Cyrus Winter 2024 (Issue 15)

Cyrus

a magazine for alumni and friends of The Blake School

Block Star

Adam Ward ʼ00 builds a career on Lego

Small Wonders

Tour the Early Learning Center

Herds & Tails

Cyrus

a magazine for alumni and friends of The Blake School

Editor

Kristin Stouffer

Managing Editor

Tracy Grimm

Graphic Designer

Cate Hubbard

Thanks to the many Blake community members who have contributed to this publication.

Mission

Blake engages students with a dynamic, academically challenging education in a diverse and supportive community committed to pluralism and a common set of values. Students pursue an integrated program of academic, artistic and athletic activities, preparing for college, lifelong learning and purposeful lives as community and global citizens.

Core Values

Respect

Love of Learning

Integrity

Courage

Commitment to Pluralism

A vibrant learning environment springs from a diverse school community. For this reason, Blake seeks and values students, families and employees with a wide range of backgrounds, identities and life experiences. Individually and collectively, we strive for understanding across differences in an inclusive environment where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.

Why Cyrus?

Cyrus Northrop played a formative role in one of Blake's founding institutions. In 1915, Northrop Collegiate School was named in his honor to recognize Dr. Northrop's achievements as a nationally regarded educator and as president of the University of Minnesota. His legacy of educational excellence continues at Blake today.

cyrus@blakeschool.org

Child’s Work

So often we’re encouraged to let go of “childish” things as we get older. Adulthood is a time to be focused, to be serious, to work and to play only once we’ve “earned it.”

Rather than abandoning the things that bring us joy in our early lives, two of our feature stories show the rewards of holding on to them. In our cover story, Adam Ward ʼ00 talks about how a favorite toy inspired a life—and a living. In our Q&A, Katherine Dunn ʼ76 shares why she surrounds herself with a magical menagerie of animals, large and small.

But growing up is also about determining what no longer serves us. Iris Hu ’27 closes out this issue with an eloquent essay about what they chose to leave behind.

Our new Early Learning Center is a place that celebrates all things childlike and playful. In Photos offers a look at spaces designed to foster community and spark curiosity. (I’m happy to report that I’ve already taken a few trips down the big slide.)

Cyrus is getting older too! This is our 15th issue of the magazine under the current masthead. We’re always interested in hearing what you’d like to see in these pages, so please drop us a line with ideas or comments.

Anne E. Stavney, Ph.D. Head of School

Photo: Tamika Garscia

Electric Youth

Explore the new Early Learning Center— designed for Blake’s youngest learners in Pre-K through first grade.

Q&A

Beyond the Barn

Katherine Dunn ʼ76 cares for animals who inspire her art, stories and relationships.

IN BRIEF

COMMUNITY

STATE FLAG RAISES INTEREST

When Minnesota residents began submitting designs for a new state flag and seal, Blake teachers and students started paying close attention to the process. Molly Hales' fourth graders spent several days discussing the current flag and seal and returned regularly to see where the State Emblems Redesign Commission was at with their decision. Upper Elementary art teacher Jackie Quinn introduced the redesign to her students, weaving it into a discussion about Indigenous Peoples' Day and encouraging them to create their own designs for display outside the art room. And Middle School art teacher Seexeng Lee was excited to learn of the redesign campaign and submitted a design for a flag and a seal.

SERVICE

BYE BYE BUCKTHORN

Using all their strength, third graders worked alongside five DNR foresters to pull buckthorn from Blake's forest. Two areas on campus have been marked for data collection over several years to measure the impact of their work.

ARTS HIGHLIGHT DUSK DAWNS

When the editors of Dusk embarked on publishing their first Middle School literary arts magazine, two discoveries caught them by surprise: how long it takes to find a theme and how many submissions they would receive. The four student editors—Hazel Alexander ʼ27, Chloe Kern ʼ27,

significant consideration to the publication’s title and theme. “At the start we would find narrower topics, and then we went broader so we could find artwork and pieces that could fit the theme,” Ferguson says. Ultimately, the group chose “darkness” and then went about soliciting submissions from their peers, speaking at an assembly and encouraging the community to share their work.

“I really didn’t think we’d get that many submissions because we’ve never done this before,” Alexander says. “We got so many. It was disappointing that we couldn’t use them all.” With the hard work of the selection process behind them, the production came together quickly. “One thing that surprised me was the amount of work we could get done with such a small team,” Kern says. “And also it was really fun to give a published presence to a lot of the voices in this community.” Find the first edition of Dusk at blake.mn/dusk and look for the second edition of the Middle School literary arts magazine this spring.

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHT ARTS HIGHLIGHT COMMITMENT TO PLURALISM COMMUNITY FACES ON CAMPUS SERVICE

Madelyn Ferguson ʼ29 and Ada Friedman ʼ29—gave

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHT MARINE SCIENCE STUDENTS SEA POSSIBILITIES

Students in the Marine Science: Oceanography and Exploration class turned plastic into works of art as part of a semester-long project. Their assignment was to create a sculpture of an oceanic exploration vessel made entirely of single-use plastics found in their homes. Working in groups, the students created three sculptures—one each representing the upper, deep and open ocean zones—to bring awareness to the overuse of single-use plastics and how we can better serve our oceans and their ecosystems by reducing plastic use.

COMMUNITY ADULT LEARN-TO-SWIM PROGRAM AIMS FOR SAFETY—AND JOY— IN WATER

Cheers rang out from the deep end of Blake’s swimming pool one spring Saturday afternoon. At only her second lesson, a new swimmer had just swum the entire length of the pool, and her instructors didn’t hold back their enthusiasm. “Watch, next year you’ll be back here volunteering,” one of the teaching assistants told her. The volunteer knew from experience; she, too, had been a beginning swimmer just a year ago and was now helping others to be safer in and around water. The scene played out exactly

WORKSHOP PARTNERS BLAKE STUDENTS AND UKRAINIAN TEENS

Ukrainian teenagers visiting Minnesota as part of a fiveweek leadership program participated in a workshop hosted by Blake in partnership with the National Youth Leadership Council. The 30 guests joined 15 Upper School students for the workshop, which aims to strengthen civic engagement through an exchange of culture, knowledge and experience in youth leadership development between Minnesota and Ukraine.

how Blake parent Tom Moore had envisioned when he suggested Blake host swimming lessons for adults in the school community with volunteer support from fellow community members and assistance from Minnesota Masters Swimming. The Blake Adult-Learn-To-Swim Program, which offers four, 30-minute, free lessons to those 18 years and older, launched in 2022 and held its third session this fall. The program’s goal is for every member of the Blake community—faculty, staff, students and their family members, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins—to be comfortable and safer in the water.

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHT GENETICS LINK FIRST GRADERS AND UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS

This year, first graders are asking the question, “What makes you, you?” To help answer the riddle, Upper School students in Kjirsten Walt-Anderson’s Human Genetics course visited the Early Learning Center to show first graders how genetics influence physical traits. The students played genetics BINGO, learned about the Punnett square and completed a DNA puzzle. According to Walt-Anderson, “The students enjoyed visiting the ELC for the first time and were surprised at how fast the first graders picked up on very complicated science.”

COMMITMENT TO PLURALISM

Combining his lifelong love of Lego and his creative and performance skills, Adam Ward has managed to turn play into work with happy results. What’s more, he’s about to complete his largest build to date—an artistic masterwork that could shatter all previous records in Legoland.

BRICK BY BRICK

By Joel Hoekstra

Illustrated by Owen Davey—Folio Art

One afternoon last fall, Adam Ward opened the front door of a palatial residence located on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Ward doesn’t live in the house— he grew up in Minneapolis and now resides in Los Angeles— but for nearly two years now, he has spent two weeks a month in Utah, constructing what may be the largest Lego installation ever built.

