Thayer Magazine - Winter/Spring 2018-19 - The Technology Issue

Thayer M AG A Z I N E

Winter / Spring 2019

THE

ISSUE

THE MISSION OF THAYER ACADEMY IS TO INSPIRE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS TO MORAL, INTELLECTUAL, AESTHETIC, AND PHYSICAL EXCELLENCE SO THAT EACH MAY RISE TO HONORABLE ACHIEVEMENT AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMON GOOD.

HEAD OF SCHOOL Ted Koskores ’70 P ’10, ’13

Thayer B I A N N U A L LY

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHERS John Grant, Chris Bernstein

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Joanna Skoler Gilman ’86 P ’25

Joanna Skoler Gilman ’86 P ’25

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, LAYOUT & DESIGN

Melissa Tuthill Forger ’92 P ’25

MAGAZINE

P U B L I S H E D

PRINCIPAL EDITORS Craig Salters ’86

Paul Kahn

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS & CREATIVE MEDIA

pkahn@thayer.org

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

PRINCIPAL WRITERS Craig Salters '86 Paul Kahn

SUPPLEMENTAL WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS & IMAGES Rebecca Delaney, Scott Eisen '09, Jamison Smith, Depositphotos.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Julie Burke-Blanchard ’93, Tara Corcoran ’88 P ’19, Christine Dahlheimer, Kelly Hines P ’19, ’21 Stefanie Hollister, Tina Lim, John Murphy, Donna Richardson P ’09, ’11, Lesley Leibowitz Snyder ’93 P ’23, ’25, Alison Soule, Emma Taylor '12, Rachael Rouvales Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12

Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse A composite photograph of the rare phenomenon of a blood moon lunar eclipse taken

by Thayer Science faculty member Jamison Smith from the Cahall Observatory.

Learn more about his work in astrophotography during his sabbatical on page 8.

ON THE COVER Detailed close-up of the leads, knobs, and inputs that make up the Buchla, the revolutionary electronic instrument of Suzanne Ciani '64 (see pp. 18-21).

READ THAYER MAGAZINE ONLINE: Scan this QR code to view this issue of Thayer Magazine online at ISSUU. Or visit: www.thayer.org/magazine to view this and past issues of the Magazine.

THAYER ACADEMY 2018-2019 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

BOARD OFFICERS

BOARD MEMBERS

Melissa Bayer Tearney P ’14, Chair

Danya Abrams Sr. P ’20, ’22

Kevin Gill P ’11, ’13, ’22

Mike McNally P ’22, ’24

Donavan Brown ’01

Jennifer Havlicek P ’18, ’21, ’21

John Morey P ’11, ’13

Kathy Horgan P ’20

Maureen Pace P ’19, ’21 Leigh Schwartz P ’21

Linda Hooley P ’06, ’08, ’13, ’16, Secretary Daniel Budde P ’10, ’12, Treasurer

James Cashman ’73

Elaine DeLuca P ’20, ’21, Treasurer

Rob DeMarco ’86 P ’19, ’21

Michael Joe P ’17, ’20

Sean Doherty P ’19, ’20

Brenda Lyons P ’12, ’14, ’18

Darren Donovan P ’17, ’20

Brendan McDonough ’87

Julaine McInnis, Assistant Treasurer Thayer Academy CFOO

P ’19, ’21

Tom Shanley ’97 Ex officio as President of the Alumni Board P ’18, ’22

Ted Koskores ’70

P ’10, ’13, Head of School

Letter from the Head of School

Ted Koskores ’70 P ’10, ’13 Dear Thayer Community, Lots happening at school – much of which is showcased in this edition of Thayer Magazine!

“Around Campus” shares the exciting news that the long-awaited rink will be housed in the Thayer Sports Center, which is nearing completion and will be ready for the 2019-2020 season. In addition to a sampling of events in and around campus, you will also find a review of some of the interesting professional development experiences our faculty pursue. In that vein, I encourage you to read English teacher Denise King’s account of some of her sabbatical year endeavors.

A central focus of this edition of Thayer Magazine is the role technology plays in the Thayer Experience and, in some instances, how technology has shaped career paths of alumni. None of this is terribly surprising for a school founded by a fabled engineer, our very own Sylvanus Thayer! In addition to an array of pieces dealing with how current students and alumni have meaningfully explored the uses of technology, I direct you to the article discussing our plans to carve out a vibrant Computer Programming and Robotics Center in the Glover Building.

As we often note, one of the great virtues of the Thayer Experience is the balanced program available to our students – amply discussed in the Arts and Athletics sections of the Magazine.

And, of course, alumni may wish to catch up on “old” friends in the Alumni News and Notes section.

I continue to be amazed — on a daily basis — with the energy and purpose so evident in our students, and I could not be more appreciative of the countless ways our parents and alumni support their aspirations.

Sincerely,

Ted Koskores ’70 P ’10, ’13 HEAD OF SCHOOL, THAYER ACADEMY

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

1

Unexpected Wiring

THE

The wiring in these two photos is from a couple of surprising technological marvels. On the left is the back of the TA-255, a Thayer faculty-created binary calculator (see pp. 16-17). On the right is a closeup of the Buchla - the signature instrument of

ISSUE

electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani ’64 (see pp. 18-21).

Annual Report 2017-2018 Errata

We apologize for the following errors from the 2017-18 Annual Report of Giving

(Unless otherwise noted, listed are names previously omitted from the Annual Report) Headmaster’s Circle

Southworth Society

$10,000 - $24,999

Eileen Cutler ’62

Linda & Christian Storch P ’15, ’18 Anna Boynton Thompson Society $5,000 - $9,999

In Memory of Marilyn S. Legg P ’88 Libby King P ’02, ’05, ’07 Deb & Dan Budde P ’10, ’12

Tracy & Rob Bodio P ’18, ’21 Katie & Dave Dugan P ’22, ’25

Faculty & Staff

Diana & Todd Knightly P ’20, ’24

Joe Pelletier

Marie & Michael Mignosa ’89 P ’22, ’25 Harriet & James Ubertalli P ’20, ’22 Leadership Circle $1,877 - $2,999

Libby King P ’02, ’05, ’07 Jennifer Pyne Sage ’87 & Andrew Sage P ’16, ’18, ’20

2

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Class of 1966 Howard Cutler ’66

TA B L E O F CO N T E N TS

Letter from the Head of School

Ted Koskores ’70 P ’10, ’13, Head of School

Errata from Annual Report 2017-18 Table of Contents

1

Around Campus

2 3 4-8

- The wait is (almost) over! (Introducing the Valicenti Rink) - TA Timeline (Fall 2018/Winter 2019)

- News & Notes from Campus - Faculty Highlight: Professional Development

- Faculty Essay: Denise King P '08, '10

4 5, 7 5-7 8 9-10

11 12-14

We’re doing things that haven’t

15

been done before, and no one

16-17

is going to tell you what to do.

18-21

You have to be able to define the

22-24

problem you are working on and

25

then go find a way to solve it.

26 26-27

- Peter Capozzoli ’91, SpaceX

11, 17, 25, 27

pp. 22-24

54

Thayer Arts

Preview Spaces TOP: Thayer

Sports Center (pp. 4-5); BOTTOM: the updating of Glover for a new Computer Science & Robotics Center (pp. 26-27).

- A Beauty to Behold - The Original - Matt Healey '09 tribute

- 5th Grade Debut!

- Middle School on the Stage

- Upper School - CFA Performances

- Student Art & Photography

Thayer Athletics

28-36 28-30 30-31 32 33 34 35-36

37-40

- Head of the Charles / Gillette Stadium Photo Gallery 37 - Thayer Fall Season Highlights

38 - Thayer Fall/Winter Photos 39-40

Alumni News & Notes

41-43

- Thayer Sports Hall of Fame Inductees 2018 - 2018 General's Council Reception

41

42-44

- Career Day 2019 Recap

45

Class Notes

46-66

Thayer Weddings 52-53 Thayer Babies 53

In Memoriam

58-64

Southworth Giving

65

Bill Robertson '56

560 Harrison Avenue Suite 403 Boston, Massachusetts 02118 617.367.9696 Phone: 617.367.9253 Fax: www.eckmacneely.com

11.27.18

Proposed Exterior Rendering Switchback 3'-0"

Glover Computer Science and Robotics Lab 745 Washington St, Braintree MA 02184

Eck MacNeely Architects inc.

Architecture

Interior Design

Planning

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

3

A RO U N D CAMPUS

The Wait Is (Almost) Over!

Thayer Sports Center will feature an on-campus rink Next season, Academy hockey teams will lace up their skates not on Sunset Lake or Whitman’s Pond, not in Hingham or Canton or Dedham, but on their own campus.

AA

BB

DD

FF

HH

KK

MM

22

the rink in his honor. To that end, Van

33

Whisnand ’62, a former player on those first squads, has issued a challenge: the alumnus will donate $500,000 if others in the Thayer community will also donate $500,000. The $1,000,000 raised will create the Arthur T. Valicenti Rink while supporting, in Whisnand’s words, “a sports center befitting our great school.”

44 77 88 99 1111 1212 1313 1414 1515 1616 1717 1818 1919

BUILDING BUILDINGPLAN PLANRIGHT RIGHT

2020 2121

The goal of the Thayer Sports Center, said

2222

Athletic Director Rick Foresteire P ’19, ’21, is

2323

VIDEO VIDEOPLATFORM PLATFORMPLAN PLAN

2424

to continue providing “a top-notch competitive experience for our student-athletes.”

2525

PLAN PLAN NORTH NORTH

AA

EE

CC

JJ

GG

KEY PLAN PLAN KEY

LL

MM

Revisions Revisions

Scale: Scale:

Drawn Drawn by:by:

Date: Date:

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

BUILDING BUILDINGKEY KEYPLAN PLAN

“It won’t seem real until we actually step onto the ice,” said Amonte.

A-1 A-1

4

1010

1313

girls varsity head coach Brian Cibelli — will make history when they play their first home games there next season.

NN OO TTI I CC UU RR SSTT NN OO CC RR FFOO

Valicenti’s role as the founding father of Thayer hockey has led to an effort to name

66

1212

AA

MM

P ’75, ’75, ’77 GP ’10, ’14, the program has become a powerhouse of American high school hockey. It has produced names like Silk, Amonte, Roenick, Mottau, and Orpik, to name just a few. More importantly, it has produced young men and, since 1997, young women who have learned lessons of teamwork, perseverance, and friendship while donning the black-and-orange.

1ST 1STFLOOR FLOORPLAN PLANCORE CORE

1111

The sports center is expected to be finished in the coming months. After that, Thayer hockey teams — led by boys varsity head coach Tony Amonte ’89 P ’16, ’18, ’19, ’23 and

Founded in 1958 by Arthur Valicenti ’51

55

BUILDING BUILDINGPLAN PLANLEFT LEFT

1010

2ND 2NDFLOOR FLOORPLAN PLANCORE CORE

Yes, the decades-old dream of home ice advantage will soon become a reality. Edge Sports Group has signed on to build and operate the Thayer Sports Center on land leased from the school at the Academy’s South Athletic Campus. When finished, the 86,000 square-foot sports center will boast an indoor multi-sport playing field, dedicated locker rooms, a concessions stand, a spectators’ room, and a host of other amenities.

However, it’s the one and a half ice sheets that will prove a game-changer for the Academy’s already storied hockey program.

11

We’ll pause a moment to let that good news sink in.

Blueprint of the interior of the Thayer Sports Center D.R. D.R. Poulin Poulin Construction Construction Co. Co. Inc. Inc.

EDGE EDGE SPORTS SPORTS BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS MASSACHUSETTS BRAINTREE,

59 Mill Road Road 59 Duck Duck Mill Fitchburg, MA MA 01420 01420 Fitchburg,

FALL/WINTER

2018-19

TA

A RO U N D C A M P US

HIGHLIGHTS

SEP

THAYER ACADEMY’s 142ND CONVOCATION WELCOMES 700 STUDENTS TO THE ACADEMY, ALONG WITH SIX NEW FACULTY MEMBERS.

THE INAUGURAL FIFTH GRADE CLASS AT THAYER MIDDLE SCHOOL BEGINS UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF ALISON SOULE. THIS MARKS THE FIRST TIME FIFTH GRADERS GRACE THE CAMPUS SINCE THAYERLANDS CLOSED IN THE 1970S.

The two finalists in the inaugural Homecoming Cornhole Tournament (from L-R): Team Tigers Blood: Jim Flaherty, Jr. P ’19 & Jimmy Flaherty (brother of Elizabeth Flaherty ’19) took the championship title over Team Double L: Clare LaMattina ’24 & Randy LaMattina P ’24.

OCT

THAYER HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A 32-7 VARSITY FOOTBALL VICTORY OVER BROOKS AND THE INDUCTION OF FOUR MORE MEMBERS TO THAYER’S SPORTS HALL OF FAME (SEE PP. 38; 41).

AUTHOR KARA STORTI SPEAKS TO THAYER’S CREATIVE WRITING CLUB AS PART OF THE BENELLI WRITING CENTER’S VISITING WRITERS SERIES.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, BOTH THAYER BOYS & GIRLS CREW COMPETE AT THE HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA, THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TWO-DAY ROWING EVENT (SEE P. 37).

In late November of 2017, as she addressed a Monday Morning Meeting highlighting the Academy’s holiday toy drive, Marilyn Legg P ’88 asked audience members to hug themselves twice — once from the child receiving

NOV

THE GENERAL’S COUNCIL RECEPTION IS HELD AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART (ICA) (SEE PP. 42-44).

UPPER SCHOOL FALL MUSICAL "BEAUTY & THE BEAST" INCLUDES A 10-YEAR REUNION FOR MEMBERS OF THE PRODUCTION THAT OPENED THE CFA IN 2008 (SEE PP. 28-31).

their gift and once from her. One year later, at a similar Monday Morning Meeting, organizers asked audience members to do the same. They also asked for a record number of donations as a tribute to Legg, who passed away in January of 2018. Done and done.

The Marilyn Legg P ’88 Holiday Toy Drive was a great success in keeping with the generosity of its namesake.

Held at both the Upper School and the Middle School, the drive collected over 680 gifts for local families. Specifically, donations went to: the regional office of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), which covers Braintree, Randolph, Milton, Quincy, Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Hull; Headstart; the South Boston Neighborhood House; and Beale Street House in Hingham. The record-breaking gift total would no doubt please Legg, the longtime Assistant to the Head of School, who began the drive in 1987 and ran it for decades.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

5

CAMPUS C A N D I DS

Middle School students enjoy a reading from the Student Day of Poetry event in December

Upper School Faculty Alison Garnsey leads a small group discussion - one of nearly 40 panels - during Diversity Day 2019

Middle School music teacher Destiny Cooper leads a Bucket Drumming session in the Commons during Diversity Day 2019

The Upper School Concert Choir performs during the Winter Music Concert

6

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

FALL/WINTER

2018-19

TA

C A M P US C A N D I DS

HIGHLIGHTS

NOV

THAYER’S VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM GETS EDGED OUT 21-20 BY DEXTER SOUTHFIELD IN THE NEPSAC JOHN "MOOSE" CURTIS BOWL - A GAME PLAYED AT GILLETTE STADIUM (SEE P. 37).

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS PERFORM "BUGSY MALONE, JR." "THE FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL," AND "GREEK MYTHS" ON THE THOMPSON HALL STAGE (SEE PP. 32-33).

ISAAC BUTLER ’16 WINS WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PLAYWRITING COMPETITION (SEE CLASS NOTE ON P. 57).

DEC

A RECORD NUMBER OF GIFTS (OVER 680!) ARE DONATED DURING THE MARILYN LEGG P ’88 HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE (SEE P. 5).

JAN

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF MICHAEL NESSRALLA ’20 IS SELECTED AS PART OF THE EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS 2019 JURIED EXHIBITION AT UMASS DARTMOUTH (SEE THE WORK OF MIKE AND OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS ON P. 36).

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY DEAN JAMELE ADAMS - SPEAKING ON "LOVE, INCLUSION, AND TRUST" - CAPTIVATES MIDDLE SCHOOLERS DURING THE ANNUAL MLK, JR. BREAKFAST.

In full costume, Ashley Foss ’26 makes her way to the final pre-show pep talk prior to the performance of Bugsy Malone Jr.

Thayer’s WGBH Quiz Show Trivia Team: (L-R) Garner Thompson ’20, Giovanni Marinilli ’21, Charlotte Nickerson ’19, Austin Bennett ’20, faculty advisor Jamison Smith, and Charlie Solari ’22. Not pictured: Anna Bagley ’21.

The victorious, beach attire-clad champions of Winter Wars 2019: Thayer’s Senior Class

ALUMNA KRISTIN VOLDAN ’97 TEACHES STUDENTS ABOUT MOLECULAR GENETICS DATA ANALYSIS AT THE FIRST OF FOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE CAFES SET FOR 2019.

FEB

FOUNDERS DAY: A DAY OF GIVING IS ANOTHER SUCCESS - WITH OVER 1,000 GENEROUS DONORS GIVING TO THAYER’S ANNUAL FUND (SEE P. 41).

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

7

A RO U N D CAMPUS

The Milky Way Panorama as seen through the lens of Upper School Science Faculty Jamison Smith

Faculty Highlight: Professional Development at Thayer Thayer Academy’s commitment to

“It helped me as a teacher in

of 1994 received a grant from the

lifelong learning doesn’t end with its

immeasurable ways,” said Smith.

National Endowment for the Humanities

student body.

(NEH) to spend three weeks in Avignon, One benefit is rather obvious: Thayer

France, studying the work of the poet

As part of its professional development

Academy now offers an elective class

Petrarch. At the time, Rooney was in the

program, the Academy offers

in astrophotography, one that Smith

midst of a lengthy hiatus from writing.

opportunities for faculty to travel,

teaches.

learn, and interact with other educators.

“The breathing room of time and focus

Those opportunities can come in the

Generally, however, Smith said the

was key to getting the creative juices

form of summer sabbaticals, year-long

increased use of the observatory,

flowing again,” recalled Rooney, who

sabbaticals, tuition support for graduate

coupled with a new proficiency in

returned to writing after his experience

courses, or in a variety of other ways.

astrophotography, gave him a stronger

in Avignon. That decision, in turn, led

Teachers also have the freedom to chart

connection to the science of astronomy.

to the publication of poetry collections

their own educational journey.

in 2000 and 2007. His third collection “Without the professional development,

of poetry, Go There, will be out later this

For Upper School Science Faculty

I wouldn’t be as comfortable using and

year.

Jamison Smith, the chance to master

maintaining the observatory,” said Smith,

new skills arrived in 2017 in the form of

who has been working with students on

Upper School English Faculty Denise

the Eric M. Swain Summer Sabbatical

astronomy senior projects and tracking a

King P ’08, ’10 is currently on a year-

Program. Smith decided to focus on

comet using the observatory’s telescopes.

long sabbatical. Among other things,

astrophotography, so he spent a great

8

she has used the time to write. She even

deal of time shooting in various locations

And that chance to press “pause” and

visited the grave of F. Scott Fitzgerald,

and landscapes or working in Cahall

recalibrate can have a lasting impact on

one of King’s most beloved authors, and

Observatory.

a teacher’s career. Take Upper School

penned a short essay on the experience

Foreign Language Faculty Aidan Rooney

(See next page). King calls her sabbatical

P ’07, ’15, who way back in the summer

“amazing.”

