{ THE
MAGAZINE OF THE EPISCOPAL ACADEMY
SPRING 2014 }
EA’s 20 Under 30 Nominated by young Episcopal alumni as well as by current faculty members, these 20 EA alums under the age of 30, including Princeton University students Paul Riley and Nick Mead (pictured), are young movers and shakers doing amazing things.
Contents { CONNECTIONS SPRING
News
2014 }
Features
1 EA’s 20 Under 30
26
Alumni@EA
33
Athletics@EA
1 4 T.J. Locke’s Installaion
38
OnCampus
1 6 EA Icon: Gina Buggy
43
Arts@EA
46 Class Notes
1 8 A Voice for Her Dreams
74 Milestones
20 Living the Major League Dream
76 Last Word
22 Gifts That Benefit EA Forever
7 7 Annual Fund
24 Advocate Council Reception
Stay in Touch with Everything Episcopal… from stories and events to classmates and faculty! Join EA’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube communities! Every Chapel Talk, every event, all the news. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ EpiscopalAcademy1785 Find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Ea1785 Find us on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/ TheEpiscopalAcademy
The Episcopal Academy is committed to environmental sustainability and is proud to print on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. On the cover: Paul Riley ’11 and Nick Mead ’13
Connections, the magazine of The Episcopal Academy, is published twice yearly by the Office of Communications. Class Notes, comments, and photographs should be directed to: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
1785 Bishop White Drive Newtown Square, PA 19073 484-424-1522 t 484-424-1613 f bdoherty@ episcopalacademy.org OFFICE OF ALUMNI
1785 Bishop White Drive Newtown Square, PA 19073
CONNECTIONS
484-424-1779 t 484-424-1790 f bkonopka@ episcopalacademy.org EDITOR
Bill Doherty ASSISTANT EDITOR
Phyllis Martin, Hon. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Sarah Baker ’01 Michael Bradley Matt Chandik Bill Doherty Jen Fifer Linda Harbrecht Lini S. Kadaba Paige LeGrand Joseph Santoliquito
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Michael Leslie Douglas Benedict Duke University Photography George Jennison Phyllis Martin, Hon. Jay D. Prince, U.S. Squash John Sanderson Susan Swanson Wei Yang ART & PRODUCTION
Karp Graphic Design WWW. EPISCOPALACADEMY. ORG
viola adomanis bobzin markle marymor douglass morris snyder EA’S
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The Episcopal Academy is one of the finest independent schools in the country. And our amazing alumni— especially our young alumni—are a big reason why. In this, our first-ever “20 under 30” feature, we’ll introduce you to 20 impressive EA grads under the age of 30 whose bright, innovative, entrepreneurial minds are enabling them to make their mark on the world—and, in so doing, helping spread the word about EA’s greatness.
khandelwal mondesire steele fenimore daddona zug hanamirian ahl riley trimble harrity mead S PRING 20 14 // 1
Margaux Viola ’03 As an Episcopal Academy student, Margaux Viola ’03 was the quintessential well-rounded high achiever: all-league in lacrosse and soccer, runner in winter track, leader in drug and alcohol awareness programs, and member of the Spanish Honors Society. Viola went on to Cornell University, where she majored in applied economics and management with a concentration in finance and entrepreneurship, and graduated cum laude after distinguishing herself as an All-American lacrosse player. She jumped into her postcollege career with equal gusto, spending nearly four years with BlackRock, a 10,000-employee public company in New York focused on best-in-class investment strategies for a wide range of clients.
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The self-described “entrepreneurship and start-up addict” moved to Colorado to pursue her passion for start-ups and joined TeamSnap—where she developed and executed marketing strategies for the online software used to manage more than 40,000 sports teams in 112 countries—before becoming chief operating officer for Live Wordly, which was founded by fellow Episcopal alum Kael Robinson ’01. The venture handpicks fashionable products from around the world to share culture through fashion that gives back.
“A big part of life is just showing up, but, as basic as it might sound, it’s advice that a lot of people don’t heed.” —Mark Adomanis ’03
“Live Worldly was founded on the principle that fashion goes beyond the aesthetic,” says Viola. “It’s a way to embrace cultures unfamiliar to us and to positively impact the lives of others, while enhancing our own. And a portion of the proceeds from each item is donated to a local nonprofit organization.” Now with Flowh, a calendar software company based in Denver, Colo., Margaux oversees the company’s marketing, business development, and strategic partnerships. In January, she headed to San Francisco to join Tradecraft, an immersive training program for individuals focused on user experience, strategy, and business development in high-growth startups. “I’ve always been excited by innovation and technology that improves the world,” she says. “The amount of information at our fingertips and speed at which we can do business is incredible. For example, with Live Worldly, we were able to com-
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municate with local artisan vendors around the world through email, Skype, and other apps and then share their stories with our customers through photos and videos, and translate our orders across many languages. These things would have been much harder and, in some cases, not even possible just 10 years ago.” Despite a hectic worklife, Viola says she appreciates the need for balance with technology in daily life. “I’m very inspired by the focus on using innovation to improve health, wellness, and mindfulness,” she says. “I’m working on a business with a well-respected performance trainer around an area of particular interest to me—ACL tear prevention—and rehabilitation for athletes. My long-term goals are to have my own company and be in the business of helping other entrepreneurs as they go from idea to business model.” She directs her passion for service to volunteerism in the Denver area. She is part of Impact Denver, a Chamber of Commerce program focused on improving the city through civically engaged young professionals, and YouthBiz, which teaches job and life skills to youth from underserved communities. She also volunteers with CoFounders Lab and the Cornell Club of Colorado, and has mentored with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. “I’ve been fortunate to have been surrounded by an incredible support system of family, friends, and mentors as I’ve navigated my journey,” she says. “I really want to give back and be a part of this support system for others.”—Linda Harbrecht
Mark Adomanis ’03 Ask Mark Adomanis, currently a management consultant for D.C.-based Booz Allen Hamilton, about the best advice he ever received from a teacher, and he has no difficulty zeroing in on this simple tip from Mr. Morris, his AP calculus teacher at EA: “Go to class.” Adomanis—who spent a great deal of time at EA captaining the wrestling and rowing teams and being a key part of the Domino Club—says he took that advice to heart when he went on to Harvard, and then Oxford, where he continued to distinguish himself as a stellar student.
“I missed maybe three or four classes all throughout college, and it put me in reasonably good stead,” he says. “A big part of life is just showing up, but, as basic as it might sound, it’s advice that a lot of people don’t heed.”
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“Episcopal probably shaped me more than Harvard. I learned a lot of values there and I lost a little bit of that at Harvard.” —Lauren Bobzin ’04
While at EA, Adomanis also pursued a keen interest in Russia, which he continues through his work and his contributions to Forbes magazine. He’s written on Russian demographics and economic trends and other topics for True/Slant, Inosmi, Salon, The National Interest, Russia Magazine, and Quartz, and shares opinions and observations with thousands of followers on Twitter @MarkAdomanis, “I do my best to inject hard numbers—and flashy Excel charts—into conversations and debates that are all too frequently driven by anecdotes and offhand observations,” he says. His interest in Russia began in childhood and continues to be a source of fascination. “Ever since I was a little kid, I loved reading about the Second World War,” he says. “I have had a number of excellent teachers and professors along the way who have helped me learn a very great deal, but ultimately there’s not a really handy explanation for why, out of all the things in the world, I chose Russia. It’s just always been the case that, the more I read about the place, the more interested I get.” He credits his teachers at EA for developing and sharpening his writing skills, which has not only been a source of professional fulfillment, but has also helped him reach a broader audience with his well-crafted opinion pieces. “Episcopal does a really excellent job of teaching people how to write—truly outstanding,” he says. “In college and grad school, it was very evident to me that I had been given superior instruction in how to write academic papers. Even at a place like Harvard, I met a lot of people who had never been given the sort of pointed, precise guidance in structuring a thesis statement, assembling supporting evidence, and coming to a logical conclusion. I’m thankful to EA for that, as it’s not something that’s easy to learn.”
His early career success aside, Adomanis has his sights set on a bigger prize: “My true dream job would be working for the State Department,” he says, before adding wryly, “but the longer I spend in D.C., the harder it is to take U.S. government seriously.”—Linda Harbrecht
Lauren Bobzin ’04 A restlessness always seemed to permeate Lauren Bobzin, a 2004 Episcopal Academy graduate who went to Harvard University, where she earned an economics degree. Upon graduating from the prestigious Ivy League school, she found herself on the sales desk for a major firm in Boston for 18 months, then took on Wall Street on the trading desk for another 30 months. But something constantly gnawed at her, causing her to challenge personal boundaries. After losing her job in November 2011, a victim of the burst financial bubble, Bobzin remembered a college friend and some family roots, grandparents who made the sacrifice as medics in the South Pacific during World War II. It’s what led to completely flipping her life path upside down and becoming a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Bobzin is in a far different world
than sitting behind a desk and the daily grind of punching up numbers on a computer and making them work. “I was almost relieved when I got the news, because we were going through layoffs once a quarter,” Bobzin recalls. “It was too much. The whole time it was like trying to outrun a burning bridge. Initially, I liked the financial world. I’m young, I’m dodging bullets. I’m hustling and hanging in. But then the layoffs catch up to you. I began thinking about something different.” She recalled the positive experience an old college friend had in the Marine Corps when he entered after college. Her grandmother was a Bronze Star recipient during World War II. “I looked into the military and I couldn’t shake it,” Bobzin says. “Episcopal probably shaped me more than Harvard. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my experience at Harvard, but I learned a lot of values there at Episcopal and I lost a little bit of that at Harvard. I’m getting that back now in the Marines. I am content—that’s exactly it. I’ve found contentment. People who know me say I’m more serious. You want to do things that are purposeful. I’m surrounded by people who have that sense of purpose.”—Joe Santoliquito
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“This was still one step away from the action,” he says. At MIT in 2012, Markle and classmates hatched AvaTech to detect avalanche dangers. An avid backcountry skier, Markle has faced his share of scares while skiing the Alps. A friend was killed in an avalanche. AvaTech’s collapsible probe prototype takes measurements of the snowpack to analyze its stability; data is shared in the cloud. “You get these crowd-sourced maps of snow structure,” says Markle, who raised $575,000 in seed money. “The best way to survive an avalanche is not to be in one at all.” Aimed at professional guides and scientists, the $2,500 product is expected to be available this year. The technology also could benefit industries such as oil and gas or the military.
Brint Markle ’04 Brint Markle ’04 is an entrepreneur through and through. That might mean launching a new magazine. Or a high-tech device to predict avalanches. Before he was out of Duke University, the public policy major minoring in economics raised enough money to publish RIVAL Magazine, which celebrates the storied connection between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It’s still going strong. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than the process of creating something new,” says Markle, 28, the CEO of his own start-up as he pursues an M.B.A. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I’ve always been that way.”
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In 2008, the Devon native joined management consultants Bain & Company. Posted to Switzerland, he worked on an initiative to support emerging market entrepreneurs in developing nations—an experience that whetted his appetite to “find purpose.” In 2011, Markle left Bain to join Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, a nonprofit that invests in global economic development.
“With a new venture, you have to start from the ground up, be really scrappy, find people, make sure they have the right values,” Markle says. “I love creating that sense of family, that sense of commitment.”—Lini S. Kadaba
Blake Marymor ’04 The credits for Blake Marymor ’04 read like a who’s who of television hits: Modern Family, The Good Wife, and more recently, Justified, House of Lies, and The Goldbergs, among many dozens of others. At 28, the sound engineer for Sony Pictures Entertainment is at the top of his game. “I’m in the major leagues,” Marymor allows from Marina del Rey, Calif., where he lives. “That’s the only way I can describe it. I am lucky to be part of some of the largest television shows and films out there.” The Newtown Square native who always has loved music—especially the sound aspects—started in the business at 13, working tech for Episcopal productions and later mixing records at a local studio. At Villanova University, he got a bachelor’s in communications before he headed for Tinseltown in 2008. “I started where all people start,” he says. He “loaded dailies,” preparing production materials for editors at Smart Post Sound in Burbank. Before long, Marymor was deep into the technical aspects of sound engineering, assisting on the mix stages. He was part of the soundmixing crew that took an Emmy in 2010 for Modern Family.
Marymor says he has seen his share of stars but what really excites him is creating shows like The Simpsons, which he grew up watching. In 2011, Marymor got The Call. “Like all Hollywood stories, I got a call. ‘Can you be there?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’” At Sony Pictures, arguably one of the pinnacles in post-production, he works his magic, manipulating sound effects, dialogue, and background noises. Marymor’s latest project—The Amazing Spider-Man 2—will feature the new 3-D sound format Dolby Atmos at a theater near you starting this May. “I love puzzles,” he says. “There’s always something new that somebody wants you to do, and we have to put it together and make it work. That’s always a lot of fun.”—Lini S. Kadaba
Elisse Douglass ’05 Elisse Douglass was always immersed in the greater picture. While at EA on a Buckley Scholarship, she was living in Philadelphia doing community work with nonprofit organizations such as A Better Chance and the Allegheny West Foundation.
It had an impact on her. She vowed to make a difference—and she is. Douglass, a 2005 Episcopal graduate and 2009 graduate of Columbia University, where she earned an architecture degree and was the Ivy League triple-jump champion her senior year, is a director at the IMB Development Corporation in New York City. IMB’s mission is to invest in businesses that hire from low-income communities. “The firm’s specific goal is to develop communities by providing jobs and to economically infuse,” Douglass says. “Most of the business owners we work with are small and medium-sized. Many are family-owned businesses that have grown to a certain scale. They have a large employee base, but they’re also concerned with hiring people from their communities and making sure their economic impact affects others around them.” Currently looking into a graduate school for an MBA, Douglass originally worked in the architecture field for four years. But her passion was someplace else, so she jumped at the chance to work at IMB. She credits her time at Episcopal with fostering an expansive desire to help those less fortunate.
’05 “The Episcopal community decided to invest the time, the effort, the resources into me growing and developing, and it has obviously changed the structure of my life,” Douglass says. “I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t go to Episcopal. I want to make sure what I do could be as impactful in the lives of others. I would love to be able to provide a scholarship 10 years from now and give someone the same chance that I received.”—Joe Santoliquito
Nick Morris ’05 If a project happens to land on Nick Morris’ desk that doesn’t exactly excite him, you can bet he won’t worry too much. Something better is bound to come along next month. Or maybe even next week. That’s the beauty of working for NBCUniversal’s Digital Entertainment Group. So many new things are happening with social media, Internet sites, and technology that trying to predict what comes next is practically impossible. “You’re never standing still,” Morris says. “What you’re working on one month might not even be relevant a few months down the road, because something completely new has replaced it.”
She remembers those daily three-hour round trip bus rides back and forth to Episcopal. Leaning her head against the window, she would occasionally peer out, curious where people lived and what condition their homes were in.
“I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t go to Episcopal.” —Elisse Douglass ’05
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To help meet the financial burdens of a catastrophic medical event, a fundraising campaign has been established in Snyder’s honor through HelpHOPELive.
After graduating from Wake Forest in 2009 with a degree in finance, Morris spent three years working in the relatively small (20 employees) Philadelphia branch office of Stifel Nicolaus, a St. Louis based mergers and acquisition firm. In October 2012, he moved to New York to become manager of ad strategy and development for the Digital Entertainment Group. Morris and his team spend their days working on new ways to monetize NBCUniversal’s properties by seeking strategic partnerships with businesses like Twitter. Since the company is always acquiring new content and is responsible for a wide variety of subsidiaries, such as NBC.com and Fandango, along with video on demand and apps for tablets and phones, Morris’ world is expanding exponentially. “I like it a lot,” he says. “It’s a cool opportunity to take the skill set I learned doing finance and think through the strategic challenges companies have.” When he’s not working on the cutting edge, Morris is pursuing a masters degree of sorts in all things New York City. “I’m still sort of a new New Yorker,” he says. “I’m doing a lot of exploring in the city.” One thing that has made his transition easier is a solid group of Class of 2005 grads in the area. During the summer they gathered for a reunion, and Morris estimates 15 Episcopal alums were on hand. You can bet he had plenty to tell them. —Michael Bradley
Greg Snyder ’05 Like virtually all of his fellow graduates in the Class of 2005, Greg Snyder’s life is far different today compared to his days on the Episcopal Academy campus. But probably few—if any—have been faced with the sort of life-changing circumstance that Snyder experienced this past summer, when he was paralyzed from a hiking accident. His spinal cord was 95 percent severed and his injuries required two fusions, a lengthy stay in the intensive care unit, and months of rehab. The rehabilitation is ongoing as he adjusts to life as a T9 paraplegic, while hoping to recover the muscle strength that will allow him to become completely independent and to return for his fourth year of med school at Jefferson Medical College.
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Those who know him could probably have predicted how Snyder would respond. The high-achieving EA student, who went onto a stellar academic career at Princeton, is typically driven in hoping to defy the medical odds. “It’s minute by minute, but I’m on track with my recovery and rehab,” Snyder says. “I have what they call, in layman’s terms, a ‘complete injury,’ which means that I’ll probably be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. But the first two years following a spinal cord injury are critical and I’m hoping to recover some muscular strength.” Snyder was drawn to medicine as a career because he saw it as “the perfect blend of the sciences and humanities, unparalleled in any other profession.” His goal is to focus on emergency medicine or neuro-critical care. His personal experience has led to a deeper understanding of the field. “Hopefully,” he says, “it will make me a better doctor. I have a much greater appreciation for what it means to be a patient and what people go through. I’m also a much more informed patient. My medical training allows me to ask more informed questions, maybe question decisions. I’m sure it’s incredibly annoying to the doctors, but I’ve learned that it’s really important for patients to be an active partner in their treatment.” Snyder has also taken a keen interest in health care policy, seeing affordable, quality health care as a “profoundly ethical issue.” To help meet the financial burdens of a catastrophic medical event, a fundraising campaign has been established in Snyder’s honor through HelpHOPELive. The nonprofit has been aiding those with spinal cord injuries for more than a decade by defraying the costs of medical care, rehabilitation, equipment, and medically necessary home modifications. “I’ve had a lot of support from my family,” he says. “But I’ve met others through my rehab who are still struggling with insurers. I have one friend who has a spinal cord injury more severe than mine who was denied a wheelchair by his insurer because they determined it wasn’t medically necessary. There a lot of people who need help.”
Anyone interested in donating to the organization can contact HelpHOPELive, Two Radnor Corporate Center, 100 Matsonford Road, Suite 100, Radnor, PA 19087. Donations can also be made online at www.helphopelive.org. —Linda Harbrecht
Medha Khandelwal ’06 For Medha Khandelwal ’06, it all came down to the cookie stand. She earned a degree in social studies at Harvard, studied in Delhi, and wrote a thesis on life for second-generation Muslim youth in America. But when making a decision about her professional life, she went back to the small business she ran with an EA classmate on the corner. “I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Khandelwal says. Conversations with her sister, Mallika ’07, and a friend led Khandelwal to consider starting a website that would help people find compatible roommates in New York City. Roomidex works with people’s Facebook contacts to find matches based on neighborhood preferences, what kind of amenities people want from a building, and how much they want to pay—among other things. The key is that instead of casting a net over the entire NYC rental universe, it works within the Facebook world and can be more precise in finding a good match. “Everyone has a terrible roommate story or knows someone who has one,” Khandelwal says. “Most people can personally relate to what we do and why there is a need for it. “This can help eliminate some awkward conversations.” Khandelwal isn’t just working with Roomidex. She is director of marketing at Skedge. me, an online scheduling platform for businesses. She is also involved with Project HEAL, a nonprofit that looks to fund treatment for people with eating disorders and help alter perceptions of healthy body images. “There are a lot of people in my life who have suffered from eating disorders,” she says.
That cookie stand may have satisfied a lot of cravings for desserts, but it spawned much more. From her base in Manhattan (she lives with her sister), Khandelwal has spread out in many different directions. In July, she’ll undertake a new challenge: marriage. Expect that to be a sweet success, too. —Michael Bradley
Zach Mondesire ’06 Zach Mondesire gravitates toward helping the less fortunate. In February 2011, he was in Cairo for the second time, teaching young Sudanese refugees anger management skills. It was the Arab Spring. One night, Mondesire opened his apartment door to see 10 armed men and a tank outside. “They went through all my things and interrogated me,” said Mondesire, now a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. “I was on the floor on my knees. Every time I tried to get up and move, they told me to sit down.” Neighbors, apparently, had reported him as suspicious. Mondesire, fluent in Arabic, kept his cool—and got a lucky break. The principal at the school where he taught was nearby and vouched for him.
“I tried to teach mindfulness and emotional awareness, forgiveness … challenging yourself to make different choices.” —Zach Mondesire ’06
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He took the bold step, while still attending Episcopal, of getting his pilot’s license when he was 15. His father took him to Philadelphia’s Northeast Airport on what is called a discovery flight, and Fenimore has been hooked on flying ever since. By 17, he had his private pilot’s license. He continued working toward his airline transport pilot’s license while attending Purdue University, where he completed his degree in communications and public relations.
