The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin Fall/Winter 2020

BULLETIN Fall-Winter 2020

These pages: A view of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center during the grand opening celebration in January; see story on page 26.

On the cover: A letter written by Frederick W. Gunn to Abigail Brinsmade in 1846, in which he shares his memories of his parents, his thoughts on religion and the “controversy with my brother John on Abolition,” as well as his conversion to abolitionism. He wrote: “Well, he urged the principles of Freedom upon me.

I dissented, I read his books & papers to be able to refute him. Thence I imbibed a spirit I had never known before. The doctrines were self-evident. I submitted at once. There was a kind of heroic ardor about the men who advocated them, in defiance of mobs and the public opinion, which I could not but admire.”

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

BULLETIN

Fa l l- W i n t e r 2 0 2 0

2 Message from the Head of School 4 Frederick Gunn — American Educator 10 Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 12 Spring Term Success Stories 14 A Reimagined Admissions Process 16 What School Looks Like Now 18 The History of The Abbey 20 Celebrating the Class of 2020 26 Gunn Arts 34 Campus Life 38 Gunn Athletics 46 Supporting The Frederick Gunn School 50 Alumni Events 54 Highlander Journeys 63 From the Alumni Executive Committee 64 Class Notes 86 Remembering Paula Gibson Krimsky 88 Faculty Profile

Fall-Winter 2020

1

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Frederick Gunn School Community, Over the past several years, our Senior Leadership Team has endeavored to more closely examine the history of our school, and specifically, the words, actions and beliefs of our founder, Frederick Gunn. We have undertaken this task based on our strongly held belief that Mr. Gunn’s educational philosophy remains deeply relevant to our educational goals for students today. We view his groundbreaking approach to education as our compass, and Mr. Gunn, our North Star. Therefore, we have made the bold decision to

the world. Mr. Gunn was a model of an integrated, entrepreneurial

change our name to The Frederick Gunn School.

person with a vibrant and healthy life of the mind, body, spirit, and

emotions, and he wanted the same for his students. He searched

Changing the name of the school after approximately 170 years

is the type of thoughtful and intentional decision-making that your

his conscience constantly, understood and defended vigorously the

school needs to practice in order to make the school’s next century

good, the right, the true, the beautiful, and the sustainable, and he

successful in every respect. The change may have struck some of you

wanted the same for his students. As an educator, he understood

as obvious and long overdue. It struck others of you, at least at

his students individually at the deepest level and designed a school,

first, as an egregious betrayal, and everything in between. We —

sometimes spontaneously, to help them learn in every respect. In

the leadership team and the board — hope that everyone eventually

this vein, he was a creator and risk-taker, which led him to take his

celebrates the new name and understands that it is, more accurately, a clarification that Mr. Gunn and his earliest alumni would welcome.

The inescapable fact is that “The Gunnery” was a name that

made sense primarily to insiders who understood that it referred to a person named Frederick Gunn — and appreciated why that was important. Unfortunately, that inside group is very small. To everyone else, the school’s former name was a significant barrier to understanding the school, what it stands for, who founded it, and the ways in which he is so admirable. In other words, a name that was originally intended as an honorific to a great man actually

students into the woods and eventually to Milford, Connecticut, and later to the north shore of Lake Waramaug. He did not set out to invent camping in America, but that’s what he did. And he was willing to lose all of it at an early age and throughout his life to act on his convictions: publicly reprimand local clergy in Washington over abolitionism even though it meant losing his first school; include African Americans in his Towanda, Pennsylvania, school; and host meetings of Washington’s Underground Railroad. If we can live up to his example in everything that we do as a school over the

obstructed our ability to honor him. The primary reason for this change is to clarify that, once and for all, we are The Frederick Gunn School — proud of our founder, eager to tell everyone about him and why he is the model for so much of what we do today, and eager to explain why that is good for teenagers in the 21st century — as well as for the world once they enter it. (Please visit frederickgunn.org/ our-new-name for a deeper exploration of the thinking behind the name change.)

It would be a mistake to focus too much on the naming decision

and miss the larger point: your school is staking a claim that we are at our best in every respect when we keep Frederick Gunn as our “North Star”— in terms of what we want for our students and alumni, what we want for our faculty, the type of community we aspire to recreate annually, and the impact all of that will have on 2

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

It would be a mistake to focus too much on the naming decision and miss the larger point: your school is staking a claim that we are at our best in every respect when we keep Frederick Gunn as our ‘North Star’— in terms of what we want for our students and alumni, what we want for our faculty, the type of community we aspire to recreate annually, and the impact all of that will have on the world.”

next 100 years — not replicate a 19th-century world anachronistically but be as thoughtful, searching, bold, courageous, and focused on our students and the impact they will have on the world as Frederick Gunn was as we design all areas of school life and attract and invest resources — we will create the best, most unique boarding school in the country. We will do this not for its own sake and its own glory but because it will become a place known in the same way that Mr. Gunn was known in his time: for its independence, for the excellence of its character and that of the people associated with it, for the boldness of the vision it holds out as good, right, true, and possible for the world (and all the concentric communities that comprise it) if its citizens will just enliven their consciences and live them out boldly and in love. That’s what Mr. Gunn did. That’s what we can do. And that’s what The Frederick Gunn School has set its sights on as the purpose and goal for the future.

As you learn more about our new strategic plan, you will see how we have prioritized the particular projects that we need to accomplish over the course of the next five years in order to make this next phase of development possible. The first priority is investing holistically in our people, especially the faculty who are the ones who create the environment, aligned with our vision, for student flourishing. We will do this through substantive improvements to compensation and housing as well as excellent professional growth expectations and opportunities. The second

priority is developing our program — integrating the academic, co-curricular, and residential life components of our 24/7 boarding school life — so that it reflects the unique intersection of our core values (see the fall 2019 Bulletin for more about those), best practices in education today, and what students and families expect and require. The most prominent projects already underway in these areas include experiential education throughout the curriculum, what we call Campus as Lab; the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy; and redesigning our Center for Academic Excellence.

The third priority is developing an attractive and sustainable campus — landscapes, the exteriors and interiors of our buildings, and our systems — that integrates and communicates our values beautifully, boldly, and distinctly for students, faculty, and visitors. Redesigning and expanding the science and math building will be the first step, and as we develop that project we will be planning a new athletic center and rink and taking the steps required to achieve that, including moving the Health Center to the center of campus and creating new student and faculty living spaces to replace Memorial dorm. Alongside all of that, we have already moved our enrollment and marketing efforts to more strategic, measurable footing and will continue to evaluate and invest in these areas.

The interplay between the formative power of the physical environment and our school is something we have already witnessed with the opening of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center in January (see page 26), and something we will take seriously in a new way as we implement our Strategic Plan. This incredible new building and the many people — including more than 100 donors — who made it possible are the first expression of that. We could only have accomplished what we have because of them, and through their generosity our chances of being able to do the same for future projects has improved significantly. For their fearlessness and enduring support, we are truly grateful.

With best wishes,

Peter Becker Head of School

Fall-Winter 2020

3

4

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Alumni have been sharing stories about Frederick Gunn for generations. Accounts of the first School Walk to Milford, summer camping trips at Lake Waramaug, and his willingness to stand up for what was good, right and true continue to inspire students, faculty and alumni today. In many ways, what makes Mr. Gunn so fascinating to us nearly two centuries after he and Abigail established their small school in Washington was that he was ahead of his time. He has been described as an iconoclast. A maverick. An innovator. A disruptor. What Mr. Gunn accomplished for education in his time was not only ground-breaking, but enduring, and continues to resonate today.

Frederick Gunn American Educator Mr. Gunn built up a system of education which penetrated the whole social and physical life of the boy. Mere scholastic culture was, with him, secondary to selfreliance, pure morals, manhood, and that human quality expressed by what I conceive to be almost the strongest word in the English language, character.� – Clarence Deming, Class of 1866

Fall-Winter 2020

5

Understanding How Students Learn Much of what we know about Mr. Gunn comes from “The Master of The Gunnery,” a memorial tribute written by his students following his death in 1881, as well as from his letters to Abigail Brinsmade, who he married in 1848 and with whom he co-founded the school in 1850. What we know about him as an educator — including his intuitive understanding about how students learn and grow, and the context in which they learn and grow most effectively — is embodied in every story in “The Master of The Gunnery,” and in an address he delivered at the Teachers’ Convention in Hartford in 1877, titled “Confidence Between Boys and Teachers.” In that speech, Mr. Gunn asserted that the only way teachers could inspire confidence in their students was for them to demonstrate they were worthy of that trust. “I suppose a very mean person may teach little ones successfully many things which they ought to learn — the alphabet, the multiplication table, etc. But his efforts cannot go far; soon his pupils are stunted in some element of symmetrical growth. There is an unconscious influence, a mysterious, silent emanation going out from the personality of every teacher which is one of the strong forces of nature. Silent as the force of gravity, more powerful than the will of man, this influence works like the unnoticed electricity of the atmosphere, and makes it certain that every teacher will actually teach that which he is. How, for example, can a narrow, selfish, pinched-up man make good readers of a class of boys? The noble sentiments of poets and philosophers are naught to him. His intellect cannot receive, his soul cannot contain them; his cold lips cannot give expression to the voice of love, of heroism, of tender pity and generous grief,” Mr. Gunn said. “Therefore, I say if you would enjoy the loving confidence of noble boys, you must, first of all, make yourself worthy of that confidence. Let your own conscience serve as examining committee, and enter the schoolroom only with a first-class certificate.”

“Twenty-first century research now validates a lot of what he did instinctually,” Head of School Peter Becker said. “He knew that education needed to be crafted and shaped to the degree of the individual learner, but he also knew to never lower standards 6

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

just because a student wanted to give up or felt daunted by the task ahead. He knew how much students depend on the confidence that their teachers have in them to be able to learn the next difficult thing. He knew that high school kids need to do different things in order to become resilient, gritty, self-determining. And he knew that you had to conceive of education holistically — that is outside the four walls of the classroom — for it to be truly meaningful or for it to have real potential to shape the whole child, mind, body, spirit and emotion.”

And so, Mr. Gunn took his students into the woods, leading them on springtime jaunts and school walks, filling their heads “with information about bird and animal, tree and flower,” James Platt, Class of 1868, wrote in a chapter of “The Master of The Gunnery” titled, “The Home-Life.”

Platt describes in great detail what it was like to live and learn at The Gunnery and the practices that were instituted, including the Sunday “family meeting” led by Mr. Gunn on the porch in summer and in the large sitting room in winter.

“This conclave was the grand tribunal of the household, with the master for chief judge. To its arbitration were submitted any irregularity of the week before, or, indeed, any subject relating to domestic order or plans. The boys understood that this was the time to prefer complaints, to expose any lurking iniquity, or ask open advice.”

Mr. Gunn instituted sharp penalties for lying but also brought humor to the meetings “that kept the whole household in a bubble of laughter,” Platt wrote. “Under his administration this family council became a benign institution for eradicating school vices, stimulating confidence between the household and its head, enforcing a sense of justice among boys, and promoting the general order and well-being of the school family.”

“He let them indulge their ‘boy-heart,’ he let them play but he also wasn’t afraid to drill them in their Latin declensions. He let them see him play, too,” Becker said, referring to Mr. Gunn’s passion for sports, particularly baseball. “He understood how the essence of a school environment, like an energy field, had a formative effect on students, and so how something as everyday as lying, if not addressed, or if allowed to become normal, could undermine the

Frederick Gunn (above) served as the umpire in the first known photograph of a baseball game in progress. Taken on the Washington Green in 1869, during the first alumni reunion, the photo was featured in Ken Burns’ book on baseball

type of people he hoped all of his students were developing into,” Becker said.

Mr. Gunn’s model and method contrasted with the approach of other schools. “The typical approach at the time was very academic in the pejorative sense of the word,” Becker said. “It was thought that games and play and roughhousing and tramping through the woods could only distract from the intellectual training that students supposedly needed. What he knew was that we are complex, integrated beings who are more likely to flourish in an environment that engages the head, the heart, the spirit and the emotions.”

The type of school that he sought to create was something that people responded to — then and now. Speaking in 1882, on the first anniversary of Mr. Gunn’s death, Clarence Deming of the class of 1866, reflected: “Away from and outside of all the commonplace formulas of the school, Mr. Gunn built up a system of education which penetrated the whole social and physical life of the boy.

Mere scholastic culture was, with him, secondary to self-reliance, pure morals, manhood, and that human quality expressed by what I conceive to be almost the strongest word in the English language, character. He employed in the construction of this grand and supreme quality expedients and motives which the ordinary teacher either overlooks or despises. We smile, no doubt, at some of the odd methods that he used — at the old family meeting, the master’s queer code of penalties, his leniency for what many instructors would call serious offences, his severe punishment of what some teachers would scarely call offenses at all. But under the whole

system ran the teacher’s keen instinct, adapting means to an end.

Take, for instance, the sports of the field which he almost enforced as part of the Gunnery scheme of education. I presume we all know well enough that Mr. Gunn had plenty of the boy in him to relish the athletic games in which he rivaled the most ardent of us. But underlying it all was his shrewd perception that those sports gave us nerve and pluck and self-reliance.”

“He was a moral exemplar but also an educator before his time,” Becker said. It’s a bit of an extreme claim, but he should be as well known as Maria Montessori. She was more methodical, more of a scientist, but what he understood about how kids learn and grow is as true. He should be considered among the foremost thinkers in American educational history.”

Citizen Gunn Mr. Gunn’s reputation as a disruptor stems primarily from his actions as a citizen of Washington and the way in which he executed his own moral code, particularly as it related to the temperance movement and abolition.

In 1845, Mr. Gunn wrote in a letter to Mary M. Brinsmade, Abigail’s sister: “I am an abolitionist among a slave-holding community. I am a teetotaler among a people where the rum-maker and rum-seller are respectable men: a desperate heretic in the midst of a staunch, orthodox people. I am a non-conformist in many things — in some I stand all alone.”

Fall-Winter 2020

7

His willingness to stand up for what he believed is reflected in two intense letters he drafted to the Rev. Gordon Hayes, pastor of the Judea Church, in which Mr. Gunn provided his own biblical interpretation and went “toe to toe” with those in power on this issue of abolition, Becker said.

Mr. Gunn actually changed his mind about slavery. He was initially complacent on the issue, as were many of his peers, but then began conducting research in an attempt to refute the arguments of his abolitionist brother, John. In 1843, he traveled to Goldsboro, North Carolina, to visit his sisters, who had both married Southerners, with the intention of speaking directly to slave owners.

His brother-in-law tells him that doing so would destroy the family.

Mr. Gunn’s decision to support the anti-slavery movement came at great personal expense. Driven from the town, he accepted a teaching position in Towanda, Pennsylvania. Writing to Abigail in 1847, he said Henry Booth, who had facilitated his appointment to Towanda Academy, asked him what he would do if students of color came to the school. “Booth told me it might cause an excitement; it might cause many parents to take their children out; it might break up the school,” Mr. Gunn wrote. “Immediately all our plans of happiness shot through my head; I saw them all dashed to the ground at one blow, and the period of our union postponed to an indefinite future; for, if I fail here, what am I to do? Where shall we find a home?”

Mr. Gunn went on to tell Abigail that if he did not stand on his principles, he would not be true to himself or to her. “I answered, of course, that I am no critic of skins; that I teach all who come to receive my instructions, and who conduct themselves in such a manner as to promote the ends of the institution; that I never can or will give way to this inhuman and infernal prejudice, — no, not for one hour!”

“There is a certain amount of resilience, and the willingness to stand up to be counted, to not shrink from what your conscience tells you is your moral duty,” Becker said.

There is a certain amount of resilience, and the willingness to stand up to be counted, to not shrink from what your conscience tells you is your moral duty. ” – Peter Becker

8

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Mr. Gunn with female students at the camp in Milford in 1863

Mr. Gunn’s robustness of character was also demonstrated in the way in which he stood on the side of temperance, and also against other vices of the day, by going into the tavern and turning over the tables, literally. “For some years gamblers had frequented such gatherings, and had lined the streets of Woodbury with their tables and games. Though the citizens felt their presence to be a disgrace, and knew their acts to be illegal, no one dared to molest them. Mr. Gunn proposed to his companion to ‘clean them out’; and so the two, with an air of authority, went through the streets seizing and breaking the gaming-tables. The gamblers and people looked on in astonishment, either paralyzed by the audacity of the act or supposing the young men to be officers of the law,” U.S. Senator Orville H. Platt, who was Mr. Gunn’s student at Washington Academy, and joined him as assistant head at the school in Towanda, recounted in “The Master of The Gunnery.”

“He was not a completely tolerant person,” Becker said, citing another passage from Platt, about Mr. Gunn’s convictions: “Right was to become to him the touch-stone of life. To follow duty wherever and however it seemed to lead him into the face of trials, of difficulties, of opposition, of persecution, through detraction

and abuse, such as we, with the lapse of these intervening years, can scarcely realize.”

The school Mr. Gunn founded in the face of those trials, difficulties, opposition and persecution has continued to thrive and produce graduates who become, in his image, wise, engaged, active citizens. Deming wrote in “The Master of The Gunnery” that the school was based in theory and practice on Mr. Gunn’s belief that it should be “a mimic republic, the head of which ruled by a kind of delegated power, only to be exercised within the limits of the common good … The scholars were to him embryo citizens, interested in the weal [well-being] of the school community, and each charged, as an individual, with the duty of conserving it.”

That remains the goal for students and everyone who is part of the community today. “We should all want to be like him and we certainly want our alumni to be like him,” Becker said. “The world would be a better place if one year after another, the school was sending out little Frederick and Abigail Gunns in training who are ready to go tackle the world’s problems on the local level, and on the global level, and to do it with the same courage and conviction that he did.”

Fall-Winter 2020

9

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Learning, co-chair an Executive Task Force launched in June, In October, the Board of Trustees approved an Inaugural Report on whose mission is to steer ongoing work related to diversity, equity Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at The Frederick Gunn School. This and inclusion, and to create an environment on campus that is truly report summarizes the work that has been done in support of the inclusive of diverse people and viewpoints. school’s commitment to the pursuit of a purposefully inclusive and

Over the course of the summer, Drew established a rapport diverse community, and outlines the goals for the 2020-21 academic with alumni, and he has been instrumental in the effort toward year as well as our institutional objectives for the coming years. establishing a Black Alumni Network. According to Sean Brown

According to the report, when the board established a DEI P’22, Director of Alumni & Development, there are multiple Working Group in the fall of 2019, it could not have foreseen the opportunities for such a group to connect with current students ways in which the United States would face the public reckonings and alumni, from communication and engagement to recruitment, in 2020 on race in our country. “The creation of this task force was mentoring and support. already an acknowledgement that our school has not always lived

This fall, Gum and Drew began to implement a professional up to the standards of our founders, Frederick and Abigail Gunn, development program to equip faculty to who worked to establish an inclusive have DEI conversations with each other and, community in 1850 — a profound legacy ultimately, with students. Faculty began meeting for this school to live up to,” the report “[I]f if we approach regularly in small groups called Learning Teams, said. The board and administration are the student the way we taking as their charge the creation of brave united in their aspiration to meet and approach each other, spaces for courageous conversations around exceed those standards, with the goal of with love and grace and identity, while “scaffolding” anti-racist action achieving a thriving school community, just optimism and maturity, for students, faculty and staff. institutional practices and students who there is no denying the This work holds particular importance become a force for good in the world. student will ultimately grow in a year that has brought a global pandemic,

“We have a founder who is a model into an engaged citizen.” demands for social justice across the United of grace and love and courage,” Head of States (and around the world) and a presidential School Peter Becker said in his remarks – LaDarius Drew election. “There are pressing issues in this to faculty at the opening of school. “Our country that we need brave spaces to engage in, name change, among other things, was a as citizens ourselves, and as educators,” Gum said. “We need to invest long overdue declaration of the kind of school we have been at our time and resources not only in the learning of our students, but in best moments. The more you read about Frederick Gunn, the more our own learning.” you understand the deep well of wisdom and, yes, grace that he

According to Drew, the Learning Teams provide a way for represents and that he knew how to practice.” faculty to model moral character development for students. “We’ve

“Our founder, more than any other school founder I know, been using the Learning Teams to understand the level of trust that embodies both the spirit and the example of what we want to be as is needed to talk at will, to talk about things that we don’t know a community, who we want to be as adults, and who we want our how to talk about. The Learning Teams have been a very positive students to become like,” Becker said. space for people to feel brave to speak. That should be the model for

The ongoing work of the Board Task Force was solidified last how we have our advisory groups, how we have our classrooms, how fall under the leadership of Omar Slowe ’97 and the naming of a we have our [athletic] teams. I’m not saying you can just easily do new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, LaDarius Drew, in that. But ultimately, if we approach the student the way we approach June. Drew and Emily Gum, Assistant Head of School for Teaching

10

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Our founder, more than any other school founder I know, embodies both the spirit and the example of what we want to be as a community, who we want to be as adults, and who we want our students to become like.”

– Peter Becker, Head of School

each other, with love and grace and optimism and maturity, there is no denying the student will ultimately grow into an engaged citizen, a global citizen.”

The school hired Martha Haakmat, a former head of school and a consultant with expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion and strategic leadership. Haakmat has led interactive workshops for the board and the administration focusing on DEI and antiracism, and worked with Drew to facilitate the Learning Teams and conversations with alumni of color this summer. They are also collaborating on an institutional audit of current and historical diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the school, and developing recommendations for a three- to five-year plan for implementation.

In addition, Drew is evaluating curricular and co-curricular offerings to ensure that the needs of all students are represented and met. In September, he partnered with Bart McMann, Director of the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy, to develop student orientation programming focusing on moral character development, community, and citizenship. Drew, who is a member of the History Department faculty, is co-teaching a new course, “Humanities: Race in America” with Tim Poole of the English Department faculty. With regard to co-curriculars, Drew is facilitating the creation of affinity groups such as Prism, which have the potential to bring student-led clubs and organizations, such as the Black Student Union and the Asian Student Association, together under one umbrella.

“Prism, at its core, is meant to be a brave space where all students and faculty can come together to discuss issues they’ve faced or experienced concerning diversity, whether they are part of an affinity group or not,” Max Farrar ’21 said in introducing the group at School Meeting in September. “For those who may not know where to go when they need to talk, or don’t feel as though they identify with one affinity group or another, Prism is here to represent all forms of diversity on campus and provide a place for us all to come together and share our knowledge, resources, and experiences.”

Drew recognized the value of uniting these organizations when BSU and ASA met for the first time last year. “They were able to see each other for the first time. They were able to hear each other

for the first time. They understood that their issues or problems were not different; they were very similar conversations,” Drew said, explaining that the goal of inviting faculty to participate in these conversations is to help students feel more comfortable discussing issues with each other and with adults. “As the students develop this major group and become stronger together, we can mesh our strengths to make the changes that the alumni would like to see — that Mr. Gunn would love to see — in how we foster the institution’s growth in community and citizenship and developing moral character.”

The school’s ongoing objectives include continuing to work toward the development and support of a robust calendar of cultural, DEI and anti-bias events and programming, both on and off campus, involving current students and alumni, in partnership with other schools and institutional partners. The Student Handbook was rewritten this summer to explicitly outline expectations for conduct and resulting disciplinary actions with respect to instances of bigotry, discrimination, racism, verbal or physical assault. Going forward, the school is committed to continuing to review the discipline system to promote consistent and equitable outcomes.

The school also has begun looking at hiring practices and recruitment of faculty, which will dovetail with the comprehensive way it is thinking about recruitment from an enrollment management perspective, “to make sure we are welcoming the diverse range of identities across the American experience and, certainly as we think about our international population, across the global experience,” Gum said. These efforts are part of a recommitment at an institutional level, “to make sure we are doing the things to help us be the community we want to be.”

For Drew, the success of these efforts will require everyone — faculty, administrators, alumni and current students — to keep pushing forward. It is work he is clearly passionate about.

“Listening to our community is super important to me. It will be extremely important to keep my ear to the ground here, to know my colleagues, to know my students, to know who we are at The Frederick Gunn School. Ultimately, I want to make sure we stick to our issues and we work with love and grace with each other and for each other, so we can all grow and become better people, better citizens,” he said.

Fall-Winter 2020

11

spring term success Stories

In the spring term, students and faculty responded to the global pandemic in innovative and creative ways that strengthened our community, enriched the student experience, and demonstrated what it means to be a force for good.

Helping Frontline Healthcare Workers In early April, Maxwell Rhodes ’20 used a 3-D printer he borrowed from the IDEAS Lab to produce Personal Protective Equipment for local healthcare workers.

Rhodes printed plastic frames that were subsequently attached to flat, clear plastic sheets made by the nonprofit Danbury Hackerspace. Their collaboration produced 100 face shields, which were delivered to Danbury Hospital to aid in the care of COVID-19 patients.

“Any excuse to make 3-D prints is good enough for me, so I was happy to get to work,” said Rhodes, who was asked to participate in the project by Paul Chayka, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Robotics And Beyond in New Milford.

Rhodes started as a student in Chayka’s summer STEM and design camps and quickly progressed to being a mentor and senior lead instructor. In addition to gaining “tech experience,” Rhodes said the

Maxwell Rhodes ’20 used the school’s 3-D printer to produce PPE for local healthcare workers; at left is the 3-D printer he built himself during the pandemic. camp is where he made lifelong friends and opened the door to learning opportunities he would not have had otherwise. “If Mr. C. is doing something for good, I’ll jump at the chance to help,” said Rhodes, who also finished building his own 3-D printer, a project he started the previous summer,

during the pandemic. He is a freshman at Union College in New York this fall.

“He took such initiative: collaborated with a local organization, sought out available resources, and did good for the community!” said MaryAnn Haverstock, Director of IDEAS Lab.

Making an Impact

Carmine Andranovich ’21 grew tomatoes from the hydroponic system he designed and assembled as part of the Engineering I curriculum last spring.

12

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Students in Engineering I literally thought outside the box when they were challenged to design and assemble their own hydroponic garden systems, which they used to grow tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables at home.

