The Pingry Review - Summer 2019

THE LEGACY OF

Pingry’s 15th Headmaster SUMMER 2019

Stifel Award • Letter-in-Life Award • Reunion 2019

SUMMER 2019

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You can be an integral part of a child’s education by supporting The Pingry Fund.

Children learn best by doing. Experiential education opens minds and challenges students to push boundaries and live their classroom lessons. This is made possible by gifts to The Pingry Fund. Become a part of this incredible process. Visit pingry.org/give, call 908-647-5555 ext. 1284, or use the enclosed envelope to make your gift today.

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Parting Gift: Lower School faculty and staff created this beautiful mosaic to honor and thank Assistant Headmaster-Short Hills Campus and Lower School Director Ted Corvino P ’94, ’97, ’02 on the occasion of his retirement after a 45-year Pingry career (they assembled the mosaic at Glassworks Studio in Morristown). Framing the image of the school, in front of which Mr. Corvino is shaking hands with a student, the outer ceramic tiles represent aspects of his life, career, and interests. At the bottom, as a nod to a framed copy he kept in his office, is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Success.”

See page 47 for tributes to Mr. Corvino and other departing faculty and staff.

The Legacy of Pingry’s 15th Headmaster Page 8

Prior to joining Pingry in 2005, Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 had no intention of running a school. He not only changed his mind, but also became one of the School’s longest-serving Headmasters. To celebrate his tenure, we highlight his many accomplishments and ask him to reflect on the past 14 years.

Departments

From the Headmaster . . . . . . 3 Scene Around Campus . . . . . 4 Philanthropy . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . . 23 School News . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Athletics News . . . . . . . . . . 52 Visit to the Archives . . . . . . .64 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . 71 Closing Word . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Back cover: A scene from Matilda, this year's Middle School Musical.

31 Dr. Edus H. Warren III ’77 Receives Letter-in-Life Award An accomplished scientist and physician, Dr. Warren has dedicated his life to understanding the immunology of cancer and caring for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

43 Stifel Award Presented to Wrestler Jack Lyons ’19 Jack has literally had to fight through the pain. Learn about the condition that affects his knees and elbows, and hear from Jack about his determination to not quit the sport.

44 25 Years at Pingry for Artist and Teacher Miles Boyd Early in life, Mr. Boyd swore he would never teach, not wanting to deviate from his career as an artist. He decided he could balance both, and Pingry has benefited richly from his talents.

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Opening Shot

Goalie Allison Hosler ’19—who marked her 400th career save during the spring season—reaches for the ball as Big Blue (19-5) takes on Oak Knoll in the Group 1 Lacrosse Championship finals on June 1. They fell to the Royals, but not before defending their status as NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 1 Champions and celebrating another historic season.

Summer 2019 | Vol. 75 | No. 3

Editor Greg Waxberg ’96

Design and Layout Ruby Window Creative Group

Editorial Staff Kate Whitman Annis P ’23, ’23, ’28, ’30

Photography Lauren Anzevino Camille Bonds Peter Chollick Erin Kiernan Bruce Morrison ’64

Communications Writer

Associate Director of Institutional Advancement

The Honor Code

Pingry believes that students should understand and live by standards of honorable behavior, which are essentially a matter of attitude and spirit rather than a system of rules and regulations. Decent, selfrespecting behavior must be based on personal integrity and genuine concern for others and on the ethical principles which are the basis of civilized society. The members of the Pingry community should conduct themselves in a trustworthy manner that will further the best interests of the school, their class, and any teams or clubs to which they belong.

They should act as responsible members of the community, working for the common good rather than solely for personal advantage. They should honor the rights of others, conducting themselves at all times in a moral and decent manner while at Pingry and throughout their lives as citizens of and contributors to the larger community of the world.

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Elizabeth Breidinger

Director of Institutional Advancement

Allison C. Brunhouse ’00, P ’31

Director of Admission and Enrollment

Andrea Dawson Senior Writer

Holland Sunyak Francisco ’02

Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving

Edward Lisovicz

Advancement Writer

Dale V. Seabury P ’31

Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing

www.rubywindow.com

John O’Boyle GR Productions Dale V. Seabury Maggie Yurachek

The Pingry Review is the official magazine of The Pingry School, with the primary purpose of disseminating news and information about the School, alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

Contact the editor with comments and story ideas: The Pingry School 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 gwaxberg@pingry.org 908-647-5555, ext. 1296

A LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER

Dear Members of the Pingry Community

Just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of marking my 14th, and final, Commencement at Pingry. Over the course of those 14 years, I have also had the great pleasure of distributing well over 1,900 diplomas, launching into the world hundreds of remarkable students who will follow myriad paths but remain inextricably linked to the Pingry community.

As I take my final steps through Pingry’s hallways, and savor my last few walks along the path connecting the Basking Ridge Campus to Beinecke House, I feel very fortunate to have been part of this engaging, enduring community. The commitment, passion, and creativity of our faculty and staff are boundless, and I am so proud of the work we have accomplished together. Leading this School has been an honor and a great privilege.

This year, 18 of our graduates were “lifers,” having begun their Pingry careers in Kindergarten 13 years ago. Although it took me one more year to complete my Pingry career, I like to think I am joining our recent graduates in becoming one of Pingry’s newest alumni, and I am reminded of advice

I recently offered them: endings are nothing more than new beginnings. I also advised them to stay in touch, and return for an occasional visit. Whatever new beginnings may be in store, I will always feel grateful for the Pingry experience that we share.

And I look forward to returning to the School’s campuses, and to observing a future Pingry that is every bit as bright and exciting as this exceptional community has made my tenure here.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel E. Conard P ’09, ’11

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Scene Around Campus

Art Walk A year-end hallway display of student creations.

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Balladeers

Hoops!

Heading to the Lower Commons for their final concert of the school year.

A rousing community event: Seniors versus Faculty/Staff Basketball Game.

Class of 2019

Special Day

Hooray!

Seniors gather to celebrate on a sunny day at Pingry.

An activity in the Lower School’s STEAM Arts Studio during Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

The end of the school year approaches . . . a student clicking her heels at the start of summer!

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Project Week

Memories

During the Middle School‘s Project Week “Boat Challenge,” sixth-grade students designed and constructed “boats” intended to float faculty members the entire length of Beinecke Pool.

Here, highly amused history teacher Jason Murdock is assisted by science teachers Ramsay Vehslage and Jill Kehoe Law ‘04, as math teacher Donna Thau P ‘17, ‘20 looks on.

Seniors admire the 2019 Blue Book on Yearbook Dedication Day.

Big Blue Garden Refurbished and redesigned by Lower School faculty, staff, and students.

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Field Day Fun Lower School students on Blue and White Teams compete in events that emphasize teamwork and sportsmanship.

RENT The Drama and Music Departments presenting the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning rock musical, a loose retelling of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème.

Middle School Field Day Spirited competition includes races, dodgeball, trivia, and more.

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THE LEGACY OF

Pingry’s 15 Headmaster th

H

eadmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 was

certain that he would never run a school.

His parents founded a small, college-

preparatory boarding school on a working farm, which he attended. Watching them toil didn’t

2006 The Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle School completed and dedicated.

2007 Unveiling of Strategic Plan with four pillars: Intellectual Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, Honor and Character, Stewardship and Sustainability.

endear him to the role. But, in 2005, after many years and wide-ranging positions in the field of education, he found himself contemplating the very role he swore he would never assume. When Pingry offered him the position of Headmaster, he accepted. Fourteen years later, his broken promise has been to Pingry’s great benefit.

As Mr. Conard concludes the fourth-longest headmastership in Pingry history—the longest since Larry Springer’s tenure concluded in 1961—the community reflects on the numerous accomplishments

that

occurred

under

his

leadership. To cite but a few, he led Pingry through the development of two strategic plans; oversaw a significant increase in diversity among the student body; in an effort to foster intellectual engagement,

implemented

many

thoughtful

changes to academic programming, including experiential education initiatives; and guided the School during the dramatic modernization and

Middle School opens and Basking Ridge Campus’s overall energy use decreases.

Even with the campus expansion,

energy consumption decreased by 32% by integrating the Middle School’s water, sewage, and energy systems with the Upper School building and Hostetter Arts Center. The entire campus operates more efficiently as a cohesive system. As a whole, the School’s energy conservation initiatives over the years have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual savings.

revitalization of facilities on both campuses.

Join us for a “timeline tour” of Mr. Conard’s Pingry career, along with a reflective Q&A, reminiscences from colleagues, and a sampling of his Convocation messages to students.

2008 Excellence & Honor branding introduced.

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2009–10 This year marks the beginning of a consistent

14% or more of the student body receiving need-based financial aid, up from 8% in 2005.

Meanwhile, a priority of the School is to decouple socioeconomic diversity from racial and ethnic diversity.

2009

I expect you to try something new, to go out on a limb, to take a risk. For, in the words of another headmaster, from a school with a much different curriculum than ours, ‘It is our choices, Harry [Potter], that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.’”

—Nat Conard, 2008

2010–11

For nine consecutive years (2009-2017), students are semifinalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology (specifically, 16 semifinalists and one regional finalist)—Pingry is the only New Jersey school with that distinction (the Siemens Foundation ended the competition after 2017).

Pingry also boasts more National Merit Semifinalists per capita than any other school in New Jersey.

2009–12 Curriculum Review; two major results are the schedule change and pedagogy changes (increasing emphasis on collaborative, problem-based, studentcentered learning).

IRTs (Independent Research Teams) launch; research programs in the sciences are a model for other schools.

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2011 Solar panel array (394 kw) becomes operational on the Upper School building’s roof, producing about 20 percent of the building’s electricity. These panels have been providing the School with a tremendous financial benefit (other sustainability initiatives have included gardens on both campuses; a student- and faculty-designed campsite on the Basking Ridge Campus; courses in environmental art, science, and history; Middle School outdoor education and research programs; Global Field Studies programs that focus on environmental issues; and a rotary composter).

An important part of honor is the ability and willingness to recognize and admit mistakes, to accept the consequences of those mistakes, and to learn from, and share with others the learning from, those mistakes.”

—Nat Conard, 2005

Words of Praise Nat made Pingry a better version of itself by looking at the School from every angle—from curriculum to finance to strategic initiatives to our facilities to the student experience. He has touched every aspect of the School. He empowers others to do their jobs well and, in turn, Pingry has evolved to be the extraordinary institution we are today.”

—Director of Admission and Enrollment Allison (Manly) Brunhouse ’00, P ’31 Over 50-some years at Pingry, I have seen a great growth in professionalism and how we work with our students. The level of the faculty has grown considerably, with more advanced degrees. Our student body is very talented and diverse these days. Most remarkable is the improvement of our plant and facilities. Our strong financial situation has allowed us to do these things, and much of that has been due to Nat’s leadership.”

— Math teacher, baseball coach, and former Math Department Chair Manny Tramontana P ’85, ’87 I invited him to start a monthly ‘Headmaster’s Break’ during which Grade 5 students could ask him questions, and he immediately saw the value of meeting with them to talk about the Honor Code and Code of Conduct and to answer their questions.

He was so prepared and engaged, answering questions on the spot, giving credit where it’s due, and directing students to the proper resources.”

—Assistant Director of the Lower School Dr. Sandy Lizaire-Duff P ’25 (Lower School Director effective with the 2019-20 school year)

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2011 From this year on, over 45% students of color are enrolled annually, up from 21% students of color in 2005.

2011–12 Celebration of the School’s 150th Anniversary; film produced, A Portrait in Blue.

Beinecke House constructed, LEED Gold-certified; residence opens in 2012.

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Walk out of any echo chamber in which you find yourself, engage with each other and with each other’s ideas in a respectful manner, entertain the possibility that you might be wrong, and assume good intentions on the part of others.”

—Nat Conard, 2018

Created new position, Director of Summer and Auxiliary Programs, to grow auxiliary revenue.

2012 2013

Words of Praise

Inaugural Research Exhibit.

2014–15 Begin six consecutive years of tuition increases at a steady and historically low level of under 4%.

Current 10-year compound annual growth rate of tuition is under 4% for the first time in the School’s recorded history!

Thanks to operational efficiency, non-salary

expense growth has held essentially flat; all deferred maintenance has been addressed.

Nat encouraged us to change the way we teach. When he arrived at Pingry, many of us were still utilizing a lecturecentric means of teaching—I, for one, was certainly doing this. In my math classroom, I was the focus. That changed for many of us—we moved to a far more student-driven, discovery-focused approach to pedagogy.

Nat has not stopped thinking about ways to move the School forward and improve what we do—he does not rest on laurels.”

—Upper School Director, College Counselor, and math teacher Ananya Chatterji P ’25 Nat was extremely supportive of curriculum additions, program ideas, and initiatives at the Lower School. At the same time, he encouraged us to dive deeply into research and to make decisions based on sound pedagogy—once we did our due diligence, he listened and gave his support to make things happen.”

—Assistant Headmaster–Short Hills Campus and Lower School Director Ted Corvino P ’94, ’97, ’02

You will find yourselves with countless opportunities to make choices . . .

When you encounter choices that test your resolve to do the right thing, I want you to think about the Honor Code. And I want you to think about each other.”

Nat has always trusted people to be innovative, which goes hand-in-hand with the School’s expansion of programming. He knows when to get involved in a project—being a team member, to try something new—and when to stay out of the way, after his initial participation has served its purpose. Nat has also been a model of how to make tough decisions.”

—Director of Educational and Information Technology, Computer Science Department Chair, and English teacher Brian Burkhart

—Nat Conard, 2012 SUMMER 2019

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2014–16 Public phase of $65 million Blueprint for the Future Campaign; entire campaign raises $76.7 million.

Engage in dialogue. I ask you to thoughtfully consider your opinions, respectfully listen—really listen—to your classmates’ views, carefully examine the evidence—yours and theirs—and constructively wrestle with different perspectives.”

—Nat Conard, 2011

2015–16

Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics

Center constructed; building opens in 2017.

2016 Full modernization of Short Hills Campus complete in the summer, plus biology wing, physics suite, collaboration spaces (marking a culture shift in the use of space), and more are modernized on the Basking Ridge Campus—all continued outgrowth of Curriculum Review.

With freedom of speech comes the imperative to speak responsibly . . . we each need to ask ourselves if what we are saying is responsible, even if it is challenging, or if it is irresponsible or even hurtful. And we need to help each other take responsibility as well.

Because if we tolerate hurtful speech, we are participating in it as surely as if we uttered it ourselves.”

—Nat Conard, 2016 14

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Words of Praise Nat understood that environmental stewardship is crucial if we are to model ethical citizenship for future generations. In that spirit, he has led and supported many impactful environmental sustainability projects. Perhaps most important, Nat knows that teachers are at their best when they are encouraged to be creative.”

—Director of Experiential Education and history teacher John Crowley-Delman ’97

2017–18 Humanities IRTs launch as pilot program to expand the robust IRTs.

I didn’t have to explain the benefits of art because Nat knew how it would develop a student’s mind, cognitively.

He helped us bring art to the forefront by embracing STEAM as opposed to STEM, recognizing that art has the same value as engineering or math.”

—Lower School visual arts teacher Lindsay Baydin P ’26, ’29

2018 Auxiliary net revenue exceeds $1 million (FY 2018-19), improved from 2005, when auxiliary programs operated at a loss.

Unveiling of Strategic Plan: Vision, Purpose, Impact.

John Crowley-Delman ’97 assumes new role as first Director of Experiential Education, furthering the School’s ongoing efforts— efforts that began nearly a century ago—to promote an approach to learning by doing.

2019 17% faculty/staff of color, especially in leadership roles, up from 8% in 2005.

Nat’s knowledge of the natural world is awesome . . . and his generosity in sharing this knowledge with the community when he has had so many demands on his time is remarkable. Nat is also a problem solver.

As a good bureaucratic steward of our woodlands, I thought we should call in the Student Conservation Association to look at the chronically flooded loop trail to Pingry’s campsite—the consultant recommended some costly and elaborate remediation.

Nat asked, ‘Why don’t we just reroute some of the trail to higher ground?’ So, we did.

Students from science and summer courses marked the new route and built 400 yards of new trail. Cost: Zero. Educational learning benefits: Incalculable. Thanks, Nat!” —Sustainability Coordinator Peter Delman P ’97, ’98 SUMMER 2019

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Q&A

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At Pingry, you led a school for the first time. What were some of your most significant takeaways?

What have you most appreciated about Pingry students over your years here?

It’s pretty complicated! There are a lot of constituencies, all of whom want your time and attention, but the kids and faculty have to be the most important. The longer you’re at a school, the more parents and alumni know you, so your sphere of “people you know” expands and pulls you away from that core constituency. You also realize that your relationship with the people you work with is much different when you are Head than it is when you’re a faculty member or an administrator. One of the fun takeaways is how utterly unaware many people are of what the Head actually does! For the record, I had meetings . . . every day!

They are extraordinary. What I really appreciate about them, having gotten to know them— for the last six years, I taught half of each Upper School class Financial Literacy—is that they are kind, hardworking, cheerful, really bright, supportive of each other, curious, polite, simultaneously competitive and collaborative, and, one of the great outcomes of Curriculum Review, so much more intellectually engaged than they were when I got here. And, while we require community service, I think they perform above and beyond compared to most kids.