“Episcopal prepared me for this through the school’s high academic standards, and it’s a place that taught me anything is possible.” —Trevor Fenimore ’06 Back in the Philadelphia area, the West Chester native continued to help others, mentoring at-risk adolescents through Frontline Dads and implementing an antiviolence curriculum for Mothers In Charge at a local prison. “I tried to teach mindfulness and emotional awareness, forgiveness … challenging yourself to make different choices,” he says. Since his days at Episcopal, he has focused on how to ratchet down emotional, rash reactions to life’s circumstances. “In pre-K, I had some self-control problems. Maybe that’s why I can relate,” says Mondesire, one of the few African-American students at EA’s then-Devon campus. “I always was hyperaware of my position and having to navigate the space calmly.” At Columbia University, he studied anthropology and “found the voice … for dialogue across cultural and faith boundaries.” Mondesire plans to research South Sudan and issues of race while at Penn’s Africana Studies department, which he joined in 2012. But his passion to help others is
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never far from the forefront. He coaches for Philadelphia City Rowing, working with public and charter school students. “For me,” says Mondesire, “coaching rowing is just another way to empower young people to be engaged citizens of the world and successful young adults.” —Lini S. Kadaba
Trevor Fenimore ’06 Like most children, Trevor Fenimore tended to look skyward when a jet swooshed by, imagining what it must be like there in the clouds. The big difference is that the 2006 Episcopal Academy graduate did something about it. He fulfilled a dream. At 25, he’s one of the youngest pilots for Republic Airlines, which is contracted to fly for American Airlines, United, Delta, and U.S. Airways. Based out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Fenimore is a co-pilot on crews that fly throughout the United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas.
“One of the things I like about flying is that every day is new,” Fenimore says. “I might have a four-day week that starts in Chicago, goes to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then winds up in New Orleans overnight. It is a little like being a professional athlete, because you’re traveling all of the time.” What’s inevitable is that Fenimore is usually the youngest member of the crew. Crew captains, he says, are usually around 40 and they’ll fly into their mid-60s. There is something else very unique about commercial pilots: “There are a lot of pilots that have gotten into flying as a second career,” he says. “Episcopal prepared me for this through the school’s high academic standards, and it’s a place that taught me anything is possible. I am living a dream that I wanted to do ever since I was a little kid. “I have the best office view you can possibly get at 35,000 feet every morning.” —Joe Santoliquito
Sarah Steele ’06 Sarah Steele’s acting career began in earnest at age 12, and by 16 while a student in the Upper School at Episcopal—she played her breakout role alongside Adam Sandler in the 2004 romantic comedy Spanglish. Sarah’s current project sees her playing a medical student and Lena Dunham’s cousin on the HBO hit series Girls. Her role on Girls represents the culmination of Sarah’s
efforts this year to navigate a challenging transition away from playing adolescent characters and into playing her own age. When Sarah talks about the early experience of her career, she remembers the support of her parents and family, the flexibility of the EA faculty and community, and her own intrinsic desire to pursue her passion, while also preserving for herself a meaningful life outside of her work. In fact, her commitment to this latter goal led Sarah to take almost four years off from her acting career to pursue her English degree at Columbia University and to open herself to considerations of careers off the stage. Consider them she did, but in the end the same force that pulled her toward her first acting class at the tender age of eight drew her back to the stage upon her graduation. Sarah remembers her desire to ensure that she was “making an active choice” to pursue what she really loved after school. Listening to her talk about acting is to feel that real love. Sarah speaks of the intimacy of theater, moments when “strangers” in an audience become somehow connected—to actors and to each other—by sharing a “cathartic and life-affirming” moment together. When Sarah reflects back on her career to date, she highlights a play called Slowgirl for the wonder of its experience. A twoperson show that played at Lincoln Center in the summer of 2012 and was extended for its success, Sarah counts this play as her most fulfilling yet because of the marvel of playing next to talent Željko Ivanek and because of the tremendous responsibility incumbent upon the two actors to carry the entire play. Each night of the show ended with Sarah sitting on the stage and delivering a tearful monologue to an audience of faces that slowly became tear-stained themselves. It is the immediacy and authenticity of this kind of moment that keeps Sarah coming back to the theater show after show, film after film, and day after day. —Sarah Baker ’01
Rachel Daddona ’07 While some Episcopal alums are swimming with business sharks on Wall Street, Rachel Daddona could be hanging with the real things this summer in Fiji. Daddona expects to be there, teaching a course on marine conservation with a focus on sharks. That’s the kind of thing one does with a bachelor’s degree in marine science and biology and a masters in marine mammal science. Ever since Daddona was a baby, she has been close to the water. Back then, it was at her grandparents’ house in Sea Isle City, N.J. Today, she’s volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium, working with Asian small-clawed otters, beluga whales, and harbor seals. She’s also an instructor with Broadreach, which offers summer programs in a wide variety of disciplines worldwide. And just to complete the whole marine theme, Daddona is an accomplished scuba diver. “The ocean has always been a big part of my life,” she says.
That would explain why she studied at the University of Miami after leaving EA. She had never considered the school until somebody pointed out its vast array of marine science programs. Talk about your easy sell. In addition to her studies, Daddona worked with marine mammal rescue groups. That meant when a sea turtle was stranded on the beach, she was part of the team that rescued it. Last summer, she taught marine science for Broadreach in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Hanging with sharks in Fiji this summer should be an even better experience. From there, Daddona expects to continue working with marine life both indoors and out. She’ll probably stay in the South, due to her predilection for tropical biology. “I would like to get involved with a large facility, like the Georgia Aquarium that does animal care in-house and conservation work out in the world,” she says.
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If that puts her in a shark tank, all the better.—Michael Bradley
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20 UNDER 30 Kelly Zug ’08 Kelly Zug had a brief, yet impactful twoyear stay at Episcopal Academy. The 2008 EA grad had visions of being a math teacher in high school, but happened to come across someone who eventually became her best friend and opened her eyes to a course she had never before entertained. “During my junior year (at EA), I met Veronika Krasteza, an exchange student from Ruse, Bulgaria,” Zug recalls. “Meeting her and that international exposure helped me get to where I am today.” Today, Zug is in Bulgaria, as a Fulbright Scholarship winner at Elon University, and teaching English in Vratsa, an impoverished city in northwestern Bulgaria, nestled at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It’s a community with hardly any adults between the ages of 18 to 40. As a result, it consists of children and the senior citizens who care for them. Zug teaches 250 students spread over grades 9 through 12 at a language-focused school, taking in roughly 25 students per class. It’s a unique environment and a very interesting position Zug holds. “There is no one my age around because there are no jobs forcing parents and working-age adults to live abroad and send money back home to their children,” Zug
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says. “Their parents come home maybe two or three times a year. As a Fulbright teacher, I don’t view my role as just an English teacher, but as a mentor and older sibling to my students. I love living there. I’ve gotten a lot out of it; my job is rewarding and yet exhausting. It is wonderful. Many Bulgarians miss Communism, because there were jobs available.
In her senior thesis, the public policy major in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs found that university-sponsored prep programs, such as those at Princeton and Rutgers University, were critical to increasing the pipeline of low-income applicants. “If it wasn’t for these programs, they wouldn’t be where they are.”
“It really does change your perspective on things seeing how these families live. I wish I could do more. It’s become something I’m passionate about. I believe that one person can change what you think about a country or a culture.”
Hanamirian also was the editor of Business Today Magazine, a student publication nationally distributed, and tutored local students. Both activities mirrored her time at Episcopal, where she was editor of Scholium and on the Community Service Board.
Just like meeting Krasteza at EA has changed Zug.—Joe Santoliquito
In recognition of her academic and leadership achievements, she was awarded, along with another student, Princeton’s prestigious Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, given to outstanding seniors.
Caroline Hanamirian ’09 A freshman seminar on higher education and public policy at Princeton University first awakened Caroline Hanamirian ’09 to the plight of poor, high-achieving students who fail to gain entry to the nation’s top colleges. “You hear about the bottom half,” Hanamirian, originally from Villanova, says of media reports. “But top performers also are being left behind.”
In her acceptance speech, Hanamirian referenced an Episcopal chapel talk that was a formative experience for her—bringing her full circle, she says. Shirley Tilghman, then-Princeton president, spoke about the “qualities of great change-makers,” Hanamirian recalls. “Truly effective leaders have the habit of listening to those around them and building a sense of community. There’s this balance.” Hanamirian says she has taken that advice to heart—listening, learning and leading.
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“Chapel helped bring everything we were learning and doing into perspective.” —Sophia Ahl ’11
After graduating from Princeton, she joined Goldman Sachs as an equity sales analyst. While she says she’d like to keep her hand in public policy—perhaps through volunteer work—her plate is full with the pace and excitement of finance.
Harrity did some investigating and learned about what it took to become part of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour. “It’s like dropping off a cliff,” he says. “You have to figure out a lot of things.”
Hanamirian experienced the Twitter IPO up close, and she has mastered the Big Apple’s subway system.
Turning professional is accomplished by paying dues on the PSA website. Sticking around requires winning. By late March, Harrity was ranked 92nd in the world and was competing in first-tier tournaments around the globe, where prize money ranges from $5-$15,000. If he is successful, he can move into the more lucrative competitions, which are generally dominated by players from Egypt and England. So Harrity forges on, hoping to win more, attract sponsors, and retain favored status with the U.S. association.
“Every day,” she says, “is a new challenge.”—Lini S. Kadaba
Todd Harrity ’09 If Todd Harrity had been a three-time collegiate national champion in football, basketball, or baseball, the idea of turning pro would have been pretty much automatic. But since he pulled off the three-peat in squash, deciding to make a living at the sport wasn’t quite as easy. “I didn’t think about playing professionally that much,” Harrity says. “It came on gradually. I always figured I would go into something else and get a job.” Then came the summer after his junior year at Princeton University. Harrity had just been part of the Tiger squad that won the team national title. He had taken the individual crown the previous year and would team with Taylor Tutrone to be the best doubles tandem in the land as a senior. “I wasn’t ready for squash to be out of my life,” he says.
“I’ve always loved squash and racquet sports,” he says. “I’m hooked on the game. Right now, I want to focus on squash and see how far I can go. “I’m going to pursue it with all my strength.” And hope to make his turning pro decision look like a good one.—Michael Bradley
Sophia Ahl ’11 Sophia Ahl’s parents chose Episcopal Academy for their daughter’s education, beginning in kindergarten, “because of its great academic reputation, as well as its spiritual focus,” says the 2011 EA graduate.
If their daughter’s early success is any indication, Ahl’s parents made a wise choice. An economics and foreign affairs major at the University of Virginia, she recently completed an internship with the Washington, D.C. based NAFTA and Trade Office, which serves as the liaison between the U.S. and Mexico and their trade activities. Her specific duties involved bilingual consulting with individuals and small businesses involved in importing, exporting, and start-up businesses in both countries. Her NAFTA experience followed internships with Mintrans, Ltd., an international shipping company in Beijing, and with high-end fashion designer Tory Burch, which served as her senior project at EA. “I’ve been fortunate to work at a variety of different companies and organizations,” she says, but it appears luck has little to do with her success. During her time at EA, Ahl wrote for the Spanish newspaper, was the photographer for the school newspaper, and spent much of her time outside the classroom working on political volunteerism and with a charity she and a few friends founded to provide educational opportunities for underprivileged children in Philadelphia and outside the U.S.
S P R I N G 20 14 // 11
“I just tried to experience as many different things as possible,” she says. “During my sophomore year at EA, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study in Switzerland for a semester.” She credits the academic rigor of EA’s Middle and Upper Schools for well-developed study, organizational, and time-management habits. “My education taught me how to manage my time and my schoolwork well,” she says. “These skills have been particularly helpful in college, due to the fact there is much less structure and a lot more free time.” Another valued part of her EA experience was Chapel.
Riley reports having been intrigued by these courses because they reveal the “not so pretty” side of a government that seeks to protect freedoms.
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20 UNDER 30 12 //C O N N E C T I O N S
”Whether it was a student, guest, or Rev. Squire, Hon. speaking, Chapel helped bring everything we were learning and doing into perspective,” says Ahl, who hopes to draw on that spiritual reservoir throughout her career. Ahl’s most rewarding work experiences have focused on mineral trading and smallscale consulting. Her dream job: management consulting or commodities trading for a larger firm. And if that work improves lives and expands opportunities, she says, all the better. Already, Ahl has learned that helping someone out, making friends from different countries, or merely expanding understanding about different cultures and places is always a wise investment. —Linda Harbrecht
Paul Riley ’11 Paul Riley ’11 is perennially convinced that he will lose his next election. His humility is admirable but ill-founded; Paul has annually sought and consistently won elected posts in student government and leadership since his very first attempt in the sixth grade. Now a junior at Princeton University, he serves as the Campus and Community Affairs Chair of the Undergraduate Student Government, operating as a liaison between the campus and surrounding community. A political science major, Paul has been pleased in his junior year to embark upon a deeper and more nuanced study of government. This ambitious student felt that his first two years only “scratched the surface”
of what there was to learn. This year, Paul’s favorite classes are Race and Public Policy, Race and the American Legal Process, and Environment: Science and Policy. He reports having been intrigued by these courses because they reveal the “not so pretty” side of a government that seeks to protect freedoms. For Riley, his studies have served as a “wake-up call.” He explains that “some people feel like it’s OK if we didn’t always live our values in the 1800s, but then you see how that pushes into the 1970s or the 80s, and you realize that it all isn’t as archaic or as far removed as you may have hoped.” Riley speaks passionately about his “calling” to learn and eventually to affect the direction in which the country is heading, citing the nation’s responsibility to set a positive example to the rest of the world. While Paul has yet to set his sights on his next step after his 2015 expected graduation from Princeton, he understands that he will have to pay his dues before he gets a “seat at the table.” He came to this conclusion when he served as an intern for U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah and for Philadelphia City Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. Paul reflects that volunteering has taught him the power of networking and connecting. He notes, “You never know who may open what door. So for now I concentrate on exuding dedication and leaving a lasting positive impression on everyone I encounter.”—Sarah Baker ’01
Taylor Trimble ’11 Taylor Trimble finished a spectacular lacrosse career at Episcopal Academy in June of 2011 and immediately thereafter began training to play for the United States U-19 Women’s Lacrosse team abroad. Her preparation was urgent. The under-19 team, of which Taylor was eventually named captain, was to compete for the world title that very summer in Hanover, Germany. By August, she and her teammates—three of whom would join her at Duke University that fall—were competing against 14 other nations and, eventually, beat Australia to win the gold medal for the United States. Taylor’s contribution to that victory—and her storied career at Duke since then—have earned her a spot on the US Women’s Senior National team with
’13 teammates whose play she has followed since her earliest years of high school. The story of opportunity begetting opportunity replicates itself again and again in Trimble’s young and tremendously accomplished life. With an intensity and an energy that immediately identify her as one of this nation’s most elite athletes, Taylor chases down chances for growth both on and off the field. In her first two seasons at Duke, Taylor started in every game but two, only missing those because of an ankle injury that had her sidelined. Last year, the caliber of Taylor’s play earned her the distinction of being named first-team All-ACC, an honor that is voted on by all coaches in the powerhouse conference, and first-team All-Academic for her impressive GPA. That same year, Taylor was nominated to represent the women’s lacrosse team at an athletic department program called Sophomore Outdoor Leadership Expedition (SOLE), which cultivates the leadership potential of future student-athlete leaders. Taylor was also named an Action Leader Mentor to aid first-year athletes in their transition into college. As all who encounter her quickly realize, Taylor’s grit extends far beyond the turf. It is a wonder that Taylor has energy to spare for her studies, which she pursues with the same dogged enthusiasm and depth of heart as she has her athletic success. A public policy major, she is coupling her studies in this arena with a markets and management certificate to support her inter-
est in business. When she considers her life after Duke, Trimble knows that athletics will somehow play a role. With a maturity beyond her years, Trimble understands the need to be deliberate in selecting a path that will enable her to use her degree but also to use her passion.—Sarah Baker ’01
Nick Mead ’13 Last spring was an eventful one for Nick Mead ’13, who captained the Episcopal crew team through a challenging season and even more challenging emotional rapids. The very day after the tragic loss of teammate Paul Pratt ’14, the team clinched an unpredicted third-place finish at the Stotesbury Regatta, missing second place by half a second. And just two weeks later, Mead led the EA team to victory at Scholastic Nationals, narrowly beating Father Judge— one of the two teams that had bested Episcopal at Stotesbury. Nick’s crew season did not end when the team’s did, with a seventh-place finish at Youth Nationals, the most competitive high school race in the nation, later that June. Instead, he entered a monthlong tryout for the Junior National Team and was one of only 18 rowers selected to the team. After an additional month of training, Nick and his teammates journeyed to Trakai, Lithuania to row in the Junior World Championship, where the team missed the finals by less than a second but won an easy victory in the petite final on open water. As is so often the case for this busy scholarathlete, Mead had little time to rest before beginning his freshman year at Princeton University just a few weeks later. Once at Princeton, he made the varsity eight boat as
a freshman and now rows year-round. On vacations from school, he joins the Episcopal crew team in the tanks for workouts, an excellent way for him to keep in rowing shape and a real treat for the Episcopal rowers who still look up to Mead as an elite student-athlete. Indeed, their admiration is well placed, for Mead has always seen himself as much a “student” as he has an “athlete.” Mead is pursuing a rigorous course of study at Princeton and is focusing on his newfound interest in Russian language and history, a study to which he plans to devote himself this summer with a trip to St. Petersburg. When he discusses the allure of Russian, Mead dwells on the satisfaction of mastering a language that does not conform to the rules of romance languages and that necessitates learning a new alphabet. He loves it because he loves a challenge, and to all those who knew Mead the tenacious rower and exceptional scholar at Episcopal, this comes as no surprise at all. —Sarah Baker ’01
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T.J. Locke’s
Installation
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During a beautiful September 10 ceremony
on the school’s Clark Campus Green, T.J. Locke was officially installed as the 11th Head of School of The Episcopal Academy. In his installation remarks, Locke pointed to the school’s rich 228-year history of excellence, and recognized the need to hold on to our tradition of a strong, classical education, while maintaining an agile stance to be able to evolve, adapt, and lead in a changing and dynamic landscape. Locke boldly challenged the school community to think broadly and confidently in envisioning its ability to achieve excellence in all areas of school life. “Let this be the place of artists and entrepreneurs, of inspirational leaders and public servants, where scholars and athletes learn everything from the Classics to coding,” said Locke. “We are so blessed to have all “Let this be the place of artists and of these gifts, and so: Let us be strong but never rigid. entrepreneurs, of inspirational leaders Let us be competitive but never combative. Let us be inquisitive but never impertinent. and public servants, where scholars “I want Episcopal to be the place for optimism and and athletes learn everything from the joy, and I want our students to be the ones bursting through the door at the end of the day. Put simply, Classics to coding.” we want to make great things happen here each and every day.” After expressing his deep gratitude to everyone who worked so hard to make the joyous event possible, Locke thanked his friends, colleagues, and family, including his wife, Lauren, his daughter, Katie, and his two sons, Teddy and Charlie, before expressing what an honor it was for him to be Episcopal’s 11th Head of School. “The reason I am so thankful today, on such a glorious day, is that this honor, this position as the Head of School at The Episcopal Academy is truly a gift,” said Locke. “And like any great gift, I will treasure it and make sure I show my gratitude by giving everything I can and all that I am to this great school.”
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EA ICON:
Gina Buggy BY MATT CHANDIK
ICON STATUS Future issues of Connections will profile an EA icon. To nominate a faculty member, a coach, or a staff member—either retired or current—for us to profile, please send an email with your nomination to Bill Doherty, director of communications, at bdoherty@ episcopalacademy.org. 16 / / C O N N E C T I O N S
Gina Buggy remembers the struggle. Buggy was a fresh face on the scene in 1986 when Episcopal Academy hired her away from rival Agnes Irwin. The Owls’ Head of School, Adele Sands, had been a mentor to Buggy, hiring her after Buggy won a bronze medal in field hockey in the 1984 Olympics. But when EA was looking for a woman to help develop its new girls athletic programs after going coeducational, Sands made things abundantly clear to Buggy. “She was very nice,” Buggy recalled. “She said, ‘As much as we would hate to lose you, this would be a very natural transition for you.’” But it wasn’t always easy to get girls to go to the previously all-boys school. Some parents were apprehensive about sending their daughters to EA—often opting for the likes of Notre Dame, Agnes Irwin, Baldwin, and others. That had an effect on Buggy’s field hockey team early, but at the same time, it also helped shape today’s version of the Churchwomen. “It is important to remember that the girls who came to Episcopal in the early ’80s were pioneers. This was a certain type of girl,” Buggy said. “These girls were feisty and strong willed. Girls who came to EA early on didn’t mind shaking it up a little bit. They knew they were going to be overwhelmed by numbers yet this did not deter them. They still attended. These girls were good students, good athletes, so you got a certain type of kid. This was a good thing. Sure, they were outnumbered, but they were pioneers. They embraced this challenge.” It’s awfully hard to imagine that it was tough to get girls’ programs, especially Buggy’s field hockey team, off the ground, given their eventual success. For her part, Buggy has emerged as one of the best coaches in the state of Pennsylvania and the entire country, racking up an amazing 381 wins—and counting—in her time at EA. She has claimed 10 Inter-Ac championships and a PAISAA tournament title. Buggy will be the first to say that it wasn’t easy, but the progression through the years has been nothing short of phenomenal. “In the early years, we might not have been as strong overall as a team as we are in recent years. Even when we have our annual alumni game the alums who come back will comment ‘Wow, these girls are really good now!’” Buggy remarked. “But we definitely had strong competitors in those
early days, which, to me was the important foundation for other girls to consider, ‘Oh, maybe I will go there.’ I think they recognized something unique in these girls who came out of Episcopal. One that comes to mind for me in my early years is Tara Warrington ’87. She was a three-sport athlete who went to Lafayette where she captained their field hockey and lacrosse teams—and it was like ‘Oh, she went to Episcopal? I thought that was a boys’ school.’ It started like that. Those glimmers of success attracted other girls who were intrigued by stiff competition in an ambitious environment. Then, eventually, you get one or two of those special athletes who really change the face of the program.” It seems crazy to even imagine that, considering Buggy’s incredible success as both a field hockey coach and an athletic director. Her teams routinely rank among the best in the best field hockey state in the country. They are regularly deeper than almost everyone else with rarely a weakness to be found. Buggy has sent players to a veritable who’s who of colleges, from the Ivy League to the Big Ten to the Atlantic Coast Conference and everywhere in between. But it wasn’t always like this. “One such program changer who comes to mind is Sharon Moore ’91. She was a real difference maker in our early years. There have been many others, but she was one of the earlier catalysts,” added Buggy, who was inducted into the Montgomery County chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2013. “In the beginning, we didn’t win a lot of games, but we would upset teams, so our early records were not great, but we always managed some big wins. As the culture became a place where girls knew they could thrive, then it started to change dramatically.” The one constant that has stayed throughout the years is the woman who sees it all. It seems like there’s a permanent warm smile adorning Buggy’s face, and while she’ll balk at the thought that she’s been the driving force behind so much at EA, her impact is undeniable.