Flashing a toothy grin underneath his curly black beard, Ward welcomed the visitor who had just arrived and led the way down a flight of stairs. He opened the door to a brightly lit room where a team of eight people was working. The walls of the space were lined floorto-ceiling with cabinets and shelves containing plastic totes, all filled with Lego blocks and carefully organized. Dozens of Ziploc bags filled with Lego— sorted by size and color—were strewn across a countertop, alongside several half-built structures, including a haunted mansion, a Chinese dragon and

several Lego trees. The Violent Femmes blared from the sound system. There was, as any place where work and play are intermingled, a mini fridge stocked with sodas and La Croix.

Ward advanced a few steps and surveyed his team’s progress. There, in the center of the room was a 680-square-foot platform roughly shaped like the state of Utah and covered with Lego creations: a medieval castle, a ski hill, a frontier town, a main street, an industrial harbor, a Ninjago lair, a coal mine, an amusement park, a concert stadium. Each scene teemed with cylinder-headed figurines, skating on an icy pond, mountain-biking, driving a wagon, playing tetherball. Creatures of every kind—buffalo, birds, a satyr—traversed the landscape.

Several scenes came to life with the turn of a crank; others were powered by hidden motors: a monorail train that circumnavigated the entire platform, a parade of pioneers, horses and wagons that zigzagged along a track through an Old West frontier town. Everywhere, there were

details upon details: ghosts lurked behind the windows in the upper reaches of the castle; birds hid among the vines that cascaded down a rocky ledge; in the harbor, several lobster traps contained a cache of tiny crustaceans. Even the transitions between each landscape were somehow seamless.

“There are 12 realms altogether,” Ward said. “None of them are straight-from-thebox builds.”

DESIGNING A DREAM

Ward has been making a living from Lego for more than a decade. He’s hosted a show and written a book about Lego. He’s done workshops at conventions and led icebreaker activities for corporate events. He’s built and sold thousands of coasters, frames and small items. And he’s done several “builds” (Lego parlance for an installation) for private collectors.

His current commission, however, is by far his longest, most complex and most lucrative engagement to date. When finished, the Utah build will

include an estimated 7.5 million Lego pieces. And it will be the largest installation in the world built at the scale of the typical Lego figure (known as “minifig scale”)—as opposed to human scale or some other measure.

Ward’s client is a prominent Salt Lake businessman and a lifelong Lego aficionado. Like many others who have hired Ward, he owns thousands of Lego sets. But he wanted something bespoke, something original. He and Ward explored a variety of options, including several that relied on personal memories or inspirations. He’s a huge U2 fan—could it include a concert replica?

As Ward and his patron discussed the project, a singular idea emerged as a unifying concept. A poem about a bridge had inspired the client in his career and continued to serve as a compass in his life. Ward proposed a human-sized footbridge—18 feet long and four feet wide—in the center of the build. SNOTs (short for “stud not on top”) would be used to turn the sides into an artistic canvas, studded with “stones”

and detailed with moss, vines, bugs and more. While other elements of the build would be constructed by local Lego enthusiasts hired to assist with the build, Ward would drive the vision for the bridge.

It wasn’t difficult to find people willing to work on the project. But success depended on finding talented builders. Ward turned to the local Lego community (there’s an official club or loosely connected network in nearly every major U.S. city) and recruited a team. Some members put in full weeks, while others come when they can. A shift may involve building rock faces, stringing leaves into trees or adding tiny pieces used as “grout” between rocks in the bridge. Some tasks are mundane; others require mulling and problem solving. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. four days a week, the work goes on— brick by brick.

BUILDING A CAREER

Ward was first exposed to Lego at age 2. In his semi-autobiographical book, Brick x Brick,

he tells the story of his parents’ search for a home in Minneapolis. While visiting one house, his parents noticed that their toddler was mesmerized by the Lego bricks dumped on the floor of a bedroom closet. “The

“ADAM IS JOYFUL, PLAYFUL, DEEP, THOUGHTFUL, CURIOUS AND WILDLY CREATIVE. ONCE YOU'VE CONNECTED WITH ADAM AS A HUMAN, YOU HAVE A FRIEND FOR LIFE—ONE WHO ALSO HAS KILLER DAD JOKES IN HIS POCKET AT EVERY TURN.”

but within a few years Ward had several sets of his own. He stacked block after block and, at age 8, entered a Lego rocket building contest sponsored by the University of Minnesota engineering depart-

fact that my incredibly curious, loud, half-Jewish, afro-sporting, 2-year-old self didn’t bother them at all during the entire duration of the house tour almost certainly gave them the time and space to learn more about that house than any other we toured,” Ward recounts. His parents bought the place.

The Lego collection didn’t come with the deed, of course,

ment. He won third place, besting several adults.

Lego remained a passion, but his obsession dwindled as he entered his teens and twenties. He developed an interest in art (Escher drawings were a brief fascination) and theater (his gregarious, spontaneous nature aligned nicely with public performance). After attending Syracuse University, where

he majored in psychology, he moved to Los Angeles, intending to write and act. Two boxes of Lego traveled the country with him, but he poured his creativity into other outlets. He did event production. He did commercials. He hosted live events for Gillette, Butterfinger and several other brands.

But it was a business flop that led Ward back to Lego. In 2011, he found himself mired in the middle of a food truck business funded by friends. He started out offering ideas, then got involved in the day to day, and then found himself unable to sleep because the truck wasn’t making enough money. After 11 months, the venture folded. Still, the experience taught him something: how you could turn a small idea into an actual business.

At nights, to relieve stress, Ward started making tiny objects out of Lego: coasters, picture frames, games, key fobs. He occasionally posted pictures of his creations on Facebook, and when he did, people commented like crazy. Not just close friends. Mere acquain-

Adam Ward ʼ00

Photo: Joshua Spencer

“WE’RE ALL IN FRONT OF SCREENS ALL THE TIME. BUILDING WITH LEGO FORCES YOU TO LOOK AT WHAT’S IN YOUR HANDS.”

tances too. So three months after the food truck closed, Ward launched a $10,000 Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of funding a business focused on Lego. The campaign blew up. “All of a sudden I had 750 clients,” he says, still marveling. What’s more, his creations garnered interest from corporate clients.

Zappos, the shoe company, hired him to craft a mural inspired by the company’s logo for the

grand opening of its Las Vegas headquarters. Another company called and asked for 800 Lego picture frames.

Ward’s design talents and social personality propelled him forward; he successfully pitched a build-this-project series to SoulPancake, a now defunct YouTube streaming channel. “Adam is joyful, playful, deep, thoughtful, curious and wildly creative,”

says former SoulPancake CEO Shabnam Mogharabi.

“Once you've connected with Adam as a human, you have a friend for life—one who also has killer dad jokes in his pocket at every turn.”

Gabe Huffstutler, a creative specialist who works for Lego, concurs: “What’s so rad about Adam is that he’s able to take something that for the average person

is very intimidating [building with Lego bricks] and make it super-approachable and fun. It’s clear he loves to create, and his passion is pretty contagious.”

The YouTube series, Brick x Brick, led to a book by the same title. But just as the volume hit the market, COVID arrived. Promotional events were canceled. Ward’s touring plans vanished overnight.

In hindsight, however, the pandemic was a boon for Lego. People stuck at home turned to the bricks for entertainment. Lego sales more than doubled in the first six months of 2021, and company profits surged. Tapping his entertainment abilities, Ward pivoted to virtual presentations, birthday parties, classes and more. His roster of private clients grew and grew. “The landscape is so different from what it was in 2012, when I launched the business,” he says. “Lego has really gone mainstream.”

A TOY THAT CAN BE ANYTHING

Ward has turned Lego bricks into flowers and picture frames and a viable business that supports a family. But at home, the flowers on the table are real. The picture frames are actual wood or metal. His wife, Stacey, isn’t really into Lego. And Ward is content to let his two young girls—Plum, 5, and Storey, 3—play with dolls, cars and other toys. When his daughters unpack a box of Lego or Duplo, he likes to sit back and watch

“IT’S GREAT TRAINING FOR THE ARTS AND CREATIVE ENDEAVORS. THERE’RE SO MANY WAYS YOU CAN GO: LEGO CAN BE A TOOL, A TOY, A WEAPON, A TEACUP. I’M SO FASCINATED BY HOW MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH ONE THING.”

what happens, wondering where their imaginations will take them.