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

FAC U LTY ESSAY

Musings from a Rockville, MD, Cemetery

by Denise King P ’08, ’10 - Thayer English Faculty, Senior Project Director (on sabbatical in 2018-19)

The schedule of a teacher on sabbatical is filled with both

When Fitzgerald died at the young age of 44 right before

freedom and opportunity. On a recent trip home to Georgia

Christmas on December 21, 1940, his wife, Zelda, had already

for an alumni event at my alma mater, this freedom meant

been confined to a sanitarium in North Carolina for many

that I could drive the 1,200 miles instead of spending a rushed

years. His work in Hollywood had dried up, and, while he

long weekend filled with planes, trains, and automobiles – and

was working on a new novel, The Last Tycoon, most considered

no Steve Martin or John Candy. I left my Cape Cod home

Fitzgerald “washed up.”

on October 14th and arrived in Atlanta on October 17th. I’ll admit that initially the solo ride intimidated me a bit. I had

Fitzgerald fought many demons over the years but none more devastating to him than his life-

never driven further than six

long battle with alcoholism. His

hours alone, so the prospect

books were out of print when he

of two days alone in the car

died with about forty dollars to

with nothing but my iTunes

his name. According to a 2012

and thoughts to accompany

story on NPR, since he was a

me represented a challenge.

non-practicing Catholic, St.

But this year is all about

Mary’s Church elders refused

challenges for me.

to allow Fitzgerald’s remains to

Teaching is one of the great

be buried in the family plot at

joys in my life, and teach-

St. Mary’s church in Rockville.

ing the American writers is

Instead, a Protestant minister

particularly satisfying. When

oblivious to Fitzgerald’s previous

I introduce my students to

fame officiated at a nearby

F. Scott Fitzgerald and his

cemetery with little attention

classic, The Great Gatsby, I

paid and only about 25 people

do so with a deep passion for

in attendance. Zelda Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald’s prose and an ap-

joined her husband a few years

preciation for Jay Gatsby as a

later after dying in a fire that

character. I think we all have

broke out in a mental hospital

a little of Gatsby’s romantic

in North Carolina.

idealism in us; if we had more of it, perhaps we would be better off. I’ve often said that if I could only take one book on a deserted island, it would be Gatsby. So, this trip offered me an opportunity to pay homage to my favorite writer and visit his gravesite, which is in a nondescript Catholic cemetery outside of Rockville, Maryland. Before my visit, I did a little research on the grave to make sure I had all the pertinent information

Upon hearing this story on NPR as part of my research, I was struck by how similar to Jay Gatsby’s funeral was that of the author himself. Indeed, when he wrote the funeral scene in Gatsby at the height of his successful career, he foreshadowed his own desolate ending. As a lover of Fitzgerald’s work, I am profoundly saddened by this parallel.

to maximize the visit. Since it was part of a long drive, I didn’t

Thirty-five years after he was laid to rest, with prompting from

want to take too many detours or wrong turns. In my research,

a Rockville women’s group, Scottie Fitzgerald, the couple’s

I discovered a few things not only about the writer, but also

only child, petitioned St. Mary’s once again for permission to

about the drama surrounding his burial.

move the couple. With permission granted, Scottie Fitzgerald CONTINUES NEXT PAGE à

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

9

FAC U LT Y E SSAY

Musings from a Rockville, MD, Cemetery (CONT’D FROM PAGE 9)

purchased a tombstone and chose the last line of The Great

I said a prayer at his grave with the hum of the cars

Gatsby as the epitaph, “So we beat on, boats against the

speeding past. I prayed that he had, indeed, found peace. I

current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

prayed that he would help me stay inspired and driven to

I left my friend’s house in Philadelphia where I had spent the first night of my drive and programmed St. Mary’s Cemetery in Rockville, Maryland, into Waze. It was about three hours away. So, I took off on this rainy Monday morning in search of my literary hero. Sufficiently caffeinated thanks to the local Starbucks, I finally found my way to the church and thought, this can’t possibly be it. It’s next to a highway in the middle of a concrete jungle with a busy Catholic school as part of the campus. I drove in and parked my Honda as close as I could get to the cemetery, hopeful that I wouldn’t disturb any of the school lessons or a Mass that might be going on. I put on my raincoat and a baseball cap against the fairly steady rain and went into the cemetery to find Fitzgerald.

As part of the backstory on the burial, I discovered that admirers of Fitzgerald often brought little gifts to leave on

finish my own book. And I promised him that I would do everything in my power to ensure that my students loved and appreciated his work as much as I did. I surprised myself by the tears that blended with the rain on that Monday morning. After about 20 minutes, I returned to my car both sad and happy in a way that I did not expect.

As I navigated my way back onto 95 South to continue my journey, I could not stop thinking about how much this stop had meant to me. I listened to Keith Urban on the radio, tears streaming as I pondered the talent of this man lost to the literary world so young. Incredibly, as I merged onto 95, a car with the license plate “GRT GATZ” drove by me on the left. The connection I felt to Fitzgerald in those moments was palpable.

I took a deep breath, said thank you aloud, and continued on my journey home.

the tombstone, and I thought long and hard about what I should bring. According to the NPR story, people brought bottles of gin (Fitzgerald’s drink of choice), copies of Gatsby, pens, and coins. Having just returned from a workshop in Santa Fe in which I stayed near a monastery that had “holy dirt,” I opted for a small silver container of holy dirt with the hope that my humble offering would help bring Fitzgerald the peace in death that eluded him in life. The airplane-size bottle of gin just seemed wrong; how could I bring something to him in death that had caused him so much pain in life? The dirt seemed my best option.

Denise King P ’08, ’10 in the Southworth Library with The Great Gatsby A couple of photos from her trip to the F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald House in Montgomery, AL.

10

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

THE

ISSUE

The words of General Sylvanus Thayer adorn the campus of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH. (Photo courtesy of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth)

When it came to know-how, General Sylvanus Thayer certainly knew how.

And that Dartmouth reference? No coincidence. That’s because in

As this Spring 2019 edition of Thayer Magazine dives into all things

the United States — Sylvanus Thayer donated funds to create Thayer

technical and technological, let’s remember that Thayer himself can rightly lay claim to being the school’s first “techie,” though he might scoff at the informal phrasing.

and the United States Military Academy; he later studied at École Polytechnique in Paris. Passionate about engineering, he placed that discipline at the heart of West Point’s curriculum as he transformed that school from a haven for ne’er-do-wells to the world-class institution it is today. Under his leadership, West Point established the first college of engineering in the United States, a decision that would have a “Johnny Appleseed” effect upon the nation. “Carried by West Point graduates to other colleges and universities, Thayer’s curriculum became the springboard for technological instruction in the country,” wrote Nardi Reeder Campion in an edition of Dartmouth Engineer Magazine. Later in life, Thayer would lead the construction of harbor defenses in New England while serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

TECH

TIDBITS

“Father of West Point” and the originator of technological education in School of Engineering at Dartmouth, which was founded in 1867. The tone of the school’s motto may seem familiar: “To prepare the most capable and faithful for the most responsible positions and the most difficult service.”

A brilliant student, Thayer graduated from both Dartmouth College

T H A Y E R

addition to being the founder of Thayer Academy — and the so-called

On its current website, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth touts engineers who’ve designed implantable micro-devices for selfcharging pacemakers. General Thayer wouldn’t know what a website is, much less a pacemaker.

Likewise, he’d be hard pressed to fathom the intricacies of autonomous maritime vehicles, binary logic gates, electronic synthesizers, space transportation, 3D printing, or video gaming, all discussed to varying degrees within the pages of this magazine.

But, through his vision, he had a hand in all of it… and he’d be interested in all of it… and he’d be a right quick study.

According to research by Thayer Archivist Larry Carlson, the Academy’s campus was originally heated by steam, with no electric lights. The campus was basically only open during sunlit hours, from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon, with evening events such as dances held at the Braintree Town Hall. Electric lights were first mentioned in an accounts book from 1894 for Glover Building.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

11

ALUMNI PROFILE

’76 T H AY E R A L U M C H A R T S N E W C O U R S E F O R M A R I T I M E D E F E N S E

By Craig Salters ’86

There’s a sea change underway in how the United States addresses its maritime security issues, and Michael “Mike” Connor ’76 isn’t content to simply navigate it.

He’d rather lead it.

All photos courtesy Mike Connor ’76

12

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

THE

ISSUE

Mike Connor ’76, at left, with the rest of ThayerMahan’s founding team.

The Connecticut-based start-up focuses on autonomous maritime systems.

Connor once commanded the nation’s entire submarine force; here, in front of one of them during an Arctic excursion.

In 2016 Connor founded ThayerMahan, a high-tech start-

operational deployment and recovery of an unmanned ve-

up company which, in layman’s terms, creates maritime

hicle from a submarine. Connor earned a B.A. in Physics

drones that travel on and under the ocean. He now serves

from Bowdoin College and an M.A. in National Security

as president and CEO of the company, which is based in

Studies from the United States Naval War College. He has

Groton, Connecticut.

written extensively on the future of undersea warfare.

“We design, build, and operate autonomous systems that

Asked why he chose the challenge of a high-tech startup

perform some of the missions currently conducted by

instead of, say, working on his golf game, Connor gets

ships, aircraft, and submarines,” explains the Weymouth

right to the point.

native, “and we do it for one penny on the dollar relative to the legacy technology.”

“I was not satisfied with what the Navy and the country were doing in applying 21st Century technology,” he says.

Connor has devoted his entire career to understanding

“I didn’t feel we were moving fast enough.”

how the United States can best leverage technology to serve its maritime defense needs. A retired Vice Admiral

ThayerMahan — a company named for Alfred Thayer

of the U.S. Navy, Connor once commanded the USS

Mahan, a pioneer in naval strategy and Sylvanus Thayer’s

Seawolf — a nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine — a

godson — is making strides in those modern technol-

duty he calls the proudest moment of his 35 years of ser-

ogies, which include low-power electronics, autonomy,

vice. At one point Connor was in charge of the entire U.S.

and sustainable energy. The company started with two

Navy Submarine Force.

employees, now has 14 employees, and expects to have 25 to 30 employees by the end of 2019.

“The submarine force is all about the application of cutting-edge technology,” says Connor, offering nuclear pro-

“Like other industries, the national security industry will

pulsion, sonar, and “stealth” engines as prime examples.

have fewer people but with higher technological skills,” says Connor. “That means fewer welders but more soft-

While head of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force, Con-

ware engineers.”

nor led the move into robotic undersea systems. One milestone achieved under his watch included the first

CONTINUES NEXT PAGE à

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

13

ALUMNI PROFILE

MIKE CONNOR

A global authority on undersea operations, Connor sees the maritime defense industry moving away from a few large and expensive things — think aircraft carriers — to many small, inexpensive things — think drones. Advances in data science and artificial intelligence will drive that transition.

Connor was already drawn to science and tech while at Thayer and has fond memories of his physics and chemistry classes. He was also active on both the track and cross-country teams; in fact, he was co-captain of the undefeated 1976 track team.

“I was incredibly motivated by Coach Richard Sawyer and by (Lawrence) Skip Adams P ’85, ’87,” he says. “They had two very different leadership techniques, both highly effective in their own way.”

At Thayer, recalls Connor, he had to turn in an English paper every Monday morning.

“I didn’t necessarily like it,” he says, “but it helped me to become an effective communicator. Today, the ability to write code will be as important as those English papers were in the mid-70s.”

In other words, Connor is bullish on the future of tech and

A testing day for ThayerMahan, a start-up based in Groton, Connecticut, which focuses on autonomous maritime systems.

believes the younger generation should be, too. Says the former Navy flag officer and current private-sector CEO: “The most interesting and profitable careers available to today’s Thayer Academy student will be in high tech.”

Connor lives in Mystic, Connecticut, with his wife Kate.

They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

FROM THE 1976 BLACK & ORANGE Football, Wrestling, Cross Country (Capt), Track (Capt), Community Council, Executive Board, Class VP, Honors/High Honors

14

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Kim Douglas of Lexington-based Oasis, Inc., and Michael "Mike" Connor ’76, president and CEO of ThayerMahan, during research in Guam. Oasis and ThayerMahan are partners in many sonar projects.

THE

ISSUE

2 1

Senior Hanflig Tech Fellows Katniss Zhu ’19 and Louis Lu ’19 inside the Hanflig Technology Center.

2

This personal computer was built by junior Anna Chau ’20, a devoted gamer, who now plays her games on it.

3

3 1

Hanflig Technology Center Highlights

Tech fellow Kevin Corcoran ’19 used the HTC’s 3D printers to design and create this replica of Main Building.

By Craig Salters ’86

The fact that Anna Chau ’20 enjoys playing the maddeningly addictive

“To be a tech fellow, you just have to have an interest in tech,” she says.

video game “Fortnite” makes her a fairly typical teenager.

“It’s very open, and everyone is so welcoming.”

But playing it on a personal computer she built herself? Well, that’s a

Louis Lu ’19, a tech fellow since his sophomore year, has had an interest

different story.

in tech his entire life. In fact, he’s known for three years that he will major in computer science in college. Last year, he and some other

“It took about seven hours of build-time, maybe 12 if you count fixing

tech fellows worked together on a drone project; however, as AP Tests

all the glitches,” explains Chau, downplaying her achievement.

approached, that project got put on the backburner.

“Every computer has the same basic components. YouTube helped a lot.

“It was a good start, though,” he says. “We learned we could work

I basically binge-watched a lot of YouTube.”

together.”

Chau is a relatively new member of the Hanflig Technology Center’s

Katniss Zhu ’19, who will also major in computer science in college,

(HTC) Technology Fellow Program. She and other tech fellows —

says that in addition to personal projects, tech fellows help other stu-

yearlong internships available to students in Grades 10-12 — meet

dents. Most recently, she says, the tech fellows assisted Middle Schoolers

weekly in the HTC, collaborating on group projects but also working

with their laptops and with 3D printing projects.

independently on projects of their choosing. Helping to mentor the students are Theresa Jay, Director of Information Technology; Mike

Zhu thanked HTC staff for providing the tech fellows with the weekly

Landry, Supervisor of the HTC; and Rishika Jain, Coordinator of

meetings, which she described as helpful, and for field trips such as a

the Middle School Collaborative Design Lab (CDL). The program is

recent excursion to the Microsoft Nerd Garage in Cambridge.

designed to encourage student interest, participation, and leadership in the area of technology.

Lu also likes the Thursday meetings, especially their collegial nature.

“It’s where ideas converge,” he says.

“At first, I felt super-nervous,” says Chau about becoming a tech fellow.

“I’m good at tech, but I’m not a techie (By this, Chau means she does

Lu says the tech fellows have been evolving since he first joined, and

not code or program but sees “big picture” aspects of the field). “I

that he likes the direction the group is headed.

felt out of place, but I talked to Mr. Landry. He was super-nice and reassuring.”

“We’re really getting our voice out there,” he says.

Chau — who credits her former Latin teacher, Maureen Keleher P ’25, for encouraging her to apply in the first place — thinks more students should consider applying.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

15

FA C U LT Y H I G H L I G H T

Bit Players

F O U R T H AY E R FA C U LT Y M E M B E R S C O N S T R U C T A B I N A R Y C A L C U L AT O R T O S H OWC A S E H OW A C O M P U T E R R E A L LY WO R K S

By Craig Salters ’86

The bad news: it took four of Thayer’s best and brightest faculty members over 100 hours of work to successfully add 255 to 255.

The good news: they did so to better understand the inner workings of a computer and pass that knowledge on to their students.

“This was built, intentionally, as a teaching tool,” said Upper School Math Faculty Tom Chiari P ’22, ’22 as he explained the finer points of the TA-255, the binary calculator he collectively constructed with Upper School Computer Science and Science Faculty Christopher Allen, Kevin Cedrone P ’22, and Don Donovan P ’10, ’13.

The “TA” reference should be obvious; the number “255” refers to the largest input number the device can handle. Put another way: the calculator can add from 0 + 0 up to 255 + 255, so the range of its potential answers is between 0 and (Spoiler Alert) 510.

“All a computer is doing is a lot of very simple

Chiari described the computer’s heart and soul

calculations very quickly,” said Cedrone, point-

this way: “You’re basically adding two binary

ing to a row of computers in the Academy’s

digits together: 0 + 0, 1 + 0, 0 + 1, or 1 + 1.”

computer lab which operate to the tune of three

Chiari described the project as “a journey”

to four billion computations per second. “We’re

which began when he wanted to better under-

trying to drill down to how a computer actually

stand how “binary logic gates” work. Cedrone

does what it does.”

gave Chiari a photocopied chapter of Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware

The wood-framed TA-255 is roughly the size

and Software by Charles Petzold.This book is

of a breadbox. It contains eight “switches” for

given annually as a computer science prize at

the first inputted number and another eight

Commencement.

switches for the second inputted number. There are eight circuit boards, each made up of relays,

“I read the first part of the book once and the

diodes, and lots of wire, but at the heart of the

second part of the book seven times,” said

TA-255 — at the heart of all computers, really

Cedrone.

— is the binary digit, or “bit” for short. And that simply means 0 or 1.

Long story short: Chiari read the chapter from the book, which helped him to fully understand

“Everything a computer does, from adding two

the logic gate diagram.

numbers to storing your favorite selfie, it does with 0s and 1s,” said Allen. “However, when a computer adds 1 + 1, it doesn’t get 2. Instead, the computer does its work in base 2 and gets 10 as the answer.”

Scan the QR code to see a video demonstration of the TA-255 by Tom Chiari

or visit bit.ly/TA-255

Scan the QR code to watch a video of the TA-255 in action and explained by Tom Chiari 16

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

THE

ISSUE

OPPOSITE PAGE: Thayer faculty members Chris Allen; Don Donovan P ’10, ’13; Kevin Cedrone P ’22; and Tom Chiari P ’22, ’22 with their creation.

LEFT: The TA-255.

BELOW: Where it all began: the computer book’s logic gate diagram that kicked off the entire enterprise.

It turns out that this diagram is essentially

Donovan laser cut the calculator’s front panel,

puter science “from the ground up,” enabling

a schematic of how a computer adds two

complete with identifying Thayer insignia. He

students “to pull out the boards and see the

binary numbers together. The author suggested

also laser engraved one side of the calculator

logic of the circuit.”

that one could build a simple binary adding

with everyone’s name and the date.

machine using wires, relays, diodes, switches,

“If someone knew how to use an abacus, you

and lightbulbs. The author, however, did not

“After that, I just cheered them on,” Donovan

could do the math much easier and much

provide any plans for how one would go about

said.

faster,” explained Allen, “but this calculator is

this. Nevertheless, Chiari, Cedrone, Allen, and

useful because it helps us to understand how

Donovan decided that they would undertake

Also of note: several students attended “wiring

this project.

parties” where they measured, cut, stripped,

computers work.”

and crimped over 150 feet of wire and made

So, if you want to understand the roots of

Both Cedrone and Chiari credited Allen’s

the connections to the relays, switches, diodes

computer science, make some calculations on

knowledge of electrical engineering, with Chiari

and LED bulbs of the machine — all without

the brand-new TA-255.

calling it “invaluable” to the project.

any thought of academic credit.

