The Pingry Review - Summer 2024

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Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03 and a Superstar’s Auction

Pingry’s Connection to Belgium’s History

Career Day Tackles AI

The

Review S U M M E R 2024

Fifty Years of Coeducation

A dance from the Basking Ridge Campus’ Lunar New Year Celebration

SUMMER 2024 | VOL. 80 | NO.2

CONTENTS

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Commemorating Fifty Years of Coeducation Alumnae and faculty share their experiences from five decades ago when girls joined Pingry, and reflect on Pingry’s progress with coeducation. Plus: some milestones for Pingry women over the past 50 years.

pingry.org/review

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Earlier in 2024, Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03 of Christie’s concluded a years-long project involving a music superstar. The auction itself featured a lot of art—but art and art history have also been significant parts of her career.

At Commencement, Head of School Tim Lear shared a Pingry story from decades ago, and not many people might know about it. Having to do with showing up for others, it illustrates the Honor Code—specifically, taking action because it is the right thing to do.

The Art of the Auction

“Somehow, We Just Did It”

D E PA R T M E N T S 2

From the Head of School

46 On the Arts

67 Pingry Creates

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One Pingry

52 True Blue Spotlight

67 Class Notes

13

Faculty Awards

54 Pingry in Your Neighborhood

80 In Memoriam

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Faculty and Staff News

58 Reunion

84 A Visit to the Archives

16

Commencement

62 Career Day

88 A Final Look

20 View from BR/PV/SH

64 PAA Board

38 Athletics

The Pingry Review is The Pingry School’s official magazine. Contact the editor with comments and story ideas:

gwaxberg@pingry.org 908-647-5555, ext. 1296 The Pingry School 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

EDITOR

Greg Waxberg ’96 Communications Writer EDITORIAL STAFF

Peter Blasevick P’24 Archivist Emily Cooke P’36 Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing Sara Courtney Communications Writer David M. Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34 Director of Institutional Advancement

Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28 Director of Development Maureen Maher Associate Director of Communications, Writer Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36 Assistant Director of Communications, Social Media Strategy and Athletics Holland Sunyak ’02 Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns DESIGN AND LAYOUT

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jennifer Belcher Peter Blasevick P’24 Russ DeSantis Natalie Gonzalez Erin Kiernan Bruce Morrison ’64 Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36 Rebecca Nowalski David Salomone Reena Rose Sibayan Ryan Smith Debbie Weisman Mark Wyville Maggie Yurachek

Josephine Bergin josephinebergin.com

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FROM THE

Head of School Dear Members of the Pingry Community, As a lifelong runner, I’ve always appreciated the importance of momentum. Often unnoticeable at first, it can build both gradually and then suddenly. And when your efforts are successful — as accurately described by singer Annie Lennox — “you can’t really tell whether you have created the momentum or it’s creating you.”

We can all be proud of the tremendous momentum we’re creating for Pingry. On the enrollment front, our attrition rate (number of students not returning for the following year) just reached an all-time low of 0.85% compared to the national independent school average of 13%. This marks the first time in over a decade that our attrition has dropped below 2.4%. We received an unprecedented number of applications for admission, and I’m excited to share that 96% of accepted students have enrolled for September. We also closed out record-breaking results for The Pingry Fund, our top fundraising priority each year. Thanks to your generosity, we received $3.34 million dollars of support — the largest amount ever raised. Parent and alumni giving both reached new highs, and The Pingry Fund surpassed its fundraising goal for the fourth consecutive year.

This momentum is carrying us into what promises to be a very exciting 2024-25 year. We’re releasing our new strategic plan. We’re embarking on the extensive self-study component of our scheduled re-accreditation with the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. And we’re celebrating a milestone in Pingry history: 50 years of coeducation.

In September of 1974, we welcomed 101 young women across Forms I-V to the Hillside Campus. As one former faculty member remarked, the noticeable improvement in the tone and tenor of campus life “was like the dawn of civilization.” Pingry had

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turned the page after 113 years as an all-boys school, and these brave new students had arrived to write the next chapter. They had knowingly traded in the familiar for the unfamiliar. They recognized countless obstacles and opportunities were waiting.

They knew being the first would be difficult, but they embraced the risk and the challenge and forged ahead anyway.

As a child, I got some small sense of what their experience must have been like by watching my own mom. While studying in her native Belgium to become an interpreter, she came to the United States halfway through her undergraduate program to pursue an internship. She thankfully stayed here, ultimately deciding to leave Belgium because she valued education (along with love) and was inspired to challenge herself to pursue bigger opportunities than she found at home. After subsequently meeting a dashing young Gene Lear in a Manhattan restaurant, mom then went on to juggle the demands of raising three young children while in business school. She always found creative solutions for somehow making it all work — just as the women of Pingry have been doing for 50 years.

Just like my mom, those first young women who came to Pingry were confident, driven, and determined. They hadn’t come to Pingry looking to find those character traits. They had them before even arriving on campus. And the challenges of being “the first” didn’t stop for those women after just one year. Instead, their generation continued to shoulder that level of responsibility for decades — both at Pingry and in their personal and professional lives after graduation. They indeed met the challenge of their time. They met the moment of coeducation, and for doing so they each deserve our continued and greatest respect.

Sincerely,

Tim Lear

ONE PINGRY LEBOW ORATORICAL COMPETITION: PRAISE FOR THE HUMANITIES

“ A world that values the humanities is a world that values humanity.”

CLIMATE SUMMIT

Middle and Upper School climate and environmental enthusiasts participated in Pingry’s first annual Climate Summit in April on the Pottersville Campus. They immersed themselves in hands-on workshops focused on actionable ways to address climate change in the community, and learned to cook (and eat) sustainably, upcycle to create art, identify and plant native plants, and create seed bombs.

The annual end-of-year “Senior Stars Under the Stars” takes place after the last day of classes in early May. Seniors were invited to walk the runway to choreographed DJ music, in an outfit of their choosing.

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An aspiring engineer with a love of technical subjects, Ella Wunderlich ’25 won the 2024 Robert H. LeBow ’58 Memorial Oratorical Competition with her speech, “Engineering the Education of Our Society Through the Humanities.” Partially inspired by a New York Times story about the decline of English majors in college, Ella extolled the importance of the humanities. “They’re central to shaping our values,” she said, and does not think that focusing on STEM should come at the expense of these other subjects. “A world that values the humanities is a world that values humanity, and that is the kind of world that I want to live in.”

The competition was funded in 2005 through the generosity of Pingry’s Class of 1958, led by the late William Hetfield, in memory of their classmate. Dr. LeBow was an accomplished author and public speaker who addressed audiences worldwide about the need for health care reform. He is the author of Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the Myths and Fixing and Fixing Our Failing System.

NONFICTION EXPO

As part of their daily Reading and Writing Workshop, students in Grade 2 studied nonfiction reading and writing. They read about their chosen topics, wrote multi-chapter “All About” booklets on those topics, and worked on posters or dioramas that enhanced their learning. For the writing process, students revised their books based on lessons about the content of nonfiction texts, and then edited with their classmates and teachers. The Nonfiction Expo showcased all of the projects in a museum-style exhibit.

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ONE PINGRY FORM II RETROSPECTIVE The Middle School hosted a retrospective for Form II students and families, celebrating students’ growth during their time in the Middle School, with speeches by faculty and students.

Denise Lionetti ’85 with a student during “Dress Like an Adult” Day

G E T T I N G TO K N OW ...

Denise Lionetti ’85, Lower School Spanish Teacher Favorite musicians? Los Van; Manolito Simonet; Pupy y Los que Son, Son; Alexander Abreu. I’d love to hear from any other timba fans, especially if they are also casineros!

(Cuban salsa music and Cuban-style salsa dancing). My other favorite genre is MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira).

Favorite book? Doppelganger by Naomi Klein; The Little Prince (along with fond memories from Lydia Geacintov’s French 3 class), Flatland and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (along with fond memories of Dean Sluyter’s “Literature of Consciousness” class).

Favorite TV show? I fell in love with all of the characters in Ted Lasso and still miss seeing them every week.

Best advice you’ve ever received? From my mom: “This too shall pass.”

How has your mother’s career as a teacher influenced you and your teaching? Her generosity of spirit, genuine caring, wisdom, and compassion are qualities that I strive to emulate in the classroom and within the community. The example she set throughout my childhood helped to instill in me a solid work ethic. She has been an embodiment of the Pingry Honor Code, helping to guide me in my decisions as a teacher and in my personal life.

Teaching runs in my family—both of my parents, one of my brothers, one of my cousins, my aunt, and my uncle are or have been teachers. In fact, what brought my family to New Jersey from upstate New York was when my father accepted the position of World Language Department Chair at Pingry in the mid ’70s.

MARCH MAMMAL MADNESS Thanks to Middle School Science Teacher Anna Marie Hope finding out about Arizona State University’s project of the same name, students in Grade 6 experienced March Mammal Madness as they started their springtime ecology unit (Ms. Hope introduced the activity to her classes in 2022–23, and their enjoyment led to an expansion to all of Grade 6 this year).

Presented with a group of 65 creatures— whose traits were researched by ASU scientists—students considered each animal’s motivation, habitat, body condition in March, and other qualities as they filled out their individual brackets; Ms. Hope and fellow Middle School Science Teacher Ramsay Vehslage

provided context as needed.

The goal, according to Mr. Vehslage: “Who they think is going to win these simulated battles between animals that maybe wouldn’t live anywhere near each other.” For each contest, ASU provided odds for each animal winning, generated a random number (behind the scenes) to determine the winner, and used YouTube to share a story about the outcome—in one case, a bee defeated an elephant, so the video needed to explain how it happened. “The kids were completely outraged,” Mr. Vehslage says with a laugh, “but there is the possibility of an upset, just like in March Madness.”

Best part of teaching Spanish to Lower School students? Seeing an entire group of 18 students fully engaged, laughing at the stories we create together in Spanish, understanding 95% of the Spanish I am immersing them in, and building the confidence to respond and communicate in whatever way they may be ready to at the time. Plus, they are just so much fun to be around!

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AMBASSADOR HALE SHARES THOUGHTS ABOUT DIPLOMACY The Pingry community welcomed a distinguished guest speaker in late April, Ambassador David Hale—a visit made possible through a childhood friend, Karl Werner P’12, ’14, ’16. Currently a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Ambassador Hale told students that he got involved with public service and joined the Foreign Service in 1984 out of a “sheer curiosity about the world and trying to understand why things happened the way they happened—and how to be a force for good.”

Over the past four decades, he has served under four presidents and worked with eight Secretaries of State dating back to the tenure of Madeleine Albright. Among many other positions, he is the former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon, and Jordan.

He holds the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Foreign Service.

Ambassador Hale also shared that the starting point for American diplomacy is “to take care of the American people—to protect their interests, to help legally, to help Americans who are in distress overseas”; and what he believes is an important quality for a diplomat: empathy. “If you want to influence behavior, which ultimately is a diplomat’s job, the starting point has to be to understand their point of view and to empathize—to put yourself in their shoes, see the world their way.”

Board of Trustees Chair Ian Shrank ’71 and Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd

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Dr. Marie-Pierre Jolly, Computer Science Department Chair Favorite musician? I have a playlist of more than 2,000 songs that I listen to in the car. Among favorites are Renaud, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Elton John, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, ABBA, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones.

He also joined a panel discussion with juniors from Model UN. They asked him about trying to resolve conflicts in the Middle East (“don’t give up in the face of adversity”), suggestions for a consistent foreign policy (“knowledge, and make sure the president is well informed and that president’s advisors have all information available”), and the most important skill for conflict resolution (“patience . . . there’s a lot of waiting . . . you really want to give up because all you see is the wall, but you have to persist.”).

Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd received The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award during Commencement, recognizing his impact on and contributions to the School and its arts program for 30 years. Read about Mr. Boyd’s Pingry career on page 14.

Most memorable part of growing up in France? People don’t ask what you got for Christmas—they want to know what you ate for Christmas. That’s how good the food is.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be and why? Michelle Obama. She is a smart woman, interested in a lot of different topics.

Origin of your interest in computer science?

My dad brought a computer home when I was 12. I played with it, started programming in Basic, and I was hooked—I enjoyed the challenge of putting all the instructions together so that the computer would do the things that I programmed. It’s like solving a puzzle.

Prior to Pingry, you worked for over two decades as a research scientist at Siemens.

Why did you decide to switch to teaching?

My job at Siemens was becoming boring, focusing on minor improvements for existing software rather than interesting research. After realizing that I enjoyed spending time with teenagers—my daughters and their friends— and that I could teach at an independent school, I decided to apply.

How did Pingry support you in your career change? I was quite nervous when I entered the classroom for the first time. Throughout my career as a researcher, I had given many presentations, and I viewed giving a lecture as the same kind of exercise. Working with [computer science teacher] Aye Thuzar, I learned a lot during my first year. [English teacher] Vicki Grant was my mentor during my second year and was very supportive. Pingry allows me to explore new ideas for teaching our courses and offers very interesting professional development opportunities.

What have you been enjoying most about your role as Computer Science Department Chair? Getting to know all the students who enjoy the subject, and shaping the curriculum.

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ONE PINGRY

Honoring the Memory of Mary Jean McLaughlin For the first time, the Lower School has an endowed lecture series: the Mary Jean McLaughlin P’78, ’80, ’83, ’84, GP’12, ’15, ’18 Endowed Lecture Series. It was established in 2023 by Julie and Dr. Mark McLaughlin ’83 in honor of the teaching legacy of Mary Jean McLaughlin, who taught Grade 4 at Pingry from 1978–2007. Education was her true calling. She loved her students as she did her own children and touched many lives in and out of the classroom.

While at Pingry, she served as Chair of Language Arts and vigorously supported two causes near and dear to her heart: a love of her home state of New Jersey and the environment. She initiated the first Environmental Education Earth Day celebration at the Short Hills Campus on March 9, 1990. This new lecture series enables the

Lower School to welcome dynamic speakers, including academics, authors, artists, and community practitioners, to focus on the human impact on the environment with an emphasis on the state of New Jersey.

Speaking to Lower School students at the first event in the series, Dr. McLaughlin said his mother “loved being of service. She loved this school—she loved this family” and recalled that, when she was considering an Earth Day celebration at Pingry during a “sad time for the environment in New Jersey,” he asked her: “What are you doing, spending all your time on this? It’s not going to make a difference—these problems are massive. How is this going to make a difference?”

Her response: “It starts with me now, and I’m going to make it better for future people, and I’m going to do it through Pingry.”

The lessons he and his siblings learned from that answer: “First, if you want to tackle a big problem, it starts with you. Second, be a servant and a steward of the future. Be of service. Serve others. Third, if you want to really amplify your impact, you have to be part of something bigger.”

For the first event, the Lower School hosted Bash the Trash, a national school performance group featuring artists who use musical instruments created from trash, making connections to science, music, and sustainability, and encouraging students to help keep the environment clean. In fact, during Moving Up Day, Lower School Visual Arts Teacher Russell Christian reminded the students about one of Bash the Trash’s lessons: “Reduce, reuse, recycle!”

LEFT: The McLaughlin family: Patrick McLaughlin, Edie (McLaughlin) Nussbaumer ’84, P’18, Dr. Mark McLaughlin ’83, Julie McLaughlin, Mike McLaughlin ’80, P’12, ’15, and John McLaughlin ’78 RIGHT: Dr. Mark McLaughlin ’83 sharing memories of his mother

“If you want to really amplify your impact, you have to be part of something bigger.”

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Stifel Award Honors Lower School Student “I do not look at this gathering today as an ‘awards assembly,’ but rather, it is our opportunity to thank you and your family for allowing us to be part of your journey with the goal of supporting one another during very difficult times,” said Henry Stifel III ’83, addressing Ryan Zhang ’31 in the presence of Lower School students and faculty. Mr. Stifel was back at the Lower School in April to help present the Stifel Award, which has now been given for 36 years to at least one member of the Pingry community; Ryan is the third Lower School recipient.

“ It is our opportunity to thank you and your family for allowing us to be part of your journey with the goal of supporting one another during very difficult times.”

The Henry G. Stifel III Award is named for Mr. Stifel, a Pingry lifer who was paralyzed in an automobile accident during his junior year. Established by the Stifel Family in 1984, the award honors “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.”

Appropriately, five of Ryan’s fifth-grade teachers spoke about how he exemplifies those characteristics. Ryan expressed gratitude for the community’s guidance, support, and kindness, and went on to say, “Everyone will face challenges, but being positive during a hard, difficult time can help you show courage, endurance, optimism, compassion, and spirit on the outside.”

Henry Stifel III ’83 and Ryan Zhang ’31

A Pingry trustee from 2006–2015, Mr. Stifel has received the Letter-In-Life Award and Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award, is on the Board of Directors of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and works at Morgan Stanley.

G E T T I N G TO K N OW ...

Favorite book? The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be and why?

Taylor Swift—besides being an amazing performer, she has proven over the years that she has quite the business acumen. Her perseverance, authenticity, and confidence are truly admirable.

You are trained in classical Indian dance. How did that come about? I have been interested in music and dance for as long as I can remember. I started training in Indian classical dance at the age of 4 and have been fortunate to continue learning and practicing this art form.

Anu Menon P’26, Middle School Computer Science Teacher

Origin of your interest in technology? When I was in 10th grade, I had the opportunity to attend a programming workshop. That piqued my interest in the subject and I decided to pursue computer science as my career path.

You previously worked in information technology. Why did you decide to change careers to teaching? While software development was fun, I also realized that I enjoyed teaching as I used to coach my son’s robotics team. I am fortunate to have this opportunity at Pingry to engage with the students and work with young minds.

How did Pingry support you in your career change? Adjusting to the classroom took very little time. I felt like I had always belonged with students. The interactive nature of the classroom energized me! I am grateful to Pingry for having given me opportunities to develop and grow as an educator. Examples include developing the Middle School Computer Science curriculum, coaching the Robotics Team, and serving as an Advisor to Form I and II students.

What do Middle School students find the most challenging about computer science, and how do you help them? The initial foray into algorithmic thinking and programming can be a bit challenging. They are initiated into programming through fun game-design projects. By giving students lots of opportunities to write and debug code, they gain confidence to tackle programming.

Best part of teaching computer science to Middle School students? Witnessing students grow in their practice of engineering and programming through the development of innovations, in Form II, as part of their Global Goals projects.

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ONE PINGRY MATH TEAMS EXCEL IN STATE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS Pingry’s Math Teams reached notable achievements during the 2023-24 school year. “Across all levels—the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools—our teams have excelled in prestigious competitions, showcasing the exceptional talent and dedication within our math program,” says Math Department Chair Dr. Alexandra Lasevich.

• The Lower School Math Team, coached by Middle School Math Teacher Verna Lange P’23, ’24, ’26, ’28, won its third consecutive Math League New Jersey State Championship. The team also continued its streak of earning the MOEMS* Highest Team Achievement Award, presented annually to the top 10 percent of teams in each division—the qualifying score was 185, and Pingry scored 24 percent higher. “Before school, after school, and even on the weekends, your work ethic, determination, and team spirit never cease to amaze me,” Mrs. Lange said at Moving Up Day. • The Middle School Math Team, also coached by Mrs. Lange, won the Math League New Jersey State and National Championships.

• The Upper School Math Team, coached by Upper School Math Teacher Brad Poprik P’24, ’24, was one of only six finalist teams out of 655 in the world, or the top one percent, at the finals of the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge) in New York City, and the team won a prestigious $5,000 prize. In this online math competition, students were given a real-world problem to solve and were given only 14 hours to research the problem, create mathematical models that fit the data, draw conclusions from their results, and write a final paper that summarized their work.

“Verna and Brad have demonstrated exceptional leadership in guiding our teams to these remarkable accomplishments,” Dr. Lasevich says. “Their dedication and commitment have been instrumental in our success.” *Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools—five monthly tests with five problems each, taken each year by tens of thousands of students around the world.

TOP RIGHT: Upper School Math Team—in the top one percent: Elbert Ho ’25, Annabelle Shilling ’24, Laura Liu ’24, Alan Zhong ’24, and Evan Xie ’24 MIDDLE RIGHT: Lower School Math Team—three-time state champions LEFT AND BOTTOM RIGHT: Middle School Math Team—state and national champions

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Teacher’s Mother, Who Fled NaziOccupied France, Visits with Students

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Brad Poprik P’24, ’24, Upper School Math Teacher Favorite TV show? The Office. I’m always ready and willing to watch an episode and know I’ll be laughing.

Middle School Science Teacher Debra Tambor’s mother, Nicole Alenick, who is 91, spoke to Middle School students in May about her experience as a child refugee leaving Nazi-occupied France.

She told them that anyone who was able to leave Paris drove toward the south of France—but Jews had to identify themselves by wearing a yellow star.

A trip that normally took 12 hours took a month because cars were running out of gas and people had to walk. Her family (Ms. Alenick with her parents, older and younger brothers, older sister, and nanny) finally reached the south of France, where her older brother got involved with the underground—the resistance. Because the American government made visas available for the whole family and they wanted to save her brother’s life, the family decided to leave for the U.S. because it was “the place—the country—for freedom, for peace . . . away from the wars in Europe.”

They took a ship to Casablanca and eventually arrived in Manhattan.

NEWEST MEMBER OF THE MAGISTRI

Director of Strength and Conditioning Doug Scott has joined the Magistri, having taught at Pingry for 25 years or more. Mr. Scott has been a strength and conditioning coach, as well as a P.E., fitness, and health teacher, since 1999, and he has developed a national reputation for his work at Pingry. He has shared his knowledge and expertise with coaches in Major League Baseball, the NFL, and NHL; top college athletics programs, including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State; and even the U.S. Air Force to help some of their fighter pilots who were experiencing neck pain. Mr. Scott has also written about fitness for national publications; in June 2012, STACK.com (a website dedicated to youth sports) named him their “Expert Contributor of the Month.” Along with his work in fitness, Mr. Scott has completed three four-year cycles as a Form Dean, working with a class from their freshman orientation all the way through graduation. He has received the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award, Senior Class Faculty Chair, and Albert W. Booth Chair for Master Teachers. A profile of Mr. Scott’s work with the strength and conditioning program appears in the Fall 2017 issue of The Pingry Review.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be and why? I probably would use this opportunity to solve an unsolved mystery. One that comes to mind is how the pyramids were built, so barring any language issues, I’d love to talk to the pharaoh Khufu to find out how it was done.

Your daughters Jessica and Lauren just graduated from Pingry. Can you describe the feeling of watching them progress through the Upper School? It has been fantastic watching them grow and find new passions over the past four years. Pingry has not only opened their eyes to new fields of study and activities; the faculty have also helped them explore those topics deeply. I am forever grateful for my colleagues’ guidance and support.

You previously worked in finance. Why did you decide to change careers to teach math? I always looked back with fondness on the many teachers who unlocked my love of learning and inspired me in my career. I knew that I wanted to have the chance to pay that forward and share (or at least try to) my love of math with the next generation of students.

How did Pingry support you in your career change? The professional growth opportunities Pingry offered, between attending summer workshops and studying at Rutgers, were invaluable. They offered me many opportunities to learn from experts in education so that I could learn how to best develop a meaningful understanding of math concepts in my students. I had co-taught classes at the college level, so I felt fairly comfortable in the classroom—the larger challenge was understanding where students were in their individual mathematical journeys so I could help guide them further.

What are you proudest of from your time as Math Department Chair? The collaboration in our math classrooms. During my time as chair, our department embraced a more student-driven, collaborative approach to learning. Today, I enjoy seeing students working together, knowing they are deepening their understanding through their interactions with each other.

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ONE PINGRY BRIEF ECONOMICS LESSONS WITH DR. GREG MANKIW ’76

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Mike Coakley, Middle School Dean of Students and English Teacher Favorite books? As far as classics that I’ve taught, Lord of the Flies. More contemporarily, the stories and essays of two writers, Charles D’Ambrosio and Jamel Brinkley, have really taught me what short-form fiction and nonfiction can be.

Favorite musicians? Sufjan Stevens, The War on Drugs, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar Favorite movies? Stand By Me and Coco are two films I keep coming back to.

Favorite TV shows? Better Call Saul, What We Do in the Shadows, and German-language Netflix series Dark.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be and why? My Aunt Mary, who passed away in 2006. I’ve lived over half my life since then, and it would be pretty rad to catch up.

You and your wife, Hannah, have a new baby boy, Emmett. What are the three of you doing this summer? A lot of walks and local excursions. Because I also work at Pingry throughout the summer, perhaps I’ll bring Emmett in and task him with some Middle School course scheduling . . .

Origin of your interest in writing? Since elementary school, I have loved the idea of shaping reality, both through fiction and, through rhetoric and metaphor, nonfiction. Those early writers I was exposed to felt like magicians.