“Without a doubt, she helped me achieve everything I did,” said former EA girls lacrosse coach Amanda Vos Strache ’99. “She taught us how to work hard and not just to rest on talent. She taught us what it meant to be a part of the team. She pushes athletes out of the comfort zone. She’s a great motivator, which helps maximize the talent.” Christy Palazzese ’15 wasn’t around to see the foundation being laid for what the Churchwomen have become today, but she’s a great example of the type of player and person Buggy wants to develop. A strong student who had Ivy League interest before verbally committing to Duke University, Palazzese is also a fantastic player who earned All-Delaware County and second-team All-NFHCA and All-Southeastern Pennsylvania honors. She’s seen firsthand the impact that Buggy has had. “She’s obviously very experienced being an Olympian herself,” Palazzese said. “Her personality is just of someone so hardworking and it rubs off on us. It pushes us and supports us. She has so much knowledge and it helps make our team wellrounded and really deep.” Buggy’s dedication to her craft hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. Vos Strache played under Buggy in her days on the old Merion campus before going on to start for four years at Stanford University. Vos Strache coaches alongside Buggy, so she’s seen it from both sides of the coin. One thing that has never changed is the work Buggy is ready to put in to make things great. “She lives and breathes field hockey. She puts in such an incredible amount of time preparing, more time than anyone would ever know,” Vos Strache detailed. “She stays very current, looking up new ways to teach the sport. And she spends a lot of time watching the JV, too. It’s not just her varsity team. She wants to see what the next year and two years will look like. And as AD, when I was a student, I had no idea what her and Jim Farrell’s jobs entailed. The two of them work harder and care more about EA sports than anyone I’ve ever met.” Matt Chandik is the communications coordinator for NXTSports. He can be reached at matt@iamnxt.com.
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Dreams A Voice For Her By Michael Bradley
Kayla Coleman’s ascent in the world of music has been mirrored by her blossoming at EA, where she has been transformed into a confident young woman ready for the next stage of her life.
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Every Sunday,
Evelyn Coleman would try to convince her granddaughter to join her in the choir at Beloved Baptist Church in North Philadelphia. And every Sunday, Kayla Coleman ’14 would decline the invitation. It was one thing to sing and hum alone in the bathroom at home and quite another to do it in front of people. “I hated singing in public,” Kayla says. Kayla never did join her grandmother at Beloved Baptist, but her distaste for performing has disappeared. In fact, it may be hard to find someone more willing to sing before an audience. Whether it’s in Chapel, on the stage, as part of a select choral group, or in an audition, Coleman will sing. And sing. Her talent has taken her to the Kimmel Center. To Carnegie Hall. And it will lead her to a college program. The shy girl who didn’t think she had any vocal talent is a budding star with big dreams and a gleaming future. Her ascent in the world of music has been mirrored by her blossoming at Episcopal, where she has been transformed from an uncertain newcomer to a confident young woman who thrives on wringing the most from her many talents and can’t wait to see what comes next. “It’s all fun to me,” she says of her singing. “But a lot goes into it. At home, I’m always humming something. My mom gets agitated, because there is never silence in the house.” The cost of success is often a loss of peace, because the person pursuing the achievement needs room for all of her accomplishments. Coleman’s space has grown, just as her consciousness as a student and person has expanded. During her time at Episcopal, she has gained confidence that she can flourish in an environment filled with talented people. That wasn’t the case when she arrived on campus as a freshman. Coleman had spent her elementary years at Greene Street Friends in Philadelphia’s Germantown section, not far from her home in East Mount Airy. She prospered in the school’s tight-knit community and embraced the school’s mission of inclusion. “It gave me a good point of view,” she says.
Coleman enjoyed her visit to Episcopal and sold her mother, Karen, that it would be the perfect place for her. Not long after arriving on campus, she began to doubt that decision. The transition from Greene Street’s small world—about 20-25 students per grade—to EA’s bigger stage wasn’t an easy one. She was rising at 5:30 every morning, traveling almost an hour to school, and wasn’t returning home until almost 7 p.m. The long days and high expectations were overwhelming her. “I wanted to leave,” she says. “When I visited the school, I loved it—but it felt different. It was a tough transition from Greene Street to EA. I came in with the expectation that I could juggle a lot of things. I was always a busy person, but I set my own expectations. “At EA, everybody expects you can do a lot of things and do them well. That put a lot of pressure on a ninth grader. My mom said, ‘You convinced me you wanted to go there, so you’re staying.’” It wasn’t long before Coleman began to embrace the routine and the school’s environment. When sophomore year started, she began to notice little things, like how people greeted her as she walked across campus or that even when she struggled on a test or a paper, life was still good. “Every day was a good day,” she says. “I never had that before.” As Coleman became more comfortable in general, her musical world started to expand quickly. At Greene Street, she had sung in the chorus, had been part of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir and was a regular participant in the school’s musicals. She played Jack in Into the Woods and Jesus in Godspell. “At Greene Street, gender means nothing,” she says. “I was Jesus, and my best [girl] friend was Judas. Whatever worked.” She didn’t consider herself much of a singer until seventh grade, when the music director told a group of students auditioning for a show to “stop and listen to this.” Coleman had begun to establish herself, and though she was “dumbfounded” that people wanted to pay money to hear her perform, she began to gain confidence. At Episcopal, Coleman continued to maintain a demanding musical schedule. She spent three years as part of the school’s select a capella
ensemble, she took part in the vocal ensemble, sang in the concert choir, led the congregation in song at Chapel each week, and performed in plays as part of the Domino Club. “She’s very dedicated to choral music and very passionate,” says Joe Buches, Episcopal’s Music Department chair and director of choral activities. “She works very hard and has become more confident over the years. Early on, she was timid, but she took criticism well and wanted to learn. She’s a great kid who is humble and down to earth.” Coleman’s Episcopal resume is pretty impressive, but it isn’t everything. She served an apprenticeship with the Delaware Valley Opera Company that included a spot in the chorus in The Merry Widow and was selected from among 10,000 aspirants to sing as part of the High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. She has spent her summers singing with the Tonya Dorsey and New Vision program. “If I just sang at school, I don’t think I would be where I am today,” Coleman says. So, where exactly is that? Coleman stands ready to take an assured step forward to college and beyond. She auditioned for nearly 20 schools but will not choose her destination based solely on its musical program but on “an all-around experience.” That describes her approach to performing, too. Although she works with four individual voice coaches who help her with everything from building her classical foundation to helping with musical theater to promoting vocal chord health, she looks at her future from more than just a perspective of song. “A lot of people see me as a singer who can act,” she says. “I see myself as a performer. I don’t want to box myself in. I can sing, act, dance a little, write, play the flute, and can draw.” That diverse skill set could lead Coleman in a variety of directions. She wants to be part of musical theater on Broadway but can also see herself in films and on TV. She has dabbled in jazz vocals and has grown to like more popular music. “You have to be versatile,” she says. And also never afraid to display your talents in front of others.
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Living the
MAJOR LEAGUE Dream BY JOSEPH SANTOLIQUITO
The indelible moments are
still so fresh in Kevin Gregg’s mind. All he needs to do is close his eyes a moment and he’s there again, a wideeyed, curious whirling dervish who was into everything. The warrens of famous places like Olympic Stadium, Shea Stadium, Veterans Stadium, and Fulton County Stadium were his domain.
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It was one of many perks of being the son of the late major league baseball umpire Eric Gregg. It’s through his dad that Kevin, a 1998 Episcopal Academy graduate, cultivated an early vision to be a part of the game. Last October, Kevin held aloft the game’s greatest prize, the World Series trophy, as the director of media relations for the Boston Red Sox.
African-American umpires in the majors and who died of a stroke on June 5, 2006. “We went up to Montreal, New York, and Atlanta. I had the time of my life.” His days were filled with going to games, staying in swank, upscale hotels, and hanging out with major leaguers. “I would be running around or sitting in the umpire’s locker room eating junk food or standing around the batting cages; I had access to everywhere,” Kevin said. “From my dad, there was always a love for the game and, from an early age, I knew I wanted to be involved. As a kid, like any kid, I thought I could have played in the majors. But as I got older, reality caught up. I thought of sports management as another route to get there, in specific, public relations.”
“Even up here in Boston, you mention Episcopal and they know about the school. I couldn’t be any more thankful that my parents sent me there.” The beginning of that journey stems from a trip Kevin took with his father when he was 11 and still at Episcopal, which he attended from first through 12th grade. “Each summer, my brother Eric and I would go to this all-sports camp, but one summer I knew if I stayed home, I would able to travel with my dad,” said Kevin, whose father was one of the first
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The dream of playing fizzled when Kevin attended James Madison. A three-sport athlete at Episcopal, Kevin started two years for the baseball team, and served as the Churchmen’s team captain his senior year. At times, sitting in a prime spot behind home plate wasn’t always ideal, especially if you’re the son of a major league umpire, the arbiter of bad news.
E “That was tough; I remember a few times at the Vet in some pretty good seats hearing people make comments about the calls, or a strike zone or something and you get a little offended,” Kevin recalled. “But you learn to have a thick skin. Everyone has a right to their opinions. Sometimes, it became comical. My dad would enjoy my brother and I telling him what people were saying. He got a kick out of it.” Before graduating from James Madison, Kevin did an internship with the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2002 and upon graduating in May 2003, he started with the Phillies as an intern in merchandising. For a few years, Kevin did everything from pass out giveaways to front office employees to actually unloading the trucks the merchandise came in on. His first major break came with the Sixers in August 2005, when he was hired to their PR staff full-time. He stayed with them until November 2006, when the Phillies hired him away across the street. Gregg was with the Phillies during the most glorious time in franchise history. During his six-year span with them, the Phillies won five straight National League East titles, two National League pennants, and it was topped off by winning the 2008 World Series. “That really set me up for the job that I have now, that experience, and the
media markets, Philadelphia and Boston, are comparable,” Kevin said. “But they’ve been very spoiled up here with the way they win. I saw one little boy at the Red Sox World Series parade with a sign that said: ‘I’m 11 years old and this is my eighth championship parade.’” Kevin, in some ways, is doing what his father did, serving as a mediator between the media and the team. He says he thinks about that a lot. He feels EA has helped him on this path he’s taken. “I was really fortunate to go to EA. I tell people all the time one of the things I’m most thankful for was going there,” Kevin said. “The connections I made and the people I still keep in touch with, the networks I have are because of going to EA. Even up here in Boston, you mention Episcopal and they know about the school. I couldn’t be any more thankful that my parents sent me there.” Kevin has been a little spoiled himself. All he’s known is winning. In seven years combined with the Red Sox and Phillies, he’s been a part of six division titles, three pennants, and two world championships. Kevin’s mother, Ramona, teases him that his father would be jealous. Eric received a ring for umpiring the 1989 earthquake World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland
A’s. Kevin has two rings, one from the 2008 Phillies and last season from the Red Sox. Eric Gregg, Kevin’s father, was old school with his four children. He never openly complimented them, though they were highly successful. His oldest son, Eric, a 1996 Episcopal graduate, is St. Joseph Prep’s lacrosse coach. “My dad and I, we kind of had this too-cool thing, we wouldn’t say those complimentary things to each other, though I’d find out later through people that my father was proud of me; I know he’s looking down on me and smiling,” Kevin said. “There’s so many times I look at it—I’m doing what he did and it all goes back to that one trip when I was 11. The one thing that hit me is my dad passed away in June of 2006 and I took the job with the Phillies in November 2006. I wish he could have been alive to know I made it in baseball.” Joe Santoliquito is a sportswriter for CBS Philly.
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Endowment Gifts that Benefit EA Forever The Endowment at Work Those who support the endowment see their gift as an investment in Episcopal’s bright future. Gifts to the endowment allow Episcopal to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty, to increase access for talented students, and to innovate in the classroom. “A gift to the endowment supports the long-term financial health and sustainability of the school. Great schools historically have valued gifts to the endowment understanding that there is significant power in their permanence. Endowment funds benefit the entire Episcopal community today and in perpetuity. We are most grateful to
the alumni, parents, and friends who have established and contributed to endowed funds.” —T.J. Locke, Greville Haslam Head of School
New Endowment Funds Episcopal currently recognizes more than 100 named endowed funds that support students, faculty, and programs. Ten named endowment funds were established during the 2012-13 school year. These funds will support scholarship, professional development for faculty, innovative practices to enhance classroom teaching, leadership development, experiential education for students, athletic resources, and coursework engaging students in a broad range of political, economic, and civic viewpoints.
50th Reunion Funds In 1990, the Class of 1940 initiated a class effort to celebrate its 50th reunion at The Episcopal Academy. The class hoped to perpetuate the memory of its history at Episcopal in a way that would help support the school and be meaningful to the participating donors. This legacy concept was well received and it has since become a tradition for 50th reunion classes to present the school with a capital gift. Over the past ten years, 50th reunion funds have contributed more than $4.5 million to the endowment. The two most recently established 50th reunion funds are:
The Class of 1962 Fund for Inspirational Teaching To commemorate their 50th reunion, the Class of 1962 established an endowed fund to help faculty seek innovative ways to make learning truly inspirational. The purpose of the fund is to enable teachers to pursue the optimal balance between challenging and nurturing that leads to teaching that inspires students and helps them thrive, build confidence, and develop a lifelong love of learning. Recognizing that early development is the key to development as an adult, the Class of 1962 proposes that preference for resources be given to faculty who teach students in their formative years through middle school.
The Class of 1963 Fund to Advance a Global Perspective Recognizing that globalization is a fact of life today, the Class of 1963 commemorated their 50th reunion by creating an endowed fund to help the school expand its efforts to provide students with a foundation in world languages, an understanding of cultures, and a growing knowledge of international issues. Income from the fund will be used to train faculty leading student trips abroad, support professional development in any aspect of global studies, and provide financial aid to increase student participation in international studies. 22 / / C O N N E C T I O N S
A few of the newly named funds include:
The Hirtle Center for Innovative Teaching Established by the Hirtle family (Jon, Debby, Susan, Diana’ 03, and Kacey ’11), this fund supports educators and encourages innovation in the classroom. The purpose of the fund is to provide faculty with resources to allow them to increase their exposure to innovative practices, to enhance their classroom teaching, and to encourage a dynamic educational environment in which students thrive and the quality of the learning experience constantly grows. This fund supports The Hirtle Innovation Prize, awarded annually to a faculty member who demonstrates innovative teaching, and The Hirtle Program for Educational Innovation at Episcopal Academy each summer.
The Stone Fund for Civic Engagement Established by Ted ’78 and Liz Stone and their family, this fund supports the exposure of students to a full spectrum of principles on the topics of political science, economics, jurisprudence, public policy, and civic awareness. The Stone Fund recognizes that Episcopal students will have a head start on their peers in interpreting the events around them if they receive a balanced exposure to conservative, moderate, and liberal viewpoints with the notion that supporters of all viewpoints are committed to improving society. Additionally, the Stone Fund also supports the efforts of teachers to inculcate in students an ability to interpret the validity and perspective of information they hear, read, and watch, and an ability to think critically about how that information is impacted by the viewpoint advocated by its source.
S P O T L I G H T:
The Fund for Innovation in Math & Science ’95
David Grossman
This past December, Episcopal Trustee David
Grossman ’95 and his wife, Kate Tomford, established an endowed fund to support innovation in math and science at Episcopal. The goal of this fund is to bring excellent teaching practices, programs, and resources to bear for Episcopal Academy students to thrive in math and science fields.
“David and Kate’s generous support comes at a most opportune time,” says Cathy Hall, the Assistant Head of School. “STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programs are an area of great priority for us. We have been seeking new ways to expand opportunities to inspire students and to innovate these program areas. This gift will not only provide resources for our faculty to grow professionally, but it will also directly impact our students, creating new and vibrant learning opportunities in the math and science fields.” This is an especially exciting gift for the school as it represents a significant investment from a young alumnus. “As we look ahead and prepare to take steps forward in strengthening our curriculum offerings, it is so powerful to know that we have the support and enthusiasm of folks like David and Kate alongside us,” says T.J. Locke, Episcopal Academy’s Greville Haslam Head of School. “To witness a young couple, an alumnus, making this kind of investment in the school is inspiring. It buoys us and gives me great confidence in the future of our school.”
“We are particularly interested in supporting math and science at Episcopal because they represent critical disciplines for our future,” says David, the Co-Head of Global Credit at Citadel Investment Group, a Chicago-based global investment group. “Our aspiration is to facilitate faculty innovation that can be readily translated into the math and science curriculum, thereby exciting students, sparking their curiosity and creativity, and inspiring a culture of teaching excellence.” With this gift, David and Kate will support the development of innovative and creative teaching practices in the mathematics classroom as well as stronger interdisciplinary connections between math and science faculty. The fund will provide support for educators to explore new research and pedagogy around teaching and learning in math and science, and to interrogate the curriculum and program offerings to evaluate opportunities to enhance the overall experience and outcomes for our students.
The Marjorie B. Buckley North Carolina Outward Bound School Fund In 2006, The Episcopal Academy initiated a North Carolina Outward Bound experience for all incoming ninth graders thanks to guidance and support from Marjorie Buckley. In
As Episcopal continues to expand and enhance its math and science programs, additional funds to support this area are most beneficial to the school. David and Kate have generously agreed to match gifts made to the Fund for Innovation in Math & Science. “We want to create exceptional opportunities for Episcopal’s faculty and, in turn, its students,” says David. “We are eager to partner with other donors interested in making an impact in this area. Our goal is to support Episcopal in becoming a premier institution in these fields. We hope that our investment and the investments of others will help provide resources to advance this endeavor.” For more information about this fund or to make a gift, please contact Jen Fifer, Interim Director of Development, at (484) 424-1783.
2013, this Outward Bound program was endowed by Walter Buckley ’55 in honor of his wife, Marjorie. This fund ensures that generations of EA students to come will spend several days each August developing their leadership skills, learning the value of teamwork, and making lifelong friendships in the hills of North Carolina.
A full list of named endowed funds at Episcopal can be found here: http://www.episcopalacademy.org/ supporting-ea/capital-giving/index. aspx.
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Advocate Council Reception In late November, T.J. and Lauren Locke welcomed more than 100 guests to a reception at the Merion Golf Club honoring the school’s Advocate Council donors. These guests included current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of EA. Please join us next year by making a gift of $1,785 or more today. We would love to honor you with our other Advocate Council donors including those in our newest category, The Esse Quam Videri Society, which recognizes donors who contribute $17,850 to $24,999. 1
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1. Curt Young ’54 P ’79, Ellie and John Rettew ’50, and Ray Munder ’57 P ’81. 2. Lauren and Greville Haslam Head of School T.J. Locke P ’22 with Jean PaulRebillard P ’20. 3. Karen Spofford P ’08 ’10 with Todd and Christine Ewan P ’26. 4. Andrea Gerardi P ’20 ’23, Wendy Costa P ’23 ’26, and Allison Henderson P ’23. 5. Charlie Kinzig P ’12 ’14, Gary and Rita Tuma P ’18 ’20, and Linda Kinzig P ’12 ’14. 6. Janice Gault P ’20 ’21, J.J. Broderick ’73, David Langfitt ’75 P ’12 ’14 ’16, and Joyce Koh P ’20 ’24. 7. Jeanie Fischer P ’17 ’18 ’19, Sue King P ’15 ’17 ’19, Michele Chupein P ’17, and Joanne Markman P ’14 ’16. 8. Paige Turner P ’18 ’22 and Marie-France Prud’homme Staley P ’22 ’25. 9. Winners of the Bishop William White Awards for the Annual Fund: Mario Mascioli ’78 P ’10 ’12, Robert Urbani ’78, Brian Metzler ’12, John Rettew ’50, and Hall Vetterlein ’78 P ’15 ’21. 10. Lauren Locke P ’22, Gina Buggy, Hon., and Don and Carolyn Avellino P ’14.
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Alumni@EA Boston
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2 3 1 1. Greville Haslam Head of School T.J. Locke, and Frank Shanbacker ’64. 2. Paul Alfieri ’83, Joe Moderski ’83, and Todd Walter ’83. 3. Tim Morehouse, Kara (Mansfield) Morehouse ’88, Anna Papageorge ’88, and Richard Baxter, P ’17 ’20. 4. Alison Murray ’04, Cannie Shafer, Hon., and Susie Talbot ’04. 5. Gil Parker ’57, Mike Miller ’76, and Emery Davis ’42.
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1. John Bryant ’43, Jim Hewson ’45, Greville Haslam Head of School T.J. Locke, and Lou Pitt ’40. 2. Andy Supplee ’57, Jenny (Williams) Weymouth ’96, and Daria (Natan) Pahlavan ’95. 3. Sue Pillsbury, Barc Beahm ’52, Don Pillsbury ’53, and Ralph DeOrsay ’58.