“You can see how, around the world, hydroponics have revolutionized agriculture,” Jeff Kopek ’20 said via Zoom in May, when students presented infographics highlighting the benefits and challenges of hydroponic food systems. The students studied different types of systems, water quality, nutrient sources, environmental impacts, and the advantages of farming without soil when access to agricultural land is limited. As Trevor Hoivik ’20 said: “You can grow vertically. You don’t need fertilizers and pesticides, and you’re not producing greenhouse gases.”

Connecting Community Through Music A series of virtual performances, produced

by Ron Castonguay, Director of the Arts, quickly became the most public example of the school’s remote learning environment.

Intrigued by the work of Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre, who has created virtual choirs combining as many as 17,500 voices from around the world, Castonguay began researching how to adapt that technique for his students.

Most left their instruments behind when they departed campus for spring break and were participating in classes via Zoom.

For the first performance, titled “Isolation Funk,” he sent students in his String and Voice ensembles a click track (a series of audio cues) along with instructions on how to record themselves playing any percussion “instrument” they could devise at home. In all, 16 students were able to participate using Tupperware, glasses, bowls, vases, and even clamshells! They also used a Tika-tee rhythm method he developed and advanced music reading skills.

During the spring term, Ron Castonguay, Director of the Arts, produced seven virtual ensembles like this one featuring the String and Vocal ensembles performing Barry Talley’s arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Students performed the School Hymn, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and, in honor of Earth Day, a piece titled “Back to Nature,” using pieces of driftwood, rocks, sticks, and leafy branches. The music was shared with the community via YouTube, email, and at virtual School Meetings.

“In the performing arts — and music — having that feeling of being connected, and knowing that you’re connected, is really

important,” Castonguay said. “When the students come out of [the pandemic], I want them to feel, ‘Wow we really stayed engaged and we were productive.’ I want to go into the new world we’re living in and still use the techniques. I don’t want to stop virtual ensembles just because we’re back in school in person.”

Encouraging the Pursuit of a Life Well Lived Throughout the spring term, faculty leveraged technology to help students stay connected to the campus and community. Becca Leclerc, Director of Outdoor Programming, set up weekly live streams from the Quad to capture the beauty of the season, and shared a list of local day hikes. Mary Ewing, RN, Director of Nursing, and Brian Konik, Ph.D., Director of Counseling, hosted Wednesday Wellness talks over Zoom that highlighted, among other topics, the importance of maintaining healthy sleep habits. The Positive Mojo Team shared weekly movie and music recommendations, virtual tours of museums, gardens and aquariums, and links to online resources for exercise.

Students and faculty formed a virtual running club using the Strava app, and participated in a “Hike for Haiti Challenge” as well as a virtual “Gunnery Runs” walk/run challenge in lieu of the annual Memorial Run for ALS on campus. Advisors also began using the Frederick Gunn Toolkit for a Life Well Lived, to help students set goals and seek balance in mind, body, spirit and emotions. The toolkit continued to guide discussions between faculty and their advisees this fall.

The Croft family was among those who participated in “Gunnery Runs,” a run/walk challenge in which participants dedicated their activity in honor of a person or cause of their choice Fall-Winter 2020

13

Reimagined Admissions Process

Bridges the Virtual Divide

Last March, in the weeks leading up to one of the most important videos brought students from across the country and around the points in the admissions season — Revisit Days — the World world onto campus to give them an immediate sense of what it is Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. like to be here. Beyond that, a series of live, interactive webinars, The announcement came March 11, just one day after prospective offered to students and parents over six nights, reimagined the students learned whether they had been accepted to The Frederick Revisit Day experience, providing a personalized window into Gunn School for the 2020-21 academic year. our school.

It was a pivotal moment for those students and the school. As

“One of our strengths as a school is our community, and to the faculty prepared to take the current student experience online — extent that we could provide that community feeling in a virtual from classes and School Meetings to co-curriculars and community platform, that’s what we did. It ended up feeling very genuine and time — the Admissions team quickly formulated a plan to help warm and authentic,” Ince said, adding, “We heard from several accepted families make the decision to enroll parents, specifically those whose children in The Frederick Gunn School for the fall. had been accepted, that we were offering “Despite all of the engagement that families the most engaging experience and we were have leading up to acceptance day, we know the most nimble in providing context, One of our strengths as a that current prospective families are still communication and information in this school is our community, waiting to make their decisions between new reality.”

March 10 and April 10 and many of them are Teachers and coaches, who swiftly and to the extent that we counting on Revisit Day to have a second created what has proven to be one of the could provide that community look. That was the engagement piece we best academic experiences in a virtual space, feeling in a virtual platform, needed to provide,” said Alexandra V. Ince also met virtually with accepted students P’20 ’22, Director of Enrollment. and parents, while current students, that’s what we did. It ended up

The team’s approach included creating a who were in the midst of adjusting to feeling very genuine and warm brand-new, virtual, student-led campus tour distance learning, filmed personalized and authentic ” and a series of videos covering all aspects of video messages for their younger peers. the student experience, from academics and “The willingness of people to help us in the – Alexandra V. Ince P’20 ’22, athletics to the arts, the outdoor program midst of having to shift to online learning Director of Enrollment and student life. In minutes, these short was remarkable,” said Suzanne Day, Senior

14

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. “Everybody was all hands on deck.”

In September, the school opened for its 171st academic year with a total enrollment of 300 students. About 83 percent of students were taking classes in person on campus, and their return was made possible by the thoughtful and well-planned health and safety measures that were put in place this summer. The remaining 17 percent were enrolled in the school’s distance learning platform, Gunn Global Online, and have the option of transitioning to in-person learning at various points during the academic year if they choose. Overall, 75 percent of the current enrollment is boarding students, and 25 percent day students, which is consistent with previous years.

Forging Connections The school’s proactive approach to COVID restrictions carried over into the summer months, when Admissions launched a new program called Highlander Summer Connections (HSX) to keep new students engaged and informed, and forge connections between students by grade level prior to their arrival on campus. “We were very pleased with the response,” Day said, noting that more than 50 percent and in some instances closer to 60 or 70 percent of students participated.

The program led off with three student-to-student sessions for freshmen facilitated by the Prefects and the Freshman Class Dean. “They played bingo, they had trivia and Kahoots and went into break-out rooms over Zoom, where they could interact with each other and

ask questions,” Day said, noting that Jamie Goldsmith, Assistant Director of Admissions and Head Coach for Girls Varsity Ice Hockey, was the emcee for these sessions. “She was amazing.”

Similar HSX events were offered for sophomores, upperclassmen and international students along with informational sessions for parents. At the same time, the school’s Cards and Grays program, which pairs current and new students, was up and running.

“So there was continual engagement,” Day said.

Also this summer, the Admissions Office began designing and executing a totally virtual admissions process for this year. “Due to our current health and safety protocols, we aren’t able to invite families to visit and interview in person for the 2021-22 school year, but we are making as many high-touch, personalized connections with families as possible,” Ince said.

On September 28, student tour guides began offering personalized, virtual tours of campus via Zoom using a new, interactive map as a guide. Interviews are conducted virtually, too, giving prospective students and parents the opportunity to meet with an Admissions Officer and ask questions. Separate meetings with specific teachers, coaches, and parent ambassadors are also being scheduled virtually.

As for Revisit Day 2021?

Admissions is already planning for a range of options and will be ready to welcome accepted students and families in person or in a virtual space.

“We’re confident that we can deliver an admissions process that will enable families to learn about our school, fall in love with us, and hopefully choose us as the best school for their students,” Ince said.

Fall-Winter 2020

15

School Now

What Looks Like

The reopening of campus in September, and the return to in-person learning, was made possible by months of thoughtful planning and preparation. In addition to keeping pace with rapidly changing guidelines from the State of Connecticut and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the school’s reopening committee considered all aspects of the student experience, and the Maintenance and Housekeeping departments adapted classroom, living and dining spaces to comply with the new health and safety requirements.

“Our summers are busy always, but this summer was particularly busy because we had projects we had never done before,” Mark Showalter, Director of Buildings and Grounds, said in September. Anticipating shortages and delays for materials, the Maintenance Department took on the challenge of designing and building custom items, like Plexiglas® dividers, that were installed from the music rehearsal rooms in TPACC to the dining hall to inside school vehicles.

“In a lot of ways, it was kind of fun. We made quite a bit of things ourselves with a couple of us just hanging around the shop,” Showalter said. “Everything was COVID-related.

We were building petitions to separate sinks in common bathrooms. So if there are three sink bowls there, we had to build and create dividers so three people could be using the sinks at the same time and have some separation between them.”

In late May, the Maintenance Department began taking desks out of classrooms to calculate how many students could be in a classroom together safely distanced.

That information was needed by the scheduling team in the Academic Office to develop a new academic schedule that would support the school’s hybrid learning environment.

Cubicles were installed in TPACC, the Student Center and Tisch Family Library to create three new Day Student Villages that would help day students remain integrated in the community. Additionally, the Maintenance team evaluated the ventilation in every building, office, classroom and bathroom on campus to meet new guidelines from the Department of Public Health.

16

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Desks are spaced to help students maintain social distancing in the classroom. Note the camera mounted on the tripod (at right), which teachers use to teach remote students at the same time as those attending classes in person. Fans in the windows help to maintain proper ventilation.

In the fall, the Housekeeping staff began using a new “fogger machine” to safely disinfect large, open spaces, including the new Emerson Fitness Center, the Tisch Family Auditorium, the dining hall, and Health Center. Students also adopted new cleaning protocols, wiping down their desks at the end of every class, and cleaning the table in the dining hall after every meal.

With spectacular weather extending through the fall term, many students opted to take their meals outdoors and the Jones-Koven Quad became a new hub for activities ranging from frisbee golf to Spikeball®.

Students took advantage of the new basketball hoops, evening fire pits, the swing on the Jones-Koven Quad, and new Adirondack chairs, some equipped with solar charging stations made by students in the IDEAS Lab. Community Weekends based on the theme “Live Like Fred,” encouraged students to spend even more time outdoors, watching the sunset from Beebe Boathouse, gazing at the stars on the Quad, camping at South Street Fields, or taking a night hike in Steep Rock.

New signage was installed to mark the entrance and exit of every building to encourage one-way traffic patterns, just like in the supermarket.

The Maintenance Department made 30 dividers for the dining room tables in the shop on campus.

Plexiglas dividers in a rehearsal room in TPACC allow music students to practice together safely. .

Cubicles were installed in TPACC for senior day students.

Day Student Villages were also created in the Student Center and the Tisch Family Library.

Stickers in classroom buildings and the dining hall remind students to maintain a physical distance of six feet.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve done so far,” Associate Head of School Seth Low, who leads the COVID Response Team, remarked during Parents Weekend. “There were so many moments between March and frankly, opening right after Labor Day, that we weren’t sure what this was going to look like. We’re also cognizant that we’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices. The health and safety protocols that we have in place, whether they are on travel, or what we can or can’t do in the dorm, wearing masks, being outside, they are not ideal. But we hold in tension this health and safety on one hand, and our comfort on the other.”

“I attribute our success at the start of this year to the fact that we have held true to our health and safety standards, and that we have worked with students to try to make the best possible scenario we can given those health and safety protocols. We’ve relaxed in certain moments where we can and also held firm in certain areas. We think about that balance daily,” he said.

Fall-Winter 2020

17

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The History of The Abbey In January, The Frederick Gunn School acquired a historically significant home on Kirby Road, across from Conroy House.

Built circa 1819, it was home to Abigail Gunn, wife of school founder Frederick W. Gunn, for the last two decades of her life.

A photograph of Washington Academy circa 1840s, when it was located on the Green.

Mr. Gunn taught classes here before he was exiled from Washington in 1847 and again after he returned from Towanda, Pennsylvania, in 1849.

“It was named ‘The Abbey’ in honor of Abbey Gunn, who spent her retirement years there,” said the late Paula Krimsky, former School Archivist and Associate Director of Marketing & Communications.

According to her research, the house originally stood near the Meeting House on the Green, close to the site of Judea Parish House. It was used for church meetings and other public gatherings, and housed an early version of the town’s library. Before he founded The Gunnery, Mr. Gunn held classes in two small rooms on the first floor of the house, then known as Washington Academy.

In 1958, then-owner Arthur H. Jackson, M.D. outlined the history of The Abbey for Charles Lauriat, who purchased the house from him later that year: “As I understand it, Mr. Gunn started a private school in the 18

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

This photograph of Mrs. Gunn from the archives is dated 1885, which would have been about the time she moved into The Abbey.

lower floor… and he had to give it up when his interests in the underground railway made it necessary for him to leave town and go to Pennsylvania. It was thus actually the forerunner of the Gunnery School.”

Jackson continued: “It is said that they used to hold amateur theatricals there and the walls were lined with bookcases containing the beginnings of the Washington library. A very old lady once told me that she could remember a weekly auction in which the librarian would pass down the row of the books calling off the names as he read them with the help of a candle and auctioning them for so much a week.”

About 1870, Mr. Gunn moved the house to its current location along with a one-room district schoolhouse as an addition, Jackson said in the letter from the

Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives.

Within a few years of Mr. Gunn’s death in 1881, Mrs. Gunn withdrew from The Gunnery and moved to The Abbey.

She spent the winters in Florida in the company of friends, and mailed letters with flowers pressed into them back home to Washington. In 1886, Charles Deming, who graduated from the school two decades earlier, paid tribute to Mrs. Gunn in a speech delivered at the dedication of the Gunn Memorial Library: “And what words of mine can pay just tribute to Mrs. Gunn, who still lingers with us on the far and sunset horizon of her grand and lovely life— she, mother of the Gunnery Gracchi, wife, helpmeet, friend, counselor and matronly sweetheart of us all. How my heart goes back to her and to those days when, in the old Gunnery kitchen, with one hand on

Background: Blueprints of The Abbey, second floor, commissioned by George Jackson, M.D., in 1912. From the Collection of the Gunn Historical Museum

Mrs. Gunn with her eight Brinsmade grandchildren (left to right): Dorothy, who later married Arthur Jackson and lived at The Abbey; John, who worked for his father at The Gunnery and later moved to Alaska; Mary (holding her grandmother’s hand); Eleanor, who married Hunnewell Braman of Washington; Frederick Gunn Brinsmade; Abigail, the youngest, who died in the flu epidemic of 1918 (to the right of Mrs. Gunn); Charlotte, who later married Alfred Bellinger of Washington; and Chapin, who served in World War I.

The living room of The Abbey from an undated real estate brochure.

This may have been one of the small rooms on the first floor where Mr. Gunn taught before the house was moved to its current location. the rolling pin and the other holding the Latin reader, she helped me over its shoals and rocks! What a motherly and protecting influence was hers as she watched over that Gunnery brood, complement in the household sphere of her strong husband.”

Mrs. Gunn lived at The Abbey until her death on September 13, 1908, at the age of 89, according to her obituary, which was published in the Litchfield Enquirer and reprinted in The Stray Shot in November 1908. The author, who is described as “an old friend” of Mrs. Gunn and the school, wrote: “In this quiet home it has been the

Mrs. Gunn in her wheelchair on the porch of The Abbey; She died at home on September 13, 1908 “with her children around her, cared for by loving friends,” her obituary said.

delight of her friends to gather about her, and the Abbey has been a village center. Her later years were made happy by her nearness to the Gunnery School and her certainty that the work which she had begun there with Mr. Gunn was nobly carried on by her only daughter and her husband, John C. Brinsmade, by the devotion of her children and grandchildren, and by that of her many relatives and friends.”

During Brinsmade’s tenure as the school’s second headmaster, the house also served as a dormitory for Gunnery students.

Mrs. Gunn was known “to generations

of Gunnery boys” as “Aunt Abbey,” noted Jackson. “The house was called after her and when my father purchased it from the Gunnery School, he decided to keep the name, The Abbey.”

Jackson, who inherited the house from his parents in 1919, married Dorothy Brinsmade, the granddaughter of Frederick and Abigail Gunn, and a student, teacher and trustee of Wykeham Rise School, according to the Gunn Historical Museum, whose collection includes a detailed set of blueprints of The Abbey dated 1912.

Fall-Winter 2020

19

Celebrating the Class of 2020 On May 24, 2020, as restrictions on travel and large gatherings remained in place in response to the worldwide pandemic, the community gathered for a virtual celebration of the Class of 2020. The graduating class of 95 seniors was one of the largest in recent years. Separated by distance during the spring term, students and faculty found new ways to stay connected, demonstrating the strength of our community.

In his Baccalaureate Address, Head of School Peter Becker commended the seniors for stepping up with maturity and grace in the face of COVID-19, the loss of their senior spring and a typical graduation, and expressed this wish for all of our students: “We want all of you to let Mr. Gunn be your guide, his life and his example — to figure out what you believe and why, to put that into action in the world — to make intentional risks, to create rather than consume, and to pursue excellence in the fullest sense — the excellence of a life well lived. We want you to be a force for good in the world. Even in a time of social distancing, even in moments of fear, develop the equipment and the awareness to relish life, not as a thing to be preserved at all costs but as the greatest gift we have as humans, to be spent and shared richly, creatively, in service to others and to the common good.”

20

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

The Class of 2020 Jihoon An

Isabel Katherine Martin

David Kenneth Andreychuk

Elizabeth Grace Maxwell

Garrett Louis Argentino

Grace Elizabeth McEneaney

Aurora R. Aviles Yiyun “Bonnie” Bao

Maryam Anyango Joyce McFarland

Kyle Eugene Barbieri

Francesca Viola Moreira

Zachary Edward Barrett

Aidan Thomas Mullen

Jacob Ethan Benedict

Guillermo Enrique Najera Sweeney

Marley Antonia Berano

Hung Tan “Austin” Ngo

Corinne Mae Bolding

Sophia Novoa

William Edward Scott Boot

Nicholas George O’Brien

Ethan Patrick Breh

Aristomenis Miltiades Papathanasiou

Cole Robert Brennan William Tipton Brodhead Gwendolyn M. Brown Jacob Peter Bruck Andrew Joseph Byrne-King Minghao “Vincent” Cai Mark Joseph D’Agostino Charles Augustus Elie DeVos Isabel Sophia DiGiacomo Reed Palmer Dolph Dylan John Donnery Ryan Patrick Donnery Dane Dennis Dowiak Jonathan David Dyer-Gray Matthew Salame Eghdami Noé-Emmanuel Enoumedi Clayton Jon Erickson Xihao “John” Feng Linaijah Ferguson Juliette Chenoa Gaggini Carolina Grace Genest Samantha Renee Gilbert Harrison Todd Harwood Kelly Dawn Hill Trevor Harris Hoivik Henry Rasmussen Hoyt G. Buckley Huffstetler Nathaniel Hawley Ince Alexander Brian Jefferies Jolie Kaplan Cailin McKenzie Kessman Hunter Douglas Kolpak Jeffrey Robert Kopek Kiera Sinead Koval Alexander Griffin Lizotte Alexa Kate Maria Lugo

Sofia Bell Pattillo Joseph Mathes Payne Remay Topden Pemba Christopher Luciano Pennella Sean Owen Phillips Savannah Rose Popick Travis Joseph Powell Griffin Leon Powers Zhanara Ray-Tunis Silas Recica-Sullivan Maxwell Tiberius Rhodes Hannah Lynn Richards Lucas Michael Rosati Hunter Rossi Gianna Russillo Jack Adams Sappington Samuel Isaac Schreiber Jason T. Searles Miranda Ainsley Smith Kenneth Russell Snyder Maeghan Elizabeth Stacy Caitlin Rose Stammen Madeleine Thomas Stewart Harrison Shepard Sutton Adam Angelo Tedesco Patrick A. Thomas Hadley Vroom Townsend Colin Edward George Trom Yik Tung “Alan” Tsui Xinyi “Aris” Wang Yunyi Wang Yixin Xu Liyin “Alex” Zhang Minjia “Erica” Zhang Dillon Joseph Ziolkowski

Junjie “Frank” Ma

Fall-Winter 2020

21

Prize Night Awards for academic excellence and other honors were presented to seniors as part of a virtual tribute to the Class of 2020 on May 24. The awards for underclassmen were presented at Convocation on September 13.

Just a few of this year’s awards are featured on these pages.

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees!

22

The Dean’s Prize was presented by then-Dean of Students Jess Matthews to Zhanara Ray-Tunis ’20.

Travis Powell ’20 was awarded the Excellence in Dramatics Award by Sarah Archer of the World Languages faculty.

Chris Bernard, Co-director of College Counseling, presented the LEADS Service and Responsibility Award to Kelly Hill ’20.

The Gunnery Cup, awarded to the student who, through character and achievement contributed most largely to the success of the school year, was awarded to Head Prefect Andrew Byrne-King ’20.

The Brinsmade Prize, awarded to that student who best combines unselfish and sympathetic interest in people with a purpose for citizenship and social responsibility, was presented to Juliette Gaggini ’20.

The Head of School’s Prize, awarded to a member of the graduating class who, by constant excellence and dependability in studies and in extracurricular activities, has contributed outstandingly to the success of the school year, was awarded to Corinne Bolding ’20.

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

The Vreeland Rogers Athletic Awards, established by Gerrit Vreeland ’61 and Andrew Y Rogers, Jr. ’61, were presented to Grace Genest ’20 and Jason Searles ’20 by Mike Marich P’23 ’24, Director of Athletics.

The Russell Sturgis Bartlett Memorial Prize for Excellence in Science was presented to Maxwell Rhodes ’20 by Science Department Chair Morgen Fisher ’03.

Visual Arts Chair Andrew Richards P’20 ’23 presented the Excellence in Art Award, established in memory of devoted art teacher Elizabeth Kempton, to Joyce McFarland ’20.

Jesse Perkins of the Performing Arts faculty presented the Malcolm Willis Award for Music to Charles DeVos ’20.

Gwendolyn Brown ’20 was honored with the Excellence in Mandarin Award from Mandarin teacher Tanya Nongera.

The Senior Mathematics Department Award was presented to Jolie Kaplan ’20 by Math Department Chair Alisa Croft.

The following students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society by Alisa Croft, President: Jolie Kaplan ’20, Reed Dolph ’20, Gwen Brown ’20, Alex Zhang ’20, Alexa Lugo ’20, Zach Barrett ’20, Erica Zhang ’20, Charlotte Xu ’20 and John Feng ’20, Yolanda Wang ’21, Maggie Xiang ’21, and Chelsea Zhong ’21.

Head Prefect Andrew Byrne-King ’20 presented the Freshman of the Year Award to Graham Ince ’23.

The Teddy Awards, given in memory of Edward “Teddy” Bright Ebersol, beloved member of the Class of 2008, who died tragically in 2004, were presented to Vivian Boucher ’23 and Ryan Crowshaw ’23.

Fall-Winter 2020

23

CLASS OF 2020 COLLEGE MATRICULATION

Arizona State University

Dickinson College

Baylor University

Emerson College

Barnard College Boston College

Brandeis University Bucknell University Catawba College Clark University

Clemson University Colby College

College of the Holy Cross Connecticut College Cornell University

Creighton University 24

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Elon University

Emmanuel College Emory University

Florida Southern College Furman University

Gettysburg College

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Kalamazoo College Lafayette College

Loyola University Maryland Manhattanville College Meredith College

Merrimack College

Swarthmore College

University of Hartford

Mount Holyoke College

The New School

University of Miami

Michigan State University New York University

North Carolina State University Northwestern University Providence College Purdue University

Quinnipiac University

Rochester Institute of Technology Sacred Heart University Saint Anselm’s College Skidmore College

St. Lawrence University

Syracuse University Trinity College

Tufts University

Tulane University Union College

United States Military Academy

University of Aberdeen (Scotland) University of California, Berkeley

University of California, San Diego University of Central Florida

University of Colorado Boulder University of Connecticut

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan

University of New Hampshire University of Richmond

University of South Carolina

University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Utica College

Villanova University

West Virginia University Whittier College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Fall-Winter 2020

25

GUNN ARTS

A Vision Brought to Life Celebrating the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center

It was an opening night many months in the making, a celebration of art, music and nature, of the contributions of many individuals and an entire community ­— a vision brought to life.

26

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

T

he Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center officially opened in January, as students and faculty began a new term, a new year and a new decade on campus. The first School Meeting of 2020 was held in the Tisch Family Auditorium on January 6, kicking off a series of events leading up to a gala celebration of the new building — including an inaugural rock concert — on January 10.

From the start, the new building blended seamlessly into the day-to-day life of the school, and its impact was transformative. Students engaged in classes in photography, music, drawing and painting in the classrooms and studios of the Richard C. Colton, Jr. ’60 Art Wing, and began rehearsals on stage for the winter musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” In the evenings, they gathered around the new fireplace or at high-top tables in the community room, which quickly became a prime location for study hall.

Head of School Peter Becker described the new building as extraordinary and reminded students they are the first generation of Highlanders who have the opportunity to use it to live the school’s Vision for the Arts. “We ask students to learn to take public risks, to be makers not consumers, to be citizens who imagine a beautiful future without cynicism, to face failure with hope. That — in this day and age — is about as ambitious a vision as this building was. We hope that is happening on this stage and in the classrooms, and that our students are learning and growing every day in big ways and small ways,” he said.

“None of this would have been possible without them and without our donors and Trustees,” Becker said, recognizing in particular Thomas Perakos ’69, who affirmed the school’s vision for a new Arts and Community Center with an early commitment to get the project started, Richard C. Colton, Jr., ’60, whose passion for visual art led to a gift to name the new arts wing, and Trustee Emeritus Jonathan Tisch ’72 and Steven Tisch ’67, whose family generously supported the creation of the Tisch Family Auditorium.

A grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting for donors, trustees and special guests, originally planned for May 2020, will be rescheduled pending changes in state guidelines in response to the pandemic.

Fall-Winter 2020

27

After the rock concert on January 10, students were invited to engage in activities throughout the new building, from Pictionary and puzzle-making to facepainting, karaoke and origami. They planted keepsake paperwhite bulbs, a symbol of the new year, and enjoyed an ice cream sundae bar, gourmet popcorn and cookie buffet, and s’mores made around the firepit on the back patio. View more photos at bit.ly/GunnTPACCOpening.

