Frederic B. Powers III ’83, P’14, President | Greenwich, Connecticut
Jackson W. Robinson ’60, Vice President | Boston, Massachusetts
Charles Cahn III P’18, Headmaster | Suffield, Connecticut
Susan W. Autuori P’06, ’08, ’10, ’13 | West Hartford, Connecticut
Nancy A. Brooks ’87 | Boston, Massachusetts
Cindy M. Burke P’13, ’15, ’17, ’19 | East Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Jared D. Carillo ’00 | Glastonbury, Connecticut
Andrew C. Chase | Deerfield, Massachusetts
Kate O. Cleary ’88 | Cambridge, Massachusetts
George B. Daniels ’71 | New York, New York
Matthew P. Fine ’95 | Riverside, Connecticut
Dr. Michael Gingold P’16, ’18 | West Hartford, Connecticut
Valisha Graves ’81 | Brooklyn, New York
Walter Harrison | Hartford, Connecticut
Kathy G. Hoffman P’13 | Avon, Connecticut
Christopher M. Houlihan P’05 | New York, New York
Christopher T. Jensen P’07, ’09, ’11 | Riverside, Connecticut
Andrew Kotchen ’90 | Irvington, New York
Kenneth H. Landis P’16 | New York, New York
Philip Mactaggart P’17 | Millbrook, New York
Jeffrey K. McElnea ’67, P’12 | New York, New York
James P. Michel P’12, ’17 | Bloomfield, Connecticut
Patricia Q. Moore P’09, ’14 | Amelia Island, Florida
Tracy Orr O’Keefe ’85 | Westfield, New Jersey
Ali R. Salehi P’12 | Westfield, Massachusetts
Monica Shay P’18 | Southborough, Massachusetts
Hope G. Smith P’12 | Locust Valley, New York
Daniel R. Tisch ’69, P’02 | New York, New York
John M. Tremaine ’66, P’03, Trustee Emeritus | New Canaan, Connecticut
Suzy B. Vogler P’11 | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Jeffrey White ’65 | Westport, Connecticut
Mission Suffield Academy is a coeducational, independent secondary school serving a diverse community of boarding and day students. Our school has a tradition of academic excellence combined with a strong work ethic. A commitment to scholarship and a respect for individual differences guide our teaching and curriculum. We engender among our students a sense of responsibility, and they are challenged to grow in a structured and nurturing environment. The entire academic, athletic, and extracurricular experience prepares our students for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and active citizenship.
Non-discrimination Suffield Academy does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, physical attributes, disability, age, or sexual orientation. We administer our admissions, financial aid, educational, athletic, extracurricular, and other policies so that each student is equally accorded all the rights, privileges, programs, and facilities made available by the school.
SUFFIELD
ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR
Tobye Cook Seck ’88, P’16
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18
FEATURES WRITER
Jonathan Medwid ’96
EDITORIAL STAFF
Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18, Linda Colo, Tobye Cook Seck ’88, P’16, Jonathan Medwid ’96
Beth Bailey P’12, ’16, Matt Bernstein ’02, Charles Cahn III P’18, Elise Grady Carrier ’92, Chris Harlambakis ’67, Riley Miles ’17, Lillian Nye ’81, Phil Riegel ’87, P’20, Jim Rosenstein ’64, John Young III ’89
ON THE COVER
A scene from Suffield Academy’s fall musical Sister Act
SUFFIELD is published by the Marketing and Communications Department of Suffield Academy for alumni, parents, and friends of the school. All publications rights reserved. Contents may be reproduced or reprinted only by permission of Marketing and Communications. Opinions expressed do not reflect the official position of Suffield Academy. Comments may be addressed to: marketing@suffieldacademy.org
SUFFIELD is printed by Allied Printing Services, Inc. Allied is FSC Certified, EPA Partnership & ISO 9001. The fundamental principle of Allied’s environmental policy is to minimize any negative impact to the environment, while conserving natural resources. Using educational and administrative controls, we continuously assess our processes and practices to identify areas for education in energy, waste, and emissions.
FEATURES
Quality in Workmanship: The Remarkable Life of Mason Nye (1930-2016)
Service: Exploring the Annual School Theme
A New Speaker Series: Seniors Present to the Community
Inside the Classroom: Biotechnology 58 Can You Hear Me? Celebrating Studio Arts 66 A Slice of History…That’s Amore! Hand-crafted Pizza at Suffield
CAMPUS
Headmaster’s Column
Trustee: Ali Salehi P’12
2016
The Color Run for Akshaya Patra: Unlimited Food for Education
Visiting Speakers
Fall Athletics
Tates Locke: Caretaker of the Game
Performing Arts
Alums in the News
PROFILES
Matt Bernstein ’02: A Perspective on Movement
Class Agent Chris Harlambakis ’67 80 John Young III ’89: The Ledgelets 84 Legacy: Riley Miles ’17 and Elise Grady Carrier ’92 CLASS NOTES 92 News from the Classes of 1948-2016
Sam Fuller, Headmaster Cahn, Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18, and Dan Tisch ’69, P’02 at Commencement 2014
SAM FULLER ’41
Headmaster David Holmes ’60 taught me great schools do not happen by accident. They are shaped and supported by visionary people with a sense of responsibility. It is most remarkable when these people are volunteers yet generously give their time, wisdom, and resources. On November 9, 2016, Suffield lost one of its greatest friends when Sam Fuller passed away. Sam was a trustee for 32 years and president of the Board from 1977 to 1982. His wife Jane was on the Board from 1995 to 2007. Sam and Jane had five children, and all eight of their grandchildren are Suffield alums. Sam’s daughter-in-law, Melinda Fuller, has been on the Suffield faculty since 1996.
Sam was the kind of person who would meet folks along the way and have them as lifelong friends. He was encouraging and kind, with a keen sense of humor. Sam loved to travel but never strayed far from his beloved Suffield, Connecticut. He spent the last 68 years living five houses away from his childhood home.
“SAM WAS THE KIND OF PERSON WHO WOULD MEET FOLKS ALONG THE WAY AND HAVE THEM AS LIFELONG FRIENDS.”
Sam played an uplifting role in my life, regularly expressing how proud he was of Suffield Academy’s progress. At a recent Board of Trustees meeting we were discussing several ambitious, multi-million-dollar campus projects when Sam reminded us of the incredible journey we have taken. “When I first joined this Board we would debate whether to lease or buy a tractor,” he said. “Who would have imagined we’d have come this far?”
At virtually every key moment in Suffield Academy’s nearly two century history the Fuller family has played a central role. The deep roots include four generations of William Fullers. In 1832, William Fuller (1796-1874) worked and gave funds to start the school. His son, William H. Fuller (1825-1890), was treasurer of the Academy from 1858 to 1876. His younger brother, Edward A. Fuller (Class of 1858)—a prominent town member and Civil War Orderly Sargeant—helped preserve Suffield during the era when the rise of free public high schools led to the closing of more than 6,000 academies. Edward and his wife, Sarah, made many timely and unrecorded gifts, and their bequests assured the restoration of the Old North Building, dedicated as Edward A. Fuller Hall in 1953.
Sam’s father, William S. Fuller (Class of 1903), was a long-time member of the Board’s Executive Committee and helped the school grow in the mid 1900s. He and his sister, Bessie Fuller Perry (Class of 1899), led giving for Perry Gymnasium (named for Mrs. Perry’s husband, Dr. Sherman Perry), the swimming pool, and Spencer Hall. W.S. Fuller also underwrote construction of Fuller House Dorm. In the period just before Ap Seaverns’ arrival as Headmaster in 1952, William S. Fuller regularly gave personal funds to help meet the school’s payroll. >>
Top: Sam with Bill Kotchen ’60, Jack Billhardt P’77, and Don Richter P’73, ’77 Middle: Sam and his wife, Jane Bottom: Sam and Jim Fuller P’05, ’06
“...WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER SAM’S SMILE, LAUGH, AND POSITIVE SPIRIT. HE WAS A DEAR FRIEND AND WONDERFUL MAN. WE SURE WILL MISS SAM FULLER.”
Sam’s brother, Syd Fuller ’35, was a trustee for more than 40 years, and his sisters, Nathena Fuller ’37 (trustee from 1982 to 1990) and Frankie Connelly ’39, were enthusiastic, active supporters of Suffield Academy.
Sam was here during his middle school years before heading off to Phillips Andover and graduating from Williams College. After time in the United States Navy, he had a distinguished career in the banking industry. Sam’s greatest pleasure seemed to be serving others, whether it was Suffield Academy, the Bushnell Memorial Hall, the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, Hartford Hospital, or The Suffield Observer, which he founded in 1999. Sam genuinely loved helping people. Referring to his grandfather, Ted Fuller ’05 said, “he validated me to myself and made me believe my interests, especially in history, were valuable.”
Sam’s children and grandchildren love Suffield Academy and will carry forward this historic connection. But we will always remember Sam’s smile, laugh, and positive spirit. He was a dear friend and wonderful man. We sure will miss Sam Fuller.
Top: (left) Sam with Dan Tisch ’69, P’02, and Hobie Truesdell ’66, P’01 (right) Sam with Jack Robinson ’60, and Mike Daly ’59
Bottom: (left) Andrew Kotchen ’89, Charlie Cahn III, Sam Fuller, Neil Smit ’76, and Grace Obama Layat ’87 (right) Sam with Tapley Sheresky P’12, Jackie Williams P’08, ’07, ’04, and Jeff White ’65
ALI SALEHI P’12 NEW TRUSTEE
Ali Salehi joined Suffield’s Board of Trustees in October. Ali and his wife Mandana live in Westfield, Massachusetts. Their daughter Jazzy is a 2012 graduate of Suffield and a 2016 graduate of Mount Holyoke College. Ali is president of Columbia Manufacturing. Columbia makes thousands of products, many of which are focused on education, including desks, chairs, laboratory stools, and teachers’ desks for high schools and universities. Ali was born in Tehran and came to America as a teenager. He earned his bachelor’s degree (mechanical engineering) and master’s (engineering management) at Western New England University. He is on the Board’s Marketing & Communications Committee and Construction & Maintenance Committee.
“Our family loves Suffield Academy, and I was honored to be asked by Fred Powers and Charlie Cahn to serve as a trustee,” said Ali. “Jazzy had a great experience as a student at Suffield, and Mandana and I believe deeply in the values of the school and in Charlie Cahn’s leadership.”
LANDIS STUDENT UNION DEDICATION
Suffield dedicated the student union in honor of the Landis family in September. Ken Landis is a Suffield trustee and chair of the Board’s Budget, Finance & Audit Committee. He and his wife, Rosalind, are parents of Emma Landis ’16. Emma attended Suffield for four years and is now studying at College of Charleston. In recognition of her experience at Suffield and Ken and Rosalind’s affection for the school, they generously supported the expansion and renovation of Brewster Hall. This project included a new student center and kitchen and an expanded dining room.
“Rosalind and I appreciate the Suffield faculty and think Emma’s years at the school were important and helpful in her growth,” said Ken. “We admire Charlie Cahn’s vision of a rigorous but encouraging, nurturing school environment.”
Ken also noted that he has been impressed by the school’s ability to complete so many major campus construction projects.
“From the conceptual design to fundraising to construction, the school executes at a very high level. We are all proud and happy to be part of this great era in Suffield’s history.”
Ali Salehi with daughter Jazzy
MASTER PLAN
CONSTRUCTION OF BRODIE HALL BEGAN IN NOVEMBER 2016. THIS IS THE NEXT PROJECT IN SUFFIELD’S CAMPUS MASTER PLAN. THE 8,370-SQUARE-FOOT BUILDING WILL HOUSE TEMPORARY CLASSROOMS DURING THE 2017-2018 ACADEMIC YEAR WHILE MEMORIAL BUILDING IS REBUILT AND EXPANDED.
In the fall of 2018, Brodie Hall will become a dormitory with nine rooms and faculty residences of 1,900 and 1,700 square feet. The common room will have a beautiful western view facing the Connecticut River Valley. It will be climate controlled with individual controls in each room. Brodie Hall will provide increased flexibility in Suffield’s dormitory housing model and potentially more bed space for future shifts in the ratio of boarding and day students. It is being named in recognition of Suffield trustee Suzy Brodie Vogler P’11 for her generous and dedicated support of the school. Suzy chose to name it in honor of her parents, Don and Barbara Brodie. Brodie Hall and the Memorial Building expansion are being funded by generous gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of Suffield Academy. It is expected that the Memorial Building project will begin at the conclusion of the current academic year.
View the Master Plan online: suffieldacademy.org/masterplan
CLASS OF 2017 SENIOR DINNER
The Class of 2017 met in the Koo Family Dining Room in Brewster Hall to celebrate the start of their final year at Suffield. Headmaster Charlie Cahn welcomed faculty and seniors, and spoke about collective leadership of the school.
“To be part of this community, you have to be kind and considerate of others,” he said. “Nothing is more important to us than this. Life at Suffield is a uniquely human existence where people from all different backgrounds and interests are brought together in a wonderful exercise of community life. We come here to stretch ourselves as people.”
Senior class vice president Ashley Sarris ’17 spoke about memories and the rapid passage of time. “Senior year hit us faster than expected,” she admitted. “Suffield helped us grow from children into young adults. Now it’s our time to grow even more and learn as much as we can before it’s time to say goodbye. Let’s make these memories from now until then last a lifetime.” Class president Garrett Stephenson welcomed 16 new seniors to the Class of 2017 and noted there were only 259 days left until Suffield’s 184th Commencement. “Let’s take advantage of what’s been given to us,” he expressed. “We set the tone as leaders of the school and it is up to us to leave a lasting impression. Go get ’em, Tigers.” Following dinner, class co-advisor Greg Lynch spoke about humility and responsibility. “Be thoughtful,” he said, “Be humble. You set the climate of the school. You are the leaders of this group. Work hard, win big, and do it with a smile.” The evening concluded with the singing of Suffield’s alma mater. The Class of 2017 will meet in Brewster again in the spring to acknowledge their last 50 days at Suffield.
MARC BRACKETT EMOTIONS MATTER
Dr. Marc Brackett began his visit with Suffield’s faculty by asking a seemingly simple question: “How are you feeling?” He noted that when that question is directed at students, the most common responses are “tired,” “bored,” or “stressed.” The research he and his colleagues have done at Yale’s Center of Emotional Intelligence indicated that today’s adolescents are, in fact, more stressed out than the adults who are raising them. Marc’s comments, and the work he is doing with educators around the world, are aimed at helping alleviate some of this stress.
Marc Brackett is the widely decorated director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University. He is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by over 1000 public, charter, and private schools across the United States and in other countries, including Australia, England, Italy, Mexico, and Spain. RULER infuses emotional intelligence into the fabric of a school through training for school leaders, educators and staff, students, and families, and has been shown to enhance wellbeing, academic performance, and school climate.
Marc spoke at Suffield’s opening faculty meeting and highlighted how educators can help recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate emotions. He claims that unless school leaders and faculty can develop and model emotion regulation skills they cannot effectively help students do this, and assisting students in doing this is crucial in healthy schools. “Every classroom has an emotional climate,” he explained. “This climate is the most predictable element in students feeling engaged in their learning, having better quality relationships with their teachers, and higher academic performance. Emotions are signals to approach or to avoid. Emotions matter.”
ALISON MONCRIEF BROMAGE ’97 POETRY READING
Winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, Alison Moncrief Bromage ’97 returned to Suffield and performed a reading of her poetry in the Kent Legare Library. The T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is awarded by the Poetry Book Society (UK) to “the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland” in any particular year. Alison’s book of poems Daughter, Daedalus was published by Truman State University Press in September. A reception followed Alison’s reading while she remained to answer questions asked by students and faculty.
Daughter, Daedalus is a siren song composed of loss and beauty. Moncrief Bromage uses detailed themes of mothering and barrenness so wonderfully interwoven that readers will feel the pain and want as seeming simultaneously just out of reach and attached to the soul.” [Truman State University Press]
WALKS SCHOLARS
In the mid 1950s, Suffield Headmaster Ap Seaverns collaborated with four other local school heads to pursue a creative idea: raising money to help make private, secondary school education possible for more Hartford, Connecticut students. The WALKS Foundation was established as a consortium between Westminster, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee, Kingswood-Oxford, and Suffield Academy. There have been 62 WALKS Scholars at Suffield since 1956. Donors, current and past scholars, and other guests attended WALKS’ 60th Anniversary celebration at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
Suffield’s current WALKS Scholars are Bailey Hyland ’18, Tim Bell ’19, and Niah Samboy ’19. The 60th Anniversary program featured keynote remarks by acclaimed journalist Soledad O’Brien, who focused on how WALKS was an innovative, almost radical idea in the 1950s. She emphasized that the theme of creating access to great educational opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds remains critically important. Headmaster Charlie Cahn said, “It was a great event where we reflected on all that the WALKS Foundation has accomplished in 60 years. WALKS has a clear and refreshingly simple mission, and its donors have played a key role in helping more young people gain access to our schools.” In addition to supporting financial aid at the five member schools, the WALKS Foundation also annually supports a Constitutional Essay Contest and awards Barnes Service Prizes at each school in recognition of Hap and Betty Barnes P’75, the largest benefactors of WALKS since its inception.
LEGACY STUDENTS
Legacy students are children of alumni currently attending Suffield Academy. They symbolize the loyalty and spirit of Suffield families. This year Suffield is proud to have 33 legacy students from 25 families.
Gabriella Tosone
Back
Nick
Savannah Tompkins
Cailey McNamara ’19, Riley Miles ’17, Casey Kaplan ’17, Luc
Amelia Hern ’17, Harry Hildreth ’17, Aiden Owen ’20
Front row (left to right) Gavin Mastella ’19, Chris Campbell ’19, Owen Kinne ’18, Andrew Budge ’19, John Mellekas ’19, Kate Killam ’19, John Killam ’18 Tom Killam ’18, Julie Raporte ’20, Bobby Artoli ’20, Olivia Alfano ’19, Vivian Riegel ’20, Andrew “Zane” Hodgkins ’20, Mia D’Angelo ’19, Izzy Dutranoit ’19, Eva Hafner ’18, Peyton Cahn ’18, Anna Wilson ’17, Megan Varney ’17, Carlin Molander ’18, Audrey DuFresne ’18,
’20
row (left to right) Laurel Vardakas ’20,
Vardakas ’18,
’19,
Dutranoit ’17, Justin Hern ’20,
Bailey Hyland ’18 with Soledad O’Brien at the WALKS 60th Anniversary program
NAVY SEALS
READY TO LEAD, READY TO FOLLOW, NEVER QUIT
Anthony and Jason are trainers for The Human Performance Project, an athletic division of Applied Performance Sciences (APS).
Founded by Navy SEALs and developed in conjunction with Olympic and professional sport coaches, APS delivers content and training applicable to any environment where peak performance is desired. Their core message is that achieving peak performance requires a specific set of conditions and type of preparation—physical, mental, behavioral, and neurobiological. APS has develop unique understanding of these and has developed methods for applying them to teams and individuals. APS’s athletic programs focus on four key elements: lifestyle, leadership, team dynamics, and training.
Tiger athletes pursued morning and afternoon training sessions centered on team dynamics, communication and leadership, strength, and sport-specific power. The evening presentations focused on maintaining optimal, elite performance and highlighted areas including nutrition and hydration, managing stress, biofeedback and physiology, and a commitment to making intelligent lifestyle choices.
“The number one predictor of elite human performance is the healthy operation of the central nervous system,” explained Anthony. “How well it is rested and primed depends entirely on your lifestyle choices. The decisions you make either set you up for success or hold you back. Change the way you live, and it will change the way you compete.”
“Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit.” These are just a few of the words used in writing the honorary code of the U.S. Navy SEALs.
ANNUAL PROCTOR RETREAT
Thirty-eight proctors, with program advisors Marla Adelsberger and Greg Lynch, traveled to Camp Becket in Western Massachusetts for a weekend retreat.
This program helps both new and returning proctors prepare for the challenges of a significant leadership role. The group took part in a variety of activities designed to develop team cohesion and promote problem-solving skills. They were challenged to step outside their comfort zones by a high ropes course, collective initiatives, a raft building competition, and an exercise on the effectiveness of their self-assessment skills. Additionally, they practiced responding to situations that they might encounter as proctors and returned to campus with an increased sense of purpose and a greater appreciation for their new roles in the dorm.
John Kuzmeski ’17, a proctor in Fuller Hall commented, “The weekend retreat offered excellent team building exercises, centering on leadership, strength, and service. I thought it was very productive and helpful as we look forward to beginning a new academic year at Suffield.” Marla Adelsberger added, “We were really proud of our students this weekend. They worked effectively as a group, supporting each other, building trust, and learning from one another while having a great time with the activities.”
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Suffield’s cross country team joined with Special Olympic athletes for a unified 5k run, followed by a 3k race open to Special Olympic athletes and all of the Suffield community. Initiated two years ago as a project in Suffield’s Leadership Program, this was a return visit for Special Olympic athletes who came from around the state in support of the race. Divided in groups and equally matched, each team included members of Suffield’s boys’ and girls’ cross country and Special Olympic athletes.
Girls’ cross country head coach Beth Krasemann commented, “It was a very successful day. Senior club leaders Lane Repka, Kirsti Kokko, and Isabelle Ricke did a wonderful job organizing the event, starting the races, and distributing the awards. All the participants really enjoyed running and sharing the excitement of this sport.” Cross country team members Amelia Hern ’17 and Becca Bauer ’19 both ran with Special Olympic athletes and were impressed by their efforts and passion. “Running alongside these athletes was an inspiring experience,” said Hern. “I will carry this with me throughout this cross country season and my lifetime as a runner.” Bauer noted, “It is rewarding to see the impact these events have, and I feel honored to be included in the partnership between Suffield Academy and the Special Olympics organization.”
NATIONAL MERIT
Each year, about 1.5 million high school students participate in the National Merit Scholarship Program, which recognizes outstanding academic and extracurricular achievement. Just 16,000 of them were selected as semifinalists in the National Merit’s 62nd year. Suffield Academy’s Anna Wilson ’17 is among this group and was named one of the 15,000 finalists in February. She will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million offered in the spring of 2017.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90% of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
Four additional Suffield Academy seniors were named as Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are also recognized for outstanding performance on the qualifying test. Suffield is proud to acknowledge Chris Ennis, Jason Louro, Emma Paul, and Megan Varney for this achievement.
