Alumni Horae Summer 2021

Alumni Horae

ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL | ISSUE IV 20/21

Alumni Horae

VOL. 100 | ISSUE IV 20/21

RECTOR

Kathleen C. Giles

EDITOR

Jana F. Brown

DESIGNER

Cindy L. Foote

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Ian Aldrich

Zach Camenker

Kate Dunlop

Michael Matros

Jeffrey Selesnick

Annmarie Timmins

Alumni Association

ADVISORY BOARD

Chair

Brett A. Forrest ’91

Vice Chair

Anne M. Fulenwider ’90

Members

David B. Atkinson ’59

David M. Foxley ’02

Jonathan D. Jackson ’09

Diego H. Nuñez ’08

Michael S. Ricard ’89

Published by The Alumni Association of St. Paul’s School alumni@sps.edu

Trustees of St. Paul’s School

14

COMMUNITY EFFORT

JANA F. BROWN

Navigating COVID-19 brought many challenges to St. Paul’s School, along with innovations, unsung heroes, and plenty of silver linings.

22

PUTTING SCIENCE TO THE TEST

SARAH PRUITT

ASEP facilitates the work of Isabella Pargiolas ’21 in testing a new way to treat cancer.

PHOTO: Michael Seamans

NEWS AND NOTES

2 FROM THE RECTOR

4 SPS TODAY

School welcomes new trustees; plaque commemorates Bishop Walker; honoring retiring faculty members; student support; hybrid ASP; and spring sports.

26 REVIEWS

In With Flynn: The Boss Behind the President Malcolm MacKay ’59

The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict Thomas Hatch ’79

30 PROFILE

Friends pay tribute to former trustee, volunteer, and devoted alumna Sarah Bankson Newton ’79

31 PROFILE

In her new podcast, Dana Goodyear ’94 explores the random shooting death of a young father and the underside of the city of Malibu.

32 PROFILE

Drink Wholesome founder Jack Schrupp ’14 offers protein powders made with natural ingredients — that also taste good.

33 IN MEMORIAM

Facilitated by the School, a modified Anniversary gave alumni a place to gather after a long pandemic year.

SPOTLIGHT

Penn Station’s new 12-foot-tall clock, designed by architect Peter Pennoyer ’75, is destined to become a New York icon.

UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

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Optimistic Work and Shared Values

Gratitude, optimism, and excitement are three words that have been my constant companions throughout the summer.

We are a healthy and thriving School for terrific young people from around the country and the world, coming off the largest number of student applicants in our history. We are planning carefully to welcome and support this diverse group who has faced a wide range of COVID-related challenges. We are eager and ready to kick off the fall term. While I don’t want to get too far into the work of the new year, I also could not be more delighted that we will roll out the School’s revised mission and embark on the optimistic work of strategic planning in support of it.

When we talk about educating students at SPS, we are drawing from the Latin origins of the verb “educare” — to bring forth — and, as it describes our purpose as a School, to bring forth what is best in each other. We come together on the grounds to educate each other as we face one another across the Chapel, across seminar tables and lab benches and practice fields, and in dining halls and common rooms — bringing forth the best in each other, the inspiration and motivation in growing up as whole, ethical, spiritual, healthy people who share the values of respect, integrity, and kindness.

We come together as a School to be in dialogue with one another, to engage and contribute rather than to consume. That is how we build our understanding and our intellectual stamina. It is about making and kneading the dough rather than just eating the piece of toast that is handed to you.

And when we talk about bringing forth the best in each other, it is not just the best achievement or the best grades or even the best ideas. It is about the personal best within each of us — the ethical best, the creative best, the curious, the empathetic, the imaginative best. The person we can be at the height of our most beautiful powers, whatever those might be, and however we each differ in their display. Becoming educated is about connection and production, inspiration and motivation.

Bringing forth what is best within us provides the framework to build and sustain a purposeful life, one that is committed to something bigger than our own needs or wants or goals — the contribution that will make us ethically worthy to have walked the world in our time. Our individual and, ideally, lifelong service to the greater good.

When one thinks about this fulfilling work, it is easy to think about the upcoming year with gratitude, optimism, and excitement. I very much hope they prove to be highly contagious.

School Welcomes New Trustees

Meet the newest members of the SPS Board.

Amachie K. Ackah ’90

AAEC / Fund Chair

Amachie Ackah graduated with a B.A. from Williams College in 1995 and received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he was distinguished as a Murphy Fellow by the faculty of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center. He is the founder and co-owner of the commercial real estate investment firm Clay Cove Capital. Prior to that, in 2007, he launched Argosy Real Estate Partners, Argosy Capital’s first institutional real estate opportunity fund, as its founder and managing partner. He serves on the boards of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Episcopal Academy and is a member of several real estate trade organizations. In addition, he has been a member of the Policy Advisory Board at the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at UC-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

David A. Fleischner ’91, P’20,’23

David Fleischner was awarded a B.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins University in 1995. He is an executive vice president and COO of Asplundh Tree Expert LLC, a company founded in 1928 by his maternal grandfather, Lester Asplundh, and his two brothers. The youngest of the third generation in the company, Fleischner has worked at Asplundh since 1998, and currently oversees all foreign operations. He is also involved in several field regions in the utility construction and landscape business. He is active in multiple trade industry associations as well as numerous Philadelphia area organizations.

Henry C.T. Ho ’90, P’21,’22

Henry C.T. Ho ’90 graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in 1995. He is the chair of Tung Ho Steel, the leading scrap recycling and construction steel manufacturing company in Taiwan. Ho began his career as an analyst at McKinsey & Co. In 1997, he joined Tung Ho Steel and worked in various departments, before becoming president in 2009 and chair in 2014. He is a board member of the Harvard Club of R.O.C. and was the club president from 2014 to 2018. Ho is also a member of the SPS Asia Council.

Elizabeth “Lisa” Henriques Hughes ’78, P’17,’19

Lisa Hughes graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in 1982. A member of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s board of directors since 2018, she became the newspaper’s first female publisher and CEO in its 190-year history in February 2020. Prior to that, Hughes served as chief business officer of The New Yorker from 2009 to 2017. Hughes serves on the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and on the Civic Leadership Council of the PHL COVID-19 Fund. She is a member of the board of directors of The News Media Alliance and was elected to The Forum of Executive Women in 2020. A past member of the SPS Alumni Association Executive Committee (2014-20), Hughes also served as a form agent from 1988 to 2016 and on the Alumni Horae Advisory Board from 2007 to 2014, including a term as chair. In addition, she is one of the co-founders of the SPS XIX Society.

Chase F. Robinson ’81

Chase Robinson received an A.B. from Brown University in 1985, followed by a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1992. He is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. Robinson previously served as president (2013-18) and provost (2008-13) of The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he was also distinguished professor of history. From 1993 to 2008, he was a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, and professor of Islamic history in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, which he chaired from 2003 to 2005. He has authored or edited nine books and more than 40 articles that span the geographical and chronological breadth of the pre-modern and early modern Islamic Middle East. He is the general editor of Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization, a member of the editorial board of Past & Present, and he conducts research in several European and Middle Eastern languages.

A Point of Inspiration

New plaque commemorates the continuing impact of former faculty member and Bishop of Washington John Walker.

JANA F. BROWN

Bishop John T. Walker was a trailblazer, who broke boundaries more than once in his life, perhaps most notably as the first African American faculty member of St. Paul’s School (1957-66) and as the first Black bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. (1977-89).

I n 1995, six years after his death, the School honored the late Bishop Walker’s life by commissioning a portrait funded through the generosity of many alumni. The bishop’s image was painted by pioneering artist Simmie Lee Knox, who was also the first Black American to receive a presidential portrait commission. In a notable career, Knox has created portraits of many other prominent American public figures, from Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to boxer and activist Muhammad Ali.

In the fall of 2020, the oil painting featuring Bishop Walker was moved from the Upper Dining Room to the Baker Reading Room in Ohrstrom Library. At that time, conversations about adding a plaque next to the painting

were initiated, so current and future generations of St. Paul’s School students would be reminded of — and moved by — both Bishop Walker’s life of service and his impact during his time at SPS.

“He is a beloved figure and offers multiple points of inspiration to all of us,” Rector Kathy Giles says, “as our first Black faculty member, as a man of spiritual and personal integrity who devoted his life to service, as a national leader in important conversations about ethics and justice, and as a person of deep and abiding faith. His presence in the day-to-day life of the School should inspire all of us.”

Th ough a quiet family man by nature, Bishop Walker was not afraid to pose opposition to ideals in which he did not believe. It was that rare combination of gentle human spirit and strong will that defined his ministry. It was also those qualities that endeared a young John Walker to the St. Paul’s School community in the turbulent 1960s. In turn, his time in Millville became a formative experience that guided his future endeavors.

According to Alex Whiteside ’62, who

helped craft the text for the plaque, Bishop Walker “fit seamlessly into the School community, while opening the door to future change. For many students, he was the first Black person they had ever encountered. From their interactions with him, they learned that skin color is irrelevant to a person’s worth. St. Paul’s owes him a debt of gratitude for his groundbreaking service and for the inspiration and support he gave to so many.”

In 2004, Robert Harrison authored John Walker: A Man for the 21st Century in which he analyzes the bishop’s ministry of love, understanding, and reconciliation. In an interview that year with the School, Harrison said Bishop Walker “was able to make himself available to people of all stripes and colors.”

Bishop Walker was a genuine soul, whose wisdom, counsel, and calming presence drew others — of all faiths and races — to him. That spirit is commemorated in his portrait and the accompanying plaque.

“Bishop Walker is a beloved figure in the SPS community,” Giles says. “In his ministry, he embodied so many of the values that lie at the heart of the School.”

Celebrating Faculty Milestones

Offering thanks and commemorating what three teachers have given to the School.

Toby Brewster | Retired

In his many roles at SPS, he prided himself on being a good listener.

JEFF SELESNICK

In 24 years as a member of the St. Paul’s School faculty, Toby Brewster has held positions in humanities, admission, and college advising. This spring, he announced his retirement from the School.

“Toby is a kind, patient, encouraging person who brought out the best in his students and athletes through positive affirmation and instruction,” says Humanities Department Head Kevin Brooks, a longtime colleague. “He will be remembered fondly as a wonderful mentor to SPS students.”

“Toby is a kind, patient, encouraging person who brought out the best in his students and athletes through positive affirmation and instruction.”

Brewster arrived at St. Paul’s School in 1994 with his wife, Becca, and young son. While he started as an assistant director of admission, he knew that he wanted to teach. After teaming with Rich Davis, then head of the History Department, to help design the Fourth Form humanities curriculum, Brewster entered the classroom in 1996, teaching Third and Fourth Form humanities and a variety of electives. He stepped down from his teaching role following the 2003-04 academic year and, after two years away from the School, returned as director of college advising. He rejoined the humanities faculty in 2010, where he spent the remainder of his SPS tenure.

Becca Brewster spent nearly 20 years working in the School’s Advancement Office, overseeing parent giving and relations. She accepted the role of director of parent giving at Phillips Andover Academy in 2015, but still resided with

her husband at SPS. Wherever they lived on campus, their home was always filled with the quartet of Brewster boys: Will ’11, Eli ’13, Peter ’17, and Seth.

Toby Brewster attended Deerfield Academy and graduated in 1983 from Dartmouth College with a degree in English. He returned to Deerfield for a yearlong teaching role following graduation before spending two years teaching English at the American School in Lugano, Switzerland. He completed one cycle as an admissions officer at The Hotchkiss School before moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was an admissions and financial aid officer at Harvard while earning his master’s in education, administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Throughout his years at SPS, Brewster was a constant voice in shaping the humanities curriculum, including developing the “In Tune with Nature” course he co-taught with good friend and science faculty member Rick Pacelli in the spring of 2016. In the classroom, Brewster embraced creativity and humor, citing an instance when a student on the volleyball team taught the entire class her team’s victory dance as a particular high point.

“As former SPS teacher Mike Hanas once said, ‘I was never your teacher, I was your lead learner,’ trying to facilitate an engaging and respectful discussion,” Brewster says. “As a teacher, my goal was always to listen more than I talked.”

Some of Brewster’s best memories come from his many years coaching the SPS cross country and Nordic ski teams. Highlights included stepping into the head cross country coaching role and watching the girls team claim the ISL and New England Championships in the same year and being part of the girls Nordic ski team’s historic run of eight consecutive New England titles. He was delighted to welcome Joe Holland (who, he believes, is “the best ski waxer in New England”) to the coaching staff, and always relished being part of the frantic pre-race fine-tuning of the competitors’ skis.

Brewster also was particularly fond of the annual Hugh Camp Cup student speech competition, an event he felt presented students the opportunity to share their stories with the community. Above all else, Brewster is thankful for the relationships he formed in his time at SPS, offering a lengthy list of colleagues, coaches, neighbors, and mentors who combined to make his years at the School so memorable. In retirement, he is looking forward to chipping away at his sizeable reading list and focusing on writing, as he and Becca move into their new home less than two miles from the SPS grounds.

“I’m not saying bye,” he says, “just ‘see you soon.’”

Peter Tuttle | Retired

The longtime science teacher developed a reputation for working hard to make sure students excelled.

JEFF SELESNICK

After 38 years of teaching math, physics, and chemistry and coaching football and baseball, Peter Tuttle announced his retirement from St. Paul’s School.

Tuttle knew from an early age that he wanted to live and work at a private school. The son of a career boarding school teacher and eventual headmaster, Tuttle cherished his childhood in such a distinct setting and wanted the same for his children.

“I grew up with 250 older brothers,” he notes. “It was just a wonderful environment in which to grow up.”

After attending Middlesex School, Tuttle went on to Williams College, where he played football and baseball and graduated with a double major in math and physics. He stepped into his first teaching position just months after graduating, joining the faculty at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts, where he taught math and physics and coached football and baseball. After getting engaged to his now-wife, Cathy, who was working as an elementary art teacher in Bow, New Hampshire, Tuttle started looking for job opportunities in the Granite State. He jumped when a position opened at St. Paul’s and arrived ahead of the 1983-84 academic year, along with eventual longtime colleagues and friends Colin Callahan and Terry Wardrop ’73.

Tuttle taught math in his first two years at SPS, though then Science Department Head Cliff Gillespie approached him about taking on additional courses. When Gillespie took a sabbatical a few years later, Tuttle stepped in to teach all of the chemistry classes, rediscovering his love for the subject and spurring him to obtain his master’s in science teaching from the University of New Hampshire during his own sabbatical year. Tuttle received the Charles W. Engelhard Master in Science endowed chair and, in 1994, was elected to the Aula Laudis Society of the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, essentially a hall of fame for high school chemistry teachers.

“ The whole school knew of Peter’s reputation for working harder than anyone to make sure his students understood chemistry,” Wardrop says of his close friend. “The students knew that if they worked hard to master the subject, Peter would move heaven and earth to make sure they were successful.”

Outside of his sabbatical year and a fall spent recovering from back surgery, Tuttle served as a coach of the SPS football team every year he was at SPS. While the team’s recent run of success has been thrilling, his favorite gridiron

memory comes from 1989, when the Big Red posted just the third undefeated season in School history, capping the year with an upset over a menacing Phillips Andover Academy squad. “[Head football coach] Doug Dickson was getting phone calls leading up to the game against Andover from other ISL coaches saying, ‘You’re crazy for playing them, your kids are going to get hurt,’” Tuttle recalls. “We went down to Andover, played them under the lights, and beat them, 14-13.”

When it came time for their own two children to attend high school, Peter and Cathy, who taught art at SPS for many years, made sure Sam ’03 and Emerson ’05 visited and applied to other schools to get a sense of the range of opportunities available to them. It was an important exercise that made both boys appreciate what St. Paul’s had to offer.

“Sam and Emerson now have doctorates,” Tuttle says, “and a lot of that foundation was built right here.”

“The students knew that if they worked hard to master the subject, Peter would move heaven and earth to make sure they were successful.”

A long with more time for golf, hiking, and visiting family, Tuttle offers a smiling response when asked what he is most looking forward to in retirement: “Not grading lab reports,” he says. He and Cathy are excited to move into their new home in her hometown of Contoocook, New Hampshire, and the couple will continue to enjoy the friendships they’ve built at SPS.

“Peter and Cathy were role models to the community in the way they lived their lives together and raised their family,” Wardrop says. “Their combined presence in Millville has been a bedrock relationship for the School.”

Peter Tuttle spent 38 years at SPS, teaching math and science and coaching football and baseball.

Parker Chase | 25 years

Math teacher has shown commitment to his work, his students, and the School.

JANA F. BROWN

As a teenager, Parker Chase moved around a lot, his family following the career path of his father, a college professor. The Chase clan eventually landed in Muncie, Indiana, where Chase’s father was a professor at Ball State University.

It was during a year in Africa, where his father was sent on a Fulbright scholarship, that Chase and his sister took the SSAT — just in case.

“[Traveling] broadened our horizons a bit and showed us there is a bigger world out there,” he says. “My dad knew that maybe we were looking for something else.”

That intuition is what led Chase and his sister to Phillips Exeter Academy. Their father had taught at The Hill School, an independent school in Pennsylvania, and was familiar with boarding school life. “That had a huge influence on what I have done with my career,” Chase says.

Chase recently finished his 25th year at St. Paul’s. Prior to his arrival, he spent three years teaching upper-level math at Georgetown Day School, where he also coached baseball. A love for the outdoors factored into the decision for Chase and his wife, Celia, to move to New Hampshire.

