WEBB Magazine - Fall/Winter 2020-21

Webb MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2021

Art & The Alf Museum

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion The Year Everything Changed (or didn’t) in College Admission On the Move: Young Alumni Stories

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Features 2

From the Head of Schools

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The Interview: John Choi, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator

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Webb MAGAZINE FALL/ WINTER 2021

The Year Everything Changed (or didn’t) in College Admission

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Webb Today: New Hooper Community Center

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On the Move: Young Alumni Stories

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The Alf Museum

The Report of the Schools 36

Director of Advancement

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Faculty Awards

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Webb Is My Home: Wayne “Skip” Hanson ’59

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Facts & Stats

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Legacy Hall of Fame

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Giving

Newsnotes 52

Alumni Profiles

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Events & Highlights

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Alumni News

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In Memoriam

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The Centennial Years: From the Archives

MEET OUR WRITERS...

Debbie Carini is a writer and development

John Ferrari has experience as a

professional. She has been affiliated with The Webb Schools since 1999 as a writer for the magazine as well as various campaign and fundraising materials; she is also a successful grant writer for the schools and Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology.

newspaper journalist and as a writer, editor, communications strategist and public outreach specialist in higher education. He has written feature articles on topics ranging from astrophysics and genetics to theme parks and, of course, the Alf Museum. He also serves as a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserve.

Cover illustration: The cover illustration is by Hannah Caisse, a science illustration intern with the Alf Museum in 2019-20. Read more about her work and the program on page 31.

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Moral Courage: The Philosopher’s Stone During the presidential election of 1920, Warren G. Harding coined the term “normalcy,” and it quickly became the butt of a series of national jokes. Apparently, it was thought, the president didn’t know how to spell “normality.” Today, however, it’s Harding’s invention we consider common usage. And today, across America and around the world, it is what’s behind his invention we all long for. We all long for a return to normalcy, and only wonder how we will get there.

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“...we are indeed living our mission with each and every step we take making our way through.”

THESE ARE TROUBLED TIMES. The pandemic continues to take its toll. Some of us in the Webb community have lost a loved one, others have been stricken or been taken down in ways too numerous to count. We all wish this was not happening. We all want to return to “normalcy.” And I know, in time, we will.

I am writing this letter the week of Thanksgiving. On the one hand, epidemiologists are telling us to stay put and not travel to be with family, to keep gatherings small and invite our elders to visit with us via Zoom. On the other hand, some, knowing effective vaccines are on the way, are prematurely celebrating their anticipated freedom even though infections are setting daily records.

I remember reading Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations in my teenage years and feeling the pain of Pip’s investment in expectations. Dickens wrote before Buddhism became widely read in the West, but he grasped its essential teachings nonetheless: Craving is the source of human suffering. This past year, we’ve all experienced this simple truth in each of our homes and lives. I am reminded, too, that Webb’s founding family, the Webb family, knew this truth though by another route. Sawney Webb, Thompson’s father, emphasized the classics of Western civilization in his school in Tennessee, then the bedrock of a good liberal arts education. Indeed, the ancient Stoics taught us that the only thing that we have power over is our own attitudes.

So, it is baked in. At Webb, we’ve inherited the notion that we must prepare ourselves, and our young people, for times like these. Education is more than subject matter. When done right, education becomes the core of our being. At Webb, we are focused on acting with moral courage, the bedrock of our honor code.

I am immensely proud of the Webb community and how we have managed our way through this unfathomable time over these past months. As I look at our students and faculty on so many screens, and see firsthand the mighty Webb staff keeping our campus safe and in good condition, we are indeed living our mission with each and every step we take making our way through. And of course our community doesn’t stop there. Our parents, via the Affiliates, have done so much to support our efforts, including sharing some delicious pies with everyone this last week. Nourishment for the body and soul! And our alumni, our friends, and our leadership volunteers—the Alumni Council, Alf Museum Board and Webb’s Board of Trustees—have all risen to the occasion, determined to make sure Webb emerges from this 99th year an even stronger institution.

I know that our clear and singular focus on our mission has helped us all manage through these times. We remain committed to meeting the many challenges before us now and in the months ahead, and, of course, to a return to normalcy soon thereafter. We will be better and stronger at the end of the journey, I believe, as individuals and certainly as a school celebrating its 100th year.

Taylor B. Stockdale Head of Schools

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THE INTERVIEW:

John Choi, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator by John Ferrari One way or another, science faculty member John Choi P ’22, P ’24 has been thinking about identity his whole life — his own identity and the intersecting identities of the communities around him. Identities, he says, are stories, and he has always been interested in stories.

So when The Webb Schools established a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program last year, Choi was a great fit for the new DEI coordinator position.

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“Webb students are very engaged with the diversity and inclusion aspects of DEI. Understanding inequity is the next step.�

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“The purpose of the DEI initiatives we’ve come up with is to ensure every member of our community feels like they belong, and their contributions are valued. Our focus will be on how we support everyone in our community, particularly those who are underrepresented racially and ethnically,” said Choi in an earlier interview. “We’re focused on anti-racism and anti-bias behavior and want to facilitate conversations between all of the different constituencies from Webb.”

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ince Choi’s appointment as DEI coordinator, issues of diversity, equity and inclusion have come to the fore in communities across the United States and around the world, including questions of identity and the stories of individuals, groups and communities. Webb Magazine spoke with Choi to hear his story and his thoughts on Webb’s community.

WHERE DOES YOUR STORY BEGIN? I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and emigrated to Chicago with my family at age 2. It’s a very blue collar, classic immigrant story. My uncle emigrated first, then my dad, then my mom and me, about 6 months later, and then my grandparents. My dad did janitorial work and drove a taxi.

Later, my family opened the second Korean restaurant in Chicago. My entire family became involved in the restaurant business, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

At the time it was a sketchy area. Now I think there’s an Urban Outfitters where the restaurant was.

WHAT WAS THAT TIME LIKE FOR YOU? As a child, I saw my bicultural upbringing as a disadvantage. Now I see it as an advantage. Even if I wanted to assimilate 100 percent... we were always a minority. That creates a sense of resilience in your spirit, but I realize now I was also constantly seeking approval. There were very few Asians in most of the communities where I was, but at the same time I was in a Korean community at home. I lived with my grandparents from the time I was 5 to 13, so out of necessity I had to keep speaking Korean and maintaining that culture, and my family attended an all-Korean

Protestant church. The church served as a social network and gathering place. All those experiences shaped me.

Looking back, it feels like a journey leading me to rediscover who I am as a person.

WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME AN EDUCATOR? In the late ’80s it was customary for Asians to go into premed or engineering. My parents were different and didn’t put any pressure on me. In fact, they suggested I become a teacher or a pastor (laughs). This outraged me – like I wasn’t good enough to be a doctor or an engineer? Part of my college career was to prove to them that I could do it.

I started college as an electrical engineering major, and it didn’t take long to discover that’s not what I wanted to do.

My grandmother’s medical problems made me realize I wanted to go into medicine, and as a way to get into medical school I thought it would be good to shadow doctors, so I went to Northwestern to help with cancer research. I realized I could take graduate courses at a discount, so I enrolled in a few education courses and realized I loved teaching. If I think about it in retrospect, I’ve always liked telling stories, but I also love hearing stories and narratives of other people. I chose to continue with my master’s in education instead of medical school.

YOU CAME TO WEBB FROM THE LATIN SCHOOL OF CHICAGO. WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE THERE? Well, there was no private school in my background.

I thought, “OK, let me give this a try.” In the 2000s, “multicultural education” was a buzzword, and I got interested in that: it let me listen to stories that are different from my own. My master’s thesis was on “what does multicultural education mean in a science curriculum?”

Although Latin has come a long way in its DEI efforts since 2002, in the early years there was little traction for having

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conversations about diversity and multiculturalism. I directed my energy toward creating an inclusive classroom and focused on my teaching. I love it; I love sharing, I love hearing students’ stories. I loved to share something about my culture, not just that I’m a Chicago Bears fan, but also that I’m Korean, and didn’t speak English until I was 7 years old, and that I built houses — that blows students away.

they miss that when they leave Webb. While the students tend to embrace and value diversity, they are less skilled or comfortable addressing topics of inequity. This is not unique to Webb, and there is some strong momentum to engage in conversations about equity and justice in an effort to make Webb even more inclusive and an agent of positive change beyond campus.

HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT WEBB BEEN DIFFERENT?

WHAT RESOURCES HAVE YOU BEEN RECOMMENDING TO PEOPLE AS THEY TRY TO LEARN AND EDUCATE THEMSELVES ABOUT DEI ISSUES?

At Webb, I knew the student body was diverse. There are also differences working at a boarding school — there are so many commitments! For my children, it’s been an eye-opener, seeing the wide range of stories and people.

While it’s very diverse, Chicago is also very segregated, and that affects how people interact with those from different cultures. In Southern California, in general, I find folks more willing to accept everyone.

HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR POSITION AS DEI COORDINATOR? It’s always aspirational – we can never say we’re done. It’s about ongoing education because we’re all at different places. I view this work as a way of making this a place of belonging for everybody. You should be able to bring 100 percent of yourself to the community, and the community should be actively inclusive and appreciative of people, and recognize that they bring value to the school. In the Webb community, I want to encourage people to take active roles to be allies to people who need it.

HOW DID YOUR WORK IN THIS AREA EVOLVE THIS YEAR? I don’t know if I had too many expectations… other than the fact that I knew it would be incredibly demanding. This is the first time Webb has had this position. In five months, it’s been great. It’s become a lot more complex, too. Timing-wise it’s a lot, but there’s a lot of support around it. The faculty, administration and parents have been so supportive. And it’s a genuine sense of support, not just performative.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WEBB STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN THIS AREA? I think the students appreciate identity here; this school is a place where people value diversity. Sharing your story, and discussing identity, is part of the normal student interaction here. Webb students love hearing people’s stories, and

The Southern Poverty Law Center has great online resources for educators and for families, Teaching Tolerance (splcenter.org/teaching-tolerance.org). From time to time I also send out individual articles to students and faculty — I would love to start a conversation. It’s important to have a shared vocabulary, and to encourage communication focused on sharing and listening, not trying to persuade.

I’ve also been working with a group of colleagues on Webb’s new Community Read Program, which began with Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist. It says a lot that we’re getting a lot of involvement from students, staff and parents. It is a good launching point, and a springboard to launch conversations about identity, diversity, inequity and other topics. And it says a lot for the community that people come wanting to talk civilly and meaningfully.

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The Webb Way Still Applies:

College Admission Today

by Debbie Carini

Navigating the college admission process is an activity that can best be described as fraught with anxiety, even under the best of circumstances.

Multiply that by a global pandemic, and it has the potential to add even more stress for prospective students and parents.

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n an interview with NPR, Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and former head of admission at Trinity College in Connecticut, told listeners:

“So many things that were sacred in the college admission process may not be sacred anymore. Colleges and universities are reinventing a process that hasn't changed in over 50 years in the span of a couple of months [...] and they don't have another choice.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted high school schedules, eliminated standardized testing administration dates, and altered families’ plans to tour campuses across the country. But it hasn’t stopped the agile and multiskilled Office of College Guidance at Webb from providing students with the best possible preparation for applying to the country’s top tier campuses.

Given the level of uncertainty and the timing of the pandemic at a point when high school juniors from the Class of 2021 were on the verge of college application planning, it's crucial to understand the importance of having college guidance officers who know their students well, and who can be reached almost any time, any day of the week.

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“MR. MARTINEZ'S VAST KNOWLEDGE OF THE APPLICATION PROCEDURES, TIMING, AND COLLEGE'S INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS, AS WELL AS HIS CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES MAKE HIM A GREAT RESOURCE. ”

“We feel well-connected to the class,” says Dean of College Guidance Hector Martinez. “Every student has our cellphone numbers … I talk to kids in the middle of the night (students from Asia and other time zones) if that’s what is necessary.”

The office is well prepared. College guidance is not an afterthought at Webb but rather a fully developed fouryear program that guides students and parents through a rigorous process that starts during the freshman year and continues through the acceptance letter: The team takes students and parents through each important stage of college admission: exploration, application, preparation, and placement.

“I was worried about how the college admission process would work given the challenges of the pandemic and students not being on campus with easy access to advising,” says Marylou Ferry, parent of Faith ’21. “My worries were quickly set aside when Mr. Martinez reached out to both Faith and me to help us prepare for this daunting process late in the summer. His vast knowledge of the application procedures, timing, and college's individual requirements, as well as his close relationships with colleges and universities, make him a great resource. He asks great questions, listens

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to her and me (in separate meetings and together) and, also, shares with us in candid ways how this year is going to be different and how it is also the same. Especially with the shut-down last spring, we had not visited as many colleges as we would have liked.”

Although the team misses seeing students in the office and having face-to-face communications, they have quickly adapted to new technologies and made the most of their connections with admission officers at selective schools around the country.

Faith Ferry ’21 is taking advantage of the many online opportunities the Webb college guidance office set up through Canvas, an online learning platform and management system, through which she is able to look at informational videos and directions.

“Even though we are all working from home,” says Martinez, “we are still nurturing those strong relationships with colleges and universities via text, phone and Zoom meetings. Our Webb community is very special, and these institutions realize that—they treat our students differently because our students’ experiences are different.”

“I never feel like I am lacking support from the counselors; they are always there to talk about my applications, my essays and my list,” explains Ferry. “Mr. Martinez does a great job, because even over Zoom, you can tell that he cares.”

For the College Guidance office, the challenges involved in the process have ranged from the most basic—finding students who are not in class on campus—to the larger picture.

“Our biggest challenge has been assessing, ‘how do we engage with our class and keep them informed?’” says Associate Director of College Admission Anthony Shin ’99 of the move to remote learning and no physical activity on campus.

Adriana Flores, the college guidance team’s executive assistant who organizes, schedules and coordinates students, parents and college reps, has been working from home, but she’s still mailing transcripts and putting files together—all while her own daughter, Isa ’21, has been applying to colleges.

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Guidance office assured me that everything would be fine and that they had my child’s best interest at heart.”

Parents, especially, have had a lot to navigate, with many working and having more than one student attending school from home. The extra communication and support from the Webb team has been a valued addition to the dayto-day concerns of keeping students on track.

“We all miss the personal touch—the interaction with students,” says Flores of the remote situation. “I miss the students coming into the office, eating candy, hanging out, especially since this is my daughter’s class.”

Of the many differences between this year and years prior, including the fact that many seniors have applied early to schools they have never seen in person, one of the biggest is that many schools are not requiring test scores.

“These tests, the SAT, ACT, have been part of our culture for 100 years,” says Hector Martinez.

But the truth is, many schools— upwards of 400—had already become test optional, including highly selective institutions like the University of Chicago, Cornell, and the Claremont Colleges.

“These schools just realized that they didn’t need that measure to enroll an outstanding freshman class,” says Martinez. “There are other ways to decipher the academic rigor and prowess of a school and its students.”

Parents have been appreciative of the College Guidance office’s fast responses to their concerns.

“I asked a lot of questions back in March when test centers were canceling left and right,” says Mariah Jamal, parent of Cheyaan ’21. “I knew this year was going to be so different and somewhat unpredictable. I was grateful that the College

“Mr. Martinez has been a voice of calm, reassuring students (and parents) that everyone’s in the proverbial ‘same boat,’ so that a lack of test scores will not hurt a student,” says Tracey Letteau, parent of Mason ’21.

Perhaps even more important, Letteau adds, is that each student at Webb is given individualized attention during the admission process. “We know and trust that their letters of recommendation, and the teacher letters of recommendation, will be personal, thorough, complete and submitted in a timely manner. This gives Webb students a huge advantage compared to schools where guidance counselors have little knowledge of, or interaction with the students.”

This has proved especially significant for Letteau’s son, Mason Letteau-Stallings ’21, who is most interested in applying to schools with strong ROTC programs — Mason also applied to the military academies at West Point and Annapolis, which have some of the most competitive admission standards in the nation and were still conducting interviews in person.

