T H E
M A G A Z I N E
O F
S T.
Winter 2016
Spartan Athletics: Benefiting Every Body
S T E P H E N’ S
E P I S C O P A L
S C H O O L
SNAPSHOT Veer Chauhan, Cecilia Fields, Aidan Ellis, Philip Chang and Jacob Hale enjoying Homecoming festivities
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
CONTENTS 2 Head Lines 3 Respess Remembered P H OTOS
Benefiting Every Body
COVER: Thunder Drummers Ava Mouton-Johnston and Ben Ozburn help kick off the Kirkpatrick Courtyard dedication festivities.
4 Fitness and Wellness Center Opens 6 Measuring Student-Athlete Performance
7 8 11 12 13
head of school
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editor Anne Marie Becka
class notes editor
Girl Power: A Trip to the Archives Kirkpatrick Courtyard Surprise Invaluable Parent Volunteers Annual Giving Champions
Alumni Arts and Artists Showcased
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Robert E. Kirkpatrick
Meet Our Sports Medicine Experts
14 Alumni Collections on Campus 16 Filmmakers’ Labor of Love 17 Creative Collaborations Spartan Life
Lou Porter Bailey ’71 Kristin Eitel
18 Reflections on Respect 19 Senior Academic Achievements 20 High-Tech Know-How 21 Acclaimed Artistic Performances 22 Standout Students
design Ellen Buckmaster, Bucko Design
contributors Christine Aubrey Lou Porter Bailey ’71 Beatrice Baldwin Cynthia Bartek Hayden Blood Sherry Buchanan Chris Caselli ’82 Kathy Coe Jim Crosby ‘70 Kristin Eitel Christy Fennewald Amy FitzGerald Dineo Khabele ’85 Bob Kirkpatrick Jon McCain Robert Merriam Elizabeth Hansing Moon Jennifer Mouritsen Nita Shuffler Deidre Strand Jennifer Sturley ’13
Alumni News
24 Reunion 2015 27 Honoring the Means Legacy 28 Class Notes
Spartan magazine is published twice a year for constituents of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. Copyright © 2016 St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
subscription information and address changes Judy Mullinix, jmullinix@sstx.org or 512.327.1213 x158
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H E AD LIN ES
Winter 2016
TOWARD A lifetime OF FITNESS AND WELLNESS The “development of the whole person,” (from the school Mission Statement), or promoting growth in mind, body and spirit, as we like to say, is at the heart of our calling here at St. Stephen’s. It speaks to the balance we try to create in programming — in academics, the arts, athletics, service and spiritual growth, for example. It also underscores the process by which our students acquire a wide range of qualities, skills, interests and perspectives that will serve them well for a lifetime. Think of St. Stephen’s as a laboratory in which young people test themselves and examine who they are and hope to become. In the process, they discover many of the secrets to a life of meaning and then are launched into a larger world sorely in need of their contributions. Through broad-based efforts — our health programs, counseling services, advisor system, Chapel and service programming, nursing, mental health and sports medicine services, and of course athletics and physical education — we seek to promote a lifetime commitment to fitness and wellness in mind, body and spirit. In this issue of Spartan, you will gain insight into the ways in which physical fitness and wellness have received a significant boost with the completion of the new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center, the last of the Frame the Future campaign projects. We now have more than 8,400 square feet of space devoted to cardio and strength training and sports medicine, along with storage, conference and office space for our athletic staff. In creating the center, we have met a longstanding need and been able to substantially enhance fitness and wellness programming at St. Stephen’s. Among the benefits to student-athletes are improvements in safety and a reduced risk of injury, regimens that combat childhood obesity, spaces that accommodate entire teams and thereby promote teamwork and consistent preparation, and the further encouragement of participation in athletics long supported by our no-cut policies. Above all the benefits, though, is the promotion of lifelong habits of engagement in the physical activity that we hope will yield fitness and wellness far into adulthood. You will also enjoy features on alumni artists who returned to campus to share their gifts that were in many ways first developed here at St. Stephen’s, again that launching pad to a creative, purposeful life. Whether represented in donated works of art, exhibits in Scanlan Gallery, collaborations with our student dancers, or shooting a film here on campus, alumni artists finding ways to give back to their school provide ample evidence of the lasting impact of the St. Stephen’s experience on their lives. Lifelong habits — in fitness and wellness and in creative endeavors — often begin and are nourished here on The Hill. Enjoy these articles about life at St. Stephen’s that reinforce our commitment to balanced, comprehensive programming that touches every aspect of our students’ lives and has a lasting impact on them as adults. Faithfully,
Robert E. Kirkpatrick, Head of School
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
I N COMMU N IT Y
Spartan Magazine
Kathryn Respess SEWING SEEDS OFRemembered peace ON CAMPUS
Last summer the St. Stephen’s Episcopal School community lost a truly remarkable member of the faculty. History instructor Kathryn Pulley
Respess passed away on July 16, 2015, after a brief illness at the age of 75. Her death was an abrupt exit from a school community that she had embraced fully and loved deeply for 50 years. A memorial service, held in the school Chapel on Sept. 19, 2015, was filled with current and former students, colleagues and friends, all of whom gathered to celebrate a life truly well lived. Following prayers and hymns, the Rev. David Hoster ’65 presented an insightful sermon on the calling that guided Respess’ lifelong mission at St. Stephen’s. An excerpt follows below: The Old Testament turns a sharp corner when Abraham arrives in the 12th chapter of Genesis. Without this moment, Kathryn Respess’ life and calling would have been very different. In Genesis 12 mythology gives way to history. Abraham stands at the headwaters of Israel, whose history is no myth and whose people are all unique, finely etched individuals whose actions have consequences down to our own day and beyond. The heart of the Old Testament is the claim that it really happened, and it really matters that it really happened. Biblical history is lit up because its movers and shakers are not just farming and building city walls or armies, but because they are bonding with God to build a community of people grounded in a vision from beyond human experience, the Jerusalem not built with hands. This kind of history is inherently moral, so it is no longer, in the words of Mark Twain, “just one damn thing after another.” History is engagement with a compelling, transcendent vision that feels divine because it is. Since history is moral, it’s fair to say that God not only created the career that got Kathryn her job as a history teacher, but that God also had a hand in the particular calling that guided her lifelong mission at St. Stephen’s.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Nita Shuffler, Dr. Robert Zuber, senior Kay McAnally, Sarah Todd, junior Lily Provenzano and the Rev. Todd FitzGerald
John Hines, our school’s founder, made no bones about the fact that the purpose of this school is moral education and moral growth. Moral growth and not just the teaching “of one damn thing after another” is what this school always has done best. And Kathryn surely is one of those great souls at St. Stephen’s who literally gave the best years of her life to the moral mission of this school. Erich Auerbach finds the root of western moral history in three words spoken by Abraham in Genesis. God shows up, Abraham looks up from business as usual and says, “Here I am.” Those three words are where history began. So, too, did Kathryn expect you to wake up and say “Here I am,” whether in her classroom or at her table in the dining hall or anywhere on campus, because with Kathryn there was always a bit of moral vision nearby, and you needed to look up from your preoccupation with self to catch it. Kathryn used to be a restless soul in her own way, enduring much, never failing to be challenged by morality in everything, teaching real history, and encouraging moral growth; but now she can rest. Now she can say to God, “Here I am, finally where I was meant to be.” To read the Rev. Hoster’s full sermon and to share a memory of Kathryn Respess, please visit our online tribute page at www.sstx.org/kathrynrespess.
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BE NE F ITIN G EVERY BODY
Winter 2016
Peace Be TO ALL WHO ENTER HERE
TOP: The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison consecrates the new facility BOTTOM: Madison Barchas (in green) gathers with other St. Stephen’s students for the dedication event
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
DEDICATION of the SPARTAN FITNESS AND WELLNESS CENTER Last Labor Day the St. Stephen’s Episcopal School community and honored guests gathered for a special ceremony of thanksgiving and dedication to mark the official opening of the school’s new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center. Following a rousing performance by the school’s Thunder Drumline, the Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and St. Stephen’s board chair, led the more than 950 attendees in song and prayer. She then consecrated the new athletic facility, stating “Let the door be open. Peace be to this place and to all who enter here.” The facility's architectural design included updates to the original Fehr & Granger-designed Middle School Gym, which also was renovated during construction of the addition. The resulting 8,751-square-foot Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center includes a weight lifting and exercise equipment space, training suite with cold tub, injury assessment and rehabilitation area, conference room, and office spaces for full-time coaches. The facility also houses St. Stephen’s Soccer Academy offices and clubhouse for student-athletes. In addition, the exterior site design creates new gathering spaces, pedestrian pathways, and a beautiful new entrance to lower campus.
Christine Aubrey, director of advancement. “The Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center represents the culmination of a successful campaign that will benefit countless generations of Spartan student-athletes for years to come.” In addition to the new athletic facility, St. Stephen’s Frame the Future campaign, launched in 2010, enabled the school to add an inviting new student center, beautiful dining hall, 60-person dormitory, 10 faculty residences, multimedia arts studios and terraced pedestrian green, significantly enhancing the campus environment. Arthur Andersson and Chris Wise of Andersson-Wise Architects designed the Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center. Landscape architect Joan Hyde, owner of Resource Design in Austin, designed the natural spaces. Rogers O’Brien Construction built the facility.
“We are excited and pleased to dedicate the Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center today,” said Head of School Bob Kirkpatrick, after welcoming attendees to the dedication. “We are tremendously grateful to the more than 850 campaign donors for their invaluable support, which has enabled us to further enhance life on The Hill.” The Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center is the final project in St. Stephen’s Frame the Future capital campaign, which raised $27.3 million for the school throughout the last five years. “This historic campaign has enriched the student experience by restoring and invigorating our campus and increasing our endowment,” said
PHOTOS TOP: (left to right) The Rev. Todd FitzGerald, Director of Athletics Jon McCain, Lay Chaplain Jim Crosby ’70, Head of School Bob Kirkpatrick, and Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees Ellen Osborne Ray ’86 with student speakers and the Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, board chair; BOTTOM: Trustee Travis Greig ’94 with Brett Greig and their daughters
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BE NE F ITIN G EVERY BODY
Winter 2016
Helping student-athletes meet their health and fitness goals Thanks to our new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center, along with direction from our Strength and Conditioning Coach Jay Patterson, St. Stephen’s student-athletes now have the tools they need to set and meet their attainable health and fitness goals. Even with the proper equipment, space and staff, individual and team progress still needs to be measured. Beginning last December, we initiated the Spartan Shield Score Program, which will provide tangible measures to help the Athletics staff set goals for our student-athletes. Our ultimate goal in rolling out this program is to advance injury prevention and create age- and developmentally-appropriate programming that keeps our student-athletes healthy and competing at their highest levels.
Spartan athletes are being measured and scored through the following: • Six separate movement challenges (including flexibility, mobility, stability) • Three conditioning tests to measure endurance (including beep test, 300-yard shuttle, mile run) • Two speed and agility tests to measure athletes’ quickness and ability to move in different special planes (including 40-yard dash and shuttle run) • Two jump tests to measure short burst strength and jumping and landing mechanics (including broad and vertical) • Three strength tests to test for imbalances (including bench press, dead lift and squat)
The Athletics staff will analyze each athlete’s performance on these tests and assign an index score based on each of the testing areas. A student’s combined scores will result in his or her Spartan Shield Score. Students can earn a maximum of 57 points in the combined tests. Individual student-athletes will receive their Spartan Shield Score, and teams will receive their players’ average Shield Score. Individual scores only will be shared with individual student-athletes and their coaches. Further, coaches will compete with each other based on their team’s score in relation to other teams at St. Stephen’s. While our Athletics staff recognizes that we need data and performance measurements to assess student progress, we also hope to build in some incentives with the Spartan Shield Score Program. All of our students will be encouraged to participate in testing and to work on improving their scores throughout their time at St. Stephen’s. Varsity athletes will be required to be tested. As we start to collect and assess data from this program within Athletics, we will look for a relationship between Spartan Shield Scores and in-season injuries. Individual coaches will analyze the data of students in their programs and make adjustments to how we practice, as well as for more specific objectives within a given practice or season. Ultimately, our sincere hope is that our students will become more self-motivated to increase their individual and team scores in healthy and productive ways. — jon mccain, director of athletics
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Benefits of the new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center Safer training areas that enable coaches to see and instruct student athletes from an improved vantage point Color-marked Olympic weights that make it easy for coaches and athletes to calculate the weight being used Impact-resistant flooring so the Olympic weights can be safely dropped Large bay doors in the weight room that slide open so students can enjoy fresh air and gain access to the artificial turf covered training patio outside Agility ladders stitched into the training turf, enabling teams to practice footwork Cardio equipment on the perimeter of the weight room, enabling others to train during team-training sessions Certified strength training coaches who supervise the space during operating hours Weight room size that easily accommodates use by nearly 50 athletes at one time
Spartan Magazine
AN EXTRA LAYER OF PROTECTION FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES
“A big misconception about athletic trainers is that we’re personal trainers,” said Kathy Rainey, head athletic trainer at St. Stephen’s, who works out of the new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center. “Certified athletic trainers are sports medicine allied healthcare providers. Our focus is the care and prevention of student-athletes’ injuries.” As members of the health and wellness team, Rainey and Assistant Athletic Trainer Elizabeth Bird ’10 work in conjunction with the school nurses to treat orthopedic injuries, concussions, dehydration and wounds. Their reach is not limited to the field or court. In addition to serving all Spartan sports teams, they care for Devil's Canyon Wilderness Program climbers, Chrysalis dancers, Theatre Focus actors and the occasional community member.
In addition to emergency care and therapeutic interventions for athletic injuries, St. Stephen’s athletic trainers routinely consult with and refer students to local orthopedic and concussion specialists. They also conduct research on sports-related impact injuries in order to continually enhance student-athlete safety. Currently, they are participating in a pilot program testing 30 student-athletes from the Spartan football and lacrosse varsity and JV teams. Athletes wear a special high-tech mouth guard to monitor and measure how they absorb head impacts during practices and games. “Injury prevention is at the forefront of everything we do,” Rainey concluded. To learn more about St. Stephen’s athletic trainers, stop by the new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center to talk with our sports medicine superstars.
“We provide sports medicine with preventative and rehabilitative services,” Bird said. “We have a broad understanding of the physical forces put on the human body during a wide range of activities, so we welcome all students to the athletic training room, not just our athletes.” Rainey believes most people who see the athletic trainers on the sidelines during sporting events think they are “the water girls.” “We’re trained experts in hydration education and dehydration treatment,” said Rainey, who provides 100 gallons of fluids a day to sports teams across campus and Middle School PE. “But we are responsible for far more than just handing out water bottles.
Elizabeth Bird ’10
“Kids can lose 5 to 10 pounds of fluids in a single game or practice,” she added. “We get to know all our athletes individually so we understand their personal hydration needs. This can include daily weight checks, as well as electrolyte and fluid intake monitoring to limit weight loss due to intense practices in high heat and humidity. We also teach them about proper nutrition and the importance of the timing of lean protein intake for muscle development.” Kathy Rainey
“Injury prevention is at the forefront of everything we do.” sstx.org
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Winter 2016
A Brief History of Women’s Athletics at St. Stephen’s A deep dive into the school archives uncovered Whether classified as an activity, a physical education (P.E.) class or an athletic team, St. Stephen’s has provided an impressive array of athletic offerings to its female students throughout the years. While there were no official athletic teams in the first year of school, tennis was offered as an intramural sport, and everyone, girls included, participated in Field Day activities. Tennis takes the trophy for being the most consistently played girls’ sport at St. Stephen’s, beginning in 1951 and continuing every year to the present. A sampling of
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other girls’ sports and activities introduced in the early years and still played today includes basketball, volleyball, field hockey, soccer, track, cross country, modern dance, crew, diving and swimming. Latecomers to the girls’ athletic scene were golf and lacrosse. In the fall of 1959, a new P.E. program was introduced at the school in an effort to provide more “ladylike” activities for female students. The program’s focus shifted away from varsity sports and toward mandatory P.E. classes with such offerings
as rhythmic gymnastics, archery, riflery, swimming, trampoline, folk dance and fencing. Due to its popularity, the only varsity sport that remained for girls was field hockey. Female students, however, made it known that the new offerings were not to their liking. According to the student newspaper at the time, every female student at St. Stephen’s signed a petition demanding to have a say in the girls’ sports offerings. By the fall of 1960, they had successfully changed the P.E. program to add back the varsity sports they had enjoyed playing in the past.
1950-51
1951-52
TIMELINE
GIRL POWER
BE NE F ITIN G EVERY BODY
TENNIS
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
BADMINTON BASKETBALL CHEERLEADING CREW MODERN DANCE SOFTBALL
Spartan Magazine
St. Stephen’s diverse and oftentimes eclectic athletic offerings for girls throughout the school’s history.
— amy fitzgerald, st. stephen’s archivist, and nita shuffler, librarian
FLAG FOOTBALL FOR P.E.
1984-85
HORSEBACK RIDING FOR P.E.
CROSS COUNTRY 1976-77
1972-73 1969-70
SPEEDBALL 1968-69
An important component of many athletic teams, including those here at St. Stephen’s, cheerleading should not be overlooked. With the exception of this current school year, cheerleading has been a popular sports activity since 1951. So if girls chose not to participate in competitions as athletes, they could cheer on the teams from the sidelines. Fight, Spartans, fight…like a girl!