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How did your periodic work as an advisor complement your work as Headmaster?

It gives you an opportunity to get a little closer to the student experience. It was nice to go back to having advisees after my own children had graduated. It puts you back in a rhythm that you’re otherwise not in.

Can you describe the feeling of returning to the classroom?

When I wasn’t teaching, I missed the classroom so much—that’s why we get into the field of education, to be part of students’ growth. I was ecstatic to get back into the classroom to teach Financial Literacy, and I loved the “Eureka!” moments that happened when students understood complicated concepts.

Working for the common good as a responsible member of the community means that you have a responsibility—an ethical responsibility—to fully engage with your classmates and your teachers in grappling with ideas. The more engaged you are, the better you do, and the better everyone around you does. Therein lies the beauty of working for the common good!”

—Nat Conard, 2009

How would you characterize your role as a mentor to faculty and staff ?

If you like helping students develop, you also like helping adults develop. I’m proud of the fact that we have a lot of people in leadership roles who have grown into those roles while here. I also love that energetic, innovative teachers have had ideas, we supported them, and they have become leaders. We have also created opportunities for people to try leadership— for example, Form Deans and Team Leaders.

When you reflect on your accomplishments, what satisfies you the most?

What makes me feel satisfied is the School’s culture. It feels like a culture in which people are engaged and having fun, trying to be better every year at what we do, and caring about the kids—a really healthy culture, with a good level of respect for rigor and a good level of innovation. Schools are often described as resistant to

change, but a lot of impetus for innovation here is coming from the faculty and administrators.

I wanted to be able to support ideas that came from others—a ground-up approach. Even new teachers have come to realize that, if you want to do something here, the School will find a way for you to do it.

What aspects of your experience leading Pingry will stick with you? What will you miss most?

It has been an extraordinary amount of fun. I got to meet some amazing people. What I will miss most are the fast pace and sense of accomplishment.

The work you do in this role is really meaningful and hard to replicate.

What are your hopes for Pingry in the future?

Just as I think Pingry is a better school now than it was 10 or 20 years ago, I hope that anyone looking at Pingry in 10 years will say it is a better school than it is today.

Honors from NJAIS and New Jersey SEEDS Mr. Conard received two accolades in 2019, within a few months of each other. First, NJAIS (New Jersey Association of Independent Schools) surprised him with the organization’s Service Award, recognizing his multiple terms on the NJAIS Board and his roles as Chair of the Finance Committee and Treasurer of the board. Also a trustee of New Jersey SEEDS* for nearly 15 years, he was presented with the Leading Change Award, given to those whose initiative and commitment have enhanced the educational opportunities of young people throughout New Jersey. *Founded in 1992, NJ SEEDS (Scholars, Educators, Excellence, Dedication, Success) is a nonprofit organization that prepares highachieving, low-income students for admission to independent schools and colleges across the country.

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Philanthropy

“There is a tendency to think about financial aid as something that we do solely to help other people. The reality is that need-based aid is an investment, and one that always pays dividends. The perspectives, backgrounds, and skills that our families bring to our community enrich the experience for everybody; what they bring to the table is worth far more than mere dollars and cents.”

b

Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11

Moving the Needle on Financial Aid If you could positively impact a child’s life, would you?

For Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, the answer is yes.

Accessible education is a passion of Mr. Conard’s and, under his leadership, the School has made a tremendous investment in students by drastically expanding the financial aid program.

During the course of his tenure, the financial aid budget tripled, rising from just shy of $2 million in 2005 to over $6 million this past academic year. This increase has allowed Pingry to double the number of students receiving 18

THE PINGRY REVIEW

need-based financial assistance, making a Pingry education possible for nearly 200 students.

Mr. Conard has also been a trustee of NJ SEEDS for nearly 15 years and will retire from its Board this August. NJ SEEDS is dedicated to providing access to an independent school education for motivated, high-achieving, lowincome students. Thomas Campbell ’19,

“We never want to turn away a family or an extraordinary student because of financial need. As we build a class of students, we rely on financial aid to fill that class with artists, athletes, scientists, and thinkers of all stripes. I get to see these incredible students blossom every day at the Lower School—I am so grateful that we can help so many students attend Pingry without placing an undue burden on their families.”

b

Assistant Headmaster–Short Hills Campus and Lower School Director Ted Corvino P ’94, ’97, ’02

who will attend the University of Richmond this fall, is one such student.

“I came from a school where academics weren’t really emphasized,” he says.

“I’ve always really enjoyed learning, and at Pingry I had the flexibility to take classes I really wanted to take, like AP Government and AP Chemistry. The teachers here are incredible; they build a genuine connection with the students and want to help them succeed on their own terms.”

“You can’t have true diversity without socioeconomic diversity,” says one Lower School parent whose family currently receives aid. “Cultivating a multifaceted community like that at the Lower School is crucial. Exposing students to different perspectives at a young age allows them to incorporate those points of view into their learning all the way through, from day one until graduation.”

Over the last decade, Mr. Conard was fortunate to have a colleague who shared his commitment to making Pingry accessible for students and their families—Ted Corvino P '94, '97, '02, who has long championed inclusivity and accessibility at Pingry’s Short Hills Campus. Since joining the Lower School faculty in 1974, Mr. Corvino has been a role model and friend to students, faculty, staff, and others.

From being a full-time teacher in the classroom to becoming Assistant Headmaster–Short Hills Campus and Lower School Director, Mr. Corvino has always made students and families feel at home. Regardless of the weather, he is outside every morning, ready to welcome students with a warm smile, a handshake, and encouragement.

“Education is absolutely a priority for our family. Even though we receive aid, tuition still places financial pressure on our family. The experience our daughter has had so far at Pingry makes us feel that the School is worth that investment. I don’t know that we would do this for just any school.”

“Without SEEDS, I would probably be at a vocational school, stuck in the same old habits.

I wouldn’t have put any effort into my work, or taken as much interest in my education. Pingry and the SEEDS program have been instrumental in my education; I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunities that I have today.”

b

Thomas Campbell ’19

Kalma Taylor remembers driving 80 miles each day to bring daughter Kaley ’21 to Pingry’s Short Hills Campus. “The culture that Ted created at the Lower School was so supportive and understanding, both for children and parents,” she says.

“It’s like a family; everybody there feels included.”

As we say farewell to Mr. Conard and Mr. Corvino, the Pingry community will carry forward their legacy by establishing two endowed financial aid scholarships: the Nathaniel E. Conard Scholarship and Theodore M. Corvino, Sr. Scholarship.

On behalf of all Pingry students and families, we say THANK YOU to both Mr. Conard and Mr. Corvino for their leadership in helping to build a strong community across the Upper, Middle, and Lower Schools.

To make a gift supporting the Nathaniel E. Conard Scholarship and/or Theodore M. Corvino, Sr. Scholarship, please visit pingry.org/ farewell.

Kalma Taylor and Kaley Taylor ’21 after the 2019 Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition.

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Sustainable Scraps

How Pingry Spins Lunchroom Waste into Teaching Gold A rainy spring means that mushrooms and moss are popping up among the decomposing twigs and loam of the woods outside Pingry’s Basking Ridge Campus. This past March, an agent to help Pingry produce more decomposition sprouted almost as quickly: a 40-foot industrial-strength composter, built by Jeff Tamn and Robert Burke of Pingry’s own Facilities staff. The unit was built with a grant from the Union Foundation and designed in partnership with the North Country School in Lake Placid, NY. Pingry now processes its food waste mere steps from the dining hall door, obviating the need to ship it off site or to a landfill. These expensive, time-consuming propositions have a prohibitive carbon footprint—and worse, they don't teach students anything.

A natural extension of experiential education, use of the composter by Pingry 20

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clubs and science courses provides additional opportunities for the Pingry community to live one of the School's core tenets: Stewardship and –––––––––––––

“As composting is integrated into our community this fall, we would like to leave you with the golden rule: ‘If it was ever alive, compost it!’”

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Caroline Friend ’19 at the 2019 Earth Day Assembly Carpenter/Facilities Technician Jeff Tamn (pictured) and Mechanical Technician Robert Burke built this industrial-strength composter.

Sustainability. Not only can the composter be used as a laboratory to study cellular respiration and the role of microbes in decomposition, but the food scraps can be repurposed into high-quality, earth-friendly fertilizer to be used in Pingry's campus gardens.

Pingry’s Green Group tested the composting system throughout the spring and performed an audit to determine how much of our current kitchen waste could be composted. Trial runs will continue through the summer in preparation for a campus-wide roll-out in the fall of 2019.

As the School's experiential and sustainable practices expand, Pingy's composter provides an incredible opportunity to repurpose campus waste, turning rot into riches—just like the hard-working fungi that keep our woods clean and green.

A Gift That Pays You Back

How much income will I receive with a gift of $25,000?

If you’re looking for a way to support Pingry and receive a steady income stream, a charitable gift annuity may be your answer.

One Annuitant A Charitable Gift Annuity is one of the most popular charitable gift strategies. A Charitable Gift Annuity, CGA, is a simple contract between Pingry and you. In exchange for your gift, Pingry agrees to make payments for life to one or two beneficiaries (annuitants), which make CGAs especially attractive arrangements for individuals or couples who seek an income in retirement. After you pass away, the balance of your original gift will go to Pingry.

Other benefits include:

Age

Rate

“Income”

Tax Free*

Deduction

60 65 70 75 80 85

4.7% 5.1% 5.6% 6.2% 7.3% 8.3%

$1,175 $1,275 $1,400 $1,550 $1,825 $2,075

$ 691 $ 794 $ 927 $1,080 $1,332 $1,612

$ 8,335 $ 9,199 $10,268 $11,613 $12,474 $14,037

Two Annuitants Age(s)

Rate

“Income”

Tax Free*

Deduction

60-60 65-65 70-70 75-75 80-80 85-85

4.1% 4.5% 5.0% 5.5% 6.2% 7.3%

$1,025 $1,125 $1,250 $1,375 $1,550 $1,825

$ 587 $ 685 $ 806 $ 936 $1,113 $1,383

$ 7,629 $ 7,942 $ 8,482 $ 9,653 $10,863 $11,855

• You support Pingry with a legacy gift • Payments you receive are partially tax free • You receive a charitable deduction in the year of your gift • Membership in the C. B. Newton Society

For a personalized CGA calculation, please contact Elizabeth Breidinger, Director of Institutional Advancement, at ebreidinger@pingry.org or 908-647-5555 ext. 1233

*For the life expectancy of the annuitant. Calculations are based on quarterly payments and a discount rate of 3.6%.

Please note that this information is for illustrative purposes and is not intended as tax or legal advice. Rates are subject to change and are based on rates recommended by American Council on Gift Annuities.

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True Blue Spotlight Q&A with members of Pingry’s True Blue Society, those who have given to the School for 10 or more consecutive years.

Dr. Claus Hamann ’69, former doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beacon Health Eastern Maine What inspires you about Pingry today?

I find the commitment to the full development of each student’s unique potential through very diverse educational offerings most inspiring. It is clear that, over time, the School has embraced and incorporated innovation in education to continuously improve its offerings to students across intellectual, social, emotional, and athletic spheres. The purposeful, intentional approach that Pingry has taken in areas like student wellness and global experiences prepares students to handle the big problems that they will need to solve when they’re older.

chair and he was bearing down on you with a particular grammatical point, there was an immense sense of benign power. You had no choice but to pay attention! I translated three books of the Aeneid with him, as well as the works of various other poets. In retrospect, I’m amazed that the School would hold a class for just one student, but Mr. Booth had a clear joy of learning, and of imparting Latin in all its basics and subtleties.

What was your hardest Pingry class?

Dr. Claus Hamann ’69 conversing with Middle School students during the Pen Pal program at his 50-Year Reunion in May.

What is your fondest Pingry memory?

My tutorial with Mr. Booth sophomore year when I was the only student taking Latin 3. Albie Booth was an impressive figure, and when you were sitting in a

Mr. Romano’s calculus class. I had him for one year, and I was in a class with enormous math talent. I had to really work hard at it, and it didn’t always click for me. I remember that he was very patient, with an unpretentious wizardly aspect (I thought). He helped his students understand even the most arcane formula. I should have continued in college; it would have set me up for statistics, which in my profession allows you to decide which treatment is working better than another on a certain population base.

C.B. Newton Society Invited “Back to the Classroom” At Pingry, a discussion in the Ethical Dilemmas course challenges students to wrestle with morally complex scenarios and can last all afternoon. When posing those same dilemmas to alumni, the conversation is just as intense.

During Reunion Weekend, members of the C.B. Newton Society were invited into the Dr. Herbert F. Hahn Classroom for an opportunity to participate in a current Pingry course.

The special “Back to the Classroom” discussion was facilitated by Upper School English teacher and Magistri member Tom Keating P ’27, ’29, who has been teaching the incredibly popular Ethical Dilemmas course for nearly two decades. The course syllabus explores ways in which writers have tried to make sense of the world by portraying ordinary people searching for guidelines in an unethical world.

Students read Death and the Maiden, The Elephant Man, Killings, and No Country for Old Men, and watch the 22

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movie adaptations to further their discussions. Dilemmas from the books are tied to real-world topics.

Alumni attendees tackled four dilemmas, culled from a list of over 100 that Mr. Keating has curated over the years.

They ranged from sports conundrums in the Olympic games to the recent college admission scandal. “Pingry alumni are lifelong learners,” Mr. Keating says, “so it was great to hear their thoughts regarding these tough issues.”

Seated: Bruce Laing ’64, David Patterson ’64, Honorary Trustee Bill Engel ’67, and Honorary Trustee Jack Brescher ’65, P ’99. Standing: Trustee Stuart Lederman ’78, William Castle '69, English teacher Tom Keating P ’27, ’29, Jack Kurtz ’84, and Honorary Trustee and C.B. Newton Society Chair Ned Atwater ’63.

If you would like to learn more about how to become a member of the C.B. Newton Society by including Pingry in your estate plans, please contact Elizabeth Breidinger, Director of Institutional Advancement, at ebreidinger@pingry.org.

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Chip Korn ’89 Receives Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award Continuing a Reunion Weekend tradition was the surprise presentation of the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award. Named for a former Pingry Alumni Association President (1942-43) and Letter-in-Life Award winner (1982), it is given for faithful and dedicated service in support of Pingry, with special consideration given to the nature and duration of service.

This year's award was given to former PAA President Chip Korn ’89, P ’21, ’21, ’23, who served as PAA President from 2012-2016 and devoted his time and energy to finding new ways for alumni to connect with the School. Recognizing the need for alumni to network with Pingry peers, he launched professional networking groups. While a member of the Board of Trustees, he served as Vice Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Building and Grounds Committee. Mr. Korn has also served as a Reunion volunteer, Reunion Chair, Pingry Fund volunteer, and 1980s Decade Chair.

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Reunion 2019 [ 1 ] Sean Kulkarni ’98 with his daughter. [ 2 ] Maya Artis ’09 and PAA President Woody Weldon ’91, P ’23. [ 3 ] Peter Keim ’59 with Big Blue. [ 4 ] Special Assistant to

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the Headmaster Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Chip Korn ’89, P ’21, ’21, ’23, and PAA President Woody Weldon ’91, P ’23. [ 5 ] Amanda Mintz-Muscato ’99, Katie Scott Old ’99, Devon Graham Hammonds ’99, and Courtney Schneider Farkas ’99 with their children. [ 6 ] Brooke Conti ’09, Anne DeLaney ’79, P ’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, Ryan Akins, Emma Carver Akins ’09, and Jackie Reef ’09. [ 7 ] Athletics Hall of Fame member, Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey Assistant Coach, and Form V/VI Dean of Student Life Jake Ross ’96 with Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey Assistant Coach/ Head Coach Emeritus John Magadini. Read more about the Athletics Hall of Fame inductions on page 30. [ 8 ] Former School Counselor and psychology teacher Pat Lionetti P ’85, ’88, ’89 with Tina Guarino ’89. [ 9 ] Clark Johnson ’69, Bob McLellan ’69, and Paul Simson ’69.

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Class of 1959

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Class of 1964

Class of 1969

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Class of 1979

Reunion 2019 [ 10 ] Dollaya Chaibongsai DePasquale ’89, Julie

Class of 1984

Kotz Richie ’89, Chris Richie, and Chuck Iacuzzo ’89. [ 11 ] The Class of 1969’s Reunion Committee organized a time capsule of the 1960s that included newspapers, magazines, books, games, music, and videos from the decade. [ 12 ] Student Body President Andrew Cowen ’19 speaking at the Annual Meeting of Alumni. He referenced his ISP (Independent Senior Project), for which he wrote a multiple-page letter to the new Head of School, reflecting Pingry's strengths and areas of improvement, gleaned from dozens of interviews with many people in the community. “Like-minded people—driven and kind and supportive people— come together to create something amazing,” he said. “[This is] a place where you can be yourself and have every opportunity to pursue anything you desire.”