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“AN IMPORTANT MEASURE THAT COLLEGE ADMISSION STAFF MEMBERS ARE LOOKING AT THIS YEAR IS THE ACADEMIC RIGOR OF THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE STRENGTH OF A STUDENT’S TRANSCRIPT.” Though Mason misses the traditions of his senior year, he feels that for every opportunity lost—including the cancellation of Boys and Girls State, a summer leadership and citizenship program to which he was accepted as a representative—he and his classmates have found new ones. Mason has been working out, taking online Russian and calculus classes, and volunteering at Roosevelt Memorial Park Cemetery where he has helped to care for veterans’ grave sites.

“An important measure that college admission staff members are looking at this year is the academic rigor of the high school and the strength of a student’s transcript,” says Shin, “They’re also looking at essays and recommendation letters more carefully. But schools are also being more creative, providing students with different ways to express themselves, including allowing the uploading of supplemental videos.”

As for sports recruitment, Shin says that the schools for whom sports are important such as USC and UCLA, “they are not going to stop looking to fill their championship teams.”

On a professional level, Martinez and Shin both miss the camaraderie of their colleagues as well as representatives from colleges and universities.

“We haven’t been able to travel — or go to conferences,” says Martinez. “We miss having visitors from colleges and universities on our campus where they often realize that Webb is almost like a college.”

On the other hand, Shin says, “colleges are good at reaching out—and it is easier than ever now, no one has to fly anywhere. Now colleges are looking at different ways to showcase their campuses. A lot of schools are more available to students online—you might be able to talk to a professor online, meet other students. All the resources are there.”

Both are also drawing on the collective wisdom of the many professional organizations they belong to, including The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

“We were on it early,” says Shin of Webb’s reaction to the COVID crisis, so much so that the office was able to help other schools with recommendations and references.

In a year like no other, Webb’s college guidance team has helped provide students and their parents with a sense of normalcy that was much appreciated.

“We felt supported at every step,” says Lisa DeArmas, parent of Kaitlyn ’21. “They told us how to plan, how to navigate the whole process. Every time I emailed, they were very responsive— plus the Zoom meetings, the links to students and parents who’ve already been through this, their availability by phone and email, they are there for us.”

As poignant as it is for students to miss many of the traditions of their senior year on campus, they all share a gratitude for the support they have received from their teachers and the administrative staff—especially as they turn towards graduation and college.

“I was expecting to be more ready to move on,” says Kaitlyn DeArmas ’21. “I miss the activities of my senior year, but Webb has prepared me academically and even in the pandemic, with everything happening online. I’ve told myself, ‘If I can do this, I should be able to handle college.’”

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Hooper Community Center

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A dynamic center for the Webb community Webb has a worldwide community of students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff, but while campus is the center of the Webb community, there hasn’t been a campus center for them all, until now.

After more than a year of renovations, the Hooper Community Center is ready to reopen as a dynamic center for students and the entire Webb community. It’s a vision Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale has had for a long time.

“Webb has a wonderful campus, with so much great architecture,” he explains, “but it hasn’t had an entrance — a presentation — for people coming to campus, and it hasn’t had a center for the whole Webb community.”

The renovation gives Webb both. “The idea of what Hooper could be has evolved over a very long period of time,” says Director of Finance, Planning and Operations Janet Peddy. “It landed in a place where we wanted to create a community hub. For students, the Fawcett Memorial Library is the school’s academic hub, but as it was configured, Hooper was not able to serve students or others as a community hub.”

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“The community center has an indoor-outdoor feel, and that’s definitely by design. We wanted it to feel like a home for students, but also a place for the whole community to congregate.”

The newly completed renovation is designed to allow the building and surrounding Centennial Plaza to do just that.

Early in the design process, Webb community members identified functional aspects of the building that needed to be improved, including lighting, ventilation and comfort.

The vision, Peddy says, was to create a comfortable space that encourages interaction — a space for the whole community. “We wanted to create a front door to the campus. Something that feels like an arrival.”

Together, Hooper and the new Centennial Plaza present a welcoming first impression of Webb for first-time visitors, students and alumni alike, says Director of Institutional Advancement Dutch Barhydt. “We wanted it to be something that will inspire our community and really represent the history of Webb. Together they mark both the schools’ first century and the promise of the second 100 years.”

Those conveniences include an energy-efficient active/ passive cooling system and an interior that can be configured to accommodate everything from small groups of students studying and socializing, to the entire student community enjoying ceremonies and performances, to students and other community members together.

In form, it’s a change from the structure’s first incarnation as Webb’s gymnasium, but in spirit it’s a return to the building’s original sense of community. Designed by architect William Brandt — whose influence on the Webb campus is also seen in the administration building and the Alamo dorms — the Spanish Revival-style gymnasium

Hooper’s renovation was made possible through the generosity of donors including Blake ’68 and Andrea Brown, who shared Stockdale’s vision of a space that represented the school’s sense of community, history and promise. “We are so thankful for all the contributions made by donors, the Webb team, architects, and contractors,” says Blake, a Webb trustee and cochair of the leadership gifts committee. “What a wonderful job in integrating the past with today’s modern conveniences.”

Hooper was built in 1931 and served as the gymnasium until the 1980s.

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was built in 1931. It was renovated as a student center in the 1980s, after the Les Perry Gymnasium opened, and named in honor of Frederick R. Hooper (Webb faculty member 19331962, headmaster 1962-1973).

The project to renew the structure and surrounding space as a community center was entrusted to landscape architect Scott Sebastian of Sebastian & Associates and architect John Lesak of Page & Turnbull. “Webb has worked with this design team for many years,” Peddy says. “The landscape architect saw Hooper as a pavilion, with access from all four sides, and the building architect married that notion of an open space blending inside and outside with ideas for a versatile structure.”

“The community center has an indoor-outdoor feel, and that’s definitely by design,” says Associate Head of Schools Dr. Theresa Smith. “We wanted it to feel like a home for students, but also

The iconic clock tower on the northwest corner of Hooper still stands proudly and

a place for the whole community to congregate.

keeps the community on time.

The building and the pavilion can support casual everyday meetings or open up on both sides for performances and whole-school events. It’s a place that can bring everyone together, in small groups and large.”

“It’s a challenge to accommodate the entire Webb student body, but the building now does that,” says Lesak.

His design added new technology and features while maintaining the building’s airy, open central space.

“As you walk through the new space, you should have a sense of light, air, comfort and history, along with the new technology,” says Peddy. “The building has beautiful bones.” In addition to the building’s innovative cooling system — which includes automated window shades, a thick south wall that acts as a heat sink, an added cupola for air exchange and (no kidding) Big Ass Fans — the renovations include a video wall, a welcome desk and improved natural lighting throughout. A redesigned entry porch provides shading while reflecting natural light into the building, and in a nod to the building’s heritage, reclaimed wood from the original gymnasium floor is used to accent the interior.

The renovation “will have an impact for generations,” notes Barhydt. “Students who come to Webb in 20, 30, 40 years will use the building and the plaza – students who weren’t even born when this renovation took place.” For now, Webb’s community center is almost ready to open. The final touches are being put in place: student-tested and -approved furniture. “All it needs,” says Peddy, “is people.”

These stained glass windows were saved before the reconstruction and are displayed in the new community center.

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The Fast Track

Connie Cheng, MD ’05 OB-GYN/The Gynmama

Young Alumni On The Move

by Debbie Carini

Young alumni are making their mark on the world in diverse ways. They are rising stars in their fields, innovators, leaders, and changemakers. These young alumni are also enriching the communities where they live, building businesses, and working to have a meaningful and positive impact on the world. They embody Webb’s mission to think boldly, mindfully and creatively; act with honor and moral courage; lead with distinction; and serve with a generous spirit. And they are excited about Webb’s future and possibilities for growth.

“Webb has moved forward,” says Dr. Connie Cheng ’05.

“We’ve had difficult but necessary conversations concerning the ways we’re acknowledging race and class and we know we have room to grow. I hope we keep talking about it.”

Dr. Connie Cheng ’05 graduated from Pomona College with a degree in molecular biology, followed

by Yale Medical School; she completed her residency at UCLA in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Today, she is one of two founding physicians at UCLA’s new Pasadena branch, where her daily activities range from delivering babies to providing abortion care to operating in minimally invasive robotic surgery to conducting community outreach to educating women about best health practices. She is also a wife and mother to one-year-old Jordan Jack Lee. In addition, she serves on the physicians’ council for June, a digital maternity career startup and runs an evidence-based women’s health blog on Instagram, @TheGynMama.

Her informative and often poignant blog posts on @TheGynMama (such as one recently where she described her own experience with fertility struggles) reveal the human side of a highly educated and respected doctor. She attributes a lot of her fearlessness in communicating these important issues to her experience at Webb.

“I didn’t feel intimidated or fearful at Webb and that gave me a self-confidence I didn’t see in others, especially when I got to Pomona College,” says Cheng. “People at Webb believed in me.”

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She cites her close relationships with former teacher Anne Graybeal, track coach Phil Hogarth, tennis coach and calculus teacher Daren Starnes and coach Dan Pride.

“Ms. Graybeal encouraged us to think and listen to our thoughts—you’re supposed to learn things to pass the test, but she wanted to hear our interpretations. These people weren’t just my teachers, they were my mentors,” she said of the faculty who encouraged her to try different things, like running track and playing basketball (despite her 5’2” stature).

“They taught me to be mentally resilient—even when I was playing sports where I wasn’t the best, and the coach was tough,” she says.

“The fact that VWS is a school for girls also made me attuned to the difficult challenges that women face in their health,” she adds. “It opened my eyes to the fact that we go through different things health-wise.”

Kane Willis ’11 Upper School Dean, Poly Prep Country Day School

“I had so many wonderful teachers at Webb—they were so influential in different ways,” he says.

Willis was the first person in his family to graduate from high school, college and graduate school. He earned his BA from Amherst College with a double major in English and political science with concentrations in psychoanalysis and international studies. He then earned his MS in education from Johns Hopkins University with concentrations in social policy, secondary education and science education.

“I think one of the most important things I learned to do at Webb was to create relationships,” says Willis. He also cites time management.

“Webb was a rigorous institution that demanded a lot,” he says. “In college, I wrote up to four papers a week and I knew how to do that. I knew how to utilize office hours, how to talk to a professor, how to ask for help. That was critical.”

Poly Prep Country Day School is one of the most diverse independent schools in New York City, and Willis says he applies a lot of what he learned at Webb, even in difficult times, to what he does in his job.

As a student of color at Webb, Willis faced challenges that today, Webb continually seeks to improve, and that is something that he brings to his work as an educator now.

“There were no black or brown teachers when I was there,” he says. At Poly Prep, Willis has installed measures that allow BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) to feel seen on campus.

For two years, Willis taught at a high school in Hawaii as part of Teach for America. It opened a window to the high school side of the admission process. He realized that as a teacher, “You are responsible for other people’s children.

You help build their foundations for what success is and what it means to be a ‘good human.’”

Kane Willis ’11 took advantage of almost every extracurricular activity Webb had to offer when he was a day student—from playing basketball to ASB to orchestra. Today, he finds himself on the flip side in private school, as the Upper School Dean at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“I think the work that Webb is doing today in terms of diversity, gender and sexuality has contributed to making the school a better place,” he says.

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Valerie Cook ’09 Law Student, American University, and Filmmaker

THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org

“Thinking back on the hours I spent studying in the library and the pages of papers I wrote in college, I know they were built on the foundation that I acquired at Webb,” she says. “Webb’s nightly study hours, advisory groups, small classes and accessibility to teachers all paved the way for collegiate success. Webb had so many available resources and staff, I learned how to seek help and identify tools that would be helpful to me when I needed support.”

Valerie Cook ’09 graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in critical studies and is currently earning a law degree at American University, Washington College of Law, but she still considers a Webb teacher as one of the most influential she’s had.

“To this day, Sr. Valera is one of the most impactful teachers I have ever had. I knew when I signed up to take his AP Spanish Literature class that it would be difficult, and the truth is, it is one of the hardest classes I have ever taken,” explains Cook. “We read all of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote in Spanish and wrote analytical papers in Spanish as well. Sr. Valera’s expectation that his students do well was extremely high, but what made him great was that he modelled his expectations to us through his teaching. He worked so hard to make sure we understood a dense amount of material, and he succeeded. Every student deserves a teacher like him.”

Cook’s circuitous route to law school started at USC where she majored in Spanish — “largely due to the success I had in my Spanish classes at Webb,” she explains. But during her time at USC, she transferred into the film school and eventually went to work for Amazon Studios where she rose to senior post production executive of International Original Series. She also founded her own company, Happy Wanderer Productions, which advocates for solutions through investigation and exposition of underrepresented stories.

The decision to go to law school was not one that she made lightly considering she had already begun to establish herself in Hollywood with numerous production jobs and freelance film credits, and she had just started production on a civil rights-era short film.

“I’m extremely interested in the intersectionality between creative content and human rights and am looking forward to understanding how my study of the law can contribute to these pursuits,” she says. “The way in which Webb is relevant to these experiences is that I am part of a community of incredibly intelligent, diverse, thoughtful and talented people. No matter where I go or what I pursue I know there are Webbies all over the world who I can connect with, and that is invaluable.”

Cook has returned to campus to be a speaker at Sophomore Career Evening and was impressed by the students. “They were so engaged and thoughtful, it inspired me.

If they represent our next generation of leaders, we’re in good hands.”

Cook and her film crew, including Nick Nolan ’09 (second from left) making a teaser for her short film.

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“I’M EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN THE INTERSECTIONALITY BETWEEN CREATIVE CONTENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO UNDERSTANDING HOW MY STUDY OF THE LAW CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THESE PURSUITS.”

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Mark Torres, PhD ’06 Assistant Professor, Rice University

He also says that studying humanities was an impactful experience at Webb.

“In my freshman English class, there was such a focus on critical reading—and that’s had an enormous effect on my work today and my days in college,” he says. “We would read a few pages, and then Ms. Graybeal pushed us to understand what the writer meant, to analyze it critically.”

Of course, having a paleontology museum on campus was a plus for a student interested in nature and science.

“Dr. Lofgren once told me that when he was in graduate school, a researcher told him, ‘the only way you learn is by doing it,’” says Torres of the project meetings, conferences and hands-on science he was able to be a part of at the museum.

In 2014, Mark Torres ’06 had a major milestone in the career of a young scientist: he published, along with geologists A. Joshua West and Gen Li, a paper in Nature magazine entitled: “Sulphide oxidation and carbonate dissolution as a source of CO 2 over geological timescales.”

This was before he had even completed his PhD. “Being published in Nature is a significant feat, especially since Mark was still finishing his PhD,” said Director of the Alf Museum of Paleontology Don Lofgren at the time.

“Having a first authorship in a journal of this esteem is the benchmark for any scientist.”

Torres, who completed his undergraduate degree at Pitzer College would go on to receive his PhD in geology at the University of Southern California. He joined Rice University in 2017, after working at the California Institute of Technology.

He was inspired by these endeavors, naturally, through his association with the Alf Museum, but he also credits his overall education at Webb with giving him the tools he still utilizes today in his career.

“At Webb, we were able to do a lot of outdoor stuff,” he says. “I did Outdoor Activities in the afternoon, instead of participating in a sport. We’d go hiking in the hills behind Webb. I remember walking with art teacher Blair Maffris and just talking about life, about what we were learning.”

Today, Torres’ research concerns how concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere are regulated over geologic time and what makes planets habitable.

Last year, he was selected as a 2019 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in the field of ocean science for which he was awarded a 2-year $70,000 fellowship. The award seeks to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars while recognizing their distinguished performance and unique potential to make substantial contributions to their fields.

As a career scientist, Torres is taken with the equipment and experiences Webb students have access to today.