But if you’re working with the number 256

“We would have had zero chance of building

Chiari and the others are so proud of their

or above, you might want to stick with your

this machine were it not for Christopher’s

creation that they recently entered it into the

iPhone.

knowledge of all things electrical,” Chiari said.

faculty art show. They see their work as com-

T H A Y E R

TECH TIDBITS

Thayer’s first-ever Computer Club was formed in 1979. At right are the first members of the club from the 1980 Black & Orange Yearbook.

Seated (L-R): C. Blaustein, Mr. Church, L. Tonry, A. Abramson; Standing (L-R): N. DePalma, S. Reynolds, C. Walsh, D. Fuller, R. Donovan, C. Kenerson, M. Donovan, R. Shaw, M. Donovan

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

17

ALUMNI PROFILE

suzanne ciani

’64

AN UNEXPECTED CLOSING OF THE CIRCLE FOR A PIONEERING GIANT OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC

By Paul W. Kahn

Photo: Maria Jose Govea

18

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Scan the QR code to see a YouTube video of Suzanne Ciani ’64 playing the Buchla live!

(or visit bit.ly/TACiani)

THE

In the hushed darkness of the auditorium, Suzanne Ciani ’64 begins playing an original composition,

ISSUE

her bespectacled face a balance of calm and concentration, hands and fingers constantly in motion. The music emanating from the quadraphonic speakers is otherworldly - shifting from ethereal to rhythmically mechanical, before shifting again to something almost extraterrestrial, then followed by notes evoking a sort of underwater soundscape. Though nearly impossible to describe adequately with words, the overall totality of Ciani’s 30-45 minute auditory experience could best be summed as being both preternatural and sublimely beautiful.

Yet even more awe-inspiring is the instrument on which Ciani performs. The object of her constantly moving fingers is unlike anything anyone has ever witnessed in a concert venue: essentially, set before the artist is a box of knobs and leads and screens and inputs, with dozens of variously colored, seemingly haphazardly placed wires sprouting forth. This is the Buchla (or Buchla Electronic Musical Instrument) - an instrument whose very existence both encapsulates and encompasses the pioneering career and incredible life of the Grammy-nominated artist.

It’s a life which Ciani fully recognizes has come full circle.

The beginnings of her musical journey actually have significant (and appropriately unconventional) roots at Thayer. One of six children - all of whom went to Thayer - Ciani notes that her first real music teacher of import was Mr. Bill Cowperthwaite P ’78, ’82 - who was actually an Upper School math teacher.

“He was so fascinating because I heard he was building and reconstructing a pipe organ in his barn,” recalls Ciani. “Though I never saw the organ, he had an eccentricity about him that drew me; but more importantly, he was passionate about music.”

Cowperthwaite saw something altogether promising in Ciani and agreed to take her on as an extracurricular project of sorts. From him, Ciani learned about harmony and counterpoint, giving her “the first understanding that I ever had of the language of music - something that I have always been grateful for.”

“I was lucky, too, because I had a lot of support from a lot of people at Thayer,” she continues. “It’s like a big family. You’re in a very supportive environment, and that gives you the freedom to look at your own ideas, because you’re safe there.” As a result, she has given back over the years to Thayer - not only visiting campus for reunions but also gifting electronic music equipment, giving a commencement address, and performing during the opening of the Center for the Arts in 2008.

After graduation, completely determined to make her mark in music somehow, Ciani attended Wellesley College. She studied piano and music composition and excelled to such a degree that upon graduation, she had a choice between going to Paris to learn under the tutelage of internationally renowned music pedagogue Nadia Boulanger (who taught Philip Glass, Aaron Copland, Quincy Jones, etc.), or pursuing a very different, much less certain path on the other side of the country at UC Berkeley, where she had been granted a full fellowship and, thus, the chance to be financially independent. Her

CONTINUES NEXT PAGE à

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

19

ALUMNI PROFILE

SUZANNE CIANI

Ciani performing the Buchla live at Terraforma Music Festival June 2017 (photo: Michela Di Savino)

decision to head westward would entirely reshape the trajectory of her career in ways she couldn’t have even dreamed of.

Initially, her time at Berkeley was met with disappointment, as the emphasis at the university was far less on what she wanted to pursue: namely, composition. “I did study composition, but it wasn’t a happy thing,” Ciani remembers, adding, “but I think that left me open and vulnerable to a new possibility, which was electronic music.”

Two things springboarded her entree into this emerging genre of music.

First, being at Berkeley, California, in the summer of ’68 was to be at the epicenter of a cultural revolution. The times were a-changin’, to be sure. Ciani recalls a definitive moment when this was made quite clear to her. While rehearsing a Chopin prelude in

20

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

a practice room at Berkeley, a brick from one of many ongoing student protests at the time came crashing through a window. Ciani wryly recalls thinking at the moment, “Oh, there’s no time for Chopin now. We have to do something different.”

The second was that Ciani discovered (in her words, “it was destiny”) the San Francisco Haight Music Center at Mills College, right in her neighborhood. This was the very first public access electronic music facility in the country. What’s

Ciani in 1977 (photo: Bob L)

more, Berkeley just happened to be the home of the inventor of the first modular music instrument, Don Buchla.

“Unlike the physical keyboard that serves as the interface to an instrument like the piano,” explains Ciani, “electronic music

FROM THE 1964 BLACK & ORANGE Dance Committee, Theta Alpha, G.A.A., Glee Club, Accompanist, Art Club, Harmony Group, Newspaper, Magazine, Basketball, Field Hockey, Softball, Honor Roll

features interfaces that are not from the

Visit Ciani’s website for video, music, and future concert dates at www.sevwave.com

THE

physical world. You’re dealing with the phenom-

heat. Well, heat doesn’t make a sound, but you

The next few decades saw a shift in focus, as

enon of voltage control, changing amplitudes to

can make the sound of heat. You can make the

Ciani moved towards new age music, returning

change pitch or volume or the color of a sound.

sound of cold. And that’s what I did.”

to the piano and keyboard of her younger days.

There’s no specific definition of the instrument.”

Of course this led to several albums, four of which were Grammy-nominated.

ISSUE

Setting up and playing the Buchla is, as you can But it was only in recent years, when she re-

intricate, and very interactive exercise.

turned to the world that thrust her into creative Photo: Sean Hellfritsch

imagine by the way it looks, a very analog, very

“First, you choose your modules. Then you have to connect them with patch cords to decide the flow of the signal, various signals, the control signals, the timing signals, and the audio signals.

When I perform, I first set up my patch —

prominence and brilliance, that her career has found a sort of completion — almost like the patching in of one of those hundred wires from one input to the next. The world of music in recent years took a turn for the analog (versus purely digital).

there are 100 patch cords, so it takes a little bit to set it up,” she explains.

As for playing the Buchla live on stage (which is the only way she will perform it now), Ciani says each performance is unique - in that way, it is akin to jazz music. “Most of the performance involves pre-programmed sequences that I modify. I have some raw material, and then I interact with that using switches and knobs. But

I was already in a vocabulary that Iwas wasvery already in in creative a vocabulary that terms of designing was very creative sound because it in terms of designing was all poetry, that’s sound it what Ibecause always say. was all poetry, that’s what I always say.

“In our modern current place, the kids are interested again in analog electronic. It’s a revolution because they are looking backwards now. They want vinyls, they want cassettes, they are re-investigating where we were, and I think that's very healthy,” Ciani notes. “They want a live, interactive interface - and as a result, the Buchla has made a comeback.”

I know exactly what's gonna happen - your job

The result? Ciani became a pioneer in the

And so, quite unexpectedly, nearly fifty years

is to keep it alive, really.”

industry, creating sounds behind some of the

since her days at Berkeley learning the rudi-

most iconic television advertisements. Perhaps

mentary patches and sequences of the Buchla,

“I kind of start from the void - I start with my

most iconic - the Coca Cola digital pop and

these days, Ciani is now a seasonal professor

white noise,” she continues. “Waves have always

pour sound effect. But there were a myriad of

and “Scholar of Electronic Music” at Boston’s

been part of my vocabulary, so I start with waves

other sonic creations: Atari video game sounds,

Berklee School of Music, and is back perform-

and then build. When you improvise, you hit

the music in Merrill Lynch’s famous bull in a

ing on stage with her beloved box for a new,

on things that you like, and so you might go

china shop commercial, and the auditory gems

eager generation of listeners.

back to those; I'm improvising on the same four

emitting from devices as varied as pinball ma-

sequences that I used in the '70s.”

chines and GE dishwashers - all from the mind

“You start to look at the arc of your life and see

of Ciani (who during this time had formed her

all the different chapters. That’s what’s been so

Being at the forefront of a new wave of electron-

company, Ciani Musica). With her trusty Bu-

wonderful. When I first started out, there was

ic music and under the tutelage of the inventor

chla and her brilliance of sound design, she was

no listening for what I did. People couldn’t even

of the foremost instrument of the era, Ciani

able to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

understand it. They didn’t know what it was.

carved a niche for herself in the 1970s and 80s,

“A lot of what I did was narrate to an image,”

Now, I’m so happy because I come out and I

crafting sounds and soundscapes that basically

she remembers.

play and everybody understands what's going

defined an emerging culture and generation.

on. So for me it really is amazing. I’m so happy Though uncredited in the commercial work she

“Because I had the Buchla, and knew how to

did, she shed her relative anonymity one August

play and control it, when I came to New York, I

night in 1980 when she appeared on the David

made a career making sound logos for Fortune

Letterman Show - matching quirky wits with

500 companies,” she recalls. “I was already in

the gap-toothed comic in the best way she knew

a vocabulary that was very creative in terms of

how: with her Buchla in tow, creating sounds of

designing sound because it was all poetry, that’s

all various shapes and colors.

what I always say. You’d say make the sound of

because I lived to experience this time.”

Ciani will be performing the Buchla at Berklee School of Music in early May. (Exact concert date/time was still being determined time of printing) Ciani will beatperforming the Buchla at Berklee School of Music at the end of April.

Visit berklee.edu/events for more info

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

21

ALUMNI PROFILE

Peter Capozzoli

’91

F O R C A P O Z Z O L I , T H E S K Y I S M O S T C E R TA I N LY N O T T H E L I M I T

By Craig Salters ’86

In the early 2000s Peter Capozzoli ’91 decided to follow his passion, but he didn’t know exactly where that passion would lead him.

launch of a specific spacecraft, such as a satellite, into a specific orbit. Typically, one mission requires two years of analysis and planning.

But the overarching goal of SpaceX, emphasizes Capozzoli, is landing human beings on the red planet.

Now, the destination is clear: Mars.

As Senior Director of Government and Commercial Programs for SpaceX — the California-based pioneer of private, commercial spaceflight — Capozzoli leads a team of roughly 18 mission managers and engineers on various missions throughout the year. A “mission” is the

22

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

“Going to Mars is the mission of SpaceX,” says Capozzoli.

“Everything we do is a pathway to get there.” Explaining further, he says every mission of SpaceX either drives revenue to keep the company sustainable for its eventual landing on Mars or drives the technological capability to actually get there.

THE

All photos courtesy Peter Capozzoli ’91 / SpaceX

ISSUE

Capozzoli inspecting the Merlin 1D engines, which are the first-stage engines of the Falcon 9 rocket.

A Love of How Things Work

While it seems somehow wrong to label anyone with a master’s degree from MIT as a “gearhead,” it’s fair to say that Peter Capozzoli ’91 has loved cars for as long as he can remember.

As a boy, Capozzoli would work on automobiles at his family’s dealership in Cohasset, fascinated by how they were constructed. In fact, he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t intrigued by how most things worked.

“To me, it seems innate,” he says. “From the very beginning, I’ve always been taking things apart and putting them back together again.”

Asked to name his favorite car, the engineer in him breaks the question down into parts.

Peter Capozzoli ’91, Senior Director of Government and Commercial Programs for SpaceX, stands in front of the company’s Dragon Space Capsule, which takes supplies to the International Space Station. He served as mission manager on the capsule’s first-ever docking with the ISS.

“My favorite car that I’ve ever owned and worked on was my 1980 Porsche 911SC,” he says first.

Then, he offers that the future of automobiles belongs to electric cars.

“The internal combustion engine is dead,” says Capozzoli without a moment’s hesitation.

A Plymouth native, Capozzoli was academically focused

As a kid, Capozzoli loved cars (see sidebar above) and loved working

during his time at Thayer Academy and, no surprise,

on them at his family’s dealership in Cohasset. In his spare time, he

excelled at math and science. Still, he found time to con-

launched model rockets. He went to space camp… twice.

tribute to the yearbook as well as The Tiger’s Eye newspaper.

CONTINUES NEXT PAGE à

He thanks former teachers Norma Atkinson GP ’07, ’11, ’16, who worked with him to submit one of his history papers for publication, and Dan Levinson, who encouraged his newspaper writing, for helping him to become a better writer.

“Even if you’re strong technically, you’re not going to go very far if you can’t communicate effectively,” he says.

FROM THE 1991 BLACK & ORANGE High Honor Roll, Black & Orange, The Tiger’s Eye, Spain Trip, SADD, Community Service, Environmental Club

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

23

ALUMNI PROFILE

PETER CAPOZZOLI

“I’ve always loved the math and sciences,” he says. “I give credit to Thayer for pointing out mechanical engineering as a career, which was exactly the right fit.”

Capozzoli chose Tufts University for college because it had a strong, focused mechanical engineering program coupled with a challenging liberal arts environment like the one he’d had at Thayer. After college, he worked as an engineer, developing prototypes for new products and technologies — from fighter jets to medical devices to consumer products.

“That was an amazing experience,” he recalls, “very hands-on.”

That, in turn, led to a rewarding career as an energy consultant.

“But after a few years working as a consultant, I decided I missed building things,” Capozzoli explains, “and I figured that as long as I was making a career shift anyway, I might as well focus on the area I was most passionate about — space.”

Capozzoli decided he wanted to do something entrepreneurial in space.

However, this was the early 2000s when (painting with a broad brush) space travel was reserved for a select few — think NASA here in the United States and a few other nations. Undaunted, Capozzoli went to graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There, he earned his master’s in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He also earned an MBA with a focus on technology entrepreneurship.

Scan the QR code to see a YouTube video of the SpaceX capsule docking with the International Space Station (ISS) or visit bit.ly/TAspaceX

During grad school, Capozzoli began research in the hopes of starting a small satellite company. What he found was SpaceX, which had re-

Capozzoli, who lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife Kristin and

cently been formed to build a rocket for launching such small satellites.

their two daughters, describes working at SpaceX as “fast-paced.”

That idea intrigued him even more than his original one.

“You have to be comfortable with ambiguity,” he says. “We’re doing “I knew I wanted to be part of a new rocket development program,”

things that haven’t been done before, and no one is going to tell you

he says.

what to do. You have to be able to define the problem you are working on and then go find a way to solve it.”

So, he cold-called — yes, cold-called — SpaceX and said that, with his experience, he might prove a great fit. The company hired him

Capozzoli’s advice to young or would-be engineers is twofold.

as one of its first mission managers at a time when it had about 150 employees; it now employs more than 6,000 people, and Elon Musk,

“I’d recommend getting your hands dirty,” he says, meaning to get

its founder, is a household name.

involved in the actual design and fabrication of a product. “And, secondly, learn to work in teams. Everything is done in teams.”

Capozzoli has had many memorable moments at SpaceX, but he singles out the day the company’s Dragon space capsule made history by

While a career in the commercial space industry is a lot of hard work,

becoming the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the Internation-

Capozzoli knows he made the right choice to follow his dream.

al Space Station. It was a moment that took six years of hard work to accomplish, he says.

24

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

“The passion is still there,” he says.

THE

By Rebecca Delaney Thayer’s computer science lab was the source of inspiration for these three alumnae, who have each developed successful careers in technology. Read on for a peek into their work and their advice for students looking to get into the field.

Nicole Carter ’07

Carnegie Mellon University Class of 2011 Wayfair

Katie Hooley ’08 Northwestern University Class of 2012 Harvard Business School Class of 2018 Wayfair

An early riser, Nicole is typically the first person from her team in the office around 6:30 or 7 a.m.

She takes advantage of the quiet to do some research and write before her days fill up with meetings.

As Senior Category Manager for outdoor decor at Wayfair, Katie is responsible for all things garden. She is the main contact for outside suppliers of garden goods and is charged with ensuring her area is growing and working smoothly.

As a software engineer at Wayfair, the home goods e-commerce site, Nicole is called into “lots and lots of meetings” throughout the day before she can find some downtime for coding and development. “I am heavily in the design process and have been for a while,” she says.

Nicole is on a team that is designing a new warehouse management system.

“Planters, statues, gazing balls, wind chimes, you name it. Likely if it’s in the garden, it’s under me,” she says. Wayfair doesn’t own inventory; it relies on its suppliers, so much of Katie and her team’s job is managing these external partners as well as working with various departments within Wayfair.

Before starting at Wayfair last June, Nicole worked for Google in California. While at Thayer she was a self-described “math and science nerd.” She wanted to take AP Chemistry her junior year at Thayer, which required her to move around her schedule and add Programming I. “I fell in love with programming in that class,” she says. “And in AP Chem with Ms. Khalili P ’99, ’07, ’11, I fell in love with chemistry.” After Thayer, she combined the two and majored in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. “Thayer was pivotal for me,” she says.

T H A Y E R

TECH TIDBITS

“Each day brings a completely new challenge,” she says. “I often have a plan at the start of the day, but then something can come up that takes most of my day to dig into.”

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Katie was a mathlete at Thayer and says she enjoyed her classes that encouraged problem-solving. At Northwestern University she majored in Industrial Engineering. After graduation, she worked for Rue La La before getting her MBA from Harvard Business School.

ISSUE

Danielle Nash ’13

Boston College Class of 2017 Google

At Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, Danielle is a software engineer and works on display ads. “Specifically, I work on formatting the ads and reducing latency, which means making our ads load fast on the page and reducing the time it takes for a user’s click to get to the advertiser’s website,” she says.

Danielle took Programming I her sophomore year at Thayer. She credits Kevin Cedrone P ’22, Stephen Cedrone GP ’22, and Tom Chiari P ’22, ’22 with ensuring she was ready for CS in college and beyond. “They made me so prepared for my college classes that I could have skipped both introductory computer science courses at BC. This gave me a lot of confidence and helped me feel that I should be in this field.”

She tells anyone who feels underrepresented in tech to “know that you belong there and that you bring a unique perspective to the field.”

She adds: “Reach out to people who have been in similar situations, because you’re not alone.

Other people have had similar doubts, they made it through, and you can too.”

She tells anyone interested in tech to remain open to possibility, saying she originally didn’t envision herself at an e-commerce site like Wayfair. “Don’t sell yourself short and put up artificial boundaries,” she says. “Be open to options that might not initially fit your perfect plan.”

Thayer faculty member Peter Burleigh P ’98 (pictured to the right) and the first computer arrived at Thayer in the fall of 1970.