Parents' Weekend
Parents and families of Suffield students visited campus for a series of activities for fall Parents’ Weekend. In addition to meetings with teachers, parents attended athletic contests, a Performing Arts Showcase, and a discussion prompted by various school leaders. Headmaster Charlie Cahn gave the State of the School presentation and noted that a primary reason for Suffield’s success is the shared sense of values between parents and the school. He said, “Our clarity about being an academically challenging school that is encouraging and nurturing has helped lead Suffield to great success.”
01 Charlie Park ’19 with brother James ’11 and mother Sung Hee Lee
02 Jim Raporte ’73 and Krystyna Raporte P’20
03 Susannah Johnson ’18 with parents Gary and Barbara Johnson P’13, ’15, ’18
Suffield welcomed a record-breaking 184 grandparents to campus in celebration of Grandparents’ Day. The day included classroom visits, lunch in Brewster Hall, and an address from Headmaster Charlie Cahn. It was an eventful time shared by generations. After climbing the stairs to the third floor of Memorial, 96-year-old Margaret Gregory GP’19 commented, “I enjoyed sitting in on my granddaughter’s English class. I recall seeing A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway when I was studying at Juilliard. It was a much different time then. I think in some ways it was a better time. I am not sure these students fully understand what an impact Streetcar had when it opened in 1947. It changed the perception of theater and made both Tennessee Williams and Marlon Brando very famous men.” Thank you to the grandparents who attended on a beautiful fall day.
R eunion 2016
a memorable reunion weekend brought over 200 alumni back to the suffield campus. the event kicked off on friday, october 14, with a reception by tisch field house, where alumni watched the varsity football team defeat phillips exeter academy under the lights on the turf field. classmates gathered with their friends and families as they visited with former and current faculty members. retired faculty in attendance included gerry laplante, dennis kinne, and george pervear.
1961 front: mike menzies, jerry kargman, chip colton second: paul martin, peter stevenson
1966 front: ted feutsch, bill lefferts, perry gleason, chris frost, bill bunner, adrian swain, paul brezina, jim hochschwender, hobie truesdell second: paul shepard, jay drury, fred doepke, fred hebard, charlie claggett third: bruce cohen, john scott, doc older, kent carlson, bruce fletcher fourth: john tremaine, roger gould, frank sparks, jay bolton, steve nathan, andy forrest, bill harris
1971 george pervear, george daniels, leo letendre second: jack thorton, flip sheridan, ken turnbull ’73, sam rapp third: dennis kinne, mark wright, charles daugherty
1976 front: carl whitaker, sharon fischer grubaugh, susanne wechsler spear second: sara whitaker ’77, bob welsh, chip spear ’72 third: richard von riesen, michael hess
1981 front: lilli nye, barbara cartmell howaniec, valisha graves, abbie rosene flaherty, paul adler second: nick katsoulis, jill skaff o’neil, suzanne morris liu, susan goodwin third: tom almy, jack ferraro, chris brady
1986 gerry l a plante, deanna rogers
stutler, kristin hostetter pandit, brinley ford ehlers, sean federowicz
1991 front: ted haynes, yuki murata, zal sarkari, marc occhiuti
second: courtney dansey rogers, dianne mariani burke, francesca shaw
third: andy roebuck, peter cerrato
2006 front: gerry l a plante, lawrence jones, eric litmer, alexis vallides, luke mccomb
second: joci scholtz, jackie barrieau iacovazzi, jen mais, matt rice
third: melissa carey fitzpatrick, nancy fuller, erin meehan, ben morgan
fourth: alison leonard, kristen l a plante, kim autuori weisburg
fifth: stephanie eagles-fox, matt wiggin, lauren coleman, sarah ellerton, chris stafford, caitlin mcnabb
front: justin robinson-howe, patrick tolosky, jason spazzarini, natasha sankalia, courtney flynn, avery schuster, tara keady, annie lautenbach, katherine perry, erica robbie, tori schirmer, argenis rojas
second: sam ferraro, kachenta descartes, shelter wein, emily aiken, didi mcdonald, lauren webber, aj placanico, colin dowd
third: ali sullivan, madison hebb, kara glassman, charlotte yordon
fourth: lorenzo bernardez, taylor peucker, james thompson, brando brandolini, riley henderson, oli wragg, erica yard, jay dipietro, amanda noble, michael budness, joe begley, james park
fifth: graham lowe, max rooney, james anderson, fred tritschler, peter ganem, matt gianoni, k.c. sweitzer, maddy carpenter, kate prentis, carrie fieger
Reunion 2016
saturday’s events began with sunrise yoga at the hillary rockwell cahn ’88 balance barn, followed by student-led campus tours, a class agent meeting, headmaster charlie cahn’s state of the school address, a memorial celebrating the life of mason w. nye, and tiger athletic events.
the class of 1966 celebrated their 50 reunion, and together shared several special events and memories throughout the weekend. they helped create a new model for 50 their efforts and enthusiastic planning. a reception and dinner were held on saturday evening in brewster hall while class photos were taken in the lobby. headmaster cahn remarked about suffield’s history and the shared bonds of everyone attending reunion. board trustee john tremaine ’66, p’94, ’03 spoke before alumni enjoyed food, laughter, and dancing. the band of love, led by jay cook ’78, performed throughout the night, and the weekend concluded with a brunch in brewster hall on sunday. suffield thanks alumni and their families for being part of an eventful and unforgettable reunion.
1996 andrew konopacki and sam artioli
Quality in Workmanship
IN MEMORY OF
For 39 years, Mason Nye served as a beloved member of the Suffield Academy community. He was a master educator who loved English and handled teaching responsibilities with integrity, loyalty, and a belief in all his students. Mason spent 15 years as the English department chair, 13 as director of studies, and held stints as assistant headmaster and acting headmaster. His dedication to his students and love for the school permeated the culture of Suffield. A memorial service was held on October 15 to celebrate his remarkable life.
EXCERPTS
FROM A TALK BY LILLIAN NYE ’81
“It’s impossible to capture in a brief reflection the full richness and complexity of who Mason Nye was. If I may, I’d like to share something of the encompassing arc of his life’s journey, and speak more to my own and my siblings’ experience of him as our father.
Our father’s career at Suffield Academy gave our family a life that we later came to recognize as nearly idyllic. Our imaginations were fertilized with books (walls of books), music (always music), and the rambling Victorian home where we lived was a virtual small museum of art that our father had collected, inherited (his father was an accomplished landscape painter), painted himself, or had been given by students who were gifted in the art studio.
As kids, he read to us from literary works that were accessible to young children, limericks or fantastical excerpts from Alice in Wonderland—whatever he thought would fire our imaginations or make us giggle. When we were old enough to follow more sophisticated stories, he would gather us in the living room on a chosen night each week and read from Arabian Nights or Treasure Island or David Copperfield or something from Mark Twain or Edgar Allen Poe. He was even willing to teach us about the darker side of humanity, such as with the creepy The Night of the Hunter
He was the consummate teacher. Whether it was how to do yard work, hang a painting, replace a window pane we had broken playing ball, or how to make ‘Mason’s Special Sauce’ in the kitchen, Dad patiently instructed his children. He gave us an eye for detail, a good work ethic, and a love for quality in workmanship. He demonstrated a life of balance between work and rest, discipline and pleasure.
In our teens, we were the beneficiaries of his emphasis on the need to communicate well, to be able to engage in discussions with others who had differing viewpoints. He wanted his children to know not only that our own opinions and views counted, but also to be open to those views being challenged.
Speaking very personally about growing up in this particular world, the charisma of my father’s Leonine personality and vision was like the sun—it shone out into the environment touching everything.
Our father instilled in us a belief in the idea of a calling in life, as opposed to just an occupation.
Mason Whitney Nye—father, teacher, husband, brother, seeker, mentor, friend, and sage—nourished so many people with his shining being. His legacy will live on to touch countless future generations through all of us whom he taught, inspired, guided, and loved.”
TO MASON
Although I have worked and wandered around the world,
By so much mesmerized and unfurled, A quiet fire at the bottom of my heart
Has never lost its light, its soul, Has always drawn me toward my inner goal.
It was Mason Nye who lit that fire, Who helped assemble the kindle sticks Already yearning for a deeper flame, Who opened my eyes to the wealth of words And how they could mutate while being the same, Who asked questions in class that opened me up: What would you do with one day to live?
Who helped me believe in what was there, Who helped me find the inspiration
That helped me build a sense of trust Through which I have been able to connect to others, To hear their concerns, their joy, their frustrations.
This gift will always be with me, no matter what, And for which I will always be so grateful.
Jim Rosenstein ’64
ANNUAL GOLF OUTING
Alumni and parents gathered at Suffield Country Club for the 12th annual golf outing. Traditionally played in a scramble format, players of all skill levels enjoy a day on the links. The outing comprised a number of activities, including a putting contest, “Sink The Final Cup” Chip-Off, long drive and closest to the pin holes, and a fun, marshmallow drive competition. Participants received several gifts, including Suffield Academy golf shirts, balls, and gloves. While the central focus of the day was on fun and camaraderie, there was a prize for the group posting the lowest score. The pairing of Bill Dowd P’12, Barry Cleary P’02, ’05, and Jonathan Medwid ’96 posted a team low 59. A buffet dinner followed the golf, and participants were warmly greeted by head pro Stan McLennan P’18. Sponsors of the outing included Fishers Island Lemonade, Pretzelmaker, Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, Windsor Marketing Group, The Hoffman Auto Group, Cordes Orthodontics, Smith Brothers, Fedor Financial Group, LLC, The Colvest Group, Westfield Bank, the Kim, Loftus, Ungerleider, Higgins, Sullivan and Thrall families, and Stan and Joyce McLennan P’18.
Top Brian Hetzel ’97, John Calcagni, Casey Sullivan ’06, and Jake Shea ’03
Middle Chris Overbye, Monica Chung, John Gray, and Charlie Cahn
Bottom
Michael Ungerleider P’18, Jordan Choi, with Vinnette and James Michel P’12, P’17
ALUMNI SPORTS DAY
As new and returning students arrived on campus, many alumni also returned for Alumni Sports Day. Water polo, cross country, and soccer welcomed Suffield’s former athletes to join the annual alumni games. These games serve as a platform that bonds students and alumni of different generations, connecting the school’s past, present, and future. Alumni Sports Day is as much about sharing bonds as it is competing, but all the contests were competitive and exciting. The day is an opportunity for alumni to come home to Suffield, share the school with their families, and relive old memories with former coaches, teachers, and teammates. At Suffield, being on a team does not end at Commencement. Once a Tiger, always a Tiger.
Soccer Jordan Dubey ’04 Water Polo (group) Theresa Lamontagne ’04, Jen Lamontagne ’04, Tommy Jensen ’11, Sam Rade ’04, Kaison Ifill ’15, Evan Ciecimirski ’10, Anthony Rousseau ’04, Nick Allen ’10, Will Powers ’05 Water polo (solo) Kaison Ifill ’15
out of many we are one
As Suffield Academy began its 184th academic year, Headmaster Charlie Cahn welcomed 134 new students and five new faculty members to the school’s community. Highlighting Suffield’s tradition of academic excellence, individual responsibility, and collective leadership, Headmaster Cahn spoke about diversity, respect for people and surroundings, and the school’s emphasis on kindness. Academic Dean Sara Yeager talked about this year’s school theme of service. “My challenge this year to you is you, ” she announced. “Small acts, kind acts, individual acts do matter. Recognize that you can and should make a difference in our community every day. Serve in your everyday acts of kindness.” Quoting Martin Luther King Jr, she concluded, “Anyone can be great because anyone can serve.”
As the academic year unfolds, Suffield’s emphasis on kindness is apparent all around campus. This is a school united—as teachers, as students, and as leaders—providing service to others and valuing timeless traditions. In many ways, service is associated with honor and embodied by responsibility. At Suffield, we consider service to be acts of kindness. Muhammad Ali once famously said, “Service is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” Kahlil Gibran wrote, “I slept and I dreamed that life was all joy. I woke and saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.” And Albert Einstein remarked, “Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.”
Over the past decade, Suffield has had an annual school theme it examines over the course of the academic year. The philosophy of this program is based on having a shared intellectual experience and raising awareness of pertinent and timely issues. Components include a speaker series, charity fundraiser, film and discussion program, community text, and even trips to Ghana in support of the Hearts of the Father Outreach. Past themes have included courage, loyalty, gratitude, identity, conviction, and balance.
The theme of service has not only been recognized and celebrated by visiting guest speakers but has also been honored by Suffield’s teachers and students within the community.
Suffield Academy students during the 2016 Ghana trip
ANNA AUSUBEL IZZY DUTRANOIT ’19
Teaching biology and psychology while also assisting the cross country team, she is supportive in both her roles. She loves helping her students and seeing their progress throughout the year. Ms. Ausubel is always positive and encouraging, giving great advice and pushing us to do our very best.
This fall, Melinda Fuller’s Art I class students created mixed-media collages inspired by our school-wide theme. Each student chose someone here at Suffield to honor for their service. Here are a few excerpts from their work:
ROCKY NATASSA FLEVOTOMOS ’20
Spanning the length of his career, Mr. Rockwell has developed many programs for the school and takes great pride in offering a special educational experience. Mr. Rockwell values honesty and fairness, creativity, and independent thinking.
LYNETTE DOTEL KIRILL DOLGIN ’17
I chose Lynette because of her extraordinary friendly personality and very open smile. Although she might not be the most public person on campus, I am sure that every member of Suffield community has enjoyed the results of her efforts. By combining a strong sense of respect with a deep love for her own children and students, she brings light to campus on a daily basis.
DREW GAMERE JUSTIN LEVSKY ’18
As athletic director, he likes to be involved with the entire school and have an impact on young people’s lives. He is proud to see how far they’ve come during their time at Suffield.
THOMAS FOOTE TYLER VAN DYKE ’20
He is a hard-working, wonderful guy. He loves to teach algebra and geometry and wants to see each student succeed. Mr. Foote is a great role model.
KIM WIGGIN
MIKE STERN ’18
Ms. Wiggin’s job is very important because she helps students with academic differences be successful in all ways here. Her most important values are honesty and acceptance. Every year she organizes the Europe trip during March break, and over Thanksgiving she takes a group of students to provide service at an orphanage and school in Ghana.
JACK JENNINGS ’20
MINH NGUYEN ’20
Jack helped me cope with my new boarding school lifestyle and has become one of my closest friends during my freshman year at Suffield Academy.
SARA YEAGER
JULIEN
GEORGE ’18
She enjoys leading and making others happy. Cooking and reading are very important parts of her life. In my collage, I included a drawing of birds to represent the freedom and peace that Ms. Yeager has in her life. I also included three fish to represent uniqueness. The two blue fish are followers of the red fish that is leading the way. Ms. Yeager is the red fish and wants all her students to become like the red fish.
HENRY RACINES
JAMES KAGAN ’18
As a custodian for our physical plant, Henry is dedicated to the well-being of Suffield’s students and dormitories. He is a positive person and always sees the best in life. Henry is an important member of our community.
NANCY RADUCHA
MICHELLE WAN ’20
As a nurse in the health center, Nancy helps a lot of people during the day and is always there for us when we need her. She feels that everyone is valuable and is relieved when she can help us get better.
TORI REPKA ’18
GENAN SU ’20
Tori is not only a friend but also a role model. She makes great contributions to Suffield Academy. She offers help to the kitchen when needed and likes to help others feel comfortable. I look up to her.
RICKY WARREN
ABOU DIABY ’17
He takes pride in teaching students to be the best they can be athletically and academically. What is most meaningful to him about his job is he gets up every day and loves what he is doing. He believes it is very rewarding and satisfying to see success in each student.
PHIL CYR
NOAH CYR ’17
As director of physical plant, he performs an important job for the school. He is paramount in ensuring that all of the buildings and grounds around campus are safe and well kept, and helps the school run more smoothly.
KATHY NAI
CAROLINE GINGOLD ’18
She hopes that every student feels as if he or she can approach her with any problem. One of her biggest joys is watching students grow and mature, entering the school as freshmen and leaving as accomplished seniors. Mrs. Nai believes Suffield students should do the right thing and always tell the truth.
KERRY TABBERT TIM BELL ’19
Kerry Tabbert is a familiar face on campus, and her work in the student union’s Snack Shack may be somewhat underappreciated. She is an integral part of fulfilling our needs as students. While in the student union she sees random acts of kindness that she says bring joy to her heart.
SEAN ATKINS LEXI MNICH ’18
He was the first person who made me feel welcome on campus during the interview process and is very inspirational and caring. He says that even when work makes him tired, he is excited about each day because he has the chance to help bright, engaging, and passionate people.
“Small acts, kind acts, individual acts do matter. Recognize that you can and should make a difference in our community every day. Serve in your everyday acts of kindness.”
food for thought
akshaya patra | unlimited food for education
“I BELIEVE IT IS OUR DUTY AS CITIZENS OF THE WORLD TO TAKE ACTION. I DON’T THINK OF AKSHAYA PATRA AS A CHARITY, BUT RATHER A SYSTEM THAT UPLIFTS ALL OF INDIA WITH IMPACT BEYOND FOOD AND EDUCATION.”
THE AKSHAYA-PÃTRA FOUNDATION IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION HEADQUARTERED IN BENGALURU, INDIA. THE ORGANIZATION STRIVES TO FIGHT ISSUES LIKE HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION IN INDIA BY IMPLEMENTING THE MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT-AIDED SCHOOLS. OPERATING UNDER THE VISION THAT “NO CHILD IN INDIA SHALL BE DEPRIVED OF EDUCATION BECAUSE OF HUNGER,” AKSHAYA-PÃTRA AIMS NOT ONLY TO FIGHT HUNGER BUT ALSO BRING CHILDREN TO SCHOOL.
In partnership with the government of India, various State Governments, the inestimable support from many businesses, philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya-Pãtra has grown from its humble beginnings in the year 2000, serving just 1,500 children across five schools. Today Akshaya-Pãtra is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal program serving wholesome food to over 1.6 million children from 13,210 schools across 11 states in India.
Close to 40% of the world’s malnourished children live in India, and 40% of India’s children drop out of school prior to reaching the 6th-grade. Children are working to provide food for their families instead of going to school. By making meals available in schools, Akshaya-Pãtra removes this burden and entices children to go to school instead of going to work. In return, the education they receive provides an opportunity to pursue a career and breaks the cycle of poverty.
‹ akshayapatra.org
›
Suffield Academy’s own Yash Patel ’17 is spearheading the fundraising effort this year. “I chose Akshaya-Pãtra because I wanted to spread awareness about the problems children face in India,” he said. “I believe it is our duty as citizens of the world to take action. I don’t think of Akshaya-Pãtra as a charity, but rather a system that uplifts all of India with impact beyond food and education. Each school meal costs five cents, and $15 can feed a child for an entire year. Our goal at Suffield Academy is to raise $60,000: $40,000 will be allocated to 800,000 meals and $20,000 to a distribution vehicle that will bring food to the schools, which would provide an additional 3,000 meals served every day for a long-term impact. If we reach our goal, we will give children 800,000 reasons to come to school and 800,000 reasons to stay in school.”
The Color Run is one of three school-wide, trimester events organized by the student council to raise money and awareness in support of a selected organization outside of Suffield Academy. Shirts and packets of paint were sold prior to the event, and this money supports Suffield’s year-long goal of providing 800,000 meals to the Akshaya-Pãtra charity. An obstacle course that culminated with a waterslide down Bell Hill, the Color Run represents a student body and community dedicated to serving others.
Student council president Max Toczydlowski ’17 reported, “We raised around $4,000. The Color Run was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. The event was very successful as our first fundraiser of the year and provided opportunity to learn more about Akshaya-Pãtra.” Yash Patel said, “Kids bought tons of paint for the Color Run, and each bag of paint served 85 meals to children in India. Additionally, each shirt purchased will feed a child for an entire year. The event was very well organized, and people were very impressed with the set-up of this year’s obstacle course.”
To learn more about this years charity events, visit suffieldacademy.org/akshayapatra
A NEW
SARAH ALAIMO ∙ HANNAH ARTHUR ∙ CAMERON AUCHINACHIE ∙ NINA BEGLEY ∙ CUBA BIRNBAUM ∙ WILL BURKE ∙ BRYCE BUTLER
PHAKORN CHANSRICHAWLA ∙ NORA CHEN ∙ MANNY CHUKWU ∙ ALEX CLARKE ∙ BECCA COLLINS ∙ ALEXIS CORCORAN ∙ EVA CROUSE
LUCA CURRY ∙ CARI CYR ∙ NOAH CYR ∙ BRIAN DADDARIO ∙ KAELENA DANIELS ∙ MATT DE HAAN ∙ LAURA DE LOS SANTOS ∙ ABOU DIABY
DAVID EMERSON ∙ CHRIS ENNIS ∙ MARISSA FLEVOTOMOS ∙ TONNY GENG ∙ EMERSON GENOVESE ∙ BEN GODIN ∙ JEREMY GREER ∙ KEVIN HALEY
SABRINA HANG ∙ BENJI HART ∙ BRAD HAWKINS ∙ ALLISON HAYDEN ∙ BROOKLYNN HAYES ∙ SAM HENDERSON ∙ LAUREN HENZY ∙ AMELIA HERN
HARRY HILDRETH ∙ WINFIELD HUNTER ∙ MORGAN ISLAM ∙ ROB JOHNSTON ∙ MATT JUSCZYK ∙ KATHERINE KALILL ∙ CASEY KAPLAN
MADELINE KAUFFMAN ∙ PETER KELLEY ∙ KRISTEN KERTANIS ∙ KIRSTI KOKKO ∙ GRIFF KORNAKER ∙ DARIA KOVALEVA ∙ JOHN KUZMESKI
LEA KVADSHEIM ∙ JAE WOO LEE
MAYO
TANNER MOORE HENRY MORENO ∙ SERGEY MOROZOV
OKOJIE
SACCO
LILY OVERACKER
MATT REDHEAD
NICK SALUTI
SRIORATHAIKUL
GARRETT STEPHENSON
SPEAKER SERIES
AT A MEETING IN APRIL 2016, HEADMASTER CHARLIE CAHN PROPOSED AN IDEA TO SUFFIELD’S SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM: ANOTHER CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE TIED TO SUFFIELD’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM WHERE EACH MEMBER OF THE GRADUATING CLASS WOULD SHARE REMARKS OR TELL PERSONAL STORIES DURING SUFFIELD’S WEEKLY CHAPEL MEETINGS.
MAX TOCZYDLOWSKI Unity, Tradition, & Community
KATHERINE KALILL
“Let’s dance this year, Suffield.”