“Every time I go back to Webb, I’m impressed and even a little jealous. There’s more technology, more research …

I saw a student looking at dinosaur teeth on an electron microscope,” he says. “That’s something I didn’t do until college!”

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Ariel Fan ’10

Fan believes that her time at Webb taught her invaluable lessons that she brings to her company today.

Entrepreneur/Owner, GreenWealth Energy

“Webb’s core value of character building is reflected in every aspect of your daily life at school,” she recalls. “The focus on integrity, the honor code values—that allows me to lead a team who share those values.”

As a boarder, she especially appreciated the warmth and generosity of her teachers and Webb staff who lived on campus and welcomed students into their homes.

“I was close to Peter and Colleen Bartlett—we still stay in touch—Colleen was my advisor and we bonded for life. I respected her as a mentor, but felt a kinship with her,” says Fan. “All of my teachers were exemplary in character and that has inspired me in how I treat people.”

In a recent issue of Capitol Weekly, a publication covering California government and politics, Ariel Fan ’10 wrote about the passage of AB 841, a bill that directs state energy efficiency funding to upgrade HVAC systems in public schools. Fan wrote: “If there’s one thing that 2020 has taught us, it’s that we must create collaborative methods to solve mounting problems. If there is one thing my career as CEO of GreenWealth Energy Partners has taught me, it’s that strategic investments in energy efficiency can employ Californians, reduce energy bills, and create healthier buildings.”

In 2016, Fan founded GreenWealth Energy Partners, a designbuild energy transformation firm. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that she is forging a path in green energy solutions—she founded the Project Earth club at Webb when she was a student and spent many weekends working to clean up local watersheds and beaches.

In 2016, she won an Edison Award, which recognizes and honors innovation and excellence in the development, marketing and launch of new products and services.

At the time, she said, “Winning the Edison Award was everything to me as a young entrepreneur. Before that, when I was working on these green projects that I thought were great to save energy, people didn’t really understand that sustainability and energy efficiency can actually save owners money.”

Fan has been a dedicated Webb alumna helping out with Sophomore Career Night and the Networking Essentials seminar. Though she’s had a busy year, pivoting her company to concentrate more on EV charging and closing contracts with The Grove shopping center and Metropolis, a residential and retail complex composed of four towers in downtown Los Angeles, Fan recently joined the Webb Alumni Council and hopes to make an impact through the Webb15 and Women of Webb alumni programs.

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Kevin Groh ’09 Senior Field and Media Advisor to Political Campaigns

“That was meaningful for me because Webb is such a traditional school in so many ways, with chapel and formal dinners, but I was encouraged to be myself, and to start new initiatives to raise awareness of and organize around LGBTQ+ issues,” he says. “There was a place for me because there were leadership opportunities in progressive spaces— it helped me want to pursue the career I have today.”

Groh came out as gay during his sophomore year at Webb.

“I’m from Alaska,” which he describes as not very liberal, “but my friends at Webb were my family, I felt very accepted.”

In Anne Graybeal’s AP Literature class, Groh remembers reading Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize winning Angels in America, a play about the early 1980s spread of the AIDS epidemic, and a rapidly changing social and political climate.

Right now, Kevin Groh ’09 isn’t quite sure what his next move will be. He just finished working on the successful Biden for President campaign and is looking at possible jobs in the administration. But his biggest achievement this past year was working on the unprecedented presidential campaign of Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay man to run for the nation’s highest office.

Though Groh has worked in a number of high-profile positions, including as the GOTV (Get Out The Vote) Director on Stacey Abrams’ run for governor of Georgia in 2018, and as the senior media advisor for the Speaker of the New York City Council, his work for Mayor Buttigieg felt especially personal.

“It empowered and motivated me as a gay man to work for the first openly gay candidate in American history,” explains Groh. “I wanted to be on that cutting edge.”

Groh was the Iowa organizing director for Buttigieg—a state the groundbreaking candidate narrowly won, becoming the first openly gay candidate to win a presidential primary or caucus.

When Groh was at Webb, he was president of SMART— Students Maintaining and Reaching for Tolerance, a gaystraight student alliance.

“It was so fascinating and motivating to learn about the activism and upheaval of the gay movement in the 1980s. To learn about how much progress was made and how quickly and reflect on how far we still have to go,” he says. “Reading that and discussing it with other smart kids made me want to do something in politics or activism.”

In Iowa, Groh managed 36 offices and a staff of hundreds for the Buttigieg campaign.

“The Iowa caucuses are a unique process,” he says. “You need to be able to stand and support your candidate individually. We trained people how to talk about Pete and my staff prepared hundreds of volunteers to knock on thousands of doors.”

His Webb experience as a boarder played a large part in this endeavor. Especially having to move frequently and work away from home.

“There is a confidence and strength you gain from being away at Webb; a feeling of being even-keeled,” he says. “I’ve had to move a lot and relocate quickly. The independence of going to boarding school early in life prepares you for that.”

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“WEBB IS SUCH A TRADITIONAL SCHOOL IN SO MANY WAYS, WITH CHAPEL AND FORMAL DINNERS, BUT I WAS ENCOURAGED TO BE MYSELF, AND TO START NEW INITIATIVES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF AND ORGANIZE AROUND LGBTQ+ ISSUES.”

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NEWS FROM

The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

Paleontologist and Educator Dr. Alexis Mychajliw Honored by the Alf Museum

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The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology recognized Dr. Alexis Mychajliw with the Alf Award for Excellence in Paleontological Research and Education at the annual Peccary Society event, held virtually this year. Now in its sixth year,

“Knowledge comes in many forms and lives in many places—this is one of the most important values I hold as a scientist, and I strive to instill in my students,” said Mychajliw. “Working in education and research simultaneously means that even if I am not excited or inspired at the moment, seeing a student make a connection or become fascinated by a question immediately reminds me why I became a scientist in the first place.”

the award honors a paleontologist who demonstrates exceptional achievement both in original scientific research, as well as in education and outreach at the primary and secondary school (K–12) levels.

Mychajliw is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Oklahoma and a research associate at the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. She is a noted expert on Ice Age animals, particularly in studies that use the fossil record to understand contemporary issues of wildlife conservation and environmental change. Mychajliw’s fieldwork has included collaborations in California, as well as in the Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago, uncovering fossils that have been important in better understanding small and large-scale transitions from prehistory into the modern day. Alongside this impressive research program, Mychajliw has maintained a strong presence as an educator and mentor for high school students. Through funding from the Society for Science and the Public, she developed a high school science research program for female students and those from underrepresented backgrounds. These students completed research projects in paleontology and presented them at Los Angeles-area science fairs. Additionally, Mychajliw has been active with the “Skype a Scientist” program, which has allowed further direct engagement with students and other interested people around the world.

Alf Museum curator Andy Farke commented, “Dr. Mychajliw’s influence as a researcher alongside her notable efforts for education are truly within the spirit of Ray Alf, and should be an inspiration to everyone in the field.”

Alf Museum Deepens Presence in Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Leadership and Conferences Professional organizations in every field provide networking opportunities, advocacy, and professional support. For the Alf Museum, one of the most relevant bodies is the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP). Ray Alf himself was an early member of SVP, and was honored by the society with the Morris F. Skinner Prize for his contributions to the field. Since then, museum staff and Webb students have continued to be active in the organization.

Earlier this year, Augustyn Family Curator and Director of Research & Collections Dr. Andy Farke was elected to SVP leadership, as a Member-at-Large for the Executive Committee. In this capacity, Farke helps support efforts by the society’s president and vice president, in addition to representing a voice of the membership on the committee.

“As the only member of the executive team who is a high school educator, and as the only representative who is primarily located at a museum, I’m really excited for this opportunity to bring a new voice to SVP’s leadership,” says Farke. (cont)

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(cont) Presentation of student research at the SVP annual meeting has been a major highlight for generations of Webb students. At the conference, students get to meet worldrenowned researchers and share the results of research projects from the Advanced Studies in Paleontology (ASIP) class. This year, the conference was held virtually, with three student projects presented. The first focused on preservation bias in fossil horse toe bones from the Barstow Formation, using fossils collected by hundreds of Webb students, alumni, faculty and staff over the years. Vicky Gu ’21 and Yaoran (Isabella) Shi ’21 are the lead authors on this project. A second project, led by Jenny (Jingyi) Han ’21, used CT scans to reconstruct the brain of the horned dinosaur Leptoceratops. The third project, with Wyatt Andrews ’21 and Mason Letteau-Stallings ’21, provided preliminary results on fossils collected during the 2019 Summer Peccary Trip to Wyoming.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT:

Bailey Jorgensen To run a world class paleontology program, like the Alf Museum does at The Webb Schools, a skilled and dedicated staff is essential. Here, we feature Bailey Jorgensen, our most experienced collections assistant, who works in collections storage rooms rarely seen by the public, but also occasionally serves as an outreach assistant.

Regarding his experience presenting research at the SVP meeting, Wyatt Andrews ’21 commented, “I very much looked forward to showing admired professionals the work I’ve done, whether it be the identifications or the artwork.” All of the student researchers are honored as Rogers Peccary Scholars through this program that supports student activities at the Alf Museum.

Jorgensen grew up in Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a degree in archaeology.

Before arriving at Webb in 2017, Jorgensen helped preserve and sailed on historic traditionally rigged tall ships for maritime museums and institutes in Maine and southern California, where she also taught history, environmental science and sailing methods.

Specimens in the collections of a museum are its intellectual core, and the nearly 200,000 fossils at the Alf Museum are no exception. Jorgensen’s duties include updating locality and accessions databases, maintaining the Specify specimen database, and cataloging both recently collected fossils and those in the backlog of uncatalogued specimens from peccary trips 50 years ago. She also makes sure specimens are properly housed and labeled using archival quality materials. One of her favorite tasks is making cavity mounts for fragile fossils, where delicate specimens are snugly nested in foam cut to fit their shape.

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Fossils are often removed from the collections so they can be studied, and Jorgensen ensures that Webb students have access to specimens they need for their research projects in the Advanced Studies in Paleontology (ASIP) course. She also processes specimen loans to researchers at other museums throughout North America.

Because Webb is doing online classes, Bailey is currently digitizing specimens, using laser scanning and photogrammetry, to give ASIP students remote access.

She has multiple collections projects ongoing at any one time. A current example is tracking down locality data for anthill specimens from the Meng and Arner ranches (Nebraska) found by the Peccary Society in the 1950s.

This involves searching through drawers and old card catalogs to locate the relevant information. Bailey also maintains and organizes the museum’s physical and digital archives, which includes old photographs of Ray Alf and Webb students on peccary trips.

Jorgensen also helps collect fossils, and her favorite experience was being on the crew at the remote helicopter supported camp in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (Utah), where she excavated at the Cripe Site. She notes that “helping to find the fossils, and then continuing to take care of them back at the museum was awesome.”

Eventually, Jorgensen hopes to earn an advanced degree involving lab work and fossil preservation techniques. In the meantime, she enjoys the many hiking and surfing opportunities that California has to offer.

Rendering of the dinosaur Leptoceratops, ©Hannah Caisse.

Alf Museum Hosts Science Illustration Intern Paleontologists may find the bones, but science illustrators are the ones who help bring the fossils back to life! A well-crafted illustration illuminates anatomy in the description of a dinosaur bone, or resurrects a long-gone prehistoric environment as it was in living color. During the past five years, the Alf Museum has hosted artists from Cal StateMonterey Bay as part of the university’s certificate program in science illustration. While in residence at the museum, the artists work on several projects to further research and outreach, while building their own professional portfolios as illustrators.

The 2020 science illustration intern was Hannah Caisse. Prior to beginning formal studies in science illustration, Caisse completed her undergraduate studies in ecology and evolution at UC Santa Cruz, and had even published her illustrations in several books on natural history of California. Due to the Webb campus closure, Caisse completed her work remotely, while meeting regularly with museum staff over teleconference.

She recently finished an illustration of the dinosaur Leptoceratops, in support of a Webb student research project, and is currently illustrating the prehistoric environment of eastern Wyoming, as revealed by fossils collected on peccary trips in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Even with the most spectacular fossils, it still takes real skill to tell their story through art,” says Andy Farke. “I really enjoy seeing how Hannah is bringing a fresh new look to some of our historic discoveries.”

“I love paleoart, because it is essentially the only way to experience fossils and extinct prehistoric creatures as close to reality as possible,” explains Caisse. “And, to be able to render extinct species very closely to current scientific literature is very rewarding.”

Work produced during this internship will be included in scientific publications, public outreach materials, and social media communications.

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Touring the Museum from Home

Museums have always been a place for learning and discovery. But in a time when museums are no longer accessible, how do the curious get the answers they seek, and how do people hungry for knowledge get their fill? The answer is simple: the museum goes to them! by Gabe Santos Since we closed in March, we have made tremendous strides in developing virtual programs that are both meaningful and accessible to the public and the Webb community.

Our outreach team, consisting of tours manager Monique Reyes, and outreach staff Billie Guerrero, Chelsea Moreno, and Bailey Jorgensen, and myself (outreach coordinator), transformed our in-person educational programs into engaging virtual experiences. Luckily, we had already been in the process of developing virtual programs for future use, as volunteer Alexander Ozbirn had just finished creating a virtual database of our exhibits. So only two weeks after the lockdown, we were able to release our Exhibit Exploration and Dynamic Dinosaurs virtual experiences. Through these programs, our audiences are given an in-depth tour of the museum and are able to interact directly with our outreach educators, all from the comfort of their homes. While most museums have focused on developing online videos, the Alf was one of the first museums to focus their virtual content on directly engaging audiences in real time. Our programs have even been shown to volunteers at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an example for them to follow.

At the same time, we also wanted to develop a more informal program that allowed anyone to learn about paleontology, but one that would give them another opportunity to engage directly with paleontologists. In collaboration with our partner museum, the Western Science Center, we created a livestream program called Fossil Friday Chats, This weekly series broadcasts live on YouTube (previously Facebook Live) and features a guest paleontologist every week who shares their experiences and knowledge and also allows viewers to ask them questions from anywhere in the world! In addition, as part of the Alf Museum’s dedication to diversity and inclusivity in STEM, Fossil Friday Chats was developed to represent the growing diversity of paleontology, and also to provide a platform for

early-career professionals, students, and scientists from underrepresented backgrounds to showcase their science and science communication skills.

Additionally, as part of our efforts to increase accessibility in museum education and in consideration of those in the community facing lay-offs and furloughs, we decided to offer these virtual experiences at no-cost. The Alf Museum is also proud to be able to provide these virtual experiences with auto-captions for the hearing impaired, and we are working to ensure other accommodations are available as well.

After six months of online programming, we provided virtual exhibit experiences to over 2,500 people and our Fossil Friday Chats (more than 30 episodes) were viewed by thousands. Also, we developed new networks with afterschool and youth programs such as the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA. We also continue to expand online content to provide even more educational resources. In October, when we launched an introduction to paleontology after-school program for 6th-9th graders led by Billie Guerrero. Also, Chelsea Moreno is developing long-format, narrative-based educational videos to highlight museum specimens. We even started the Moments of Time webinar series for the Webb community to highlight the work and personal stories of Alf Museum paleontologists, Webb student researchers, and scientists from around the world.

Thus, when we closed the doors of the Alf Museum, we continued to serve as an educational resource thanks to technology. As described in the first verse of the Peccary Song, what was once “the little museum on the hill,” is now the little museum with world-wide virtual outreach. Also, when we can welcome guests back into our exhibit halls, we will continue to provide these online resources to our everexpanding community of fossil enthusiasts, thus greatly increasing our footprint in educational programming.

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Our audiences can now tour our exhibit halls and see Allosaurus from their homes

19/20 THE REPORT OF THE SCHOOLS Please enjoy this excerpt from The Report of the Schools 2019-20. The full report can be found online at bit.ly/WebbReport19-20

The Report of the Schools

19/20 Director of Advancement Faculty Awards

Webb Is My Home: Wayne “Skip” Hanson ’59 Facts and Stats Revenues and Expenditures Legacy Hall of Fame Giving

From the Director of Institutional Advancement

Once again,

it is our pleasure to

deliver Webb’s Report of the Schools to you, along with our

thanks for all that you have done to support Webb and the Alf Museum during an extraordinary and unique period of time.