28

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Clockwise from left: Students added their leaves to the tree; Ron Castonguay, Director of the Arts, Wendy Rhodes P’20 ’22, Lisa Condino P’21 ‘24, and Head of School Peter Becker at the grand opening; a closer look at the leaves personalized by students

Rooted in our Past, Growing Toward Our Future Trees were a consistent theme in the 2019-20 academic year, as students sought to deepen their understanding of what it means to be part of a living, growing, interconnected ecosystem — in nature and, metaphorically, in the ecosystem of the school community. From this, an idea emerged to initiate a collaborative community art project, which took the shape of a large, deeply rooted tree supporting branches of colorful leaves.

A student focus group organized by Wendy Rhodes P’20 ’22, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, came up with the initial concept, and teaching artist Lisa Condino P’21 ’24 helped to create the artwork. She worked with students, who customized paper leaves in their class colors, and adults, who wrote their hopes and wishes for the school into the trunk and branches.

A quote from Frederick Gunn, “Think boldly, fearlessly; never fear where unfettered

thought will lead you,” was incorporated into the root system along with copies of two letters written in Mr. Gunn’s own hand. One focused on his idea of a school, as a place for learning and a family place with the values of a home. The second was about friendship and included his descriptions of the trees, weather and birds surrounding him. The artwork, which was titled Rooted in our Past, Growing Toward our Future, remains on view in the arts and community center.

Fall-Winter 2020

29

“Hunchback” Debuts in TPACC, and Wins Two Halo Awards In February, prior to the start of spring break, students in the Dramatic Arts Program presented “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” the musical by James Lapine and Peter Parnell. It was the first theatrical production to take the stage in the Tisch Family Auditorium.

“The first production in a new theater is always groundbreaking, and with the exciting growth we are experiencing — the new TPACC building and Tisch Family Auditorium, the higher number of students involved in the production, and the new technical aspects — it is all a challenge we are eager to undertake,” Elizabeth Dayton ’08, Director of Dramatic Arts, said at the time.

Behind the scenes, the cast and crew examined the deeper layers of the play and its themes of acceptance and individuality. An ensemble of 12 guest musicians, led by Music Director Sarah Fay, performed the music from the 1996 Disney animated feature film, as well as songs by the Academy Award-winning team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Fay brought her extensive experience in Renaissance and spiritual music to the production, while the sets by Al Chiappetta and costumes by Terry Hawley P’08 helped to transport theatergoers to 15th century Paris.

In the spring, two students went on to win Halo Awards for the production. Max Farrar ’21 (left) won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Quasimodo, and Lucy Sanchez ’23 won for Best Costume Design/Execution. (See her gargoyle costumes below.) The awards, which were hosted virtually by Seven Angels Theatre in June, celebrate the best in Connecticut high school theater.

In all, the Dramatic Arts Program garnered 12 nominations this year.

30

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Drew Sutherland ’21 and Yolanda Wang ’20

Music Students Take Performances to the Next Level In July, tenor Drew Sutherland ’21 and alto Yolanda Wang ’20, were chosen to perform in the National Association for Music Education’s 2020 All-National Honors Choir, which represents the top vocalists in the country. As the Bulletin went to press, NAfME made the decision to cancel the in-person ensembles scheduled in November in Orlando, Florida. A virtual 2020 All-National Honor Ensembles program is now planned for January 7–9, 2021.

“Students can only audition for this choir if they are selected to their state’s all-state ensemble,” said Ron Castonguay, Director of the Arts and Director of Music. “The All-National Honors Choir consists of the top vocalists in the country, and with all of the work that Yolanda and Drew put into their singing and technique, they have certainly earned and deserve this honor.”

Sutherland was also among 17,572 singers from 129 countries who came together this summer to perform in Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir #6. Featured on CBS “Sunday Morning,” it was the largest virtual choir ever assembled.

“The coronavirus hasn’t been kind to choirs,” said former New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Pogue, who also performed in Virtual Choir #6 and reported on his experience for “Sunday Morning.” In addition to the risks associated with performing live, choirs are unable to sing together simultaneously over platforms such as Zoom. “The internet introduces about a halfsecond delay, making it impossible to sync up,” Pogue said on the program.

He went on to explain that in 2009, Whitacre came up with a solution to this problem. He gathered recordings of 185 individual singers and combined them into a virtual choir. “That video went

viral,” Pogue said on CBS, noting that Whitacre continued to expand his choirs to 2,000 singers, 3,700 singers, even 8,000 singers.

“It was only when the COVID crisis started that we thought actually if there was ever a time for one of these virtual choirs it would be now,” Whitacre told CBS. He began writing a new piece of music in March. “I was inspired by what I was seeing around me, people in isolation, and I wrote the music and words to this very delicate simple piece called ‘Sing Gently.’” The stirring, three-minute piece debuted on YouTube on July 19. By early September, it had more than 1.3 million views.

Sutherland is listed in the credits, which are over seven minutes long. He said it took a lot of pausing and rewinding, but he was eventually able to find his name. Asked what he thought about the finished piece, he said: “It was amazing to be part of something that special. Even though you couldn’t hear me or couldn’t hear anybody (individually), I felt like I had really been part of something so beautiful and so wonderful.”

In July, Sutherland joined some of the world’s most talented vocal students and teachers at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan for a three-week, online vocal program. He applied to the highly selective summer program in January, and was disappointed that he could not attend the camp in person due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Since it was all virtual I had to do a lot of singing in front of microphones and send the videos in, and I did a lot of singing over Zoom, which did not go over super well,” he said. But the experience was still rewarding. “I was able to sing with people from all over the country and all over the world who were passionate about classical music,” he said.

Fall-Winter 2020

31

At Home in TPACC, The Arts are Flourishing Open for less than a year, the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center is already having dramatic effect, generating increased interest among current and prospective students along with a flurry of new arts offerings. According to Visual Arts Chair Andrew Richards P’20 ’23, about 55 students signed up to take ceramics classes this year, and 14 seniors are enrolled in AP Studio Art, the highest level visual arts course offered by the school.

Visual Arts faculty member Lincoln Turner is teaching three new courses, including a yearlong advanced film production class, introduction to printmaking, and photographic techniques.

“The Visual Arts are doing really well in all their mediums,” said Director of the Arts Ron Castonguay, who also made changes to the Performing Arts curriculum, which expanded to include three differentiated learning levels for Vocal Ensemble, String Ensemble and Concert Jazz Band. Interest in Rock Band remains strong, and faculty

32

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

member Jesse Perkins is again teaching two Rock Band classes.

This fall, the school’s 3-2-1 Co-Curricular Program included three arts offerings: Artistry & Technique, Theater Arts and Jazz Repertory. Dance will be taught in the spring by Donna Bonasera of The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory in Torrington, who is a graduate of the Russian Choreographic Schools and develops dance training programs based on the Vaganova Method of Classical Dance. A dozen students had signed up to be part of a new dance team last spring, but the program was put on hold in response to the pandemic. The goal now, Castonguay said, is to expand from a cocurricular program this year to a curricular offering in the near term, giving students the opportunity to perform a wide variety of dance genres.

Under the heading of theater arts, Lou Jacob, former Director of the MFA Directing Program at the New School for Drama, and Sarah Archer of the Performing Arts and

World Languages faculty, co-taught The Performer and the Audience in the Fall Term, and plan to offer it again in the spring.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Jacob has directed plays and musicals in the United States and abroad and was a member of the 2015-16 Tony Awards nominating committee. Archer is the producer of the fall play and winter musical. However, those productions were postponed this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Until students can retake the stage in the Tisch Family Auditorium, they can develop their skills in the co-curricular program, which was designed with a scope and sequence that will support the expansion of theater arts as a curricular and co-curricular offering next year. “Our students are learning about directing, acting, stagecraft and set design. We’re laying the groundwork,” Castonguay said, adding, “The pandemic may have slowed the wheels of progress, but we are still moving forward.”

No Fish Tale

One Small Fish Nets 2.6 Million Views

For many people, quarantine has offered a chance for self-discovery, an opportunity to try or learn something new. For Jack Gleason ’21, it provided time to work on the hand-crafted models of fish he began making two years ago in the IDEAS Lab as an Independent Study Project. He got so good at it, he posted a video on TikTok, then another, and another. His audience quickly grew, and several of his videos went viral, capturing as many as 2.6 million views.

The videos take the viewer through the entire process of making a model of a fish,

from drawing and cutting the body out of wood, to shaping and sanding, hand-carving details, and attaching fins and tails. Gleason uses a band saw and belt sander, carving knives, chisels and sandpaper, as well as an airbrush and compressor, to apply thin layers of water-based paint, and a fine brush to hand paint details before finishing each piece with a clear, glossy coat of epoxy resin.

In the winter term of his sophomore year, Gleason, who plays varsity soccer and

varsity golf as well as JV hockey, said he was spending a lot of his downtime in his dorm room. “You can’t go play football or go to the turf. So I would sit on my beanbag watching YouTube and Netflix,” he recalled. Through his love of marine biology and fishing, he discovered Marling Baits, who demonstrated on YouTube how to make fishing lures by hand. “I watched every single one of his videos in two days.”

After studying the process, Gleason went to the IDEAS Lab, where he was given the

tools and materials he needed to try making a model fish. He worked on it before and after practices, and whenever he had free time. “It was terrible,” he said of his first attempt. But rather than give in to that initial failure, he kept practicing, and his skill improved.

His favorite pieces so far have been an inky-hued octopus, “by far the coolest thing

I’ve ever made,” he commented on TikTok; a three-piece jointed blacktip reef shark (at right), which garnered 1.6 million views; and a replica of a bass fishing lure (below right) that retails for $500 – and got 2.6 million views. “I put weights in it and it actually works in the water,” Gleason said of the lure in October, though he had not tried fishing with it yet.

“This fishing lure is very expensive. I want one really bad. But I don’t want to spend

$500 on a swim bait. So I decided to make my own,” he said in the video, one of dozens he has posted on his page, “sheepscot_baits,” which has 117,000 followers. His videos show him crafting a bottlenose dolphin, humpback whale, koi, sailfish, sunfish and trout. Last spring and this summer, he worked on models from his home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he lives with his parents, Keith and Heather Gleason P’19 ’21 ’23, and his sisters, Madi ’19, Anna ’23, and twins Ava and Abigail.

“Erik Gustafson ’21 is one of my best friends. Over quarantine he said, ‘You should video

this.’ I didn’t know if people would care. The first one I posted got 3,000 views and I was like, ‘How did it get that many?’”

His next video went to 10,000 views, and the numbers kept climbing. When he got to

100,000 followers, to thank his fans, he made a model painted with fish scales that read “100K.” Over the summer, he sold a few models, but Gleason said this side hustle is not about that. “It’s not as fun if you’re filling orders,” said Gleason, who continued to focus on wood carving in AP Studio Art this fall, in a workshop in TPACC. “I like making fish with really cool fins. Creative freedom is so much better than having someone tell me, ‘I want you to build me a sea turtle.’”

Fall-Winter 2020

33

CAMPUS LIFE

New Faces on Campus The Frederick Gunn School is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff: ASHLEY LEBLANC has joined the faculty as the new Dean of Students. A faculty member at Hebron Academy in Maine since 2008, she had served as the Dean of Students there since 2012.

LeBlanc also taught English, served as Head Varsity Field Hockey Coach, leading her team to win the MAISAD Ashley LeBlanc title in eight of her 12 coaching seasons, and served as Dormitory Head for Hebron’s largest dorm, with 105 students in grades 10 through postgraduate.

The school initiated an international search for a new dean last fall. “Ashley was a very strong candidate from the start in an exceptional applicant pool,” said Associate Head of School Seth Low. “Everything in her application and everyone we talked to reinforced this idea that she really eats, sleeps, and breathes boarding school life. We are excited that she has the experience of being a triplethreat faculty prior to being an administrator.”

A Connecticut native, LeBlanc is a graduate of Simsbury High School, and holds dual bachelor’s degrees in English and secondary education from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, where she was a four-year starter on the Varsity Field Hockey Team and a three-time NFHCA All-American. She coached Division II field hockey at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts for a year after college before pursuing a teaching career.

LeBlanc and her husband, James, who has joined the Alumni & Development Office, are living on campus with their two boys, Douglas, 4, and Gordon, 1, and their Black Labrador, Tuuk. Her horse, Phynn, a warmblood-thoroughbred cross, is stabled nearby in Washington. She is an avid downhill and telemark skier.

KRISTIN HOINS P’22 is the Director of the Center for Academic Excellence. Hoins brings to her role nearly 30 years of experience as a curriculum designer, National Board certified classroom teacher, and K-12 special education specialist. Prior to joining the faculty this summer, she worked with teachers and students at

34

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, New York, Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and The Park School in Brookline, Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree in education from Regis University with an emphasis on curriculum design and literacy development and a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from the University of California, Davis. She is currently a doctoral candidate in educational and organizational leadership at the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to her role as CAE Director, she is coaching girls soccer and serves as a faculty advisor and dorm parent in Van Sinderen. A native of northern California, she enjoys skiing and cycling. Hoins has two sons, Emmett, 20, who is majoring in international affairs and economics at University of Colorado at Boulder, and Johno ’22. Her partner, Kathryn Barrows, works in the television industry. They live on campus with their Black German Shepherd, Gusto.

JAMES LEBLANC has joined the Alumni & Development Office as Associate Director of Major Gifts.

LeBlanc has lived and worked in boarding schools for the last 13 years, most recently at Hebron Academy in Maine, where he had served as Major Gifts Officer since 2008. He James LeBlanc also served as the school’s Assistant Director of Admission for Student-Athletes for six years. He taught French in both the middle and upper schools, and was Head Coach for varsity golf, varsity boys ice hockey, and varsity boys baseball.

An alumnus of Hebron Academy, he holds a bachelor’s degree in French language and literature from the University of Southern Maine in Portland, where he served as Assistant Coach of the Men’s Ice Hockey Team from 2006-2008. In his new role, LeBlanc is looking forward to building relationships with alumni from coast to coast. An avid fisherman and golfer, he lives on campus with his wife, Ashley, who is the Dean of Students, and their two sons.

KELSEY BRUSH has joined the Mathematics Department faculty.

Kristin Hoins

She is teaching Algebra II and PreCalculus, serves as assistant coach for Outdoor Adventures and is a dorm parent in Teddy House.

Brush grew up in Endicott, New York, and Sparks, Maryland, graduating from Hereford High School. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and music, with a minor in hispanic studies, from Hamilton College. At Hamilton, she was a member of the choir and a cappella groups, and Kelsey Brush served as a teaching assistant in the Music Department, and a student assistant in the Math Department.

She also completed an English teaching internship in Madrid, Spain, last spring. In her spare time, Brush enjoys hiking, biking, yoga, singing and musical theater.

PASCHELL SUTTON is a learning specialist in the Center for Academic Excellence with more than 25 years of educational experience. She comes to The Frederick Gunn School from Léman Manhattan Preparatory School in New York City, where she served as a learning specialist in the upper school.

Sutton holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Holy Family University, a master’s in educational leadership, management and policy from Seton Hall University, and graduate certifications in diversity, equity and inclusion from both Temple and Cornell Universities.

Paschell Sutton She is a dual-certified general and special education teacher and holds certifications as a superintendent, principal and supervisor.

Sutton is involved with community organizations, including New York Cares, Indykids, and Citizen Schools. She loves to dance and travel, has a green thumb, and is a big New York Giants fan.

Sutton lives in Manhattan with her daughter, Samara.

MADELINE GIES is a learning specialist in the Center for Academic Excellence. Gies has worked in the classroom as a teacher and literacy specialist, as a curriculum designer, as an editor, and in education technology. Most recently she served as a literacy specialist and classroom co-teacher at Boston Renaissance Public Charter School and prior to that, lived in Beijing, China, working as a literacy teacher and reading specialist at The International

Montessori School of Beijing, where she also designed a new English writing program, and as an independent tutor for students in grades 1-12.

This past spring, Gies graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a master’s in language and literacy focusing on literacy development from early childhood to late adolescence.

She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and communication studies, graduating cum laude, from the University of Rhode Island.

Gies lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, Alex, and two cats, Hector and Thea. In her free time, she volunteers for EdVigor, a Nigerian non-profit organization that trains teachers Madeline Gies in modern teaching methods and curricula. She also enjoys world travel, tennis, dance, theater, and pushing the boundaries of her spicy food addiction.

AMBER NOE has joined the Business Office as Accounts Receivable Accountant. A Connecticut native, she graduated from Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, where she studied equine management through the school’s Ellis Clark Regional Agriscience and Technology Program. She previously served as an administrative assistant and data manager in the Admissions Office at the Marvelwood School for two years.

During that time, she founded the school’s Equestrian Program and was named program coordinator. Prior to that, she served as the Accounts Payable Accountant at Marvelwood for seven years.

Noe’s great-grandfather, the Amber Noe late Howard Miles Aspinwall, was a Washington, Connecticut, native and 1924 alumnus of what was then The Gunnery. Noe lives in Sherman with her husband, Matthew, and their son, Liam, 8. She has a thoroughbred mare named Scarlet, a miniature donkey named Freddy, an American Pit Bull Terrier named Tyson, a rooster named Diamond and three hens, Lily, Jasmine and Daphne.

Fall-Winter 2020

35

Meet the 2020-21 Prefects This spring, as the school launched its distance learning program in response to COVID, school life began to pivot online.

That included the prefect election process, which made the transition seamlessly. Students and faculty watched 23

juniors deliver their candidate speeches during a live webinar. A virtual Q&A session followed, along with two rounds of

online voting. The eight prefects for the 2020-21 academic year were introduced at School Meeting via Zoom on April 20, and Josh Novick ’21 was named Head Prefect on April 23. We are pleased to introduce all of our new prefects here.

Jack Gleason

Declan Long

Ella McKhann

4-YEAR SENIOR, BOARDING, WAKE FOREST, NORTH CAROLINA

3-YEAR SENIOR, BOARDING, RIVERSIDE, CONNECTICUT

2-YEAR SENIOR, DAY, WASHINGTON, CONNECTICUT

Gleason knew he wanted to be a prefect since freshman year, when he decided to stay late at the rink, after practice with his friends. “There were some older kids practicing on another net, and one of them came over to me and asked if I wanted to shoot with them ... This little act of kindness had more influence on me than he could ever know. Being a new student can be difficult, as it was for me, wondering if you belong, and fit into the community,” Gleason said. Small actions, like older students reaching out to younger ones, or asking someone eating alone if they want to join your table, are important. “I’ve experienced for myself the impact that student leaders can have on a person’s habits and decisions. I think that the position of prefect is the best opportunity for me to further impact my peers in the same way.”

In his speech, Long reflected on how much he has grown academically and personally through his experiences on the field, in the classroom, and through leadership opportunities, such as being a Junior Class Rep and Gunn Society member. “I could have never told my freshman self, who participated in a limited number of activities other than athletics, that I would spend my high school years at such a special place,” he said. “Although I am still growing in many aspects, I am fortunate enough to have had this time to develop as not only an athlete but as a person and leader … As a prefect, I want to continue my connection between the students and the faculty, but also share my experiences in and outside of the school as I work on becoming my best self, mentor, and role model for all students, faculty, and alumni.”

“Throughout my life, I have always been the listener, the one that my friends go to when they need advice. Approachability is an important leadership trait. Without it, communication is lost. I want people to know that they can come up to me and have a conversation whenever. I want to hear your stories and get to know you, to hear the things you love about the school, and things you think could be even stronger. I want to be able to carry the student body voice to the administration where change can be made,” McKhann said in her speech, noting this is the most encouraging community she has ever been part of and being a student here has helped her to open up to people. “People are so accepting and care so much for each other,” she said. “I want to encourage others to grow the way I have.”

Jack Gleason

36

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Declan Long

Ella McKhann

Ellie McManus

4-YEAR SENIOR, BOARDING, NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT

As a prefect, McManus said she would serve as a voice for the student body, and provide as a safe place to discuss all issues that arise. “I want to channel my empathy into the community that has shaped me, by advocating for others. I hope to pick people up and support people no matter what the circumstance. So let me advocate for you. I want to be empathetic towards all situations big and small, good and bad, as I truly recognize how high school is a hard time, but also some of the best years. I hope to continue to channel my empathy into the Gunn community, and advocate for all of you, ultimately making our community even stronger, and even more like home.”

Jon Nichele 3-YEAR SENIOR, BOARDING, OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT

Nichele said his goal is to help at least one individual leave The Frederick Gunn School knowing that they have grown since joining our community. “We praise the ‘leave it better than you found it’ mindset here. This motto can be applied to each member of our community themselves,” he said. “As a prefect, I would be able to work towards helping everyone look back on their time at

Jon Nichele

Josh Novick

The Frederick Gunn School, and feel proud of the accomplishments and lives they led here to the best of my ability.”

Josh Novick 4-YEAR SENIOR, BOARDING, LAUREL HOLLOW, NEW YORK

In his role as Head Prefect, Novick said he will seek to act as a facilitator between faculty and students, as well as a figure on campus that people can trust and confide in. “Additionally, I want to further the levels of inclusiveness that define our community as well as aid in the transition for all students into our school. One of my many goals as prefect would be to make sure everyone’s voice is heard and everyone knows that they play a crucial role in this tight-knit community,” he said. “I want to help make this warm, caring, thoughtful, and inclusive community even more openminded and accepting. This community shaped me into the person I am today and gave me the confidence to have a voice when it felt lost. This is the driving force behind why I want to represent and lead us today.“

Eujin Shin 2-YEAR SENIOR, BOARDING, ROCHESTER HILLS, MICHIGAN

Shin reflected on what it was like to be a new student on campus last year. While she felt lost at first, after a couple of months,

Eujin Shin

she felt comfortable to do something she never dreamed was possible — she tried out for the Girls JV Basketball team. “I love the sense of a close-knit community here,” she said, adding that is something she hopes to further in her role as prefect. “Community is something that really stands out. I never went to a school where I was able to recognize almost every single face walking across campus. Everyone acknowledges one another with a smile, and opens doors for each other, even if we’re running late for an 8 a.m. class on a Saturday morning … What I can promise is to do my best to be that dependable person you can always count on.”

Ana Thompson 4-YEAR SENIOR, DAY, WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT

Thompson said being a new student here felt like being the new member of a much larger family. “Family pushes you to try new things and go out of your comfort zone.

Before going to The Frederick Gunn School, I did not know who I was as a person. The school has allowed me to be exactly what I wanted to be. I’ve always wanted to be a person that helps and that uses my outgoing personality to positively affect people. The school has given me the opportunity to do this by being accepting and supportive. I am very thankful to be a part of such a family.”

Ana Thompson

Fall-Winter 2020

SPRING 2020

Ellie McManus

37

2019-20 Athletic Highlights While the spring athletic season was sidelined by the global pandemic, Highlanders had plenty to celebrate in the fall and winter terms, including historic wins for both Girls Varsity Cross-Country and Girls Varsity Basketball, and a New England Championship win for Boys Varsity Hockey.

Head Coach Morgen Fisher ’03 and the Girls Varsity Cross-Country Team with their New England Championship trophy

New England Champions In November 2019, the Girls Varsity Cross-Country Team took first place in the NEPSTA DIII Cross-Country Championships, which The Frederick Gunn School co-hosted with Millbrook School at White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield.

A total of 478 runners from independent high schools around New England participated. The Frederick Gunn School placed first among 24 girls varsity teams led by three student-athletes, Gianna Russillo ’20, Eujin Shin ’21, and Vivian Boucher ’23, who finished in the top 20 varsity girls overall.

“What they’ve accomplished is really amazing and deserves to be celebrated,” said Head of School Peter Becker, who joined students, faculty and families to cheer on the Highlanders at the November 9 event. “Schools don’t win New England championships very often.”

Russillo took second place among 148 runners with a time of

38

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

19:24. Shin finished fourth with a time of 19:44 and Boucher finished 14th with a time of 20:49. All three were awarded All-New England status and were invited to compete in the 2019 Race of Champions at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts, in November 2019.

“We were undefeated this year as well,” a jubilant Russillo noted, speaking at School Meeting two days after the historic win.

“No one beat us all year, so we’re pretty cool. We are New England champions!”

Teammates Ksenia Korobov ’21 and MacKenzie Teper ’21 finished six seconds apart, placing 23rd and 24th, respectively, at 21:12 and 21:18. Ellie McManus ’21 finished at 23:54 and Yolanda Wang ’21 at 24:27. Together the team beat St. George’s, which came in second, and Holderness School, which came in third.

The team began the 2019-20 season by winning the Canterbury Invitational in September — another first.

“Their entire group dynamic was so friendly, encouraging and hard-working,” Head Coach Morgen Fisher ’03 said of the team in an interview with the RepublicanAmerican newspaper following the New England Championship. “They had a sense of humor and it was a really dedicated group. For it to result in an ultimate victory for them was the perfect ending to a really good season. It felt like an incredible statement about how well they had worked.”

“Part of the fun of coaching cross-country is the type of kids who wind The Girls Varsity Basketball Team celebrates their NEPSAC Quarterfinal win. up being successful or come out for the consistent, and because that group has played together for so long, team are these self-driven kids who are willing they know where the ball needs to go and when. They played so to put themselves through the level of discomfort that comes smart. They put it together.” with endurance sports without a lot of fanfare,” Fisher told the

The fast-paced game delivered many great moments, including newspaper. “It’s one thing to be on a field where you’re surrounded a step-back, three-pointer by Gianna Russillo ’20. Freshman shooting by fans, but a lot of times in cross-country you’re out there by guard Natalia Zappone ’23 was the leading scorer, putting up 27 yourself out on a course. You might be competing against three or points. “For a freshman to come in, and just the absolute ice in her four other kids at your pace, but for the most part it’s down to you veins when she put up shots — that’s not something you can teach,” and your own drive.” said Assistant Coach Cassie Ruscz.

