission.

John Barry anticipates his BA in economics from the University of Virginia in 2020. He recently worked for Union Gaming Securities as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst.

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Martin Buckley earned his bachelor’s in finance from Notre Dame and is serving as a flight officer with the U.S. Navy.

Jonah Deykin earned his BA in computer science and economics from Dartmouth.

Jack Burke graduated from Boston College with a BS in management, with a concentration in college finance and information systems. He is an analyst at Moelis & Co.

Adam Fasman graduated from Columbia with a BA in biology. He received a Fulbright Scholarship and is an English teaching assistant in Spain.

He plans to go to medical school upon his return to the United States.

Hamza Chaudhry graduated from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Steven Daley earned his BA in economics from Colby College with a concentration in financial markets and environmental policy. He is a financial analyst at Raytheon.

Quang Dang earned his BA and BE in engineering from Dartmouth.

Derek DaSilva graduated from Harvard with an AB in statistics. He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Luciano Ferzoco earned his BA in economics from Boston College and is a business associate at Wayfair in Boston.

Declan Findlen graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s in operations management and business analytics. He is a supply chain business associate at Wayfair in Boston.

Stephen Golden earned his BS of foreign service, with a concentration in regional and comparative studies, from Georgetown University. He is working at the Georgetown University Office of

Advancement as a Discovery Initiative Ambassador.

Oliver Hermann graduated from Brown University with a BA in political science and economics. He works at Rockefeller Capital Management as an associate equity analyst.

Lukas Kay graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with his bachelor’s in economics and English. He is living in New York City and is working for FTI Consulting’s strategic communications capital markets practice.

Andrew Kelley earned his BS in finance from Babson College. He is selfemployed, focusing on sponsorship sales and digital marketing for athletes.

Yuta Kobayashi graduated from Bowdoin with a BA in economics and mathematics.

He is an analyst at Compass Lexecon.

Sebastian Lim anticipates his degree in computer engineering from Vanderbilt in 2020.

Andrew Mazof graduated from Columbia University with a BA in financial economics and computer science. He works at State Street as an FRDP. James McIntyre earned his BA in philosophy from Pomona College. He is working toward a graduate degree in philosophy.

Jamal Meneide graduated from Williams College with a BA in English and political science. He is a Video Fellow at Community Change.

Emmanuel Mengistab graduated from MIT with a BS in computer science. He is a software engineer at Yext.

Colin Molloy graduated from Union College with a BA in English and political science. He is an associate financial representative at Northwestern Mutual.

Devin Rosen earned his BS in quantitative economics from Tufts. He is an associate at Wellington Management.

Marc Scemama graduated from the University of Richmond with a BS in biology and a minor in economics. He is a research technician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Rohan Shukla graduated from Haverford College with a BS in computer science and a mathematics minor. He is a technology investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley.

Matthew Steele graduated from Macalester College with a BA in economics. He is an entertainment market research analyst at ERm. Cole Steiger graduated from Amherst College with a BA in English. He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Joseph Mullen earned his BA in English and Spanish from Williams College.

Eli Swab anticipates his BS in cognitive science and global affairs from Yale in 2020.

Sean Lowrie earned his bachelor’s in sociology from Duke University. He is in graduate school at Duke working toward his master’s of management.

Brendan Ng graduated from Tufts University with a BA in urban planning and international relations. He interned at the MIT D-Lab and is a research assistant at Abt Associates in Cambridge.

Alfred Sweeney graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in political science. He has joined the Peace Corps.

Jason Lu graduated from New York University with a BS in business finance and marketing. He is an advisory associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Christian O’Connor graduated from Williams College with a BA in economics and Spanish. He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

John Thomsen received a BA with Honors in classical languages from Hamilton College and was the recipient of the Hawley Prize in Ancient Greek. He is an intern with Streetlight Ventures in Boston.

Owen Maguire graduated from Georgetown with a BS in marketing and business management. He is an Oracle business development consultant.

Joshua Racine graduated from Yale University with a BA in global affairs.