While the 2019-20 school year will forever be associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways that we all responded to it, the year will not be defined by it, as Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale has said. As you will read in the stories and see in the accompanying lists and charts within this publication, Webb’s year was defined, as it should be, by the achievements of our students and faculty, by the commitment shown by The Webb Schools and the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology to their respective missions, and by you, who support Webb with your gifts of financial resources and your gifts of volunteer time, energy and good will.

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“Together, we have an opportunity to make Webb stronger and healthier with our actions and generosity, as Webb approaches its Centennial in 2022.”

While philanthropic support is essential to the short-term and the long-term success of Webb, it is about more than the gifts themselves. The real stories are those that tell of the students who can attend Webb because of financial aid or the faculty and staff members who have been supported in their professional development and bring that growth back to campus, or the stories of why donors have chosen to support Webb and the Alf Museum. You will read these stories in the sections of this report, including the story of an alumnus who made a significant planned gift, saying, from his heart, “Webb is my home.”

We all are in a challenging time together. Together, we have an opportunity to make Webb stronger and healthier with our actions and generosity, as Webb approaches its Centennial in 2022. Together, we can write this year’s stories about Webb students and their successes and the faculty members who make Webb’s excellent education possible, and about making our mission even stronger and more relevant. While we cannot gather in person for the moment, we will continue to reach out to you, using technology, to thank you for your generosity and to ask you for your philanthropic support in the year ahead.

Thank you again from all of us in Webb’s Advancement Office. From all of us at Webb, I wish you and your family a healthy and safe year.

Respectfully,

Dutch Barhydt Director of Institutional Advancement

The Report of the Schools 19/20

In 2019-20, Webb enjoyed its most successful fundraising year on record, raising $16,501,504 in gifts and pledges for current operations, capital and endowment funds, and planned gift commitments. While much of this generosity will come to Webb later in the form of deferred or estate gifts, many donors chose to make an immediate impact with current and unrestricted giving. This thoughtful and generous giving resulted in a historic response to Giving Days and helped Webb successfully navigate the economic uncertainties during the early days of the pandemic.

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Mentors and Role Models

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Perry Awards The Perry Awards were established and endowed in 1995 by generous donors to honor the life and work of former faculty Les and Barbara Perry, who devoted thirty years to the students of Webb and served the school loyally and in many capacities. The Perry Awards serve as a tangible reward for a job well done and for extraordinary dedication to the growth and development of Webb students.

THE 2019-20 PERRY AWARD WINNERS:

Diving fully into the spirit of Webb’s Unbounded Days program, Hamilton took a busload of students all the way to the Arizona border in search of a weather balloon launched in Claremont — a symbol of his passion for and commitment to experiential learning. He is an amazing mentor to students, in his role as robotics coach and as an advisor to a group of WSC students.

Morgan Kapp, World Languages Kapp’s dedication to her craft is evident within the walls of the Old Schoolhouse where her students not only explore the technical aspects of Spanish, but the culture, history, art, and current events of various countries around the world. Her classes model what it means to “fully immerse oneself” in the language. Her students navigate through her class with smiles on their faces and genuine interest in the subject matter.

Furthermore, Kapp’s presence extends beyond the classroom: she is not only an excellent coach, but a vital role model for our female student-athletes. She pushes students to extend themselves both physically and mentally and exemplifies what it means to live a healthy, balanced life.

Scott Nichols, Digital Communications If there is a camera pointed at you while on campus, chances are Nichols is behind it. In his role as director of digital communications, he works hard to capture the myriad moments that make up the Webb experience. The night sky over the observatory, sleek swimmers racing underwater, aerial shots of our 150-acre campus, friends studying together in the library stacks – Scott strives to document and share it all.

Nichol’s dedication to and appreciation for the political process is no less steadfast. He was introduced to his first political candidate at the age of two, and more recently has sought to merge his two interests by photographing candidates during the 2020 election. Indeed, Nichols models passion, curiosity, and civic engagement to Webb students.

Michael Szanyi, Humanities Watching him teach a sample class as part of the interview process, Webb knew Szanyi was made for this work.

After teaching one psychology course, he was asked to staff the evening academic labs. Then to run the dance program. Anyone who has worked with Michael, who has experienced his kind spirit, his dedication to students, his thoughtfulness and creativity, and his tremendous work ethic, understands why we needed him to be part of this community.

A full-time humanities teacher, head of Webb’s dance program, VWS head of dorms, WSC lead class advisor for the Class of 2021 – Szanyi wears many hats. And in July 2020, he added the role of Dean of Faculty to his hat collection.

The spirit he brings to these roles is singularly wonderful, whether hosting a Britney Spears dance party for his dorm, prodding faculty to participate in Theme Days dress-up or giving a well-researched chapel talk on the WSC motto. He embodies the all-in Webb teacher.

The Report of the Schools 19/20

Andrew Hamilton, Science Since joining Webb in 2012, Hamilton has played an instrumental role in innovating Webb’s science program.

Eager to ensure the success of the sophomore Integrated Physics & Chemistry (IPC) course, Andrew helped revamp the entire curriculum.

He also wrote an entirely new astrophysics curriculum aimed at taking advantage of Webb’s observatory — further demonstrating his commitment to pushing the coursework and himself.

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THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org

Teaching Awards The Laurence McMillin Excellence in Teaching Award Malick Mbengue, World Languages Often seen around campus with an easygoing stroll and a bright smile that will make anyone’s day, this year’s McMillin Award winner has a certain...je ne sais quoi about him. Mbengue is always positive, enthusiastic, excited, and shows a genuine concern towards everyone he encounters. He carries this same energy into the classroom and helps his students see beyond passé composé contre imparfait, explaining when to use le subjonctif, and helping them understand the value of how learning a language connects them to so much more than just what is on the page in front of them. Mbengue uses French as a vehicle to help students see the value of connecting to different cultures, beliefs, religions and ways of life. On the soccer field, his passion for the game is palpable with every drill, practice and match he coaches. His players learn more than just soccer. As one of his player’s parent states: “Coach Mbengue has spent hours dedicated to the students on and off the field. He is a mentor and an inspiration to the students.” Though Mbengue certainly has une attitude décontractée (a laid-back attitude), his joie de vivre and passion for teaching have made his students, our faculty, and most importantly, our community, that much more vibrant and full of life.

Ardina Greco, Fine Arts To enter the art room during Greco’s class is to feel the creative process alongside the calm and comfort of home. She brings a tremendous artistic expertise to her classroom, helping students navigate color, materials and meaning. She also brings a deep care for her students, as she helps them to imagine, to express and to create.

Greco is also a gardener and a chef. Imagine her coaxing a small bud to flower in her backyard, with patience and encouragement. One can also imagine this same attention as she encourages her bread dough to rise or her pomegranate jam to thicken. This is how Greco approaches her work as an educator. Cooking rice in Jones Dormitory, listening to students process their college

anxieties, explaining new cleaning protocols in the dorm lounge — these are also acts of teaching. And with the same attention that she guides students to think creatively and to express themselves artistically in her classes, she also helps them to discover the secrets of living a full, meaningful and balanced life in the dorms and around campus. Greco is all in, a real boarding school educator with incredible heart and a dedication to Webb’s values and mission.

The Laurence McMillin Excellence in Teaching Award was established and endowed by David Loo ’79.

James T. Demetriades ’80 Endowed Prize for Unbounded Thinking Lisa Nacionales, Science As the science department chair, Lisa has fearlessly led the charge in continuing to push the boundaries of Webb’s science curriculum. She has played a large role in helping the department understand what deep learning looks like in the science classroom. Additionally, Lisa has continued to help hone and develop the core curricula in Evolutionary Biology and Integrated Physics & Chemistry.

Her colleagues describe her as “loyal,” “visionary” and “constantly thinking about innovating.” Fearless of how a lesson, demo or lab will go, she dives into every class with unwavering passion for the subject but more importantly, hope and confidence in her students that they will successfully answer each and every one of those challenges. Pushing them to think beyond just the content, Lisa interweaves issues of equity, social justice and human responsibility in the context of science into her units. In addition to keeping up with the vaccine race of 2020, Lisa has been an instrumental member of the Webb community.

Beyond the classroom, Lisa has served as an advisor, dorm head, afternoon activity leader, and a powerful ally and advocate for the student and faculty delegation that have attended the People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Not only is Lisa constantly thinking about how to make the science curriculum truly unbounded, but she really is rewriting the script for what an unbounded teacher looks like.

The James T. Demetriades ’80 Prize for Unbounded Thinking was established and endowed by James T. Demetriades ’80.

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Jean E. Miller Excellence in Teaching Award Brian Rogers, Humanities Rogers joined Webb in 2011 as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed educator, complete with an abundance of passion. He’s known for both an occasional grumble as well as some wickedly clever jokes. In the classroom, Brian oozes intellectual curiosity; his passion for reading and writing is palpable and infectious. Whether hosting a discussion of Truman Capote or a writing workshop for novice fiction writers, Brian encourages, provokes and celebrates his students. Brian models the passion of a life-long learner, as he takes up new areas of study — most recently online coursework on international relations — to contribute to his work as an educator — in this case, studying material to be added to his new course Press, Politics & American Power.

As an advisor, his wry humor helps to buoy his advisees, who feel his deep care for them, and in the many casual conversations he has around campus, Brian engages our students, helping them to feel known, respected and valued.

This award celebrates the many contributions he has made to our educational program and to our community in his time at Webb, and it is given with deep gratitude and affection.

The Jean E. Miller Excellence in Teaching Award was established and endowed by the Affiliates of The Webb Schools.

Thompson and Vivian Webb Award

community. As one of his students says, “Mr. Choi is not only a teacher but an activist. He encourages me to assert my own identity and to be proud of who I am. He empowers me and so many others to keep fighting for the change we want and stand firmly with our beliefs.” Choi takes his multiple roles seriously and does not let himself get confined into just being a classroom teacher. John is a committed advisor, a dependable and deeply dedicated community service coordinator, and faculty advisor to the Empowering Student Voices Initiative. He was also appointed to the new position of diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator in which he will ensure that every member of the Webb community feels like they belong and are valued. In two short years, John has left an indelible mark on this community and gives each and every one of us hope that together, we can make change.

The Thompson and Vivian Webb Award was endowed by Edmund L. Piper ’43.

“Master teachers give students agency, push them out of their comfort zones, and drive them to think beyond their curriculum.”

Simply put, Choi is a master teacher.

Master teachers can use their classroom as just one morsel of space to inspire students to want to learn more and to be better than just their individual selves. But he is much more than just a master science teacher.

Choi encourages his students to think about issues of equity, service, social justice, and about being more than just individuals inside of the safe Webb bubble. He helps his students think about themselves as part of the whole class, the whole effort and the whole

The Report of the Schools 19/20

John Choi, Science

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Planned Giving

Wayne “Skip” Hanson ’59 Creates a Home for Future Generations of Bertha M. Lynch Scholars Skip Hanson ’59 had a deep and abiding devotion to Webb, a school that he held close to his heart. He demonstrated this devotion over decades through his actions and his leadership. As Skip’s extraordinary life was coming to a close, he talked openly about Webb and why Webb was so important to him.

In the summer of 2018, Skip told Dutch Barhydt, Webb’s director of institutional advancement, that when he arrived on the Webb campus in the mid 1950’s, he felt that he had “come home.” He felt that Thompson and Vivian Webb and the men and women of the Webb faculty and staff took a sincere interest in him as an individual, as a student and as an athlete. Skip carried those early impressions with him for the next six decades, through two tours of duty with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam, through a successful career as an early leader in the commercial property management business, and as a trustee of The Webb Schools.

Serving as a Webb trustee for over twelve years, Skip oversaw Webb’s complex insurance and risk management needs and led the school through the annual process to ensure that Webb was properly protected at all times. Skip admitted to a fascination with Webb’s infrastructure, particularly the less-glamorous but highly critical infrastructure that could not be seen, including the underground pipes that carry water to various points on campus. He knew that maintaining these pipes was critical to maintaining Webb’s campus. To honor Skip’s commitment some years ago, Webb’s Director of Finance, Planning and Operations Janet Peddy created

an award recognizing Skip’s work. The award was a trophy constructed of old and rusted (but authentic!) pipes from the Webb campus. That award remained prominently on a shelf where Skip could see it every day. In addition to his leadership in insurance and risk management, Skip chaired Webb’s Real Estate Trust Committee, guiding Webb through issues relating to the acquisition of real estate either for the campus, or presented to Webb as charitable gifts.

Skip’s devotion to Webb went far beyond Webb’s physical plant, to include Webb’s students. In 1990, Skip, along with his brother Robert M. Hanson ’62 and their father Wayne A. Hanson, created The Bertha M. Lynch Principes Non Homines Scholarship in memory of the Hansons’ maternal grandmother. Given Skip’s strong inclination to not only demonstrate leadership, but to nurture it in others, this scholarship is awarded to students with the following attributes: admirable qualities of character, academic excellence, financial need, the potential to contribute positively to the spirit and life of the Webb community (athletics, performing arts, publications, etc.), and demonstrated leadership potential.

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When he arrived on the Webb campus in the mid 1950’s, Skip felt that he had “come home.”

Skip, second from the left, is pictured with the Class of 1959 at their 50th reunion.

Two months after Skip passed away on June 28, 2018, Sharon Hanson and a small handful of family members gathered on the Webb campus — the place that Skip called “my home.”

Sitting quietly in the late afternoon sun, at the southwest corner of the Vivian Webb Chapel, the group recited Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “Crossing the Bar,” lead by Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale: Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which I drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark.

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have cross’d the bar.

One year later, in October 2019, Webb learned the full impact of Skip’s leadership. The estate gift that Skip and Sharon created to benefit Webb is one of the largest legacy gifts that Webb has received in its history and will allow Webb to provide financial aid to numerous Bertha Lynch Scholars each and every year.

Skip’s devotion and leadership will live in perpetuity in these future students who will be known as Bertha Lynch Scholars and who will also call Webb “my home.”

During Skip’s lifetime, Sharon and Skip took many wonderful trips together to England where Skip participated in sporting activities in the English countryside, an extension of his love of athletics, competitive sailing, fast cars and competition. When Skip excelled, as he often did, his English friends would say, “Well done, Wayne.”

When asked how she would like Skip’s legacy at Webb to be remembered, Sharon thought for a moment and then responded, “Well done, Wayne, well done.”

The Report of the Schools 19/20

As Skip’s health began to fail in 2018, he was determined to finalize his wishes for Webb in a series of meetings. With his devoted wife Sharon at his side, Skip carefully outlined a very significant estate gift to Webb to forever provide financial aid for generations of Bertha M. Lynch Scholars. Skip recognized that providing access to the most qualified students, regardless of financial capability is central to Webb’s mission now, and in the century ahead.