In an age of cell phones, tablets and screens, Ward likes Lego because they aren’t digital. “We’re all in front of screens all the time,” he says. “Building with Lego forces you to look at what’s in your hands.” What’s more, playing with Lego requires problem-solving skills. You have to innovate if you can’t find the right piece. And you can change direction mid-build, adding a turret to a tower instead of a roof or transforming a teacup into a truck. “It’s great training for the arts and creative endeavors,” Ward says. “There’re so many ways you can go: Lego can be a tool, a toy, a weapon, a teacup. I’m so fascinated by how much you can do with one thing.”

And nobody ages out of Lego, he adds: “It’s not a toy that won’t mean anything to your kids in three months or even three years. Just the replayability of Lego is amazing.”

Ward’s evangelism on behalf of Lego is infectious. But he doesn’t work for the

company. And he sees room for improvement: Why, for example, do all minifigs have yellow heads? “Minifig diversity is something I’m really passionate about,” he recently noted on a podcast. “As a kid, there were no minifigs that looked like me. So I would take the little brown or black 1-by-1s and replace the heads so I could have some Black population in my minifig collection.” In the early 2000s, Lego launched an NBA collection that included Black players. And earlier this year, the company announced that it planned to reissue its decade-old Lego Friends line, which featured a more diverse set of characters. But Ward, who says he has a good relationship and open communication with Lego executives, hopes to leverage his rising reputation to push for more changes.

Ward expects to complete the Salt Lake City build sometime this spring. Once the last piece is added to the installation, his patron will flip a switch and watch the train roll through the 12 realms. The monorail will glide along its track, the ships

on the inland sea will schooner about, and the frontier town will come alive with pioneers headed west. The lights of the main street cinema marquee will blink on and off. The ghosts in the upper reaches of the castle towers will glow. Perhaps the voice of Bono will rise from the stadium’s stage.

Like many works of art, the build—estimated to be the largest Lego creation ever constructed, based on number of pieces, if not size—will remain essentially a private pleasure. Ward’s patron has no plans to put the work on public display or open his home for tours. No museum has asked to exhibit the piece, and dismantling and reassembling it would prove a significant challenge. Still, Ward hopes the work will lead to new commissions, a show, another book, a career leap.

Or maybe he’ll break everything apart and create something entirely new. Joel

EL ECTRI C

YOUTH

THIS FALL, BLAKE OPENED THE DOORS ON THE EARLY LEARNING CENTER. IN THIS SPACE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THEM, PRE-K, KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE STUDENTS INVESTIGATE, INQUIRE AND SHAPE THEIR OWN LEARNING. TEACHERS USE THE REGGIO-INSPIRED, GREEN FACILITY AS A TEACHING TOOL.

Photos by Murphy Byrne, Jasper Lazor and Rebecca Slater

2

1

Blake partnered with HGA architects to design a facility that connects the indoors and outdoors. (Photo 5) Students challenge themselves in the outdoor adventure zones. (Photo 6) The school forest, adjacent to the ELC, provides endless opportunities for exploration during every season. (Photo 7) Natural play structures spark imagination and ingenuity.

(Photo 8) Students find inspiration and creativity while working in the art studio, an open space with plenty of natural light. (Photo 9) Pre-K students work independently during free choice time. (Photo 10) Blake’s Reggio-inspired early childhood program teaches students to investigate, inquire and make connections in the world around them. (Photo 11) The ELC community enjoys family style meals. The common space includes a learning kitchen.

(Photo 12) Jumping for joy: time spent together as a class brings out the best in students. (Photo 13) A wide variety of books await Blake’s youngest readers in the ELC library.

BEYOND THE BARN

KATHERINE DUNN ’76 CARES FOR ANIMALS WHO INSPIRE HER ART, STORIES AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH ELDERS IN HER COMMUNITY.

Dunn’s Apifera Farm in mid-coast Maine serves as a nonprofit sanctuary for elder and special-needs animals and fosters relationships with elders through animal visits to the local senior care facility. A prolific artist and writer, Dunn finds inspiration in her herd, sharing their adventures on social media and in the newspaper column Tails and Tales.

Question: What’s the Apifera Farm origin story?

Answer: My husband, Martyn, and I had a farm in rural Oregon. (Martyn’s a landscaper so we started growing lavender; apifera means “bee bearing.”) We were there for about 13 years, farming and raising sheep, but I was taking in old neglected animals at the same time. When we moved to Maine, I had to make a choice because it’s a totally different property than we had in Oregon, and I decided I was just going to focus on the sanctuary.

Q: How many animals live at Apifera at one time?

A: Right now it’s about 60: 10 equines, 12 goats, a few pigs, a couple of sheep, llamas, chickens, ducks and bunnies. And we take in old cats from

the shelter, sometimes they’re hospice cases. We have a special secure barn with a heated room where they live the life of luxury.

Q: How do you get acquainted with the animals when they first arrive?

A: I give them their space and try to let them show me what they need. Here’s an example: I took a bunch of goats from a neglect case a few years back and one of them just kept leaving the herd to be with the horses, so I let him. He’s been living with the horses for six years now, and he’s very content. I’ve never bought into the idea that a horse has to be with a horse and a llama has to be with a llama. They need companionship and to see other animals, but I let them decide.

Q: You tell many stories in which you and your animals are essentially an ensemble cast of characters. Can you talk a bit about that?

A: There’s a story in every corner of the barn because of

the animals’ personalities. I don't have favorite animals, but I do have different relationships with different animals. With some I have a caretaker role and some are my right hand, more of a communion relationship. Obviously some of the characters are partially me; part of me is in many of their words. And part of the best of me that doesn’t come out in real life is in them too. I wish I could be as calm and wise as Ernest the pig. Some of them are strong muses, like little Opie [a goat], who passed away way too young. That’s a hard thing with the animal stories: people get attached. I had one longtime follower very sincerely say, “I’m going to have to take a break because you make us fall in love with them and then they die.” And I felt like saying, “Well, what about me? I still have to stand up.” I understand it.

Q: How do you deal with the loss of beloved animals?

A: The first two animals I owned as a single adult were a dog and a cat, and the cat was

“THERE’S A STORY IN EVERY CORNER OF THE BARN BECAUSE OF THE ANIMALS’ PERSONALITIES. I DON'T HAVE FAVORITE ANIMALS, BUT I DO HAVE DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT ANIMALS.”

20 when I had to take her in to be put down. The vet asked if I wanted to stay with her, and I said I couldn’t. I’ve always regretted it, and I’ve never walked away from an animal again. I see many people go through this with their dying pets, and they just don’t know how I go through it over and over again. I think part of it is having lived on a working farm, where you’re so much more entwined with nature and life and death, and you see how the animals react. You don’t get jaded, but you look at life and death differently when you live in a herd. No matter what animals we bring on, they’re all going to go. How much longer can I keep bringing in my little friends, my characters and animals? I get kind of worn down from that. And also from losing people in the elder care facility who I’ve really come to know.

Q: Can you talk about the relationship you and your animals have developed with local seniors?

A: My initial thought was to bring old animals to commune with old people, but it dawned on me that seniors aren’t interested in whether an animal is old or young, they just want fun. So I’ve taken on some younger animals too, like my pug puppy, Lumpy, who comes on visits. The animal visits—which, in addition to Lumpy, can include ponies, llamas, bunnies and goats—are really just about being with the residents and showing up, and they go in spurts. When I’m not there for a couple of weeks, [the residents] get kind of mad at me. They say things like, “Where have you been?” I will say that when I don’t go for a few weeks, I feel very unbalanced myself. I consider the sanctuary a healing mission for animals and people.

Do you know Blake alumni doing interesting work? Let us know at cyrus@blakeschool.org.