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Alumni@EA Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Awards N OV E M B E R 9, 2 013 1
It was a festive and celebratory crowd of 287 family members, friends, classmates, teammates, and well-wishers who gathered on Saturday, November 9, 2013, for the Alumni Society Awards Dinner to honor and acclaim the high achievements of 12 extraordinary individuals and three amazing teams. Many firsts were recorded. It was the first time the event was held in the O’Neill Gymnasium as the most attendees in the history of this event could not be accommodated in the Tierney Dining Hall. It was the initial presentation of the Alumni Award for Achievement in the Arts—given to M. Bruce Bennett ’57 for his life-long excellence in poetry. He was chosen by the new Arts Selection Committee, chaired by Mary French, Hon. It was the first time a parent and a child were both honored, Walter Buckley, Jr. ’55 and Walter Buckley, III ’78. Preparations for this event began much earlier in the year. The Hall of Fame Committee, chaired by Jim Farrell ’82, had the difficult task of choosing the nominees for induction. After much deliberation, five individuals and three teams were selected. The individuals inducted were: Walter Buckley, III ’78 (baseball and soccer); Erika (Acuff) Erndl ’96 (swimming); Norman G. FitzPatrick ’80 (football and baseball); Dr. C. A. Wayne Hurtubise, Jr. ’49 (football, basketball, and baseball); and Elizabeth Pillion ’01 (soccer and lacrosse). The three teams were: fall 1954 Boys Soccer, 1968-69 Boys Swimming, and fall 1998 Girls Field Hockey. The new Awards Selection Committee, chaired by Bill Rapp ’56, screened and selected seven deserving candidates for the Alumni Awards: Benjamin R. Foster ’63—Distinguished Alumnus for excellence as a world-renowned scholar in Near Eastern civilizations; Walter W. Buckley, Jr. ’55—Distinguished Service for his extraordinary service to EA in the founding of the Buckley Scholars (26 students have graduated; 14 students are currently enrolled at EA); Allan M. Chagan
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’60—Community Service Award for his exceptional leadership and work with the non-profit Impact Thrift Stores, Inc., which uses the proceeds from donated items to support local charities; Jennifer (Williams) Weymouth ’96—Young Alumni Spirit Award for her service to EA in various roles and her support of the Steppingstone program along with her mother, Connie Williams, and her sister, Betsy Williams ’93 (17 students currently enrolled), and Andrew Sparkler ’97 and Sarovar Banka ’98, co-recipients of the Young Alumni Award. Andrew was chosen for co-founding the non-profit David Nee Organization, focusing on depression and suicide among young lawyers, and Sarovar, for having written, produced, and directed many plays and the feature film, A Decent Arrangement. For a more complete description of the achievements of each recipient, please review the summer 2013 issue of Connections on EA’s website. This event would not have been the success it was without the invaluable contributions of the following: Nancy Taylor, Hon. and the entire staff of the Alumni and Development Office; Ashley Lunkenheimer ’92 and Chris Morris ’99, for the preparation of many of the superb congratulatory messages in the program booklet, and those who submitted the messages; Todd Cassidy, who supervised the lighting and decorations that provided the mood and ambience appropriate for the occasion as well as the slide show seen during the dinner; and Charles Ogelsby ’63, who was again incomparable as emcee.
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Although the next Awards Dinner will not be until 2015, we need to make sure we continue to have highly-qualified nominees for each award. If you would like to make a nomination, simply complete a nomination form on EA’s website under “Alumni Society” for the award in question. 5
1. Jennifer (Williams) Weymouth ’96 was presented with the her award, Alumni Spirit Award, by The Reverend Jim Squire, Hon. 2. Andrew Sparkler ’98 was presented his award, Young Alumni Award, by his dad, Harold Sparkler. 3. Sarovar Banka ’98 was presented with his award, Young Alumni Award, by his brother, Sahil Banka ’94.
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4. Buck Buckley ’78 was presented his award, Athletic Hall of Fame, by Alumni Associate Len Haley, Hon. 5. Erika (Acuff) Erndl ’96 was presented her award, Athletic Hall of Fame, by her father, John Acuff. 6. Norm FitzPatrick ’80 was presented his award, Athletic Hall of Fame, by his wife, Mary Lee FitzPatrick. 7. Wayne Hurtubise ’49 was presented his award, Athletic Hall of Fame, by John Rettew ’50.
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8. Elizabeth Pillion ’01 was presented her award, Athletic Hall of Fame, by her parents, Paul and Ann Pillion. 9. Bruce Bennett ’57 was presented his award, Achievement in the Arts, by his classmate, Howard Morgan ’57. 10. Allan Chagan ’60 was presented his award, Alumni Community Service Award, by his wife, P.J. Chagan.
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11. Walter Buckley, Jr. ’55 was presented his award, The Distinguished Service Award, by some of the Buckley Scholars: Elisse Douglass ’05, Mohammed Toure ’12, Maria Alexander ’07, Angelique Israel ’07, Synae Allen ’11, Meagan Berry ’09, and Kimberly Pringle ’05. 12. Ben Foster ’63 was presented his award, The Distinguished Alumni Award, by his classmate, Charlie Ogelsby ’63, who was the MC for the Awards Dinner. 13. 1954 Soccer Team was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Pictured team members are: Jack Pinheiro ’55, Skip Sykes ’55, Jay Crawford ’57, Bill Lukens ’55, Bill Rapp ’56, Felix Jackson ’55, and John Lloyd ’55.
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14. 1968-69 Boys’ Swim Team was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Pictured team members are: (l to r) in back, Ted Stehle ’70, John Dautrich ’70, Ken LeFevre ’70, John Oster ’70, Eliot Dalton ’70, Scott Schumacker ’72, Mark LeFevre ’72, Rusty Varley ’69, Steve Phillips ’71, and Dave Parker ’70; and in the middle, Pete Munger ’70, and Bill Berlinger ’70; and in front, Scott Welsh ’72, George Shafer, Hon., Jon Kulp, Hon., Paul Cox ’69, Dick Gleason ’69. 15. 1998 Girls’ Field Hockey Team was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Pictured team members are: Christy (Laakman) Kaupinen ’99, Morgan Stoviak ’99, Gina Buggy, Hon., Kylee (Jakobowski) Newman ’99, Jaclyn (Lange) Hall ’00, Kimmy (Gardner) Reinking ’00, and Amanda (Billmyer) Vos Strache ’99. S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 / / 29
Alumni@EA The Episcopal Academy Fall Classic The first Episcopal Academy Fall Classic Golf Tournament went off without a hitch
on Monday, October 14 at Green Valley Country Club in Lafayette Hill, PA—thanks to the tireless work of chairman Will Forbes (a technical services coordinator at EA) and committee members Kim Dunn, Gary Cox, and Angie Baturka. A total of 70 golfers participated with the foursome of Gina Buggy, Hon., Brendan FitzPatrick, Hon., Bill Gallagher, and Norm FitzPatrick ’80 taking this year’s top honors. Parents, friends, faculty, and staff enjoyed a beautiful day on the course, a delicious dinner, and raffle prizes.
Parents of Alumni Annual EA/ Haverford/Agnes Irwin Day Cocktail Event A RO N I M I N K GO LF CLU B / N OV E M B E R 9, 2 013
1 1. Parents of Alumni chair, Suzanne Pettit, introduces Greville Haslam Head of School T.J. Locke. 2. Diane Hillyard, Cathy Nassau, and Karen Nakahara. 3. Lita Haack, Evelyn Fell, and Ned Lee ’79.
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Thanksgiving Weekend Alumni Events A LU M N I WATE R P O LO / N OV E M B E R 2 7, 2 013 Alumni and current students returned to play in the annual alumni water polo game held during Thanksgiving weekend.
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1 1. Dozens of people braved the cold weather to attend the 5th Annual Turkey Trot. Pete Tedesco ’01 won the race. 2. Field hockey players came out to play on Thanksgiving morning and to greet varsity field hockey coach Regina Buggy, Hon. 3. The annual alumni soccer game was well attended.
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Alumni@EA Veterans Day Chapel
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The Episcopal Academy held its annual Veterans Day Chapel in November. Bill
Richards ’63, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, served as the main speaker at the chapel service that honors veterans from the EA community by commemorating their patriotism and service to our country. Attending veterans were: (l to r) seated, Frank Forbes ’37; front row, Will Forbes, Bill MacArdle, Hon., Bill Richards ’63, Bill Rapp ’56, Lewis Hart ’63, Lloyd Sammons ’63, Hank Albrycht, Hon., and Tom Foster; second row, Tom Zug ’64, Cappy Markle ’61, Pete Duncan ’53, Dan Sossaman ’63, Drew Jackson ’63, and Charlie Ogelsby ’63; and back row, Ed Wells, Andy Hess, Hon., JC Parry ’66, and Gardner Pearson ’63.
Former Alumni Society Board of Managers Reception S H E R R E R D A LU M N I H O U S E D EC E M B E R 3 , 2 013
Left to right: in front, Dave Acton ’51, Janice (Franks) Biddle ’90, Karl Mayro ’84, and Pete Duncan ’53; and in back, Bill Rapp ’56, Tony Morris ’67, and Steve Dittmann ’66.
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Athletic s@E A 19 EA StudentAthletes Commit to Big-Time Schools November 13 was the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period when top high school studentathletes participating in winter and spring sports could ink binding commitments with Division I colleges and universities. The seven Episcopal seniors who signed on the dotted line on NCAA signing day were: Rich Palazzese, Holy Cross (lacrosse); Matt Ernst, Lehigh University (lacrosse); Raphael Furey, Boston University (lacrosse); Bernadette Tankle, Colgate (swimming); Kelly McGowan, SMU (crew); Adam Seibert, Hofstra (baseball); and Eliza Dordelman, Villanova (tennis).
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A month later, seven EA student-athletes formally announced their intentions to continue their academic and athletic careers at Ivy League institutions next fall. Football standout Terrell Smith, officially committed to Brown early in 2014, bringing the number to eight. The eight EA student-athletes who have committed to Ivy League schools are: Terrell Smith, Brown (football); Russell Rhoads, Penn (baseball); Andrew Stone, Cornell (squash); Taryn Gallagher, Yale (lacrosse); Alexandra Silvera, Columbia (lacrosse); Brian Zappala, Penn (lacrosse); James Konopka, Penn (crew); and Emily Rhodes, Cornell (swimming). On February 5, four more EA seniors—Christie Schlarbaum, Lafayette (field hockey); Lexie Curry, Bucknell (field hockey); Max Kane, Bucknell (tennis); and Evan Butts, Virginia (football)—announced their college destinations. This brings the total number of Division I commitments in this year’s EA senior class to 19.
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1. Seven Episcopal Academy student-athletes signed with Division I schools on November 13. Seated (left to right): Raphael Furey (Boston University), Rich Palazzese (Holy Cross), Matt Ernst (Lehigh), Kelly McGowan (SMU), Eliza Dordelman (Villanova), Bernadette Tankle (Colgate), and Adam Seibert (Hofstra). Standing (l to r): EA boys lacrosse coach Andy Hayes, Hon., crew coach Molly Konopka, Hon., tennis coach Whitaker Powell, Hon., swim coach Brian Kline, Hon., and baseball coach Mike Hickey. 2. Seven Episcopal Academy student-athletes signed with Ivy League schools on December 19. Seated (l to r): Russell Rhoads (Penn), Andrew Stone (Cornell), Taryn Gallagher (Yale), Alexandra Silvera (Columbia), Brian Zappala (Penn), James Konopka (Penn), and Emily Rhodes (Cornell). Standing (l to r): squash coach Brian Callahan ’85, lacrosse coach Josie Ferri, lacrosse coach Marty Kupprion ’03, crew coach Molly Konopka, Hon., and swim coach Brian Hecker.
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3. Five Episcopal Academy student-athletes signed with big-time colleges on February 12. Seated (l to r): Lexie Curry (Bucknell), Christie Schlarbaum (Lafayette), Terrell Smith (Brown), Evan Butts (University of Virginia), and Max Kane (Bucknell).
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Athletic s@E A
EA Battles Hard During Haverford/Agnes Irwin Weekend Despite a Celentano cross-country course and school record by junior Katherine Hong (19:52.8), Episcopal Academy’s six-year grip on the Banner ended on November 8 after a hard-fought day of athletic contests. The two schools squared off in cross-country, tennis, soccer, and field hockey, in a battle for the Banner, which gets presented to the school that wins a majority of the events. Episcopal won the cross-country meet (15-48, low score wins) and finished in a 1-1 overtime tie in field hockey, but fell to Agnes Irwin in tennis and soccer and therefore relinquished the Banner. EA/Haverford Day ushered in a new era as both first-year Heads of School— T.J. Locke of The Episcopal Academy and John Nagl of The Haverford School—experienced the magic for the first time. The day began well for Episcopal with EA senior Ryan Quinlan winning the cross-country meet (17:25.2) and the Churchmen, on the strength of five top-7 finishes, easily besting the Fords for the team cross-country title. But Haverford retained the sweater thanks to victories in golf, soccer, water polo, and football.
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Athletic s@E A
New Faces at EA Josie Ferri and Mike Hickey, two coaches with impressive résumés, are leading the EA girls lacrosse and baseball teams this spring, respectively. Ferri, a former womens’ lacrosse All-American at Haverford College, has taken over a program that has been the Inter-Ac’s gold standard of late—winning eight consecutive league titles. “I am honored to be the next head coach here at The Episcopal Academy. It is a privilege to be part of an institution that has a history so rich in academic and athletic tradition,” said Ferri. “The student-athletes here are an impressive group and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with them.” Ferri came to EA from Villanova University where she was a Division I womens’ lacrosse assistant coach. She is also the director and founder of the Philly Blast girls’ tournament club lacrosse program and the league director of Philly Women’s Lacrosse. Hickey, who was the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Southeastern Pennsylvania High School Baseball Coach of the Decade from 2000-2009, is the new baseball coach at The Episcopal Academy. Hickey, who for 20 years has worked as a science and math educator ranging from the elementary to the undergraduate level, is no stranger to the InterAc League. He spent 11 highly successful years as the head coach at his alma mater Malvern Prep, winning six league titles and three Pennsylvania Independent School Championships, and earning himself three Main Line Times Coach of the Year recognitions. “Coach Hickey brings an incredible baseball résumé to EA,” says Episcopal Academy athletic director Gina Buggy. “He has been one of the most successful baseball coaches in the Inter-Ac League.” Hickey’s squads were nationally ranked by USA Today five times, while being ranked three times by Baseball America. In 2008, Hickey reached the pinnacle of his coaching career at Malvern Prep, leading his team to a 40-3 record, resulting in No. 8 ranking in the nation by Baseball America and No. 9 in USA Today’s end-of-the-year polls.
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Heavy Medal Weekend at Easterns The EA swim team took home a number of gold medals at the 2014 Eastern Interscholastic Championship meet at La Salle University.
Josh Owsiany ’15 won the Easterns diving championship for a fourth year in a row. His eyepopping score of 573.85 points set the La Salle pool record, the Easterns meet record, and an EA school record. Oswiany was one of many EA winners that weekend. The medley relay team of Emma Seiberlich ’17, McKenzie Street ’15, Emily Rhodes ’14, and Sarah Baturka ’16 defended their title as Eastern Prep champions. Baturka (50-yard freestyle), Rhodes (100-yard butterfly), and Seiberlich (100-yard backstroke) also captured individual gold medals.
Big 33 Bound Evan Butts ’14, who helped EA’s football team to
a combined 18-3 record over the past two seasons, has been chosen to play for the Pennsylvania squad in the 57th annual Big 33 game on June 14 at HersheyPark Stadium. The Big 33 game, which will pit the best 33 high school players from the state of Pennsylvania against the best from Maryland, will be televised live on the NFL Network. For years, the Big 33 game was a Pennsylvania-Ohio all-star game before recently changing to the Pennsylvania vs. Maryland format. To give further perspective on how prestigious Butts’ selection to this game is, there has never been a Super Bowl played without a former Big 33 player on at least one of the team’s rosters. A dean’s list fixture and a first-team All-Inter-Ac performer as a tight end and defensive lineman in both 2012 and 2013, Butts (who signed a national letter of intent to play ACC football at the University of Virginia) starred on both sides of the ball for EA this past fall. As a tight end, he snared 42 balls for a school single-season record 813 yards and eight TD catches. On defense, Butts registered eight sacks, 15 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown. In addition, he made contributions on special teams as an accomplished long snapper on punts, field goals, and extra points.
Paolino ’16 Plays for Team USA The Episcopal Academy’s
record-setting goal scorer Margaux Paolino ’16 was selected to the U.S. junior national field hockey team and represented our country in February in Uruguay. Paolino, a first-team All-Delco and All-Inter-Ac performer who set a school single-season field hockey record with 27 goals this past season, competed for the U.S. team in a tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay.
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On Campus@EA Year One of JTerm Is a Rousing Success “JTerm has shown us the power of harnessing the entire EA community. When you have alumni and parents working with teachers and students to push learning forward, the theoretical and practical lenses meld, and students think about their world in new, highly relevant ways,” said T.J. Locke, EA’s Greville Haslam Head of School. The success of Year One of JTerm has teachers and students alike excited about the future of this innovative program. “JTerm provided our students and teachers with an incredibly unique opportunity to dive into learning experiences that are dynamic and exciting. Students were given the time and space to explore academic interests and to develop new passions, which is thrilling to see in action. I can’t wait to see what the second year brings,” reports Cathy Hall, Assistant Head of School. There will be a major feature story on JTerm in the next issue of Connections—complete with the school’s plans for Year Two and ways that alumni and parents can get involved next January. The JTerm “Financial Literacy” class spent time on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
JTerm, an important new chapter in the academic life of EA, debuted on January 6. This groundbreaking interdisciplinary program allowed EA’s Upper School students to experience engaging, rigorous courses that enable them to study topics in depth and often “in the field.” Many of the two-week, full-day courses were team taught by EA faculty from different academic disciplines. Most courses were on campus, enabling students to continue to participate in athletics and other activities. There were four international trips. This innovative program offered opportunities for EA students to gain critical skills and experiences that will best prepare them for college and beyond.
EA Students Celebrate MLK At a January 8 press conference to promote the Greater
Philadelphia MLK Day of Service, Episcopal Academy student Reagan Snyder ’20, along with students from five other area schools, presented a six-panel civil rights mural before a standing-room-only crowd in Founders Hall at Girard College, a crowd that included Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.
In the inaugural year of JTerm, 34 courses were offered on EA’s campus—ranging from Financial Literacy to Art rEvolution to Urban Farming to Games 4 Geeks. Year One of JTerm also saw four groups of EA students go on trips to London, India, Haiti, and Spain. A fair number of EA parents and alumni lent their talents and expertise to make the JTerm classes even more fruitful.
Pictured at the unveiling with Mayor Nutter are (l to r): Kaitlin Khan, Abby Baggini, Phoebe Christos, Neha Mukherjee, Reagan Snyder, Schuyler Kresge, Nicholas Christos, and Melina Walling.
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MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Visits EA Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s nightly hour-long talk show Hardball with Chris Matthews, visited the Episcopal Academy during the fall and spoke to Upper School students in the Mainstage Theatre. After a brief talk about his career path, the current state of U.S. politics, and his latest New York Times best-selling book Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked, Matthews challenged the students in the audience to become active participants in the U.S. political process and to understand the importance of negotiation and compromise in order to move the country forward. The latter topic is the crux of Matthews’ new book which examines how a pair of ideological opposites, President Ronald Reagan and then-Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, who Matthews worked for at the time, effectively forged compromises that shaped America’s future.
John Plant Scholarship Winners
Episcopal Academy Head of School T.J. Locke, EA senior Michael Smerconish, EA sophomore Wilson Smerconish, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, and Rev. James Squire, Hon.
The John Plant Scholarships are prizes given each year in honor of Mr. John Plant, former chair of the Department of Classical Languages at Episcopal. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of competitive examinations in Latin translation and composition administered to the rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. The winners for the 2013-14 academic year are Alli Camp ’14, Matt Freese ’17, Lindiwe Mayinja ’15, and Melina Walling ’16. Begun in 1986 with major funding from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, this fund honors a man who guided the study of classical languages at Episcopal from 1966-1993. The program offers annual financial assistance, based upon need and merit, to four Upper School students to pursue their interests in Latin and Greek.
Episcopal Academy sophomore Wilson Smerconish introducing MSNBC’s Chris Matthews prior to his talk to Upper School students.
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On Campus@EA Scholium Earns Gold Medal The Scholium, EA’s student newspaper, was awarded a gold medal by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). Judged in 140 separate categories, gold medalists earn total scores from 800 to 1,000 points; silver medalists, from 600 through 799 points; and bronze medalists, 599 points and below. The 2012-13 Scholium, under the leadership of editors-in-chief Matt Vegari ’13 and Erin McCarthy ’13, received a total score of 886 to earn its gold medal status. “Our EA journalists have been producing high-quality work for years and it’s wonderful for them to be recognized by an organization as prestigious as the Columbia Scholastic Press Association,” says Anne Barr, an Upper School English teacher who serves the faculty advisor of the Scholium. The Association, which is part of the Columbia University journalism school and was established in 1925 to help improve the quality of student publications, welcomes submissions from around the world and then recruits experienced judges from across the United States. Each judge works independently, following common instructions, using the critiques provided by the CSPA. “It was really rewarding to finally break this barrier and do so by such a large margin,” said Michael Smerconish, current co-editor-in-chief of the Scholium who served on the paper’s editorial board last year. “The CSPA provided some really encouraging feedback as well as a number of things on which we can still improve so we look forward to making those adjustments and continuing to enhance the paper.” In the CSPA’s assessment of the Scholium, the judges offered the following praise: “You have a good variety of information in your issues and the writing is consistent and well edited. Your editorials don’t shy away from controversial subjects and they are well reasoned. Very good job.”
