Opposite page, top left: Marion Gengler Melton ’80, Nancy Gengler-Saint ’74, Bill Goss, Louise Gengler Thomas ’71 and Marjory Gengler Smith ’69; this page, above left: members of the Class of 1966 enjoying scrapbooks together; above center: Class of 2011 attendees with Head of School Aimeclaire Roche; above right: Laura Minton Sinacori ’96 with her husband Daniel and son John
tennis competition was fierce (and the demands in the classroom were challenging), he always added fun to our team trips and provided a shoulder to cry on when needed.” Margie joined about a dozen of her classmates for her alumni dinner, friends she had not seen for over 45 years. “I was amazed how all of us reconnected immediately. We had so much fun reminiscing and each memory triggered others. I will definitely be back for future reunions and look forward to keeping in touch with my class.” For Louise it was her 45th reunion. “We had a wonderful group to celebrate with, including my first roommate, Kathryn Beaumont ’71. Living on the East Coast and with a busy life, I had never made it back to a reunion. This was my first! It was wonderful.” Additionally at the awards event, the Michael W. Teitelman Leadership Award was bestowed on recently retired administrator and science teacher, Bill Goss. The award honors a visionary leader who has been transformative in shaping the minds, hearts and spirit of the Bishop’s community. “I feel honored and humbled receiving this award,” Bill says about the accolade. “Given the people who have gotten it in the past, I feel that I have stepped onto hallowed ground.” Bill, whose time at Bishop’s spanned 27 years, says that there were a number of people who were instrumental in his success. “But I guess I would have to say that Mike Teitelman, as the first person to take a chance on me when he hired me as science department chair and later as dean of students, was most
influential in my career at Bishop’s.” A poignant aspect of the evening was that Chelsea Smith-Carmichael ’07, one of Bill’s former students, came specifically to see him and to thank him for influencing her to become a chemical engineer. “She was married one week before the EBS Celebration, and she chose to come to the event which meant a lot to me,” says Bill. “Also having my niece, Jazmin Decosmo, a 2011 graduate of Bishop’s, at my table, was special.” Though he has retired from Bishop’s, Bill is not sailing off into the sunset! Parallel to his career as a teacher he has been involved in ballroom dancing for many years. Now with his retirement, Bill and his wife Carol are moving to Arizona to pursue their mutual passion, teaching ballroom dancing together. The couple plans to return to San Diego and visit Bishop’s often, says Bill. “We have lots of connections here both within and outside the School. I hope it will remain a part of my life in the years to come,” he adds. Over the decades, while much has changed at Bishop’s, a fundamental aspect remains. “So much is the same in the way you can feel the emphasis on academic pursuits with the impressive successes of the students,” Louise comments. The heart of it remains the same, she says. Matt Copland, current Bishop’s tennis coach, attended the EBS Celebration. He was moved seeing the videos of the honorees and reflected that the Bishop’s he knows now—and the students he works with today—feels like it has the same heart, that students are having the same experience that
alumni had 30 or 40 years ago. For the five Gengler sisters life at Bishop’s meant boarding and along with the transition to a day school, other changes have occurred since they graduated. “While many traditions remain, others that meant a great deal to us like ‘T day’ and the ‘willing’ of items and attributes from seniors to the younger classes, no longer exist,” says Margie. “We brought with us our precious doll Eloise who each of us willed to the next sister. While accepting our Bishop’s Medals we willed her to the Alumni Association, returning her home to Bishop’s where she belongs.”
Above: The Class of 1996 kicked off their 20-year reunion on campus. Below: EBS Celebration