After the expected discussion of logistical questions and challenges, all agreed it could be a great opportunity—a community enhancing project, a great way for seniors to work with their faculty advisors in preparing presentations, and quite possibly the start of a new Suffield tradition. Popular chapel meetings fondly remembered by alums like the Kent-Davis Oratory contest and visits by guest speakers would remain, but these senior speeches would be a key fixture of Suffield’s Chapel Program. Chapels would be filled with seven or eight senior talks, ranging from five to ten minutes in length. “I recalled having this experience at Gilman School,” said Headmaster Cahn. “Each member of our senior class shared words about their backgrounds, values, and experiences that had impacted them. It was a real rite of passage for us. I still remember my own talk—“Excellence is Colorblind”— about Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams. Mr. Cahn’s idea was met with mild enthusiasm and major anxiety by most of Suffield’s seniors. “It is definitely a great way for us to get to know each other better and see the incredible diversity here,” said Maggy Skaugen. “But it is a little terrifying for most of us to speak in front of 500 people, even after all the public speaking practice we have in the Leadership Program. The senior speeches in 2016 have ranged from serious and self-reflective to funny and light-hearted.
IVAN ZAKHAROV
Falling Through the Ice
JEREMY GREER
Instructions for Deliberate Procrastination
CASEY KAPLAN
Water Skiing Keeps Me Afloat
JONAH PERRY
“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It’s what you think about.” -Dale Carnegie
TONNY GENG A Taste of Asian Culture
RILEY MILES Music & Theater
KIRILL DOLGIN How to Make Television More Useful
ALEXIS CORCORAN Passionate About Field Hockey
NICK MAYO
Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady
GRIFF KORNAKER
Adopting A Brother
LJ LUBA
Performing A Speech Without A Speech
NOAH CYR “I Am the Flag” (Ruth Apperson Rous)
GARRETT STEPHENSON How I Earned the Nickname “Dad”
SARAH PAJOUH
Overcoming Social Anxiety
GRAHAM SHANNON Learning to Overcome Expectations
ASHLEY SARRIS
“Don’t be afraid to step outside yourself to learn more about yourself.”
BRYCE BUTLER
The Institute of March Madness
DAVID EMERSON Preserving our Natural Landscapes
TYREEK SCOTT-GRAYSON
Basketball for Life: A Highlight Reel
NADEZDA DOLYAKOVA
“Your freedom is boundless. The human experience is limitless.”
LUCA CURRY
My Life in the Bahamas
EMMA PAUL
“I come from a small town—a really, really small town.”
PING VIRAMETEEKUL
LEO OH A Look at Korean School Systems
EVA CROUSE
“Success is defined by what you do to make yourself happy.”
MATT REDHEAD
“Instead of worrying about what you don’t have, be thankful for what you do have.”
“Thailand has three distinct seasons: hot, hotter, and hottest.”
Art Before Basketball
DONAHUE Finding Happiness and Contentment
IAN MACTAGGART
“I urge you to lead a life of service.”
TANNER MOORE Be Who You Are & Say What You Feel
LIZ SACCO For the Love of Photography
MEGAN VARNEY
“My favorite and not so favorite things about amusement parks.”
MANNY CHUKWU
CHRIS
JOHN KUZMESKI
“These are 10 lesser known facts about me.”
JASON LOURO
The Emotional Rollercoaster of Filmmaking
LAURA DE LOS SANTOS How to Manage Obstacles in Your Path
LUC DUTRANOIT Things You Might Not Know About Bermuda
ALAYNA MILLER
“A Very Long Poem” (recital)
JERRY TANG
“Whether you’re good at something or not so good, you should always look forward to the future.”
SPEAKERS
POOM SRIORATHAIKUL
A Discussion on Personal Growth
CAMERON AUCHINACHIE
“Try new things and create vast experiences.”
A View on India’s Greatest Contributions
LILY OVERACKER
The Impact of Social Work
KAELENA DANIELS
Perseverance and Recovery
VISITING SPEAKERS
MICHAEL HINGSON | BILL MORYTO P’16, ’18 | MARK SHRIVER
VISITING SPEAKERS
WHILE A NEWLY INITIATED SENIOR SPEAKER SERIES WAS IMPLEMENTED AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, GUEST SPEAKERS STILL PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE CHAPEL PROGRAM. SUFFIELD WELCOMED MICHAEL HINGSON, LIEUTENANT COLONEL BILL MORYTO P’16, ’18, AND MARK KENNEDY SHRIVER TO DELIVER TALKS CENTERED ON THE THEME OF SERVICE.
Blind author, technologist, and motivational speaker Michael Hingson urged community members to look beyond people’s apparent limitations. With help from his guide dog Roselle, he survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center. “Do not assume that because a person cannot see they cannot do the same things you can,” Hingson said to the engaged Suffield community. “Blindness isn’t the problem I face. The biggest problem is the misconceptions other people have about being blind. We rely too much on one sense or one way of doing things. We often don’t have control over the changes that happen to any of us, but we can control how we respond to those changes. Be open to the idea of trusting the people around you. Don’t let your sight get in the way of your vision.”
SERVE, SERVE, SERVE.
THAT’S THE CHALLENGE. FOR IN THE END IT WILL BE THE SERVANTS WHO SAVE US ALL.”
Suffield recognized Veterans Day with remarks from Lieutenant Colonel Bill Moryto P’16, ’18. “I stand here today on the shoulders of courageous soldiers, good men with strength of purpose to accomplish missions for their brothers in arms,” he said. Sharing a slideshow of photos, Lt. Col. Moryto talked about his 28 years of experience in the Marine Corps and the bond formed during active duty. “I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself,” he commented. Lt. Col. Moryto’s talk spotlighted honor and bravery and the impact of loyal soldiers who provide service to their country. “When you see a veteran, know that they are not asking for your thanks; they are simply proud of what they’ve done. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, though, if you did thank them for their service.”
Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1994 to 2002), Democratic politician and author of this year’s community text A Good Man, Mark Kennedy Shriver (son of Robert Sargent Shriver Jr.) delivered a simple and powerful message: “Small gestures of kindness can create ripples of hope. When you allow honest human interaction to enter your life, those you serve can and will actually serve you.” Mark spoke about his father’s legacy and an extraordinary life dedicated to serving others. After sharing memories and lessons learned from his father’s belief in unconditional love, faith, and mercy, Mark concluded his talk with words spoken by Sargent Shriver himself: “Be servants of peace. Grieve with those who are sorrowful. Rejoice with those who are joyful. Teach those who are ignorant. Care for those who are sick. Serve your families. Serve your neighbors. Serve your cities. Serve the poor. Join others who serve. Serve, serve, serve. That’s the challenge. For in the end, it will be the servants who save us all.”
Movement a Perspective on
PEOPLE ARRIVE WITH A PRECONCEIVED NOTION THAT IT IS LIKE YOGA OR GYMNASTICS, YET IT IS A DISCIPLINE AND PHILOSOPHY LIKE NO OTHER. IT COMBINES STRENGTH TRAINING, MARTIAL ARTS, ACROBATICS, AND PERFORMANCE ARTS. SUCCESS IS NOT CENTERED ON ACHIEVING A CERTAIN TRICK OR GOAL; IT IS ACQUIRED ON HOW WELL ONE EXECUTES A MOVEMENT, BUILDS ON IT, AND DEEPENS FROM IT. THE TRAINING DOES INVOLVE SOME ASPECTS OF MOBILITY, GYMNASTICS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT, AND HAND BALANCING. CLASS MAY ALSO INCORPORATE ACTS OF COORDINATION, LOCOMOTION PATTERNS, DANCE FOOT WORK, AND MARTIAL-ARTS STYLE PARTNER INTERACTION. THE PROGRAM IS CHALLENGING, BUT IT INVOLVES ZERO STRESS, ZERO PAIN, AND ZERO JUDGMENT. THE COMBINATION IS RARE AND MAGICAL.
Live Life
dynamically. Move. More.
my daily practice,” he says, “but our new-born son Jack seems to be taking over that role. I find influence in a lot
[ IDO PORTAL
]
of places and have stopped thinking that I know what is best. I continue to be a student first and a teacher second and am always searching for a better way to be both.”
As many alumni do, Matt credits Suffield Academy for helping him build a strong foundation as a learner and leader. He believes everyone in the community—from teachers and fellow students to members of the physical plant and food service teams—helped push him along to keep digging and discover his self. “Suffield influenced my way of thinking and my understanding that things do not need to be linear,” he says. “A goal is not set to simply achieve it; it is set to learn from a process. Suffield never pushed me to go to this college or that university, but instead encouraged me to create my own path, work hard, and be my own person.”
Although athletics are an essential part of the programming at Suffield Academy, one of the many special attributes of the school is that it encourages students to be successful in all areas of their lives. Not everyone was born to be a stellar athlete, nor was everyone preconditioned with the same cognitive strengths. Some are gifted actors and musicians and artists while others may be more interested in programmable software, mathematics, carpentry, or culinary arts. No matter what field of interest one may prefer, there is a process that can be learned to improve that skill. This philosophy lies at the heart of the student-teacher relationship and is the foundation of Boulder Movement Collective. “I was a terrible athlete, as people might remember, so I spent a lot of time with the SOLO program,” Matt recalls. “I believe the program made me the person I am today. It strengthened my relationship to the environment, my ability to interact with other people, and it’s where I first learned how to share my passion with others. My time in that SOLO barn introduced me to my love for teaching. I consider Rocky (Director of SOLO David Rockwell ’58, P’79. ’82, ’86, ’88) a mentor and credit him for a lot of the success I’ve had in both my career and personal life.” >>
A goal is not set to simply achieve it; it is set to learn from a process. Suffield never pushed me to go to this college or that university, but instead encouraged me to create my own path, work hard, and be my own person.
day in small increments—not major jumps. As an instructor and teacher, Matt encourages his students to think three months to a year ahead. The techniques studied and learned are not quick fixes, and his students are not athletes. Everyone who walks through the door at Boulder Movement Collective is a beginner, and this is no ordinary gym. “We’re not going to just send people out on a run, just to simply attack cardio,” Matt says. “We are never looking at it from just one perspective, and we’re not looking to train talented people. Instead, we’re here to take a person who wasn’t athletic, who didn’t do this when they were a kid, and engender them with the skills to accomplish high-level stuff. Like Suffield, we measure our success by the distance each student travels.”
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEAD FOOTBALL
COACH JIM HARBAUGH VISITED SUFFIELD IN JANUARY 2017. BRAD HAWKINS ’17 WILL BE JOINING THE WOLVERINES PROGRAM AS A MEMBER OF THE CLASS OF 2021.
Brad was one of Suffield’s football captains last season and selected Michigan over offers from many of the most competitive football programs in the country. “I have loved Michigan since I first visited three years ago, and ever since, I have been sure that is where I want to go to college. I’m proud to be a Suffield Tiger and excited to soon be a Michigan Wolverine.” Coach Harbaugh was joined on his visit to Suffield by Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, who has long ties to New England, having coached at Boston College, University of Connecticut, University of Massachsetts, Northeastern, Brown, Plymouth State, Yale, and Dartmouth.
TIGER to WOLVERINE
Drew Gamere ’92, Headmaster Cahn and Brad Hawkins ’17 with Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown
Inside the Classroom
Biotechnology
“Health Center Director Linda Kaplan suggested I write to you about our biotechnology class,” she said, “after we borrowed some syringes from Health Services to inject DNA into frog eggs.” No, this email was not sent by any medical college or university. It was written by Leslie Reed, a faculty member in Suffield’s science department. Biotechnology was offered as a senior elective course last fall and is quickly “cloning” in popularity. Part of a year-long series of new electives, it is the only class of its kind at Suffield and unique among many high schools in America.
The students in biotechnology worked on projects of their own design, and the lab was incredibly busy. In addition to breeding Betta fish and tiny snails in small tanks, members of the class also completed cloning the gene for bioluminescence into chia seeds, which caused the sprouting leaves to glow in the dark. Commenting on the successful “nature” of these projects, Leslie said, “It was so gratifying when I walked into the classroom and the students were already hard at work on their experiments. This is how education should be.”
The group of Anna Wilson ’17, Amelia Hern ’17, and Isabelle Ricke ’17 experimented with turning genes on and off in tiny roundworms that are used for genetics, making them dumpy or blister. “The point of our experiment was to put what we learned into action,” said Isabelle. “RNA interference (RNAi) is the natural process that cells use to ‘turn off’ unwanted genes. The way we conducted the experiment was by taking single worms and putting them on three different petri dishes. The first had Blis-1, which is bacteria containing a gene that causes blistering. The second had Dpy gene, which makes the worms shorter in length, or ‘dumpy.’ The third plate was our control group, and they had OP50, which is a strain of E.coli. After we incubated the worms for two days, the number of worms on the plate tripled, and as they ate the bacteria, their bodies were altered. They either grew blisters or became shorter.”
Working alongside Isabelle, Amelia Hern noted, “Our experiment was fascinating because we got to see it actually happen through the microscope. We witnessed the progress of the worms before and then the difference in their appearance after the genes expressed themselves. This relates to modern day biotechnology advances because there is a great deal of research being done with RNAi and gene expression. I am extremely grateful that Ms. Reed gave us the opportunity to do these projects as high school students since these are the types of experiments conducted by researchers for large biotech companies today.”
In his own experiment, senior Yash Patel ’17 worked on cloning the urokinase gene (for blood clotting) into a bacterium, while in another one Lauren Henzy ’17 investigated the gene for alcohol metabolism in fruit flies and inheritance of alcoholism. >>
“Our experiment was fascinating because we got to see it actually happen through the microscope.”
“You can really see on their faces how excited they are to check their experiments and investigate things on their own. As successful students they need to think outside the box.”
“My goal was to simply observe the behaviors of two types of fruit flies: those that could metabolize alcohol and those that could not,” said Lauren. “I found that those that lacked the gene for alcohol metabolism stayed away from the alcohol source after a few hours, while those that could metabolize it kept going back for more. My investigation suggested the behavior of those that could metabolize the alcohol follow the same behavior as alcoholics.” While not formally enrolled in the class Lauren was so interested in the subject material that she audited it and completed her experiments on her own time.
for future researchers to study because once the gene is in the bacteria, it will start to pump out protein. I can use this method again to research other proteins in the future.”
“Urokinase is protein made by our kidneys, and there are two ways of extracting it,” explained Yash. “The first way to separate urokinase is through the kidneys themselves, but as you know, there aren’t too many free kidneys lying around for experiments. The other way is through mamalian urine, and this is a long process that involves many steps (many chemical compounds, as well). Both ways are also inefficient extraction methods because they yield small amounts of the protein. Through genetic engineering we can create an unlimited supply of the protein
What began as a one-semester senior elective has grown larger than anything found in a petri dish. The level of interest ignited by this class is impressive but not shocking. Experiential learning is a trend that many schools are adapting into their curriculums. It provides hands-on training with real-life experiences. Suffield has remained ahead of the curve in this area, and Academic Dean Sara Yeager is very pleased with the response biotechnology received. “It was part of our vision as a school when we planned for the expansion of Holcomb that we could develop programs available to our seniors as a capstone experience in the sciences. When given the opportunity to add a faculty member in the department, we specifically sought a candidate with unique, professional experience. Leslie Reed has been a great addition to the program and has done an outstanding job inspiring our students.”
In fact, by the end of the semester, Ms. Reed commonly found her students in the classroom checking in on their experiments during free periods and after school. She immediately recognized it should continue and that this spark must be nurtured. “It’s my ultimate vision to see students passionate about sciences working in the lab as an independent study or afternoon activity. To me, science is about creativity, and I am hoping to help foster that journey. We might combine art and science, too, with medical drawing, or microscopic photography, for example. You can really see on their faces how excited they are to check their experiments and investigate things on their own. As successful students they need to think outside the box.”
One way to help with this is to give students tools with which to work. So when a Fisher Scientific representation contacted Ms. Reed to offer a generous donation of molecular genetics equipment and supplies, she rented a UHaul truck and drove down to Goshen, New York, to retrieve them. Now with a well-stocked supply closet in her classroom, she is hoping students follow the same initiative. “I really want to provide them with a creative space so they can investigate the kind of things they see in The New York Times. I think this type of classroom adds even more value to a Suffield education. The concepts we can learn here and investigate are relevant. Not only can this be a lucrative career path for many of them, but this material is very exciting. This is education at its best.”
Studio Arts @Suffield
Can you hear me?
IF A TREE FALLS IN THE WOODS AND NOBODY IS THERE TO HEAR IT, DOES IT MAKE A SOUND? STUDIO ARTS—DRAWING, PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, CERAMICS, AND SCULPTURE—ARE OFTEN QUIET, BUT THEY DO MAKE NOISE. THIS YEAR, SUFFIELD IS CELEBRATING THAT SOUND. WITH A SERIES OF NEW SHOWS FEATURING THE ARTWORK OF STUDENTS AND FACULTY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SUFFIELD LOOKS TO ENGAGE ITS AUDIENCES AND SHOWCASE TALENT ON CAMPUS.
“I do consider myself an artist,” says Tanner Moore, a senior from Bermuda whose passion is photography. “Every artist is different, and anyone can be an artist. I like to take photographs, and I try to tell a story with my images to convey a deeper meaning about the impact people have on their spaces. This year we are exposing more art to the community, and it’s increasingly receiving attention.”
Georgia Hannock is a sophomore from Williamstown, Massachusetts, who is currently drawing in Art II. “I wouldn’t think of myself as an artist,” she says. “I don’t think I have a gift or any particular amount of skill, but some of my calmest moments are in art class, and that’s why I find it so engaging. You don’t need to be good at it to enjoy it. My dad is an artist and attended Deerfield as a postgraduate, and that’s when
he discovered art to have a major impact on his life’s work. I chose Suffield because the students here are encouraged to express themselves and discover individual pathways towards their own success. It’s unfortunate that many kids in public schools don’t have this opportunity.”
“I sometimes consider myself an artist,” says Isabelle Ricke, a senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, who is currently an Art TA working in ceramics. “I believe everyone is an artist in their own way. An artist to me is someone who enjoys creating art and doesn’t care if other people like it. Some people expect artists to create perfect work, but I don’t believe art is about being perfect. When I throw on the wheel I always want to improve, but it requires a lot of patience. So much of athletes’ time is spent on training, and they >>
have opportunities to showcase their skills every week; it’s not the same for us. It’s wonderful we can do this here at Suffield.”
Featuring a collection of paintings spanning her sophomore, junior, and senior years Brooklynn Hayes from Granville, Massachusetts, exhibited a solo show this fall. “I think artists typically have a more dynamic understanding of the world than others. They challenge reality. My goal is to confront social issues and get people talking about things they’re normally uncomfortable talking about; things like body image, personal abuse, or sadness. In the past, I feel like music and performing arts have been getting more attention than studio arts, and I am happy to see more platforms to show our work this year. I am excited to see it grow. I’m pretty sure that if I had gone to another school, I would not be the artist I am today.”
“I see ordinary shapes and am compelled to critique them and think about how to compose the perfect piece from them,” says Aubrey Sanford, a junior ceramic artist from Canton, Connecticut. “I think an artist is someone who has unique perspective on life, someone who sees other people and objects in a different light and imagines how that could relate to a beautiful piece of artwork. I tend to be a perfectionist in the studio. My teachers are very encouraging, and Suffield is
very supportive of visual arts. As a junior, I am not prepared for a show this year, but I am very excited to be building a body of work. I am currently producing a series of thrown teapots.”
A postgraduate from Purchase, New York, Emmanuel Chukwu ’17 is a painter of Nigerian descent. “An artist is someone who creates using available resources to express themselves however they choose,” he explains. When asked what he likes most about painting, Manny responds with one word: “freedom.” As part of the newly initiated senior speaker series, Manny took the opportunity to talk about his work while sharing images made by watercolors, pastel, acrylic, ink, and charcoal. His drawings and paintings depict landscapes, cityscapes, animals, and portraits. A gentleman of deliberate words, his style is delicate and often celebrates his deeply rooted interest in African culture.
“Yes, of course I am an artist,” says Leyza Okojie, a senior from Lagos, Nigeria. “Art is a method of self-expression for me because I am not always good at verbalizing my true emotions. Visual art feels more natural to me. It’s a combination of conceptual and emotional work, and is very, very time consuming. My work is meant to or can depict multiple meanings to the viewer and is open to interpretation.”
Like others in the studio, Leyza has grown a lot over her time at
Suffield, and her work shows it. “I never wanted to sit down and draw fruit,” she jokes. “Building a foundation is important, but after that we were encouraged to develop our own path and discover our own signature. It’s awesome to see how invested members of the community are in the work we are doing. The project I am currently working on is called Crowd. It’s a puzzle made of wood intended as an interactive installation, where students and teachers work as a team to put it together. The point is that no matter where you come from politically, religiously, racially, or ethnically, we all fit into this great big puzzle of life. And by working together we accomplish a common goal; that common goal is harmony.”
“I am just so proud of our students and their work,” said Art I teacher Melinda Fuller P’05, ’06. “One way of getting to know our students better is through their art. They pour their hearts and souls into it and express their ideas and
memories, telling their own stories so beautifully through their work. Their art is a window into their soul. It’s really important for us as artists to work alongside the students, so they can see the process we adults go through is just like their own. Hopefully it will also encourage them to continue being artists throughout their lives, even though it may not be their career.”
“The level of inspiration with our students in the art department is at an all-time high,” says visual arts chair Bill Butcher P’06, ’14. “There are increasing numbers of students gaining interest in the visual arts, and this has added to this wonderful momentum. We began with selected senior exhibitions in the spring a few years ago with great success. As a faculty of practicing artists, we are very inspired by our student artists and are deeply impressed with their sincere commitment to this exciting work. We are all very pleased >>
“I think artists typically have a more dynamic understanding of the world than others. They challenge reality.”
to bring this high level of artistic accomplishment to the Suffield community. All of this is clear evidence that every human being has a creative dimension to their character. It is a matter of providing the right conditions and the appropriate instruction for each student to allow them to connect with their innate artistry.”
The Lee Roberts Gallery ’74 in the Tremaine Art Center is a formal gallery exhibition space. A faculty Fine Art Exhibition opened in the space, featuring the ceramic work of Erica Caginalp, photography by Jennifer Graham,
and paintings by William Butcher and Melinda Fuller, followed by the senior exhibition of Brooklynn Hayes, the Fall Art Special Exhibit, and the Advanced Photography Exhibition. The exhibits will continue with a number of solo and collaborative senior artist exhibitions, as well as the Winter and Spring Art Special shows.
With each exhibition including an opening reception, this is a time for the Suffield community to celebrate its wide array of creative accomplishments. They are certainly making a sound.