Title IX, banning gender discrimination in education programs, may have been enacted in 1972, but St. Stephen’s already was ahead of the game! Girls’ athletics have been a vibrant component of campus life since the beginning days of the school, and the current core group of sports teams, P.E. classes and athletic activities have been available since the mid-1980s. Roller derby anyone?
1975-76 TRACK
ARCHERY FOLK DANCE
1962-63
1960-61
TRAMPOLINE FOR P.E.
Horseback riding was an early activity, and some students even brought their own horses to board in the campus stables. The riding program waned until the early 1970s, when new stables were built and an instructor was hired to manage the program. Horseback riding as an activity lasted through the late 1980s. Another form of riding, mountain biking, became popular in the early 1990s, along with caving and climbing. At first considered a club, these activities formed
1956-57 ARCHERY DIVING FENCING FIELD HOCKEY RIFLERY TOUCH FOOTBALL
1956-57
1952-53
HORSEBACK RIDING SOCCER SWIMMING VOLLEYBALL
the basis for the Devil’s Canyon Wilderness Program, which is still going strong.
disappeared from school yearbooks in 1975.
INTRAMURAL PING PONG
From the winter of 1969 through the 1974 season, girls participated in a popular sport called speedball. Speedball is similar to soccer, but players use their hands as well as their feet to handle the ball and score goals. A student publication from 1972 described speedball as “a combination of soccer, basketball, football and roller derby.” The St. Stephen’s girls’ speedball team competed against at least seven other schools, and varsity girls lettered in the sport. Like several other sports that came and went throughout the years, speedball
BASKETBALL first time for organized team in two decades
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BE NE F ITIN G EVERY BODY
Winter 2016
“Title IX, banning gender discrimination in education programs, may have been enacted in 1972, but St. Stephen’s already was ahead of
1999-2000 CHRYSALIS DANCE COMPANY 2000-01
SWIMMING first year for organized team
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
LACROSSE 2006-07
TRIATHALON 2005-06
GOLF first year for organized team
SOCCER ACADEMY 2002-03
1998-99
CAVING AND CLIMBING FOR P.E. 1997-98 10
CREW first time for organized team in years
2001-02
MOUNTAIN BIKING CLUB TENNIS ACADEMY
1994-95
1990-91 DEVIL'S CANYON WILDERNESS PROGRAM
the game!”
Spartan Magazine
CAM PUS COU RTYAR D
named for
KIRKPATRICKS On October 16, the school community held a surprise dedication ceremony for Head of School Bob Kirkpatrick, who will retire from the school in June. To recognize Kirkpatrick’s skillful
leadership of St. Stephen’s for the past nine years, more than 900 students, faculty, staff and trustees assembled at the lower entrance to Moody Walk, where the trustees dedicated a new campus courtyard in honor of Sue and Bob Kirkpatrick. As an unsuspecting Kirkpatrick was led to the courtyard by event organizers, Director of Advancement Christine Aubrey and a cabal of trustees, the school’s Thunder Drumline, dressed in red kilts in a nod to Kirkpatrick’s Scottish heritage, kicked off the dedication with a spirited performance. Attendees, donning purple and red mustaches mimicking Kirkpatrick’s own, then let out a rousing cheer. Located adjacent to the school’s new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center, the Kirkpatrick Courtyard is a welcoming gathering space nestled into the bottom portion of Moody Walk, which connects the lower and upper levels of campus. “It is my pleasure to announce the dedication of the Sue and Bob Kirkpatrick Courtyard,” said Ellen Osborne Ray ’86, executive chair of the board of trustees. “The trustees felt this space was the most appropriate place on our lovely campus to recognize and honor Sue and Bob’s incredible commitment to St. Stephen’s. “Bob and Sue have been so generous in opening their hearts and home to students, faculty, alumni, parents, special guests and many more over the years,” she continued. “It is only fitting that even though you will no longer be with us physically when you move to Santa Fe, you will always be with us in spirit here at St. Stephen’s. We would not have it otherwise.” Kirkpatrick, wiping tears from his eyes, was clearly surprised and moved by the event. “To say that I am overwhelmed would be an understatement,” he explained. “This is a remarkable community, just remarkable. Although Sue and I will be 700 miles away, St. Stephen’s will never be far from our hearts. Thank you all.”
PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: Alison Chang, Sue and Bob Kirkpatrick, Trustee Lynne Rupp and Trustee Mignon McGarry; Thunder Drummers Sivan Ginor, Mia Metni and Katie Hale; Victoria Alcocer, Ben Center, Cody Schiffman, Jacob Dell and Casey Bray
Following the dedication event, attendees enjoyed a picnic lunch in and around the new Kirkpatrick Courtyard, a fitting initial activity for the welcoming shared community space. sstx.org
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I N CO MMU N IT Y
Winter 2016
Photos: PA_Volunteers_1: Lynn Brooks, Ann Messer, Ghadeer Okayli, Robyn Gill, Gary Gill, Mark Mouritsen, Jennifer Mouritsen, Erin Przybocki, Lisa Lawrence, Jane Politte, Larry Lawrence, Chris Politte
PHOTOS LEFT TO RIGHT: Lynn Brooks, Ann Messer, Ghadeer Okayli, Robyn Gill, Gary Gill, Mark Mouritsen, Jennifer Mouritsen, Erin Przybocki, Lisa Lawrence, Jane Politte, Larry Lawrence and Chris Politte
Parent Volunteers:
Connecting to Community St. Stephen’s parent volunteers can almost always be found on campus. They know there is no better way to connect with the St. Stephen’s community than to become personally involved. Every St. Stephen’s parent is a member of the Parents’ Association (PA), which is dedicated to supporting the school’s mission. The myriad ways parents contribute their time, energy and talents to the Spartan community are truly impressive. Some spend an hour or an evening helping with a student event. Others work behind the scenes year-round ensuring our parents are informed and connected. Every day, PA volunteers help to enrich the quality of life for St. Stephen’s students, faculty and staff. Working in conjunction with Class Reps, parent volunteers plan events and activities to enhance the social culture of student life and provide opportunities for parents to gather together and get to know each other. And they have been incredibly busy this year: welcoming new families at the back-toschool event, meeting with deans to plan grade-level parties, mingling with faculty at the annual tent event potluck, dressing up for special Halloween and Diwali Festival lunches in the dining hall, and being dunked in a water tank by kids at the Spartan Block Party.
In addition, PA committees tackle special projects throughout the year to support the school and foster community. On any given day, you will find Caring Committee members preparing dinner for a family in need or Booster Club volunteers working the concession stand at a home game. Boarding Committee members bake cookies for student study breaks while other parent volunteers deliver tacos to campus for the faculty appreciation breakfast. Some parent volunteers help raise critical funds to support our school — and have lots of fun in the process! They squeeze between stacks of books and games in the Helm Fine Arts Center lobby to work the checkout counter at the annual Holiday Book Fair. Others create giftwrapped masterpieces to raise donations for Becker Library. Spring Swing volunteers meet throughout the year to plan the transformation of Clayton Gym into an elegant, exciting party venue where the St. Stephen’s community comes together for an evening of food, festivities and philanthropy. The different Spring Swing committees secure gala sponsorships, collect items for auction and decorate tables. Thanks to their hard work, the PA is able to make a significant contribution to the school’s operating fund to support excellence in education and financial aid. Seeing the “Make it Happen” projects funded is always a highlight of the evening for everyone! I’m honored to be a part of this dynamic, thoughtful and dedicated group of parent volunteers. Every Friday morning during the school year, parents gather in community for our weekly Coffee under the Trees. Please join us! We welcome the opportunity to learn more about you and your family and help you connect in meaningful ways to St. Stephen’s. — jennifer mouritsen, parents’ association president
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
PHOTOS COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: Annual Giving Director Sherry Buchanan with Annual Giving Parent Chair Judy Matula; Sally Metcalfe, Chris Hicks, Rebecca Dowd and Missy Allen; Heatherly Ayres, Montse de Muller and Vicki Zagrodzky; Catherine Sansbury and Liz Goldreyer; Suzanne Danuser and Dana Ball
Annual Giving Kick Off Parent volunteers kicked off the 2015–16 Annual Giving campaign in late September with a volunteer breakfast. Under the outstanding
leadership of parent chairs Judy and Michael Matula, more than 80 volunteers have dedicated their time and worked together to help ensure the success of this year’s campaign. Annual Giving is the cornerstone of fundraising at St. Stephen’s because it helps close the gap between tuition and actual operating costs. Participation in Annual Giving is the most important way you can demonstrate your support for the school and your belief in the value of a St. Stephen’s education. Every gift makes a difference in the life of our school and helps sustain the high quality of St. Stephen’s programs year after year. No gift is too small. If you have not yet given to Annual Giving this year, please consider a donation to Annual Giving, First. Your tax-deductible donation will be gratefully received and wisely used. —sherry buchanan, director of annual giving
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ALUMN I ARTISTS
Winter 2016
One of the paintings on permanent loan from Jill Wilkinson ’64
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Spartan Magazine
ALUMNI COLLECTIONS
showcased ON CAMPUS
As someone who raises capital funds for St. Stephen’s, you might think that my interest in a building wanes after the formal dedication ceremony. However, I am always eager to see how new facilities are integrated into campus life. Such was the case with the Booth Student Center and Buddy Temple ’60 Dining Hall. Completed in August 2013, these buildings created important new gathering spaces for our students. In addition to boasting outstanding architectural design, I wanted the buildings to be both welcoming and intellectually stimulating to members of the school community. And what better way to achieve both than to showcase art from our alumni in these beautiful spaces? After thinking about that idea, I had the good fortune to talk with Rudy Green ’71 and his wife, Joyce Christian, whose Collection of Art of the Caribbean and African Diaspora is renowned as one of the most significant and comprehensive of its kind. The couple generously agreed to give St. Stephen’s eight pieces from their prized collection, including glorious works by Haitian artists Gesner Abelard, Sissan Blanchard and Alexandre Gregoire, as well as pieces by Randolph Howard, Anna Marie Pavlik, Deborah Roberts and Rose Cameron Smith. These outstanding works now hang on the walls of the student center study room. Another great benefactor, Jill Wilkinson ’64, has a stellar collection of artwork on paper. When I broached the subject of the school’s need for visual art for our new campus spaces with her, she invited me to her home to look through the countless pieces that she and her husband, Stephen, have collected throughout the years. My tour of their collection was like walking into Aladdin’s cave — brimming with exciting and unexpected treasures. Living up to her legendary benevolence, she gifted the school numerous pieces by way of permanent loan. Her collection is displayed throughout the student center. Other alumni generously offered to donate art for this new space. Ellen Smith ’91 gave us an impressive piece by sculptor Gordon Chandler. His oversized metal bench looks like it was designed specifically for the student center’s second floor atrium, between the International Office and College Counseling. A functional piece of art, the bench is well used by everyone passing through the area as a perch for a chat, a spot to sling back packs, or a quiet place to sit
ART CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: “Combat de Coqs” by Sisson Blanchard; “Metal Bench” by Gordon Chandler; “Nesting Birds in Tree” by Gesner Abelard
and study. Directly above the bench hangs a beautiful painting by Wilkinson, who not only collects but creates impressive art. The Temple Dining Hall also has been well-adorned with alumni art. Anyone who has been in that wonderful space knows that the artwork needed to be large and bright while displaying strong images. Who better than our own Nancy Scanlan ’59 to meet that need? Scanlan generously agreed to donate numerous oversized framed prints of her color photographs, all of which were handselected for the dining hall. Untold thanks go to all the Spartan alumni who have so generously filled our new shared spaces with their artworks. We hope all members of the school community will take the time to walk through these buildings and appreciate the wonderful works from our alumni. — christine aubrey, director of advancement
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ALUMN I ARTISTS
Winter 2016
Photos: LLL_1: Jennifer Sturley ‘13 LLL_3: Max Green ’13, Jake O’Hare ’10 and Patrick O’Hare ‘13 LLL_4: Filming a party scene
Alumni and Students Collaborate on Labor of Love Last summer a group of St. Stephen’s alumni and students embarked on an ambitious project: to adapt William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost” into an independent feature film set in a modern-day boarding school. Jennifer Sturley ’13 and Jake O’Hare ’10, who participated in the school’s Theatre Focus Program, codirected the movie, which was filmed almost entirely on the St. Stephen’s campus. “Love’s Labour’s Lost” tells the story of four boys who make a vow of chastity in order to focus on their studies, but the arrival of four girls at their prestigious boarding school has the potential to disrupt their plans. “The characters, originally written as noble lords and ladies, easily translate to contemporary lovesick teenagers, and the storyline transitions perfectly into a classic coming-of-age tale,” Sturley explained. The idea to produce a film adaptation of the play was first born in 2009, when Sturley and O’Hare saw a production of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Theatre Focus Program. Two years later, Sturley directed her own production of the play at St. Stephen’s. Now, thanks to the encouragement and support of St. Stephen’s theatre and film teacher Mike Dolan, the two alumni have moved forward with their idea for a film. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, they cast the movie and hired a crew of talented and experienced filmmakers, many
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of whom attended acting workshops with St. Stephen’s theater instructors. “The movie was shot in just 16 days in June, but many months of planning went into the process,” Sturley noted. Although the setting is modern, the directors ensured that Shakespeare’s original language was maintained in the film. “We wanted to explore how words written more than 400 years ago still feel incredibly relevant, meaningful and insightful in the 21st century,” Sturley explained. “For us, a modern setting seemed like the perfect way to illustrate that.” “We are incredibly grateful to St. Stephen’s for supporting us in every way imaginable,” she added. “We never could have made this film without the generosity, encouragement and education that this community gave to us.” The cast included Patrick O’Hare ’13, Max Green ’13, Riley Rudy ’15, Cate Gillham ’17, Chloe Hooks ’15, Makaa Copeland ’16, Chase Doggett ’15 and Nikhil Prabala ’15. Student interns included Reilly Wieland ’17, Annabella Archacki ’16, Susannah Joffe ’18, Katia Peppas ’18 and Catie Leon ’16. Producer Ecky Malick ’60, drone photographer Chema Domenech ’07, hair and makeup designer Conor Donnelly ’14, digital imaging technician Caleb Wolfson ’17, art PA Nick Ellis ’10 and photographer Dawn Goodfriend ’15 also assisted on the project. “Love’s Labour’s Lost” is currently in post-production. Watch for an official release date soon. PHOTOS Jennifer Sturley ’13; Actors waiting to film a party scene
Spartan Magazine
OF DANCE WITH STUDENTS
ALUMNI SHARE
Director of Dance Deirdre Strand conceived an innovative idea last fall to bring nine alumni dancers back to campus for special workshops with students and, in the process, to honor Kathryn Respess, who passed away last July after celebrating her 50th year of teaching at St. Stephen’s. “Mrs. Respess never missed a dance program and was always so supportive that the alumni dancers and I wanted to pay homage to her,” Strand explained. “Each visiting dancer choreographed and taught a dance to the school’s Chrysalis Dance Company, which performed the dances at a special recital in mid-January. It was very exciting to have former students teach our current students! We had never done that before.
PHOTOS TOP: “Defense Mechanisms” by Justin Crosby ’00; BELOW: Nancy Scanlan ’59 (center) with daughter Laura Scanlan Cho ’89 (left) and granddaughter Callie Cho ’19
“All the alumni dancers who worked with our students currently dance with a professional company or direct their own,” added Strand, who created the school’s dance program 22 years ago and personally taught eight of the nine alumni dancers. Returning choreographers include Jacobi Alvarez ’11, Siobhan Cook ’06, Ciceley Fullylove ’09, Geeti Mahajan ’00, Dorothy Overbey ’95, Lauren Parra ’09, Anna Reyes ’07, Kendra Slack ’08 and Rebecca Whitehurst ’99.
SPARTANS’ WORKS IN Scanlan Gallery “The idea to showcase alumni artists in St. Stephen’s Scanlan Gallery has been on the back burner for some time,” said Beatrice Baldwin, art instructor and director of the gallery. Baldwin has planned an exciting lineup of alumni artists to present in Scanlan Gallery. “After searching on Facebook for St. Stephen’s graduates who continued to study art, I discovered that this could be a very cool and fun alumni artist reunion,” Baldwin said. “The list of participating artists is growing little by little, and I suspect that many more will jump in.” The fall alumni showcase kicked off in August with an exhibit of contemporary sculptures by Justin Crosby ’00. “Making: The Effort” included sculptures built by Crosby performing various “actions on objects associated with an array of recreational activities,” most notably basketball and rock climbing. Crosby’s exhibit was followed by a collection of photographs by Nancy Scanlan ’59. “Color Photographs: 2005 to 2015” included images taken by Scanlan while traveling around the world. According to the artist, many of the images evoke a painterly abstraction, embracing color, shape and texture. PHOTOS TOP: Chrysalis Dancers performing "Dear Self" in January; BOTTOM: student dancers PH OTO Chrysalis dancers with visiting alumna Geeti Mehajan ’00 with visiting alumna Geeti Mehajan ’00 (center)
Look for future alumni exhibits in the gallery featuring digital artists, graphic designers and botanical illustrators.