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2019-20 Facts and Stats YEAR FOUNDED: 1922

2019-20 OPERATING BUDGET: $21.8 Million

STUDENT BODY 412 VWS & WSC students 65% boarding 35% day

ENDOWMENT: $42.7 Million

DEMOGRAPHICS 73% domestic from 9 states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington 27% international from 17 countries: Canada, Chile, China, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

FACULTY 57 Teaching faculty 89% hold advanced degrees 88% live on campus 6:1 Student/teacher ratio NATIONAL MERIT RECOGNITION 2016-2020 510 Graduates (five years) 205 Letters of Commendation 69 Semi-Finalists 42 Finalists 29 National Hispanic Scholars ATHLETICS 41 Teams 15 Sports FINE ARTS Dance Instrumental and Choral Music Media Arts Theater Visual Arts

FINANCIAL AID: $5.6 Million need-based for 35% of students TOTAL LIVING ALUMNI OF RECORD: 5,254 69% Webb School of California, 31% Vivian Webb School COLLEGE PROFILE - CLASS OF 2020 • 100% of the Class of 2020 applied and were admitted to selective, four-year colleges • 90% of the Class of 2020 accepted into a college in the top 10% based on US News & World Report • 8 colleges on average applied to • 4 or more acceptances on average ACCREDITATION AND MEMBERSHIPS THE WEBB SCHOOLS: • The Association of Boarding Schools • Association of College Counselors of Independent Schools (founding member) • California Association of Independent Schools (founding member) • The College Board • Council for the Advancement and Support of Education • Education Records Bureau • Independent School Management • National Association of College Admission Counseling • National Association of College and University Business Officers • National Association of Independent Schools • Western Association of Schools and Colleges • Western Boarding Schools Association ALF MUSEUM: • American Alliance of Museums • American Association for the Advancement of Science • Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology • Association of Science Museum Directors • Geological Society of America • National Association of Geology Teachers • Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections • Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Revenues and Expenditures 53% Alumni

July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 50 50 40 1% Friends40 30 2% Corporations 30 20 and Foundations 20 10 10 50 0 0 40 44% Current

and Past Parents 30

Note: Total includes gifts and pledges from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020

OPERATING EXPENSES: TOTAL: $21.8M

20 20 10 20 15 0 15 10 10 5 5 20 0 0 15 10

16% Operations and Physical Plant

61% Salaries and Benefits

ENDOWMENT OVER 5 YEARS* 2015-16: $30.6 2016-17:

$33.5

2017-18:

$37.8

2018-19: $40.1 2019-20: $42.7

$40 MM

TOTAL GIVING 2015-16: $5.88 2016-17:

$5.24

2017-18:

$14.7

2018-19: $7.90 2019-20: $16.5

1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0

2015-16 2015-16

2016-17 2016-17

2017-18 2017-18

2018-19 2018-19

2019-20 2019-20

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2015-16 2015-16

2016-17 2016-17

2017-18 2017-18

2018-19 2018-19

2019-20 2019-20

$30 MM $20 MM $20 MM $10 MM MM $20 $15 MM $15 MM $10 MM $10 MM $5 MM $5 MM $20 MM $15 MM

Over 1,200 donors supported The Webb Schools and the Alf $10 MM Museum during the 2019-20 year.

2.5 10% General 5

2.5 2.0 13% Faculty, 0 2.0 Academic1.5and Student 1.5 1.0 Programming 1.0 0.5 0.5 2.5 0.0 0.0 2.0

$50 MM $50 MM $40 MM $40 MM $30 MM $30 MM $20 MM $20 MM $10 MM $10 MM $50 MM

$2.5 MM $5 MM $2.5 MM $2.0 MM $2.0 MM $1.5 MM $1.5 MM $1.0 MM $1.0 MM $.5 MM $.5 MM $2.5 MM

Webb Fund Highlights 2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2015-16 2015-16

2016-17 2016-17

2017-18 2017-18

2018-19 2018-19

2019-20 2019-20

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

WEBB FUND GIVING * 2015-16: $1.64 2016-17:

$1.63

2017-18:

$2.08

2018-19: $1.92

$2.0 MM $1.5 MM $1.0 MM $.5 MM

2019-20: $2.45

Participation Highlights TOTAL ALUMNI PARTICIPATION 25% Webb School of California 15% Vivian Webb School PARENT PARTICIPATION 59%

100% Club Congratulations to these groups who achieved 100% participation this year: Board of Trustees Alumni Council Parent Class Agents Affiliates Board *Unaudited numbers as of June 30, 2020

The Report of the Schools 19/20

GIFT REVENUE: $16,501,503.63

Gift Highlights

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Legacy Hall of Fame We wish to give special recognition to the following donors who have given $1 million or more over the course of their lifetime to The Webb Schools and the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology. Their philanthropy has transformed our campus and impacted the lives of generations of students. $5 MILLION OR MORE

Blake ’68 and Andrea Brown Blake Brown and his wife Andrea have helped to transform our campus and educational programs. Their gifts have helped bring the Alf Museum into the modern age with significant support for the Hall of Life campaign, a research laboratory and fossil prep laboratory. They also supported the renovation of a NextGen science lab allowing for the highest level of research, the construction of new faculty housing, and a major renovation of Hooper Community Center in addition to the land acquisition adjacent to campus.

James D. ’42 and Lin Burke Few people or events have had the powerful impact that Jim and Lin Burke have had on Webb. The Burke’s leadership gift to Webb came in the form of a family cabin on a lake. The cabin and surrounding property were sold for over $6 million, making the Burkes’ gift the largest in Webb’s history. With the proceeds of that sale, Webb built the Copeland Donahue Theater in 2008, the first new construction of an academic building since 1987.

Jim and Lin’s gift will continue a family legacy of giving back by providing financial aid to deserving students.

Col. John S. Rogers USAF (Ret.) ’59 and the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation During the past three decades, Col. John and June Rogers and the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation have transformed the lives of Webb students. Through the Mary Stuart Rogers Endowed Scholarship and the Raymond M. Alf Peccary Society Chair, more than 255 students have received

financial aid and the opportunity of a Webb education.

In addition to his dedication to growing the schools’ endowment, Col. Rogers has supported capital projects such as the Mary Stuart Rogers Sports Center and Faculty Field, and provided support for the acquisition of land adjacent to campus.

Anonymous Donor $2.5 MILLION OR MORE

Gretchen Augustyn P ’89 and Family A former Webb trustee and current Alf Museum trustee, Gretchen Augustyn and her family endowed the salary of the Curator at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology and created a fund to support the Curator’s research work with students and the scientific community.

Yan Cheung and Ming Chung Liu P ’10 Mr. Liu and Mrs. Cheung, parents of Ken Liu ’10, made the lead gift towards the Susan A. Nelson Performing Arts Center.

They have also generously supported major dorm renovations including the historic Alamo renovation in 2009 and a significant remodel of the chemistry lab in 2016.

Robert A. Hefner III ’53 Robert Hefner’s gifts have been focused on supporting faculty and unbounded thinking, in 1998 he established the Raymond M. Alf Inspirational and Unbounded Teaching Chair in Science. This endowed fund ensures the schools’ ability to attract and retain a teacher of Raymond Alf’s caliber. He also established an endowed fund for Excellence in Science and endowed the Unbounded Thinkers Symposium with the goal of inspiring Webb students to explore new opportunities.

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Avery McCarthy’s gifts to Webb have revolved around enhancing technology in the library and funding new technology in classrooms as well as the Barbara Mott McCarthy Aquatic Center. In addition to the McCarthy Collaborative Learning Lab established in 2000, Avery has helped to fund new software programs and licenses for computer labs and dormitories.

Estate of David J. ’37 and Virginia E. Pinkham In 2000, Webb received over $4 million from a charitable trust set up by David (1919-1998) and Virginia Pinkham.

Their gift was used in part for construction projects, faculty development and programs that will help the schools continue to promote the character of its students.

Anonymous Donor $1 MILLION OR MORE

The Ahmanson Foundation A preeminent Southern California institution, The Ahmanson Foundation has partnered with Webb in many of the schools’ finest achievements, including providing yearly support of deserving students through its Pre-Collegiate Scholarship Program, funding for a faculty endowment fund, Webb’s technology infrastructure and the Ahmanson Lecture Hall, and supporting the construction of the Susan A. Nelson Performing Arts Center.

John M. Bryan ’43 During his lifetime, John Bryan’s contributions have touched several areas of The Webb Schools ranging from scholarship endowment and The Webb Fund, to the campus master plan and capital improvements such as the student quad area.

The Crean Foundation In 2007, the Crean Foundation established a scholarship to support financial aid for deserving students. The Crean Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund was made possible by the Crean family, and in part by parent and Crean Foundation board member, Susan Thomas P ’05, ’09.

James E. Drasdo ’63 James Drasdo has supported Webb in a variety of ways including unrestricted gifts to The Webb Fund, gifts to capital projects, and gifts to the endowment. He chaired Webb’s

Building Character campaign, which raised over $22 million.

He has made leadership gifts to help establish the Les and Barbara Perry Faculty Enrichment Fund, to support a class scholarship fund, to dedicate the performing arts center, and to fund a major technology initiative.

The Fawcett Family David Fawcett ’61 arrived at Webb in the fall of 1958, and the generosity of his family, especially his parents, W. Russell Fawcett and Priscilla Damon Fawcett, has been felt faithfully on campus every year since. Among the family’s larger gifts are Webb’s stately, octagonal W. Russell Fawcett Memorial Library and a bequest to complete renovations to the Jameson Dormitory. Dave was a member of the Webb faculty for 34 years and, along with his wife, math teacher Diane Wilsdon, has quietly and thoughtfully enriched the lives of thousands of Webb students through his wisdom and support. The David D. Fawcett ’61 and Diane C. Wilsdon Scholarship Fund honors their legacy.

Charline E. and Michael T. Gallagher P ’07, ’09 Michael and Charline Gallagher were instrumental in supporting Webb’s campus master plan. Their gifts supported the Kirkhill Dorm renovation, the campus turnaround and the reconstruction of the student quad area.

The Gallaghers, parents of Candace ’07 and Michael ’09, focused their support on improving the living spaces on campus in an effort to provide the best living environment possible for all Webb students.

Victor E. Heerman ’42 Victor Heerman was a boy of Hollywood. In fact, his parents were Hollywood legends having won an Academy Award in 1933 for co-writing the screenplay adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women. At Webb, Vic was an equestrian, both as a sport and a hobby. He kept a horse on campus and followed all of the races in the news. Following Webb, he served three years in the Army during WWII and graduated from Williams College with Dean’s List honors.

Eventually, he struck out on his own forming the Heerman Bloodstock Agency and became one of the most successful breeders of thoroughbred racehorses in the country. His clients included classmate George Getty ’42. Vic and his wife of 59 years, Lucille, left the majority of their estate to Webb to support the faculty.

The Report of the Schools 19/20

Avery McCarthy ’52

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Legacy Hall of Fame (cont) Clifford S. Heinz Jr. ’37 and the C.S. Heinz Foundation In 1997, the Clifford S. Heinz ’37 Ethical Education Program was established to augment the work of Webb’s student-run honor committees, curriculum, and athletic programs. In 2000 and 2001, Cliff Heinz challenged the Webb community and matched dollar for dollar gifts made to The Webb Fund in support of character development and ethical education.

Gifts from Cliff and the C.S. Heinz Foundation have been directed to many areas of the schools, including the Alf Museum, faculty housing, endowment and The Webb Fund.

Pak Fu King P ’19 An honorary trustee, Pak Fu King P ’19 has supported multiple Webb priorities in addition to unrestricted support through The Webb Fund and to The Centennial Campaign.

Believing that physical activity and athletic competition are important elements in a student’s development, King made a generous lead gift to the renovation of the Les Perry Gymnasium, the daily home of many Webb athletic activities. These gifts will help ensure that Webb’s facilities will support Webb’s mission for decades to come.

Yanji Luo and Li Jiang P ’20 Mr. Luo and Ms. Jiang, parents of Louis ’20, are passionate about helping Webb in any way they can. Their gifts have supported many areas, including The Centennial Campaign, The Webb Fund, the collections system at the Alf Museum, and Webb’s endowment for physical plant excellence.

R.J. and Laura Romero P ’12, ’15, ’20 R.J. and Laura Romero are wonderful examples of all-in Webb parents. R.J. is a current Webb trustee and Laura is a former president of the Affiliates Board. They have seen all three of their children, and many nieces and nephews, graduate from Webb over the years. Their philanthropic support has impacted countless areas of campus, from The Webb Fund and scholarships, to the Alf Museum, athletics, and The Centennial Campaign. They were also instrumental in the acquisition of the land adjacent to campus.

Miles R. Rosedale ’69 Miles Rosedale ’69 has served on Webb’s board of trustees for over 40 years and was the Chairman of the Board during Webb’s Building Character Campaign that raised over $22 million. He generously supported the Fulfilling Our Promise

Campaign and is a parent to Webb School of California graduate John Lovin ’92. His steadfast support includes The Webb Fund, the Alf Museum and the Class of 1969 Scholarship Fund, which has provided financial assistance to deserving students for over 20 years.

Estate of Dwight W. Taylor ’49 Even as a young boy, Dwight Taylor had a passion for geology and collecting interesting specimens, especially shells. His curiosity was nurtured at Webb by his teachers and his mentor and friend Ray Alf. In his senior year, Dwight placed first in the national Westinghouse Science Talent Search. With this good start, he forged a distinguished career in the sciences including time with the U.S. Geological Survey in the Paleontology and Stratigraphy Branch. Throughout his lifetime and finally using his estate, Dwight Taylor has supported the schools and the Alf Museum, with gifts totaling $1 million.

Charles E. Scripps ’37 Scion of the legendary media company and board chairman of the E.W. Scripps Company for more than four decades, Charles Scripps was also a proud and stalwart supporter of Webb. He was a founding trustee and returned to the board in the 1980s. His munificent gifts throughout the years have provided support where needed most; perhaps none was more important than his $1 million gift to the 1990s Building Character Campaign which helped steer Webb into the 21st century.

Yafei Yuan P ’16, ’20 Yafei Yuan is a man of many talents and ambitions and a great supporter of excellence in education in China and the United States. He is the founder and chairman of Sanpower Group Co., Ltd., headquartered in Nanjing, China. His daughters, Donna ’16 and Doris ’20, are alumnae of Vivian Webb School. Keenly interested in supporting the strategic vision of Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale, particularly his goal of providing quality housing for all faculty, Mr. Yuan contributed $1 million to assist in the construction of four new faculty homes.

Anonymous Donors (2)

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Giving 2019-20 For the full list of those who supported Webb and the Alf Museum during the 2019-20 year, please visit bit.ly/WebbReport19-20.