“we are very inspired by our student artists and are deeply impressed with their sincere commitment to this exciting work.”
faculty exhibition
melinda fuller erica caginalp jennifer graham bill butcher
CHRIS HARLAMBAKIS ’67
CLASS AGENT PROFILE z
BY BETH BAILEY P’12, ’16
Chris Harlambakis was not your usual prep school candidate in the fall of 1965. He was performing poorly in public school and had a difficult freshman year. Immigrants to the United States, his parents placed a high emphasis on their eldest child’s education and believed Suffield Academy would provide a solution. Chris, although an exceptional athlete, was lacking the academic skills it took to succeed as a student but a conditional acceptance was offered by the Academy. “I will be forever grateful that Mr. Sanderson saw something in me that would only take a little prodding to ignite,” he says. “I was challenged to take a summer writing class at Suffield if I was serious about attending.” And so the journey began.
I LOVE SUFFIELD ACADEMY AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR WITH OUR YOUNGER GENERATION. I LOOK BACK WITH FONDNESS ON THE TIME THAT I SPENT IN THE CLASSROOM AND PLAYING FIELDS.
He was voted in as class president his freshman year and served as a class leader on the student council for his entire tenure at Suffield. He was a three-sport varsity athlete and Torch Society member. When you ask him about the impact he had on the school and his fellow classmates, you get a humble response: “I was just a naïve kid from Enfield, Connecticut, before I was accepted by the Academy. Suffield was a fascinating, diverse school where I met kids from all over the world and had opportunities that I never dreamed possible.”
Chris credits his teachers and coaches at Suffield for teaching him the life skills he still uses today. “Leon Waskiewitz was my football coach for four years and the work ethic I have today,” he notes, “is from the summers I spent working for Waski on Fishers Island. As my basketball coach, Dennis Kinne taught me about leadership and attention to detail. A perfectionist, he would have us start a drill and make us do it over and over again until we got it right. Mason Nye showed me what true passion was and really exploded with love for what he taught us in English. Ken Lindfors was the most patient man I ever knew. He was a tremendous listener and never judged. Gordy Glover thought outside the box. He showed me how to go beyond my limits and try something different. George Pervear was a team player. A loyal participant, he could do any job given to him but chose to stay in the background and make the others around him look good. These were tremendous role models to have around you at 14 to 18 years of age.”
Chris ventured off to college in the fall of 1967. “In those days, Ap Seaverns would make a call to a college and make sure they had what you needed to succeed,” he recalls. “I was accepted to many colleges but needed
the financial aid piece to fall into place in order to attend. Hobart College was able to guarantee me an education, as well as the money to attend. That’s how it worked.”
After college Chris went into the Air Force. He wanted to serve his country and give back, which coincidently seems to be the mantra of his life. He was in the ROTC program in college and was able to serve his country for 10 years. He was in Vietnam at the tail end of the war serving as a bombardier. Later, Chris attended the Air Force Institute of Technology where he received his master’s degree in acquisition logistics. Chris continued to fly missions in Central and South America as a navigator of C130 planes. He would fly relief to third world nations, which gave him a greater appreciation for the opportunities he had been given in life.
Chris spent his later years working in California as a space business contractor at Boeing, McDonald Douglas, and Raytheon. He has enjoyed working in business development, as he has discovered his love for working with people. In the next year, Chris plans to retire and spend more time with his three children and four grandchildren (with another one arriving in July). He will retire to some property he owns in Las Vegas and make time for the people and things he loves.
“Life takes you in many directions,” Chris says. “I love Suffield Academy and what it stands for with our younger generation. I look back with fondness on the time that I spent in the classroom and playing fields. I love giving back to the school as a Class Agent. It keeps me in touch with my classmates and allows me to get back on campus every so often.” The Class of 1967 will celebrate their 50th Reunion in October, and you can bet there will be many hours of reminiscing shared by these alumni.
a Slice of History
...that's Amore
Mount
Vesuvius
leveled Pompeii on August 24, 79 A.D.
Archeologists excavating the site uncovered flat cakes made of flour that had been a popular food of the inhabitants in Pompeii and nearby Neopolis, a Greek settlement that later became Naples. Shops were also found in Pompeii that contained equipment and tools that would be consistent with those used in pizzerias. Against popular belief, pizza was not invented by the Italians.
By the 1700s and early 1800s, Naples was a thriving waterfront city. Technically an independent kingdom, it was notorious for its throngs of working poor, and unlike the wealthy minority, these Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza—flatbreads with various toppings, eaten for any meal and sold by street vendors or informal restaurants— met this need. These early pizzas consumed by Naples’ poor featured the tasty garnishes beloved today, such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies and garlic.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Neapolitans began migrating to the United States for factory jobs. The flavors and aromas of pizza quickly began to spread and intrigued non-Neapolitans and non-Italians. Gennuardo Lombardi opened the first documented American pizza shop on Spring Street in New York City in 1905. By the 1950s, pizza had become a staple food in New York just as it seemed to be in Pompeii. Pizzerias began opening all over New York and formed a league of their own, often being served in non-Italian restaurants with non-Italian ingredients. Since becoming popular in New York, all different styles of pizza have been created and sold, now a common love for New Yorkers and people all around the world.
The expansion and renovation of Brewster Hall completed 110 years after Lombardi included the installation of a Baker’s Pride double-stacked commercial pizza oven capable of sustaining an accurate temperature of 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Suffield’s plan was to implement hand-crafted specialty pizza to its dinner menu, a rare option and innovative concept.
“Most schools use frozen dough and a conveyer belt system,” says director of food services Sean Hennessey, “where pizza is easily but generically cooked at budget cost and made without noticeable skill. We didn’t just want to make pizza; we wanted to make the best pizza in town.” Making pizza fresh from scratch for an average expected dinner population of about 350 students, faculty, and family members presented some obvious
challenges; some of which Sean and his staff were not entirely prepared. It was immediately clear he needed help executing this plan.
Making pizza is a personal experience. Many consider it an art form, and when pizzeria owners find good pizza chefs, they rarely let them go. For 17 years Manny Meleounis, whose family descends from Apolakkia, Greece, owned and operated Elmwood Pizza in West Hartford, Connecticut. As Sean began searching for an experienced pizza maker, he was unaware that Manny had been living in Suffield the last 16 years and had recently sold his restaurant. It was not until Sean had a casual conversation with Suffield parents that Manny’s name came up, and within minutes of that talk Manny appeared on campus ready to discuss this project. As the story goes, he was eager to be on board.
When planning for the new pizza station, the original concept was to hand toss pizzas to order. Dinner service lasts 90 minutes; it would be impossible to keep up with that kind of volume during such a short period of time. Sean was also concerned about creating a huge floury mess, a possible hazard to those with restricted gluten allergies. They decided the process would be cleaner and more effective if the pizzas were prepared in pans and away from the serving line. One obstacle as a result of this decision was that the school needed seasoned pans so the pizza would not stick.
The decision to bake pizza in seasoned pans was made, and Sean soon discovered a 25-year-old restaurant in Athol, Massachusetts, with a mountain of 14 inch pans for sale. Sean purchased 50, and when he found they worked well he went back for the rest. The 14 inch pans are great for two reasons: most importantly the dough does not stick, and also the size enables our staff to cook 12 pizzas (six in each oven) simultaneously. This saves valuable time.
Within the 90 minutes that dinner is served at Suffield, over 70 pizzas are consumed. Each pizza is cut into 12 slices, a total of 840 deliciously engulfed slices >>
Step 1... The Weight is Over
OUR DOUGH CONTAINS FLOUR, WATER, YEAST, AND A PINCH OF SUGAR TO ACTIVATE IT. KNEADED IN A PROFESSIONAL-GRADE, STAINLESS STEEL VERTICAL MIXER, INDIVIDUAL CUTS ARE WEIGHED AT 15 TO 15.5 OUNCES AND PREPPED FOR THE BALL.
Step 2... Let the Dough Begin
EACH BALL IS PRESSED, ROLLED, AND PLACED INTO ITS OWN WELL-SEASONED BAKING PAN. ENSURING THE CENTER IS NOT TOO THIN, THE EDGE IS BUILT TO A HEALTHY CRUST. THE PANS ARE STACKED AND ANXIOUSLY AWAIT CURTAIN CALL.
DELICIOUS PIES WITH A COMBINATION OF FRESH MOZZARELLA, PROVOLONE, AND CHEDDAR CHEESES. THESE PIZZAS ARE NOW DRESSED AND READY FOR THE RED CARPET, BAKED FOR 17 TO 18 MINUTES IN OUR 600 DEGREE BAKERS PRIDE OVEN.
three nights a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Made from scratch, the dough contains no eggs or sugar. The most popular toppings preferred student-wide include buffalo chicken, Hawaiian (pineapple and ham), bacon cheeseburger, an eggplant mousakka with ricotta and sliced meatballs, Caribbean chicken, pepperoni, veggie, pesto chicken with fresh tomatoes and olive oil, and Italian sausage, spinach, and ricotta.
“This has been a very popular addition, and we feel fortunate the school was willing and able to allocate so much space and personnel to make it possible,” says Sean. “It’s all about making our students and community happy and keeping them satisfied with what we serve. I am not aware of any other schools producing anything like this or of this quality.”
What began in Pompeii and later blossomed in Naples eventually traveled a great distance to the United States and the rest of the world. Its story now partners with a
new Suffield Academy tradition. A rustic, utilitarian food of substance designed for quick consumption has become a celebrated favorite. There are only a few ways to make a pizza, and the actual ingredients are not complicated or a secret, yet each individual pizza maker’s style can be as unique as a fingerprint. Recipes can be copied, but tastes and flavors are more dynamic than simple measurements. There is a great history behind the origin of pizza, just as there is now a unique tale as to how it arrived here at Suffield. Its delivery required a little kneading, a pinch of care, and a dash of passion. The result is another element that engages the community and makes it even more personal. “The students and faculty here are great,” Manny says. “They know all our names and we know theirs. We have the opportunity to ask them what they like and the privilege to make them what they’ll enjoy. This is something we would be proud to serve our own family, and we are certainly proud to be serving it at Suffield.”
TIGERS IN REVIEW FALL
volleyball
With an overall record of 16-2, varsity volleyball posted their best record in the history of the program. Ranked number one in New England Class B during the regular season, the Tigers had a tough loss in the NEPSAC semifinals against Pomfret. Highlighting an exceptional season was a first-ever victory over Loomis. Suffield will graduate seniors Riley Miles, Ryder Mosby, Isabelle Ricke, and Ashley Sarris, but will return a key group of upcoming underclassmen: Paityn Bergstol ’19, Ramona Fontaine ’18, Karly Higgins ’20, Susannah Johnson ’18, Aaliyah Lopez ’19, Dana Mills ’18, and Sarah Swanson ’18.
Photos [ top ] Paityn Bergstol ’19, Aaliyah Lopez ’19, Ryder Mosby ’17 [ left ] Susannah Johnson ’18
cross country
GIRLS’ Led by seniors Nina Begley, Allison Hayden, Amelia Hern, Casey Kaplan, and Lea Kvadsheim, the girls’ cross country team completed their second consecutive year undefeated during the regular season. Highlights included winning the Gordy Glover Invitational and finishing 4th overall at the NEPSAC Class B Championships. While the five graduating seniors will be greatly missed, Suffield is pleased to be returning Olivia Alfano ’19, Becca Bauer ’19, Peyton Cahn ’18, Isabelle Dutranoit ’19, Casey Eskridge ’20, Katherine Kelley ’18, Madison McCreesh ’19, Cecile Maier-Scherling ’18, Alexis Roberts ’20, Gabriella Tosone ’20, and Caroline Walsh ’20.
BOYS’ Nine seniors played a crucial role in pushing the boys’ cross country team through another successful fall season: Chris Donohue, Chris Ennis, Ben Godin, Jeremy Greer, Peter Kelley, Daniel Mittelman, Henry Moreno, Drake Muth, and Ben Toczydlowski. Led by the pace of Daniel Krasemann ’19 and Ethan Ash ’20, Suffield had 10 wins overall and only three losses. Their best finish in six seasons, the Tiger runners posted 7th-place in the NEPSAC Class B championships. With a deep program of talented athletes, the team is excited to be returning so many dedicated and skilled young runners for the 2017 season.
Photos [ top ] Ben Godin ’17 [ bottom ] Jonathan Walker ’19
football
Ten members of the Class of 2017 led Suffield’s football team to a 5-3 record and ninth straight New England Championship Bowl game appearance. Victories were notched over Deerfield, Worcester, Exeter, Andover, and Loomis. The only defeats came in the regular season against Cheshire and Choate and in the Ken O’Keefe Super Bowl against Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. Suffield will graduate seniors Cuba Birnbaum, Matt de Haan, Emerson Genovese, Brad Hawkins, Winfield Hunter, Matt Jusczyk, LJ Luba, Andrew Mercein, Zach Mooney, and Caleb Wurster.
Photos [ top ] Brad Hawkins ’17 [ bottom ] LJ Luba ’17, Caleb Wurster ’17, Tim Bell ’19
field hockey
The girls’ seven-win season (7-8-0) was the best in seven years for this predominantly young squad. Led by new head coach Lyndsey Sweeney and veteran coach Molly Vianney, the team was competitive in every game and achieved big wins against Kingswood, Gunnery, and Wilbraham. While Suffield will graduate Becca Collins, Alexis Corcoran, Cari Cyr, and Katherine Kalill, returning players include Isabella Boonstra ’18, Michaela Domino ’20, Caroline Gingold ’18, Georgia Hannock ’19, Bailey Highland ’18, Kate Killam ’19, Alina Ryan ’18, India Shay ’18, and Savannah Ziba ’19. Photos Bailey Hyland ’18, Alina Ryan ’19
water polo
With a 9-9-0 record, the boys’ water polo team finished 6th overall and competed in the New England Tournament for the third consecutive year. Led by senior leaders Cameron Auchinachie, Harry Hildreth, John Kuzmeski, Brandon Liao, and Jonah Perry, impressive wins were achieved against Hotchkiss, Deerfield, and Andover. While losing these five seniors is a tremendous loss for the team, Suffield is excited to welcome back underclassmen Max Bass ’18, Cian Beaulieu ’18, Andrew Budge ’19, Oscar Ceria ’20, Sasha Derby ’18, Evgenil Kagan ’18, Walter Kress ’18, Melvin Ku ’19, Kevin Kuzmeski ’18, and Maxwell Miranda ’18.
Photos [ top ] Cameron Auchinachie ’17 [ bottom ] Jonah Perry ’17, Brandon Liao ’17
soccer
BOYS’ Finishing with a 7-8-2 overall record and a 6-3 record against class B teams, Suffield had big wins over Westminster and Williston in a successful 2016 season. Strong play and outstanding efforts from seniors Will Burke, Alex Clarke, Abou Diaby, Luc Dutranoit, and Jon Lopez led the way for the Tigers. Several key underclassmen will return next season. Michael Burch ’18 will return to the midfield, along with Niko Flevotomos ’19, Milan Ghosh ’18, Yataro Makihara ’18, and Bryan McLennan ’19. Leonard Hoermann ’18, James Mignone ’18, and Jackson Pentz ’19 will remain up top. Matt Titterton ’18 and Max Shlafstein ’18 will hold up the defense, and Chase Moran ’18 will return to goal.
Photos [ top ] Alex Clarke ’17 [ bottom ] Michael Burch ’18
GIRLS’ Led by seniors Madeline Kauffman and Alayna Miller, the Tigers sported their best season in 15 years. A 9-6-2 record was boosted by big wins over Hotchkiss, Berkshire, and Westminster. A young and talented team, Suffield looks forward to the returning support of Isabella Attianese ’18, Hattie Bauchiero ’18, Bridget Carey ’18, Claudia Carey ’20, Natalie Castonguay ’19, Mia D’Angelo ’19, Madeleine Gerwe ’19, Erin Hayes ’18, Isabelle Lussier ’20, Molly McGrath ’19, Laura Mittelman ’20, Lexi Mnich ’18, Emma Phillips ’19, Tori Repka ’18, Vivian Riegel ’20, Kate Rookey ’18, Niah Samboy ’19, Katherine Schmitz ’19, and Jenn Ungerleider ’18.
F ORMER NCAA AND NBA HEAD COACH TATES LOCKE RETURNED TO SUFFIELD TO HELP TIP-OFF THE 2016-2017 SEASON WITH THE BOYS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM.
Coach Locke’s first visit to Suffield was in 2015 when the Tigers subsequently advanced to the New England Class A finals. “He is a special coach,” says head coach Jeff Depelteau ’02. “He has forgotten more stuff about the game of basketball than I know, but what makes him even more special is how he connects to the athletes on a deeper level beyond basketball. He is demanding and our players love him for it.”
Locke’s resumé begins in 1976 as head coach for the NBA’s Buffalo Braves. He has since led teams at West Point, Miami University in Ohio, Clemson University, Jacksonville University, and Indiana State University. He also served as a scout and assistant general manager for the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. A professional coach with a valued history of achievements, Locke met Coach Depelteau while at Snow Valley Basketball School, considered by Sports Illustrated as the nation’s premier instructional camp. Depelteau, along with NBA, college, and other top high school coaches, spends part of his summer coaching at the camp where Locke leads as head clinician.
Having benefited from Coach Locke’s mentorship, Depelteau believes Locke’s visits to Suffield are invaluable to the team’s development. “One important thing I’ve learned from Coach Locke is that student-athletes want to be held accountable and to a high standard. My growth as a coach and the growth of our team have improved significantly since I met him in 2011. He is one of the true caretakers of the game of basketball.”
SHOWTIME IN THE PAC
The fall One-Act and Performing Arts Showcase were performed in the Jeanice Seaverns Performing Arts Center. Thirteen Ways to Screw Up Your College Audition was performed by the school’s acting class and centered around two college recruiters at a prestigious university needing to fill one last spot to keep their jobs. Eager to come in for an interview, thirteen eccentric, dimwitted, and slightly-insane high school seniors hilariously illustrate what NOT to do in a college interview. What seems like a simple task turns into a nightmare when the applicants turn out to be a reality television star, a practicing vampire, an amateur magician, and others that are much, much worse.
Featuring over 40 students in the vocal and instrumental music classes, the Performing Arts Showcase included performances from women’s choir, chamber singers, chamber ensemble, beginning jazz, advanced jazz, and advanced vocal techniques and staging. The evening began with a performance from the hit musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, followed by women’s choir singing “Be With Me,” and chamber singers performing “Jambo Bwama.” The beginning jazz group played an arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island.” The advanced jazz group performed the Hammerstein/Kern standard “The Song Is You,” featuring vocalist Leyza Okojie ’17, Amelia Hern ’17 on alto sax, and John Killam ’18 on trumpet. Chamber ensemble played an arrangement of Carlos Jobim’s tune “Wave” that included a short solo cadenza by flutist Niah Samboy ’19.
ONE ACTS
PERFORMING ARTS SHOWCASE
FALL MUSICAL
The curtain rose on Suffield’s stage to a performance of Sister Act, the feel-amazing musical comedy based on the 1992 smash hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. Featuring original music by Tony and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Enchanted), dazzling dance routines and songs inspired by Motown, soul and disco, Sister Act is the funniest and funkiest musical around.
Sister Act tells the hilarious story of Deloris Van Cartier, a disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won’t be found—a convent! Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. The show is a sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music.
“Sister Act was one of the largest shows in Suffield history,” said department chair Tom Dugan. “With approximately 60 students involved in this production, I am most proud of everyone’s dedication to this event. It is always amazing to see the pride and dedication of the cast, crew, and musicians. They spent countless hours preparing for this show, and it was incredible to watch. The show was well received, with the Janice Seaverns Performing Arts Center at capacity for all four performances. It was pure entertainment with catchy songs, hilarious characters, and a powerful message.”
ALUMNI PROFILE JOHN YOUNG III ’89
BY PHIL RIEGEL ’87
JOHN YOUNG III ’89 REMINDS ME OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE DOS EQUIS “MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD” AD CAMPAIGN. HE HAS LONG HAIR, A FULL BEARD, EARRINGS, AND TATTOOS–THINK PIRATE...HE IS ALWAYS STYLISHLY DRESSED, WILL HAPPILY DISCUSS SUBJECTS AS DIVERSE AS POLITICS, SPORTS, OR ECONOMICS. HE PLAYS (AND WINS) IN INTERNATIONAL CROQUET TOURNAMENTS (YES, CROQUET!). HE WAS BORN IN JAMAICA TO A BERMUDIAN FATHER AND A GERMAN MOTHER, BUT GREW UP MOSTLY IN VERMONT. HE ATTENDED ELITE, INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN NEW ENGLAND, NAMELY EAGLEBROOK SCHOOL AND SUFFIELD ACADEMY. HE SKI-BUMMED IN COLORADO FOR YEARS, GOT A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AND MOST RECENTLY STARTED A TRENDY BOUTIQUE GUEST EXPERIENCE IN BERMUDA.
“TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME FOR A REFRESHINGLY SOPHISTICATED ISLAND HOLIDAY AT SOOTHING, RESTFUL STATE OF RELAXATION. WAKE TO THE CHIRPING BIRDS, AND TERRACE HAVE BEEN CREATED WITH A MODERN VINTAGE, BOHO-LUXE
school and chose to participate in a one-day tour as a visitor to the Harwood Union School in Vermont. After that one day he knew it was not for him and followed a cousin to Eaglebrook. For 10th grade, he and his father looked at many schools but Bill DeSalvo, then Suffield’s director of admissions, made a great impression on them. John recalls, “I fell in love with the school. The tuition was a great deal of money for my dad, but he knew what a tremendous opportunity it was for me. I had amazing teachers and coaches. I particularly remember Joe Connors, Mason Nye, and Bill Butcher. They were ’arm over the shoulder’ kind of guys who kept me in line. I was also remarkably fortunate to have Andy Lowe, Bill Berghoff, and Tom Slear as coaches, and swimming became a big part of my life.”
Upon graduation, John matriculated at the University of Vermont in Burlington. He remembers being unprepared for the newfound freedom and large auditorium style classes he found as a freshman at UVM, and eventually decided to ski and work for a couple of years in Vail, Colorado. This is where he first started to hone his skills in the hospitality industry, working for Vail Village Inn and Vail Racquet Club. He ultimately returned to Vermont, finished his degree, and remained in the hospitality industry working for Sugarbush Ski Resort and Top Notch Resort at Stowe. In 2002, after more than 15 years away, John returned home to Bermuda to continue his hospitality career. John was last Director of Residence Club Operations of the exclusive Rosewood Tucker’s Point in St. George’s and resigned in 2013 to
much and left to him. The Ledgelets Cottage Colony is located in Sandys Parish in Bermuda. It is the westernmost parish of nine on the island and contains Dockyard, where all the action will be this June in the 35th America’s Cup. The very first race of the America’s Cup was held off the coast of England in 1851, making it the oldest and most sought after trophy in international sport. This is the first time it will be contested in Bermuda–on the Great Sound, a natural amphitheater for viewing the race on land or by boat.