He is an associate consultant at Bain & Company.

Nathan Wolfe graduated from Harvard with a degree in computer science. He moved to California and is working at Google as a software engineer.

William Malloy earned his BA in international studies from the College of the Holy Cross. He is a financial advisor at New York Life.

Sean Rose graduated from Hamilton College with a bachelor’s in government and Hispanic studies. He is a sales assistant at CBRE.

Dario Zarrabian graduated from Harvard with a degree in applied mathematics and psychology. He is an associate at LEK Consulting. //

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Varsity Teams

SOCCER — First Row: Malcolm Whitfield, Antonio Rosado, Austin Manning, Kam Miller, Peter Frates (Captain), Jack Cloherty (Captain), Lukas Franken, Ian Balaguera, Christian Landry, Carter Crowley; Second Row: Coach Phil Thornton, Aidan Cook (Manager), Miguel Rincon, Thomas Gaziano, Ethan Chang, Will Specht, Alex Uek, Will Callewaert, John Fazli, Adam Kuechler, Bryan Anderson, Ben Brasher, Byron Karlen, Sam Morris-Kliment, Kieran McCabe, Ben Kelly, Alex Fuqua, Brady Chappell, Head Coach Paul Sugg, Coach Arturo Solís.

FOOTBALL — First Row: Collin Bergstrom (Captain), Javier Rios (Captain), Jere Rose (Captain); Second Row: James Birch, James Gillespie, Richard Impert, Tim Smith, Mat Cefail, Antonio Morales, Head Coach Mike Tomaino; Third Row: Coach Sean Spellman, Frankie Lonergan, Aaron Shlayen, Riley Stanton, Ejiro Egodogbare, Tenzin Ghapontsang, David Brennan, Eric Ma, James Lomuscio, Harry Lonergan, Kofi Fordjour; Fourth Row: David D’Alessandro, Will Silva, John Paul Buckley, Aidan Brooks, Broderick Lee, Will Hyde, Beau Keough, Krystian Reese, Coach John Lieb; Fifth Row: Jedidiah Nelson, Zeb Jacoby, Dom Cuzzi, Chris Weitzel, Coach Mo Randall; Sixth Row: Coach Mike Lawler, Zach Donovan, Luke DeVito, Charlie Clough, David Sullivan, Matt Hoover, Harry Brennan, Matt Rios, Aidan Gibbons.

CROSS COUNTRY — First Row: John Harrington, George Madison, Javi Werner, Nolan McKenna, Will Cote (Captain), Quinn Donovan, Mark Henshon, Liam O’Connor; Second Row: Coach Chris Heaton, Teddy Glaeser (Manager), Theo Teng, Heshie Liebowitz, Alex Yin, Cameron Estrada, David LaFond, Armando Walters, Ian Richardson, Alex Messier, David Sullivan, Michael Thomas, Oliver Wyner, Rijs Johansongordet (Manager), Coach Nick Poles.

class notes

1961

Richard Alan Lewis works in the Molecular and Human Genetics Department at Baylor College of Medicine, with Baylor’s Center for Mendelian Genomics and Undiagnosed Diseases Network sites, unraveling the mysteries of rare disorders affecting infants, children, and adolescents.

1967

Bill O’Reilly is in his sixth year as academic head of school of the Yeshiva Tiferes Naftoli Institute of Central New Jersey and thirteenth year as partner of Harvard College’s Center for Public Interest Careers.

Co-founder of three schools in the New York City area, Bill is a Nichiren Buddhist in his 36th year of orthodox practice. He and his wife, a federally appointed judge, live in Brooklyn, New York, and Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.

1981

New York Times bestselling author John Kenney read from his latest book, Love Poems (for People with Children), on October 31 at the Wellesley Bookstore.

John introduced himself by saying, “My work is poetry in the way that Arby’s is farm-to-table dining.” (Photo at right)

1982

Charles Pinck, president of the OSS Society, attended the William J. Donovan Award presentation in Washington, D.C., honoring Secretary James Mattis on October 12, 2019.