Recognition by Giving Club Head’s Circle FOUNDERS CIRCLE Gifts of $500,000 & above Mr. Yanji Luo & Ms. Li Jiang P ’20* Anonymous

GOLD PATRON Gifts of $250,000 to $499,999 Mr. & Mrs. Blake H. Brown ’68* Mr. & Mrs. Michael M. Chang ’92, P ’23* Mr. & Mrs. R.J. Romero P ’12, ’15, ’20* Mrs. Valerie A. Romero GP ’07, ’09, ’12, ’15, ’20, ’23 Ms. Valerie C. Romero P ’07, ’09, ’23

BLUE PATRON Gifts of $100,000 to $249,999 Kenneth J. De Nault, Ph.D. ’61* Mr. & Mrs. John F. Holliday ’84, P ’15, ’19, ’22* Mr. & Mrs. William Hornbuckle P ’19* Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Lau ’89* Mr. Ming Chung Liu & Ms. Yan Cheung P ’10 Mr. Chao Ouyang & Mrs. Yanni Chen P ’21 Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Reitler ’54, GP ’13* Col. & Mrs. John S. Rogers, USAF (Ret.) ’59, GP ’16* Mr. Xue Ping Xu & Ms. Bei Xu P ’20* Mr. Yafei Yuan & Mrs. Guifeng Li P ’16, ’20

PRINCIPES SOCIETY Gifts of $25,000 to $49,999 The Ahmanson Foundation* Mrs. Gretchen J. Augustyn P ’89* Mr. Yong Cao & Mrs. Weihua Shi P ’23 Ms. Lily Chen P ’22 Ms. Weiping Chen & Mr. Wen Wang P ’21 Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Clarke ’63, P ’98* Dr. Robert Connolly ’89 & Mrs. Nancy Tung* Mr. & Mrs. David Fleishhacker ’55* Mr. Douglas C. Gregg, Jr. ’66* Mr. Chao Jiang & Mrs. Meng Yu P ’14, ’16, ’22* Mr. Zhuang Jiang & Mrs. Yan Wu P ’22 Mr. & Mrs. Zhehui Li P ’20 Mr. GuoHua Liu & Mrs. Rebecca Wang P ’23 Dr. David Mirkin ’66 & Mrs. Karen Piacentini* Dr. John R. Stevens ’52*

PIONEERS SOCIETY Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999 Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Adler P ’96, ’00* Mr. & Mrs. R. Larry Ashton, Jr. ’70* Mr. & Mrs. Guilford C. Babcock ’49*

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur E. Bailey, Jr. ’55, P ’87, ’88* Mr. & Mrs. William Baldwin P ’16, ’22* Mr. & Mrs. George Cardenas P ’23 Mr. YunDong Chang & Ms. ChunLing Wang P ’23 Mr. Jonathan L. Congdon ’81 Mr. & Mrs. Sameer P. Dholakia ’91* Mr. Sanjiv Dholakia ’87 & Ms. Melissa Barnes Dholakia ’87, P ’21* Mr. & Mrs. Jim Drasdo ’63* Mr. & Mrs. Deval R. Dvivedi ’00* Mr. & Mrs. Ayad Fargo P ’17, ’21* Mr. & Mrs. William Fenner P ’23 Mr. & Mrs. Leslie Fong P ’20, ’24* Ms. Jenna Z. Gambaro ’95* Mr. & Mrs. Jack Greening, Jr. P ’04, ’06, ’09* Dr. & Mrs. James E. Hall ’59* Mrs. Sharon Hanson* Mrs. Susan S. Hanson* Hartman Baldwin Design Build Inc.* Mr. Yankun Hou & Mrs. Ningfang Chen P ’20* Mr. Naveen Jeereddi ’92 & Ms. Amy Hathaway* Mr. & Mrs. Blake B. Johnson ’95*

Gifts of $50,000 to $99,999 Mrs. Penny J. Holliday P ’84, ’01, GP ’15, ’19, ’22* Mr. & Mrs. Bingfeng Hu P ’20, ’23 The David B. Jones Foundation* Mr. & Mrs. Sherwood Kingsley ’58* Mr. Jun Li & Ms. Yani Yang P ’23, ’24 Anonymous* Class of 1959 at their 60th reunion

The Report of the Schools 19/20

PATRON

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Giving (continued) Ms. Jennifer L. Keller* Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence B. Kong P ’15, ’18, ’22* Mr. Donald Lam P ’11, ’12 Mr. Joseph Lange & Dr. Marina Russman P ’22 Mr. Brent Lee & Ms. Jinhyun Ann P ’18, ’24* Dr. Sandra Lee Rebish ’88 & Dr. Jeffrey Rebish P ’23, ’24* Mr. Mingluo Li & Mrs. Weihong Mo P ’18 Mrs. Vivian Long & Mr. Nihar Shah ’04* Mr. & Mrs. David Loo ’79* Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Luhnow ’84* Dr. & Mrs. Terry L. Maas P ’01 Mr. & Mrs. Bruce W. Madding ’69 Mr. & Mrs. Sandeep Madhavan ’99* Mr. Michael McDermott ’83 & Ms. Amanda Bi P ’18* Mr. & Mrs. Dana Messina P ’23 Estate of Jean E. Miller Dr. M. Rahmi Mowjood ’90 & Mrs. Hafsa Nowfel Mowjood* Dr. & Mrs. L. J. Patrick Muffler ’54* Mr. & Mrs. Douglas F. Myles P ’80, GP ’13* Mr. David Myles ’80 & Ms. Carrie Horsey* Mr. Seung Kweon Park & Dr. Hye Yoon Chung P ’21* Ms. Lauren K. Piacentini Mr. & Mrs. Alexander M. Power ’43* Mr. & Mrs. Ronald C. H. Quon ’55* Rancho Santa Fe Foundation* Mr. & Mrs. William L. Reinking ’57 Mr. Alvaro Rosales & Mrs. Lupe Cardenas P ’21, ’24* Mrs. Mary Rose P ’82* Dr. Mary W. Rose* Mr. Miles R. Rosedale ’69, P ’92* Fred B. Snite Foundation Mr. Brendt Stallings & Mrs. Tracey Letteau P ’21* Dr. & Mrs. Charles Steinmann P ’98* Mr. & Mrs. Page W. Thibodeaux P ’13* Mr. & Mrs. Joseph S. Thomas ’70*

Mr. Ralph T. Thompson, Jr. ’64* Dr. Stanley Toy, Jr. P ’20* Mr. Michael Vincent & Mrs. Jessica Govias-Vincent P ’14, ’18* The Hon. & Mrs. Ronald M. Whyte ’60* Mr. Lance Williams ’97 & Mr. Grant Kretchik* Mr. Lang Zhang & Dr. Yingxia Cao P ’21, ’23* Mr. Min Zhang & Mrs. Ruoqi Zheng P ’21* Ms. Trarisa Zhou P ’23 Mrs. Tammy Zipser P ’94, ’96* Anonymous (2)*

Leadership Society FOUNDERS SOCIETY Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999 Mr. Haissam Alrachid P ’20, ’22* Mr. & Mrs. Bruce P. Baganz* Mr. & Mrs. Jon B. Becker P ’20, ’24* Mr. & Mrs. Alexander H. Bell ’98 The Berry Family Foundation* Mr. & Mrs. Bruce J. Branson P ’99* Dr. & Mrs. Chatchawin CharoenRajapark ’78* Dr. Patty Chen ’99 & Mr. Patrick Chen Mr. Qirong Chen & Mrs. Hongyan Zhao P ’20* Mr. Jihoon Choi ’99 Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Clark P ’04* Mr. & Mrs. John L. Duden ’81* Mr. & Mrs. Matthew J. Duffy P ’22 Mr. Hanlin Feng & Mrs. Yiduan Zheng P ’21* Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Fidanque, Jr. ’58* Mrs. Nancy Fischer P ’89 Mr. & Mrs. William L. Fraim ’70* Mr. & Ms. Kenneth L. Guernsey P ’20* Mr. & Mrs. Daniel M. Guggenheim ’56* Mr. & Mrs. Ronald P. Hagander ’66* Mr. Terry Henn P ’09, ’11, ’13, ’15 Mr. Bayi Hu & Mrs. Wenfang Zuo P ’23

Mr. Wei Huang & Mrs. Hong Zeng P ’18, ’23* Mr. Tony Kan & Ms. Jr Fang Kan P ’22, ’24 Mr. John A. Kramer, Jr. ’67 Mr. Lixin Li & Mrs. Shihong Peng P ’20* Dr. & Mrs. Weiguo Li P ’21, ’22* Mr. & Mrs. Neville Lin P ’14, ’21* Mr. & Mrs. Zhenhong Lin P ’15, ’24* Mr. Guodong Liu & Mrs. Yanling Bi P ’23 Mr. Wendong Liu & Ms. Huirong Liang P ’20* Mr. YuanHai Liu & Ms. RuiFang Ran P ’20* Mr. & Mrs. James A. McCloud ’80, P ’23* Mr. & Mrs. Kimball P. McCloud ’67, P ’95, ’96* Mr. & Mrs. John Metz P ’22 Dr. Tommy Oei ’89 & Ms. Dawn Flock P ’18, ’20* Mr. & Mrs. Ryan M. O’Grady P ’21* Mr. & Mrs. Eric Pauwels ’79 Mr. & Mrs. Windelle Peddy* Mr. William Plunkett P ’07, ’09, ’23 Mr. & Mrs. Donald J. Plyley P ’12* Mr. Luqing Rong & Ms. Juan Xue P ’22 Mr. R. Bruce Rule ’62 & Mrs. Janice Brody Ms. Elizabeth A. Smith ’92 Mr. & Mrs. Taylor B. Stockdale P ’11, ’14* Mr. Tong Sun & Mrs. Hanhan Wang P ’22 The Hon. & Mrs. John A. Sutro, Jr. ’53* Mr. & Mrs. Michael P. Turner ’81* Dr. Stewart Wang & Mrs. Ruth Yang P ’20, ’23* Mr. & Mrs. Nick Wechsler ’67 Dr. & Mrs. Eric Weigand P ’20, ’23* Mr. & Mrs. Pierre Wuu P ’20* Mr. Gao Rong Xiao & Mrs. Lily Feng P ’21* Mr. Charles Yen & Mrs. Jennifer Chee P ’21*

Mr. & Mrs. Denis Yip P ’18, ’19* Mr. Junsheng Zhang & Ms. Likun Jin P ’17, ’22 Mr. Wenbo Zhong & Mrs. Lina Ai P ’21* Anonymous

FRIENDS Gifts of $2,500 to $4,999 Mr. William D. Allan ’94* Mrs. Monica Atiyeh Whitaker ’96 & Mr. Benjamin Whitaker* Mr. & Mrs. Dutch Barhydt* Mr. Zuoye Bi & Mrs. Yansong Sun P ’22 The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation* Mr. Arthur S. Chang ’99 & Ms. Jasmine Cheng Ms. Kathy P. Chen Liu ’99 & Mr. Yu Liu* Mr. & Mrs. Louis Chung P ’22 Mr. Ralph B. Coomber ’59* Mr. Jeffrey C. Cripe ’08 Mr. & Mrs. James L. Davis ’67 Mr. Gerard DeMasi ’77 Mr. BaoHong Deng & Mrs. Tong Jing P ’20* Mr. Kenneth Dong & Mrs. Cathy Xu P ’18, ’22* Stanley T. Eosakul, M.D. ’04* Ms. Evangeline Fisher Grossman ’85 & Mr. Marc Grossman P ’24

Mr. & Mrs. W. Dodd Geiger, III ’67 Dr. Daniel Gluckstein & Dr. Akemi Chang P ’05, ’08* Mr. & Mrs. Chip Greening ’62* Mr. & Mrs. John P. Hamilton ’84, P ’23* Mr. & Mrs. John Helgeson P ’16, ’20, ’23* Mr. & Mrs. H. Earl Hoover, II ’52, GP ’04* Ms. Xiaorong Hu P ’20, ’23* Mr. Christopher Wai Kit Huen & Mrs. Winnie Man Yin Yeung P ’21* The Ingraham Memorial Fund* Mr. Wei Jiang & Ms. Julia Lam P ’23 Mr. Chris Jin & Mrs. Bin Hu P ’23 Mr. Wai Hung Lee & Ms. Stella Leung P ’15, ’19* Mr. & Ms. Kedong Li P ’21 Mr. TianZong Liang & Ms. Jie Zhou P ’22 Dr. James Lilley & Dr. Yi Zhang-Lilley P ’19, ’22* Mr. Shu Lin & Ms. Suman Diao P ’22 Mr. Duosi Liu & Ms. Xinhua Fu P ’22 Mr. Weilie Liu & Ms. Minsi Cai P ’20* Dr. & Mrs. Donald L. Lofgren P ’16, ’19* Mr. Shengzhang Luo & Mrs. Yingjun Li P ’22 Mr. Peter Ma & Mrs. Molly Zhou P ’20* Mr. & Mrs. Philip M. Markert, Jr. ’56* Mr. & Mrs. John E. Maschler P ’21, ’24* Mr. Roger J. Millar ’61* Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Mixon ’63* Mr. Dwight S. Morgan ’65*

Ms. Xin Nie ’23 Mr. Eke Ochuru & Dr. Helena Mba P ’21, ’23* Mr. Kevin O’Hearn ’86, P ’24 & Ms. Anthea Liao P ’24 Mr. & Mrs. John S. Pettingell ’62* Mr. Hugh Pitcher ’68 & Mrs. Linda Lebsack Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Prendiville ’76* Mr. Lawrence E. Price ’61 & Ms. Martha C. Lussenhop* Mr. & Mrs. William B. Schoonmaker ’67* Mr. Feng Shi & Mrs. Nianchong Li P ’21 Mr. Guosheng Song & Mrs. Tao Chen P ’21* Mr. Liang Song & Mrs. Honglan Liu P ’22 Mr. & Mrs. Gordon M. Steel ’63* Mr. Carl W. Stern, Jr. ’64 & Ms. Holly Hayes* Mr. & Mrs. Dane Stoddard P ’15, ’18* Mrs. Dana Su Lee ’84 & Mr. Gregory Lee* Mr. Hui Sun & Ms. Xing Wang P ’22 Mr. Timothy Sun ’89* Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Terris P ’06, ’09* Mr. Orapong Thien-Ngern & Mrs. Arunporn Limskul P ’23 Ms. Jennifer Tong ’90 & Mr. Christopher Carlisle Mr. & Mrs. Todd Wagner P ’17, ’19* Ms. Katherine Winant Osborne ’88 & Mr. Jamie Osborne P ’23 Mr. & Mrs. James A. Wooldridge ’67* Mr. Henry K. Xu ’12* Drs. Paulino Yanez & Blanca Viramontes-Yanez P ’16, ’19 Mr. Eddie Yeung & Ms. Xiujie Zhang P ’19, ’22* Mr. Ralph D. Young, III ’63, P ’01* Mr. Sicheng Yu & Mrs. Zhiyu Wu P ’21 Mr. Thomas K. Yu ’06* Mr. Remond Zhong & Mrs. Sandy Zhang P ’20* Mr. Zhuoshi Zhou & Ms. Lei Liu P ’18, ’23* Mr. Donghui Zhu & Mrs. Li Shu P ’23 Mr. & Mrs. Peter F. Ziegler ’63* *Hastings Society

Class of 1969 at their 50th reunion

The Report of the Schools 19/20

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�2&

A HALF MINUTES

with Nadia Del Grande ’02

by Jessica Rice ’12

When you fly, have you ever considered how much time and preparation goes into your airplane seat? Nadia (Gomez) Del Grande ’02 leads a team of engineers that integrates and certifies commercial airplane seats — ranging from economy class seats to luxurious first class suites. Although Del Grande cannot give you more legroom or make your seat more comfortable, her team works with airlines and seat suppliers to ensure seats are safe for passengers through rigorous testing and evaluation. Before joining Boeing, where she has worked for the last 13 years, she studied mechanical engineering at Stony Brook University in Long Island New York, and later earned her master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. When she reflects on her time at Webb, Del Grande remembers how a teacher helped her value authenticity and find her confidence — lessons she now shares with mentees of her own. Here, she reflects on her career and some of those lessons.

Q&A

How did you discover this career path?

If I’m being honest, I discovered this career path by chance. When I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to be back on the West Coast. Boeing was attractive to me because of its location in the Puget Sound, because airplanes are fascinating, and because I’ve always liked a good challenge.

Good mentors helped guide my career. About five years after I started working, I felt restless and reached out to a mentor of mine. That mentor said, “You should try seats. It’s exciting, it’s challenging, there’s travel, and you will learn a lot.” They were not wrong. My work in seats has kept me intrigued and has given me countless opportunities to grow technically and lead people ever since.

What does working in seats involve at Boeing?

The engineers on my team work closely with engineers at seat suppliers to validate detailed design and collect test data to show seats are compliant with all regulatory and integration requirements. Every inch of the seat is meticulously evaluated to ensure that it does not harm a passenger in flight, or in the rare case of an emergency. Most

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people are surprised when they learn how much testing an airplane seat goes through.

do my best to be there for my team and focus on what I can do as a technical leader to have a positive impact."

We also work closely with our airline customers since they are typically heavily involved in the design, look and feel of their seats. It’s exciting to work closely with airlines on a product they care so much about. Airlines often utilize seats to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

What’s it like to be a woman working in aerospace engineering? Are there a lot of women in your field?

Do you feel like what you studied in college prepared you for this role?

I love this quote by Isaac Newton: ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’ I’m proud to be a black, female leader in engineering. I am not apologetic about that. I’ve learned that I don’t need to downplay my femininity to be effective. I also recognize that there are women who have helped blaze the trail for me, and that I have a responsibility to help others.

Yes. Mechanical engineering gave me a technical foundation and sharp analytical skills that I have put into practice in my daily work. Everything I have learned about airplanes, I learned from my various engineering roles and from aerospace experts. My leadership skills came from lots and lots of mistakes, reflection, practice and trusting my gut.

What do you like most about working in aerospace engineering?