John’s family has been in Sandys for 275 years. His grandfather, also John Young, settled into The Ledgelets property in the late 1930s, and a unique cottage colony was born as he began to host paying guests on a whim. The Ledgelets Cottage Colony officially opened to guests in 1948. In fact, John began our interview by describing his grandfather with great reverence. He recalled, “My grandfather was a remarkable man and had a huge impact on my life. He always encouraged me to be who I was, and do what I thought was right without too much outside influence. He had an exceptional life story but always remained a humble and generous person who made people feel great about themselves. At 13, he left school to work and support his four sisters. By 1936, he made the Bermudian Olympic Swimming team and headed to the games in Berlin. He would also make the 1946 team for the games in London following the end of World War II. The amazing story that has been told hundreds of times is that he would swim from Somerset to Hamilton and back each day for training.”
VIBE.
THE LEDGELETS COTTAGE COLONY. THE SERENE ATMOSPHERE INSTANTLY LULLS YOU INTO A FALL ASLEEP TO THE CHORAL TREE FROGS. THE REFURBISHED COTTAGE INTERIORS AND POOL TO US, NOSTALGIA IS A VERY COOL THING.” [FROM THELEDGELETS.COM/THE-STORY]
John and I were sitting in the main salon of his grandparent’s former home as we spoke, and I could see and feel the history of his family. John continued, “My wife, Alie, and I want this room to exist as a tribute to my grandparents. We want it to be a place where our guests can congregate, have an evening cocktail, arrange a family dinner, or just relax and play pool or watch a game.” The feel of the salon is chic 1960s. I had a hard time focusing on just one thing as it is all so interesting and unique. Porcelain figures, paintings, croquet trophies, antique furniture, and original Bermuda Cedar liquor lockers for the guests all combine with soothing Brazilian bossa nova in the background to make the space extremely inviting.
The Ledgelets is a “step back in time,” retro, unique, all at once a private and communal vacation experience. It pays homage to the way people used to spend time in Bermuda (and to John’s grandparents), while making available opportunities on the island in a way that few other hospitality outlets choose to. John and Alie serve as personal concierges with the knowledge and ability to steer people in the right direction. John commented, “Bridge and afternoon tea just don’t cut it anymore. If tourism in Bermuda is going to thrive, we must offer unique vacation opportunities. The difference between the Ledgelets and the large hotels on the island is that we are encouraging our guests to get out and experience the island with our expert guidance, while one of the main goals of the big hotels is to try and keep their guests on the property to increase revenues for themselves. It’s not a bad model if you are looking for the all-inclusive, but there is an untapped market of people who want adventure. There
are so many things to do for all age groups. We have some of the best golf courses with amazing views. Bermuda also has a unique history that can be found in our museums, and there is always shopping, food, and the beaches! But what is really interesting is that we are seeing a peaked interest in rock climbing, cliff diving, mountain biking, spear fishing, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. These are just a few of many examples of activities that we can arrange for our guests. We know many of the purveyors, and we truly believe this is what people are looking for. They need to get out and experience the real Bermuda.”
I was privileged to experience the “new” Ledgelets first hand as a guest of John, Alie, and their beautiful daughter Hinson (Suffield Class of 2033), on my most recent visit to the island for our annual Suffield Academy reception, graciously hosted by Peter and Ann Durhager, parents of Hannah ’17 and Meg ’18.
My abode was “The Pool House,” and I was greeted by a handwritten welcome card and a pitcher of rum swizzle. The Pool House is a tastefully decorated one-bedroom home with everything you need for a couples getaway. The covered porch overlooks the pool and gardens and is as private as you would want, but with John and Alie just next door if you should need anything.
John and Alie hope to ultimately have three guest cottages open by the end of next year. If you love Bermuda and are looking for a new way to experience the island, or if you have never been, I guarantee a unique and enjoyable stay. John’s enthusiasm for his home island is infectious, and his knowledge of Bermuda and tourism is vast. I hope to head back very soon!
legacy profile
RILEY MILES ’17 and ELISE GRADY CARRIER ’92
SINCE 2000, 295 LEGACY STUDENTS HAVE GRADUATED FROM SUFFIELD ACADEMY. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 33 STUDENTS REPRESENTING 25 LEGACY FAMILIES AT SUFFIELD. AMONG THEM ARE RILEY MILES ’17 AND ELISE GRADY CARRIER ’92 FROM FEEDING HILLS, MASSACHUSETTS. RECOUNTING MEMORIES OF YOUTH CAN BE VERY SPECIAL FOR PARENTS, WHILE SHARING THE EXPERIENCE OF ATTENDING THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL WITH THEIR CHILDREN CAN BE EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL. OVER MANY YEARS SUFFIELD ACADEMY HAS MAINTAINED A RIGOROUS AND INNOVATIVE ACADEMIC PROGRAM, WHILE RESPECTING LONG-LASTING TRADITIONS THAT HELP MAKE IT A UNIQUE AND REMARKABLE PLACE. IN THIS EDITION OF SUFFIELD, WE PAY HOMAGE TO THESE TRADITIONS AND ASKED RILEY AND HER MOTHER ELISE TO EXPLAIN ABOUT THEIR SHARED SUFFIELD LEGACY.
Elise grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and attended Suffield Academy as a day student. Elise’s father was a football referee who spent time at various prep schools and introduced Elise to the idea of attending one. Elise admits that she originally had mixed emotions about it. However, after a tour and interview at Suffield, Elise was sold. “I will never forget the warm and welcoming feeling I received from the admissions staff. I felt an immediate connection,” Elise said in describing her visit as a prospective applicant. “The Suffield community is truly a family. It was that family who encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, explore and take chances, and gave me the confidence to grow as an individual.” Recalling the names of several influential teachers (Dennis Kinne, Brad Gooch, Leon Waskiewicz, Dave Nelson, and Brett Vianney), Elise credits long-serving faculty member Dave Godin with having a significant impact on her life. “He recognized my strengths and encouraged me to build on them,” she commented. “As his advisee, he pushed me to be the best that I could be. We have kept in touch, and 25 years later I feel fortunate to call him my friend.”
I try to remind Riley to take time out of each day to appreciate not only the beauty of Suffield, but everything it has to offer.
Suffield helps students form bonds and foster memories that last for life. Elise’s fondest memories include countless hours spent on the basketball court and soccer and softball fields. “The family atmosphere each team represented and the bonds formed between my teammates were very special to me,” Elise noted. Commenting on the growth of the school and improvements made to the physical plant Elise says, “The changes to campus are incredible. Standing at the bottom of Stiles Walk and looking up towards the school, the landscape is breathtaking. I try to remind Riley to take time out of each day to appreciate not only the beauty of Suffield, but everything it has to offer.”
Riley grew up listening to her mom and uncle Ryan Grady ’95 talk about their time at Suffield and hoped to one day follow in their footsteps. She is grateful for the opportunity to be doing it now. “When talking about her days at Suffield, my mom spoke with such enthusiasm,” Riley affirmed. “She told me stories about winter carnival, pep rallies, and sports. It is so neat to hear her talk about some of the same things I am experiencing.” While her mother’s favorite place on campus will always be the athletic fields and panoramic serenity of Bell Hill, Riley favors Suffield’s Guttag Music Center, where she learned to express her emotions through music. “My most memorable experiences at Suffield are the times I spent performing,” Riley said. “My mom felt her sports teams were like her family, and I feel the same way about my performing arts family.” Now a senior, Riley spent most of her Suffield career deeply rooted in the music department and said performing arts faculty member Chelsea Kane ’09 made a notable impression. Now her advisor, Ms. Kane has been working with Riley since her freshman year. “She is my biggest fan and pushes me to continue to grow,” Riley noted. “She is like my school mom, and we have a special
As a school, Suffield offers a challenging and nurturing environment, yet much of its lasting impact happens outside of the classroom. “Suffield has changed my life forever,” Riley said. “I have had opportunities to do things that I never thought possible. I traveled all over Europe and am looking forward to revisiting Ghana in November. I have performed in several amazing shows and benefited from meeting so many outstanding people. Suffield will always be my home, and I am honored to represent a legacy.” Elise left her job as a stock broker 15 years ago to stay home with her five children. They are now ages 17, 14, 11, and 4 (twins). She is currently working towards a master’s degree in leadership and negotiation. Her daughter Riley will graduate in the spring, but not until she has completed
ALUMS IN THE NEWS
PAM AUTUORI ’15 RCA SOLO ARTIST
Based in Brooklyn, New York, singer, song writer, and rock star musician Pam Autuori signed a record deal with RCA (SONY) as a solo artist under the name TOMI. RCA is set to release the first single of her new album, written and produced by Autuori, in March of 2017. Autuori says she will complete the remainder of the album this Spring in Los Angeles.
JULIAN FLETCHER ’09 OLYMPIAN SWIMMER
Representing Bermuda in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, Julian Fletcher finished 3rd in a time of 1:02.73 swimming in the first heat of the men’s 100m breaststroke. His time was not good enough to move on to the semi-finals, but the young swimmer was “absolutely thrilled” to become an Olympian. “It’s been my dream to compete in the Games,” Fletcher said. “Although I didn’t reach the goals I set for myself, I am proud I could represent Bermuda.”
CHRISTIAN WILKINS ’15
From athletic tackles to celebratory dances, Christian Wilkins continues to earn a spotlight at Clemson University. Wearing #42 the 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive linebacker helped the Tigers to a national championship win over Alabama on January 9. A 2015 top defensive newcomer and one of Clemson’s most popular players, the sophomore from Springfield, Massachusetts, has had an immediate impact due to his size and athleticism. He was named first-team freshman All-American in 2015 in addition to All-ACC Academic Team selection. A story featuring Wilkins’ life and path to collegiate football was published by ESPN
ALUMS IN
MIYE ONI ’16
GUARD FOR YALE BASKETBALL
Now playing guard for the Yale University Bulldogs, Miye Oni’s college career in men’s basketball is off to a great start. Oni was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the third straight week in November. By December, the 6-foot-6 freshman from Porter Ranch, California, led the team in rebounding at 8.3 per game and was second in scoring at a 13.5 point-per-game average. Oni scored 24 points in his collegiate debut for the Bulldogs as Yale defeated Washington 98-90. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)
JOHN W. COOK III ’82
CREATIVE ARTS EMMY NOMINEE
Recognized for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (half-hour) for his work on HBO Entertainment’s Veep and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series (one-hour) for his work on USA Network’s Mr. Robot, John Cook received two nominations at the 68th Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 18, 2016. Winner in 2007 for sound mixing for NBC’s Scrubs: My Musical, this is the 14th Emmy nomination in Cook’s career since 2007.
SHANE HENNESSEY ’05
30 UNDER 30: NEW ORLEANS
Featured in Zagat’s 2016 30 Under 30: Rock Stars Redefining the Industry on August 15, Shane Hennessey (age 28) is the brand manager at French Truck Coffee in New Orleans, Louisiana. As brand manager, he helped initiate the first direct trade relationship with Nicaraguan farms after visiting three coffee growing regions in Jinotega, Matagalpa and Ocotal. He oversees rebranding, logo, and retail packaging work as it continues to grow in one of the most exciting food scenes in the country.
THE NEWS
JOHN HEFFERNAN ’77 THE SCIENTIST
John Heffernan of Conway, Massachusetts, a teacher at the Anne T. Dunphy School in Williamsburg, earned the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest teaching award in the kindergarten to 6th-grade category. The award, sponsored by the White House and the Office of Science and Technology, is given annually to two teachers from each state. Heffernan received the award in Washington D.C. with his wife, Dawn, and son, Aidan.
BILL LAHART ’77 HALL OF FAMER
New England Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bill Lahart was inducted into the Manhattanville College Athletics Hall of Fame on October 1. Representing the Class of 1981, Lahart was one of Manhattanville College’s first three-sport male athletes, playing four years (1977-81) on the men’s basketball and baseball teams and three years on the men’s soccer team. He also excelled in the classroom as Manhattanville’s first CoSIDA Academic All-American. Lahart was a four-year starter on the basketball court for the Valiants, playing in all of Manhattanville’s 108 games. In four seasons, he scored 859 points as a Valiant and graduated second in program history with 315 assists, and currently ranks 11th in career assists and fifth in games played.
ROBERT O. MORRIS ’68
AUTHOR THE GEORGIAN BEEKEEPER
Retired from the corporate world to pursue his lifelong ambition of writing, Bob Morris authored Fighting Windmills as his fledgling product published in 2012. Set to be published in early 2017, The Georgian Beekeeper is a novella written as tribute to love, perseverance, and the indomitability of the human spirit during the days of the USSR, and beyond. The Georgian Beekeeper will be the first novella of several in the Ryan Madigan series; Madigan is a medically discharged Army Special Forces Officer whose destiny becomes fatefully intertwined with matriarch Ksenia’s family. “I believe that readers will really enjoy this novella,” Morris says, “which will, I predict, cause many to question their pre-existing definition of reality.”
Thank You ALUMNI CLASS AGENTS
2016
Cecilia Arntzen
Oyikwan Asante
Derek Dai
Bella De Simone
Maura Eagan
Quinn Egan
Tahj Herring-Wilson
Miles Johnson
Baek Kang
Katie Kuzmeski
Trevor Lyne
Melissa Malley
Ang Vecchiarelli
Elijah Wilson
2015
Nick Alfano
Sarah Apkin
Mike Barit
Hannah Bellorado
Abby Blyler
Olivia Caligiuri
Rhi Fletcher
Brad Gibson
Andy Guo
Owen Hern
Piper Holliday
Gray Johnson
Jahi Locke
Emily Lowe
Marysa Massoia
Kim Meunier
Endy Morales
Sarah Pickup
Kelly Taylor
Ingunn Ukvitne
Ali Veitch
Christian Wilkins
2014
Kevin Cournoyer
Sam Feldman
Charlotte Hinrichs
Shivang Jhunjhnuwala
Briana Matthews
Brice McAllister
Zach McCormick
Jono Nelson
Alexis Sarris
Denny Smythe
Izzy Thompson
2013
Georgina Blakeley
Andrés Fernández Vílchez
Jay Fields
Jamie Johnson
Wynn Mason
Chris McCormick
Paul Metscher
Noel Nakamura
Jay O’Brien
Jay Prasad
Emilio Rocha
Mike Simmons
2012
Reed Barbe
Colin E. Dowd
William Evangelakos
Jameson Everett
Josh Galant
David Huang
Taylor Jett
Connor Kaplan
Caroline Leonard
Izzy McDonald
Alex Porter
Carly Smith
2011
Joe Begley
Serge Derby
Kachenta Descartes
Colin E. Dowd
Karoline Hegbom
Didi McDonald
Shamier Settle
Lester Taylor
2010
Michelle Autuori
Justine de Chazal
Mariah Hayes
Tom Leonard
Alyssa Palomba
Lucas Traber
2009
Tom Casey
Rosemary Chandler
Liz Monty
Amy Samenuk
Sam Stone
Kyle Vigneault
2008
Becca Bathrick
Kirsten Chalke
Thomas Drummond-Hay
Joel Glassman
Rebecca Joslow MacGregor
Barbara Kaplan
Kaela Keyes
Isy Zellweger
2007
Mike DiPietro
Sydney Greenberg
Katy Heydinger Doar
Matt Jones
Harry Melendez III
Catherine Mis
Erik Osborne
Meredith Rarus
Sarah Thomsen
Rob Zammito
2006
Kim Autuori Weisberg
Alison Leonard
Eric Litmer
Luke McComb
Gina Petrone
Chris Stafford
2005
Rick Devlin
Dan Fisher
Steph Shaker
Casey Shanley Kegelman
2004
Kate Braden Mounkhall
Jake McComb
Alex Naboicheck
Anthony Rousseau
Andrew Scully
William Taylor
2003
Lindsey Pell
Lydia Pillsbury
Lindsay Rousseau
Eric Yale
2002
Sari Biddelman
Alison Carey
Hilary Golas Rouse
Lynx LaCroix
Erin Orr Ligay
2001
Paige Diamond Kraft
Kate Dineen
Greg Hearn
Russ Hearn
Ashton Jones
2000
Michael Coleman
Carmine Petrone
Andrea Rich Rabatic
Manny Simons
Meagan Ward Jenkins
1999
Steven Darling
Maura Deedy
Larry Griffin
Mark Soticheck
Patrick Stone
1998
Mickey Allen
Sarah Fletcher Meaney
Sarah Hotchkiss 1997
Lewis Dunn
Brian Hetzel
Danielle Therriault 1996
Tabitha Bliven Heidorn
Ryan Dowd
Fatimah Guienze 1995
Leigh Murphy
Bryson Tillinghast
1994
Eric Feijo
Alison Kennedy Auciello
Scott Sartwell
1993
Alexa Economou Rice
Pam Eisen
Lauren Roginski-Strelec
Marla Zide
1992
Marigrace Canter Morris
Ntsekhe Moiloa
Wadiya Peterson Wynn
1991
Kim Ames Ide
Pat Kennedy
1990
Steve Canter
Kelli Chamberlain Tosone
Tom Hamilton
Amy Newman Vaughn
Courtney Wilson Nixon
Bob Yap
1989
Tom Burton
Michelle Motta Stewart
Jed Nosal
Aimee Scherer Hodgkins
Rose Yap Thomas
1988
Kate Cleary
Patrick Dorsey
Jack Warren
Jenn Yamzon Jordan
1987
Betsy Coughlin Tod
Jeff Martini
Phil Riegel
1986
Sean Federowicz
Brinley Ford Ehlers
Kristin Hostetter Pandit
Niko Mosko
1985
Andy Glover
Michelle Hashioka Lord
Chuck McGavern
Jack Way
1984
Shelley Frazier Pelletier
Hossein Pourmand
Scott Owsiany
1983
John Boozang
Marybeth DiBuono-Riley
1982
David Carangelo
Elaine Coombs Holmes
Margaret Figueroa Hern
Madeline Phillips
1981
Susan Goodwin
Valisha Graves
Chris Kennedy
Alison Welch
1980
Mary Carroll
Jim Hagan
Graham Lewis
Joe Palomba 1979
Matt Cartmell
Ruth Kennedy
Renee McDaniel Margolis
Lisa Palomba Deni
Bob Stanley
1978
Lisa Longo
Ed Palomba 1977
Charlie Alfano
Bob Clark
Ed Kaplan
1976
Ralph Adler
Scott Craig
1975
Carey Fiertz
Jim Plante
Mark Teed
1974
Blair Childs
Bud Hancock
Tom Leonard
1973
Jody Cranmore
Jim Knight
1972
Chip Spear
John Therriault 1971
Pierre Genvert
Leo Letendre
Doug Rebert
1970
Kit Warner
Chris Weeden
1969
Greg Putnam
Chris Harlambakis
Charlie Claggett
Fred Doepke
Bruce Fletcher
Chris Frost
Tim Hemingway
Bill Kelly 1964
Jon Booth
Ned Smith
Nat Stevens
Tom Webster
Sandy Prouty
Paul Connor Andy Spector
Jerry Kargman Mike Menzies
Mike Sabellico 1968 Tyler Bumsted
Grimmeisen
Olin
Gene Spaziani
| Alumni Class Notes |
1948
Gene Spaziani
ROBERT FLAXMAN
Voted treasurer of resident board.
1952
Gary Miller
65th REUNION
GARY MILLER
Marge and I celebrated our 60th anniversary on September 15. We were treated to a family celebration along with brother Lee Miller ’50 and Joan (Martinez) also celebrating their 60th a few months earlier. All our collective grandkids and in-laws made it up to the compound in Maine, and it was a fabulous party (photo #1 on page 94). Marge and I traveled to Bournemouth, U.K. in May to visit our granddaughter, who is studying costume design and production at the Art University there. She worked as a counselor and sewing and archery instructor at Camp Med-o-Lark, just 10 miles from us this summer so we stayed caught up on her adventures most of this year. Class of 1952, until now, we’ve not been represented in these pages for a long time. It’s not hard to write a few lines and send a picture or two. Grab that computer and let us know what’s going on in your life.
1954
NORM VESTER
The Vester Marine and Environmental Science Research Field Station was established in June 2007 after the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation acquired the waterfront facility. The Field Station was the vision of Norm and Nancy Vester, who owned and managed the facility while it was a resort (Bonita Beach Plantation Resort). Our mission statement: To serve as a venue and base of operation for educational programs, community involvement and scholarly research that increases our understanding and promotes science-based stewardship of coastal watersheds, estuaries and Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, with special emphasis on the education of future scientists and scientifically literate citizens.
1956
Peter Olin
CHIP BEERS
I am retired now after completing 55 years in education as a school psychologist, elementary and high school teacher, and I have also taught at the collegiate level at Empire State College. I am now beginning to enjoy retirement, but it is a major adjustment.
BOB HOUGHTON
I am still enjoying retirement with my high school sweetheart, Marcia, my wife of 54 years.