“We appreciated the state of New Hampshire and all it has to offer,” says Chase, an avid sportsman. “We loved being outdoors, loved the lakes and hiking.”

In his tenure at the School, Chase has taught math at all levels, served as chair of the Math Department, coached baseball and basketball, served as the commissioner of SPS club soccer, worked as an associate director of college advising, and served as a trusted adviser and head of house. Chase has mentored a generation of SPS students with his dedication to all aspects of boarding school life. One of those students, Jared Gordon ’00, enrolled at St. Paul’s as a Fifth Former and credits Chase with helping him transition to boarding school.

“Whether it was academic, athletic, or social, he invested time into me and helped me navigate all three areas,” Gordon says. “The fact that Parker has been at SPS for 25 years speaks

to his commitment to his work, his students, and SPS.”

His colleagues also praise Chase for that commitment. Longtime SPS math teacher Laura Hrasky says he embodies the triple-threat model of teacher, coach, and adviser. She identifies Chase as someone who works hard to bring out the best in his students.

Medical Director John Bassi is one of Chase’s closest friends at SPS. The two bonded after discovering they shared interests in hunting and baseball. Bassi speaks of his friend’s conviction and sense of dedication, which have contributed to strengthening the St. Paul’s School community.

“Parker is passionate about his roles at SPS and cares deeply about the students he teaches and advises,” Bassi says. “There have been occasions in the fall, while we’ve been tramping through the woods with his Brittany [Spaniel], that he has had to stop and take a call from a parent worried about their child, exemplifying that dedication.”

There is more to Chase than his work, notes Bassi, adding that his friend maintains homeostasis through community involvement and by spending time with family and friends. Despite the demands of his job, Chase has continued to broaden his own horizons. He and Celia, with their son Colin ’18 and daughter Kelsey ’20, spent the 2010-11 academic year on School Year Abroad in Zaragoza, Spain. Chase also dedicated a sabbatical year to earning his master’s in education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Outside of SPS, Chase has coached American Legion baseball, served on the Concord National Little League board, and served as a trustee and president of the board of HEAR in New Hampshire, a preschool for deaf children.

In his 25 years at the School, Chase has developed a deep appreciation for his colleagues and the students. He considers it an honor to work with his peers and a privilege to teach the young people who arrive at St. Paul’s each year.

“I have never woken up and said, ‘I have to go to work today,’” he says. “There is always something to look forward to. You don’t work at a boarding school unless you are all in. The folks who have longevity are the ones for whom doing dorm duty or coaching is not a chore, but an opportunity to connect with kids.”

PHOTOS: Peter Finger

Minding the Gap

Committee identifies learning voids that may have been created by the pandemic — and ways to address them for student success.

JANA F. BROWN

Id entifying and providing additional support for incoming students who may have gaps in content and skill acquisition due to the impact of the pandemic will be critical to their success in the coming year.

To meet that need, Rector Kathy Giles convened a task force, charging the group with pinpointing those gaps and proposing the necessary supports and interventions as new students transition to SPS. The committee met three times in April and May to create a plan. The group, co-chaired by Director of Academic Support Kate Daniels and Dean of Studies Lori Bohan, also includes Vice Rector for School Life Theresa Ferns ’84, Associate Dean of Students Thomas Gregston, Associate Dean of Admission Michelle Hung, Director of Academic Technology Melissa Poole, and teachers Laura Hrasky (mathematics), Paul Murray (languages), and Chris Odom (science).

understanding schoolwork, asking for help, taking notes, and organization. Students were asked to share the amount of time spent on homework in the past year, with nearly 30% reporting they devoted fewer than 60 minutes to nightly assignments during the pandemic.

“I have no clue how well I will be able to fit in,” one student responded, “since I haven’t been with my friends and schoolmates ever since COVID. Also, I think it will take some time to learn how time management at boarding school is different from online learning.”

“Anything St. Paul’s can do to reintroduce the interpersonal component of learning will be highly beneficial.”

Committee members surveyed incoming students and their parents to learn about potential gaps created by online and hybrid learning models at their previous schools. The survey also requested feedback on five social-emotional competencies (self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision-making skills, and relationship skills).

“Incoming students, as well as their parents, have indicated they are a bit anxious about perhaps not having learned as much as they would have in an academic year due to the unusual circumstances,” Daniels says. “Without the opportunity to be with their teachers and peers, students also lost opportunities for social-emotional learning. Focusing on those core competencies will need to be given considerable attention next year.”

Daniels noted that the School has partnered with the JED Foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools strengthen both their mental and physical health programs. The Living in Community curriculum will place particular emphasis on health and wellbeing in the coming year.

“ There is a tremendous amount of work being done to address the emotional wellbeing and mental health of our students,” says Daniels, adding that the School will have four full-time counselors and one part-time counselor available when classes resume in the fall.

Among the most challenging areas identified by incoming students in the survey were effective study habits,

Parents of incoming students pointed to sleep management and organization as the issues of greatest concern heading into the fall. Of the 173 responding parents, 37% indicated that their children attended school in person, while 39% attended remotely. The areas that suffered the most, according to parents, were socialization, foreign language progress, and in-depth study of course material.

“Our son was a remote student,” one parent wrote. “And, although he handled the academic component of this well, I think the interpersonal part was a huge loss. Anything St. Paul’s can do to reintroduce the interpersonal component of learning will be highly beneficial.”

Armed with the survey results, committee members generated recommendations to address some of the losses created by the pandemic. Suggestions include reviewing the records of each new student and pairing them with advisers who can best support them; diagnostic testing to determine student learning and social-emotional needs; being creative with the use of current human resources to provide enhanced daytime and evening support; coaching in executive function; expanded mentorship from upperformers; and increased communication between teachers and advisers to assess student progress, among other notes. In addition to the faculty office hours already available to students, St. Paul’s will offer content-specific tutoring and will have peer tutors available during the academic day and in the evenings.

“ The COVID-19 pandemic presented countless challenges and will have far-reaching ramifications for many,” the committee shared. “Our new students are excited to begin their journey here at SPS, and it is imperative that each has the opportunity to participate fully in the educational experience SPS offers.”

The Lights Are On Hybrid summer program brings together virtual and in-person learning.

KATE DUNLOP

The air in the Kwok Engineering Lab at the Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science was buzzing with the weight of a deadline.

On a July afternoon, 19 students in the St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program (ASP) Engineering class worked in teams to modify six ride-on electric cars for Go Baby Go, a program that provides children with disabilities a way to move independently. A day and a half away from presenting the toy cars to their young drivers, the ASP students were focused, though not without some frustration.

“ This is stressful,” said Brianna Waldron of Raymond, trying with her teammates to get the wiring just right in order to change the power source from foot pedals to the steering wheel.

SPS teacher William Renauld and co-teacher Chris Ginty circulated the lab with the calm assurance that their students would succeed. ASP students, according to Renauld, have donated about 60 cars over six years to Go Baby Go.

The ingenuity of the class reflects that of the summer program, which was restructured to allow students to take advantage of its offerings in spite of COVID-19. This

summer, ASP returned to the grounds after an abbreviated virtual program in 2020 due to the pandemic. Representing 60 New Hampshire public and parochial high schools, 171 rising seniors took part in the hybrid program that this year was divided into a two-week online Leadership Institute followed by three weeks in person at St. Paul’s. Of those enrolled, 142 students attended both segments. Forty-three percent of the 2021 cohort received some form of financial aid.

The Leadership Institute, which kicked off on June 21 with a Zoom address by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, featured leaders with New Hampshire ties. They included retired NBA player Matt Bonner; Kate Bergeron ASP ’88, vice president for hardware engineering at Apple; Mark Zankel, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire; Julian Jefferson, staff attorney in the New Hampshire Public Defenders’ office; and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.

ASP students take two courses: a required Writing Workshop and a college-level class chosen from options ranging from astronomy to biomedical ethics to film studies. Founded in 1957, the program combines coursework

ASP Engineering students modify a ride-on car for Go Baby Go.

MICHAEL SEAMANS

with extracurricular activities, college counseling, and the experience of living away from home.

“Our focus on New Hampshire students makes us different from any other program I’m familiar with,” ASP Director Alisa Barnard ’94 says. “It’s an incredible population of students who have self-selected into doing rigorous academic work.”

The learning at ASP is accelerated and multi-layered, as each teacher mentors a college-age intern who assists with classroom and dorm duties and, more often than not, is a graduate of the program. The days are long for everyone, with Chapel, classes, athletics, clubs and activities, feeds, dances, and serenades, but they go too fast — graduation is never far away.

“I’ve made so many connections and explored topics I’m passionate about, and I’ve had so many genuine conversations. You don’t have a lot of opportunities to go somewhere where you don’t know anyone.”

“ This is flying by,” said Mass Media student Evan Power of Northfield in mid-July. “It’s cool to come here and have everyone be interested in what we’re talking about. The classes are more in-depth and have a real-life application. I’ve made so many connections and explored topics I’m passionate about, and I’ve had so many genuine conversations. You don’t have a lot of opportunities to go somewhere where you don’t know anyone. We all want to stay longer.”

Caleb Hagner of New Boston chose to explore Molecular Biology, a topic with which he had no previous experience. Taught by SPS Laboratory Technician Scott Betournay, lectures set the stage for lab exercises, which included students extracting DNA from their own saliva samples. Hagner was not alone in relishing the chance to be surrounded by peers who wanted to learn — especially in a year that brought so much uncertainty.

“There’s a lot of very bright people,” he said. “And they chose to be here, to take these challenging courses.”

Back in the engineering lab, the electric cars were still silent despite all the work that had been done. “We added an [emergency] kill switch on each car for parents,” said Michael Schoff of Portsmouth, “and built pipe frames to support the drivers.”

Nearby, Waldron muttered something about a wire connection while tinkering under the hood of one of the vehicles. But a moment later, she made the connection, and the car’s lights came to life.

Over the sound of a revving engine, high-fiving a classmate, Waldron said, “I’m such a good problem solver!”

An example of success after modification — just like the 2021 ASP itself.

MICHAEL SEAMANS

Students collect samples for the ASP’s Ecology class.

PHOTOS: Karen Bobotas, Michael Seamans

Community Effort

Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to St. Paul’s School, along with innovations, unsung heroes, and plenty of silver linings.

F. BROWN

JANA

As the sun set on the summer of 2020, Rector Kathy Giles was staring down the start of the 2020-21 academic year, wondering how — and if — St. Paul’s School would be able to keep its community safe and in person during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There was a lot of uncertainty as to how we were going to protect everyone’s health on the grounds,” Giles says. “The whole political context last summer leading up to the election was a low point, and it was hard to separate the anxiety generated by the pandemic from all of these other issues that were really turbulent in our community. But, throughout all of that, our students and families were warriors, singularly focused. For me, that was a lifesaver. It was, ‘Here is why we are here, here is how we are going to do this.’”

If the focus was on staying together and keeping the SPS community healthy, then getting to Graduation on May 23 was the ultimate goal. For Dean of Students Suzanne Ellinwood, the realization that they were going to achieve that milestone came on May 20. By then, all underformers had departed for the summer, leaving the members of the Form of 2021 to gather ahead of their commencement. On that Thursday night, Ellinwood was struck by the (vaccinated) Sixth Formers’ smiles as they gathered in the Friedman Community Center.

“Seeing them together and seeing how healthy they all were, how connected they all were,” Ellinwood says. “There was a peacefulness to the group. I realized this is why we did this, to get to this point at the end of the year. Looking at these great kids who had done so well, despite challenges, and seeing their contentment was a very special moment.”

Getting to the culminating moment of the school year required significant community strength and resolve. At Graduation, Giles acknowledged the efforts of the many who contributed to the success of an unexpected year. In addressing those gathered in person and watching online, she spoke of the adjustments made in order to get there. More than 400 students were vaccinated by health center staff in the final week of classes. The Board of Trustees put in countless hours to support the changes required to keep students COVID-free while in session. Facilities set up new classrooms, updated air circulation systems, and cleaned nonstop throughout the year. The Information Technology team ensured that learning technology worked smoothly — even with students scattered all over the world at times.

A HEALTHY COMMUNITY

In order for students and faculty to be together on campus, living and learning during a global pandemic, it all began with the work of SPS Medical Director John Bassi and the team of nurses and administrators who integrated COVID testing into their daily regimen. Staff members Chris Jorgensen and Mary Marzelli oversaw a program that administered 740 pooled saliva tests for employees and students each week. By the end of the academic year, Dr. Bassi reported that the total number of COVID tests administered for 2020-21 topped 17,000. And, in that time, zero students (and only 12 adults) tested positive on campus. Jorgensen and Marzelli were nominated for — and received — Toland Awards, recognizing “exceptional service by a staff member.”

“I look back at January 2020, and the amount of planning and resources we had to put in to actually make it work was tremendous.”

One discovery prompted by COVID was that St. Paul’s overall was a healthier community due to the safety measures mandated by the pandemic. For a year, the health center saw no cases of the flu and almost no cases of the usually pervasive strep throat.

The School’s success in handling the pandemic did not happen by chance.

Prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak, St. Paul’s was ready with a pandemic preparedness plan that dated back to the H1N1 spread of 2009. The plan was reviewed and updated to meet the coronavirus crisis with a health and safety team that included Dr. Bassi, Ellinwood, Vice Rector for School Life Theresa Ferns ’84, Vice Rector for Faculty Michael Spencer, Director of Environmental Health and School Safety Tim McGinley, and CFO Brooks Seay. The group was in constant communication with infectious disease expert Dr. Jim Noble of Concord Hospital.

“Everything,” Giles says, “went better than we expected.”

By the numbers

0 Students who tested postitive for COVID-19 on campus

Pieces of art produced in class by students

“We used that [pandemic plan] as a foundation,” Dr. Bassi explains. “To edit on the fly and see how a document like that works in real life was interesting. In medicine, we like to have guidelines, best practices, and evidence-based decision-making, and there was none of that. Through hours of discussions and deliberation, we came up with a plan we felt would work. I look back at January 2020, and the amount of planning and resources we had to put in to actually make it work was tremendous. We are blessed to have a school that supported the plan.”

143

1,908 COVID tests administered during the academic year

In-person school days during the 2020-21 academic year

17,000+

FOOD ON THE GO

Once students were on campus, tested, and through quarantine, the School executed the next level of planning for daily life. At the start of the year, St. Paul’s contracted with FLIK Independent School Dining to provide meals to the community. FLIK brought its own team of COVID advisers and infectious disease experts and worked to make food more accessible and mobile for students, faculty, and staff. Paul Robarge, who took over food services management in early September, identified the goal for the year as “providing a safe operation that delivered nutritious and delicious” food options.

Because of the need to de-densify spaces on campus, grab-and-go lunch was served to staff members at a site on Rectory Road. Students and faculty had the option of finding meals in Coit and in the Friedman Community Center, where Robarge’s team set up daily lines that included salads, soups, sandwiches, and other choices, from veggies to cookies. While hot foods were spooned into individual containers at the time of service, cold foods were pre-packaged in compostable or reusable containers in Coit and transported to the off-site dining locations. On a daily basis, the food services staff packed items from fruit to hard-boiled eggs to grilled chicken (and beyond) into

400,000 Meals served

small containers for easy transport, labeling them with dates and allergens.

“ The cold-food side was very challenging,” Robarge notes, adding that his crew was operating at approximately 70% of the normal workforce due to COVID. “The amount of work behind the scenes was astronomical.”

Year-end totals paint a staggering picture of the effort involved: 400,000 meals served and an average of 15 hours a week per employee of overtime logged. The goal post-pandemic, he adds, is to return to making traditional options available in Coit, including self-serve stations.

“I am super proud and very relieved we were able to get through this,” Robarge says.

RETHINKING CLASS SCHEDULES

Registrar Kristen Palizzolo managed a similar overhaul of systems, but hers involved course selection, course classification, grading, and class location to accommodate pandemic teaching and learning. Because students left the grounds for March Break 2020 and never returned for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, the Registrar’s Office, which includes Palizzolo and Assistant Registrar Megan Delisle, was forced to figure out a way to reclassify 150 courses as distance-learning options so they would

Pooled saliva COVID tests administered weekly

740

Students eat lunch in the Middle Dining Room, thanks to the efforts of FLIK Independent School Dining.

MICHAEL SEAMANS

appear correctly on transcripts. Grades also had to be modified to reflect the pass/fail system adopted for the 2020 Spring Term. In addition, Palizzolo and Delisle mailed 140 diplomas to members of the Form of 2020 and packaged and sent 60 academic awards to points all over the map. All the while, both women had children at home, who were unable to be in school or childcare.

“I distinctly remember one day,” Palizzolo recalls, “when we got most of the classes converted, telling the kids they needed to be on their own and then locking myself in my office at home to get it done.”

The work continued into summer 2020, as the Registrar’s Office designated atypical classroom spaces (the Sheldon Rotunda, McLane Squash Courts, and the Captain’s Room in the Hockey Center, among others) to accommodate social-distancing requirements. They also integrated a split lunch period into the schedule to limit the number of students in the dining hall at one time. That change, which worked well to reduce mealtime crowding, will be permanently adopted. Meanwhile, the schedule was everevolving, as total in-person school days numbered 143, with an additional 32 schoolwide distance-learning days on the calendar. Faculty adapted to their new spaces, while students complied with whatever was required for them to learn — whether virtually or in person.