Aside from the fact that aerospace is an interesting and complex field with a wide range of career opportunities, I’m like a kid again when I see a plane in the sky! There is no better feeling than when I look up and see a plane approaching Seattle that I know I worked on.

What do you find most challenging about your job?

Honestly, I love what I do. I enjoy it and I’m passionate about it. The biggest challenge right now is managing a team of people through one of the most difficult and uncertain times in commercial aerospace history. My team looks to me for optimism, and oftentimes come to me with questions I don’t have answers to. It’s tough, but I

Engineering, like most other STEM fields, is male dominated. It’s a reminder for me of how important it is to be my best, and to help empower other women.

I’ve had great mentors that helped me discover who I am and that served as examples of strong leaders for me. I encourage the women and men that I mentor to be authentic, and be proud of who they are. Love yourself, be confident in yourself, and that will help in all your interactions.

What advice do you have for students or alumni looking for a mentor of their own?

You can find mentorships in places and in people you may not expect.

That person doesn’t necessarily need to have everything you’re looking for, or look like you, or have the same life experiences as you. It’s important to

remember that you can learn something from everyone.

Also, be willing to be vulnerable.

Be willing to put yourself out there a bit and ask questions. Recognize that mentor relationships—like any relationship—require two people to have chemistry. You may find that it takes a while to find the right mentor.

Are there any teachers that stand out from your time at Webb?

The teacher I remember the most is Edwina Foster.

I’ll never forget her most important lesson: be authentic. I didn’t even realize she was teaching me that until years later.

She encouraged me to be myself, be proud of that and unapologetic. By leading people and connecting with people, I’ve realized how powerful it is to be confident in who you are.

She taught me that lesson through her guidance on the papers I wrote, including my chapel talk. At that time in my life I had not yet found my voice.

When you’re younger, there’s a pull to fit in or emulate whatever you think is cool. She was a strong influence to be authentic, just own it, and be yourself.

What do you remember most from your time at Webb?

The most important memories I carry with me are some of the close relationships that I built, and I am lucky to still have several of those people in my life. There’s something about being young living away from home. You form close-knit relationships with people that feel like family.

Del Grande currently resides in northeast Seattle with her husband, Jon, and their twin 4-year-old daughters, Sofia and Olivia.

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Will Allan ’94 Life at Webb revolves around its students and the faculty and staff that make the schools feel like home. As an alumnus and beloved history teacher, Will Allan ’94 is one of the few alumni who has experienced both.

by Jessica Rice ’12

H

ead of Schools Taylor Stockdale was working in the admissions office when Allan first discovered Webb. After initially being uninterested in applying, his mother was surprised when he agreed to take a tour of the schools.

“I remember on the drive up, I was pretty skeptical,” Allan says. “That one tour — that really changed my mind.”

Little did Allan know that he would not only become a student at Webb, but later return to the schools as a teacher, where he has taught and coached students for 21 years.

Allan says he started as a traditional history teacher, focused on subjects like US and world history, but has branched out to more contemporary subjects including the Constitution, entrepreneurship and economics.

He currently teaches two courses: “Foundations of Civilization” and “Press, Politics and American Power.”

When Allan reflects on his time as a student, he remembers being dedicated to academics and sports, and quiet in class. When former Head of Schools Susan Nelson first told Allan he had been hired to teach at Webb in 1999, he wondered how he would adjust to the new role.

“I remember I hung up the phone and said, ‘What did I just get into? I’m going to be leading and teaching the class?’

That was out of my comfort zone for sure,” he says.

Decades later, Allan not only teaches history, but also serves as dorm head of Holt and Kirkhill, JV football coach, and advisor to business and investment-oriented clubs.

His favorite thing about teaching at Webb are his interactions with students and faculty.

“The faculty at Webb is so dynamic and so thoughtful and so bright, it’s really inspiring to work with folks like that,” he says. “The students are the same or better. The students have a lot to say and a lot going on in their minds. To be able to tap into that and extract that kind of passion and that intelligence is probably the best part.”

During his time as a teacher and coach, Allan learned how to adapt to daily challenges and keep students engaged.

Whether it’s bringing the class back after the discussion goes on a tangent, or deciding to take a time out during a game, “you need to be able to pivot and really think on your feet,” he says.

“But honestly that’s what makes it interesting. That’s the kind of personal interaction that I like — that no two days are the same and no two students are the same.”

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This year brought a new set of changes and challenges when the schools pivoted to a virtual teaching format in March.

Although some academic processes have not shifted drastically, Allan misses some of the interactions that come with teaching classes in person.

“The assessment part is not as different, but seeing how they’re doing as people and how they’re doing holistically — that’s the challenge,” he explains.

“It’s harder to gauge how the class and individual students are doing.”

He has adapted by starting off classes with an icebreaker to engage with students. For example, instead of simply asking students how they are doing, he asks questions about what songs they like or what song describes how they are feeling that day.

He keeps in touch with some of the friends he made as a student at Webb.

The only people he has seen over the quarantine have been Webb friends.

“I think that there is a bond that is created by the nature of Webb being so small, and by default so interactive," he said.

"I have bumped into Webb alumni all around the world, and you share an instant connection. It’s like we are all in this together, working side by side.”

Get to know Will Allan What is your favorite spot on campus?

Chandler Field. It’s a place where I have a lot of memories, and its own spooky little microclimate. It’s always 15 degrees colder there.

What was your favorite subject as a student at Webb?

US History & Physics. I like the stories of history and the personalities in history, but also learning about the macro events, what really happened, why they’re important and how they impact the world. I like the fact that physics is tangible, and that I can visualize what’s going on.

Who was your favorite teacher as a student at Webb?

Dave Fawcett ’61 or Coach Pride. I think they were the two teachers that I really respected and also learned a lot from. Dave later became a colleague of mine and a powerful mentor.

Favorite dining hall meal?

Sunday brunch or Al Alvarez’s carrot cake. I’ve never tasted carrot cake like that since he retired.

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Webb Events

In early 2020, we enjoyed seeing Webbies on campus at Sophomore Career Evening and at our San Diego regional event. In late November, families in China gathered in person while we joined from campus remotely. More photos are online at flickr.com/photos/thewebbschools

SOPHOMORE CAREER EVENING )

The Alumni Council hosted the 21st Annual Sophomore Career Evening on February 23.

SAN DIEGO + *

Over two dozen alumni and friends gathered at Great Maple in La Jolla.

Thanks to Amanda David Ho ’02 for hosting us at her restaurant.

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CHINA + *

Parents, students, and alumni gathered in Beijing on November 21 for a reception hosted by Ella Liu P ’18, ’23 and in Shanghai on November 22 for a reception hosted by Ping Xu P ’13 and Elina Xu P ’20. Joining on Zoom were Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale and his wife Anne, and Webb staff.

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Webb Together Online: Starting in March 2020, technology has kept the Webb community together. Whether it’s on Zoom, Facebook or Instagram Live, we’ve seen increased attendance at our online events with alumni, parents, and friends joining from coast to coast and around the world. Recordings of some of these events can be viewed at webb.org/alumni.

UNWIND WITH WEBB +

Our virtual concert series features live performances by our talented alumni and a Q&A hosted by Alumni Council members Kathy Fredrich ’02 and Ben Davis ’11.

Ben, a guitarist and songwriter, kicked off the series with selections from his debut album, Postcards from Self Quarantine.

Summer Swee-Singh ’07 performed live on keyboard and Jarel Hill ’08 livestreamed from Brooklyn, New York. Monthly events are scheduled through June 2021. Check the website calendar for details.

WEBB TOGETHER ONLINE SERIES ,

Last spring, the Alumni Office launched Webb Together Online, a series of virtual events to bring the Webb community together. In April, Yosh Han ’89 led an online meditation session as part of the school’s week of Unbounded Thinking. New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi ’87 appeared with @thewebbschools on Instagram Live to discuss his new book The Last Emperox and share some Webb stories.

Zamia Cohen ’95 of Good Human Fitness shared some healthy living tips during an Instagram Live event.

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PARENTS AND FAMILIES ) ,

The Parent Relations Office hosted orientation and parent socials to keep Webb families informed and connected.

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PECCARY DINNER 2020 *

The 28th annual Peccary Dinner went virtual on October 16, 2020. Over 150 alumni, parents, peccary pals, and Rogers Peccary Scholars tuned into the Zoom program highlighting the excellent work of the museum staff and Webb students, as well as the annual presentation of the Raymond M. Alf Award, and the singing of the Peccary Song. The program was followed by a Zoom social hour, where guests could connect and give a virtual “cheers” with their peccary glasses.

Heartfelt thanks to all of our sponsors, ticket purchasers, and guests for making this a very special year.

THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org

Events & Highlights Be sure to keep your email updated with the Alumni Office to hear about upcoming events. Contact us at alumni@webb.org to update your contact information.

MOMENTS OF TIME *

This new monthly series celebrates the museum’s founder Ray Alf and his love of science storytelling. Recordings are available on webb.org/alumni. The series continues through June 2021. Please check the website for upcoming events.

My Life with Triceratops with Dr. Andy Farke, a horned dinosaur expert and the Augustyn Family Curator and Director of Research and Collections Investigating California’s Tropical Past with Malcolm McKenna ’48 & the Goler Club with Museum Director Dr. Don Lofgren Teaching Paleontology: Desmostylians to Tauntauns with Gabriel Santos, collections manager and outreach coordinator Snails, Whales + Rodents with Jared Heuck, fossil preparator

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1959 A big thanks to Jim Hall who entertained us with a performance of the peccary song on his clarinet during the virtual Peccary Dinner on October 16. 1

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The annual Rogers Scholar dinner was held virtually this year. John Rogers and his wife June enjoyed meeting the 2020-21 Rogers Scholars and Rogers Peccary Scholars during the online event held on Saturday, December 5.

1960 Michael Moore

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spoke with Alison Hansen from the Advancement Office about his artwork and shared some Webb memories. "When Lachlan MacDonald, my sophomore English teacher, started the literary magazine called Sage as an extracurricular project, I became art editor for a time and contributed drawings all three years I was there. Hod Gray,

Jon Carroll, Chip Porter, Terry White and others were involved in that and were definitely aiders and abettors of our little unironic beatnik scene." See some of Michael’s artwork and read the full article at webb.org/alumni.

3

1965 Eleven members of the Class of ’65 celebrated their 55th reunion in November with a fun afternoon on Zoom remembering favorite faculty and sharing Webb stories. Several admitted that they cannot open a book, it must be done carefully, without thinking about Larry McMillin.

Deceased classmates were also honored, and during a specially made PowerPoint, the class shared personal memories and recent family updates. The successful event concluded with a call to create a Class of ’65 Facebook group and to gather virtually again soon. Thanks to Dwight

Morgan, David Wright, Patrick Stroop, Greg Dyer, Bill Vestal, Mark Smith, John Hawkins, Kenneth Elliott, Ken Gregg, Bob Wallace and Rick Smith for attending. See photo on page 71.

1967 Peter Huisking was named the 2019 Volunteer of the Year for Service to the Armed Forces by the American Red Cross, Southern Arizona Chapter.

The award recognizes his work as a Medical Support Assistant at the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center, Fort Huachuca. For the past five years, he has assisted at the clinic with soldiers, family members, and retirees and facilitates care with military and civilian medical staff.

1969 Miles Rosedale and Randall Lewis enjoyed a terrific performance

by Richard Hastings at Sherman Gardens in Corona Del Mar, under the stars. 2

1970 By late spring, the Class of 1970 agreed to postpone their 50th reunion gathering on campus and switched gears. Knowing they could not let the 50th pass without doing something, Jim Hawkins,

Joe Thomas, Larry Ashton, Randy Davies, Mickey Novak, Nat Forbes, and Gene Gregg met on Zoom and came up with a few ideas. They scheduled a two-hour October Zoom reunion. It lasted five hours! (Reputation secure —Larry Ashton signed off last!) In all, 28 classmates connected. Many of them proposed follow-up Zooms for next year. The school helped with a special commemorative t-shirt and, of course, a face mask. See zoom reunion photo on page 71. 3

1972 In 1980, Karl Brown cofounded Automatic Pilot with Matthew McQueen who he met through the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Over four years they performed with acoustic instrumentation in a confrontational language they dubbed "Erotic Jazz Wave." With the AIDS deaths of five members, Automatic Pilot folded, but through interviews, recordings and ephemera, their place in the queer pop music narrative can be acknowledged. The band was the subject of a paper

by University of Nevada, Reno music professor Louis Niebur and presented at the July 2020 Society for American Music virtual conference. A recording of the presentation can be found on YouTube.

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Rob Tsuyuki is the 1974 John Baer is a new

1980 Cameron Troxell

Webb parent. His daughter

served as President of the Claremont Rotary Club this past year. Highlights of his term include a new family membership program which increased club membership, social activities, and a donation to Inland Valley Hope Partners, a non-profit serving San Bernadino County. He also arranged for special guest speakers such as the President of the University of La Verne and the President of Claremont Graduate University.

Victoria is a VWS junior.

Here’s a photo of them during their November 2019 visit. 4

1977 Raj Ratan has been inducted into the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. His election was based on his training at Johns Hopkins leading to his current position as executive director of the Burke Neurological Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine.

In 1991-92, Raj was a resident and then Chief Resident in Neurology at Johns Hopkins. He received the Jay Slotkin Award for excellence in research while a resident, and the Passano Foundation Clinician Scientist Award while completing a fellowship in Neurorehabilitation and a post-doc in the Department of Neuroscience at Hopkins. In 1994, he was promoted to Assistant Professor of Neurology and Rehab Medicine at Hopkins and started his own lab with the help of his post-doc mentor, Jay Baraban. At the Burke Neurological Institute, Raj’s scientific efforts have focused on understanding how neurons respond to physiological stresses, particularly oxidative stress, adaptively and maladaptively at a transcriptional level, and how the balance of these activities leads to neuronal death and impairment, or cell survival and recovery or resistance. 5

1982 Members of the Class of ’82 went on their annual ski trip in February.

This year, they went to Steamboat Springs. L-R:

Sam Gregory, Jason Yee, Mike Stoler, Dilip DaSilva, John Wirum, Robbie Warner, Alexandra Keyes (Jason Keye’s daughter),

Mark Waldrop ’78 and Jason Keyes. 6 1985 A big thanks to Michael Diamond who organized several Webbie Wednesday happy hours and Jeff Cannon ’84 for organizing Weekend Webbie Zooms last year as a way to connect classmates during the early weeks of quarantine. Classes of 1982 through 1989 joined in the fun logging in from multiple time zones. See photo on page 71.

1985 Evangeline Fisher Grossman is proud to be a new Webb parent. Her son

Harry is a WSC freshman.

Welcome to Webb! 7

cofounder of INKnBURN, an athletic clothing company based in Santa Ana, Calif. Last March, Rob and his wife Meghan began producing 3-layer face masks with new limited edition styles available each week.

Their company is best known for their colorful athletic wear designs for runners. Visit their website at inknburn.com. 8

1986 Christine Helmbrecht Jones shared this fun photo of Tom Monroe’s daughter Nichola ’22 looking amused as she watches “a befuddled Simon Jones attempt to provide assistance with calculus homework.”

Christine wrote, “Simon and I are so fortunate that the Monroes (Tom and his other daughter Elena ’18) landed in Dana Point during the pandemic and, now that we are 25 minutes apart, we see each other on a weekly basis. Truly a silver lining in the midst of a very strange 2020.” 9

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5

6

7

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Kevin O’Hearn’s daughter is a VWS freshman this year. “We’re doing fine in Hong Kong. Looking on the bright side, we’re very happy that our daughter Katharine seems to have settled into life at VWS and she has made some good friends, some of whom she has seen in person here.

It’s also allowed us to have her at home just a little bit longer, while still having the benefit of a Webb education.” 10

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Joseph Poon shared this photo with Chapman Lam ’89 and Mason Ma ’88. They run together every week to “deal with midlife crisis,” Joseph says! 14 A big thanks to Kathy Winant Osborne and her daughter, Kylie ’23, for

Last March, Chan Woo Sung and alumni in Korea gathered for dinner in Seoul.