Class of 1989

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Class of 1994

Class of 1999

To see all photos from Reunion Weekend, visit pingry.org/ reunion Class of 2004

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Class of 2009

Class of 2014

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Pingry Athletics Hall of Fame Inductions JOHN “MAGS” MAGADINI

Award-winning Head Coach of the Boys’ Ice Hockey Team for 20 years (1996-2016) Assistant Coach/Head Coach Emeritus since 2016

John and Carol Magadini.

“Mags‘ greatest gift to each of us is that he takes the time to listen and gets to know us; he cares. Although he can teach the Xs and Os and he can win games and championships, it is the way he acts, his belief in what a team is, and the way he leads that define his legacy. He teaches what it means to be committed, what it means to compete, what it means to be a teammate, what it means to care.”

- Athletics Hall of Fame member, Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey Assistant Coach, and Form V/VI Dean of Student Life Jake Ross ’96

Browse Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame and view the citations for this year’s inductees at halloffame.pingry.org.

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1983 BOYS’ SOCCER TEAM This team won more games (18-1-1) than any previous team in Pingry soccer history and scored a recordbreaking 77 goals while posting 15 shutouts

Chris Welch ’84, Conor Mullett ’84, P ’14, ’15, Chris Jenkins ’85, Don DiChiara ’84, Jay Wood ’84, Stuart Jentis ’84, Sean Lewis ’85, Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Mike Canavan ’85, Rick Reiken ’84, Chris Salibello ’84, and David Freedman ’84. Not pictured: Tez Abbott ’84, Dr. David Becker ’85, Dr. Steve Bent ’84, Dr. Anthony Clapcich ’84, David Croke ’85, Chris Edwards ’84, David Eisenbud ’85, Digger Fair ’85, Jesse Feigenbaum ’85, Dr. Rice Fuller II ’84, Andy Garrow ’84, Geordy Mahr ’84, Brian O’Donnell ’81, Tom Osmun ’84, Steve Platzman ’84, John Rentzepis ’84, and Geoff Solomon ’84.

1991-92 BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM This team shares the record for most wins in Pingry basketball history (18-5) and became the only basketball team in School history to win a Parochial B playoff game

Sam Partridge ’92, Rodney Shenman ’92, Mike Gerstein ’92, Head Coach Jim Sala, Mike Breheney ’92, and Andrew Goldstein ’92. Not pictured: Doug Chernack ’92, Allan Donnelly ’92, Stephen Echikson ’93, Carey Egan ’92, Bobby Grohs ’93, Ali Khan ’93, Tim Loree ’93, Chris Pearlman ’92, and David Sobel ’93.

Dr. Edus H. Warren III ’77 Receives Letter-in-Life Award The Letter-in-Life Award is the most prestigious honor that the Pingry Alumni Association bestows upon a graduate. It honors those who, in gaining distinction for themselves, have also brought honor to the School. Dr. Warren’s citation was presented at Commencement.

Dr. Edus Houston Warren III ’77, known to all as “Hootie,” is an accomplished scientist and physician who has dedicated his life to understanding the immunology of cancer and caring for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

After graduating from Pingry as Valedictorian, Dr. Warren earned an A.B. degree magna cum laude in Applied Mathematics from Harvard College in 1982. Continuing at Harvard, Dr. Warren earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology in 1988 and his M.D. in 1991. It was during his final year of medical school that Dr. Warren first heard his life’s calling, when he read about the Nobel Prize-winning work of Dr. E. Donnall Thomas in Seattle in bone marrow transplantation—the first successful immunology treatment for cancer. This call would come again during his internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital; he was treating a patient who had contracted an AIDS-defining malignancy—a lymphoma tied to his HIV infection. As there was no effective treatment for the disease at that time and nothing to stop the cancer, the patient died. Galvanized, Dr. Warren headed to Seattle in 1993 as a medical oncology fellow at the Fred

Dr. Edus Houston "Hootie" Warren '77 and his wife Linda Warren.

Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, and embarked on a career combining scientific research with clinical practice and public service.

Dr. Warren is a Member of the Clinical Research Division and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where he has worked for 26 years. He is Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Pathology at the University of Washington. Dr. Warren is also a physician at the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where he practices medical oncology.

His work co-inventing a patented DNA sequencing technology has been successfully commercialized by a Seattle biotech company.

Dr. Warren has published over 100 scholarly articles and book chapters, which have been cited in other literature on the subject over 4,500 times. His work has won numerous awards, including a Florence A. Carter Fellowship in Leukemia Research from the American

Medical Association, a Fellowship in Research on Leukemia and Allied Diseases from the Lady Tata Memorial Trust, a Lilly Clinical Investigator Award from the Damon Runyon Foundation, a Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research from the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, and a Team Science Recognition Award from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Dr. Warren’s research focuses on the mechanisms by which manipulation of the immune system can eliminate cancer.

In recent years, this focus has expanded to study cancers that are common in low- and middle-income nations, whose citizens account for 70% of global cancer deaths. Dr. Warren is renowned in his field not only for his pioneering research, but also for his understanding of the human dimension of cancer and his passion to bring lifesaving treatment to low-resource settings.

In 2017, Dr. Warren was selected to serve as the Head of the Global Oncology Program at the Fred Hutch. This program collaborates with the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, Uganda to improve cancer care for a nation of 44 million people with limited resources for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The UCI—Fred Hutch Cancer Centre opened in 2015 and houses research laboratories, training facilities, and adult and pediatric outpatient clinics. Under the auspices of the Hutch Global Oncology Program, numerous Ugandan physicians have trained in Seattle and returned to practice at the UCI. The UCI—Fred Hutch Collaboration has completed more than 30 research projects on five cancers, enrolled more than 1,800 study participants, and archived more than 160,000 specimens. Dr. Warren and his Ugandan colleagues pioneered a virtual intercontinental tumor board that has met weekly for the past four years to discuss how to best diagnose and manage Ugandan patients with blood cancers.

Because of his accomplished research history, compassionate clinical practice, and dedication to taking medical advances to places far from scientific hubs, Dr. Edus Houston Warren has earned distinction and brought honor to The Pingry School.

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Q&A with Chris Varvaro ’17 Jason Bisgay ’19 and Alex Rabney ’19 interview their former Jazz Ensemble friend, now “fast-rising recording artist”— according to TrapStyle.com—and Music major at The College of William & Mary

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Your website, pursoundmusic.com, describes you as a self-taught instrumentalist, DJ, and music producer. Since graduating from Pingry in 2017, what has your musical trajectory been, and what led you down the path of music production, as opposed to musical performance or direction?

Since graduating from Pingry, I’ve been actively pursuing a music career as much as I can while also managing my workload as a college student. For me, more opportunities have come from songwriting and production than from performing, given that I release my own tracks regularly, receive press, and do a lot of music production for other artists. My career mostly started just by uploading my tracks on SoundCloud, gaining some buzz, and ultimately having my music and brand spread throughout the online community of artists, producers, and managers. Through networking and the power of the Internet, I’ve been able to work with and meet a lot of really cool people in the industry—Davis Mallory, Jenaux, Ian Van Dahl, as well as producers and labels such as Capitol, Warner, and others under Universal Music Group. I recently signed with Kobalt Music Group as a producer, which was a huge stepping stone for me. I haven’t forgotten about the performance aspect of my work, and I do still DJ, primarily in night clubs, and I play my own mixes on radio shows now. I haven’t done as many live shows because of the amount I would have to travel—it is not feasible to balance with a full academic schedule at the moment. But that will change when I graduate!

What type of music do you produce? Why were you drawn to it?

I primarily write Electronic Dance Music [EDM], but I also do Pop and Hip-Hop production. I was drawn to EDM completely by chance. My older brother John ’11 was driving me to a drum lesson when I was in Middle School and he was playing a Kap Slap track in the car.

The electronic sounds were so unique to me; I had never heard anything like it before. My musical studies up until that point were focused on jazz drumming. So, I had to learn more. I went home, researched more artists, watched YouTube tutorials on production, and I discovered there was an entire scene and culture behind this genre of music. It was really intriguing to me, so, I downloaded Ableton Live software, taught myself through experimentation and trial and error, and the rest is history!

How has Pingry’s music program shaped your musical inquiry in college?

I actually just declared as a Music major, with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Mason School of Business. I am really thankful for the entire Music

Department at Pingry. Everyone in the Department (including the Lower School—haven’t forgotten about you, Mrs. Finn!) has definitely instilled a lot of wisdom and hard skills that are applicable to my studies and career to this day. The Upper School Jazz Ensemble was also an awesome experience for me, and I will most likely be playing the drums in the Jazz Ensemble at William and Mary as part of my musical studies. Thanks, Mac [Pingry’s instrumental music teacher and Jazz Ensemble director Sean McAnally]—hopefully I haven’t forgotten my chops!

What are you doing musically in college?

In addition to my Music major classes, I’ve taken a few audio engineering classes, which have been great. I made a lot of connections through that class and realized that the field of audio engineering is also a viable path for me in the business, since music production and engineering are closely related. Between my own music and school, it is a very hectic lifestyle, for sure, but I love the hustle. I am working all the time and it’s going really well.

How do you envision your passion for music and your burgeoning career continuing to develop after college? Ideally, what’s next for you?

Well, I am going to continue to grind until I am living my dream. In a perfect world, I’d be writing and producing full time while traveling on tour. (Think The Chainsmokers’ lifestyle—very demanding—but I want it.) It’s a big ask, but I know I can do it if I keep surrounding myself with the right people and continue what I am doing.

Any advice for current Pingry music students thinking about pursuing their craft in college?

Go. For. It. Seriously, now is the time to do it. College is the time to experiment, try new things, figure out what you like and what you don’t like. If you already know what you want to do, you’re ahead of the game. If you aren’t pursuing your passion because your friends or other people are telling you that you are incapable or are making fun of you, forget them. They don’t know what you are capable of, and only you can control how it works out. As long as you believe in yourself and want it enough, the sky is the limit.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?

Yes! I was featured in an article with fellow music industry experts about our predictions for the EDM business in 2019. My latest single, Broken (featuring Sky Roses on vocals), just came out and is doing great! It is on rotation on FM radio in Atlanta and has gotten a ton of press.

I also did an interview with TrapStyle.com about it!

[Read both articles at pingry.org/extras.]

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Pingry Events

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Washington, D.C. Reception

Naples Reception

John Boffa ’72 (host), Rick Bosland ’76, Ted Bristol ’74, former Upper School Director Dr. Denise Brown-Allen P ’13, Special Assistant to the Headmaster Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Upper School Director, College Counselor, and math teacher Ananya Chatterji P ’25, Greg Chernack ’89, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, Dr. Alexa Gale ’99 and Michael Renda ’00, Tanay Gupta ’14, Olga Pavlova and former biology teacher Tommie Hata, Susan and John Klein ’63, Kristin Koernig ’00, Stephanie Lipper ’14, Alexandria Fritsche Lipton ’90, Caren Yglesias and John Livengood ’70, Dr. Randy Lizardo ’95, Brian Martin ’02, Melanie Nakagawa ’98, John D. Neumann ’90, Kevin Nichols ’94, Erin O’Connell Palmer ’89, David Riskin ’00, Ameesha N. Sampat ’06, Chris Shahidi ’94, Nancy and Mitchell Shivers P ’94, Kevin Walsh ’77, Karin Walsh Rutledge ’81, and Jessica Westerman ’08.

Breidinger, Ingrid Brimer and Greg Goggin ’55, Special Assistant to the Headmaster Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Eileen K. Cameron P ’90, ’93, Patricia and Bruce Campbell P ’12, ’12, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, Pat Coughlan ’58, Barbara and Dr. Andy Faber ’75, Margot Jackler and Paul Flowerman P ’04, ’07, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Holland Sunyak Francisco ’02, Kathleen and Bruce Freeman ’67, Bob Gibson ’66, Georgia and Hilton Jervey ’57, P ’78, ’82, Nancy Knauer, LeeAnn and Richard Lan P ’02, ’07, ’07, Leah and C. Frederick Mueller, Jr. ’53, biology teacher and Girls’ Varsity Swim Team Head Coach Deirdre O’Mara P ’17, ’19, ’21, Marguerite Shepard, Bonnie and Dave Slobodien, Esq. ’70, and Sue and Ted Walbridge ’78.

[ 1 ] Attendees included Dr. Richard Bates, Jr. ’62, Marissa Bialecki ’06,

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[ 2 ] Attendees included Director of Institutional Advancement Elizabeth

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Vero Beach Reception

[ 3 ] Attendees included Bryant and former fifth-grade teacher Susanne Alford P ’92, ’95, Vin Apruzzese P ’76, ’78, ’80, ’85, GP ’06, ’08, Director of Institutional Advancement Elizabeth Breidinger, Susan Donnell and David Budd ’66, Special Assistant to the Headmaster Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Elizabeth and Dr. Frank Bunn ’53, Freeman Bunn ’53, Bob Burks ’56, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, Jubb Corbet, Jr. ’50, P ’77, ’78, Anke and Joe Cornell, Jr. ’58, Betsy and John Crosby P ’96, John Davis ’58, former Lower School Director of Admission and teacher Nicki Doggett P ’89, Nancy and Richard duBusc ’59, P ’87, ’00, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Holland Sunyak Francisco ’02, Rebecca and former Director of Development Steve Hatch, Michael and Ted Hauser ’56, P ’86, Betty Jacobsen P ’78, Bobbie Kimber P ’76, ’79, GP ’07, Doug Macrae ’77, Joan McIlwain P ’77, ’79, ’81, ’85, Bruce Morrison ’64, Judy and Honorary Trustee Steve Newhouse ’65, P ’95, ’97, ’99 (hosts), Bob Newhouse III ’64, Caitlin O’Donnell ’05, Mimi and Sean O’Donnell ’75, P ’05, ’10, biology teacher and Girls’ Varsity Swim Team Head Coach Deirdre O’Mara P ’17, ’19, ’21, Jeffrey and former Lower School teacher Karen Pfister, Dr. Ursula Pogany P ’00, Bob Pyle, Jr. ’56, P ’91, Barbara and Gordy Sulcer ’61, P ’95, Suzanne and Charles Thomas P ’88, ’90, ’92, Jim Toffey, Jr. ’48, Sherrerd and Jim Urner ’57, Patricia and Steve Waterbury ’49, P ’82, ’85, Jane and Dr. Charles Wittmann, Jr. P ’93, Hank Wood, Jr. P ’80, ’84, GP ’98, Hannah Lauck and Jay Wood ’84, and Dave Zenker, Jr. ’72.

New York City Community Reception [ 4 ] Assistant Headmaster Dr. Delvin Dinkins, Steven Henry ’81 (host; Senior

Director of the Paula Cooper Gallery, where the reception took place), Special Assistant to the Headmaster Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Andrew Sullivan, and visual arts teacher/Experiential Education Coordinator Rebecca Sullivan. [ 5 ] Andres Choussy P ’19, ’22, KC Eboh ’12, and Rachel Horvath. [ 6 ] Sarah Hunt, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, visual arts teacher Rich Freiwald, and Janine Tramontana ’85. [ 7 ] Jeff Lee P ’20, Chris Draper, Jr. P ’26, and Umesh Subramanian P ’24, ’26.

Ms. Sullivan spoke about the intentional, developing connection between the arts and experiential education at Pingry. To name a few examples: the arts curriculum balances hands-on studio classes with analysis of historical and contemporary art, both on and off-campus; class workshops (across disciplines) take place in conjunction with exhibits in the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery; and Rich Freiwald’s ceramics and chemistry collaboration lets students experiment with glazes and crystals to better understand chemical compounds. “Our gallery and studios are unique places at Pingry. Their quality, scale, lighting, and availability of materials, combined with our dedicated arts teachers, provide an unparalleled experience,” Ms. Sullivan said. “It’s great to be a Pingry faculty member, especially in the arts right now.”

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Class of

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The 158th Commencement Exercises 36

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Commencement 2019 [ 1 ] Bailey Romano ’19 and Dorothea Miller ’19. [ 2 ] Kamal Brown ’19, Brian Benson ’19, and Christyan Jean-Charles ’19. [ 3 ] Mariah Smith ’19 and Kevin Ma ’19. [ 4 ] Rajeev Doraswamy ’19, Isabella Drzala ’19, Ian Dugan ’19, Nick Grimaldi ’19, and Aditya Gollapudi ’19.

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The Magistri Laudandi Award and The Class of 1902 Emblem Award

Drew Beckmen ’19—The Magistri Laudandi Award: the student who demonstrates personal integrity and generosity that inspire the best in others, whose sense of purpose is to the greater good, and who helps all succeed.

Katerina Deliargyris ’19—The Class of 1902 Emblem Award: by the efficiency and amount of service, and by loyalty of attitude, the student who has done the most for the School and shown the greatest amount of school spirit.