JOHN TAYLOR
I did make it back to Suffield for my 60th reunion. I attended the Headmaster State of the School. I was impressed with the number of college counselors that are working with the students and his outlook on the future of the school and the plans for achieving the goals set forth. It is a far cry from when Mr. Seaverns would meet with you to talk about your college interest. He gave a lot of hands-on help as well, and I am happy to see that tradition has been improved. Ap worked very hard to reset the foundation of the school so it could grow into the very good school it is today. I think it has given some of us who attended 70 years ago some pride in seeing its success. It has taken some strong leadership to achieve this success. Since both my wife and I have been in athletics, we walked through the gymnasium and were impressed with the rowing facility as well as other sport areas. My wife oversaw the Brown men’s rowing team. We also took the campus tour, and I was impressed with the facilities. I liked the dorm set-up and the quad in the middle for some free play. I was very impressed with the school’s physical plant and its educational
60th REUNION
1959
Paul Grimmeisen
RICH GERMAN
Love to see the great things at Suffield under the leadership of Charlie Cahn. Holly and I have recently been to Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, and Belize. I retired from active general/trauma/cancer surgery but have a bustling new practice in Botox and hormone therapy (BHRT) which we are both on, and is truly a fountain of youth. Our daughter Lauren German is the
married in 2014 to Rebekkah Goldman, a charming Rabbinical student, was living in the Boston area for the past two years. Upon her graduation from Hebrew College after a five-year stint following a master’s degree from LSU, Bekah accepted a position as rabbi of the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation in Simsbury, Connecticut. She replaces the recently retired Rabbi Howard Herman who served that community for the past 36 years. Saul is a broker with Fidelity and was transferred from their regional center in New Hampshire to offices in West Hartford. As exciting as all of this
(who is now walking!). We cherish our “Tuesdays with Bela,” getting to see her progress from infant to toddler and having her get to know us! I am still volunteering at Hartford Hospital, serving as a patient services representative, working in the 5th floor family surgical lounge, escorting patients’ families for a short visit in the recovery room. It’s been rewarding for me to be able to offer some assistance to folks, some of whom are unnaturally stressed by the unfolding events. And twice monthly, as a SCORE volunteer, I work with two partners to offer mentoring service to people who are interested in
01 Brothers Gary Miller ’52 and his wife, Marge Oliver Miller, with Lee Miller ’50 and his wife, Joan Martinez Miller
02 Mac McLaughlin ’59 in South Africa where he cage dove and saw white sharks
03 Jack Locke ’57 on the roof building a Habitat House
05 David Holdridge ’62 at his Haiti farewell party with Violet, David’s femme de menage, and Elizabeth, David’s secretary
06 Bruce Mellon ’59 with his wife Allison, son Zach, and daughter Dani
starting their own businesses. We help to define their business proposition and get them started writing a business plan. We also work with established entrepreneurs who use our background and expertise as a sounding board for new initiatives as well as monitoring current operating results. We work with several area banks and credit unions to help our clients obtain small business loans where appropriate. Upon graduation from Suffield (in 1959), I was privileged to attend the University of Pennsylvania (C, ’63).
BRUCE MELLON
A big hello to the Suffield community. All is well, and my children, Zachary (13) and Dani (11), are keeping us very busy. Zach is busy with both club and school basketball, playing in both the ARC and AAU leagues. This past summer his basketball team won the Maccabi games, which were held in Stanford, Connecticut. Dani, is an aerial artist and swinging from trapezes and silks. I still have my company, Original Film, and am off to Hong Kong for a commercial shoot. My wife, Allison, is in her ninth year with NBC Universal. Our family’s passion is travel, and we had a wonderful trip to London this past summer and have upcoming trips to Mexico, Little Dix Bay, and Europe. It’s great to keep up with everyone from Suffield and wish you all the best.
1961
Jerry Kargman, Mike Menzies
DAVID ISAACSON
After about 18 months of being relocated from Boston to Leawood, Kansas, to be with my new wife, I’m pretty well settled in—if you don’t mind living in a predominantly red state (ouch!). My wife, Barbara, and I were volunteers at a Veteran’s Day Naturalization Ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri. We helped 110 new citizens from 45 countries get sworn in and fill out appropriate paperwork. Their joy and respect was a good patriotic boost to our morale after the toxic and embarrassing election we’ve just been through. I’m semi-retired and in good health. Would like to have been on campus for the reunion, but it just wasn’t in the
cards. My very best to Suffield faculty and classmates from 1961!
MIKE MENZIES
Reunion 2016; our number 55. We were smaller in numbers than the significant turnout for #50, but carried the same level of enthusiasm as five years ago. It was, as five years ago, a marvel to review the school’s continuing upgrade and expansion, and I particularly look forward on my next visit to tour the remodeled Memorial Building. I spent a good deal of time with current students and enjoyed their feedback. Of great fun also was the return of my old roommate, Paul Martin, and his wife, Adele, who did not make the 50th. Paul is in terrific shape; retired after a most successful global career, and pursues the game of golf at a master level.
BOOTS WARDINSKI
I received 7,017 votes for lieutenant governor in the recent Vermont general election. On election day, a documentary film crew followed me around from 5:45 am until 10 pm.
1962
Paul Connor, Andy Spector
PHIL COLLINS
Right now I am weighing in from Princeville, Kauai, celebrating my 74th birthday (11/1) and our 49th wedding anniversary (11/11). In October 2014, we finally became grandparents with the birth of our grandson Greyson. This past July, Phil Jr. was married in DC at age 46 for the first time. We are blessed to have two wonderful daughters-in-law and will spend turkey day in Cleveland with our son, Scott, and his family. After our vacation in Kauai, we fly back to DC and then leave for our winter home in Naples, Florida,—other than going to Cleveland we won’t come back to Virginia until mid-May. I was very fortunate to attend SA and had great role models in Nye and Sandy—they believed in me more than I did in myself. Does Suffield have an alumni gathering in the Naples area? It seems to be a fertile area; lots of folks from the North spend time in Southwest Florida. Off to play golf!
DAVID HOLDRIDGE
I just finished a tour as country director with Johns Hopkins University in Haiti. We worked on responses to a number of current epidemics—to include Zika.
ANDY SPECTOR
I am still working 29 years in the financial services industry as a second career. I get to New Hampshire and Maine each summer for a week or two. My wife is an antique dealer so we go to Manchester, New Hampshire, for antique week. Went back to Syracuse for my 50th reunion in September. Looking forward to our 55th Reunion at Suffield next fall.
1963
Sandy Prouty
DICK ANTHONY
Naples, Florida, is now our home. Lifestyle is great. We have traveled on the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies and spent the summer in Rhode Island. Our son Sam ’96 is expecting a second son in December and lives in Brooklyn with Erica and son Bodhi. After completing his master’s he is working with the disadvantaged and handicapped in the city. We are very proud of his ability and desire to take on such a heavy task. I still recall my great teachers, Ap, Mason, Wasky, and George.
NORM KEENEY
My son Jeff Keeney was married in Chicago on October 8, 2016. Beautiful wedding and great time for all! My daughter Jennifer is living in England with her family for three years.
GUY OLIVER
I continue to enjoy working with marine mammals as a marine biologist at UC Santa Cruz. I’m trying to determine how elephant seals and other marine mammals can detect and use the earth’s magnetic field for navigation. It is challenging and great fun!
SANDY PROUTY
In August took the family (two daughters and husbands and five grandchildren) on an Alaskan cruise. It was a blast! I
55th REUNION
recommend it. Great response for Peter Tripp’s memorial bench. Will dedicate it at our 55th.
DAVE SCHULZ
After attending our niece’s wedding in Ireland last August, our family took a trip to Krakow, Auschwitz, and Berlin. Fortunately, our nephew, who lives in Berlin and who is fluent in German, came with us, as well. Our visits to Auschwitz and Berlin’s STASI prison that had been maintained by the East German secret police were deeply disturbing and sad. I was just stunned by the horrors and evil that I saw in both places. This trip made me very aware that science and technology by themselves are no guarantors of progress and good. I would readily return to Poland and Germany. But, one trip to Auschwitz and the STASI prison is enough.
1964
Jon Booth, Ned Smith, Nat Stevens, Tom Webster
JON BOOTH
Jim Lo Dolce ’65 and his wife, Donna, hosted Ned Smith, Tom Webster, and me and our wives for a great day of sailing on their Freedom 40 sailboat on Lake Ontario on August 19. Hooray for Suffield Tiger mini reunions!
1965
Tim Hemingway, Bill Kelly
BUTCH FULLER
Jenn and I, along with my youngest son Grant, just returned from a polar bear adventure in Churchill Canada. Saw lots of polar bears from our artic rover vehicle and by helicopter just before Hudson Bay freezes and the bears go out on the ice to hunt for the winter.
TIM HEMINGWAY
I am actively retired and enjoying life with family and friends. We celebrated my 70th on the island of St. Croix and had a wonderful time. The only thing I missed doing was connecting with Stu Giles who lives down there. Larry and Molly Hyde visited us in the summer from their home in Green Valley, Arizona. Always good to catch up them. Life is good; three wonderful grandchildren and will be celebrating our 48th anniversary in December 2016. My best wishes to all of the members of the Class of 1965. A big thank you to all who contributed to the Annual Fund last fiscal year.
LARRY HYDE
My wife of 47 years, Molly, and I just returned from an extremely memorable trip to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. The scenery, wildlife, ruins, mountains, and people were amazing. I had the good luck to swim and dive with a sea lion for about 5 minutes. Check that one off my bucket list. If you have not been
to these interesting parts of the world, I would put them on your list. Let me know if anyone wants the name of the 5-star tour operator we went with. We stopped at Tim Hemingway’s ’65 on our way to Minnesota for a family reunion. My classmates will not be surprised to learn that he beat me at golf, AGAIN.
JIM LO DOLCE
I retired from family medicine in May and have been working occasional shifts in a local urgent care. Donna and I again spent the summer sailing on Lake Ontario. In August we had the pleasure of hosting a Suffield Class of ’64 sailing adventure with Jon Booth, Ned Smith, Tom Webster, and their spouses aboard Lo Dolce Vita VII. We had a great day sailing, swimming, eating, drinking and reminiscing about Suffield. I am recovering from total ankle replacement done November 2 but am doing well and hope to be back in action by early 2017.
BILL MILLIKEN
In the face of a November election which generally left me disappointed, I am pleased to say I was an election night winner, securing a seat as a trustee at our community college. Washtenaw Community College serves 13,000 students. I was the top vote getter in a field of 10 candidates, pulling 29,993 votes. Also, at the national association of realtors conference in Atlanta November 3, I was installed at the inaugural gala as a regional vice president. As an officer of NAR, I’ll have responsibility for Michigan and Ohio
01 Tom Webster ’64 and Ned Smith ’64 visit Loether Bench on the new Stiles Walk at Suffield Academy
02 Norm Keeney’s ’63 son Jeff’s wedding. Left to right, Norm’s daughter Jennifer Keeney-Bleeg, Jenny Bringham Keeney (bride), Jeff Keeney, Jane and Normand Keeney, Class of 1963, parents of the groom
03 Ned Smith ’64 and his wife Robbin with Stephanie and Tom Webster ’64 at the Jacob Brewster House in Sackets Harbor, New York
05 Ned Smith ’64
06 Jon Booth ’64
07 Jim Lo Dolce ’65
08-09 Tom Sweeny ’65 and his view of Gros Morne, Newfoundland
10 Bill Milliken ’65
Jim Lo Dolce ’65 with his wife, Donna
next year, working on behalf of 1.3 million members of this trade association. As a director of the CCIM Institute, an affiliate of the NAR, I participated in real estate trade missions to Taiwan (December 2015) and Cancun, Mexico (June 2016). The Far East and Mexico are major trading interests with the US, and as commercial real estate brokers, we are working to boost foreign investments in US real estate.
TOM SWEENY
I took a trip to Newfoundland in August of 2016. In short, Newfoundland is Maine on steroids, and the Canadians are very nice. Scared of the president-elect but very cordial. I cannot say enough about this island off the coast of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. The Vikings were there centuries before Columbus took the southern route from Europe to San Salvador. They hopped from Iceland to Greenland to Labrador and then Newfoundland (hence the name: new found land). Each hop was about two days offshore. Visited Gros Morne which is Canada’s much bigger answer to the smaller Somes Sound in Maine. Truly a majestic fiord-esque adventure. Very highly recommended and good for the whole family. It’s on the western coast of Newfoundland.
1966
Charlie Claggett, Fred Doepke, Bruce Fletcher, Chris Frost
CHARLIE CLAGGETT
It was great seeing my classmates at our 50th and hanging out together, drinking retro beer and listening to 60s music. Some things never change! If you weren’t able to make it, plan on attending the Mason Nye classroom dedication in 2018.
FRED DOEPKE
My wife, Nita, and I drove to the 50th Suffield Reunion from our Cape Coral Florida home... in our 45’ motorhome leaving in May for the October event. The unfolding daily journey was filled with always new adventures, making new friends along the way, and overcoming challenges not found while staying at home. Thanks to Phil and Elise Riegel ’87 for sharing their convenient driveway while we enjoyed the wonderful weekend... complete with great weather, classmates from 1966 and before, an amazingly complete physical educational plant, with a pristine, beautifully landscaped campus—SA Pride.
JAMES HOCHSCHWENDER
My wife and I had a great time at the reunion. I am currently back in Pakistan advising the privatization commission of Pakistan on how to get better organized and guarantee that the important agenda
of privatization and public private partnerships becomes part of the economic development agenda every government hereafter. It was great to see friends again after so many years. And wonderful to meet in person Charlie Cahn and begin to get to know Suffield as it is now. Thanks to all who made that possible, including Headmaster Charlie Cahn, Phil Riegel, Betsy McComb and to the entire Suffield team and our fabulous Class Agents, who altogether made our 50th Reunion such an exceptional experience. We realize what a huge effort was made in our behalf and hope a new precedent was set for future 50th reunions. From seeing the tremendous progress that has been made in the physical plant, to the broadening of the curriculum, to understanding the total commitment to an exceptional, non-elitist, whole life education, and being catered to for three days. Wow! My wife, Ximena, and I are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to reconnect with so many of our cherished but long not seen classmates. Can’t thank you all enough for making this reunion so special and rewarding. We recognize the need for our support more than ever and will continue to provide it in any ways that we can. If you are ever doing a recruiting or alumni event in the Washington DC area, please count on our support. Again, thanks so much for the privilege of being part of such an inspiring institution, Suffield Academy!
01 Bob McFadden ’65 remembers an old friend, Arnie Palmer
02 Butch Fuller ’65 with his son Grant and wife, Jenn, in Churchill, Canada
2015
01 | arnold p. robbins ’51 june 12
2016
02 | nicholas a. page ’61 february 5
03 | albert m. gesler jr. ’55 february 16
04 | ron c. cormier ’56 february 25
05 | kenneth wynne iii ’68 may 6
06 | stanley c. gardocki ’39 july 15
07 | former trustee samuel s. fuller ’41 november 9
08 | michael b. sawyer ’67 august 12
09 | david w. crary ’37 august 18
10 | former faculty member bob branson december 14
11 | former trustee michael daly ’59 december 19
not shown
helen klimaszewski christian ’40 september 20, 2015
david w. comp ’54 january 17, 2016
former faculty member mason nye june 3, 2016
lionel h. aselton ’53 july 1, 2016
leigh a. fischbein ’10 september 3, 2016
conrad w. eberhardt ’47 september, 8.2016
nellie traygis brizitis ’32 october 4, 2016
neil j. johanson ’58 november 4, 2016
paul moritz ’70 november 17, 2016
foster k. denker ’58 december 11, 2016
Bruce Cohen admiring Patrick Booth’s 1966 Mustang
Doepke, Adrian Swain, and Steve Nathan
Doepke with his wife Nita
Doepke and Jay Drury inside Fred’s motorhome
Hobie Truesdell, Adrian Swain, “Doc” Older, John Scott, Andrew Forrest, Bruce Fletcher, Perry Gleason, and John Tremaine’s partner, Patsy Semple
BILL LEFFERTS
Currently retired! Living with my wife Pamela in our dream log home in the woods in Woodstock, Connecticut. Small hobby farm with rocking chairs on the porch. Life is good! We have five children and 12 grandchildren. My hobbies include gardening, travel, and poker. We love to travel—always going somewhere: Europe, Asia, Egypt, Australia, Mexico, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, and all 50 states!
TODD NEWMARK
I attended Oberlin College, dropped out for three years and served in Vietnam. I then graduated from Oberlin in 1973, then went to London School of Economics (MSc, 1974) and worked various day jobs. I did some freelance writing over the years and moved to West Virginia in 1977 to restore a period farmhouse with my parents. I retired in 2010 after 15 years with USPS.
1967
50th REUNION
Chris Harlambakis
SCOTT SCHROEDER
Typical guy doing things at my age I ought not be doing. I shipped one of my motos to Heidelberg, where there is a place people from all over the world send bikes to store and then fly over and ride all over Europe and Asia. They then put it away and go back
again. Of course I had to do the autobahn chasing Porsches at speeds which would put me in jail for 30 days over here. Then I headed out to get the bike over the Swiss Alps before the snow hit. Unfortunately I had purchased a GPS over there which was evil and possessed, sending me in all different directions. First unscheduled stop Freiburg, Germany. What an amazing town/city for college students. Had I known about it at the time, I would have gone to school there and would be writing this in German. Next day ventured further south and got over the top of the Alps, very beautiful, of course. Found a nice hotel in Lugano, reached for my passport, darn it was gone. Uhgghhh. No passport and an evil GPS. Not a good combination. Bright and early the next morning, I found my way down to the US Consulate in Milan. They were very nice, and I had a new passport in about two hours. I tried to get the really pretty Italian lady in the US consulate to come with me to France but she declined. Oh well. Got back on the bike (in the middle of Milan) and the GPS totally shuts down. Obviously it hates me. Lesson learned—it is quite difficult to ask an Italian in English in the middle of a busy city for directions to Switzerland while on a loud motorcycle and wearing a helmet. Went back to basics of using the sun to determine where northwest is and just headed that way. At least it was a beautiful day. So much for GPS. Back to Lugano, put my bags back
on the bike and headed back south all the way down to Genoa and then made a right turn to Nice, France and to Vence, which is a small walled village nearby where I have some friends. Lugano to Milan to Lugano to Genoa and then to Nice with the possessed GPS in one day. Ehhh. The moto sits in Vence now patiently waiting for me to return. I am thinking my next adventure over there may be to put the bike on a ferry from Nice to Corsica which evidently has a lot of twisty roads perfect for motos. (Somber note was the memorial in Nice to the 80 people killed by the terrorist. Quite sobering, especially the children who were killed). So, to my contemporaries from Suffield, there are still adventures to be had out there. I came to the realization the reason I do not have a “bucket list” is my motorcycle(s) and the journeys on them provide the one and only item on my list, but it is a continuing, ever changing item, some planned and some not. Malibu (different moto) for a quick Thanksgiving trip next. To the current Suffield students and recent graduates, my message to you would be: you have many years ahead of you to achieve your career goals, and many of you will be simultaneously raising families, which will likely keep you quite busy but be very rewarding. Always keep an eye out for adventure, even if you have to postpone it for a period of time. Adventures are out there for your taking.
1968
Tyler Bumsted, Tom Christian
TYLER BUMSTED
I am in my 40th and final year as an educator. My career has spanned primary, middle, and secondary schools both public and private as a teacher and an administrator. I am presently the IB Coordinator for Dunbar High School in Ft. Myers, Florida, where I have lived with my wife and three girls (two grads of UF and one grad of FSU = a house divided). We presently have our house on the market and will be moving into a 3/2 condo (with golf, tennis, marina) on the Caloosahatchee River in Ft. Myers. We love to travel and did so last summer, taking a cruise from Barcelona to Rome, Marseille, Cannes, and back to Barcelona. We then went to London and Paris. Next year we’re going on a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. I’m looking forward to our 50th Reunion in 2018, and I hope our class can come together. Tom Christian and I will be reaching out to everyone and looking for ideas and thoughts about how we can make this occasion unforgettable and meaningful as we remember those who are not with us and renew old friendships. Feel free to contact either Tom or myself with ideas.
ROBERT O. MORRIS
Life remains good here in Virginia Beach, despite the occasional health issue that seems to occur more frequently these days. My wife, Maka, and I live here with our German Shepherd, Sophie, while the kids are doing their own thing elsewhere. Our daughter Kelly is living the dream in New York City, where she works in digital marketing for IBM; our son Brian has recently opened a Tiny House Resort in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, just outside of Chattanooga, named “Live A Little Chatt” ( livealittlechatt.com), which has received rave reviews; and our younger daughter Sasha is a second-year dean’s list student at Virginia Tech studying International Affairs and Russian, somewhat following in her father’s footsteps. Maka continues to love her work in the internet industry, and I am preparing to publish a novella, historical fiction situated in the Republic of Georgia, entitled The Georgian Beekeeper
Otherwise, I am semi-retired, trying to remain productively occupied. We recently visited (twice) with classmate Bob Clements and his wife, Anne, and enjoyed catching up on a 40-year absence, plus we also received a visit from Eduardo Fernández Pujals , my roommate at Suffield, in the spring. Both are doing well, living life to the fullest, and we all enjoyed reliving our stories from Suffield.
SETH WHITAKER
It has been a quiet 2016 spent mainly here in California hiking, biking, and visiting with family and friends, though I have had trips to Kansas and Michigan to share moments with some of my Peace Corps buddies. I’ll be off to Ireland in December 2016 for a couple of weeks. Anyone visiting Sonoma County should look me up and we can go out and sample some of the excellent old grape juice they produce here.
1969
Greg Putnam
SANDY ORR
Some months ago Bruce Reynolds , my roommate senior year, came to visit me in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The funny thing is my condo is in the former Converse Street school where Bruce went to grammar school!
GREG PUTNAM
I want to take this opportunity to extend my greetings to my classmates and extend my appreciation for their continued support of Suffield. You guys are awesome! For me, I’m staying busy with my apartment complex in Arizona. John Wilson ’69 is in Phoenix. Lunch? My treat? Same for any other Suffield alumni. Best to all.
GEORGE SHEPARD
As a result of the election, I am selling my farm and moving to the Azores Islands. Time for a new chapter in life and in a place where gun ownership is regulated. Been here since 1961.
DAVID SPERRY
First time grandparent. My daughter gave birth to a baby girl on October 29,
Julie Sterling. My son Brett is now board certified in cardiology. In June 2017 he will also be board eligible in heart transplant cardiology.
1970
Kit Warner, Chris Weeden
JOHN BISHOP
Our sixth and seventh grandchildren arrived in May and August. Enjoyed participating in the decade advisory group. Hope to see the Class of 1970 as our 50th Reunion gets closer.
1971
Pierre Genvert, Leo Letendre, Doug Rebert
PIERRE GENVERT
My daughter, Margot Genvert Tanenbaum ’07, was married to Alex Paul Tanenbaum on June 11 in Southampton, Bermuda. They reside in Manhattan. She works as an associate media director for the advertising agency Digitas. Alex is an associate general counsel for the company David Yurman.
CURT PFUNDER
I am a litigation attorney in Boston and recently won a prolonged case in the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. I enjoy fly fishing for trout in New Hampshire, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. I would like to get back on the ski slopes after knee repair. I enjoyed seeing some of my classmates at Suffield for Reunion in October. In September I went camping and fly fishing on a remote trout stream in Idaho. On this trip I also saw my son and the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
MARK WRIGHT
Reunion weekend was excellent. Glad I got to see a football game under the lights. The campus looked great. I wish more of our class had made the effort to come back but still a good group.