IN PRINT& PRODUCTION

DOUG SMITH ’81

The Story of a Life

by Konstantin Paustovsky

(translation)

(NYRB Classics)

In 1943, the Soviet author Konstantin Paustovsky started out on what would prove a masterwork, The Story of a Life, a grand, novelistic memoir of a life spent on the ravaged frontier of Russian history. Doug Smith has translated the first three of six books of this epic autobiography. Taking the reader from Paustovsky’s Ukrainian youth, his family struggling on the verge of collapse, through the first stirrings of writerly ambition, to his experiences working as a paramedic on the front lines of World War I and then as a journalist covering Russia’s violent spiral into revolution, this vivid and suspenseful story of coming-of-age in a time of troubles is lifted by the energy and lyricism of Paustovsky’s prose and marked throughout by his deep love of the natural world.

LAURA GAbbERT ’85

Food and Country

(Foothill Productions, Real Lava)

America's policy of producing cheap food at all costs has long hobbled small independent farmers, ranchers and chefs.

Worried for their survival, trailblazing food writer (and former restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times and New York Times) Ruth Reichl reaches across political and social divides to uncover the country's broken food system and the innovators risking it all to transform it. In this compelling and thoughtful documentary, Laura Gabbert and Reichl suggest a more compassionate, equitable and sustainable path forward for food producers and consumers.

JOHN WEST ’05

Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery (Eerdmans)

This genre-bending memoir explores the aftershocks of alcoholism and mental illness through a fresh look at the powers of poetry, ritual and community. As a new parent, John West grapples with his own fragmented recovery and grief for the friends he lost to addiction, asking if anyone can really change or if we are always bound to repeat the past. West’s poetic meditation on the possibility of change will resonate deeply with anyone who has tired of their own destructive loops. In this stirring account of recovery, redemption remains elusive—and as tangible as the promise of a newborn.

MIEL JASPER ’12

(WRITING AS MIEL MORELAND)

Something Like Possible

(Feiwel & Friends)

On the worst day of her life, Madison is dumped by her girlfriend, then fired as said (ex)girlfriend’s campaign manager. Soon she has a new junior class president candidate to back—although the two of them might be getting a little too close on the campaign trail. Between navigating her growing crush and corralling a less-than-enthusiastic election team, Madison has had it with unexpected changes to her carefully laid plans. But when she and a group of queer classmates discover a pattern of harassment within the student government, Madison is forced to shift gears once again.

Alumni are encouraged to inform Blake of their publications, recordings, films, podcasts, etc. and, when possible, to send copies of books and articles. Contact us at cyrus@blakeschool.org.

Catherine Owens Duncan ʼ83

Everyday Awakening: Five Practices for Living Fully, Feeling Deeply and Coming into Your Heart and Soul (Amplify Publishing)

Drawing from her experience in healthcare, spiritual care, and complementary healing, Catherine Duncan offers options like breathwork, meditations, grounding rituals and other exercises―for daily life.

Kate Jackson ʼ88

Flyfishing, A Pathway to Wellbeing (ReelWell Project)

Exploring the connection between flyfishing and mental health, this book offers practical advice on integrating the sport into one's wellbeing routine.

Marnie Dachis Marmet ʼ91

My Song, Unleashed (Publish Her)

In her memoir, Marnie Dachis Marmet takes readers through a journey of personal transformation, from painful experiences that make her question everything to beautiful revelations that bare the truth.

Anne Ursu ʼ91

Not Quite a Ghost (Walden Pond Press)

From the award-winning author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy comes an unforgettable story of the ghosts surrounding us—and the ones we carry inside.

Shalene Gupta ʼ06

The Cycle: Confronting the Pain of Periods and PMDD (Flatiron Books)

After years of struggling to get an answer from doctors, Shalene Gupta learned she was one of millions who live with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The Cycle uncovers the hidden epidemic of a chronic illness most people have never heard of.

CLASS NOTES

Class notes and photos received after December 2023 will appear in the next issue of Cyrus. Notes are provided by alumni or their friends and family, and some have been edited for length and style.

REUNION

44 Kingston Fletcher writes that his autobiography, Divergent Paths, sold out in one month; new quantities are now available on Amazon. And, Kingston shares, he’s working on a second opus.

REUNION

54

Anice Wishart Flesh reminds her fellow classmates next year is their 70th reunion.

55

Gayla Burnside Gordon writes, “At 85, I am not too old to have fun. Just returned from taking my son and four grandchildren to Africa on safari. I have six grandchildren in college (Amherst, Colby, Indiana and USC—love the visits.)” She and her husband raised three children, sending them to law school, medical school and conservatory. Her son is a pediatric craniofacial surgeon in Dayton, Ohio, who made national news for his groundbreaking separation of twins conjoined at the head. Her other two children live in California. “One married an associate in the firm and became associate general counsel of CalPortland Cement (built the J. Paul Getty Museum and Staples

Center). One was concertmaster of the John F. Kennedy Center Opera House but married a comedy writer (Mad About You) and moved to Beverly Hills.” Gayla opened two antique shops in the historic district of Alexandria, Virginia, where she also restored houses in Old Town for 30 years. “After traveling back and forth from Virginia to California all these years, I have moved to Pasadena. After my husband died, I bought a 1906 cottage, completely gutted it and moved in two years later … Fond hello to my classmates and friends from Northrop class of ʼ55.”

The Garden Club of America presented Helen Snyder Waldron with a Medal of Merit for the “leadership, creativity and tireless enthusiasm” she has contributed to the club. Helen is a 40+ year member and past president of the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club and leads the organization’s annual New Member Floral Design Workshop.

58

Lilla Andrews was inducted into the Minnesota Senior Sports Association Hall of Fame for her exceptional achievements in alpine ski racing and for inspiring senior sports participants throughout the state.

61

Teri McCannel Motley writes, “As I enter my 80th year, having survived heart surgery and cancer, I feel blessed by good health, relative clarity of mind and interesting things to do.” She and her husband, Herb, moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, after selling the home they lived in for 25 years. She is still preaching and stays involved in the family forest company. Teri writes, “We have taken a hit with the California forest fires in the last few years and are trying to figure out how to preserve the sustainable forest that we have created over the last 40 years. My son will turn 50 next month. In spite of his severe disability, I think we have done everything we could have to give him the best life possible. Since he has been afforded a way to communicate, pointing to letters on a board, we see that he is a wise old soul with a tart sense of humor. The agency that serves him, which I helped to found 38 years ago, is still going strong, serving 85 to 89 people with significant disabilities in what are essentially specialized foster homes, where each person has their own schedule and can follow their own preferences. My older daughter has moved from Florida back to Vermont, where she will be aquatics director at

the local recreation center. My youngest daughter is working for the City of Philadelphia, in the finance department, mostly from home, which should get easier now that my grandson is 6 and in all-day school. I don’t see him as much as I would like but really enjoy the times I can see him. I have been taking the train down to Philadelphia, a practice I can resume now that the whole house sale, estate sale, etc. is over. As I say, I feel blessed and very grateful for the life I have lived, made possible by good genes, a Minnesota heritage and the foundational lessons I learned at Northrop.”

63

Mark Burns writes, “I’ve taken up pickleball, at least up to the point of tearing my left foot tibial tendon on Valentine’s Day. Surgery followed March 16, and I’m still in recovery some five months later. I’m now an online ordained minister, and I officiated at my niece’s wedding in early March. She is an expat living in London courtesy of BP’s assignment overseas. We postponed our trip to London until spring 2024 due to my surgery.”

At a ceremony in Wayzata on the Fourth of July, the Daughters of the American Revolution

presented Ken Willcox with the Community Service Award for his contributions as mayor of Wayzata, as well as the prestigious Quilt of Valor in honor of his military service. Ken is a Vietnam veteran and a retired U.S. Navy captain.