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Commencement 2019 [ 5 ] Miro Bergam ’19 and Abigail Berger ’19, in front of Brian Benson ’19, Jason Bisgay ’19, Drew Beckmen ’19, Abigail Beckmen ’19, and Max Brotman ’19. [ 6 ] Aashiya Jaggi ’19 and Alisa Chokshi ’19. [ 7 ] Amanda Saunders ’19 and Sophia Smith ’19. [ 8 ] Student Body President Andrew Cowen ’19 and Praesana Danner ’19. [ 9 ] Abigail Jay ’19, Cassie Yermack ’19, and Nate Hefner ’19. [ 10 ] Valedictorian Felicia Ho ’19. [ 11 ] Class President Ethan Malzberg ’19.

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The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Edwards ’78, P ’12, ’14, ’18 honored Trustee Ian Shrank ’71 and Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 with the Baldwin Award, presented to members of the Pingry family who, in rendering meritorious service to the community, have demonstrated those qualities of responsible citizenship that Pingry aspires to instill in all of those associated with the School.

Trustee Ian Shrank ’71 Mr. Shrank, a trustee since 2001 and the current Vice Chair of the Board, has served on numerous board committees, including Campaign Steering, Development, Finance, and Accounting, the latter of which he chaired for many years. He also chaired the Annual Fund, which saw significant growth during his tenure.

“The Pingry School has benefited from Ian’s commitment and leadership for nearly five decades . . .

His love for Pingry cannot be overstated, and his counsel and experience have been invaluable to me and, indeed, everyone on the Board . . . Ian is always focused on doing the right thing; through prosperity and turbulence, his integrity and strength of character have been a steady guide to us all. Indeed, we consider Ian to be a living embodiment of the Honor Code.”

“Ian is always focused on doing the right thing; through prosperity and turbulence, his integrity and strength of character have been a steady guide to us all.”

Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 Mr. Conard is completing a 14-year tenure as Pingry’s 15th Headmaster, one of the longestserving Headmasters in School history, and has guided Pingry through numerous strategic enhancements (read more about his accomplishments on page 8).

“Thanks to Nat, we have been able to capitalize on our present strengths while honoring our past and preparing for our future . . . Across our campuses, our curriculum, and our community, Nat’s leadership has produced palpable transformations. He has enhanced the Pingry experience for each and every student and teacher here— he has, in essence, defined what it means to be Pingry. As a School, our gratitude toward him goes far beyond that which a Headmaster is owed; his profound influence will be felt for generations to come. Nat, on behalf of our grateful community, thank you so much.”

“Thanks to Nat, we have been able to capitalize on our present strengths while honoring our past and preparing for our future.”

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Lifers 13-Year Club (also known as Lifers, these students attended Pingry since Kindergarten): Ben Mandelbaum ’19, Andrew Cowen ’19, Dorothea Miller ’19, Ally Lima ’19, Abby Beckmen ’19, Paige Maultsby ’19, Josie Jahng ’19, Elliott LaGorce ’19, Drew Beckmen ’19, Nick Robinson ’19, Matt Keller ’19, Nicole Toney ’19, Simone Toney ’19, Rashida Mohammed ’19, Andrew Lee ’19, Shail Avasthi ’19, and Chris Zachary ’19.

Not pictured: Brandon Spellman '19.

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Legacies Legacy Families (students with their parents who also graduated from Pingry) Front row: Kyle Aanstoots ’19, Dr. Ida Miguelino ’86, P ’18, ’19, Jonathan Shelby ’74, P ’08, ’11, ’19, Lauren Shelby ’19, Olivia Lai ’19, Gilbert Lai ’86, P ’19, Mariah Smith ’19, and Ulysses G. Smith, Jr. ’77, P ’19, ’22, ’28. Back row: John Dziadzio ’88, P ’19, ’21, Ava Dziadzio ’19, Peter Nicoletti ’87, P ’19, Peter Nicoletti, Jr. ’19, Mary Kovacs ’19, James Kovacs ’80, P ’19, ’21, Dorothea Miller ’19, and Nancy Kalkin ’82, P ’13, ’15, ’19.

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Wrestler Jack Lyons ’19 Receives Stifel Award Sometimes, you literally have to fight through the pain.

Jack Lyons ’19 was a four-year varsity wrestler at Pingry, competing in a sport that makes incredible demands on the flexibility and strength of an athlete’s body. So, it has been particularly challenging for him to continue wrestling, given that the bones in his arms and legs have been severely affected by a genetic condition known as multiple epiphyseal dysplasia—a disorder of cartilage and bone development.

“He has weakened cartilage in his knees and elbows—indeed, at this point, the cartilage is effectively gone. As a result, not only are Jack’s joints particularly susceptible to injury, but his ability to recover from damage to his ligaments and tendons is severely inhibited by restricted blood flow caused by the disease,” said Varsity Wrestling Head Coach and history teacher George Sullivan when he presented Jack with the Stifel Award.

As Mr. Sullivan noted, most people in Jack’s situation would have accepted that playing competitive sports wasn’t reasonable or realistic. Here, Jack describes how he resisted the temptation to walk away from wrestling:

I have quit many times in my life. Many of those times, I felt good doing it. I didn’t feel like I was losing anything because, at the time, I thought: “Well, at least I’ll have some more time to find something I really like to do.” I even had an excuse! After all, I had never seen someone like me, with my condition in my knees, run around on a field for hours a day. My mother never even played a sport and has had dozens of surgeries on her knees; it would be foolish for me not to quit! However, there was an outlier—something I never quit, in spite of the fact that it was the cruelest, most painful, and toughest thing I ever did: Wrestling.

I chose to continue because the rubber mat might be good for my knees, there was no running, and my father shared amazing stories from when he wrestled, and how much he enjoyed his matches. In the end, it proved far more difficult than anything I had done before. For starters, the mat hardly felt better on my knees. I would come home every day from a practice and ice them for hours, I had to wear supportive knee braces, and they affected my ability to wrestle well on my feet. The greatest challenge, though, wasn’t in my knees or elbows—no, the greatest challenges were the grinding conditioning, the endless hard drilling, and the removal of the clock from the wrestling room. How many minutes

had I spent in those practices searching for an excuse not to wrestle? “Surely,” I thought, “I must have it harder than everyone else because of my knees. I should take a break!

That’s my excuse.” When I did, no one questioned me. I could take the easy road and not feel badly about it.

Then, I started to see my teammates becoming better than me; as I looked on from the sidelines, I saw their minds grow sharper and their hearts stronger. That was when I made my promise, the summer before my eighth-grade year, that I would never use my knees as an excuse again. If I wanted to use my condition as an excuse, then my knees and elbows would decide when it was time to take a break: when they gave out and broke on me. It has been in the past four years, since I came to Pingry, that I remembered what I would say to myself when I was a little boy: “I have never seen someone like me, with my knees, be an athlete before.”

I remember feeling that I had a door I could walk through when things got uncomfortable. Now, I realized that I can only ever be proud of one thing: that I did try, even when I had an excuse to quit, that I closed that door of excuses, and that I was the first person I ever knew, with my condition, to try to wrestle and win for 10 years with a pair of broken knees.

The Henry G. Stifel III Award is named for Mr. Stifel, who was paralyzed in an automobile accident during his junior year at Pingry. The Stifel Family established the award at Pingry in 1984 to “be awarded to the person who best exemplifies those characteristics exhibited

by Henry G. Stifel III ’83 in the aftermath of his accident and spinal injury: courage, endurance, optimism, compassion, and spirit.” See page 64 for Pingry history related to Mr. Stifel’s recovery.

Henry G. Stifel III ’83, Jack Lyons ’19, Varsity Wrestling Head Coach and history teacher George Sullivan, and Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11.

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25 Years at Pingry for Artist and Teacher Miles Boyd

Newly minted Magistri member and Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd has observed that some learners will become professional artists, while others will not, but he takes the same approach with everyone. His primary goals are to teach 21st-century skills and show all students how the arts are relevant. It is important to him that students have an artistic life after Pingry—whatever path they take, he’s happy.

“My job is to open students’ eyes to the art world,” he says. Since joining Pingry as Visual Arts Department Chair in 1994, Mr. Boyd has been doing so through what he calls a “real world,” contemporary curriculum. “I have 44

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always based my courses on a global overview of art; we study art that reflects perspectives and influences from around the world. My students encounter ideas that international artists grapple with all the time— issues of race, gender, and inequality, to name a few. Students should be comfortable trying on ideas the way they try on clothes.”

Miles Boyd designed the physical symbol of Pingry’s Achievement in the Arts Award, first presented to alumni artists in 2012. “I wanted an unusual design to convey Pingry’s emphasis on the arts of today, and am pleased that the recipients had never seen anything like it!”

He considers himself, his fellow teachers, and the guest artists he helps bring to campus “enablers,” motivating students to think like artists. This concept is of utmost importance to him. As a practicing artist for most of his life—his prints, photographs, and paintings have been

featured in an extensive number of solo and group exhibitions, and are part of collections in the U.S., Europe, and Asia—Mr. Boyd wants students to see the beauty and possibilities of the artistic world. Originally adamant that he would never teach because he didn’t want to sacrifice his own art career, he was contacted about a teaching job at The Lovett School in Atlanta and accepted it. He loved teaching, realizing he could have the best of both worlds.

Only two years later, he took on the “great responsibility” of being a department chair, a position he held for seven years in Atlanta and then assumed at The American School in London.

“

On returning to the U.S., Mr. Boyd found Pingry, where then-Headmaster John

Students should be comfortable trying on ideas the way they try on clothes.

Hanly was looking for someone with department chair experience to enhance the visual arts program. “I’m at Pingry because of Mr. Hanly’s powers of persuasion,” he says. Mr. Boyd’s diverse résumé includes concert promotion for many music legends, transforming abandoned buildings into arts spaces, establishing a non-profit arts center with a gallery and performance space, and helping establish the Riverbend Festival in Tennessee

Miles Boyd being inducted into the Magistri by Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11.

—he brought his wide-ranging experience, innovative spirit, artistry, and “passion for professionalism” to Pingry.

Along with his responsibilities as department chair, Mr. Boyd has taught multiple courses: Photography, Portfolio Development, Advanced Topics in Art, Drawing/Painting, and Architecture, Drafting, and Design. He also contributed ideas for the design of the Hostetter Arts Center (opened in 2003) at a time when “the arts program was bursting at the seams. The challenge was how to build an arts center for a program that already existed and was going to evolve.” Mr. Boyd credits the evolution of the program to the expertise and ideas of the arts faculty, of whom he is enormously proud. “Pingry’s arts program is progressive because we have the best artists you can put in front of students—practicing artists who teach.”

A cake for his 25th Pingry year? Perhaps, but here Miles Boyd is serving cake during “Pingry Celebrates the Arts!” (2008), a celebration of the Lower, Middle, and Upper School arts curricula and the fifth anniversary of the Hostetter Arts Center.

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“

What’s for Lunch?

Grab a take-out container filled with thick, slippery noodles; add your broth of choice—miso or Tom Yum chicken—top with steamed shrimp, shredded carrots, water chestnuts, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, and edamame; smother with soy, plum, hoisin, or spicy sambal oelek chili sauce, and you have created a fan favorite among hungry Pingry students: the build-your-own Asian noodle bar. Says Grade 6 student Nataly Ruiz (third from left), “Here at Pingry, even the food is diverse and unique!”

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Farewell to Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Dr. Diana Artis P ’09, ’16, who spent 14 years with Pingry, most recently as Diversity and Inclusion Department Chair, leaves Pingry to pursue a lifelong dream of working as a diversity consultant. While she has already engaged in this work on a parttime basis, she looks forward to turning her attention to it full time, and, this summer, plans to launch Olive Branch Educators (OBE), which will support schools and other institutions whose missions include diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice. At Pingry, Dr. Artis also served as Assistant Director of Admission and, from 2005-2016, as Coordinator of Multicultural Outreach.

Among her accomplishments, Dr. Artis created Courageous Conversations for faculty and staff, as well as administrators—opportunities to discuss topics of diversity and inclusion in a safe space.

She also developed the diversity unit for Grades 3-5 as a precursor to Grade 6 Cultural Competency (which she taught); the K-12 diversity and inclusion curriculum; Multicultural Teams; Affinity Groups for students who identify with certain backgrounds; and the annual A Taste of Pingry. She also advised the Student Diversity Leadership Committee, helped to organize the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Diversity Assemblies, and coordinated Pingry’s attendance at the People of Color Conference. In 2013, thanks to nominations by Pingry students, she received the “Mid-Atlantic Parents-as-Partners Scholar Hero Award” from A Better Chance, whose mission is to increase the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.

“I really appreciated having the opportunity to make an impact on this community,” Dr. Artis says, “as it relates to the School’s pillar of Diversity and Inclusion.”

Jane Asch P ’04, who spent 15 years with Pingry (the last nine full-time), is retiring after serving in various positions: Production Designer (sets and costumes) for Middle and Upper School plays and musicals; drama and visual arts teacher; and Emergency Operations Manager Consultant (bringing to Pingry experience gleaned from her work as Coordinator for Warren Township’s Office of Emergency Management, a role she will continue).

At Pingry, Mrs. Asch taught Art Fundamentals and developed the course Architecture, Drafting, and Design, and devoted many hours to teaching stagecraft and scenic art.

“I’ve had a good time here,” she says.

“Drama students are devoted and passionate—we’ve created magical moments! We also have students who think they can’t draw, and then produce wonderful, creative pieces. It’s very rewarding.” For more background about Mrs. Asch’s award-winning scenic design, see “READY the SET, and GO Build: Jane Asch Sets the Stage” in the Summer 2018 issue.

Pat Casey, fourth-grade teacher for 12 years, is retiring after a cumulative 46-year teaching career that encompassed Kindergarten and Grades 2-5 (she began her career with Grade 4). Along with teaching reading, language arts, social studies, and math, Ms. Casey served as Assistant Director of the Lower School’s fall and spring musicals since 2011— prior to the shows, she rehearsed the staging and helped cast members

understand their characters and learn unfamiliar vocabulary; during the performances, she assisted backstage.

Every year, Ms. Casey anticipated Grade 4’s community and civic engagement project, when students collect donations for Harmony House, a Newark facility for transitional housing, then deliver the donations and socialize with residents in the facility’s afterschool program. “I will miss my colleagues, who have become friends and family,” she says, “and the students, who have constantly challenged me to be my best and have shared their enthusiasm for learning.”

Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 departs from Pingry after serving 14 years as Headmaster.

See pages 8-17 for a full recounting of his impact on the Pingry community.

Ted Corvino P ’94, ’97, ’02 retires after a 45-year Pingry career that included teaching Grade 6 social studies (1974-2007), serving as Assistant Lower School Director (19852000), and, since 2000, serving as Assistant Headmaster–Short Hills Campus and Lower School Director. His imprint has been indelible, helping to evolve the school from a traditional, classroom-centered educational experience (where a teacher was known, in his words, as “the sage on the stage”) to one that harnesses its verdant campus as a dynamic outdoor laboratory for students to engage and explore collaboratively. Every morning for the past two decades, he stood outside the main entrance, greeting students SUMMER 2019

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by name with a handshake and smile.

In recognition of his contributions to the Lower School, and following the Lower School’s modernization, grateful donors named the new, welcoming lounge The Theodore M. Corvino Lower School Commons. Read more about his tenure and lasting impact on the School in the Winter 2018-19 issue.

Julie Coxe, Upper School math teacher for six years, is moving to Cleveland to pursue her next adventure. At Pingry, she taught geometry, advanced algebra, trigonometry, and pre-calculus; was a fearless Assistant Coach for the Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Ski Racing Teams (2013-2018), despite having no prior experience in the sport; served on the Faculty Technology Committee; and advised Pingry’s trips to ECLC of New Jersey (“Education, Careers & Lifelong Community” for children and adults with special needs). While coaching the Ski Racing Teams, Ms. Coxe was proud to see team members—and the teams themselves—succeed in state tournaments and the Race of Champions. She also improved her own skills: “I went from ‘bunny slope’ to ‘black diamond’ in five seasons!”

Peter Delman P ’97, ’98 is retiring after 43 years at Pingry. For the first 41 of those years, he was a visual arts teacher and developed new arts courses. Long an arbiter of the School’s green initiatives, including its kitchen 48

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garden and campsite, for the last two years he served as Pingry’s first Sustainability Coordinator, positioning the Basking Ridge Campus for new projects, such as the Green Campus Design Plan (collaborating with architect Scott Loikits ’90), farm program, outdoor learning center, and composter (read more about his Pingry career in the Fall 2017 issue).

Appropriately, after curating over 100 exhibits for the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery over the past 15-plus years, and participating in faculty exhibits, Mr. Delman presented a solo show this spring, “The Persistence of History”— over 20 of his paintings, all inspired by historical events. For “Hostetter on the Five” (five-minute student performances inspired by gallery exhibits), singer James Wang ’20 and guitarist Sanford Friedman ’21 performed a song inspired by one of his paintings.

What has been Mr. Delman’s guiding philosophy? “Sustainability work has to be connected to the curriculum to make sure students learn about it and understand its importance. Co- or extracurricular activities don’t have the same impact.” To this end, Mr. Delman created Environmental Art, helped create Environmental Science, and is pleased that the History Department created Environmental History.

Reflecting on his Pingry career, Mr. Delman praises the School for fostering an environment of creativity. In retirement, he will continue to curate art exhibits and paint, and participate in the green projects of Jersey City, where he resides.