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SPARTAN LIFE
Winter 2016 2015
SPARTAN Life
EVENTS CLUBS CULTURE CELEBRATIONS AWARDS TALENT SPORTS HOLIDAYS ACHIEVEMENTS SUCCESS
Respect for Ourselves, Others and Our Community “There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self.” —HENRI FREDERIC AMIEL Last year St. Stephen’s embarked on an initiative in which school members focus on a theme meant to enhance and strengthen our community. Last year we considered ways to integrate peace into our campus; this year we strive for greater respect for ourselves, others and our world. “The yearlong theme idea was brought to St. Stephen’s courtesy of International Program Director Sarah Todd, who has seen other schools participate in similar initiatives,” said Cynthia Bartek, head librarian and co-sponsor of the program. “She was inspired to spearhead the ‘theme of the year’ project at St. Stephen’s and create a committee to help plan and promote associated activities.” Each year the committee, comprised of interested faculty and select students, proposes several choices of a theme, and the group selects the one they feel is most relevant. Signs and posters are made, speakers are invited, and special theme-focused events are proposed. “We plan a number of activities to keep the idea present on campus in various forms throughout the academic year and to create opportunities for contemplation and discussion, including Chapel presentations and advisory activities,” she said. “We hope to raise awareness about how we are affected individually
and as a community by the concept,” explained Bartek, who admitted the themes are broad so as to challenge students to think meaningfully about them. “Oftentimes, the topic serves to raise essential questions.” This year’s theme of respect has proven to be a powerful one. Last fall special Chapel programs featured several student speakers who addressed a particular facet of the idea of respect. Senior Helen Harman provided an introduction to the theme, inviting listeners to consider the various meanings, both global and personal, of the term respect. Junior Delia Stephens spoke on the concept of self-respect, and junior Lincoln Jin noted the ways in which respect is related to our treatment of and regard for others. Sophomore Blossom Maduafokwa invited participants to take action in both large and small ways to show respect for our shared spaces, our campus and the environment. Ms. Todd concluded the services by reading a selection of poetry by Wendell Berry. Several weeks later, St. Stephen’s hosted visiting scholar David Bickel, a humanities professor at Davenport University, who continued the campus-wide conversation. In addition to speaking during Chapel, he attended Theology classes, history and English classes, and spent time with the FACES student group and Model U.N. members. Stay tuned for more exciting respect-themed events in the spring.
Trustees Host Parents’ Days Reception St. Stephen’s board of trustees helped kick off Parents’ Days festivities by hosting a coffee reception for parents on Thursday, Oct. 22. Parents and faculty alike joined trustees in the front lobby of Gunn Hall, where they enjoyed breakfast treats and lively conversation. “As parents, alumni and friends of St. Stephen’s, board members are always excited to talk with parents and staff about their experiences with and expectations of the school,” said Ellen Osborne Ray ’86, executive chair of the board. “We want to enhance the St. Stephen’s experience for all members of the community.” Parents’ Days give families the unique opportunity to experience the very best of St. Stephen’s alongside their children. In addition to visiting classes and participating in different school programs, parents attend a special morning Chapel service and enjoy lunch in the dining hall with their kids. PHOTOS TOP (left to right): Chris Breckwoldt ’86 with trustees Emily Hummel ’86 and Beth Ozmun; Parents Susana Pimiento Chamorro and Edward Hammond
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Spartan Magazine
Seniors Recognized for Outstanding Academic Achievements A record number of St. Stephen’s seniors have been recognized for outstanding academic achievements this year. Within the Class of 2016, 26 students were honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. for their strong performance on the Pre-SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Seven seniors were named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists and 19 were honored as Commended students. St. Stephen’s National Merit Scholar Semifinalists have an opportunity to compete for scholarships worth approximately $33 million. Commended students placed among the top 5 percent of the more than 1.5 million students who took the 2014 PSAT. In addition, two members of the graduating class were named National Hispanic Recognition Program award winners. These students were ranked among the highest-scoring Hispanic/Latino students nationwide from among more than 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who took the PSAT. “Our school community is extremely proud of our of National Merit and Hispanic Recognition Program honorees,” said Head of School Bob Kirkpatrick. “Their accomplishments are both impressive and varied. In addition to their significant academic achievements, they are great athletes, artists, musicians, student government leaders and mentors to others.”
PHOTOS TOP: Natonal Merit Semifinalists (left to right) top row: Missy Mouritsen, Shilpa Saxena and Caroline Aung; bottom row: Rae Srivastava, Adam Moss, Ryan Przybocki and Derek Hsu; MIDDLE: National Hispanic Recognition Program winners Paige Lawrence and Makaa Copeland; BOTTOM: National Merit Commended (left to right): top row: Katie Leiferman, Lia Mouton-Johnston, Elizabeth Sturley, Allison McHorse, Ali Michel, Shivani Arimilli, Ginny Brooks, Sarah Silberman and Natalie Ray; bottom row: Pablo Thiel, Annabella Archacki, Helen Harman, Hannah Heydinger, Shendo Maccow, Nick Goldreyer, Alexander Mohn, Luka Green and Ryan Hanks; not pictured: Tamara Shamir
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SPARTAN LIFE
Winter 2016
Expanding Our High-Tech Know-How Since joining the St. Stephen’s community as technology integration coordinator, a newly created position, I have had the opportunity to kick off a number of technology programs across campus. Prior to joining St. Stephen’s, I sponsored two student clubs: Girls Who Code and Warrior Tech. The former was meant to reduce the gender gap in technologyrelated careers. The goal of the latter was to beta test new products and provide student-led teacher training. Both clubs changed the learning landscape of the school so, with those clubs in mind, I have set out to create a similar environment at St. Stephen’s. My primary focus is on students, because they will drive change. Toward this end, I am helping to sponsor a coding club, Google’s CS-First. The goal is to expose Middle School students to computer science so they can develop an early interest in coding and take more advanced classes throughout their time at St. Stephen’s. I also have developed a club called Spartan Tech to provide studentled teacher training and to develop student-led technology activities like makerspaces, where people can gather to learn and create technologies. The goals for this club are lofty and will take steps to achieve. However, once we establish a consistent presence, I hope to provide opportunities for community outreach through our own Maker Faires, as well as staff development in the form of teacher tech camps. Additionally, I hope to see students teaching other students in the form of an idea box — a place to work on projects and explore. My secondary focus is on St. Stephen’s staff. To further enhance their understanding and use of technology, I have started weekly coffee chats, which are 30-minute informal training/discussion sessions in the morning before school. The topics vary and are sourced by staff member requests. I also have started holding monthly tech festivals, which are hour-long unstructured learning sessions. The goal of these events is for staff to both drive and facilitate learning. In addition to students and staff, I’m also focused on offering technology training for parents and others in the school community. For example, I have spearheaded a Digital Citizenship focus group to help bring consistency to our school’s approach to digital citizenship. Since starting the committee at the beginning of the academic year, the group has hosted two Chapel programs, led multiple tech discussions, and sponsored Digital Citizenship Week last October. My hope is that these efforts will increase awareness of the many issues surrounding digital citizenship, including information literacy, online relationships and communications, and safety and security. One final new initiative planned for this year involves makerspaces, which are a growing trend in education. You can find them in libraries around the world, as well as in your local bookstore. The idea behind makerspaces is to enhance creativity and play during learning. I am developing one in my office, and others on the “maker team” are sponsoring several small makerspaces around campus. We hope to also hold a maker seminar for interested students. Eventually, we hope to include parents and the larger school community. My hope is that these new initiatives will inspire students, staff and others to embrace digital technology learning.
—christy fennewald, technology integration coordinator PHOTOS Christy Fennewald; MIDDLE AND BOTTOM: Last December, students gathered for the school's inaugural Maker Faire, transforming books, hats and sweaters with LED lights and more.
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Spartan Magazine
Theatre Focus Musical Improv X-Play a Hit! Every fall, members of St. Stephen’s Theatre Focus participate in an experimental project that spans a range of theatrical experiences and possibilities. For this year’s X-Project, a select group of student players studied and practiced the art of musical improvisation. The hilarious group of performers invented songs and dances and even created a full-length musical narrative, all on the spot—inspired by audience suggestions and accompanied by a live musician!
Lisa Orr Exhibits in Bienal de Asunción in Paraguay
The cast included Ella Benjamin, Makaa Copeland, Emily Hentschel, Luis Mendoza, Stone Mountain, Sam Oberle, Abigail Sage and Coco Robertson. X-Project was produced by Mike Dolan, Lindsay Brustein and Caitlin Sweetlamb. To learn more about St. Stephen’s Theatre Focus, visit www.sstx.org/theatrefocus.
Potters are rarely invited to participate in international biennial exhibitions. However, St. Stephen’s ceramics instructor Lisa Orr was selected to show her ceramic artwork in the inaugural Bienal de Asunción in Paraguay during the first week of October 2015. Her appearance was funded by a grant from the Fulbright Scholar Program. This was Orr's third time to be awarded a Fulbright grant to exhibit work abroad. Her previous adventures included exhibitions in Bulgaria and Macedonia. “It was a great project in so many ways,” Orr said. “The work of 125 international artists was displayed in venues across the city. In addition to traditional exhibit spaces, such as museums, studios and art galleries, our work was displayed in parks, empty train stations and restaurants, as well as on buses and walls as graffiti. This means that all city inhabitants, regardless of their social or economic status, had access to and were able to experience this collection of contemporary artwork from around the world.” There was also a significant educational component to the month-long exhibition. Many of the artists reached out to children in schools and to residents across the city with whom they worked collaboratively on special projects to create art works. The Paraguayan, American and Cuban curators certainly fulfilled their vision behind the motto “Artwork everywhere, all the time” in this remote capital city.
—elizabeth hansing moon, fine arts department chair
PHOTOS TOP: (left to right) Luis Mendoza, Coco Robertson, Stone Mountain, Sam Oberle and Ella Benjamin; BOTTOM: (left to right) Abigail Sage, Makaa Copeland, Luis Mendoza, Coco Robertson, Emily Hentschel, Sam Oberle, Ella Benjamin and Stone Mountain
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SPARTAN LIFE
Winter 2016
An Infectious Enthusiasm for Science “Hands down, my favorite subject is science,” said senior day student Natalie Vaz. “I have a great passion for the outdoors so this particular area of study is the way that I bridge my extracurricular interests with school. I love learning about the earth and its inhabitants so I can be better informed of my surroundings.” Motivated by her interest in the natural world, Vaz signed up for three science electives this year: environmental science, geology and biology II. “The connections between these areas of science fascinate me,” explained Vaz, who went on to recount a memorable environmental science class she had last fall. “We collected soil from different areas on campus and then brought them back to the classroom,” she explained. “Our task was to figure out what type of soil we had by conducting a ‘jar test,’ which involved shaking up a mixture of soil and water for five minutes. “Our teacher, Johnny Wilson, told us that we were going to have a harder workout than any that our school’s strength and conditioning trainer had ever given us. He then proceeded to blast the stereo and joined our class in shaking the bottles. It wasn’t just a simple shake of the jar with our arms. He made it into a full-body workout. We had to jump up and down while shaking our bottle for the whole five minutes — and he joined in too — the music blaring and all. “Mr. Wilson’s enthusiasm and positive attitude spread to every one of the students in the classroom,” Vaz noted. “It became clear to me that day how much more fun learning is when your teacher is truly excited about it.”
Omar Chatila
Friendships Like Family
PHOTOS TOP: Spartans and Crusaders during St. Stephen’s Homecoming game; MIDDLE: Griffin Foster, Deanthony Owens, Wyatt Gill as Martin the Spartan, Brittany Adams, Lee Trahan; BOTTOM: (Front row) Emily Young, Peyton Murphy, Mary Grace Wieland, Amelia Hammond, Nina Mosler; (Back row) Jake Chappelear, Beck Arnow, Tristan Nguyen
Natalie Vaz with Johnny Wilson
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A member of the Class of 2017, Omar Chatila counts the bonds he has made living in the dorms and playing on the Spartan football team among his great experiences at St. Stephen’s. A boarding student who hails from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Chatila said the best part of residential life is the great friendships he has made with other boarding students. “I'm really good friends with some of the day students, but I consider some of the boarders to be like family,” he explained. “There is nothing comparable to the friendships that you make living in the dorms. “Last year, our whole dorm got together to play [the multi-user video game] Counter-Strike. We had a match with a full 10 against 10 — one hallway against another hallway — and things got intense. Sometimes we even play to see who has to do dorm cleanup.” Chatila’s relationship with his fellow varsity football teammates is equally important to him. “My greatest experience at St. Stephen’s so far this year came during our fall game against Regents,” he noted. “The atmosphere at the game was beyond amazing. The game came down to a last-second touchdown by the Spartans. After seven years of losing to Regents, we were finally able to beat them. Winning that game was just amazing. I have never seen our fans go as crazy as they did after that game. It was an unbelievable experience.”
Brandon Wang
Remarkable Role Model “The annual Dorm Olympics is always the first Sunday of the new school year, and the heated struggle between the eight dorms is great fun,” said Brandon Wang, a senior boarding student whose parents live in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. “For the new kids, it probably seems hectic, but as the year progresses it becomes more and more important because of all the memories created and relationships formed. The crazy antics and cheating that occurs is all part of its illustrious history; it is a great way to kick off the year.” A first-time proctor, Wang was admittedly nervous when he returned to campus in August for proctor training. “Walking into the student center to greet GP [Gene Phillips, director of student life] and get my room key was overwhelming,” he said. “I was still uncertain who my roommate and co-proctor would be, but I was confident that senior year would be beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Nayib Asis,
Spartan Magazine
my sophomore roommate, would be my roommate again. After a whole summer apart, it was such a joy to see one another again and catch up.” Weeklong proctor training is serious business at St. Stephen’s. In addition to learning how to mentor younger students, proctors gain a wealth of health and safety skills, such as learning CPR, fire safety and other emergency procedures. They also participate in the Diocese’s “Safeguarding God’s Children” workshop, an intensive child abuse awareness and prevention program. On move-in day, proctors check in boarders, give directions, carry boxes and help students set up their rooms. Throughout the year, they help orient students to life in the dorms and the larger school community. Beyond the many duties that come with being a proctor, Wang believes his greatest responsibility is that of role model. “As a proctor, I’m more of a peer than an authority figure,” he explained. “Sometimes I have to remind younger students to do their laundry, but I’m mostly there to set an example for the other students in the dorm.” One of Wang’s favorite dorm activities is when students get together for impromptu cooking sessions after study hall. “When midnight hunger pangs hit, we hold social cooking sessions,” he explained. “During these times, it’s amazing to see the chemistry that everyone has and how we really are a tight-knit family. We joke around and get to know each other better, which allows me to be a better proctor to them. I appreciate when students feel comfortable enough to share their experiences and joke around with me.” A member of the Class of 2016, Wang plans to study biology in college before heading to medical school. “Biology II, taught by Mr. [Dean] Mohlman, has been eye-opening,” he said. “Even though it is just an introduction to what I hope to study in college, I treasure everything I learn in the class. From the reactions of pill bugs exposed to light to learning how E. coli produces lactate, the class has been enthralling. “Having a small class allows for good interactions between the students and teacher, and the different experiments have greatly helped explain topics in the class,” Wang added. Whether helping younger students feel at home in the dorm or working with peers on a project in the lab, Wang has proven to be a great role model for all.
Arimilli Brothers Take First and Second Place in National Tennis Tournament Brothers Nevin Arimilli, a 10th grader, and Nathan Arimilli, an 8th grader, had outstanding performances in the USTA National Selection Level 2 tournament last November. “Nevin and Nathan represented St. Stephen's Tennis Academy with great pride and sportsmanship,” said Carlos Di Laura, director of the Tennis Academy. “The tournament ran a 64-player draw per division. Out of the 64 national-level players in the Boys 16 division, both Nevin and Nathan reached the finals of the tournament, earning first and second place, respectively.” Congratulations, you make us proud! (left to right): Nathan Arimilli and Nevin Arimilli
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Winter 2015
P H OTOS LEFT: Max Daniller-Varghese ’10, Josh Ellis ’10 and Nick Ellis ’10; BELOW: The intrepid Gulch hikers
DESTINATION
reunion Last October, St. Stephen’s welcomed more than 300 alumni and their families to campus for a full weekend of Reunion 2015 activities. Organizers provided a wide range of exciting activities and events to help alumni reconnect with former classmates and teachers and reacquaint themselves with our beautiful Hill Country campus. Between class visits, faculty symposia, a family barbecue with kids’ activities, a special alumni Chapel service and class celebrations marking major graduation milestones, Reunion lived up to the promise of providing countless opportunities to share old memories and create fun new ones with treasured friends. The weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon with class visits by alumni, who relived the joy of learning from St. Stephen’s inspirational faculty. Monica Patel ’95 remarked that her theology class with lay chaplain Jim Crosby ’70 was just as engaging as it had been 20 years ago. Late Friday afternoon Michele Gee ’86 and Tommy Gee ’85 joined alumni on the bleachers to cheer for the Spartan field hockey team. Michele said the experience brought back memories of her own days on the field. “It was wonderful to watch the field hockey and volleyball games with my family and to visit with my Freeman housemate, Rebekah Westrup ’85,” she said. “We shared plenty of great memories about our teammates. We love to see that sports continue to be an integral part of the Spartan way of life.” Later that evening Pioneer Spartans — alumni who have celebrated their 50th class reunion — visited for hours over dinner at Lupe Tortilla Restaurant, sharing stories of life on The Hill and beyond.