(Photo at right: Charles Pinck ’82, Gen. Norton Schwartz, USAF (Ret.), The Hon. James Mattis, Dr. Michael Vickers, and Adm. William McRaven)

1994

Justin Connolly was named Disney President of Media Distribution. He had been Disney and ESPN Media Networks Executive VP/Affiliate Sales & Marketing, reporting to ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro. In his new role, Justin will oversee a combined group of Disney’s media sales and channel distribution, encompassing media, affiliate, content and syndication sales/ distribution.

1997

Adam Grandofsy, widely known by his stage name Adam Granduciel (“Granduciel” being a nickname French master Ken Conn coined, having translated Grand-of-sky into French) of The War on Drugs, and his partner, Krysten Ritter, welcomed their first child, a boy, Bruce. Bruce is the grandson of Mark Granofsky ’51 and nephew of Burt ’94.

1999

The Daily, a podcast for The New York Times, featured Ben Casselman in early August. Ben covers the economy for The New York Times, with a particular focus on stories involving data. He previously served as chief economics writer for the data-journalism website FiveThirtyEight, and before that as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

2000

Lucas Robertson and his wife Kendra welcomed a second daughter to their family. On July 6, Esme James Robertson joined big sister Flora to round out this family of four. (Photo at right)

Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, appeared on CBS This Morning in June to discuss the challenges facing LGBTQ youth today, and to talk about the ways in which his organization supports them. (Photo at right)

2001

Zach Kanin’s show, I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, has been picked up for a second season, and it was included in a recent New York Times listing of “50 Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now.”

2003

This summer Quincy Carroll arrived at the artist residency of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel. His artistic focus is writing.

2006

Fernando Rodriguez-Villa married Emma Radford on September 7, 2019 at Elm Bank in Wellesley. In attendance were classmates Bill Neelon, Matt Driscoll, Paul Wallace, Kevin Mannering, Peter Walkingshaw, Matt Wang, and RL faculty member Mike Pojman. (Photo at right)

2011

Thomas Buckley began an MBA program at Georgia Tech this fall while he is stationed (U.S. Navy) in Georgia.

2013

Christopher Balthazard is working at Panorama Education, an education technology company in downtown Boston. He previously taught through Teach for America.

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After Colin Epstein graduated from Davidson College with majors in Physics and Computer science in 2018, he moved to Albuquerque to take a job in R+D radiography in Sandia National Laboratories.

Ethan Faust earned his master’s degree this spring from the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Penn Fellows program. He completed his two-year fellowship at the Gilman School in Baltimore where he taught middle school language arts and coached football, basketball, and track and field.

2017

Adam Banks, a student at Bates, presented research titled “Conducting an Audit of Food Policies and Programs in Auburn, Maine” at the college’s 18th Mount David Summit. This annual celebration of academic achievement highlights undergraduate research; student creative work in art, dance, theater, music and film/video; projects conducted in the context of academic courses; and community-engaged research.

2018

Jimmy Duffy—a sophomore forward on the Bowdoin College ice hockey team— was named a 2018-2019 Division III AllAmerican Scholar, for his performance on the ice and in the classroom during his freshman year. // Photos from top: John Kenney ’81 reads from his new book at Wellesley Books on October 30; Fernando Rodriguez-Villa ’06 married Emma Radford on September 7, 2019; Charles Pinck ’82 at the William J. Donovan Award presentation; left: Amit Paley ’00 on CBS This Morning; right: Lucas Robertson ’00 with his family.

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From left: Kalyan Palepu ’19, Robert Cunningham ’18, Cole Englert ’18, Zander Keough ’18, and Harry Weitzel ’18

Five Grads Spend Summer at Tech Incubator Cogo Labs Often from recent grads we hear about days spent exploring intellectual interests and possible career paths, as well as time catching up with RL friends. This summer, five young alumni did both simultaneously, as they worked together at a technology incubator in Cambridge. Robert Cunningham ’18, Cole Englert ’18, Zander Keough ’18, Kalyan Palepu ’19, and Harry Weitzel ’18 were brought together by Class II parent John Werner for a summer internship at Cogo Labs. John serves as a Managing Director at Link Ventures and the Chief Network Officer/SVP of Corporate Development of Cogo Labs.