Mary Drabich, Morning Building Supervisor, Morning Wellness Coordinator at the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center, Auxiliary Department Assistant, and a coach and P.E. teacher, left after three years to pursue digital journalism for a major news corporation.

She was also an Assistant Coach for the Middle School and Varsity Field Hockey Teams and Middle School Ice Hockey Team, and Head Coach of the Middle School Softball Team. Along with those responsibilities, she created exercise plans for many faculty and staff as part of the School’s employee wellness program.

Lydia (Pew) Geacintov P ’84, ’88 is retiring after a multifaceted, 38-year Pingry career that included: French teacher (since 1981), Director of Studies (since 1995), President of Pingry’s chapter of The Cum Laude Society (since 1997), and Chair of the Language Department (1984-1995), during which time she initiated cultural immersion trips. She also taught Latin and Spanish (1980s) as well as Freedom (1990-2002), which takes an interdisciplinary approach to questions of democracy and freedom. In 1986, Mrs. Geacintov became Co-Faculty Advisor to the newly named language magazine Polyglot, with Joanna Bober ’87 as Editor.

The title Director of Studies, given to Mrs. Geacintov by then-Headmaster John Hanly, only hints at her broad responsibilities over the years—to oversee the curriculum, professional growth, and mentoring. She served as Head of the Academic Committee; implemented the Professional Growth Committee and Faculty Mentoring program; helped oversee the modernization of the C.B. Newton Library (resulting in the 2001 hiring of Library Director Eileen Hymas); chaired Pingry’s involvement in the Middle States Association’s Accreditation for Growth; and co-chaired the Middle School Steering Committee and examined the sixth-grade curriculum when Grade 6 moved to Basking Ridge. Additionally, in 1993, Mr. Hanly asked her to chair a year-long review of the Honor Code and how it was perceived by the School

community. Her efforts, and those of the students she worked with, led to the creation of the Honor Board to give the student body a direct voice in the promotion, application, interpretation, and enforcement of the Honor Code.

Mrs. Geacintov received The Norman B. Tomlinson, Jr. ’44 Chair for History and Literature (1992) and The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award (1998), the latter recognizing her work on the Accreditation for Growth and library modernization.

Of her tenure at Pingry, she notes the impact both students and faculty had on her. “[Students] keep you on your toes, keep you young, and push you to be the best in your subject matter. It was exciting to work in an environment that’s constantly evolving and trying to prepare students for the next phase of their lives. We have fantastic, bright, professional faculty who keep you learning and growing at all times, and I worked with some of the best administrators, who were terrific mentors.”

Yi Hao P ’11, ’13, Middle and Upper School Mandarin Chinese teacher for seven years, is relocating to Manhattan.

There, she likely will return to a career in financial services and, in her spare time, remain involved with community-building for Chinese nonprofit and educational organizations. For Pingry, she directed the annual Lunar New Year Assembly; coordinated the School’s membership in the HanbanAsia Society Confucius Classrooms Network, consisting of 100 exemplary Chinese language programs in the U.S. (Pingry joined in 2011); and managed the School’s relationship with its sister school in China, Quzhou No. 2 Secondary School. “This community feels like a second home, and I will miss it tremendously,” Ms. Hao says of Pingry.

“Teaching here and witnessing the amazing growth in the students have

been the most worthwhile career for me.” On a separate note, she adds, “Thank you, Pingry parents, for your heartwarming contributions to our exchange program and to the Chinese program at Pingry—hosting students, preparing food for our Lunar New Year feasts, hanging Chinese lanterns, building the dragon, and more. I will forever treasure and be grateful to Pingry for the growth in my children and my students throughout the 14 years I’ve been part of the community.”

Jeff Jewett, Director of Global Education and a science teacher for five years, is relocating to Colorado.

During his tenure, he organized more than 30 domestic and international travel courses for Pingry students and faculty.

Under his leadership, Pingry’s Global Education offerings became more focused on curriculum than simply sightseeing and travel—Global Field Studies courses now require pre-travel and post-travel work, with students receiving academic credit. As a science teacher, Mr. Jewett taught Biology 1 and 2, then created and taught Honors Environmental Science: Feeding and Fueling 9 Billion. During his time at Pingry, he also served as AFS Advisor and a member of the ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) Working Group. His most memorable Pingry travel experience, he says, took place last summer, when Ketaki Tavan ’19, Miro Bergam ’19, and Ethan Malzberg ’19 helped design a Global Field Studies course in Peru, based on their work with The Denan Project, a non-profit organization that provides health and development assistance to underserved people living in Peru, Mongolia, and Ethiopia.

“Curriculum, service, and experiential education all came together, and it was really special when the community in Uratari held a ceremony for us because they hadn’t had tourists for many years,”

Mr. Jewett says. “It’s important to build bridges with people in different places, who come from different backgrounds.”

Richard Karrat, Middle and Upper School Spanish and French teacher for six years, will pursue an opportunity at Greenwich Country Day School. Along with his teaching, which included the recently added course “Introduction to the Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Culture,” Mr. Karrat helped with Global Programs by organizing travel courses. He also advised the Italian Club, served as Spanish II Curriculum Coordinator, and was Faculty Liaison for the Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition. He is grateful for the warmth of students and parents, which “made me feel like a valuable member of the community.

I hope I’ve impacted the students’ lives as much as they’ve impacted mine.”

Colleen Kent, Upper School history teacher for five years, is moving to the Washington, D.C. area and will continue teaching. At Pingry, she taught World History 9 and American Society and Culture, was the lead teacher for World History 9, and participated in the redesign of that course’s curriculum.

She was also Co-Advisor to Student Government, Advisor to the Blue Book, and an assistant coach for the Middle School Softball Team. Especially memorable, Ms. Kent and Upper School Academic Dean Dr. Reid Cottingham led a Global Programs course to Ireland during Spring Break 2017. “Ireland is dear to my heart because I have family there, and I studied there,” Ms. Kent says. “It was fun to take students so they could see why it can be a magical place.”

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Sue Kinney P ’15, ’18, College Counselor for 12 years, most recently as Associate Director of College Counseling, is taking the same position at Phillips Academy Andover, fulfilling her desire for a lifestyle change, to live at a residential boarding school. This past year at Pingry, she also served as an Assistant Coach of the Ski Racing Team and advised the Girls Affinity Group.

Mrs. Kinney always took pleasure in helping families achieve their goals during the college search. “Over 12 years, I have seen that it all works out.

Pingry sets up students to be in a great position, no matter what school they attend, and students always end up being happy.” She is grateful to the School for her daughters’ education, adding, “Pingry will always be part of my family.”

Christina Lee, Middle School computer science and math teacher for two years, is changing careers to work in the engineering field (she recently earned a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering). For Pingry, she also coached the Middle School Robotics, Science Olympiad, and Field Hockey Teams. “Coaching Middle School Robotics was one of the highlights of my career at Pingry,” she says, “and sixth-grade Project Week (STEAM) was tons of fun!”

Mary Ogden P ’10, ’12, who taught for 21 years at the Lower School, is leaving to pursue new challenges, though she still wants to work with children.

She taught three grades at Pingry— Kindergarten (1998-2001), Grade 1 (2001-2015), and Grade 2 (since 2015)— 50

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and served as Assembly Coordinator, giving students real-world representation of the curriculum.

Throughout her career, Mrs. Ogden made brain-based learning a focus of her teaching. “I am a huge proponent of teaching to all three modalities: kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. All students learn differently, and my job is to know how each of them learns best.”

While teaching Grade 1, Mrs. Ogden helped implement a year-long curriculum focused on indigenous peoples and animals in Antarctica, the South American rainforest, and Australia. She has also been excited by the impact of Pingry’s partnership with Level Up Village (a program that launched in 2016 with Grade 2)—via weekly video exchanges, students work on STEAM projects with other students around the world. One of Mrs. Ogden’s “unbelievably fulfilling” international experiences happened about 10 years ago when she traveled with Upper School students, Anne DeLaney ’79, P ’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, and Mrs. DeLaney’s family to South Africa (with the Global Literacy Project) to distribute donated books to school libraries, paint classrooms, and mentor students. Mrs. Ogden received The Woodruff J. English Award (2008) and The Albert W. Booth Master Chair (2013). The wife of Henry Ogden ’78, P ’10, ’12, she will miss Pingry’s family atmosphere and incredible students.

Dara (Reinkraut) Polera departs Pingry after 11 years as Lower School Literacy Specialist, teaching students to take ownership of their reading and writing (selecting many of the books they read and topics they write

about). Overall, she collaborated with teachers to support the school-wide evolution toward a more studentcentered curriculum and pedagogy.

Ms. Polera also served as Co-Chair of the Curriculum Coordination Subcommittee for Pingry’s Curriculum Review and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee that oversaw Pingry’s selfstudy for NJAIS accreditation, among other roles with the Multicultural Team and Admission. “I have tremendous gratitude for the many ways the School has supported me,” she says. “I have grown in countless ways as a result of the School’s mission, its sense of honor, the various roles I have filled, and the people in the community. It is with a heavy heart that I leave an ideal learning environment—one where the faculty is wholeheartedly dedicated to their students, committed to the School’s ethos, and constantly evolving.” Ms. Polera fondly remembers that Lower School music teacher Patty Finn and then-teacher Tom Berdos prepared a group of Pingry musicians to perform at her October 2012 wedding: Samuel Henriques ’22, Ryan Henriques ’19, Lauren Taylor ’20, Jonathan Huang ’18, and Ethan Chung ’18. “It was an incredibly special example of the type of community Pingry is!”

Tina Rix-Stout, Director of Squash for more than two years, leaves to become Director of Squash at the Hackley School in Tarrytown, NY. In her Pingry position, she led the Big Blue Squash Programs and served as Head Coach of the Girls' Varsity Squash and Middle School Squash Teams.

George Sullivan, who spent five years at Pingry, is returning to his alma mater—Belmont Hill School, outside of Boston—to teach history and coach wrestling and lacrosse. In fact, Mr. Sullivan will coach wrestling with one

of his former mentors! A Political Science major who worked in finance prior to Pingry, he filled a number of roles: teaching financial literacy (Grades 6 and 9) and then Middle School history; advising the Credit Union Club and Middle School Outing Club; and helping organize Journal Club. He also coached varsity wrestling (assistant, 2014-2017; head since 2017) and freshman and Middle School boys’ lacrosse. Three months prior to leaving Pingry, Mr. Sullivan had the honor of presenting the Stifel Award to wrestler Jack Lyons ’19 (read more on page 43).

“I love the sentiment of a community that values courage, resilience, and other attributes embodied in that award,” Mr. Sullivan says. “The kids at Pingry are so talented, with so many opportunities provided for them, but a struggle is meaningful, too—it’s a huge piece of building character.”

David Szelingowski, who spent 13 years at Pingry, is leaving to pursue other opportunities. He taught science to Grades 4 and 5 (2006-2017) and, after earning a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy, served as Middle School Dean of Students (since 2017). He also co-taught the Middle School’s Outdoor Research course (“a nice respite on a Friday afternoon, to build connections with students”), served as Head Coach of the JV Baseball Team (2006-2017), an assistant coach for varsity football (20062017), and an assistant coach for Middle School football and softball (since 2017).

Mr. Szelingowski, affectionately known by many as “Ski,” will miss the relationships he has developed with students

of all ages, whether by teaching and coaching them (using the same techniques he learned from his teachers and coaches), or by simply watching them mature. “As Dean, it was rewarding to be part of school life outside the classroom and support Middle School students during a challenging, transitional time in their lives.” Also on the subject of transitions, he was excited to be part of the Lower School’s modernization, modifying his teaching style to stay current with STEM and STEAM approaches.

Recipient of the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award (2012), Mr. Szelingowski cherished his time teaching science, especially when students understood complicated concepts, such as the causes of gravity, earthquakes, clouds, and wind. “Students were genuinely curious about the scientific world around them and asked really good questions about how things work.”

Peter Thomson P ’94, ’02, ’08, Upper School math teacher and baseball coach for 43 years, and dedicatee of the 2019 Blue Book, is retiring. Since 1976, he taught various levels of Middle and Upper School calculus, geometry, analysis, and algebra. He briefly coached freshman baseball, devoted about 25 years to JV baseball (his final season was 2002), and was an assistant coach for Middle School baseball (2003-2011).

A lesser-known fact: Mr. Thomson has been a scorekeeper for varsity basketball and varsity soccer games over the years.

When asked about memories, he immediately reminisces about a trip to a baseball shrine, when the varsity and JV teams traveled to Cooperstown in 1999 to play The Hun School on Doubleday Field, a couple of blocks from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which the teams later toured. “One of the JV kids, Matt Gray ’00, hit a home run over the left-field fence. I also remember a bunch of teenagers watching us, on their way

to the Hall of Fame—Mike Renda ’00 autographed Pingry baseballs and threw them to the youngsters in the stands!”

Mr. Thomson received the Edward G. Engel Chair for Math and Science (2005) and is also the dedicatee of the 1996 and 2012 Blue Books.

Tom Varnes departs after 20 years of teaching all levels of Latin, as well as Upper School English (Literature of Enlightenment, Literature of Philosophy, American Literature, and Ethical Dilemma). For the past nine years, he also prepared publications, including the Curriculum Guide, Commencement program, and senior pages for The Pingry Record. Earlier in his years at Pingry, Mr. Varnes coached fencing (2000-2006), advised the Quiz Bowl Team, and, for about eight years beginning in 2005, helped students build sets for more than 25 drama productions.

Marcus Wilson, Facilities Technician for six years, is leaving to pursue professional growth. Among his Pingry projects: installation of electrical components for the modernized science wing and Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center. Mr. Wilson remembers being warmly welcomed by the Pingry community and says he “will never forget the great people I’ve met along the way.” Those include the basketball players and coaches; Mr. Wilson’s love for the sport brought him to practice with the team and compete in the Faculty/ Staff versus Seniors Basketball Game.

“Giving advice to the players and coaches while supporting them at games made me feel like I was giving back to the community.”

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Athletics

BIG BLUE ROUND-UP Winter 2018-19 Season Caroline Dannenbaum ’20 Soars

Credit: David Gard, NJ Advance Media

Boys’ Basketball (15-5)

Skyland Conference/ Mountain Division: Champions

Girls’ Basketball (10-16) Boys’ Fencing (1-5)

Somerset County Fencing Tournament: sabre squad, first place; Michael Sun ’19, first place; Chris Yu ’19, second place

Girls’ Fencing (3-5)

NJSIAA State Tournament: epée squad, second place; Jessica Lin ’21, first place (epée) District 3 Fencing Tournament: team, second place; epée squad, first place; foil squad, second place; Jessica, first place; Alison Lee ’20, second place Somerset County Fencing Tournament: Alison, second place

Boys’ Ice Hockey (19-3-1) Skyland Cup Championships: first place Skyland Conference: Champions

Girls’ Ice Hockey (6-10) Boys’ Ski Racing (14-12)

Race of Champions: Matt Dispenza ’20, Peter McClearn ’20, and Tobey Jay ’22 qualified

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Eastern High School Alpine Championships: Matt selected to compete

Girls’ Ski Racing (15-7) Race of Champions: Annie Leithead ’19 and Rosemary Collins ’21 qualified Eastern High School Alpine Championships: Annie, Rosemary selected to compete

Boys’ Squash (15-2) New Jersey High School Squash Championships: Chris Zachary ’19, runner up US SQUASH National High School Team Championships: Division II Champions (17th place overall)

Girls’ Squash (4-6) New Jersey High School Squash Championships: Renée Chan ’20, first place; Alisa Chokshi ’19, runner up US SQUASH National High School Team Championships: 16th place

Boys’ Swimming (10-0) NJSIAA Non-Public B Championships: team, first place

At the NJSIAA Indoor Track & Field Meet of Champions in February, Caroline Dannenbaum ’20 joined her sister Julia ’17 as a pole vaulting megastar.

At the same event just two years earlier, Caroline, who finished an impressive sixth as a freshman, celebrated her sister’s gold-medal win. This year, victory was all her own. Clearing 12'6", she equaled the school indoor record her sister currently holds (Caroline holds the outdoor record of 13') and tied the MOC meet record (only four other New Jersey girls have cleared 12'6"). At New Balance Nationals Indoor two weeks later, she took eighth in a four-way tie, clearing 12'10.25", the fourth-best vault in state high school indoor track & field history. Also at Nationals, teammate Nicole Vanasse ’20, who took second at MOCs in the 3200, finished 13th in the two-mile championship in 10:32, running a PR and breaking her own school record.

Left: Caroline Dannenbaum ’20 at the Meet of Champions.