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PHOTO ABOVE: Friends since the 1960s: Molly Dougherty ’68, Natalie Bayless ’65, Helen Candy Miller ’66, Mary Magee Gregory ’65, Petie Miller ‘66, Doug Conly ’65, Pat Fatter Black ’60
Spartan Magazine
Saturday brought a wide range of on-campus activities throughout the day, including a hike to the Gulch and two faculty-led symposia. The day kicked off early for the bold group of intrepid alumni who made the near 1,000-foot descent to the Gulch on the banks of Lake Austin. They were thrilled to learn this natural treasure still provides recreation and research opportunities for St. Stephen’s students — as it has for more than 65 years. Alumni interested in continuing their St. Stephen’s education met with Astrophysicist and Science Department Chair Frank Mikan in the school’s observatory to ponder the many mysteries of the universe while across campus Art Historian Wallis Goodman shared his insights on many of the world’s most celebrated artworks. In the afternoon alumni gathered on the grounds of the new Spartan Fitness and Wellness Center for a barbecue lunch catered by pit masters from an Austin icon, The Salt Lick. Spartans lingered over brisket and beans while sharing memories and catching up with one another. Numerous graduates took the opportunity to tour the new facility, which features a weight room, sports medicine training suite and athletic staff offices. Throughout the barbecue, members of St. Stephen’s Student Government entertained alumni children (future Spartans?) and led them on a scavenger hunt that ended at the dining hall with an ice cream sundae building contest where everyone was a winner! The daylong party then moved to the heart of campus for an artist’s reception for Nancy Scanlan ’59 held in the eponymous Scanlan Gallery in the Helm Fine Arts Center. Following a discussion of her work, everyone gathered on The Hill for a special Queso and Cocktails Sunset Reception. The event not only welcomed six PHOTOS ABOVE: The Class of 1990 celebrated their 25th Reunion; BELOW: Spanish Instructor Jorge Muñoz of Bossamania provided entertainment during the cocktail reception
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Winter 2016
decades of alumni but also served as a farewell event for retiring Head of School Bob Kirkpatrick, who has led St. Stephen’s for the past nine years. Jenny Cook Purcell ’89, president of the alumni association, spoke on behalf of all graduates when she thanked Kirkpatrick for his leadership and vision. As the sun set over the Brewster Memorial and the lovely Hill Country in the distance, the band Bossamania provided music as longtime friends caught up with one another and made new friends from other class years. We hope you are already making plans to join us for Reunion 2016, which will include Spartan football homecoming game festivities. Mark your calendar now for the weekend of October 14–16, 2016. Reunion activities will begin on Friday with class visits and the ever-popular Spartan Block Party — a campus-wide event for all ages leading up to St. Stephen’s home football game against Greenhill. Saturday will feature an all-ages afternoon barbecue, and Saturday night will be left open for individual class parties. Need assistance planning your class activities or just want more information? Contact Lou Porter Bailey ’71, director of alumni relations and planned giving, at lbailey@sstx.org or Kristin Eitel, associate director of alumni and donor relations, at keitel@sstx.org.
We look forward to welcoming you back to campus the weekend of October 14–16 for Reunion 2016! —hayden blood, director of special projects for major gifts and events
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Michele Harder Gee ’86 and Tom Gee ’85 with their children; students entertained children of alumni during the barbecue; Elizabeth Hungerford Baker ’74, Ann Rhodes McMeans ’74, Ann Foster ’75 and Libby Brosier Flory ’75; Jenny Cook Purcell ’89, Bob Kirkpatrick, Lou Porter Bailey ’71 and Sue Kirkpatrick
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Spartan Magazine
Reunion Chapel Honoring Bertha Sadler Means
PH OTO LEFT TO RIGHT: Bertha Sadler Means and Joan Means Khabele
During Reunion weekend, the St. Stephen’s community gathered for a special Chapel service on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, to pay tribute to Bertha Sadler Means and celebrate a new endowment created in her honor by family and friends. A pioneering educator and Civil Rights activist, Means has fought against racial segregation and discrimination throughout the city of Austin for more than 60 years. A former trustee (1994–2000), Means is the mother of Patricia Means King ’66, St. Stephen’s first African-American student, and former trustee Joan Means Khabele (2004–2010). In addition, six of her grandchildren are Spartan alumni, including Dineo Khabele ’85, who paid tribute to her grandmother during the Chapel program.
She could not have imagined that things were going to get easier. She could not possibly have imagined that she would become a basketball star and a beauty queen in college or a teacher and then an administrator in the Austin public school system. She could not possibly have imagined that as a civil rights and political leader she would help integrate the public pools and public and private schools, such as St. Stephen’s, and that this would impact countless others. Or that she would be a delegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and attend the inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States. And she could not have imagined that she and my grandfather would raise five children or that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren would live in California, Virginia, Colorado, Tennessee, Texas and beyond. Throughout her 95 years of living in the United States, my grandmother has directly experienced the remnants of slavery and the share-cropping era — segregation, racism and discrimination that was, and is, often ignored by many and encouraged by some, even today. Yet, in her lifetime, she has embodied the fact that education and service can overcome ignorance and the accompanying ills of poverty, bigotry and hate. GiGi continues to live with chutzpah, and what a well-lived life! Family and friends, we are here today to honor Bertha Sadler Means by establishing the Bertha Sadler Means Endowment so that her legacy of service may continue in perpetuity. Our hope is that money from this fund will be used to help future generations who start from humble beginnings to live beyond their dreams. Thank you.
The Bertha Sadler Means Endowment was established to support financial aid for AfricanAmerican students and other students of color at St. Stephen’s. For more information, please contact Christine Aubrey, director of advancement, at caubrey@sstx.org.
My grandmother, also known as GiGi, has lived more than 95 years on this earth. That feat is amazing enough on its own. How she has spent her time is far more important. GiGi came from a humble background. One of my favorite pieces of art is a portrait of her as a child. In it she is sitting under a tree looking over the cotton fields. When she was a child, her days were spent with her family in hard labor, picking cotton. Her nights were spent with “the three Rs.” Thankfully, she had the tools to allow her mind to soar and dream of more. Looking over the cotton fields, she imagined something more for herself, and she used the tools she had —knowledge, hard work and a dose of chutzpah, which is Yiddish for audacity. I use the word in the best way possible. P H OTO Dineo Khabele ’85
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Class Notes 1951 WILL BREWSTER
brewsterwilliam34@gmail.com
Will Brewster told us that 2015 was a special year. “Our youngest son, Hal, and his partner, Geoff, were married on July 11, 2015, in York Harbor, Maine, and I officiated. You can read about it in the July 12th Sunday Styles section of The New York Times. It was a three-day event beginning with the rehearsal followed by the rehearsal dinner in our barn. The wedding day was filled with things to do: swimming in the creek below while the tide was high, boating and touring the historical sights of the Kittery-Portsmouth area. The wedding was joyful with everyone joining with the responses. The reception was held at the Reading Room, a century-old house built on the cliffs overlooking York Harbor. I continue to serve on the board of Kittery Land Trust as secretary and continue to be involved with art and memoir writing. The writing started out with the intention of telling my story for our grandchildren. It has evolved into my thinking through what really happened way back when. The French classify memoir as fiction, but it’s still engaging. A week in Stratford, Ontario, for theater and gathering the clan for Thanksgiving are staples each year. Arlene has moved her practice into our home to avoid driving in the winter snows. She’s working part time but is thinking of retiring in a year or two. The grandchildren are growing up and doing quite well in school.”
1952 FRED HELDENFELS
fheldenfels@gmail.com
1953 E D NA N O E L H E L D E N F E L S
fheldenfels@gmail.com
Bill and Jo Kurth Jagoda said they are muddling along as usual. “The good news is that our younger grandson, Bob Anemone, is the new concertmaster of the Evansville, Ind., philharmonic, as well as artist-inresidence of Evansville University and first violinist of the Larchmere String Quartet. Evansville is a big change from Boston. But, surprisingly, there are quite a few colleagues there that he already knows. Our daughter, Sasha, has opened a gallery in Santa Fe called City of Mud, which will showcase the work of artists there doing non-typical Southwestern-style art — a rather bold concept, since most tourists come to the city looking for turquoise jewelry and howling coyotes. It will focus on Internet sales. Google cityofmud.com!”
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Dan Lane recently found some photos of past Reunions — great memories! Also, Dan’s son, Daniel McNeel “Neel” Lane Jr., has been named the new chair of the Episcopal Relief & Development board. Dan said, “My contribution to his selection is limited to my having named him a ‘Junior’ at birth.” Episcopal Relief & Development works with more than three million people in nearly 40 countries worldwide to overcome poverty, hunger and disease through multi-sector programs that utilize local resources and expertise.
1954 MIKE HINES
mjhines1@cox.net
Monte Jones was featured in “Cowboys for Kids”, a show that was presented in San Angelo on October 10 at the San Angelo Civic Theatre. Monte appeared as Biscuits O’Bryan, a Texas storyteller character whom he created many years ago. Search for Biscuits O’Bryan on the Internet to find out much more about this fascinating character and the places he has been.
1955 C H A R L E N E M O O R E M A RT I N
cma92837@aol.com
An old Reunion photo of Dan Lane ’53 and his daughter, Linda Joan McCaleb Hunt said she “graduated from St. Stephen’s in 1953, among one of the first 50 or so students to be a boarding student at the school in 1950, the year it was begun. My husband, Jack Hunt, and I continue to live in Wilmington, Del., but we go to Seabrook Island, S.C., in the late fall and early spring. We both are active playing golf and biking, but I have temporarily stopped playing tennis. We are fortunate to have family members visit us in both locations. I have four children and 10 grandchildren. This summer, Jack and I met up in Maine and New Hampshire with my son who lives in Beijing. We spent about 10 days in the areas doing what we do — biking, golfing, playing tennis and eating great food prepared by Jack. In June, I went to Texas to meet up with my daughter, Susan. We had a great time going all over — Austin, Galveston, Houston and the Clear Lake area. Our current plans are to take another trip to Texas to visit our numerous family members and friends. All is well here.” Bob Scott said that he and his wife, Dale, “first became active with the Wareham, Mass., land trust (WLT) when we retired in 2001. Today we continue to contribute to its land acquisition and stewardship mission. As a graphic artist/designer, I participate in WLT stewardship and land acquisition projects from an aesthetic perspective. Dale's primary involvement is to educate the Wareham community about preserving and protecting our forests, marshes and Buzzards Bay. Also, we are fortunate that our home borders Mass Audubon conservation land.”
Keith Hollins wrote that “all is well in Memphis, except for the drive-by-shootings, gang riots, dreadful poverty, purse grabbing, and broken-in cars and houses. I am somewhat ashamed that last week I moved into a gated condo. I was never gonna do that; so much for my high road. However, it is freedom to walk the dog at 9 a.m. and come in the gate at dark with no worries. I even leave a window open at night. My second to last granddaughter went off to Reed College; one more to go. I'm doing DNA testing for the finals of applying to join Daughters of the Texas Republic. I had no idea my forebears went back that far. God willing and the creek thing, I will be at the next Reunion with no moves ahead. I cherish my St. Stephen's days.” Bob Snodgrass reported that he and Kay were unable to attend Reunion 2015. “We both enjoyed the 2005 reunion very much and were busy with various things in 2010. We hoped to return to Austin this year. However, Kay has increasingly severe lung disease (pulmonary fibrosis) and needs oxygen for almost all activities, so traveling even 100 miles is increasingly difficult. I had to stop work because of this progressive problem, but I have written several recent articles with co-authors in New England, something that would have been much more complex in the pre-Internet era. I enjoy cooking and eating, and we both enjoy our three children and six grandchildren all of whom live on the West Coast in California, Oregon and Washington. Our oldest grandchild will begin college in 2016. Our three dachshunds play an important role in our life. We’ve had many dogs and cats over the years. Ironically, if Kay gets a lung transplant (an outside possibility because of her age; younger people get a higher priority, which we think is reasonable) she will not be able to hold or touch them because the immunosuppression necessary to tolerate the transplant will make her unable to control organisms that shed and exhale. So we march on and actually have a great deal to be thankful for.”
1956 ELLEN MCCORQUODALE MARTIN
EMcCorq@aol.com
Ellen McCorquodale Martin has retired from her job as a patient advocate at Ben Taub General Hospital and currently is trying to write and publish a book of poems.
1957 RU T H W I L S O N W I T T E N
Ruthwitten@aol.com
Bob Turpin reported that “Ruth and I have both had health problems this year. I had a staph infection earlier that was followed by her having a hip replacement and then me fracturing my back trying to help her. My Longhorns are not playing that well except against OU, and the Rangers folded against Toronto. Otherwise everything is great.”
1958 J. P. B RYA N
BryanJ@teai.com OR andrea@thebryanmuseum.com
J.P. Bryan reported that “our classmate Robert Munday passed away on Sept. 21, 2015. He had been fighting incurable liver cancer. Robert was one of a kind, and his passing leaves a big hole in our class roster. Please keep his children and his wife, Gretchen, in your prayers.” Tony award winner Deanna Dunnagan starred in the M. Night Shayamalan movie “The Visit,” which opened on Sept. 11, 2015. Check it out at www.stayinyourroom. com. She also recently appeared in the play “Marvin’s Room” at Theater Wit in Chicago, which was highly recommended by the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago SunTimes, and Lou Porter Bailey ’71 and Scott Bailey ‘70. Henry V. Campbell III reported that he was “flying to Geneva for my investiture in the Order of Savoy.” Congratulations, Henry!
Spartan Magazine
That celebration was closely followed by Jenny's diagnosis of breast cancer. The next 12 months were dominated by rounds of chemo, radiation and surgery; but love conquered all on May 9, 2015, as a healthy bride and beaming groom were FINALLY married in the St. Stephen’s Chapel before a gathering of family and numerous St. Stephen’s alumni. We are eternally grateful to skilled physicians, God's mercy and the support of our many friends who shepherded us through an extremely difficult year with a VERY happy ending.” Jeannette also told us the very sad news that Pilar Fletcher, daughter of Celia Jones, passed away at her home in Carlsbad on Oct. 10, 2015, after a two-year battle with melanoma, which had reoccurred after she first contracted it about 20 years ago. Mary Jon and J.P. Bryan founded a new museum, The Bryan Museum in Galveston. It is housed in a restored historic building. According to the website, “the Bryan Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of historical artifacts, documents and artwork relating to the Southwestern United States.” It is the result of their lifetime commitment to historic preservation and education. Jim Mehaffy, Howard Mason, Fred Fry, Jeannette Schaleben Cook and Madelyn Neumann Flowers joined the Bryans at the museum for its opening last June and had a wonderful time. The entire Spartan group was so proud of J.P., not only for the museum itself but also for his excellent speech at the opening ceremony. Jeannette also reported that the museum is a remarkable gift to the state of Texas and that everyone should go to Galveston and take a tour of the collections and building. Read more about the museum on its web site, thebryanmuseum.org.
1959 TOM ROMBERG
tromberg@me.com
Robin and Charlie Sumners are gearing up for the 125th year celebration of the Cuero church building. Charlie is the interim rector at Grace Episcopal Church in Cuero, Texas.
Jim Mehaffy lives in Beaumont with his wife, Maris. He is retired from the elected position he held as judge of the 58th district court but is now a senior district judge and does part-time work as a visiting judge. “Our children are all graduated from college. Tom just graduated from law school at the University of Oregon. Pat has one more year to go at Texas Tech Law School. Haylee is a pharmaceutical rep in Houston, and Elizabeth and her husband live with their children, my grandchildren, ages 14 and 16, in Austin.”
Peggy and Tom Romberg “enjoyed a wonderful cruise with Oceania starting in Venice and ending in Barcelona. We then met our studying-abroad granddaughter in Spain and enjoyed Barcelona as well as one day in Madrid with her. It did wonders for my attitude!”
Jeannette Schaleben Cook told us that “the last two years have been huge in the Schaleben-Cook family. It all began on Christmas 2013 with the joyful engagement of my daughter, Jenny Cook ’89 to G.A. Purcell ’91.