Each of the five RL alumni made valuable contributions to a number of different ventures at the company. While Kalyan developed a tool to more efficiently store data, Zander helped organize events and managed multiple social media platforms.

Cole was given the opportunity to present his research on positioning Cogo Labs in the crowded incubator space to the entire company of 100 people. Robert was tasked with developing communication infrastructure using a number of programming languages, and Harry got a front row seat as Link Ventures closed a $100 million fund.

Each of the five alumni found the summer valuable, as they consider life after college. They highlighted learning about everything from big data to start-up incubator culture, improving their writing and research skills, and networking with a wide variety of professionals in the technology space.

“Working in a tech incubator was a great learning opportunity for me because I was able to see so many different companies at various stages of development,” said Cole. Robert was similarly grateful for the learning experience: “I was able to observe investor meetings, pick the brains of interesting people, and learn about the efficient organization and management of software companies,” he said.

Though each of the young men filled very different roles over the six weeks, John Werner stressed their ability to work well as a team. In fact, their desks were next to each other—only fitting, John said, after all their time together at RL. “[These young men] didn’t have to learn to work together,” John said, “because they had for so many years at Roxbury Latin.” This kind of teamwork will serve them well in whatever future career they choose, just as it did this summer at Cogo Labs. //

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in memoriam

earned his degree in American history and literature in 1947.

Henry Webb Goethals ’40 of Bethesda, Maryland, died on January 30, 2019, at the age of 96. He was born on March 16, 1922 in Boston, the second son of Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Mary Goethals of Brookline. Henry was the last living member of the RL Class of 1940. Henry followed in the footsteps of his older brother Tom, who was a member of the RL Class of 1939 (who was also blessed with a long life and died at the age of 95). Younger brother Peter was a member of the RL Class of 1945, but left RL after 1943.

He became a newspaper reporter, editor, and foreign correspondent. He worked in El Paso, Mexico, and Cuba before settling in Washington, D.C. He then worked as editor in the Office of External Relations at the Inter-American Development Bank from 1972 to 1987, and worked as a translator and freelancer from 1988 onward.

Henry excelled in the classroom, especially in French, and consistently received high marks for his deportment, attention, and fidelity. Headmaster Northrop had the following to say about young Henry during his final year at the school: “He has always been a quiet, retiring chap who has gone about his business steadily and effectively and uncomplainingly. His character is of the highest quality and his mind is a good one… He is one of the best behaved lads I have ever known.” Henry achieved success outside of the academic arena as well, participating in football (losing only one game during his high school career), hockey, and baseball. His peers held him in high regard as he was elected a member of the Student Council for three years.

Col. Jean Prosper Burner ’43 died on January 30, 2019, at the age of 94. Jean was born July 1, 1924, in North Conway, New Hampshire, the son of Jean Burner and Olga Demagistre. At Roxbury Latin, Jean served as class president during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. He was class valedictorian and a top wrestler. In his college letter, the school described Jean as a “fine lad, mentally keen and physically sturdy, morally a straight shooter, just the kind of young man Uncle Sam should have at West Point… his deportment has been excellent, and his fidelity invulnerable.”

Jean himself later recalled that his time at Roxbury Latin had been “an unparalleled learning experience with dedicated professors in a school rich with tradition… great classmates!”

After RL, Henry attended Harvard.

In the middle of his college career, he answered the call to service. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946.

He ultimately returned to Harvard and

After graduating from RL, Jean attended the United States Military Academy where he earned his SB in Military Science and Engineering. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in

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Henry was predeceased by his wife, Gabriela del Carmen Ramirez. He was the loving father of Anthony, Henry, and Alexander.

the U.S. Army. Jean later studied Spanish at the University of Madrid (195354), French at the University of Paris (summer 1955), and Spanish again at Middlebury College (summer 1956) to prepare himself for instructing cadets in both French and Spanish at West Point from 1954 to 1957. He recalled that his Roxbury Latin coursework in Latin, Greek, and Fench (which he also spoke at home) helped him “tremendously” with this appointment.