LEARNING, TEACHING, AND GROWING

In a year when thriving was difficult for the entire world, SPS Sixth Formers submitted applications to 236 colleges and universities for consideration. Student artists produced 1,908 pieces of original work in fine arts courses throughout the school year. The Crumpacker Gallery hosted three in-person and four virtual exhibitions, featuring 78 student artists. The SPS Ballet Company, SPS Theatre Company, Chamber Music Program, and Chapel Choir offered 12 live performances. Across all arts programs, 16 visiting artists provided lectures and demonstrations via Zoom

Athletics, which faced great uncertainty through much of 2020-21 because of the reliance on the health of other school communities, was able to offer a total of 176 interscholastic games over the course of the year, including a high of 82 in the spring. Parents, who put their trust in the School and complied with requirements that they not visit campus, gained access to 130 contests via livestream, through cooperation with fellow Lakes Region schools.

“What I learned from this group of students and faculty was resilience and persistence,” says Director of Athletics Dick Muther. “Everyone did what they needed to do to make it work for the kids, from parents to athletic trainers to equipment managers to support staff.”

(continued on page 21)

PHOTOS: Michael Seamans

A Welcome Support System

Henry Ho ’90 and Clay Wang ’91 demonstrate the bond of SPS friendships.

When Henry Ho ’90 met Clay Wang ’91 in Taiwan in the summer of 1987 to share insights about St. Paul’s School with the incoming Third Former, there was no way to know that 34 years later, Ho’s son would be graduating from SPS and Wang would be the one cheering him on in person.

Such is the disruptive power of a global pandemic with its travel restrictions, but greater than that is the power of friendship and the bond between SPS alumni.

“Clay was kind of like a younger brother from Taiwan,” Ho says of their friendship at SPS. The two remained close during their years at Harvard, and they kept the connection alive as Wang pursued a Ph.D. at Cal Tech and made a life in California and Ho joined his family’s company, Tung Ho Steel, in Taiwan.

“Clay didn’t come back to Taiwan often,” Ho recalls, “but, whenever he did, we made sure to connect for a meal or a get-together.”

With his oldest son, William ’21, set to graduate from St. Paul’s, Ho and his wife, SaSa, realized that Taiwan’s travel restrictions meant they would not be able to attend Graduation. Each graduate was allotted eight seats in a designated square for family members. Who would fill William’s besides his brother, Sanders ’22?

Meanwhile, in the U.S., Wang was celebrating his son

Tyler’s acceptance to the Form of 2025. In a reversal of when Ho had reached out to the just-accepted Wang all those years ago, Wang contacted Ho, who was poised to join the Board of Trustees in July, to help their sons connect. It was a nostalgic exchange for the alumni, one that inspired Ho to propose a solution for William’s graduation.

“I said, ‘Maybe you could go as William’s surrogate parents,’” Ho says.

Wang jumped at the chance to represent his longtime friend, support the boys, and see the School in person with Tyler.

“ To be able to fill in as William’s parents and attend his graduation was fantastic,” Wang says. “It shows a strong tradition within SPS alumni from Taiwan where we all look out for each other.”

William, Sanders, and the Wangs lingered long after the ceremony concluded, soaking in the experience of being together on the grounds. The group gathered one last time in Boston the next day, before William and Sanders boarded a plane back to Taiwan.

“William genuinely loved St. Paul’s,” Wang says. “There’s clearly something St. Paul’s is doing right. To see that same love of the campus and people being so nice to each other 30 years later, it’s a very positive thing.”

(L to. r.): William Ho ’21, Sanders Ho ’22, Tyler Wang ’25, Clay Wang ’91, and Conner Wang

An SPS Graduation Like No Other

Gratitude and hope are at the forefront as School celebrates the Form of 2021.

Between the goalposts of the Guzzo Family Field, the Form of 2021 met its simultaneously traditional and extraordinary goal of graduating together, in person, in front of loved ones.

“Goodness, here we are,” Rector Kathy Giles said in her opening remarks to the 144 graduates, “on the football field, in family squares, on May 23, in person at Graduation. That’s an unprecedented sentence at the end of an unprecedented year.”

Rector Giles recognized students and employees for their efforts to live and learn on the grounds in the face of so much change. “It’s not what we wanted or planned, but we — as a whole — we have made it into something valuable and powerful,” she said. “And against the backdrop of suffering and injustice in the world out there, it has been an amazing privilege for each of us to get to do our jobs here, together, this year … St. Paul’s School exists to educate students to build purposeful lives in service to a greater good, and everyone here this morning has had a hand in making sure we stayed true to that mission this year.”

In his address, Sixth Form President Seth McKenzie spoke of the challenges of the past year. “How does one put into words what we have gone through as a form?” he asked. “Can words even truly convey what we went

through? Our chosen theme for the year was resilience. Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. I cannot think of a form that embodies what resilience is more so than us.”

Beyond the difficulties of the academic year at SPS, he continued with a variation of the Rector’s theme of pushing good into the world and addressed the responses of the Sixth Form Officers to the aftermaths of George Floyd’s death in May 2020 and the attack on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021.

“Worldwide, society has pivoted to and committed itself to making existing institutions more equitable and safer for everyone,” McKenzie said. “We saw this on the grand scale in the Black Lives Matter movement, and on the smaller scale here at SPS, where two Sixth Formers founded the Student Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council.”

As an institution, McKenzie said, St. Paul’s has made strides in affirming and uplifting student voices, in particular those of minorities. He added that there is still more to be done, and he called for the graduates to continue “to fight for our collective, honorable, and true-to-values vision of St. Paul’s. To do so, it is important that, once you receive your diplomas and walk off this stage, you do not lose the sense of community that we have all known so well.”

MICHAEL SEAMANS

It was that teamwork that led to the vaccination of more than 400 eligible students prior to their departure on May 18 and the Graduation of the Form of 2021 on May 23.

Ellinwood, the dean of students, credits the entire school life team with remaining positive and optimistic. At the end of the year, she adds, “We all still love our jobs and love working with kids and families. That, coupled with in-person Graduation, was huge. To be able to provide that to this class in the middle of a pandemic, we are so proud. I also credit Kathy [Giles] and her optimism. She was a great role model for positivity.”

Another unexpected benefit of the pandemic included an increase in sleep for students, resulting in improved wellness. Thanks to the delivery of personalized fitness, sleep, and recovery data from WHOOP fitness trackers donated by company founder Will Ahmed ’08, SPS learned that, in 2020-21, students averaged 70 minutes more sleep per night than the national benchmark.

“It was our goal to stay in person all year so students and teachers could do the work of learning, teaching, and growing.”

Giles started her boarding school career in 1985, and has been through crises of varying degree during that tenure. The past year, she acknowledges, was challenging because of the need for high-stakes decision-making combined with rampant uncertainty, community anxiety, and a lack of reliable information with which to make important decisions due to the evolving nature of a pandemic. There is one image that she says will remain with her forever. It was Easter morning, Sunday, April 4, 2021, and Dr. Bassi’s team had just received the final round of reentry testing after students returned from March Break. All tests came back negative for COVID-19. Instead of eating in the tents that had been set up to limit indoor contact, students were able to eat — together — in Coit.

“We will not be going back to all of the student-life time issues we wrestled with in the past,” Giles says. “We learned that teacher/student time is premium, so we moved some meetings out of the afternoon into early mornings so faculty can do that while kids are sleeping.”

“What the kids realized was that everyone had come back healthy from the break, and we were going to be able to have the spring they wanted to have,” Giles says. “We were going to be able to finish this year. Kids were going into brunch and high-fiving that we were a healthy community. It was our goal to stay in person all year so students and teachers could do the work of learning, teaching, and growing. Everyone bought in and did their part, even when it was scary and hard.”

The Sheldon Rotunda was among the campus spaces modified to accommodate socially distanced learning.

Isabella Pargiolas ’21 completed an externship in the summer of 2020 with the biotech company Exuma.

Putting Science to the Test

SPS Applied Science & Engineering Program facilitates the work of Isabella Pargiolas ’21 in testing a new way to treat cancer.

SARAH PRUITT

PHOTOS: Michael Seamans

In April, scientists from Exuma Biotech met with the Food and Drug Administration to present the latest data on their new method for delivering chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy to cancer patients far more quickly and easily than ever before.

Among the data Exuma presented to the FDA were the results of months of lab tests performed by Isabella “Isa” Pargiolas ’21, who completed an externship in the summer of 2020 with the clinical-stage biotechnology company as part of the Applied Science & Engineering Program (ASEP) at St. Paul’s School.

“My work is a much smaller piece of the big picture,” Pargiolas says about her contribution to the FDA meeting.

But Sarah Boylan, director of the ASEP, is clear about just how big a deal it is. “This has serious promise for future cancer therapies,” she says. “[Exuma’s] hope is that, in the next decade, they’ll be approved in the United States for this immunotherapy technique that Isa’s work will actually have an impact on.”

In addition to her externship, Pargiolas worked with Exuma throughout her Sixth Form year, both on campus and during periods of remote learning at home in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the international company is headquartered. CAR T-cell therapy is based on using deactivated viruses to create specially engineered T cells — the white blood cells that work to fight infection in the

As part of her capstone project, Pargiolas tested samples she received from Exuma, using the state-of-the-art laboratory equipment at SPS.

body — that can attach to and kill cancerous cells. Much of Pargiolas’s work for Exuma is based on testing that viral delivery system.

Among the advancements CAR T-cell therapy offers is that it can be more targeted than traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments and can cause fewer side effects. While the current process can take two weeks or more, Exuma hopes its rapid point-of-care (rPOC) platform will eventually allow doctors to administer CAR T-cell therapy to patients without pretreatment with chemotherapy or long waits.

Pargiolas’s research adventures with Exuma began as a Fifth Former, when ASEP students research and apply for externships in their chosen fields — ranging from computer science and engineering to astronomy and biology. From taking Boylan’s class in molecular biology, Pargiolas knew she was intereted in cancer biology.

“After doing a lot of research on Exuma and what they do, I was super enthusiastic,” she says. She spent that spring reading up on the company and learning about immunotherapy during the ASEP Seminar.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Pargiolas was able to work at the Exuma lab in West Palm Beach for much of August 2020. With limited personnel on site due to quarantine restrictions, she benefited from the one-on-one mentorship she received from Dr. Ewa Jaruga-Killeen. “She would give me a paper and say, ‘OK, you’re going to read this paper and then we’re going to try and run an assay to figure out X, Y, [or] Z tomorrow,’” Pargiolas says, noting that she found the opportunity to work alongside experienced researchers to be meaningful — and also fun.

determine immune response to a pathogen, practice running a diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, and much more. These resources allow our students to have a world-class biological education and give them a window into scientific research that is rare at the high school level. Our students arrive at college well prepared.”

Pargiolas will attend the University of Pennsylvania, where she plans to continue her biological research, focusing on molecular and cell biology. Working at Exuma and completing the ASEP has piqued her interest in private-sector lab work, and she hopes to take courses at the Wharton School to educate herself on the business of scientific research.

To aid future ASEP students, Pargiolas has been developing a protocol they can follow when using the qPCR machine for their own research. Pargiolas’s work, Boylan adds, “really demonstrates her proficiency in troubleshooting … and her ability to make changes and get better results.”

“This has serious promise for future cancer therapies. [Exuma’s] hope is that, in the next decade, they’ll be approved in the United States for this immunotherapy technique that Isa’s work will actually have an impact on.”

One of Pargiolas’s favorite parts of the ASEP has been the opportunity to collaborate with her peers, many of whom have pursued scientific interests quite different from her own. During their capstone projects, each student was required to present their work to classmates, prompting them to refine their ideas and answer questions from a peer group unfamiliar with the nuances of their subject matter. In the process, Pargiolas learned something about computer science and robotics, while honing her own experience, which will undoubtedly serve her well in her career ahead.

As part of her capstone project, which every ASEP student completes in their Sixth Form year, Pargiolas tested samples she received from Exuma, using the stateof-the-art laboratory equipment at SPS. This included a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) machine, which tests the amounts of DNA or RNA present in cells. With the qPCR machine, Pargiolas can study how T cells react when injected with the deactivated virus.

Boylan believes SPS is one of just a few high schools in the country with access to a qPCR machine, an instrumental research device that is also used by labs to administer tests for COVID-19 and other diagnostic procedures.

“Our students are fortunate to have access to cutting-edge technology in our molecular biology laboratory,” Boylan says. “Not only do they have the ability to grow and manipulate human samples in our cell culture room, they can begin to examine what is happening  inside the cell on the molecular level. Using our plate reader and qPCR machine, students can quantify expression of a gene,

“Having to explain exactly what I was doing was challenging, but very helpful,” she says. “The hardest part of science is not necessarily doing it, but being able to explain it and present it in ways that are understandable to others.”

ASEP Director Sarah Boylan is impressed by the work Pargiolas has done to advance cancer research.

IN WITH FLYNN: THE BOSS BEHIND THE PRESIDENT

Malcolm MacKay ’59

Brick Tower Press, 182 pages

Reviewed by David Atkinson ’59

The most recent biography by Malcolm MacKay ’59, In With Flynn, is both timely and touching. It’s timely because it tells a story of the art — and artfulness — of the business of politics in the United States at the local, state, and national level during the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s (customary practices that have since been much “reformed” but might have served this country well over the past several years) and because those politics involved the gradual empowerment of a once-reviled immigrant class. The work is touching because it speaks to MacKay’s fascination with the history of the almost forgotten, but nonetheless important, figure of Ed Flynn in that story, and his efforts to get it right.

MacKay’s love of history has its roots in his upbringing, and St. Paul’s played an important role. He recalls the influence of William Kellogg, for whom the classroom was without walls. One Sunday morning, Kellogg asked MacKay to accompany him to a political rally

in Nashua that evening. “It was outdoors, cold and snowing,” MacKay says. “The featured guest was House Speaker John McCormack, overcoat collar tight around his neck and white hair shining in the light from the podium. It was The Last Hurrah all over again, and a scene I have never forgotten.”

MacKay and his former teacher remained friends until Kellogg’s death 60 years later. “When my earlier book, Impeccable Connections: The Rise and Fall of Richard Whitney was published several years ago,” he says, “I sent my first copy to Bill. Teachers make a difference.”

The latest book’s subject, Ed Flynn, was born in the Bronx in 1891 to Irish immigrants and grew up as “a Catholic and a Democrat, the party to the common man.” As a practicing lawyer, he was recruited at 25 to run for assemblyman from the Bronx, despite his feeling that public service was not the sort of thing to which he wished to dedicate his life. That, however, is precisely what he did, first as assemblyman, then as sheriff, and then, at age 30, as chairman of the executive committee of the county, the “Democratic boss of the Bronx,” a title, MacKay reports, “he used happily for the rest of his life.”

As MacKay explains, it was from that position that Flynn “provided crucial support to Franklin Roosevelt over and over again. Personally honest, competent, and public spirited, he also hand-picked candidates — particularly for the higher-level positions — who were known for being the same. His control of Bronx politics was virtually absolute, and his candidates never lost an election. Flynn served as national party chairman in the early 1940s and, in 1944, literally put Harry Truman on the ticket as FDR’s running mate. The president and the boss, so different in so many ways, became close personal friends.”

In With Flynn successfully fulfills what it proposes to do: “In this time of political drift and anomie, it is a vital reminder of (the) continuing relationship between politics and statecraft.”

THE EDUCATION WE NEED FOR A FUTURE WE CAN’T PREDICT

Thomas Hatch ’79 Corwin, 248 pages

In his book, The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict, Thomas Hatch ’79 focuses on efforts to create more powerful learning experiences in the U.S. and beyond. A professor at Teachers College of Columbia University and director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching, Hatch describes years of studying real kids in real schools around the world. He spoke with Alumni Horae contributor Michael Matros.

Let me start with a question you ask in your new book: What is school for?

That question is, unfortunately, too rarely asked. In my early work at Harvard, we did a number of studies with students about their different kinds of intelligences. One project was about kids’ practical intelligences for school. It was mostly fifth and sixth graders. One of my colleagues got to the last question in an interview and asked a girl, “So, why do you go to school?”

And the sixth grader got this look on her face and said, “But I thought you knew.”

That’s a pretty telling story.

To me that illustrates that somebody must know why we’re doing what we’re doing in

school. But the reality is that nobody really does know. We’re doing what we’re doing in schools because of a whole set of policies, historic antecedents, and circumstances in schools today. With some significant exceptions, a lot of schools don’t spend much time with their students, with their families, even with teachers, thinking about what school is really for.

Your book is devoted in large part to helping students discover their own abilities. We want kids to engage in free play, but we have created a whole set of constraints that can support but also limit [students’] possibilities for learning. That’s a fundamental part of the issue, making it harder for some to get into advanced courses, telling them they’re not capable of doing the work that’s necessary in college. Part of the message of the book is that we’ve spent too much time trying to produce generic solutions that are supposed to help all students, but ultimately don’t provide enough support, resources, or expertise to address the circumstances and challenges some students face.

One of the book’s main themes is the importance of addressing small versus big changes.

One of the great examples is that it took this pandemic for people to say, “Oh, wait; it actually matters whether kids have access to the internet and devices for their learning.” We have the capacity to ensure all students have the devices they need — we have simply not stepped up to the plate and provided what’s necessary. The pandemic came and, all of a sudden, these big companies are offering free access to the internet. Why wasn’t that happening before? Why shouldn’t that happen from here on in?