Pat Black has “adopted a ruby King Charles cavalier named Reba. She's my personal trainer and constant companion — a bit irritating at first, but she has taught me how to be a companion person! This summer Nasar
1960 PAT FAT T E R B L A C K
ggpat77@gmail.com
and I went to Berlin to spend time with friends. I then left for Portland, Ore., to sing with the Berkshire Choral group that I've been with 14 times. A fun summer to be sure.” Pat also “ran into Emily Crawford Bailey at the grocery last week. She's still working at UT, but had planned to be in Williamsburg during our reunion. We missed you.” John Looney wrote that “Susan and I will miss you at our 55th reunion. I have to run a conference at Duke on those dates. I am still working full time and enjoying it still. We built a small house in Franklin, Tenn., so that we can be closer to our farm up on the Cumberland Plateau and to grandchildren. I travel between Durham and Franklin regularly.” Page Allen enjoyed her trip to Greece in the spring. She said it's her “soul place.” She is also excited about creating the art for a canvas for the front of St. Stephen's altar that will be needlepointed. Dallas Baxter wrote, “We're off to France next week in our usual unprepared way. Jerry is on the cusp of reretiring, but we have so many projects lined up I'm not sure just how retiring he'll get.” Cookie Mauritz Streng reported that “I don't know about y'all but I certainly don't feel 55 years older! I would love to see everyone but we will still be somewhere way west of Texas in October. Maybe we can all compare walkers and wheelchairs at our 60th.” “Hoppy” missed Reunion because she was in Slovenia. (Some of you may remember her as Nancy Hopwood!) Bettie Cartwright shared that she continues “as I have for the past 20 or so years to live in Houston and Gloucester, Mass., almost equally now. Two really interesting trips in the past two years to Bhutan and to Mongolia to study nesting cranes had a big impact on me. Feeling close to old friends from different times in my life is real important and eases the empty feeling of Colin’s absence. I love the time I spend with younger friends, some of whom might be the kids I didn’t give birth to. And then there’s my pug, Niki, who is the bossiest person I know! My role as trustee for a friend's estate led to much involvement in the arts in Houston, but as that draws to a conclusion I find my focus changing a bit. Here comes the future!" Ecky Wyatt-Brown Malick and Pat Fatter Black attended “Evening with the Authors” at the home of Rebecca Marshall Hawener ’61 in Lockhart. The event raises money for the Eugene Clark Library there. For readers, it's a gourmet feast set in Becky's backyard amid twinkly lights and tables to talk with the authors. Jeannette Schaleben Cook ’58 was there with her daughter, Jenny Cook Purcell ’89, one of the authors. “The Heart of Annie” is J.S. Foote's (her pen name) first novel. Pat said, “it’s fun to have an edition signed by a St. Stephen’s alumna.”
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Ecky Wyatt-Brown Malick, Genie Winterbotham Ratliff and Patricia Morrison ’63 celebrated the first anniversary of Hen Party Films, which they created to help new filmmakers. One of the films they assisted, “Love’s Labor’s Lost”, was shot at St. Stephen's with a student cast. The film was directed by Jake O'Hare ’10 and Jennifer Sturley ’13. Linda "Mouse" Bulloch said, “Thanks in large measure to the encouragement and teaching skills of Allen and Elizabeth Becker and Pete Melcher, I have just retired after a fine career as a journalist, book author, creative writing teacher and book editor. These days, I lead journal writing workshops for Hospice Savannah. The years at St. Stephen’s gave me a good foundation, both in academics and self-sufficiency. Thank you, hill folks.”
Winter 2016
James Ray ’20 is in the eighth grade. And last, but certainly not least, we are proud that our daughter, Ellen Osborne Ray ’86, is currently chair of the board of trustees at St. Stephen’s.” Joan Williams McCloud and her daughter, Libbie Walker Ansell ’85, were the honorees of the 64th Annual Holiday Charity Ball of the Junior League of Galveston County, which was held on Dec. 12, 2015. Both have been very active in Junior League activities and other Galveston service organizations. Congratulations, ladies!
1963 J U L I A C AU T H O R N
julia@texancapital.com
1961 S T E V E J O L LY
stevejolly@mindspring.com
Patti Donaldson Ballard and her husband, John Ballard, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August 2015. The wedding took place on Aug.14, 1965, in the St. Stephen’s Chapel. Congratulations, Patti and John! Their daughter, Kim Ballard Ray ’88, graduated from St. Stephen’s, and two of their grandchildren are here now. Stirling Burnett ’16 is a senior, and Miles Ray ’20 is an 8th grader. John Dulles reported that he continues “to be engaged in civil rights work, especially providing training on Native American and voting rights issues. Judy and I enjoy traveling, heading for Ireland and London this fall, and next year will spend some time with Frank Spring and his wife, Martha, in Sarlat-la-Caneda, France, and the surrounding Dordogne countryside. Looking forward to lots of Duck Confit and Cassoulet!”
1962 DAV I D S A N D E R S
Duncan Osborne wrote that “our son, Michael Osborne ’96, went to St. Stephen’s Middle School. Michael received his Ph.D. from Stanford last year. More importantly, he and his wife, Alison, have a new St. Stephen’s prospect, Duncan Hollan Osborne, born in March of 2014. Also, Betty Osborne and I are very pleased to have our two oldest grandchildren at St. Stephen’s: Natalie Ray ’16 is a senior, and
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solitude. It gave me time to get ready for the course that I am facilitating this fall on current food production systems. There is nothing like enforced quiet to give a person time to recharge the batteries.” Scott Shelton wrote, “Tricia and I have established our residence in the White Bluff Resort area on Lake Whitney. Our house backs up on the 10th fairway on one of the golf courses. I continue to practice law and have offices in Cleburne, San Angelo and Midland. My retirement ceremony will be when they wheel me out of my office feet first. We are enjoying being closer to our children and grandchildren.”
1965 DIANNE DUNCAN TUCKER
John ‘Mo’ Hines reported, “I've just had my second knee replacement (running out of knees), and it went well…all those years of clambering around The Hill; trying to escape being a Sadie Hawkins Day Dance victim; running for coaches Newman, Phipps, Glidewell, Foster, et al.; kneeling in Chapel services, etc. Still dividing the year between our mini-properties in Louisville, Ky., Cashiers, N.C., and Waimarama, New Zealand.” Richard Fullerton wrote that “the last feature I shot, ‘Coming Through the Rye,’ was screened a couple of times at the Austin Film Festival in late October/ early November 2015. I make a fleeting appearance as Charlie, the butcha’/postmahsta’. Strangely, I will not be treading the red carpet or receiving a lifetime achievement acting award at the ceremony, but that’s Terry Malick’s ’61 fault for refusing to wrench me from obscurity and make me a major star. Also, our son, Colin Fullerton, age 23, in the second year of his studies for a master’s degree in classical guitar performance at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, received first prize in the 16th Annual East Carolina University Solo Guitar Competition – College/Professional Division.”
rdavidsanders@msn.com
Tim Pettus wrote that “after retiring and playing duplicate bridge for three years, I am back in Beijing teaching math with School Year Abroad. In past years, I taught St. Stephen’s students for a year, but this year my only Texans are from St. Mary's and St. Mark's. I missed one week of classes because of a minor heart attack, but I think I am fine now.”
Myrna Simon Douglas reported that “Tom and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2015 on New Year’s Eve. We’re ‘elderly’ but not yet old goats and still very good friends. Life is wonderful. We enjoy living just outside Ruidoso, N.M. Lots of deer and forests. Anyone who heads our way for a vacation is welcome to come by or stay.”
1964 We need a class rep. If interested, please contact Lou Porter Bailey ’71 at lbailey@sstx.org. Bayard Breeding recently attended “a three-day individual retreat at St. Benedict's Monastery near Snowmass, Colo. Three days of no cell phones, no Internet, no television, and a lot of quiet and
ddtuck@aol.com
Thanks go to Pat Booker, who has been a super class representative for many years. Please welcome Dianne Duncan Tucker, who now takes over from Pat. Thank you, Dianne! Members of the Class of 1965 gathered for our 50th reunion in October. We congregated for a BBQ Friday night, and Saturday night Jill Matthews Wilkinson ’64 graciously provided her house for a Mexican food dinner. Despite our advanced age, we visited until the early hours of Sunday morning. Sandra Leigh Bryant and her husband stopped in before their scheduled trip to South Carolina. Sandra still has her accounting practice in Houston and has no plans to retire, much to the relief of your representative! Greg Willis and his wife are in Austin and have two children in college. Doug Conly came in from Boulder. He has been retired from IBM for about two years and has traded in his car for a bike. Petie Miller is still living in Pasadena, Calif. She recently showed a painting in a juried show at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. She was delighted to report that the painting sold. Ron DeFord is happily retired except for one month of the year when he puts on a red suit and plays Santa. He has no need for a fake beard. We have at least two dog lovers in our class. Natalie Bayless is a dog trainer in Asheville, N.C., and Muffin Moore breeds ‘beautiful miniature doxons’ in Austin. As a matter of fact, new puppies arrived the night of our reunion. Tina Plowman is living off the grid in Arkansas but makes a few trips to Austin a year to see her daughter. David Hoster has retired from the pulpit and is now a visiting priest. No word as to whether he will try to resume his role as advice columnist, ‘Trainer Dave.’ Carol Dunagan Husbands lives in San Marcos and currently serves as dean of the School of Wisdom. She regularly facilitates classes for the school, sings in the chancel choir and is a lay Eucharistic minister at St. Mark’s. She has a son in Seattle, a daughter in England and another son closer to home. Bill Tamminga is still a practicing
architect in Austin. A resort in Jamaica for which Bill Tamminga is the architect was featured in The New York Times Style Magazine on Sept. 18, 2015. A possibility for our 55th? Our former class rep, Pat Booker, told us that her ‘life has been measured by hurricanes and pets while working as first a reference librarian and then a fact checker at Texas Monthly. Now that I am retired, my life is measured in trips, doctors’ appointments and surgeries — and pets.’ We owe her thanks for handling the job for so long. Accompanied by their dog, Jack, Mary Magee Gregory and her retired husband divide their time between Houston and the Hill Country. She keeps busy with the Garden Club and enjoys being involved with the Bayou Bend Gardens. While visiting her older son in Brooklyn, she had a visit with Radey Johnson. He and his wife, Jane, have restored a lovely historical brownstone with a view across the river to lower Manhattan. They have two daughters, both in college. He sends his best to everyone. John Harrison has retired, but he and his wife have formed an organization to fund biking and hiking trails in Texarkana. Their efforts have been successful, and they hope to continue. John reported that John Singleton has maintained his love affair with trains and couldn’t be at the reunion because he was working on getting the Christmas train ready for the holidays. Word has it that he will be portraying an elf. Santa and his elves distribute gifts to children along the train route. Harry Yewens, a.k.a. ‘Lighthorse Harry,’ sent news that he has retired from designing and maintaining golf courses and moved to the piney woods of Montgomery County because he ‘never cared that much for being a flatlander.’ I assume he gets in a golf game every now and then. Richard Evert and his wife, Lyn, have lived in Princeton, N.J., for almost 40 years. He has had a varied career, including working in mental hospitals and editing multiple choice questions for ETS. He also got a Ph.D. in Old English and a law degree. After working for a private firm, he served as general counsel to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and then as a medical receptionist. Currently he is deeply committed to working with a nonprofit development company building housing for the working poor in East Baltimore. He would love to hear from everyone. Chris Phillips missed the gathering but managed to enjoy himself in Italy. Bill Clebsch is still at Stanford but sends greetings from California. Four of the original 17 eighth graders came. There aren’t too many people who can get together and reminisce about Noblis Agris and the ‘night of infamy!’ (Or the night of purloined panties or the panty raid.) Buddy Baldridge came in for one night before heading to South Dakota. He manages his family’s ranch outside of Snyder and is enjoying his 12 grandchildren. David Gibson has retired and is now a man of leisure. He has taken up gardening and the flute and is generally enjoying life. Susan Lewis, another original member of the Class of ’65, is now living in Austin. After an academic career she is now writing novels and children’s books, many of which are about birds. Yours truly, Dianne Duncan Tucker, is still active in the family ranch. I am on the boards
Spartan Magazine
Ellen McCorquodale Martin ’56, Chris Hershberger ’64, Kathleen LaSeur and Harvey LaSeur ’73
Alumni Party at Canopy Restaurant — Houston Houston alumni had a very fun and delicious party at Canopy Restaurant, located in the Houston museum district and owned by Claire Smith ’83, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015.
Duncan E. Osborne ’62 of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission and the Briscoe Center. That means I enjoy more frequent trips to Austin for meetings and get to see my absolutely adorable grandchildren. I would like to tell Marc Singer, another original eighth grader, via this column that my standing with my adolescent son and his cronies went way up when I told them I knew the Beastmaster! I am forever grateful. We all had a wonderful time getting reacquainted and missed those of you who couldn’t attend. Get some exercise, watch your diet, and follow your doctor’s orders so we can all reconvene in five years to celebrate our 55th reunion!
Family and friends honored political activist and business owner Bertha Sadler Means, mother of Patricia Means King, with an endowment that was dedicated to her on Reunion Sunday during Chapel. Pat was in attendance with her family. Candy Miller said she loved attending the special tribute to Bertha Sadler Means over reunion weekend, when she had a brief visit with Marvin and Pat Means King. "I sat in the senior section of the Chapel, feeling kind of lonely on my own, but still, it was a joyous day and the hymns were fabulous. Looking forward to a great turnout for next year!”
Ann Gateley reported that she has been “enjoying married life! Took my new husband to Houston, where HELEN THOMPSON we had a mini reunion with David Barnett, Janet Helent17@aol.com Weichert Miller and Virginia Shepperd Hamilton. Also Helen Miller still maintains a web page for the have seen quite a bit of Claire Dennison Griffith ’76, as class at www.postoakfarm.com/SSSLink.htm. she is in charge of major donors at our shared second alma mater, Sweet Briar College, which is open for Virginia Shepperd Hamilton wrote, “In June Doc and business after a near-disastrous decision by its board I sold our house in Austin and bought one in Brenham; and former president to close. Claire has been key to Betty (Bachman) Osborne ’62 its revival, so send St. Stephen’s students to check it I missNancy Austin,Scanlan but the ’59 slowand pace of Brenham is nice, too. Doc has a longtime friend who lives in Brenham, out! My husband and I volunteered there this summer. and he already has gotten to know some other local We are now off to Germany, Poland and Holland with musicians. He is even playing around town a bit, just a follow up trip to Italy in December. (My husband is for fun. For now, I am still working in Houston and I go pleased that a graduate of his alma mater is taking over to Brenham on the weekends.” as headmaster!)”
1966
Jonathan Neale also has made some life changes, having just retired from Bath Spa University after 12 years and 47 years of what he calls ‘wage labour.’ This doesn't mean that Jonathan is slowing down, but that he has more time to devote to climate change awareness, which is his real calling. “Just had a wonderful week in Lisbon at meetings organized by Climaximo, which is starting a new climate jobs campaign in Portugal. Intelligent, energetic, committed people — and nice. Came away very encouraged.”
Jim Collins wrote, “Debbie and I spent the hot Texas summer touring England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales by train, boat and bus! We had a fabulous time and for the most part the weather was wonderful. We have a new swimming pool at the ranch that we have been enjoying with the grands. The hot tub is still going into November!” Helen Thompson, your class rep, has just signed a contract for a book on modernism in Marfa. “We have photographed 20 houses that reflect the effect the
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ALUMN I N EWS
Winter 2016
(left to right) Eric Venditti, Sarah Mitchell '98, G.A. Purcell '91, Ellen Smith '91, Molly Dougherty '68, Jenny Cook Purcell '89, Phillip Doig '81 and Carey Gunn Venditti '86
Alumni Dinner at Texas French Bread — Austin Austin area alumni had a wonderful dinner at Texas French Bread Restaurant, owned by Murph Willcott ’79, on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. Good food and fellowship — a great experience for all!
great minimalist artist Donald Judd had on this former water-stop in far West Texas. The book will be out next October for all of you planning Christmas gift-giving two years in advance.”
1967
community needs. We've got a great mix of 15 American and Spanish natural resource students. I visited Cape Town earlier in the summer for an academic conference and got in a couple of days of really wonderful birding in the Western Cape. Klara and the boys are well, and our life in Seattle is full. St. Stephen's remains the key formative experience of my life.”
R A N D Y PA R T E N
jrparten@parten.com
Emory ‘Kim’ Cantey, wrote, “I am retired now at 68 years old except for my CW antiques and Western antiques business. Life has been good! Have a home in Fort Worth and summer homes in Edisto, S.C., and Gundogan, Turkey. We still travel a lot. My wife and I are doing fine, thank God! Married to same great lady now for 37 years! My son, Andrei, graduated from UTA with a B.S. in computer engineering and communications in May 2015. Working on master’s as well. He designed my website at www.canteymyerscollection.com.”
1968 ROB HENDERSON
rehenderson@nvcc.edu
Greg Hicks reported that “our family continues happily in Seattle. I have been focusing recently on building a partnership between the University of Washington and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and that's going great. I've just been named UW Law Foundation Professor of Law, an endowed professorship.” Greg also wrote about Class Rep Rob Henderson: “Thanks so much for taking the lead on reporting our alumni news and giving us all a needed push. You've tracked me down in a small town in Picos de Europa National Park in northern Spain, where I'm teaching a course with Spanish colleagues on conservation of rural and wild landscapes, thinking of
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Brocky Brown reported that “there appears to be a few marriages being planned around ’68ers. I’ll add another one: I am very pleased to share with you that Mary Chalmers and I are engaged and planning a wedding celebration in November. I joined in on her college reunion earlier this year and am looking forward to her joining in on a St. Stephens reunion. You will fall in love with her just as my parents, daughter and son-in-law have.” Brocky also told us about St. Stephen’s history, happenings in LABEC (L.A. Becker’s English Class), and many of you came up in discussions with Laurence and Rosanne Becker recently. “The Beckers were able to stay here in Speedway, Ind., a night while on their way back to Austin from the 2015 Shaklee convention. The weather was excellent, and they had time to play croquet with Mary, her teenage son and me. Later, Laurence and I rode bikes through the town. Laurence is as competitive as ever and is eager to turn 80 so he can get into the 80 and over tennis tournaments. They are an amazing, energetic couple!” Molly Dougherty told us, “In December Kip and I had a blissful time in St. Thomas. Afterward my doctor told me she had never seen me so relaxed and recommended a minimum of one vacation a year. After the slimmest of science background in school, I seem these days to be focused on preventive health care through my volunteer work in El Salvador and my home-based businesses here. And as something totally new, I've recently gotten interested in gold.”