Richard Wood and his wife, Mary, are living in a historic section of Stratford, Canada. He writes, “Stratford is the center of the Stratford Festival and an international music festival. The Stratford Festival highlights Shakespearean plays alongside a variety of modern works and hosts over 100 interesting forums over six months. This week we listened to Margaret Atwood at two of the forums we attended. It’s kind of an amazing place for such a small town—a miracle of culture and art interests. Hard to say in the midst of health compromise, but I think for Mary and me this represents the best time of our lives. Love among the ruins, I guess….lots of uncertainty and unpredictability, much as, I suspect, it is for so many of you. I’m still practicing psychology part time (three days a week— I can’t seem to give it up), and I’ve started writing academic books (go figure—78 years old).

The first, A Study of Malignant

Narcissism: Personal and Professional Insights, was published by Routledge, which specializes in social science and psychoanalytic publications. I’ve just completed writing my second book for Routledge, Psychoanalytic Reflections on Vladimir Putin: The Cost of Malignant Leadership. I am starting to write my third book, at Routledge’s request, summarizing psychoanalytic thought about narcissism. For the first time in my life, I can say writing is actually fun.”

66

Bob Schnell is a deacon at Church of St. Patrick in Edina, Minnesota. As the 20th anniversary of his diaconate ministry approached, he gave an interview to the Catholic Spirit in which he spoke about how to listen and learn from others. He also shared that Blake science teacher Harold “Hodgie” Hodgkinson was one of the best teachers he ever had: “His mantra was: ‘An ounce of brain power is worth a ton of graphite,’ meaning pencil. His point was: When you get a question (on a test), don’t just start scribbling stuff. Think about it. That stuck with me.”

71

Jeff Dayton’s third grandchild, Theodore Wine, was born on May 30. Jeff writes, “They call me G-pa D! Baby and daughter are doing well in Knoxville, Tennessee. [He’s] my third ‘grandie.’ I had a number one song recorded in Texas by Case Hardin—his fifth, my first. [And I received] two Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards: one for EP of the Year and the other for Group of the Year with my Hawaiian band A'ea'e. Not bad for a brand new musical act! Always grateful for my Blake life. It gave me a bank of knowledge and skills that have enriched my career.”

75

Musicians Bill Gamble and Decker Velie (known professionally as Decker and Gamble) released a new album, Tennis Shoes, on Santa Barbara Records.

76

David McCary’s photograph Bixby Bridge After the Storm was included in the West Hartford Art League’s show Sea, Land and Sky this fall.

Andrea Carla Eisenberg Michaels is performing for the first time since the COVID pandemic, telling stories about brushes

with fame from Jerry Seinfeld to Paul Newman and “looking for a publisher of my Zelig-like memoir.” She writes, “More importantly, [I’m] making progress with the San Francisco police in setting up a proper lost and found for the city with the surge in smash-and-grabs from tourist vehicles. [We’ve made] front page news here of my efforts and other like-minded sleuths. And [I had my] first crossword [published] in the New Yorker! So definitely waking up after a long nightmare."

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82

Doug Smith

(See In Print and Production)

Scott Forbes is the ghostwriter of the new book Facebook's Oldest Intern, a true story about Howard Waldstreicher, who at age 60 landed a job at the tech giant after a 20-year hiatus from the information technology world. Scott is also the first recipient of Blake’s Mary MacPhail Taylor Class Rep Award for going above and beyond the responsibilities of a class rep volunteer. His contributions include thoughtful email correspondence with fellow alumni to enthusiastically encourage them to re-engage with each

PICTURED (SEATED, L TO R) FORMER TEACHER JIM TELANDER, JEFF GOLDEN ’74, (STANDING, L TO R) bROOKS CHANDLER ’79, NANCY THOMSON FIFER ’76, WENDY WELLS ’70, ELIZAbETH WEISER ’75, LUCI WALDRON CHORLEY ’76, FORMER TEACHER JACK DEAN AND JAY JACKLEY ’76 GATHERED FOR A HIGHCROFT COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL REUNION.

GAYLA bURNSIDE GORDON ’55 WITH HER ROLLS-ROYCE SHOOTING bRAKE SILVER DAWN

LILLA ANDREWS ’58 IS A 2023 MINNESOTA SENIOR SPORTS ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE.

TERI MCCANNEL MOTLEY ’61 SAYS SHE FEELS bLESSED AND GRATEFUL FOR THE LIFE SHE HAS LIVED.

other and Blake. Award namesake Mary MacPhail Taylor ʼ51 had a lifelong connection to the school as an alumna, parent, grandparent, faculty member, trustee, alumni board member, class representative and Jenny Hagen Stephens Spirit Award winner.

Finn-Olaf Jones became one of only about 350 people (according to World Atlas) to have scaled the Seven Summits—the highest mountains on each of the continents—when he reached the top of Mount Vinson in Antarctica in January 2023.

Margaret Thorpe Richards’ son Alexander has joined her real estate team at Coldwell Banker in Minneapolis.

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85

Catherine Owens

Duncan (See In Print and Production)

Laura Gabbert (See In Print and Production)

Roman Lifson and his wife, Hallie, started a boutique travel venture group. He writes, “We lead small group trips to some of the world’s most remarkable destinations. We did a sailing voyage in Croatia

in June (which we are repeating next year) and are about to leave for a trip to the Swiss Alps and Santorini, followed by a Loire Valley castle-to-castle on horseback adventure. Hallie also runs women’s retreats with some truly in-depth work. Our website is www.mythicadventuretravel.com. It is great fun and combines our passion for and experience in international travel.”

87

Kelly Morrison, Minnesota’s assistant state senate majority leader, announced she is running for the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who is running for president. Dean, who is challenging President Biden for the 2024 Democratic nomination, is not seeking reelection to Congress. Kelly visited Blake in January to talk with the fifth graders, who had recently completed a unit on government. In addition to answering students’ questions, she spoke about why she got involved in politics, the importance of being engaged in the process, and the bills she and her colleagues helped pass last session.

88

Kate Jackson reports, “I’ve been having fun co-authoring my

first book, Flyfishing: A Pathway to Wellbeing, and developing a corresponding workshop integrating wellbeing practices into the sport of fly fishing. I collaborated with Margo + Lola fishing school in Wisconsin, leading individuals and business teams through our workshop. I plan to consult with programs that wish to incorporate wellbeing into their workshops to add value for their clients. Courtney Cushing Kiernat was a welcome face in a July workshop. And 2023 marked my first time fly fishing in the winter! Standing in a river in 23 degrees was definitely a new experience. I’m hopeful that some day I will have the opportunity to fish with classmate Amy Randall Hazel (Deschutes Angler Fly Shop) so she can give me some new pointers.” (Also see In Print and Production)

REUNION

89

Jennifer Herman Spiller is part of the Leadership Twin Cities class of 2024. The nine-month program provides a deep dive into critical issues impacting the Minneapolis-St. Paul region with a focus on awareness, systems thinking and civic action. Participants engage with local business executives, community

Family Additions

Julia Heffelfinger ’07 a son, George Totton May 22, 2023

Marriages

Eva Druskin ’15 and Dallas Keate April 22, 2023

leaders and elected officials; learn about the community through tours and behind-the-scenes experiences; and participate in small group discussions.

90

Grier Arthur was named chair of the department of surgery at Saint Peter’s University Hospital and surgeon-in-chief for the Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s.

Andrij Parekh, Blake’s 2023 Alumnus of the Year, was honored during Reunion and Homecoming Weekend. He spoke at Breakfast at Blake—which many of his fellow classmates attended—about his time at Blake and his career as an award-winning cinematographer and director. He also stopped by the Upper School to meet with students in J Jolton’s ʼ78 filmmaking class.

ELIHU WEAR ’82 IS PRESIDENT AND OWNER OF POPCO INC., A POINT-OF-PURCHASE DISPLAY PARTS MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIbUTOR.

CLASS OF 1972 TWINS FANS (PICTURED, L TO R) JIM HIELD, DAVID SCHALL, TODD MACGREGOR AND ED SPENCER TOOK IN A bASEbALL GAME TOGETHER.