You write for academic journals, but this book is very readable. How did you manage that?

I began my education work in graduate school, studying preschool, observing 6-year-olds, observing what they would do in free play, how their abilities would manifest themselves, to either constrain or support kids’ development. It was an opportunity to develop fun stories, and that’s what I enjoy.

IN BRIEF

All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture: Towards the Future of Social Change

Edited by Farhana Ferdous and Bryan

Bell ’78

Routledge, 2020

Should all-inclusive engagement be the major task of architecture? This book presents the case that the answer is yes. Through original contributions and case studies, it shows that socially engaged architecture is both a theoretical construct and a professional practice navigating the global politics of poverty, charity, health, technology, neoliberal urbanism, and the discipline’s exclusionary basis. The scholarly ideas and design projects of 58 thought leaders demonstrate the architect’s role as a revolutionary social agent. The book offers a comprehensive overview and in-depth analysis of engagement in public interest design, showing how its approach can bring forth a radical reformation of the profession and its relationship to society.

Sustainability in Business: A Financial Economics Analysis

David Myers ’78

Pal. Macmil., 2020 Financial economic techniques have the power to frame the discussion of sustainability to explain how and why it is a growing phenomenon in business and investing. David Myers ’78 shows how financial concepts provide a theoretical basis to approach research and business questions on sustainability, and provides an approach to sustainable decisionmaking rooted in economic literature.

Poems For This Time

Paula Paquette ’79

Westbow Press, 2020

In this collection, Paula Paquette ’79 presents the second book in a poetry series addressing contemporary times and issues. Poems For This Time follows the journey of a mountain stream as it becomes a mighty river, tracing its journey from the beginning through lessons, seasons, momentum, and rebecoming. The stream serves as a guide as it becomes its greatest self. Paquette asserts that we, like the stream, are living a series of moments beautifully woven together to become a glorious whole.

Transgression and Redemption in American Fiction

Thomas Ferraro ’75 Oxford University Press, 2020

This book is a critical study of classic American novels. Thomas Ferraro ’75 returns to Hawthorne’s closet of secreted sin to reveal The Scarlet Letter as a deviously psychological turn on the ancient Mediterranean Catholic folktales of female wanderlust, deceiving priests, and demonic revenge. This lights the way to explore seven modern American masterworks, including The Awakening, The Great Gatsby, The Professor’s House, and The Sun Also Rises. The work examines how these novels speak to readers across religious and social spectrums, generating an inclusive mode of address and near-universal relevance.

Community Alumni Come Together After a Long Year

With in-person activities canceled due to COVID, Zoom offers an online gathering space for Virtual Anniversary 2021.

Although Anniversary Weekend 2021 marked the second year of pandemic-induced virtual celebrations, the St. Paul’s School community, including SPS staff, form directors, and an army of alumni volunteers, worked diligently to provide a memorable experience.

Production for the weekend began in February, following the School’s official announcement that, due to COVID-19, Anniversary would again not be able to take place in person. In a subsequent Zoom call, form volunteers brainstormed what shape programming might take from a distance.

“Soon after we made the announcement,” Executive Director of the Alumni Association Mike Ricard ’89 says, “we got to work trying to piece together what we thought would be meaningful programming.”

Thirteen reunion forms congregated on Zoom during or leading up to Anniversary Weekend (June 4-5). The first such event took place on May 25, when 11 members of the Form of 1951 logged on to celebrate their 70th reunion.

On May 26, 13 members of the Form of 1956 caught up via an hour-long video call. Each attendee delivered a brief update, leaving time for spontaneous banter to close the session. “Zoom could not have been a better medium,” Harald Paumgarten ’56 notes. “One member thought it went so well that he would like it repeated every six months.”

Twenty-eight attendees from the Form of 1961 enjoyed

a similar experience on June 3 to commemorate their 60th SPS reunion. A highlight was Rick Wilmer ’61 regaling attendees with an aria from his favorite opera.

“ The common reflection that resonated with me,” Form Director Ed Tiffany ’61 says, “was how the values and value of friendships acquired at SPS became central to our lives.”

Rector Kathy Giles joined 30 members of the Form of 1971 to help celebrate their milestone 50th Anniversary on June 5. Form Director Tiff Wood ’71 introduced Giles, who welcomed the group and offered some brief remarks.

“ There’s a wonderful line from the Last Night Service that I’m carrying with me: ‘Kindle in our hearts the honest purpose to do right,’” Giles told the virtual audience. “What I love about that line is it’s a daily invitation to renew.”

Peter Oliver ’71 shared a teaser of his video tribute to the form, which he plans to share in full at a gathering in the fall. Terry Gruber ’71 and Trip Spencer ’71 finished with an overview of the Form of 1971 Visionary Award, which honors a Fifth Former who has demonstrated exceptional originality, creativity, capacity for self-direction, and other qualities that inspire members of the School community.

Twenty-three alumni represented the Form of 1976 in a virtual get-together on June 3. Participants shared details of their lives, before viewing a video tribute to deceased formmates. Energetic discussions — divided by region — followed in smaller breakout rooms

A zoom gathering to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Form of 1976 took place on June 3.

Form Director Lixy Carey ’81 was pleased that “40-plus members of our form gathered for a 40th reunion via Zoom” on June 4. A 35th reunion celebration for the Form of 1986 also took place on June 4, with 29 members appearing on screens from as far as England and Taiwan. Harold Bost ’86 served as emcee for the evening. The gathering ended in breakout rooms determined by Sixth Form dorm assignments.

A Zoom attended by 17 members of the Form of 1991 served as a precursor to an in-person gathering on Martha’s Vineyard (June 18-20), featuring 33 formmates and their families. Among the many weekend highlights were cruises on Edgartown Harbor, Jet Ski rides, daily yoga, and a Saturday-night dance party. One of the lasting and significant outcomes from the gathering was an appeal from Annie White ’91, Tommieka Texiera ’91, and Rob Seamans ’91 to designate contributions to SPS to support the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. Meredith and Jonathan Meeks ’91 provided hospitality, lodging, event planning, and nostalgic playlists, graciously welcoming the group to their new home in Edgartown for the memorable weekend. Credit also goes to the other members of the planning committee, including Form Director Dee Scates, Jose Leos, Jen Boyle, Marcy Chong, and a vast crew that provided support.

“Form members began to gather on Thursday” Chong shares, “and many stayed on the island and visited together through the following mid-week. Even so, there was not nearly enough time to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. Moving from pandemic isolation into a multiday gathering with high school classmates on an island was apparently just what we all needed.”

Form Director Ben Loehnen ’96 created an engaging 25th Anniversary celebration. More than 30 form members joined a June 5 call, which included a visit with Rector Giles. A 20-minute slideshow, complete with a 1990s soundtrack, sparked significant nostalgia. Members also

reflected on the life of formmate Lindsay Morehouse ’96, who was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Ryan Davey ’01 directed the conversation on a June 3 call with members of the Form of 2001. The group observed a moment of silence for deceased formmates Robert Spotswood ’01 and Caroline Wall ’01, before transitioning to breakout rooms. Twenty-one members of the Form of 2006 celebrated their 15th Anniversary via Zoom on June 2. The gathering included an energetic round of SPS-themed team trivia. Two days later, on June 4, an intimate group of eight tuned in to celebrate the 10th reunion of the Form of 2011. Participants shared laughs while viewing selected scans from their Sixth Form yearbook.

The Form of 2016 welcomed 20 members on June 2 for the form’s first official SPS reunion. Among the highlights was a friendly competition featuring SPS trivia that was facilitated by Form Director Paola Tabet ’16.

Overall, alumni Zoomed in from more than 40 U.S. states and from as far away as Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. In a celebration of the Anniversary Weekend offered by the School, participants had the opportunity to engage in a series of featured virtual programs between June 4 and 5 (recordings are available at sps.edu/anniversary). Those included a showcase of student artwork and performances; the Alumni Memorial Chapel Service; a tour of the grounds, hosted by Director of Crumpacker Gallery Colin Callahan; a conversation with Giles and Board President Archie Cox ’58; the Boat Races and Flagpole Ceremony (with opportunities to cheer along with current SPS student-athletes); and the annual Parade, which also featured members of the graduating Form of 2021.

“The intent,” Ricard explains, “was to create general programming for all alumni, where they felt they could connect with the School and still experience what we know to be some of the traditional aspects of Anniversary Weekend.”

Visit www.sps.edu/alumnievents for upcoming event information and to register for future alumni gatherings.

Members of the Form of 1991 enjoyed a reunion weekend together on Martha’s Vineyard in June.

Form of 1991 reunion on Martha’s Vineyard: Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Dee Scates, Annie White, and Vanessa Karubian Saxe.

Some of us are lucky to cross paths with someone who points the way; makes a difference through their actions; inspires us to lead better, fuller lives; and leaves an empty space when they depart, albeit leaving us feeling richer for having known them. For many in the Form of 1979, Sarah Bankson Newton was one of those people. Following the news of her sudden passing, tributes poured in. Most formmates, whether they knew her well at St. Paul’s School or got to know her afterward, recalled similar sentiments about Sarah. Her strong, competent, organized exterior belied a warm, loyal, kind, and compassionate nature. Even as a teenager, Sarah was recognized for her many admirable qualities. The summer before their Third Form year, Liz Robbins recalls, Sarah’s parents hosted a dinner for newly admitted students.

“Sarah organized the event, arranged the table, and cooked all the dishes,” Robbins says. “At 14, such preternatural poise and maturity were thoroughly intimidating. For years, my mother would ask, ‘Why can’t you be more like Sarah Bankson?’ Forty-six years on, I often ask myself the same question.”

Sarah was maternal and warm, a hugger by nature. At SPS, she loved attending the annual Easter egg hunt for faculty kids. She and Amy Feins were candy-stripers at Concord Hospital, where they ended every shift standing outside the nursery, gazing at the newborns. Never content to rest on good intentions, she acted on them, dispensing personal kindnesses both great and small, sometimes to virtual strangers. In Boston for Kate Koeze’s debutante ball, a formmate ironed a hole in her dress. Sarah had brought an extra dress and saved the day. She sent notes of support and care packages to friends’ children at SPS. She hosted Jeanette Richmond’s nephew, whom she had never met, in her guest house when

HER GIFT TO US

Formmates remember Sarah Bankson Newton ’79, a former trustee, who went out of her way to bring people together.

he was homeless from an apartment fire. She contributed to surgeries for Paul Spivey’s trans daughter and supported her further with a warm email that read, “I admire your courage and strength. Know that it’s not at all about gender dysphoria, but rather it’s about gender euphoria. I wish you JOY!”

The quintessential hostess, she organized lively gatherings at her homes in Nantucket and Concord, Massachusetts, including pre-reunion events, a fundraiser for Alan Khazei’s political campaign, and Zoom calls to celebrate Judy Jordan’s latest wine and Tom Hatch’s recent book.

Years ago, Kimball Halsey hosted a form social at his home in Somerville, where parking is notoriously scarce. Despite imminent dinner plans, Sarah insisted on attending, armed with an appetizer platter, having dispatched husband Jeff to drive around the block for 30 minutes so she could join us.

As Alan Khazei said, “Sarah loved our form and SPS and dedicated her heart and soul to both. She lived her life by her values — kindness, compassion, empathy, service, a commitment to justice and love. And all of our lives and the world were much better as a result.”

Sarah was a dedicated SPS volunteer and served the School in many roles, including as a trustee and, most recently, as form director. “She was always there,” says Tom Hatch, “connecting and supporting us.” She helped plan seven of our last eight reunions, adding personal touches such as flower arrangements she made herself. She always rented an extra room to ensure we had a place to gather after dinner. When a formmate couldn’t afford to attend our 25th reunion, Sarah volunteered to personally comp her. She often referred to us as her “130 brothers and sisters.” She referred to herself as our “den mother,” and that is how

we will remember her. Our reunions won’t be the same without her.

Sarah never trash-talked people but did have a cheeky sense of humor. Jamie Neilson remembers that, in Fourth Form, he was sent with Sarah and Jess Bailey to meet Edmund Bacon, a city planner in Philadelphia who had been invited to the School as a Conroy Fellow. Bacon led the gentrification of Philadelphia in the 1960s and 70s. On a cold winter day, the trio tramped around behind him listening to his monologue.

“We had a lot of fun with Edmund Bacon,” Jamie Neilson recalls, “despite his intimidating lack of self-doubt. Sarah was a great one for the sidelong glance. I remember we were embarrassed by his ‘kids-these-days’ rants, one of which I earned by telling him I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do with my life. As a cautionary tale, Bacon preached for some time on the fecklessness of his own child, who at that moment was an aspiring actor. Years later, I went to a movie called Footloose and was exposed for the first time to the work of Kevin Bacon, feckless son of Edmund. And so it was that Sarah became an early link in the time-honored game of ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.’”

Sarah honored the life events that were important to people, and made a point of recognizing them with personal touches. After our formmate, George Schwab, died suddenly on May 2, 2020, Sarah kept in regular touch with his widow, Monique. On May 1 of this year, she sent an email from the Galapagos with words of support, knowing the anniversary of George’s death was approaching. Sarah died the next day.

“Maybe our gift to Sarah will be to become a bit closer and more supportive as a group of people,” says Jamie Barrett. “In many ways, and for so many years, it was her gift to us.”

LOST HILLS

In her new podcast, Dana Goodyear ’94 explores the random shooting death of a young father and the underside of the city of Malibu.

JANA F. BROWN

As described by Dana Goodyear ’94, Tristan Beaudette “was a brilliant scientist, a real nature lover, and an exceptional father, who was the glue of his extended family.”

Goodyear, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has come to know Beaudette’s story well while reporting on the random shooting that killed him on June 22, 2018. Beaudette was 35, a beloved husband and father. His two young daughters were asleep beside him in California’s Malibu Creek State Park when a bullet pierced their tent and struck him in the head. Goodyear has spent the better part of the past three years following the investigation for The New Yorker and in a podcast about the case, Lost Hills, which recently reached No. 1 on the Apple charts.

Lost Hills represents a pair of new experiences for the seasoned journalist: The episodic narrative is Goodyear’s first foray into podcasts and also her first murder investigation. By the time she became intrigued by Beaudette’s story, she had already developed an interest in the dark secrets she suspected Malibu held after exploring the hidden lives of mountain lions for a 2017 piece in The New Yorker. It was that fascination with the underside of Malibu — a city known for pristine beaches that are home to both celebrities and beach bums — that led her to further inquiry.

“Once I heard about [Beaudette’s murder], I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Goodyear says in the first episode of Lost Hills. “How does this happen? How does anything like this happen in Malibu, of all places? As I’d come to find out, inexplicable, nightmarish things happen in Malibu all the time.”

For the eight-part series, a partnership with producer Ben Adair of Western Sound and Malcolm Gladwell’s company, Pushkin, Goodyear conducted dozens of interviews to get a full picture of the circumstances surrounding the murder. That included conversations with Beaudette’s widow, Erica Wu; accused shooter Anthony Rauda’s father and younger sister; authorities involved in the investigation; and a pair of young hikers, who stumbled upon the reclusive Rauda’s abandoned camp in the woods of Malibu Creek State Park. A bonus episode features Stacey Sebourn, who was

camping one site away with her young daughter and the girl’s friend the night Beaudette was murdered. A recurring voice in the podcast is Malibu-based journalist Cece Woods, an outspoken insider who takes a skeptical Goodyear to a psychic to get her read on what happened to Beaudette.

Along the way, Goodyear gained an education on the inner workings of both the remote Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and the larger Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD). Prior to Beaudette’s death, there had been a series of near misses in the park with shots fired at random occupied cars and unsuspecting park visitors. Despite the shooting spree, the public — which included Beaudette — was not warned of potential danger.

Through her reporting, including interviews with experts, members of the Malibu community, and former LACSD Sergeant Tui Wright, Goodyear helps to connect the shootings and expose a cover-up. She does so with humanity and a sense of fairness, not only in telling the story of Tristan Beaudette and his family’s loss, but also in examining the mental health history of the accused shooter and the police work that both delayed and led to his capture.

Lost Hills is personal to Goodyear, who says it is a “close-to-home kind of story. As it turned out, I had been taking my kids to

that park in the time period of the shootings that were unknown to the public,” she says. “Something about that really got my attention, and there was this feeling of the contrast, what people expect of a beautiful state park in Malibu versus the reality. I saw a seam between the image and the reality of a place and thought there was room for me in that seam.”

Goodyear is already deep into production for season two of Lost Hills. She will cover the criminal proceedings if Rauda is deemed competent to stand trial on murder charges. Goodyear is also exploring what she calls the “foundational mysteries of Malibu” that lay the groundwork for the unseen layer of the beach city, along with the culture of law enforcement in the region and its relationship to celebrity and privacy.

“All the things that didn’t make sense about the [Beaudette case] attracted me as a puzzle solver,” Goodyear says. “As soon as I started talking to Erica Wu, the fact that she couldn’t get answers gave me a feeling of moral permission to pursue the story. I really wanted to make sure that Tristan was something more than a victim and that the dimensions of his life were represented — and the same with the accused. What this story is about in a lot of ways is what happens when there is a break or trauma and how it reverberates through generations.”

