SUMMER 2011 was the second day in a row that the word “nurturing” led me to muse on its complexity. The first occasion related to Friend A telling me that Friends B & C had broken up despite the fact that Friend B is “very nurturing.” Hmmm, I wonder: how welcome her nurturing was. Nurturing means fostering, encouraging, and developing. Does that imply helping someone meet goals he has set for himself? I hope so. It strikes me that Solebury’s philosophy of trying to help each student realize his/her own potential and goals is very much in sync with being an alma mater. Toni had briefly contemplated retirement but when she received an invitation from the Turkish Ministry of Education to give a talk at a conference entitled “The Brain and Education” last February, she put thoughts of retirement on hold. After the talk, Toni visited 5 archaeological sites including the ruins of the school on Kos where Hippocrates taught. Class of 1963 John Funk is still practicing law in New Hampshire. John lives in a small town in a wonderful one-of-a-kind 18th Century house (former country store). He has two kids who live on the west coast, both married and starting to deliver grandchildren. John loves to travel and is going to Turkey next year. Class of 1966 Rick Row reports that one person who strongly influenced him during his day student years at Solebury School was a Phillips Mill neighbor named Margaret Hilles Shearman. Already in her early 90s when he knew her, Miss Shearman had been a Latin teacher at the Holmquist School for Girls. A 1906 graduate of Bryn Mawr (along with classmate and friend Edith Hamilton who authored several well-known books about Greek and Roman mythology), Miss Shearman always had afternoon tea and cookies for a growing and hungry young man. Since her eyesight was failing her, Miss Shearman frequently asked that he read New York Times articles to her. Another regular guest for afternoon tea was Carl Holmquist. In the My Profile page of Solebury School’s website, Rick has posted an early 1960s photo, the only photo he has of Carl Holmquist and Miss Shearman, two long since deceased individuals who Rick considered personal friends. Class of 1968
Former Solebury librarian Sally Foulkrod and her husband visited Sandy Hoffacker at her job last December. Sandra Hoffacker was sad to hear of the passing of both Art Washburn ’45 and Henry Lindenmeyr ’56. Both were friends that in their own way added to her decision to move to the land where the earth meets the sky. Henry talked of moving to Colorado but couldn’t leave his bit of heaven on Ash Mill Rd and Art sent a photo with a walking stick standing in the middle of where the earth met the sky on the east coast of Oregon in the late 80s. Sandy says, their spirits, as well as those who have come before, still make their presence known to me where I live in the land where the earth still meets the sky. Class of 1973 Jackie French is a Neurology Professor at New York University commuting to Philly for the weekend. She happily keeps in touch with former classmates on Facebook.
THE ALMA Class of 1975 Michael Crotsky received his degree in Social Work from Lehman College (City University of New York) after retiring from New York City Transit Authority. Class of 1976 Will Sgarlet says life is good! He has a terrific family, a fun job and an excellent workshop in the basement where he tinkers and builds stuff as a hobby. He’s evolved into a mechanical designer and loves to build remote control airplanes and boats, as well as mechanized art that makes people scratch their heads. Will enjoys fixing broken things and rejuvenating them to their former glory. He rides his mountain bike on Cape Cod, where the trails are tremendously fun and challenging. “At Solebury, my most immediate family were my fellow students and teachers.” Will has very fond memories of Solebury School and all the individuals that made it a unique place in which to live, learn and grow. Class of 1977 In May, 2011 Rachel Simon published her second novel (and sixth book), The Story of Beautiful Girl. The book is an unforgettably moving love story about the improbable odds faced by a couple with disabilities and a lost child. It received terrific reviews and became a New York Times best seller within two weeks. (That is a first for Rachel!) “The Solebury community, including those who connected with me on Facebook, has been very supportive. It’s been very exciting.” By the way, Rachel’s blog is fantastic. Go read it! http://rachelsimon.com/blog/
PAGE 2 Class of 1980 and 1981 A smattering of 80s alumni made it back for alumni weekend.
Pablo Schor ’80, Kia Jacobson ’81, Scott Lynch ’81, Peter Cenedella ’81, Andrea Sherman ’81.
Theresa Quindlen ‘80, Julie-Ann Silberman-Bunn ’81, Andrea Sherman ’81, Anne Blasko ’80, and Jo Prockop ’81. Class of 1982 and 1983
Class of 1978 Three cheers for classmates Melissa Hamilton whose cookbook series Canal House Cooking is taking the food world by storm. Gwyneth Paltrow is a huge fan! Amy Ford, also known as Ambika Devi, has a wonderful CD called Enchantment. Amy describes the music as follows: Enchantment can be used as a means to boost energy and give healing to the entirety of our beings. Some of the sacred mantras in this album are closer to the way I first heard them sung by my beloved teachers. Others began as written words, passed on to me through friends or discovered in my reading. These mantras transformed in my consciousness and morphed into song through divine inspiration. A customer review: Amy Ford’s album Enchantment is a rarity in yoga music. It mixes a plethora of styles: Buddhist, Native American, Sikh and Hindu chants with unique instrumentation like didgeridoo. The result is a fun, upbeat, danceable party of a yoga album. To purchase a CD go to this website: http://www.invinciblemusic.com/ambikadevi/enchantment Class of 1979 Cynthia Keler was granted tenure and promotion to associate professor at Delaware College. Fred Royal is working like mad to preserve valuable and beautiful natural resources while promoting smart growth and low impact development.
David Toron ‘82 and Laryssa Small Clark ‘83. Class of 1985 Robin Woosnam Haff was shocked to learn that Geoff Tilden retired. She writes, “Geoff, you were by far the best teacher I have ever had, even after 2 college degrees. It’s hard to put into words, but you gave me strength when I didn’t think I had any, you were patient when I had no patience left. You always trusted me when I didn’t trust myself. You were a friend but a teacher (that yelled sometimes, loved that). Honestly I parent my kids in a Solebury manner - unbiased, challenged, but still have rules. My older daughter is going to start her undergrad at Penn State and wants to be a veterinarian; my younger daughter wants to be a teacher. She is such a good soul and reminds me of you. I just wanted you to know in your retirement you played a role in who I am today. Class of 1987 Aaron Keane is living in Chapel Hill, NC with wife Julie, Ruben (9) and August (5). Writing music for TV Film: Great Inca Rebellion on PBS, Kate Plus 8 and Sister Wives. Life is good! Indra Lahir, a Ph.D. and organizational psychologist/ industrial anthropologist, decided five years ago to make a major change in her life. By day, Indra helps corporations like The Coca-Cola Company and Texaco build their diversity initiatives. She’s served on the faculty at Cornell and Penn State University. She has been a featured speaker at many conferences and universities, and guest on a number of talk shows. She’s published a