KATE JACKSON ’88 HAS WRITTEN A bOOK AbOUT AND DEVELOPED A WORKSHOP INTEGRATING INTENTIONAL WELLbEING PRACTICES INTO THE SPORT OF FLY FISHING.

MARNIE DACHIS MARMET ’91 PUbLISHED THE DEbUT MEMOIR, MY SONG, UNLEASHED, WHICH TAKES READERS THROUGH HER JOURNEY OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION.

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Marnie Dachis Marmet (See In Print and Production)

Anne Ursu (See In Print and Production)

92

Rita Khan, chief consumer officer at Optum, was appointed to the board of directors of the marketing agency Butler/ Till, on which she chairs the governance committee.

REUNION

94

After completing a tour in the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Andrew Borene has moved to London with his wife, Alice, who is starting a doctorate at King’s College London, and their daughter, Elizabeth. Andrew and Britta Lindvall Hovey have two sons, Dane and Magnus, who live in Minnesota. Dane will graduate from Blake in June and, according to Andrew, “is much better at both football and school than his dad ever was.”

Four years ago, Jessica Lipschultz moved her family from New York to Minneapolis. She never imagined she would complete the Blake trifecta. She is now a Blake alum,

parent to Sylvie ʼ35 and Sabina ʼ37 and the new PK-12 chair of equity and instruction. She provides research-based professional development and coaching to teachers. She writes, “It has been so fun to walk the hallowed halls of decades past and reconnect with classmates and former teachers.”

95

Talia Rudolph Jackson lives with her husband, Rob, their two teenage boys and two pugs in Golden Valley, Minnesota. She has been a psychologist in private practice for nearly 20 years. This year she started a podcast, We’re Not Fine, with her friend and fellow therapist Doug Jensen. She writes, “It has been so fun and exciting to pivot and breathe life into a 20-year-long career in mental health. We tackle all sorts of questions and issues listeners send us, as well as create episodes with brilliant professionals and thought leaders in the field of wellness. We feel so strongly about making these conversations about mental health and healthy relationships accessible to those who might not otherwise have access to them.”

Nayana Jha has re-launched her specialty paper goods company,

Nayana Design Studio, which was chosen as a gift shop highlight of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In May, her company was a featured business at the Slashie Summit for emerging South Asian designers and entrepreneurs. Nayana Design Studio was included on NBC News’ and Buzzfeed’s lists of favorite Asian-American and Pacific Islander brands and 40 South Asian-Owned Businesses with the Best Diwali Gift Ideas. Minnesota Monthly also highlighted Nayana’s work in its Best of Minnesota holiday list.

98Michelle Horovitz and her ceramics instructor Jen Noetzli opened a new pottery studio, Forma Clay, in Southwest Minneapolis. Clayroom memberships and pottery classes for kids and adults are available, in addition to private events and parties. Visit www.formaclay.com.

Dan Lowin writes, “I’m living happily with my wife and kids (Mila ʼ30 and Elliot ʼ33) in Plymouth, Minnesota. I’m a commercial lawyer with an enterprise communications provider, while my wife, Melanie, teaches Pre-K at the new Blake Early Learning Center. (She attended the Reggio-Emilia

conference in Italy with several other Blake teachers last spring.) I continue to enjoy woodworking, horror movies and retro video gaming in my free time—and recently took my kids to a gaming convention in the Twin Cities. I always enjoy reconnecting with Blake alumni, so feel free to hit me up on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Susie Whitlock writes, “Since moving back to Minneapolis I’ve gotten to see many a-folk! I’m enjoying living here and being closer to my parents. I’ve had the great fortune of exploring Minnesota sauna culture with Erica Dolland and spending time last year cruising the Mediterranean Sea with Vanessa Bartram. [Former Blake teacher] Deb Wood and I got to hike Glacier this summer, too. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to this year’s Great Northern Festival, of which a few Blake folks sit on the board. Good things are happening in Minnesota and worldwide. Sending love to you all.”

REUNION

99

Bly Pope’s pencil drawing Southwest Clouds was accepted into this year’s Minnesota State Fair fine arts competition.

PINKIES UP! ANDREW bORENE ’94 MOVED TO LONDON WITH HIS WIFE, ALICE, AND THEIR DAUGHTER, ELIZAbETH (PICTURED).

MICHELLE HOROVITZ ’98 OPENED A NEW POTTERY STUDIO, FORMA CLAY, IN SOUTHWEST MINNEAPOLIS.

TALIA RUDOLPH JACKSON ’95 LIVES WITH HER HUSbAND, ROb, AND THEIR TWO SONS IN GOLDEN VALLEY, MINNESOTA.

01

Maxine Kaye Bédat was named to this year’s Vogue Business 100 Innovators list, which recognizes leaders, founders and activists working to improve the fashion and beauty industry.

Brennan Greene is brewmaster and owner of Birch’s on the Lake Brewhouse and Supperclub in Long Lake, Minnesota. Birch’s won two awards in the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild’s 2023 Brewers Cup Awards, including first place for hazy IPA and second place in the American amber, blonde and pale ales category.

Ace Rice directed the official music video for Jozzy’s single Commotion.

Stephanie Rich, head of platform at Bread and Butter Ventures, was named a Techstars 2023 All Star Mentor. The 5,000-member network includes mentors from industries such as aerospace, finance, software engineering, education, fintech, healthcare and sustainability.

REUNION

04

Kara Johnson Wegermann and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Aby ʼ07 moderated academic

debates at Digestive Diseases Week, the national meeting for gastroenterologists. Kara is a transplant hepatology attending physician at Duke University, and Lizzie is a transplant hepatology attending physician at the University of Minnesota.

Folk singer and songwriter Libby MacFarlane released her debut self-titled EP, which includes six original songs.

Oliver Utne, Blake’s 2023 Young Alumnus of the Year, was honored in November at Breakfast at Blake.

As the keynote speaker, he talked about Kara Solar, the nonprofit he founded in Ecuador, which has deployed the first solarpowered boats in the Amazon rainforest. He also met with fifth graders and stopped by the Upper School to talk with Karen Phillips’ AP Physics II classes and Will Bohrnsen’s Environmental Science class.

05

The Georgia Tech Alumni Association named Kendall Boyd Tyson to its 2023 class of 40 Under 40. Kendall graduated in 2011 from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s in industrial engineering; she also earned a

bachelor’s from Emory University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. As senior vice president of finance and business intelligence for the Seattle Kraken, the city’s professional ice hockey team, Kendall oversees strategic planning, data management and financial affairs. Before joining the Kraken, Kendall led corporate development at Topgolf and advised state government agencies on business transformations as a management consultant at Accenture.

John West (See In Print and Production)

06

Kate Aizpuru is a consumer protection attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. She and her husband live in the Washington, D.C. suburbs with two spoiled cats. She would love to hear from Blake alumni in the area.

Julie Perkins Bedwani received her doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in May. After a brief summer hiatus, she is continuing her education in the veterinary pathology residency program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Shalene Gupta (See In Print and Production)

07

Natalie Owens-Pike graduated this spring from Yale Divinity School with a Master of Divinity. She was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ in the fall and serves as director of ministry to the online campus of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. She and her husband, Alex, recently moved to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and would love to connect with fellow Bears in the area.

Laura Waldman Roos, founder of the customized gifting business Minny & Paul, launched a new business, Mary & Jane, which sells low-dose hemp edibles.

08

Kip Dooley is a writer, photographer and athlete whose writing has appeared in In These Times, Minnesota Playlist and The Barn Raiser. He recently had two poems published by Stone Poetry Quarterly. He’s at work on a book of essays about food and family with his mother, food writer Beth Dooley, for Milkweed Editions. By day, he manages communications and events for the Public Interest Technology program at New

DAN LOWIN ’98 TOOK HIS CHILDREN, MILA ’30 AND ELLIOT ’33, TO A GAMING CONVENTION IN THE TWIN CITIES, WHERE THEIR COSTUMES WERE A HIT.