Dana Goodyear ’94 tours Malibu from a helicopter as part of her reporting for the podcast Lost Hills.

DRINK WHOLESOME

Company

founder Jack Schrupp ’14

offers

protein powders

made with

natural ingredients

— that also taste good.

IAN ALDRICH

Jack Schrupp ’14 was a student-athlete at Williams College, where he rowed and ski-raced, when he hit the wall with mass-produced protein supplements. Not only did they taste bad, he says, they also didn’t make him feel particularly good. There had to be a better way.

“I wanted something that was made with real food,” says Schrupp, a Gilford, New Hampshire, native who now lives in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, where he teaches French at a private high school. “That means food close to nature that you could go into the woods or a field and pick up and eat. A lot of the protein powders have this awful chalky taste. The good stuff has been stripped out, so you end up masking the flavor with peanut butter or ice cream. All of a sudden, you’ve got something else entirely.”

Schrupp got to work, turning the kitchen of his rented college house into a laboratory as he sourced and experimented with ingredients. The trips to the local health food store were never-ending, as was the process of recipe refinement.

“It’s not as easy as throwing a bunch of things together in a blender,” he says with a laugh. “I made a lot of batches that didn’t taste very good.”

But, as Schrupp tweaked his recipes and shared his concoctions with friends, he realized he wasn’t the only athlete looking for a better post-workout supplement. In early 2020, Schrupp launched the limited-ingredient protein-powder company Drink Wholesome with two flavors, mocha and peanut butter. Then came chaos. Three weeks after Drink Wholesome’s

debut, the pandemic hit, and Schrupp had to reorient his business model. There would be no events to showcase his product; no one-on-ones with store owners to talk about what he’d created. Then, an interesting thing happened as Schrupp navigated a rocky business climate: He shifted his focus to e-commerce and discovered a much wider market than he’d ever imagined.

“I came into this thinking I was making something for high-level athletes, but it turns out there are all these other people who are just looking for more simplicity in what they eat,” says the 25-year-old. “They are drawn to our ingredients — egg whites, coconut, maple sugar — because they are things they recognize. It’s people who are careful about what they eat, but also people who have certain medical conditions and they just can’t digest the stuff that goes into the other protein powders.”

Today, Drink Wholesome sells eight flavors, including a new vegan vanilla offering, and there’s hope of building out the lineup further. As he moves toward that expansion, Schrupp plans to keep his company focused on a simple but important principal — providing good choices when people are more intentional about what they consume.

“Food should make you feel good,” Schrupp says. “Even something like a protein powder, it shouldn’t be something people have to choke down or suffer through in order to meet their health or fitness goals. If it doesn’t taste good or make you feel good then, in my opinion, you probably shouldn’t be eating it.”

Drink Wholesome’s Jack Schrupp ’14 founded a protein powder company to provide a limited-ingredient option.

The section was updated June 30, 2021. Please note that deaths are reported as we receive notice of them. Therefore, alumni dates of death are not always reported chronologically.

1944 — Charles McIlvaine Kinsolving, Jr.

April 11, 2021

1947 — Charles W.H. Dodge

April 8, 2021

1948 — John Palmer Bankson, Jr.

June 25, 2021

1948 — Oliver “Ollie” Wolcott, Jr. April 10, 2021

1949 — Leonard “Sandy” Davey, Jr.

April 2, 2021

1950 — Peter Oddleifson

March 18, 2021

1952 — William Seabury “Breezy” Reid

April 11, 2021

1953 — Gerald B. Church

April 9, 2021

1954 — Thomas Robson Carper

June 9, 2021

1954 — Duncan Whiteside

June 10, 2021

1955 — Ethan Emery

April 2, 2021

1959 — Douglas Carroll Burkhardt

April 13, 2021

1959 — Bradford Chadbourne Taylor

February 3, 2021

1960 — Joseph W. “Joe” Mechem

May 18, 2021

1962 — Nathaniel Cameron Bradley

February 17, 2021

1964 — David Huntington Williams

April 16, 2021

1969 — Fraser “Bryan” Wilkins

May 19, 2021

1971 — Howland Donaldson Murphy

May 6, 2021

1979 — Sarah Bankson Newton

May 2, 2021

1981 — Andrew Reed Sutherland

May 10, 2021

FORMER FACULTY

Thaddeus Edmund Beck, Jr.

March 22, 2021

David Newman

June 4, 2021

1941

Maxwell M. Belding

a loving father, who generously gave his time to various causes and nonprofits, died on Nov. 22, 2020. He was 89 years old and a resident of Essex, Connecticut.

Mr. Belding was born on March 30, 1922, the son of Helen and Frederick Belding (Form of 1905). His grandfather owned the Belding Silk Thread Mill, which was part of the once-thriving textile industry in Rockville.

Mr. Belding arrived at SPS as a Third Former in the fall of 1936 and, during his time at the School, he was a member of the Library Association, Acolyte’s Guild, and the Missionary Society. He rowed and played ice hockey and squash.

Following SPS, Mr. Belding enrolled at Yale University, graduating in 1944. During his distinguished career, he was chairman of Equity Ventures, Inc., a real estate development firm. He lived with his wife, Ruth, in Old Lyme, Connecticut, where the couple raised their daughters, Ruth ’74 and Roxanne.

Mr. Belding also served on several boards, including Hartford College for Women, Hartford Ballet Company, Horace Bushnell Memorial Hall Corp., and the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund. He was also treasurer of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. His philanthropic activities included the Yale Community Rowing program, Yale fellowships and awards, the Hartford Stage, and the 906-seat Maxell M. and Ruth R. Belding Theater at Bushnell Park in Hartford.

Mr. Belding’s generosity extended to land conservation. In the early 1980s, he donated 282 acres in Vernon, Connecticut, to the state. In 2005, Mr. Belding and his daughter, Ruth, established a charitable trust to manage and preserve the property for the state, and at a dedication ceremony, Connecticut officials christened the land the Belding Wildlife Management Area.

Following the passing of his wife, Ruth, in 2001, Mr. Belding married Sally Newell, and the couple enjoyed 17 happy years together until her death in 2019.

Mr. Belding is survived by his daughters, Ruth Belding Nardini ’74 and Roxanne Keyser, and four stepchildren, Sally Huss, Helen Douglas, Katherine Newell, and William Newell.

1942

George Sargent Grove

a retired Captain in the U.S. Navy, a devoted volunteer for St. Paul’s School, and a cherished family member and friend, died on Feb. 21, 2021. He was 96 and a resident of Newbury, Vermont.

Mr. Grove was born in York, Maine, on Sept. 29, 1924, the son of George W. Grove and Barbara Sargent Grove. He enrolled at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1938 from New Canaan Country School. At SPS, Mr. Grove played football, hockey, and baseball for Isthmian. He was a member of the Rifle Club, the Missionary Society, the Cadmean/Concordian Literary Society, and the Athletic Association.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis with his B.S. in 1946 and spent 30 distinguished years as an officer in the Navy, serving during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After retiring in 1976, he worked as a corporate and regional facilities manager with three high-tech companies in Silicon Valley: Intel (1976-84), Xebec (1984-85), and Sun Microsystems (1985-92).

He was married for 20 years to his first wife, Marilisse Dean, with whom he had two children, Leslie and Loring. They traveled as a family for military duty, including stints in Newport, Rhode Island; Charleston, South Carolina; Yokosuka, Japan; and Long Beach and La Jolla, California. Most of their family years were spent in Newport, where Mr. Grove taught leadership at Officer Candidate School and attended the U.S. Naval War College. After a divorce in 1973, he remarried in 1982 to Patricia “Tish” McCabe and helped raise Tish’s daughter, Brita, through her high school and college years.

CORRECTION: In the Alumni Horae spring issue, the name of David Cadwallader Cates, Jr. ’76  was incorrectly listed as Cadwallader Cates, Jr. We sincerely apologize for this error.

Mr. Grove was a dedicated alumnus of St. Paul’s, serving the School as form agent (1976-79), main agent (1992-2019), form director (1997-2019), and as the executive director of the Alumni Association (1992-96). He was also a member of the Hargate Society, including the School in his estate plans. Mr. Grove was involved in his community as a board member of the Upper Valley Land Trust and West Newbury (Vermont) Congregational Church, and as treasurer of the Bradford Community Club. He was beloved by his vast circle of friends and family.

He is survived by his daughters, Leslie Grove and Loring Grove; his stepdaughter, Brita Strandberg; his daughter-in-law, Laurel Lea; his sister, Barbara K. Griffin; his sisterin-law, Sheila Grove; and many nieces and nephews, including Cynthia S. Ferris ’82 and Barbara G. Cole ’78. He was predeceased by his brother, Michael M. Grove; his sister, Anne L. Turner; and his son-in-law, Allan Viges.

Charles McIlvaine Kinsolving, Jr. who for decades was a part of the political, cultural, and intellectual life of his native New York City, died on April 11, 2021. He was 94 years old and will be remembered as a humanitarian, charming raconteur, club man, and provocateur.

Born on Jan. 27, 1927, Mr. Kinsolving was the son of Charles and Natalie Kinsolving. He arrived at SPS in the fall of 1940 as a Third Former. He was a member of the Acolyte’s Guild, the Cadmean/Concordian Literary Society, Le Cercle Français, the Propylean Literary Society, and the Debate Team. He was involved in theatre and served as editor of Horae Scholasticae. Mr. Kinsolving played baseball, hockey, tennis, and squash for Old Hundred.

Following St. Paul’s, Mr. Kinsolving attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in political science. He later did graduate work at Harvard, Columbia, and the Sorbonne.

Mr. Kinsolving began his career in advertising in the 1950s, first at Young & Rubicam and later at McCann Erickson. Starting in 1960, he worked for the Newspaper Advertising Bureau for more than 25 years.

In 1966, he became vice president for marketing and planning. With his extroversion, imagination, and broad vision, he advised advertisers on a variety of marketing issues, particularly as they pertained to travel, leisure, and areas of financial and public opinion.

Concurrently, Mr. Kinsolving became involved in New York City politics. Beginning in 1950, he was an organizer for the Reform Democrats in Manhattan. His involvement in politics came from a profound altruism, often masked by an acerbic wit. He was inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Averell Harriman, and other left-leaning luminaries, all of whom he knew.

Mr. Kinsolving’s political work also included managing the campaigns of Herman Badillo for mayor of New York, Paul O’Dwyer for U.S. Senate, and Carol Greitzer for City Council. He was a delegate from New York at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, supporting Eugene McCarthy for president. He also was a long-serving member and chairman of Manhattan’s Community Board 6.

In 1962, Mr. Kinsolving married the former Coral Eaton. Coral was a great partner and shared his interest in politics. After her death, Mr. Kinsolving married Jolie Hammer, whom he had met on Community Board 6. She died in 1995. Three years later, he married Jacqueline Vogelstein, with whom he traveled extensively around the world in his retirement. She predeceased him in 2008.

Mr. Kinsolving is survived by his older brother, Lucien Kinsolving; his niece, Lucie Kinsolving, and her husband, Richard McElhiney; his niece, Katharine Kinsolving, and her husband, Richard Baumann; three grandnephews; and one grandniece.

1945

John A. Ramsdell

a surgeon, military veteran, and committed community servant, died on Feb. 9, 2021, one month shy of his 94th birthday.

Dr. Ramsdell was born in New York City on March 25, 1927, the son of the late Edwin G. Ramsdell, also a physician, and Bessie S. Ramsdell. He enrolled at St. Paul’s School as a First Former in the fall of 1939. At SPS, he sang in the Choir and Glee Club, was a member of the Missionary Society and Der Deutsche Verein, was a coxswain for Halcyon, and competed in hockey with Delphian. He graduated as a Fifth Former in 1944 and entered Yale that fall. Throughout his life, Dr. Ramsdell shared happy memories of playing hockey on the pond at SPS, and his time at the School remained important to him.

In early 1945, Dr. Ramsdell took a leave of absence from Yale and enlisted in the U.S. Army on his 18th birthday. He served in the Finance Corps and was stationed in Europe for two years during and after World War II, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant (T). After returning from service, Dr. Ramsdell completed his B.A. in economics at Yale. He earned his M.D. from Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons in 1954 and completed his internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He went on to complete a fellowship in surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. During his fellowship, Dr. Ramsdell also earned a Master of Science in surgery from the University of Minnesota in 1959. After completing his fellowship, he served as assistant to staff at the Mayo Clinic before returning to White Plains in 1960.

Dr. Ramsdell became a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1964. During his career as a practicing surgeon, he was an attending surgeon at White Plains Hospital and the

1944

former St. Agnes Hospital in White Plains; a consulting surgeon at New York Hospital, Westchester Division, White Plains; and consulting surgeon at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, White Plains.

Dr. Ramsdell and his wife, Barbara, were married for more than 65 years and dedicated their lives to each other, their family, and their White Plains community. They joined in many civic activities from the time they settled there in 1960 to raise their family. Dr. Ramsdell represented the fourth generation of his family in medical practice in the city. His father was also a general surgeon of 50 years affiliated with White Plains Hospital.

Dr. Ramsdell’s avocation was community involvement. He served White Plains Hospital in various positions, including chief of staff, president of medical and dental staff, and on the board of directors. He also served as president of the Medical Society of Westchester County and the Westchester Surgical Society and was chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Westchester Visiting Nurse Association, among many other volunteer posts. Dr. Ramsdell supported the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester on the board of directors for more than 50 years and as chairman for three terms. He also represented the YMCA of the USA. He served on the YMCA International (Outreach) Committee as member and chairman and in various board roles. The YMCA honored him with the World Fellowship Award in 1991 and the Walter Murphy Volunteer Leadership Award in 2000.

Dr. Ramsdell was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of White Plains, serving a term as president, and was the honoree of a dinner benefiting the Cancer Center at White Plains Hospital. He was a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and lived the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”

In his free time, Dr. Ramsdell enjoyed playing tennis and bridge with friends and reading historical novels and thrillers.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; their children, Pamela Mitchell, Sadler Ramsdell ’77, and Peter Ramsdell; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, Edwin A. Ramsdell ’42.

1947

Charles W.H. Dodge

an avid outdoorsman and loving husband and father, died peacefully, surrounded by his immediate family, on April 8, 2021. He was 91 years old and a resident of Gorham, Maine.

Mr. Dodge was born on July 23, 1929, in Rockport, Maine, the son of Donald D. and Gertrude H. Dodge. He grew up in Philadelphia, where he began his education at Chestnut Hill Academy. Mr. Dodge arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1942, following in the footsteps of his brother, Donald Dodge ’41.

At SPS, Mr. Dodge was a member of Der Deutsche Verain, the Library Association and the Scientific Association, sang in the Choir, rowed in the first boat, and played hockey. Following his graduation, Mr. Dodge enrolled at Princeton University, where he earned his B.S. (1951) and MSE (1953) in chemical engineering.

After leaving Princeton, Mr. Dodge worked for Monsanto Chemical Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, before moving on to work in chemical research and technical sales for S.D. Warren Company in Westbrook, Maine, in 1959. He retired from the company in 1992.

He married Marylee Burt in 1959 and together the couple raised four children.

Returning to his Maine roots, Mr. Dodge took to the outdoors. He was an avid fly-fisherman, bird hunter, sailor, and skier, activities he enjoyed until the last year of his life.

Mr. Dodge is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marylee B. Dodge; his four children, Charles W. H. Dodge, Jr. ’79, Gail D. Dodge, Julia B. Dodge, and Elizabeth D. Olson; two sons-in-law; five grandchildren; and many cousins, with whom he reunited each summer in Rockport, Maine.

1948

William T. “Bill” Crocker

a retired U.S. diplomat, classical music lover, and avid sailor, died peacefully on Feb. 11, 2021, of COVID-related complications. He was 90 years old and a resident of Framingham, Massachusetts.

Mr. Crocker was born in Boston on March 25, 1930, to the Reverend John Crocker and Mary Hallowell Crocker. He arrived at St. Paul’s as a Third Former in the fall of 1943 and quickly became an integral part of the SPS community. His passion for music — it was said that he was the School’s first violinist — propelled him to join the Choir and Glee Club. He also played in the band. He was active in the Outing Club, loved to ski, and rowed first boat on the varsity crew.

After SPS, Mr. Crocker graduated from Harvard in 1952 with a bachelor’s in English. He earned a master’s from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1954. He entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1955.

During his three-decade career with the U.S. Information Agency, Mr. Crocker had repeated postings to Austria, Germany, and Denmark and spent more than 10 years in Japan. His primary focus was on promoting cultural, educational, and intellectual exchanges between countries. He became highly proficient in the language of each country. It was during his first posting to Graz, Austria, that he met and married Aki Maria.

After retiring to Washington, D.C., in 1986, Mr. Crocker became a docent at the Freer  Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, where he led tours for many years. He especially enjoyed introducing schoolchildren to the wonders and beauty of Asian art. He also acted as a hospice volunteer at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing for more than a decade.

In 2001, following the death of his wife, Mr. Crocker moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, he reconnected with old friends, including many SPS formmates living in New England, and with his large, extended family. He played chamber music regularly, attended the Boston Symphony weekly, and went to just about every opera performed in the Boston area. He also made regular trips back to D.C., where his daughter, Martina, resides.

Mr. Crocker was also a skilled sailor, who spent summers on North Haven Island in Maine. He developed his passion for collecting rocks and driftwood, creating inspirational natural sculptures that he was encouraged to exhibit.