“We knew going into this season that it was going to be a special season. We talked to our seniors about it before we even started,” Paulekas said. “One of the things I wanted them to keep thinking about is: they built this program and what was the legacy they Girls Varsity Basketball pushed past #6 seed Montrose School 59‒38 wanted to leave behind. Everything they did was not just toward to win the NEPSAC Class D Girls Basketball Quarterfinal at home making the playoffs, because that’s something they did in the past. on March 4. It was the first playoff win for Girls Varsity Basketball They wanted to win the playoffs. Mid-January was when they started in the school’s history of tournament play. The team made it to the realizing they were good.” playoffs in 2016 and in 2019 and ended the regular season this year

The players were responsive to the crowd, who came prepared with a record of 14‒6. to make some noise, armed with bells, clappers, maracas, and the

It was the first time The Frederick Gunn School hosted the school hymn, which students and faculty sang loudly each time girls basketball playoffs, and the Highlanders didn’t disappoint.

Montrose stepped to the line. “They loved the crowd. It makes a Fans packed the stands and cheered enthusiastically as the team difference. That’s the thing with this team,” Paulekas said. “Of all the established an early lead and sustained a 15-20 point advantage for years that I’ve coached, this was the year that I feel like we’ve been more than half the game. more of a team than any other year. It doesn’t matter if you play all

It was “probably one of our best start-to-finish games of the the time. Everyone is excited. They cheer from the bench. They’re up season,” said Head Coach Amy Paulekas, who has coached the girls there high-fiving each other. They really are a team. They like each varsity team for eight years, including four years as Head Coach. other a lot.”

“Just the composure — particularly of Remay Pemba ’20, Lenaijah

Of the 13 players on the team, seven were seniors. Paulekas had Ferguson ’20, and Marley Berano ’20. Those three — they’re so coached them since freshman year.

A NEPSAC Quarterfinal Win for Girls Varsity Basketball

Fall-Winter 2020

39

Boys Varsity Hockey Win New England Championship March was indeed a big month for the Highlanders. Boys Varsity Hockey defeated Pomfret 5-2 to win the 2020 NEPSAC Boys Ice Hockey Tournament Piatelli/Simmons (Small) Bracket at Trinity College on March 8.

“We talk a lot about not riding the highs and the lows, and this game certainly put that to the test,” Head Coach Craig Badger told the online newspaper HNIB News. “We don’t want to be in neutral. We want to be high all the time and that’s a very fine line.

When you’re trying to play high all the time sometimes guys get too emotional, but I thought today and really the last couple of games we did a really good job. Pomfret had a great crowd that was screaming at our guys, and it was wild back-and-forth wagon hockey

out there, and honestly this year that’s the game that we play for better or for worse.”

The New England Championship win followed a series of successes for the team under the leadership of Badger, Assistant Coach Shane Gorman ’10, and Assistant Coach Chris Gragnano.

That record over the past five years includes 110 wins, a Division I New England Boys Hockey Championship title in 2016, a 2016 Watkins Tournament title at Cushing Academy, and two Avon Old Farms Christmas Hockey Classic titles, in 2017 and 2018.

As the NEPSAC tournament’s #6 seed this year, the Highlanders defeated #3 seed New Hampton 5-2 in the quarterfinal matchup at Cushing on March 4. The Frederick Gunn School hosted the semifinals at Linen Rink on March 6, defeating Rivers, the #7 seed, 5-2. The team ended its regular season with a record of 18-10-3.

The Boys Varsity Hockey team celebrates their championship win at Trinity College with Head Coach Craig Badger, Assistant Coach Shane Gorman ’10, and Assistant Coach Chris Gragnano.

40

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Boys Cross-Country

A New Partnership with Under Armour and New Uniforms Last winter, the Athletic Department entered into a new agreement with Atlantic Sportswear and Under Armour (UA) for athletic uniforms and athletic team purchases. Several teams were already outfitted with UA uniforms and the new contract was intended to expand on that partnership. The relaunch of the school this summer also brought with it the opportunity to introduce new uniforms for all Frederick Gunn School teams, beginning this fall.

“We are very excited about the opportunity this provides for our school,” Director of Athletics Mike Marich P’23 ’24 said. “In partnering with UA, we have aligned the school with one of the premier athletic brands that students increasingly gravitate to.

By choosing UA, we will have a more consistent brand in terms of colors and logos than we have had in the past.

In addition, the terms of the deal are generous and include a yearly stipend of complimentary apparel that can be used for coaches.”

“This deal was a win for our athletes, coaches, and for the school,” said Seth Low, Associate Head of School and Director of Co-Curricular Programs.

“Under Armour is widely recognized as top-of-the-line gear and having our students and faculty in it is good for their morale and for our school as it travels and shows itself to a broad audience of opponents, coaches, and parents.”

Girls Cross-Country

Football Girls Soccer Field Hockey Boys Soccer

Fall-Winter 2020

41

Athletic and Co-Curricular Offerings Expanded for Fall New Fitness Center Opens to Students Students were offered a wide range of co-curricular options to choose from this fall, encompassing athletics, the arts and the outdoors, along with access to the new 2,800-square-foot Emerson Fitness Center. While interscholastic competitions were initially postponed, the fall season brought opportunities for students to try activities that were traditionally only available as curricular offerings or clubs, such as Model UN, Media Club, Theatre Arts and IDEAS. For those returning to team sports after many months away from rigorous training and game schedules due to COVID-19 restrictions, emphasis was placed on skills development and strength and conditioning training to reduce the risk of injury. This process was facilitated by the new fitness center, which is located in the former Emerson Performing Arts Center and features a wide variety of cardio and strength-training equipment, deadlift platforms, indoor turf, and Peloton® bikes.

“To see the building being transformed into a world-class fitness center has been incredible to witness. We were all excited to see the finished product. I believe that the space will be a focal point

for our current students and faculty and help attract new families to our campus,” said Director of Athletics Mike Marich P’23 ’24.

The idea of creating an expanded fitness center was inspired by conversations with faculty and students. “It was often cited as an area for growth and opportunity,” said Seth Low, Associate Head of School and Director of Co-Curricular Programs, noting that the new center will help to accommodate the breadth of the school’s athletic and co-curricular offerings. “This is going to be great for kids who want a serious workout and those who have an interest in maintaining their health and fitness at any level,” Low said.

The facility was designed by the S/L/A/M Collaborative, the same architectural firm that developed the plans for the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. “We were trying to keep the character of the old EPAC with the old windows and barn aesthetic,” said Geoffrey Gaunt, Associate Principal at S/L/A/M. “We’re holding onto the character of the space but allowing for a new function.”

Top: A view of the new Emerson Fitness Center from the Peloton platform; below: a bench press and free weights on the main level; the indoor turf runs along the windows in the background.

42

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

New treadmills and exercise bikes in the fitness center

S/L/A/M worked in collaboration with Low and Marich as well as Michel Williams, Project Manager and Director of Safety and and Security, Christopher McKhann P’21 ’24, who teaches math and leads the Mind + Body co-curricular program, is Head Coach of I’m adamant about good technique, so if kids the Varsity Ski Team, and specializes in strength and conditioning put the time in, they will come out with excellent training. In addition to offering outdoor sled training for students, technique. They will understand the basic McKhann plans to utilize the turf area in the new fitness center for indoor sled training as well as sprints, warmups and cool-downs. dynamics of getting stronger and faster and will

“I’ve had experience working with college athletes and have a variety of tools to use to do better.” experience working in a lot of different spaces, and seeing what works and what doesn’t,” said McKhann, a certified Sports

According to the late Paula Krimsky, who served for two Performance Coach and former Division I athlete at Harvard. “I decades as School Archivist, the noted architect Ehrick Rossiter think this space is going to be a really good fit for our athletes as of the Class of 1870 originally designed the building for use as a well as the rest of our student body.” school gym in 1913. It was redesigned for use as a performing arts

“I have tried most training forms but focus primarily on sled center in 1996. work at this point,” said McKhann, who said the goal is to help

The new fitness center was designed to incorporate the athletes improve strength and performance, prepare for college-level building’s original windows and high ceiling as well as new LED sports, and prevent injury. “I’m adamant about good technique, so lighting, new flooring, panels for sound absorption, a widescreen TV if kids put the time in, they will come out with excellent technique. and Bluetooth amplifier. It is equipped with new treadmills, exercise They will understand the basic dynamics of getting stronger and bikes, elliptical machines, a climbing rope, pull-up bar faster and will have a variety of tools to use to do better.” and pegboard.

With sled training, McKhann focuses on improving force

Individuals and teams still have access to the original fitness production, which he translated as how fast an athlete can move center on the lower level of the Ogden D. Miller Memorial Athletic strongly. “How much force can you put into the ground, into the Center, which is equipped with free weights, medicine balls, ball, behind the puck? Force is a function of strength and speed kettlebells, plyo boxes, wall balls and stability balls. and that strength component is best developed in a focused way in strength and conditioning programs.

Most people assume that’s just the Christopher McKhann P’21 ’24 coaches students in a sled training session in fall 2019. weight room, and that can be a great place to develop strength and power.

But there are other ways. The sleds that we use are ways to build that force production in a horizontal plane. Most of our movement in sports and in life is horizontal, so developing force production in that plane carries over for most sports.”

Fall-Winter 2020

43

Boys Varsity Rowing (C) Bucknell University NCAA Women’s Division I Rowing Years played@Gunn – 4

College Committments Congratulations to members of the Class of 2020 who are studying and playing sports at colleges and universities this year. We wish all of our studentathletes the best of luck in their academic and athletic endeavors!

Juliette Gaggini ’20 Captain 2018-2020, Prefect, U.S Rowing Olympic Development Team 2018, 2019; 6th place 2017 Head of the Charles Regatta, 2017 Rafferty Cup winner, 2017, 2019 Dupont Cup winner, 2019 Beebe Cup winner

Boys Varsity Hockey Center St. Lawrence University NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Years played@Gunn – 2

David Andreychuck ’20

Boys Varsity Lacrosse

2020 NEPSAC Boys Ice Hockey Tournament Piatelli/ Simmons (Small) Bracket

Quinnipiac University NCAA Division I Lacrosse

Boys Varsity Lacrosse

Years played@Gunn – 1

Quinnipiac University NCAA Division I Lacrosse

Donnery ’20 Ryan

2019 All-Hudson Valley, All-League, All-Section Honorable Mention

Years played@Gunn – 1 Donnery ’20 Dylan

2019 All-Hudson Valley, All-League and All-Section

Boys Varsity Hockey Forward Merrimack College Division I Ice Hockey Years played@Gunn – 2

Alex Jefferies ’20 2019-20 Captain; 2018-19 led New England in scoring; 2018-19 1st Team New England Selection Fourth round NHL draft pick for the New York Islanders in 2020 44

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Girls Varsity Rowing Stroke Seat Skidmore College NCAA Division III Rowing Years played@Gunn –4

Hannah Richards ’20

2019-20 Captain

Boys Varsity Lacrosse St. Lawrence University NCAA Division III Lacrosse

Varsity Field Hockey Defense

Years played@Gunn – 3

Hobart and William Smith NCAA Division III Field Hockey

Henry Hoyt ’20

2018 All-League Honorable Mention; 2019 First Team All-League

Years played@Gunn – 3 Maxwell ’20 Libby 2019 Captain, 2019 WNEPSFHA All-Star, 2019 NEPSAC Honorable Mention

Boys Varsity Lacrosse Whittier College NCAA Division III Lacrosse Years played@Gunn – 1

Kenny Snyder ’20

Varsity Field Hockey Midfield Hobart and William Smith NCAA Division III Field Hockey

Varsity Girls Basketball Point Guard

Years played@Gunn – 4

Sofia Pattillo ’20

Mount Holyoke NCAA Division III Basketball

2019 Captain, 2019 WNEPSFHA All-Star

Years played@Gunn – 3

Marley Berano ’20 Two-Time NEPSGBCA All-Star; Averaging 10 PPG for her senior year

Girls Varsity Lacrosse University of Hartford NCAA Division I Lacrosse Years played@Gunn – 4

Boys Varsity Lacrosse Rollins College NCAA Division I Lacrosse Years played@Gunn – 2

Patrick Thomas ’20 2019 First Team All-League

Lenaijah Ferguson ’20 Boys Varsity Lacrosse Catawba College NCAA Division II Lacrosse Years played@Gunn – 2

Colin Trom ’20 Fall-Winter 2020

45

SUPPORTING THE FREDERICK GUNN SCHOOL

Obviously, very little has been “business

as usual” in 2020. In the Alumni & Development Office, we closed out the 2019 calendar year with our traditional slate of events in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston (see page 50). School re-opened in January with an epic celebration for the campus community in the brand new Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center (see page 26). At one of the very first School Meetings in the new facility, Trustee Emeritus Jonathan Tisch ’72 addressed the student body from the Hoadley Podium, on stage in the Tisch Family Auditorium. And then, as students made their way home for spring break, everything changed.

In the face of complete uncertainty, the 0s and 5s, classes celebrating a major reunion in 2020, rallied. Reunion Committees remained connected and positive, even as they learned the Alumni Weekend celebration on campus in June would be canceled. Some staged “ReZoomions,” where groups of alumni — both large and small — reconnected and reminisced on screen (see page 73 and 82).

The Class of 1960, whose reunion committee was led by Trustee Tom King ’60, nearly doubled the 60th Reunion record set last year by the Class of 1959. The Class of 1960 also broke the record for participation, with 25 donors. The Class of 1970, in honor of their 50th Reunion, shattered the previous record set by the Class of ’61 in 2011.

Not to be overlooked is the Class of 2020. These young men and women navigated their final term in an incredibly mature fashion. When departing for spring break in March, few would have suspected they would not be able to return to campus for the spring of their senior year. It seemed like every day another high school moment they’d waited for passed by without ceremony. And yet, in the end, they, too, rallied. As you might expect from students of Mr. Gunn’s school, leaders emerged, sharing creative ideas and communicating broadly with peers; groups formed, to design and execute. Ultimately, we concluded the year with a meaningful tribute video on the morning that would have been Commencement, which was followed by a parade of seniors driving through and around campus that afternoon (see back cover). And while they all now have their diplomas, thanks to the staff and volunteers who put together and delivered or shipped a senior packet to each and every member of the Class of ’20, like many of them, I still look forward to seeing

46

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

them walk across the stage and being pinned by a fellow alumnus, officially completing their transition into the Alumni Association.

There is at least one thing for certain: the Highlander Faithful responded! Yes, the reunion classes and the senior class rallied, but so too did the rest of the alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and friends of the school — specifically, in this case, regarding the annual fund.

By June 30, 2020, a record of $1,522,082 in unrestricted support was given to the annual fund by 1,272 donors, including more than $423,000 in the month of June alone. This represents an increase of 7% in dollars and a decrease of 5% in donors over the 2019 totals.

As is standard for any school, leadership gifts accounted for a large majority of the dollars ($1.2 million from 140 donors) while the largest number of donors (54%) gave $500 or less. Again, we had the good fortune of very strong donor retention as 833 donors gave for at least the second year in a row. Finally, we welcomed 162 first-time donors.

Head of School Peter Becker wth Jonathan Tisch ’72 on stage in the Tisch Family Auditorium in January

Back row: George Haines, Henry Platt Front row: Gus Koven, Jeff Farrington, Jim Hughes, John Crawford, Tom King, George Krimsky and Randy Richardson

None of this is ever possible news out of Washington, Connecticut, without the committed volunteer this summer: the relaunch of our

By June 30, 2020, leaders who lead our Class Agent school. By now you’re all aware we a record of $1,522,082 program, the dedicated team in the have a new name and a new look. in unrestricted support Alumni & Development Office, and And hopefully, you received a book the 1,272 people willing to give back telling the story of The Frederick Gunn was given to the annual fund to their school. I extend my personal School. Perhaps, it inspired you to by 1,272 donors, including gratitude to all of you for your efforts visit the School Store for some new more than $423,000 in the in leading us past our goal! gear (or some legacy gear?)! Regardless,

Early this summer, for the second this book tells the story of the school’s month of June alone. consecutive year, we were honored history and its future. Both are equally with the Award for Excellence in the important and reaffirm that we have Independent Schools category from something no other school has — a story the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). and a founder who are genuine, true, and ours alone. In celebrating The Educational Fundraising Awards annually recognize exemplary our history, we are forging a path forward, toward the ideal school development programs based on a blind review of data submitted Frederick Gunn imagined, and which we aspire to recreate in the to the CASE Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey. experiences we provide for our students today, and tomorrow.

Independent school chief advancement officers served as the judges for this year’s awards and recognized schools that showed not just Onward, measurable growth in dollars raised, but also breadth and depth in terms of diversity of sources from which funds were raised. This award is recognition of the great work you are all doing to support

your school. Again, thank you for this ongoing commitment!

Sean Brown P’22

Of course, it would be strange to overlook some of the biggest Director of Alumni & Development

Fall-Winter 2020

47

TRUSTEE NEWS

Warm Welcomes The Frederick Gunn School Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of these new board members.

Jon Deveaux was appointed to the board in April. Deveaux attended Williams College where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and then went on to Columbia University, Teachers College, where he received a master’s in organization and leadership with a specialization in educational leadership. He started his career at Cheshire Academy, where he taught psychology and then worked in the Admissions Office for several years. Then, Deveaux went on to Westminster School where he worked for 26 years in different capacities, including Director of Admissions and Senior Advancement Director. Most recently he served as the Head of School at Fairfield Country Day School. Throughout his career in independent schools, Deveaux has been an industry leader, serving as a Trustee for The Enrollment Management Association. He sat on the Admissions Advisory Board and the School Retention Task Force for ASSIST Inc, served as a council member at The Erdmann Institute, and has presented at many industry conferences including SSATB and TABS.

Adam Gerry P’21 was appointed to the board in April. Gerry attended Rollins College and then went on to study at Syracuse University College of Law and the Crummer Graduate School of Business. He is currently the President of Granite Associates, where he has been working since 2005. Formed in 1996, after a sale/merger with Time Warner, Granite oversees $1.2 billion of investable assets, including several charitable foundations focusing on organizations that enhance their local community, including medical, educational, and veterans of the armed forces. While Gerry’s primary focus is on Granite’s hedge fund portfolio, he is also involved with tax strategy, trust and estate planning, and overall asset allocation/

48

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

investment management across all asset classes. Gerry sits on the board of several family foundations and is a trustee on many family trusts, working with younger generations on asset management and career/personal growth strategies. Gerry lives in Florida with his wife, Ashley, and their five children.

Tom King ’60 was appointed to the Board of Trustees in April 2020. After graduating from The Gunnery, as the school was known in those days, King received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston University followed by a Masters of Business Administration from Boston College. Following service in the U.S. Air Force and New York Air National Guard, King worked at Lehman Brothers as a security analyst following the Metal Industries. After several years he joined Merrill Lynch where he was a Vice President of Merrill Lynch Asset Management, the newly formed registered investment advisory unit of the firm. In 1984, King joined the Trust and Investment Department of Chemical Bank as an Investment Manager. Following several mergers, the resulting organization became known as J.P. Morgan Chase from which King retired in 2004 as Vice President of Investments in its Personal Asset Management Division. In his free time, King enjoys bowling, golf and skiing. He and his wife, Kathy, enjoy traveling and were fortunate to experience a trip to Patagonia in early 2020 before the restrictions forced by COVID-19. The Kings have two children and four grandchildren and reside in Stamford, Connecticut.

Krystalynn Schlegel ’96 was appointed to the board in October. After graduating from The Frederick Gunn School, Schlegel attended UC Berkeley and received a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. She entered

into the life insurance industry in 2003 at John Hancock and in 2007 joined MG Schlegel and Associates. Schlegel has a Long Term Care Certification, and Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant designations from the American College. She is a member of NAIFA and a Past President of the Marin NAIFA Chapter. She is also a member of MDRT and SFSP and is involved with a number of networking groups, including the Marin County Estate Planning Council and several local nonprofits. Schlegel is the founder of the Marin Young Professionals Network. She is very active in her community and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends, and with her miniature dachshund, Lorenzo. (See her Highlander Journey on page 57.)

Rebecca Weisberg ’90, who served as an alumni trustee from 2002-2007, was re-appointed to the board in October. After graduating from The Frederick Gunn School, Weisberg attended Northeastern University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications. After matriculating at Northeastern, Weisberg worked at Seaport Securities Corporation for 17 years. She then went on to work in private banking for Credit Suisse and currently works at Morgan Stanley in private wealth management. In her free time, Weisberg enjoys traveling and sailing.

a fond farewell In April, Graham Cole retired from the Board of Trustees after serving for five years. A much valued member of the board, he brought a steady hand, thoughtful commentary, and valuable insight into his role as an esteemed educator and experienced leader. A loyal friend and supporter of The Frederick Gunn School, Cole has served the school in many capacities, including, for one spring term, interim history teacher, dorm parent and lacrosse coach.

During his time on the board, Cole served on several committees including the Students and Faculty Committee, the Governance Committee and the Legal Task Force. His contributions as Chair of the Students and Faculty Committee and as a critical member of the Governance Committee will leave a lasting impact on the work of those committees and the constituencies they serve.

“He brings a perspective as an educator that not many board members have by virtue of their professions,” said Associate Head of School Seth Low, who had the opportunity to

coach lacrosse with Cole and Mike Marich P’23 ’24, Director of

Athletics. “He has lived the life of a triple-threat faculty, he has been a dean of faculty, and has been head of school, so he can really understand the life of a Gunn faculty member, the life of a Gunn administrator, and, to some degree, the life of the head of school. He’s been able to share that insight with the board in a really important way for the school.”

Cole dedicated his life to secondary school education for 37 years, starting with a 20-year tenure at The Lawrenceville School. During his time at Lawrenceville, he served as a history teacher, Dean of Faculty and Associate Headmaster in the McPherson Chair, and as Interim Headmaster. Cole was appointed Headmaster at Westminster School in 1993 and served in that role for 17 years before retiring in 2010. During his time at Westminster, he presided over numerous campus improvements and helped the school’s fundraising efforts reach new heights; the annual fund grew from approximately $500,000 per year to $2 million per year and the endowment quadrupled.

Cole is a graduate of Mount Hermon School and attended Williams College. After a year in law school, he earned a master’s degree in history at Columbia University. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Carol, and they have two adult children, Jamieson and Joshua.

Fall-Winter 2020

49

ALUMNI EVENTS: 2019-20 YEAR IN REVIEW Alumni, parents and friends from near and far gathered at events throughout the year to visit, catch up, network, learn, play and just celebrate being Highlanders together!

Holiday Receptions Three festive events in December 2019 hosted by the Alumni & Development Office were well attended and provided opportunities for alumni to make connections and hear the latest news from campus.

Alumni gathered December 3 at Officina in Washington, D.C., including: Carrie Cameron ’13, Matthew Vredenburgh ’04, Elaine Wine ’87, Pete Slone ’73 P’11, Ray Whitney ’87 P’24, Doug Francis ’82, Stephen Macary ’15, Alec Cornell ’14, Elle Sutherland ’12, Sam Joslin ’16, and Jackson Yang ’18.

Photo credit: Chris Ferenzi

On December 5, alumni gathered at the Harvard Club of Boston at Back Bay, where guests included (back row, left to right): Jack Cary ’18, Nikos Schwarz ’16, Isabela Bagi ’13, Nate Joslin ’15, Matt Murphy ’16, Nate Fydenkevez ’16, Scott Greenstein P’07 ’07, Alex Sproviero ’12, Kathleen Songco ’13, Mike Bates ’65, Wyatt Clark ’13, Mark Dibble ’79, Aaron Levy ’12, Tom Meek ’81; (middle row, left to right): Emily Bell ’08, Michael Lane ’08, Kara Grogan ’07, William Charleton ’08, Mark Rhoads ’04, Garrett Fucci ’03, Bob Bellinger ’73, Vicki Weiden P’23, Jesse Greenstein ’07, Peter Weiden ’73 P’23; and (front row, left to right): Associate Head of School Seth Low, Mike O’Brien ’07, David Case ’56, Kelley Koehler, Nick Bianchi ’07, Nellie Simmons ’11, Aaron Townsend ’04, Jessica L’Heureux ’10, Mallory Farmer ’05, and Christian Bianchi ’08.

Photo credit: Moss Lynch

50

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

The December 4 gathering at The Players in New York City was made available through the courtesy of James Estreich ’06. In attendance were: (back row, left to right): Sam Anderson ’13, Jack Cullen ’12, Nathan Weinstein ’05, John Fisher ’54, Katie Quinlan ’13, Otoja Abit ’04, Virginia Dodenhoff ’15, Gillian Horn ’13, Casey Cullen ’14, Clai White ’06, Jon Waechter ’82, Josh Feil ’98; (middle row, left to right): Jacob Kantor ’15, Breck Perkins ’76 P’22, Logan Adams ’15, Kai Frankville ’13, James Estreich ’06, Vincent Marron ’05, Mickey Alderman ’54, Peter Bergen ’84, Tess Mindham ’13, Dana Ross ’17, Andrew De Paulis ’12, Sarah Lombard ’12, Amanda Payne ’14, Jane Moore ’14, Tom Perakos ’69, Bob Savarese ’68, Melissa Stewart P’20, Tim Stewart P’20; and (front row, left to right): Phil Dutton ’81 P’23, Leif Wigren ’82, Christian Bianchi ’08, Lisa Matthews ’80, Sarah Shulman ’12, Renae Govinda, Eoin Slavin ’75, and Hilary Benjamin ’08.

At the Linen On February 15, alumni representing the Class of 1990 through the Class of 2015 were on the ice together at the annual Alumni Hockey Game at Linen Rink. Alumni and families stayed after the game to skate and then watched the Boys Varsity Hockey Team take on Lawrenceville School, led by Coach Keith Dupee ’96, who played in the alumni game. The boys hockey game ended in a tie, 4‒4.