NJISAA Prep A Championships: team, first place Somerset County Championships: team, first place Skyland Conference Championships: team, first place

Girls’ Swimming (7-4) NJSIAA Non-Public A Championships: team, runner up NJISAA Prep A Championships: team, first place Somerset County Championships: team, second place Skyland Conference Championships: team, second place Darlene Fung ’19: NJ.com “Swimmer of the Year”

Boys’ Winter Track & Field

NJSIAA Prep A Championships: Joe Shilts ’19, first place, 55 meter hurdles (8.05)

Girls’ Winter Track & Field

NJSIAA Meet of Champions: Caroline Dannenbaum ’20, first place, pole vault (12'6");

Nicole Vanasse ’20, second place, 3200 meters (10:39) NJSIAA Non-Public A Championships: team, third place; Nicole, first place, 3200 meters (11:08); Caroline, first place, pole vault (12'0.25") NJISAA Prep A Championships: team, third place; Nicole, first place, 800 meters (2:17) Skyland Conference Championships: team, second place; Nicole, first place, 3200 meters (11:14); Caroline, first place, pole vault (11'6")

Wrestling (5-16) NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships: Brandon Spellman ’19, eighth place Regional Tournament: Brandon, second place District 19 Tournament: Brandon, first place; Zach Dobson ’19, second place; Jack Martin ’22, third place Somerset County Tournament: Brandon, first place; Zach, second place; Jack, third place

Making Waves Undefeated for the second straight year, the Boys’ Varsity Swim Team confirmed its dominance in late February by adding the #12 to their list of consecutive Non-Public B State Championship titles. What’s more, in the finals of the Meet of Champions—proving they can go head-to-head with the best in the state—they not only earned three individual event victories, but also swept all three relays.

Above: Captains Leighton Mayers ’19 and Kevin Ma ’19 hold their fourth straight Non-Public B trophy.

Defending their 2018 NJISAA Prep A title and placing second in the competitive Non-Public A State Championships, Big Blue girls kept pace with the boys.

At the Meet of Champions, captain Darlene Fung ’19— named NJ.com “Swimmer of the Year”—won both the 50- (23.05) and 100-yard (50.17) freestyles for the second straight year, in All-American times. Not far behind in the 50-freestyle was teammate Grace O’Mara ’19, who took sixth (23.86). Both girls teamed up with Allison Riddell ’19 and Abby DiGiorgio ’22 to nail third in the 200-medley relay, setting a new school record of 1:46.09.

Right: 200 freestyle relay team of (back left, clockwise) Martha Lewand ’20, Grace O’Mara ’19, Darlene Fung ’19, and Maureen Schwarz ’22.

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Credit: Julie Spellman P '17, '19

A Podium Finish in Atlantic City Brandon Spellman ’19 ended a successful Pingry wrestling career by placing eighth in the 113-pound weight class—considered one of the most competitive—at the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City in early March, becoming only the second Pingry wrestler ever, and the first in more than a decade, to medal at the famed event. The two-time Somerset County and District 18 Champion, who earned a top-12 finish at last year’s State Championships, deserved the kudos Head Coach George Sullivan heaped on him: “Brandon dedicated himself every day for the last two years to get to this point. I can’t say enough about his passion, mental toughness, and perseverance. If anyone deserved to get on the podium, it was Brandon.”

Above: Brandon Spellman ’19 wrestling an opponent at the State Championships in March.

Squash Players Make Their Mark at Nationals At a series of US SQUASH National Tournaments in early April, members of Pingry’s Varsity Squash Teams were a notable presence: • Renée Chan ’20: GU19 Gold National Championships, placed in the top 16 and was recently named a High School All-American (Renée was also selected in her GU19 division to compete for Team USA at the 2019 Pan America Junior Championship in Toronto, Canada in June.)

• Colin Wen ’20: BU19 Silver National Championships, first place • Evan Wen ’23: BU15 Silver National Championships, third place • Alex Chiang ’20: BU19 Silver National Championships, 10th place • Simon Muller ’21: BU17 Bronze National Championships, first place • Jason Lefkort ’21: BU17, Bronze National Championships, finalist Right: High School All-American Renée Chan ’20.

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NCAA Division I Letter-of-Intent Signings Grace O’Mara ’19 Lafayette College—Track & Field Oluwasolape Fakorede ’19 Lafayette College—Track & Field Read more about these athletes at pingry.org/extras.

Left: Oluwasolape Fakorede ’19 and Grace O’Mara ’19.

Seven Scholar-Athletes Somerset County:

Darlene Fung ’19 (Swimming) Kevin Ma ’19 (Swimming, Water Polo) Skyland Conference:

Nate Hefner ’19 (Football, Basketball, Baseball) Grace O’Mara ’19 (Water Polo, Swimming, Outdoor Track & Field) NJSIAA:

Josie Jahng ’19 (Field Hockey) NJISAA:

Cathleen Parker ’19 (Cross Country, Winter Track & Field, Lacrosse) Leighton Mayers ’19 (Swimming) Read more about these athletes at pingry.org/extras.

Below: Grace O’Mara ’19, Josie Jahng ’19, Nate Hefner ’19, Darlene Fung ’19, Cathleen Parker ’19, Leighton Mayers ’19, and Kevin Ma ’19.

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Credit: Courtesy of USA Fencing Facebook page

Five State Titles for Big Blue Student-Athletes An impressive five winter athletes—spanning four different winter teams and in seven separate events—secured gold in their respective state tournaments. Several others placed in the top 10 in the state either individually, in relay events, or both. Catch a few of them in action here, including others who took high honors in their respective state championships.

For more details, visit pingry.org/extras.

Matt Fallon ’21, first place, 200-yard individual medley (1:48.88) and 100-yard breaststroke (54.38), Meet of Champions Reid McBoyle ’20, Jerry O’Mara ’21, Jon Chen ’19, and Kevin Ma ’19, first place, 200 medley relay, Meet of Champions (1:24.78) Caroline Dannenbaum ’20, first place, pole vault (12'6"), Meet of Champions Darlene Fung ’19, first place, 50-yard freestyle (23.05) and 100-yard (50.17) freestyle, Meet of Champions Leighton Mayers ’19, first place, 100-yard backstroke (50.28), Meet of Champions Jessica Lin ’21, first place, epée, NJSIAA Individual State Fencing Championships (pictured above, left) Annie Leithead ’19, 11th place, Race of Champions (pictured middle left) Matt Dispenza ’20, eighth place, Race of Champions (pictured middle right) Rosemary Collins ’21, ninth place, Race of Champions Brandon Spellman ’19, eighth place, NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships Nicole Vanasse ’20, second place, 3200-meter run (10:39) (pictured bottom, left) 56

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Meredith Finkelstein Inducted into New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame Middle School history teacher, Assistant Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Team for 10 years, and former high school and Division I college standout Meredith Finkelstein was welcomed into the 2019 New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Her induction means that Pingry now boasts three state Lacrosse Hall of Fame coaches—she joins Director of Athletics Carter Abbott and fellow Middle School history teacher and Head Coach of the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team Mike Webster P ’24, ’27, ’27. Ms. Abbott was inducted as a player in 2009 and Mr. Webster was inducted as a coach in 2010. (The three lacrosse legends also boast a whopping seven NCAA National Lacrosse Championship titles among them.)

“I am incredibly humbled and honored to be inducted to the N.J. Lacrosse Hall of Fame,” Mrs. Finkelstein says. “Reflecting on my involvement in lacrosse brings up such amazing memories of teammates, friends, and coaches, who I am still close with today. I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunities lacrosse has given me and for the relationships I made through the sport.”

Visit pingry.org/extras to read more about Mrs. Finkelstein’s lacrosse accomplishments.

Alumni Athlete News Jonathan Butler ’15 (men’s lacrosse, Harvard University) was one of 30 candidates for the NCAA Division I Lacrosse Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes men’s lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. He also earned an Ivy League Honorable Mention after earning second-team accolades as a sophomore. This season, Jonathan shared team-high honors for the most ground balls (45), tied for the second-most caused turnovers (14), and was one of two players to start every game. He also earned a spot on the 2019 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) All-Academic Team.

Malcolm Fields ’18 (men’s fencing, Notre Dame University), Pingry fencing standout and high school All-American, who won the saber competition at the NJSIAA State Fencing Championships last winter, made an equally big impact in his freshman season at Notre Dame. At the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships, held at Boston College in late February, he took the top spot in the saber field and helped the Fighting Irish to a firstplace team finish, their fourth national title in the last five years. In April, Malcolm was named an ACC “Fencer of the Year” for men’s saber.

Justin Friedman ’15 (right-handed pitcher, Hope International University) was drafted by

the Chicago White Sox in the 26th round of the 2019 MLB Draft—possibly Pingry’s first student-athlete to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft since its inception in 1965. Justin’s path to the draft has been rather unique, as he pitched for four schools after graduating from Pingry: George Washington University, Ventura Community College, University of San Diego, and Hope International University. As a Pingry senior, Justin was one of the top pitchers in the state, recording 101 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings, with a 2.45 ERA. Ami Gianchandani ’18 (women’s golf, Yale University) swept the Ivy League’s women’s golf awards, earning both Player and Rookie of the Year honors—only the second time in the history of the Ivy League that both honors went to the same female golfer. She also earned First Team All-Ivy honors. According to the Ivy League’s website, she averaged 1.40 strokes under par and posted three tournament wins and seven top-10 finishes in nine tournaments, including placing fourth at the 2019 Ivy League Women’s Golf Championship.

Cece Lesnick ’17 (women’s tennis, Lafayette College) was named Patriot League “Female Tennis Player of the Week” on March 12. She earned a 7-5, 6-3 win in No. 1 singles against

Delaware State the previous weekend in the team’s 6-1 victory. In the singles match, Cece was behind 0-5 before rallying for the win.

Sarah Moseson ’17 (women’s soccer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has been selected to compete on the Open Women’s Soccer Team at the 15th European Maccabi Games, taking place this July and August in Budapest; held every four years, the European Games are a high-level athletics competition for Jewish athletes. The team includes 18 student-athletes from all three NCAA divisions. Sarah appeared in 14 matches as a sophomore, a key member of the defensive unit—the MIT defense posted 10 shutouts and a goals against average of 0.79, both of which led the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) in 2018.

Sam Scherl ’17 (men’s squash, Harvard University), #4 for Harvard, helped his undefeated team become national champions at the Potter Cup on February 17 after defeating Trinity, 9-0. With this victory, Sam adds to his list of national titles: he helped Pingry’s Middle School Squash Team to a national title in 2013, earned two individual age-group titles as an Upper Schooler, as well as both a boys’ doubles and a mixed doubles title (the latter with Lindsay Stanley ’16).

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Operational Efficiency

“Hotel Pingry” Few independent day schools can boast on-campus guest lodging; even fewer can credit their own Facilities staff for having built it. But at Pingry, members of the School’s Facilities Team stripped an unremarkable structure down to its beams, identified its potential, and transformed it into a welcoming and comfortable guest house, enjoyed by some 60 visitors to the School each year.

The Carriage House, estimated to be 140 years old, is nestled on the Basking Ridge Campus between an equally old farmhouse—where Director of Facilities Mike Waelz resides—and Beinecke House, the LEED Gold-certified home of the Head of School. Its rebirth as a unique feature of the campus illustrates the importance Pingry places on not only sustainable practices, but also thoughtful, responsible school operations.

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It was over 10 years ago, in early 2008, when discussions began about what to do with the old, 1,500-square-foot Carriage House, originally a livestock barn and, literally, carriage house to the adjacent farmhouse, which Pingry had recently renovated to house its thenDirector of Facilities, Mike Virzi P ’18.

Years earlier, the Carriage House was home to another Facilities staff member, and had since provided limited storage for grounds and athletics equipment.

But it had fallen into disrepair. A teardown seemed likely.

Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11 thought differently. “Let’s make sure we don’t have a good use for this building before we tear it down,” he recalls telling Mr. Virzi. So, Mr. Virzi asked a few of the Facilities men to do some deconstruction to get a better sense

of what was there. Sure enough, they discovered that the bones of the building—a strong timber frame and original post and beam barn—were worth saving. Beneath the tired linoleum floor were original, tongue-and-groove walnut boards, planks used for livestock stalls and hay storage back in the day, they surmised. “When you walked in, you wouldn’t have thought it is worth fixing up,” remembers Mr. Waelz, a trained electrician who ended up rewiring the entire house.

With the strong bones of the house laid bare, restoration and renovation were deemed the best path forward. “We realized we could use it as a guest house for teacher candidates, speakers, visiting artists, and trustees—even miniretreats for faculty and staff,” Mr. Conard says. “Every candidate was costing us $200 a night at the Somerset Hills Hotel down the road, so an on-campus house would provide a significant savings.”

And so, beginning in November of 2008, and in between their regular campus responsibilities, Mr. Waelz and fellow Facilities staff member Jeff Tamn

got to it. The Project Summary for the renovation made their task clear: “The project scope intends to restore the building to its original aesthetic form while converting the interior to a simple and comfortably appointed living space.” Away went the shabby, degraded wood siding and rotten structural supports (an entire back deck was removed), and on went plywood sheathed in a Tyvek vapor/water barrier, over which were applied three inches of highly insulating Spray-foam. Board and batten siding in rich red cedar finished the exterior. The crumbling roof shingles were replaced with heat-resistant, energy-efficient galvanized aluminum.

A new forced air heating system with humidity control was installed, as were all new high-performance, fiberglass framed, low-E (low-emissivity) glass windows. Old framing from the demolition work was reused to build a soffit and ceiling in the common areas and bedrooms (once a three-bedroom house, it was reduced to two). Mr. Tamn, a skilled carpenter, constructed the kitchen casework, as well as its built-in bookcases, desk area, and storage closets. As sanding began on the original walnut floors in the main room, odors of 100-year-old horse manure wafted out of the boards, recalls Mr. Waelz.

The LED lights, trim work, tile, and fixtures were all off-the-shelf components from The Home Depot or Lowe’s. The late Laurie Finn, an interior designer credited with achieving the vision of

Beinecke House, the construction of which would come three years later, provided several pieces of furniture.

With the exception of the siding, windows, plumbing, and roof, Pingry Facilities crew members performed all the work. Six months later, by May 2009, the renovation was complete.

The renewed Carriage House was ready for visitors, and it only made sense that Mr. Conard and his wife, Brenda Hamm P ’09, ’11, taking it for a test run, were its first guests.

The gut renovation, including remaining furniture and appliances, came to $130,000, a far cry from what an outside contractor would have charged. “The Carriage House renovation corresponded with a change in our strategy around how we handle the trades,” Mr. Conard says. “Previously, like a lot of schools, Pingry had a Facilities crew that did not include licensed electricians or plumbers. We were always subcontracting that work out. The scale of our campuses is such that we have enough work to keep skilled, on-staff tradespeople busy.” Indeed, the Carriage House restoration paved the way for Beinecke House (2012) and the Bugliari Athletics Center (2017), two much larger projects that several members of the Facilities Team also had a crucial hand in (read more at pingry.org/extras).

While it’s unarguably a great deal of additional work for them, it’s work that Mr. Waelz says he and his team are proud of. “I feel good that we’re

involved in these big projects on campus. It’s saving money, yes, but it’s also just a smart thing. We’re more familiar with the buildings, and there’s a level of trust that you can’t replicate with outside contractors.”

In addition to the construction savings from using on-staff technicians, Mr. Conard estimates that the Carriage House saves the School between $10,000-$20,000 a year in lodging costs (on average, it is used by a Pingry guest five nights each month).

“It’s a fantastic place. When we put up a candidate there, I feel like it really increases our probability that they’ll take the job,” Mr. Conard adds. “It’s not just that it’s convenient; it’s got an extraordinary feel to it. It’s comfortable, warm, and connected to the outdoors. Guests will come see me after their night’s stay and say, ‘I saw a fox!’ or ‘I saw a big buck right outside the window!’ It’s an impactful experience for people.”

Ian Shrank, a member of the Board of Trustees since 2001, who lives and works in New York City, agrees about its impact. “When the Board meeting schedule changed to what it is now— committee meetings Friday, Board dinner Friday night, and Board meeting early Saturday morning—I dreaded four trips in and out of the city over a 28-hour period. And then the Carriage House was renovated and my problem was solved—a spacious two-bedroom apartment all to myself! I call it the Hotel Pingry!”

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Pingry History - Part 2

Football at Pingry, 1874-1960

By Dr. Joseph Hanaway ’51, 1950 Captain, and Terry Montgomery ’61, 1960 Captain From the authors: The invaluable archival research at Pingry was done by Greg Waxberg ’96, Editor of The Pingry Review.

In Part 1, the authors shared some history of American-style football and its influence on Pingry football. They also described the early stages of Pingry's uniforms (no numbers on the jerseys) and mentioned the School's first two undefeated football teams (1911 and 1921), as well as the hirings of Reese Williams and Vincent Lesneski P '54 (1920 and 1930, respectively).

Then came a national requirement in 1937: all football jerseys had to be numbered on the front and back, and Pingry complied, seen in the team picture of that year (fig. 9). This was, undoubtedly, generated by the officials who needed numbers to be able to assign scores, penalties, and personal records (tackles, yards gained, and so forth).

Inadequate padding was still a problem for the shoulders, upper body, hips, and thighs. Coaching concentrated on the backfield, ball handling, and plays. Line coaching—other than assignments for each play, on blocking, pulling out, and 60

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protecting the passer—was neglected.

The concept of a “pocket” created by the line for the passer did not exist in the single wing.