Jean spent nearly three decades in the military and was stationed around the globe, from Europe to Southeast Asia, during which period his family moved 22 times. Jean retired from the military in 1974, and then worked with the Prosecuting Attorneys Association for 15 years until his retirement in 1988.

Jean was predeceased by his beloved wife of 69 years, June (Hubbard), who died in 2016. In retirement, the two had pursued “the good life,” exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy diet, traveling, visiting family and friends, and attempting to “enjoy life to the fullest.” Many years earlier, he lost his younger brother, Andre “Andy” Burner ’44, who died tragically at the age of 39 while piloting a plane that was struck by lightning.

Jean is survived by his two daughters, Leslie Bischoff and Cynthia Benedict.

He once wrote: “My RLS education has been and still is invaluable to me in all my endeavors. It laid a foundation that prepared me well to join the workforce and to handle the ever changing demands of being a father, husband, and citizen.”

Francis L. Basius ’48 died peacefully at home on August 29, 2019, surrounded by family. He was 88. Frank was born on April 3, 1931, to Francis L. Basius and Mary T. McDermott. At Roxbury Latin, Frank was broadly involved in the life of the school. He competed on the varsity football and varsity baseball teams and was involved in the Junior Red Cross Chapter. He participated in Student Council; wrote as a sports editor for The Tripod; served as business manager for the school play; and later added varsity hockey to his athletics slate. Mr. Thompson wrote in Frank’s college letter that Frank maintained “at all times a high degree of integrity,” and that the faculty found him “of excellent character.”

Frank earned his BA in architectural sciences from Harvard. After college, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. Frank spent nearly four decades working for Turner Construction Company as a senior vice president and head of the Boston office.

His time at Turner took him from Boston to New York to Cincinnati, to New York again, and finally back to Boston, where he spent his final years.

Frank served a Trustee of Roxbury Latin from 1987 to 1992 and later remained involved as a member of the Society of Fellows. Over the years, he served as a class agent and a reunion chair, and was a member of the committee that planned and directed the construction of the Gordon Building, the Smith Arts Center, the Bauer Science Building, and the Jarvis Refectory.

Frank was known for his deep love of family, his patience and good listening,

and his constant encouragement.

His family is forever grateful for the wonderful life he provided them. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Marie Kelly, who died in 1996. Frank is survived by his three children, Heidi, Michelle, and Mark, his grandchildren, and a great-grandson.

Arthur Allan Sloane ’49 died on June 3, 2019, in Wilmington, Delaware.

He was born on June 17, 1931, to Professor Alvin Sloane and Florence Golberg, a native of Brookline. Arthur was an especially proud graduate of Roxbury Latin. Whenever professional commitments prevented him from returning to Alma Mater, Arthur wrote the school to express his regret that he would be unable to visit Boston.

His peers called him “one of the most popular members of the class by reason of his good nature and ready humor.” As a student he particularly enjoyed Debate, Glee Club, and the Yearbook. His “keen, quick mind” was well regarded by his peers. Arthur once wrote that he relished “very fond memories of RL,” and called his years at the school “among the most enjoyable and most valuable of [his] life.”

Arthur went on to earn an AB in government from Harvard. He subsequently attended Columbia University, where he earned an MBA in 1958. In 1963, he was awarded a DBA by Harvard Business School. He taught at the University of Delaware as a Professor of Labor Relations from 1966 to 2000.

Thereafter he remained engaged as a Professor Emeritus of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management.

Arthur was an accomplished writer.

He co-authored the bestselling book in his field, Labor Relations, which was published in 13 editions. He also authored the textbook Personnel.