Front row (left to right): Keith Dupee ’96, Logan Adams ’15, Chris Fonte ’93, John Fonte ’93 P’24, Joe Fiori ’10, Shane Gorman ’10, and Eric Squinto ’09. Back row (left to right): Bill Boguniecki ’90, Matt Cox, Bill McIntosh ’90, Morgen Fisher ’03, Cassidy Marang ’08, Josh Johnston ’09, Luke Martin ’23, James Pattillo ’21, Maksim Watton ’22, Jim Balben, Jack Gleason ’21, and Declan Long ’21 Fall-Winter 2020

51

On Campus On January 8, we were excited to have more than a dozen young alumni return to campus for brunch in the dining hall and tour of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. “The academics here are very strong,” reflected Lexi Nanavaty ’17, who is majoring in art history and French at Sarah Lawrence College and was able to spend most of her junior year abroad in Paris. “I ended up on the opposite side of the spectrum from when I was here. I was interested in drama, philosophy and history. Now I want to do art conservation and speak a ton of languages. That growth process started here. They teach you to be an out-of-the-box thinker.”

Back row (standing left to right): Emeline Smith ’18, Caleb Dorf ’19, Tim Cervera ’17, Wyatt Cicarelli ’19, Mack Leonard ’19, Brendon Vejseli ’17, Tony Zhang ’19, Katie Nemergut ’19. Front row (left to right): Sofia Trotta ’19, Rob Taylor ’19, Michael Kassis ’19, Max Italiaander ’17, Lexi Nanavaty ’17, Will Townsend ’18.

52

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Founders Society Annual Dinner On January 22, The Founders Society Annual Dinner, a special event honoring the school’s leading supporters, was held at The Coveleigh Club in Rye, New York. The event provides an opportunity to recognize and thank members of the Founders Society for their generosity and for the special opportunities their gifts have created for students and faculty. Alumni and parents whose annual gifts to The 1850 Fund (formerly The Gunnery Fund) exceed $1,850 during the fiscal year are considered members of The Founders Society.

This year’s event was made possible through the courtesy of Neil and Beth Townsend P’18 ’20. Head of School Peter Becker welcomed guests, including members of the Gunn Society, which seeks to forge connections between current students and alumni and prepare students for their future roles as ambassadors of the school. Patrick Dorton ’86, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, spoke about the state of the school and the current priorities under his leadership on the board. Gunn Society Co-Presidents Isabel Martin ’20 and Joyce McFarland ’20 spoke about the impact the school had on them as students.

Andrew De Paulis ’12, Peter Houldin ’92, Deborah Andrews, Peter Becker, Joyce McFarland ’20, Neil Townsend P’18 ’20, Beth Townsend P’18 ’20, Patrick Dorton ’86

Patrick Dorton ’86, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, addressing members of The Founders Society

Peter Bergen ’84 and Paul McManus ’87 P’21 ’23

Isabel Martin ’20, Patrick Brennan ’08 and Zack Grossman ’08

Fall-Winter 2020

53

HIGHLANDER JOURNEYS

The View From Boston, and a State Senate Seat LAST FALL WE CAUGHT UP WITH MASSACHUSETTS STATE SENATOR NICK COLLINS ’02 IN BOSTON. IN SEPTEMBER, COLLINS, WHO REPRESENTS THE FIRST SUFFOLK DISTRICT, CAPTURED NEARLY 74 PERCENT OF THE VOTE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, AND WENT ON TO WIN REELECTION TO THE STATE SENATE IN NOVEMBER. COLLINS AND HIS WIFE, OLIVIA J. LIFF, M.D., ALSO WELCOMED THEIR SECOND DAUGHTER, JOSEPHINE, ON JUNE 26.

54

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Nick Collins ’02 has been a Massachusetts State Senator in the First Suffolk District since May 2018, but he’s been making an impact in the political sphere since the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary won by then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama. That same year, Collins was finishing up his undergraduate degree in business management at Babson College, and because of the geopolitical climate and the state of the financial industry, he thought that it was a good time to help influence where the country was headed. He first started working in New Hampshire, and after the primary, Collins was asked to join the Obama/Biden team in Pennsylvania, where he spent his time during the general election as a regional field director.

After the election, he began working for State Senator Jack Hart in the First Suffolk District, which Collins now represents.

Collins was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 4th Suffolk District in 2010 and served four terms there. He was the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and served on the Joint Committee on Housing, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy and the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs.

During his tenure, the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies was discussing a new biotech incentive package. “This really helped me understand the intersection of business and government and the government’s role in our daily lives,” said Collins. “When it’s done right, it can have a positive impact on the constituents. This incentive package drove the biotech industry to call Boston home and over the past 10 years, it’s made a huge impact on the city. It helped a lot of people get access to healthcare and housing.”

In May 2018, Collins won the election for the open Massachusetts Senate seat created when Linda Dorcena-Forry stepped down to accept a job in the private sector. In his time as a senator, Collins has been successful in passing legislation that is making a difference in his district. When asked what he is most proud of so far, he immediately brought up a piece of legislation that has pushed the state to pilot an initiative that establishes a threshold for persons with disabilities in state contracting.

“This bill was inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act that was created in 1990,” said Collins. “By 2025, any contract issued for services in Massachusetts will employ up to 10% of individuals hired within that contract to be individuals with disabilities in certain service areas (custodial, landscaping, mailroom, manufacturing, facility management, etc). This bill brings more access to individuals with disabilities and provides them with the opportunity to develop skills in the workplace and to build relationships. Ultimately, it helps individuals with disabilities become more independent and involved in their community. ”

Collins co-sponsored two other bills that will have a big impact in Massachusetts when they take effect in 2021. One will increase the minimum wage to $15 and the other offers paid parental leave. He also co-sponsored an education reform bill that passed in October that changes how the state allocates funds for public schools.

“This is the most significant piece of legislation we’ve passed on education reform since the racial imbalance act of 1965 that ended racial segregation in schools,” stated Collins. “This will put an additional $1.5 billion into the school systems and it will mean roughly $100 million for the City of Boston. Boston public schools will be able to address the gaps that have come to light in lowincome areas to try to give their students a more even playing field.”

One thing that Collins really enjoys about his job is that every day is different. One day he is at the State House voting on new legislation, and the next day he’s in six different places throughout

This incentive package drove the biotech industry to call Boston home and over the past 10 years, it’s made a huge impact on the city. It helped a lot of people get access to healthcare and housing.”

Nick Collins ’02 on the balcony of the Massachusetts State House, with a view of the Boston skyline behind him

Fall-Winter 2020

55

HIGHLANDER JOURNEYS

his district, talking with constituents about the issues that most concern them. While preparing for re-election in November, he remained focused on effectively executing his agenda and meeting the goals he planned to achieve during the session. “It’s really about economic opportunity for people throughout our district, leveraging state assets, leveraging state tax credits, leveraging state spending and business to bring that opportunity to more parts of society” Collins said.

When asked what his future ambitions are for politics, Collins said, “Between my time in the House and the Senate, at the end of the year I will have been involved with politics for 10 years. I’m committed for another 10.”

Collins comes from a family that was actively engaged in politics. His parents met during the Civil Rights movement in Boston and politics were always part of the family conversation.

His father, James Collins P’02 ’02, was a state representative from Charlestown who also worked in the administrations of Boston Mayor Kevin White and Massachusetts Governor Edward J. King.

His mother, Mary Collins P’02 ’02, was the first person in her family to go to college and had many different careers: she was a teacher, worked in real estate, ran a craft business and then went to work full time at the Commonwealth Museum and has managed public programs and special events there for several decades.

Collins grew up in South Boston as one of six children and attended Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the country. “It was a great school,” remembered Collins, “but we had to shuffle all over the place. One of the best parts of The Gunnery, from my perspective, was that everything was right there.”

Collins and his twin brother, Andrew Collins ’02, came to The Frederick Gunn School, then The Gunnery, for a postgraduate year to play hockey. Collins was looking at several boarding schools but The Frederick Gunn School came highly recommended by a family friend, Scott Wynn ’79. “Washington is a beautiful town and it was a great fit for us — the size, the athletic program, the academic support,” said Collins. “I really enjoyed it.”

The Collins’ ended up rooming with another set of twins, Spencer Williams ’02 and Quentin Williams ’02, in Browne

Dormitory, which was a great experience for all of them. They are still in touch and all attended a wedding together last fall.

“The Gunnery had such an impact on how I saw the world,” said Collins. “I think that if I hadn’t had that experience, I maybe wouldn’t have ended up in politics. That experience wasn’t just beneficial to me in my personal growth, but also politically.”

Collins benefited from the smaller class size and enjoyed the fact that teachers were able to pay more attention to each student.

He was able to become a better writer and a more critical thinker during his time at the school.

Collins played junior hockey for a year before attending Sacred Heart University and then transferred to Babson College. Although he didn’t study political science, he had it in his background. His advice to anyone interested in pursuing politics is to specialize in something.

“You can learn the political world, you can learn the campaign, but if you have a knowledge base in economics or transportation, you can position yourself as a leader in that,” advised Collins.

“Whether you want to be on someone’s staff and make a difference by writing the right policy or be positioned to run for office yourself, you can become a politician if you’re an accountant, an entrepreneur, a pre-medical student or pre-law.”

In this election year, Collins encouraged high school-aged students to get involved. “I think that if you don’t get involved, you have no right to complain,” says Collins. “What I have always said is: It’s your right. People fought for it and died for it, had a civil war over it to earn the right to vote, be counted and have self determination towards their own government. I think that given how strong our country is and the opportunity that people have, it’s often overlooked.”

Collins believes that if there are things you like or don’t like, things you want to support or change in your community, then you need to get involved. He recommends talking to elected officials and convincing them to come around to your ideas, or to get ready to run for office yourself. “That’s how this works,” Collins says.

Collins lives in South Boston with his wife, Olivia J. Liff, M.D., and their two daughters, Justine and Josephine.

What I have always said is: It’s your right. People fought for it and died for it, had a civil war over it to earn the right to vote, be counted and have self determination towards their own government. I think that given how strong our country is and the opportunity that people have, it’s often overlooked.”

56

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Life

is an Adventure i

n early November, Krystalynn Schlegel ’96 rented a rustic cabin set on 50 acres in Montana, where she planned to work remotely and take time to relax for 30 days. The first night brought two feet of snow, and the entire valley lost power, leaving her without WiFi, TV, computer, or running water. She had one lantern and the temperature dropped to 10 degrees. But for her, leaving wasn’t an option.

It takes a lot to slow Schlegel down, even during a pandemic.

When she is not working for MG Schlegel & Associates, the California-based, family-run boutique insurance firm she heads with her father, Michael, you might find Schlegel teeing off on the golf course, hiking up a mountain, taking in the sunset, or gazing at the stars. Despite her love for the Bay Area, where she grew up, she travels extensively with her photogenic, long-haired miniature dachshund, Lorenzo, at her side, and often, with her Retro Riverside RV in tow. She has visited over 30 countries, spends winters snowboarding and snowshoeing, and summers on a stand-up paddleboard or hiking in Lake Tahoe. “I just have a passion for travel and new experiences and getting out there and seeing the world and the country,” she said.

Schlegel, who was named a Trustee of The Frederick Gunn School this year (see story on page 48), also continually finds ways to give back those in need in her community. When “shelter in place” began in March in the Bay Area, she set a goal of raising $20,000 to support local restaurants and show gratitude for frontline and essential workers in her hometown of Novato, California. Inspired to act by a friend in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Schlegel arranged for food to be sent to the local hospital and sent an email to professional colleagues asking if they would join her in the fundraising effort. In

six weeks, they collected more than $23,000 in donations via Venmo, PayPal and Facebook, and sent more than 2,200 meals to the local hospital, community clinic, food bank, homeless shelter, and postal and grocery store workers.

“We can all be a force for good right now, whether it is spreading positivity through social media, doing good for our community on a volunteer basis or supporting loved ones, we can simply do it from our couch!” she wrote in an article published in the alumni newsletter, Gunn On the Go. “I find that helping people in need is fulfilling and rewarding personally, regardless of how small the act may seem. I would like to say that The Gunnery helped shape my leadership skills and my fearlessness when it comes to stepping up and ‘doing’ something that I was passionate about. You never know who will step up right next to you and what opportunities will come of those relationships.”

Schlegel also stepped up in 2015, when she founded 100 Marin, a premier, members-only giving circle in Marin County, California.

It began as a kind of networking group with 12 professionals who wanted to find ways to give back other than attending a typical charity event with a live and silent auction. Each member of the circle is asked to pledge a donation, and then they chose three to five nonprofit organizations to make a presentation, or pitch, to receive an impact grant. One of the first organizations the giving circle supported, Jessica’s Haven, began with just two volunteers.

“They were a tiny, tiny nonprofit that nobody had heard of,” Schlegel recalled, explaining that the mission of Jessica’s Haven was to provide hands-on opportunities for individuals with disabilities to socialize with, hold, and care for rescue dogs. “We gave them $27,000 and they were floored.”

Fall-Winter 2020

57

“We can all be a force for good right now,

whether it is spreading positivity through social media,

doing good for our community on a volunteer basis or supporting loved ones, we can simply do it from our couch!”

“There are so many nonprofits,” she said, noting that a side benefit of the giving circle has been to help raise awareness about the work of smaller and less well-known nonprofits in the area, and facilitate networking between those organizations. For example, when a memory care facility learned about Jessica’s Haven, they arranged to have the rescue dogs visit the residents of their facility.

To date, the giving circle has raised over $250,000 in support of local nonprofits. “It’s been an incredible journey with that whole organization and I absolutely love it,” Schlegel said.

Casting a wide net Schlegel grew up in Novato, a city in Marin County, about 22 miles north of San Francisco. As a sophomore, she began looking for a new high school, and cast a wide net. “My parents said ‘You can go anywhere in the world,’” she said, recalling that she had been to the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston and liked New England. She began looking for a coed New England boarding school that offered both rowing and volleyball, and found The Gunnery. “I remember actually coming in at night. We came in on Kirby Road. I liked the feel of the school. I liked how it was a small campus.”

History teacher Willie Smith was very supportive during her years as a student, and became her advisor senior year. “He just helped me get through being there. I had a hard time. He was an awesome person for me to talk to and confide in,” she said, recalling that she lived in Bourne her first year, and then Van Sinderen. She played volleyball and rowed crew and took art as a co-curricular with Thomas Fahsbender, who was then head of the Art Department and is now Head Teacher at Washington Montessori School.

Looking back, Schlegel said her experience at what was then The Gunnery had an impact on her career and where she is today.

“Absolutely. I think that some of the lessons that they taught in terms of having integrity and your actions having consequences, and being a leader — those are all things that I learned at The Gunnery,” she said. “I had two very supportive and amazing parents who made the right decision to send me to The Gunnery. I value that experience now, and I’m grateful. It was a very unique thing to do for a California girl.”

After graduating, Schlegel returned to the West Coast, earning a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2001. She was able to design her degree program and took courses in landscape design and cultural studies, focusing on the impacts of immigration, architecture and city planning. “I ended up doing my thesis on Colfax, a small town in the foothills of California,” she said, noting that her focus was on the Chinese immigrant laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad. “The main street looks the same as when they built it in the 1800s. It was the last train stop before the train went over the summit into Lake Tahoe.”

A great journey She began working in the insurance industry in 2003 and moved to John Hancock in 2007 prior to joining her parents at MG Schlegel & Associates, Inc., as an insurance agent specializing in life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care planning. “I was raised in the business. Both of my parents worked at Prudential. My mom was an insurance agent for 36 years. My dad left Prudential and represented the clients versus the company. Now I have it in my blood, and it’s been a great journey, and I love what I do.”

Schlegel is Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC) and earned her Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant certifications from The American College of Financial Services. She specializes in working with individuals, typically small

58

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

business owners who need insurance benefits beyond what their businesses provide. Some of her clients work for tech startups while others are more established business owners, and most come to her by way of referral from financial advisors.

Among her many professional affiliations, she is a Registered Representative of The Leaders Group, the premier broker-dealer for brokerage general agents, insurance agents, and a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). Schlegel also served as President of the Marin NAIFA chapter from 2008-2010.

She is passionate about her role as the Group Leader for Larkspur I, the North Bay area chapter of ProVisors, a business networking organization founded 30 years ago in Los Angeles, which is now a national cross-referral network with 6,000 members. Schlegel leads monthly chapter meetings for 30 to 40 members who facilitate business referrals of trusted advisors. In October, she served as a panelist for a presentation on “Life’s Unexpected Changes,” sponsored by the ProVisors Bay Area Women’s Affinity Group.

The past year has been unexpected in many ways for Schlegel.

In late 2019, after selling the home she had owned in Novato for a decade, she planned to fulfill a longtime personal goal and move to San Francisco for one year. “It was supposed to be an adventure,” she said, but then a flood, attributed to faulty plumbing, forced her out of her new home in the city. She was left essentially homeless at the holidays. With most of her belongings in storage, she moved to Montana, where her parents have a home on 300 acres. She has continued to live and work from there, fitting travel in between.

In July, she visited six national parks, driving through Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, and Petrified Forest, and then down to White Sands, Hot Springs, back through Colorado and Utah, to Arches and Moab, and then back across Nevada. She spent three days in Santa Fe, where she caught up with classmate Kathleen Killoy ’96 (see Class Note, page 76). Then in September, Schlegel embarked on a three-week trip that included stops in Idaho and

Wyoming. “Jackson Hole is one of my favorite places and I hope to retire there,” said Schlegel, who learned to ski at age 6 and snowboard at 16. Then it was on to her parents’ property in Central Montana. “They kind of live off the grid up there,” she said.

The vanity plate on her car, as well as her Instagram handle, read “fearless lotus.” It was originally the WiFi password at her parents’ place, but since she has adopted it, the handle has taken on new meaning. “Lotus flowers grow out of the mud,” she explained. So no matter what adventure life brings, this fearless flower is sure to blossom.

Krystalynn Schlegel ’96 at Burning Man in 2017; Previous pages: Schlegel fishing in Montana this summer, and visiting the Grand Canyon with her miniature dachshund, Lorenzo, who has his own Instagram handle

Fall-Winter 2020

59

HIGHLANDER JOURNEYS

Going the D i s t a n c e Years before he became a Gunnery student, Trustee Emeritus David Hoadley ’51 was fielding balls on the baseball field and throwing half-time passes on the football field.

“From the time I was 9 years old I used to go up to The Gunnery. I remember practicing with the baseball team. Mr. [Edward] Buxton, who was the baseball coach, encouraged me. I used to catch flies in the outfield. That was lots of fun,” Hoadley, recalled when we sat down with him in January at his home in Brookside, New Jersey.

One of five children, Hoadley grew up in Washington. His mother, Marguerite, graduated from Westover and Vassar, and was the head librarian at the Gunn Memorial Library. His father, Nelson T. Hoadley, was a University of Connecticut graduate and worked in real estate and insurance. He was also the first commander of the Gage-Zumpf Post of the American Legion in town.

In middle school at Washington Consolidated School, Hoadley remembers making friends with a new student, Ogden D. Miller, Jr. ’50 P’84. “I still remember the day he came to school. The next day all my girlfriends disappeared,” Hoadley quipped. Coincidentally, Miller’s birthday is March 10, and Hoadley’s, March 15, which led to a tradition they have maintained for decades. “I call him every year and he calls me five days later,” Hoadley said.

Curtis Titus ’50 was also a friend. “His home was the site of many parties. We used to go over there after our dances at the Washington Club, or to Lake Waramaug, and stay up all night and eat breakfast.”

During World War II, the Hoadleys moved from Nettleton Hollow to Wykeham Road, to a house that longtime local residents know as the florist shop near the hockey rink. When he became a freshman day student in September 1947, the family lived on Roxbury Road.

Described in his yearbook as “one of the illustrious Day Boys,” he played thirds football, JV basketball and baseball at Gunnery.

Known to classmates as “Dave” and “Nels,” short for his middle name, Nelson, he was described as an all-around athlete and a

Goals should be set and strived for even if all are not reached, and lastly, winning and losing are not as important as playing.”

60

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

“go-getter.” A leading sports writer and Associate Editor of The Gunnery News, Hoadley was a tenor in the Glee Club and Choir and was elected to the Athletic Council as the representative of Varsity Baseball in the fall of his senior year.

“Whether on the playing field or in the classroom, Dave applied himself seriously, and for this won the respect of all,” the editors of The Red and Gray concluded.

“I have a lot of good memories,” Hoadley said. “I remember a baseball game that we played against Taft that we won in 15 innings. I drove in the winning run. My father was so excited, he came down and gave me a $5 bill. That was very exciting. Mr. Buxton I remember the most. Right from the freshman year I remember all the teachers that I had. Some were young guys that were figuring out what they wanted to do. But Buxton had been there a long time — since the 1930s.”

He was both the first-line end for the Varsity Football Team and captain of the baseball team, for which he hit over .350 in his senior year. Forty-seven years later, he recalled how he came to play center field at the urging of his coach, teacher and mentor, Edward Gray Buxton. “I had a wild left arm. During the first game I played in, Bucky learned about this. He called me aside and said, ‘Davey, go out in left field and get some sun,’” Hoadley recounted in his remarks at the dedication of the Edward G. Buxton Alumni Center in 2000.

A loyal Trustee and dedicated alumnus, Hoadley was instrumental in the construction of the Buxton Alumni Center, and served for 28 years as a Trustee of the school, President of the Alumni Association, and Chairman of the Annual Fund, The title currently held

by Jeff Trundy, the David N. Hoadley ’51

Baseball Coach, The Hoadley Boys Soccer Award, and the Hoadley Podium in the new Tisch Family Auditorium, bear his name.

From The Gunnery, he went on to Yale, the only college to which he applied, earning a degree in American Studies, which, he said, “basically gave you the ability to discuss any subject that came up anywhere in the world at any cocktail party.” He had aspired to study at Yale from the time he was a young boy, and recalled attending his first football game at the Yale Bowl (against the University of Virginia) when he was about 6 years old.

Hoadley served in the Army ROTC at Yale, and after graduating in 1955, was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. “That was the time of the Korean War, so a lot of guys would take up ROTC, and had to serve six months or longer after they graduated,” Hoadley said.

In May 1956, he married Margaret Whittall, who is known to friends and family as Penny, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington. She was literally the girl next door. They have three daughters, Susan, Gretchen, and Cathleen, and 10 grandchildren.

Hoadley served for two years as a Second Lieutenant and platoon leader with the 65th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion’s Battery B in Okinawa, Japan, where, according to local newspaper reports, he also played for the football and basketball teams, and for

Clockwise from left: David Hoadley ’51 throws out the first ball on the reconstructed Samuel J. Underhill Memorial Field in 1990; his senior portrait from the Red and Gray; Hoadley with his wife, Penny, and daughters, Gretchen, Susan and Cathleen Fall-Winter 2020

61

the Ryukyu Islands’ All-Star softball team in the Army Forces Far East and Eighth Army Softball Tournament in Seoul in 1957.

At the end of his military service, Hoadley worked briefly as a sales rep before joining Smooth-On, Inc., a manufacturing company founded by Penny’s grandfather. “It was a small company and prospered tremendously,” she noted. Hoadley became Vice President of the company, which today is a leading manufacturer of silicone rubbers, polyurethane rubbers and plastics, rigid and flexible urethane foams, epoxies, polysulfide rubbers, adhesives, coatings, release agents and other material technologies. He retired in 2011.

A lifelong athlete and one of the the first eight inductees to the Athletic Hall of Fame, Hoadley started running in 1960. In January 1968, he suffered a broken ankle, and that fall, decided to compete in the Boston Marathon the following April. He started training in Hightstown, New Jersey, where the family was living at the time, and his wife remembers that while out for a run, he once was stopped by the local police. “They thought he was casing houses,” she said. “ thought that was a very funny thing. No one ever ran along the streets.”

Hoadley did run the 1969 marathon in Boston, but did not finish the 26-mile course. “That was a real blow to me,” he recalled.

But he kept training and competing and was back at the starting line in Boston again the next year. He set a goal early on to run 50 marathons, which he achieved in 1982, at the age of 49. When he ran his first New York City Marathon, he recalled there were 5,000 runners. “Now, there are 50,000,” he said. In all, he has completed 54 marathons, he said, despite the fact that he never ran track in college.

“What have I learned from all these miles and miles? I know what it means to be truly physically fit and the great mental outlook you can have. I’ve run across the Golden Gate Bridge, along the Thames, and around the Imperial Palace and never met a runner I didn’t like,” he wrote in September 1982. “Goals should be set and strived for even if all are not reached, and lastly, winning and losing are not as important as playing.”

The Gunnery gave me four years learning to handle success in the classroom and on the athletic field and to believe in myself.”

62

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Hoadley with his namesake, David, one of his 10 grandchildren

“The Gunnery gave me four years learning to handle success in the classroom and on the athletic field and to believe in myself. It’s always a pleasure to return to my hometown, Washington, and to be a part of the positive experience that Gunnery is.”

Asked what he considers to be his greatest accomplishment, Hoadley said it has been his philanthropic efforts on behalf of institutions including The Frederick Gunn School, Yale, his local library and church. “I was always raising money. I was good at it and I didn’t mind calling someone up. If someone refused me, I didn’t get upset. I’d say, ‘OK, let’s talk about you,” said Hoadley who has served as a Class Agent for both Gunnery and Yale.

“One of the things I remember, I was at the [Yale alumni] reunion reading The New York Times at the table by myself,” Hoadley said, recalling that just then, his classmate, Pulitzer Prizewinning author and historian David McCullogh, approached him and asked, “Where on earth did you get it?’ He hadn’t given yet. I said, ‘If you write me a check for $1,000, I’ll give you The New York Times.’ He took out his checkbook and I didn’t get to read the paper.

He took it right away from me,” Hoadley recalled.

His memories and his fondness for The Gunnery and the years he spent on the baseball field have not faded over time. He still recalls playing in the annual Alumni Weekend baseball game, and in 2004, hit a savvy hard grounder to help the alumni team rally in a reenactment of a 19th-century baseball game with vintage team The Middletown Mansfields. His teammates included Mark Rhoads ’04, whose Gunn Scholar project focused on the game of baseball and the 1869 photograph of the baseball game at the first Gunnery reunion (see page 7). “I think of myself as an athlete,” Hoadley said. “Someone asked me, ‘Who was the most exciting of players you ever saw?’ I said, ‘Me. I never knew what I was going to do.’”