Remembering Ham Thanks to a generous donation from an alumni family, a bronze bust of former Head of School Ham Clark is now on display in Haines Lobby of Crawford Campus Center. Sculpted by artist Chris Collins, the bust serves as a visual tribute to Ham’s role in creating Episcopal’s new campus in Newtown Square. On a cool day in November, students decided Mr. Clark needed some winter gear!
Anne Barr, the faculty advisor of the Scholium, along with this year’s co-editors-inchief Tim Freese (center) and Michael Smericonish (right).
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Reilly Dugery ’15 published in Biochemistry Episcopal Academy junior
Reilly Dugery became a published author for her contribution to studies on an enzyme related to the arginase family. The article titled “Formiminoglutamase from Trypanosome Cruzi as an Arginaselike Manganese Metalloenzyme” appeared in the December 2013 issue of the scientific journal called Biochemistry. This past summer, Reilly completed an internship in a University of Pennsylvania research laboratory, where she performed studies to help better understand the function and
mechanism of formiminoglutamase. She was the second author on the Biochemistry paper. Dugery’s interest in science was sparked in her ninth grade biology class, followed by her participation in the “Introduction to Laboratory Science” summer course and the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) Competition Team— both run by her mentor Kelley Bethoney, Ph.D. “Reilly is an inquisitive and driven young student who has blossomed into a creative young scientist-in-training,” says Bethoney. “As her teacher and mentor, I have witnessed Reilly’s ability to apply her classroom knowledge to real-life settings. Her experiential opportunities she has attained through PJAS and her science internship demonstrate her drive to immerse herself in research. I am so very proud of Reilly and all that she has achieved. I am looking forward to seeing the great things she will accomplish in her bright future.” Dugery is thankful for everything that Dr. Bethoney, or “Dr. B” as she affectionately calls her, has done thus far for her at EA to ensure that bright future. “I first got interested in science in my freshman year biology class taught by Dr. Bethoney,” says Dugery. “The topic fascinated me, and having such a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher like Dr. B helped me realize that this was something I really wanted to do. “I am excited to continue my work and so grateful for all Dr. Bethoney has taught me and done for me.”
Episcopal Announces National Merit® Scholarship Finalists The 2014 finalists in the 59th annual
National Merit® Scholarship Program were recently announced and Episcopal Academy boasts eight seniors who received this coveted honor.
Episcopal Academy’s 2014 National Merit® finalists are: John Flynn, Michael Smerconish, Chester Thai, Rohan Rajagopalan, Tim Freese, Jeffrey Hu, and Michael Quinlan. These seven Episcopal students are among some 15,000 semifinalists from across the country now designated as finalists. These students will continue in the competition for some 8,000 National Merit® Scholarships. In addition, Episcopal Academy’s Hewan Tilahun was awarded a National Achievement® Scholarship. The National Achievement® Program is part of the National Merit® Scholarship Corporation.
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On Campus@EA Runners Aplenty Participate In Sixth Annual Michelle’s Miles
Episcopal Academy Inducts New Honor Society Members
Michelle’s Miles attracted a near-record total of
Thirteen EA seniors were inducted into Episcopal Academy’s Cum Laude chapter during the September 17 Honors Chapel. The newest Cum Laude inductees are: Shuyi Chen, Julianne Dones, John Flynn, Tim Freese, Jeffrey Hu, Chloe Kinzig, Caroline O’Rourke, Rohan Rajagopalan, Roshan Ravishankar, Matt Robinson, Michael Smerconish, Chester Thai, and Hewan Tilahun.
978 runners and walkers to Episcopal Academy’s campus on October 6 for the annual races to celebrate the life of Michelle Deasey, a talented and dedicated Episcopal Academy third grader who unexpectedly passed away in late 2007. More than 480 runners participated in the 5-K race over the rolling hills of EA’s campus, with Michael Deasey winning the race with a time of 17:30. Right behind him was Matt Deasey, finishing in 18:07. EA’s new Upper School Head Delvin Dinkins was third overall (18:21). The top three female 5-K race finishers were: Episcopal’s crosscountry coach and Middle School science teacher Laurie Smith (20:38), Caroline O’Rourke ’14 (23:15), and Lexi Fischer ’17 (23:26). Michelle’s Miles participants were treated to a beautiful rendition of the national anthem by the fourth and fifth graders, led by Lower School Choral Director Janet Albrycht. Mid-Atlantic Multi Sport’s founder Bill Hauser organized the events for the younger runners and shiny medals and smiling faces were plentiful at the conclusion of the 100-yard dash, 1/4-mile run, and the kids’ mile events. A 1-mile walk followed the conclusion of the kid’s events and coincided with the start of the 5-K race.
Episcopal Academy Head of Upper School Delvin Dinkins posted the third overall fastest time in the Michelle’s Miles 5-K.
Villanova head basketball coach Jay Wright, an EA parent, crossing the finish at the 2013 Michelle’s Miles 5-K race.
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Cum Laude Honor Society, founded in 1906, is an organization devoted to the recognition of superior scholarship while simultaneously striving to encourage qualities of justice and honor. Chapters are located in the United States, Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Episcopal’s chapter was founded in 1952.
Ar ts@EA Blurred Lines
EA Students Capture Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has recognized young artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, as well as countless educators who support and encourage the creative process. The following EA students were recognized at the annual awards ceremony hosted by the University of the Arts on March 22. Visual Arts/Gold Key Awards Nicholas Kick, 10th grade, Sculpture; Cameron Walling, 11th grade, Sculpture; Kaity Tarte, 10th grade, Sculpture
Visual Arts/Silver Key Awards
The December 2013 “Movement, Form, Technology, and Art” cleverly combined technology, robotics, and digital design.
The disciplines of science and art have successfully
merged this year as collaborative projects have filled the Crawford Campus Center Gallery (CCG) throughout the 201314 academic year. Biology, physics, and chemistry have been integrated with art to produce fabulous results. This school year’s exhibits have included:
Amanda Molitor, 12th grade, Painting; Cameron Walling, 11th grade, Sculpture; Tara Boyle, 11th grade, Sculpture; Brianna Belo, 12th grade, Sculpture; Brittany Belo, 12th grade, Drawing; Callie Avellino, 12th grade, Sculpture; Cole Grims, 12th grade, Sculpture
Visual Arts/Honorable Mention Alexandra Peyton, 8th grade, Ceramics; Callie Avellino, 12th grade, Sculpture; Brianna Belo, 12th grade, Sculpture; Kaity Tarte, 10th grade, Sculpture; Molly McCarthy, 11th grade, Painting; Tara Boyle, 11th grade, Sculpture; Adam Seibert, 12th grade, Sculpture; Leah Marchant, 10th grade, Mixed Media
Curious Investigation A September 3 – October 8 show that explored the world through both art and science.
Discovery and Perception An October 16 – November 26 exhibit that included work by visiting artists, but then evolved with the addition of projects contributed by EA students and faculty.
Movement, Form, Technology, and Art A December 5 – 20 exhibit that cleverly combined technology, robotics, and digital design.
Art rEvolution A January 9 – February 13 exhibit that showcased the student work produced during the “Art rEvolution” JTerm class. Under the guidance of Visual Arts Chair David Sigel and 3-D design teacher Hilary Hutchison, 19 student-artists were provided with six hours of studio time daily (rather than the usual 40 minutes) to create a strong body of work that culminated in a gallery exhibit. Still to come to the gallery this year are the Dora Khayatt Visual Art Award Show from April 29 – May 9 and the Senior Project Show that will run from May 13 – June 5.
Pictured winners are (l to r): Alexandra Peyton, Amanda Molitor, Tara Boyle, Brittany Belo, Brianna Belo, Nicolas Kick, Audrey Lee, Adam Seibert, Kaity Tarte, Cole Grims, Callie Avellino, and Leah Marchant.
Writing/Gold Key Audrey Lee, 9th grade, for Poetry and Short Story
Writing/Silver Key Audrey Lee, 9th grade, for Short Story, Flash Fiction, and Poetry
Writing/Honorable Mention Audrey Lee, 9th grade, for Flash Fiction, Sci Fi/Fantasy, Poetry, and Short Story
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Ar ts@EA EA Jazz Ensemble Performs in Boston
The Episcopal Academy jazz ensemble, under the expert direction of Ryan Dankavich, attended and performed at the Berklee Jazz Festival in Boston February 7 – 9. The Berklee Jazz Festival is a national competition for high school jazz bands to compete or exhibit in three categories: large ensembles, small combos, and vocal ensembles. The EA jazz ensemble performed on February 8 and received invaluable feedback from three judges who are members of the Berklee faculty. The EA jazz ensemble members who made the trip to the Berklee Jazz Festival were Woody Nimoityn, Alexis Reape, Philip Persaud, Becca Archambault, Alex Eringis, Chris Redden, Alexandra Archambault, Silicia Lomax, Julia Morrison, Noah Reape, John McDermott, Ben Pinheiro, Terrell Smith, Kosta Maritsis, John Minicozzi, Sam Hawke, Jonathan Hurst, Sean Doyle, Mark Washington, and Neil Dua. In addition to exhibiting their own skills, the EA students immersed themselves in jazz music starting on Friday, February 7, when they visited Scullers, a preeminent Boston jazz club, to watch The Bad Plus, an avant-garde jazz trio. The next day, the jazz ensemble members had the opportunity to see different high school jazz bands perform every 40 minutes throughout the day. “Ryan has coached our students to the point where they play with real pride and spirit,” said EA’s Dean of Faculty Doug Parsons, who made the trip to the Berklee Jazz Festival for a second time. “They were great ambassadors for the school—both on and off the bandstand.”
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Will Patterson ’16 Makes All-State Chorus Sophomore
Will Patterson represented EA at the Pennsylvania Music Educators’ Association (PMEA) All-State Choral Festival March 27-29 in Hershey, PA. “This was a great honor, particularly for a sophomore in a large state like Pennsylvania that is home to many strong vocalists,” said Joe Buches, Music Department chair and director of choral Activities at Episcopal. “He represented the school very well in the All-State chorus and we are very proud of him.” In the fall, Patterson auditioned at the 2013-2014 PMEA District 12 Choral Festival at Phoenixville Middle School and was selected to participate in the Regional Choral Festival. The regional festival was cancelled due to snowy weather, but Patterson re-auditioned and was selected for the All-State Chorus.
Nothing is more important to the future of our children and our country than education. And few schools do it as well as Episcopal. Invest in future generations through a bequest to The Episcopal Academy. Three easy ways to leave a legacy: 1. Make Episcopal the beneficiary of your IRA, 40l(k), or SEP by filling out a Change of Beneficiary Form from your plan provider. Any balance in your plan will go to Episcopal taxfree at the end of your lifetime.
Shakespeare In a Flash Back in late October, the Domino Club successfully
tackled the seemingly impossible feat of performing all of William Shakespeare’s work in fewer than 90 minutes. The “Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” included Romeo and Juliet being performed by four women, Hamlet backwards, and Titus Andronicus as a cooking show. The Domino Club players who worked this Shakespeare for the speed-dating set were: Jon Barr, Bethany Bryant, Elizabeth Burke, Alex Burman, Kayla Coleman, Paige Dunlap, Alex Greene, Caroline Hunter, Barbara Maritsis, Lindiwe Mayinja, Sam Pope, Kory Shore, Emma Smith, and Gregory Smith.
2. Make Episcopal the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Again, just fill out a Change of Beneficiary Form. Episcopal will receive the death benefit of your policy. 3. Ask your attorney to insert a bequest to Episcopal in your will or trust. For more information, please contact Patsy Porter, Director of Planned Giving. 484-424-1780 or pporter@episcopalacademy.org.
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Cla s s Notes
Edited by the Alumni Office
Please
take a moment to send us information for the next issue of Connections. We love to hear from you, and we are all interested in what you are doing with your life. Please send information and photographs to Nancy Taylor, Hon., Alumni Administrative Assistant, at taylor@episcopalacademy. org or Bruce Konopka, Director of Alumni, at bkonopka@ episcopalacademy.org. For digital photographs, please make sure they are at least 1MB to ensure print quality. To reach the Alumni Office, please call 484-424-1784.
1933
1940
Class Agent: Bart Linvill Please send us your news and notes!
Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
1934
1941
Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
1935
1942
Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
Class Agent: Woody Woodring Please send us your news and notes!
1936 Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
1937 Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
1938
Class Agent: Joe Gordon Please send us your news and notes!
1944 Class Agent: Doug Raymond Please send us your news and notes!
Save the Date 70th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
1945
1939 Class Agent: Heyward Wharton Please send us your news and notes!
Save the Date 75th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
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1946 Class Agent: Winkie Bennett
1943
Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
Tom Faison ’46 passed away October 22, 2013.
Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
Sandy Greer reports: “ Our grandson, Xander Greer ’11 is a Dartmouth sophomore and co-captain of the Dartmouth squash team. His sister, Logan ’07, having worked in the Seattle area the last few years and competing in squash there as well as on a Masters Pacific Coast Championship Lacrosse team, is now working in Portland, OR, intending to continue her squash competition there.” Frank Bowker writes: “My grandson, Matt Kaczinski, had a touchdown and caught several passes in Perrysburg, Ohio’s playoff game for the state high school title, but his team lost 24-21.”
1947 Class Agent: Brooks Keffer Wally Bortz reports: “The aftershocks of April 15, 2013 in Boston still linger. But moving on, I anticipate my 44th annual marathon this time in New York in November. Just crewed
Bill Tomlinson ’46 and John Nixon ’46 attended the Lenbrook Retirement Newcomer’s Party. Bill sends his best to Winkie Bennett.
wife, Ruth Anne, in her half marathon in Portland, ME. Also, proud to reward our granddaughter with a $1,000 for finishing her first marathon. She is the second of our nine grandchildren to collect this bounty. Others soon to follow, we hope. Meanwhile, I labor early efforts for writing my ninth book, One Hundred Healthy Years–Seize Your POTENTIAL. Kennith Balsley, my 1940’s EA English teacher, might be proud to know that I am writing a weekly blog for Huffington Post.”
1948 Class Agent: Dick Schneider Howie Wright tells us: “Our winter supply of firewood is all cut, split, and stacked. Wife, Dee, and granddaughter, Elisabeth, stack while I split (a wood splitter, that is). We are so ahead this year, even the snow blower is ready to ‘Blow.’”
Herb Henderson writes: “My wife, Betty, and I were so pleased when our eldest grandchild, Katherine Zimpel, went to the UK for her college years, including her MBA, at Nottingham University. Being a very attractive young lady, it was to be expected, perhaps, that she and a handsome young Brit gentleman might become interested in each other. And so it came to pass, that Kat and Edd Smith were engaged to be married in December 2012 at her parents’ home in Colorado. That great news was followed by the inevitable – they decided to get married in England, where so many of their friends live, in June of 2013. And we were invited! Definitely a must-do trip that produced a delightful, fairytale-like Anglo-American wedding north of London. (Quite princely, it seems, since Kat bears a striking resemblance to Kate Middleton.) Short-notice trips are often the best, as was true here. England was followed by our excursion to the Provence region of southern France. There we explored amazingly well-preserved structures from Roman times, charming hill-top villages, and we walked literally in the footsteps of one of our favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh. Fun times for the elder set!”
1949
C. A. Wayne Hurtubise, Jr. ’49 with his family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
1950
1951
Plotts has recently moved to Florida and is now enjoying Richard Hiers will be attending Bob Lowry wrote: “My dear the sunshine. Bob Gerhardt is the Society of Christian Ethics wife of 58 years passed away planning to relocate in Florida annual meeting in Seattle this on September 19, 2013 from a after his new home is built, coming January, to discuss major stroke. We went together which he believes will be next issues raised in my recent book, since age 15, and she was wellfall. Great news from the Women’s Rights and the Bible. known by the Class of ’51. A TenBroecks. Craig went home major loss to me, our family, her by Thanksgiving after five John Rettew writes: “The church, and many, many friends months of being in the hospital picture below was taken and colleagues in the field of and rehab center. His wife, Jill, at cabin room naming and nursing education. She was not says he is now doing quite well.” dedication honoring ‘J. B. only a well-loved professor, but Rettew, III’ for his nearly 70 a major author as well. Lois years of scouting service, by Lowry will be greatly missed, to 1953 his scout troop, Devon 50, on Class Agent: Pete Duncan be sure.” its 86th birthday. Note: troop’s Please send us your news and notes! first scoutmaster and Charter 1952 member in 1927 was Edward Class Agent: Craig TenBroeck H. Browning, Episcopal 1954 Jim Siegel reports: “The only Academy Class of 1907; John Class Agent: Bill Sykes news I can report concerns Rettew, Class of 1950, was the Save the Date Barry Plots, Bob Gerhardt, 16th scoutmaster serving 12 60th Reunion and Craig TenBroeck. Barry years.” Class Agent: John Rettew
Class Agent Needed
May 2 & 3, 2014
Class Agents: Jim Blatchford and Stan Miller
Save the Date 65th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
Duncan Van Dusen has been at the University of Pennsylvania for 45 years. He is now Associate Secretary of the University of Pennsylvania Emeritus, not salaried, but still has an office with a window. A source of joy are EA sons, Edwin ’86 and Nicholas ’90.
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Cla s s Notes Dick Lowry writes: “I enjoyed visiting the campus and meeting with T.J. in early October. I believe the school is in good hands and the maturing campus continues to look beautiful.”
Buckley family members at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013: (l to r) Spike ’68, Buck ’78, Walter ’55, Robert, and Dutch ’14.
1955 Class Agent: David McMullin Walter Buckley writes: “Congratulations to the 1954 soccer champions. The team was inducted into Episcopal’s Athletic Hall of Fame on November 9, 2013. It was quite an accomplishment and the honor very justified. Bill Lukens was the captain of the team and many of our classmates played a big role. I will mention a few: Skip Sykes, Howard Rocket, Felix Jackson, Teddy Roberts, John Lloyd, Jack Pinheiro, and others I cannot remember. Anyway you look at it, a major achievement. Again, congratulations.” Howard Rockett reports: “Active in a number of community issues here in Pinehurst, NC, helping groups get ready for the unprecedented dual U.S. Opens coming here in June ’14: The U.S. Open, June 12-15, and the U.S. Women’s Open, June 19-22, on our storied Pinehurst #2. An historical first! Also, recently founded The Pinehurst Donald Ross Preservation Foundation. Since I now have become the kind of wrinkled-up old coot
‘golfer’ I used to make fun of, my time is spent more usefully with the Foundation. Sorry I wasn’t able to come to the Awards Night on the 9th, I would have loved to reminisce about an unforgettable soccer team, on which every player and Mr. Jarvis was remarkable. It’s wonderful how times like that still stick so vividly even after almost 60 years. Thanks so much for everything, Episcopal!” David Robb reports from Huntsville, AL, that his large pecan tree is having a “good” year and that he is happily harvesting this year’s crop of pecan nuts. Dick and Christy Bond had lunch with Chris and Mary Beth Shaw in Sugar Grove, IL to start their plans for their 60th class reunion in 2015.
1956 Class Agent: Bill Rapp Please send us your news and notes!
1957 Class Agents: John Clendenning, Howard Morgan, and Carl Deutsch
Top: Jay Stetzer ’57, Pete Arrison ’57, and Ray Munder ’57 at the Merion Golf Club in September 2013. Middle: M. Bruce Bennett ’57 and his family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013. Bottom: Jay Stetzer ’57 with his grandson, Alexander Williams ’25, at T.J.’s installation ceremony, September 10, 2013.
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Joe Colen writes: “Local members of the Class of ’57 (pictured above) generally get together a couple times a year just to catch up and have lunch. Our most recent get-together was at The Great American Pub in Conshohocken on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. Those attending were: Howard Morgan, Sandy McCurdy, Ray Munder, Peter Pakradooni, Jay Stetzer, Ross Watson, John Clendenning, and Jay Crawford. We didn’t have an agenda, didn’t need one, got along just fine without one.”
1958 Class Agent: Bob Bishop Don Metz participated in the 2012 RAAM bike race from Oceanside, CA, near San Diego, to Annapolis, MD, about 3,000 miles. Their time was 6 days, 13 hours, and 13 minutes. Shaved 27 hours off the previous record for a 70+ four-man team. Even beat the 60+ record by 3 hours. Average speed of 19.04 mph. Amazing. Four racers, crew of 15, five vehicles. Don set records running the half-mile at Episcopal, so he has always had good endurance. He has won some notable bicycle races, but this was a tremendous athletic achievement. He wrote a book called More Than a Race about the experience.
Bill Lamb ’58 writes that his four grandchildren visited him in Stone Harbor this summer. Amanda (Lamb) Griffin’s ’84 two children, Mallory, on the left, and Chloe, on the right.
1959 Class Agent Needed
Save the Date 55th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
Jim Zug reports: “I won my 19th and 20th national squash championships in 2013. I won the 70+ national singles in February and the Century (ages adding up to 100) National Father-Son championships in April. The latter was especially rewarding, playing it with my son. We played and managed to beat three former winners of that event, which we had also won in 2008.” John Knight reports: “On November 16, 2013, Betty and I flew to Louivisville, KY, to attend the “Celebration of Life” gathering in memory of Tom Baxter. It was attended by 150 friends, family, and business associates. A befitting tribute to a wonderful classmate.”
Rowley Watson writes: “It has been a very active year for my kids. My daughter, Linn, ran her first marathon in Napa in March. Then her husband ran an ultra (118K) in the Alps in August. He was the first American to cross the finish line. My son Dave ran his first marathon in NYC on November 3, 2013. Son Jamie ran a marathon about 15 years ago. I still live in Malvern as does Lowrey Heaver. Looking forward to hosting all classmates, Friday, May 2, 2014.”
as you can imagine, and the presentation was well received. My objective was to provide the members with useful strategies to prevent noise-induced hearing loss without compromising their ability to perform critical tasks (pipe voicing and tuning, for example). It is a balancing act.”