Two other Thayer faculty members, Bill Pierce ’57 and Charles Mangat-Rai (in whose memory we award a prize for programming each year at Commencement) were beginning to teach computer education in the early 70s. They brought Burleigh into the fold, and he ended up taking over when they left, teaching a course and even writing a textbook, A Computer Primer.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

25

STUDENT REFLECTION

New Computer Science & Robotics Center

The Lab’’ - A Student Reflection

’’

By Brian Cui ’19

I’m a member of the exclusive community called “The Lab.” With 15 PCs centered around an inviting round table, the Glover Computer Science Lab is a special space for the student programmers and kids who sometimes want to get away from the rest of the school. While “The Lab” has taught me how to code, I value the personal growth and the friendships gained far more than the coding ability.

02.11.19

Proposed Exterior Rendering Thayer - Glover Computer Science and Robotics Lab 745 Washington St, Braintree MA 02184

This small yet welcoming community brings together an eclectic set of students. In addition to loving programming, each of us has other identities: a 3-sport varsity athlete, an aspiring photographer, a talented musician, and a student body president.

Exposing social diversity and new perspectives, “The Lab” helped me realize that it is acceptable to be more than just one thing, as I grew up balancing, and eventually embracing, both Chinese and American values.

It’s a place not only where domestic meets international and artistic collides with athletic, but also where I found some of my best friends 02.11.19

and favorite teachers who always have my back.

Proposed Hobart St Elevation

Whether it’s a complicated LinkedList problem or

Thayer - Glover Computer Science and Robotics Lab 745 Washington St, Braintree MA 02184

a personal struggle, I could always turn to “The Lab,” as I trust the genuine and open nature of these people.

Looking back at the conversations I’ve had with current members and graduates of “The Lab,” I know I will definitely miss the openness of its people and especially the good-natured banter: telling silly jokes about recursion, making bad punny memes, and calling each other by programming-related nicknames…I’ll always be “OOP Guy” to folks there for my obsession with Object-Oriented Programming, or “Cuivision” for my love of photography. Although my time at “The Lab” is expiring, the intimate connections I’ve formed and the lessons I’ve learned to em-

Proposed Side Elevation

brace uniqueness will stay with me forever.

Thayer - Glover Computer Science and Robotics Lab

Brian, who was inspired to write this essay by Steven Mao '18, an alumnus of "The Lab," plans to pursue an interdisciplinary education composed of computer science and photography & film in college this fall.

26

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

02.11.19

745 Washington St, Braintree MA 02184

ABOVE: Preliminary exterior renderings

THE

Opening Fall 2019 in Glover Building ISSUE

While the Academy’s current computer programming lab serves the

Under the plan, the current Glover computer lab, two adjacent math

needs of its students, any computer science enthusiast will tell you that

classrooms, and nearby offices will be relocated. In addition, the upper

there’s always room for a Version “2.0.”

part of the lecture hall will be made plane with Glover’s entry-level floor, becoming part of the new Computer Science and Robotics Cen-

Recently, the Thayer Academy Board of Trustees approved a proposal

ter, and the lower part of the lecture hall will be retained as a smaller

to create a Computer Science and Robotics Center in Glover Building.

lecture space.

Construction will commence this spring, and school officials expect the facility will be ready for the start of the upcoming school year.

The reconfigured area will house a computer science lab, robotics instructional spaces, a robot testing field, two math/computer classrooms, affinity spaces for the technically inclined, and office space for programming and robotics teachers.

D B O A R

520 SF

IT E W H

H W E IT B

20' - 5"

14' - 9"

A O

7' - 9 1/2"

R D

2' - 0"

D

Planning

202

203 309 SF

Architecture Interior Design Delivering Sustainability

MATH # 2

MATH #1

Eck MacNeely Architects inc.

560 Harrison Avenue Suite 403 Boston, Massachusetts 02118 Phone: 617 367 9696 Fax: 617.367.9253 www.eckmacneely.com

E

COMPUTER LAB

204

DN

383 SF H W

WHITE BOARD

E IT B A O R D

C ROBOTICS LAB

440 SF

209

LOBBY 201 402 SF

COLLABORATIVE 205 513 SF

OFFICE

208

207

89 SF

89 SF

6' - 3 1/4"

OFFICE

8' - 4 1/2"

B

DR OFFICE 206 88 SF

0' - 1"

A

745 Washington St, Braintree MA 02184

718 SF 12' x 12' COMPETITION FIELD

Thayer - Glover Computer Science and Robotics Lab

Room

Progress 10' - 0"

1

1

2

3

10' - 0"

4

5

6

ABOVE: Preliinary blueprint of second floor interior space

7

Level 2 1/4" = 1'-0"

TIDBITS

8

2nd FLOOR PLAN

T H A Y E R

TECH

2/27/2019

10' - 0"

A vintage Apple Macintosh LC630 computer graces the desk of Larry Carlson P '02, '05, '10 in the Thayer Archives. High-tech for the time (mid-1990s) this machine was one of the first capable of running both Mac OS and IBM DOS operating systems. In the mid2010s, Thayer students were issued iPads for their work. At present, every Thayer student is issued a Macbook Air for their work.

A1.2

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

27

Arts Beauty & the Beast

A Beauty to Behold

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST SHOWCASES THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HALE THEATER

By Craig Salters ’86

More than 100 Thayer Academy students — a cast of 91 and a crew

Logan Clancy ’20 and Kendall Bryant ’20 — as “Beast” and “Belle,”

of 20 — worked months to stage “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” the

respectively — had great chemistry together as the Beast strives to

school’s fall musical production, performed four times over a span of

become, in the words of one song, “human again” by finding his

three days.

compassion. Caitlin Caulfield ’20 displayed a wonderful singing voice as “Mrs. Potts.” Ruby Lippert ’19 provided great energy and flair as

It was worth the effort.

“Lumiere.” And “Gaston” and “Lefou,” also known as Finn Doherty ’19 and Thomas Briggs ’20, earned more than their fair share of laughs.

Boasting strong individual performances coupled with tremendous ensemble support, the show made use of imaginative choreography,

However, the real star of the show was the ensemble itself. Nowhere

vibrant costume design, and deft stage management for a bold retelling

was that more clear than in the the performance of the song “Gaston,”

of the “tale as old as time.”

when the entire stage was filled with raucously dancing villagers.

The show marked the tenth anniversary of the Hale Theater at the

While each show offered something unique, Friday night’s performance

Center for Fine Arts (CFA), which opened in 2008, also with a

witnessed a special appreciation of Matt Healey ’09, who played “Beast”

production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.” Kelly Hines P ’18, ’19,

in the 2008 production. The Hingham native, who died of the H1N1

Upper School Theater Arts Director, said she chose the musical this

flu virus during his freshman year of college, was remembered with a

time around for the same reasons she chose it 10 years ago.

special video tribute. In addition, many cast members of the 2008 show joined current cast members onstage to sing during the curtain call.

28

“The theme is choosing love over fear, choosing compassion and

Matt’s family attended the performance, and Matt’s mother received a

curiosity over anger,” she said.

bouquet of roses.

Hines also selected the musical because it lends itself to an ensemble

In a director’s note, Hines called Healey’s qualities of “kindness,

production — “It’s always about the community,” Hines emphasized —

humor, humility, and unflinching acceptance of every person” the very

and because it has remained so popular over the years.

foundation of the school’s theater arts program.

“It’s one of the top 10 most-produced high school musicals in America,

“Matt’s legend of friendship lives on today in the community we strive

and it has been for the past 15 years,” she said.

to be,” said Hines.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

OPPOSITE PAGE The cast of "Beauty and the Beast" perform "Be Our Guest" with impeccable aplomb in the Hale Theater at the CFA.

TOP LEFT Austin Bennett ’20 as Cogsworth banters with Ruby Lippert ’19 as Lumiere.

TOP RIGHT Thomas Briggs ’20 as LeFou tries to cajole a downcast Gaston, played by Finn Doherty ’19, during their rousing rendition of "Gaston."

MIDDLE LEFT In front of a brilliant backdrop of books suspended in the air, Belle (Kendall Bryant ’20) reads a book to the Beast (Logan Clancy ’20) in the library, as Mrs. Potts (Caitlin Caulfield ’20), Cogsworth (Austin Bennett ’20) Lumiere (Ruby Lippert ’19), Chip (Charlie Solari ’22), and Babette (Olivia O’Connor ’20) look on.

BELOW The entire cast lifts roses high in the air during the finale of the Friday evening performance of "Beauty and the Beast."

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

29

Arts Matt Healey ’09

The Original

By Craig Salters ’86

Matt Healey ’09 said, “No.”

TOP Dimitri Antoniou ’12 (far left) and Danny Steinberg ’11 (second from right) enjoy reminiscing with Thayer faculty members Dan Alosa, Kelly Hines, and Brooks Donnelly.

MIDDLE The cast from the 2008 "Beauty and the Beast" production share stories with the 2018 cast prior to Friday’s performance.

BELOW Ian Noel Marcellana ’10 and Dimitri Antoniou ’12 sing along with their LeFou and Monsieur D’Arque counterparts, Thomas Briggs ’20 & Ben Hussey ’20.

Then he said “no” again... and again... and again, in as firm a tone as the polite young man could muster.

But, when the Hingham resident realized that his friends and classmates needed him, he said “yes,” which is why Thayer Academy’s 2008 production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” is still offering lessons in courage and camaraderie.

In the fall of 2008 Healey, who died in 2009 of the H1N1 flu virus while a college freshman, was already in the school’s musical, the first ever in the Hale Theater at the Center for Fine Arts (CFA). He had auditioned for and earned the role of “Monsieur D’Arque.”

“He was perfectly happy with that,” recalled Matt’s mother, Beth Healey P ’05, ’09, ’17.

Then, with roughly two weeks before opening night, there became an urgent need for someone to step into the role of “Beast.”

“He did not want to do it,” said Kelly Hines P ’18, ’19, Upper School Theater Arts Director.

Hines asked Healey several times. She was diplomatically rejected several times. Frustrated, she began searching for professional actors to fill the role, most definitely an act of last resort.

Still somewhat desperate, Hines chose the path of complete honesty.

30

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

OPPOSITE PAGE Matt Healey ’09 stepped in — and stepped up — to play "Beast" in the 2008 production.

FAR LEFT Matt Healey ’09 readies himself before the show.

LEFT Emmy Giarrusso ’10 and Matt Healey ’09 during the curtain call of the 2008 production of Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast."

ABOVE Kendall Bryant ’20 and Logan Clancy ’19 during the curtain call of the 2018 production of "Beauty and the Beast," surrounded by alumni from the 2008 production (wearing red shirts).

How Matt Healey ’09 placed friendship over fear in ’Beast’ role ten years earlier

“We told him that he had the love and support of everyone (in the cast and crew), and that we needed him to play the role for us. He said, ‘Yes.’”

“I kept waiting for the kid’s voice to crack, and it didn’t,” said Beth Healey. “Not one off-note. Who knew he could sing like that? Words will never adequately describe what he did that night.”

From that moment on, Hines said, the production had no other choice but to be fearless and support one another. “That has informed my life as a theater director and teacher ever since,” she said.

Hines called Healey’s performance “magical” because he brought his own insecurities, fears, and vulnerability to the character of “Beast,” who shares those same qualities.

Dimitri Antoniou ’12, a freshman, stepped up to take the “Monsieur D’Arque” role. Another freshman at the time, Molly O’Brien ’12, remembers Healey taking on the challenge with “so much faith, trust, joy, and ambition that everyone else in the cast buckled down and dug deeper into our roles in the show.”

“He didn’t just perform the role,” said Hines. “He became the role.”

O’Brien currently works in professional theater and calls stepping into so large a role “a rarity” even among those ranks.

According to those who knew him, Healey’s personality lended itself to the lighthearted. In the 2009 Thayer Academy yearbook, he earned the title “Most Humorous” in the class superlatives. Carberry notes Healey’s “infectious grin,” and O’Brien calls Healey “a jokester,” albeit a “caring and accepting” one. His own mother recalls Matt as “mischievous and fun.”

For Kenny Carberry ’08, Matt’s decision was in keeping with who he was. “Matt embodied selflessness and cared deeply for his friends and family,” said Carberry.

On the homefront, the Healeys — at Matt’s direct request — offered their unconditional support, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t doubts. The family knew Matt could sing — he was a member of the concert choir while at Thayer — but this was the leading role in the high school musical.

On opening night, Matt’s mother watched in the audience as Matt, as “Beast,” finished the solo which ends Act One.

Then, according to his mother, he went right back to being Matt.

“He never patted himself on the back about it,” she said.

Still, at the time of his funeral, a string of young men and women approached Beth Healey and identified themselves as “Matt’s best friend.” None of them were lying.

“Matt had a lot of ‘best friends,’” she said. “He was the the kind of kid who loved everyone and who was loved by everyone. I am really proud to be his mom.”

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

31

Arts 5th Grade Debut!

William Coughlin: Assistant Director Tessa Harper: Elder Sister Olga Lefas: Fairy Godmother Brian Pickel: Director Luke Shahied: Stagehand Ashley Foss: Stepmother Lucy Hisenberg: Younger Sister Lexi Maraganore: Cinderella Will Seed: Prompter Shaanveer Gupta: Stage Manager Charlie Horne: Utility David Morisset: Messenger Max Shactman: Author

1

5th Grade Debut!

1

2

Olga Lefas ’26 as the Fairy Godmother

3

Brian Pickel ’26 as the Director

4

5

6

32

The inaugural Thayer Middle School Fifth Grade cast of "The Final Dress Rehearsal" are all smiles prior to the show.

"THE FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL" - DIRECTED BY TARA CORCORAN ’88 P ’19

2

3

4

L-TO-R: Lucy Hisenberg ’26 as the Younger Sister; William Coughlin ’26 as the Assistant Director; and Tess Harper ’26 as the Elder Sister read their lines.

The full cast sings the final number of the performance.

Shaanveer Gupta ’26 as the Stage Manager.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

5

6

Arts Middle School Performances

1 3

1

Noah Gibson ’25, Nick Pulgini ’25, Abby Shannon ’25, and Grace Wainwright ’25 as the narrators in "Ariadne."

2

Michael Scully ’25 as Zeus in "Prometheus and Pandora."

3

Brooklynn Masso ’25 as Demeter in "Demeter and Persephone."

4

The students of Grade 6 after their performance for parents.

2

4

5

6

Middle School Stage Magic

7

6

Martin Nyaglio ’24 sings during the Winter Music Concert.

The cast and crew of the 2018 Middle School production of “Bugsy Malone Jr.,” which was directed

by Middle School Theater Director Tara Corcoran ’88 P ’19.

9

Ella McGillivray ’23 as Blousey.

10

Eli Lukens ’24 as Big Sam.

12

7

Scarlett McMahon ’25 and Conor Mannion ’23 play the violin during the Winter Music Concert.

8

11

5

Rhodes Lee ’25 on the drums during one of two Winter Music Concerts at the Hale Theater.

Julia Yezukevich ’25 and Catherine Woods ’25 share a moment between scenes.

Ty Mainini ’23 as Bugsy Malone.

9 11

10 12

8

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

33

Arts On the Hale Theater stage

4

5

2 3 1

Meg Schwartz ’21 belts a solo during the Music II Concert.

2

Emmett Wilmot ’20 - typically a bassist - takes time pre-concert to jam on an electric guitar.

3

Journey King ’21 sings "Falling Down" as part of the Period F Jazz Combo (Skop).

4

Chloe Clifford ’22 sings with other members of the F Period Jazz Combo (Browne).

5

Thomas Brennan ’19 and Aimee Matos ’20 sing a duet.

6

Abby Browne ’19 takes the stage during the Winter Dance Concert.

7

Ellie Kilmartin ’20, Lindsay Warwick ’22, Annie Middleton ’22, Jessie King ’20, and Gigi Gillard ’22 perform a group dance.

8

Thomas Briggs ’20 rocks out to Zeppelin on his guitar.

9

Logan Clancy ’20 sings on the Hale Theater stage.

1

Upper School Hale Theater Performances

6 7

34

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

8

9

Arts Student Artists

1

2 3

4

5

1

Ryan Chiari ’22 - pencil - sketch of lantern

2

Cassie Davidson ’21 - watercolor of koi

3

Maria Theodore ’19 - mixed media - hands and buttons

4

Abby Stubellis ’21 - pastels - tomatoes

5

Erika Plante ’20 - pencil - sketch of dog

6

Cheryl Xue ’19 - charcoal - bottle on the beach

7

Charlie Gavin ’24 - mirror sketch of Trae Young

8

Nicole Joffe ’23 - mixed media - surrealist painting

9

Alenka Cetkovic ’23 - mixed media - surrealist painting

6

7

8

9

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

35

Arts

1

2

Student Photogs

Student Photography 2018-19 PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS TAUGHT BY NICKI PARDO

3

4 5

36

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

1

Tommy Gaffey ’20 - Rockport - Black & White Exercise Photograph

2

Emmett Griffin ’21 - Main Building - Reflection Exercise Photograph

3

Laura Marcus ’20 - Brooklyn Bridge - Black & White Exercise Photograph

4

Mason Hennessey ’20 - Nike Shoe - Incense

5

Michael Nessralla ’20 - Liquid Clouds

Athletics

Varsity Girls Crew at Head Of The Charles Regatta

HEAD OF THE CHARLES & GILETTE STADIUM

Thayer varsity athletes had the opportunity to compete at two incredible venues - with Varsity Crew taking part in the internationally celebrated Head Of The Charles Regatta (HOCR) and Varsity Football playing a playoff game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.

(HOCR photo by Scott Collins P ’21; Gillette Stadium pictures by alumnus Scott Eisen ’09)

Varsity Football at Gilette Stadium

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

37

Athletics FALL HIGHLIGHTS

Thayer Academy student-athletes made a whole lot of memories and a fair amount of history during the Fall 2018 season.

Sentnor ’22, the team made it to the NEPSAC B title game, falling to Tabor Academy in a thriller decided by penalty kicks.

Highlights included: the football team’s bowl game at Gillette Stadium; the girls soccer team’s return trip to the New England finals; and the Academy’s first-ever joint boys and girls appearance in the legendary Head Of The Charles Regatta.

To end their season, the girls cross country team took second place in the New England Div. II Championships.

Head coach Jeff Browne P ’04, ’05 called it “a stunning performance” given that five of the top Thayer runners that day were four freshmen and a sophomore.

Thayer Academy Athletic Director Rick Foresteire P ’19, ’21 called the season “truly memorable” and congratulated student-athletes, coaches, and parents on their efforts.

1

2

During Homecoming Weekend in October, the girls cross country team — running on that Friday — got things off to a good start, defeating Milton Academy. Lilly Bradley ’21 ran the third-fastest time on the home course in Thayer history. That same day, in a loss to Milton Academy, captain Tommy Gaffey ’20 set a new course record with a time of 15:57.

On the following day, the football team improved its record to 4-0 with a 32-7 Homecoming victory over Brooks School.

The football team would go on to a 6-2 regular season record and earn a spot in the postseason, losing 21-20 to Dexter Southfield in the John “Moose” Curtis Bowl game at Gillette Stadium. At season’s end, quarterback Jack Thorbahn ’20 had thrown for 22 touchdowns and 1,716 yards. He threw for over 300 yards twice. Jack Schneider ’20 caught eight touchdowns for the season and had 276 receiving yards in one game. Myles Wilson ’21 hauled in nine touchdowns for the season.