You joined Pingry as a writer for the Development Office. Why did you decide to become a Middle School English Teacher?

I had half-decided to teach when I started as a writer. I’d always had a dual interest in writing and education, but my formal degrees were in writing. The writing position was envisioned as temporary.

Why did you want to be Dean of Students?

As I spent my first years in the Middle School, I saw how the dean role allowed engagement with all students in the division. Because its focus is the life of students outside the classroom—advisory, accountability, learning from mistakes, programming fun events like Field Day and the Talent Show—it seemed like a wonderful way to help students along the tricky, oftentimes winding, path of becoming.

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Would you expect someone else to pay your bill at a restaurant?

No, but renowned economist, professor, and writer Dr. Greg Mankiw ’76 offered this analogy about how the federal government seems to deal with its own bills. “It’s a problem that your generation is going to have to solve,” he told Upper School students during his April presentation about government debt that he said is being left to future generations to figure out.

“What will make this stop?” Dr. Mankiw posed about the government’s spending outpacing income. “At some point, investors will say ‘that’s enough debt.’” He shared what he sees as five possible ways for the government to find its way out of debt: grow very fast, default on the money it borrowed, print money, cut spending, or raise taxes on the middle class. Whatever the solution ends up being, he said, it will require a lot of money.

In a panel discussion with AP Economy students, he explained why economics is a beneficial course. “It’s a great platform for many careers and tremendously useful to study—everybody should take it. Whatever you’re going to do, I encourage you to take one course in economics. It’s the foundation for being a good citizen and an intelligent voter.”

A Pingry trustee from 2018–2024, Dr. Mankiw is the Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics at Harvard University, the previous Chair of their Economics Department, the author of several textbooks, and the former Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush.

Dr. Mankiw will receive Pingry’s Letter-In-Life Award in September 2024.

“BE INCREDIBLY PROUD”: BRIDGET HARRISON ’15 AT RESEARCH WEEK Pingry welcomed back Ms. Harrison to help kick off Research Week in April—a dozen years after she was a sophomore in Biology Teacher Dr. Morgan D’Ausilio’s first Biology II class at Pingry. “I was not a great student in biology . . . but I really enjoyed learning and I really enjoyed figuring out how things work and why things work.” Encouraged by Dr. D’Ausilio, who saw potential in her, Ms. Harrison joined an Independent Research Team and enjoyed the lab work. After college, she worked in the biotech industry and at the Pandemic Response Lab in New York, and is now Clinical Program Manager for Biotia, a company that uses sequencing and AI to identify infectious diseases. What does Ms. Harrison wish she had known as a Pingry student?

— “ Be incredibly proud of yourselves for doing the work you’re doing.”

— “ The best part about science is that it doesn’t go the way you want it to, and you often learn infinitely more from the failures than the successes.”

— “A ppreciate the person who took a chance on you and encouraged your passions . . . and do that for someone else.”

To coincide with National Poetry Month (and the month of Shakespeare’s birthday), freshmen visited the Pottersville Campus in April to watch Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s shortened, action-packed performance of Julius Caesar. They also participated in workshops to learn how the actors approach Shakespearean plays.

“HELP THE COMMUNITY”: HONOR BOARD SPEAKER SERIES WITH FRANK MORANO ’97 “The Honor Code is so much more than ‘we don’t cheat.’ Rarely are the right decisions the easiest decisions,” Mr. Morano told students during his March visit. “The crux is that, while we thrive as individuals to be our best, we’re doing that to help the community around us. How does you thriving benefit the people around you? I’m constantly guided not on ‘what is right for me’ but how my experiences benefit the community. When people place trust in you, how will you use what you know to make the right decisions?”

A former member of Pingry’s Alumni and Development Office, Mr. Morano has served as Assistant Prosecutor in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Deputy Attorney General for the New Jersey Attorney General, and Of Counsel for an LGBTQ-owned and -operated law firm. He is Chair of the LGBTQ Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and Vice Chair of the Somerset County LGBTQ+ Advisory Board.

MOCK CALDECOTT AWARD As part of their library classes, all Lower School students were led through a Mock Caldecott Award review and voting process. Lower School Librarian Sarah O’Holla and Lower School Library Associate Victoria Newman taught students about the Caldecott Medal (awarded annually to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children”) and its selection criteria, and chose five recently published books they believed would be good candidates for the actual award. Students used the selection criteria to vote for the book they thought should win.

The culminating assembly consisted of book review videos of each nominee, made by fourth- and fifth-grade students; posters made by third-grade students; watching the real Caldecott Award ceremony; and announcing the Lower School’s winning book: The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker. (Fun fact: The real Caldecott Award was given to one of the five books chosen for the Lower School’s voting!)

Lower School Library Associate Victoria Newman and Lower School Librarian Sarah O’Holla with the Lower School’s winning book

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ONE PINGRY G E T T I N G TO K N OW ...

Bruce Morrison ’64 with the editors of the 2024 Blue Book

Ahmad Nicholson, Assistant Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Success Favorite books? Since 6th grade, it’s been Lord of the Rings.

Favorite musicians? Frank Ocean, Sade, Khruangbin, Tears for Fears Favorite movies? Good Will Hunting, He Got Game, Lucy, Dunkirk Favorite TV shows? Homeland, Ramy, Louie Favorite way to spend free time during the summer? Hanging with my dog, Wali, lakeside in the shadows of a mountain.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or from the past, who would it be, and why? Patrice O’Neal. He is my favorite comedian of all time; he passed in 2011. I find comedians to usually be bright people with incredibly unique perspectives. I’m also fascinated and envious of the lifestyle they lead.

BRUCE MORRISON ’64: YEARBOOK DEDICATEE The 2024 Blue Book staff dedicated the yearbook to Mr. Morrison, who has taken countless photos at Pingry athletics events for over 20 years, to honor his “years of dedicated service to our school.” They called him “one of the most genuine and caring people” and said his “constant attendance at Pingry games and events helps to instill a sense of spirit and togetherness in the Pingry community.” This is Mr. Morrison’s second yearbook dedication; the first was in 2016.

If you could study any field aside from your own, what would it be, and why?

Either anthropology or astronomy. I have always been intensely intrigued by the cosmos as well as human behavior and the cultures it has shaped.

What is a fun fact about you that people might never know? While living in Korea, I learned to catch fish with my bare hands.

Origin of your interest in working in athletics? As a Division 1 college athlete, I experienced a lot of the negatives of college sports. The joy of being recruited and playing college basketball is a highlight of my life, but the mental struggles and hardships associated with high-level athletics are difficult to navigate. The idea of being able to build a culture focusing on inclusion, care, hard work, and competitiveness really started to drive my professional ambitions. I found myself wanting to be a lighthouse in the tumultuous seas that are athletics for student-athletes.

What does your Pingry job encompass?

My role is a foundational piece in the work Pingry does to provide an elite studentathlete experience. There are so many things that encompass that experience—uniforms, trainings, equipment, community service, [and more]. The ever-evolving world of youth- and school-based athletics requires a focus on the whole experience.

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The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

Grade 6 students working on STEAM projects

To close the school year, Grades 6, 7, and 8 participated in the annual Project Week, when each grade in the Middle School undertakes a series of culminating activities and challenges centered around a specific theme. Grade 6 focused on STEAM projects, Grade 7 worked on game design, and Grade 8 developed a deeper understanding of their role in sustainability.

Faculty Awards and Chairs

JULIA (BRAUN) FEATHERMAN

JEFF PATTEN

JEFF FEINBERG

RAMSAY VEHSLAGE

DAVID GONZALEZ

CHAO WANG

LISA HARTMANN

JAY WINSTON

DEVAN ZADROZNY

With the following endowed award funds, generous donors have sought to encourage excellent teaching and coaching and recognize teachers’ contributions to the School.

P RESENTED IN JUNE 202 4

SENIOR CLASS FACULTY CHAIR / 2024–25

Devan Zadrozny, Grade 3 Jay Winston, Middle and Upper School Music

THE JAMES P. WHITLOCK, JR. ’60 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY / 2024-25

ALBERT W. BOOTH CHAIR FOR MASTER TEACHERS / 2024–25

Lisa Hartmann, Middle School Math

THE WOODRUFF J. ENGLISH FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND / 2024–25

Jeff Feinberg, Middle School Math Coordinator

David Gonzalez, Upper School Computer Science Ramsay Vehslage, Middle School Science THE GREIG FAMILY ENDOWED FACULTY CHAIR (TEACHING/COACHING) / 2024–25

Jeff Patten, Lower School P.E. and Health; Boys’ JV Soccer HERBERT F. HAHN JUNIOR FACULTY AWARD / 2024–25

Julia (Braun) Featherman, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Upper School Fitness Chao Wang, Upper School Mandarin

CURRENTLY HELD

DAVID B. BUFFUM HISTORY CHAIR / 2023–2026

Hannah Decatur, Upper School History

EDWARD G. ENGEL CHAIR FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE / 2023–2026

Mary Sartorio, Lower School Math Specialist

E. MURRAY TODD FACULTY CHAIR / 2022–2025

Brad Poprik P’24, ’24, Upper School Math

THE NORMAN B. TOMLINSON, JR. ’44 CHAIR FOR HISTORY AND LITERATURE / 2023–2026

Margi Dillon P’17, ’18, ’20, Upper School Spanish pingry.org/forever-blue/giving/endowed-funds: Read about these awards, including the individuals for whom they are named. To learn more about how you can endow an award or contribute to an existing one, please contact Holland Sunyak ’02, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns, at hsunyak@pingry.org or 908-647-7058.

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Saying Farewell

Tributes to an administrator and those who worked at Pingry for 10 or more years pingry.org: Recognition of employees who departed from Pingry in June

EDDY MILFORT

DR. THU-NGA MORRIS

Miles Boyd, Visual Arts Department Chair and a member of the

KAREN PEAKE

Magistri, has retired after 30 years; he served as Chair for his entire Pingry career. Mr. Boyd joined the Pingry community in 1994 after leading the arts department at schools in Atlanta and London—and to a degree, Pingry was fortunate for his arrival because, earlier in his life, Mr. Boyd had no intention of becoming a teacher because he did not want to sacrifice his career as an award-winning artist. And yet, he realized that he loved teaching and could have the best of both worlds.

Pingry benefited from his perspectives and expertise as a working artist and as a teacher of Photography, Portfolio Development, Advanced Topics in Art, and Drawing/Painting.

Notably, Mr. Boyd was hired when then–Head of School John Hanly was looking to expand the arts program. So, Mr. Boyd is one of the people responsible for the existence and design of the Hostetter Arts Center that opened in 2003 to accommodate the evolving arts program, and he has been highly involved in many of the exhibits in the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery over the past two decades. He helped bring nationally and internationally renowned guest artists to campus to work with students. During the celebration of Pingry’s 150th anniversary in 2011-12, Mr. Boyd served on the inaugural Achievement in the Arts Award Committee and designed the physical award that continues to be presented annually to alumni artists. Beyond visual arts, he coached JV baseball earlier in his Pingry career.

Mr. Boyd credits the evolution of the visual arts program to the expertise and ideas of the arts faculty. “Pingry’s arts program is progressive,” he has said, “because we have the best artists you can put in front of students—practicing artists who teach.” His primary goals as a teacher are to open students’ eyes to the art world through what he calls a “real world” curriculum, teach 21st century skills, and show students how the arts are relevant to their lives. He said, “My students encounter ideas that international artists grapple with all the time . . .

Students should be comfortable trying on ideas the way they try on clothes.” It is important to him that students have an artistic life after Pingry, whatever that path might look like.

Pingry has honored Mr. Boyd four times, with the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award (2000), E. Murray Todd Faculty Chair (2004), Albert W. Booth Chair for Master Teachers (2014), and The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award (2024). He reflected on the fifth anniversary of the Hostetter Arts Center in the Winter 2008 issue of The Pingry Review, and he was profiled in the Summer 2019 issue on the occasion of his 25th year at Pingry.

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The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

MILES BOYD

JILL (KEHOE) LAW ’04

DAVID SANDORSE

AYE THUZAR

Jill (Kehoe) Law ’04, Physics Teacher, spent 16 years at Pingry, start-

ing as a Permanent Substitute, transitioning to Grade 6 science, and then physics. She has been an assistant coach for girls’ JV soccer, girls’ varsity basketball, and varsity softball—and she will continue coaching the softball team. Mrs. Law also planned several proms and taught a Spring Intensive called Money, Morality, and Message in Sports. In 2023, Mrs. Law was honored with the Greig Family Endowed Faculty Chair, which recognizes excellence in teaching and coaching.

Eddy Milfort, a member of the Lower School Facilities Team, has re-

tired after more than 20 years of service. Earlier in his time at Pingry, he worked in the Lower School’s Kitchen.

Dr. Thu-Nga Morris, Assistant Head of School K–12 and Lower

School Director, has left Pingry after four years to become Director of Lower School at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia.

She came to Pingry in 2020 as Lower School Director, was named Assistant Head of School for the Short Hills Campus in 2021, and moved into her most recent role in 2022. During her tenure on the Short Hills Campus, she guided K–Grade 5 students through the challenges of remote and hybrid learning, and her valuable contributions as both Lower School Director and as a member of the senior administrative team will have a long-lasting impact.

Karen Peake, Registrar, has left Pingry after 27 years. She worked in

several roles in the Guidance and Upper School Offices.

David Sandorse, Groundskeeper, has retired after 27 years of service.

Aye Thuzar, Upper School Math and Computer Science Teacher, has

left after 13 years to join the University of Oregon’s Computer Science Department. Among the highlights of Ms. Thuzar’s years at Pingry, she proposed and taught AP Computer Science Principles; redesigned the Programming Languages and Design course to make it more theoretical and comparable to a college course; and developed a curriculum for and taught Discrete Mathematics. From 2016–2023, she was the faculty advisor when Pingry competed in Lockheed Martin’s Code Quest competition. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Thuzar was an assistant coach for boys’ and girls’ varsity fencing. She received the James P. Whitlock, Jr. ’60 Faculty Development Award for Science, Mathematics, and Technology (2016) and the Senior Class Faculty Chair (2021). Most recently, Ms. Thuzar taught a Spring Intensive about Refugee Stories.

Welcome to New Staff Michael Carr ’16, Office of Institutional

Advancement Chief of Staff, previously worked as a football coach and recruiting coordinator at Middlebury College, his alma mater. In fact, he won a championship as a coach four years after winning a championship as a player. He received a B.A. from Middlebury.

Mackenzie Eford, Assistant Director of

Development, Alumni Annual Giving, previously worked for Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC and Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT. She received a B.A. from Arkansas Tech University, where she played volleyball and received unanimous selection for All-Conference First Team. Ms. Eford brings her expertise to Pingry as Head Coach of the Girls’ JV Volleyball Team.

Caitlin Farrell, Assistant Director of

Alumni Engagement, previously worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Choate Summer Programs Office and as a professional soccer player for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (she started playing soccer at age four). Miss Farrell will also coach the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team. She received a B.A. in Government, with a minor in Spanish, from Georgetown University.

Britt Pearson, People Operations

Faculty and Staff in New Leadership Positions Brad Fadem, who joined Pingry in 2021

as Office of Institutional Advancement Chief of Staff and later served as Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement and Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement and Strategic Initiatives, is Director of Strategy. In this role, he will lead the organizational aspects of the strategic planning process.

Bailey Farrell, Chemistry Teacher since

2020, is Science Department Chair. She has also taught AP Biology and served as Chemistry Lead Teacher, an IRT (Independent Research Team) mentor, and an advisor to Peer Leadership and the Outing Club.

Carl Frye P’34, who has worked at Pingry

since 2019 as a football coach, Big Blue Summer Camp Director, and Assistant Director of Auxiliary Programs, is Director of Auxiliary Programs. In his new role, he is leading Pingry’s Summer Programs, Student Enrichment and Facility Rental programs, and strategic auxiliary initiatives.

Coordinator, held various roles in media production and animation before joining Pingry, bringing with her experience in project management, training coordination, and process improvement. Ms. Pearson received a B.S. in Television/Radio, with a concentration in Media Production and a minor in Anthropology, from Ithaca College.

Julia Martinez, Middle School Math

Teacher at Pingry since 2019, is Middle School Assistant Dean of Students and will continue to teach math. During her time at Pingry, she has been a Middle School Team Leader, served as Head Coach of the Varsity Field Hockey Team and Head Coach of the Middle School Girls’ Lacrosse Team, and led Middle and Upper School trips domestically and abroad. Ms. Martinez received the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award (2022) and was named NJ.com’s Skyland Conference Field Hockey Coach of the Year (2023).

Taylor Noonan, Assistant Director of

Development, Alumni Engagement since 2022, is Director of Alumni Engagement. She has enhanced alumni programming, including Career Day, Reunion Weekend, and the Athletics Hall of Fame, and will lead Pingry’s alumni engagement efforts.

Alan Van Antwerp, Middle and Upper

School Drama Teacher at Pingry since 2017, is Dean of Student Life for Advising and Peer Leadership. He will continue to teach Drama II, direct the Winter Musical, and design the lighting for all productions. Mr. Van Antwerp received the Herbert F. Hahn Junior Faculty Award in 2022.

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Commencement On Sunday, June 9, Pingry celebrated the Class of 2024 in the 163rd Commencement Exercises

“ What really is success? . . . Success can

best be seen through two topics: embracing imperfections, and community. In life, being able to embrace your imperfections allows you to be free from the idea that you always have to be perfect . . . For many of you, Pingry has been more than just a place of learning—it’s been a community that has supported and challenged you . . . it’s so important to continue to engage in the community that has been so engaged in us.” STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT JADA WATSON

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“ Unique challenges have existed for every generation—for every graduating Pingry class . . . I believe a big part of their ability to face the challenges of the future rested in their ability to lean in to the community they were part of . . . After spending 13 years here, I’m still seeing new sides of this wholehearted community . . . Let us make sure our relationships don’t crumble. We are all committed to seeing each other succeed.

I urge you to reach out and maintain, or even strengthen, your community bonds.”

CLASS PRESIDENT SEBASTIAN TALAREK

Faculty congratulating the graduates after the ceremony

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Lauren Poprik singing The Star-Spangled Banner

Jada Watson—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

“ I ask my classmates to think freely and to intentionally seek challenges to their beliefs, to be uncomfortable, to have impossible conversations, to disagree and doubt themselves and stand alone within a group . . . look beyond those like yourself when it comes to building your next community because you are all incredibly talented, ambitious, and capable of creating change.”

VALEDICTORIAN VERNA MAE LANGE

“ There’s one set of choices that can help us navigate: choosing mentors. Throughout our lives, we’ve been encouraged to admire and learn from a massive number of influential people, despite having no interaction with them . . . Behind every great person is a great teacher, not a celebrity . . . our teachers are the truest mentors we’ve been given in life . . . I’m not passively observing my mentor— rather, I’m interacting with them.”

VALEDICTORIAN FRANCESCA ZARBIN

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Evan Xie—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

LEGACIES: Pingry has a long history of students whose parents and/or grandparents also graduated from the School SITTING: Isabelle Baird ’24, Abigail Baird ’24, Sarina Lalin ’24, Anthony Bugliari ’24, McKenna Dwyer ’24, and Charlotte Diemar ’24 STANDING: Will Bugliari ’20, Heather (Rooze) Matalon ’94, P’24, ’24, Dr. Tanya (Waran) Lalin ’92, P’24, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Anthony Bugliari ’90, P’20, ’24, Wendy (Kasserman) Dwyer ’91, P’24, ’25, and Lauren (Gruel) Diemar ’96 and Thomas Diemar ’96, P’24 NOT PICTURED: Nathan Goldberg ’24 and Melissa (Katz) Goldberg ’86, P’21, ’24

LIFERS: 13-Year Club—members of the Class of 2024 who attended Pingry since Kindergarten FIRST ROW: Daniela Henriques, Ananya Sanyal, Francesca Zarbin, Isabel Zarbin, Julia Haidri, Maisy Webster, Ali Santana, and Julia Eng SECOND ROW: Ben Tran, Dami Shote, Mark Mason, and Adam Elayan THIRD ROW: Sebastian Talarek, Rohan Variankaval, Trey Maultsby, and Martin Fields

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VI E W F R O M Short Hills Basking Ridge Pottersville Celebrate Pingry! took place on May 3 on the Basking Ridge Campus—over 2,000 people enjoyed delicious food, fun activities, Taiko Drumming, and the chance to connect with fellow Pingry families and friends.

The evening culminated in a spectacular fireworks display.

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The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

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1974-75 Girls Hockey Team

By Greg Waxberg ’96

COMMEMORATING FIFTY YEARS OF 22

The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

CO

he heading “The End of an Era” accompanies

existed of a three-school alliance. Ultimately, after many

the Class of 1974, in caps and gowns at

complications, Pingry merged with Short Hills Country

Commencement, on the cover of the June

Day and gained a Lower School with girls, then decided

1974 issue of The Pingry Review. Indeed, in

to admit girls to all grades (thereby becoming co-ed on

his letter in that issue, then–Head of School

its own).

Scotty Cunningham ’38 speculates that Pingry’s just-concluded 113th year would be referred to in future years as the last year of the “old Pingry.” He had good reasons for thinking that: in the fall, Pingry would become a K–12 school because of its merger with Short Hills Country Day School, which had been announced a few months earlier, and girls would grace the hallways for the first time. “This new entity,” he writes, “now becomes a complete independent school.”

In 1974, with 101 new girls in the Upper School and with girls’ sports teams about to be added to the athletics program, Susan Hollister—who had been teaching at Short Hills Country Day and became Dean of Girls, a new administrative position—Sharon Pastore (math/girls’ basketball and softball) and Gloria Mercurio (P.E./field hockey and softball) were among the new female faculty members.* There was also a new school nurse, Elizabeth Rode. Ms. Hollister served as Dean of Girls from 1974–

Although the School officially began admitting girls in

1984, then Chair of Student Affairs in 1984-85, followed

1974, discussions about coeducation were taking place

by Barbara Bourne as Dean of Women from 1985–1987.

at Pingry in the late 1960s when many colleges and universities, and some secondary schools, were going co-ed. Some trustees wanted Pingry to remain single sex while others realized that coeducation was inevitable.

Beginning in 1970, Pingry considered merging with the all-girls Kent Place, and an exchange with Kent Place began in 1972, introducing Vicki King as Pingry’s first female student. Also in 1972, when the proposed Pingry– Kent Place merger was faltering, the coeducational elementary school Short Hills Country Day expressed interest in merging, and for a short time, the possibility

To commemorate 50 years since girls joined Pingry, alumnae and faculty share memories of their experiences and their thoughts on the progress that Pingry has made since the early days of being a “complete independent school.” * Even though Ms. Hollister, Ms. Pastore, and Ms. Mercurio were new female teachers, they were not the first female teachers in school history. When Pingry first had a Lower School in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century, Sara Dean was the first female full-time faculty member in 1892, and other female teachers followed, including Harriet Budd.

EDUCATION The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

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COMMEMORATING FIFTY YEARS OF

COEDUCATION

Memories from Jack Dufford

Jen Lee Koss ’96

From the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of The Pingry Review: The athletic director asked him if he was ready to coach a girls’ tennis team. As the father of three daughters, he thought himself well prepared for such an undertaking. “Sure, I’m ready—I’m absolutely ready!” he declared. But he soon learned otherwise. He held trials for the tennis teams and there were many who didn’t make the first cut.

“All these girls were crying and I didn’t know what to do. I went to the director for help and he said, ‘Jack, I asked you if you were ready!’” But once he had adjusted, things improved. “I really enjoyed coaching girls’ tennis. When the boys lost, they sulked for two weeks. When the girls lost, they got very upset but the next day they were back practicing.”

Dufford had always been in favor of the school going coed because of his girls. “I was all for it. I felt we offered an excellent education and it really rankled me that none of my daughters could benefit from it.”

From the Winter 1996 issue of The Pingry Review: We heard about the Honor System and the Honor Code, but we weren’t immediately involved. By forming the Honor Board, we hope to bring certain responsibility back to the students, to the people who should be upholding this tradition. We want to rekindle that spirit and the attitude it represents. We want to help students understand that honesty, personal integrity, and the other standards the Code stands for underlie all we do here at school and in our lives beyond Pingry.

Teacher from 1959–1997; former Hall of Fame coach of girls’ tennis

Memories of Ed Scott, Jr.

Teacher from 1968–1995; former Hall of Fame coach of cross country, track and field

I ran spring track from 1976–1980. Although Mr. Scott was my primary coach for my freshman track season, he was always there to support my growth as a runner all four years.