Terry Davis reports: “It’s been a quiet summer on Lake Wobeegon. Just after Memorial Day, my wife, Barbara, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The good news was that, at the time of surgery, less than a week later, it was found to be confined with no spread. She did the chemotherapy anyway, and the day after she finished her last dose, I had an abnormal stress test, which led to a cardiac cath, Dave Pillsbury tells us: “I gave a which led to a diagnosis of left presentation on hearing, hearing main coronary artery disease, which led to bypass surgery. All loss, and hearing protection in all a good couple of events; on October 9, 2013 at the annual meeting of the American caught an ovarian cancer before it spread, and found serious Institute of Organbuilders, coronary blockage before it which met in Winston-Salem, caused a major heart attack. NC, this year. There is quite Can’t say it’s been fun, but it has a bit of occupational hearing been worthwhile.” loss in the pipe organ industry,
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Cla s s Notes 1961 Class Agent: Cappy Markle
Al Chagan ’60 and his wife, PJ, at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013, are celebrating with friends.
Alasdair Stewart reports: “In July, our Queen visited our town of Peebles, Scotland, and I was amongst those selected and honored to have been presented to her. It was an excellent day and a memorable occasion.”
1962 Class Agent Needed Richard Foster ’59 and his wife, Margaret, are so happy to finally be grandparents to little Henry Jones, born on June 30, 2013, to their daughter Susan and husband, Tim Jones. Richard’s son-in-law, Andrew West, the astronomer, hiked with him in Baxter Park and on Katahdin, Northeast Piscataquis, ME, last August, and they visually bagged a moose. Lowrey Heaver has been invited to play for TEAM USA, 60+ Division, at the Lacrosse World Cup games to be held in Denver, CO, next July. “I’m definitely the ‘plus’ part for sure as I’ll be 73 by the time the games roll around. Hope I can still walk let alone run. May have to wear rib pads since I lost a kidney to cancer in January. Never worn anything but arm pads for the last 50 some years.”
Tom and Nita Martin spent a week in Kauai, Hawaii in October. Nita’s sister, Denise Dunn, and her husband, Aaron, joined them. Tom and Aaron each celebrated a birthday while there by playing golf, partying, and sightseeing. Tom and Nita looked forward to the Christmas holidays, when their son, Eric, and his family visited. Eric stopped en route to his new duty station at Barksdale AFB, LA.
1963 Class Agent: Drew Jackson Bill Richards has joined the board of The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC. He also was named Professor with Distinction at IE University in Madrid, Spain. He teaches there in the Master of Finance program, which The Financial Times ranks “top 3” in the world.
1960
1964
Class Agent: Maurice Heckscher
Class Agent: Tom Zug
Maurice Heckscher mentions: “I am the proud grandfather of grandchild number seven, August Carl Vengels, born recently to daughter Kellen Ann (Heckscher) Vengels ’97 and husband, Dave, their second boy.”
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Ed Vick ’62 was in the broadcasting booth on Fox TV at the Veterans Day 2013 parade on 5th Avenue, New York City.
Save the Date 50th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014 John Langdon reports: “I gave a TEDx talk at Drexel University on October 5, 2013. The subject was the relationship between major changes in typesetting technology and the appearance of horrible new fonts.”
The Class of ’64 50th Reunion Committee at a recent meeting. Pictured are: (l to r) Tom Foster, Kirk Woodbury, Eric Allesandroni, Tom Zug, and Dave Trainer. Out-of-town committee members are Joe Duncan, Dave Bower, and Frank Shanbacker.
Mike McIntire ’64, Warren Cooke ’64, and Tom Zug ’64 at Morrow’s Nut House in Cape May, NJ.
Members of the Class of ’70 Swim Team honored at the 2013 Alumni Awards
1965
1967
1970
Class Agent: Loyd Pakradooni
Class Agent Needed
Laird Thompson tells us: “I am moving to be near grandkids, the big family magnet, and am enjoying the Pacific NW. Otherwise, I continue to be pre-tired, doing geological consulting for the oil and gas industry on fracking and other economic issues. Bruce and Lainie Brown recently returned from a 35-day, 30th wedding anniversary cruise circumnavigating Australia and New Zealand, with Lombok, Indonesia thrown in for full perspective.”
David Lott proudly reports: “I just opened a real estate company on Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Open House Real Estate. Pictured above is a photo from our grand opening on September 25, 2013. We provide services to buyers, sellers, and renters. Our office is across from Murdick’s Fudge on Union Street in Vineyard Haven. Would be happy to see any EA grads!”
Class Agents: John Dautrich and Ron Rothrock
1966
Tom McKoy reports: “After the memorial service for Ty Griffin, a group of ’68ers gathered to further remember his accomplishments and raise a pint or two to friendship and life. Pictured above right are: (l to r) Jay Brown, Mark Hofmaier, Rick Crecraft, Spike Buckley (on his elbows), Taylor Fernley, Bob Mayock, Tom McKoy, Chip Young, and Drew Schmidt. Nothin’ but the best.”
Class Agent: Steve Dittmann
Steve Dittmann attended the installation of Peter Quinn ’74 as the 16th Headmaster of the Peddie School, NJ, on September 16, 2013.
1968 Class Agent: Robert Mayock
1969 Class Agent Needed Please send us your news and notes!
Save the Date 45th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
John Dautrich reported: “On November 9, 2013, several members of our class attended the 2013 Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner. The gym was used as the venue to accommodate the large number of attendees. Picture of me with George Shafer, Hon. “Part of the reason for the larger than normal attendance was due to the induction of the 1968-69 Boys’ Swim Team into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Fifteen of the original 20 members of the team were in attendance, many of whom brought their wives, significant others, children, and other family members. Ken LeFevre even brought his mom! The team was very well represented. “Team members honored from the Class of ’70 who were present were: Bill Berlinger, Eliot Dalton, John Dautrich, Ken LeFevre, Pete Munger,
John Oster, Dave Parker, and Ted Stehle. Other classmates who were unable to attend, but were included in the honoring of the team, were Chuck Nelsen and manager Craig Casey (posthumously). “The event was electrified when coach George Shafer, Hon. arrived, after we were advised that he might not be able to attend. Everyone had a wonderful time, and one of the many highlights of the evening was reminiscing with coaches Shafer and Jon Kulp, Hon. Storytelling was fast and furious; it took us all back 45 years. “Many thanks to Nancy Taylor, Hon., Regina Buggy, Hon., Bill Rapp ’56, and Bruce Konopka, Hon. for organizing such a terrific event.”
1971 Class Agent Needed Fred Dittmann writes: “Like many of our classmates, I celebrated my 60th birthday with family and friends a few months ago. I just completed an exciting run of performing in three Gilbert and Sullivan operas over the past five months: H.M.S.Pinafore, Yeomen of the Guard, and, most recently, The Gondoliers with the well-
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Cla s s Notes known Philadelphia group, The Savoy Company, where I was fortunate to be cast in leading roles. In The Gondoliers, I played the role of The Grand Inquisitor of Spain, one of the truly sinister and villainous roles in opera or operetta (similar to Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca). Lots of dialogue and two solos. We performed the opera in the outdoor theater at the well-known Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. I really do have a day job at Penn Trust as an investment advisor and analyst outside Philadelphia, but find the arts a rich and varied avocation. My 13-year-old daughter, Danielle,
is doing well and just completed 7th grade. She is a gifted field hockey player, sings, and plays the alto sax. Our a cappella group The Tonics, which I perform with and is known to some of our ’71 classmates, is about to produce our fourth CD. If any classmates would like a CD, I’d be happy to send it on.”
1972 Class Agent Needed Dan Lundquist tells us: “Beth and I purchased a restored Revolutionary War–era farm with 10 acres along the Hudson River near Saratoga, NY.
Scott Schumaker ’72 with his Inter-Ac Championship t-shirt from 1969, with Jumper Dautrich’s son, Chris, and Jumper’s wife, Cindy, at the Awards Dinner on November 9, 2013.
Dan Lundquist ’72
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Starting this summer I will blog, consult, and clean the barn. One daughter out of college, two to go!” Mark LeFevre and several other Class of ’72 members, Scott Welsh, Scott Schumacker, Bill Brown, and Rick Greenwood, were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame on November 9, 2013, as members of the 1968-69 Boys’ Swim Team. Dick Feimster reports: “I closed my family business, after 75 continuous years, and three generations, a couple years ago. I now work with CertaPro Painters, corporate office, selling franchises internationally. A great organization. Daughter, Nathalie Feimster ’04, continues to excel in the hotel industry, where she’s been since graduating from Virginia Tech. Son, Connor Feimster ’10, graduates from Arcadia University spring 2014. Where do the years go?” Robert Shoop reports: “I attended EA from September 1960 to June 1965. In the summer of 1965, my father and a business partner purchased a company in Colorado Springs, CO, and my family moved there. “I graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School and attended the University of Denver briefly. I transferred to Colorado College and received my Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976 from CC; I worked for a year and then went on to law school at the Santa Clara University Law School in Santa Clara, CA. After receiving my Juris Doctor from Santa Clara in May 1980, I returned to Colorado Springs.
“I worked at Honeywell SSED in government contract administration and, in April 1986, I opened my own practice, which has continued for 27 years. In 1989, a friend of mine, who was teaching at Regis University in Colorado Springs, relocated to Texas; he recommended me to take over his courses. That has continued, and I am in my 25th year of teaching for Regis. I have also taught for Denver Paralegal Institute, Colorado Technical University, Pikes Peak Community College, Troy University, Webster University, DeVry University, National American University, and Denver Technical College. “My hobbies include models, surfing the Internet, and writing. I am the author of 24 published book reviews for the Canadian Nautical Research Society and the author of Down to the Wire: The Lives of the Triple Crown Champions. I am married to the former Toni L. Finley. We have no children, but are constantly being bossed around by Gypsy, The Wonder Cat. “To the EA class of 1972, I hope you ALL have had happy and successful careers and family lives! I wish you all the best!”
1973 Class Agents: Rex Gary and Jerry Holleran Jim Kephart reports: “I was very sorry that I was unable to attend our 40th reunion earlier this year, especially the party at the Haas home. I remember our graduation party there, including dancing with Sondra Duncanson and Sandy Scharff outside that night, and we were looking forward to
seeing everyone again. Sondra is married to Steve Vastine ’76, and both were able to come see me later this summer for 10 days of fly fishing and partying during Butte’s famous EVEL KNIEVEL DAYS. This included a huge ‘Jim Kephart Bash,’ complete with belly dancers, fire eaters, bed of nails, and LOTS of musicians, for Sondra’s XXth birthday….plus a night partying with ‘Dueling Pianos’ from Las Vegas. Lots of fun! I am on several boards here, including the vestry of our Episcopalian church. Getting back to my roots there has meant a great deal.”
1974 Class Agent: John Spofford
Save the Date 40th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
Jeff Morrison reports: “My daughter, Kerri, and husband, Chris, gave us our second grandchild, Emma Deering, on September 3, 2013, day after ‘Labor Day’! God is so good!” Alec Andrews reports: “Both of my kids are through college and grad school, and working in the entertainment industry in LA. A long way from Ohio. Definitely considering the 40th
reunion. It’s been so many years since I’ve seen many of my classmates, I’ll be relying on the ‘Hello. I’m ____’ name tags!”
Clark Stull ’75 and family.
1975 Class Agent: Jim Cooke Clark Stull says: “After several years in Florida, I am local again. Above is a picture of the wonderful family God has granted to me. Beside wife, Beth, the daughters are Devon, age 26, residing in Charlotte, NC; Carrie, age 23, student at Temple Medical School; Alisha, age 20, sophomore at PSU; and Jessica, age 17, high school senior. The shot was taken last summer at Swarthmore College. I am still teaching these days, now in my 27th year of training and shaping the minds of HS youth. Have written a book based on my doctoral dissertation titled Erosion of Education in America, for which I am currently contacting publishers. Enjoyed watching the US Open at Merion this past June.” Jay Snider reports: “Last December, I acquired Airsoft Megastore, one of the leading online retailers of all things airsoft (www.airsoftmegastore. com). Classmate Brian Tierney invested with me. We are busy innovating in this industry and have ambitions to expand into new areas of e-commerce, as well to expand the use of airsoft guns for police and military training. I continue to live happily in Los Angeles with Terry, married 31 years now. Son, Jamie, lives in Venice Beach, will be getting married in June 2014. Son, Cody, lives with his girlfriend in Manhattan and works developing our police and military division, and son, Todd, is a freshman at UPenn.”
Drew Schaefer ’76 and family at their island home in ME.
1976 Class Agent Needed Drew Schaefer writes: “To begin, I am married to Virginia native Rebecca Dulany Morison, UVA ’90, and have enjoyed nearly 20 years together raising two boys, Max, age 11, and Luc, age 7. We have a working farm in rural northern Virginia about 20 miles from the reasonably well-known horse community of Middleburg, where we enjoy miles of open countryside and rolling hills. Our boys attend an independent private school located about 50 miles southwest of Washington, DC in The Plains, VA. Interestingly,
their school, The Wakefield School, was until recently under the leadership of Peter Quinn ’74, who you may recall is son of the late and former EA Headmaster James H. Quinn, Hon. After graduating from Episcopal, and a lot of football, I was fortunate to attend perennial Division I hockey power Colgate University on an ice hockey scholarship, where I played some 60 games over four years. Upon graduating from Colgate I tried out for and was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1980 and briefly played in their system before
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Cla s s Notes sustaining one final careerending concussion. I moved to New York in 1981, where I participated in Smith Barney’s institutional trading training program and spent nearly eight years there before moving to Kidder Peabody, Inc., where I moved into the equity trading seat formerly occupied by one John Havens ’75. After several years in the same trading capacity, I chose to take a year off, and I accepted an invitation as a guest instructor teaching economics at a university in Leysin, Switzerland. I subsequently returned to New York to join the futures/ derivatives firm Refco Inc., LLC, where I worked with classmate Roly Morris ’80 for several years. Sadly, 9/11 was my last day in New York as my office was partially destroyed and my wife was pregnant with our first son, Max. I reevaluated and decided to stay closer to home. Later I joined the investment management firm Akre Capital Management, LLC in Middleburg as president and COO, where I worked for nine years until recently retiring, or perhaps semi-retiring…we shall see. At any rate, I am now just a husband, dad, driver, and coach of my two boys, who are avid travel hockey players (50-game schedules) and look forward to each summer, where we spend valuable time as a family at our island home on Chebeague Island, ME. Family photo is from our home in Maine.” Peter Halpert reports: “Just published a new book by one of our artists, Jordan Sullivan, and organized events in LA at the UCLA Hammer Museum and in NY at ICP, as well as London in 2014. The London Times Magazine will be doing a feature story to accompany the event there. Playing squash with
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Buck Buckley ’78 and friends at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
Bo McMenamin ’26, son of Rob McMenamin ’76. my brother, Sam Halpert ’89. We’re in a doubles tournament at the R&T in NY, scheduled to play against Ben Stokes ’02 and his partner. Also been playing a fair amount with Chris Metcalf ’01, yet another EA squash alumnus.” Rob McMenamin reports: “Hello to my fellow Class of ’76 classmates. I do have the pleasure of personally spending time or conversing via email with many of you as well as a good number of alumni from the Class of ’75. For those of you with whom I have not connected, I offer an update on the life I am very fortunate to live. Workwise for the past 13 years, I have been at US Trust, where I manage the business in Pennsylvania and Delaware, offering wealth management to individuals and nonprofits. In addition to work, I have the pleasure of serving on the board of trustees of both the Philadelphia Zoo and the Franklin Institute. “I recently celebrated my nineyear wedding anniversary with my truly wonderful wife,
Leanne, who also grew up in the area as a graduate of Agnes Irwin. Thanks to our son, Bo, I have had the opportunity to spend more time at EA, as I proudly watched him graduate from pre-K to kindergarden at EA this year. Yes, Bo has the opportunity to follow in my footsteps as a 14-year lifer at EA and graduate in the class of 2026....yikes! “It’s been such a treat to be reintegrated with EA and experience the new campus. Although I did find a touch of the old campus one night last year at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony when I ran into Hank Albrycht, Hon., a former teacher of ours, who has now been teaching shop for over 40 years at EA, after starting in 1973. Amazingly he not only remembered my name, but correctly identified me as taking his mechanical drawing class. While there is so much new at EA, at the same time much has changed very little. I encourage any of you who have not visited the new campus to stop in one
day and see where our school is headed. You will be pleasantly surprised. I include a picture of my son, the poster child for a November open house, and look forward to seeing those of you who I don’t see regularly soon.”
1977 Class Agent: Jim Alton While on a trip to California, Pete Hare visited Chris Giles ’84 and Anne Hall, Hon. in Santa Barbara. They had a great time reminiscing about the 1990s and 2000s at Episcopal. They all agreed that they dearly miss EA and cherish their years working there.
1978 Class Agent: Jim Borum Sam Olshin enjoyed seeing many classmates at his recent 35th Reunion, May 2013. He is currently working on the design of a new 130-bed residence hall at Bryn Mawr College as well as projects for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and UPenn.
1979
1981
Class Agents: Ned Lee and Chris Young
Class Agent: Ben Thompson Please send us your news and notes!
Save the Date 35th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
Chris Miller ’79 with sons, Christian and Sam. Norm FitzPatrick ’80 and many classmates and friends at the Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame dinner on November 9, 2013.
Chris Miller writes: “My son, Christian L. Miller, was awarded his Eagle scout rank in 2012 and is now a freshman at Norwich University in VT. My younger son, Sam, is working on his Eagle project now, and I am a Venture Crew Advisor with the Boy Scouts. I am still working with Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a global trade finance director, covering the western United States. We reside in Southern Orange County.” Paul Nation reports: “I am just working away in Colorado getting land and water development moving again. I was promoted to VP of Land & Water Resources for the company and really enjoy the work. Carol and I are still loving Denver and have been working on a remodel that seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time to complete.”
William Lloyd writes: “Above is a picture of my daughter, Catherine, middle, and my classmate Peter Lenard’s son Nick ’11, at left, friends at Kenyon College. EA friendships last for generations.” Carter Murdoch ’82 with Jon Trumble ’07, CJ Murdoch ’07, and Michael Mazzocone ’82, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
1980
1982 Class Agents: Jim Farrell and Brooke McMullin
Bill Bagnell reports: “Above is a picture of me with my sons, Billy Jr. ’06; James, who we hope will be in the Class of ’18, as he is in the process of applying for 9th grade; and Christopher, age five. The picture was taken at the Haverford School on November 16, 2013. James is playing for the Meehan All-Stars, coached by John Meehan ’86, who went to Tampa, FL, early in December 2013. You cannot miss James, as he is almost 6’5” and 240 lbs. My son Billy just moved back from Raleigh in October 2013 after two years.”
1983 Class Agent: Jamie Hole In 2013, Bruiser Flint won his 214th game at Drexel, making him the winningest basketball coach in the school’s history. He has more than 300 total wins in his collegiate coaching career.
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Cla s s Notes 1984 Class Agents: Bill Keffer and Karl Mayro
Save the Date 30th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014
Karl Mayro ’84 is celebrating his 25th year in the real estate business and is now working for Berkshire Hathaway Fox and Roach, formerly Prudential Fox and Roach.
James Donahoo reports: “Laurie and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on November 19, 2013. I think it was one of the first weddings of our class. Greg Morley, Vince Powers, and Chip Farnham were groomsmen and many great EA people came, like John Dornberger, Jay Love, John Meyers, Greg Jannetta, Bill Conlan, and Joe Campanele.” Amanda (Lamb) Griffin reports: “I have just completed a book about my experience caring for my mother, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year, called The Living Room: The transforming power of caregiving…a daughter learns how to live from her dying mother. Look for it to hit stores in 2014. I am entering my 25th year as a television news reporter and continue to cover the crime beat for a CBS affiliate, WRAL, in Raleigh, NC. I spend most of my days following murder cases from the moment the crime is committed, through the investigation process, and am right there in the courtroom, when the case goes to trial. My oldest daughter, Mallory, is a volleyball player; her younger sister, Chloe, is a swimmer, dancer, and artist; and I have gotten more serious about longdistance running as a result of having to keep up with their busy schedules! The picture is of me doing a half-marathon in Raleigh in early November 2013.”
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Amanda (Lamb) Griffin ’84
Alex Hill ’85 and EA alumns in Hong Kong.
Hobart Rowland writes: “I am now an adjunct professor in the graduate publishing program at Rosemont College, teaching copy editing, magazine publishing, and freelance writing.”
up here. My father passed away last year, and I was grateful that his name was remembered in a Chapel service for the lost loved ones of EA families. I’m happy to report a new book coming out in March 2014 from Oxford University Press, titled Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Welfare. It will make a great birthday or holiday gift.”
1985 Class Agent: John Susanin Alex Hill writes: “We had the first EA gathering at The Foreign Correspondent’s Club in Hong Kong, in December 2012. Pictured below: (l to r) Scott McMullin, Alex Hill, John Donnelly ’83, Tom Bispham ’63, Greg Morley ’84, and Mike Hill ’87. We are in touch with Matt Sheridan ’77, who could not join us.” John Yoo reports: “I’m happy out in Berkeley, CA, though as the 25th college reunion approaches for all of us, Elsa and I still wonder how we ended
Todd Pride writes: “To share a little ‘EA inspiration,’ my days have been a little longer as my youth fishing and boating operation, the Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers, has been successful in luring the first-ever major professional fishing event to come to the Philadelphia area on the Delaware River August 7-10, 2014, the Bassmaster Elite Pro Series with the top 100 anglers in the world. We’re the host of this event, which is projected to have up to, and
possibly more than, 35,000 people coming to the city and spending what’s being estimated as much as $30-$40 million on local businesses. “We’re the first youth operation nationally to ever host a professional tournament, and the EA inspiration (you may know this) is I started this operation almost six years ago in my younger brother Tyler’s ’87 memory. People thought, and still do think, I was crazy to focus my career on youth fishing and boating, but with my brother’s legacy in my focus and the support I received while at EA through my teachers, my teammates, and being drilled in ‘life-sport’ fundamentals from coach Dan Dougherty, Hon. and early coaching over many years from the late Tom Meehan (“Pride KISS!”), I kept at it. Now an EA inspiration has exposed thousands of youth
Chris Johnson ’88 recently married Sonia Sparolini.