The girls soccer team finished with a 13-1-2 regular season record for a second-place finish in the ISL. Led

by Brittany Raphino ’19 and Ally

38

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

In late October, Thayer rowers, both male and female, competed in the 54th Head Of The Charles Regatta, the world’s biggest two-day rowing event.

“The kids did a great job,” said Emma Taylor ’12, the director of the Academy’s rowing programs.

The fall season also saw a four-game winning streak on the part of boys soccer, a strong showing by boys cross country led by captains Josh Chaskes ’19 and Gaffey ’20, and excellent participation and improvement from the field hockey team. This year’s volleyball team had its strongest season in the sport’s short history at the Academy and was awarded the ISL Volleyball Sportsmanship Award.

Earning All-Scholastic honors from The Patriot Ledger newspaper were: Ally Sentnor ’22 and Brittany Raphino ’19, girls soccer; Jack Schneider ’20, Jack Thorbahn ’20, and Jack Daley ’19, football; Eben Butler ’19, boys soccer; Lilly Bradley ’21, girls cross country; and Tommy Gaffey ’20, boys cross country.

Finally, while baseball is very much a spring sport, Foresteire, the team’s head coach, learned that he had been inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Athletics FALL HIGHLIGHTS

3

4

1

Varsity quarterback Jack Thorbahn ’20 throws a spiral downfield during Thayer’s bowl game at Gillette Stadium.

2

Thayer’s Girls Varsity Soccer team huddles together during their semi-final playoff victory at home.

3

Captain Tim Kemp ’19 splits two defenders.

4

Captain Kendall Roland ’20 soars high to make a play.

5

Molly King ’20 looks for an open teammate.

6

Freshman Ally Sentnor ’22 leads an attack during Thayer’s semi-final playoff victory.

7

Brittany Raphino ’19 celebrates a goal during the semi-final victory, leading her team to the NEPSAC championship game.

8

Thayer’s Middle School field hockey team.

9

Thayer’s Middle School football team huddles up.

5

6

8

7

9

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

39

Athletics FALL/WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

1

2

1

Noah Downing ’20 sets up the offense as the point guard during a game against Philips Andover.

2

Henry Richard ’20 takes down an opponent during a wrestling match.

3

Caitlin Fitzgerald ’22 competes during Homecoming 2018.

4

5

Coach Billy O’Dwyer ’02 instructs the varsity girls basketball team.

6

Alanna Curtis ’19 at gymnastics practice.

3 4

5

6

40

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Members of Thayer’s swim team (L-R) - Justin O’Leary ’19, Diego Martinez ’19, Cameron Walker ’20, Madelyn Wiesenhahn ’19, Jiaqi "Louis" Lu ’19, Matt Scappicchio ’20, Jenna Hersh ’19, Lindsay Tucker ’21, and Anne Middleton ’22.

2018 Thayer Academy Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Alumni ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

Thayer Academy welcomed four alumni into its Sports Hall of Fame this past October as part of the Homecoming 2018 celebration.

ROBERT

L. SUMMERS JR. ’63 TRACK & FIELD SOCCER // ICE HOCKEY

PATRICIA LEAHY ’98

BASKETBALL LACROSSE // CROSS COUNTRY

BROOKS ORPIK ’98

ICE HOCKEY

ANDREA

SORGI SPANO ’99

LACROSSE SOCCER // BASKETBALL

A three-sport captain his senior year, Summers was the Academy’s co-record holder in the 100-yard dash, a member of the Varsity Club, and winner of the Booth Award for Good Sportsmanship. He earned an Honorable Mention Award as an outstanding schoolboy hockey player in Hockey Magazine. In the Black & Orange, he was described by his coaches as “... a real leader and an exceptional athlete.”

A four-year letter winner in basketball, Leahy surpassed 1,000 points for her career while helping the Tigers go 76-9 during that period. Those squads took home two New England championships and three consecutive ISL championships. Her final three years at the Academy, the Tigers were undefeated in ISL play.

A former first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Orpik has hoisted the Stanley Cup trophy twice. He’s also garnered numerous international honors, including a silver medal from the 2010 Olympics. In 2001, the gifted and physical defenseman played at Boston College where he helped his team win the national championship.

Sorgi Spano earned 12 varsity letters at Thayer and captained soccer, basketball, and lacrosse as a senior. A lacrosse goalie, she earned all-scholastic honors and was Team MVP for both her junior and senior years. She was awarded a First Team All-American distinction and was named starting goalie for New England in the National All-American game.

To read the full news story on the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees, visit the “News” section at www.thayer.org.

Thanks to all who gave this past February for Founders Day: A Day of Giving. Once again, we reached our goal of 1,000 donors!

Upcoming 2019 Thayer Alumni Events

§ April 4 - Professional Women’s Networking Event

§ May 3 & 4 - Reunion 2019

§ May 13 - 25th Annual General’s Open Golf Tournament & Tennis Event

Scan QR code for the recap video or visit bit.ly/TAFoundersDay2019

Remember: Events/dates are always subject to change - for the latest up-to-date calendar of events, go to: www.thayer.org/calendar

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

41

In November, Thayer Academy held its twentieth

2018 General’s Council Reception at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Boston

annual General’s Council Reception at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston to recognize and thank its leadership donors. The night’s focus was the continuing growth and evolution of the Academy’s math, computer science, and robotics programs.

Melissa Bayer Tearney P ’14, chair of the Thayer Academy Board of Trustees, welcomes guests to the reception.

42

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Lexi Smith ’12 discussing the importance of advanced math and computer programming for today’s generation of students.

Following her graduation from Harvard, Smith and Jon Mleczko co-founded Natured, which delivers locally sourced groceries to customers’ doorsteps across Greater Boston and the South Shore.

Alumni GENERAL’S COUNCIL RECEPTION 2018

Attendees were treated to tours of the ICA’s contemporary art exhibits.

Thayer Trustee Darren Donovan P ’17, ’20 within ICA’s interactive exhibit: “William Forsythe: Choreographic Objects.”

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

43

Alumni ALUMNI & PARENT EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

1

3

4

5

6

7

Kevin Cedrone P ’22, Thayer Academy’s Upper School Math and Computer Science Department Head, addresses the General’s Council Reception. “Our students know we will always be there to support them,” said Cedrone.

1

44

2

2

L-R: Alumni Board member Kenny Carberry ’08, Tracy Wong ’03, Alumni Board President Tom Shanley ’97, John Kavolius, and Julia Daly ’10.

3

Robert Trumbull and Allison Kent Trumbull ’00, who serves as first Vice President of the Thayer Academy Alumni Board, attend the Nov. 13 reception.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

4

Thayer Trustee Linda and Jay Hooley P ’06, ’08, ’13, ’16.

5

Kevin Cedrone P ’22 , Thayer Academy’s Upper School Math and Computer Science Department Head, and Lexi Smith ’12, a co-founder of Natured, at the reception.

6

Jeanine & Doug Murphy P ’24 with Head of School Ted Koskores ’70 P ’10, ’13.

7

Nancy Doyle P ’16, ’24, MS President, TAPA Executive Board, along with former Thayer Trustee Jay Hanflig P’ 16.

Alumni CAREER DAY 2019

Career Day 2019 sees a wide variety of Alumni Panelists

Career Day 2019 took center stage recently with 16 panels featuring

1

1

dozens of informative presentations by Thayer alumni, parents, and

Alumni and parents from the Science Panel - Kathleen

friends. The event - held every other year for juniors and seniors

Ottina P ’03, Kenny Carberry ’08, Daniel

- brings alumni and parents to campus who speak with students re-

Torres P ’19, ’22,

garding work in a variety of fields (e.g., business, government, the arts,

and Kaela Leonard

law, medicine, science, public safety, and technology). The January 31

’08 PhD speak to

event ended with a reception in the Brickyard.

students in Glover.

2

To see the full program and biographies of all Thayer alumni who attended, please visit: www.thayer.org/careerday2019

Young alums (L-R): Emma Taylor ’12, Madison Chambers

2

’12, Lexi Smith ’12, Melissa Piacentini ’12, Morgan O’Brien ’12,

3

Megan Greeley ’12, and Sam Whalen ’12.

3

Megan Greeley ’12, Amy Howell P ’25, and Mike Connor ’76 share insights at the Government Panel

4

4

Greg Deschenes ’80 P ’08, ’09; Catharine Weiss ’79; Rachael Rouvales `Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12; Bob Whelan ’79, and Robert Insoft ’79, M.D.

5 5 The Medicine Panel in Glover Lecture Hall featured Linda Cimetti ’93 D.V.M., C.V.A.,

Britt Soderberg Peña ’94 M.D, Robert Insoft ’79 M.D, and Megan Sullivan ’09 D.M.D.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

45

Alumni CLASS NOTES: 1950s-60s

Class Notes Celebrating the wedding of Kristen Vassalotti Slusarz ’07 FRONT (L-R): Mike Vassalotti ’11, Michael Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12, Cassie Mahar ’12, Gregory Slusarz, Kristen Vassalotti ’07, Angela Vassalotti ’12, Taylor Hamilton-Trudeau ’07, Ali Anderson

CLASS OF

1955 Gail M. Barton ’55 Gail writes, "Enjoying being a retired physican and now practicing as a full-time artist - in galleries locally and enjoying my painting buddies."

Dorothy Connell Stephenson ’55 In September several members of the class of ’55 met for lunch at the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod. (see photo below)

Tangerini ’07, Rachael Rouvales Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12, Karen Andreassi Falcone ’82 BACK (L-R): Brad Peterson ’11, Charles Bowen ’11, PJ Leddy ’12, Danielle O’Dwyer ’09, Christina Anastos ’09, Kristen Coneys ’07, Emily Humphrey ’07, Joe Andreassi ’78 Dorothy Stephenson ’55

In attendance but missing from the pic: Chelsea Rader Amendola ’07

46

From L-R: Dorothy Connell Stephenson ’55, Anne McCusker Peirce ’55, Virginia Keith Marr ’55, Judy Scott Stolp ’55, and Judy Tower Doe ’55.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE THAYER COMMUNITY Kristen Vassalotti Slusarz ’07

CLASS OF

CLASS OF

1959 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

1961 60th

Reunion Year!

Joyce DiBona ’59 Joyce became a great grandmother recently to Ella Sanchez, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to her oldest grandchild, Nic Sanchez, and his wife, Sol, noting, "To share the next generation is a wonderful experience!"

She adds, "A wonderful luncheon was held in Barnstable, Cape Cod, on August 1, 2018: In attendance were: Ann Driscoll Beaumont ’59 and Dick Beaumont, Kendall Burrill ’59, Patty and Ken Commoss ’59, Bill Delahunt ’59, Sally Donner Briers ’59 and Ken Briers, Joyce DiBona ’59 and Bob Weiss, Margaret Porteus Heuss ’59 and Bill Heuss, Roz Ossen Loiter ’59 and Barney Loiter, Beth and George Nightingale ’59, Diane and Art Rochelle ’59, and Sue Rose Spurling ’59 and Dan Spurling. Please consider coming to our 60th Reunion on May 3-4! Judy Grossman Molinsky ’59 and her husband Stephen have invited us to brunch at their home in Wellesley on Sunday, May 5th!

Thayer continues to amaze me with the innovative programs and opportunities it provides to a diverse student body of 700.

Come back to Reunion and audit a class!

Looking forward to seeing you in May."

Frederick Rogers ’61 I have retired from full-time ministry but continue as chaplain for our fire department and fill in for our pastor from time to time.

I continue to recover from the stroke I had three years ago. I continue with physical therapy, walking with a cane, and am regaining the use of my left hand.

CLASS OF

1962 Mitchell Goldman ’62 In October, Mitch was inducted to the Academy of Master Surgeons at the American College of Surgeons in Chicago. (see photo to the right - Mitchell is on the left with the bow tie) John MacLennan ’62 John had a fantastic week in January of high-powered bird watching in Panama with Antbird Tours! (see photo at the top of the next page) Van Whisnand ’62 Van has pledged to match gifts up to $500,000 to name the new Thayer Hockey Rink in honor of Arthur T. Valicenti ’51, P ’75, ’75, ’77 GP ’10, ’14 at the Thayer Sports Center (see p. 4; inside back cover).

1966

1964 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

55th

Reunion Year!

Suzanne Ciani ’64 Read the profile of Suzanne in this issue on pages 18-21.

Kirstin Herzog ’66 Kristin writes, "I’ve had a busy year. One of my paintings went to a museum show in China this summer. So I was able to go with it."

CLASS NOTES: 1950s-1960s

CLASS OF

CLASS OF

Brad MacLeod ’66 Enjoyed a mini-reunion in St. Bart’s with Kevin Tedeschi ’66 and Warren Pierce ’66. (see photo below) Brad MacLeod ’66

John MacLennan ’62

CLASS OF

1963 Bob Summers ’63 Congratulations to Bob on his induction into Thayer’s Sports Hall of Fame on October 13, 2018! (see page 41). Unfortunately, Bob was not able to attend. He and his wife Jody live in San Antonio, Texas.

Mitchell Goldman ’62

CLASS OF

1965 Lois Hirshberg ’65 Lois Hirshberg participated on the Arts panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event (see page 45).

Douglas Smith ’65 Doug (see photo below) traveled to Costa Rica for Thanksgiving last November with his wife Pam. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September!

Warren Pierce ’66 Warren writes, "Kevin Tedeschi ’66 and I were champagne tasting at Tattinger’s, Reims, France after a day touring WWI battlefields and cemeteries for the 100th anniversary of the ’The War to End All Wars.’" (see photo below)

Warren Pierce ’66

Kevin Tedeschi ’66 Kevin writes, "Cheeseburgers in Pigalle, Paris" before the Jimmy Buffet concert with Warren Pierce ’66. (see photo below) Kevin Tedeschi ’66

Douglas Smith ’65

Announcing the Class of ’62 Reunion at 57.5 years!

In a post-55th survey, the vote was unanimous to gather sooner than five years! Why not now? Why wait?

Look for your save-the-date and and invitation soon to a great fall pilgrimage back to school, Oct 25-26.

Contacts: John MacLennan -  sdiwi112@gmail.com; Frank Tenore -  franktenore@aol.com;



 401-932-4383 407-808-1017

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

47

Alumni CLASS NOTES: 1970s-90s CLASS OF

1970 Karen Wolozin Starr ’70 Karen was recently appointed Librarian at The Rivers School. Karen is also enjoying her grandchildren and time at her home in Naples, FL. She remains involved with the Pan-Mass Challenge and loves seeing members of Team Kermit and the Thayer alums who participate in this annual event.

CLASS OF

1976 Mike Connor ’76 Vice Admiral Mike Connor, President and CEO of ThayerMahan, Inc, participated on the Government panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January. See also his profile in this issue on pages 12-14.

Members of the Class of ’79 Alumni from the Class of ’79 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The former classmates who shared their professional experiences with the students were Robert Insoft ’79, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Women’s & Infants Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Catharine Weiss ’79, Professor of Retail Merchandising at Lasell College; and Bob Whelan ’79, Finance Executive at Federal Reserve System.

Michael Vassalotti ’79 & Rachael Rouvales Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12 Rachael and Michael’s oldest daughter Kristen Vassalotti Slusarz ’07 married Gregory Slusarz on Saturday, September 15th, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pocasset, MA. Following the ceremony a beautiful reception was held at The Popponesset Inn in New Seabury (see pp. 46 & 52).

CLASS OF

1984 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

35th

Reunion Year!

Heidi Condon ’84 Heidi, Principal and Primary Designer at HC Design, Inc., participated on the Architecture, Construction Project Management & Design panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

Sandra Shirley Somerville ’84 Sandra writes, "Hi fellow classmates. I have just completed my Masters in Mental Health Counseling. Pursuing goals at any age is important for mental health. Don’t forget you are never too old to reach for the stars, tweak your dreams, or further your education. You just have to be willing, and have the heart. I am grateful for my time at Thayer which instilled in me a core belief in social justice, and service to others. These values were key reasons for my changing career paths this late in life. I hope all of you are well, and I look forward to seeing you at our 35th, wow where did the time go?"

CLASS OF

1980 Gregory Deschenes ’80 P ’08, ’09 Greg, Partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, participated on the Law panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

CLASS OF

1979 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

CLASS OF

40th

Reunion Year!

Lori Pasqualucci Gaffey ’79 P ’20, ’22 Lori’s son Tommy Gaffey ’20, a Junior at Thayer, was named by The Patriot Ledger newspaper as an All-Scholastic for the Fall 2018 boys cross country team.

48

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

1982

CLASS OF

1986 Craig Salters ’86 Craig has joined the communications team at Thayer as the Editorial Director. He also participated on the Journalism panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

CLASS OF

Norma Delaney ’82 Norma, Founder and Principal of Delaney Brand Consulting, LLC participated on the Marketing panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

1989 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

30th

Reunion Year!

Tiffanie Williams Needham ’89 Tiffanie, Realtor at Preferred Properties Realty, participated on the Real Estate panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

1991 Peter Capozzoli ’91 See the Thayer Magazine profile of Peter and his work with SpaceX in this issue on pages 22-24.

Christopher Hall ’91 Chris has stepped down as commissioner of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. He founded the league and was its first commissioner starting with the inaugural 2011 season, and was featured in the 2016 Summer issue of Thayer Magazine.

Chris told the Worcester Telegram, "Now is the right time for me to step aside as commissioner. I am so proud of the league that we founded and rapidly built into one of the greatest summer collegiate leagues in the entire country."

In January 2019, Chris joined 24 Services as Business Development Manager.

He will maintain close relationships with industry partners, while expanding the organization’s footprint in the marketplace.

CLASS OF

1992 Jennifer MacDonald ’92 Jen has started a new position as Director of Communications, Americas for Lego.

She will also be on the panel for Thayer’s Professional Women’s Networking event on Thursday, April 4, 2019.

CLASS NOTES: 1980s-1990s

CLASS OF

CLASS OF

1994 Matthew McGuirk ’92 Matt was named General Manager of Nelco Products, Inc., a premier supplier of cable ties and wire management products.

Matt worked at Thayer for over 17 years.

He was in the Athletics Department for 14 years, serving 11 of those years as Athletic Director. Prior to his departure, Matt was the Assistant Director of Major Gifts and Alumni Relations in Thayer’s Development Office. The Academy thanks Matt for his years of service and wishes him the very best in his exciting new chapter!

CLASS OF

1993 Members of the Class of ’93 Alumni from the Class of ’93 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The former classmates who shared their professional experiences with the students were Daryl DeValerio Andrews ’93, Co-founding Partner at Andrews DeValerio; Ken Berman ’93, Director of Digital Marketing at edX; Linda Cimetti ’93, Veterinarian, South Shore Equine Clinic & Diagnostic Center; Jennifer Lowe Newell ’93, Assistant Principal in Hingham Public Schools; and Josh Snyder ’93 P ’23, ’25, Project Executive of John Moriarty & Associates.

Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

25th

Reunion Year!

Members of the Class of ’94 Alumni from the Class of ’94 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The former classmates who shared their professional experiences with the students were Louis Bello ’94, Recording Artist, Writer, and Producer; Alex Marconi ’94, Owner of The Catered Affair; Britt Soderberg Pena ’94, Pediatrician at Brockton Pediatrics; and Amy Ryder Pickel ’94 P’22, ’26, Director of Human Resources at Fidelity Investments.