Mr. Crocker was predeceased on Dec. 20, 1998, by wife, Aki, and by four siblings. He is survived by his daughter, Martina Crocker; his youngest sister, Mary Strang; and 17 beloved nieces and nephews.

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Albert Pancoast “Albie” Neilson a beloved Episcopal priest and passionate activist for peace and justice, died peacefully, with his family by his side, on Feb. 11, 2021. He was 90 years old and a resident of Arrowsic, Maine.

Mr. Neilson was born in Philadelphia on June 27, 1930, the son of Harry Rosengarten Neilson of the Form of 1913 and Alberta Reath Neilson. After attending The Episcopal Academy, he arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1944. The Neilson-SPS bond runs deep. In addition to his father, Mr. Neilson’s brothers, Harry Rosengarten Neilson, Jr. ’46 and Benjamin Reath Neilson ’56 attended the School, as did Mr. Neilson’s son, William Lewis Neilson ’73 and various nieces, nephews, and cousins.

“[SPS] was home to me right from the beginning,” Mr. Neilson said in 2010.

At SPS, Mr. Neilson played football, hockey, and rowed on Long Pond. He also spent a considerable amount of time outdoors, which he later credited with sparking his lifelong passion for the natural world. His appreciation for this period of his life propelled Mr. Neilson to gift money for St. Paul’s to establish the Environmental Stewardship Chair Fund and endow the position of the fund’s manager.

Mr. Neilson graduated from Yale in 1952 with a B.A. in philosophy. He earned his M.Div. from General Theological Seminary in 1957. In between, he did a two-year tour of duty with the U.S. Navy.

Mr. Neilson had a parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1957 to 1963, and later he became the assistant rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware, a position he held into the 1990s.

While a junior in college, he met Julie Hopkins when they were both working at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The couple married on May 2, 1954.

Throughout his life, Mr. Neilson advocated for important social causes. With his wife, he vigorously and publicly promoted civil rights and disarmament and opposed the Vietnam War. In 1967, Mr. Neilson and five other religious leaders in Wilmington established an interfaith organization to promote the cause of peace, Delaware Pacem in Terris, which continues to operate.

In his later years, Mr. Neilson became increasingly concerned over the degradation of the natural world, which he felt was an acute manifestation of spiritual neglect, and he devoted considerable effort and financial resources to supporting initiatives at St. Paul’s and Yale that integrated the study and practice of religion and environmentalism.

He was predeceased on Feb. 3, 1997, by his beloved wife, Julie. In addition to numerous grandchildren, nephews, and nieces, many of whom attended St. Paul’s, Mr. Neilson is survived by his brother, Benjamin Reath Neilson ’56, and his wife, Metsie; his son, Will ’73, and his wife, Pia; his son, Joe, and his wife, Julie; and his daughter, Kate, and her partner, Susan Augenstein.

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Peter Semler

a senior career foreign officer, who represented Washington in Moscow, Bonn, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Milan, died in a Manhattan hospital on March 2, 2021, from COVID-19. He was 89 years old and remembered for his intense curiosity, mischievous sense of humor, ardent love of music, and devotion to his family.

Hailing from an accomplished family, Mr. Semler was born on June 10, 1931, in Manhattan, the son of G. Herbert Semler, a well-regarded New York City lawyer, and Grace Parker Semler. His maternal grandfather, Horatio W. Parker, was a composer and dean of the Yale School of Music, and Mr. Semler became a noted pianist as well.

Mr. Semler arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1943. While at SPS, he was a member of the Library Association and sang in the Choir.

He graduated from Yale in 1953. His time as an undergraduate included a year in Vienna in 1952, where he witnessed how the United States and Soviet Union had begun to forge their Cold War battles. Mr. Semler saw communist demonstrations and was interrogated by a Soviet Army patrol. These developments, along with his own deep interest in geopolitics, history, and understanding different points of view, launched what would become an almost 40-year career with the Foreign Service.

“I had been infected by the excitement of history,” he wrote in an unpublished memoir. After a two-year stint in Korea with the U.S. Army, Mr. Semler formally entered the diplomatic world. As a Cold War specialist, he spoke fluent French, German, Italian, and Russian. As a young diplomat in Moscow, he watched the Cuban Missile Crisis unfold from within the U.S. Embassy.

Mr. Semler wasn’t just a product of a specific time, he helped to shape it. In the final years of the Cold War, he led U.S. efforts to install Pershing cruise missiles and, against convention, anticipated the fall of the Berlin Wall.

While Consul General in Milan, Mr. Semler forged direct contacts with the Italian magistrates, such as Antonio Di Pietro, leading the “Clean Hands” probe investigation into political corruption that led to the downfall of the Italian First Republic and leaders such as former Prime Ministers Bettino Craxi and Giulio Andreotti. To this day, the Italian press credits Mr. Semler’s cables to Washington for the U.S. government’s non-interference with the “Clean Hands” probe.

It was a life that catered to Mr. Semler’s ease at fitting in with all manner of situations. He “glided through embassy ballrooms, coded-cable offices, and covert conversation with local dissident groups opposed to the governments he was dealing with day to day,” wrote the New York Times

In every respect, the work became his life. His wife, Helen Boldyreff Semler, was a Russian interpreter who translated for Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton and was often with her husband as he moved throughout the world. She died in 2001.

The couple had four children together, one of whom, Tasha Semler, was murdered in 1973 while a student at The Madeira School in Virginia.

Mr. Semler is survived by his son Peter K. Semler, daughters Tatiana Pourschine and Helen S. Kirwan-Taylor; and grandsons Rocco and Thomas Semler and Constantine and Ivan Kirwan-Taylor.

1948

Oliver “Ollie” Wolcott, Jr. a classic gentleman, known for his charm and sense of humor, died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on April 10, 2021, with his wife, Linda, beside him. He was 90.

Mr. Wolcott was born on Aug. 1, 1930, the son of Sybil Appleton Wolcott and Oliver Wolcott, Sr. He attended Shore Country Day School before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1943. He competed with Old Hundred and Halcyon and was a member of the Scientific Association.

Mr. Wolcott attended Harvard, earning his A.B. in 1952. He served two years as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army before returning to live in Hamilton.

In 1951, Mr. Wolcott married Linda Kinney, and the couple enjoyed 69 years of marriage. Together, the couple raised three sons and enjoyed the love of family, biking, gardening, tennis, and traveling.

Mr. Wolcott worked at Honeywell for 35 years, then founded a fundraising software business in retirement. The family genealogical historian, he assembled a 50-page softcover book detailing his heritage dating to 1630. He was a direct seventh-generation descendant of the signer of the Declaration of Independence whose name he shared, and the grandson of a Massachusetts governor.

A devoted alumnus of St. Paul’s School, Mr. Wolcott was a member of the Hargate Society. He was a trustee of Pingree School and an avid volunteer at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Mr. Wolcott was a former member of Myopia Hunt Club, Singing Beach Club, Somerset Club, and Owl Club. He loved to split wood, drive his old Farmall 140 tractor around the property, and tend his vegetable garden. He loved to dance and was the life of any party. At 6-foot-5, Mr. Wolcott towered over most of his dance partners. He was a charming host, who enjoyed cocktails and lobsters with friends at his family’s house at Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

O liver Wolcott was predeceased by his sisters, Augusta Howes and Helen Parson. He is survived by his wife, Linda; three sons and their wives: Oliver Wolcott III ’72 and Elise, Charles Wolcott and Elisabeth, and Randolph Wolcott and Georgianna; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

1949

Leonard “Sandy” Davey, Jr. who had a long career in television, died in peace at the age of 90 on April 2, 2021, at his home at Westminster Towers, a retirement community in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Davey was born on Oct. 27, 1930, the son of Molly and Leonard S. Davey, Sr. After attending the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, Mr. Davey arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1943. At SPS, he sang with the Choir and the Glee Club.

Following SPS, Mr. Davey enrolled at the University of Virginia, where he earned a B.A. in economics. From there, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Almost all of Mr. Davey’s adult life was spent in Orlando, where he is remembered as the longtime general manager of Channel 6 Television and for having a vibrant social life.

“He was the epitome of that unique and sadly lost period of American culture,” lamented a longtime friend. “He was also a good listener and enjoyed a good story or joke, even if it was at his expense. My wife and I kept in touch with him by seeing him at the Country Club of Orlando…. If you were playing a round of golf, and playing well, he might say, ‘Oh, I hate it when you you’re playing good; it’s not as much fun.’”

His tennis buddy and tournament partner at Orlando Country Club recalled Mr. Davey’s vibrant sense of humor and inside jokes. “He was a character for sure, but also sweet and thoughtful,” the friend shared.

Mr. Davey is survived by his niece, Shelly Garner; his nephew, George Stiegler; and his older sister, Marylee Stiegler.

1950

Peter Oddleifson

a true gentleman in every sense of the word, died as he wished, naturally and at home, on March 18, 2021, with his devoted wife, Kay, by his side.

Mr. Oddleifson was born in Rochester, New York, on Dec. 12, 1932, the son of August and Marjorie Harris Oddleifson. His twice-great maternal grandfather, Everard Peck, who arrived in Rochester in 1816, was chosen to be one of five trustees of Rochesterville, and became the town’s first book publisher and second newspaper publisher and editor of the  Rochester Telegraph  the following year. Generations later, Mr. Oddleifson was proud that the Pecks had a safe house on the Underground Railroad and were allies of Frederick Douglass.

His paternal grandfather, Sigurdur Oddleifson, stepmother, and father, August Oddleifson, then nine years old, emigrated from the north shore of Iceland to Canada in 1902. Mr. Oddleifson was deeply engaged with his Icelandic heritage and traveled to Iceland many times to visit with relatives.

Mr. Oddleifson enrolled at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1946. He was a member of the Cadmean/Concordian Literary Society and the Missionary Society, served on the Student Council, and was a supervisor in his house. He also played hockey.

He earned his A.B. from Yale in 1954 and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1957. He worked as an attorney at Milbank, Tweed, Hope and Hadley in New York for two years before returning to Rochester to practice law at Harris-Beach for the next 40 years. Mr. Oddleifson served as managing partner of the firm for two terms. He built an excellent reputation in the legal community based on his fairness, intelligence, and willingness to

mentor others.

As a young lawyer, after the Rochester race riots in 1964, Mr. Oddleifson served on the anti-racist FIGHT organization’s board of directors and, with Xerox executives, incorporated Eltrex Industries to create more jobs for African American residents. He remained committed to his community throughout his life. His extensive volunteer work was focused on serving at-risk urban children. Mr. Oddleifson was a member of numerous nonprofit boards of directors in Rochester and was founding chair of the Hillside Family of Agencies and The Children’s Agenda. He also was a former chair of the boards of Hillside Children’s Center, the Genesee Hospital, and the RIT Institute of Fellows (now Rochester Fellows). As an ally and pro bono attorney, Mr. Oddleifson contributed significantly for two decades to the national LGBTQ movement for equal ordination rights in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He possessed a deep sense of justice, equity, and love.

At heart, Mr. Oddleifson was a family man. He was devoted to his wife of 23 years, Kay (Wallace), with whom he shared an extraordinary partnership filled with love, respect, and mutual understanding. He was beloved by his children and grandchildren, in whose personal and professional growth he took a keen interest. He was known for his thoughtful, respectful, well-reasoned, principled, relationship-oriented, and loving way of life.

One of his children shared, “He took every opportunity to right the wrongs that he saw in the world and taught his children to do the same. We carry on his legacy in our own work in the world.”

Peter Oddleifson is survived by his large, blended family, including his wife, Kay; his son, Christopher; daughters, Stephanie, Jennifer, and Elizabeth and their spouses; nine grandchildren; and his former wife, Christina Oddleifson, the mother of his children. He also leaves behind his large and loving Wallace stepfamily. He was predeceased by his brother, Eric Oddleifson ’52.

1951

Hugh Douglas “Doug” Barclay  a former New York state senator, died peacefully on March 14, 2021, at his home in Pulaski, New York, surrounded by his loving family. He was 88.

Mr. Barclay was born in New York City on July 5, 1932, the only child of Hugh and Dorothy Moody Barclay. He attended school in Pulaski in a one-room schoolhouse before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1946. At SPS, he was a member of the Scientific Association and the Missionary Society. He competed in football with Old Hundred.

He earned his B.A. from Yale in 1955 and was in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957. Following his service, Mr. Barclay attended Syracuse University College of Law, earning his J.D. in 1961. He then joined the Syracuse law firm of Hiscock, Cowie, Bruce, Lee & Mawhinney (predecessor of Barclay Damon, LLP), where he practiced as a partner for more than 50 years.

In 1964, Mr. Barclay was elected to the New York State Senate, where he was honored to serve for 20 years. He sponsored major legislation on housing, criminal justice, court reform, and economic development before his retirement in 1984. He continued to be active in politics, advising many local, state, and federal campaigns. In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated, and the U.S. Senate confirmed, Mr. Barclay as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of El Salvador, where he served until 2006. As ambassador, he was highly regarded by diplomats as an affable and capable foreign service officer who always looked after America’s best interest.

M r. Barclay served on many corporate boards, among them Syracuse Supply as chair of the board (1988-2003) and Key Bank as general counsel and secretary (1971-89). He also was a committed community member and served on various university boards, including the board of Syracuse University as chair (1992-98) and

Clarkson University. He also was president of the Syracuse Metropolitan Development Association (1991-2003) and a former board member of Empire Airlines.

While his career took him far and wide, Mr. Barclay’s heart belonged to the North Country. He was the seventh generation to live on the family farm in Pulaski, the place he loved most. He was a tireless advocate for his hometown, playing a lead role in fundraising for the Pulaski Fire Company, the Northern Oswego County Ambulance Service, and the Pulaski Health Center.

Mr. Barclay is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sara “Dee Dee” Seiter Barclay; five children, Katie Coyne, David Barclay, Dorothy Chynoweth, Susan Barclay, and Will Barclay, and their spouses; and 10 grandchildren.

1952

Charles S. “Charley” Cheston, Jr. died on Feb. 1, 2021, at his home in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He was 86.

Mr. Cheston was born on June 30, 1934, in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, the son of Charles and Harriet Frazier Cheston. He enrolled at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1948 after attending Chestnut Hill Academy. He rowed with Halcyon and competed in hockey and football with Old Hundred. Mr. Cheston was a member of the Dramatic Club, the Missionary Society, and Le Cercle Français.

After earning his A.B. from Harvard in 1956, Mr. Cheston spent most of his career as an investment adviser for 35 years at Brown Brothers & Harriman in Boston. He retired in 1997. He also worked for Pulsifer & Associates in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Mr. Cheston was an avid sportsman and competitor. From a very early age, he could be found on the water behind the helm of his sailboat in North Haven, Maine. Through the years, he raced in international waters and could still be found at the helm of his own boat into his 80s.

His childhood love of riding horses and competition transitioned into embracing the sport of Combined Equestrian Driving. His career culminated in Europe when he represented the U.S. in the World Equestrian Driving Championships.

On June 10, 1961, Mr. Cheston married Virginia “Lois” Powell. Together, they raised six children and enjoyed 60 years of marriage. Throughout his life, Mr. Cheston also served on the boards of several schools and philanthropic organizations, including Brookwood School, the Frontier Nursing University, and the American Cancer Society.

Mr. Cheston is survived by his wife, Lois; his children, Virginia Cheston Spencer, Charles S.  Cheston III, Jane Papps Bellenis, “Fizz” Papps, Elizabeth Papps, and John A. Papps; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased in 2018 by his sister, Cornelia Cheston Worsley.

William Seabury “Breezy” Reid a devoted alumnus of St. Paul’s School, died peacefully on April 11, 2021, in York Harbor, Maine. He was 87.

“Breezy” Reid was born in New York City on Jan. 21, 1934, the son of Fergus Reid, Jr. (Form of 1919) and Etheldreda Winthrop Seabury Reid. He attended The Buckley School, before enrolling at St. Paul’s as a First Former in the fall of 1946. Breezy captained the Shattuck crew as a member of the varsity first boat and played hockey for Old Hundred. He served on the Pictorial Board and was a member of the Scientific Association, the Rifle Club, the Athletic Association, and the Missionary Society. Later in life, he became a member of the Hargate Society.

He earned his B.A. from Yale in 1956 and moved to Boston in 1958, where he met Ala Hencken. The couple married on June 25, 1960. Breezy’s investment career began at State Street Bank in Boston. Over two decades

there, he became senior vice president and research director in the Trust Department. He then joined BayBank in 1979. Breezy served as treasurer of Boston Legal Services for more than 20 years. In 1985, Breezy and Ala moved from Boston to York Harbor, where he started the investment firm Johnston, Reid & Mitchell with two friends. He retired in 2010.

Breezy endeared himself to family and friends with his irrepressible sense of fun, youthful enthusiasm, ready laugh, and penchant for mischief. He regularly instigated adventures, which might include a mud fight in Brave Boat Harbor, setting off fireworks, or a shoreline trek from York Harbor to Kittery Point. Though he was well known for disliking social events, he maintained many close friendships and was the life of family sockhops, for which he made wonderful mixtapes from his collection that ranged from zydeco to bluegrass and gospel.