Matt Asbell ’89 and his wife, Aline, are proud to announce the birth of their twins, Noah Alves and Vienna Amelia, who were born on September 14, 2013. Pat Chambers ’89 and his wife, Courtney, with their three children, Grace, age five, Ryan, age three, and Caitlin, age one, at the Penn State Nittany Lion statue.
and adults to the outdoors and helped to bring millions of dollars to the local economy, possibly annually.”
1986 Class Agent: Karen Marston Please send us your news and notes!
1987 Class Agents: Andrew Brenner and Ed Jones Cori Burns reports: “In May 2013, we packed up the family, my husband, me, my son, age five, and my daughter, age four, for a two-week trip to China. We visited friends in Beijing, saw the Forbidden City, and spent a wonderful few days at the Great Wall. Then we went to Hong Kong, where we had dinner with Mike Hill and connected about old EA memories. We also saw lots of construction in HK. We took
the Star Ferry, we hiked to a great beach, and enjoyed the fabulous city. Other than that, we are enjoying San Francisco and getting ready for ski season.” After 21 years with Exelon, Kevin Kilgallen has partnered with a long-time colleague in forming Emerald Energy Consulting. The firm specializes in the development and execution of energy-related strategies for generators, suppliers, utilities, large end users, and even other consultants.
1988 Class Agent Needed Matt Evans reports: “I have begun my new job at St. Peter’s School, Philadelphia, PA, as the academic dean and Upper School director, and it has been great. We are thrilled to be back
in the area and looking forward to reconnecting with other EA folks.” Mary Elizabeth Bongiovanni and her family recently moved to Dewitt, NY. Mary Beth is an educational consultant and iPEC certified life coach working with private clients and schools. Jennifer Baker, Mary Elizabeth’s partner of 12 years, is the new chairperson of the Art + Design Department at Manlius Pebble Hill School (MPH). Their seven-year-old son, Michael, is a first grader at MPH. Chris Johnson tells us: “On August 31, 2013, I was married to Sonia Sparolini in Pebble Beach, CA. She is originally from Carmel, CA. We currently live in New York City, where I work for AEA Investors LP, a global private equity and
mezzanine investment firm, and Sonia works as a senior director of merchandising for Coach, Inc.”
1989 Class Agent: Becky (White) Kreutz
Save the Date 25th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014 Ben Pearcy was in charge of the fluid projections for 59 Productions in the play Big Fish, which opened October 2013. Proud dad Lee Pearcy, Hon. and his wife, Kathryn, saw it, and the reviews seem about right: good but not great, but with wonderful projections.
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Cla s s Notes Ashley Lunkenheimer ’92 with Katie Larkin ’13
Geoff Michael ’93 and family with a closeup of Maxwell showing off his EA bib.
1990 Class Agent: Dave Freeman Michael Baumholtz notes: “This summer we moved back to Texas for a second time. After four years in academic medicine at Temple, I decided it was time to try private practice. We are living and working in San Antonio. We miss EA, where our son was in kindergarten with the fabulous Kempley Bryant, Hon.”
1991 Class Agents: Joe Bongiovanni and Holly (Sando) Rieck Andy Person is about halfway through his doctorate program at Pace University and, this year, he is also enjoying teaching college students in class.
1992 Class Agents: Charley French and Bill Dougherty
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Logan Welde reports: “I am working for the Clean Air Council as a staff attorney in Philadelphia, PA.” Courtney (Banks) Spaeth ’92 has mentored more than a dozen Episcopal students over the past 10-plus years, providing internships in her company, connecting them with colleagues in the field, and hosting students for senior projects. Most recently Katie Larkin ’13 stayed at Courtney’s home and completed her senior project with her company. Courtney has also worked with Grace Austin ’12, Jackie Bailey-Ross ’08, Chris Lake ’09, Zander Lee ’08, and Alyssa Boente ’05 among others. Hillary Chassin reports: “I am thrilled to be back in Washington, DC, after five years in CA and eight years in NY! My husband, Andy,
is enjoying his new job, the catalyst for our move, and our children Avery, age five, and Oliver, age three, are having a great time exploring their new city.”
1993 Class Agent Needed Geoff Michael writes: “I’m a partner at Arnold & Porter in Washington, DC, living in Alexandria, VA, with my wife, Heidi, and our two children, Alexander, age 3½, and Maxwell, age one.” Tanya (Weisheit) Mera proudly reports: “My husband, Andy, and I welcomed our first child, Camilo “Milo” Lawrence Mera, on January 15, 2013. Milo has been a total joy and we are loving every day with him. One of his best playmates is Laura (Yang) Klein’s ’93 son, Xavier Insu Klein. Milo also spends lots of time with EA alumni
Sara Crouse ’93 and Scarlett Campitelli ’94. He is loving his two EA alumni uncles, Mark Weisheit ’91 and John Weisheit ’98, and his Nana, Libby Weisheit, former EA teacher, takes care of him four days a week while I work. He is a lucky boy to have so many EA people surrounding him and instilling in him the great values we all learned at Episcopal. I have recently been promoted and am now the director of
Joe Habboushe ’94
Chase Wesley Boynton, daughter of Courtney Boyton ’94.
Becky (Hopkins) Smith ’94 ran into Paul Merchant, EA IT, and Will Forbes, EA IT, who had their EA gear on, at the airport in Memphis, TN.
1994 reentry services for jail health in the San Francisco County Jail. I primarily focus on developing and implementing innovative programs and policies to improve access to communitybased treatment and encourage alternatives to incarceration for individuals with mental illness, chronic diseases, and substance use disorders within the criminal justice system.” Chris Person and his wife, Dee, moved from Iowa with their three children this past summer. Chris is completing his studies at The Palmer College of Chiropractic Medicine and hopes to intern at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, in February 2014.
Class Agents: Tema (Fallahnejad) Burkey, Anna (Morgan) Cassidy, Coryell (McIlvain) Urban, and Sarah (Glick) Johnson
Save the Date 20th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014 Courtney Boynton writes: “I had my second child, Ryder Wedgworth Boynton, on October 28, 2013. I am a stayat-home mom with six horses to train. Pictured is my daughter, Chase Wesley Boynton, who was born on December 16, 2011, with one of my horses, Sam.”
Yungjin Oh writes: “I am still living in Vorarlberg, Austria with my wife and two girls, Anna Myung, age four, and Clara Soo-Yun, age three. I am the elementary school principal at a bilingual school in Triesen, Liechtenstein. While the commute is only 40 minutes, it takes me through two countries and one mean-looking customs officer.” Andrew Daniels and his wife, Pei, are proud to announce the arrival of their first child, Colin Yanglong Daniels, born on September 9, 2013. Joe Habboushe writes: “I wrote a pocket guide a few years ago to help new ER doctors, Basics of Emergency
Medicine. About a year ago, we made an iPhone app version, which I won an award for developing. We’re trying to develop it into a series of guides. Just now put together a team to work on Pediatric Basics of Emergency Medicine, which is actually with some folks out of Philly, Dr. Stephen Ludwig at CHOP and his team. I also co-own and run a website called MDCalc.com that doctors across all fields of medicine use. Currently, we have 250,000 doctors per month in the US. As such it’s got a much larger reach and a better-known brand. Finally, I am an ER doctor in NYC at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan’s East Village.”
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Cla s s Notes Left: Daria (Natan) Pahlavan ’95 with her family. Top right: Kat wearing her EA sweater. Middle: Hazel (Imbesi) Bentinck’s ’95 children clearly having a fun time. Bottom Left: Katie Kurz ’95 with Larisa Warhol ’95 Bottom Right: Katie Kurz ’95 with Larisa Warhol ’95, and Jeannine (D’Amico) Lemker ’95.
1995 Class Agents: Brooke (Doherty) Horgan and Katie Kurz Daria (Natan) Pahlavan reports that she and her husband, Rob, and two-yearold daughter, Kat, have settled into Boston. They enjoy seeing Bob Owens and his family in Boston as well. Daria is director of investor relations at a long/ short equity hedge fund, North Run Capital. Rob is the CEO of a healthcare technology firm, HealthWyse. Their daughter, wearing her EA sweater, keeps them plenty busy every other hour of the day! Hazel (Imbesi) Bentinck writes: “Things are still crazy with my crew: Christian, age eight; Francesca, six; Liam, five; Henry, two; and dogs Maggie, age one, and Winston, three. We came for a visit and love the new campus. Now I am trying to convince my husband to move to Philly!” Katie Kurz writes: “I came back to the states for a great summer holiday, and I caught up with a number of EA friends. Larisa Warhol and I traveled
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1996 to Seattle and cruised the Inner Passage of Alaska together. We enjoyed gorgeous landscapes and phenomenal sightings of humpback whales! We caught up with Jeannine (D’Amico) Lemker while in Seattle. On our return flight from SEA to PHL, Larisa and I introduced ourselves to T.J. and Lauren Locke, who were seated directly in front of us; during our
conversation, we learned they also were traveling on the exact same Alaskan cruise. Thank goodness for EA-branded attire! Before I flew back home to Zurich, I spent time at the beach in Longport, NJ, for the Fourth of July and enjoyed catching up with Nick Canuso and his family, along with Lauren Patrizio ’97, who was visiting from San Francisco.”
Matt McGlinn ’96
Erika (Acuff) Erndl ’96 and her family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
Class Agent Needed Matt McGlinn was married to Brooke Leach on October 6, 2012 at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA. Pictured below left are: (l to r) in front, James Casey ’97, Dean Boyd, Scott Reynolds, Brooke, Matt, Michael O’Connor, Jamie Barrett, and Anne Putnam; and in back,
John Salvucci ’98, Ursula McMullan ’98, and Paul O’Connor ’97. Matt Holms and Meighan Kelleher happily celebrated their marriage, officiated by Rev. James R. Squire, Hon., on October 5, 2013, at The Down Town Club in Philadelphia.
Matt Holms ’96
Jenny (Williams) Weymouth ’96 and her family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
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Cla s s Notes Auggie and big brother Kyle, sons of Kellen (Heckscher) Vengels ’97.
Jessica (Walls) Beers and her husband, Steve Beers ’93, welcomed their first child, Valentine Della Porta Beers, on March 12, 2013. She is eight months old and the love of their lives.
1997 Class Agent: Julie (Manser) Ganz Chad Billmyer’s website www. panjo.com, a marketplace for auto, sport, and hobby enthusiasts, recently raised a $1.6M seed round from Spark Capital and others. Chad is living and working in Santa Monica, CA. Kellen (Heckscher) Vengels reports: “We welcomed another son, August Carl Vengels, on August 13, 2013. ‘Auggie’ weighed 7lbs, 10oz. He joins big brother, Kyle, who will be three on November 30, 2013. I’m enjoying my time with both boys, while continuing to coach squash and tennis at The Shipley School.”
Jessica (Walls) Beers ’96 and Steve Beers ’97 welcomed baby Valentine also shown above in her pink bow.
Bobby Serpente ’97
Bradd Haley and his wife, Emily, are proud to announce the birth of their first child, Benjamin Lai Haley, on December 11, 2013. Grandparents are Len Haley, Hon. and Edna Haley, Hon. Erik Solivan was recently named Executive Vice President at the Philadelphia Housing Authority. His article on reforming the Pennsylvania Police and Fire Collective Bargaining Law was published in a Temple University Press publication of The Commonwealth, Journal Andrew Sparkler ’97 and his family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
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of Public Policy and Political Science. His experiences, education, and values learned at EA, without a doubt, helped him to achieve success.
Theodore Carlyle, son of Susie (Beers) Maccioccca ’97 and husband, Matt.
William Cannon Dick, son of Maura (Cannon) Dick ’97 and her husband, Will, sporting his EA sweater.
Bobby Serpente was married to Jessica Smith on September 7, 2013 in Basking Ridge, NJ. Attending were Nick Sommer and Elinor Serpente ’95. Jon Koegel was married to Kathleen Cornell in Avalon, NJ, on June 29, 2013. The wedding party included his brother, Bryan Koegel ’01, James Mullen, and Tim Stearns. Susie (Beers) Macciocca and her husband, Matt, had their fourth child, Theodore Carlyle Macciocca “Bear,” on August 8, 2013. He is the little brother to Madison, Nicholas, and Ella. Life is busy. Marshall Sebring was married to Pepper Binkley on July 5, 2013 on Orcas Island, WA.
John Frazier ’98, second from left, and Jim Kittleman ’99, second from right, on drums, of FrazierBand.
1998 Class Agent: Rob Melchionni John Frazier, second from left, and Jim Kittleman ’99, second from right on drums, recently came through Philly, when FrazierBand played at The Fire on June 23, 2013, midway through their East Coast tour. FrazierBand is the original, multi-genre, acoustic/ electric quintet from East Nashville, TN, started in 2010 by composer/singer/multiinstrumentalist John Frazier. The band received a warm reception from classmates, faculty, and fans.
Sarovar Banka ’98 and his family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
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Cla s s Notes Reid Smith ’98
Liz (Drennan) Bisland ’98
Liz Drennan (above) was married to Angela Bisland on September 5, 2009. They have two children, McKay Joseph Bisland, born on November 18, 2011, and Gabriel Thomas Bisland, born on August 30, 2013. They live in Annapolis, MD, where Liz is a felony attorney for the public defender’s office. Reid Smith was married to Moira Bagley on October 26, 2013 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Lexington, KY, officiated by Fr. John List and Rev. James Squire, Hon. Wedding reception was at The Hunt-Morgan House, a Civil War–era house and museum in the historic district of Lexington. Pictured top right are: (l to r) Sally Allen, Maude Kent, Hon., Jim Squire, Hon., Vicki Squire, Jacquie Sabat, Hon., George Burden ’60, Debbie Castiglione, Hon., Chris Leach, Moira Bagley Smith and Reid Smith, Brandon Knox, Adam Squire,
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Rob De Luca, Linda Smith, Hon., Rip Noyes, Bert Howlin, Hon., and Allison Bobzin ’08. Missing from photo but in attendance: Wren Smith ’88. Moira is the communications director for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), where she serves as the senator’s key spokesperson and media contact. Reid is staff writer and editor at FreedomWorks, a libertarianleaning advocacy organization that stands for less government, lower taxes, and the principled defense of civil liberties. A recovering doctoral student, he’s also a featured contributor at The American Spectator, where he writes with an equal contempt for both parties. Ursula MacMullan has joined the Narberth office of Duffy Real Estate as a realtor. She specializes in residential home sales and purchases in Philadelphia and on the Main Line. She works closely with fellow EA alum John Duffy ’00.
Dan Person, his wife, Joann, and their two children still live in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay at Pax River Air Station. Lieutenant Commander Dan is a test pilot for the US Navy.
1999 Class Agents: Andrew Addis and Catherine (Hunt) Ryan
Save the Date 15th Reunion May 2 & 3, 2014 Casey Halpern reports: “I am currently the chief neurosurgery resident at Penn and my wife is expecting our second child.” Chason Sordoni reports: “I’ve been hesitant to share this with the Episcopal community, but I’m currently undergoing hormone therapy, and will be having gender reassignment surgery in the spring.” Mark Dugan just left Cozen O’Connor after seven years to take an in-house position with Axalta Coating Systems as senior corporate counsel. Kelly (Decker) McCullough says, “My husband, Rob, and I welcomed our first child, Lucille ‘Lucy’ Agnes McCullough, on October 14, 2013.” Jeff Porter was married to Alexis Pope on May 11, 2013, in Rye, NY. EA Alums who were in the wedding were: Julie Porter ’03, Andrew Addis, Trevor Walker, Pat O’Neill, Ben Stokes ’02, and Jake van Roden. Those EAers who attended the wedding were: Paul Nolen, DJ Gregory, Bryan Aronchick, Mark Dugan, Kelly O’Donnell, Dan Connolly, Alexis (Barton) Morsell, and Mark Hansen ’02. Jeff and Alexis live in Mount Vernon, NY, and are expecting their first baby, a
boy, in April 2014. Jeff is still working as an account executive at The New York Interconnect, selling commercial time on cable television, and is also working with the newest technology called addressable advertising, which allows for advertisers to target consumers on an individual household basis. He still loves to come home to the Philly area to play golf during the summer. Dara Pettinelli reports: “My fiancé, Neville Kapoor, and I are getting married in Philadelphia at the Bellevue on May 3, 2014. I’m currently the executive editor at Disney Interactive Family in Los Angeles, CA.” Kyle Dahl reports: “My wife, Holly, and I are currently living in San Francisco, CA. Holly is a pediatric ICU nurse, and I have started an environmental consulting company, Marble Environmental. We were married on September 8, 2012 in Carmel, CA. In attendance were Mike Good, his wife, Jocelyn, and Dan Demento ’03. Pictured are: (l to r) Jocelyn, myself, Dan, and Mike. We welcomed our first child, Jackson Ellis, on October 20, 2013. To mark the occasion, I decided to design and build a crib for our son. The skills that were imparted to me by Hank Albrycht, Hon. as a student in his wood shop allowed this project to be possible. His knowledge, ability, and patience are still greatly appreciated.”
Jeff Porter ’99
Kyle Dahl ’99
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Cla s s Notes
Mia Wood (above) was married to Jeb Broomell on June 1, 2013 at St. David’s Church, Wayne, PA. They currently live in Braintree, MA, where Jeb works for US Gypsum. Josh Hollinger ’00 was married to Yu Chen on November 16, 2013 at Mt. Pocono, PA.
Lindsay Shafer, wife of Brad Shafer ’99, replied: “Thank you very much for the gift of a baby sweater for our son, Ethan. He pointed right at it and said ‘Eeeee!’”
2000 Class Agents: Kimmy Gardner and Jack Meyers Kimmy (Gardner) Reinking writes: “After two years in the Washington, DC area, my husband and I are relocating back to the NYC area, where we had previously been living for seven years. I will continue to work for Bloomberg LP, where I have been for the past five years.” Chuck Dickhart reports: “I am currently a captain in the US Army, promoting to the rank of ‘Major’ in February 2014. After a deployment to Baghdad,
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Iraq out of Fort Hood from 2009-2010, I took command of an AH-64D Apache Longbow Helicopter Company for two years and led them through a deployment in northeast Afghanistan. After returning from Afghanistan in June 2012, I moved to Williamsburg, VA, where I was director of human resources for the US Army Aviation Logistics School at Fort Eustis. My current position is director of operations. I plan to transition out of the military into business and will be out by the summer of 2014.”
On October 21, 2013, Laura (Bracken) Chaibongsai ’00 and her husband, Peter, welcomed a beautiful little girl, Molly Anne Chaibongsai, into their family.
Pete Tedesco ’01 was married to Laura Bucks on July 20, 2013.
Sean Ciaran Barrett, son of Katie (Spofford) Barrett ’01 and her husband Ciaran.
Elizabeth Pillion ’01 with friends and family at the Awards Dinner, November 9, 2013.
2001 Class Agents: Evan Coughenour, Drew Crockett, Sarah Baker, and Pete Tedesco Katie (Spofford) Barrett reports: “On September 16, 2013, my husband, Ciaran, and I welcomed our first son, Sean Ciaran Barrett, 8 lbs 1oz.” Brian Tierney writes: “I recently got engaged to Lily
Evans, and our wedding date is set for September 6, 2014. I recently launched our new company, www.ProdThink. com, a SaaS product for product managers and designers.” Pete Tedesco was married to Laura Bucks on July 20, 2013 in Princeton, NJ. A number of Episcopal alumni from the class of ’01 were in attendance, including Nell Baird, Casey Degen, Allison Hathaway,
Hadley Hill, Lexy Nicholls, Jen Pope, and Katy (Romano) Solomon. Pete and Laura currently live in New York, where he works for a private equity firm and she works in marketing.
two-year-old daughter, Bella. They are expecting their second baby in May 2014.
Fran Person still serves as the special assistant/personal aide to Vice President Joe Biden, and lives with his wife, Krystal, in National Harbor, near Washington, DC, with their
Adam Murray got engaged to Leanna Iacobellis in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on November 18, 2013.
2002 Class Agents: Kevin Dugan and Tim Mahoney
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Cla s s Notes Jamie O’Neill ’02 was married to Lauren Owens ’04 on November 2, 2013. Pictured are EA alumni and faculty. Allison Kendro ’02
Dorota (Dziembowska) Brown ’02 and Andrew Brown ’01 were married July 15, 2011 in Aspen, CO. They welcomed their first child, Andrew Brown, Jr., on September 10, 2013.
Tom Good ’02
2003 Allison Kendro writes: “Philadelphia born; New Jersey surfer since age nine; sponsored surfer at age 14, national champion in soccer at age 16; D1 soccer player on scholarship at University of DE at age 18; 5th place in NSSA East Coast Championships at age 21; marketing professional at a top world advertising agency at age 22; co-strategist behind Lowe’s Home Improvement’s “Never
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Stop Improving” campaign at age 25; entrepreneur and business owner (SOLID Surf & Adventure, LLC) at age 27; more to come….” Tom Good was married to Kristen Hoffman on August 24, 2013 at Lauxmont Farms in Wrightsville, PA. Pictured above are: (l to r) Will Angelos ’03, Rob Good ’96, Mike Good ’99, Tom Good, Kristen Hoffman, Grant Glatfelter, Mike DePalma, and Brad Reilly.