MICHAEL DALY ’59
Michael Daly ’59 passed away on December 19, 2016. Mike had a long, important connection to Suffield and a career marked by leadership. Mike was a WALKS Foundation Scholar at Suffield and captain of the varsity basketball team. He also played baseball and football and was a member of the Torch Society. A Hartford native, Mike graduated from Trinity College in 1963 with a major in history and then served for six years in the Air Force. He received his master’s degree from the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in 1970 and then began his career in health administration. It culminated in his role as president and CEO of Baystate Health from 1981 to 2004. Mike was a Suffield trustee from 1992 to 2016, serving the past eight years as an emeritus member. He was chair of the Board’s Budget, Finance & Audit Committees and a member of the Executive Committee. Headmaster Charlie Cahn commented, “Mike’s sharp mind, good instincts, and love of Suffield made him a great Board member and an important leader in our community.” Mike was presented with Suffield’s Alumni Leadership Award in 2011.
01 James Hogg ’74 at the Arctic Circle
02 Steve Peer ’74 (rear right) and his wife, Soo (white shirt) in Deer Valley, Utah, with Blair Childs ’74 (rear left) and his wife, Erin (blue shirt)
03 Bruce Reynolds ’69 and Sandy Orr ’69 at Sandy’s home in Longmeadow, Massachusetts
04 Mac Rand ’72 in September after he ran and walked 101 miles—404 laps around the Olympic Oval for the Relay of Life in Lake Placid, New York
06 Steven Delaney ’75
05 Curt Pfunder ’71 trout fishing in Idaho
Mike Daly ’59, Thomas West ’61, Headmaster Charlie Cahn, Joseph Alsop ’63, and Sarah Birmingham Drummond ’89
1972
BOB BRANSON
Former Suffield faculty member Bob Branson passed away on December 14, 2016. Bob was a french teacher, coach, and administrator at Suffield Academy for more than 12 years from 1965 to 1978. He was a graduate of Bowdoin College and New York University. Bob was a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and enjoyed running, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, cycling, camping, and fishing. After his time at Suffield, Bob and his wife, Beth Branson, returned to Maine where Bob made a career in the home oxygen/home IV therapy business during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1992, he established Branson Associates, a healthcare consulting organization. Bob and Beth retired in 2005 and moved to Venice, Florida, where Bob did trail work at the Carlton Reserve and volunteered for several nonprofit organizations.
45th REUNION
Chip Spear, John Therriault
MAC RAND
I had an interesting event in September. Twenty-five years ago I ran in my first fundraising endurance event (a 24-hour ultramarathon) to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since that time, I have done many other fundraising races, including a bunch of Ironman triathlons. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that first event, I participated in the Relay for Life in Lake Placid on September 17-18. I extended the event from 10 hours to 24 by starting the night before and ran/walked 101 miles—404 laps around the Olympic Oval! Through the years I have been fortunate enough to have raised almost $100k for various cancer organizations. I recently moved from Lake Placid to Danbury, Connecticut, and am teaching middle school science, what I’ve done for the the last 20+ years in nearby Ridgefield. Being around kids keeps me young! After not crossing paths for 40+ years, I got together with Peter Montgomery ’72 . We had a wonderful evening reminiscing about the intervening years, including our time at SA. This was a great side benefit to my recent move back to Connecticut!
PETER MONTGOMERY
I am an orchardist who encourages the return of the fruit tree culture to Connecticut.
1973
Jody Cranmore, Jim Knight NED HIGGINS
Those of us living in South Carolina are thrilled to be pulling for the nationally ranked Clemson Tigers, whose stingy defense is anchored by Suffield’s very own Christian Wilkins ’15 . Go Tigers!
JIM RAPORTE
My daughter Julie is a freshman at Suffield and loves it. What an extraordinary school this has become in the last decade! It was great to see many familiar faces at the memorial service for Mason Nye in October. This was a beautiful tribute to an exceptional man whose teaching had a huge impact on so many of us. Our parent-teacher conferences for my daughter this fall were a reminder of the strength and longevity of the Suffield faculty. Here it is nearly 45 years after our graduation, and two of Julie’s teachers are Dave Rockwell ’58 and Brett Vianney ’70. How fortunate she is!
1974
1975
01 Members of the Class of 1977 Gwendolyn Worthy and Elizabeth Oleksak Cochrane at a conference (summer 2016)
02 Jan Walker Larsson ’76 and husband, Tobbe, catching up with Matt Cartmell’s ’79 son Matt and girlfriend Alex, while traveling in Stockholm (summer 2016)
03 John Heffernan ’77 (center) receiving a Presidential Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics and Science in Washington, DC in August 2016
Blair Childs, Bud Hancock, Tom Leonard
ROBERT COLE
My wife and I have downsized and simplified and now live on Maui, Hawaii. I am working with the Polynesian Voyaging Society on digitizing the Makali’s canoe and putting it into an IOS app.
JAMES HOGG
I was in Fairbanks, Alaska, with a bunch of friends, and we decided to travel up the Dalton Highway toward the North Slope to the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is around 4 hours from Fairbanks. We did this in March, and we were lucky the weather was mild.
STEVE PEER
My wife, Soo, and I had dinner in Deer Valley, Utah, with Blair Childs ’74 and his wife, Erin. Both Blair and I have homes in Deer Valley where we ski, hike, fish, and enjoy the summer concerts.
Carey Fiertz, Jim Plante, Mark Teed
STEVEN DELANEY
I have lived on Seabrook Island, South Carolina, for 31 years now. I have been building homes here and on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Great place to live. Ocean is visible from my house and I live on the golf course.
1976
Ralph Adler, Scott Craig
JEN CARTMELL
I am working at Museum LA as director of community relations. I continue my work as a freelancer in TV production, radio hosting, and print writing. Feel free to contact me at jcartmell@museumla.org All is good!
JAN WALKER LARSSON
We had a mini Suffield reunion with Matt Cartmell (the son of Matthew Cartmell ’79 and the nephew of Jennifer Cartmell ’76)
and myself at our house in Kungsängen, just outside of Stockholm. We had a great time! Matt and Alex were traveling in Europe and coming to Sweden. It was a lot of fun to hear about things in the US and to gain new perspectives about their areas of interests. Matt’s main focus is in sustainable energy, and Alex is working with the design and ease of use of cardio-vascular equipment for her upcoming employment. Both are big areas in Sweden, so we had some great dialog in the true spirit of a good Suffield reflective discussion. Matt is also of Swedish descent, and it was really nice to see how he felt so comfortable here. So Suffield is alive and well in other areas of the world. We hope that Jennifer Cartmell will be the next of the Swedish “utvandrare” (immigrant) to stoke the Suffield fire again. Then perhaps we can also get together with Hans Edlund ’75 and Claes Johan Geijer ’76 If he might be back visiting from Luxembourg! :-)
1977
Charlie Alfano, Bob Clark, Ed Kaplan
KARL EKSTEDT
Caught up with Mike Quesnel ’77 and Ed Palomba ’78 recently. Have three grandchildren now, ages 7, 1, and 10-months. Life in Maine with wife, Linda, is the way life should be! Hello to all.
TOM SKEELE
A little more than a year ago, after twenty years in Bozeman, Montana, working on wildlife and land conservation projects, I landed in Santa Cruz, California. I also landed a job as the communications and development director for a small nonprofit involved in rural community development work in Cambodia—Trailblazer Foundation (www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org). Our work is focused on improving health, food security, education, and economic opportunities in Cambodia’s Siem Reap Province, home to the world-renowned Angkor Wat temples (the largest complex of ancient religions temples in the world). Last February, I visited our program in Cambodia and explored Angkor Wat. As for Suffield connections, last April, I had the good fortune of hanging out with Rick Smith ’77 at a music festival in Florida.
1979
35th REUNION 40th
Lisa Longo, Ed Palomba
MATT CARTMELL
Amy and I just opened our own Keller Williams Realty Mega Agent Office on Route 1 in Freeport, Maine.
RENEE MCDANIEL MARGOLIS
The youngest one has graduated high school and is off to college. One has graduated college, but we still have three in college. It is definitely quieter and cleaner here at home!
1981
Susan Goodwin, Valisha Graves, Chris Kennedy, Alison Welch
VALISHA GRAVES
Great to reconnect with fellow classmates at our 35th Reunion on a beautiful weekend in Suffield.
LOU JACOBS
My family is great. My wife, Beth, and I became early empty nesters as our son is a junior at Cushing Academy. Our daughter resides in Los Angeles and works for Deutsch Advertising and is loving Los Angeles.
DAVID SPITZLER
So sorry to miss our 35th Reunion this fall. I couldn’t manage making the cross country trip with my work commitments as
other parents of Suffield students. I hope to visit the school sometime in 2017, though it won’t be the same without seeing my classmates. It’s nearly 30 years that I’ve been living in San Francisco, and it’s still a wonderful place that I’m happy to call home. I’ve been fortunate to make a good career working in emerging technology businesses. For the last three years, I’ve been involved in a company called CareZone that is at the intersection of mobile technology and consumer health. If any classmates travel to San Francisco for work or pleasure, please get in touch. Best wishes to all.
1982
David Carangelo, Elaine Coombs Holmes, Margaret Figueroa Hern, Madeline Phillips
DAVID CARANGELO
Over the course of the past two years, my partner Gerardo and I have had two amazing trips—each of which was to celebrate our half-century (do you believe it?) birthdays. I attained this milestone first and we visited Burma. This past February we took a trip to India to commemorate Gerardo having reached the goal. Both of the trips were special in their own way, but both of them forced us out of our well—trodden routines—gym and work during the week and tennis and
Jacobs ’81 with his wife, Beth, and son Ted
Tom Skeele ’77 at the Ta Prehm temple Angkor Wat Cambodia
David Carangelo ’82 and his partner Gerardo Revera Cespdes celebrating their 50th birthdays in India
Brendan Owen ’84 with his wife, Delphine, sons Aidan ’20, Colin, and Luke
Killeen ’82 and his daughter Abby in South Africa
of the Class of 1981 gather at Reunion 2016: Left to right Jill Skaff O’Neil, Barbara Cartmell Howaniec, Susan Goodwin Fera, Paul Adler, Valisha Graves, Suzanne Morris Liu, Abbie Rosene Flaherty
John Killeen ’82, Rob Dahms ’83, and Jim Kaiser ’82 in Annapolis, Maryland
01 Lou Jacobs ’81 and his son Ted in Montana
02 Joe Barrett ’87 with his wife, Liz, and twin daughters, Reagan and Erin
03 Charles Southworth ’86 on the island of St. Maarten
04 Dan Hostetter ’88 with his wife, Elizabeth, and children, Paige, Christopher, and Brooke
05 Scott Gunn ’87
06 Alicia Lally Winter’s ’87 son Simon earning the rank of Eagle Scout
07 Norman Riker ’88 and Aya Murata ’88 at a Bates vs. Connecticut College women’s soccer game
beach on weekends—and there is nothing like it. Leaving the New York City subway aside, these trips gave us an opportunity to experience things that we have never seen before. Picture—if you will—pilgrims bathing at sunrise in the Ganges River amid the funeral pyres in Varanasi; where the water is sacred and where if you die you are released from the cycle of reincarnation (this makes Varanasi a very popular retirement locale). Best wishes to my Suffield classmates and their families with a special shout-out to Margaret and Cookie
JOHN KILLEEN
My wife and I went to South Africa and caught up with my daughter Abby. The most amazing trip I ever had! I also recently had a great weekend with Jim Kaiser ’82 and Rob Dahms III ’83 in and around the city of Baltimore. Just as well there are no photos of that Reunion! Lots of fun. I live in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and am an adjunct professor at several Boston colleges and enjoying life.
1983
John Boozang, Marybeth DiBuono-Riley, Mike Sabellico
ART SHETTLE
My wife, Sheila, and I just had our third son, Louis Gordan Shettle, on August 8, 2016. All happy, healthy, and busy around here!
1984
Shelley Frazier Pelletier, Hossein Pourmand, Scott Owsiany
BRENDAN OWEN
We are so thrilled that our son Aidan is a freshman at Suffield. It is going to be great getting reconnected with everyone at Suffield. My wife, Delphine, three sons and I live in McLean, Virginia, where we have been for the last 15 years. I’ve lived in the DC region ever since graduation from Suffield. I am now chairman of asset services for Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, a commercial real estate advisory firm. I would love to connect with any of my old friends from Suffield. I plan to be on campus a lot over the next four years.
1986
Sean Federowicz, Brinley Ford Ehlers, Kristin Hostetter Pandit, Niko Mosko
CHARLES SOUTHWORTH
I live on the island of St. Maarten (which is half Dutch/half French) located in the Northeast Caribbean. The island is 37-square-miles of tropical paradise, with amazing beaches, beautiful mountains, and many great restaurants. I’m an onair personality and director at Island 92 radio (Island92.com). I have a show called “The Mid-Day Show LIVE with Mr. ’S’,” weekdays from 11-3. We broadcast across the Northeast Caribbean and via Island 92 Rock Radio St. Maarten to 97 countries worldwide. Island 92 plays primarily classic rock and blues. We have many musical guests, as well as artists, chefs, distillers, yachtsmen, celebrities, and visitors. Online, we have a chatroom where visitors can listen in and make requests, and a beach cam and lagoon cam so they can see what they are missing. In addition to work, I also spend a good deal of time helping abandoned dogs and cats to find their forever homes through the Team Goldendog Foundation. Many of the rescues get adopted by visitors to the island and end up in New York City, Boston, Vermont, Florida, and even California. I rescued my cat four years ago deep in the bush—he was very malnourished and barely pulled through, so I named him “super kitty.” My spare time is spent mostly playing guitar, at the beach, surfing, and I write for several travel magazines. Of course, if any Suffield alums are visiting St. Maarten, it would be great to meet up. Feel free to drop me a line!
1987
30th REUNION
Betsy Coughlin Tod, Jeffrey Martini, Phil Riegel
JOE BARRETT
I was saddened by the news about Mason Nye’s passing. I always had great respect and appreciation for him. Primarily because he treated me in the same manner. One never got the sense of indignation or a condescending tone with him. He was the real deal.
SCOTT GUNN
Lane Gorman Trubitt of Dallas admitted Scott Gunn, a financial planning consultant, as a partner to their firm. Gunn has more
than 20 years of investment consulting and financial planning experience. He joined LGT as a principal in January 2009. His responsibilities include investment advisory services, comprehensive financial planning and qualified plan consulting to employers. Gunn also serves as LGT’s chief compliance officer and conducts due diligence on the firm’s investment strategies. Source: 2/29/16 blog.insidepublicaccounting.com
ALICIA LALLY WINTER
Hi, Suffield! All is well in western Connecticut. Last month my son Simon became an Eagle Scout, and we had a really nice ceremony for him. Nathan, my youngest, had a really great season running cross country and won both MVP and captain’s award as a sophomore, as well as nine medals. Both Simon and Nathan are getting excited for wrestling season, when at some point they will face off against Suffield wrestlers. Last year they made it to Prep Nationals! I’ve been busy building a Growing Spaces growing dome ( geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com) on the campus of their school to augment the budding food studies program and garden that I run. I ran into Shelly Reveruzzi O’Neil on Martha’s Vineyard this summer and she looks awesome. I hope to see more of her on our next trip. If anyone ever comes to this neck of the woods, stop by Winter Farm for a visit. Kisses to all.
BLAKE SCHULMAN
Last August Jocelyn, Sam, and I moved from Armonk, New York, to Jupiter, Florida. We have been enjoying the change in lifestyle to the fullest. I am doing real estate investing and brokering. If anyone is looking to purchase or rent a home in Palm Beach County—or if you need a referral for an agent in other parts of the country/world, I can provide that as well, please contact me at 917-345-5227 or cypresspoint16@yahoo.com
1988
Kate Cleary, Patrick Dorsey, Jack Warren, Jenn Yamzon Jordan
DAN HOSTETTER
I moved back to Boston in June with my wife and three kids from Hong Kong after living abroad for 23 years. I
started working in Paris for Citibank shortly after college and spent 15 years in both London and Paris and continued my journey east to Hong Kong in 2008. It’s been an amazing journey but nice to be back home. Kids (14, 12, and 8) are adjusting well, and I look forward to seeing more of my Suffield classmates soon!
1989
Tom Burton, Michelle Motta Stewart, Jed Nosal, Aimee Scherer Hodgkins, Rose Yap Thomas
SARAH BIRMINGHAM DRUMMOND
I relocated to New Haven, Connecticut, from the Boston area. My family and I made the move in order for me to help the seminary I serve as dean, Andover Newton Theological School, to set up a new location that would—if negotiations pan out—become affiliated with Yale Divinity School. My husband, Dan Drummond, and daughter J.J. are both at the Hopkins School—Dan as an English teacher and J.J. as a 7th-grader. Visiting the swimming pool where Suffield competed in the state championship has given me more than one full-blown anxiety attack. I have reconnected with SA friend Rose Yap Thomas , who lives nearby. In the past year, I’ve seen or been in touch with Allyson D’Amico Cayce , Penn Ketchum , and Arican Wegter. My parents still live right next door to the Academy. My sister Wendy ’87 is moving back to Suffield to be closer to them, so her Tiger sensibilities are running high.
JIM GILLILAND, JR.
It’s been 10 years since Kathryn and I moved to Tennessee from New York City, and our family is doing great. All is well with son Evan (10), and twins Walter and Jordan (8). I rarely get back East these days but enjoy seeing how SA has grown and improved since 1989. With middle-age here in force, I am happy to report that I finished the ambitious Leadville 100 Race Across the Sky mountain bike race in August in Leadville, Colorado, under the 12-hour time limit, for the second time in three years. It’s like the SA cross country team—just 100x harder. So, that too has kept me busy and happy these days. I hope all is well with my classmates.
1990
Steve Canter, Kelli Chamberlain Tosone, Tom Hamilton, Amy Newman Vaughn, Courtney Wilson Nixon, Bob Yap
STEVE CANTER
I enjoyed my 25th Reunion October 2015. Great to see so many alums from years past. The school looks great, and I have to make another visit before our 30th.
1991
Kim Ames Ide, Pat Kennedy
ANDY ROEBUCK
First let me say how lovely Reunion was—the campus looks great and I was really proud to be back and proud that SA is a part of my life and journey—thank you for that! Our class had a wonderful time over reunion weekend connecting with the school, memories of our high school selves, and catching up on and celebrating what we have all become these past 25 years. Good health, good fortune, and happiness appear to have touched all of us. Although attendance was not what we had hoped, those who were there re-connected in a genuine and heart-warming way. Those present at reunion from 1991 were Yuki Murata , Courtney Dansey Rogers, Zal Sarkari, Andy Roebuck , Francesca Foord-Kelcey Shaw, Marc Occhiuti, Kim Ames Ide, Ted Haynes , Pete Cerrato, Dianne Mariani Burke, and Brian Glynn
On September 16th, my two incredible step-daughters, Juliette and Savannah; my bonus “adopted child” Sydney (our neighbor and Juliette’s best friend); my sister Trina Zide ’95; her daughter Ava; and three of my close friends stood by my side when I married “my favorite” (as I like to call her), Rachel Cassady. We had an incredibly gorgeous day on the C&D Canal in Chesapeake City, Maryland. My law practice, the Law Office of Marla Zide, LLC (marlazidelaw.com) is thriving and I am thrilled to have a fabulous team of lawyers
and support staff. I am writing this while driving to Connecticut for a concert. I wish I had time to stop by Suffield. I am looking forward to attending our 25th Reunion in 2018!
1994
Eric Feijo, Alison Kennedy Auciello, Scott Sartwell
SCOTT SARTWELL
I have been busy training for a half marathon in Philadelphia on November 19th with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I hope to run Boston in April. I attended the Clemson-Louisville game to cheer on Christian Wilkins ’15 . I would like to congratulate him on being a Bronk Nagurski finalist.
1995
Leigh Murph, Bryson Tillinghast
JESSE DECOUTO
I am proud to hear how well Suffield has developed over the many years under Charlie Cahn’s stewardship and the rave reviews I hear from the Bermudians who have attended since my time from 19911995. I am now the proud husband to Katie and father to Frith (4), Leo (2), and Anna (3 mo.) and have established myself as a role model and leader in my professional life as a reinsurance underwriter. I obtained a BS in biomedical engineering with honors from the University of Miami, an MBA from the College of Insurance (now St. Johns} and earned my actuarial (ACAS) designation. Frith and Leo are both wonderfully rambunctious yet sensitive boys who love the outdoors, reading (more like being read to), and PAW Patrol. My wife Katie works as a reinsurance underwriter but is able to still spend lots of quality time at home due the proximity of Hamilton to our home. Katie went to BHS and had such a great time and followed this with a couple of years in England at boarding school and then earned her BS in chemistry from The University of Edinburgh. In short, things are going great, and I credit much of my success to my time at Suffield. Go, Tigers!
Class of 1991 Yuki Murata, Courtney Dansey Rogers, Zal Sarkari, Andy Roebuck, and Francesca Foord-Kelcey Shaw at Reunion 2016
Jim Gilliland Jr. ’89 with his wife, Kathryn, and children, Walter, Evan, and Jordan
Jesse DeCouto ’95 with his wife, Katie, and children, Anna, Leo, and Frith
Scott Sartwell ’94 at college game day
Bryson Tillinghast’s ’95 two daughters Hope (3) and Millicent (4) climbing at the Seattle Bouldering Project. They can’t wait to try the climbing wall at the SOLO barn someday soon
01 Fellow 2002 PGs, Eric Masi and Jeff Depelteau on Labor Day weekend in Maine
02 Elizabeth Michael ’02 in the Swiss Alps
03 Donna Dow P’05, ’09 enjoying a summer day at Fenway with daughters Carrie ’05 and Emily ’09 Conklin
04 Jared Shahid ’02 and Daymond John
05 Jared Carillo’s ’00 business, Smith Brothers
06 Jared Carillo’s ’00 wife, Morgen, with their daughters Addison (6), Bailey (2), and Catherine (4)
07 Mike Athas’ ’03 daughter Margo, dressed up as an octopus for Halloween—it was quite the hit for trick or treating
10 Suffield alumni at Jake McComb’s ’04 wedding in New Gloucester, Maine. Left to right Amanda Cooke (bride), Sven Kaemmerer ’05, Jake, Ben Morgan ’06, Jeannie LaPlante ’04, Luke McComb ’06 (Photo credit: Kate Crabtree Photography)
1998
Mickey Allen, Sarah Fletcher Meaney, Sarah Hotchkiss
CURTIS DUBAY
Our third son, William Curtis Dubay, was born on September 8 in Washington, DC. He is doing well and his older brothers Theodore (5) and Patrick (3) are thrilled to have him as part of the pack.