Jessica Scheller Holmes ’94 Jess raced on Team USA in September at the ITU Standard-Distance Triathlon World Championship in Gold Coast, Australia. Jess won 3rd place in her age group, finishing the 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10-kilometer run in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 24 seconds. Team USA won 20 medals and 6 world titles at this race. (see photo below)

Kenneth Berman ’93 Ken and his family recently appeared on House Hunters Renovation on HGTV. They bought a fixer-upper in Brookline after touring three homes and renovated the kitchen and first floor living areas, with a few surprises along the way. The end result was beautiful!

Jessica Scheller Holmes ’94

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

49

Alumni CLASS NOTES: 1990s-2000s

CLASS OF

1995 Justin Murphy ’95 Justin and his fiancée Emily Johnson were married at Ocean Edge in Brewster on September 1, 2018. (see page 52)

CLASS OF

1996 Michael Mottau ’96 Mike, a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks while working in Business Development at Sunrise Erectors, participated on the Sports & Sports Management panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

Joshua DeLawter ’98

“ Brad (Mills ’98) and I have been friends since starting at Thayer back in eighth grade, and it all circles back to this picture.”

Jonathan Slawsby ’94 Jon and his wife Lisa participated in the "adopt a palm tree" campaign at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands. The campaign and funds raised are helping the bar and island recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma.

If you happen to find yourself at the Soggy Dollar, make sure to look for their palm tree! (see photo below)

- Joshua DeLawter ’98

CLASS OF

1997 Joanna Converse Scott ’97 Joanna, Director of Development at You Care. We Care. Community Programs, Inc. participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45) as part of the Non-Profit Fundraising & Engagement Panel.

Douglas Goodale ’97 Doug and his wife Sarah welcomed a baby girl. Eleanor "Nellie" Grace Goodale was born October 19, 2018, at 8:17a.m. She was 6 lbs., 14 oz., and 20" long.

Jonathan Slawsby ’94 CLASS OF

1998 Donald Badger ’98 Donny married Lauren Gillis on October 6, 2018, with a reception at the South Shore Country Club. Thayer alums in the wedding party included: Paul Badger ’01, David Goldberg ’97, and Mathew Smith ’97. Also in attendance were family members: Donald Badger Jr. ’63, Francis Badger ’67, Jennifer Damon Badger ’67, Sarah Badger True ’95, and Jessica Severance ’98. (see page 52)

50

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Joshua DeLawter ’98 Josh writes: In this picture are my daughter Kendra DeLawter #22 and Mackenzie Mills #97, daughter of Brad Mills ’98.

They were fortunate enough to play at Merrimack College where Brad played D-1 hockey from 1998-2002. Brad was also fortunate enough to meet his wife Jess during their time at Merrimack.

Brad and I have been friends since starting at Thayer back in eighth grade and it all circles back to this picture! (see photo on the left) Jonathan Keith ’98 P ’24 Jon’s daughter, Brooke, joined the 7th grade class at Thayer’s Middle School this fall.

Patricia Leahy ’98 Congratulations to Tricia on her induction into Thayer’s Sports Hall of Fame on October 13, 2018! (see page 41) At the inductee luncheon Tricia was joined by her husband Kevin and family.

She is currently living in Dorchester and teaching in Boston.

Molly Gallagher Lewis ’98 Molly and her husband Scott of Milton, MA, welcomed Owen Douglas Lewis on January 12, 2019, at 8:45 p.m. (see page 53) Bradford Mills ’98 See Josh DeLawter ’98.

Brooks Orpik ’98 On Monday, January 14th, Brooks played in his 1,000th NHL game with the Washington Capitals against the St. Louis Blues at Capital One Arena. He is the 330th player in NHL history to reach the milestone. Congratulations to Brooks, as well, on his induction into Thayer’s Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday October 13, 2018 (see page 41). Brooks was not able to attend as he was playing in a hockey game in DC. David Sirrico ’98 Dave and Julia Tindle were married in September 2018.

2002

1999 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

20th

Reunion Year!

Alicia Genisca ’99 After practicing medicine in Ghana, Alicia is back living in the States starting as a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Brown University/Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI. In addition to staffing a very busy ER, she will be working to develop global health programming for a pediatric emergency fellowship.

Andrea Sorgi Spano ’99 Congratulations to Andrea on her induction into Thayer’s Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday October 13, 2018! (see page 41) At the inductee Luncheon Andrea was joined by her husband Greg, two children Gregory and Ella, her brother Lou Sorgi ’02, and parents Lou and Anna.

CLASS OF

2001 Members of the Class of ’01 Alumni from the Class of ’01 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The former classmates who shared their professional experiences with the students were Mike Booras ’01, Director of Development at the College of Engineering at Northeastern University; and Donavan Brown ’01, Vice President at Brown Brothers Harriman.

Leah Snyder Kabrhel ’02 Leah and her husband Craig welcomed their son Kodak William Kabrhel on September 16, 2018. He joins big brother Calvin, who just turned two. (see page 53) Gregory Mullen ’02 Greg married Meghan Doherty on June 9, 2018, at the Wequasset Resort in Harwich, MA. (see page 52) Shauna Porter ’02 P ’24 Shauna’s daughter, Brooke, started in the 7th grade at Thayer this fall.

CLASS OF

2003 Members of the Class of ’03 Alumni from the Class of ’03 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 43). The ’03 alums who shared their professional experiences with the students were Amanda Fish ’03, Senior Major Gifts Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital Trust; Kaela Leonard ’03, Scientist at Seventh Sense Biosystems; and Nacie Carson Pereira ’03, Talent Manager at The Boston Consulting Group.

Jaimie Rooney ’03 Jaimie got engaged to her boyfriend Oisin McCormack in November 2018.

CLASS OF

2004 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

15th

Reunion Year!

Robert Kiley ’04 Bobby is engaged to Lauren Vildostegui.

The happy couple will exchange vows on April 6, 2019, in New Hope, PA.

Emmett Knox ’04 Emmett joined the Thayer faculty as a Middle School Math teacher for the 18-19 academic year. Welcome back, Emmett!

CLASS NOTES: 1990s-2000s

CLASS OF

CLASS OF

Jason Luippold ’04 On September 15, 2018, Jason was married to Janaina Costa at Lakeview Pavilion in Foxborough, MA. (see page 52) Patrick Mathews ’04 Pat, Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis for Benchmark Senior Living, participated on the Finance panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

Amanda Kelly Silberman ’04 Congratulations to Amanda and her husband Alex as they welcomed Asher’s little brother Auggie Ray to their family. He was born on August 17, 2018, at 1:01 a.m., measuring 18.5 inches long and 7 pounds, 1 ounce (see page 53).

CLASS OF

2005 Logan King ’05 Logan was married to Liz Pfeffer on September 22, 2018, at The Liberty House in Jersey City, NJ. Logan’s sister Kendra King ’02 officiated and brother Malin King ’07 was the best man. They then went to South Africa and Mozambique for their honeymoon!

DJ Lawton ’05 Did you see DJ on Chronicle? DJ was featured as the proprietor of Roast Beast, a sandwich shop with an increasingly cult following among foodies at 1080 Commonwealth Ave, Boston.

Andrew Orpik ’05 Andrew, Senior Advisor at Cresa Boston, participated on the Real Estate panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

51

Alumni WEDDINGS & BABIES

Thayer Weddings

1

1

Justin Murphy ’95

2

Donny Badger ’98

3

Greg Mullen ’02

4

Jason Luippold ’04

5

Chelsea Rader Amendola ’07

6

Dan Naparstek ’07

7

Allison Pickering ’07

8

Kristin Vassalotti Slusarz ’07

Justin Murphy ’95 Married Emily Johnson on September 1, 2018

2

Donny Badger ’98 Married Lauren Gillis on October 6, 2018

3

Greg Mullen ’02 Married Meghan Doherty on June 9, 2018

4

Jason Luippold ’04 Married Janaina Costa on September 15, 2018

5

Chelsea Rader Amendola ’07 Married Nate Amendola on December 15, 2018

6

Dan Naparstek ’07 Married Mahika Sharma on September 22, 2018

7

Allison Pickering ’07 Married David Tropin on November 17, 2018

8

Kristin Vassalotti Slusarz ’07 Married Gregory Slusarz on September 15, 2018

9

Ali Anderson Tangerini ’07 Married Emilio Tangerini on October 20, 2018

10

Jared Nash ’10 Married Victoria Sengstack on October 7, 2018

52

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

9

10

Thayer Babies

Welcoming the newest members of the Thayer community!

Beau WIlliam Besinger

Grayson Edward Lewis

BORN: December 4, 2018 Kerri Aylward Besinger ’06 & Bill Besinger

BORN: July 22, 2018 Courtney Oliver Lewis ’06 & Kellan Lewis

Ali Anderson Tangerini ’07

Jared Nash ’10

Auggie Ray Silberman

Kodak William Kabrhel

BORN: August 17, 2018 Amanda Kelly Silberman ’04 & Alex Silberman

BORN: September 16, 2018 Leah Snyder Kabrhel ’02 & Craig Kabrhel

(and brother Asher)

(with big brother Calvin)

Newlywed?

Share the good news with your fellow Thayer alums!

Email your

New Parent?

high-res photo to:

Share the good news with your fellow Thayer alums!

magazine@thayer.org

Owen Douglas Lewis

BORN: January 12, 2019 Molly Gallagher Lewis ’98 & Scott Lewis

Email us your newborn’s full name and date of birth - and be sure to include a high-res (300 dpi or higher) photo to Thayer Magazine at: magazine@thayer.org

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

53

Alumni

In a 2013 issue of Thayer Magazine, Eric Hsiao ’08 was highlighted for his work with a startup company. As a final Technology Issue profile, here’s what Eric has been doing in tech since then, in his own words...

CLASS NOTES: 2000s

About a year ago, I met up with my former manager from HubSpot who mentioned that he was starting a company called Fritz to help developers create the new wave of apps and devices powered by edge intelligence. By being able to create and run machine learning models directly on phones, IoT devices, etc, developers would be able to create amazing experiences that work in real-time and completely offline. After several discussions, I decided to join as one of the lead engineers.

"

Since then, we’ve secured a seed round from investors and started working with several awesome developers and companies around the world. PlantVillage, the one that I’m most excited about, helps and educates local farmers in Eastern Africa by providing a crop disease diagnostic app. Farmers can take a picture or a live video of a Cassava plant and automatically detect the affected areas.

Since internet connectivity is non-existent in rural areas, our technology enables farmers to be able to run disease detection completely offline so that smallholder farms can increase their yields.

’08 CREATIN G A N E W WAVE OF APPS & DE VICES

On the other end, we’ve also worked with several developers who have also created apps just for fun, building powerful filters and advanced photo editing capabilities that leverage machine learning techniques like style transfer and image segmentation.

CLASS OF

2006 Kerri Aylward Besinger ’06 Kerri and her husband Bill welcomed their first child - Beau William Besinger on December 4 - four weeks early weighing 5lbs, 12oz, and measuring 19 inches.

The Besinger family is doing well! (see page 53) Mathieu Frechette ’06 Welcome to Matt as a returning member of the Thayer Alumni Board!

Ryan Leonard ’06 Ryan, Attorney and Assistant Vice President of State Street Corporation’s Financial Intelligence Unit, participated on the Law panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

Congratulations are also in order as Ryan was recently engaged to his girlfriend Christine!

54

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Courtney Oliver Lewis ’06 Courtney and her husband Kellan welcomed their son Grayson Edward Lewis on July 22, 2018! (See p. 53) Michael Rooney ’06 Michael and his wife Nicole welcomed their first baby, a boy named Ryan, in October 2018.

CLASS OF

2007 Members of the Class of ’07 Alumni from the Class of ’07 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The ’07 alums who shared their professional experiences with the students were Devin Cahill ’07, Client Analyst at Wellington Management; and Nicole Carter ’07, Software Engineer at Wayfair, Inc.

Chelsea Rader Amendola ’07 Chelsea married Nate Amendola at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH, on December 15, 2018.

Patrick Beauregard ’07 Welcome to Pat as a new member of the Thayer Alumni Board!

Nicole Carter ’07 See short profile on Nicole’s work as a software engineer at Wayfair and other young alumni in technology on page 25.

Nicole will also be part of the panel at Thayer’s Professional Women’s Network event on Thursday, April 4, 2019.

Emily Humphrey ’07 Emily is now the Director of Revenue Management at the new Revolution Hotel managed by the Provenance Hotels of Portland, OR, now open in Boston’s South End.

Heartbeat by Fritz

By using our models, they can transform any image or video to look as if they were created in the style of famous artists like Van Gogh or Picasso.

We work on a small team, so I help do a little bit of everything - from building user-facing features to taking sales calls and finding new customers. Younger Cedrone would be proud that I’m still leveraging my Java skills and leading our efforts to build our Android library.

Overall it’s been a blast - learning a lot of cutting edge technology and having a lot of fun in the process, and I’m excited to see where this journey takes us.

"

Daniel Naparstek ’07 Dan married Mahika Sharma on September 22, 2018, at the Mount Hope Farm in Bristol, RI. Dan’s sister Laura ’09, who became a Universal Life minister for the occasion, officiated. Earlier in the day, the couple took part in a Hindu ceremony led by Pandit Shyam Sharma, a grandfather of the bride (See p. 52).

Allison Pickering ’07 Ali married David Tropin on November 17, 2018, at the Jupiter Beach Resort and Spa in Jupiter, FL (See p. 52).

Chelsea Rader ’07 On December 15, 2018, Chelsea married Nate Amendola at The Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH (See p. 52).

Alexandra Anderson Tangerini ’07 On October 20, 2018, Ali was married to Emilio Tangerini with a beautiful ceremony at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church and their reception at the Four Seasons Hotel, Boston (See p. 53).

CLASS OF

2009 Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

65th

Reunion Year!

2008

Members of the Class of ’09 Alumni from the Class of ’09 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event this past January (see p. 45). The ’09 alums who shared their professional experiences with the students were Scott Eisen ’09, Photojournalist at Getty Images; and Megan Sullivan ’09, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Resident at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Members of the Class of ’08 Alumni from the Class of ’08 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The ’08 alums who shared their professional experiences with the students were Kenny Carberry ’08, Clinical Research Associate at Alira Health; and Ryan Urso ’08, Police Officer with the Boston Police Department.

Theater Alumni from the Class of ’09 Alumni from the class of ’09 - including Timothy Clinton ’09, Sarah Delaney ’09, Sean Fleming ’09, Christine Healy ’09Slutsky , Molly ’08Marr ’09, Laura Naparstek ’09, Robert Steinberg ’09, and Sarah Delaney ’09 - returned to the CFA stage on November 16 for the 10th Anniversary performance of Beauty and the Beast (See pp. 28-31).

CLASS OF

Katie Hooley ’08 See short profile on Katie’s work as a software engineer at Wayfair and other young alumni in technology on page 25.

Lauren Riedel ’08 Lauren announced her engagment to John Thomas Longo of Needham. Lauren graduated from Wheaton College.

She is employed at Harvard Medical School as a Research Assistant and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her fiancée, John, is a graduate of Needham High School and Wentworth Institute of Technology. He is a programmer and data analyst with MFS Investment Management in Boston.

Harrison Slutsky ’08 Congratulations to Harrison in his role as Director of Pro Scouting for the Boston Red Sox as they won yet another World Series in 2018. Harrison enjoyed the incredible experience of being in the celebration parade! (See photo to the right of Harrison on one of the Duck Boats!)

CLASS NOTES: 1990s-2000s

PlantVillage App

Kristen Vassalotti Slusarz ’07 On September 15, 2018, Kristen married Gregory Slusarz at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pocasset, MA. Following the ceremony a beautiful reception was held at The Popponesset Inn in New Seabury (See pp. 46 & 52).

Scott Eisen ’09 Scott photographed Thayer Varsity Football’s playoff game at Gillette Stadium on November 16. (See a few of his photos from the game on p. 37).

Harrison Slutsky ’08

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

55

Alumni CLASS NOTES: 2010s

Megan Flaherty ’09 Megan and Chris Lerner ’09 are engaged.

Samuel Friedman ’09 In December Sam became engaged to Julie Siegel in Charleston, SC. Christopher Lerner ’09 See Megan Flaherty ’09.

Molly Marr ’09 Congratulations to Molly as she has recently become engaged to Mike McGowan!

CLASS OF

2010 Julia Daly ’10 Julia is a new member of the Thayer Alumni Board.

Ian Marcellana ’10 On November 16, Ian reprised his role as LeFou and joined fellow alums from 2009 and 2011 on the CFA stage during the final number of the 10th Anniversary performance of Beauty and the Beast.

(See pp. 28-31) Paul Monahan ’10 Paul, Senior Electrical Engineer at BAE Systems, Inc., participated on the Technology panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45).

Jared Nash ’10 Jared married Victoria Sengstack on October 7, 2018, at the Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington, DE. His wedding party included Jamie Whatley ’10 as the best man, Eric Hagman ’10, and Nick Taylor ’10 (see p. 53).

Brittany Reardon ’10 Brittany was married to Thayer classmate Taj Tallarico ’10 on October 27, 2018, in Marshfield, MA.

56

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

Michaela Strout ’10 Michaela married Steve Strout on October 13, 2018, at the Beech Hill Barn in Pittston, ME. Taj Tallarico ’10 See Brittany Reardon ’10.

Taylor Windwer ’10 Taylor said "yes" to Glen Miles at Salve Regina in Newport, RI, where they met and attended college together.

CLASS OF

2011 Theater Alumni from the Class of ’11 On November 16, alumni from the class of 2011 - including Rebecca Arcand ’11, Carmelle Fedillaga ’11, and Daniel Steinberg ’11 - came back and reprised their roles on the Hale Theatre stage during the finale of the 10th Anniversary performance of Beauty and the Beast.

(See pp. 28-31) Anna Friedman ’11 In October 2018 Anna became engaged to Jimmy Silva.

Elizabeth Lyons ’11 Elizabeth, a Collections and Exhibitions Management Assistant for Deutsche Bank, participated on the Arts panel for Thayer’s biennial Career Day event.

Brennan Murray ’11 Brennan left Washington, D.C. and is now a Senior Associate in McLarty Associates’ Beijing office, where he continues to help grow the international strategic advisory firm’s business while also supporting existing clients.

Michael Vazza ’11 Mike proposed to Emma Steadman in Spain and she said "yes!"

CLASS OF

2012 Alumni from the Class of ’12 Alumni from the Class of ’12 participated in Thayer’s biennial Career Day event in January (see page 45). The ’12 alums who shared their professional experiences with the students were Madison Chambers ’12, Commercial Real Estate Advisor at JLL; Megan Greeley ’12, Government Relations Advisor & PAC Manager at John Hancock Financial Service; Morgan O’Brien ’12, Events Manager at Family Reach Foundation; Melissa Piacentini ’12, Director of Hockey Operations at Northeastern University; Lexi Smith ’12, Co-founder of Natured; and Sam Whalen ’12, Software Engineer for Product Development at Upskill.

Theater Alumni from the Class of ’12 On November 16, alumni from the class of ’12 - including Dimitri Antoniou ’12, Megan Greeley ’12, Chippy Kennedy ’12, Molly O’Brien ’12, and Emma Taylor ’12 - came back and reprised their roles on the Hale Theater stage during the finale of the 10th Anniversary performance of Beauty and the Beast.