Class Agents: Julia Crawford, Ann Imbesi, and Caroline Cuckler Class of ’03 10th Reunion Write-Up The Class of 2003 had a great turnout at the Irish Pub in Center City Philadelphia, November 30, 2013, to celebrate their 10-year reunion. Fifty-five classmates of EA ’03, spouses, and significant others made it out the Saturday after Thanksgiving to catch up, reminisce, and reconnect over
light appetizers and cocktails. The Class of 2003 has a wide spectrum of successful entrepreneurs, doctors/ nurses, teachers, musicians, and many other professionals, growing their careers and making a positive impact in the community. A big thank you to all who came out to toast to EA 2003! Caroline D’Angelo is joining the U.S. State Department for a two-year appointment as a Presidential Management
Margaux Viola ’03 and Koehl Robinson ’01 pictured above and posing with an elephant.
Fellow. She will be working on sustainability issues at U.S. embassies around the world and at foreign embassies in D.C. Prior to that, she was a journalist with the Pulitzer Center, an international news organization. Margaux Viola writes: “Koehl Robinson ’01 founded Brazilets back in 2008 and, in 2011, I joined her and we now run the company, Live Worldly (www. liveworldly.com). We enable our customers to experience culture through fashion that gives back. We are a global marketplace for cultural accessories from around the world. A portion of proceeds from every sale is donated to a nonprofit in the item’s country of origin. Currently, we are sold on our website as well as boutiques around the world, and our Brazil collection was in Macy’s last year. We are getting ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign with MoolaHoop, a crowdfunding site specific
for women-owned businesses, and we will be one of their five launch companies on July 14, 2014.” Katie Lippincott married Alfred Palma, Jr. on September 7, 2013 at historic Christ Church in Philadelphia, PA. Katie is the daughter of Jay Lippincott ’70 and the sister of Win Lippincott ’99. In attendance were Katie’s cousins Jamie O’Neill ’02 and his new bride, Lauren (Owens) O’Neill ’04, Lauren O’Neill ’00, and Don Best ’70.
Lauren (Yost) Gerk ’03 and her husband, Andy, have had their first child, Grace, born on November 3, 2013. She weighed 6 lb 12 oz.
2004 Class Agents: Nick Brown and Michael Ciccotti
Save the Date 10th Reunion November 28, 2014 Sam Rogers continues to live outside of Washington, DC with his wife, Veronica. They have had their first child, Ava, who was born on December 26, 2012. He joined DC-based
media company POLITICO earlier this year and is looking forward to celebrating Ava’s first birthday this Christmas. Zosia Dziembowska graduated from nursing school at Neumann University with a BSN in December 2013. She has been working at the Rothman Institute for the past four years.
Ashley Battista writes: “I have recently moved to Denver. I am now working for Live Worldly as the director of marketing and public relations. The company was founded by Koehl Robinson ’01.”
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Cla s s Notes Kate O’Donnell reports: “I married Ryan Heinig from Jenkintown, PA, on August 9, 2013 in Philadelphia. Ryan and I met at Dickinson College. We had a pretty solid EA crowd in attendance at the wedding, attached are two photos; the smaller one is for the three guests who missed the group photo.”
The three are: (l to r) Fred Crockett ’84, Zosia Dziembowska, and Frederic Dittmann ’71.
Bernard Yaros ’05
In group photo are: (l to r) in back, Alexander Henwood, Rebecca Cox, Paul Barrett, Nick Brown, Francis Leto, Sr. ’77, Caitlin Gondek, Justin Leake, Leland Laury, William Tierney, Matthew Sutton ’05, Frederick Capp, Trey Steidle, and Matthew Finnegan; in middle, me, Ryan Heinig (groom), F.J. Leto, and Ashley Battista; in front, Samantha McKeon, Kendra Johanson, Brittany Sharkey, Casey Riley, and Caroline Leonard. Also in attendance
but not photographed are the newlyweds, Heather (Muir) McKeon and Jake McKeon ’02.
2005 Class Agents: Nick Morris and Packy McCormick Alexandra Smith reports: “I got married on June 8, 2013 in California, to Dr. David Friedlander. EA alumni in attendance included Sean Seelinger ’03 and Brooke White. Unfortunately, Alexandra Lambert was unable to attend. My husband and I are currently living in Boston, where he is in his
first year of urology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. I graduated from Vanderbilt University with my masters of science in nursing (MSN) in August 2013 and recently became board certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner (CPNP-PC).” Bernard Yaros tells us: “In May 2013, I left Tunisia after two years of living and working there as a journalist, covering the country’s democratic transition after the revolution in 2011 that set off the ‘Arab Spring.’ Since then, I’ve switched directions and am currently in Barcelona, doing
Missed an issue of Connections? Past issues of Connections are available for viewing on the Academy’s Web site at www.episcopalacademy.org.
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a master’s at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, with a focus on development and international finance.” Anne Marie Person lives in Washington, DC and is engaged to be married in August of 2014 to Mike Muldoon. She is the director of Next Level Athletic Performance Center.
2006 Class Agents: Kelsey Reinhard and Warren Scott Alex Terzian reports: “I am going to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston this coming January to pursue a career in professional music.”
Eva Kohn tells us: “I’m still in LA working for Wasserman Media Group in their team sports management division. Family is good, my brother Elias Kohn ’08 moved to Portland and is applying to law school.” Allie FitzPatrick was engaged on September 14, 2013 to Brett Carey, Malvern Prep ’06. The
couple met their freshman year at Bucknell University. Brett proposed on Bucknell’s Academic Quad. The couple is planning an October 2014 wedding. Sara Hunter Orr reports: “Recent photo taken at Mike Yocum’s wedding to Megan Hourihan on October 26, 2013. Pictured below right are: (l to r)
Sara Orr, Alicia LaPalombara, Mike Yocum, Scott Ritrovato, and Ashley Dubay.” Sandy Daly, mother of Sam Daly, reports: “Attached is a picture of Sam taken on November 5, 2013 as he stepped off the bus at Camp Lejeune, NC, having spent eight months in the Middle East aboard the USS San Antonio, a troop
transport ship, as part of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. They were part of the 6th Fleet as America’s first responders in the Middle East. He was home for Thanksgiving for the first time since last Christmas! It was beyond description seeing him after such a long time!”
Mike Yocum’s ’06 wedding.
Rob McCallion ’06 was married on July 6, 2013 to Audrey Nicole Hansen in Dallas, TX. Sam Daly ’06
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Cla s s Notes 2007 Class Agents: Rahul Jha, Shane Isdaner, Annie Spofford, and Megan McFarland Julia Clark tells of a recent ’07 gathering: “A bunch of us living in New York got together for dinner a few weeks ago. I’ve attached a picture from our dinner. Pictured below are: (l to r) Ross Godick, Rahul Jha, Chris Cox, Jon Trumbull, Nicole Spagnola, Annie Madeira, C.J. Murdoch, Samantha Williams, Laura Underwood, Julia Clark, and Mallika Khandelwal.”
2008 Class Agents: Blake Shafer and Heather Hayes Rachel Chung reports: “I want to update you and the EA community on my recent employment with Ernst & Young. It’s a very exciting time to work for EY because its advisory practice has really taken off in the past several years. As a management
2009 consultant, I’ve already worked on two different projects in the Philadelphia area and will be on the road starting next week on my third project at a chemicals and materials technology company in northern Jersey. Here is a picture from my sister’s wedding, May 2013. My brother, Benjamin ’11, is also pictured.” Former EA teammates Chase Growney ’10 (Trinity College ’14) and Reid Whelan (Bates College ’13) met up after a NESCAC League lacrosse game on March 23, 2013. Monique Andes is currently the business & marketing specialist at Independence Blue Cross. With health care reform at the forefront of today’s news, it is an exciting time to be in the health care industry. Recently engaged this past summer, she will be getting married to Tyler Muldoon in the beautiful wine country of Napa Valley, CA in May 2015.
Julia Clark ’07 with EA classmates in NYC.
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Class Agents: Erin Flynn and Caroline Hanamirian
Save the Date 5th Reunion November 29, 2014 Hannah LaPalombara reports: “I wanted to let you know that I have accepted a job as the volunteer coordinator for Mayan Families, a nonprofit located in Guatemala that runs a variety of aid and community development programs for the indigenous communities around Lake Atitlan.”
2010 Class Agents: Jake Butts, Kirsten Petrocelli, and Lauren Berry Kelsey Amelia Gula was elected a captain of her Division 1 field hockey team at Lafayette College. She also made the dean’s list, the Patriot League All-Athletic All-Academic Honor Roll, and the NFHCA All-Academic squad once again
this past year. Kelsey was also on PBS Channel 39’s Lafayette Lens (Channel 10 locally) four separate times the week leading up to Mother’s Day, hosting a segment on the controversial subject of fracking. Victoria Kielty, Bucknell University Class of 2014, reports: “As the first half of my senior year draws to a close, it is hard to believe the time I have spent at Bucknell has gone so quickly. This year has been one of many exciting new beginnings and experiences for me. Being selected to represent Bucknell athletics at the NCAA 2013 Leadership Forum in Providence, Rhode Island, was definitely a highlight. Engaging in discussions of leadership, NCAA governance, and service prompted a realization of my passion for communications. Thusly, a job hunt for a position in public relations and personal or image branding has ensued. Prior to the job experience, however, is the facilitation of a
Reid Whelan ’08 with EA classmate, Chase Growney ’10.
Alumni Class Agent Program Update new leadership initiative I am lucky enough to be co-chairing. “The Bison Athletics Leadership Academy has, since its conception three years ago, aimed to perpetuate a culture of active leadership and giving back to the wider campus and Bucknell communities. This year, myself and the other student-athlete representatives have proposed, crystallized, and are enacting a novel leadership initiative: The Bison Leadership Academy Community Day. The event, to take place in April of 2014, is designed to welcome all members of the surrounding Bucknell community to engage in fun fair activities surrounding the themes of community, respect, and support. The success of the event will be measured in our ability to positively affect all those in attendance, particularly the younger generation. Learning that, as a student-athlete, you bear the responsibility of communicating as well as exemplifying
The Alumni & Development Office is always looking for interested alumni to serve as class agents. Class agents receive “insider information” about programs, sports, clubs, and classes and are responsible for sharing the details with classmates. Additionally, class agents are expected to encourage classmates to make a gift to the Annual Fund. Our goal is to strengthen the alumni connection with the life of the school, and we need class agents to help. If you are interested in serving as a class agent for your class, please contact Stephanie Ottone, Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, at: sottone@episcopalacademy.org or 484-424-1782.
2013 good leadership has been an invaluable piece of information gained from my experience as an Academy representative. I have no doubt this lesson will serve me well as I move into the professional world.”
Picture Perfect: http://www. princetonppa.com/about/. It turned out to be the best performing student agency in the school’s history.
2011
Class Agent: Brian Metzler Please send us your news and notes!
Class Agents: Jimmy McEntee and Haley Habenicht
2012
Class Agents: James Costalas and Megan Kilcullen Caroline Giles reports: “My dad, Joe Giles ’80, graduated from Cornell in ’84. I graduated from EA in ’13 and will graduate from Cornell in ’17.”
Cam Maple won Princeton’s “Student Agency” project last year and established
Rachel Chung ’08 with brother, Benjamin ’11.
Caroline Giles ’13 with father, Joe Giles ’80.
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M ilestones Marriages Chris Johnson ’88 to Sonia Sparolini August 31, 2013 Ryan Ade ’94 to Sabrina April 27, 2013 Matthew Holms ’96 to Meighan Kelleher October 5, 2013 Jon Koegel ’97 to Kathleen Cornell June 29, 2013 Marshall Sebring ’97 to Pepper Binkley July 5, 2013 Bobby Serpente ’97 to Jessica Smith September 7, 2013 Reid Smith ’98 to Moira Bagley October 26, 2013 Kyle Dahl ’99 to Holly September 8, 2012 Jeffrey Porter ’99 to Alexis Pope May 11, 2013 Josh Hollinger ’00 to Yu Chen November 16, 2013 Drew Crockett ’01 to Katherine Emily McVeigh October 5, 2013 Pete Tedesco ’01 to Laura Bucks July 20, 2013 Tom Good ’02 to Kristen Hoffman August 24, 2013 Jamie O’Neill ’02 to Lauren Owens ’04 November 2, 2013
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Beth Randolph ’02 to Daniel Taglioli June 22, 2013 Ben Stokes ’02 to Asia Baker September 21, 2013
1993 Betsy Williams and Thomas Moore Madeleine Moore October 4, 2013
Jennifer (Williams) Weymouth and Tom Weymouth Wyatt Robert Weymouth July 24, 2013
1994
1997
Katie Lippincott ’03 to Alfred Palma September 7, 2013
Courtney Boynton Ryder Wedgworth Boynton October 28, 2013
Kate O’Donnell ’04 to Ryan Heinig August 9, 2013
Andrew Daniels and Pei Sun Colin Yanglong Daniels September 9, 2013
Alexandra Smith ’05 to David Friedlander June 8, 2013
Dan Kessler and Theresa (Noone) Kessler ’95 Maeve Kessler April 22, 2012
Mike Yocum ’06 to Megan Hourihan October 26, 2013 Rob McCallion ’06 to Audrey Hansen July 6, 2013
Births 1989
Harrison Sebring and Giulia Sebring William Dulles Sebring March 15, 2013 Gene Woehr and Stephanie Woehr Marisa Woehr October 21, 2009
Matt Asbell and Aline Asbell Noah Alves Asbell September 14, 2013 Vienna Amelia Asbell September 14, 2013
1995
Lars Beck and Kathryn Beck Bjorn Beck November 12, 2010
Jobey Hollinger and Victoria Hollinger Grant Henry Hollinger January 20, 2014
Patrick Chambers and Courtney Chambers Ryan Chambers June 7, 2010 Caitlin Chambers March 23, 2012 Rob Myers and Arleen Myers Benjamin Myers October 22, 2010 David Myers October 21, 2012
Brooke (Doherty) Horgan and Hunter Horgan Piper Elizabeth Horgan November 4, 2013
1996 Jessica (Walls) Beers and Steve Beers ’93 Valentine Della Porta Beers March 12, 2013 Gail (Grandbois) Burr and Matthew Burr Paige Bettina Burr August 9, 2013
Bradd Haley and Emily Haley Benjamin Kai Haley December 11, 2013 Susie (Beers) Macciocca and Matt Macciocca Theodore Carlyle Macciocca August 8, 2013 Kellen (Heckscher) Vengels and David Vengels August Carl Vengels August 28, 2013
1998 Liz (Drennan) Bisland and Angela Bisland McKay Joseph Bisland November 18, 2011 Gabriel Thomas Bisland August 30, 2013 Sofia (Pappas) Schwartz and Aaron Schwartz Elijah J. Schwartz December 14, 2009 Eleftheria Schwartz September 8, 2011 Rick Wetmore and Adrienne Wetmore Theodore Wetmore February 2, 2014
1999 Jen (Watters) Bergman and Jeremy Bergman Lucy Bergman May 3, 2012 Kyle Dahl and Holly Dahl Jackson Ellis Dahl October 20, 2013
Kelly (Decker) McCullough and Rob McCullough Lucille Agnes McCullough October 14, 2013 Alexis (Barton) Morsell and Michael Morsell Connor Morsell December 10, 2008 Maggie Morsell December 10, 2008 Will Morsell November 16, 2010 Catherine (Hunt) Ryan and Jason Ryan Robert Alexander Ryan October 18, 2013
2004 Sam Rogers and Veronica Rogers Ava Rogers December 26, 2012
Deaths 1936 Jeffery W. Graham June 29, 2013
1937 Charles W. Hargens, III October 18, 2013 John L. Spangler, Jr. February 19, 2013
2000
1940
Laura (Bracken) Chaibongsai and Peter Chaibongsai Molly Anne Chaibongsai October 21, 2013
John E. Hopkins March 5, 2014
Jaclyn (Lange) Hall and Peter Hall Charles Scobi Hall July 29, 2013
2001 Katie (Spofford) Barrett and Ciaran Barrett Sean Ciaran Barrett September 16, 2013 Dorota (Dziembowska) Brown and Andrew Brown Andrew Brown, Jr. September 10, 2013
2003 Lauren (Yost) Gerk and Andy Gerk Grace Gerk November 3, 2013 Diana (Hirtle) Wilson and Garrett Wilson Gloria Parker Wilson December 8, 2013
1942 James R. Grosholz January 11, 2014 Russell Thayer, III February 5, 2014
1946 Thomas Ellison Faison October 22, 2013
1948 Robert W. Atkinson February 11, 2014
1949 Edwin H. Fowler February 21, 2008 Johns Hopkins November 8, 2013 Robert T. Strauss March 20, 2014
1950 Fred F. Hitschler August 31, 2013
Richard C. Jeary October 13, 2013
1951 Timothy R. Hutchinson February 13, 2014 Donald N. Stewart October 22, 2013
1953 Lawrence C. Barnard July 12, 2013 Elliston P. Bissell, III November 19, 2013
1968 J. Tyler Griffin November 4, 2013
1976 Lawrence A. Richette December 16, 2013
1987 Brian G. Lenhard March 13, 2014
Honorary Jane Hill, Hon. June 5, 2013
Donald R. Cochran June 23, 2013
1954 Fred D. Banfield May 24, 2013
1958 Thomas C. Baxter October 22, 2013 Walter L. Geggis August 21, 2013
1960 F. Wayne Jarvis July 31, 2013 Frank E. Sagendorph March 17, 2014
1962 Robert S. Ross, Jr. September 30, 2013
1963 John P. Street December 24, 2013
1964 Peter C. Williams February 13, 2014
1965 G. Bradley Rainer March 5, 2014
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L a s t Wo rd
A Life-Changing Education By Michael Bradley
It would be great if Jerome Allen ’91 could say that part of every day he played basketball as a youth at the Gustine Lake Rec Center in the East Falls section of Philadelphia was spent hunkered down over some books in the director’s office. But that wouldn’t be true. “I would be lying to you if I said I was a great student who did his homework in the office before every game,” Allen says. “I was in the office one day.” One day that changed everything. Although Gustine Lake director Bob Johnson screamed and fussed about how Allen wasn’t allowed in his office, someone else saw Allen as a youngster with promise and dedication. That man made a phone call. Some other folks, including James Flint, the father of Episcopal alum Bruiser Flint ’83, got involved. Pretty soon, then-EA hoops coach Dan Dougherty, Hon. was talking with Allen about leaving “The Hollow” in Germantown and coming to school in Merion. One decision to get a little work done accomplished a lot more. “It changed my whole sense of normalcy,” Allen says. Thanks to that bit of good fortune, Allen graduated from Episcopal and earned a degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he led the Quakers to three NCAA tournament appearances and scored 1,488 career points. Allen spent two seasons in the NBA and now serves as the men’s head basketball coach at Penn. It’s a journey he sometimes can’t believe he has taken. “I’m humbled by everything,” he says. Allen’s opportunity to attend Episcopal changed his world completely, and he knows that. Even though the academic
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jump wasn’t easy—and there was quite a social change, as well—Allen is happy he worked to make the adjustment and find his way. Of course, there were some tough times. He remembers the first English paper he wrote for Phil Spear, Hon. “There was so much red ink on it, I thought I had written it in red ink,” he says. Allen admits to being discouraged and embarrassed by the encounter, but he quickly learned that he wasn’t expected to make his way through Episcopal alone. “Thank God I had people around me who had the patience to roll up their sleeves and help me,” he says. Allen also realized how important it was to become an avid reader, even if that meant opening a book when it wasn’t terribly convenient. “The biggest thing that upset me when I first went to the school was summer reading,” he says, laughing. “What? We have to read in the summer? And we’re going to be tested on it?” When Allen was at EA, it was common to see his cousins close by him. One, Samuel Allen ’94, ended up joining him. “Episcopal changed both our lives,” he says. Allen is so grateful for that life-changing education that he returned to EA in the spring of 2013 to speak at the Scholarship Luncheon. His primary message was how grateful he was for the generosity of the EA donors who made his scholarship possible and how today’s EA scholarship students should take a moment to thank the donors for their life-altering assistance.
’91
Jerome Allen COACH
Perhaps the biggest imprint Episcopal left on Allen can be found in his four children, all of whom go to private schools. His oldest two, Jerome and Taylor, will attend Penn next year, and the other two are expected to continue their educations at good colleges. For someone who never really thought of himself as a strong student, Allen’s experience at EA will impact several generations. “That type of expectation of an academic journey wasn’t what we were about,” he says. “We didn’t know about places like Episcopal. My mother didn’t know the magnitude of where I would be going to school. “Yes, I would receive a good education [at EA] and get a good job. But all my children know is schools like Episcopal. With me, it almost didn’t happen.” But it did, and Allen’s trip to the office at Gustine Lake that day accomplished more than just knocking off a few homework assignments. It changed his life and those of generations to come.
Michael Bradley is a writer and broadcaster whose work has appeared in several national magazines and on a variety of radio and TV stations across the country. He is the author of 27 books and the parent of Bryan Bradley ’11.
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Visit an Upper School or Lower School Class. Hear from current students at the Student Panel moderated by Head of School T.J. Locke. Be an EA student again at several interactive classes taught by EA faculty. Make yourself at home on campus by using the Dixon Athletic Center and tennis courts for swimming, squash, and more. Join your fellow alumni for the Reunion Chapel Program and All-Alumni Cocktail party. Bring your family for children’s activities such as an art workshop, moon bounce, face painting, and more. For more information, contact Bruce Konopka at 484-424-1779 or bkonopka@episcopalacademy.org. SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ALUMNI WEEKEND.