FROM THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE With fall came the opening of school, and while this year does look different, I have no doubt that current students continue to benefit from an exceptional program! While there have been changes, I prefer to take note of what is the same — students and teachers in classrooms engaging in thoughtful discussion; crisp fall afternoons on the soccer field; the Quad in the evening lit up by desk lamps from each dorm room as students tackle their homework. This year one might notice more happening outside. There’s a new basketball hoop outside of Teddy House, aand a volleyball net in the new JonesKoven Quad between the dining hall and the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. There are plenty of new Adirondack chairs around campus for outdoor classes, meetings, and casual conversations, but generally, the vibe is the same. Students and faculty are resilient and adjusted to the new safety protocols with ease.

The 170th year at Mr. Gunn’s school brought with it a lot of exciting moments, including the opening of both the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center and the Emerson Fitness Center. The robotics team brought home a Judges’ Award, Girls Cross-Country took home a New England Championship trophy, and two students received Halo Awards. These are all signs that our school continues to be competitive in the classroom, on the stage, and on courts, rinks and playing fields. I remain proud to be a Highlander and I am excited that my daughter, Isabel, joins me as a Highlander alumna, Class of 2020.

As Head of School Peter Becker announced in July, The Gunnery has changed its name to The Frederick Gunn School. This is an exciting new chapter for us as alumni and for the school as it embarks on rebuilding the physical campus and making additional investments and improvements to our school. To find out more about the relaunch of The Frederick Gunn School, and to answer any questions you may have, you can visit gogunn.org/our-newname. I believe I say this every year, but I assure you it’s true: the campus looks incredible!

While there were many positive moments over the course of the past year, COVID-19 unfortunately impacted our plans for Alumni Weekend 2020. Please save the date now for Alumni Weekend 2021 on June 11‒13, 2021. Be sure to stay in touch with the school and one another as plans develop for that weekend.

The Alumni & Development Office will be holding virtual events over the course of the year so be on the lookout for details or visit our website at gogunn.org/alumni/alumni-events. If there is a

SAVE THE DATE FOR ALUMNI WEEKEND 2021

June 11-13, 2021

gogunn.org/alumni-events

specific event you would like to see happen, please contact Jessica Baker, Associate Director of Alumni & Parent Engagement, at bakerj@frederickgunn.org.

I wish you all good health and safety, and look forward to connecting virtually, and in real life as soon as we can.

Warmly,

Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23 President, Alumni Association Executive Committee

Fall-Winter 2020

63

What have you been up to since you last were in touch with us?

Drop us a line and tell us your news!

Submit class notes to clementj@

frederickgunn.org or fill out the form at GoGunn.org/classnotes.

Class Notes

= Celebrating reunion in June 2021

Christopher Kelley wrote to let us know that his father, John Joseph Kelley of East Lyme, Connecticut, passed away in May. His son said Kelley shared with his family fond memories of his time at The Gunnery and the life-long friendships he made with his classmates. His obituary can be found at legacy.com/amp/ obituaries/theday/196237207.

1950

Bob Hyde ’48 with his grandchildren, Maggie (age 7) and Willy (age 4), at Gooseberry Beach, in Newport, Rhode Island in 2019

1948

Bob Hyde wrote in August to say he heard

from his cousin, Joe Hyde, who sounded well. “So, we both are still here. Faith and I are enjoying our Newport, Rhode Island, life — so different from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Our small garden is productive. Our two grandchildren are enjoying fishing and gardening and swimming. Son Peter has become an artist, after a successful set of years as a restaurant owner and chef, and now has an exhibit of his work in Chatham. Matt is still a scout for the New York Yankees in the entire Northeast, in spite of the moribund baseball scene. At our ages, Faith and I are enjoying our seats in the stands while watching the ongoing family scene! For me, age 90 is good! I am delighted with the new name for The Gunnery.”

64

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

From Ogden D. Miller, Jr. P’84, we heard: “I continue living in my D.C. apartment as a virtual hermit but am still well. Four of my nine grandchildren just returned or started at colleges in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Montreal. In my youth, most went to Eastern schools, but life has changed, as their parents now live in California, Texas, Tennessee and France. I hope to return for reunions at Frederick Gunn, Hotchkiss (70th) and Yale (65th). My brother Dwight ’55 finally retired from Harvard’s Admissions Office in 2019 after 62 years searching for smart athletes.” (See story in the fall 2019 Bulletin.)

Bill Tate wrote to let us know that his father, William James Tate III of Princeton, New Jersey, passed away May 31. “He was a beloved husband and brother, a wonderful father and grandfather, and a gentle healer,” his obituary said. His obituary can be found at towntopics.com/wordpress/2020/06/10/ obituaries-6-10-2020/

1953

Congratulations to Robert Ballantine and his wife, Helen, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June and became greatgrandparents to Parker James Bradford in April!

1955

David Bancroft was thinking about his 65th reunion in January. “We had a swell 50th, so I’m hoping many will return. In the interim, I have kept in touch with Dwight Miller and a bit with Bruce Porter and Harvey Chess.

After the 50th, we had such a good time that we had a ‘rump’ reunion here in San Francisco with about eight or so of us, including, among those attending, three who are now no longer with us: Ed Lewis, Rick Rosefield and Andy Masterbone. I have now finally retired from my law firm after more than 50 years of practice. It was time. In retirement, Cheryl and I spend a fair amount of time traveling the circuit to visit with our three children and eight grandchildren in three different cities. And we have traveled a good deal abroad ... For me, The Gunnery was a formative experience, and I have very vivid and warm memories. How come, at this age, I can remember all the masters’ names, and almost all my classmates’, but I forget the name of the movie I saw last week?”

In August, he followed up: “I have been back to The Gunnery four or five times over the years, always had a great time and so was disappointed not to be able to come back this year for our 65th reunion. Will be there for it next year, for sure … a COVID-19 vaccine and my sciatica willing.”

In February, Bob Levine wrote to say: “My wife, son, daughter-in-law, and I just returned from almost three weeks in Southeast Asia. During our stay, we visited Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We stayed at six different hotels and took five different airplanes. This was not a trip like any other.

The coronavirus scare was in the news, and we were in the heart of it. It seemed like everyone

1956

We were thrilled to receive this update from David Case: “I enjoy reading your magazine — A+ job. Your Boston alumni reception on December 5 (see page 50) was great. I enjoyed chatting with the younger graduates.”

John Merrill wrote: “Life has been good.

Still active chasing my bird dogs and traveling throughout the country, visiting our seven grandchildren.”

1957

Bob Levine snapped this photo of The Grand Palace in Bangkok in February.

was wearing a mask, especially those who worked in the hotels and restaurants. Initially it seemed weird, but as time passed, it became commonplace. But the biggest surprise on our trip was the tourists: there weren’t any. Imagine taking a photo of one of the buildings at Angkor Wat in Cambodia or The Grand Palace in Bangkok from 20 feet away without being blocked by tourists.” He was happy to report all were healthy 10 days after their return home, and suffered only some jet lag.

After reading Trustee Bob Bellinger’s ’73 family history, “What’s in a Name,” in the fall 2019 Bulletin, Tom Braman, who is the great-great-grandson of Frederick Gunn, the great-grandson of second Head of School John Brinsmade, and the grandson of Eleanor Gold Brinsmade (see photo on page 19), sent us a note about his connection with the Bellinger and Brinsmade families. “Very interesting Gunnery Bulletin, especially the article about the Bellinger family. Surprisingly, I knew Uncle

Alfred and Aunt Charlotte [Bellinger] better than the rest of the family. I hardly knew Elizabeth, my first cousin, even though she was only six years older than me. She was the oldest Brinsmade grandchild.”

In 1964, when he was going to work for the CIA, Braman said Alfred Bellinger contacted him. “He told me to mention his name if I ever ran into Sherman Kent. I was in the Junior Officer Training Program at the time and one of our visits was to the Office of National Estimates, which was chaired by Dr. Kent. The class sat in on an estimate of the Middle East and after the session, I walked up to Dr. Kent and mentioned that I was a nephew of Alfred Bellinger. He shook my hand and ushered me into his office much to the surprise of my classmates … Every time I saw Dr. Kent in the halls thereafter he would wave and say, ‘How is our favorite uncle?’ My classmates were always stunned: ‘Who are you?’”

Peter Smith has moved to Colorado to be closer to his family (two sons, two daughters, a handful of grandkids). He says, “Everyone is well, I am relieved to say, despite widespread dangers to health and well-being. Completed

Rowland Scherman sent us a photo of

himself with the late civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis in Washington, D.C. The photo is signed, “Keep the faith.” Asked about the picture, he said: “It must have been in 2013, as I remember being in D.C. then for the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington.

Someone set up a meeting with John Lewis, who was the last surviving speaker at the march.

John was very nice and even wrote a blurb for the jacket of my book — ‘Timeless,’ which came out that year. It’s in its second printing as we speak. The whole story about my work can be seen in the film about me called, ‘Eye on the 60s: The Iconic Photography of Rowland Scherman,’ directed by Chris Szwedo.”

Rowland Scherman ’55 with the late Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis at the JFK Library during an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington.

Scherman is showing Lewis his book, “Timeless.” Photo credit: Chris Szwedo.

Fall-Winter 2020

65

CLASS NOTES

1960

my teaching careers at Colorado-Boulder and University of Denver (more or less honorably, I think). Am working on the final edition of my final book on U.S.-Latin American relations while in retirement. Looking forward to international travel despite current constraints … Very much enjoyed my stint at Alumni Career Day at The School (remember how Oggie Miller H’69 P’50 ’54 ’55 always used caps?). Bemused by turmoil over renaming our beloved academy, which will forever be ‘The Gunnery’ for members of my generation (as emblazoned on my favorite coffee cup). As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, ‘There’s always sumthin.’”

1958

Carole Munson wrote to let us know her husband, Bill Munson, passed away April 2.

“He is one of the three Munson boys who attended The Gunnery, Edgar ’54, Bill, and Nick ’59,” she said, adding, “Bill felt great gratitude for his days at Gunnery!” His obituary can be found at https://legcy.co/2G4Oh2s.

Stephen Richman retired from practicing ophthalmology and is living in Florida and Vermont. He is a first responder for the fire department and keeping active, “sailing in summer, skiing in winter and riding my Harley in between.”

Tomas Zeisel and his wife, Maritza, postponed their summer vacation plans due to the pandemic. “At most we might take a short trip in October/November by going to our destination by car,” he wrote in August.

“Both Maritza and I are still working. She is an officer with Habitat for Humanity, in charge of training new homeowners and recruitment in the outer islands of the greater Charleston area (James Island, Johns Island, Wadmalaw and Hollywood). I am a 2020 Census Field Supervisor with approx. 15 enumerators reporting to me. This ought to keep me busy through the end of September. My primary ‘job’ is consulting in the Caribbean and Latin America in the Hospitality/Hotels/Resorts field — which is part-time — which I have put in mothballs until my census assignment has

66

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Steve Bent ’59 with his boat, Queen of Da Nile

John Crawford, who is living in Virginia and Phippsburg, Maine, was looking forward to getting back to campus for his 60th reunion and shared some memories: “Joe Simmons taught me to fly fish at Gunnery and was a wonderful guy. He took a lot of time out of his schedule to help kids with their interests. I would get into his old pickup truck and drive to his special spots on the Shepaug River. Sadly, I have returned to those spots only to find a total lack of fish. Maybe my technique? … Our main house is on a farm in Virginia, which is the old family homestead, about one and a half hours west of Washington. We have a 20-acre plot surrounded by farmland. I grew up on another part of this land and remember the effort to get to and from Gunnery, taking a train from nearby Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.”

been completed. I still hope to find the time in the very near future to travel to Washington, Connecticut, and introduce Maritza to my prep school alma mater.”

1959

Head of School Peter Becker visited Trustee Emeritus Steve Bent, who was featured on the cover of the Bulletin in fall 2017, and his wife, Anne, at their home in Hobe Sound, Florida, in February and had the chance to admire his newest boat, Queen of Da Nile.

Richard Saunders retired in 2004 after 26

years as an Administrator with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. His sons attended the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. From 2005-2017, Saunders was very active in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

He was the democractic chair of his township, he was on AARP’s statewide consumer task force and he served on a panel involved with pre-trial diversion of non-violent juvenile offenders. Saunders and Oliver, his basset hound trained to be a therapy dog, would also visit schools together. Now living in Chincoteague, Virginia, Saunders is enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle.

Joe Simmons on the Shepaug River in 1960, from the Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives and Special Collections

Jeff Farrington continues to give back to the

community as a volunteer at City Impact in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. “The Tenderloin is known as the most dangerous area of San Francisco and has a high number of homeless and street people,” he said. “City Impact mobilizes volunteers through 14 ministries and reaches about 8,000 people per month. The Rescue Mission serves food and worship service

the generally high level of precaution. More gardening for me than ever before, and some home repairs. Susan and I continue helping with the local food pantry, and I still drive neighbors, masked, to medical appointments.

Evenings we sometimes visit with friends spaced out (physically) around our firepit or at their outdoor table. I’ve been particularly enjoying a little correspondence with Bruce Moss prompted by a mention I made of the late Hoagy Keep in a recent Gunnery publication. Hoagy was Bruce’s roommate.”

Jeff Farrington ’60 volunteering with City Impact in San Francisco during the pandemic

gathering. The K-8 School, where I volunteer as a teacher’s aid weekly, offers direct instruction education, after-school and enrichment programs. Also, I coordinate the Farrington annual pre-Thanksgiving outreach to the Tenderloin community to deliver 3,000 meals into apartments and hotels, and to provide a sit-down, hot meal with a spiritual message to over 200 area residents and homeless.” He sent us an update to let us know that he has continued his volunteer work during the pandemic, supporting San Francisco City Academy teachers and student families with food drives and other activities.

1961

Tim Gaillard shared a terrific photo of

himself and three classmates taken in 1960. He said: “To help to secure The Gunnery’s future, I have written to several of my alumni classmates to donate to the school to help assure its growth and overall health. Gunnery has a very special place in my heart, especially after my recent visits these past few years where I have met with many of the school’s leaders and have seen a vibrant and outstanding campus.”

He followed up in June to let us know that he

and his son, Jason, daughter-in-law, Michele, and grandson, Nelson, enjoyed a Father’s Day picnic on the edge of the soccer field (where Tim “The Boot” played 59 years earlier) to celebrate Nelson’s acceptance to UC Berkeley.

“Amazing that our 60th reunion is coming up next year,” said Ted Seibert. “I have lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut, for the past 40 years, 20 with my wife, Lori. We had planned a river cruise on the Danube this June — cancelled, and a trip to Texas later this year — cancelled.

My son lives in Norwalk so we get together once or twice a week. Lori’s daughter and sonin-law live and work in Germany with their two children. All were supposed to be here this August — cancelled. So what do we do? I teach and play pickleball, which is fine outdoors.

Don’t know yet what will happen in the winter.

Same with dining outside. Will we be ready to eat inside restaurants? Who knows. Outside of that, we are plowing through Netflix at a rapid pace and watching ‘Judge Judy’ on weekday afternoons. Looking forward to seeing my classmates next year.”

Andrew Littauer wrote this winter: “With

the sale of ‘my’ company in Bucharest, I relocated to Sarasota three years ago, ending an unexpected 25 years in Romania. Just returned from a month visiting there and now I am readdressing the joy of writing the book I began some time ago.” Read the full story at www. andrewlittauer.com.

Jonathan von Ranson and his wife, Susan, said their last adventure was “a February car trip to Florida that narrowly missed the pandemic closures. It included a brief hop to Jamaica where we stayed at a rustic BnB near unpopulated beaches. I believe we experienced Jamaican food at its most authentic and taxi driving at its hairiest! Here in upper Western Massachusetts the pandemic’s shadow is somewhat lightened by the ruralness, and

Tim Gaillard ’61, far right, and classmates, left to right, Chris Billman ’61, Tony Rogers ’61 and Steve Jackson ’61 “trying to be ‘cool’ behind Bourne in 1960.”

Fall-Winter 2020

67

CLASS NOTES

Left to right: Perry Pepper ’62 from Dr. Bahney’s mock convention; Ned Swigart P’82 demonstrates his archery skills as part of the Outdoor Program; the impromptu picture of a broken frying pan at the cabin.

1962

Perry Pepper said: “Being another election year, these old slides reminded me that our class was involved in [the late Dr. Robert] Bahney’s huge mock ‘Convention,’ with possible nominees like ‘Soapy Williams.’ What a terrific effort! I thought some of these pictures might bring back memories of that event. I also included some old shots of Ned Swigart P’82, who, aside from being a great biology teacher, was the faculty head of the Outdoor Program.

Thanks to a childhood illness, I was fortunate enough to spend every season for four years in that program. Some of these shots were taken at a new cabin that was just built. I love the impromptu picture, which took advantage of a broken frying pan. The name Walter Blogoslawski ’61 comes to mind, but it has been a few years! Best to all and stay well!”

1963

News from Rusty Chandler: “Tina and I moved from our home for the past 25 years to Noble Horizons in Salisbury, Connecticut (eight miles away). We have a two-story cottage there so we are living independently but have access to more care in the future. My son is Headmaster of the Salisbury School nearby and my daughter Robin is the Athletic Director at Hotchkiss.

Both are 25 years in their respective fields. I find it shocking that so few members of my class (Honorary ’63) give to The Gunnery. I treasure my three years on the faculty and the Class of

68

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

1963 should do more to support their alma mater.

I stay in touch with Bruce Bradshaw ’51 and John Greenwood ’71. I enjoyed the pictures of the three Miller boys in the alumni magazine.”

(See the fall 2019 Bulletin.)

Trustee Sherm Hotchkiss was on campus December 12, when he pinned fellow Trustee Tom King ’60 and former Trustee Roy Walzer ’65 P’86, before touring the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center.

Otto Kinzel wrote in saying, “Lots of bantering

with Mike Greenwood about the St. Louis Blues versus the Boston Bruins. It was a great move for us from Vermont to the North Shore.”

Raymond White retired from teaching biology at City College of San Francisco on May 20, 2019. “For continuing relevance and to annoy the Establishment, I have been trying to improve public awareness of advances in science

Trustee Sherm Hotchkiss ’63 affixes an alumni pin to Trustee Tom King’s ’60 lapel

related to fluoride overexposure of pregnant women and infants. I encourage you to email me at rrweditha@yahoo.com for a summary and references. Enjoyed seeing Walter Fuller ’64, Judd Murkland ’68 and others at the Treasure Island, San Francisco, gathering,” he said of the Alumni & Development event at Mersea in September 2019. (See the fall 2019 Bulletin, page 49.)

1965

Fritz Blume wrote in January: “After many

years of teaching school at various levels, my wife, Mary, and I are both retired. Both of us loved our careers, but retirement has brought its own pleasures. Although each of us remains busy with volunteer work, etc., life is more relaxed than it used to be. For one thing, it is wonderful to be able to plan trips that are not crowded in non-summer months.”

Hotchkiss and former Trustee Roy Walzer ’65 P’86 after he got his pin

1966

Chris Booth and his wife, Bev, moved from

Rochester, New York, to Venice, Florida, seven years ago. “Last year we bought a motorhome and went 15,000 miles, visiting family and friends,” he said this summer. They visited Florida, Rochester, Seattle, Los Angeles, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, New Orleans, and saw Russ Jones in Oregon. “Still as handsome as ever. Soon to leave for our New England fall leaf peeping.”

“The Gunnery community and many others mourn the passing of Robert N. Gilmore III ’66. Bob had an exemplary life and echoed many of Frederick Gunn’s values and then some. He was my lifelong friend. We will miss him and, more than occasionally, I will think of him,” said Rob Griffin ’68. Gilmore was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018 for his inspirational life and career as an athlete and devoted advocate for cancer research.

Chuck Fulkerson said: “Saddened as all ’66

classmates were by the death of our fearless captain, Bobby Gilmore, but his struggles and indomitable spirit brought many of us closer. I continue painting. My 2020 Around Newtown (Connecticut) calendar quickly sold out. Then all but two of the original watercolors in the calendar sold in a oneman show at the town library. Coping with problematic health, but still loving life.”

Rick Lazar isn’t the only one saying 2020 has been a strange year. In August, he wrote: “Living on Kalliope, a retired 175-ton Mississippi push-tug now berthed 15 miles west of Lake Okeechobee in ‘old’ Florida, continues to be intriguing. My construction projects are in New York (Long Island) and Toronto — neither of which are functionally accessible — so all work is done remotely.

Florida counties to east (Palm) and west (Lee) are virus epicenters, but in the middle (Glades/ Hendry) — where cattle ranches, ’gators, feral hogs, exotic birds and lizards abound — social distancing is the norm and cases are almost non-existent. There aren’t that many humans around (even a morning latte in LaBelle

Chris Booth ’66 and his motorhome

requires a 30-mile round trip). The tropical storm season is hyperactive — but so far not much impact here. Our friends in the Northeast have taken the brunt. Just in case, our local power company [LCEC] is well-trained. [They] average under one hour to fix blackouts (we haven’t had to fire up the main generator yet this season and hope that continues). Extremely grateful for the video conferencing that keeps us in contact with family in Boston and Pittsburgh, so we’re only physically isolated.

On a tangential path, very fascinated by the evolution of the school, pervasive down to the name and precept (though I think that ‘good person’ misses the breadth of accomplishment implied by ‘vir bonus’). My thanks to everyone keeping the organization going and living up to its standards, and to Bill Post for keeping the communication channels open (whether in San Francisco or floating on the canals).

Chuck Fulkerson ’66 with his eight-weekold boxer pup, “George”

1967

From Andrew Glantz we heard: “As I wind down doing commissioned furniture pieces, I have been doing more woodworking teaching in the last few years, and enjoying it. I am still active with several arts groups, and I presented over the course of three days at Santa Fe Community College last September. Roberta and I have been fortunate to travel and we were in Guam and Palau in October (2019), participating in a sea kayaking and snorkeling trip among Palau’s many islands. We’ll be returning to Indonesia for more snorkeling this summer. We’d love to see any classmates if travel brings you to the Phoenix area.”

Brud Morrison retired in 2014 after 43 years in sales and management with Caterpillar Inc. In August 2019, Brud and his wife, Susan, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their three daughters and their families.

1968

Rick Bernard wrote: “After teaching in

Newfoundland for a year after Bucknell graduation, I spent a few years in Pennsylvania before moving to Maine permanently, working as a school counselor, part-time magician and metal sculptor. I have been living in Tenants Harbor for the last 45 years, with my wife, Debbie. My son and step-daughter also live in Maine. Looking forward to the next reunion.”

Rob Griffin ’68, left, with Bob Gilmore ’66

Fall-Winter 2020

69

CLASS NOTES Kage Glantz shared this special update from

Denmark: “I live in Copenhagen, not far from where Al Roberts ’68 lived with his wife, Marianne, and where he died in 1986. My news is that Al, 33 years after his death, now has a grandchild. His wonderful son, Adam, a baby when Al died, had a child of his own in 2019, a boy named Ole. Everyone is well.”

1970

An update from Bill Rose: “Married to my best friend, Vicki, for 43 yearrs; Two grown children and six grandchildren. Blessed. Partner in the New York Yankees and representing players as well.”

1971

After 15 years of working on the Art of the Acoustic Finish, Peter Cree will be returning to sculpture and mixed media. “Lately the call for the work has mostly been in Europe, which has been interesting. Artists never retire. We simply have to reinvent ourselves. Others seem to relax, travel and visit their grandkids while Josephine and I look forward to rebuilding the studios. Cheers!”

Kelly Nye said his rescue lab retriever will be

a service dog.

In January, Ethan Riegelhaupt said he was continuing to work as a member of the Administration of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York. “I am head of communications of the New York Power

Bill Rose ’70, back row, center, with his wife, Vicki, third from left, and their family

Authority, which provides 25% of the state’s electricity and am actively engaged in the battle against climate change. I have been married for almost 36 years to Candace Cummins Riegelhaupt, have three children, Loren, Rebecca and Lexie, and four grandchildren, Clementine, Atticus, Willem and Olympia and live in Rye, New York.”

1973

Trustee Bob Bellinger, whose family history was featured in the fall 2019 Bulletin, sent us this update: “At the end of February, I had the pleasure of attending a reception for the ‘Masters in Miniature: Model Ship Show’ at the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown,

Peter Cree ’71 shared this example of the Art of the Acoustic Finish.

70

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Alex Bellinger ’68 with his entries in the Masters in Miniature: Model Ship Show in Charlestown

Massachusetts. The special treat was that Alex Bellinger ’68 had three of his ships in bottles entered. He was awarded a Master Silver for one of his ships — The Raleigh. It was wonderful to see Alex and to witness the artistry and craftsmanship of his entries.”

We heard from Stuart Lindley in the UK: “I have just qualified as a high school teacher, specialising in languages (German and Chinese) and hope to start work within the next few weeks, COVID permitting, at a school in or near my hometown of Harrogate.”

James D. Lyne, Esq., sent us this update from

Texas: “A couple of years ago, I reconnected on Facebook with a woman I first dated when we were 16. We fell very much in love and married soon after. Lisa is managing partner of Hayes & Wilson in Houston, a boutique law firm specializing in Special Needs Trusts. I am working for American Airlines in Dallas Fort Worth as a pilot instructor, teaching the Boeing 737. I still practice aviation law on the side, am a volunteer attorney with the ACLU, and teach aerobatics in gliders. My twin, 18-year-old daughters began their first year at Georgia State University. Jamie is majoring in American Sign Language and Leslie in social work, and she is thinking about going to law school. The older I get, the funnier life gets.”

1974

Joe Blumenstein made our day when he shared a cute video of his grandson, Jude, shooting hoops. “I am so proud of him,” he said.