(See pp. 28-31) Olivia Dilorati ’12 Olivia graduated in December from AISTS in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Sport Administration and Technology degree. As part of the program, Olivia began working with the Patriots (Kraft Group and Affiliates) as an event manager in August. She got to go to Super Bowl LIII with the Pats and celebrate their historic win! (see picture to the right of Olivia with Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman!).

Molly O’Brien ’12 This November Molly was in Nashville, TN, at the Roxy Regional Theatre starring as Lysistrata in J.A. Ball and Michael M. Chemers’ contemporary take on Aristophanes’ bawdy anti-war comedy by the same name, LYSISTRATA.

2013 Danielle Nash ’13 See short profile on Danielle’s work as a software engineer at Google and other young alumni in technology on page 25.

CLASS NOTES: 1990s-2000s

Attention Alums!

CLASS OF

Know fellow Thayer alumni who are doing something interesting

CLASS OF

2016

or amazing? Do you know of someone who

Isaac Butler ’16 Ike, an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, was one of three winners of the A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Competition held at the university. Ike’s play, "Arriving At," tells the story of six passengers who get stuck on the last outbound Red Line train from Boston. University drama students performed a staged reading of the play followed by a Q&A session.

"It felt great to have so many people take time out of their day to see and dote on something I created," said Ike, adding that he especially appreciated the feedback from the audience.

continues to live out our motto by inspiring others to excellence or by their many contributions to the common good?

Let us know so that we can feature them in these pages!

✉

CONTACT US! magazine@thayer.org

Ike was the sole undergraduate to earn the honor. The playwriting competition is an annual event at the university.

Olivia Dilorati ’12

4’s & 9’s: this is your year!

Thayer 2 19 FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

For more information, please visit:

www.thayer.org/reunion

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

57

In Memoriam 1945

1947

family and friends. She had a strong connection to the ocean, spending many summers as both a child and adult with

Eleanor, 90, mostly of

Jeannette "Jean" Denehy Fantone ’47

Brockton, died peacefully

Jeannette, 89, of Lynn-

husband; daughter Jeannette Fantone

July 3, 2018. Daughter

field, MA, died November

Newton; sister Carolyn Pokorny, and

of the late Catharine

30, 2018. She was born

brothers Edward, Paul, and Robert J.

and Harold Davis, she

to Jeannette and Dennis

Dennehy ’47. She is survived by four of

Eleanor Davis Claff ’45

was preceded in death by her beloved

was raised in Hingham, graduating from

Dennehy on February 18, 1929. Her

her five children: Joseph C. Fantone, III

Thayer in 1945, then going to Randolph

mother was a piano teacher, and her fa-

and his wife Rosalind of Ann Arbor, MI;

Macon Women’s College in Lynchburg,

ther was co-owner of Dennehy Brothers

Stephen D. Fantone and his wife Eliza-

VA.

Dairy in Milton, MA. Mrs. Fantone was

beth "Betsy" of Lynnfield, MA; Julia C.

raised in Quincy, MA, and graduated

Jacobs and her husband Clifford Jacobs

from Thayer in 1947. She continued her

of Billerica, MA; Raymond C. Fantone

education at Boston University, where

and his wife Ann Watson of Blythewood,

she received her Bachelor’s Degree in

SC. She is also survived by her son-in-

Political Science in 1951.

law, Brian Newton of New Albany, OH;

For many years Eleanor manufactured the Autotherm medical device, which her husband’s uncle had patented, and she also worked at a stationery shop. For over 20 years she volunteered as a driver for Meals on Wheels in Brockton. She was a

Jeannette married Joseph C. Fantone Jr.

member of and corresponding secre-

on September 2, 1950, and together they

tary for the Brockton Republican City

raised their family in Wethersfield and

Committee. Eleanor enjoyed sewing,

West Hartford, CT, prior to settling in

needlework, cross-stitching, and feeding

Needham, MA, in 1970. She cherished

birds, and was a life-long cat lover. Elea-

her role as a wife and mother of five

nor is survived by a daughter, Kathryn

children who greatly benefited from

D. Knudsen ’72 and her husband Ralph

her love and support throughout their

of Mechanicsburg, PA; a son Roger E.

lives. As her children grew, Mrs. Fantone

Claff ’74 and his wife Ellen of Hern-

joined her husband at Polaroid where

don, VA; grandchildren Levi and Kevin

she worked as an administrative assistant

Wolfe, Meghan Bruce and Daniel Claff;

until she retired in 1988.

and six great-grandchildren. She was the

In her retirement, she remained active

wife of the late Chester E. Claff Jr. ’45 for almost 60 years and sister of the late Harold T. Davis Jr ’41.

in her support of her children and grandchildren. She was known for her quick wit, astute mind, and passion for current affairs and politics that fueled lively discussions and debates with her

58

her family in Rye, NH. Mrs. Fantone

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

11 grandchildren and their spouses; and three great-grandchildren.

1948 Alan C. F. Leggett ’48 P ’85, ’88 GP ’18, ’20

Alan, 88 years of age, passed away on January 14, 2019, after a brief illness. He was the beloved son of the late Robert Leggett and Constance (Stoner) Leggett of Braintree. After completing his undergraduate degree at Amherst College, Alan joined the Army near the conclusion of the Korean Conflict

serving in the United States Army for

survived by one great-grand daugh-

later received his Master’s in Business

two years, Dick married his wife Cynthia

ter, Olivia Cerrato; her loving brother

Administration from Boston University.

in 1958, and they went on to have three

Thomas Healy and his wife Gloria of

Alan worked briefly as an accountant

children. Richard worked his entire

Palm Desert, CA; and her stepchildren

for Price Waterhouse before beginning a

career managing hotels and country

Jack Jr. Cavagnaro, Julie Nauroth, Jim

20-year career with Fidelity Investments.

clubs in Southern Pines (Mid Pines), on

Cavagnaro, Tricia Cavagnaro, and their

He spent his entire tenure at Fidelity’s

Nantucket Island (the White Elephant

families. Born in Boston, the daughter

original Devonshire Street office and left

and Harbor House) and on Cape Cod

of the late Harold and Helen (Melley)

the organization as a Vice President in

(Eastward Ho Country Club). Richard

Healy, Patricia was also a graduate of

the Management & Research division

had a huge influence on the many people

Colby Junior College, and Boston Uni-

(FMR Company). He later earned a

he managed and worked with over the

versity with a Bachelor of Science in Art

degree from the New England School of

years, who affectionately referred to him

Education in 1955. Mrs. Cavagnaro was

Photography. He was an international

as "Mr. D."

a dedicated Art Teacher for over thirty

traveler and avid birder. Several of his photographs graced local wildlife magazines. In his last job, he served as Executive Director of the Plymouth County Wildlands Trust (now the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts) in Duxbury. Those close to him remember Alan as a kind, generous, and supportive father and friend. He is survived by a daughter, Stephanie (Leggett)

Dick retired in 2001 and enjoyed golfing, playing duplicate bridge and going to the health club. Dick is survived by his two sons Rick Davenport (Julia Monteiro) of Brockton, Massachusetts, Blake Davenport (Carolyn), of Brewster, MA, and his daughter Virginia Rigsbee (Kenneth) of Raleigh, NC. He leaves behind four grandchildren.

Rando ’88 P ’18, ’20 of Holbrook; a son, Glenn Leggett ’85 of Cambridge; a sister, Lois (Leggett) Hatch ’45, of Dorset, VT; a son-in-law, Marc Rando P ’18, ’20; a daughter-in-law, Karen Jersild; and three granddaughters, Sam ’18 and Eva ’20 Rando and Claire Leggett.

1949

Dick, 87, of Brewster, MA, passed this life on February 1, 2019 after a long illness.

Dick was born in Braintree in 1931 and attended Thayer Academy.

He eventually attended Dartmouth University in 1953 and transferred to Cornell University where he graduated with a B.S with distinction in Hotel Management in 1954. After proudly

years in the Town of Milton at the Pierce Middle School, retiring in 1997. Patricia was a Member and Past President of the Milton Art Association and Member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Following retirement, she lived in Hilton Head where she continued her lifelong passion as an artist and enjoyed reading, golf, and bridge. Upon returning to Massachusetts, she was an active Member of the Natick Senior Center.

1950 Patricia Healy Cavagnaro ’50 Patricia, of Natick, and formerly of Hilton Head, SC, and Milton, MA, passed peacefully surrounded by her family, August

Richard "Dick" W. Davenport ’49

IN MEMORIAM: 1940s-1950s

and served two years stateside. He

24, 2018, at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Beloved wife of the late John "Jack" Cavagnaro. Loving mother of her three children: Timothy Britain and his wife Jane of Hopkinton NH; Claire Cerrato and her husband William of Natick; and David Britain of Sammamish, WA. Loving grandmother of seven grandchildren: Lara Miller and her husband Derek; Conor Britain and his wife Katie; Meaghan Britain; Colleen Britain; Brett Cerrato and his wife Victoria; Sam Cerrato and his fiance Brittany; and Allison Britain. She is also

Douglas Barry Smith ’50 Douglas, 86, of Kingston, passed away peacefully at his home on January 4, 2019.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Sandra Smith; and by daughters Dr. Sherree (Keith) Smith Williams and Sara (Joel) Ferguson, all of Plymouth. He was the beloved PopPop to Douglas Williams and Alexis and Avery Ferguson. He is also survived by his brother, Wayne D. Smith; uncle, Ralph Bears; nieces and nephews; and many cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, Douglas E. and Inez Bears Smith; and a sister, Janet Hansen. He was born October 9, 1932, in Boston.

Douglas Barry was an avid reader, cook, baker, and Sudoku puzzle enthusiast. He was a Red Sox and Patriots fan. Douglas

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

59

IN MEMORIAM: 1940s

and Sandra enjoyed traveling. They went

Maazel, and Christoph von Dohnanyi

J. and Celia (Sheehan) O’Donnell. He

on five cruises, including one to Alaska

and participated in more than 200 re-

was a graduate of Thayer Academy, and

and one to Hawaii. They, along with

cordings. The orchestra toured frequently

attended the University of Miami and

their two daughters, traveled across the

in the United States, as well as in Europe,

Boston University. Daniel was a U.S. Air

country two times. He was a graduate

South America, Australia, New Zealand,

Force Veteran of the Korean War, serving

of Thayer Academy and Northeastern

Japan, and Korea. The powerful, lyric,

from 1951 to 1955. He was a district

University. He served for four years in

and rich sound of Ed’s bass trombone

sales manager and plumbing and heating

the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Kimberly

has been recognized world-wide. In

manufacturing sales representative. He

and served during the time of the Korean

1985, Anderson joined the faculty of

worked for Crest-Good Manufacturing

War conflict.

the Indiana University Jacobs School

Company, Inc., Hat Creek, and Sterling

of Music as Professor of Trombone.

Brass. Daniel was a devoted husband,

Maintaining his performance excellence

loving father of 4 daughters, and a

during his IU years, he performed with

doting grandfather of 5. He was an avid

the Chicago Symphony, New York

fisherman, a reader of historical books,

Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and

and a fanatical sports fan. He had been

Cincinnati Symphony, among others. He

a resident of North Reading for the past

also recorded with the Boston Symphony

56 years and a member of St. Theresa’s

and the New York Philharmonic. He

Church. He was the beloved husband

presented the world premiere of a bass

of 58 years to Joan T. (Keefe) O’Don-

trombone concerto written for him by

nell. He was the loving father of Coleen

his son, David Anderson, at IU in 1996.

Robbie and her husband Richard; Kerin

Ed is predeceased by his parents, Edwin

Surner and her husband Brad; Tara

D. Anderson Sr. and Dorris Wardwell

O’Donnell and her husband Roger

of Camden, ME; and his brother Eric

Donoghue; and Shannon Becker and her

Anderson. Virginia Morrison Anderson,

husband Al. He is also survived by his

Edwin’s wife of 60 years, passed away a

brother, Jack O’Donnell and 5 cherished

few weeks after her beloved husband, a

grandchildren: Caitlin '08, Richard

testament to their devotion to each other.

'11 and Nicholas Robbie, and Cecilia

They are survived by their son, David

"CeCe" and Nicole "Coley" Becker.

1951 Edwin D. Anderson Jr. ’51 Edwin, 85, passed away on October 2, 2018, in Bloomington, IN. Born on July 14, 1933, Ed was raised in Hingham, MA. He will be remembered for his long and successful career as a bass trombonist, his devotion to his family, his merry sense of humor, and his quiet and modest demeanor that belied a musician of international stature. After graduating from Thayer Academy, Edwin entered the New England Conservatory, where he studied with John Coffey, bass trombonist in the Boston Symphony. Anderson later spent four years in the West Point Band.

Upon leaving West Point, he attended the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with the eminent Emory Remington. While at Eastman, he

composer and principal bassist in the Louisiana Philharmonic; and daughter, Lauren Anderson Sellers, who is a graphic designer in Stamping Ground, KY. They are also survived by son-in-law Ron Sellers, daughter-in-law Catherine Reeves Anderson, and four grandchildren.

auditioned for Josef Krips, conductor of

Daniel L. O’Donnell ’51

the Buffalo Philharmonic, and won the

Daniel, 85, of North

bass trombone position in that orchestra.

Reading and formerly of

In 1964, Anderson auditioned success-

South Weymouth, died

fully for George Szell, winning the bass

October 10, 2018, at the

trombone position in the Cleveland

Melrose-Wakefield Hospital.

Orchestra. During Anderson’s 21-year

Born in Weymouth, MA, on January 1,

tenure in Cleveland, he performed under

1933, he was the son of the late John

musical directors George Szell, Lorin

60

Wardwell Hackley Anderson, who is a

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

1952 Beverly Lawson Watts ’52 Beverly, 84, of Chatham, passed away on October 21, 2018. Beloved wife of Dave Watts and devoted mother to three sons. Bev grew up in Braintree, MA, and attended Thayer Academy and Connecticut College for Women, where she studied psychology. She met her future husband Dave while working

Desperately interested in nursing, her

Alexander Oakford, Abigail Oakford,

riage, she and Dave settled in Westwood,

mother, Margaret Perkins McGregor, and

Eric Pacelli and Kevin Pacelli; and one

MA, to raise their three sons. There, she

father, Alexander McGregor, eventually

great grandson, Malcolm Oakford.

sang with the Dedham Choral group,

allowed her to attend Mary Hitchcock

volunteered at Norwood Hospital and

Hospital in Hanover, NH, because it was

the Islington Nursery School, and was an

located next to Dartmouth College and

active member of the St. John’s Church

they had heard that nurses occasionally

community. Bev and Dave’s retirement

married Dartmouth students. She did

years were split between St. Croix and

meet and marry a Dartmouth student,

John F. Sheehy ’54

Chatham. She loved the beaches and fine

Wendell Murray Smith, of Maplewood,

John, 82, of Wells, ME,

dining of both St. Croix and Chatham.

NJ, which resulted in a glorious 62-year

passed away on August

In Chatham, Bev was an active parish-

marriage, and they produced a dynamic

27, 2018, at his home

ioner of St. Christopher’s Church and

family of 5 daughters: Karen Wilson of

surrounded by family.

member of the Chatham Beach and

Proctorsville, VT.; Wendy Berge of Nor-

1954

John was born in Boston,

Tennis Club. While on the Cape, she

walk CT.; Kimberley Quirk of Enfield,

MA, on May 1, 1936, and raised in

volunteered at the Review Board of DSS

NH; Kathryn Oakford of Charleston,

Randolph, MA, before moving to Wells

Cape Cod. Bev loved socializing with

SC; and Jennifer Pacelli of Trumbull,

in 1965. John had a vibrant childhood

her family and friends, playing bridge,

CT. They spent the next 30 years in the

where he discovered his love for sports

singing, playing tennis at the Club, fine

vibrant world of Bridgeport, Stamford,

and outdoor activities including fishing,

dining, and her scotch (no water!). She

and Rowayton, CT, as well as many won-

hunting, and eventually riding his mo-

also enjoyed her solitary time listening

derful years in Bermuda. Paddle tennis

torcycle. From a young age, John enjoyed

to classical music, doing sudoku and

at the Stamford Yacht Club was one of

playing the piano and expressed his love

crossword puzzles, and reading James

Ginger’s interests, and she went on to

of music throughout his life, especially

Patterson novels. Bev is survived by her

win club and city championships. She

playing Irish tunes. He served as an altar

husband of 62 years, Dave Watts of

also enjoyed golf, especially at the Mid

boy at his Catholic church during his

Chatham; her sons, Brad and his wife

Ocean Club in Bermuda. Ginger’s bright

childhood years. John graduated from

Regina Watts of Wellesley; Pete and his

spirit, and her interest in children, music,

Thayer Academy in 1954 where he was

wife Kathy Watts of Chatham; and Geoff

sports and her church provided the per-

an outstanding football player. John

and his partner Amy Moran of Wellesley.

fect background for raising 5 daughters.

then attended Norwich University. He

Also, six grandchildren: Matt, Billy, Eliz-

She played piano with the "Fat Finger

found his love for Maine while spending

abeth, Daniel, Ashely, and Angela.

Five" dixieland band and sang as a tenor

his childhood summers with his family

in the church choir at the First United

at their beach house in Wells. As luck

Methodist Church in Stamford. She was

would have it, in 1960 while working as

most recently an active member and

a lifeguard on Wells Beach, he met his

a Deacon of the First Congregational

soon-to-be wife, Marianne. After they

Church in Lebanon, NH. Ginger was

wed and moved to Wells, John made

pre-deceased by three sisters: Jane, Jean,

his career in road construction, building

and Diane Selby ’50. She is survived by

roads throughout New England, as well

her husband, Wendell Smith; her five

as in carpentry and also deep sea fishing

daughters and their husbands, Karen and

on the "Cap’t Jim" out of Kennebunk-

Jared Wilson, Wendy and Jim Berge,

port. In 1978, John purchased a tract of

Kim Quirk and Dick DuMez, Kathy

land in Wells and began his life’s work of

and Bill Oakford, and Jennifer and Rick

building and making what is affection-

Pacelli; 10 grandchildren, Courtney

ately known as the Sheehy Compound.

Wilson, Alison Berge, James Berge, Anna

Other than his family, the Compound

Berge, Lincoln Quirk, Morgan Quirk,

became his pride and joy, and his family

1953 Margaret "Ginger" McGregor Smith ’53 Ginger, born November 22, 1935, in Brockton, MA, died March 8, 2018, quietly in her home at the Woodlands in Lebanon, NH. Ginger was raised in Brockton and attended Brockton schools and later Thayer Academy.

IN MEMORIAM: 1940s-1950s

summers on Nantucket. Soon after mar-

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

61

IN MEMORIAM: 1950s-2000s

enjoyed all seasons of the year relaxing,

Jacquelyn Dimond Connerty, the love

and Matthew Connerty; Perry, Brooke,

playing, and living life to its fullest. You

of his life, in 1961. Jack had a long and

and Graham Burdon; Aiden, Nolan, and

can still find his grandchildren running

successful career as a pharmaceutical sales

Michael Connerty; and Madeleine Gee;

around the Compound, riding ATVs

executive in the Philadelphia area. His

and many nieces and nephews, cousins

and dirt bikes on the paths or making

mentorship to colleagues was appreciated

and friends.

secret forts in the woods. Throughout

by both newcomers to the profession and

his life, John cherished family time,

his peers. Upon retirement in 1995, Jack

and you could always find him cooking

and Jackie returned to New England,

dinner, reading a book, or completing a

splitting time between Ogunquit,

crossword puzzle with a Coors in hand.