Emanating from his doctoral dissertation, he later wrote a biography of Jimmy Hoffa that captured national attention. Merging interests in American history, leadership, and humor led to his authorship of Humor in the White House.

Arthur is survived by his loving wife Louise (Perlmutter), whom he married in 1963, and his daughters Amy and Laura.

The Sloane family kindly notes that contributions in memory of Arthur may be made to The Roxbury Latin School or the University of Delaware (memo line: In Memory of Arthur Sloane).

Edward Vincent Keating, Jr. ’52 died on May 16, 2019, at the age of 85. Born June 22, 1933, in South Boston, he grew up in Jamaica Plain, the son of Edward V. Keating and Avis M. Murphy. At Roxbury Latin, Ed was captain of the varsity wrestling team. As a senior, he was the New England Interscholastic Champion.

Ed also played varsity football and—as a younger boy—participated in baseball.

The 1952 Yearbook described Ed as “a well-liked and highly respected member of the class.” He was the recipient of the Time Current Affairs prize twice and managed the business affairs of the school play as an upperclassman. Yearbook editors quipped that he was a “card shark” responsible for Monday morning lectures, but fondly recalled “the many happy parties we enjoyed at his home” which attested to “his friendliness and popularity.”

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Ed earned his AB in economics at Harvard, where he continued wrestling.

There Ed also discovered a passion for jazz music. He enjoyed many of the mid-century jazz greats and organized the Harvard Freshman Jubilee featuring Dave Brubeck. As a student he promoted “life balance” and was known to get adequate sleep by foregoing classes after late nights watching Ella Fitzgerald’s nightclub performances in Boston. After graduation, Ed served in the U.S. Army before beginning a career in construction and real estate.

In 1967, Ed moved to Duxbury, where he built custom homes and the Duxbury Marketplace business center.

He served on the Duxbury Finance Committee and the Duxbury Land Use Commission, and advanced the town’s forward-looking zoning laws. Ed had development projects in Marion and several in Jackson, New Hampshire.

He received numerous awards for his innovative approach of integrating green spaces into commercial developments.

Ed enjoyed many hobbies: He built his family home on a defunct apple orchard, which he restored to productivity.

He took up beekeeping and was an accomplished vegetable gardener (also owning a cranberry bog). He raised chickens, and along with his neighborhood pals built an enormous chicken “palace.” He dreamed of owning cattle, despite the logistical impossibility in Duxbury. He loved the outdoors; fishing, lobstering, waterskiing, and teaching his children boat-handling skills were among his passions. Later in life he could be found devouring novels on Duxbury Beach. He and his partner,

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Elaine, enjoyed great art, fine wine, travel, and concerts. Ed maintained a life-long interest in Democratic politics and good government. Because he put friendship before politics, he had great friends from both sides of the aisle and was remembered as a non-judgmental thinker who believed that everyone had “a place at the table.”

their law degrees together at Harvard.

John chose not to practice law. He conducted some teaching over the years and lived with his mother in Boston before moving to Port Angeles and Forks, Washington, in the 1990s. He then moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where he was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Ed is survived by his partner, Elaine Travers; three daughters: Mary Dotson and husband Richard of Oakton, Virginia; Christine Coakley and husband John, and Kathleen Keating Thomas and husband Jay, all of Duxbury; four grandchildren: John, Kevin, and Katherine Coakley, and Reilly Keating; brothers Dwight Keating ’60 and wife Margaret of Pittsburgh, and Kevin Keating of Plymouth; former wife, Jeannette (Beath) Asbed; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

He is survived by his cousin, Bill Barrett of New Jersey, and his congregation in Twin Falls.

John Berchmans Barrett, Jr. ’53 died July 10, 2019, at the age of 83. He was born April 9, 1936, the only son of Sophie Ruth Meranski and U.S. Navy Commander John Berchmans Barrett.

John came to Roxbury Latin from Honolulu, where he attended Punahou Honolulu School. In his boyhood, he and his parents witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. At RL, John was active in The Tripod, student government, Debate, chess club, baseball (as a manager), the school play, the Yearbook, and other extracurriculars. He boasted a strong academic record.