John Riddell in 1940 designed the first all-plastic suspension helmet and the chin strap that appeared mainly after World War II, used by all levels of the game for more than two decades. The plastic shell was not lined with cushions, but webbing, to keep the head from touching the shell. They were light and long-lasting, colors could be baked into the plastic, and they distributed forces on the head more evenly. It appeared

at Pingry in 1948, navy blue with a white top stripe, and, by 1950, the entire team wore the Riddell helmet.

Traditionally, players at Pingry still supplied their own helmets, shoulder, chest, and hip pads, practice shirts, pants, and shoes. In 1950, however, Pingry, in addition to providing the classic navy blue jersey, also supplied gray game pants with a blue stripe down the back, to complete our uniform’s sartorial splendor.

Coach Williams’s culture of sportsmanship pervaded all the teams he coached in every season. He would never run up scores against weaker teams, particularly in football. I can recall a few times being called from the stands in the Third Form (9th grade) to dress and play in the third and fourth quarters of a one-sided game.

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A problem after World War II was what to do with returning veterans, 19-20+ year olds who took a post-grad year in independent schools to get into college. Because of their greater physical strength, Coach Williams would not allow them to compete in Pingry athletics and cancelled all competition with schools that did. I remember, in 1948, being beaten in the rain at Englewood by a team of post grads and Coach Williams fuming on the bus after the game.

Since there is much more in the sport than can be seen on the field, we also learned the intangibles of discipline, following instructions, teamwork, how to take criticism, and how to win and lose, all life lessons learned on the playing field.

Pingry played a seven-game schedule common in most secondary schools in the 1940s and ’50s. Even Ivy League teams only had eight-game schedules*. [ 9 ] 1937 team, the first to wear numbers on their

jerseys. All players have small shoulder pads. [ 10 ] Pingrys’ third undefeated team (6-0), 1950— Coach Williams’s “team of stars.” Captain Joe Hanaway ’51 is holding the ball, and shoulder pads are still small. Two players are not pictured. [ 11 ] 1950 cartoon from the Elizabeth Daily Journal for the Pingry versus Delbarton game, presented to Joe Hanaway by the cartoonist in 1950 and given to Pingry in 1991.

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* The eight teams in the Ivy League—Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania— each played a seven-game schedule and one outside team. In 1950, Princeton played Williams as its outside game.

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In the Midwest and in bigger universities, nine and even 10-game schedules were found. So, it was surprising that Delbarton, our biggest rival, had a ninegame schedule. Pingry played a few of the same teams annually, but added new opponents regularly because it was not in a league that regulated the teams and number of games to be played. According to the state guidelines, Pingry in 1950 was classified as a Group III School based on the number of students from 9th to 12th grades.

Coach Williams’s dream of another undefeated team was realized in 1950 when a chance group of resolute athletes came together with speed and size to score 159 points in six games to their opponents’ 32. (The seventh game against Horace Mann in New York was

cancelled mid-season because a polio outbreak closed the school.) The 28-man team (fig. 10) had two weeks of preseason practice (twice a day) and, during the season, full dress practice four to five days a week, depending on a Friday or Saturday game. Pingry cohered to the single wing for another decade, until 1960, at which time almost the entire country was using the T-formation.

We had no field equipment (blocking sleds, hanging dummies, running nets, and a weight room), only a few standing dummies. The alternative was to run, run, and run, alternating with jumping jacks, squat jumps, pushups, and 40-yard sprints. The result: we were the best-conditioned team of all our opponents. We were Group III state champions in 1950, and Coach Williams was

named "Union County Coach of the Year" (probably by the Union County sports writers). Before the championship game against Delbarton, played in pouring rain, three 1951 seniors, Cos Berard, Ned Reeves, and Dean Johnson, rented a plane, flew over Delbarton, and dropped hundreds of leaflets about the coming contest. (For more information about Pingry football in 1950, see the May 2015 issue of The Pingry Review.)

The miracle of being undefeated was repeated in 1952 (fig. 12) by a team, led by stalwart Captain Frank Cameron ’53, that scored more than 120 points to their opponents’ six. With shut outs in five games out of six, it was fitting that this successful team, the last to play the single wing at Parker Road, ended an era with such a record. In 1953, the school moved to North Avenue in Hillside, where the majority of the 26 acres were athletics fields. [ 12 ] Pingry’s fourth undefeated team (6-0), 1952.

Captain Frank Cameron ’53 is holding the ball. [ 13 ] 1957 game against Peekskill Academy. Note Pingry jerseys with white shoulder stripes, used for two years, and the first face masks: a plastic piece across the face of #54 and the player on the ground on the far left, and an opponent with the ball, wearing the metal two-bar mask. [ 14 ] 1960 game, with Pingry in blue and Peddie in white, and all players wearing two-bar face masks. [ 15 ] Pingry’s fifth undefeated team (6-0-1), 1960. They have new jerseys with only three stripes on sleeves.

Captain Terry Montgomery ’61 is holding the ball.

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line using a “split T.” He also taught a mindset: on the field, the opponent was the enemy.

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Three years later, 1956 marked the last year for the traditional blue jersey with striped sleeves. The 1957 team wore blue jerseys with two shoulder stripes for home games and white jerseys for away games. Also, and most important, a plastic face mask was worn on the Riddell helmets (fig. 13), replaced the following year by two metal bars (fig. 14) because the plastic ones cracked. In 1959, the T-formation was introduced, and the white shoulder stripes were replaced with three stripes above the elbow on the blue jerseys.

Pingry’s fifth undefeated team (6-0-1), in 1960 (fig. 15), captained by Terry Montgomery ’61, made headlines. New coaches had scrapped the eon of the single wing for the faster and more versatile T-formation and its variants in 1959. Line coaching by George Christow had changed, with better attention to basic technique and to position assignments on the offense and defense.

Using the usual five- or six-man line, he taught the defensive line the “stiff arm shiver” to hold off opponents and blitzing the gaps in any offensive

The increased enrollment (one of the goals for moving to the Hillside Campus in 1953) meant a harder schedule with larger schools. Nevertheless, Peddie, Pennington, and Blair Academy, opponents in the 1960 seven-game schedule, fell to this great team except for a tie with Peddie in a 6-0-1 season (overtime to settle tie games began in the 1970s and was officially enacted in 1996). A final touch for the team were films of the games, viewed weekly, compliments of a loyal father.

Space restrictions prevent mentioning all the teams and all the players over the years who are part of the School’s athletics and football history. We have decided to end our history in 1960 with the last undefeated team and leave the story of the next era of Pingry football to a future author.

Additional source: McGill and the Birth of Football (www.mcgill. ca/news-archives/2005/summer/epilogue)

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Digitization Continues!

A Visit to the Archives

First was the Blue Book, then The Pingry Review. Now, as preservation of Pingry publications continues—for wider access in the future—The Pingry Record is being digitized!

The Collections Expand Two new sets of donations recently arrived for cataloging in Pingry’s ever-expanding archives. We always welcome additions to the School’s historical collections—do you have anything to share? Before parting with your precious memorabilia, please contact Archivist Peter Blasevick at pblasevick@pingry. org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1254 to discuss potential donations.

Mark Donohue ’55 Collection from John Gabrial An avid motorsports collector who describes Mr. Donohue as his “all-time racing hero,” Mr. Gabrial heard from a friend (who visited Pingry) that Mr. Donohue is included in the School’s tribute to Distinguished Alumni. Upon hearing this, Mr. Gabrial offered to donate his Donohue memorabilia.

1: Press photo of Mr. Donohue’s 1971 AMC Javelin 2: 1972 issue of Sports Illustrated with Mr. Donohue on the cover 3: 1972 Indy 500 postcard 4: 1973 Indy 500 ticket with a picture of Mr. Donohue

Timone Family Memorabilia from Nicholas R. King ’78 Mr. King’s neighbor in Elizabeth, Lucille Bougus Timone, worked as an administrative assistant at Pingry from 1957-1962. She died about 25 years ago, at which time her son Richard Timone ’80, P ’24, ’26 gave her Pingry memorabilia to Mr. King, who decided the artifacts were better off at Pingry than in his attic!

Included in the collection . . .

5: Pingry ceramic saucer, pitcher, and ashtray 6: Issues of The Pingry Record 7: 1950s-era wool flannel varsity baseball jersey 8: 1950s-era Admission viewbook and arts programs 9: Scarf with Pingry crest 10: 1979 varsity soccer jersey (50th anniversary of the soccer program)

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Pingry Flashes Back – “Walk for Henry” In November 1982, the Hillside Campus was the site of a “Walk for Henry,” recognizing Henry Stifel III ’83, who was paralyzed in an automobile accident eight months earlier. The event, in which students from Grades 7-12 participated, benefited the then-recently launched Stifel Paralysis Research Foundation.

This photo is one of thousands preserved on slides (spanning five decades of Pingry happenings from the 1950s to 1990s) that Mr. Blasevick is digitizing. See more photos from the walk at pingry.org/flashesback, and read about this year’s Stifel Award honoree on page 43.

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Class Notes Share all your news!

Submit your Class Note at pingry.org/classnotes, or mail it to Holland Sunyak Francisco ‘02, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.

Jack Unkles ’48 with his friend Sandy Birch, daughter-in-law Laura Unkles, son John Unkles, and wife Jane Unkles at The Mar-a-Lago Club.

Roger Herrmann ’62, Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, and John Geddes ’62, P ’95. During their junior years at Pingry, Roger and John played on the 1960 Soccer Team, Miller’s first as head coach.

1948 JACK UNKLES, a long-time admirer of the U.S. Navy SEALs, attended an April benefit for the SEALs at The Mar-a-Lago Club. He writes, “It was a fabulous event. The SEALs put on a great demo—parachuted from a helicopter at 10,000 feet and landed right at our feet. They showed their trained dogs. Then, a wonderful, regal dinner in the main ballroom, with lots of Admirals and Captains. Very patriotic. We are lucky to have this fine bunch of men protecting us. God bless our military!”

1958 DR. JIM SMITH attended the Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition in February, as he has done in past years. He recalled Dr. LeBow as being so grateful for his education, especially at Pingry, that he spent his life giving back.

Assistant Headmaster–Basking Ridge Campus Dr. Delvin Dinkins, Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, competition winner Noah Bergam ’21 (he spoke about memes; read more on page 72), Competition Coordinator and Spanish and French teacher Rich Karrat, and Dr. Jim Smith ’58.

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Alison Little ’82, P ’22, ’25, sister of Bill Little ’64, invited his classmates to her house on Friday night of Reunion Weekend to thank them for their efforts to renovate and name an Upper School history classroom in memory of Bill, who was killed in action in Vietnam when he gave his life to protect one of his own men (naming the classroom was their 50th Reunion Class Gift in 2014). Pictured with her are members of the Class of 1964: Seated: Bruce Laing, David Patterson, and Doug Smith.

Standing: Bob Weissman, Charley Tracy, Glenn Erickson, Rik Alexanderson P ’02, and Bruce Morrison. Not pictured: Dick KixMiller.

Gary Smith ’63 and Dick Manley ’63.

1963 DICK MANLEY writes, “Heading north from Florida, Gary Smith ’63 swung by Aiken, SC to pause for some ‘refreshment.’ Last time we got together was our 45th Class Reunion in 2008. Lots of memories and lots of laughs. Some things never change.”

For possible inclusion in the Fall 2019 issue:

Share a Pingry “first day of school” memory!

Send your responses to Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org or The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.

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THE REV. NED PREVOST writes, “Susan Yeomans Breen ’76 and I met at Coffee Hour at All Saints Church in Worcester, MA, where I serve as an Associate Priest, Retired.

Susan was new to All Saints, and in a conversation we discovered our Pingry connection. She was in the first women’s class at the Hillside Campus. My family connections to Pingry/Elizabeth go way back: my brother Ridge was ’60, my brother Bill was ’67, my father Sterett Prevost was ’31, my Uncle John Durrie was ’30, and my Great-Uncle Donald Smith was in the early 1900s.”

Dr. Susan Yeomans Breen ’76 and The Rev. Edward S. “Ned” Prevost ’63.

1964 BRUCE MORRISON received the 2019 Skyland Conference Service Award, presented each year to an individual from a member school who has served either the conference or that school for a long duration. Carl Weigner, President of the Skyland Conference, says Bruce was selected for his years of Pingry sports photography and “massive allegiance to the School.”

Bob Dwyer ’65 (from New York City) and Dr. Jon Steinhardt ’65 (from Spokane) relive old times at their 50th Amherst reunion.

1977 DR. EDUS “HOOTIE” WARREN III received Pingry’s Letter-in-Life Award at Commencement. Read more on page 31.

1978

Credit: Steve Alboucq

1968 JIM CONNELL lives in Eastsound, WA and is lead vocalist and pianist for The James Reid Band, with songwriting collaborator Reid Spencer of North Carolina. The band performed two Tales Tall & Tender concerts at Orcas Center in April, joined by Jim’s brother Myke ’70, to help Recovery in Community (www.ricorcas.com), which trains volunteers to help islanders challenged by mental health and substance abuse disorders. Each concert reflected on the band’s 48-year history—original music telling stories from Jim’s and Reid’s musical friendship.

They formed the Atlanta-based country-rock band Milkweed in the early 1970s, performing their original music throughout the southeast with the Allman Brothers, Jimmy Buffett, and many others. After the five Milkweed band members went their separate ways, Jim and Reid lost contact for more than 40 years, with Jim pursuing a career in psychology and education and Reid working in journalism. But the chance iTunes posting of a recording of Reid’s “Granma Country” led to a 2014 reunion.

They located and gathered the other band members from across the country, reformed as The James Reid Band, and went on to record the highly acclaimed album Breakfast at Sunset. Now, the band is working on its second

album, with the matching title Tales Tall & Tender, also for Recovery in Community.

STEVE ELMENDORF, a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. who has also worked for campaigns at all levels and worked in government, visited Pingry during the Middle School’s Project Week to speak with eighthgrade students about navigating the political system. Steve encouraged them to consider, “What can I do as an individual?” His advice for dealing with political challenges: learn the facts, listen to the other side, and pause to reflect, think, learn, and listen. When it comes to finding and advocating for a cause, he said students need to learn about the issue, determine

their audience and those people’s life experiences, and figure out the messaging. In a Q&A, Steve revealed that his political role model is Franklin Delano Roosevelt because “he led our country through two unbelievably difficult crises—the Great Depression and World War II—while overcoming a disability.”

1979 ANNE DELANEY and CHIP CARVER, JR. ’77 (PARENTS ’09, ’11, ’14, ’14), their family, and Pingry welcomed New Jersey state licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Joël Núñez in March to deliver The Gilbert H. Carver ’79 Memorial Lecture, which supports open dialogue on self-esteem and acceptance. Dr. Núñez addressed the “burnout continuum,” which he said requires each person’s constant vigilance. He urged the

1971 IAN SHRANK was honored at Commencement. Read more on page 40.

1976 GREG MANKIW’s name appeared in a Jeopardy! clue in February, in a category about textbooks: “N. Gregory Mankiw has penned texts on these ‘large’ and ‘small’ fields, relating to how governments spend & how you do” (Question: What are macroeconomics and microeconomics?).

Steve Elmendorf ’78 speaking with Middle School students at Pingry.

For possible inclusion in the Fall 2019 issue:

Share a Pingry “first day of school” memory!

Mark Zashin ’75 speaking with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell about keeping interest rates low, in late 2018 at The Economic Club of New York.

Send your responses to Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org or The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.

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ANDREW GOLDSTEIN, lead prosecutor on the team overseeing the Russia investigation, was the subject of a New York Times article in February, “It’s Mueller’s Investigation. But Right Behind Him is Andrew Goldstein.” The piece explores Andrew’s past as a prosecutor and his major role in the investigation.

1994 Headmaster Nat Conard P ’09, ’11, Matthew DeLaney, Dr. Joël Núñez, Anne DeLaney ’79, P ’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, and Chip Carver, Jr. ’77, P ’09, ’11, ’14, ’14.

audience not to spend their energy and time trying to change things beyond their control.

Instead, he said, be kind to ourselves, leverage our relationships, express gratitude, be present in the moment, and read “resilience” literature to understand how other people have dealt with struggles.

1986 THE HONORABLE TOM KEAN, JR., Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate, visited Pingry during the Middle School’s Project Week to speak with seventh-grade students about leadership. In his remarks, he highlighted the importance of building good teams that capitalize on people’s strengths, finding common ground to figure out solutions, and continuing to learn to always have the best possible information. Students also heard a familiar message about

failure: “It is okay to try and fail.

There’s no downside in failing.

What is most important is what you do for your next challenge.”

1989 CHIP KORN P ’21, ’21, ’23 was honored during Reunion Weekend.

Read more on page 24.

1992 DR. CHRIS FRESOLONE, music teacher at The Gregory School in Tucson, AZ, is Assistant Director of the Tucson Girls Chorus and directs the Chorus’s second-mostadvanced group, Jubilate Choir, which visited Los Angeles for a festival in March.