ME, and Jackson, NH. In Ogunquit,

John will be remembered as an Irish soul

Jack loved his power walks through

who was loyal and hardworking with a

town and along the Marginal Way. His

Marilyn Janice Hyatt Ramey ’56

kind and generous heart. John was prede-

impromptu chats with Ogunquit locals

Marilyn, 80, of Odessa,

ceased by his father, John F. Sheehy Sr.;

were a prized part of his daily routine.

MO, passed away on April

his mother, Janet L. Ashmore Sheehy; his

He was an active and proud member

23, 2017, at Bothwell

brother, Jeremiah J. Sheehy ’51; nephew

of the Ogunquit Residence Alliance

Regional Health Center

Jeremiah Sheehy '82 and his son, Sean

and was committed to the community.

in Sedalia, MO. Marilyn was born on

P. Sheehy. John is survived by his wife of

Jack was also a longtime member of the

February 22, 1937, in Columbus, MO,

54 years, Marianne Sheehy; his brother,

York Diversity Forum. Jack had many

to Henry Chapman and Mary Helen

Richard Sheehy ’57 of Plymouth, MA;

interests. An avid skier, Jack skied both

(Cantrell) Hyatt. Henry passed when

his three daughters, Janet Hennessey

cross-country and downhill and proudly

Marilyn was 4 years old, and she was

and Eileen Sheehy, both of Wells; and

realized a bucket-list goal of skiing free

raised by her mother and step-father, Ed-

Kerry Randolph of Virginia Beach;

at Bretton Woods upon turning 80. He

ward Tapio. She graduated from Thayer

and his daughter in-law, Caryn Perkins

loved languages, in particular French

Academy in Braintree, MA. She attend-

Sheehy, of Tampa, FL. He was a loving

and Spanish, and dance, specializing in

ed the University of Central Missouri

grandfather to his eight grandchildren:

Tap, Tango, and the Electric Slide. He

in Warrensburg. On June 5, 1960, she

Meaghan, Emily, Shain, Brianna, Haley,

was an intrepid traveler with a special

married Robert Ramey in Holden, MO.

Sean, Gavan, and Liam, through which

fondness for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,

Marilyn was a homemaker and helped

his legacy will live on.

and its people. He loved history, the

Bob with various jobs on the farm. She

Red Sox, and the New England Patriots.

attended First United Methodist Church

Jack’s greatest pleasures in life, though,

in Odessa. Marilyn and Bob faithfully

John "Jack" T. Connerty Jr. ’54

62

1956

were his family and the many friendships

attended the Big Creek Country Music

Jack passed away at his

developed and cultivated throughout

Show in Pleasant Hill. She was a Project

home in Ogunquit, ME,

his lifetime. He cared deeply for people,

Leader for 10 years for the Mighty-MO

surrounded by his family

always taking care to remember names

4-H Club and was a member of the

on December 3, 2018.

and soliciting details about people’s

UMW Ladies Aid for many years and

Jack treasured his 82 years of a life

lives. He was keenly interested in the

enjoyed helping with children’s vacation

marked by a positive outlook, intellec-

activities of his grandchildren, and his

Bible school. In addition to spending

tual curiosity, ready wit, and an interest

later years were filled with pride at their

time with her family and friends, Mar-

in others. Born in 1936 in Somerville,

accomplishments. Jack was cherished

ilyn enjoyed crocheting. She is survived

MA, to John Thomas and Mary Carey

by his wife of 57 years; children John

by her husband, Bob Ramey of Odessa,

Connerty, Jack was raised in Arlington,

(Jack) Thomas Connerty, III of Franklin,

MO; two children, Steven Ramey and

MA, until the family moved to North

MA, Allison Dimond Burdon (Peter) of

wife Lisa of Pleasant Hill, MO, and

Weymouth in 1948. He graduated from

Bedford, NH, and Brendan Christopher

Diane Nocks and husband Michael of

Weymouth High School and Thayer

Connerty (Anne) of Cos Cob, CT; his

Hartville, MO; four grandchildren,

Academy, earned his bachelor’s degree

siblings Denise Connerty Gee (Geof-

Kevin Nocks and wife Carissa of Hart-

in 1959 from the College of the Holy

frey), to whom he was a surrogate father,

ville, MO, Savanna Kaiser and husband

Cross, and received his law degree from

Elaine Connerty, and Richard Connerty

Andrew of Hartville, MO, Melissa Price

Suffolk University in 1966. He married

(Juanita); nine grandchildren: Brynne

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

of New Hampshire, Cindy spent many

Milton and Richard Chase of Chiang

and Alyssa Ramey of Pleasant Hill, MO;

years traveling abroad, living in Spain

Rai, Thailand. Andrew was cherished by

and six great grandchildren. Marilyn was

and settling in Panama. She was a

many nieces and nephews. Andrew was

preceded in death by her parents.

published novelist with books including

born in Brockton and was the young-

Banana Bay, Good As Gone, and Hubba

est of 11 children and son of Claire

Hubba. Cindy donated her time and

Chase and the late Edward L. Chase of

money to help many under privileged

Cohasset. A graduate of Thayer Academy,

children in Panama, including a school

the University of Vermont, and Babson

meal program which she started, funded,

College, Andrew started his career in

and maintained for many years. She

Santa Barbara and Silicon Valley before

is survived by her loving and devoted

returning to Massachusetts, to join the

husband of 35 years, Paul Cody; sadly

family business, Chase Corporation. In

Daniel, 74, of Marblehead,

missed by her siblings, Janet Ellis ’72,

2003 he became the President and CEO

died November 18, 2018, at

Jay, Mark Ellis, and Vicky Ellis Morgan

of Sunburst EMS with locations in West

Brigham and Women’s Hos-

’77; and by several nieces, nephews, and

Bridgewater and Melbourne, FL. Andrew

pital in Boston after a brief

lifelong friends. Cindy was predeceased

gave generously to his community. He

by her parents, Gloria and Harry Ellis.

served as both a member of the Board

1961 Daniel J. Cedrone Jr. ’61

illness. He was surrounded by family and friends throughout his hospitalization.

Dan was employed as a consultant for Corbus, an aerospace company based out of Ohio. He also had his own consulting firm based out of Lynn. Prior to that, he

of Directors and treasurer of Duxbury

1981

Youth Basketball. He coached the girls’ teams for many years and was instrumental in establishing a scholarship fund for graduating high school seniors. He also

for thirty years where he loved working

Andrew Chase ’81 P ’11, ’21

and was well respected by his peers. Dan

Andrew Chase, 55 years old,

Rural and Historical Society. Andrew

also started Marblehead Memorials, a

of Marshfield, formerly of

and his daughters held many fundrais-

monument business that his son, Daniel,

Duxbury, Santa Barbara,

ing events for Horizons for Homeless

now operates. Dan was the husband of

CA, Cohasset, Scituate,

Children. He was a member of the

was at the General Electric Company

served as both a member of the Board of Directors and treasurer of the Duxbury

Cynthia (Lord) Cedrone. In addition he

and Brockton, passed away peacefully

Duxbury Yacht Club. Easygoing, warm,

leaves his son, Daniel J. Cedrone III and

at his home in Marshfield on January

and friendly, Andrew will be forever

his wife Megan of Marblehead and their

17, 2019, in the loving arms of his wife

remembered for his infectious laugh, love

two children, DJ and Thomas; and his

and family, after a hard-fought and

of music, and pink shirts.

daughter, Carolyn Cedrone of Salem. He

courageous battle with Glioblastoma.

also leaves a cousin, Andrew Santella and

His generosity, thoughtfulness, and love

his wife Renee of Marblehead, and many

for his family will be greatly missed by

loving family members and friends who

his wife Jacqueline (Zargani) Chase;

adored him.

daughters Caitlin ’11, Julia, and Ava ’21

Cindy Ellis Cody ’69

2003

from MA; his siblings, Peter (Kathleen)

Elizabeth Tuominen ’03

Chase of Bridgewater, Mark (Laura)

Elizabeth A. "Liz" Tuomin-

Chase of Cohasset, Janet (Don) Gibson

en, 33, a lifelong resident of

of Marshfield, Stephen (Stephanie)

Easton, passed away sudden-

Chase; and stepson, Ayrton Zargani, all

1969

Chase of Scituate, Mary Claire Chase

ly on Friday, July 27, 2018,

Cindy, 59, passed peacefully

of Boston, Jean Chase of Hobe Sound,

at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Born in

after a courageous battle

FL, Sarah Chase of Scituate, Caroline

Stoughton, the loving daughter of James

with cancer on June 17,

Chase Condon (Bill) of Scituate; and

M. and Gail (Ducharme) Tuominen of

2011. Originally from Sci-

sister-in-law, Seana Kelley ’80 P ’07,

Easton, she was raised in Easton and

tuate, MA, and a graduate

’09 of Milton. He was predeceased by

was a 2003 graduate of Thayer Acade-

his brothers, Christopher Chase ’79 of

my. Elizabeth continued her education

of Thayer Academy and the University

IN MEMORIAM: 1940s-1950s

and husband Devin of Seymour, MO,

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

63

IN MEMORIAM: 2000s

at Boston College, earning a bachelor’s

At Thayer Academy, Nate starred on the

literature, and psychology for hours on

degree in Psychology. Elizabeth was em-

football team as a tight end/defensive end

end. He was a deep thinker with a pro-

ployed in the financial services division at

and on the baseball team as a lefty pitch-

found understanding of human nature,

Babson College in Wellesley for the past

er. He is remembered at Thayer as a role

relationships, and religion.

4 years and was furthering her education

model for his teammates, having won the

to receive an MBA in Organizational

Stadfeld Award in football, given to the

Management at Babson College. Liz also

player who "warmed his hands before the

had a leadership role in the Babson As-

fire of life." He also served as the team

sociation of Women MBAs. An avid Red

captain of the baseball and football teams

Sox and New England Patriots fan, she

at Thayer. Nate continued his pitching

enjoyed reading and was a skilled horse-

career at Colby College, where he won

back rider. Liz loved animals, especially

the Rookie of the Year Award, and on the

her dog Pedey. In addition to her parents,

Braintree Legion baseball team.

she is survived by a sister, Jennifer Caristi

Following graduation from Colby, Nate

and her husband D.J. of Scituate; a

shared his knowledge as a high school

nephew, Ben Caristi of Scituate; and

football coach at the Dexter School. He

several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

also worked as a youth camp counselor and later in sales, where he used his signature charisma and genuine care to

2009

connect to customers and co-workers.

Nate loved to learn and was passionate about philosophy, poetry, and writing,

Nathanael "Nate" Sugarbaker ’09 Nate, 28, formerly of Milton, MA, and most recently of Bellaire, TX, tragically passed away on November 23, 2018. Born in Boston, MA, on September 9, 1990, the fifth of six siblings, Nate was the son of Linda Sugarbaker and the late Dr. David J. Sugarbaker. Nate was a loving son, brother, and friend whose love for life and positive outlook were inspiring to all who knew him. He was a student at the Dexter School and Thayer Academy, and went on to graduate from Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Nate was an avid athlete from a young age and participated in Milton youth baseball and Milton Mustang football. He also took part in athletics at the Dexter School, where he was the team captain of the Mohawks. Outside of organized athletics, Nate loved to play tennis and wiffle ball with his brothers and friends and pitched a "sick" curveball.

64

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / /Spring 2019

and he was extremely gifted in those areas. When not playing sports or spending time with friends, family, or the family dogs, Nate could be found deep in the texts of his favorite writers, including Emerson, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Shakespeare. A true artist, Nate loved writing poetry and songs, playing guitar, or taking beautiful photographs of nature. Still, his favorite activity might have been jamming out with friends to classic rock and other jam bands - most notably, the Grateful Dead.

Every morning and after a long run, Nate could be found sitting on the front porch drinking a hot cup of coffee, reading an inspiring word for the day, and always ready for a meaningful conversation. He was also full of jokes, had a witty sense of humor and the best belly laughs. His magnetic energy, loving personality, and unique style attracted friends and family to him, and it was impossible to leave one’s interactions with Nate without greater understanding. In more recent years, Nate’s faith was a deep source of comfort and strength for him. He attended services at Lakewood Church and Crosspoint Church in Houston, TX, where he loved the live music. One of his favorite songs was "What a Beautiful Name" by Hillsong Worship, and one of his favorite verses was Isaiah 50:4: "He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen as one being taught."

Nate was the beloved son of Linda Sugarbaker P '06, '09 of Bellaire, TX, and the late Dr. David J. Sugarbaker; brother to Dr. Rena Sugarbaker and her husband Dr. Adam Gess, with their children Annika, Geneva, and Grace of Maple Grove, MN; Dr. David Sugarbaker and his wife Julie Sugarbaker with their son David Sugarbaker of Medford, MA;

To his siblings, he was a pure joy and

Debbie Sugarbaker of Houston, TX; Pe-

always had time for a big bear hug. There

ter Sugarbaker ’06 of Erie, PA; and Evert

was never anything more important

Sugarbaker, a student at Baylor Universi-

to Nate than loving the people around

ty in Waco, TX. Nate is also survived by

him. He was the heart of the family and

many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

through his essence he taught everyone how to live with more sensitivity, creativity, kindness, and empathy. He also always gave others the benefit of the doubt, as he often would say, "You know, I think they are doing their best."

Nate was known to have long conversations with his brothers on philosophy,

BILL ROBERTSON ’56

MAKES BEQUEST TO THAYER

By Anton Wishik from Pentera

“As a financial aid student, I feel a special responsibility to pay forward the advantages given to me,” says Bill Robertson ’56, a retired computer systems expert who is donating a portion of his estate to Thayer.

Bill grew up just four miles from campus, in the city of Quincy.

Nobody in his family had attended college, and Bill did not expect to attend a prep school such as Thayer. But he heard about financial aid opportunities from a faculty member who attended his church, and he applied for and received a three-year, fulltuition package for students interested in math and science that was funded by the Raytheon Company, the defense contractor based in Waltham.

“I was excited but also a little frightened,” Bill recalls. “I had to work pretty hard—much harder than in public schools where I never had to study much.”

Bill did well enough at Thayer to receive a full scholarship from a top academic institution: Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.

“Thayer really prepared me very well for college,” Bill says, “especially mathematics with Maurice Seymour (who taught at Thayer for more than 30 years) and English with Louise Saul (head of the English department from 1955-66); she did an excellent job of preparing us for the SAT.”

THE

He graduated from Hobart in 1960 with a double major in math and English, calling the combination “left brain/right brain stuff but the combination of logic and language served me well.”

After two years in the Army, he joined an insurance company in Atlanta and spent his entire career in IT there; he retired in 1998 and two years later moved to Lake County, Florida, where he spends a lot of time kayaking.

“A percentage of my estate will be added to the Class of ’56 endowment fund for Thayer,” Bill says. “I know annual giving is important, and I do that regularly. But it really feels great to give to an endowment that I know will be benefiting students a hundred years from now.”

He also strongly supports the strategy of giving from one’s IRA—and has been making annual IRA charitable rollover gifts to build a scholarship endowment fund at Hobart. Because the gift goes straight to the charitable recipient, the donor’s taxable income is reduced.

“IRA charitable rollovers are a tremendous but underused strategy well beyond the most obvious benefit to those who no longer itemize their deductions,” he says.

SOUTHWORTH SOCIETY

P L A N N E D

GI VI NG

AT

T H AY E R

ACA DEMY

We invite you to consider planned giving as a means to supporting Thayer while creating a personal and meaningful legacy.

Planned gifts can often provide valuable tax benefits and, in some cases, income for life to the donor. Whether you use cash or other assets, such as real estate, artwork, or stock, the benefits of funding a planned gift can be significant. By including Thayer in your estate plans, you can help strengthen Thayer while preserving your existing assets. Individuals who make a planned gift to Thayer are welcomed as members of The Southworth Society. Planned gifts can be tailored to the unique circumstances of each donor, and some typical options include bequests, charitable trusts, annuities, or a life insurance policy with Thayer as the beneficiary.

To find out more about how you can benefit from including a planned gift to Thayer in your financial planning, contact Melissa Tuthill Forger ’92 P ’25, Director of Development at 781.664.2501 or mforger@thayer.org or Rachael Rouvales Vassalotti ’79 P ’07, ’11, ’12, Associate Director of Development at 781.664.2504 or rvassalotti@thayer.org.

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

65

4s & 9s! It’s your Reunion!

Paulina Vo ’17

MAY

3-4

2019

Thayer 2 19

For more information please visit:

www.thayer.org/reunion

FRIDAY & SATURDAY - MAY 3-4, 2019

Thayer hockey has found a home. Help us build it.

The South Athletic Campus will house the Thayer Sports Center, which will include one full sheet of ice, a half sheet of ice, an indoor multi-sport playing field that will convert to four tennis courts in the spring, a 3,000 sq. ft. viewing room, Varsity and JV locker rooms, a conditioning room, a trainer office and coaches offices. The complex is over 86,000 sq. ft. Also located on the South Athletic Campus will be four new outdoor tennis courts and the existing outdoor turf field.

We invite you to help us meet the challenge offered by Van Whisnand ’62. Van has pledged to match up to $500,000 of the $1,000,000 needed to name the rink in honor of Thayer Coach, Mentor, and Athletic Director Arthur T. Valicenti ’51 P ’75, ’75, ’77 GP ’10, ’14 and provide support for the $2M that Thayer is allocating to ensure that the Thayer Sports Center meets fully the needs of our hockey programs.

These are exciting times for Thayer. Help us honor a man who made Thayer Athletics his life’s work! Visit www.thayer.org/valicenti to give online!

Second Floor Viewing Area

(overlooking Valicenti Rink)

SCAN THIS QR CODE OR VISIT

www.thayer.org/valicenti

FOR A SHORT OVERVIEW VIDEO OF THE CURRENT CONSTRUCTION

OF THE THAYER SPORTS CENTER

Arthur T. Valicenti ’51 P ’75, ’75, ’77 GP ’10, ’14 & Van Whisnand ’62 (at the Thayer Sports Center construction site)

Thayer 745 Washington Street | Braintree, MA 02184

MAGAZINE

Winter / Spring 2019

Would you prefer to read Thayer Magazine only online? Contact us at magazine@thayer.org and we will remove you from the magazine mailing list. You will receive an email when the next issue comes out with a link to the magazine.

Follow us online!  www.thayer.org  facebook.com/thayer.academy  @thayeracademy

@thayeracademy THE MISSION OF THAYER ACADEMY IS TO INSPIRE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS TO MORAL, INTELLECTUAL, AESTHETIC, AND PHYSICAL EXCELLENCE SO THAT

look for this icon 4

inside the magazine for related content online

Thayer Magazine /// Winter / Spring 2019

EACH MAY RISE TO HONORABLE ACHIEVEMENT AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMON GOOD.

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID BROCKTON, MA PERMIT NO. 653