Jeffrey Glass sent us this update in January:

“Greg Smith and I met for lunch in San Carlos, California. Great to catch up after so many years. We swung by one of our aircraft hangars after lunch to look around.”

Hank Landemare has been living for 20

years now in Cancun, where he enjoys surfing, sailing, and snorkeling. His son, Henry IV, 14, enjoys doing the same. “Still in touch with Maynard Webb. Funny — he moved to the bay

Jeffrey Glass ’74 and Greg Smith ’74 caught up in California.

Joe Blumenstein’s ’74 grandson, Jude

Hank Landemare ’74 and his son, Henry IV, soaking up the sun in Mexico

area the same year l moved to Mexico. Still in touch with Lisa (Neuenschwander) Smith WR’75, too!” This summer, he was on lsla Mujeres, sailing charters and treating his chiropractic patients. “Summer camp in Maine was canceled this year so Henry stayed home surfing and doing his homeschool.”

Bob Wiesenberg is living in the northern

1975

Rudy Warren and Saul Spielsinger ’74 were back on campus on September 6, 2019, for the first time since they graduated. Rudy, who lives in Rochester, New York, and Saul, who lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey, were excited to tour campus with their wives, Meg and Luann, respectively.

Stephen Thomas Sweet is retired and

“enjoying the experience.”

suburbs of Atlanta and is a Delta Airlines Boeing 737 Captain. He will be retiring in 2021 upon reaching age 65.

1976

Chris Healy had a chance to catch up with

two Wykeham Rise classmates from 1976 during the holidays, Sara Mayo-Knab WR’76 and Joanna Beall WR’76. He wrote: “Sara lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her husband, Doug, and is currently working as a software product manager with American Express.

Sara supervises ongoing implementation of system software for the company on multiple platforms. She is still irreverent as ever. Joanna Beall works as an education consultant, advising high school graduates on how to prepare for their college entrance applications.

She also volunteers at a homeless shelter near her home in Colchester, Vermont. Over the last few decades, she and her husband, Frank Costantino are regulars on the tennis circuit.

Joanna writes and publishes the Vermont edition of the United State Tennis Association newsletter. She and Frank celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary visiting their daughter and grandchild in Sicily.” Healy was reelected to the Wethersfield Board of Education in November 2019, as the leading vote-getter for that office.

He is now the Vice Chairman and Secretary of the board, which has an annual budget of $55 million.

Rudy Warren ’75 and Saul Spielsinger ’74 in front of Gunn Dorm last fall

Fall-Winter 2020

71

CLASS NOTES

1978

In January, Scott Milas wrote: “As I turned 60 this winter I have reflected back on my years at The Gunnery. I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend a great school. It seems like yesterday I graduated on that warm summer-like day on the green. My business as a transition career and franchise coach continues to grow. I look forward to seeing the campus and friends again this summer.”

1979

Mark Dibble was reminiscing about reunion

in January: “Fun to see nine of us at the 40th in June, which is arguably the best month in New England, and the campus looks great.

I’m fresh back from Cuba, which is a fun visit but can report that capitalism is better than communism. We have a fledgling ‘The Gunnery Class of 1979 Group’ on Facebook (seven members and counting). Please friend me there and I’ll add you to the Group.”

1980

Jennifer Zito was looking forward to her 40th reunion. “I am now representing college kids across the country in Title IX and college misconduct cases as well as practicing criminal defense law in Connecticut, which keeps me quite busy. It was a quiet summer, but the down time was enjoyed! My husband and I will have an empty nest this year! Our oldest, Jonathan, is teaching in Hawaii for two years with Teach for America. Our twins are at George Washington and Boston University doing their undergraduate studies. I routinely stay in touch with Gunnery friends online. Wishing you all stay safe and well.”

1982

Art Lobdell continues to work for the Boy

Scouts of America. He received a promotion and transfer to the Western Massachusetts Council, headquartered in Westfield, Massachusetts, on April 1.

Left to right: Jim McIntosh ’79, George Fryer ’79, Mark Dibble ’79, Peter Strandes ’79 and Scott Wynn ’79 at their 40th reunion in 2019

72

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

1984

Writing to us last winter, Joe Myles was hoping to make it to his 40th reunion! “In 2007, I moved from Venice, California, to Columbus, Ohio, in order to settle into domestic life and focus on a new career in the legal field. I’ve found an incredible sense of community here that’s mostly absent in Los Angeles. A few of my films have found their way onto Amazon Prime if anyone’s curious. Caveat: These are mostly ultra low-budget horror films right now, with the exception of the 2006 film ‘Wassup Rockers,’ directed by Larry Clark and produced

by Sharon Stone. I’m proud to have served under four Attorney General administrations here in Ohio. Presently, I’m working under a contract that does not allow for any real presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. I’d enjoy hearing from and re-connecting with old Gunnery friends, but for the time being it would have to be an ‘old school’ email or phone call.”

This summer, he sent along a COVID update: “I hope everyone is staying as healthy and safe as possible. I’ve recently been getting into the ancient philosophy and discipline of Stoicism. Two great resources are Ryan Holiday’s website and book ‘The Daily Stoic’ and ‘How to Think Like a Roman Emperor’ by Donald Robertson.”

Art Lobdell ’82 at his new post

of the College of Wooster, Perl studied at the Parson’s Institute and the Art Students League in New York. In 1992, she moved to Boston, where she completed further instruction under artists Paul Ingbretson and David Curtisin in “the arduous and time-honored training of the Boston School Painters,” whose lineage is traced to John Singer Sargent. This fall, Perl was putting the finishing touches on drawings for a new children’s book illustrating the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, whose home is a wellknown art museum in Boston.

Amy Glick ’85 and Tim Duane with their four sons on their wedding day in California

1985

digital division. Our son, who is 11, is in sixth grade at Greenwich Country Day School.”

Bob Houser and his classmates celebrated

Susan Eanes H’91 P’90 GP’20 ’23 sent us a note to let us know that Davina Perl held an open studio event in Venicia, California, in November 2019 along with former classmate and photographer Alison Lufkin, who lives in San Francisco. “It was my studio and I invited Alison to come take part in it so that was a lot of fun,” said Perl, who spent the previous summer painting and studying art in France. She was awarded The Denis Diderot (A-I-R) Grant, which supported her artist’s residency at Chateau Orquevaux. A graduate

Amy Glick said: “I am excited to share that I married Professor Tim Duane in January 2018.

We had an ambush wedding with only our four sons on Del Mar beach. Tim is looking forward to meeting everyone at the reunion in June!”

their 30th reunion over Zoom in June. “Looking forward to seeing everyone in person next year for the joint reunion with ’85 and ’86,” he said.

John Papamechail said: “Though it was sad to have had our reunion postponed from this past June, it was awesome having the chance to reconnect with so many ’85 classmates in my role representing the PGs in our reunion committee! Looking forward to reunion 2021!”

Davina Perl ’86 in her California studio with illustrations for her forthcoming book on the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner

1986

Elizabeth (White) Barhydt shared this news: “After meeting at The Gunnery 36 years ago (ouch), Peter ’87 and I are happier than ever. In the entrepreneurial spirit fostered by The Gunnery, we started our own company years ago specializing in public relations and marketing and in 2015 we also decided to publish a newspaper in our hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut, called the Greenwich Sentinel. The Greenwich Sentinel is coming into its fifth year stronger than ever and we are enjoying every minute. Our daughter, who is 21, has joined the family business as the head of our

The Class of 1985 celebrating their 30th reunion over Zoom: T.K. Knowles ’85, Bob Houser ’85, Amy Glick ’85, Larry Maxell ’85 P’16 ’20, Nick Tinworth ’85, Derick TeeKing ’85, Curtis James ’85, Leisl Fowler ’85, Glen Dobbs ’85, Chris Jackson ’85, John Papamechail ’85, Suzanne Beck ’85, Janine Fierberg ’85, Merritt Oliver ’85, William Winter ’85, and Andrew Williams ’85

Fall-Winter 2020

73

CLASS NOTES Andrew Sacks wrote: “Finally fulfilled our wish to live outside of Manhattan, even if COVID-fueled. Planning on spending the year in Wainscott, New York, with my wife Julie, five year-old son, Jack, and a six-month-old Labrador pup, Oona. Business is busy. Home is chaotic. Life is good. #gratitude.”

1987

Trustee Peter Houldin ’92 sent along a photo of his brother, Spencer Houldin, catching up with Nancy Lemcke P’84 in February in Delray Beach, Florida. “Nancy is about to welcome her first grandchild at the age of 87,” Peter said.

Then and now: Bill McIntosh ’90 and Bill Boguniecki ’90 shared these photos from when they played hockey for The Gunnery 30 years ago, and from their reunion in February with Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23.

sprinkles!) in resin and has been well received and picked up in local news,” he said. Check out their work at illuminatedme.com.

Mike Pankey wrote in January: “Still living

in Minneapolis and would love to (re)connect with anyone visiting our area. Our oldest is off to college this fall. My how time flies! With that in mind, we recently took a family trip to Idaho where we rafted the Middle Fork of the Salmon River for five days/nights in the Frank Church Wilderness area. Completely UNPLUGGED! Highly recommend Adventure Sun Valley if you are looking for a getaway in some of the most serene landscape our country offers. Hope all is well. Love staying up-to-date via the school Twitter feed. Go Highlanders!

1990

Bill McIntosh and Bill Boguniecki were

on campus February 15 to play in the annual Alumni Hockey Game and caught up with Laura Eanes Martin P’20 ’23 at Linen Rink.

1992

Beth Kelley and her husband Shawn live in Spencer Houldin ’87 with Nancy Lemcke P’84 in Florida

Quechee, Vermont, with their three children, Graham (4), Catalina (2) and Maren (1). She

1988

We received exciting news in January from Sarah (Haynes) Cooney: “New job at L3Harris Technologies as VP Sales, Americas in the Commercial Aviation Sector. Lots of travel but having fun.”

1989

Peter Herrick and his wife, Sharon, live with

Kari Lynn and Mike Pankey ’87 with their children in the Frank Church Wilderness area

74

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

their 15-year-old son in South Portland, Maine, where he works at a local university. They also have a jewelry business, which consumes a lot of time, but provides creative outlets. “The recent line of work embeds cooking spices (and

Maren, Graham and Catalina are the children of Beth Kelley ’92 and her husband, Shawn.

has worked in the Advancement Office of (her alma mater) Dartmouth College for the past 18 years and has, with Shawn, been a foster parent for the past three years. They love living and raising their kids in the vibrant Upper Valley community and Beth invites classmates to connect, should you ever find yourself in the neighborhood.

Having earned three degrees (in retail and consumer studies, multimedia journalism, and interior design) as well as a certification to teach yoga, Yasmin (Zaman) Lawrence is living on the Central Coast of California with her husband, Beau, a former Guess jeans exec, and their two beautiful daughters, Leila Clare, 6, and Balencia, 10. Through the pandemic, she has been meditating and playing the piano every day and in early October was preparing to move Ace Rivington, the sustainable denim company that she and her husband own, to a new location on State Street in Santa Barbara.

The company was started on Kickstarter in 2013 and was featured in Travel and Leisure Magazine last December. “We’re definitely in our own little niche in Santa Barbara. This is my town and I love it,” said Lawrence, who was born in Kuwait and moved with her parents to Berkeley when she was three years old. She has fond memories of The Frederick Gunn School and would love to connect with her class and other alumni.

Matt Cheney ’93 and his wife, Natalia, and their two daughters

1993

“All is well in Washington, D.C.,” said Matt

Cheney. “Our family keeps growing. We

welcomed our second daughter, Charlotte, to the family this past summer. I continue to grow my Realtor practice with Washington Fine Properties in DC as well as Maryland and Virginia.”

Gene Platt announced in January that he

and his family were starting their own real estate brokerage business, Atlantic Coast Properties, in Palm Beach County, Florida. The full-service firm offers residential, commercial and land for sale in Florida, across the U.S., and abroad. He wrote: “One of my favorite movies is ‘Jerry Maguire.’ As in the famous movie, ‘The answer is fewer clients. Less money.

More attention. The key to this business is

Yasmin (Zaman) Lawrence ’92 with her husband, Beau, and daughters, Balencia and Leila Clare

personal relationships.’ We have been in South Florida since 1982. Our family is your family.

We have over 20 years experience in real estate marketing and sales.”

1996

Nathan Koldys sent us greetings from

Los Angeles! “I’ve expanded my business (find me on IG @the_culper_ring and @ considertheraven), gotten engaged and reconnected with a bunch of Gunnery people.”

David Soady ’98, Eric Mikan ’97 and Aiysha (Stewart) Mustapha ’96 and I have had many meaningful conversations about the current state of the country and our own personal struggles and triumphs. It has been extremely rewarding and a lot of fun. Anyone who’d like to connect, shoot me an email or hit up my DMs on IG!

Nathan Koldys ’96 (right) at a reopen California gathering at city hall in Los Angeles

Fall-Winter 2020

75

CLASS NOTES

Krystalynn Schlegel ’96 and Kathleen Killoy ’96 in Santa Fe this summer

Leigh Buckens ’02 with Omar Slowe ’97, his wife, Abena, and their children, Kyan and Nia

Sean Stellato ’97 and Dan Bulawa ’97 hold up a copy of Stellato’s book at the 2020 Celebrity Flag Football Challenge.

Krystalynn Schlegel, who was named

Emily Wierdsma and David Cutler were

Considering the team won (see page 40) he might want to make that an annual blessing.

a Trustee this fall, wrote this summer: “Self quarantined and did another National Park tour in July while going to visit classmate and fellow alumna, Kathleen Killoy, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I visited the Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, White Sands, Arches, Capitol Reef and Great Basin National Parks. I drove my travel trailer 3,700 miles in 15 days. My dog, Lorenzo and I, had a wonderful trip!”

married on September 28, 2019. The happy couple lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. Emily, who is currently teaching at Eagle Hill School, is enjoying being a stepmom to Megan and Katie Cutler.

1997

Matthew Greene checked in last September.

“Best wishes and good luck to Gunnery hockey for another run at the title,” he said.

Trustee Omar Slowe and his wife, Abena,

caught up with Leigh Buckens ’02 last September.

Sean Stellato let us know his friend and

former Gunnery football teammate, Dan Bulawa, joined him in supporting the 20th annual Celebrity Flag Football Challenge®, sponsored by Celebrity Sweat® on Super Bowl weekend. The game brings celebrities and athletes together to support the U.S. Military.

“I found the end zone with a strike from my boyhood idol, Doug Flutie!” Stellato said.

1998

Emily (Zyko) Rukobo and her husband, Tendai, welcomed a daughter, Maita Jane, on June 30. Mae, as she’s called, joins big sister Rumbi, or Rue, at home in Brooklyn. Rue started kindergarten at The Brearley School in September.

Adam Schrimmer shared a recent article

Emily Wierdsma ’96 and David Cutler on their wedding day with Megan and Katie, and Emily’s mom, Pam Solley P’96

76

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

written about the mural work he has been doing through his company, Blank Canvas Mural Co. Find it at: https://towncarolina.com/ wall-to-wall/. “Gunnery changed my life,” he

the community through board and volunteer committee involvement although we’ve certainly slowed down a bit to focus on our new family. It was great to get back to campus last year for the 20th reunion and we hope to make the trip more often.”

2000

Jeff Moore and his wife, Molly, welcomed

Mae is the daughter of Tendai and Emily (Zyko) Rukobo ’98.

JP Collins ’03, with his wife, Lindsey and daughter, Zooey

said. “I would have never made it to Ringling, through nine years of Miami life and into this phase of achievement if not for my time on campus and with relationships that continue to thrive.”

had a great dinner with Jin Young in Boston!

He had briefly swung by campus on Monday, and said everything looked great!”

Jin Young Yang stopped by campus

Eli Rabinowitz said life in upstate New York is going great! “My wife, Kate, and I have been in Albany for about 13 years and love it. Last April, we welcomed our son, Aidan, and as all the other parents already know, we’ve been on a whirlwind adventure ever since! And because it has been so much fun, we are thrilled to be expecting Aidan’s little sister in July of 2020!

Both Kate and I continue to be dedicated to

briefly in February on his way to visit Whit Matthews and his wife, Anne. “Anne and I

Anne and Whit Matthews ’98 with Jin Young Yang ’98 in Boston last winter

1999

Left to right: Caleigh, Mac, Maggie and Ellie Moore

their fourth child, Maggie, in June 2019. In February, Jeff celebrated his 15th year at Lincoln Property Company. Jeff wrote, “I am hoping to be able to make a portion of our 20th year reunion and look forward to reconnecting with old friends.”

2003

JP Collins and his wife, Lindsey, welcomed

a daughter, Zooey Elisabeth Collins, in April. “I’ve also joined the law faculty at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., and we’ve moved to Arlington, Virginia,” he said.

Caitlin Sullivan is deployed on her third tour with the U.S. Army 31B, Military Police in the Middle East.

Caitlin Sullivan ’03 in uniform

Fall-Winter 2020

77

CLASS NOTES

Otoja Abit ’04 with director Tessa Blake, left, and actress Geneva Carr, right, of the CBS-TV series, “Bull” in January

2004

Congratulations to Otoja Abit, who was featured in an episode of the CBS television series, “Bull,” which aired January 6. He portrayed plaintiff Alan Coleman in the episode, “Look Back in Anger,” alongside actors Michael Weatherly and Geneva Carr.

This summer, his debut feature, “A New York Christmas Wedding,” was on the film festival circuit. Following the premiere screening at the American Black Film Festival, it went on to the Urbanworld Film Festival, Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, and New York Latino Film Festival. You can check out the film on Netflix!”

Former faculty member Tom Hollinger P’01 ’04 wrote in to say that Chas Hollinger was

Guests at the wedding of Alexandra and Mark Rhodes ’04 included (left to right): former faculty member John Alter P’04 ’06, Mark Rhoads ’04, Aaron Alter ’04, Bett Alter P’04 ’06, Otoja Abit ’04 and James Walsh ’04

awarded “Best in Show” at the Bedford Arts Show in Bedford, New York, for his plein air painting called “River Walk.” Chas currently teaches, coaches and manages a dormitory of freshmen boys at Canterbury School in New Milford.

command position with the U.S. Coast Guard.

I am working as a veterinary nurse for a local animal hospital and our son will start 6th grade at Vermont Commons School this fall.”

Her sister, Kate DeForge ’03, paid them a quarantined visit from Chicago this summer.

Mark Rhoads wrote: “It took a quarantine

Desiree (Biron) Casian and her husband,

a year later to send in this update. We were fortunate to have significant Gunnery representation at our wedding in York, Maine, on June 1, 2019. The beautiful bride is Alexandra (Covelle) Rhoads of Winthrop, Massachusetts.”

2006

Kristen (DeForge) Bellone wrote: “My

family and I recently relocated to Burlington, Vermont, where my husband will be assuming a

“River Walk,” by Chas Hollinger ’04 won “Best in Show” at the Bedford Arts Show in January.

78

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Rob, welcomed a daughter, Campbell, on December 28, 2019.

2007

Matt Helderman, founder and CEO of

BondIt Media Capital and Buffalo 8, delivered a TEDx Talk at Pepperdine University in August 2019 titled, “Why I Call My Mom Every Morning.” Helderman spoke about his relationship with his mother, Carolyn

Kristen (DeForge) Bellone with her husband, Andrew, son, Jackson, and sister, Kate DeForge ’03

Campbell is the daughter of Rob and Desiree Casian ’06.

Seth Mahler ’06 and Mike O’Brien ’07 with the USA World Junior Indoor Lacrosse Team after they won the bronze medal in the WJL Championship in August 2019 Photo credit: Dave Fryer Photography

Helderman P’07, as a constant in his life since he founded his first company at age 20, grew it to produce content with Spike Lee and Netflix, and built two other successful businesses: “Like any great mapmaker, I explained, any great explorer, what do you need? Well, you need a really good compass. You need a compass whose needle is able to point you back to True North on days when you’ve fallen astray. For me I’ve been fortunate enough to have a relationship with my mother be the tip of that compass.”

Watch at youtube.com/watch?v=4Uu2G7eTdpw.

Rich Nolan ’07 visited his sister Lauren

Nolan ’14 for a week of travel and adventure

in Lauren’s current home country of Rwanda.

Lauren is in the second year of her service to the Peace Corps there, providing social and educational development through her work as an elementary school teacher. Rich is currently working for a global asset manager in New York City. He and his wife, Alyssa, were overjoyed to announce the arrival of their daughter, Adriana, on October 31, 2019. “Hopefully this [Class Note] will be the start of an eventual affiliation of her own with The Gunnery,” said Rich.

2008

Scott and Elizabeth (Hawley) Dayton and big sister, Eliza, welcomed a baby girl, Mackenzie Ann, on June 10. “She shares a birthday with Gunn Highlander Teddy Ebersol and we could not be more thrilled that she is ours,” said Dayton, who is a member of the Mathematics Department faculty and Director of Dramatic Arts at The Frederick Gunn School.

The USA World Junior Indoor Lacrosse Team took home the bronze medal in the WJL Championships in August 2019 in Ontario, after the U.S. edged Israel in overtime. Seth Mahler ’06 (General Manager of Team Israel) and Mike O’Brien (Defensive Coach for Team USA) enjoyed some friendly banter after the game.

Future Highlander Adriana Nolan is the daughter of Rich Nolan ’07 and his wife, Alyssa

Rich Nolan ’07 and his sister, Laura ’14, with her students in Rwanda

Fall-Winter 2020

79

CLASS NOTES Allie Zukunft married Anna Olson on

August 22, 2019, in New Haven, Connecticut, surrounded by family and friends. The wedding party included Jessica Cofrancesco ’07, who was a bridesmaid.

2009

Proud Gunn parent Lois Garlasco wrote to let us know that her son, Michael Garlasco, was named Canadian Pacific’s Railroader of the Year. For the past five years, Garlasco has been based in Vancouver, where he serves as Assistant Superintendent of Operations for CP, which was incorporated in 1881 and offers transportation services and supply chain expertise with access to eight major ports and key markets across North America. “Mike has been instrumental in turning around not one, not two, but three underperforming terminals and making them some of the best run operations on our network. St. Paul, the North Dakota division and Vancouver have all benefited and improved under his leadership,” CP said. “Mike’s tireless work ethic and desire to learn have shaped him into a well-rounded railroader who led Vancouver terminal to back-to-back wins for Terminal of the Year.” In addition to being part of that award-winning team, Garlasco was honored with a CEO Award for Excellence in the Provide Service Category in 2018, and was named a Railway Age Fast Tracker — 10 Under 40, which “celebrates the best of the best in the industry,” CP said.

Allie Zukunft ’08, right, and Anna Olson-Zukunft, left, and their wedding party, including bridesmaid Jessica Cofrancesco ’07, center, reading during the ceremony

to the finish,” race organizers said. In the half marathon, Fisher placed eighth among the female finishers, with a time of 2:18:12. “Frederick Gunn would be proud of his alumni, running through (falling in) rivers, over mountains, along trails … and winning,” Head of School Peter Becker said.

Morgen Fisher ’03 crossing the icy Shepaug during a half marathon last November

Maisie Theobald and Jan Dokonal were married in Frederick, Maryland, surrounded by close family on July 4th. “It was not the wedding we had planned for, but was a beautiful civil ceremony! We are hoping to still do our wedding next summer in Croatia, which is where my husband and his family are from.”

Josh Johnston took third place overall in

Michael Garlasco ’09 in Vancouver Photo credit: CP 80

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

the 2019 Steep Rock Trail Series. Established in 2016, the series includes a 10K at Steep Rock, a 15K at Hidden Valley and a half marathon at Steep Rock. Johnston finished 20th in the half marathon with a time of 2:06:59. This despite the fact that, along the way, he fell into the Shepaug River — in November — and his shirt froze! The course featured four water crossings, ranging from ankle to calf-deep. Morgen (Goepel) Fisher ’03 competed in the series for the third consecutive year. In the Steep Rock 10K, she was among the top three women finishers — who placed 45 seconds apart — with a time of 52:28. In the Hidden Valley 15K, Fisher placed second after she and another runner “battled down the last descent and then over the bridge

Jan and Maisie (Theobald) Dokonal ’09 with their dog, Venice

Andrew Wang ’09 at the summit of Yu Shan, or Mount Jade, the highest mountain in Taiwan, with an elevation of 12,966 feet

Jessica L’Heureux ’10 and Lucas Rosati ’20 share a socially distanced hug to celebrate Rosati’s graduation in May; right: L’Heureux gets a hug from Rosati at her graduation in 2010.

Andrew Wang has been climbing mountains: “Challenge your limit and move beyond expectations,” he said.

After attending Trinity College, Will Rosen became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and is currently in the UVA Darden School getting his MBA (with an internship at Credit Suisse in NYC summer 2020).

2010

Last August, proud Gunn parent Kristi Rosati P’20 sent us a picture of her son, Lucas Rosati ’20, hugging his aunt, former Head Prefect Jessica L’Heureux, at Commencement after her speech and the ceremony. In May, L’Heureux returned the sentiment by joining the Rosatis at their home in Agawam, Massachusetts, to celebrate his graduation and watch the tribute video to the Class of 2020 (outside and socially distanced, of course)!

2012

Taylor Dube was in Peru in May 2019! “I went zip-lining in the Amazon, saw the site of Machu Picchu, went to the Andalusian highlands, to name a few spots along my trip. I spent the summer working at a TRIO

2011

From physics teacher Steve Bailey P’09 we learned that Chao Liu received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in April. Her research on plastic deformation of metallic glasses has been published in several scientific journals, including Advanced Functional Materials, Nature Communications, and by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information. Liu and her classmates Shimeng Wang and Millie Huang also sent video greetings to current students that were shared at School Meeting this fall.

Program, University of Maine Farmington’s Upward Bound. In August, I was hired as an admissions counselor at the University of Maine Farmington, which enabled me to return to The Gunnery for a college mini fair during my fall travels! It was so wonderful to catch up with faculty and see how the campus has changed and remained the same. In the fall, I caught up with Kate Eldridge in Connecticut during recruitment trips and (former faculty member) Eileen Kelly-Aguirre P’12, who currently works at The Forman School. I ran my first half-marathon in Freeport, Maine, in October.” Dube had planned to run her next in Nashville in April, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.