He always radiated warmth, kindness, and generosity of spirit. I was a reluctant runner, but Mr. Scott saw my potential. Without his supervision and strategic coaching, I don’t think I would have remained on the team. He was a coach who expected dedication, and did so with incredible compassion. I still recall his patient, firm voice urging me not to give up. He coached me with explicit interval training throughout the season, which gave me the confidence to continue and improve.

He instilled in me a love for running—a passion I still hold close today.

He taught me how I should strike my feet on the ground, and the positioning of my body in space, which helped me visualize and perform better than I could have otherwise.

He encouraged me to not only endure those challenging seasons, but also excel. His expert coaching gave me something much greater and long lasting, though—something that has stuck with me and brought me peace of mind and tranquility throughout my life. And that is something I have relied on and shared with my own two daughters. Now, when I’m running, my mind wanders and reflects on my time at Pingry. My thoughts rewind to those windy and cold or refreshingly warm spring days on the cinder track in Hillside. I recall Mr. Scott’s guidance on how to strike my foot on the ground. The rhythm of my pace quickly syncs with my breath, and I smile as I say, “Thank you, Mr. Scott.” JENNI KNIGHT ’80

She served as Co-Chair of Honor Board Committee that researched Honor Boards at other schools, and served as Honor Board Chair when the Honor Board was introduced in the 1995–1996 time period. The Honor Board added a student voice to mediation for non-academic decisions.

Lyric Wallwork Winik ’84 Entered Grade 4 in 1975

Mrs. Allen, my fourth-grade teacher, made everyone feel welcome and there were plenty of female teachers. They seemed to have adapted to the different environment relatively easy, at least in the classroom . . .

What the school may not have been prepared for is some of the “mean girl” behavior. I think there was a learning curve to understand that.

Miss Wrona, one of the gym teachers at Short Hills who also coached field hockey (back then, we played competitively), was great for girls. The entire fact of girls’ sports was incredibly important. That really cemented a place for girls in the school. I was not at all the best athlete, but I do think that sports gave us a very equal footing and I never felt as if coaches valued boys’ sports more than girls . . . everyone made it perfectly normal for girls and women to be there. I never had the sense of being among the first.

[Pingry Record Advisor] Pat Lionetti was and is such a fabulous role model. She worked to divesify and broaden the staff. When I was a 10th grader, there were only a couple of women on the editorial board, but those numbers continued to grow. One thing that helped was having a “farm team”—Kevin Rooney, who headed the Middle School, had several of us running the Middle School Observer (our mimeographed publication!) . . . Having role models who saw all of us as equals allowed us to focus on doing the best the job and not on who was doing it. She opened the door and welcomed us to walk through.

Anne DeLaney ’79

First alumna to join the Board of Trustees; served two terms, 1994– 2009 and 2014–2020

I grew up with seven brothers and one sister, so I was comfortable with the environment and I wasn’t afraid to step up. I felt welcome by some of the faculty, especially those who got me interested in sports.

A FEW MILESTONES 1972

Vicki King is the first girl to take classes at Pingry, during her senior year

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1977

Debby Richman ’78 is the first female editor of The Pingry Record and Blue Book

The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

1978

Vanessa Procopio ’78 is the first female recipient of The Class of 1902 Emblem Award

1979

Lynn Apruzzese ’80 is the first female Student Body President

1982

Jane Roxbury is the first female department head (Languages)

1993

Katrina Welch ’06 is the first student who is the daughter of an alumna (Susan Barba Welch ’77)

1994

Anne DeLaney ’79 is the first alumna to join the Board of Trustees

A short article about Vicki King in the October 1972 issue of The Pingry Review

Sharon Pastore and Gloria Mercurio convinced me to play field hockey, which was a great way to meet other girls. Math Teacher Bill Russell helped me with math, and we started a girls’ track team. Pat Lionetti and Mike Richardson inspired me to go into my career in mental health as a licensed social worker—they always said my strengths were with people and ‘what makes them tick,’ and they are lifelong friends—we still meet and talk psychology and life. Dave Allan, my freshman-year basketball coach, believed in me. He marketed me as someone who was a leader, thought outside the box, and was really good with people, and encouraged me to apply to colleges that my test scores might not have suggested. Those faculty went out of their way to help motivate me to be a stronger student, stronger athlete, and stronger leader, and that’s what Pingry does best.

Inspiring the other girls: I told the girls to “just be yourself” and I ran for student office [Secretary–Treasurer] because why was it all boys running for office? Even today, there can be hesitancy among girls to step up for leadership roles. I want my daughters and granddaughters to be leaders, too.

Being the first alumna to join the Board: I was in my 30s [so] as a young mother and a practicing social worker, I wanted the Board to think about the mental health of students. I was also a huge advocate for creating more scholarships at Pingry. I came back for a second term to help fundraise for sports and the Bugliari Athletics Center. I could also provide Board history and institutional knowledge, and advocate for more counseling in school.

Pingry’s progress in coeducation: People often choose not to do coeducation because they think girls need their own environment to have their own voice, but Pingry has worked hard to make sure girls can have a voice and become strong leaders. And it’s more realistic to interact with boys—that’s the way the world is.

Lori Halivopoulos ’78

First female President of the Pingry Alumni Association (2006–2008) and first female recipient of the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award (2013)

I felt very welcome, very supported by the faculty. I felt like I was really able to grow intellectually and really feel like I was learning. It was a big change for the boys, too. They never made us feel like outsiders. They also welcomed us, and we’re still friends today.

There could have been a lot of resentment, but I did not feel any of that. We were part of Pingry, but there were reminders, like in the bathrooms, that we were new to Pingry.

In athletics, every single team had to be started brand new, and our coaches had no idea how to coach girls. Most of us didn’t know how to play soccer—it wasn’t the norm back then for girls to be trained at early ages in certain sports, and soccer was one of them.

But that’s a core of Pingry’s ethos—everybody should be able to try what they want, and I really felt that. I didn’t have to have experience playing soccer to be on the soccer team.

Memories of the 1977 Softball Team: I’m in the Hall of Fame because of that team!

Some of us had played softball already, and our coaches were wonderful. They encouraged the girls to give it their all.

Being the first female PAA President: I was surprised that it took that long, but it can be hard for women to balance careers, family, and volunteer work. Women,

1998

Kyle Coleman ’80 is the first alumna in the Athletics Hall of Fame

1998

The 1977 Softball Team is the first girls’ team in the Athletics Hall of Fame

2002

Susan Barba Welch ’77 is the first alumna PSPA President

2006

Lori Halivopoulos ’78 is the first female PAA President

2013

Lori Halivopoulos ’78 is the first female recipient of the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award

2018

Judy Lee is the first female coach in the Athletics Hall of Fame

2018

Dr. Elizabeth Simmons ’81 is the first female recipient of the Letter-In-Life Award

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COMMEMORATING FIFTY YEARS OF

COEDUCATION in general, bring a different perspective to leadership positions.

It’s important to have mixed genders on boards and in leadership.

Different voices help to bring new perspectives and new ideas, and perhaps a different leadership style. I am most pleased about breaking new ground, again, for the women of Pingry, and demonstrating that women can lead and lead successfully.

Pingry’s progress with coeducation: It’s heartwarming to hear current students express disbelief that there was a time when girls were not at Pingry, because girls are so woven into the fabric of the School. We might have been the pioneers in the 1970s, but the turning point was the campus move. Hillside was the campus of transition to coeducation, but moving to Basking Ridge was a clean slate for everyone and I don’t think we looked back after that. We’ve preserved pictures and memorabilia to acknowledge the history.

Joanne Steinhardt ’84

Joined Pingry through the merger with Short Hills Country Day School

Locker rooms and bathrooms were retrofit, and many teachers were used to a more antiquated teaching style, a male view. There was [a sense of] “kid gloves” around the women because I’m not sure they knew what to do with us. Can you imagine making a life shift at 100 or 110 years old? At the time, Pingry was over 110 years into not just the male perspective, but creating a culture that was very male—distinctively different from female. Women had gained all sorts of things [in society], like the ability to vote or having a bank account or credit card. This was all still very new to the culture. That latent culture is like moving the Titanic—you can’t just put in a bathroom or Code of Conduct or sports teams . . . it takes time for the culture to catch up.

Male coaches of girls’ sports: We’re different. I’m not saying that a man can’t coach women, but we motivate differently, we have different language, we communicate differently, we work in teams differently.

Progress 50 years later: We’re starting to see equalized voices. I don’t think the “win” is in highlighting women. The “win” is in seeing [the School] as genderless and talking about the “student” population.

It’s bigger than male/female integration—it takes a lot of looking in the mirror and saying “we want to be better.”

Alison Little ’82

Entered Grade 7 in 1976

It’s not so much that teachers welcomed me as “the girl in the class”— they simply welcomed me in the class. As a senior, I took AP Chemistry and was the only girl in the class, but Ernie Shawcross didn’t treat me any differently. He was very demanding. That’s what made me feel like I was part of it, because I was treated the way everyone else was.

I was aware of the co-ed fact, but I didn’t dwell on it. They treated me like I was supposed to be there as a contributing member of the class.

Teaching and expectations were more structured and rigid back then.

I had been on the girls’ soccer team, but heading into senior year, I didn’t want to ride the bench. I had the chance to be manager of the boys’ varsity soccer team with Bobbi Coffee, so I took the choice to be more involved than to be a minor, supporting player. That was the hardest job in my entire career! I had to keep track of assists, goals, touches, and game records, call game results into the newspaper, and make sure all equipment got on the bus for away games. [Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52 remembers, “She volunteered, and I said ‘Great!’ I was flexible.”]

Being the only girl in the room didn’t hold me back—I left Pingry with confidence that I could be successful. It’s great to see how the School has evolved, and my hope for my kids is that they also have confidence.

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Jessica Westerman ’08

Former Honor Board Member and Student Body President; first female Student Body President since 1994; created the Honor Code ceremony during Convocation, when advisory group representatives submit signed pledges to the Student Body President and Honor Board Chair

Ms. Westerman returned to Pingry in November 2015 to deliver the John Hanly Lecture in Ethics and Morality, to share the origin of the ceremony.

From the Winter 2015-16 issue of The Pingry Review: Fearing that the Honor Code had become more abstract to students, Ms. Westerman decided to take a risk while running for Student Body President and make the Code the flagship issue of her campaign. She wrote in The Pingry Record: “We need to instill honor before its absence even becomes a problem. My solution: an all-school signing of our Honor Code pledges at Convocation…the entire campus would gain a deeper feeling of ownership and respect for the Honor Code.” As she said during her lecture, she wanted to “reanimate the Honor Code with students’ shared values.” She won the election . . . viewing her victory as testament to the student body’s belief in the possibility of change.

The risk of making the Honor Code the flagship issue of her campaign: People viewed the Honor Code as scary or punitive, and for good reason because of suspensions and expulsions for violations.

I wanted to restore it to something not scary, but that promotes respect and trust. I was going for broke.

Why the Honor Code was so important to her: I came from a public school that didn’t have an Honor Code. Its impact on the atmosphere—mutual respect and trust—made learning and being a student easier. I loved the tone it set for the School.

Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92

As Pingry celebrates 50 years of coeducation, she is the second female President of the Pingry Alumni Association; mother of three daughters; 12 years on the PAA Board

I felt very engaged as a student—Peer Group leader, Blue Key, Vital Signs, yearbook staff. I received the Magistri Laudandi Award. I had such a positive experience at Pingry that I had hoped my kids would learn here. And my daughters have had great experiences—relationships have made the difference.

Leadership progress at Pingry: Traditionally, the School has been run by males, but currently we have more women in important leadership roles. For example, the PAA Executive Board is all women, and Pingry has three impressive female division heads.

Significance of the Alumnae Committee that she co-led: The committee has ramped up our events lately and now is our time to shine! I love having committee events planned by women and featuring women, yet the events are still meant to be inclusive.

What she brings to the role: I am a social worker who can engage people, manage tricky situations, and be a good listener. As a parent, I have more insight into the day to day [happenings at school]. This year, I hope to focus on connecting current students with the alumni community, which will tie in perfectly as we all celebrate 50 years of coeducation!

Lynn (Apruzzese) Tetrault ’80

First female Student Body President; introduced Big Blue

My class was the first to come from Short Hills Country Day School, and I have such positive memories of my years as a student—amazing teachers, great education. I loved my years on the field hockey and tennis teams, and the camaraderie and friendships we shared. I

elf on having a strong that can happen only of Pingry parents and he Pingry School Parents’ PA), founded in 1972, ngry School Mothers’ mbers were parents or gry students. Specifically, sociation coordinated h the school’s social activPSPA continues to do. ged in 1985 when former mssen P ’86, ’90 was “There was no voice urga mothers’ organization. de it an equal opportuniA few men became way,” she says.

of Achievement

awards that represent the ements of students, alumembers of the community presented during t. The student awards are 02 Emblem Award and udandi Award, joined by

When she became Student Body President her senior year, Lynn Apruzzese Tetrault ’80 wanted to introduce a mascot to boost school spirit. Knowing that her mother, former PSPA President Sandy Apruzzese P ’76, ’78, ’80, ’85, GP ’06, ’08, was an accomplished seamstress who had created Halloween costumes for her children, Ms. Tetrault shared her wish.

“Mom was gracious in offering to create Big Blue—I liked the idea of a friendly bear, and she suggested blue to align with our school colLynn Apruzzese Tetrault ’80 introducing the original ors. It was quite an effort on her Big Blue Bear at an assembly (photo by Dave Stanton ’80 from The Pingry Record in November 1979). part, and she created the costume from scratch,” Ms. Tetrault says (according to Mrs. Apruzzese’s husband, former trustee Vin Apruzzese, Sandy searched and found fabric in New York that resembled navy blue fur). A smiling Big Blue was introduced in the fall of 1979 at an all-school meeting and became a fixture at athletic and other school events.

After years of attending school events and standing on home and away sidelines cheering on Pingry athletes, Big Blue began to show serious signs of wear.

Sandy Apruzzese was asked if she would replicate the original costume.

Although her children had since graduated, she was delighted to make a new costume for the school. But then things became complicated. At an away game in 2004, the Big Blue outfit disappeared. A factory-made costume that the family describes as having a “fierce, fighting growl” replaced the charming and welcoming face of the original Big Blue. This time, Sandy Apruzzese was unable to recreate the bear she had lovingly designed and sewn so many years ago.

Granddaughter Dana Apruzzese ’06 was determined to revive the spirit of the original Big Blue and approached her mother, Sandy Apruzzese’s daughter-in-law, to recreate the original costume. In 2005, Debra Apruzzese P ’06, ’08 recreated the third and current version. The Apruzzese family has always considered the Pingry family Debra Apruzzese P ’06, ’08 with her version of the Big Blue Bear in 2005. an extension of their own.

LEFT: Part of the story about Big Blue from the Winter 2011-12 issue of The Pingry Review RIGHT: Then–Student Body President Jessica Westerman ’08, right, with then–Honor Board Chair Abby Machernis ’08, middle, collecting signed Honor Code pledges at Convocation in 2007—the first time the Honor Code ceremony took place 19

didn’t spend much time thinking about the fact that we were among the first. The faculty were there to help us learn, no matter who we were.

Paper mache Big Blue Bears made by a seventhgrade art class as a group project in the fall of 2009 Why she ran Another Big Blue Bear, as seen at Homecoming are located in the entrance of the Carol and Park B. Smith ’50 Middle School. in October 2011. for Student Body President: I felt there were positive changes I could help influence. Some were more general, such as introducing a mascot (Big Blue) to improve school spirit and attendance at games. Others were more specifically focused on trying to improve life for women at Pingry, such as addressing the fact that there was no women’s lacrosse team. Field space was limited, but we needed to find a way to support a team for girls. The idea was, “You have space for men’s lacrosse, so we need to find a way.” [The girls lacrosse program started in 1984.] winter 2011-2012

the PSPA has been enoruilding community and or Pingry, and it has cooror families through such Big Blue Boutique, Fall Fête, Big Blue Bash, the Fun Fair on the mpus. In 2008, the PSPA bration of the fifth anniostetter Arts Center. n 2011, the PSPA joined tart “Blue Plate Dinner ourage more family dinents and parents have discuss important issues.

P ’17, ’19, the current is the first male and an to be elected to the SPA has evolved into an verse organization led by women, working and staywho are focused on nity and supporting the children. It has been an s president, and I look nuing to support the ure and encouraging get involved with this ization,” he says.

The Welcoming Face of Big Blue

Carter Abbott

Director of Athletics since 2014—second female in the role

Being the second: It didn’t surprise me. I sit in two local conferences, the county and Skyland—I am one of three women in a conference of 24 ADs, and one of two women in the other conference with 20 ADs. Athletics has been male dominated, especially at the high school level.

There are more pathways for men to be successful in pro sports, and playing a sport often leads to leadership in that sport. Also, being AD has crazy hours. Presence matters a lot—you can’t do this job from home. The hours are long and unusual—they’re not school hours.

Changes to the program: A big one was the perception that girls’ ice hockey was a lesser program than boys’ hockey. Girls had less practice time and got worse time slots at Bridgewater Sports Arena. They would have the boys’ time reserved, and I asked, “What about my girls?”

They said, “We can fit them in . . .” and I said, “No, if there’s an early and a late, we’re going to alternate every day.” I pushed for equality.

Opportunities for women in sports: Turning the Greig Strength and Conditioning Center into a place that is accessible to both genders, with credit to [Director of Strength and Conditioning] Doug Scott—how to treat and work with and welcome everyone so they feel equally comfortable and not intimidated by the space. Girls have bought into the importance of weight training. Having a female strength and conditioning coach is deliberate.

Progress in coeducation in Pingry athletics: Girls teams have been phenomenally successful. Sports are a great connector, and now to have 50 years of coeducation at Pingry, we are connecting generations of women and starting to form our own “old girls’ network.”

Sending the whole Upper School to the girls hockey final last year at the Prudential Center—a great statement to the community that we value girls’ athletics as much as boys’ athletics.

Victor Nazario

Teacher from 1977–2018; former Hall of Fame coach of cross country, fencing, track and field

By the time I started [in 1977], the newness of the girls being there was already gone, and they were an active part of the School. They were working hard, both academically and athletically. And the respect that the boys had for the girls was incredible. At no time did I ever see or experience somebody talking down to a girl—and I wouldn’t have stood for it. When I was handed the job of collecting food for Rosa Floyd for Thanksgiving—when I asked for three cans—the girls were key, and incredibly active, in getting everything moving.

In sports, the girls listened, and that created an atmosphere of success. Many times, I let the captains do a lot of the coaching, especially with fencing. The girls accomplished because they worked hard.

Judy Lee

Teacher from 1985–2016; former Hall of Fame coach of field hockey, swimming; first female coach inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame (2018)

I never had trouble working with men—when I started at Pingry, it didn’t even dawn on me that I was working in a male-dominated [math] office. I always felt like an equal, and women started replacing men as teachers in that department.

From her Hall of Fame induction remarks: “The previous coach advised me not to hold field hockey preseason practices (‘nobody will come’) or enter the county tournament (‘they’re all bigger schools’). I was also advised not to hold swim practices over Winter Breaks. In all three cases, I figured I would try anyway.”

Girls helping girls: At one point, the [participation] numbers were low for JV field hockey, so some of the varsity girls stayed after the varsity game and played in the JV game—which was totally legal because you were allowed to play three halves in one day. Our numbers were really low, but I was not going to drop the program. I said, “We’ll find a way to make this work.” A couple of times, we played the other

The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

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COMMEMORATING FIFTY YEARS OF

COEDUCATION school seven per side, the way overtimes are played, instead of 11 per side, but mostly, the upperclassmen stayed. The girls never gave up on the program. They wanted the program to continue and were willing to do extra.

Her contributions to women’s sports: I kept the programs fun, but challenging. Girls began to understand that athletics is a commitment, that they needed to take practice seriously—they were doing it as a varsity sport, not a recreational activity. We were going to be competing against high-levels schools and I wanted our program to be competitive. I wanted to give them a sense of pride and a seriousness of purpose.

Pat Lionetti

Teacher from 1977–2013

I was hired as a substitute and it never occurred to me that there might be problems because I had taught at a co-ed school. I had never been in a single-sex school that went coed. Female faculty were a distinct minority. In faculty meetings, I felt outnumbered and a little shy. I didn’t say much. Susan Hollister as Dean of Girls also became a resource for female faculty, the “go to” person for us. She was a force to be reckoned with—outspoken, willing to take on any challenges, and not one to let things go. She was an amazing role model for the faculty, like Anne DeLaney was a great role model for the girls.

In the English classroom, boys—Stuart Lederman, Steve Elmendorf, John McLaughlin—were supportive of me as a new, young, female teacher in a school where they were not used to having females around.

They picked up on my ideas and started discussions. They made that first semester a real pleasure. I am proud that, when I took over The Pingry Record in 1979, I made it a point to add more girls to what had been a male-dominated staff. I encouraged girls to get involved.

Dr. Mike Richardson

Teacher from 1969–2012; former Hall of Fame coach who started girls’ soccer

A lot of schools were going co-ed at the same time. The younger faculty wanted it, and the older faculty didn’t want it. I don’t think most people were prepared for what was going to happen because many of the faculty had only taught boys. There was one girl, then a smattering, then a whole bunch. Back then, there were hardly any female faculty members—Marge Archibald in art, Lee Kogan in music, and a few others, but none in math or science.

Having a school with girls: It was like the dawn of civilization.

Pingry was a rough-and-tumble kind of place, but when girls came in, you could feel the difference immediately. The boys became calmer.

There were no fights. They were on their best behavior . . . Pingry is a lot stronger of a school co-ed than it was all boys, and a lot more thoughtful.

Early challenges of coeducation: It was a real struggle for girls to be accepted. In athletics, there was no locker room space, and there were shared lockers in the Middle School area. Girls got second choice of any field space or sport and brought their own gym equipment.

What you said in the classroom needed to change—in history, boys wanted to talk about tortures and killing, but girls hated that. When it had been all boys, the most effective teachers were those with the loudest voices, and I prepared lectures of 45 minutes to avoid giving them a break so they wouldn’t talk and go nuts. With girls, it was a different ballgame—they interacted, so there was more discussion and less lecture. Pingry became a softer place—soft in a good way.

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Supporting girls: I tried to be encouraging. I acted like a counselor even though I wasn’t one. You could clearly see the emotions. In faculty meetings, younger faculty advocated for the girls with things like locker room space. Pingry was philosophically ready for coeducation, but the facilities still felt like a boys’ school until the late ’80s. With the campus move, the building was constructed deliberately for both genders, but fields were still an issue.

Choosing to coach girls’ soccer: I loved the sport and there was a need. I went to [Director of Athletics] George Christow and he said, “Yes! We’d love to have girls’ soccer!” I advertised and about 30 girls signed up.

Challenges of coaching girls’ soccer: My whole experience had been with coaching boys. I knew almost nothing about coaching girls and was in for a rude awakening because to apply the same rules to girls doesn’t work. I changed my style. What’s great with coaching girls is that, when you lose, boys think about it for three days and girls get over it in half an hour! Most girls were amateurs and had zero skills, like how to dribble and how to kick. What was also a challenge was getting decent games to play. There were not many girls’ soccer teams in New Jersey so we had to find teams to create games. It was also a challenge getting to games because there were no buses. You had to organize your own rides.

Early opportunities in girls’ sports: Being in on the ground floor of a sport in the whole United States was special and exciting—seeing them grow, working toward championships. In the beginning, there were [no championships] because there was nobody to organize them.

There was no All-State in the beginning.

Proudest of his contributions to girls’ sports: The creation of the girls’ soccer team itself, and creating teams that had a lot of fun. The girls were carefree. They would spend as much time creating a cheer [as they did] practicing. Sports were a great way for kids to unwind.

Gerry Vanasse

Director of Middle School Athletics (since 2014) and Former Director of Athletics (2005–2014)

Opportunities for both genders: My first year, I observed that girls golf was only available as part of a co-ed team, so I added an all-girls team in 2007 with Sean McAnally as head coach. The numbers went up and the team won championships. Pingry has been doing a great job of identifying new sports and activities, like girls’ volleyball with great success in 2023-24. In 2024-25, we’re adding a co-ed winter Dance Team in the Middle School. We brought sailing back. The sheer number of opportunities for both genders is astounding for a school of 1,000 students . . . about as many as you would see in the entire state. In Middle School, every student has the opportunity to find something in the athletics world, whether to play recreationally for life, or to pursue as potential for college or the pinnacle, like Matt Fallon and Nic Fink.

Co-ed teams in Middle School: Some sports that were traditionally all boys, like ice hockey, football, and wrestling, are offered as co-ed because girls became interested and Pingry said “yes”. When she was in Grade 6, Charlotte Diemar ’24 scored the first goal by a girl on the Middle School ice hockey team, and she became a star in the Upper School—you see these little pockets of superstar athletes. Wrestling is a great example—20 years ago, you thought [the genders] would never mix, but girls started getting interested about 15 years ago and now you have a girl wrestling a boy. I am so proud of the girls who broke down societal norms in the Middle School.