Breezy maintained a lifelong passion for sports and competition, especially golf. He was a member of the board and president of York Country Club. In 1954, he and a group of rowers from Yale traveled to Henley, England, where they competed in a friendly across-the-Iron-Curtain race with the Soviet 8. Throughout his life, he would invent new games, such as cross-country croquet, beach bocce, and a memorable Thanksgiving soccer match between the Birch Hill Boobies (Breezy’s favorite bird) and their crosstown rivals, Tim’s Turkeys (named for longtime SPS faculty member Tim Miller). Breezy also was fascinated by industrial archaeology. He traveled the world with Ala, riding historic trains, seeing interesting locks and bridges, and exploring unique industrial buildings.

At “Birch Hill,” the Reids’ home in York Harbor, Breezy displayed a photo of every car he ever owned in chronological order, constructed a network of trails with handmade bridges and dams in the woods, and filled the entry hall with chainsaw-carved wooden bears. He cut and split firewood and catalogued it like a connoisseur of fine wine, complete with labels documenting each tree. Perhaps his most impressive collection was an intricate Märklin HO gauge train set housed in its own dedicatd building. He displayed and regularly updated detailed charts on the stock market and other charts that showed detailed records of the high and low monthly temperatures in the woods near his home. His knowledge of naval history, especially

1952

WW II battleships, was as extensive as the collection of ship models he built. His Civil War interest took him to many battlefields. A few of the boats and airplanes Breezy built were radio-controlled and functional, at least until they inevitably sank or dropped from the sky. For Breezy, those moments were never failures, but times for reflection.

Breezy leaves his wife, Ala; two children, Katharine Reid Koeze ’79 and Samuel Seabury Reid ’81; their spouses, Jeff Koeze and Juliet Reid; four grandchildren, Hugh Koeze ’08, Ella Koeze ’10, Chloe Reid, and Harry Reid; his brother, Fergus Reid III ’51; his sister, Winthrop (Windy) Reid Burns; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. His family was by his side during his last days.

1955

Ethan Emery

an artist and architect and a man of many talents and interests, died from complications of heart disease at his home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on April 2, 2021, with family by his side. He was 83.

Mr. Emery was born in Cincinnati on May 22, 1937, the son of John Josiah Emery and Irene Gibson Emery. He attended Cincinnati Country Day School before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1950. At SPS, Mr. Emery sang in the Glee Club, wrote for Horae Scholasticae, and was a member of the Pictorial Board, the Cadmean Literary Society, and La Junta. He competed in wrestling, football, and lacrosse. Mr. Emery made lifelong friends at St. Paul’s.

In 1959, he earned his A.B. in architecture from Harvard, where he was a member of the Porcellian Club and the Hasty Pudding Club. Mr. Emery then pursued a career as an artist and an architect. In his early years, he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Charles Dana Gibson, a famous illustrator who created the Gibson Girl, the “personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness.”

Mr. Emery was described by one friend as “a guy who made it his purpose in life to have fun every single day.” At Harvard, he frequently walked across campus in unusual costumes and was known for his pranks, sense of fun, and wicked sense of humor.

He painted until he discovered the fulfilling work of restoring and renovating old houses and barns, eventually building the beautiful Casa Misión in San Miguel. Mr. Emery also maintained a great love for acting, which he developed at Harvard. Whether it was Noël Coward plays with the Rhinebeck Theatre Society, Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals with the Camden Civic Theatre, or Oscar Wilde plays with the Bajio Rep, he relished being in front of an audience.

Mr. Emery lived a full life, traveling and residing all over the world, including Thailand, Spain, England, and Mexico. Along the way, he picked up a flair for cooking Asian dishes. He also was a hunter who could imitate a wanton turkey hen, and he was known as the consummate friend, who would arrive wearing a sarong and no shoes and proceed to entertain with stories of wonderful adventures.

In 2000, Mr. Emery settled in San Miguel de Allende and proceeded to make the colonial-era Mexican city his home. He became fluent in Spanish and made friends with the wide-ranging community of expats and locals. He threw himself into building his greatest legacy, a bed and breakfast, complete with a rich (but untrue) backstory that included monks who had taken vows of silence and civil war cannonballs.

Mr. Emery will perhaps be missed the most in Maine, where his presence on the family compound was a foregone conclusion. During the summers, he could be found working on various projects, whether it was his barn or the chapel. From the summers he spent there as a child to the later years, when he would drive from Mexico to Maine, he always considered 700 Acre Island his true home. It was there that he chose to have his ashes buried alongside the many dogs who were his faithful companions throughout his life.

His marriages to Liliane Tuck, Rose Emery, and Nira Beram ended in divorce.

Mr. Emery is survived by his children, Josiah Emery, Dana G. Emery ’83, Matthew Emery, and DeWolf  Emery ’99; six grandchildren; his longtime partner, Teresa Gavilán; his brother, George Post; and numerous

nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters, Nancy Magro, Irene Goodale, Lela Steele, and Melissa Lanier.

1955

Edward H. Hamm a kind and generous man, died on March 12, 2021, near his home in Jupiter, Florida. The cause of death was a rare blood disease that he’d fought for many years. He was 83 years old.

Mr. Hamm was born on July 22, 1937. He was the son of Marie L. Hamm and William Hamm, Jr., head of the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company, one of Minnesota’s most iconic breweries. Founded in 1865, the company brewed in Minnesota for well over a century, and its brief national profile was bolstered by its recognizable animated bear and its Minnesota-inspired slogan: “From the land of sky-blue waters.”

Mr. Hamm arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1951. He sang with the Glee Club and served as editor of Horae Scholasticae

Mr. Hamm earned his B.A. from Yale in 1959 and eventually went to work for the family business, the focus of which had transitioned after the beer company was sold, to insurance and real estate.

With his former wife, Jean Ford, Mr. Hamm raised two children, Shannon M. Warner and Edward H. Hamm, Jr., a celebrated film producer known for such projects as Get Out (2017) and Southland Tales (2006).

Mr. Hamm’s life was defined by his generosity. He was a regular donor to St. Paul’s School and a major supporter of 1000 Friends of Florida, which promotes sustainable economic growth in that state. He also served as vice president and treasurer of the Northern Star Foundation, a nonprofit that offers financial assistance to meet secondary and higher education needs.

Mr. Hamm is survived by his children, Shannon and Edward. He was predeceased in 1965 by his brother, George W. Carroll ’48, and in 2018 by his brother, William H. Hamm ’53.

1955

Frederic Kidder “Fred” Houston an architect and family man, known for his kindness, good humor, and sense of style, died on Dec. 10, 2020, of complications from COVID-19. He was 84 years old and a resident of Buffalo, New York.

Mr. Houston was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on March 27, 1936, the son of David M. and Virginia T. Houston. He attended Tower Hill School before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Fourth Former in the fall of 1952

At SPS, Mr. Houston sang in the Glee Club, was a member of the Acolyte’s Guild and the Pictorial Board, and served as business manager of The Pelican. He competed with Isthmian and Shattuck. He earned his B.A. in fine arts from Trinity College in 1959 and his M.A. in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962.

During graduate school, Mr. Houston met Marie Sturges, a staffer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They were married in 1963 and moved to Buffalo, where they raised two children.

Mr. Houston first worked for Duane Lyman, the dean of Western New York architecture, and then for pioneering African American architect Robert Traynham Coles, before spending two years with the Department of Urban Renewal in Buffalo City Hall.

In 1969, Mr. Houston was one of the founding partners of HHL Architects (Hamilton, Houston, Lownie) and, at the time of his death, was the last surviving original partner. HHL helped to bring modern architecture to Buffalo. The firm was founded as a response to those who dreamed of simpler spaces with clean lines and a contemporary aesthetic at a time when there were few modern options available in Buffalo. Over the next 33 years, Mr. Houston was principal in charge of numerous projects, ranging from private houses to schools, medical centers, and art galleries. His work earned him many accolades, but he had a particular fondness

for the 1995 recognition by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) of a sweeping arc inserted into the Albright-Knox Art Gallery to expand the gift shop.

Mr. Houston designed houses for several close friends and clients who became friends during the design process, a testament to his ability to press a vision while maintaining an understanding of, and sensitivity to, the wishes of his clients. In 1970, he built his minimalist masterpiece, a weekend residence for his family on the banks of Cazenovia Creek, just outside East Aurora, New York. The house and pool were the location for parties with friends and vacations with family.

In addition to his work at HHL Architects, Mr. Houston was instrumental in founding the Landmark Society of Western New York, an organization with the mission of preserving Buffalo’s architectural heritage. He taught at the State University of New York at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning through most of his career. He continued consulting with HHL Architects after retirement.

A dapper dresser, his tie collection (bright colors and bold stripes) expressed his spirit in a blend of modern and classic, with a punch of fun. He loved people, parties, music, food, and wine. In the summer, Mr. Houston swam daily laps in the pool. In the winter, he took to ski slopes near and far with family and friends

Mr. Houston is survived by his wife, Marie; their children, Ginny Meenan and Tom Houston, and their spouses; four grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, David Minot Houston, Jr

1956

Leslie N. Crichton, Jr. a generous and caring family man, died peacefully at his home in Herkimer, New York, on Feb. 1, 2021. He was 82.

Mr. Crichton was born in Orange, New Jersey, on Feb. 10, 1938, the son of Leslie N. and Ruth M. Crichton. He arrived at St. Paul’s

School as a Third Former in the fall of 1952. He sang with the Glee Club and was a member of the Dramatic Club, the Outing Club, and the Scientific Association.

Mr. Crichton earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Syracuse University in 1961 and a master’s in computer science from Binghamton University in 1986.

On Dec. 30, 1961, Mr. Crichton married Helen J. Becker at St. Mary’s Church in Lakeville, Connecticut. The couple remained devoted to one other for nearly 60 years. Together, they traveled the country for Mr. Crichton’s work and were leaders for the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America.

Mr. Crichton’s faith played a tremendous role in his life. He and Helen were active in their local parishes and helped lead various church youth groups. Mr. Crichton was a vestryman, sang in choirs, taught Sunday School, and assisted in outreach events.

In the Diocese of Albany, the Crichtons were delegates to the Diocesan Convention and belonged to the Order of Saint Luke. They also volunteered at Beaver Cross Camp at the Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich, New York, where they worked on landscaping and assisted with camp activities. Mr. Crichton is best remembered for his generous sharing of time and talent. It was often said that he would do anything for anyone.

Mr. Crichton is survived by his wife, Helen; their 10 children, Laura Suzuki, Dorothy Stankavage, Patricia Harris, Heather Crichton, Amber Crichton, Robert Crichton, George Crichton, Michael Crichton, Edward Crichton, and Shawn Crichton; as well as numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

1959

Douglas Carroll Burkhardt died on April 13, 2021. He was 79 years old and a resident of Rochester, New York.

M r. Burkhardt was born in New York City on May 19, 1941, the son of Edward and

Catherine Burkhardt. He attended Trinity School in his home city before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1955. Mr. Burkhardt sang in the Glee Club and the Choir and was a member of the Scientific Association.

Mr. Burkhardt earned a B.S. in science from the University of North Carolinain 1963. Three years later, he earned his MBA at Syracuse University and was recruited by Eastman Kodak, which required him to move to Rochester. Mr. Burkhardt left Kodak to become a realtor and bought First Realty Company in 1976, expanding on the firm’s success with a focus on commercial and industrial real estate.

“I’ve known Doug for many years,” remembered one friend shortly after Mr. Burkhardt’s death. “He was one of the most knowledgeable industrial/commercial brokers in the Rochester region. He was straightforward and, at the same time, had a great sense of humor.”

Mr. Burkhardt had a passion for the water and was a member of Rochester Yacht Club for 40 years; he served as commodore of the club in the early 1990s. During the warmer months, Mr. Burkhardt took great joy in driving his boat, Tranquility, on the Erie Canal with his partner of 13 years, Kathleen “Kathy” Davis. Kathy survives him, as does her son, Eric Smith. Mr. Burkhardt is also survived by his children, David Burkhardt and Renee Burkhardt; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

1959

Henry R. Schwab an independent bookstore owner and book publisher, died on Jan. 14, 2021, of complications from COVID-19. He was 79 years old and a resident of Mystic, Connecticut.

Mr. Schwab was born in New York City on August 17, 1941, the son of Hermann C. Schwab and Lesley H. Ripley Schwab. He attended Green Vale School before enrolling

at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1955. At SPS, he ran cross country for Isthmian. He was a member of the Green Room Committee, Le Cercle Français, Mathematics Society, Parnassian Society, Pelican Board, Pictorial Board, Rifle Club, Scientific Association, and Shakespearean Society.

It was at St. Paul’s that Mr. Schwab discovered a lifelong love for the language and literature of ancient Greece. He went on to study the history of arts and letters at Yale, graduating with a B.A. in 1963. He returned to Yale to receive an M.A. in 1965 and, after a year at Oxford, an M.Phil. in 1972 in the Classics Department.

In 1978, Mr. Schwab co-founded Book Haven, an independent bookstore located on the Yale campus, to focus on the needs of the academic community. He managed the store for 27 years with his wife, also a Yale graduate. During that time, the couple navigated major changes in the book industry, including the debut of Amazon and the proliferation of bookstore chains. Book Haven came to supply nearly half the textbooks for Yale students and stock its own wide selection of contemporary academic books.

In 1988, Mr. Schwab founded a small company to publish primarily literary criticism by Yale faculty and friends. The company, Doberman Books, was named for his dog, who spent many happy days greeting bookstore customers.

In addition to books, he found great pleasure in travel, especially to Greece and the Peloponnesus, although his fondest memories were from his nearly 60 years in New Haven. Mr. Schwab devoted his life to reading and research, and his extensive book collection was donated to a number of local libraries and booksellers around Mystic and New Haven.

Henry Schwab is survived by his sisters, Lesley Forman and Margery Weekes; his half-sister, Katharine “Tatine” Kimmick ’81; three children, Matthew, Lesley and Ruthie; and three grandchildren, Nathanael, Priscilla and Caleb. He was predeceased by his parents and his half-brothers, Stuart Schwab and George Schwab ’79.

1959

Bradford Chadbourne Taylor died on Feb. 3, 2021, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 79 years old and a resident of Peterborough, New Hampshire.

M r. Taylor (formerly known as Dexter Beaumont Partridge) was born on Nov. 11, 1941. He grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, after he was adopted by his uncle, Robert B. Taylor. Mr. Taylor was a young man when he changed his name.

He attended a British boarding school for two years before arriving at St. Paul’s as a Third Former in the fall of 1955. As a student, Mr. Taylor’s interests ran the gamut from music and the Parnassian Society to boxing, crew, hockey, soccer, and track.

Mr. Taylor earned his B.A. from Harvard in 1968.

Throughout his life, Mr. Taylor was considered a “unique” individual by friends and family. He packed an obsession for music and, while he was employed for a time as a worker at the Peterboro Basket Company in his hometown, Mr. Taylor didn’t believe in confining his days to trying to earn an income.

Mr. Taylor is survived by his wife, Lorraine Taylor, and his daughters, Henriette S. Taylor and Laura Taylor.

1959

Benjamin Vroom “Terry” White III a wise, witty, and warmhearted gentleman, who cherished family, friends, and the joy of living, died peacefully at home on March 25, 2021, after a prolonged struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 79.

Mr. White was born on Nov. 25, 1941, the son of Benjamin V. White, Jr. and Charlotte G. White. He arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1955 from Alfred Plant Junior High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. At SPS, he competed in football and hockey with Old Hundred and rowed with Halcyon. Mr. White was a member of the Missionary Society and Le Cercle Français. He sang with the Glee Club, served as a Chapel warden, and was a supervisor in his house.

After SPS, Mr. White earned his A.B. (1964) and his M.A.T. (1970) from Harvard; he re-

ceived his J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1974. Between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Mr. White served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1967. From 1974 to 1975, he clerked for Justice Alfred H. Joslin on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. In 1981, after serving as a partner at Hinckley Allen Salisbury & Parsons, Mr. White cofounded the law firm Vetter & White in Providence, Rhode Island. There, for more than 30 years, he practiced and managed the firm with his partner, George Vetter, specializing in civil litigation at both the federal and state level. During his time in Providence, Mr. White and his beloved wife, Poo, whom he married in 1969, raised their two children. They summered in —and eventually retired to — Westport, Massachusetts, where Mr. White devoted his time to family, friends, sailing, and the Westport Land Conservation Trust (WLCT).

As a mainstay at the WLCT, Mr. White advocated for the preservation of Westport’s countryside for decades, first as a volunteer, then as a board member, and, eventually, as president. During his tenure, he oversaw the protection of more than 2,000 acres of natural habitat, farmland, and historic sites. He helped the small organization of dedicated volunteers grow into one of the most well-regarded land trusts in Southeastern New England.

Mr. White also served as a board member of the Perishable Theatre in Providence and was a trustee at the Gordon School. He served for many years on Rhode Island’s Federal Board of Bar Examiners and as chair of the Bar Association’s Federal Court Bench/Bar Committee. He also was a past president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He was a man of tremendous character, respected by all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Elizabeth “Poo” White; his children, Charles White and Constance “Annie” White ’91, and her husband, Kenneth Rampino; his grandchildren, Charlotte “Maisie” Rampino and Isabelle Rampino; his siblings, James White, Richard White, and Charlotte Cowan; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his older brother, Thomas White.