SUSIE WHITLOCK ’98 STAYS IN TOUCH WITH SEVERAL bLAKE FRIENDS INCLUDING FELLOW 1998 CLASSMATES VANESSA bARTRAM (WITH WHOM SHE CRUISED THE MEDITERRANEAN) AND ERICA DOLLAND (WHO JOINED SUSIE IN EXPLORING MINNESOTA SAUNA CULTURE). SUSIE ALSO HIKED GLACIER THIS SUMMER WITH FORMER bLAKE TEACHER DEb WOOD.

CLASS OF 2001 FRIENDS MATT FLORES, PATRICK WETHERILLE AND COREY SHELTON (PHOTO bY COREY’S WIFE, CARMEN TONG ’00)

WEST ’05

AND UPPER

DISCUSSED JOHN’S MEMOIR, LESSONS AND CAROLS, DURING AN EVENT AT MAGERS & QUINN bOOKSELLERS IN MAY.

America. He's infinitely grateful for his Blake teachers—Brynne Hennessy, Lee Woolman, Jim Mahoney and many others— for putting up with his teenage self while teaching him most of what he knows about writing. He lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Alli, and their hound dog, Lita.

Tenisha "Ava" Williams delivered this year’s Frank Howard Distinguished Lecture at her alma mater, the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science. The annual lecture brings leaders of science and industry to discuss timely topics in engineering. Tenisha is a trained engineer and the founder

In Memoriam

Carolyn Abramson

former parent

former faculty

September 1, 2023

Denise Anderson ’74

January 24, 2023

Lisa Ankeny ’01

September 7, 2023

Jacqueline “Julie”

Jones Becklund ’67

May 20, 2023

Nancy Nathanson

Bloch ’65

February 8, 2023

Jean Guthrie

Bodine ’45

August 13, 2022

Stephen Bowen ’63

June 30, 2023

Leonard Brackett ’66

April 17, 2023

John Cardle ’50

June 23, 2023

Jerry Chappelle former faculty

May 30, 2023

Lois “Sandy” Coleman former parent former grandparent former trustee

July 15, 2023

John Daniewicz ’73

December 7, 2023

Reynaldo “Reye” De Lowell former bus driver December 8, 2023

William Dopp current parent

July 13, 2023

Frederick “Fritz” Drill ’48 former parent former grandparent

May 17, 2023

Robert Edie ’65

March 21, 2023

Douglas Freeman ’48 former parent November 6, 2023

Gary Gregus former coach November 20, 2023

Thomas Haines ’54

May 20, 2023

Thomas Hitch ’72 former parent

December 30, 2023

Craig Johnson ’64

June 1, 2023

Michael Johnson ’97

May 3, 2023

Dana Knudson ’73

May 8, 2023

Jeffrey Kozberg ’73

May 30, 2023

Mary Liss ’61

July 19, 2023

Matthew Loufek ’48

June 4, 2023

Claire McCann former parent former grandparent former trustee

June 15, 2023

Amanda McGovern ’83

April 22, 2023

Susan Arey Metsala ’55

October 24, 2023

JULIE PERKINS bEDWANI ’06 RECEIVED HER DOCTORATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE IN MAY.

DRS. KARA JOHNSON WEGERMANN ’04 (PICTURED, FAR RIGHT) AND LIZZIE AbY ’07 (PICTURED, CENTER) MODERATED THE ACADEMIC DEbATES AT DIGESTIVE DISEASES WEEK, THE NATIONAL MEETING FOR GASTROENTEROLOGISTS.

of Solution Consulting Co., which provides diversity, equity and inclusion coaching, training and support to organizations. In her talk, From Engineering to Equity Warrior: How An Engineering StudentTurned-Equity-Warrior Makes a Difference, she shared experiences as a first-generation college student pursuing an engineering degree to

John “Bill” Moffett Jr. ’57

June 3, 2023

Wendy Silvermann Nathanson ’60

November 29, 2023

Joseph Neumeier ’50 former parent

December 19, 2023

Malcolm “Sandy” Pfunder ’61

October 11, 2023

Arthur Rand III ’75

June 7, 2023

Jeffrey Ring ’69

former parent

August 12, 2023

Louise “Pixie” Hacking Rowland ’62

September 12, 2023

William Smith Jr. ’56

April 28, 2023

Richard Steffey ’90

June 19, 2023

David Stricker ’51 former grandparent former administrator

May 14, 2023

Gary Tankenoff former parent former trustee

May 25, 2023

Thomas Tarbox ’65

August 6, 2023

Mary Wurtele Vaughan ’45 former parent former grandparent former administrator former trustee

November 20, 2023

Jim Weiss ’82

August 10, 2023

Rodner Winget ’54

February 1, 2023

Raymond Stewart Wood Jr. ’52

July 30, 2023

Please inform the Institutional Advancement Office of community member deaths at (952) 988-3440 or cyrus@blakeschool.org.

her corporate career, where she was often one of the only people of color in the room. Tenisha explained how the engineering design process can empower equity-centered design, which is critical to dismantling racism and creating equitable and inclusive cultures.

REUNION

09

Thea Traff’s photos of 39 Tony-nominated performers were featured in the New York Times in June. She also photographed the Rolling Stones for a preview of the band’s new album, which appeared in the New York Times in September.

10

Sam Michel was appointed U.S. trade representative for media and public affairs in November. He served at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for over two years and, prior to joining USTR, was Minnesota’s press secretary for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Cassandra Rommel is co-founder of Resin, which offers tools and incentives to community groups in rural areas that lack recycling services. Cassandra and

JOHN

(PICTURED, LEFT)

SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER MIKE bAZZETT

IMMERSION SUMMER CAMP, SEN LÍN HÚ.

co-founder Kelly Koskelin—who met while working at Samsara, a digital operations platform for physical industries like transportation, logistics, manufacturing and food and beverage—wanted to bring their technical expertise and operations know-how to the recycling sector. Resin’s first recycling station utilizes automation and computer vision to count pre-sorted aluminum cans and clear plastic bottles, then pays participants and offers them feedback on contaminants that may have snuck in with the recycling.

11

Romy Ackerberg, executive producer of Good Day Seattle, received her first Emmy Award. She and her team won for top morning newscast in a top 20 market. They were nominated for their dedication to safety and severe weather coverage.

Awe Inspired, the jewelry brand co-founded by Max Johnson, opened its first retail store in March. Awe Sanctuary on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles was designed “for the spiritually curious,” Max says.

Kylie Kaminski has been elected to the board of directors of the

Grief Club of Minnesota, which provides no-cost services by licensed mental health counselors for families navigating grief.

12

Brennan Delattre, a doctoral student in the department of psychiatry at Oxford University’s Wolfson College, was profiled in the 2023 issue of the college’s magazine. In the article, The Healing Power of Movement, Brennan discusses how she came to study cooperativebased movement activities for mental health.

Andre Hinds, a cyber intelligence manager at Deloitte, was selected as a 2024 Modern-Day Technology Leader by Career Communications Group’s US Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine.

Miel Jasper’s first book, It Goes Like This, was featured on the New York Times' list of 20 Great Queer Y.A. Books to Add to Your Reading List. When not writing, she works with students from middle school through graduate school. (Also see In Print and Production)

EVA DRUSKIN ’15 MARRIED DALLAS KEATE IN APRIL WITH MANY bLAKE bEARS bY THEIR SIDE INCLUDING (PICTURED, FRONT ROW, L TO R) DAVID PERLMAN ’85, PETER GULLICKSON ’17, KELSEY SWING ’15, EVA, SADIE DRUSKIN ’17, MICHAEL HOFSTADTER ’17, (MIDDLE ROW, L TO R) MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT HILARY SMALLWOOD, MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ERIKA LEWIS, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR RObIN FERGUSON, SIERRA JOHNSON ’15, MARY AMIS ’15, JULIA DRUSKIN ’83 (bACK ROW, L TO R) ASHLYN ELFTMANN ’15, GEORGE HUMPHREY ’11 AND JOE DRUSKIN ’84.