LEFT: Dr. Mike Richardson, Anne DeLaney ’79, and Pat Lionetti in 2022 when Ms. DeLaney received the Letter-In-Life Award—Dr. Richardson started the girls’ soccer program, Ms. DeLaney tried to set a leadership example for the girls, and both Dr. Richardson and Mrs. Lionetti inspired Ms. DeLaney to pursue her career in mental health. RIGHT: The group known as the Balladeers was formed in 1958 (two years after the Buttondowns) as an “additional, small singing group,” according to the Blue Book. The ensemble became co-ed when girls arrived. Then–Music Teacher Dr. Clare Gesualdo, who directed the co-ed group in 1980-81 and 1981-82, made the case that the Balladeers should be all female and equal to the format of the Buttondowns, so the Balladeers became all female in the 1982-83 school year. A decade ago, for the first time, they performed in their own all-school springtime concert in Hauser Auditorium, and the concert moved to the Lower Commons in 2019. Pictured here are the 2023-24 Balladeers.

Even in Middle School P.E., girls have tried traditionally male sports, like football, and boys have tried traditionally female sports, like field hockey. It gives them an appreciation for those sports and the people who play them.

Tim Grant

Teacher since 1984; head coach of girls’ varsity cross country and girls’ varsity track and field

From Pingry’s March 2022 assembly commemorating 50 years of Title IX: I was in high school in the late 1970s and I had great coaching. My three sisters tended to have pretty inferior coaching, so when I became a teacher, I said I would dedicate all of my coaching to women . . . At Pingry, I saw the need for a girls track team [instead of a club]. The first year, in 1985, there were six girls on the team . . . after a number of years, the girls won a state championship and I was called into the Athletic Director’s office. The Athletic Director said, “I believe you’ve earned the promotion to go coach boys.” I was incensed. I said, “We just won a state championship. The guys didn’t win a state championship. I built a program.” We went on for seven more years to win state championships.

Jo Ann DeMartini

First female Director of Athletics, 2001–2005

When [then–Head of School John] Neiswender approached me about the position, I did my research and learned Pingry was founded as a boys’ school and the administration was largely male for years. I first asked if the School was truly ready for a female Athletic Director. He felt sure that he had the Board’s support and the school community would be accepting of a woman leading the athletic department.

Concerns: While doing my research on Pingry, the phrase “love of tradition” was said by almost everyone I contacted. My experience working in schools had already taught me that most people do not like and can be resistant to change when a new administrator is hired.

For some, having a female Athletic Director at Pingry was not part of “the tradition” and was going to be a big change. I was concerned that simply being a female could be a road block to successfully achieving

the goals . . . After visiting campus and meeting students, coaches, and administrators, I felt very comfortable that Pingry was very open to having a female Athletic Director.

Perspective as a woman: My experience as a prep school and college athlete during the late ’70s to early ’80s informed my understanding of how to ensure female teams and athletes were treated the same as their male counterparts. Title IX was passed in 1972, but schools were not required to implement the law and its regulations until 1978.

This coincided with my freshman year in high school, so I had a frontrow seat for observing a prep school create and run a coeducational Athletic Department. I also coached girls’ teams for many years before arriving at Pingry and gained hands-on experience in how an Athletic Department must evolve managing equality between girls’ and boys’ teams.

Changes to the program: I developed a Coach’s Handbook and held pre- and post-season meetings with each head coach . . . In my first year, I learned the girls’ varsity soccer team was not allowed to play their games on the same field as the varsity boys (the World Cup Field). I addressed this immediately and implemented that all varsity games be played on the World Cup Field. The same was true for the girls’ basketball team, whose games were held in the Hyde and Watson Gym, while the boys played in the better-equipped Bristol Gym. I ensured this inequity was eliminated and all boys’ and girls’ varsity and JV games were played in Bristol Gym. Due to Pingry’s long history as a boys’ school, there were several named athletic awards presented to members of different boys’ teams.

Girls team members were not recognized with an equal number of awards. Once this disparity was identified, at least one award for each girls’ athletic team was added.

It also was important that every girls’ team had at least one female coach. Each boys’ and girls’ team for Middle and Upper School had two coaches. So, for each girls’ team, a woman was hired as either the head coach or the assistant coach. Through the implementation of Title IX, more women played team sports, which created a pipeline of women seeking to coach professionally, which ultimately benefited female athletics at Pingry.

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ESTABLISHMENT OF GIRLS’ TEAMS FALL SPORTS Girls Cross Country

Girls Soccer

STARTED: 1990 FACT: The first Girls Cross Country team got Pingry off to a hot start, finishing with a record of 9–0. Pingry Athletics Hall of Famer Victor Nazario coached the inaugural team and enjoyed six undefeated seasons in a seven-year span from 1990–1996 .

STARTED: 1976 FACT: In 2020, before mask-wearing fans on the Bugliari World Cup Field, the Girls’ Soccer Team (9–3–1 and seeded #1) tallied a 5–2 victory over Oak Knoll in the NJSIAA Central West, D NonPublic Tournament finals, notching their third straight state sectional title.

2023 Girls Volleyball

Girls Volleyball

STARTED: 2023 FACT: The inaugural season yielded many memorable moments, including the first win in program history—a thrilling 2–1 victory at home over Bound Brook.

1974 Cross Country (co-ed)

Gymnastics

STARTED: 1978 FACT: Gymnastics ran only three seasons, from 1978–1980.

1978 Gymnastics

1990 Girls Cross Country

1976 Girls Soccer

Girls Tennis

STARTED: 1976 FACT: Over the past four seasons, Girls Tennis has won several titles, including the Conference, County, Prep A, Sectional, and Group championships, compiling a 53–1 record. The girls were named NJ.com Team of the Year the past two seasons as the #1-ranked squad in New Jersey.

Co-ed and Girls Water Polo

STARTED: Co-ed 1992, Girls 2007 FACT: Carol Wilhelm ’94 and Heather Rooze ’94 were the first girls to join the Coed Water Polo Team in 1992.

1976 Girls Tennis

LEFT: 1992 Water Polo RIGHT: 2007 Girls Water Polo

WINTER SPORTS Girls Ice Hockey

STARTED: 1994 FACT: Girls Ice Hockey won their first tournament—the Prep State Championship—in the 1999-2000 season and recently celebrated their first overall NJSIAA State Championship with a win over IHA at the Prudential Center this past March.

Girls Ski Team

STARTED: Coed 1994, Girls 2019 FACT: The girls won back-to-back Non-Public State Championships in 2019 and 2020.

Girls Basketball

STARTED: 1974 FACT: This past winter, Taylor Francis ’25 joined Katie Occhipinti ’08 and Megan Horn ’18 as members of Girls Basketball’s 1,000 Career Point Club.

1974-1975 Girls Basketball

1994-1995 Skiing

Girls Winter Track

1994-1995 Girls Ice Hockey 2019-2020 Girls Ski Racing

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STARTED: Co-ed 1975, Girls 1977 FACT: Sarah Boyd ’77 and Jennifer Groel ’78 were the first two female student-athletes to run for the Winter Track Team.

1975-1976 Winter Track and Field

COMMEMORATING FIFTY YEARS OF

COEDUCATION SPRING SPORTS Girls Golf

STARTED: Coed 1976, Girls 2007 FACT: Lena Hagman ’77 was the first official female Pingry golfer who paved the way for future successes, like the undefeated 2018 team (16–0).

Girls Spring Track

Cheerleading

STARTED: 1976 FACT: The final season at Pingry was the spring of 2008, and before the program started in 1975, the boys’ cheerleading team ran from 1954–1966.

STARTED: 1978 FACT: In 2019, seven girls qualified to compete at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor Meet.

1978 Girls Track and Field

Girls Lacrosse 2008 Girls Golf

1976 Cheerleading

Field Hockey

STARTED: 1974 FACT: Four Field Hockey teams have been inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame (1979, 1988, 2000, 2001).

1974 Field Hockey

Girls Squash

STARTED: Co-ed 2003, Girls 2008 FACT: The first female captain at Pingry was Maggie O’Toole ’05 of the inaugural 2003-04 Coed Team, and when the girls got their own team for the 2008-09 season, they made an immediate impact, with Chloe 2003-2004 Squash Blacker ’10 winning the NJ State Championship.

Girls Fencing

STARTED: 1975 FACT: They named their first captains in 1982: Marisa Nucci ’83 and Karen Dennison ’83.

1975-1976 Girls Fencing

STARTED: 1984 FACT: Current Director of Athletics and Student Success Carter Abbott started coaching the girls’ lacrosse team in 2011 and has grown the program into a perennial powerhouse, consistently ranked among the top teams in the state.

1984 Girls Lacrosse

Softball

STARTED: 1976 FACT: In the 1977 season, despite being only the second year for the Girls Softball program as a varsity squad, they turned in a season for the ages, compiling an impressive 12–3 record and capturing the State Prep Tournament.

1977 Softball

Girls Swimming

STARTED: Co-ed 1974, Girls 1981 FACT: Buffy Cave ’83 and Robin Jervey ’82 captained the first Girls Swimming team, while Ann Cunningham ’78 was a pioneer as the first female swimmer at Pingry, helping the 1974-75 team to a 10–2 record.

1974-1975 Swimming

1981-1982 Girls Swimming

Co-ed Wresting

STARTED: 2022 FACT: Current wrestler Sonia Nkansah ’25 shares, “While wrestling is growing in New Jersey, it’s not always open to girls. There are still parts of the sport that are adjusting to the addition of girls.”

2022-2023 Wrestling

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Art Auction OF THE

THE

By Greg Waxberg ’96

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PHOTO: CHRISTIE’S 2024

ABOVE: Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03, (second from left) with Sir Elton John—sort of! Christie’s uses hologram-generating technology, so her colleagues filmed a video that would let him appear as a hologram at the auction.

I. Was. Blown. Away.

He loves to collect and that was very clear. Every surface, every table and shelf, was covered with glass art—brightly colored pieces of glass from Italy and elsewhere. The walls of the apartment were gallery hung—picture on top of picture on top of picture with some of the world’s greatest black-andwhite photography and emerging, contemporary artists. It was a beautifully overwhelming sensation . . . and really special to have a glimpse into the private space of such a superstar.

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Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03 describes her reaction to seeing Sir Elton John’s Atlanta apartment for the first time in late 2018.

Why was she there?

A

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CHRISTIE’S

s Head of Private and Iconic Collections at Christie’s, she was preparing to auction off many items in the apartment, which he bought in the early 1990s and would be leaving when his touring career ended (the final tour ended in July 2023, and the apartment went on sale that fall). It turns out that the apartment was a surprise for her. “I first went to an Elton John concert as a Pingry student, so I know his music, but until this project, I didn’t know about the Atlanta apartment. It was a top-secret project when we were asked to visit and value the property, and come up with a sales plan.”

Even though Mrs. Seigel never met the rock star, she worked with his husband, David Furnish, and Sir Elton was very involved in the process. She points out that, because he is a renowned photography collector with other homes, “this was a fraction of the photography collection . . . we also sold a lot of memorabilia that was in a storage facility in the U.K. because we felt the sale would benefit if we injected more personality. Well-known items that are closest to the person perform the best.” And there was, overall, “such a vast amount [in the apartment] that we ended up choosing select items. We curated the sale with the best and most commercial items—those that would tell a story and bring the best financial return, and not be too repetitive with each other. We bring a curatorial eye.”

Ultimately, because the auction would take place after the tours ended and everything was delayed because of the pandemic, the entire project took over five years, concluding this past February. It would be a blockbuster.

C

hristie’s, as one might expect, sets goals for its auctions. For Mrs. Seigel, that element was missing from her first job after she majored in English and American Studies at Cornell University. She was working in public relations, but wanted a career “that allowed for creativity, continued my exposure to amazing experiences and locations, and also had very tangible goals and results that I was working toward.”

When she heard from a friend about the chance to earn a one-year master’s degree in Art History at Christie’s Education in London—the only academic institution owned by an auction house, with training for students looking for careers in the art world—a memory stirred.

“I took one art history course in college and loved it,” Mrs. Seigel says. “It was eye opening to see the path of art following history, how what was happening in art related to what was happening in the world, and the techniques different generations discovered and utilized to forward their craft.” With her love of museums—and the art world, in general—she envisioned an amazing opportunity. “I didn’t know whether it would lead to a career in the museum world or auction world. I went for a change of pace.”

Well, while working toward the master’s, something happened that she described in her June 2023 profile on the Christie’s website. “I had never set foot inside Christie’s galleries until I attended a preview of Old Masters paintings LEFT: Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03 at the auction preview of The Collection of Ann and Gordon Getty–Temple of Wings at Christie’s, New York in June 2023

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. . . there before us was Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo and Raphael’s Head of a Muse, the star lots of the season. I instantly understood what it was like to work in the auction world, serving as the temporary guardians of masterpieces with which you are able to form intimate bonds, and I was hooked from that moment on.”

She started working part time at Christie’s as a Viewing Assistant (gallery assistants who help with auctions), then worked her way up to Associate Specialist in Private and Iconic Collections, Associate Vice President, Vice President, and her current position, Head of Private and Iconic Collections (2022). That art history background has proven critical. “The most important thing I learned is to look carefully and be curious. My expertise is in 18th century decorative arts, but in my current role, I need to be able to take in a whole collection and help determine its overall value across categories—is it less than $1 million, is it $10 million, is it $100 million?”

Mrs. Seigel could not be happier at Christie’s. “It is so exciting to work at an auction house. I absolutely adore my career. It is fast paced and different every day and every week. I see beautiful works of art on a daily basis—it’s a little-known fact that auction houses are open to the public, too, so you can see works for sale before they go back into private collections. It is goal focused—I’m working toward a specific, triumphant moment, an exciting sale.” As head of the department, she leads a team of 70 people and credits her comfort and confidence with public speaking to her experiences with Pingry’s drama program and the guidance of then–Drama Department Chair Al Romano.

How different from day to day? “I may be conducting a walkthrough of a home in California or Palm Beach to see if we may want to sell the contents in a Single Owner Collection . . . or working to finalize layouts and designs for an auction catalogue for an imminent sale, while maintaining relationships with potential buyers and sellers internationally. There are days that I am crawling under furniture in our Brooklyn warehouses to help with our vetting processes, and then much more glamorous times around sale weeks when we are able to host collectors for events, previews, and auctions in our Rockefeller Center premises.”

The mention of a Single Owner Collection speaks to her title as Head of Private and Iconic Collections: Mrs. Seigel needs to figure out when to sell items in that configuration, such as if a well-known individual—like Sir Elton John—is selling across categories of collections.

That is different from a typical sale when several people, or families,

Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03, standing fourth from right, with the cast of the Drama IV production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in 2003, the first production in the Macrae Theater. Recipient of The Director’s Award for Achievement in Dramatic Arts, she also performed in Pingry productions of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, Bock/Harnick’s Fiddler on the Roof, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. “There was an amazing community around Pingry Drama, and it was a very safe, fun space.”

want to sell. “With a single owner,” she explains, “there is one person, family, or estate. We tell a story. Sometimes, there are so many lots that we have a series of sales.” For example, Sir Elton’s auction, driven by his star power, included an Opening Night sale, two days of live auctions, and five online sales of lower-value property.

“It was a wonderfully diverse collection that opened my eyes to the collecting field of photography. The breadth of his collection was eye opening,” Mrs. Seigel says. “There was also a lot of Versace—Versace fabric for the upholstery, and Versace porcelain.” Sometimes, before a collection is photographed and catalogued, Christie’s will clean or repair items, but Sir Elton’s collection was “pristine.”

The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road ended up exceeding expectations, not unusual for a Single Owner Collection with star power attached: 900 objects generated total sales of $20.5 million, more than double the auction house’s low estimate of $10 million.

(That low estimate is based on specialists valuing items without any way of knowing how much people will be willing to pay.)

Mrs. Seigel found the entire experience joyful, beginning with the delights of seeing the apartment in 2018 and culminating with the two-week public exhibition and auction in February 2024. And along with those tangible results, she cherishes the excitement of sharing a published catalog or seeing her name in print, “like being quoted in The New York Times!”

Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03 with her father, John Wight ’62, and mother, Mary Wight, when Mr. Wight received the Pingry Alumni Association’s Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award in 2008

Mrs. Seigel has continued the tradition of staying engaged with the School as a PAA Board Member (currently, Vice President), Career Day speaker, and more. “I have found, like my father did before me, that involvement with the School through the PAA Board is a rewarding and enlightening way to remain engaged with the institution. I appreciate having a strong insight into current happenings at the School and feel proud of the work we accomplish through our events and committees. I have taken a very active part in our Achievement in the Arts Award and am constantly impressed by the work and careers of my fellow alumni.

By remaining involved with the School, particularly through this award and presenting at Career Day, I am delighted to expose students to the vast possibilities of careers in the arts.”

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The University of Leuven’s main library, with Pingry’s stone inscription at the bottom of the wall, next to the second window from the left INSET: One of the hundreds of inscriptions, commemorating Pingry’s support for the new library

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Based on Head of School Tim Lear’s 2024 Commencement remarks Belgium photos by Isabel Caldis ’26

“ Somehow, We Just Did It” Thanks to a discovery by Isabel Caldis ’26 and her family, Head of School Tim Lear shared a piece of school history with the Pingry community. Within the context that Pingry has a history of responding to a need, and that the reward of an action is in “the doing—taking action simply because it’s the right thing to do,” he spoke about a connection with Belgium.

Specifically, the University of Leuven’s main library in Belgium.

Prior to World War I, the library housed about 500 years’ worth of books, manuscripts, and artifacts.

After Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914, German troops set fire to the library and a large part of Leuven, destroying half of the city and costing more than 200 lives. In the aftermath of the war, the United States launched a campaign for a new library—to be designed, built, and funded by Americans—and Pingry was among the schools and businesses that generously donated money. “Pingry School” is one of the hundreds of inscriptions on and inside the building.

One of the university’s alumnae, and a board member of their U.S. chapter, is Isabel’s mother.

During one of their meetings, a university professor made a presentation about the restoration of the library and discussed plans to write a book about the story, but was looking for help with research.

“This is how my mom and I ended up getting involved,” Isabel says. What was specifically needed was a list of the institutions that donated money and documents from their archives. “While looking at the list of those institutions, we unexpectedly came across Pingry. So, when we went on our annual trip to Belgium in the summer of 2023, we visited the library and took these pictures.”

Mr. Lear is “fascinated by this story because it’s a wonderful example of how our community rises to the occasion to help others. It also serves as a perfect example of the Honor Code in action . . . truly working for the common good and truly acting as citizens of, and contributors to, the larger community of the world. Somehow, the Pingry community found a way . . . Somehow, that project seemed as important as the many important ones on the Parker Road Campus . . . Somehow, we just did it, and we did so without expecting anything in return.”

Pingry showed up for a university library in Belgium, an illustration of Mr. Lear’s desire for today’s Pingry community to “show up for one another.”

“ That project seemed as important as the many important ones on the Parker Road Campus.”

The new library opened in 1928, and Pingry’s contribution is mentioned on page four of the April 16, 1937 issue of The Pingry Record.

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AT H L E T I C S

BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS

Boys Cross Country enjoyed a stellar 2023 campaign, capturing the NJISAA Prep A Title and securing the #20 spot in the NJ.com end-of-season rankings.

Field Hockey delivered an impressive 16–5 record that included appearances in the Somerset County Tournament Finals and NJSIAA Non-Public A Sectional Final. Head Coach Julia Martinez was named Skyland Conference Coach of the Year for leading Pingry to its best season in 13 years and its first trip to the Sectional Final in 10 years. Morgan Dwyer ’25 scored 30 goals and set Pingry’s single-season goal scoring record.

Girls Cross Country enjoyed a fantastic season, earning the #3 NJ.com ranking by winning the Skyland Conference Championship, Shore Coaches Invitational, Somerset County Championship, and NJISAA Prep A Championship. In the county championships, Pingry finished with a 19:46 average, the only team under 20 minutes. Olivia Murray ’24 was an All-State First Team selection for her multiple elite performances.

Football opened 2023 with six straight wins—the program’s best start in over 25 seasons. Quarterback Mike Hollomon ’24 and running back Josh Woodford ’24 set Pingry records for single-season TD passes and rushing TDs, respectively.

Girls Soccer competed with pride in 2023, winning six games— two of which came during tournaments.

Boys Soccer opened the 2023 season with a 15-game win streak, clinching the Skyland Conference Title and earning a mid-season #1 ranking in New Jersey. The boys avenged last season’s Somerset County Tournament loss to Bernards by defeating them in this season’s final for the program’s 23rd county title. Anthony Bugliari ’24 was named to the All-American team by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

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Girls Tennis delivered their second straight undefeated championship season, capturing the Skyland Title, Somerset County Title (five years in a row), NJISAA Prep A Title (three years in a row), and NJSIAA Non-Public Sectional and Group State Titles (eight and two in a row, respectively). The girls were the wire-to-wire #1 team in New Jersey, earning NJ.com Team of the Year and Skyland Conference Coach of the Year honors in addition to first singles Anika Paul ’25 being selected as an All-American.

Co-ed Water Polo represented Pingry with pride, picking up multiple wins against top regional opponents.

Girls Volleyball’s exciting inaugural 2023 season was highlighted by exciting back-to-back home wins in late September against Bernards and Thomas Edison Energy Charter.

Boys Ice Hockey delivered their fourth straight Skyland Cup Championship, then enjoyed a thrilling overtime win against Seton Hall Prep in the NJSIAA Tournament opener. Freddie Field ’25 led the team with 39 points and was named the Devils’ Skyland Conference Player of the Month for January.

Girls Ice Hockey stunned the state by knocking out defending champs Morristown Beard in the final four before defeating Immaculate Heart Academy in the state finals at the Prudential Center in Newark to win the program’s first NJSIAA State Championship. Goalie Katie Niccolai ’24 allowed just three goals in four tournament games to capture the title. Pingry finished with a #1 ranking and was named the NJ.com Team of the Year.

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AT H L E T I C S

BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS

Boys Ski Racing enjoyed a historic season, defeating Delbarton and Pope John to win the program’s first overall State Championship. The boys were dominant all season, taking six of the top nine spots in their opening race and senior Dylan Jay ’24 winning four of the season’s first five races.

Girls Ski Racing’s 2023-24 campaign was highlighted by Helen Pols ’25 winning the slalom event at the Race of Champions.

Boys Basketball enjoyed an extremely competitive season, going toe-to-toe with the state’s best and collecting 18 wins in the process. Trey Maultsby ’24 joined the 1,000-point club with a 26-point performance against Hunterdon Central.

Girls Fencing enjoyed a strong season highlighted by the Saber Squad taking first place at the District 5 Championships. The team’s future looks bright under new Head Coach Ronald Pack, Jr. ’99, with freshman Fiona Shmuler putting together a 23–7 record in her first varsity season.

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Girls Basketball won 19 games including going 9–1 in the conference to clinch the Skyland Conference Valley Division.

Taylor Francis ’25 reached the 1,000-point milestone with a 23-point performance against rival Ridge High School.

Boys Fencing welcomed back Ronald Pack, Jr. ’99 as Head Coach for the 2023-24 season, and boys’ teams thrived with strong showings at counties and states. With a strong graduating senior class, Big Blue was excited to see the breakout performance of freshman Bora Akyamac, who compiled an impressive 33–1 record.

Boys Squash’s 2023-24 season was defined by their performance at Nationals, where they captured the Division II High School National Championship and finished #17 overall in the country.

Boys Swimming celebrated a second-place finish at the Skyland Conference Championships, fueled by two individual wins from Derek Cheng ’24, in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle.

The boys ended the season ranked #15 in the state by NJ.com.

Girls Squash put together a fantastic 2023-24 season, delivering a 7–2 record and finishing #11 in the country at Nationals.

Girls Swimming was fierce during the 2023-24 season, dominating opponents on their way to winning the Skyland Conference and NJISAA Prep A Championships and securing a final #11 ranking in the state. Daniela Karnaugh ’24 had a tremendous senior campaign, being named Swimmer of the Meet at the Prep A meet and qualifying for the Olympic Trials.

Winter Track (Boys and Girls) celebrated multiple team and individual victories, including Graham Houghton ’25 winning the 55m event at the Skyland Conference and NJSIAA Non-Public Championships and Leah Solomon ’26 winning the Non-Public Pole Vault event.

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AT H L E T I C S

BIG BLUE HIGHLIGHTS

Wrestling had both veteran leadership and young talent in 2023-24, with Charles Levine ’24 and Jack Abramson ’27 winning county and district tournaments, respectively.