Margaret Shephard Halcomb posed the question, “Where has the time gone? I’ve been retired for five years now, and I love this chapter in my life. As a speech/language pathologist working for Poway Unified School District, my days were long and filled with many left-brained activities. I loved working with the children and knowing that I was making a difference in so many lives. It was a very rewarding career. When I retired there were so many simple things I wanted to try — beginning with sitting down to drink a relaxing morning cup of coffee, traveling in seasons besides summer, and tapping into the right side of my brain. Many cups of coffee later, after many wonderful trips and hours and hours learning new crafts, I can say I have not been disappointed with retirement. The big news for my family is that my son has moved back to the U.S. after living in Japan for almost a decade. Now that he’s living and working in the Bay Area, we are getting to see him so much more often. Whoopee! Both my son, Scott, and my daughter, Whitney, are single, but my daughter has a most wonderful four-year-old son, and he is the light of our lives. Whitney lives in Austin, so I travel to Texas every couple of months to visit them, my dad, and my many siblings. I’m trying to reconnect with old friends who touched my life. I would love to meet up with folks from the Class of ’68. There’s no doubt that life on The Hill had a tremendous impact on my life.” John McFarland told us that “Clarke Heidrick’s oldest son and my godson, Rob, announced his engagement in April to Emily Teachout. He will be the first of the Heidrick clan to fall to the nuptial knife. My two sons, regrettably, are still single. We’re still fighting for truth and justice in the music capital of the world. Check out my blog, www.oilandgaslawyerblog.com.” Robert Henderson reported from Virginia that “our oldest daughter, Rachel, the police officer, is engaged to a wonderful guy, Sameer, also a cop. A small wedding will be held in May 2016 in the Virginia Mountains. Wedding planning is a stepchild of organizational logistics with layers of emotion. It will happen… somehow. Leilani and I recently met the prospective inlaws, are delighted, and look forward to the event.”
1969 JOSH HARRISON
JHarrisonLaw@aol.com
Mary Bachman Burke reported that “Alan Fenton and I are well; however, we won't be at Reunion this year. I have a conference in Chicago I must attend, and Alan and I are taking advantage of my travels there to enjoy a tourist weekend beforehand. I've never spent any time in Chicago, and I look forward to exploring a new place! Alan and I continue to travel a lot! We had a wonderful trip to India last February and hope to be in Vietnam this coming winter. That's the most exotic of our adventures, but we manage to get to Europe too, and in September will have a couple of weeks in England.
Spartan Magazine
1972 MARGOT CLARKE
margotclarke@austin.rr.com L I Z F O S T E R LU C Z Y C K I
lfoster9026@gmail.com
Jan Colwell Dockendorf did not have any news about herself or her husband, “Although at our age no news is good news. We are still enjoying our retirement life in Asheville, N.C. I do have news about our son, Jay. He wrote and directed his first feature film, ‘Naz & Maalik,’ and it premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin in March. Indiewire listed the film as No. 3 on their list of breakout films from SXSW due to the direction of Jay Dockendorf! Obviously, we are proud parents!” Fred Myers’ Class of 1971 party: (left to right, back row) Hope Lochridge ’71, Mark Clark ’71, Jim Smith ’72, Jeff Glanz ’71, Nixon Wheat ’71, Gwin Steph ’71, Chris Butler ’71 and Phebe Davol ’72; (front row) Wes Robbins, Chris Edmonds ’71, Margot Clarke ’72, Katherine Brogan Enyart’73, Kathryn Miller Anderson ’71 and Fred Myers ’71
1973 DOUG ANDERSON
dlalaw@hotmail.com
We'll be in Italy after Christmas. In between, Alan golfs a lot. I am still working and also active in Jungian analytic training of professionals, and of course, lots of family time. Between us, we have seven grandchildren — most exciting of all is that our grandson Patrick Simmonds ’22, son of Claire Fenton Simmonds ’93, has started St. Stephen’s as a 6th grader! That brings up untold memories and a great deal of pleasure. We're looking forward to Grandparent's Day. Who knew we'd have another iteration of connection to St. Stephen's!?” Josh Harrison reported, “We are beginning to do more traveling ourselves since February when we lost Vicky's father. We recently bought a small home in Santa Fe and have made several trips up there this year, where I am able to work at the law practice in the mornings and then take time off in the afternoons.”
1970 ELLEN JOCKUSCH
ejockusch@gmail.com
Elizabeth Burke Taylor told us that “Nick and I enjoyed the fall leaves in the Adirondack National Park, instead of attending our 45th alumni reunion. Can you blame us? We’re in the process of building a cabin and cook house on a lake, which is only reachable by guide boat or canoe across two lakes with an easy hike in-between. We expect to spend more time there in the future. The trip also gave me a chance to see my son, Mark, and meet his very special girlfriend, who were both there on a three-day 90-mile canoe trip. Nick and I transported their car for them every day. In March 2015, I enjoyed being with my son, Mark, in Walnut Creek, Calif., near Berkeley, giving him a mother’s care. He was in great pain, on crutches, and could not drive his car due to a case of February frostbite (and infection) on all the toes of his right foot. His big toe and second toe, finally, self-amputated in September, and he will soon have surgery on them. We’re grateful that his other three
toes survived. Nothing stops Mark. Besides his October canoe trip, Mark and his girlfriend cycled to the top of Pikes Peak, Colo., during a month of camping, cycling and climbing. In July 2014, I visited my son, John, Robyn, and my two granddaughters in Sydney, Australia. Today, I’m starting on a two-week trip to Port Aransas for some R&R and sketching. I can’t wait to get the scoop on our reunion from Pam Runge Wood during a visit with her en route to ‘The Beach.’ I think we should have a destination reunion for our 50th alumni reunion. I think we’d have a bigger attendance. Let’s have it at a beach. What do you think? I’ll help with the arrangements.” Sean Gardner Turner wrote, “It has been a most challenging year healthwise, but I'm still alive. You won't hear any complaints from me. Each day is a gift I enjoy. My daughter, Thee, started a new home business making custom T-shirts and beautiful embroidered items. She can also make any sports jerseys for soccer, football or most any other sport. I'm thrilled she's able to enjoy doing this. It's always difficult for a disabled person to find a suitable career they enjoy.”
1971 K AT H RY N M I L L E R A N D E R S O N
zjmiller1513@gmail.com
Fred Myers hosted a big weekend party in Hunt, Texas, in September 2015 for the Class of 1971 and friends, and everyone there had a wonderful time! Rudy Green wrote, “Joyce and I visited Japan last month. Of course, we spent a lot of time with our son, Andrew Green ’07 who is still enjoying his work at Suntory. He spent three days with Hiroki Tajiri ’07 and family. Andrew, Joyce and I had dinner and cocktails with John Dougherty ’05. Altogether, we had a wonderful experience.”
1974 ANN RHODES MCMEANS
armcmeans@gmail.com
1975 M A RY B R A N D T
mary.l.brandt@gmail.com. S Y LV I A M C I N T Y R E - C R O O K
sycrook1@cox.net.
Sylvia McIntyre-Crook reported, “We had an outstanding reunion with at least 25 from our class of 43 in attendance. There was not nearly enough time to talk to everyone, but it was just fun to be together. As for me, I continue to paint and am having a wonderful year of it with four commissions, three exhibits and my first foray as exhibitor to Gainesville’s Downtown Arts Festival, which is ranked 16th in the United States. My daughter lives in Austin and started her own business designing, making, and embroidering purses and apparel. My husband still teaches at the University of Florida, and our son is about to do a music tour in Brazil.” Allison Burnett reported that “fall in Asheville is beautiful. October was my 13th year working at Adult Daycare Center. St. Stephen's helped with having an open mind regarding people with dementia. (You can take that comment any way you choose).” Rex Blazer lives in Delray, Fla., plays fiddle and is very active musically. Gina Adams still lives in Washington, D.C., and is a senior fellow in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute. She focuses on factors affecting child care and early education among low income families.
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Penny Levers and her husband own and create the Oak Hill Gazette south of Austin.
Winter 2016
1980 MILES WRIGHT
miles@xanofi.com
We all know what Cecile Richards has been up to. We appreciate her fight for Planned Parenthood!
1976
1981 CHARLOTTE STUCKEY BRIGHAM
charlotteesbrigham@yahoo.com
K I M FA I R E Y
E R I C A P E T E R S S TA F F O R D
kim.fairey@gmail.com
Erica.Stafford@bvcpa.com
Facebook page: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Class of 1976. Lissa Rabon reported that “after working at Buffalo Woman Ranch in Colo. all summer, I am back in Wimberley at our family ranch putting together workshops and equine assisted coaching classes. I wrangled horses for an independent film in Nevada in September and hope to do more of that in Texas. Life after 50 is awesome!!!” Marilyn and Ross Gunn welcomed twin granddaughters, Rosalie and Vivian, in October. That makes a total of three grandkids. While Kim Fairey and her family were in Baltimore for Kim’s cancer treatment “we were able to spend a little time in the inner harbor and realized we were meant to spend some baseball time at Camden Yard when we realized the Red Sox were in town. Cape Cod was wonderful. We were there last week of August and first week of September, which meant it was a lot less crowded after school started, but still beautiful weather. Thanks to Jennie and Sarah, I learned to paddle board, was able to walk and ride my bike for the first time since last summer. I feel normal, relaxed and even vibrant.” Carolyn McIntyre-White and her husband, Michael White, reported that they “have become activists to save our New York public libraries from becoming luxury condos.”
1977 R O B E RT E T T I N G E R
robert@ettlaw.com
Would you like to be your class’s rep? We need one. Please contact lbailey@sstx.org.
1979 C A R R O L L L I V E LY R E E S E R
carroll@reeser.net
John Bernard wrote, “After 14 years of working overseas, I have returned to the United States and have relocated to Houston. During those years I worked in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Indonesia, South Africa, and then back to Ecuador. It has been quite a journey experiencing so many different cultures and seeing so many cool places. One of the highlights was doing a tandem bungie-like jump with my daughter off a bridge over the Zambezi River in Victoria Falls, which is on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Pretty exhilarating but not something I would do twice! So it is good to be back permanently in the U.S. and look forward to making it to more St. Stephen’s reunions.” Erica Peters Stafford reported that “your co-class rep has been keeping busy with work at an accounting firm (St. Stephen’s auditor now!) and with my children, John and Edie, 5 and 12. I was just telling my co-workers about seeing Willie Nelson up there on Loop 360 in 1979. He was filming his “Honeysuckle Rose” movie, and Tim Pettus ’62 took a van of us up to the unfinished Loop to watch some of the filming. Good old days at a great school!”
1982 wendy.naughton@gmail.com
Kimberly Reid Seals said, “This is a big year for my family. I have two seniors graduating this year. It doesn't seem possible. I have also just finished my certification to be a Level One DDP Yoga instructor.”
1983 LAURA MEARS MIRECKI
llynnmir@aol.com
Pam Richards Watts said, “This has been a bittersweet year for us. As many of you know, my dad passed away
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in April, and I’m grateful to all my fellow Spartans who reached out to us at that time. I was deeply moved to hear how many lives Dad had touched and want to thank you for sharing so many warm remembrances of him. On a more positive note, I’m excited to announce the debut of my writing and speaking website, www. pamrichardswatts.com. Next month, I will attend Baylor University’s Spirit of Sports symposium to present ‘The Other Gospel: Youth Activities as the Last Acceptable Cult’ (brought to you by a mom who has drunk the Kool-Aid!).”
Mark Donovan and Beverly Bell ’80 sent their hellos from 8,750 feet up in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico, where Bev's great-grandfather built a hunting cabin a century ago. Bev works as a writer and nonprofit director for global social and economic justice. Mark works as an occupational therapist in mental health and pediatrics. “We met at St. Stephen's and are life-long friends!”
W E N D Y W H I T E NAU G H T O N
1978
Pam Watts ’83
1984 S U Z A N N E C A N TA R I N O P F E I F F E R
SuzannePfeiffer@austin.rr.com
Platt Allen wrote, “This year marks the end of my service to the St. Stephen's community. Starting in 2001, I served on the board of trustees, filling my father's unexpired term and concluding with service as a member of the endowment board of trustees. The past 14 years have allowed me to give back to the institution that gave me so very much. I have engaged in thoughtful stewardship alongside some exceptional educational leaders and volunteers. My thanks to all of them for their patience, support and understanding as we tried to advance our precious school. I continue to serve the Fort Worth community as president/CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind. It is very rewarding work. My oldest daughter graduated from Baylor last spring with a degree in social work. My youngest is a sophomore at TCU studying strategic communications. My step-son is a freshman at OU and is thinking he wants to be an attorney. My step-daughter is in eighth grade and growing into a lovely young lady. I missed seeing you all at reunion, but hope to make our next milestone. Cheers to you all.” Mollie Leonard Azopardi reported that “Tommy and I still live in Wimberley. Thankfully we were not affected by the floods; however, we live on Fischer Store Road a mile from the bridge that washed away — so it takes us longer to get to Wimberley and Austin. Both our kids are at Texas A&M. Our son, Jarrod, will graduate in December and then start law school in the fall. Our daughter, Megan, is a junior and stays very busy being involved in lots of Aggie activities.”
Spartan Magazine
Jim Morgan and Mary Jackson ’84 On Sept. 15, 2015, native Texan Rear Admiral Mary M. Jackson, U.S.N., was commissioned as an admiral in the Texas Navy at a ceremony and luncheon at the Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville, Fla. Rear Admiral Jackson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, M.D., in 1988 with a B.S. in physics. At sea, Jackson has served aboard ships in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. She was commanding officer of the destroyer USS Briscoe and executive officer of USS Stout, a guided missile destroyer commissioned into naval service in Houston. In her current assignment as commander navy region southeast, Jackson is responsible for U.S. navy shore installations, many of which are here in Texas. John Abikhaled wrote, “Drake Fason and I get to team up regularly in the operating room. We enjoy reminiscing about our St. Stephen's days across the blue drape known fondly as the ‘blood-brain barrier.’ Drake is on the smart side.”
Jenny Cook '89 and G.A. Purcell ’91 wedding
1985 L I B B I E WA L K E R A N S E L L
libbieansell@gmail.com
1986 CHRIS BRECKWOLDT
cbreckwoldt@sstx.org ERIN FLORENCE JONES
erinflojones@gmail.com
1987 C AT H E R I N E H O E Y R A N DA L L
randallwe@aol.com
1988 MARK ROWE
John Abikhaled ’84 and Drake Fason ’84 Larbi Megateli wrote, “It was nice catching up with everyone at our 30th class reunion last year. It is amazing how time flies and how the more things change the more things stay the same. (Now I am starting to sound like an English paper for Mrs. Fenton!) As well as pursuing a career in high-tech telecommunications and cellular networks, I am now pursuing a career in music and have already released several albums of my original music compositions, mainly classical and new age piano music. You can check out my artist webpage at www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LarbiMegateli. So I guess I am cultivating art and science, mind and body!”
Catherine McKay ’88 and her son, Alex
markrowe@henna.com
1989
Catherine McKay had “no big news other than work at Shell and busy mom of two. My son, Alex, just started middle school, and Sofia is in the fourth grade. Great summer; we spent a week in Orcas Island, Wash., with friends and family. Nice visit with my cousin, Elaine Romberg Gravatt ’81, and her family. They live in Washington, D.C. She’s the oldest daughter of Tom Romberg ’59. I love keeping up with St. Stephen’s classmates on Facebook!”
L AU R A S C A N L A N C H O
Donna Spence Kirchoff said she “will be finishing a fellowship in Integrative Medicine in February; I am loving having more strategies to use in my work as a developmental and behavioral pediatrician. Our girls are growing up fast — 8 and 10 now — such fun ages, we are really enjoying them. Give us a call if you are ever in Portland, Ore. It is a wonderful place!”
lcho@vervelabs.com
Jenny Cook and G.A. Purcell ’91 were married in the St. Stephen’s Chapel on May 9, 2015. The reception was held at the Westwood Country Club. Carey Gunn Venditti joined the Austin office of the Greenberg Traurig law firm earlier this year as a shareholder, along with associate Jennifer Cook Purcell. Both Venditti and Purcell were previously with the Winstead law firm.
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Winter 2016
1990 JOSEPH FRISZ
friszman@yahoo.com
1991 LIZ FLEMING POWELL
lz.powell@gmail.com
1992 MONIKA POWE NELSON
giantmonsterprincess@gmail.com
Ryder Henry is married and living in Pittsburgh, where he recently had an art show. He has a 3-yearold son, Desmond, and another baby boy on the way.
1993
(left to right:) Jeff Broaddus ’94, Myles Bentsen ’93, Parviz Kavoussi ’94, Nevie Owens ’94 and Kate Bentsen Henrichson ’96
Beth Mack ’95 and her family
1994
1996
G R E T C H E N C O N NA L LY D O Y L E
ELIZABETH ANNE SYKES RAINS
gconnally@gmail.com
earains_lpc@yahoo.com
DAV I S B A L D W I N
rdbaldwin@mac.com
Ben Hoke wrote, “I got married on Aug. 1, 2015, to Katherine Snedeker. Wedding weekend served up perfect weather. Luke Winter, Ryan Northington '92 and Ramsay Hoke '91 were three Spartans in attendance.”