KEVIN KORN, Managing Director of Kevin Korn Photo + Brand, was contracted by Under Armour to lead their Spring Summer 2019 golf campaigns for men, women, and boys. Photography, brand messaging, and videos have been released online + in-store and are also viewable at kevinkorn.com.

This was the second major campaign the brand awarded to his studio, the first being for their International Football (soccer) category which he directed + photographed the year prior in England.

2000 DR. PURVI PARIKH’s name appeared in a question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in February: “According to Dr. Purvi Parikh, ‘Steam it out,’ ‘Take an allergy pill’ and ‘Start the right nasal spray, stat’ are effective ways of doing what?”

(Answer: clearing your stuffy nose) Purvhi is an allergist and immunologist working with adult and pediatric patients both at NYU Langone and in private practice.

For possible inclusion in the Fall 2019 issue:

Share a Pingry “first day of school” memory!

Send your responses to Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org or The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.

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The Honorable Tom Kean, Jr. ’86 speaking with Middle School students at Pingry.

2003 BUZZY COHEN, winner of Jeopardy!’s 2017 Tournament of Champions, returned to the show in February as a team captain for the All-Star Games. Featuring six teams comprised of 18 past champions, the two-week tournament helped celebrate the quiz show’s 35th season. Buzzy’s team advanced to the Wild Card match.

(All six teams appeared in the first two matches, with the two winning teams advancing to the finals; the three highest-scoring, non-winning teams from those first two matches competed in the Wild Card match for a chance to reach the finals.)

2004 JEFF RAMIREZ, Chief Beer Officer of Denizens Brewing Co., was recently involved with the opening of the brewery’s new 12,000-square-foot production facility and taproom in the Riverdale Park Station development in Maryland. The new site can produce four times as much beer as the original beer garden that opened five years ago in Silver Spring. Photos from the new location appear on Eater: Washington DC (dc.eater.com).

Read more about Jeff and Denizens in the Winter 2017-18 issue of The Pingry Review.

Andrew Werner ’04, Tom Rooke, Jr. ’02, Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Matt Rooke ’04, Jes Taylor ’04, and Jaime Delia ’04 during a chance meeting at the Jacksonville airport. Andrew, Tom, Matt, Jes, and Jaime were returning from Matt’s Bachelor Party weekend.

2005 BRAD FECHTER married Nadine Pashinsky on July 21, 2018, at Clark’s Landing in Point Pleasant, NJ. SCOTT MENKE married Kara Louis in October at the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, NJ. Scott is an actuary and lives in New York City.

2007 ANNABELL SUH (now Annabell Ho) passed her Ph.D. dissertation defense at Stanford University in December with the dissertation “Understanding the Impact of Conversational AI on Supportive

Interactions: Towards the Conversational AI and Response Effects Model” in the Department of Communication. She has joined Key Lime Interactive, a user experience research consultancy, and is conducting user experience research at Google Jigsaw.

2010 JENNIFER SOONG released her first collection of poems, Near, At, this summer with Futurepoem Books. It has been called “a rapturous, discombobulating affair” by Monica McClure, “a most welcoming & brilliant first book” by Pierre

Front row: Chip Shaffer ’05, Adam Freedman ’05, Kara Louis, Scott Menke ’05, Mike Silber ’05, and Nikhil Srivastava ’05. Back row: Nathan Burgdorff ’06, Adam Goldstein ’06, Rob Trangucci ’05, James Somers ’05, and Drew Blacker ’05.

Joris, and a “philosophical-treatiseas-poem […] in a line of affinity with contemporary writers such as Lyn Hejinian, Lisa Robertson, and Anne Boyer” by Mia You. Jennifer continues to work on a dissertation about poetry and forgetting at Princeton.

2011

Front: Matt Fechter ’09. First row: Eric Schonberg ’05, Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Don Castle ’05, Brad Fechter ’05, and Maggie O’Toole ’05.

Second row: Jerry Fechter P ’05, ’09, ’13, Jim Stamatis P ’05, ’09, John Stamatis ’05, and Christian Fechter ’13.

ALEX LIEBERMAN, Co-Founder and CEO of the daily email newsletter Morning Brew, which summarizes business news for millennials, was named to Forbes’s “30 Under 30 Media List.” When Morning Brew reached one million subscribers in February, he was the subject of a Forbes article, “How To Start A Massively Successful Media Startup From Your College Dorm Room” (a Q&A adapted from a podcast).

When asked for his advice for today’s college students who want to do something impactful, he says, “Starting a business while you are in college is one of the best things you can do. You just have so many resources at your disposal—your alumni-base, professors, fellow students. Also, I found that when you ask for things as a college student,

it’s much easier to get a yes than when you’ve already graduated.”

Explaining Morning Brew in a 2015 interview with The Pingry Review, Alex said, “Because of its traditionally dry, dense, and long format, people read [business news] because they have to, not because they want to. I wanted to create a platform that gets you excited to read business news . . . It’s important that millennials have the information they need and want for success in the business world.”

For possible inclusion in the Fall 2019 issue:

Share a Pingry “first day of school” memory!

Send your responses to Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org or The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.

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Abhiram Karuppur ’15 interviewing award-winning author and Princeton professor emerita Joyce Carol Oates at Princeton University.

Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, Katie Parsels ’09, Tyler Parsels ’08, and Chris O’Donnell ’10.

WHITNEY WELDON, who earned a Master’s degree in Public Relations at New York University in 2017, continues to inspire others as she battles FOP (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive) and watches the progress being made to develop medications that might offer a viable treatment for this rare genetic disease, which affects about 800 people worldwide. On March 20, she was profiled on STAT (a website devoted to journalism about life sciences and the business of making medications).

Titled “Their tissue turns to bone.

Their joints freeze in place. And, finally, their hopes for treatment may be realized,” the article details the scientific community’s history of trying to find a cure for FOP.

2015 ABHIRAM KARUPPUR writes, “I graduated from Princeton University in June with a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering, and my final year was marked with many Pingry moments! Last November, I had the opportunity to interview author Joyce Carol Oates on stage, where she gave advice to graduating seniors interested in creative writing. Former Pingry English teacher and Pingry Record Advisor Dr. Susan Dineen was in the audience. I also had a chance encounter at a Princeton reception, where Chris Milton ’65 and I chatted about our Pingry experiences. I had an amazing four

Jack DeLaney ’16, Bob DeLaney P ’16, and Mike Coughlin ’90 in Boston in December.

James Robertson ’17 (second row, far right) with the Cornell Chordials.

Seated: Louis Monteagudo ’14, Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24, and Max Helfman ’14. Standing: Akshay Rao ’14, Julian Greer ’14, George Zachary ’14, and Sean Carver ’14.

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years and will be moving to Houston in August to work in the energy industry. If anyone finds themselves in the area, let me know and we can catch up!”

Abhiram, who served as Co-Chair of the Last Lecture series, wrote an article about the Joyce Carol Oates interview that appears on Princeton’s website.

2017 JAMES ROBERTSON, a member of the Cornell Chordials, returned to Pingry in February. The group performed several songs in the Lower Commons.

CHRIS VARVARO is making a name for himself as a music producer. Read more on page 32.

In Memoriam Louis Paul Wiener ’55

May 11, 2019, age 82, Savannah, GA

Mr. Wiener served as a member of Pingry’s Board of Trustees from 1982-1987. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan and was recalled to the U.S. Army Reserves for duty from 1959-1961. He was an international businessman and President of the Standard Chlorine Chemical Company in Kearny, NJ and Standard Chlorine of Delaware, Delaware City, DE. Mr. Wiener also served on the Board of Directors of the Chemical Manufacturers Association, on a U.S. Department of Commerce Export Advisory Committee, and on the Board of Trustees of Far Brook School. Upon his retirement, Mr. Wiener volunteered on the Millburn-Short Hills First Aid Squad and as a mediator in New Jersey Municipal and Superior Courts. In Savannah, he served on the Chatham County Board of Equalization and on the Security Committee of the Landings Association. He was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1953 Boys’ Basketball Team. Survivors include his first wife, Valerie Lewis; their three children, James Lewis, Richard Wiener ’82, and Jennifer Wiener ’86; and six grandchildren.

He is also mourned by Mary Wearn Wiener, his wife since 1992 and Head of Far Brook School in Short Hills for 27 years before her retirement in 2006.

Dr. Karl William Waterson, Jr. ’53 February 16, 2019, age 83, Charleston, WV

Dr. Waterson attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and obtained his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army at Fort Totten, NY, receiving an Honorable Discharge. After earning a medical degree with a specialty in Dermatology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, he completed his residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

and Moffitt Hospital, University of California, San Francisco. He practiced dermatology around the country for more than 40 years before moving to Meredith, NH to operate his own private practice. He was an avid sports fan who loved playing golf, and he sang in several choirs. Dr. Waterson was preceded in death by his second wife, Karen, brother Robert, and infant daughter Wendy. Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Lucinda; three sons, Steven (Tess), Grant (Andrea), and Edward (Anna Louise); two stepsons, William (Elizabeth) and Sidney (Florence); two stepdaughters, Anne (Richard) and Susan (George); 10 grandchildren: Alexander, Christina, Lucas, Liam, Ashley, William, Dillon, Davis, Emily, and Geoffrey; great-granddaughter Autumn; sister Anne; several nephews; a niece; and lifelong friend Sheppard.

David Howard Neunert ’62

February 16, 2019, age 75, Chapel Hill, NC

John Thomas Lucadamo ’64 April 14, 2019, age 73, Evanston, IL

Mr. Lucadamo graduated from Alfred University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

He began his journalism career at The CourierJournal in Louisville, KY, where he met his wife Nancye. He returned to Evanston, working as an editor and a reporter at The Chicago Sun-Times and later The Chicago Tribune. While covering education for the Tribune, his desire to be a teacher grew, so he left the newspaper for a second career as a journalism and English teacher at New Trier High School, where he advised the school newspaper. He passed along his passion for journalism to his students, often taking them to the Tribune to talk with former colleagues. In retirement, Mr. Lucadamo was active in Northwestern’s OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) program and the Wednesday lunch program at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

Survivors include his wife Nancye, son Kirk, and daughter Eleanor.

Bruce Weidenburner ’64 February 2, 2019, age 72, Linden, NJ

He is survived by his sister Jan.

Dr. Eugene Ralph “Gene” Mancini ’66 March 26, 2019, age 70, Camarillo, CA

Dr. Mancini graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in Biology, received a Master’s degree in Zoology from DePauw University, and earned a Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Louisville.

He served in the U.S. Army as Specialist 5th class (combat medic and clinical laboratory technologist). Dr. Mancini began his career as a consulting environmental scientist. He worked for Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and then British Petroleum (BP). Dr. Mancini then opened his own independent environmental consulting business in Camarillo. He volunteered for international and local organizations, such as SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry), which recognized him in 2016 with the Herb Ward Exceptional Service Award.

He was a member of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce and enjoyed supporting local education programs. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Ruth Anne; son Michael (Adriana); daughter Lisa (Joshua); sister C. Anne; niece Leanne; uncle John Boffa (Pat) and Mr. Boffa’s four sons; brother-in-law Bill (JoAnn); nephew Scott; and grandson Vincent. Dr. Mancini passed away following several strokes.

Faculty

Robert S. Goldberg

March 10, 2019, age 67, Palm Beach, FL

Mr. Goldberg taught Spanish at Pingry from 1980-1984. He earned a B.A. and an M.P.A. at Temple University and began his career in education in 1973, teaching Spanish at Haddonfield Memorial High School before joining Pingry. Mr. Goldberg filled many roles in independent schools over the years, including Head of a foreign language department, Academic Dean, Upper School Head, and Head of School. Most recently, he was in his 11th year as Head of School at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, FL. Survivors include his wife Rona.

The editorial staff makes every effort to publish an obituary for and pay tribute to the accomplishments of alumni who have passed away, based on information available as of press time. If family members, classmates, or friends would like to submit tributes, please contact Greg Waxberg ’96 at gwaxberg@pingry.org or Holland Sunyak Francisco ’02 at hfrancisco@pingry.org.

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Closing Word

Memes, Gratitude, Pingry History . . .

Enjoy these excerpts from the 2019 Dr. Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition. Visit pingry.org/extras to watch videos of the speeches.

Carolyn Coyne ’21 (“Drink the Water”) A friend of mine posted a video on Instagram. In the video, this brilliant poet named Rudy Francisco gives a speech titled “Complainers” . . . He had this one-liner that literally made me pause the video and stare at the screen. He said, “Remember that, every year, two million people die of dehydration, so it doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty. There’s water in the cup, drink that ----, and stop complaining.”

I catch myself and others taking our lives for granted. Stop nitpicking over the positive or the negative, especially the negative, in everything, and take life as it is. Make the effort to stop complaining about the nothing, open up to the depths and to what really matters, and drink that water.

Alexandra Weber ’20 (“The True Meaning of Music to My Ears”) When I think about my childhood, and the most impactful moments of it, my mind keeps taking me back to one thing: listening to music with my father in the car. How could something so simple, so mundane, really be one of the most meaningful memories from my childhood? But, this isn’t one single memory, rather it is the culmination of the thousands of times my father and I buckled our seat belts, rolled the windows down, turned the dial up, and reveled in the beauty of Bono’s electrifying lyrics to “Beautiful Day” or Springsteen’s pain ridden voice in “Drive All Night.” It was the sweet sense of guaranteed time with my favorite man in the absence of work calls and the myriad distractions that filled his day: it was just me, my father, and the songs of our favorite singers and bands filling our souls, time and time again.

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a stronger impact on those around you, even if that was not the intention. Learn people’s stories and connect with others on a deeper level. Let’s be real and have real conversations. Let’s continue to learn about each other. If you’re willing to listen, then I’m ready to share.

Jamie Wang ’20 (“Barking Up the Right Tree”)

LeBow Competition Finalists Alexandra Weber ’20, Aneesh Karuppur ’21, Noah Bergam ’21, Kaley Taylor ’21, Carolyn Coyne ’21, and Jamie Wang ’20.

Noah Bergam ’21 (“Chasing Memes”—Winning Speech) Memes favor brevity and potency above all else. As such, in our extremely memeoriented world, we tend to ignore complex issues and personality and, instead, favor shallow, brief, entertaining communication.

This plays out in political discourse, but also in this very school. Memes turn student government campaigns into comedy shows, English classes into SparkNotes discussions, our opinions about this school into a five-second meme of the week. We all need to consider the effects of memes in our lives. We need to lengthen our attention spans. We must embrace the complexities of the world around us, as well as the intricacies of our own identities.

Kaley Taylor ’21 (“Be Open and Be Aware”) Though people have their own unique stories and hardships, they have no idea about what could be going on in someone else’s life. Care about all those around you whose lives don’t resemble yours. Your actions, as well as your silence, can either hurt or heal.

Keep in mind that what you say may have

Puppy love is a nickname for the meteoric love often felt by teenagers. It’s known for being short and nonsensical, like the worshipful adoration felt by a puppy. It’s typically used in a dismissive sense, as folly produced by naivety and an excess of hormones. It’s considered a rite of passage; something to laugh about at reunions down the line. [But] it’s a gift. It’s the gift of youth and happiness, of love; it’s the gift of heart, then mind. It’s passion, failure, and growth all rolled into one . . . When I’m asked what I want to study, I think about what I like. What makes me happy. I think about what I love, and I don’t always have a reason; I shouldn’t have to. It’s the unfiltered adoration for our work, our hobbies, our lives that we all strive to achieve: that’s puppy love.

Aneesh Karuppur ’21 (“Sorting Through Pingry’s History”) We spend a lot of time learning about the history of both the world and the country.

We study this empire and that civilization, and the whole purpose is to develop an appreciation for how far humanity has come. We learn history to see what worked and what didn’t, since most of the situations that we find ourselves in have historical precedence. Pingry is fortunate enough to have an Archivist; so why don’t we make the most out of that opportunity to learn about our school?

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, July 13 Alumni Class Notes Send us your latest news!

Do you have a new job?

New baby?

Just married?

Recently moved?

Other updates to share with your classmates?

If so, we are collecting class notes and photos for the next issue of The Pingry Review.

Visit pingry.org/classnotes, or mail your note to Holland Sunyak Francisco ’02 The Pingry School 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Jersey Shore Reception in Mantoloking Hosted by the Vreeland Family — 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, July 20

Nantucket Reception

Hosted by the Carver/DeLaney Family — 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 5

Homecoming

Alumni Admission Open House Alumni Soccer Games

Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16

Reunion Weekend Basking Ridge Campus

Check pingry.org/calendar and watch your email for information about upcoming events.

Send us your email address! If you haven’t been receiving invitations and updates about Pingry events, we probably don’t have your current contact information. Send your updated email address and mailing address to alumni@pingry.org to get back in the loop!

Facebook: Pingry School Alumni Twitter: @PingryAlumni LinkedIn: Pingry Alumni Network Instagram: @PingryAlumni

For volunteer opportunities or any additional questions, please contact:

Holland Sunyak Francisco ’02 Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving hfrancisco@pingry.org 908-647-5555, ext. 1284

The Pingry School Basking Ridge Campus, Middle & Upper Schools Short Hills Campus, Lower School 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Change Service Requested