Girls Golf returned to elite status in 2024, winning three championships—the Skyland Conference, Somerset County (two years in a row), and NJSIAA Sectional—and ending the year ranked #4 in the state by NJ.com. Rayee Feng ’26 headlined a core group of young talent in a season that earned Head Coach Sean McAnally NJ.com Coach of the Year honors.

Boys Lacrosse was elite in 2024, ending the season with an NJ.com #4 ranking as the reigning Somerset County (three years in a row) and Skyland Conference champions. This stacked senior class reached many milestones, including the 500th career save for goalie Graham Stevens ’24, and Asher Ziv ’24 setting a new Pingry all-time point scoring record. Asher was named Skyland Conference Player of the Year, and Pingry was named Skyland Conference Team of the Year.

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Boys Golf punctuated their season with a fourth-place finish at the Tournament of Champions. Freshman Preston Devieux was a force as the low scorer at most matches, leading Pingry to an NJ.com #17 ranking.

Baseball showed their grit in 2024, with 12 games decided by two or fewer runs. Coach Anthony Feltre’s squad put together a late-season, five-game win streak that gave Pingry momentum going into the postseason.

Girls Lacrosse won the Somerset County (two years in a row) and Skyland Conference titles, and advanced to the State Finals after a thrilling win over Kent Place in the NJSIAA Non-Public final four. The girls ended the season ranked #7 in the state by NJ.com, and several milestones were reached throughout the 2024 campaign, including Annabel Mahoney ’24 collecting her 200th career point.

Softball enjoyed a banner year in 2024 as they stunned the heavily favored Hun School to capture the NJISAA Prep A Championship for the second time in program history. Led by pitcher Casey McKeon ’25, Big Blue allowed only two runs during the entire Prep A tournament. Casey notched her 300th career strikeout earlier in the year, and teammate Taylor Francis ’25 collected her 100th career hit.

Boys Tennis enjoyed another elite season of team and individual championships, boasting a 14–3 record, its fourth straight Somerset County Tournament win, its third straight NJISAA Prep A Tournament win, an appearance in the state final, and a final #3 state ranking. Pingry was named Skyland Conference Team of the Year.

LEFT: Boys Spring Track season included gritty wins and a couple of new school records, including Thomas Goydan ’24 pole vaulting 13 feet and Ja’Mar White triple-jumping 43 feet 3 inches. Dami Shote ’24 was the Somerset County and Skyland Conference Champion in the shot put. RIGHT: Girls Spring Track ran hard and saw the Distance Medley Relay team (Olivia Murray ’24, Sophia Deeney ’24, Lucy Ambrogio ’25, and Kayla Kerr ’25) win counties and set a new school record at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia.

Class of 2024 Competing in College Abigail Baird Stanford University, Sailing Ethan Boroditsky Duke University, Fencing Anthony Bugliari UC San Diego, Soccer Derek Cheng Boston University, Swimming Sophia Deeney Emory University, Cross Country, Track and Field Carson DeRoner Marist College, Football McKenna Dwyer Williams College, Lacrosse Martin Fields Stevens Institute of Technology, Soccer

Devan Gambello Fairfield University, Cross Country, Track and Field

Annabelle Mahoney Northwestern University, Lacrosse

Emily Gao Georgetown University, Swimming

Olivia Murray Columbia University, Cross Country, Track and Field

Thomas Goydan Denison University, Cross Country, Track and Field

Alex Payne Lafayette College, Baseball

Sarah Gu Harvard University, Fencing Daniella Karnaugh Indiana University, Swimming Nikita Kogen Lafayette College, Fencing Charles Levine Muhlenberg College, Wrestling Matteo Littman The University of Chicago, Wrestling

Margaret Pew Williams College, Soccer Paul Salerno Muhlenberg College, Lacrosse Charlie Sherman Lehigh University, Lacrosse Sydney Shilts Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Track and Field

Graham Stevens Harvard University, Lacrosse Delaney Swain Skidmore College, Softball Ian Ucko Colby College, Crew Andrew Vilarin Colorado College, Cross Country, Track and Field Josh Woodford Trinity College, Football Thomas Yanez Tufts University, Soccer Asher Ziv Yale University (PG), Lacrosse

Anika Sinha Brown University, Fencing

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AT H L E T I C S

Q&A WITH DIRECTOR OF SQUASH FRANCIS ODEH

A Homecoming at Pingry

By Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36

PINGRY’S DIRECTOR OF SQUASH AND GIRLS’

Varsity Squash Head Coach, Francis Odeh, came from humble beginnings in the southern Nigerian city of Lagos. The son of a police officer, Coach Odeh learned the importance of discipline and attention to detail as he and the other police children would spend countless hours at the Lagos Police Academy, watching the recruits practice their marches. “I can still do the marches today,” he shares with pride. By the age of 11, he had found another activity that would follow him for the rest of his life and enable him to provide for his family, build a career, and make an impact on countless young athletes. That activity was the sport of squash, in which Coach Odeh rose to national prominence as a professional athlete in Nigeria.

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When he came to the United States in 1995, he brought his worldclass squash talent as well as a passion for teaching young people and sharing all the values he acquired along the way. Coach Odeh’s reach goes well beyond the school year, as he runs several summer camps to which he invites various guest coaches, including current professionals ranked in the Top 10 in the world. He is well known in the global squash community as a consummate professional and fierce former pro, and in the Pingry community, he is well loved as a coach, mentor, and colleague. Coach Odeh recently spoke about his squash journey and how the sport changed his life.

Talk about your role at Pingry and what changes you’ve made since your arrival in 2020.

I’m the Squash Director. Aside from being Girls’ Varsity Squash Head Coach, my job is to run squash afterschool programs, clinics, private lessons, and tournaments. And in the long run, I’m trying to establish a Pingry Squash club for adults, including “round robin” tournaments.

The biggest addition was to establish a top junior tournament at Pingry, which we’ve done with our Pingry Gold Tournament. And also, the varsity teams won two national titles . . . one for the girls and one for Coach Ramsay Vehslage’s boys’ team.

At what age were you introduced to squash?

I started with tennis, then moved to squash at the age of 11. Actually, the squash court was very close to my house. I always heard the noise of the squash ball and people shouting. I went there to check them out like, “Who are these people?” It was a bunch of distinguished gentlemen and professionals such as doctors, lawyers, police officers. I got interested out of curiosity, just to see what they’re doing. And then I tried it out and I liked it, but not as much as soccer! Soccer was my main sport at that point. My mom was not happy that I got into squash.

She spent so much money on soccer. She bought cleats for me . . . to play soccer. Then I was just like, “I want to play squash now.” But when I started squash, I never looked back because I was able to take care of my family. At the age of 19, I was the breadwinner of the family.

When did you realize you had a special talent and decide to commit to squash?

At the age of 14, that’s when I knew I had talent. I was taken to the National Stadium in Nigeria then, which is like taking you to Madison Square Garden in America. And the tournament was broadcast in my city on TV, and that’s where my life changed. I said to myself, “I have to play squash!” People watched me on TV and recognize me on the street and say, “I saw you on TV!” I kept playing soccer, but I played squash most of the time just to get that popularity and fame! I finished #15 in the country in the 19-and-under division when I was 14, so I was proud of the result.

How did you go from promising young squash player to fullblown squash professional and coach?

It’s putting in hard work, a lot of hard work. I wasn’t from a wealthy family. I knew squash could take me places, to a different level. And the members at the squash club near my house—they made sure I went to school. If I didn’t do my homework, they wouldn’t let me on the

“ Pingry families started reaching out and encouraging me to join the community, and I decided to take the job. And really when I came here, it was like a homecoming. I really love it.” squash court. My grades were getting better because of them, and they encouraged me. Some of them sponsored me by buying me racquets.

They helped me get to the pro level.

When did you come to America permanently, and how did you land at Pingry?

I came to America in 1995 and I was involved with Pingry for about 10 years before I became the Squash Director because I’ve worked with Pingry students who used to carpool to my former squash club in Seabright, NJ, where I was a partner and Head Squash Coach. So, when Pingry needed a coach, the longtime boys’ varsity coach, Ramsay Vehslage, called me and asked if I was interested, and I told him I’d think about it. Then he jokingly said, “No, no, no, you can’t say that . . . you have to come here!” Then, Pingry families started reaching out and encouraging me to join the community, and I decided to take the job. And really when I came here, it was like a homecoming. I really love it.

What are some misconceptions about the sport?

The misconception about squash is that it’s meant for the elite, the rich. Take me as an example—it’s not. Squash is open to everyone. So, when StreetSquash [an urban squash program that brings inner-city children to squash courts to learn the game] started here in America, I was really happy about it, and we hosted their program on Pingry’s squash courts a few years ago. Additionally, every year, I make a trip back to Nigeria to help grow the sport. I’m part of a group of eight people who run a free squash clinic in Lagos for any child who wants to participate. We attract over 100 kids. Last year, I was joined by Jiya Desai ’25 and her father, who are big supporters of the program and enjoyed their experience so much that they’d like to make another trip, and I’ll continue to organize it because squash can literally change those kids’ lives, just like it did for me.

The Pingry Review | Summer 2024

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ON THE ARTS

VISUAL ARTS

Joanne Steinhardt ’84 Offers “Second Chances” The Hostetter Arts Center Gallery hosted Joanne Steinhardt ’84, P’15 this spring for her second Alumni Art Exhibit at Pingry (the first was in 2017), this one titled “Endless Second Chances”. The idea for the exhibit was born within the past year, and Ms. Steinhardt displayed many of the pieces for the first time. Among them were tiny, detailed scenes inside larger objects such as a pan, hat, guitar, and toilet.

“My work offers second chances to pushed-aside materials and objects, exposing what is considered useless or invisible,” she writes in her Artist Statement.

“My own loss and trauma draw me to this practice and these materials. The theft of a body of work in 2019 emotionally crippled me for a time. As I emerged in 2021, I found solace in resurrecting objects from the past.

Because I had felt useless, a creator without creations . . . I resonated with these pushed aside and discarded items.”

E The tiny objects in these scenes took an “immense amount of research. For example, in this edible garden, what do the roots of fruits and vegetables look like? What do you make a hose out of?” (The hose is on the far right; materials include Sculpey clay, air-dried clay, fabric, coffee filters, and molded plastic.)

C These books speak to the theme of “being shut in.”

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E The guitar, with its unstrung strings, represents “abuse” and Ms. Steinhardt says it was a physics-defying challenge to construct the guitar without the support of the strings.

B“Top Hat speaks to my first artistic inspiration—my grandfather.”

E This toilet addresses the theme of shared spaces. The shelf above the sink is made from a microscope slide, while the nail polish bottles on the shelf are made from beads.

“ My career in the arts happened because I didn’t know how else to express how I saw the world . . . I thought, ‘I better figure out how to make money at this because I don’t know how to not do it.’

I was juggling to bring together technical skills and learn the art markets.”

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O N T H E A R T S PERFORMING ARTS

This Honor Is “DEL”ightful Lower School Performing Arts Teacher and Performing Arts Coordinator Erin Strong’s work as a dance educator has been honored by the prestigious Dance Education Laboratory (DEL).*

“DEL is nationally respected and is at the forefront of dance education in our country,” she says. Ms. Strong received this honor for incorporating many aspects of the DEL Model into the Lower School Performing Arts curriculum: culturally responsive lessons (providing the historical and social contexts for what students are learning), collaborative dance making (“they’re not just learning how to dance, but how to make dance”), and being able to view a performance and interpret it. Plus, the DEL Model includes Laban Movement Analysis that categorizes body movements.

But wait, there’s more! Through this honor, the Lower School Performing Arts Program, designed and co-taught by Ms. Strong and Josh Schnetzer, has been named an official DEL Lab School, bringing national recognition to Pingry’s K–5 program. “We will continue to benefit from the mentorship and resources DEL provides to inform how our program continues to grow and serve each new generation,” Ms. Strong says. *Founded in 1995, DEL is based out of the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

The cast of the Upper School Winter Musical, Sondheim’s Into the Woods

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Grade 3 rocked the Short Hills Campus with their Showcase of Jazz Dance and Music. Reflecting lessons from DEL, the showcase included the students’ choreography and highlighted what they had learned about the branches of jazz (how the art form branched out from its roots).

“ DEL is about promoting dance—it’s about training students to become creators of dance and to be literate in dance. We use their model in an integrated performing arts program . . . students are writing with their bodies instead of on paper.”

Joseph Napolitano, Head of Technical Theater and Design, is one of three drama teachers in the state who received the 2024 Outstanding Educator Award from Paper Mill Playhouse’s Rising Star Awards.

Modeled after the Tony Awards, these awards were created in 1996 to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high school musicals. Mr. Napolitano was honored for his work on Into the Woods.

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ON THE ARTS PERFORMING ARTS The cast of the Middle School Musical, Disney’s Moana JR. (an adaptation of the Disney animated film)

The cast of the Lower School Spring Musical, Musicville (A New Children’s Musical)

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MUSIC

The Balladeers and Buttondowns, under the direction of Music Teacher Jay Winston and Music Department Chair Dr. Andrew Moore, respectively, competed as the Pingry Glee Club in the Mixed Choir category of the Music in the Parks Festival at Hersheypark. They won their category and a Superior (highest) ranking. Presidents Brielle Marques ’24 and Rahil Kakar ’24 represented the groups at the awards ceremony.

Moments from the Middle School Musicians Concert

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TRUE BLUE SPOTLIGHT Q&A WITH MEMBERS OF PINGRY’S TRUE BLUE SOCIETY

Annelise Kinney ’15 You worked in the Development Office at an independent school in California.* Did your time at Pingry motivate you to pursue that job?

My time at Pingry directly motivated me to start my career in education. I always admired the collaboration of the faculty and staff and how connected the community was no matter your role. I saw that the adults who supported me there truly loved their work and felt passionate about supporting students. I was hopeful to join a community similar to Pingry—one where I felt supported, connected, and inspired.

What inspires you about Pingry today?

I love how much Pingry is constantly changing, growing, and adapting to meet the moment. There are so many challenges a school faces in 2024, especially one as large as Pingry, and it takes a lot of self-awareness to pivot your strategy. Through The Pingry Review, Pingry’s LinkedIn page, or my mom [Co-Director of College Counseling Sue Kinney], I enjoy hearing about the successes of the students—there is always something new and inspiring that Pingry students are doing!

What is your fondest Pingry memory?

Spending time with my classmates or friends doing something we loved: sports practice, Peer Leadership meetings, hanging out at the senior couches. I also have really fond memories of my relationships with my teachers. Specifically, going to office hours with [Upper School History Teacher] Mr. Horesta—my friends and I always enjoyed going to talk to Mr. Horesta about a lesson or an assignment.

Usually, we ended up staying longer than we needed to just because we loved spending time in the History Office with all of the other history teachers.

Did Pingry encourage or challenge you to try something outside your comfort zone?

Yes, there were many times, and it was often in a class—whether it was thinking of something from a different point of view or tackling a project in a different way. I was encouraged by my mentors to try extracurricular activities such as yearbook and the Peer Leadership program, which were transformational for me—yearbook challenged me to be more creative and helped my project management skills, and Peer Leadership helped hone my leadership and communication skills. I would not have participated in those programs had my teachers and advisors not encouraged me to do so.

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Annelise Kinney ’15 at Career Day in 2023

Why do you choose to remain connected to Pingry?

Many reasons—my family, my friends, and any other important relationships that I made during my time there. Pingry shaped me into the person I am today, and I am always reminiscing on my time there.

There are so many people I met through Pingry who have made a positive impact on my life and I still keep in touch with today. Pingry was responsible for the cultivation of these relationships and will always have a special place in my heart. *Ms. Kinney now works in venture philanthropy.

Those who have given to The Pingry Fund for three or more consecutive years

Ring the Bell for Pingry!

This year, Ring the Bell: Pingry’s Annual Celebration of Giving will take place on Wednesday, October 23 and Thursday, October 24. Join the entire Pingry community to celebrate our students and showcase your school spirit! To make Ring the Bell a success, we need alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends to make their best gift to The Pingry Fund!

The Pingry Fund is the School’s top fundraising priority. Gifts to The Pingry Fund allow us to invest in innovative programs, recruit and retain talented faculty and staff, maintain world-class facilities, and provide financial assistance to deserving students. Your contribution, no matter the size, makes a significant difference in ensuring that every student receives an exceptional educational experience.

There will be opportunities to multiply the impact of your gift by unlocking challenges and matches throughout the 48-hour celebration of giving. More information to come!

Can’t Wait?

Make your gift anytime before midnight on October 25 to be counted in the Ring the Bell challenge!

Online: pingry.org/ringthebell For more information or to make your own challenge gift, please contact: Associate Director of Development, Director of Annual Giving Jessica St. Marie at jstmarie@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1219

We Need Your Help!

We’re looking for parents and alumni to serve as Pingry Fund volunteers for Ring the Bell and beyond! If you’re interested in learning about how you can make an impact on the Pingry community, please contact: Parents – Cecily Allison, Assistant Director of Development, Annual Giving and Parent Engagement, at callison@pingry.org or 908647-5555, ext. 1221 Alumni – Mackenzie Eford, Assistant Director of Development, Alumni Annual Giving, at meford@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1270.

Go Big Blue!

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PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

London Reception January 12

Attendees include Carolyn Branco ’00, Alisa Chokshi ’19, Jed Constantino ’08, Megan Craighead ’08, Daniel Glazer ’91, Amanda Kavanaugh ’02, Teresa Kotlicka ’02, Erin Leone Blute ’95, Genie Makhlin ’95, Harry Skinner ’12, Alex Snape ’07, Chris Svoboda ’05, Mark Tilden ’68, and Robin Wolfe ’07

Naples Reception February 5

Attendees include Chris Benbow ’72 and Nancy Myers, Ingrid Brimer and Greg Goggin ’55, Ellie Buchanan, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, former PSPA President and trustee Eileen Cameron P’90, ’93, MieMie Chang P’15, ’18, Pat Coughlan ’58, Viji Davey P’11, ’13, ’18, Jill Dunn P’99, Margot Jackler and Paul Flowerman P’04, ’07, Dr. Steve Friedman ’80, Bob Gibson ’66, Josh Gully P’16, Josh Gully ’16, Elizabeth Holdsworth P’88, Sara Hutt P’17, ’20, Tom Kendall ’73, Jocko Kerr ’71, Nancy Knauer, Head of School Tim Lear, John Maher ’72, Francine and Doug Morrison ’62, Missy Ryan P’83, ’84, GP’15, ’17, ’20, Linda and former science teacher Jim Salisbury, Ken Strassner ’64, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, and Catherine and Ronald Treveloni P’92, ’94, ’98

Las Vegas Reception March 1

Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Kevin Manara ’95, Ernie Moody ’66, Bill Silbey ’77, Kyle Boylan ’15, Tim Olson, and Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24

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Palm Beach Reception February 6

Hosted by Elizabeth Ehrlich and Trustee Douglas Bookbinder ’98 Attendees include Lucinda and Dr. Lloyd Barnard ’59, Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Kathy and Tom Clingan P’97, ’03, Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99 P’33, ’34, Candy Greig P’94, ’98, ’00, Andrew La Fontaine ’10, Gil Lai ’86, P’19, Mark and Emily Lang Coscia ’07, Dr. Mike Lewis ’67, Jeff and Lauren (Alpert) Morris ’92, former trustee Conor Mullett ’84, P’14, ’15, Christopher Parolie ’01, Wenke and Bill Sterns III ’66, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Robert Umbdenstock P’97, ’00, Hannah Wallace P’88, ’91, Julia Walsh ’03, Mariana Walsh ’01, and Harrison Yu ’11

Vero Beach Reception February 7

Attendees include Bryant and former Grade 5 teacher Susie Alford P’92, ’95, Victoria Alin and Mark Hvidsten P’18, Dr. Lloyd Barnard ’59, Susan and Dave Budd ’66, Elizabeth and Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Anke and Joe Cornell, Jr. ’58, Betsy and John Crosby P’96, Joan and John Crosby P’87, ’89, ’90, GP’23, ’25, ’26, John Davis ’58, Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Head of School Tim Lear, Joan McIlwain P’77, ’79, ’81, ’85, Judy and Honorary Trustee Steve Newhouse ’65, P’95, ’97, ’99, former PAA President and trustee Bob Pyle ’56, P’91, Fran Sarro and David Waite P’99, ’01, Barbara and former PAA President and trustee Gordy Sulcer ’61, P’95, ’01, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Sue and former trustee Charlie Thomas P’88, ’90, ’92, Jim Toffey, Jr. ’48, and Dave Zenker ’72

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PINGRY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

San Francisco Reception

March 3 Alexis Kinney ’18, Jon Bowden ’91, Geoff Dugan ’69, Don Dixon ’65, Tanay Gupta ’14, Doug Goodkin ’69, Chris Bunn ’82, Head of School Tim Lear, Dr. Art Vedder ’66, Annual Giving and Community Engagement Associate Stacy Schuessler P’18, ’20, Matthew Peacock ’17, Michael Blanchard ’96, Prof. Gordon Bloom ’78, Ezra Bristow ’10, Palmer Emmitt ’94, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, and Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34

Boston Reception April 11

Arvind Grover, Carolyn Crandall ’01, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Hans Bonn ’68, Griff Mullett ’15, William Graff ’17, Amy Kaplan ’17, Dr. Adam Schayowitz ’99, Head of School Tim Lear, Dr. Mark Poster ’63, Christy (Clark) Murfitt ’94, Daniel Nagler ’97, Alisa Chokshi ’19, Jake Mayer ’17, Director of Principal Gifts and Campaigns Holland Sunyak ’02, Bob McKeown ’77, Sara McKeown, and Doug Macrae ’77

University of Pennsylvania May 14

Head of School Tim Lear and Co-Directors of College Counseling Sue Kinney P’15, ’18 and Amy Cooperman ’90, P’23 visited with Pingry alumni on a trip to the University of Pennsylvania. Alumnae pictured are Aanya Patel ’22, Felicia Ho ’19, who is attending the University of Pennsylvania Medical School after having graduated from Harvard University, and Kristin Osika ’22.

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Los Angeles Reception March 5

Attendees include Matt Alexander ’97, David Bugliari ’97, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24, Paul Ciszak ’72, Caton Clark ’97, Ali Clarke-Loo ’04, Tom Drzik ’19, Director of Institutional Advancement David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Matt Fechter ’09, Dr. Tim Gustafson ’71, Rick Hadley ’66, George Heller ’97, Bill Hillbrant ’48, Holli Hopf ’16, Chuck Iacuzzo ’89, Alec Kirmser ’15, Hannah Kirmser ’12, Jim Kowalski ’66, Kyra Topor Lackey ’12 and Patrick Lackey ’12, Head of School Tim Lear, Yaffa Lerea and former Upper School English Teacher Dean Sluyter P’90, ’98, P.J. Lewis ’95, Lauren O’Connor ’14, Will Parham ’06, Johnny Porges ’03, Sebastian Sampedro ’23, Lori Schaffhauser ’92, Lisa Schnur, Annual Giving and Community Engagement Associate Stacy Schuessler P’18, ’20, Robert Siegel ’01, Jamie Smith ’15, Andrew Solmssen ’90, Mitch Suzuki ’14, Roy Sykes, Jr. ’66, Don Szerlip ’70, Ross Tetrault, Robert Thurston ’52, and Ned Ward ’85

Upcoming Events For 2024–25 September 13 Friday Night Lights September 18 1861 Leadership Society Reception September 27 Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honoring Coach Joe Forte, Leslie (Springmeyer) O’Toole ’08, and the 2011 Girls’ Soccer Team Presentation of the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award to Bob Meyer ’56 September 28 Homecoming Tailgate & Alumni Soccer Game

October 8 Pingry Fund Volunteer Kickoff Reception

December 5 New York City Regional Reception

October 10 Young Alumni Happy Hour in New York City

December 19 Back-From-College Lunch

October 19 Football Alumni Event October 23–24 Ring the Bell: Pingry’s Annual Celebration of Giving November 29 Alumni Squash Event November 29 The John A. Magadini Alumni Ice Hockey Game

February 3 Naples Reception February 5 Palm Beach Reception

March 4 Los Angeles Reception May 9–10 Reunion Weekend 2025 & 50 Years of Coeducation Celebration May 20 PAA Annual Meeting of Alumni & Student Leadership Panel

February 6 Vero Beach Reception

May 21 Washington, DC Regional Reception

February 21 Career Day hosted by the Pingry Alumni Association

July 12 Jersey Shore Reception

March 2 San Francisco Reception

July 24 Nantucket Reception

For additional details on upcoming events or to register, visit pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni. Any inquiries should be addressed to Alumni Relations at alumni@pingry.org or 908-647-5555.