1960

Joseph W. “Joe” Mechem

a deeply devoted family man, loyal friend, and storyteller, died on May 18, 2021, at the age of 79 following a cardiac arrest at home. A native of Cambridge and Westwood, Massachusetts, Mr. Mechem was a resident of Annisquam, Massachusetts, at the time of his passing.

Born in Boston on April 23, 1942, he was the son of John S. and Margaret (White) Mechem and twin brother of John C. “Jack” Mechem ’60. He entered St. Paul’s in 1955 while in the eighth grade and graduated in 1960. At St. Paul’s, Joe was a member of the Acolyte’s Guild and the Missionary Society, and he was sports editor of The Pelican. He was a proud Isthmian and played football, baseball, and ice hockey. He was also a member of the SPS hockey team and manager of the SPS football team. Joe was the consummate organizer, networker, and host. On many spring nights, you would find him organizing a stickball game with classmates on the School House lawn or Lower Grounds or a pickup lacrosse game on the Chapel lawn.

Joe attended Hobart College in Geneva, New York, graduating with a B.A. in economics in 1964. Following two years of service in the U.S. Army, he began a long career in the insurance industry, specializing in property and casualty lines of business. He joined Chubb in 1966, where his tenure lasted 16 years.

While at Chubb, he met Sewell Freund, a 1965 graduate of Mount Holyoke College and one of the first female trainees at the company. They were married in the autumn of 1967 and remained happily devoted to each other until Sewell’s death in 2007.

In addition to his tenure at Chubb, Joe worked for both Cigna and AIM in locations from New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston to California and Minneapolis. His tenure at Cigna also took him to Singapore, where he

managed Australia, New Zealand, and 13 Southeast Asian countries as a regional vice president.

In 1997, he founded Mechem Associates. The culminating post of his career was as director of insurance at Agility Recovery Solutions.

A steadfast supporter of both of his alma maters, Joe actively gave time to the Alumni Association at St. Paul’s, where he was co-form agent from 2000 until his death and a member of the Hargate Society. He also served on the board of trustees for Hobart and William Smith Colleges. At both institutions, he was a passionate and gifted fundraiser. He was an active volunteer for other organizations as well, including as a member of the board of directors of Women’s Way, a past governor of the John Street Club in New York, and a director of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. Additionally, Joe chaired the Minnesota Information Center and served on the board of Voyage House, Inc. in Philadelphia.

Upon moving year-round to Annisquam, where he was sometimes referred to as the “Mayor,” Joe became involved in the Annisquam Yacht Club and the Annisquam Village Church. Joe loved walking the neighborhoods, taking the family boat out with family and friends for cocktail cruises on Ipswich Bay, and watching sunsets from his favorite perch on the porch at Cypress Cottage. He frequently shared his love of Cypress Cottage with his SPS friends and set aside a bedroom for those who stayed on. It was called “The Alan Corey Room,” named for the late Alan Corey ’60, his long-term roommate at SPS.

Joe’s family meant the world to him. Known as “Daboo” to his beloved grandchildren, he enjoyed spending quality time with all the generations of Mechems through lobster dinners, cribbage games, and his grandchildren’s sports and hobbies. He was especially fond of read-alouds of written gratitudes each year at Thanksgiving and delighted in telling stories of his wife. He toasted Sewell as “the great mum” at each family gathering to keep her memory alive for all.

Joe is survived by his son, Joseph W. “Josh” Mechem, Jr., and his wife, Jenny; his daughter, Aimee Feeley, and her husband, John; his twin brother, Jack ’60; his sister, Molly; his grandchildren, Ryan, Alyson, Harrison, and Sophie; and his niece, Chapin Mechem ’91. Aside from his beloved Sewell, he was predeceased by his father, John ’34, his mother, Margaret, and his uncle, Richard ’41.

1964

David Huntington Williams who led a distinguished legal career defending underrepresented citizens, died peacefully on April 16, 2021, after a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 74 years old and a resident of Rockville, Maryland.

The son of Edith Huntington and David Benton Williams, Mr. Williams was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1946. Later, his family relocated to New York City, which he proudly claimed as his home for the rest of his life.

After graduating from the Allen-Stevenson School, Mr. Williams came to St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1960. While at SPS, Mr. Williams ran cross country and was a member of the John Winant Society and the Missionary Society.

Following SPS, Mr. Williams attended the American School in Switzerland for a year before enrolling at Harvard, where he spent some of the happiest years of his life and formed enduring friendships. He graduated in 1969 with a degree in English and earned a J.D. from Stanford in 1972.

His legal career began at the Federal Trade Commission, where Mr. Williams became a staunch advocate for consumer rights and played a major role in reforming credit practices. He seized the opportunity to participate in a special program then offered by the commission that permitted government attorneys to represent aggrieved federal employees in employment discrimination actions.

One of his proudest professional accomplishments was when Mr. Williams secured a judicial order permanently ordering the Agency for International Development to stop “engaging in unlawful employment practices against Black employees on account of their race.” During his subsequent career in private practice, Mr. Williams continued to passionately represent individuals often overlooked by the judicial system, regularly accepting pro bono civil rights clients.

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife of 38 years, Carol L. Eoannou-Williams. His marriage to the Honorable Diana Pritchard Jack ended in divorce. Mr. Williams was also the proud father of David Derrick Pritchard Williams; Benjamin Francis Williams (Tiffany Seybert); and Zoe Jane Carpenter Williams. He is also survived by his granddaughter, Adelyn Sophia Williams; his brother, Howard C. Williams; his sister, Debbie Farrow; several nieces; and a nephew.

1969

Fraser “Bryan” Wilkins a passionate, entertaining classmate of diverse interests, died at his childhood home in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2021. He was 70.

B orn in Washington to Anne Bryan Wilkins and Foreign Service Officer Fraser Wilkins, Mr. Wilkins lived in India, Iran, and Cyprus as well as Washington, depending on where his ambassador father was stationed.

He entered St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1964 and was a member of the John Winant, Parnassian, and Shavian Societies. He played varsity football and lacrosse and Delphian hockey. In later years, Mr.  Wilkins brought his enthusiasm for hockey to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League as a season ticketholder; his exuberance was occasionally known to catch  the attention of concerned arena ushers.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, Mr. Wilkins embarked on a career in journalism, first at the Lexington Herald in Kentucky and later in Washington as a correspondent or editor at several investor newsletters.

In 1993, Mr. Wilkins switched careers to train thoroughbred racehorses, which he continued until 2010. He used his family’s Moxley Farm in Shelbyville, Kentucky, as the home base for his horse operation. He was not above cheerfully inviting friends to invest with him in the next sure thing.

Mr. Wilkins also enjoyed fox hunting, riding in point-to-points, and other horse-related pursuits in the Virginia countryside. Another main interest was serving as president of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute, which gave him the opportunity to further his love of learning about ancient civilizations and maintain his affection for Cyprus, where his father had served as the first U.S. ambassador. Mr. Wilkins was a lifelong avid reader of history and biography and a collector of books, maps, and antiques.

Mr. Wilkins cherished his time at St. Paul’s and the friendships he made. Though seldom seen at reunions, in recent years he began to reach out to classmates, and he was very disappointed to miss his 50th reunion. A personable, smart, and enjoyable presence, he had a wonderful, dry sense of humor, and one invariably left his company feeling cheerful and the better for it. His was a full life.

Mr. Wilkins is survived by his wife of 40 years, Katherine Grayson Wilkins; his sons, William Fraser and Torrey Grayson; and his daughter, Emily Payne.

1971

Howland Donaldson Murphy a loyal friend to many and a lover of the outdoors, died on May 6, 2021, at the age of 68 after a long illness. Originally from New York City, Mr. Murphy was a resident of Dedham, Massachusetts, at the time of his death.

Born on Dec. 19, 1952, Mr. Murphy was the son of Grayson M-P. Murphy (Form of 1926) and Mary E. Murphy. A graduate of The Buckley School of New York, he entered St. Paul’s in the fall of 1967. A captain of the SPS squash team and a member of the lacrosse team, he went on to attend Harvard University, where he continued to play squash and was also a member of the Porcellian Club.

In 1979, he graduated cum laude from Columbia Law School, starting his career at Dillon, Read & Co. shortly thereafter.

In 1982, Mr. Murphy married the former Jean C. Parker. They later divorced.

Following his work at Dillon, Read, Mr. Murphy had senior leadership positions with a number of financial firms, including as a partner at L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin.  Based on his broad experience in corporate finance and investment, he co-founded the Brittany Capital Group, Inc. in 1996.

Mr. Murphy was known for his loyalty and kindness to family and friends. An involved member of his local communities, he was especially dedicated to giving back to Chatham, New York, where he spent much of the latter part of his life.

An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Murphy climbed many of the 46 High Peaks of the Adirondack mountains, and hiked stretches of the Appalachian Trail and alpine trails in Switzerland. From summers spent on Fishers Island as a child, Mr. Murphy enjoyed fishing and sailing around the island. He returned to Fishers Island many times and is buried there.

Mr. Murphy is survived by his siblings, Grayson Murphy ’53, Patty Paine, Anita Fritze, and Ellen Warner, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, including Peter Standish Paine III ’81, Alexander Gibson Paine ’87, and grandnephew Peter Paine IV ’15.

Howland’s family will especially miss his sense of humor and the inimitable laugh that announced his presence at any gathering. At Howland’s insistence, a party celebrating his life will be held in New York City later this year.

Sarah Bankson Newton following an extraordinary lifetime of loving, caring, and giving, Ms. Newton, a former trustee and selfless volunteer for St. Paul’s

School and many other institutions, died unexpectedly on May 2, 2021, after experiencing a medical emergency while traveling in the Galapagos Islands. She was 60 years old and a resident of Concord, Massachusetts.

Ms. Newton was born in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 7, 1960, and spent most of her childhood in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended the National Cathedral School and enrolled as a Third Former at St. Paul’s School in the fall of 1975. It was at St. Paul’s where she met her “brothers and sisters” of the Form of 1979, who became her extended family. At SPS, Ms. Newton rowed in the girls varsity first boat. She also served as a Student Admissions Officer and was a member of the Missionary Society and La Junta.

At Yale, she studied political science and art history. She began her career in New York City as an analyst in the investment banking unit of Prudential Securities, where she met the love of her life, Jeff Newton. When she left Prudential Securities to pursue her MBA at The Wharton School, the relationship with Jeff blossomed, and the couple was engaged four months after their first official date in 1987. The following September, they were married at Washington National Cathedral.

The Newtons started their life together in Boston, where Ms. Newton was employed by Aldrich, Eastman & Waltch (AEW), a real estate pension advisory firm. In 1991, when they learned they were expecting their first child, the couple moved to Concord, Massachusetts, where they built a broad, loving community of friends and neighbors. Ms. Newton retired from AEW in 1996 and devoted the rest of her life to her family and her community. In addition to raising three wonderful children, she spent countless hours with a number of nonprofits, about which she cared deeply.

Ms. Newton served on the board of trustees of St. Paul’s School from 2006 to 2015. She also was a member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee (2004-08), a form agent from 1999 to 2004 and from 2015 until the time of her death, and form director from 2004 to 2009 and 2019 until her death. She was devoted to St. Paul’s and her many beloved formmates and friends at the School.

In addition, she was a member of the board of visitors at The National Cathedral School, a trustee at The Fenn School, a member of the board of advisers of the Tufts University

School of Medicine, and, at the time of her passing, she chaired the board of trustees at Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She called her work with Esperanza, a tuition-free middle school for girls, “the most difficult and rewarding work” she had ever done. Beyond her education-focused volunteer work, Ms. Newton served as director and overseer of the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest, trustee at the Concord Museum, corporator of Emerson Hospital, director of Peter’s FUNd Racer for Melanoma Research, and board member of the Garden Club of Concord.

On Nantucket, where she spent summers since the early 1990s, Ms. Newton was equally engaged. She served as a trustee of the Nantucket Historical Association, a member of the Vestry at St. Paul’s Church, a member of the Nantucket Committee of the Trustees of Reservations, and a board member at Great Harbor Yacht Club, where she most recently chaired the House Committee.

Ms. Newton did everything with purpose, passion, and joy. She was quick to say “yes” to a meaningful opportunity and pursued these chances with unrivaled energy. She was a talented and deeply impactful leader and community builder, whose capacity for making a difference was limitless.

There is no doubt that Ms. Newton’s greatest passion was her family. She adored her husband, her children and their partners, and her newest love, grandson Henry, born in September 2020.

Ms. Newton loved to travel and was able to visit all 50 states before turning 50. Although Sarah and Jeff traveled frequently, she held special places in her heart for Italy, Napa Valley, St. Barts, and Nantucket.

I n addition to her husband, Jeff, Ms. Newton is survived by her daughter, Avery, son-in-law, Kevin, and grandson, Henry; her daughter, Lindsay, and her fiancé, Christian Sleeper; her son, Chase; her brother, John Bankson III ’81, and his family; many cousins, nieces, nephews, godchildren, and dear friends; and her two beloved poodles. She was predeceased in 2016 by her mother, Martha Bush Mould. Her father, John Bankson, Jr. ’48, died on June 25, 2021.

1979

High Time in the New Station

Designed by PETER PENNOYER

’75 , the clock in New York’s Moynihan Train Hall is destined to become an icon.

The new timepiece could only be 5,000 pounds.

That meant the clock — 12 feet tall, 6 feet wide, and suspended 25 feet above the concourse of Manhattan’s new Moynihan Train Hall — couldn’t be encased in a material as heavy as metal.

“So, we used something called glass fiber reinforced gypsum,” explains architect Peter Pennoyer ’75, whose New York City firm was hired to design the clock. “You can use GFRG to make sculptural elements. You can make panels; it’s a very robust material.”

Much like the signature clock in Grand Central Terminal, Pennoyer’s Art Deco-inspired piece is becoming the designated meeting area for Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) travelers in the new Moynihan Train Hall, across Eighth Avenue from its partner, Penn Station.

Even if possible, building a metal case would also have taken too long, Pennoyer says. After his firm submitted an initial design and the contract was awarded, just three months remained before the hall’s dedication last December.

Fabricated by Hyde Park Mouldings, with works by Americlock, the timepiece features a face designed to be read from four directions across the hall’s vast space. The numerals are in a font, Pennoyer explains, “that speak to the industrial aesthetic and the romance of rail travel. A friend of mine calls the design ‘20th Century Limited.’”

In addition to the rapid turnaround of the design and construction, Pennoyer and his team also faced the challenge of remote collaboration necessitated by the pandemic. Sometimes, that meant worrying about

MICHAEL MATROS

An associate of architect Peter Pennoyer ’75 admires the 12-foot-tall clock Pennoyer designed for New York City’s Moynihan Train Hall.

problems that had already been solved.

Working from home one day in Millbrook, New York, for example, Pennoyer contacted his colleague, Steven Worthington, to share a concern raised by a New York State Transportation office staffer about the legibility of the clock face.

“I called Steve,” Pennoyer recalls, “and he said, ‘Oh, I’ve already worked that out.’”

The previous Sunday, Worthington had printed a fullscale reproduction of the clock face, suspended it from the windows of his Chelsea apartment, and used a laser measuring device outdoors to see from how far away he could read it.

“He got the exact distance,” Pennoyer says. “That was all just pure initiative.”

To view one of Pennoyer’s current projects in progress requires a LIRR trip from Moynihan Train Hall to East Hampton, where the town’s 90-year-old Guild Hall is undergoing a renovation. The architect’s work there, he insists, will be much less noticeable than a giant timepiece.

“I’m proud that we’re not changing the building,” says Pennoyer, whose firm is known in part for the exacting detail with which it addresses historic preservation.

“We’re not going in and making some grand statement,” he adds, “because it has a wonderful, almost domestic scale. My goal is to restore [the hall] to what it was, without some things that have diminished its impact and its charm. And I’m proud of the fact that, when I’m done, people may not notice that I was there, which I think is a good thing these days.”

Now in place, the Art Deco-inspired clock has become a popular meeting spot for travelers going through New York.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Members of the Alumni Association Executive Committee work with form directors and other volunteer leaders on a variety of initiatives designed to keep alumni connected to one another and the School. They welcome your ideas for strengthening the Alumni Association and look forward to hearing from you.

WILL DUNN ’02 williamdunn3@gmail.com

President

SHAUN REIN ’96 shaunrein@hotmail.com

Executive Vice President

AMACHIE ACKAH ’90 amachie@hotmail.com Alumni Fund Chair

GRAHAM BROWNE ’04 grahambrowne@gmail.com

ALISON CODY ’88 alisoncody@mac.com

BETH ANNE GEORGE ’13 elisabeth_george@brown.edu

CARYN CROSS HAWK ’76 crosshawk@aol.com

RAYMOND JOSEPH ’90 rjoseph_99@yahoo.com

CAROLINE LA VOIE ’88 carolinelavoie@me.com

BEN LOEHNEN ’96 bloehnen@gmail.com

DORIEN NUNEZ ’75 omniresearch@aol.com

YASMIN VERA ’09 yasminvera@gmail.com

PAGE SARGISSON ’93 pagesargisson@gmail.com

BECAUSE OF YOU . . .

The combined power of your gifts to The SPS Fund in its 100th year made it possible for our students, faculty, and staff to connect, learn, teach, create, and be together safely during a time of change and uncertainty.

Watch a video of appreciation, narrated by Margaret ’21, which demonstrates what you helped to make possible at St. Paul’s School this year.

[ bit.ly/379u0m8 ]

Thank you from Millville.