John subsequently attended Harvard, where he earned an AB in economics in 1957. He and his father later completed

Hebert Frederick Cronin ’53 died on July 5, 2019, at the age of 83. He was born July 14, 1935, in Boston, the son of Frederick Cronin and Elsa Mickelson.

Headmaster Weed called Herbert “an excellent citizen, friendly and cooperative” and noted that he “[could] be counted on to do his best under all circumstances.” Outside of the classroom, Herbert played soccer and was a consistent performer in the forward wall. He was class treasurer, elected to guard the “class coffers,” and participated on The Tripod, Senior Play, and the Yearbook, among other activities.

Herbert matriculated at Colby College and transferred to Boston University in 1955, where he earned his BA in mathematics. He later graduated from Stonier Graduate School of Banking, in 1965. Over his career Herbert worked as vice president at Bank of Boston (1957-1977), for Peter McLaughlin Association (1977-1980), for Logica Incorporation (1980-1992), for Digital Equipment (1992-1996), and finally for Clark Strategies Incorporation as a consultant, prior to doing freelance consulting in his retirement. He enjoyed

many hobbies later in life and traveled extensively. Herbert’s family and friends remember him for his love of long conversations about fishing, trains, and history. All remember him for his kindness and pleasant demeanor.

Herbert is survived by his wife of 64 years, Astrid Peterson Cronin. He is also survived by his three daughters, Sandra (Cronin) and Jeffrey Burr Sr. of Loudon, New Hampshire; Linda Cronin of Millbury; and Janet (Cronin) and Hank Moran of Grafton; as well as grandsons Lieutenant Colonel Charles Cronin Shaw of the U.S.A.F. and family; Michael Shaw; and Andrew Shaw and wife.

Roy Samuel Feldman ’65 died on March 9, 2019, at the age of 71. He was born on April 9, 1947, in Winthrop, son of Henry Feldman and Marilyn Lundy. At Roxbury Latin he starred as a soccer fullback and in lacrosse at the varsity level, and he was prominent in debating and acting. Outside of school he was president of the Boston Junior Red Cross. He tutored underprivileged children in the South End and was involved with the Hebrew Teachers College and the NAACP. Roy earned his AB in Greek at Columbia. He then attended Columbia’s School of Dental and Oral Surgery, where he earned his DDS in 1973.

He later attended Harvard’s School of Dental Medicine, where in 1977 he received a Certificate in Periodontology and Oral Medicine and in 1978 he completed his DMSc in Oral Biology.

Roy worked as the chief at the dental service of the VA Medical

Center in Philadelphia and was an adjunct professor at the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. For many years he lived in and maintained a colonialera farmhouse near there. He was passionate about horses and the outdoors. In 1997 and 1998 he raced horses in the New Jersey Hunt Race Championships. In 2003 he raced in the Essex Hunt Race Championship.

He was certified by the National Steeplechase Association as an owner, trainer, and rider of horses. He and his family were also avid fox hunters.

He was the father of two daughters, Lauren and Emma. He was predeceased by his first wife, Barbara Abrams, who died in 1998, and is survived by his second wife, Nadia Rosen.

Robert J. Crowley, Jr. ’70 of Bronxville, New York, died on August 14, 2019, at age 67. Robert was born on July 23, 1952, to Robert J. and M. Theresa Crowley. Robert entered Roxbury Latin in the seventh grade, and in April 1969 he broke his leg badly, causing him to miss the remainder of his junior year.

He still graduated with his class in 1970, however, owing to the significant amount of reading he accomplished while recovering from his accident.

Robert had played lacrosse and football in prior years. In the fall of his senior year, he had still not regained full use of his leg, yet he maintained a “remarkably cheerful” disposition. He achieved admirable work his senior year, performing strongly in Latin and math, in particular. In his college letter, Assistant Headmaster Warden Dilworth described him as a conscientious

student, “a thorough worker” who focused on logic and careful analysis.