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REUNION

Memorabilia and the Class of 1974 photo displayed for the 50-Year Club Luncheon

The Class of 1974 at the 50-Year Club Luncheon

Alumni Lacrosse Game: Ollie Martin ’17, Brian Combias ’06, Justin Oplinger ’06, Greg Chernack ’89, Ezra Jennings ’89, Chuck Iacuzzo ’89, Brian Crosby ’89, P’23, ’25, ’26, Steve Newes ’78, Skot Koenig ’77, Middle School History Teacher and Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Mike Webster P’24, ’27, ’27, Former Lower School P.E. Teacher and former Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Coach Brian La Fontaine P’10, ’14, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Coach Pat Maguire, Bobby Gildea ’04, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Coach Pat Birotte ’87, P’20, August Ventura ’04, Samantha Ventura, Jenn Gildea, and Kevin Nichols ’94 with his wife, Pamela, and their children

The Balladeers and Buttondowns, directed by Upper School Music Teacher Jay Winston, at the 50-Year Club Luncheon

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Alumni visiting with Joanne Steinhardt ’84 in the Hostetter Arts Center Gallery during a campus tour led by Alex Wong ’25. Read more about her Alumni Art Exhibit on page 46.

>> pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni: View more photos from Reunion

Back to the classroom! Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 leading a tour of the former Pingry campus in Hillside

Alumnae Lacrosse Reception: Lower School Spanish Teacher Denise Lionetti ’85, Alex Conway ’96, and Wendy (Kasserman) Dwyer ’91, P’24, ’25

Enjoying time in the Fiske Garden on the former Pingry campus in Hillside

Honorary Trustee Bill Engel ’67, Trustee and former PAA President Steve Lipper ’79, P’09, ’12, ’14, former Upper School English Teacher Ted Li, Head of School Tim Lear, Trustee Stuart Lederman ’78, former trustee Anne DeLaney ’79, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, then–Visual Arts Department Chair Miles Boyd, and Upper School 3D Art Teacher Seth Goodwin P’29

Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 and Jay Wood ’84 being photographed by Dr. Claus Hamann ’69

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REUNION

Class of 1959

Class of 1964

Class of 1969

Class of 1974

Class of 1984

Class of 1989

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>> pingry.org/forever-blue/alumni: View more photos from Reunion

Class of 1994

Class of 1999

Class of 2004

Class of 2009

Class of 2019

Class of 2014

SAVE THE DATE! REUNION 2025 MAY 9–10

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C A R E E R D AY

Dr. Eric Walk ’86, Dr. Grace Niu ’00, Dr. Jennifer Groscup ’89, Career Day Committee Co-Chair Dr. Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09 (who introduced the panel), Eileen (Roach) Bonney ’09, Cole McCollum ’13, and Scotty Eckenthal ’08

T H I S AN N UAL EVE N T F O R J U N I O RS AN D S E N I O RS brought more than 70 alumni back to the Basking Ridge Campus to help current students learn more about prospective career paths—more than half of the returning graduates were first-time Career Day participants. These dozens of alumni represented 18 industries, and the day started with a panel discussion about a topic that has the potential to affect every industry: artificial intelligence (AI).

Upper School Director Dr. Reid Cottingham, Verna Mae Lange ’24, and Alan Zhong ’24 hosted the Q&A with six alumni panelists from different professional backgrounds:

•E ileen (Roach) Bonney ’09 – Vice President of Client Success at Wellthy • S cotty Eckenthal ’08 – Founding Staff Software Engineer at Comprehensive • Dr. Jennifer Groscup ’89 – Professor of Psychology and Legal Studies at Scripps College • Cole McCollum ’13 – Founder and CEO of Incisively AI • Dr. Grace Niu ’00 – Head of Behavioral Health Navigation at Included Health • Dr. Eric Walk ’86 – Chief Medical Officer at PathAI

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“Change is a constant, and rather than trying to catch up, we [at Pingry] are determined to be at the forefront of that change,” Dr. Cottingham said. “At Pingry, the use and impact of AI is something that we have a lot of thoughtful conversations about.” Those conversations include AI’s impact on academic integrity, the ethical use of AI in society, and developing students’ AI literacy skills.

Students asked what they should know about AI or what misconceptions exist, how it will continue to change how people teach and learn, how to know whether to trust it, what AI has taught people about humanity, and ethical considerations. Here are samples of the alumni responses: Dr. Walk pointed out that there are many types of AI beyond ChatGPT, and AI can solve many problems, so students should become fluent, at a basic level, with the methods driving the field. For example, what is “generative AI” versus “non-generative AI”? To the question of trusting AI, he said, “Trust, but verify.” He believes people should be concerned about where the information is coming from and what data was used. Comparing AI’s output with nutritional information on products at the supermarket, he said, “I want AI to go in the same direction.”

Mr. Eckenthal said it is important to understand how these systems were engineered and how the content is generated because

familiar tools like Siri have existed for a long time. He also talked about what he calls “automated togetherness” that helps people when, for example, “we’re working remotely and not actively working together with people.”

Dr. Groscup spoke about the fear that exists in higher education about how to avoid cheating, but she is excited about the potential for innovation as educators figure out how best to use AI to educate students.

Mrs. Bonney said AI can help with efficiencies, but it “can’t replace human connectedness or creativity or uniqueness.” Similarly, Mr. McCollum acknowledged that AI can help with mundane tasks—to allow people to focus on creative work—but said AI has “highlighted the value of human connections.”

The question of accountability came up when Dr. Walk posed the questions, “What happens when AI output makes an error that has human consequences? And who’s accountable for the error?” He also raised a possible scenario with discrepancies: an AI recommendation versus a human recommendation. In that case, the consensus seems to be to give the patient both options and let the patient decide.

Addressing ethical challenges, both Dr. Niu and Dr. Groscup spoke about data. Dr. Niu said a big question is how people’s data is being acquired and used (for example, habits involved with supermarket shopping), while Dr. Groscup brought up Alexa and smartphones and how their technology lends itself to privacy concerns and consent with data collection, and how data could be mis-used.

Thank You, Career Day Speakers!

ARCHITECTURE Dan Kirby ’84 Christine Medvedev ’98 Andrew Werner ’04 EDUCATION Andrew Baird ’98 Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg ’02 Scott Simon ’03 Jesse Pertuz ’05 ENGINEERING David Sobel ’93 Jeff Swensen ’99 ENTREPRENEURSHIP Sumeet Shah ’04 Lauren Salz ’06 FINANCE Cara Pellicano ’96 Adam Sandelovsky ’02 Julian Quintanilla ’07 Jen (Lang) Sullivan ’09 Pierce Fowler ’10 HEALTHCARE SERVICES Lynn (Apruzzese) Tetrault ’80 Dr. Eric Walk ’86 Dr. Wyatt Kasserman ’99, P’29, ’33, PT, DPT, CSCS Rachel Naar ’08 LAW Jodi Danis ’87 Kristin Sostowski ’93 Marissa Litwin Zalk ’99 Jessica (Saraceno) Carroll ’02 Megan Vasios ’02 Dan Feitel ’05

Aaron Davis ’10 Vinita Davey ’13 MANAGEMENT, CONSULTING AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Alison Little ’82, P’22, ’25 David Greig ’98 Eileen (Roach) Bonney ’09 Anna Butrico Conti ’14 MARKETING AND ADVERTISING Stephanie Somogyi ’98 Brian Doliner ’03 Andrew Heyman ’03 MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS Michael Ames ’98 Katie Scott Old ’99 Anna Hartman ’04 Chloe Sorvino ’11 MEDICINE Dr. Rachel Brody ’79 Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, M.D. ’88 Dr. Sanjay Lalla ’85, P’21, ’22 Valerie Sinady ’88 Dr. Tina Raman ’98 Dr. Caroline Siegel ’08 Dr. Stephanie Hanchuk, M.D. ’11 Dr. Connor McLaughlin ’12

PERFORMING ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Chris Bender ’89 Lauren Denitzio ’02 Samantha Korn ’14 Ian Dugan ’19 PSYCHOLOGY Dr. Jen Groscup ’89 Dr. Matthew Mandelbaum, Ph.D. ’94 Dr. Grace Niu, Ph.D. ’00 PUBLIC SERVICE Keith Castaldo ’00 Lynn Massengill ’08 Courtney Hulse ’10 SCIENCE Chris Edwards ’84 Dr. Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09 Cassidy (Reich) Smith ’10 Dani Temares ’13 TECHNOLOGY Scotty Eckenthal ’08 Danielle Westerman ’11 Cole McCollum ’13 VISUAL ARTS Sarah Kurz ’99 Kit Tyson ’12 Alessandra Ruggiero ’15

NON-PROFIT Stephanie Lim Capello ’93 Mary (Moan) Swanson ’93 Amanda Richardson ’02 Stephanie Lipper ’14

Chris Bender’s experiences as a Career Day panelist yielded a summer internship for Kelly Cao ’24 with his company, Good Fear Content. He describes her pursuit of the internship as a “master class on her part . . . I haven’t had an intern program since COVID, but her emails and follow-up convinced me it was time to bring back our program, and she is one of our first interns post COVID . . .

Oftentimes, her check-ins would prompt me to take next steps with my staff!”

Mr. Bender also reviewed the art portfolio of Isabelle Baird ’24 who is considering a career in animation. “I think when you are young, it’s hard to sometimes see that you can’t make a ‘wrong’ choice,” he says. “Your choices will just lead to different, but equally exciting, options. More importantly, you will learn, especially when you are young and starting your career.”

Read about many of these alumni in Class Notes!

If you are interested in speaking at Career Day, or would like to suggest someone, please contact Director of Alumni Engagement Taylor Noonan at tnoonan@pingry.org or 908-647-5555, ext. 1223.

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ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE

PAA BOARD

What is the PAA Board? The Pingry Alumni Association (PAA) Board is led by a dedicated group of alumni volunteers. The PAA is focused on organizing and promoting activities that advance the interests of Pingry and its graduates while also promoting a closer relationship between the School and its alumni. The PAA Board consists of 42 members (plus 17 honorary members) with terms expiring over the course of three years.

Alumni are identified as potential PAA Board members by showing an interest in volunteering for Pingry.

Transitions for 2024-25 Pingry thanks former PAA President Kevin Schmidt ’98 for his four years of service, as well as departing Board members Hilary (Sunyak) Ulz ’96, Frank Morano ’97, Doug Bookbinder ’98, and Colleen Roberts ’11.

New PAA President: Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92, P’22, ’25, ’29

New PAA Vice President: Alison Little ’82, P’22, ’25 New Board members: Maynard Pond ’09, Evan Shore ’02, Dr. Eric Walk ’86, and Elena Zazanis ’83 If you are interested in learning more about the Pingry Alumni Association Board, please contact Director of Alumni Engagement Taylor Noonan at tnoonan@pingry.org.

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What does it do? Events, experiences, networking . . .

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92—President Kristin Sostowski ’93—Vice President Liz (Wight) Seigel ’03—Vice President Alison Little ’82—Vice President ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME Committee Chair: Christian Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28 Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony, Homecoming, and Athletics Alumni Events ALUMNAE Committee Co-Chair: Alison Little ’82 Author Talks, Community Service ARTS ACHIEVEMENT Committee Chair: Scott Loikits ’90 Achievement in the Arts Award AWARDS Committee Chair: Kathy (Iacuzzo) Sartorius ’92 Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award Letter-In-Life Award NOMINATING Committee Chair: Ben Lehrhoff ’99 Responsible for the sourcing and retention of board members, and tasked with young alumni engagement CAREER DAY, VERTICALS, and MENTORSHIP Committee Chair: Kristin Sostowski ’93 Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09 Career Day for juniors and seniors Young alumni networking events, such as Industry Nights AFFINITY GROUP: ALUMNI OF COLOR AFFINITY GROUP: LGBTQ+ Alumni Volunteer Opportunities in Student Activities To volunteer for student-facing experiences, such as ISPs, Career Day, and the Honor Board Speaker Series, scan this QR Code!

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We are thrilled to announce that Bob Meyer ’56, P’88 will be the recipient of the 2024 Nelson R. Carr ’24 Service Award, presented for his faithful and dedicated service in support of Pingry. Throughout his time as an alumnus, Mr. Meyer has transformed the lives of many students through his generous support of tuition assistance, all while being a passionate supporter of Pingry’s athletic programs, in particular football and lacrosse. He has been a consistent and valued presence on campus, cheering on Big Blue from the stands. Since graduation, Mr. Meyer has continued to bring his class together as a Reunion volunteer, hosting Reunions and other alumni gatherings at his home.

His dedication to the Pingry community has benefited us all.

Please join us on Friday, September 27, 2024 at the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center for the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award presentation and Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

For more information about the Nelson L. Carr ’24 Service Award presentation or Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, please contact Director of Development Jane Hoffman ’94, P’26, ’27, ’28 at jhoffman@pingry.org.

The 1955 Football Team. Mr. Meyer is third from left in the second row.

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PINGRY C R E AT E S

CLASS NOTES Submit your Class Note at pingry.org/classnotes, or mail it to Greg Waxberg ’96, Editor of The Pingry Review, The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, NJ, 07920

DR. TIM GUSTAFSON ’71 has published the book, American Anti-Pastoral: Brookside, New Jersey and the Garden State of Philip Roth (Rutgers University Press). Read more in Class Notes.

Swimmers Nic Fink ’11 and Matt Fallon ’21 competed in the summer Olympics in Paris, and Nic was named a co-captain of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team. As this issue was going to press, Nic won his first Olympic medal! He tied for Silver in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke (59.05); at age 31, he became the oldest medalist to win that race.

LAURIE MORRISON FABIUS ’99, an author and a middle school language arts teacher, wrote an article for Writer’s Digest (April) with six tips about how to write novels that “engage and delight” middle school readers: consider what middle schoolers care about; think strategically about character age; utilize older secondary characters to expand your novel’s reach; keep all messages empowering; avoid curse words, but embrace tough topics and romance; and leave readers with hope. Of this last point, she writes, “Readers should close your book feeling confident that the main character is going to be okay . . . even if the characters’ circumstances are still difficult after the final chapter, these books should end with some bright spots . . . try to leave readers with the sense that your characters have the skills, relationships, and knowledge to navigate future challenges.”

Lower School Math Specialist MARY SARTORIO published an article, Guiding Students to Share Math Knowledge With Groupworthy Tasks, on Edutopia.org (May 1).

PHOTO: STEPHAN HUDSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Upper School Visual Arts Teacher NAN RING, who has enjoyed a fourdecade-long career as an artist, was profiled in The Four Oranges (April 11) in connection with her 68-piece exhibit, These Almost Lost Things, at the BrassWorks Gallery. The exhibit included her paintings from 1979 to the present, as well as her poems.

NIC FINK is a two-time Olympian. He qualified for the summer Olympics in Paris by placing first in the finals of the men’s 100-meter breaststroke (59.08) in the Olympic Team Trials.

In May, he had been profiled by NBC News for balancing his day job in engineering with his career as a competitive swimmer—in the article, he said finding the balance has helped him in both areas.

MATT FALLON is a first-time Olympian.

A breaststroker on the University of Pennsylvania’s Men’s Swimming & Diving Team, he placed first in the finals of the men’s 200-meter breaststroke (2:06.54) in the Olympic Team Trials—he set an American record and recorded the fastest time in the world in 2024.

Earlier in the year, Matt placed second in the country in the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Division I Championships in March. His time of 1:48.48 set a new school record in the event and he earned All-American First Team recognition. At the Ivy League Championships in early March, he won gold in the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:49.75, a new Ivy meet record, and earned All-Ivy First Team.

1951 DR. JOE HANAWAY, who attended McGill University in Montreal, played rugby for McGill in 1955 on a Canadian National Championship team. He was interviewed May 14 by the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper (New York Times of Canada) as a senior rugby player for comments on the famous rugby games in 1874 between Harvard and McGill, which are now played annually to celebrate the importance of these games that ultimately led to the development of American football as we know it today. The McGill style of rugby involved running as well as kicking the ball, and Harvard’s was just kicking. Harvard liked the McGill style and adopted it, rule changes occurred, the Ivy League was formed, and American football was launched. The 150th anniversary of the Harvard-McGill games will be played this fall at McGill for the Covo Cup, given some years ago for the winner of this historic match.

He thought that neither team in 1874 had any idea of the importance of these games in the future of American and Canadian football that developed many years later. He thought the Covo Cup game reminds us how much we owe to our past that we take for granted and enjoy so much today.

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CLASS NOTES 1954 PETER THORNE writes, “Page 79 of the Winter 2023-24 Pingry Review was my pagestopper. ‘70 YEARS AGO’ told the story of Pingry School moving from the Parker Ave., Elizabeth building to the new Hillside Campus, and I was there when it happened.

While thinking about that, many fond memories came to mind. Soccer is my favorite sport.

Mr. West, the coach, and practices with Miller Bugliari are fond memories. Miller was two years ahead of me.

My science teacher, Mr. Shawcross, made a lasting impression on me. He was a great model but also had a great sense of humor. On the first day of class, when everyone was seated in the class risers, he suggested that those in the first row would get As, the second row Bs, and everyone else was on their own. He had an answer to water pistols—a large flask filled with water. With it, he could spray the whole class.

He also had an incredible working water geyser.

Weekly vocabulary tests based on the Readers Digest “30 days to a more powerful vocabulary” were great. Unfortunately, I’m now remembered as the guy who uses words nobody has ever heard of.

Recently, I completed a seven-year family history mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first six years were spent at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City; it is the largest family history library in the world.

While there, I helped many patrons with their family history research. We also helped many from all over the world by using Zoom.” pingry.org (Forever Blue section): Visit the monthly blog

Pingry Flashes Back for more stories from the Pingry Archives.

50 YE A RS AG O

Pingry holds a memorial service for coach and Director of Athletics Vincent “Les” Lesneski. Guy Cipriano ’74 writes in The Pingry Record, “I am certain that all of us who knew and loved Mr. Les have taken into our hearts a

part of him. His own unique style of teaching and coaching can never be

forgotten by any who came in contact with him. The Pingry School lost a

great friend with the passing of Mr. Les, but his philosophy and character have left their mark on the Pingry community forever.”

6 0 YE A RS AG O

Former Head of School Dr. Larry Springer, who retired in 1961 after 25 years and became a consultant for independent

schools, visits Pingry. He has been traveling the country with an architect as they look for ideas for an academy to be built in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Springer finds four inspirations at Pingry: the chapel as a place of worship and an auditorium; the décor in the dining room and Whitlock Room; two gymnasiums; and the science department.

7 0 YE A RS AG O

After Pingry moved from Parker Road to the Hillside Campus,

further enhancements were made to the new campus, including work on the athletics facilities, landscaping, parking lots,

floors, and classroom décor. The Science Department was also improved, with spotlights installed above the lecture table; a

fully stocked, separate physics lab (resulting in more lab work); more storage space in the biology room; and modernization of two lecture tables from Parker Road

80 YE A RS AG O

Students listen to an address by fighter pilot Lt. Dick Hamilton on training in the Army Air Corps. He speaks about

physical and vision requirements; physical training; mental exams; aircraft identification, in which a cadet has to be

able to identify a plane flashed across the screen in one-one hundredth of a second; ship identification; primary flight training; and more.

9 0 YE A RS AG O

The Camera Club is formed (organized by Joseph Engel ’35) to promote interest in cameras and to give

students the chance to study photography as an art. Members include Joseph Engel ’35 (president) and

Richard Tregaskis ’34 (secretary-treasurer, who would become a renowned war correspondent). Candidates for membership need to submit three photos for approval by the club’s officers.

iStock.com/netopaek

The Pingry Review | Winter 2023-24

1959 DAVID GELBER visited Pingry on January 25 to participate in a Q&A during the John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality, featuring Pulitzer Prize–winning author Dr. Matthew Desmond who spoke about the need to end poverty in America. A two-time Hanly Lecture speaker himself, David had introduced Dr. Desmond’s books to Head of School Tim Lear.

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On May 7, Pingry celebrated the 89th birthday of Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24. Behind him is his wife, Elizabeth.

Dr. Matthew Desmond, Head of School Tim Lear, and David Gelber ’59

2023 Fellow by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). According to The Harvard Gazette, this is a “distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community . . . AAAS is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.”

BRUCE MORRISON was honored by Pingry this spring. Read more on page 12.

1964

1969

HOWARD GEORGI is one of eight faculty members at Harvard University to be named a

With thanks to John Zoephel and his wife, Blake, who kindly hosted our intimate gathering at

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their home near the Basking Ridge Campus, nine classmates enjoyed reconnecting and discovering new things about each other.

Joining John were: Tim Walker, John Skeats, Bud Rimbault, Clark Johnson, Fermo Jaeckle, Claus Hamann, Tom Gianis, and Don Burt. Mark Smith couldn’t attend our dinner because of a last-minute conflict.

Several of us benefited from presentations from teachers and school leaders at the Basking Ridge Campus, and others toured the Pottersville Campus, hearing about its focus on experiential learning centered on climate resilience. Clark and Tim brought a nice musical vibe to the delicious dinner.

A Fateful Date: Mackenzie Roach ’11 Meets Ginger Manley

By Ginger Manley, wife of John Manley ’60

When I attended the Pingry 50th Class Reunion in 2010 with my husband, John Manley, Class of 1960, I was seated at the Reunion luncheon next to a rising senior, Mackenzie Roach. As we made small talk, I asked where she was thinking about attending college.

“You may not have heard about this one. It’s called Vanderbilt University in Nashville.”

“I’m on faculty there,” I responded. “What is your intended major?”

“Pre-med.”

“I think this will work very well—I’m on the faculty in the Medical School.”

Mackenzie was accepted on Early Admission and matriculated in August 2011. Between the times of meeting her and of her subsequent enrollment, I’d gotten to know her mother, Isabel Roach, and grandmother when she visited the campus with them, and John and I welcomed them to a little gathering upon her arrival. Admission to Vanderbilt is a very competitive process and heavy emphasis is put on admission essays, so I wondered what Mackenzie had written in her personal statement and supplemental essay.

“On the morning of 9/11/2001, I was in third grade at Pingry School when my mother, who was a teacher there, came to the door and took me out John Manley ’60, Mackenzie Roach ’11, and Ginger Manley celebrating Mackenzie’s graduation from Vanderbilt University in of class.

May 2015 ‘There’s been a terrible event and your daddy has York City in August after the 9/11 Museum was opened, taking us along possibly been killed.’ with her to the early morning family admission area, where she walked My older brother and sister had already been told, and together we all us through all the exhibits, with me crying as usual, especially when drove home. we entered the family memorial room. There, family members have I’d always wanted to be a veterinarian and even had photos of myself contributed memories from the life of their loved ones, and these can be dressed as a vet on earlier Career Days, and my dad had been so encouraging accessed on a four-wall projection. This was the first time I had “met” of me. So now I resolved to do my best to qualify for vet school admission by Stephen and seen how loving and important he had been to this family. starting my preliminary studies at Vanderbilt.”

During Mackenzie’s third year at Penn, she met Michael Polovich, I started crying then, and subsequently have wept multiple times who had been at Vanderbilt Law School while she was an undergrad, with remembrances of Mackenzie’s dad, Stephen Roach, who was a unknown to either of them. As their relationship deepened, it became 36-year-old broker at Cantor Fitzgerald in the second tower. He’d apparent that a large animal practice in Africa was not going to work recently started a wine collection. Upon Mackenzie’s graduation from for her, so she changed direction to domestic animals and, upon Vanderbilt, Isabel presented John and me with a bottle from Stephen’s completion of her internship, she moved to Boston to begin practice collection, saying, “We decided to save his wine and gift it to people and to join him. They were married at the Boston Public Library in who were special in our lives after 9/11.”

June 2023, and we were honored to be considered family during the We took the bottle with us in September that year to celebrate our fabulous event. There were not enough tissues to staunch all the tears 48th wedding anniversary. Our Flemings Steakhouse said they’d had at that wedding. many bottles opened for special occasions, but none from someone lost Call it fate. Call it luck. Call it part of a plan. Whatever it has been, on 9/11, and the entire staff joined us in the tribute, while I sobbed. it has been one of the most amazing and enriching experiences of my Mackenzie started vet school at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, expecting to specialize in treating rare and exotic animals, possibly life. And all because I chose to accompany John to that 50th Pingry Class Reunion. in Africa. During her time at Penn, she joined John and me in New

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CLASS NOTES My book compares the history of Brookside with Roth’s fictional Old Rimrock, and it comments more generally on Roth’s fiction and NJ literature, including the poetry and prose of fellow Brooksider Christopher Merrill ’75.