SHANNON POWERS FLAHIVE
1995 RHEA BENBOW THOMAS
rheabt@gmail.com BETH COCKERHAM MACK
semack77@gmail.com SETH ALLEY
sethalley@msn.com A N N S T R AU S E R PA L M E R
spowers1@austin.rr.com
Meghan Alexander is living in Austin and practicing law with her father at Alexander Law Firm. Although she and her partner, Amanda Slaten, were informally married in 2007, they were excited to get legally married on their eighth anniversary on Sept. 1, 2015. Meghan and Amanda are the proud parents of future Spartan, Lincoln, class of 2032.
annstrauser@hotmail.com H AW K I N S L I
hli3@yahoo.com
Meghan Alexander ’96 and her family
Ben Chan ’95 and his family Katherine Snedeker Hoke and Ben Hoke ’93 Myles Bentsen celebrated his 40th birthday in Austin with friends.
Ben Chan said, “The weather in D.C. had been pretty moderate, and we took advantage of it. Here’s a picture with us from August at a Nationals ballgame. It's Helena's first game ever, and we got to go out on the field when the game started. Beth Cockerham Mack and her husband welcomed their third child, Mae Frances Mack, on April 9. She wrote, “Here is a picture of our family at the Fourth of July celebration in Lakeway, Texas.”
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Christina Romero reported, “Getting to attend St. Stephen's was one of the greatest gifts of my life. This year, many of my biggest wishes are coming true. I am full of gratitude for everyone in my life each step of the way. I am producing a short film, with Dames in Film, Timeca Seretti's ‘The Closet.’ This summer, I loved being directed by Carl Franklin for a tiny role in HBO, Damon Lindelof's ‘The Leftovers’ season 2. I am now working with John Ridley, one of my all-time favorite writer/directors. I have a recurring role in John Ridley's ‘American Crime,’ season 2. When I am not living truthfully in imaginary circumstances, I teach, tutor, coach and support others, and I run my little boutique business, Voice Boutique, www.voiceboutiqueaustin. com. I am eternally grateful to the amazing teachers at St. Stephen's.”
Spartan Magazine
Project creates an environment for lasting change so communities can lift themselves out of poverty by partnering with Kenyan schools to improve access to quality education and with women to manage a successful jewelry and craft making business. This year, The TARA Project expanded its work to include school sanitation. Through a partnership with Germany-based World Yoga Day, they built top-of-the-line bathrooms at their partner schools. Alyssa, her partner Steven, and their son, Wilder, live in Atlanta, where they enjoy wild mushroom foraging in their spare time.
Christina Romero ’96
1997 CAMERON BEESLEY
leardsfool@gmail.com
John Singleton and his wife, Corinne, welcomed the addition of their third child and first daughter, Clara Corinne, on August 21. They live in Ft. Collins, Colo., where John is an assistant professor in the department of geosciences at Colorado State University. Clara’s grandmother is Peggy Phillips Singleton ’71.
Great times for three moms in the Class of 1998; they each have a baby who will turn 1 year old this fall. Kate Meredith Andrade has Olivia Andrade, Allison Kriener Angelillo has Grace Angelillo, and Lindsey Stuart has Lucy Damweber. All three love getting together in Austin. Stacey Wells-Deville and her husband had a son, Jeremy “Cade” Deville, who was named after her brother Jeremy Wells ’00 in November 2014. The family lives in Austin, Texas. Daniel Young has left the University of Texas's AT&T Hotel and Conference Center to revamp an old Austin favorite, Dirty Martin's. Please stop by and say hello to him and enjoy the newly decorated Austin icon.
1999
1998
Kwasi Agbottah ’00 and his family Kwasi Agbottah was a history major in college, thanks in part to Mrs. Respess, and met his wife teaching. They spent their first seven years of marriage teaching in different places and finally settled down in San Antonio after Kwasi's life was threatened in east Austin. Currently, they are both preschool teachers with Country Home Learning Center, where their children, Abraham and Elijah, also attend. Justin Crosby exhibited spherical sculptures in an exhibit called “Making: The Effort” in the Scanlan Gallery in the Helm Fine Arts Center and spoke at a gallery reception on Aug. 30. His exhibit was written up in the Austin American-Statesman. Although he graduated with a B.A. from Swarthmore College and
jhockema@mac.com
Becky@beckyanddaniel.com
Alyssa Lowe has been “working for the CDC Foundation on a Gates funded global cervical cancer program and running a nonprofit organization, The TARA Project (www.taraproject.org), in Kenya. The TARA
2000
Don’t forget to join the Class of ’99’s Facebook group.
TRACEY HERMAN SHABABO
traceyshababo@gmail.com.
CALENDAR
BECKY HOLLIS DIFFEN
JA R E D H O C K E M A
Spring 2016 Campus Events FEBRUARY 27 Spring Swing Gala MARCH 14-28 Spring Break/Easter Break APRIL 1 Grandparents Day APRIL 9, MAY 14 & JUNE 11 School Nights at the Observatory MAY 15 Towner Piano Recital MAY 20 Baccalaureate MAY 21 Upper School Graduation MAY 27 US/MS Closing Ceremonies
For more detailed information about upcoming events, visit www.sstx.org/MySSES. (left to right:) Olivia Andrade, Grace Angelillo and Lucy Damweber
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ALUMN I N EWS
taught second and third grade for a short time, he found that the work didn’t satisfy him. Encouraged and inspired by his wife, Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, who is also an artist, he earned a B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Arts in 2012 and graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with an M.F.A. earlier this year.
Winter 2016
Sonia Pandya Allison has moved on from teaching and is now a real estate agent in Houston, Texas.
2001 JULIET FRERKING
frerking@gmail.com
Jennifer Trachte Doskocil married Jay Doskocil in Aspen, Colo., on June 6, 2015. Georgia Cox and Maggie Yewens attended the wedding. Emily Meador and Natasha Barker welcomed their second daughter, Charlie Kathryn Barker-Meador, on Aug. 30, 2015. Charlie weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. and measured 20.5 in. long. Their first daughter, Tati, is a very proud big sister. Charlie is surrounded by many generations of Spartan love! Larry and Kathryn Miller Anderson '71 and Jennifer and Dee Meador '70 are the happy grandparents. Nancy Meador Grandgeorges '04 is a proud aunt; Margaret Miller Pierce '72 and Tom Miller '77 are great aunt and great uncle. Ricky Meador Walker '68 is a great aunt, and Rachel Walker Schwartz '04 is a cousin.
Meredith Farmer reported, “I'm currently teaching American literature at Wake Forest University, but last spring I spent the semester in Philly and got to catch up with Sarah Chesney, who gave me an incredible tour of The Woodlands! Brooklyn Barbieri Henson cannot believe it has been almost 10 years since she started working for the Paramount and Stateside Theatres and was honored to be a part of the theatres Centennial celebration this year. She is currently their communications director. She also celebrated daughter Brielle's first birthday on Halloween. Laura Neuhaus recently married Jonathan Zittrain in a beautiful ceremony in Harvard, Mass.
2002 KEAN TONETTI
Michael Sands ’02 and his wife and daughter
stonetti@gmail.com
Mary Wommack Barton ’00, Valerie Herd Parker ’00, Emily Meador ’00 and Brooklie Benson Gonzales ’00 with Charlie After seven years as a complex commercial litigation associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Sunny Thompson made the move in-house. She joined Sunrise Senior Living, a nationwide provider of assisted living housing communities for the elderly, as vice president and associate general counsel at its headquarters in McLean, Va. Sunny has lived in Washington, D.C., for five years and is glad to have a new career challenge. She stays in close touch with Jordan Stewart, who is moving back to the D.C. area in September after a year managing international development projects in Juba, South Sudan.
It has been a big year all around with many members of the Class of 2002 getting married, having babies and otherwise pursuing world peace (or possibly domination). Among the new parents are John Bradley, Leigh Jorgeson, Dane Kopinski, Britt Lea Brown, Alex Ramirez, Michael Sands and Emily (Sullivan) Foon, as well as Lauren White and Logan Motloch. Newlyweds include Leslie (Davies) Stojanik, Genny (Hardeman) Hill, Catherine Herring, Kathleen (Joyce) Allen, Shrinidi Mani, Maria Murphy-Mayberry, Adrienne Miller, Andrea Parker, Jose Ramirez, Aizaz Tareen, Martha Todd and Clint Stiffler. Other engaged folks include Lance Coplin, Robert Heidrick, Jeff Wermer, and yours truly, Kean Tonetti. Michael Sands and his wife, Trudy Fraser, welcomed a daughter, Margaret Frances Fraser Sands, in April 2015. They live in Brooklyn. Jeff Simpson visited campus and met with Wallis Goodman in October 2015.
Sunny J Thompson ’00 and Jordan Stewart ’00
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Jeff Simpson ’02 and Wallis Goodman
2003 WYNN MYERS
wynnmyers@gmail.com
Megan Clark is a newly graduated cadet with the Austin Fire Department. She was one of 35 cadets in a class of 117. Congratulations, Megan!
2004 B R I A N K AU F M A N
brian.r.kaufman@gmail.com
Sam Sargent graduated from Boston University School of Law in 2013. Since finishing law school, he has worked at the Travis County Attorney's Office and now works in community and government relations for Capital Metro in Austin. He recently married Orsi Tihanyi. Eric Neuhaus said, “I just launched my startup, TrueFuneral.com. We are driving price transparency and simplicity within the funeral industry and hope to transform the way consumers interact with funeral homes. I have included a picture of myself and my girlfriend, Abigail Finch, at my 30th birthday party in July.”
Sam Sargent ’04 and his wife, Orsi Tihanyi
Spartan Magazine
(left to right:) Christina Sumners ’04, Abigail Broberg Mooney ’04, Rebecca Woodruff ’04, Madeleine Myers Landry ’05, Evelyn Volz ’04, Jessica Green ’04 and Allison Pappas ’04 at Rebecca Woodruff’s wedding in January 2015
2005 R A C H E L K AT Z
rpk228@gmail.com
Erik Neuhaus ’04 and Abigail Finch Tara Grant Schetzel wrote, “There is a new addition to my family. Lyla June Schetzel was born on June 29, 2015, at 8:52 a.m. She was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 20.5 inches. My husband, Doug, and I are thrilled to be new parents!”
Lisa Buckley wrote, “2015 has been off to an amazing start for me! Since the start of the year, I got engaged, bought my first home, started my master’s degree in human resources management with a focus on strategic human capital management, and started a new job as manager of talent management for Georgetown University. When it rains it pours, I suppose!”
Tara Grant Schetzel ’04 and family
Lisa Buckley ’05 Engagement
Rebecca Woodruff and Adam Gaeddert were married on Jan. 3, 2015, in St. Stephen's Chapel. The bridal party included bridesmaids Abigail Broberg Mooney and Allison Pappas and groomsman Ry Woodruff ’06
2006 SELINA STRASBERGER
Nyssa Peele wrote, “After two years of grinding away at a software development company in Austin, I decided it was time for a change. With a passion for adventure, exploring and art, I packed up my belongings into my Jetta and headed west to Wyoming. I spent one month working at the front desk at a lodge in Grand Teton Nation Park and quickly realized I needed to follow my passion for art history. With my resume in hand I walked into Altamira Fine Art Gallery in Jackson, Wyo., and walked out with a job as a gallery assistant. I have been hiking, biking, camping and selling art this summer and looking forward to skiing and learning to snowboard this winter. Jackson is a beautiful town with breath taking views and new adventures around every corner!” Virginia Cumberbatch is due to graduate from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas in May of 2016 with her master’s in public policy. She currently serves as a fellow for UT's Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, where she's writing a book, ‘As We Saw It: The Story of Integration at UT Austin.’ The highlight of her time at UT thus far included speaking at the 2015 Barbara Jordan Forum and introducing the late Honorable Julian Bond. This year she co-founded the creative
selina.strasburger@gmail.com S A R A H C R O M W E L L S H E P PA R D
sarahhcromwell@gmail.com
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2008 A M A N DA K U S H N E R
amandakkushner@gmail.com
Amanda has set up a Facebook group for the class called: St. Stephen’s Class of 2008 Matt McMillan is living in Brooklyn, N.Y., and pursuing a career in school counseling. Michelle Kean is pleased to announce her engagement to her college sweetheart. They will be getting married in June 2016. She is currently in her second year of teaching high school chemistry — regular and pre-AP — at Colleyville Heritage High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and enjoying every minute of it. In 2014, Fabian Ptok started a drainage design company. That endeavor was rapidly followed by him founding a business consulting company in 2015. That same year Fabian was invited to present some of his work on food, sustainability and water at an international conference in Berlin. Michael McConnell has been enjoying his new role in brand operations at Dell in Austin. He's keeping busy by making music (for fun!) in his studio in his apartment. After working in London for two years for an offshore equipment and services company, George Shea is now back in Houston, Texas, working as a Middle East sales account manager. His new role requires frequent travel to the Middle East and London, working through a network of local agents due to the diplomatic relations in his territory. He currently is in talks to be relocated to Dubai in 2016.
Liam Choi and Sunny Chung ’06
collective, HUX Storyhouse (www.huxstoryhouse.com) with her brother, Graham Cumberbatch ’03, and was named one of the Austin American-Statesman's “People to Watch” in 2015 for her community leadership. She’s excited to welcome a few Spartan friends back to the Lone Star State and is now a bike ride away from stalking Mary Byars in her new house. Travis Brendle is production supervisor for the North American national tour of The Illusionists, which is playing Broadway this winter. He is now touring the world doing magic shows! Sunny Chung married Liam Choi in Seoul, Korea, on Aug. 22, 2015.
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2007 A N N E B U C KTHAL
anne.buckthal@gmail.com COLE ARLEDGE
cole.arledge@gmail.com
Elizabeth Varner Han was sworn into the Texas Bar Assn. in May after graduating from the University of Michigan School of Law in December 2014. She began working at Norton Rose Fulbright in Austin in September. Her practice focuses on healthcare fraud litigation. Lizzie's husband, Kelvin Han, began his first year at The University of Texas School of Law in August. The two currently live in downtown Austin with their toy poodle and their bunny.
Will Robinson wrote that he is pleased to be back in the Austin area after graduating from Baylor University in 2015 with an interdisciplinary B.A. in environmental studies. He currently works for the Railroad Commission of Texas in the groundwater advisory unit as an applications processor and is the lead for geographic information science/systems projects. He is currently working on a project for publication on protected aquifers for drilling permits according to the EPA, giving primacy to the state of Texas in 1983 for governance of water protection under the Clean Water Act. Daniel Taylor is excited to be back in Austin after getting married in July 2014. He and his wife moved back to Austin in September of 2014, and Daniel is now working for a local startup, focusing on cloud data analysis for manufacturing companies. Michael Hart graduated from the George Bush School of Government and Public Service with a master's degree in public service administration. He is now in the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. After graduating from TCU in 2012 with a degree in communication, Alyssa Posey McDermott married her
Spartan Magazine
college sweetheart, Sean McDermott, in April of 2014. Alyssa and her husband are now living in McKinney, Texas, and expecting their first child, a boy, in early 2016. Alyssa is currently working on the digital team for RobbinsKersten Direct, an agency that specializes in direct response campaigns exclusively for nonprofit clients. Ashley Toscano began her two-year MBA at New York University Stern School of Business this summer. This past month she was selected to represent her class as one of the faces of NYU Stern and was featured in both Poets and Quants and FORTUNE magazine online publications. Seve Garza wrote, “I just got back from painting a 14-ft. square mural in Venice Beach, Calif., that addresses immigration and the pride I have for my MexicanAmerican heritage. There has been a lot of controversial talk in the media about America’s relationship with Mexico, and I find much of it shameful and inaccurate. When I was asked to make a somewhat ‘political’ mural on Venice Blvd., I immediately thought about how angry I was with the media. Our country is built on the hard work of both illegal and legal immigrants, many of whom are from across Latin America. These people risk their lives to come to our amazing country for a shot at prosperity, and we act as if none of us were ever in the same position. Hold yourself accountable for what you say and think about what it must have been like for your ancestors to come to the United States. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempesttossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.’ I still believe in what Emma Lazarus wrote more than 130 years ago. At what point in time did her words become an American myth rather than an American dream?”
