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tanford “Ford” Stratton ’17, grandson of Ambassador William Farish IV ’58 and nephew of William S. Farish III ’83, has found comfort both in the South Kent community and in his family this year. “My experience of being here has been better than I could have ever imagined. At my old school if I had to go home to visit my mom, even if I had just missed a day or two, I would have been behind on my work for about three weeks, but here they were way more understanding,” Ford explained. “It really allowed me to be able to see my mom and be with her a lot more before she passed away. I don’t have a single doubt in my mind that coming to South Kent was not only the best thing for me, but it quite possibly could have been the best decision that I have ever made.” Ford added that being at South Kent actually helps him to stay in touch with loved ones. “It really helps me because I am able to keep in contact a lot more with my family here than I probably would be if I was at home. Going to South Kent has really made me closer to my uncle and to my grandfather in that we now have so much more to talk about, such as how the school is looking, or how cold it gets in the winter; they’ve even told me stories of how
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they used to have to sneak out in the middle of the night to meet the pizza delivery man at a secret location because they weren’t allowed to order pizza to campus.” Although he is part of a legacy family, Head Prefect and Headmaster’s Cup winner Grayson Makris ’15 came to South Kent because of a friend. He was set to go to Kent School when his best friend, Head Prefect and Headmaster’s Cup winner William “Billy” Hoadley ’14, asked him to come to the South Kent School open house. Makris’ aunt, Elizabeth Tobin ’79, attended South Kent during the short time that it was co-ed. Still, even with a family connection, it was not until he spent a day at South Kent and “met a lot of cool people on campus, saw the close friendships and the friendly faculty,” that he knew he had to be part of it. Hoadley, a legacy himself (cousin to Toby H. Kempe ’72, Harold H. Kempe ’78 and Toby N. Kempe ’01), took his influence beyond friends and to family as well. His younger brother, Tyler Hoadley ’15, learned about the School because Billy was a year ahead him, and “would come home and tell me all about SKS,” he explained. Tyler felt his overall experience in the end was even better than
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expected. In his Sixth Form year, he earned the John C. Farr ’58 Trophy for his dedication, hard work and sportsmanship as a studentathlete (in this case, on and off the Prep Soccer field). Fittingly, an annual student-athlete award was named after him as well: the Tyler Hoadley Most Improved Player Award. Another Hoadley brother, Simplicity of Life underform award winner Clay Hoadley ’18, began at South Kent last fall. “I think what drew me most to South Kent were the stories I heard from my brothers. They both emphasized the small community and the friendly people,” Clay said. As part of a legacy family, there are advantages, but also pressures. “I felt I had high expectations to meet and I was afraid I would not be able to maintain such a hard burden. I have since realized that no one can do what my brothers have done, and I will make my own impact in the school.” The Hoadleys aren’t the only siblings who have graced the campus, though. Retired Navy Captain Kathleen Lindenmayer ’79, was the first in her family to attend South Kent School. “My family knew several of the faculty from the town of Kent (I am a townie). Girls had been invited to attend a few years earlier, and they recomFall 2015 The Hillside • 9