Both Chris and I root our love for literature in our education at Pingry. I give thanks in my acknowledgments to my freshman English teacher, Tom Behr, for whose course I wrote a descriptive essay on Brookside, and to Miller Bugliari for exemplifying a passionate curiosity to study our local history. I also attribute my daily commute from Brookside to Pingry, when it was located in Hillside, to shaping my understanding of different sides of NJ. For the past 40 years, I have been a professor in the English Department at USC and last spring I had the joy of teaching Sebi Sampedro ’23, a major in Creative Writing and a former captain of Pingry’s soccer team. Anecdotes about the Coach were shared.”

Tim Walker ’69 and Clark Johnson ’69

1976 Economist DR. GREG MANKIW made a presentation to students in April. Read more on page 10.

1978

Alumni enjoying their annual dinner with Special Assistant to the Head of School and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Head Coach Miller Bugliari ’52, P’86, ’90, ’97, GP’20, ’24 in the spring FRONT ROW: Director of Institutional Advancement and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Associate Head Coach David Fahey ’99, P’33, ’34, Miller Bugliari ’52, and Frank DeLaney ’77, P’12 BACK ROW: John Apruzzese ’76, P’06, ’08, Trustee Stuart Lederman ’78, Jim Hoitsma ’75, former trustee Martin O’Connor II ’77, P’11, ’14, Chip Carver, Jr. ’77, P’09, ’11, ’14, ’14, Dr. John Boozan ’75, Charlie Stillitano, Jr. ’77, P’17, Chuck Allan ’77, Skot Koenig ’77, and Kip Haselton ’77, P’12

We look forward to staying in touch and seeing more classmates both before and at our next— 60th!—Reunion, taking courage from the adage: “If we live to be old people, we’ll see each other again!”

- Claus Hamann, Class of 1969

1971 DR. THOMAS “TIM” GUSTAFSON writes, “Rutgers University Press has recently published my book, American Anti-Pastoral: Brookside,

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New Jersey and the Garden State of Philip Roth, in its series in NJ history. In Roth’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1997 novel, American Pastoral, a very successful businessman in Newark, Swede Levov, moves with his wife and daughter to an idyllic town just west of Morristown called Old Rimrock, which is directly based on the small town of Brookside where I was born and raised. In the novel, Swede’s teenage daughter blows up the Post Office in the center of town in 1968 in a protest against the Vietnam War.

JEFF EDWARDS, former Pingry trustee and Chair of the Board, is now an Honorary Trustee.

With more than 40 years of experience in financial services, he has been elected to AAR’s Board of Directors. Originally Allen Aircraft Radio, AAR CORP. is a leading, independent provider of aviation services to commercial and government customers worldwide. His other current board positions include Lead Independent Director for Raymond James Financial, and Chair of the Audit, Finance, and Risk Committee for American Water Works Company.

1979 DR. RACHEL BRODY, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Institutional Biorepository and Pathology Core Laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Icahn School of Medicine, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day.

1980 LYNN (APRUZZESE) TETRAULT, Chair of the Board at NeoGenomics Laboratories, and NonExecutive Director of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and Acelyrin, participated in the Healthcare Services panel at Career Day.

1982 JONATHAN KARP, President and CEO of Simon & Schuster, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards.

ALISON LITTLE P’22, ’25, Senior Partner in KPMG’s global Life Sciences Advisory Group and Global Leader of Digital Transformation in Life Sciences, participated in the Management, Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day.

1983 DR. MARK MCLAUGHLIN visited the Lower School in late May to talk about his late mother, former Grade 4 Teacher Mary Jean McLaughlin, in connection with a new lecture series named for her. Read more on page 6.

Andrew Werner ’04 and Dan Kirby ’84

1984 DR. CHRIS EDWARDS, Professor in the Ocean Sciences Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, participated in the Science panel at Career Day. DAN KIRBY, Vice President and Director of Cities and Places at Jacobs, participated in the Architecture panel at Career Day. GORDON SEABRIGHT became Chief Executive of the Horniman Museum & Gardens in London in June. He had been Chief Executive of the Creative Land Trust, since 2020, and previously held senior positions at a range of environmental and heritage charities.

1985 DR. SANJAY LALLA P’21, ’22, a plastic and cosmetic surgeon, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day. NED WARD, Associate Director of Marketing Planning and Strategy for Walmart’s Entertainment Council, has been elected to the Board of Directors of Licensing International, the world’s largest association for the licensing industry, effective July 1, 2024. According to a press release, he has been involved in marketing licensed products for over 30 years, working across partners that include Warner Bros., Disney, Universal Studios, and others.

Dr. Eric Walk ’86

1986

1988

DR. ERIC WALK, M.D., F.C.A.P., Chief Medical Officer at PathAI, participated in the opening Keynote panel about AI and the Healthcare Services panel at Career Day.

DR. RAVI JHAVERI, M.D., Division Head for Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Professor of Pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day.

1987 JODI DANIS, Special Litigation Counsel in the Immigrant & Employee Rights Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, participated in the Law panel at Career Day.

VALERIE SINADY, Founder and CEO of ValYou Wellness, LLC, and Emergency Medicine Nurse Practitioner at the University of Maryland Capital Region Health, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day.

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CLASS NOTES

On June 11, Pingry celebrated (a little bit early) Head of School Tim Lear’s 50th birthday. He is joined by his wife, Elie.

Chris Bender ’89, Chris Spirito ’89, and Dr. Jen Groscup ’89

1989

1991

1996

CHRIS BENDER, Co-Founder of and Producer at Good Fear Content, participated in the Performing Arts & Entertainment panel at Career Day. He is an Executive Producer of the upcoming science fiction film, Flowervale Street, scheduled for release in May 2025.

ADAM GARDNER and his band Guster appeared on CBS Saturday Morning (May 25) to promote their new album, Ooh La La.

CARA PELLICANO, COO at Leerink Partners, participated in the Finance panel at Career Day.

DR. JEN GROSCUP, Professor in the Psychology and Legal Studies Departments at Scripps College, participated in the opening Keynote panel about AI and the Psychology panel at Career Day.

1990 ANDREW SOLMSSEN joined CourtAvenue as Executive Director, Telecom, Media & Technology. CourtAvenue is a global agency composed of industry entrepreneurs and experts who are accelerating digital transformation for the world’s most ambitious companies.

According to a press release, Andrew has a track record of driving growth and delivering solutions across a range of industries—his work has contributed to digital products such as Disney/ABC’s first full episodes on the web, Sony’s Playstation 4, and Comcast’s Xfinity TV. The agency said, “Andrew has been a part of a lot of ‘firsts’ in our industry, and now he will help us build our ‘first’ [Los Angeles] office.”

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1993

JENNIFER WU writes, “Delighted to reunite with Owen Lefkon ’95 and Geraldine Slean ’95 at our 25th Harvard reunions!”

STEPHANIE LIM CAPELLO, Executive Director of Peter’s Place, a non-profit center for grieving children and families, participated in the Non-Profit panel at Career Day. DAVID SOBEL, Senior Staff Engineer at Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet/Google, participated in the Engineering panel at Career Day. KRISTIN SOSTOWSKI, Director (Partner) with the law firm Gibbons P.C., participated in the Law panel at Career Day. MARY (MOAN) SWANSON, a former university golf coach and now Program Director at First Tee—Greater St. Louis, participated in the Non-Profit panel at Career Day.

1994 DR. MATTHEW MANDELBAUM, Ph.D., Psychologist and Owner of PsySoEd Dynamics LLC, participated in the Psychology panel at Career Day.

1997 Attorney FRANK MORANO visited Pingry in March for the Honor Board Speaker Series. Read more on page 11.

1998 MICHAEL AMES, an investigative journalist, participated in the Media & Communications panel at Career Day.

Katie Scott Old ’99

Jessica (Saraceno) Carroll ’02 and Marissa Litwin Zalk ’99

ANDREW BAIRD, English Department Chair at Kent School, participated in the Education panel at Career Day.

JEFF SWENSEN, Software Engineering Manager at Etsy, participated in the Engineering panel at Career Day.

LISA ROSALIE EISENBERG, Elementary School Teacher in the Reynolds School District, participated in the Education panel at Career Day.

DAVID GREIG, Senior Consultant at Graham-Pelton Consulting, participated in the Management, Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day.

MARISSA LITWIN ZALK, Director of Graduate Student Affairs at Columbia Law School, participated in the Law panel at Career Day.

DR. JAMIE MARSDEN-MAZZA married Frankie Mazza in August 2019, and their daughter, Riley, was born in 2021. Jamie received a doctorate in Physical Therapy and works in Brockport, NY. Frankie is an automotive technician at The Little Speed Shop in Rochester and also rebuilds/refurbishes BMWs. Anyone who knows Jamie will not be surprised to discover that she met her husband while playing hockey, they got married on the ice while wearing ice skates, they had a 21-slap shot salute at the end of the vows, and then immediately played a brief game of hockey on the ice.

Classmates in attendance included Lauren (Alexanderson) Umansky ’02, Lila Kurtin ’02, and Alicia (Hogan) Harabin ’02.

CHRISTINE (NEFF) MEDVEDEV, Registered Architect, LEED AP BD+C (Building Design and Construction), at Christine Medvedev Design, participated in the Architecture panel at Career Day. DR. TINA RAMAN, Orthopedic and Spine Surgeon at NYU Langone Medical Center, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day. STEPHANIE SOMOGYI, Founder and CEO of SPREAD Communications, participated in the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day.

1999 LAURIE MORRISON FABIUS wrote an article for Writer’s Digest. Read more on page 67.

DR. WYATT KASSERMAN P’29, ’33, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S. (Physical Therapist, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist), Owner of Somerset Rehabilitation Services, P.A., participated in the Healthcare Services panel at Career Day. SARAH KURZ, an artist, participated in the Visual Arts panel at Career Day. KATIE SCOTT OLD, a reporter for 6 ABC (WPVI-TV, ABC’s affiliate in Philadelphia), participated in the Media & Communications panel at Career Day.

2000 KEITH CASTALDO, Senior Vice President at Avoq, participated in the Public Service panel at Career Day. DR. GRACE NIU, Ph.D., Head of Behavioral Health Navigation at Included Health, participated in the opening Keynote panel about AI and the Psychology panel at Career Day. DR. PURVI PARIKH, an allergist and immunologist, was recognized by the Indian National Bar Association in the sixth edition of its book The Phenomenal SHE. The book, which celebrates women’s empowerment, includes Purvi and other influential women in India. She is also a vaccine researcher, faculty member at New York University School of Medicine, and national media spokesperson for the Allergy & Asthma Network.

2002 JESSICA (SARACENO) CARROLL, Partner at Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, LLP, participated in the Law panel at Career Day. LAUREN DENITZIO, an artist and a musician, participated in the Performing Arts & Entertainment panel at Career Day.

Dr. Jamie Marsden-Mazza ’02 and Frankie Mazza following their wedding ceremony

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CLASS NOTES 2004 ALI CLARKE-LOO and her husband, Santos Loo, shared this photo of Leona Clarke-Loo.

DR. ROB TRANGUCCI is Assistant Professor of Statistics at Oregon State University.

Rob completed a Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Michigan in June 2023. He also holds a master’s degree in Quantitative Methods from Columbia University and a B.A. in Physics from Bucknell University.

Adam Sandelovsky ’02

AMANDA RICHARDSON, Executive Director of the Corporation for New Jersey Local Media, a nonprofit that builds strong communities through local journalism and civic engagement and owns the New Jersey Hills Media Group, participated in the Non-Profit panel at Career Day. She is also the COO of LandBridge, a nonprofit that helps women worldwide overcome barriers to land ownership.

ADAM SANDELOVSKY, Director and Trader at Citi, participated in the Finance panel at Career Day. MEGAN VASIOS, Director in Government Affairs & Public Policy at BlackRock, participated in the Law panel at Career Day.

2003 BRIAN DOLINER, Realtor at Weiniger Realty, participated in the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day. ANDREW HEYMAN, Senior Director, Event Content and Programmer at IAB, participated in the Marketing & Advertising panel at Career Day. SCOTT SIMON, Associate Vice President of Compliance in the Office of Athletic Compliance at the University of Southern California, participated in the Education panel at Career Day.

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nation’s biggest challenges. Jon is detailed to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Office of Innovation. There, he will develop and deliver strategy, product, and marketing initiatives that modernize and expand access to critical nutrition and health benefits for America’s most vulnerable children and adults.

ANNA (BALCH) HARTMAN, Director of Global Podcast Channel Development at Spotify, participated in the Media & Communications panel at Career Day. SUMEET SHAH, Founder and Managing Partner of VHS Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, participated in the Entrepreneurship panel at Career Day. ANDREW WERNER, Senior Associate Principal at the international architecture practice Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, participated in the Architecture panel at Career Day.

2006 LOGAN BARTLETT has been named to the 2024 Midas Brink List as one of venture capital’s up-and-comers. The list highlights “emerging venture capitalists who are building a reputation for smart investment decisions and access to great companies.” Logan is Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures and has a podcast, The Logan Bartlett Show.

LAUREN SALZ, Co-Founder and CEO of Sealed, a climate tech company, participated in the Entrepreneurship panel at Career Day.

2005

2007

DAN FEITEL, Senior Copyright Specialist in the Literary Division of the United States Copyright Office’s Registration Program, participated in the Law panel at Career Day.

JULIAN QUINTANILLA, Director in the U.S. Public Finance group at Fitch Ratings, participated in the Finance panel at Career Day.

JESSE (MEYER) PERTUZ, School Leader of KIPP DC Lead Academy, participated in the Education panel at Career Day. JONATHAN ROBERTS is honored to enter public service as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow (PIF). Created in 2012 and housed in the General Services Administration, PIF brings the principles, values, and practices of the innovation economy to the federal government. The highly competitive program recruits leading designers, entrepreneurs, and technologists, and pairs them with senior federal leaders and change-makers tackling some of our

2008 SCOTTY ECKENTHAL, Founding Staff Software Engineer at Comprehensive, participated in the opening Keynote panel about AI and the Technology panel at Career Day. LYNN MASSENGILL, Foreign Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Energy Resources at the U.S. Department of State, participated in the Public Service panel at Career Day.

panel at Career Day. PIERCE FOWLER, Vice President on the Real Estate Investment Banking team at Piper Sandler, participated in the Finance panel at Career Day. COURTNEY HULSE, Policy Advisor in the Office of Investment Security in the International Trade Administration division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, participated in the Public Service panel at Career Day. CASSIDY (REICH) SMITH, Vice President and Medical Director at Syneos Health (Cadent), participated in the Science panel at Career Day.

2011 Rachel Naar ’08

RACHEL NAAR, Registered DietitianNutritionist and Founder of Rachel Naar Nutrition, participated in the Healthcare Services panel at Career Day. DR. CAROLINE (PINKE) SIEGEL, a boardcertified rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day.

2009 EILEEN (ROACH) BONNEY, Senior Vice President of Client Success at Wellthy, participated in the opening Keynote panel about AI and the Management, Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day.

JEN (LANG) SULLIVAN, Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Goldman Sachs, participated in the Finance panel at Career Day. DR. BROOKE CONTI TROUSDALE, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Pfizer’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation, participated in the Science panel at Career Day.

2010

DR. STEPHANIE HANCHUK, M.D., Chief Resident in Urology at Yale New Haven Health, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day. CHLOE SORVINO, author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat and an investigative business journalist at Forbes, participated in the Media & Communications panel at Career Day. DANIELLE WESTERMAN, Senior Software Engineer at Walmart, participated in the Technology panel at Career Day.

AARON DAVIS, Attorney in the Data Privacy & Security Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, participated in the Law

KATIE (PARSELS) MATTERN and her husband, Jon, shared this photo of Oliver “Ollie” Mattern, born on November 9.

Harlen Shangold ’11, Tierney Griff ’11, and Danielle Westerman ’11

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CLASS NOTES 2013 DORIAN ALLEN was featured in Poets & Quants’ “100 Best & Brightest MBAs, Class of 2024.” He attended Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management after earning a B.A. in French, with a minor in Sociology, from Dartmouth College. An aspiring Chief Marketing Officer, Dorian said Kellogg was always his “dream business school.” “A common misconception is that marketing means advertising and pretty logos. Kellogg is the renowned business school for marketing because it recognizes that marketing is the cornerstone to a firm’s strategy.” His favorite course was Marketing Research and Analytics because it “transformed me from a French major unsure of his place in an MBA program to a confident data-driven strategist.”

Kit Tyson ’12, Middle and Upper School Music Teacher Sean McAnally, Courtney Hulse ’10, and Samantha Korn ’14

VINITA DAVEY, Associate at Selendy Gay PLLC, participated in the Law panel at Career Day. COLE MCCOLLUM, Founder and CEO of Incisively AI, an AI-powered platform for scientific research, participated in the opening Keynote panel about AI and the Technology panel at Career Day. DANI TEMARES, Genetic Counselor at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, participated in the Science panel at Career Day.

2014

Sarah Williams ’12 on her wedding day FRONT ROW: Liz Jolley ’12, Ashley (Hough) Milano ’12, Andrew McDermott, Sarah Williams ’12, Annie Vreeland ’12, Emily Damstrom ’12, Roxanne Feitel ’12, Corey DeLaney ’12, Charlotte Williams ’06, and Kelsey Hiscano ’08 BACK ROW: Dudley Ryan ’83, Rob Williams ’76, P’06, ’08, ’12, Sam Williams ’08, Martha (Ryan) Graff ’84, P’15, ’17, ’20, Dwight Hiscano ’80, Doug Hiscano ’77, P’08, ’11, Garrett Hiscano ’11, Luke Vreeland ’11, Meg Vreeland ’15, Betsy (Lucas) Vreeland ’84, P’11, ’12, ’15, Wendy Williams ’77, and Dick Williams ’73

2012 DR. CONNOR MCLAUGHLIN, Hospital Medicine Physician at Atlantic Medical Group, participated in the Medicine panel at Career Day. In July 2024, he began a new role as a Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

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KIT TYSON, an artist and an archivist for fashion photographer Pamela Hanson, participated in the Visual Arts panel at Career Day. SARAH WILLIAMS married Andrew McDermott on July 29, 2023 at Bay Head Yacht Club in Bay Head, NJ.

ANNA BUTRICO CONTI married Hunter Conti ’15 on December 2, 2023. The two had first met at Pingry in Mr. Nazario’s AP Spanish class, and started dating when they both went to Vanderbilt. Co-Author of Risk: A User’s Guide and Content Studio Writer at Meta, Anna participated in the Management, Consulting & Professional Services panel at Career Day. SAMANTHA KORN, Talent Agent at William Morris Endeavor (WME), participated in the Performing Arts & Entertainment panel at Career Day. STEPHANIE LIPPER, Events Manager at the Forum for Youth Investment, participated in the Non-Profit panel at Career Day.

2015 HUNTER CONTI married Anna Butrico ’14.

BRIDGET HARRISON spoke to students during Research Week. Read more on page 10.

Anna Butrico Conti ’14 and Hunter Conti ’15 on their wedding day Josh Lebowitz ’15, Holly Butrico ’16, Russell Beckerman ’15, Julian Sandulli, Max Leef ’15, Rahul Oza ’15, Anna Butrico Conti ’14, Angel Fluet ’14, Hunter Conti ’15, Kaitlyn Friedman ’13, Dr. Brooke Conti Trousdale ’09, Erin Butrico ’14, Will Johnson ’15, Jonathan Zeitels ’15, Gaurav Gupta ’15, Patrick Trousdale ’08, Freddy Chang ’15, Mary Lee (Donahue) Trousdale ’78, P’08, ’13, Austin Conti ’07, and Justin Trousdale ’13

PHOTO: KAT PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY

ALESSANDRA RUGGIERO, Sale Coordinator for the Post-War to Present auction at Christie’s New York, participated in the Visual Arts panel at Career Day.

2017 MADDY SHILTS, a Chicago-based actor, produced and acted in The Lightning Thief: a Percy Jackson Musical this summer at the Skokie Theatre. They write, “The rights of this particular musical encourage productions to look beyond traditional casting types and allow changes in pronouns and gendered language to fit the comfortability of the performer playing each of the roles. Our production is intentionally queer.

This is, after all, a story that, at its core, is about finding your place and finding yourself in a world that challenges you at every turn. It is a show about finding joy in the people and community around you even when the world is falling apart at the seams. It is about perseverance and found family, about finding your inner strength, and friendship, and being fully seen for who you are in your entirety. We lean fully into the inherent queerness of the Greek myths that inspired the

Maddy Shilts ’17, far right, with Joey Prette and P-Jay Adams in The Lightning Thief

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CLASS NOTES original books. Our dramaturg has noted that ‘Including racial, sexual, and gender diversity in mythological stories may feel like a modern spin on an old classic. But in some ways, our production might be closer to the ancient tales than you think—it’s just not the spin you’re used to.’ The Lightning Thief encourages members of the LGBT+ community to celebrate our existence with pride because whatever monsters we face are ones that we can fight victoriously together. I am so proud and honored to be the producer of this production as well as a cast member, and grateful beyond words for the incredible TLTeam that has brought this project to life. It’s been years of conceiving and envisioning—it truly renders me speechless to see how far we’ve come.”

2019 IAN DUGAN, Post-Production Assistant at Saturday Night Live, participated in the Performing Arts & Entertainment panel at Career Day. OLIVIA LAI, playing lacrosse at Wesleyan University, received three honors in April— NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Player of the Week, for the second time in her career, IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association) National Offensive Player of the Week, and USA Lacrosse Division III Player of the Week. These honors recognized that, over three games, Olivia recorded 15 goals and one assist, to go along with six ground balls. Olivia is third all-time at Wesleyan in career goals.

2020 RENEE CHAN, playing squash at Columbia University, won the U.S. Intercollegiate Women’s Doubles Championship in March. She and her doubles partner, Advita Sharma, made history as the first doubles pair in program history to win the championship.

BRIAN LI received Princeton University’s 2024 Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, the highest general distinction conferred on an undergraduate. Established in 1921, it is awarded to the senior “who has most clearly manifested excellent scholarship, strength of character, and effective leadership.” Brian majored in Comparative Literature and pursued a Certificate in Global Health and Health Policy, and among other awards, he received the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence, the

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Rahil Kakar ’24 took a Commencement selfie with Head of School Tim Lear.

Class of 1939 Princeton Scholar Award, and the Department of Comparative Literature’s Junior Paper Prize. His interests lie at the intersection of literature and the history of medicine, and he is a co-author on peer-reviewed publications in the medical and life sciences.

WALEED NISAR, playing squash at Hamilton College, was named to the 2024 NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Winter All-Academic Team.

NIKKI VANASSE was profiled by the Columbia Spectator in May about her accomplishments with the Columbia University cross country and track and field teams. Her sophomore year, at the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track & Field Championships, as part of Columbia’s win in the women’s distance medley, her anchor leg run secured an upset victory (11:20.20). She also earned All-Ivy First Team Indoor honors and qualified for the NCAA Eastern Prelims for the outdoor season. Her senior year, at the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championships, she won gold in the women’s mile and earned All-Ivy First Team recognition. At the ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) Indoor Track and Field Championships, she set a program record in the women’s 1,000-meter run (2:42.20). With two years remaining of NCAA eligibility, she plans to continue running at Villanova University.

2021 SOPHIA CAVALIERE, playing soccer at Columbia University, helped lead the process for her team to sign a nine-year-old girl with a rare neurologic disease to the team’s 2024 roster.

The signing was made possible by the non-profit organization Team IMPACT, which matches children facing serious illness and disability with college teams across the country.

SIMON MULLER, playing squash at Hamilton College, was named to the 2024 NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Winter All-Academic Team.

2022 CORDELIA LUDDEN, majoring in Engineering at Tufts University, received the Phyllis J. Karno Dean’s Award for Leadership and Academic Excellence. It is awarded to three sophomores (one from each college) who have shown great promise in their academics and demonstrated leadership on or off campus.

THOMAS SANTANA, pitching for Columbia University, was named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week in late April for throwing a no-hitter through five innings in a 13–0 win at Cornell. He allowed two hits and struck out a career-high eight to improve to 3–0 on the year.

The Alumnae Committee of the Pingry Alumni Association hosted a volunteer service event on May 11 at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

2023 BELLA GOODWIN, playing lacrosse at Duke University, was named to the 2024 All-ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Women’s Lacrosse All-Freshman Team. She started the last 10 games, scored 11 goals, and made seven assists.

2024 GRAHAM STEVENS, goalie for Pingry’s Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team and now heading to Harvard, played in the National Senior AllAmerican Game on June 21. He was named All-State First Team and Skyland Conference All–Delaware Division First Team in 2024 and All-State First Team and a USA Lacrosse AllAmerican in 2023.

For possible publication of news about alumni competing in athletics after Pingry, please contact Alex Nanfara P’33, ’36, Assistant Director of Communications, Social Media Strategy and Athletics, at ananfara@pingry.org.