Honoring Loved Ones with Endowments This past summer, I arranged with St. Stephen’s Episcopal School to establish financial aid endowments in honor of two of my daughters, Caroline Bennett ’89 and Catherine Albert ’91. Why would I make such a commitment? I did not attend St. Stephen’s. Caroline and Catherine each attended the school for several years, but neither one graduated from the school. So why did I feel compelled to create these endowments? As I thought about my answer to that question, I reminded myself of just how much St. Stephen’s has been a part of my life. As a 7-year-old child, I attended St. Stephen’s groundbreaking ceremony in December 1949. I have several other memories of being on campus when I was young: one when the original administration building was prominent and another when my cousin, a student at St. Stephen’s, took me swimming at the school pool. As a college student at The University of Texas, I met several graduates of St. Stephen’s. Through my friendships with them, I visited campus several times. Those were my early connections to St. Stephen’s. My connection grew deeper when my family and I lived in Austin in the ’80s. Caroline entered St. Stephen’s in 1985 as a ninth grader. The following year Catherine started as an eighth grader. That same year, I was appointed a mathematics teacher at the school. Each of us has fond memories of our time on campus; we found that St. Stephen’s was far more than a place to learn. Regrettably, Caroline, Catherine and I did not complete our intended stays on campus. Following my tenure as a teacher at St. Stephen’s, I felt drawn to contribute to the school’s Annual Giving campaign. I have contributed every year since because of my affection for the school. This past summer, I evaluated my financial situation. I wanted to do something to honor Caroline and Catherine. But, how? I decided to follow the example of my other daughter, Elizabeth. In honor of her grandfather, who was a distinguished graduate of Texas A&M in veterinary medicine, she established an endowment at the university in his name. I chose to follow a similar idea at St. Stephen’s. I contacted Lou Porter Bailey ’71, director of alumni relations and planned giving, to discuss my financial aid fund options and decided on the following: With initial contributions, I initiated the creation of two financial aid endowments at St. Stephen’s — one in Caroline’s honor, the other in Catherine’s honor. Subsequently, as long as I am able to do so, I will continue to make an annual contribution to each endowment. Finally, my will is now worded so that, upon my death, my estate will contribute the remaining amount necessary to fully fund and establish the two endowments. I am very pleased with what I have enacted. I wanted to honor my daughters, and I wanted to express my warm feelings for St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. I feel I have accomplished that goal.
Garza ’08 mural
—robert merriam, former faculty and parent
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University for the first annual WAF conference. The conference included presentations by a number of acclaimed speakers, interactive workshops aimed to enhance critical thinking and skill building, and ample time for delegates to network with professionals from a wide variety of fields. Delegates submitted applications to be members of the inaugural WAF. Read more about the work of the Women Ambassadors Forum at www.womenaf.org. Reed Goodman told us that he has moved to North Dakota, where he is working in the oil and gas business. Reed and his girlfriend, Stephanie Ann Michelle, were married on Dec. 12, 2015, in San Antonio.
2013
Ingrid Harb ’12
JA M E S C A RT E R
carter@rice.edu L I S A N O R D H AU S E R
2009 J. J. B O T H A
johannbboth@gmail.com C H A N TA L S T R A S B U R G E R
chantal.strasburger@gmail.com
Adam Long has started his second year in San Francisco and is working a variety of jobs, mostly in garden education. You can also see him (briefly) in the new Steve Jobs movie. Adam loves visitors, so let him know if you plan to be in the Bay Area! Malia Grace LiVolsi released an album this fall featuring her single, “Momma Didn’t Raise No Fool.” The album is available on CD Baby and Spotify. Visit her website to learn more. www.maliagrace.com.
Karina Altamirano has been working toward a degree in international business with a minor in economics at New York University. She recently completed seven months as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in Xi'an, China. While in China, she won the Chinese-American Dialogue Entrepreneurial Business Pitch Competition, which was aired on CCTV, a national Chinese news network.
2012 helenelizabeth1@me.com
2010
CAROLINE PRINGLE
C A R L O T TA G A R Z A
JA K E P O L I T T E
O M A R YA G H I
omaryaghi2@gmail.com
2014 JA C K LY N H O RT O N
jaclynlhorton@gmail.com NAT H A N G O L D B E R G
nathangoldberg@college.harvard.edu
Connor Clark wrote, “Within the past six months, I graduated from UT with a degree in mechanical engineering, rode my bicycle from Austin, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska, to spread hope, knowledge and charity for cancer research, and began working for Halliburton as a cement engineer in the Permian Basin.”
HELEN ELIZABETH OLD
carlotta.garza@gmail.com
lisa.nordhauser@gmail.com
caroline.pringle@yale.edu jake.politte@rocketmail.com Y O S UA A D I YA S A
yosua.adiyasa@hotmail.com
Anthony Chen has spent a lot of time in the sky. His daily commute to an offshore rig during his field internship involved a helicopter ride; he also joined the UT skydiving team and is planning to earn his solo license soon. You can jump with him every weekend, depending on the weather. Campbell Chupik moved into her first apartment this year, where banana pancakes are a staple. She took classes through UVA in Valencia during the summer and got to see some of Mr. Goodman’s favorite art pieces in person. This semester, she has been working as a research assistant for a “really cool” social psychology professor whose class she really enjoyed her first semester. No word yet on how her budding rap career is progressing.
RYA N N Y O U N G
rhy9@cornell.edu
2011 L I N D S AY R E D M A N
llredman@go.olemiss.edu G R AY T W O M B LY
Twombly.Gray@gmail.com H E N RY S I K E S
WHSikes1@gmail.com A L I A YA H G I
ayaghi@stanford.edu
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Ingrid Harb has been hard at work, leading the charge for female empowerment among university student leaders. Inspired by her experience as a delegate with US-Mex FoCUS Harvard/MIT-ITESM at Monterrey Tec in the fall of 2014, Ingrid returned to Texas determined to create a forum of female university student leaders who could empower one another to achieve success. Together with four co-founders, she established the Women Ambassadors Forum (WAF), which is dedicated to providing aspiring women leaders with the tools, knowledge and opportunities needed to help them achieve their goals and dreams. In July 2015, the WAF board brought together more than 30 young women from universities in the U.S. and Mexico at Trinity
Conor Donnelly will assist the co-choreographer of “Newsies” on Broadway while he directs “Rocky Horror” at the University of Oklahoma, where he also works at the costume shop, altering the wardrobe for all of the university’s dance, drama and musical theatre productions. If you have any Pinterest ideas to decorate his new off-campus house, which he shares with three other friends, he would love to hear them. In other exciting news, his dad will be married this year. Congratulations! Nathan Goldberg took a semester off from school to move back in with his family in Mexico for the first time in six years. While there, he has been working
with the soccer federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the smallest country in the Americas, to get a taste of what a job in international soccer is like. He also has been representing the Mexican Jewish community on the soccer team at the 2015 Pan American Maccabi games in Chile. Jaclyn Horton has been loving her time at University of Florida and enjoying the beaches nearby. She spent the past summer working at a Boy Scouts camp down in the Keys and is now a certified rescue diver. On campus, Jaclyn has been involved in Delta Zeta Sorority and a few business clubs to match her accounting major. Some of her greatest accomplishments in the past year have been going skydiving, getting an apartment with three friends, and starting a book club. She is also currently a brand ambassador for BANGS Shoes, a company who uses their profits to microfinance entrepreneurs around the world (everyone should look them up!) Jamie Molina has been working toward her B.F.A. in musical theatre at Emerson in Boston. That means lots of singing, which she loves. In fact, she spent the entire summer working at an international vocal studio in Barcelona. Richie Munroe has transferred from West Texas A&M to the University of Tampa to finish his degree in international business and marketing closer to home. Catalina Polanco spent part of her summer doing mission work in the Brazilian Amazon, living on a boat for three whole weeks. After the racial controversy surrounding a fraternity at OU, she has been heavily involved in the campus diversity committee, making St. Stephen’s very proud. She is also a teacher assistant for a global community class. Maddie Rae Renbarger, a potential media studies major at Scripps, divides her down time between working at the Pomona Organic Farm and attempting to get in some time on the FM airwaves.
Spartan Magazine
independent, which is very impressive considering most of us barely got the hang of doing laundry after our first year in college. She will travel the world this upcoming year, starting in Ireland, and plans to study in Edinburgh. When she returns, she hopes to start her studies in urban agriculture and sustainable community living. Julian Traphagan became president of the Environmental Science Club at Lehigh, where he said he has been “pretty much killing it” (the job, not the environment). He also hosts a variety of events throughout the semester to help raise funds for campus events that are on a tight budget. Somehow he still has time to play in the Lehigh Funk Band and is even starting his own radio show. Elizabeth Twichell got very involved with her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, attending the AOπ International Convention in Los Angeles this summer and applying to be vice president of administration for her chapter. Her plan is to double major in cognitive science and molecular and cell biology while checking off all the premed requirements so she can return to big, beautiful Texas for medical school. Cosmo Wei finished his mandatory two months of basic military training last summer, finishing in third place in his battalion’s combine at the end. After next summer’s service, he will be a “free Taiwanese man.” Additionally, he has seen the Taiwan Lacrosse Association, which he helped found, become an official member of the Federation of International Lacrosse. If everything goes according to plan, you can catch him at the 2018 Lacrosse World Cup in Manchester as the starting goalie for Taiwan. Chania Whitaker has helped manage a student-run coffee shop called Rose City Coffee Co-Op for two semesters. She also was hired to serve as business director of the radio station WECI 91.5 FM on Richmond Public Radio.
2015 JIM OLD
jamesold1@mac.com
Anique Toscano has been making the most of her gap year, having left the United States in early June to travel throughout Asia. She reported, “The goal was to move to Asia for seven months and then South America for another seven months with the hope of perfecting my Chinese Mandarin and improving my Portuguese. Other than that, I didn't really have a structured plan when I moved here and didn't go with a program, as I wanted to let life play itself out on its own. So, here I am, loving life more than ever and roaming around trying new things all over! I'm living on an average of $11 a day (shelter, food, transportation, entertainment, etc.) and learning to balance lots of self-love with a bunch of love for the world and those around me as well.” She has had countless adventures, including learning how to ride a bike for the first time in the midst of a Vietnamese typhoon! Anique was in Texas for the holidays and then transitioned to South America, where she will live for seven months — primarily in Brazil — to study Portuguese and watch the Olympics. Jerry Hua arranged several alumni meet-ups in Shanghai. He reported, "We celebrated life and the love we all have and always will have for St. Stephen’s. Some of the people there did not even know each other before meeting up, but that is exactly what made the evenings so special. St. Stephen's is truly a family, and there are Spartans running all over the world now. No matter where we go or how little we may know each other, there is nothing more special than coming together and sharing fond memories we have from the lovely Hill.” Claudi Tsao met up with a few fellow Spartans this fall in Rochester, N.Y.
Phill Reid quit playing soccer at Claremont McKenna, but his life remains as intriguing as ever. He signed a modeling contract with an agency in Los Angeles after turning down an offer to star in Mugatu’s Derelicte fashion line and has also taken up cliff diving, where his trusty GoPro is sure to capture lots of crazy footage. Samantha Richards was elected media relations chair of the student government at Scripps, where she plans to dual major in media studies and computer science. She also works as a student fundraiser. Alaina Ring really loves life at St. Lawrence University after coming back from her gap year. Avery Sell spent the last year working full-time as a waitress in Seattle, making her completely financially
(left to right:) Sean Cai ’14, Jeffrey Tsao ‘14, Claudia Tsao ’15, Edward Du ’14, Herbert Xie ’14 and Christopher Tan ‘14
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FORMER FACULTY Stewart Wilkinson reported, “In addition to our activities as grandparents of four (three boys and one girl), Marianne Wilkinson and I have been busy with a variety of pursuits. Marianne volunteers with Dress for Success, an organization dedicated to providing clothes and accessories to women entering the work force. In addition, she volunteers with the Regina Floral Conservatory. Since leaving St. Stephen's in the summer of 2011, we both spent four months teaching and traveling in China. The next two years I taught at a local private high school during the educational leave of their regular music teacher. To celebrate my third “retirement,” Marianne and I spent six weeks in Portugal and Spain last fall. In addition, I have served as guest director of the Manitoba Adult Honour Choir; for the second year I am directing the Saskatchewan Youth Choir. Later this fall I will return to Winnipeg to adjudicate choirs at their annual ChorFest. Although we certainly miss our St. Stephen's friends, we are enjoying life back in Saskatchewan, especially during spring, summer and fall. In truth, we are looking forward to five weeks in Mexico to escape winter in February.” George Doig said he is “about to be involved in a new Belgian Bar (Mort Subite) opening in the 300 block of Congress Ave. All St. Stephen’s graduates over 21 are invited!”
IN MEMORIAM Kathryn Respess Esther Kathryn Pulley Respess passed away in Austin on July 16, 2015, at the age of 75. She was born on Nov. 12, 1939, to Edward Lee Pulley and Mary Katherine Gill Pulley. She graduated from Milby High School and Rice University. As a college senior, she was named to Phi Beta Kappa and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. On Feb. 1, 1964, she married John Respess. In 1965, the couple moved to the St. Stephen’s campus, where Kathryn began a stellar teaching career. She taught generations of students to love history and learning. Respess had just completed her golden anniversary of teaching at St. Stephen's — 50 remarkable years. She was known as a teacher who promoted high standards of academic work and did so in a way that encouraged a true and lively life of the mind. She took a broad view of education, including issues of diversity, environmentalism, religion and knowledge of sacred stories into her classses. Respess won the 1990 Texas Committee for the Humanities Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award. She also won multiple awards for wildflower photography, including those sponsored by the National Wildflower Research Center. An influential environmentalist, she was instrumental in the formation of Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, a 227-acre tract of land protected from development in 1974. She loved
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to laugh, cook, listen to Schubert and Wagner, watch foreign films, and engage in sparkling conversation with friends and students. One of her favorite traditions was to ride a golf cart around the center of the St. Stephen’s campus on the last day of classes, her Brunhilde helmet on and Wagner's “Ride of the Valkyries” loudly streaming out of her golf cart as she brandished her spear. Respess was predeceased by her parents; husband John; siblings Jane Elizabeth, John Douglas, Robert and Thomas Pulley; and a nephew, Robert Pulley. She is survived by her nephews, Glenn Pulley and Richard Pulley, and her nieces, Marilyn Pulley Hunter, Nancy Pulley Tiernan and Donna Pulley Hodkinson. She also leaves behind many friends, former students and colleagues who loved and respected her. A memorial service was held in the St. Stephen's Chapel on Sept. 19, 2015. The ashes of both Kathryn and John were inurned in the St. Stephen's Memorial Garden. As a memorial, please consider making a donation to the Kathryn Respess Financial Aid Endowment at St. Stephen’s. Robert T. Munday Jr. ’58 Robert T. Munday Jr., 74, of Austin passed away on Sept. 21, 2015. He was born Feb., 24, 1941, in Beaumont, Texas, to Robert T. Munday and Signora (Dolly) M. Munday. He is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Gretchen Munday; his four children, Laura Jane Austin (Paul), Leslie Elizabeth Munday, Mary Kris Stringfellow and Jerry Baxter Stringfellow Jr.; one grandson, William Charles Austin; and his brother, John L. Munday (Darlene). He is also survived by his beloved woofer-dogs, Matilda and Marley. Munday was a graduate of St. Stephen's and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received his B.S. in business administration, M.B.A, and Ph.D., all with honors. Munday's lifelong calling was to be a college professor. His first position was that of assistant professor at Troy University in Troy, Ala. From there, he went to London, England, where he taught for two years before returning to the United States. Munday was employed by St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where he taught for 27 years until his retirement in 2003. He was a lifelong member of the American Contract Bridge League and obtained the status of life master at an early age. James M. Bemis ’69 James M. Bemis died on July 21, 2015, after a fall. He attended St. Stephen’s and Amherst College. He worked for years at The University of Texas I.D. Center. Left behind to mourn him are his mother, Ann Sheridan; his brothers, Greg and Lloyd Bemis; sister-in-law Lyra Bemis; nephew Lin Fisher; and Phebe Davol ’72, Frank ’74 and Chrissie Davol.
Alumni News Submissions Alumni are contacted by their class rep several times a year for news and information. For assistance contacting your class rep or to submit news directly, please contact Alumni Director Lou Porter Bailey ’71 at 512.327.1213 x112 or lbailey@sstx.org. To find your rep online, please visit the Alumni page at www.sstx.org/alumni. If you do not use email and would like to get in touch with your rep, please call Lou Bailey for the rep’s mailing address and phone number. We welcome high resolution photographs with your Class Notes news summary. When you send a high resolution photo, please always identify everyone in the photo, make sure we can see all faces clearly, and make sure to send a JPG format in the largest size possible (at least 900 pixels; 3" wide at 300 dpi).
Printed submissions may be mailed to: Spartan magazine St. Stephen’s Episcopal School 6500 St. Stephen’s Drive Austin, TX 78746
Spartan magazine editors reserve the right to edit or omit any information submitted.
Join Your Classmates Online Like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/StStephensAlumni Join our St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Alumni Facebook group at www.facebook.com/ groups/8735891587/ Chat with us on Twitter at: twitter.com/ststephenschool Connect with us on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com – St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Alumni Check out our YouTube Channel at: www.youtube.com/user/ststephensaustin
Have you received any emails from the alumni office recently? If not, we may not have a current email address for you. Please send your current email address to lbailey@sstx.org so you won’t miss invitations to fun events and news about your classmates. Thanks!
E VE RY GIF T CO U N T S THANK YOU. An amazing number of parents and grandparents, faculty and staff, alumni, trustees, and friends have generously contributed to the 2015–16 Annual Giving campaign. We are tremendously appreciative of your continuing support of St. Stephen’s and its wonderful students, who are transformed by the school in countless ways that will last a lifetime. If you have not yet donated to this year’s campaign, there is still time! Please consider making your tax-deductible Annual Giving gift today! Pledges are always welcome and payable by May 1, 2016.
www.sstx.org/givenow sstx.org
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6500 St. Stephen’s Drive Austin, Texas 78746
If you receive multiple copies of this publication or have updated address information to share with us, please send an email to jmullinix@sstx.org. Thank you!
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SNAPSHOT Picture of The Hill, taken in front of Brewster Hall in October 2015 by Will Dure, Class of 2019
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