Ricky Jiang is working at Arena Solutions as

a software engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Would love to know what everyone else is up to,” he said.

Aaron Levy was profiled by The College of

Wooster in November 2019. A 2016 graduate of the school, he majored in political science and a minor in environmental studies and became the co-founder of a renewable energy technology development company named GenH (Generation Hydro). The company develops a system to electrify non-powered dams without construction.

Shimeng Wang ’11 is one of several alumni who recorded and shared video greetings with current students this fall.

Fall-Winter 2020

81

The Class of 2014 ReZoomion included, left to right: Meghan Lembo ’14, Kori Rimany ’14, Katlyn Paiva ’14, Sarah Hughson ’14, Nick D’Elia ’14, Connor Eckenrod ’14, Dana Cerone ’14, Casey Cullen ’14, Sam Walther ’14, Bobby Hooper ’14, Nate Sucese ’14, Matt Schneider ’14, Ariana Dominicus ’14, Alexis Dominicus ’14, and Jane Moore ’14.

2013

Tom Burger is in Los Angeles. He wrote:

“I am working for Wolfson Entertainment, part of LiveNation/ArtistNation, as an artist

manager and publicist for Hall & Oates, Huey Lewis and The News, Loverboy, The Tubes, and Down North, as well as continuing my involvement with the Allman Brothers Band Legacy Trust and The Big House Museum in Macon, Georgia.” His band, Creature Collective, opened for Umphrey’s McGee, Vulfpeck, Aqueous, and Fishbone at the Mint in Los Angeles on March 13. The band was also releasing a live album and was scheduled to open at the Mint on September 11.

Michael Cohen wrote: “The past seven

Tom Burger ’13 on stage at the Mint in Los Angeles on March 13 82

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

years since graduation have been a ride! I got my BS in entrepreneurial studies from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, then went to Boston and got my master’s in hospitality management from Boston University in 2018, then moved back to Miami to manage the rooms inventory for the iconic Fontainebleau Resort.” During quarantine, he transitioned to sales for Wyndham’s timeshare subsidiary in New York City. “During my downtime I’ve been training for a half marathon (which has helped me lose nearly 40 pounds so far) and completed a 10-week Advanced Revenue Management

Certification course online with Cornell’s Hospitality School!”

In August, Cohen sent an update: “Just moved back home to NYC from Miami and have started an interim career in life coaching until my main career in hospitality gets back to normal! I’m working on a long-term goal of starting a moderately priced wellness resort, and thought this was the best time to get experience in mental health.”

Congratulations to Christopher Davis and his wife, Kaley, who welcomed their second child, Oliver George Davis, in February. Their daughter, Peyton Grace, was born in March 2018.

2014

Brandon Garzione completed his master’s

in sports management at the University of Alabama in August 2019. He is currently employed as a Junior Sales Associate with the New York Yankees.

Sam Levin spent a year studying at The University of Iceland and is now completing a master’s in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies at the University of Oslo. He is playing hockey for the Hasle Løren men’s team and is the assistant coach for their U21 team.

Tom Malooly is serving in the U.S. Army

82nd Airborne (deployed) and has reached the rank of Specialist. He was married within the last year.

Tim Reitman can rest easy. The PO reopened

with a local chef-entrepreneur at the helm in October and a great new menu. But some things are still the same, including the signature Reitman Wrap. If you are near campus, you can order it online: MeetYouAtThePo.com.

Kori Rimany, who is teaching English at The Frederick Gunn School, told us 15 members of the Class of 2014 connected over Zoom while quarantining in April 2020.

Congratulations to Nate Sucese, who signed a one-year, entry-level contract in March with the Arizona Coyotes for the 2020-21 season, Penn State Men’s Hockey announced via Twitter. In April, Sucese was named an American Hockey Coaches Association AllAmerican for the 2019-2020 season. He also was named the all-time leading scorer for Penn State Men’s Hockey this year. He finished his college career in March with 140 points, according to Penn State Athletics.

Tomas Diez-Canedo ’15 in Mexico

2015

From proud Gunn parent Kevin Barbieri P’15 ’20, we heard that Cameron Barbieri is working in the accounting department for Stanley Engineered Fastening, a division of Stanley Black & Decker, in Decorah, Iowa.

He graduated from Post University in May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in finance. He made the two-day, 18-plus-hour drive to Iowa with his German shepherd, Lucy, with whom he resides.

Tomas Diez-Canedo, who was on campus

for his sophomore year, shared this update: “I studied economics in Mexico, at Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), and I currently work in the consulting area of Mastercard based in Mexico City.”

Shawn Knowlton and Jake Marrello were featured in the Capital Region’s Community News in December 2019 as standouts on local NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey teams.

Knowlton completed his junior year at Air Force Academy this spring, and Marrello, his senior year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where Knowlton’s dad, Jim P’15, was the Athletic Director for seven years. The pair were neighbors and both played hockey at Albany Academy. “So we grew up coming to these games. We would go to the Mayor’s Cup, Black Friday, all those fun games, and it’s definitely a different perspective being from around here you get to see it and really live it and now being here is great,” Marrello, a native of Slingerlands, New York, told the newspaper. Asked about his post-hockey plans, Marello was quoted as saying: “I would love to keep playing hockey. If I continue having a good year that’d be great and I’d love to move on and keep playing, but I am pretty confident after that I can use my degree to do something.”

Proud Gunn mom Melissa Marks wrote to let us know her son, Lucais Marks, started his study at Pace University Lubin School of Business this fall for his Master of Science in social media and mobile marketing. He also recently signed with Bella Agency to be a lifestyle model in New York City.

Nate Sucese ’14, AHCH All-American and the all-time leader in points scored for the Penn State Men’s Hockey Program.

2016

Proud Gunn Parent Thomas Christiano P’16 sent us an update and a note thanking all at the school for helping his son, Lliam, with all of his goals. Now in his sophomore year at Western New England University, where he is working towards a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Lliam was named to the President’s List last spring for achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. He is also a forward on the WNE Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Go Golden Bears!

Lucais Marks ’15 was signed by Bella Agency in New York City.

Fall-Winter 2020

83

Eli Italiaander ’17 at the beach in Valencia, Spain

Pre-law fellows Maya Coppola ’18 and Ele Schickler ’17 in Spain

Miranda Levin sent in an update: “I spent

Boston. As a senior leader on the PC Women’s Field Hockey Team, she played 14 games, appearing in the starting line-up each time, was selected to the Big East All-Academic Team for her third consecutive year, the school said.

my junior spring semester abroad in London doing an internship at a PR firm and they asked me to stay through summer 2019!” She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations and strategic communications from American University in Washington, D.C. in May 2020.

Providence College Field Hockey announced via Twitter in May that Mikayla Michals was graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance, and taking on the role of financial representative at Fidelity Investments in

2017

Eli Italiaander was studying abroad at the

start of the spring semester. “The decision to study abroad in Madrid, Spain, was one of the best decisions I could’ve made. I got to experience what it’s like to live in a large city

Brendon Vejseli ’17 (bottom left) and friends in New Zealand

84

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

and a completely different culture and way of life than we live here in the U.S. While I was only there for a short time due to the Coronavirus, I was able to travel to London, Barcelona, Valencia, and Ibiza. Since the semester was cut short, I didn’t get to go to all the places I wanted to but will always have the chance in the future.”

Ele Schickler and Maya Coppola ’18

spent July-August 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, completing a pre-law fellowship. The fellowship consisted of visits to Spanish law firms where both Coppola and Schickler learned about different types of law firms, engaged in case resolutions, and were able to converse with lawyers about the differences in American and European law. The fellowship also consisted of tours of Barcelona’s most historical courts, as well as excursions to other cities in Spain.

Brendon Vejseli has been studying and traveling. “This past summer I traveled abroad to New Zealand for approximately five months.

While I was there, I was immersed in the Kiwis and their culture as well as ties which they have with the Māori indigenous people. Two main classes that focused on New Zealand that I took were ‘Antarctic Studies of Antarctica: Life in the Cold’ as well as ‘Science: Māori and Indigenous Knowledge.’ I learned about New Zealand’s political and cultural influence in Polynesian society as well as Antarctic politics and challenges. I traveled as well. From the

tropical east coast to the dry central grasslands to the rainforest to the west, there was plenty to behold. I encourage all who may be reading this to travel abroad because it is truly a lifechanging, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

2018

Emma Wirt announced on LinkedIn that she

was spending her 2020 summer as an intern in Staples Software Engineering/ Digital Solutions program. Congrats, Emma!

2019

Jess Baker, Associate Director of Alumni & Parent Engagement, caught up with Garrett Coe last fall, while accompanying students in the Low Impact Design class on a field trip to the University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Via Facebook, we heard from Rain Ji, who was continuing to write and edit for the school newspaper as a freshman at Middlebury College, as she did for The Highlander! “I reported on the pro-Palestine human rights protest at a lecture given by a former IDF soldier who came to Middlebury to speak about the issue of Bedouin minority in Israel.

Through speaking with a variety of people from all sides of the story, I’ve learned what it means to be a student journalist — what it means to have sympathy while reporting because of the immediacy of our reporting,” she wrote.

Edith Rowland P’19 wrote to us to say that Sharon Rowland is enjoying studying at Elon University and she sees quite a few Gunn friends on campus.

Robert Taylor put up two singles, a walk

and an RBI to help the Brass City Bombers capture the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League playoff game at Jim Penders Field in Manchester in August, the RepublicanAmerican newspaper reported.

Former Faculty Shannon Baudo, former Director of Admissions, is serving as Interim Head of School of Allendale Columbia School for the 2020-2021 academic year. She had served as a member of AC’s Leadership Team since 2015, most recently as Assistant Head of School and Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid.

Clyde Lincoln P’01 ’06 ’08, who was married to former faculty member Karen Lincoln, passed away on June 19, 2020. He was the father of Lindsay ’08, Heather ’06 and Patricia ’01.

IN MEMORIAM The Frederick Gunn School Community is saddened by the loss of many cherished sons and daughters and sends its condolences to their friends and families: William D. Bixby ’67

12/11/2019

J. Hugh Cobrain ’43

1/20/2020

Donald E. Courtney ’49

8/27/2020

W. Cotton Damon II ’57

11/30/2018

Robert N. Gilmore III ’66

7/9/2020

Ehler O. Gregory ’45

2/23/2018

Thomas L. Hearn ’65

4/25/2020

John J. Kelley ’48

5/16/2020

Hendrick B. Kipp ’64

1/14/2014

R. Casey Kuhn ’61

4/13/2017

William L. Munson ’58

4/2/2020

William R. Murdoch ’50

10/24/2019

O. Haydn Owens, Jr. ’50 P’80

10/29/2017

Jon R. Powell ’60 George V. Sheffield ’58 P’88 John C. Speaks III ’43

7/12/2018 9/1/2019 9/1/2020

Dr. William J. Tate III ’50

5/31/2020

Joseph L. Townsend, Jr., ’63

5/16/2020

Peter W. Tucker ’78

3/15/2020

The Reverend Peter J. Vandercook ’52 9/14/2019 John R. Venning ’60

10/21/2009

Gregory C. Willis ’36

8/21/2009

Richard T. Wright ’48

5/19/2020

Former Faculty Michael F. Humphreys

5/18/2020

Paula Gibson Krimsky

8/30/2020

Carter C. Willsey, Jr.

12/14/2019

Follow The Frederick Gunn School online at FrederickGunn.org Jess Baker with Garrett Coe ’19 at UConn last fall

Fall-Winter 2020

85

Remembering Paula Gibson Krimsky Paula Gibson Krimsky, who was a member of the faculty for more than 20 years, the granddaughter of Hamilton Gibson, the school’s third Headmaster, and the wife of the late George Atwell Krimsky ’60, passed away August 30 after a brief battle with cancer. She was remembered by friends and colleagues as a gifted storyteller who dedicated more than two decades of her life to unearthing, sharing and preserving the history of the school and its founder, Frederick Gunn.

Born in Washington, Connecticut, in 1943, Krimsky earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Smith College in 1965 and served in the Peace Corps in Chile. In 1969, she married George, a Roxbury native and U.S. Army veteran whose career as a journalist took them all over the world and earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1978. According to her obituary, “she worked in the Latin American division of Citibank in New York and a local bank in Los Angeles before the pair set out for Moscow, Russia, in 1974, when George became an international correspondent for the Associated Press. Together, they weathered an expulsion from the Soviet Union followed by a stint in Nicosia, Cyprus during the Lebanese civil war.”

The couple moved with their young children, Alissa and Michael, to Rowayton, Connecticut, and then Leesburg, Virginia, before returning to Washington, Connecticut, in 1996, to the house built by Krimsky’s parents. Two years later, Paula joined The Gunnery to plan and promote its yearlong sesquicentennial celebration.

In an interview with The Litchfield County Times in 2000, Krimsky recounted that when the school acquired the estate of Alfred Bourne in 1958, boxes and file cabinets filled with old photographs and historical documents made their way from the closets, attics and basements of other buildings on campus to the basement of Bourne Hall. That was where, 40 years later, Krimsky and a team of volunteers took on the enormous task of dusting off, identifying, cataloging, and preserving bits and pieces of the school’s history. From this treasure trove of 125-year-old love letters, glass negatives, memory books, piles of papers, old newspapers and literary magazines emerged the narrative of Frederick Gunn we know so well today.

86

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

“I feel this sense of urgency to save stuff,” Krimsky told the newspaper at the time. “This is a lifelong job. The research to follow these threads, you know, it will go on.”

And so it did. Krimsky led a corps of dedicated volunteers — Judy LaMuniere, Sally Woodroofe, Jane Boyer, the late Muriel Smerekanicz, LaVerne Prager, Susan Jackson (Krimsky’s sister), Ann Kearney WR’80 P’23, and the late Elizabeth Miller GP’12 (greatgranddaughter of Frederick Gunn), who went through box by box, building the framework for an archive that today holds one of the best collections of 19th-century correspondence in New England, 30,000 photographs beginning with the daguerreotypes, a poem written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose sons were students of Mr. Gunn, and the oldest known photograph of a baseball game in progress, which took place at an early alumni weekend and in which Mr. Gunn was the umpire.

During her 20-year tenure, Krimsky served as Director of Communications, School Archivist and Bulletin editor, a role that allowed her to share her knowledge of the school’s history, and catalog the stories of alumni near and far. She also taught history, founded the Gunn Scholar program in 2002 — with the support of a generous gift from the Class of 1957 — and served as its advisor for more than a decade, and coordinated the Speaker Series, attracting Henry Kissinger, Frank McCourt and many other notable writers,

politicians, poets and athletes, who shared their experiences with students.

In 2016, Krimsky curated an extensive exhibit celebrating the life and legacy of Mr. Gunn on the occasion of his 200th birthday.

On view for three weeks at The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens in Washington Depot, the exhibit was the culmination of her nearly two decades of research, and showcased both the school and the town she so deeply loved.

“Working alongside Paula on any project was an adventure and supporting her efforts for the Gunn 200 exhibit was truly a delight.

Paula’s excitement and enthusiasm were infectious, especially when she uncovered the right quote or supporting piece of information.

There were no stressful moments even as we approached the deadline; there was laughter, camaraderie and her reminder of ‘ever onward and upward!’” recalled Krimsky’s friend and colleague Jess Baker, Associate Director of Alumni & Parent Engagement.

In the summer of 2017, the archives were hoisted from the Bourne basement and reassembled in a far more central location on the lower level of Tisch Schoolhouse. Gerrit Vreeland ’61, thenChairman of the Board of Trustees, and Jonathan Estreich P’06, then-Vice Chairman, were credited with leading that effort, and members of the Class of 1960 donated funds to the project in memory of George Krimsky ’60, who passed away on January 20, 2017.

Speaking at the dedication of The Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives and Special Collections that fall, Head of School Peter Becker recalled that what brought him to the school in 2012 was, first and foremost, its history. “It is entirely thanks to Paula that our history is preserved,” Becker said, adding that it quickly became his priority to relocate the archives “to help surface the DNA of the place with Mr. Gunn’s original spirit and vision for the school.”

Alumni, faculty and former faculty will remember Krimsky as a fixture at Alumni Weekend events, where she arrived with notepad and pen in hand to gather alumni stories. She loved poetry and rarely missed an opportunity to attend a performance

by The Gunnery Drama Society. Nothing captured her attention quite like the students’ annual fascination with hiding and finding the 200-pound, Civil War-era cannonball known as the Stray Shot. Krimsky was often engaged in the chase, helping students to devise the clues that would lead to the Stray Shot’s discovery and recounting the thrill of the hunt for current students and enthusiastic alumni alike.

Krimsky retired from the school in June 2018 but continued to come to campus weekly to work alongside her volunteers in the archives, and was in the process of writing a book about the school’s history. She also volunteered twice weekly at the Gunn Historical Museum, and was instrumental in the launch of the exhibit, “Washington, Connecticut: An American Story,” which opened in August 2019.

In July, the school dedicated its historic name change to Krimsky. “She did more than anyone in the last 30 years to keep the memory of Frederick Gunn alive, she dedicated the latter part of her career to preserving and protecting the rich archival material of Mr. Gunn and those closest to him, and she was an enthusiastic supporter of the decision to align our name with our founder clearly and boldly,” Becker said. “Paula’s memory, and that of her late husband, George, himself an alumnus, will be kept alive here in perpetuity through the archives that bear their name as well as the many details of the school’s history that we only have thanks to Paula’s intrepid research.”

Paula Krimsky is survived by her daughter, Alissa and her husband, Jon Fasman; her son, Michael, and his wife, Stefanie; six grandchildren — Leo, Isabella, Alexa, Zephyr, Olivia and Emma; her sister, Susan Jackson, and her husband, Charles; and four nieces and nephews.

A celebration of the life of Paula Gibson Krimsky was held on campus in Bourne Garden on September 5.

To read or contribute memories, please visit bit.ly/rememberingpaulagibsonkrimsky.

I feel this sense of urgency to save stuff...This is a lifelong job.

The research to follow these threads, you know, it will go on.”

– Paula Krimsky

Fall-Winter 2020

87

FACULTY PROFILE

Ten Minutes With Jenn Badger To Jenn Badger, the role of History Department Chair is all about team building. It’s about building the best team she can, and figuring out how that team works best together.

“It is probably one of the roles I’ve loved the most in my time here. It always felt like I was building a team, keeping a team together, building those collegial relationships, enhancing the curriculum in a good way, and getting to do some new, creative projects,” said Badger, who returned to the role July 1 after serving for seven years as Dean of Faculty.

A Connecticut native, Badger was raised in Branford, on the Connecticut shoreline, and graduated from Branford High School.

She planned to major in English at Wesleyan University, but shifted gears in part because her history professors were so compelling.

“They were activists, they were leading protests in the Civil Rights movement. They had lived the history in this really cool, authentic way. Every course was lively and engaging and the readings just brought it all to life,” she said.

She graduated from Wesleyan in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in history, and a concentration in American history. When she joined The Frederick Gunn School faculty in the fall of 2005, she was teaching history and coaching field hockey and softball, the two sports she excelled in at Wesleyan. She was named History Department Chair in 2010, a role she held until 2013, when she became Dean of Faculty.

Her husband, Craig, who is now Associate Director of Admissions, Associate Director of College Counseling and Head Boys Hockey Coach, also joined the History Department faculty in the fall of 2005. The couple met at Wesleyan, graduating in the same class. They were married on July 13, 2007 (yes, it was a Friday), and are raising their three daughters, Brooklyn, 4, and twins Avery and Maggie, 6, on campus. “One of our favorite wedding photos is all of The Gunnery faculty who came to our wedding. Maybe it’s 30 or 40 people. It was awesome. Then we had the twins, and then Brooklyn.

In a lot of ways, Craig and I feel like we grew up here,” Badger said.

Q: What courses have you taught here?

A: World History (sophomore history), World History Honors, U.S. History and A.P. U.S. History.

88

The Frederick Gunn School Bulletin

Q: What is your favorite Frederick Gunn School tradition?

A: School Walk has always been my favorite tradition. It’s one of the few days that we feel really good about stepping out of the classroom on a traditional academic day and everybody kind of engages in that time outside together. You end up walking with students or faculty you don’t normally get to connect with. It’s quiet, and it’s a good chunk of time outside.

Q: What advice do you have for new students?

A: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. We’ve always been a community that’s supported kids trying different things, even just standing up and making an announcement (in front of the whole school) for the first time. We actually celebrate that really nicely as a community. Also, ask a lot of questions! People here want to help other people.

Q: What is your favorite lesson or day of the year?

A: We cover the Civil War in the period between Thanksgiving and winter break and the last two days before the students leave, I always show the movie, ‘Glory.’ Every year, no matter who the kids are in the classroom, there’s always a really awesome emotional response to not just the story but to see in action what some of these individuals were willing to suffer through for a cause. To watch the kids respond to it in an emotional way every year, it never gets old.

Q: What is your favorite saying or expression?

A: The quote from “A League of Their Own:” “It’s supposed to be hard.

If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard ... is what makes it great.” I used it when I was coaching and sometimes in the classroom.

I don’t use it a lot. But I think it emphasizes that there needs to be challenge in your life. And you can’t back down.

Education B.A. in History, Wesleyan University M.S. in Education, Capella University Honors and Accolades The Class of 1955 Distinguished Teacher Award, 2010 Current Responsibilities History Department Chair Teaching World History and World History Honors Assistant Coach, Varsity Field Hockey Advisor Campus Life Committee Curriculum Committee

THE FREDERICK GUNN SCHOOL BULLETIN FALL 2020 Peter Becker Head of School BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020-21

DESIGN John Johnson Art Direction, Riverton, Conn. PRINTING David Emery ’73, GHP, West Haven, Conn.

OFFICERS 2020-21 Patrick M. Dorton ’86 Board Chair Neil Townsend P’18 ’20 Vice Chair Wanji Walcott P’19 Vice Chair Cynthia Urda Kassis P’19 Secretary William T. Tolley P’08 ’14 Treasurer Stephen W. Baird ‘68 William G. Bardel Peter Becker, Head of School Robert Bellinger ’73 Sarah A. (Scheel) Cook ’82 Jon Deveaux Gretchen H. Farmer P’05 Ashleigh Fernandez Susan Frauenhofer ‘88 Adam Gerry P’21 Beth Glynn Sherm Hotchkiss ’63 Peter R. Houldin ’92 Tom King ’60 Jonathan S. Linen ’62 Len Novick P’18 ’21 Roy B. Simpson, Jr. ’68 Krystalynn Schlegel ’96 Omar Slowe ’97 Richard N. Tager ’56 Robert M. Tirschwell ’86 Dan Troiano ’77 Cynthia Urda Kassis P’19 Rebecca Weisberg ’90

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Doug Day Director of Marketing & Communications dayd@frederickgunn.org Jennifer Clement P’22 Bulletin Editor clementj@frederickgunn.org ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT

Sean Brown P’22 Director of Alumni & Development browns@frederickgunn.org

TRUSTEES EMERITI Steven Bent ’59 Leo D. Bretter ’52 P’88 Jonathan M. Estreich P’06 Edsel Ford ’68 David N. Hoadley ’51 Joan Noto P’97 Jonathan Tisch ’72 Gerrit Vreeland ’61 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23 President Omar Slowe ’97 Vice President Scott A. Schwind ’89 Krystalynn M. Schlegel ’96 PARENTS FUND COMMITTEE CHAIR Keith Gleason P’19 ’21 ’23

The Bulletin is produced biannually (spring and fall) by The

The 1850 Fund

FUELING THE FREDERICK GUNN SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

From experiential learning opportunities and faculty development to student life activities, athletics, and financial aid, your annual gift to The 1850 Fund enhances the experience of every student at The Frederick Gunn School.

Gifts at all levels, from alumni, parents, and friends, collectively help ensure that our programs, our campus, and our faculty are the very best for our students.

Frederick Gunn School Marketing & Communications Department.

ADMISSIONS

Make Your Gift Today

Alexandra V. Ince P’20 ’23 Director of Enrollment incea@frederickgunn.org CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jess Baker, Peter Becker, Jennifer Clement P’22 PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sean Brown P’22, Ron Castonguay, Phil Dutton ’81 P’23, Chris Ferenzi, Jack Gleason ‘21, Shane Gorman ’10, The Highlander, Mark Liflander, Moss Lynch, Mike Marich P’21 ‘24, Becky McGuire, Chip Riegel, John Senecal, Tony Spinelli, Tim Stewart P’20, Ed Surjan

Venmo: @GoGunn1850 Online: GoGunn.org/MakeAGift By phone: 860-350-0184 By mail: using the enclosed envelope

Fall-Winter 2020

89

Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Milford, CT Permit No. 80

99 Green Hill Road, Washington, CT 06793

GoGunn.org

Senior Send-Off On Sunday, May 24, a day that had been reserved for our 170th Commencement Exercises honoring the great Class of 2020, a dozen seniors, led by Gianna Russillo ’20 and Hannah Richards ’20, organized a drive-through parade through campus. They lined up their cars, decorated with handmade “2020” signs, and red and white balloons, and began their bittersweet progression from Washington Primary School, up Route 47, to the original entrance to campus near Morehouse House. Cheered on by faculty, faculty children and friends, many of them waving their own handmade signs and school banners, the seniors drove by Van Sinderen, past Brinsmade and Graham, and out what many alumni know as the “back gate.”

They continued down Kirby Road coming to a stop at the Meeting House on the Green, where Phil Dutton ’81 P’23 met them and, camera in hand, captured the moment for all of us to enjoy. It was one of many improvised but no less heart-felt ways our community found to stay connected throughout the pandemic. Though we will

all be changed in some way by the impact of COVID-19, it cannot diminish the strength of our bonds, our friendships, shared history and experiences. We are and always will be #Highlanders.

Cheers to you, Class of 2020!