MEGHAN LILJEDAHL SMITH
I recently gave birth to my second child, Peyton Elizabeth Smith, in August. She joins her big sister, Savannah Ellen Smith, who turned two shortly after Peyton was born. I am an attorney practicing business law in Vernon, Conecticut, and I live with my husband and girls in Broad Brook.
1999
Steven Darling, Maura Deedy, Larry Griffin, Mark Soticheck, Patrick Stone
ROB SCHNABEL
CATHERINE CLARK &
MICHAEL DURETTE
I’m currently planning my wedding which takes place in Mexico this year. My streetwear business (Bakline) is also ramping up to handle holiday traffic, and lastly, I’ve been hard at work designing advertising for Broadway shows. Some of my work can be seen for musicals like Matilda , Fiddler on the Roof, A Bronx Tale, and Groundhog Day. I know Mr. Butcher would be proud.
2000
Michael Coleman, Carmine Petrone, Andrea Rich Rabatic, Manny Simons, Meagan Ward Jenkins
JARED CARILLO
Hey, SA! Life with the Carillos is great. The girls are happy and healthy and, generally, treat each other great! Morgen keeps me in line most days too. My partner and I sold our business and became partners in a larger, regional agency. We’re now even more enthused about the future for both our team and our business! Hope all is well with everyone!
Catherine Clark and Michael Durette were married on August 13, 2016, at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut. Additional alums in attendance were James Dachos , Jesse Clark ’97, Lily Clark ’07, and Stephen Carrabba ’01 .
2001
Paige Diamond Kraft, Kate Dineen, Greg Hearn, Russ Hearn, Ashton Jones
ASHTON JONES
Kristin and I, along with our daughter Carolina, are thrilled to announce the birth of Floyd Bardwell, born August 11, 2016. We are living in Boston, Massachusetts, where I work at a private equity firm focused on investments in the cannabis industry.
COLIN RIENDEAU
In June, my wife, Shelly, and I had our wedding on Nantucket, featuring Jeff Witkowski as best man—a wonderful time with friends and family!
Hi, y’all! My husband Dan and I live in a historic home called the Hemingway House in Little Rock, Arkansas’ Quapaw Quarter. Dan and a couple of friends started a private equity group called Rock Capital, and he serves as general counsel. I finished up my MBA and work for CJRW, the region’s largest ad agency, where I serve as the director of content and social strategy. We’ve also partnered with a friend and just received state approval to open Arkansas’ first indoor and outdoor off-leash dog park and bar—Bark Bar! We’ve been busy but make time to travel. In the last year we’ve taken a tour down the Rhine River, spent time on the Almalfi coast, paddled the first National river, the Buffalo, hunted in Hill Country, Texas, and played loads of tennis. If you’re ever in Arkansas, let us know! Follow along with my adventures on In stagram: @ElizabethMichael
JARED SHAHID
I have spent the last two years working with Daymond John from Shark Tank, at his brand consultancy, The Shark Group, which manages his investments from the show and helps other companies articulate
their brands more coherently. I head up new business development in the speaking division, which arranges all of Daymond’s speaking events—he’s now one of the Top 10 most booked speakers in the country so it keeps me busy! Separate from The Shark Group, I run two separate businesses related to entrepreneurship, branding and social change and recently joined the board of a great NGO, The Adventure Project, which seeds entrepreneurs in developing nations in an effort to end extreme poverty. From time to time, I dine with Phil Riegel ’87 (aka “the silver fox”) when he visits New York.
2003
Lindsey Pell, Lydia Pillsbury, Lindsay Rousseau, Eric Yale
MIKE ATHAS
Lauren, Margo, and I continue to love life here on Siesta Key, Florida. Our daughter Margo is just starting to walk. I have been very busy with my position with a new company, Equis Financial. There has been lots of travel to meet and train newly hired life insurance agents around the country. We love the Florida weather and hope to visit Suffield in the spring.
LYDIA PILLSBURY
Jesse and I moved back to Portland, Maine, last summer. Our daughter Willa
turned one in September. We’re glad to be a little closer to friends and family on the East Coast.
DAVID SCHNAAK
Owen and Drew were born on November 13th in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They were born early at 30 weeks but are perfectly healthy and are developing and growing by leaps and bounds every day! Jamie and I are so excited to have them discharged from the NICU and welcome them home!
GREG SCHULTZ
We have a new addition: Quinn, a baby girl who is about seven-months-old. She joins our twins, Jack and Audrey (2). They’ve been keeping Whitney and I pretty busy and make it a little tougher to stay in touch with everyone, but soon enough we’ll be able to get back into the mix and hopefully make it out to Suffield for Reunion or an afternoon of sports.
2005
Rick Devlin, Dan Fisher, Steph Shaker, Casey Shanley Kegelman
KELLEY RILEY
Man, I remember sitting in the Union wearing my khaki pants (no pockets) and tailored collared shirt (tucked in) just trying to be a cool 17-year-old gal. Anyway,
here I am now, sitting in a pool house, wearing my black jeans and oversized raggedy shirt just trying to be a cool 29-year-old gal. I have been a nanny for the past seven years; started my own photography business, kelleyriley.com I recently graduated from an occupational therapy practitioner program. I moved to San Diego, California, in January 2016 in search of a pediatric OT job and some beautiful weather. If anyone is in the area, you should let me know and we can get together and reminisce about those Union days—just trying to be cool guys and gals.
DANIELLE ROBERTS
I work in proposal management at CIGNA, and I absolutely love it!
STEPH SHAKER
I recently got engaged to Tim McKeever. We bought our first home, a 1920s farmhouse in Apex, North Carolina, and will be having our wedding at our home in May 2017. We have two chocolate labs, Dixie and Mabel. I think of Suffield often and very much cherish my memories of a place and time that will always be one of my favorites. I hope the Class of 2005 is doing well!
01 Julian Fletcher ’09 represented Bermuda competing in the 100m breaststroke in the Olympic Games in Rio
02 Kate Vosti ’08
03 Scott Phillips ’08 with his wife, Liz, and daughter
04 Terra Arguimbau ’11 while on her solo trek via the Te Araroa Trail on the South Island of New Zealand
05 Krystle Corallo ’08, Isi Montero ’08, and Maria Azumbuja ’09 with Becca Joslow ’08 for her bridal party in August
06 Mark Shannon ’08 with his wife Tiffany and their son Mark Patrick Shannon Jr.
07 Members of the Class of 2007 Cassie Daniels, Julia Imbelli, Mary Perry, and Aerin Parish-Toscano celebrate Julia’s bachelorette party
08 Henry Smith ’08 during pre-deployment training conducted with the National Guard in Virginia
2006
Kim Autuori Weisberg, Alison Leonard, Eric Litmer, Luke McComb, Gina Petrone, Chris Stafford
RON BATHRICK
Hope everyone is doing well! I can’t believe I missed the Reunion—I was in my friend’s wedding. I won’t miss the next one. I was recently married in September 2015. I passed the Connecticut Bar and am currently practicing law in Connecticut.
2008
Becca Bathrick, Kirsten Chalke, Thomas Drummond-Hay, Barbara Kaplan, Joel Glassman, Rebecca Joslow Macgregor, Kaela Keyes, Isy Zellweger
BECCA BATHRICK
Hi, everyone! I am currently the service line educator for perioperative services at Yale New Haven Hospital. I am also currently in school at Sacred Heart University for my doctorate in nursing practice.
ARTHUR SCHWEITZER
I just obtained a master’s from Babson College. Suffield’s Wednesday service on community helped guide my studies. Thank you, SA!
MARK SHANNON
On November 3, 2016, my son was born at
6.5 lbs 17.8 in. This future Tiger has been the most significant moment in my life! Suffield has shaped me into the man I am today and I am forever grateful. I wish the best for all students, faculty, and alumni. My appreciation goes out to all. GO TIGERS!
HENRY SMITH
I’ve gotten to train with the Dutch on foreign jumps and in-field exercises. I’ve jumped from several different military and civilian airframes. These jumps span from altitudes as high as 14,500 feet to as low as about 800-900 feet. In my free time, I’ve piloted some light aircraft, mostly either in a Cessna or Piper. Otherwise, this year I kept fit by participating in several 5k’s: the Warrior Dash, a Spartan Sprint, two Rugged Maniacs, two half marathons, and a Tough Mudder.
KATE VOSTI
I have just completed my master’s in leadership studies at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences. My focus during the program has been on personal development. A bit of background: I started a meditation group on campus while an undergrad at USD in order to use meditation as a way to address the pressing issues of student mental health. The interest was great so I continued to lead meditations biweekly for the past three years on and off campus. I was determined to make the group sustainable without my presence so that the movement could continue to expand after
my graduation. I am proud to say that two enthusiastic undergraduates are leading the thriving meditation sessions now. My graduate program fostered growth within me that I could never have predicted. It was the most insightful and empowering two years of my life. The personal development work that I mentioned earlier has been founded on my integration of mindfulness and compassion/self-compassion training with leadership practice. I worked with a non-profit known as Compassion It—a global social movement that inspires daily acts of compassion and provides compassion education. I was invited to lead a workshop in Indonesia the summer of 2015 for Sakyadhita, the International Association for Buddhist Women, at their 14th international conference. This past summer, I created a four-day leadership workshop designed specifically for Buddhist nuns in Vietnam. The picture I have attached was taken at one of three monasteries I taught and lived at. Currently I am co-instructing the mindfulness and leadership course at my former graduate school.
2010
Michelle Autuori, Justine de Chazal, Mariah Hayes, Tom Leonard, Alyssa Palomba, Lucas Traber
MORGAN FOG
Hey, Tigers! Hope everyone is well and grand. Currently abroad in New Zealand building the America’s Cup boats. The town
01 Sam Stone ’09 and Joe Palomba ’11 at SDSU Aztecs hoops game in November
02 Sam Stone ’09 with Carlos Streegan ‘09 and Connor Kirschbaum ‘09
03 Barbara ’08 and Connor ’12 Kaplan at Suffield’s annual Fenway event using the Snapchat GeoFilter
04 Lorenzo Bernardez ’11 and Taylor Peucker ’11 reunited at their 5th Reunion 2016
05 Patrick Tolosky ’11 and his girlfriend Jessica Nichols inside the Alhambra
06 Harry Melendez III ’07, Andre King ’11, and Omar Almodovar, co-commissioner of Holyoke Summer League after earning All-League honors summer 2016
07 The Autuori sisters: Jacqueline ’13, Michelle ’10, Kim ’06, and Pam ’08
08 Kara Goings ’12, Lorenzo Bernardez ’11 and Kachenta Descartes ’11 gather to celebrate Kara’s birthday in New York City
09 Lorenzo Bernardez ’11 and Atiq Lucas ’10 in Washington, DC
10 Lorenzo Bernardez ’11 and Shinelle Baker ’10 New York City
01 Alex Hendrickson ’12 and Josh Galant ’12 graduating from Santa Clara University in June 2016
02 Billy Regan ’12 and Will Sartorius ’12 graduating from Bates in May 2016
03 Jillian Kertanis ’13
Hannah Katz ’14 and Quinn Egan ’15 at a swim meet at
Class of 2014: Ben Cooper and Neil Spazzarini at the 2016 Division III Club Water Polo National Championships hosted at Hamilton College (Ben represents Hamilton; Neil represents Tufts)
I work in reminds me exactly of Suffield, except for the accents and driving on the other side of the road. Caught some waves with John Ferguson ’11 last summer on Nantucket. Also worked with Denny Smythe ’14 at Ventuno. Small New England it is. Any Tigers in New Zealand? Would love to make it back to Suffield and say hello to everyone. Until then, KASA!
EMILY PURTILL
I just started my first year at the University of Pennsylvania Law School this fall! I will graduate spring 2019.
2011
Joe Begley, Serge Derby, Kachenta Descartes, Colin E. Dowd, Karoline Hegbom, Didi McDonald, Shamier Settle, Lester Taylor
TERRA ARGUIMBAU
After a year spent working tirelessly in Sydney, Australia, I came to realize how much I needed to get out of the city and back to nature. Keen for challenge and adventure, I decided on a solo mission, to walk the length of the South Island of New Zealand. Established in 2011, the trail is called the Te Araroa, and runs just over 800 miles through the center of its island. I average around 12 miles a day, making the trip about two and a half months of trekking. I started walking in late October, in the middle of their spring. My travels thus far have been a seriously wet endeavor. Over three weeks in, and the adventure has not failed to take me completely out of my comfort zone. I’m trying to think of ways to captivate this adventure into words. I’ve come to the realization that trying to describe my experiences won’t do it justice. From what I’ve learned, success and hardship are two things equally hard to quantify because it’s all relative, anyways. There is not much point in describing the overwhelming emotions felt as I reached a footbridge that will bring me to civilization; because you’d need to understand just how difficult it was for me to get there. Understand how incredible hot food tasted after walking 11 hours, conquering four peaks in snow up to my knees and waist. The feeling of sheer terror while crossing flooded rivers that could very well sweep me off my feet and away at any moment.
Its nature’s own obstacle course or torture chamber, and your own attitude is the only thing that determines your path between the two, each and every minute of each and every day. Every moment has the power to lift you up or break you down both physically and mentally. I have never felt more vulnerable, more terrified but simultaneously more accomplished with what I’ve experienced and overcome. This kind of achievement is only to be granted by the individual’s own standard. I have so very much enjoyed experiencing traveling on my own. I recommend that everyone travels alone; it’s forced me to be brave and take on full responsibility for my life. Unsure of where life will next lead me, I am grateful for its present moments.
LORENZO BERNARDEZ
I just want touch base on energy. The way I see it and have lived it. With social media, trends, surroundings, and the people around you. negativity exists everywhere. It is all a matter of do you feed into or not. I chose a couple years back to remove my energy from those negative things and devote it to the positive. If you think about it, hating someone else takes energy, gossiping or spreading lies is all energy being taken away from the good you could be doing in your life. Shift your energy and witness your life grow in ways you’ve always wanted it to.
DIDI MCDONALD
I had a great time at Reunion. This is the Class of 2011’s second year out of college, and it has been really fun to reconnect in New York City. Personally, I am enjoying spending time with family and friends and working hard as an investment banking campus recruiter at Goldman.
PATRICK TOLOSKY
Last year I was living in Spain while working as an English teaching assistant for the Fulbright US Student Exchange Program. I enjoyed traveling around Spain to see the diverse parts of the country from San Sebastián to Granada to Cadiz and, of course, my home for the year, Madrid. After moving back home in July, I have been focusing on the application and interview season for medical school admittance for the fall of
2017. In my spare time, I am continuing to fundraise for Willka Yachay, the NGO that collaborates with the Q’eros Nation in Peru, where I lived in 2015, as part of a project to build a Hampi Wasi (Quechua for home of healing).
CHARLOTTE YORDON
I am living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and just started as the marketing manager at Outpost Property Management. I also got a red golden retriever puppy this spring named Beau!
2012
Reed Barbe, Colin E Dowd, William Evangelakos, Jameson Everett, Josh Galant, David Huang, Taylor Jett, Connor Kaplan, Caroline Leonard, Izzy McDonald, Alex Porter, Carly Smith
STEPHANIE HETZLER
I currently work for an interior designer in Spring Lake, New Jersey.
IZZY MCDONALD
I am currently getting a master’s in English education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. With the program, I am required to do two semesters of student teaching, and I am loving every minute of it. I will be graduating in May, and I look forward to getting a job at a private high school teaching 11th or 12th grade English. I am really looking forward to our Suffield Reunion next fall and hoping to see a lot of my classmates there.
2013
Georgina Blakeley, Andrés Fernández Vílchez, Jay Fields, Jamie Johnson, Wynn Mason, Chris McCormick, Paul Metscher, Noel Nakamura, Jay O’Brien, Jay Prasad, Emilio Rocha, Mike Simmons
JILLIAN KERTANIS
Hi, Suffield! Seems like forever ago that I graduated. I am currently in my senior year at the beautiful Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. Come May 2017, I will be graduating with my bachelor’s of science in healthcare administration, with a minor in business
5 th REUNION
01 CJ Moore ’14 and Endy Morales ’15 compete against one another in the summer 2016 N.E. Collegiate Baseball League
02 Class of 2015: Julia Harris, Lily Flynn, and Ali Veitch at the Clemson vs. Boston College game
03 Class of 2015: Endy Morales, Livvie Caligiuri, and Hannah Bellorado with Neelam Mahtani ’14 and Garrett Stephenson ’17
04 Class of 2015: Tristan Grush, Christian Wilkins, and Kelly Taylor
05 Left to right: Zak Kidd ’18 with members of the Class of 2015: Alec Turer, Owen Hern, Christian Wilkins, Sarah Apkin, Caitlin Marshall, and Brad Gibson at a Clemson game
06 Class of 2015: Jon Bismarck and Jackie Zhang in Taiyuan, China
administration. I have been fortunate enough to live in a beautiful and historic community similar to Suffield; only I can drive two miles down the road to get to the beach. Having class right on the beach, I am there for more than twice a day. Even during the winter season it is still relaxing. For the past three years I have worked for a family as an afterschool nanny to two young children. I say work but it does not feel that way to me. The Hansons have opened up their home and have made me feel like a part of their family—for that I feel blessed. I continue to stay in contact with them upon graduating. Throughout my time here I have been lucky enough to experience a wide variety of opportunities which have allowed me to fall in love with Rhode Island. With that said, I have chosen to live here after graduating. Suffield will always be my home and place that I can come back to and reminisce on all the moments I shared there. Rhode Island, though, is my new home now, a place where new memories will be made. Hope everyone of my classmates has had a great four years. Cannot wait to catch up at the next Reunion!
2014
Kevin Cournoyer, Sam Feldman, Charlotte Hinrichs, Shivang Jhunjhnuwala, Briana Matthews, Brice McAllister, Zach McCormick, Jono Nelson, Alexis Sarris, Denny Smythe, Izzy Thompson
CHARLOTTE HINRICHS
I’m studying abroad in London this semester, and it has been the best experience I could’ve asked for. Elon has led to so many great opportunities for me, and I wouldn’t be here without the incredible support and education from my Suffield family! I miss it all the time! In other news, this past spring I participated in my first Relay for Life at Elon. In my first two years at school I was deeply involved in Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), and Relay for Life became an outlet for me and other friends of mine to raise money and raise awareness about cancer on my campus and all over the country. March of last year was an unimaginably difficult time for me and my family as my dad passed away. However, knowing me, I had to do something and I had to be a part of the change that stops this from happening to anyone else. Relay happened a month later. This was the point when I finally allowed myself to start grieving and stop holding all of my pain and
emotions in. My friends were able to see that I wasn’t always ok but that I wanted to keep smiling and laughing, and Relay helped me do that. Over the course of three weeks, I decided to change my fundraising goal from $350 to $500 because I was having such great success. Little did I know that I would exceed my goal beyond my wildest expectations. In the final hour of Relay I had raised over $5,000 and held the spot as the number one fundraiser involved in Elon’s Relay for Life, surpassing second place by $1,300. When I found this out, I almost dropped to the floor. I was overwhelmed by sleep exhaustion, the love from family and friends, and the incredible generosity of people connected to me. I could not believe that people loved my dad and me so much that they wanted to help me make an impact on other people’s lives. This year I am hoping to make a similar impact. My goal this year is to raise $2,000 and I would love to share what I have to say with the people I care about so deeply. http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/?fr_ id=83475&pg=personal&px=39381211
Cecilia Arntzen, Oyikwan Asante, Derek Dai, Bella De Simone, Maura Eagan, Quinn Egan, Tahj Herring-Wilson, Miles Johnson, Baek Kang, Katie Kuzmeski, Trevor Lyne, Melissa Malley, Ang Vecchiarelli, Elijah Wilson
OYIKWAN ASANTE
After graduation, I went on a fantastic trip with my family throughout Europe, and although it was fun, I couldn’t wait to start my new chapter in college. Despite it being a challenge adapting to a new place, being at Suffield more than prepared me for this experience. Being at a small liberal arts college, it was very easy for me to apply the same concepts that made me successful at Suffield here, and as a result, I am really enjoying myself. Nevertheless, nothing compares to my time at Suffield, my home. To my family at Suffield, you will never be in an environment as supportive and as nurturing as Suffield, so cherish that and appreciate it throughout your four years!
01 Kyle Barrett ’16 on the field for Skidmore College 02 Ben ’16 and Dan ’12 Bailey at Suffield at Fenway
BERMUDA RECEPTION
Peter and Ann Durhager, parents of Hannah ’17 and Meg ’18, hosted a reception at their beautiful home overlooking the ocean in Paget Parish, Bermuda. Over 45 current parents, past parents, alumni, and prospective families gathered to celebrate Suffield with Headmaster Charlie Cahn, Creative Director of Marketing & Communications Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, Director of Development Phil Riegel ’87 and Associate Director of Admissions Amy Samenuk ’09. Recounting his trip, Phil said, “It is always wonderful for Suffield to get back to Bermuda. Our ties to the island are so strong and the current families are as committed to our school as ever. The Durhagers were tremendous hosts!”
WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?
SEND US A CLASS NOTE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF SUFFIELD SUFFIELDACADEMY.ORG/ CLASSNOTESUBMIT
SEND NOTE AND HIGH-QUALITY PHOTOGRAPH(S) TO:
EMAIL [Preferably 300 dpi] suffield.magazine@gmail.com or bmccomb@suffieldacademy.com
MAIL [Photo-lab Quality Print] Betsy McComb P’06, ’08 Suffied Academy Development Office 185 North Main Street Suffield, Connecticut 06078
DEADLINE: MAY 30, 2017
< weddings >
01 tonny bathrick ’06 & jillian zabrocky 09.19.15
02 catherine clark ’00 & michael durette ’00 08.13.16
03 james wilcox ’01 & katelyn olson 09.17.16
04 kim autuori ’06 & zak weisberg 09.10.16
05 margot genvert ’07 & alex paul tanenbaum 06.11.16 (pictured with her parents, peggy and pierre genvert ’71, wearing traditional bermuda business attire to walk her down the aisle)
06 allie thrall ’07 & willie cotton 10.08.16
07 harry melendez iii ’07 & kimberly velez 06.13.16
08 colin riendeau ’01 & shelly fuchs 06.11.16
09 julia imbelli ’07 & michael saunders 09.10.16
10 ryan allen ’05 & christina accorsini 09.09.16
11 ed mack ’04, ryan cleary ’05, jake donnelly ’05, ryan allen ’05, christina accorsini, wade sojka-colli ’05, zeke donnelly ’07, carolyn rosca johnson ’05 at ryan and christina’s wedding