He was “intellectually curious” and “highly reliable.” Robert and a classmate formed their own newspaper, Watch, which produced essays of a “moderate, conservative outlook.”

Robert earned a BS in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

He subsequently attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned an MBA in 1975. He began a career as an investment banker in New York in 1979 and retired as a partner from the Carreden Group, Inc. Robert was actively engaged in social groups throughout his life. In college, he was a member and former president of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Robert was a member of Siwanoy Country Club, the Quogue Field Club, Quantuck Beach Club, Shinnecock Yacht Club, and the Quogue Club at Hallock House.

Robert was the loving husband of Elizabeth “Betty” (Boatwright) and the devoted father of Sarah and Charlotte, as well as the brother of Brian Crowley (RL ’71) and brother-in-law of Cecille Crowley. //

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RL, Belmont Hill Grads Honor Late Alumnus with Inaugural Soccer Match On the morning of October 5, about 30 RL alumni gathered on campus to compete against Belmont Hill grads in the inaugural Terry Iandiorio Alumni Soccer Match, played in memory of Terry Iandiorio ’89, who tragically drowned off Nantucket in August 2017. Terry taught at Belmont Hill in the 1990s and his wife, Ann, is a faculty member at the school. After the game, these alumni—along with the Iandiorio family, several of Terry’s RL classmates, and friends—gathered in the Jarvis Refectory for a reception. Headmaster Kerry Brennan welcomed the assembled crowd and spoke about Terry’s impact on the RL community

during his schoolboy days. (Mr. Brennan was his faculty advisor.)

Even at a young age Terry constantly put others before himself.

Chris Sweeney—a Belmont Hill alumnus and colleague of Terry’s in the math department—spoke about Terry’s teaching talent and the care he showed his students as a teacher, coach, and advisor at Belmont Hill. In future years, the Terry Iandiorio Alumni Soccer Game will be played on alternating schools’ campuses. Terry’s fellow Class of 1989 members have also established an endowed fund in Terry’s name to support scholarship. //

RoxburyLatin.org Has a New Look In August, Roxbury Latin launched a newly redesigned website— the result of a yearlong project focused on enhancing the school’s digital presence. The goals of the new site were to communicate the mission and experience of RL in a clear, compelling way for those who don’t yet know the school, and to enhance the navigation experience so that all site visitors can more easily access the information they’re seeking. Site visitors will enjoy more video content, text and images representing the school’s mission, people, and program; hear directly from students and faculty in their own words; have access to lots of “day in the life” news and social media content on the homepage; and find relevant school information through a new user-friendly navigation. The new software platform will also allow the school to grow and enhance the website design in the years to come. If you haven’t yet taken a look, please do! You’re sure to find something that delights you. //

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2019 : b y t h e n u m be r s

campers in total

rl faculty serving as instructors

rl students working as counselors

sports played in junior sports camp ( including golf, street hockey, and european handball! )

campers from west roxbury

seven adirondack chairs crafted in woodworking new vocabulary words mastered

Visit RLSummer.org this winter when programs are announced and registration opens for summer 2020!

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The Roxbury Latin School 101 St. Theresa Avenue West Roxbury, MA 02132-3496 www.roxburylatin.org Change Service Requested

Introducing RLAlumni.com Join the hundreds of alumni who have already registered.

RLAlumni.com is a new platform exclusively for Roxbury Latin graduates. Through it, alumni can easily and securely connect with one another through up-to-date contact information; locate fellow alumni in a specific industry; introduce, employ, or serve as a mentor for young RL alumni; and expand professional networks. This platform is a secure, digital space where users can search for alumni by RL class, geographic location, profession or industry, and college affiliation.

The platform functions as an up-to-date, online directory to keep you connected with fellow RL alumni.

Download the app now for Android at the Google Play Store (titled “RL Alumni”), or for iOS at the Apple Store (under “Graduway Community” and choose Roxbury Latin from the dropdown).

Have questions? Visit roxburylatin.org/alumni-networking-app.