Over 7,200 members strong, Pingry alumni are engaged, active members of the School community. As your life journey takes you to extraordinary destinations, we encourage you to update your contact information through the Office of Alumni Engagement. Alumni can submit address and contact information updates through our website at pingry.org/foreverblue/alumni, or email updates to infochange@pingry.org. Should you have questions or wish to share additional information, feel free to reach out to: Alumni Engagement Office T: 908-647-5555, ext. 1222 E: alumni@pingry.org

Former administrators/teachers Jonathan Hutchison (1974–1984) and Kevin Rooney (1970–1996) reunited in Naperville, IL in April.

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IN MEMORIAM VINCENT J. “VIN” APRUZZESE March 3, 2024, age 95, Short Hills, NJ, Chatham, MA, and Naples, FL nMr. Apruzzese served as a Pingry trustee for a decade in the 1970s and 1980s, providing the School with wisdom and guidance during Pingry’s move from Hillside to Bernards Township, and the School benefited from his generous philanthropy. His family’s gifts to Pingry include the creation and naming of the Sandy Apruzzese Big Blue Award, and funding for the Apruzzese Family Fountain outside the Bugliari Athletics Center. The fountain’s inscription reads: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Mr. Apruzzese said, “That, to me, is what you learn in sports. If you have the spirit and dedication, you don’t give up.”

A graduate of Rutgers University and University of Pennsylvania Law School, Mr. Apruzzese distinguished himself in the field of labor law, which he practiced for more than 50 years. He founded the law firm of Apruzzese, McDermott, Mastro & Murphy in 1965. During his career, he served as President of the New Jersey Bar Association, Chair of the Labor and Employment Law Section and member of the Governors Board of the American Bar Association, and a member of the International Labor Law Society. He was a principal witness for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Committee before committees of Congress and successfully argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne appointed him as a Commissioner on the Public Employment Study Commission charged with recommending state laws governing the rights of public employees.

Mr. Apruzzese also dedicated time to a range of other organizations outside the legal realm, including serving as Vice Chair of the Board of the Saint Barnabas Hospital System, and Chair of the Board of the Paper Mill Playhouse. He was instrumental in the construction of the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, NJ, which opened in 1987. In honor of his leadership, the annual statewide High School Mock Trial Competition was named for him.

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Mothers’ Association (now PSPA) and creator of the original Big Blue bear mascot—and daughter, Barbara. Survivors include four children, John Apruzzese ’76, P’06, ’08 (Debra), Don Apruzzese ’78 (Michele), Lynn Tetrault ’80, and Katherine Sherbrooke ’85 (Patrick); eight grandchildren, including Dana Pierce ’06 (Greg) and Ali Butkowski ’08 (Brad); and one great-grandson.

EMORY FREEMAN BUNN ’53 May 10, 2024, age 88, Vero Beach, FL nMr. Bunn served as a Pingry trustee from 1977–1984.

As a student, he played doubles together with his twin brother Franklin on Pingry’s tennis team, and both developed a lifelong passion for the game. He attended Princeton University where he studied religion, then served in the U.S. Army at Governors Island in New York City. He started what would be a successful career in advertising and, in short order, joined Dancer Fitzgerald Sample where he would spend most of his career and become Executive Vice President and Management Director; his largest client was General Mills. Mr. Bunn retired from the advertising industry in 1987. In recent years, he was a familiar face at, and host of, Pingry’s Vero Beach Regional Receptions. He was predeceased by his sister, former Pingry trustee Carolyn “Cabby” Wood. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Anne; four children, Howard ’78, Andrew ’80 (Sallie), Christopher ’82 (Lisa), and Pennell McCool ’83 (Joseph); brother, Dr. Franklin ’53; and 13 grandchildren.

JOYCE YANCEY HANRAHAN February 2, 2024, age 90, Kittery, ME nMrs. Hanrahan, a teacher, principal, and school administrator for multiple public and independent schools, served as Assistant Head for the Short Hills Campus

from 1989–2000; she was the first woman in the position. During her tenure, she improved the Lower School’s identity as well as standards for teachers and teaching, and updated the curriculum to include computer training, language instruction beginning in Grade 1, Language Arts, and more science.

That decade also saw the construction of science and computer labs and a renovation of the gym. Additionally, Mrs. Hanrahan introduced Kindness Awards for students and teachers. She received The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award (1999), and the Lower School playground was dedicated to her.

Mrs. Hanrahan received a B.A. from the University of Alabama and an M.Ed. from the University of New Hampshire, and did postgraduate work at both Boston University and Harvard University. Initially trained as a social worker, she transitioned to teaching because there were more teaching jobs available. When asked about her motivation as a teacher for a Winter 1995 Pingry Review article, she said the “sounds and sights of school, the wonder and laughter of children learning, are just as exciting as ever. Because learning has no limits, there is no sameness about this work. I find myself being educated all over every year (several times) by the children here. My respect for and admiration of their minds and spirits never wanes.”

She and her husband owned the rare book business, “J & J Hanrahan, Books, Paintings, Antiques,” and she researched and wrote the book Works of Maurice Sendak 1947–1994: A Collection With Comments. Mrs. Hanrahan was predeceased by her husband and partner of 56 years, Jack, and brother, Glen. Survivors include her sister, Patricia.

Mrs. Hanrahan’s article “A Look at Learning on the Short Hills Campus” was published in the Autumn 1991 issue of The Pingry Review, and a lengthy tribute to her Pingry tenure was published in the Spring/ Summer 2000 issue. The playground dedication plaque and artwork presented to Mrs. Hanrahan for her retirement appear on page 88.

The editorial staff makes every effort to publish an obituary for and pay tribute to trustees, alumni, and employees 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.

FIELDING EWING “TEX” LAMASON ’44 December 10, 2023, age 97, Bryn Mawr, PA nMr. Lamason served for two years as a Sergeant in the Army Air Force and majored in History at Princeton University.

He entered the training program of Chase Manhattan Bank before being recalled into the Army. He reported to Ft. Sill, OK and remained for nearly a year, attending various schools, before going to Germany with the 529th Field Artillery Observation Battalion as a Survey Officer. He returned to the U.S., was released from active duty as a First Lieutenant, and joined the investment banking firm of Kidder, Peabody & Co. In 2000, he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1943 Football Team.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Mary Frances, and son, Chip. Survivors include his second wife, Nancy, three children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

RICHARD TILDEN “DICK” WEST ’49 June 1, 2024, age 92, Tunkhannock, PA nMr. West earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Princeton University and a Master in Regional Planning from Cornell University.

In the time between Princeton and Cornell, he served honorably as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He began his career in Pittsburgh in city planning and worked for the mayor’s office. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish Ideas, Images, and Implications, a logo design company; he was proud to have designed a logo used by the Pittsburgh Police Department. He later gained his license to preach and, as a minister, touched countless lives. His unwavering faith and devotion in helping others led him to teach spoken English at SIAS International University in China and embark on a missionary journey to Haiti. Mr. West wrote about his experience in China for the Summer/Fall 2008 issue

of The Pingry Review and described it as a “dream come true” with a “delightful, but arduous, routine”. Mr. West was the son of the late Pingry teachers Francis and Frances (Hall) West. In addition to his wife of 64 years, Helene, he was preceded in death by his brother, Stewart ’48. Survivors include his son, James; daughters, Anne (James), Mary (partner Keith), and Catherine (Toby); seven grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

CHARLES MILTON MACDONALD ’51 February 10, 2024, age 90, Bluffton, SC Mr. MacDonald received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Newark College of Engineering and proudly served as Specialist Third Class (Corporal) in the U.S. Army during the Korean War; in 2011, the newspaper Bluffton Today profiled him when he and other veterans returned to South Korea on the 61st anniversary of the start of the war. Mr. MacDonald spent over 40 years as a chemical engineer, working last at Hercules Company and Fort Howard Paper. He was a volunteer driver for DAV (Disabled American Veterans), driving over 10,000 miles, and volunteered for Hospice Care of the Lowcountry. He was also a member of the Scottish-American Military Society and Knights of Columbus (4th degree Knight). In 1991, he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the undefeated 1950 Football Team. Mr. MacDonald was preceded in death by his children, Tami and Kevin. Survivors include his wife, Patricia; daughters, Bambi (Rick) and Robyn (Scott); 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

DR. ROBERT WADE “BOB” PARSONS, JR. ’51 May 2, 2024, age 91, Basking Ridge, NJ nDr. Parsons attended Princeton University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Ph.D.

in Organic Chemistry. He worked for two scientific research companies, including Merck, where he advanced to Senior Research Chemist. He then worked at The Hyde and Watson Foundation, for a total of 62 years of service. During his time there, he held various positions as a board member and staff member, ultimately serving as President and Vice Chairman. Dr. Parsons had a passion for supporting medical research, which drove his work at Hyde and Watson. He worked to provide grants for new, cutting-edge research projects in fields that were important to him, such as asthma, allergies, hay fever, and other types of diseases. His commitment to supporting medical researchers who went on to develop life-changing disease treatments was at the forefront of his day-to-day work for much of his life. Dr. Parsons was also an active volunteer for the Summit Playhouse, Family Promise, and Rensselaerville Institute, and he was a familiar face at Pingry Reunions.

He was the son of late Pingry trustee and Honorary Alumnus Robert W. Parsons, Sr. and was preceded in death by his brother, Stanley ’56. Survivors include his brother, former Pingry trustee Roger ’55 (Meredith); children, Stephanie, Kathryn, and Robert (Elizabeth); and two grandchildren.

THE HONORABLE HAROLD W. FULLILOVE ’63 April 24, 2024, age 78, Orange, NJ nJudge Fullilove graduated from Lehigh University and served in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Vietnam before being honorably discharged. He earned a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar, U.S. District Court: District of New Jersey, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Fullilove started his legal career by clerking for the Honorable Van Y. Clinton.

He joined the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office before joining the Corporation Counsel’s Office for the City of Newark. In 1976, Judge Fullilove went to work for the law firm of Love & Randall until partnering with Richard L. Bland, Jr., Esq. in 1984 to start the law firm of Fullilove & Bland, Esqs. In 1988,

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IN MEMORIAM Judge Fullilove became a Municipal Court Judge for the City of Orange, serving until 1991 when he was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate to serve on the Superior Court bench.

As a Superior Court Judge, he served as Essex County Presiding Judge: Criminal, and Chairman of the New Jersey Supreme Court Standing Committee on Minority Concerns.

In 1995, he participated in an American Bar Association forum about racial and ethnic bias and its impact on the delivery of justice. In October 2023, Judge Fullilove was honored for being a 50-year member of the Essex County Bar Association. Judge Fullilove was an active member of Bethany Baptist Church, where he served as a Deacon and former Chairperson.

In 2003, he was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1962 Football Team; in 2013, was a Career Day panelist; and in 2021, participated in a Black History Month panel to share his memories as one of the School’s first Black students. One of his memories: “We are not a stereotype. We are not all great athletes or great singers or great entertainers . . . I learned I could succeed in a non-minority world, and Pingry students learned that people of color are just people.” He also expressed his wish that “there will be no need for Pingry to feel it’s necessary for students of color and non-minority students to need a program like this [conversation]. The world will be where it should be.”

He was predeceased by his brother, David Fullilove ’69. Survivors include his wife, Patricia W. Fullilove; three sons, the Honorable Harold W. Fullilove, Jr. (Carolyn), Aaron W. Fullilove (Lucy), and Gregory S. Fullilove (Yasmin), and adopted son, Dimitri Smith (Tischa); brothers, Dr. Robert E. Fullilove III ’62 and Eric J. Fullilove ’72; and nine grandchildren.

E. DALE SCHLENKER ’63 March 1, 2024, age 79, Fernandina, FL nMr. Schlenker excelled in sports, playing baseball and soccer and wrestling at Pingry, and in 1991, was inducted into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1962 Boys Soccer Team. He graduated from Stetson University with a degree in Business

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Administration, earned a master’s degree at Georgia Southern University, and worked for over 30 years as a financial analyst with Southern Company. He was predeceased by his first wife of 42 years, Paige, and second wife, Carol.

Survivors include his daughter, Brooke.

JOHN RAYMOND EIFFE, JR. ’64 May 16, 2024, age 78, Lewisville, NC nMr. Eiffe earned his undergraduate degree at Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University, and was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army. In 1987, he and his wife, Patti, relocated from New Jersey to North Carolina due to his employment with Planters Life Savers / Reynolds. Later in life, he changed careers to become a financial advisor. He would later take that experience and use it to help others making career shifts, with his involvement with (PIT) Professionals In Transition.

Several years later, Mr. Eiffe started his own business as a financial advisor and eventually partnered with Robert Blakely of Blakely Financial. Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Patricia “Patti”; son, Alexander (Aziza); daughter, Alison (William); sisters Helen “Paty” and Susan; and two granchildren.

DR. WILLIAM ST. JOHN “BILL” LACORTE ’66 March 24, 2024, age 75, Metairie, LA nDr. LaCorte excelled in the classroom and on the wrestling mat at Pingry, where he was team captain and known as “The Cranford Clutch”.

When his family helped fund the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center, he told The Pingry Review, “I realize the importance of athletics programs to the total education and development of a student. The lessons in athletics are as important as classroom lessons.” He received an undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University and a medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine.

Upon graduation, he moved home to New Jersey for an internship and residency at Morristown Memorial Hospital where he met his beautiful, loving, and nurturing wife, Karen. They moved to New Orleans “for just one year” so Dr. LaCorte could study drug therapies. He also joined the faculty of Tulane University School of Medicine, as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, and completed an additional residency in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Charity Hospital.

One year turned into many, and New Orleans became home. For over 45 years, Dr. LaCorte was a primary care physician based out of Metairie, LA, specializing in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. After entering private practice, he joined the Tulane Foundations in Medicine Community Preceptor program, coupling his passion for patient care with his strong desire to help educate and assist medical students who would become future medical doctors. He later earned a Master of Public Health from the Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. He was licensed by the American Medical Directors Association as a Certified Medical Director, a role in which he served for multiple New Orleans–area nursing homes.

Through the years, he had been an active member of Taxpayers Against Fraud, The Louisiana State Board of Nursing, The American Medical Directors Association, The Louisiana Medical Directors Association, The American College of Physicians, The Louisiana State Medical Society, The Orleans Parish Medical Society, and The Louisiana Patient’s Compensation Fund Oversight Board, among others. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Heather. Survivors include his wife, Karen; daughters, Jennifer (Mike) and Katie (Dominick); son, William II; eight grandchildren; sister, Carolyn (Charlie); and brother, Paul ’71 (De). Dr. LaCorte died after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

DR. DONALD J. BRUNNQUELL ’70 December 30, 2023, age 71, St. Paul, MN Dr. Brunnquell studied Psychology and Literature at Lawrence University. After a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany, he received a Ph.D.

in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota and began a 36-year career at Children’s Minnesota (Children’s Hospitals and Clinics). He was a psychologist and Vice President of Human Ecology. After receiving a Bush Foundation Leadership Grant to study bioethics at the University of Minnesota, he became Director of the Office of Bioethics at Children’s, helping children and families through what were often the most difficult times and decisions of their lives. In addition, he taught psychology ethics and pediatric bioethics at the University of Minnesota for many years; taught, published, and presented on pediatric bioethics issues; and was a mentor to many in the field. Survivors include his wife and partner of over 43 years, Sally Scoggin; two sons, Mike (Alex) and Will (Christina); four young grandchildren; and sister, Darla.

JOHN THOMAS SPAGNOLO ’70 May 21, 2024, age 72, Ocracoke Island Village, NC Mr. Spagnolo attended East Carolina University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Science Education, Physics and master’s degree in Instructional Technology. During this time, he also taught high school science, math, and technology.

He led remote-learning programs, tutored, and guided environmental education trips with his students. He served as an educator to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as well as a faculty member for the North Carolina Legislature School for Youth Leadership Development. He also taught classes as an adjunct at East Carolina University. He later became a full-time faculty member for the Reich College of Education (RCOE) at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. As the Technology Specialist for Faculty Development, he provided support to the RCOE faculty and students in many capacities, and he was a member of a multidisciplinary collaboration with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) program. He retired from the university in 2019. He also enjoyed teaching adult Sunday School at Zion United Methodist Church in

Mill Creek, NC, and his career as an educator came full circle when he had the opportunity to work with children at the Hyde 21st Century Community Learning Center after-school program and as a board member for Ocracoke Alive. Survivors include his daughter, Whitney (Paul); two sons, Thomas and Dylan (partner Hailey); and sister, Joan. Mr. Spagnolo died after bravely fighting cancer.

DR. ROBERT DAVIS “BOBBY” CUNNINGHAM ’72 March 13, 2024, age 69, West Orange, NJ Dr. Cunningham was captain of the Tennis Team his junior year and tri-captain of the Football Team his senior year when he played on both offense and defense.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, a medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine, and an M.B.A. from the Rutgers Business School Executive Education program. Born into a family deeply rooted in servant-leader medicine, he became a physician and proudly joined his father’s ophthalmology practice in East Orange, NJ. After his father’s passing, he continued to build the family legacy; he grew the practice and contributed significantly to the lives of his patients and community as a skilled surgeon and compassionate generalist for over 40 years. The hallmark of his unwavering commitment to his profession and serving people in need was his consistent and compassionate volunteerism.

He participated in annual global medical missions, traveling to Guyana and Jamaica, and in domestic, local health fairs. His efforts went beyond consultations and surgeries; he leveraged his relationships with pharmaceutical vendors to secure donations of life- and sight-saving medications, and he purchased eyeglasses from the Lyons Club International Eyeglass Recycling Center for those in need. Dr. Cunningham worked tirelessly with the local school systems of Irvington, Orange, and East Orange, NJ to provide eye evaluations and eye care for students, to ensure that every child had the opportunity to learn free of the hindrance of untreated visual impairments. His

professional affiliations included a careerspanning membership with The National Medical Association (NMA).

He was preceded in death by his brother, Dr. William E. Cunningham ’77. Survivors include his adoring wife of 22 years, Margaret; loving son, Bobby; and sister, Dellena. Dr. Cunningham died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Faculty RITA MANGIONE February 22, 2024, age 79, Pittston, PA Mrs. Mangione taught Upper School Spanish for the 1998-99 school year. She earned a Bachelor of Arts at Kean University and also taught Spanish for the West WindsorPlainsboro Regional School District. Survivors include her loving husband of 56 years, Alfonso; daughter, Kristen (Devin); and two sisters.

MARIA FLORA PALMER June 14, 2024, age 82, Monroe, NJ Mrs. Palmer worked at Pingry from 1992–2009, first as a Spanish teacher and then as a librarian in the C.B. Newton Library. She was born in Spain and attended Filosofía y Letras Universidad de Madrid. She was preceded in death by her brother, Jose. Survivors include her loving husband of 60 years, John; children, John (Melissa) and Maria (J. Powers); and four grandchildren.

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A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES Memorabilia from the late, beloved boys’ ice hockey coach John “Mags”

I was lucky enough to be able to coach at Pingry with my father for a

Magadini have recently enriched the Archives. Back in 2019, to celebrate

few years [in the late 1990s and early 2000s]. I personally appreciate Pin-

his induction into Pingry’s Athletics Hall of Fame, he and his now–late

gry for affording me this opportunity to spend such amazing quality time

wife, Carol, loaned the School some of his memorabilia for a display,

with my father. I’ll never forget those days and the amazing players.”

including his original puck bucket. Then, last year, when Archivist Peter

The collection includes photos, trophies, plaques, newspaper clips,

Blasevick P’24 disassembled the display, he contacted Coach Magadi-

and other items from his proud service in the U.S. Marine Corps, col-

ni’s family about returning the items—but his children, Lisa, Jock, and

lege days at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Pingry career.

Peter, offered to send Pingry more.

“My brother, sister, and I really appreciate Pingry taking stewardship of these cherished family possessions,” Peter says. “We’re happy to know that future generations of Pingry students might be able to see some of the many things my father loved and accomplished through his hard work and dedication. We thank you all for taking such great care of our father while he was with you and keeping his legacy alive now that he has passed.

U.S. Marine Corps portrait

Pingry’s 2006-07 Boys’ Ice Hockey Team, in a frame made from a Sherwood hockey stick—early in his career, Coach Magadini worked for Sherwood, an ice hockey equipment company, helping them design and market their new line of hockey sticks.

U.S. Marine Corps uniform

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RPI 1953 Lacrosse Team

RPI plaque for the 1952 Lacrosse Team, undefeated co-national champions

RPI 1952-53 Ice Hockey Team

RPI 1951-52 Ice Hockey Team

RPI Hall of Fame induction

New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame induction (2013)

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A VISIT TO THE ARCHIVES

In Pingry History 1 0 YE A RS AG O The second annual Pingry Research Exhibit takes place on a Sunday afternoon.

In 2021, the event was reimagined and transformed into Pingry Research Week with student presentations each day during Flex and Conference Period. This spring, over 180 students and faculty were involved.

2 0 YE A RS AG O Former Head of School John Hanly, who served from 1987–2000, is the fourth speaker for his own lecture series, the John Hanly Lecture on Ethics and Morality, which had

been established upon his retirement. In his remarks, Mr. Hanly says he wants students to realize the complexity of ethical choices and to beware of slogans because they

“don’t teach anything.” He also points out that ethical decisions are made every day, whether people notice them or not: “Not making a decision is a decision in itself.”

30 YE A RS AG O Pingry’s wrestling award, voted on by members of the team, is renamed The Whittemore Most Outstanding Wrestler Award in honor of Magistri teacher John Whittemore ’47 upon his retirement as a biology teacher and assistant wrestling coach. He taught at Pingry from 1957–1994, including serving as Head of the Science Department from 1978–1981. He is pictured here with the undefeated 1992-93 team.

40 YE A RS AG O

The Bernards Township Campus is dedicated.

Attendees include Board Chair Fred Bartenstein, Jr., Head of School David Wilson ’59, former Heads of School Larry Springer and Charlie Atwater ’31, and New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean. The campus is dedicated to Mr. Bartenstein, whose photo and plaque hang in the Upper School building’s main entrance. Also, David Baldwin ’47 announces the creation of The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award in honor of his parents, and William S. Beinecke ’31 announces that the award’s first recipient is Robert W. Parsons.

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Board Chair Fred Bartenstein, Jr., Theodore Sizer (Chairman, A Study of High Schools), and New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean

50 YE A RS AG O George Moffat, Head of the English Department, wins the world open gliding championship for the second time in four years. He wins out of 78 entries from 24 countries.

6 0 YE A RS AG O Chemistry Teacher Ernie Shawcross is named “Chemistry Teacher of the Month” by the North Jersey section of the American Chemical Society. The award is presented to chemistry teachers in North Jersey for excellence in the teaching of chemistry. Mr. Shawcross is seen here in the late 1970s.

7 0 YE A RS AG O Charlie Atwater ’31 is appointed Ted Mayhew

Head of the Middle School, succeeding Otho Vars. Ted Mayhew

Charlie Atwater ’31

is appointed Head of the Modern Language Department, succeeding Abel DeGryse. The Blue Book is dedicated to Mr. Vars and Mr. DeGryse.

80 YE A RS AG O The first issue of The Pingry Review is published. The description reads: “Pingry men and Pingry boys, wherever they are, however far removed in years or in space, feel affection for their school. It is a bond which supplies attachment to the school and to each other. In order that this mutual feeling may not be lessened in time or in space, in order that we may maintain unbroken touch and that all of us may be reminded of our school and its living details, this little publication is brought forth and will be issued periodically to alumni and friends of Pingry.”

9 0 YE A RS AG O Pingry’s Debating Teams earn a double victory to win the Eighth Annual Triangular Debate of the Interprepatory Debating League, consisting of Pingry, Morristown School, and Montclair Academy. The subject of the debate: all banking functions should be regulated by the federal government with deposits guaranteed.

pingry.org (Forever Blue section): Visit the monthly blog Pingry Flashes Back for more stories from the Pingry Archives.

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In Memory of Joyce Hanrahan

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iStock.com/ivanastar

A FINAL LOOK

TOP LEFT: Artwork presented to Mrs. Hanrahan as a retirement gift TOP RIGHT: The plaque from the dedication of the Lower School playground BOTTOM LEFT AND RIGHT: A tribute to Mrs. Hanrahan in the Spring/Summer 2000 issue of The Pingry Review

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID THE PINGRY SCHOOL

The Pingry School Basking Ridge Campus, Middle & Upper Schools Short Hills Campus, Lower School Pottersville Campus, K-12 Experiential Education 131 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 CHANG E S E RV IC E REQUESTED

SAVE THE DATE FOR FALL EVENTS!

September 13: Friday Night Lights September 27–28: Homecoming Weekend September 27: Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony September 28: Homecoming Tailgate