REUNION

14

Jake Ingbar, a soloist with the San Francisco Opera, was nominated for the organization’s 2023 Emerging Stars Competition.

Noah Smith is the dean of Concordia Language Villages’ Chinese immersion summer camp, Sen Lín Hú. He writes, “I would love to see more Blake students and families attending camp during the summer! Feel free to contact me with questions about the program or about learning Mandarin in general.”

17

Libby Rickeman was one of 23 studentathletes named to the Women’s Tennis 25-Year All-NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) Team. The honored team was voted on by the current NEWMAC membership. Libby played for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a freshman and sophomore (2018-19). Though NEWMAC canceled its 2020 and 2021 seasons due to COVID, Libby continued to practice with and play unofficial matches for MIT in her junior and senior year.

Cameron Downey’s first solo art exhibition, Lord Split Me Open, was on display at the Hair and Nails gallery in Minneapolis in spring 2023. The exhibition Cameron Patricia Downey: Orchid Blues opened in September at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and featured sculpture, installation, photography and video.

18

Jack Fraley, who plays for the Carleton College football team, was named to the 2023 National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society.

Derek Hitchner, a Pepperdine University graduate student and golf team member, won the Western Intercollegiate, the first tournament win of his career. He was one of four young pros invited to compete as sponsor exemptions in the 3M Open, Minnesota’s only PGA Tour event. Derek is currently playing on the PGA Canada Tour in his first season as a pro.

REUNION

19 Madeline Wethington, a defender for the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s hockey team,

NATALIE OWENS-PIKE ’07 GRADUATED FROM YALE DIVINITY SCHOOL IN MAY. SHE CELEbRATED THE OCCASION WITH FRIEND AND 2007 CLASSMATE JULIA HEFFELFINGER ’07.

JULIA HEFFELFINGER ’07 AND HER HUSbAND, RICK MAYNARD, WELCOMED THEIR SON, GEORGE, IN MAY.

NOAH SMITH ’14 IS THE DEAN OF CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGES’ CHINESE

bJORN HOLM ’18 (PICTURED, CENTER) GRADUATED FROM U.S. ARMY RANGER SCHOOL.

FLORA YANG ’20 (PICTURED WITH PARENTS JAMES YANG AND MA YU AND bROTHER CARTER ’37) GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WITH A MAJOR IN HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND NOW ATTENDS THE U OF M’S MEDICAL SCHOOL.

OUTSTANDING ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR ANDRIJ PAREKH '90 (PICTURED, FAR RIGHT) AND JENNY STEPHENS HAGEN SPIRIT AWARD RECIPIENTS EL CROSbY WINSTON '60 (SECOND FROM RIGHT) AND FRED WINSTON '55 (FAR LEFT NEXT TO HEAD OF SCHOOL ANNE STAVNEY) WERE HONORED DURING REUNION AND HOMECOMING WEEKEND IN OCTObER.

THEY WERE HONORED AT A CEREMONY AND RECEPTION DURING REUNION AND HOMECOMING WEEKEND IN OCTObER.

was named an assistant captain for the 2023–24 season.

20Louise Ba was selected as a 2023 Care for Place Fellow by the nonprofit organization Upstream Minnesota. The program supports 10 Minnesotans with stipends to create projects that tell the story of how they care for natural habitats and inspire others.

James Ly, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s school of business, was named to Poets and Quants 100 Best and Brightest 2023 Undergraduate Business Majors.

Flora Yang graduated from the University of Minnesota with a major in human physiology and now attends the U of M’s medical school. She also completed a successful tenure as student body president, representing the university’s 30,500-plus undergraduates. While in office, Flora secured an increased student minimum hourly wage, universal unlimited access to Metro Transit Services and afford-

able food options. She developed a strategic plan for university initiatives and efforts over the next three years. And she supervised the most successful nonpartisan student voter outreach effort in U of M history. This spring, Flora ran to be the at-large representative on the Board of Regents, narrowly losing to former Allina Health CEO Penny Wheeler. Flora writes, "I have learned so much in the past three years of my undergraduate career, and I cannot wait to continue my advocacy efforts and academic journey at the University of Minnesota Medical School.”

Will Svenddal plays defense as a member of Augustana University’s first men’s hockey team.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts named Yolanda Pauly, who studies dance with a race and ethnic studies concentration at St. Olaf College, to its GreenRoom training fellowship created by and for Black, Indigenous and People of Color artists to center and uplift

underrepresented communities within musical theater.

Robert Grace IV is a Macalester College junior, playing guard for the men’s basketball team. He was included on the Division III Academic All-District team, as selected by College Sports Communicators. Rob started shooting athletics videos as a Blake senior, capturing spring sports such as ultimate frisbee, track, baseball and softball. What began as a passion project has grown into a flourishing business, Rob’s Reels. In addition to creating videos for Macalester’s athletic program, he has also worked on the Twin Cities Pro-Am basketball tournament, which gave him the opportunity to get footage of NBA players including Washington Wizards guard Tyus Jones and Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy.

Thomas Nelson, a member of Kenyon College’s men’s lacrosse team, tied an NCAA percentage record by going a perfect 24-for-24 on face-offs in the team’s seasonopening game. He was also named

an NCAA Division III All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine. USA Lacrosse organized its selections into three, 13-player teams, as well as a list of honorable mentions; Thomas was selected to the second team.

Aksel Reid joined the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey team as a goalie for Union College in Schenectady, New York.

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Charlie Egeland was part of the four-member Aquajets swim team that broke the 15–18 boys national age group 4 x 100 medley relay record at the Summer Junior National Championships in Irvine, California. Henry Webb ʼ25 was also on the record-breaking team.

Former Faculty

Pat Arnold, Deb Hoops and Woody Woodward (along with Deb’s husband, Ken) took an 18-day trip to Switzerland, then traveled to Salzburg, Austria, for three days before returning home via Munich. Woody writes, “It felt like seven trips! We spent three days in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Alesia Klein—a former Highcroft second grade teacher—and her husband, Hoddy, are living.”

WOODY WOODWARD, HODDY KLEIN, ALESIA KLEIN, PAT ARNOLD, DEbORAH HOOPS AND KEN HOOPS TOOK A HIKE THROUGH THE VINEYARDS IN LAKE GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

(PICTURED, R TO L) J.T. WYMAN '04, LYNDSAY MEYER '92 AND PAUL MENGE ARE 2023 bLAKE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES.

VOICES

Pulling a Thread

My first impression of the dress was that its puffer sleeves would not stay on. After a minute, its many other faults became apparent including (but not limited to) a cheap elastic waist, a neckline ruffle that somehow simultaneously dug into and fell away from my collarbone, and an underskirt that snagged in all the wrong places. But the physical discomfort was tolerable, and all in all it didn’t feel as alien on my body as I had expected—if I thought hard enough, it was almost good. Besides, I hadn’t worn dresses for years and wasn’t used to the sensation.

So I waited, testing for any reactions.

Then a support beam cracked somewhere in my mind, and just like that my infrastructure unraveled: in the midst of the leftover debris was my dress, crumpled and sobbing on the floor.

I spent hours repeating this process. I put it on, blasted music, scrolled on my phone, and then the walls tilted and I had to take it off. I put it on again and again, and, invariably, everything would be fine until I caught a glimpse of myself.

It was a paradox. When I lay on my bed, stretched out and headphones on, I felt like maybe a boy in a dress. I say maybe because boy didn’t seem adequate: girl meant who I was supposed to be, so boy should have felt right, but boy also felt like a cheat, like something you say during small talk to avoid oversharing. Regardless, the moment I felt confident enough to glance into a mirror, I was reduced to only girl, nothing more. That mirror’s limelight flattened me into a mere image.

I took off the dress for the last time and hung it in my closet, where it remains even now.

Iris Hu ’27 enjoys listening to music and clicking the hyperlinks in Wikipedia articles. They work on crew for Blake’s theater productions.