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1987 Katy Carr White continues her work as Chief Medical Officer for Los Angeles Christian Health Centers. During the pandemic, her clinic located on Skid Row has been "doing a lot of testing and care coordination to help patients experiencing homelessness find safe places to stay. We’re also caring for patients who are COVID positive and in isolation or in quarantine."

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1988 Corey Calaycay won re-election for a fifth term on the Claremont City Council.

“I appreciated having the support of fellow alumni, Bob Connolly ’89 and Janel Henriksen Hastings ’87, and my former Spanish teacher, Clara Soto Ivey.” 13 She did it again! Sandra Lee Rebish won the 2020 Critics Choice Award for Female Star of the Year! This is the second consecutive year that she’s earned the most fan votes. Sandra’s YouTube channel, Dr. Pimple Popper, boasts over 6.6 million subscribers and she’s now enjoying her fifth season with the TLC network. She’s also the proud mom of two WSC students: Stratton ’24 is a freshman and Chance ’23 is a sophomore.

participating in our summer WebbStories program for newly admitted families.

They spoke about their experiences and offered advice to students preparing to embark on their Webb journey.

1989 Many thanks to Yosh Han for leading an online meditation for the Webb community last April. If you missed the Facebook live event, you can watch a recording of it at webb.org/ alumni.

Michele Raphael is a proud Webb parent. Her daughter Mirabel ’24 is a VWS freshman day student. 15 During the early days of quarantine, members of the Class of ’89 gathered for a Zoom happy hour. See photo on page 71. Clockwise:

Laurel Scherer Meister, Christine French ’90, Jason Dauderman, Adriana LaCorte Maher, Rebecca Nelson Murman, Sari Gruber, Carlos Paiz and Warren Knapp.

1990 Maren Berg is now a proud Webb parent.

Her daughter Emily is a freshman. Even though it’s an unprecedented year with virtual classes, Maren is excited about all of the opportunities Webb will give Emily to learn and grow. 16 It was great to see Tanya Shome and Brookie Best at our San Diego event last March. Tanya is an attorney and Brookie is the Associate Dean for Pharmacy Education at UC San Diego.

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1991 Jennifer Ishiguro joined StepStone Group, a global private markets investment firm, as Chief Legal Officer & Secretary last year, and saw the company through its IPO and trading on Nasdaq in September. "I am more than fortunate to have found a home with a truly inspiring team of professionals, and was delighted to contribute to StepStone’s continued journey as a public company. Even more amazing was that I was able to share the experience with fellow Webbie Jenny Choi ’07, who worked on corporate governance aspects of the transaction as an attorney at Gibson Dunn, StepStone’s counsel."

Jennifer and Jenny met several years ago upon Laura Wensley’s introduction, when Jenny was about to start at Harvard Law School. They maintained a mentoring relationship, and after law school, Jenny ended up starting her law firm career at the same firm (Davis Polk) Jennifer had started off at as well! But Webb connections didn’t stop there, and they were amazed to find themselves working with one another on the StepStone IPO. Jennifer also joined Webb’s Alumni Council in July as a new Member-at-Large.

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1992 In May, Edmond Ng and fellow Webbies met for an alumni dinner in Taipei. L-R: Eric Wang ’96,

Edmond, Jenny Wang ’93, Jeff Wang, James Huang ’90, Alex Hsu ’89, Helen Liu and Jiun Fan. They were at a restaurant called Salt and Stone, which is owned by Eric. 18 The Alf Museum welcomes Liz Smith to its board of trustees. A regular attendee of museum events, Liz is well-known for her breakfasts on the alumni peccary trips. "The Alf Museum is a wonderful opportunity to inspire young minds to science. I know, I was one of those kids who was inspired by the Alf Museum at age 8 and later while I attended Webb." Liz lives in the Bay Area with her family.

Andrew Wass and his family are still living in Berlin, Germany. His paper, "Artistotle and Husserl go dancing: Solo improvised dance-making and the noetic cycle" was published in the July issue of "Choreographic Practices."

A link to the article can be found on his Instagram @wasscubed.

1994 Tara Lazar, founder of f10 Creative, was a guest on an episode of the weekly podcast FULL COMP hosted by Michelinrated restaurateur Josh Kopel. Tara, who owns six hospitality concepts in Palm Springs, talked about her efforts to reopen and what’s worked and what hasn’t.

"We’re all just trying to hold on and then once the storm’s over, we’ve all been doing pushups in the closet and we’re going to come out with beach bods." If you’re interested in listening, go to fullcomp.media and look for the July 30th episode "The Struggle to Reopen."

1995 A big thanks to Zamia Cohen for appearing on

1996 In the early days of quarantine, Douglas Lee

an Instagram Live event for the Webb community last May. She also spoke to students during Sophomore Career Evening. Zamia, the founder and owner of Good Human Fitness, shared several healthy living and nutrition tips. You can watch a recording at #webb.org/alumni.

organized a Zoom happy hour for the Class of ’96.

See photo on page 71. Top to bottom L-R: Stephanie

Jenna Gambaro was a poll worker at Arlington Heights Elementary School for several days during the national election in November.

Jenna volunteered as part of the CAA Foundation’s partnership with Democracy Works and Civic Alliance to fulfill the urgent need for poll workers to ensure a safe and accessible election. 19

Blake Johnson is the Chairman and Founder of Byte (byteme.com), the fastest growing privately held company in the U.S.A. in 2020 and is currently expanding into Australia, Canada, Europe and Mexico. Earlier this year, the company announced that they will do their part in the fight against COVID-19 by converting their 3D specialty labs to make masks, face shields and ventilator parts for frontline healthcare providers.

Their labs in Oklahoma and California have over 150 Juell3D printers that will now be used to make much needed supplies and equipment that currently face critical shortage.

Baron, Doug Lee, Saleh Kuba, Will Marshall, Brian Zipser, Peter Chen, Jimmy Lin, Eric Choi and Adam Hershman.

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1997 After serving nine years on the Alf Museum’s board of trustees, Lance Williams is now a trustee on The Webb Schools’ board.

"It has been a great honor to serve on the board of the Alf Museum, and I look forward to joining the dynamic team that will help shape the future of Webb for the next 100 years. My personal goal will be to focus on how Webb will be a leader in the areas of diversity and sustainability."

1998 Mary Flannery, PhD is a Professor of Medieval English Studies at Bern University in Switzerland.

She recently appeared on the BBC podcast The Forum discussing the 14th century poet Chaucer: “One of the reasons Chaucer’s been called the father of English poetry is because of what he did for English, or what he was perceived to have done for English. That is, he elevated it to the level of other literary languages like French or Italian. He did for English what Homer did for ancient Greek or what Virgil and Ovid did for Latin.” Mary has authored two books and was a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. Visit the alumni website for a link to the BBC podcast. 20

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During a visit to Montana this summer, Museum Director Don Lofgren enjoyed seeing John King, Laura Anderson King and their two sons. 21 21

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The Alliance of Women Directors featured Jenee LaMarque on #FemaleFilmmakerFriday in October. She has recently directed episodes of Room 104 for HBO and Run the World for Starz, among other television projects.

Jenee says, "I don’t think it’s as hard as people portray to find talented women.

There’s a ton of us! I try to take an empowered vision view of it and figure out what I can do. I can get really down sometimes about male peers that aren’t as experienced as me moving more quickly through their careers. But I just try to put myself forth, and believe in myself more, so I can move forward through the systems that are in place that aren’t necessarily meant to be pushing me forward."

Nkonye Okuh was named 1999 Ragni Agarwal was one of six artists chosen by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture to celebrate the 19th amendment centennial.

Ragni (aka RAGIMATE, a blend of her nickname Rag and the word animate) has always liked graphic design and technology. At Webb she worked on the student newspaper creating layouts and getting a first taste of graphic design. She also remembers teaching herself HTML in her dorm room. Today Ragni is VP of Design at a tech startup and a freelance graphic design and branding contributor for various fashion and lifestyle companies. She has fond memories of teachers Diane Wilsdon and John Ball. Ragni is based in Santa Monica and welcomes Webbies to visit her website ragniagarwal.com and follow her on Instagram @richesforrags. 22

2001 Bobby Bedi is an anesthesiologist whose work has been drastically impacted by COVID-19.

Everything from his daily routine to the amount of PPE they are using to stay safe is a factor and we thank him for all he is doing to keep our community healthy in these trying times. 23

2002 A big thank you to Amanda David Ho for hosting our alumni gathering at Great Maple UTC in La Jolla last March.

She was also one of our speakers at Sophomore Career Evening and treated students to boxes of her signature donuts! 24 Thanks to Marisa Meehan for this adorable photo of future Webbies Koda, age 3, and Jeff, age 1. 25

one of Crain’s New York Business 2020 Rising Stars in Banking and Finance.

As a Managing Director of JPMorgan’s Investment Bank, she is in charge of structured-investments distributor marketing for financial institutions in the U.S. and Latin America.

She is the youngest black managing director in the firm’s investment banking unit. She markets highly structured deals for highnet-worth individuals, and helps facilitate the issuance of more than $5 billion of JPMorgan’s debt into the market annually. She also won the 2020 Network Journal’s Influential Black Women in Business Award.

2003 Here’s baby Roddy, WSC Class of 2038! Photo credit: Raina Dunkleberger.

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Richard Yao, Jayson Sohi, Chris Forney, Daniel Suhr ’02, and Alex Gordon ’02 met up on Zoom in their Webb gear!

See photo on page 71.

2004 Last February Stephanie Ho hosted a charity ride at Equinox in downtown Los Angeles.

Several alumni showed their support: John Sang ’00,

Christina Kon ’03, Tiffany Lee ’04, Jenn Liu ’05, Alyssa Hackett ’07 and Anthony Shin ’99 joined in person for her #HoCycle class and others donated online helping Stephanie reach her goal of $5,000 in support of @cycleforsurvival and rare cancer research.

This is Stephanie’s 10th year as a spin instructor. She also shared this fun photo of a socially distanced gathering with Emily Boyce, Lorraine Sun, and Bassil Madanat.

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Los Angeles Dodgers

October 27, 2020 marked the day that Los Angeles baseball fans have waited 32 years for — a World Series title for the Dodgers.

There is no shortage of Dodger fans among Webb alumni, faculty, staff, students, and families. Many shared their celebrations on social media and Zoom.

Julia Villasenor ’03 traveled to Texas for Games 5 and 6 – and was in the stadium as the Dodgers won the pennant. A Director of Studies, Michael Hoe ’04 showed his Dodger pride with his family on the Webb campus. B Skyler Rivera ’18 and her dad traveled to Dodger Stadium the day after the historic win to film fan reactions for submission to her broadcast journalism program at Syracuse University. C

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Max Nelson ‘95 and Damian Nelson ’97 shared this photo of them enjoying a 2019 Dodgers game wearing their Hood Hats designed by Max. D Webb’s Advancement Team showed their Dodger spirit in their weekly Zoom staff meeting. E Go Dodgers!

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Brian Gans is an attending physician in hospice and palliative care medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Brian has been treating patients with COVID since the early days of the pandemic. 32 Sarah Lewis and John

Pilar Mitchell-Campbell and her husband Chris welcomed son Christian in September 2019. Pilar is a Managing Attorney at Michael Sullivan and Associates, with offices in the Central Valley and Ventura County under her management. 29

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Nihar Shah and his wife Vivian welcomed son Samuel in February 2020.

Nihar has also joined the Alumni Council this year as a Member at Large and looks forward to continuing to connect alumni to each other and to The Webb Schools. 30 2005 Thank you to Connie Cheng, Emily Hammett and Rita Forte ’99 for being part of our VWS alumnae panel at the October 13th Affiliates meeting, hosted by Jenn Liu, director of parent relations. They shared advice about personal health and wellness. To hear a recording of their talk, go to webb.org/alumni.

2006 Kelly Boyce and Rishi Desai ’05 were married on May 16, 2020 in a Hindu ceremony in his parent’s backyard. 31

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Stewart welcomed baby Jane Emily Stewart in June 2020. 33

2007 Alyssa (Sittig) Leppla and her husband Nick welcomed their son Lincoln Robert on June 14, 2020. Born in Palo Alto, he weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz., measured 21 inches long, and is already looking forward to his first Webb visit! 34 Thank you to Summer Swee-Singh who gave a live solo performance at the Unwind with Webb October 30th virtual concert. She also answered questions about her career path and the challenges that musicians face during COVID-19. It was great to see lots of Webb friends online, including Sarah Kingstone and her parents from Vancouver Island, Zakiya Sharpe from Brooklyn, Zach Calucchia ’06 from Texas, and former faculty Mark Nelson from New Hampshire. If you missed the concert, you can watch a recording of it on webb.org/ alumni. 35

2008 Jeffrey Cripe has joined the board of trustees for the Alf Museum. “The museum is responsible for some of my happiest memories while at Webb and since I matriculated. It also created an incredible opportunity for me to contribute to the scientific community through our research on GSENM. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the museum and ensure that the next generations of Webb students benefit from all it has to offer.” Jeff is also newly married. In July he married Eleanor Walper in Las Vegas.

Sarah Gray Pepe has moved on from Director of Admissions at Montana’s Law School and is now working as a public defender in Hamilton, MT. “My caseload is exclusively felony defense, and I also represent clients in involuntary commitment hearings.”

Jarel Hill was the featured artist at the December 18 Unwind with Webb virtual concert. His duo, Tropic, includes R&B singer/songwriter Jo-B Sebastian. If you missed his performance, you can find a recording at webb.org/alumni.

2010 Ariel Fan joined the Alumni Council in July as a new Member-at-Large. See her interview on page 25 as she talks about her work.

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2011 Cameron Lutz was

2015 Justin Parker first

2018 Skyler Rivera is

recognized as one of Billboard’s 2020 Country Music Power Players. Since starting at Facebook in 2015, Cameron has worked with Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Luke Combs, Midland and countless other artists. He also leads the company’s efforts for country music’s biggest events, including Stagecoach Country Music Festival, CMA Festival, and the CMA Awards. Read more at webb.org/alumni. 36

heard of PBS Engineers back in 2018 through a Webb@Work summer internship hosted by the firm’s President and CEO Kunal Shah ’97. Now Justin is a Mechanical Design Engineer with PBS. “I’m the main engineer working on a San Diego residential sound insulation program. The FAA funds the renovations of houses around the San Diego airport for new windows, doors and AC systems to help mitigate the loud noises of planes flying overhead. I design those AC systems and work with architects, general contractors, etc. to install them.”

a third-year broadcast journalism student at Syracuse University. "I’m studying remotely this semester but our classes still require us to produce quality content. We’re assigned a story in the morning and must produce a TV news story at the end of the day. The day after the Dodgers won the World Series, my dad and I went to Dodger Stadium to film fan reaction." See photo on page 67.

Danielle (Shultz) Foley married Braden Foley on July 25, 2020. She lives in Seattle and is a recruiter at Starbucks for the finance organization. 37

Kane Willis is the new Upper School Dean at Poly Prep Country Day, an independent school in Brooklyn, NY. Read an interview with Kane on page 21.

2012 Ryan Au and a group of alumni went hiking through West Dog Teeth in Lantau Island. L-R: Marissa Pang ’13, Mason Lin ’13, Ryan and Sidney Leung (kneeling).

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Angie Harold is having quite the year! She passed the California Bar Exam in November of 2019 and got married to Andrew Irwin this past June. She’s now working at Ernst & Young’s Irvine office in tax law. 39 Henry Xu has joined the Alumni Council as the new Regional Representative in the Shenzhen/Beijing area. He’s been helping the Admission Office by interviewing prospective students in the area.

Rachel Utomo is a first-year dental student attending Columbia University’s College of Dental Medicine.

Inspired by her time as Senior Class President at Webb, she recently ran for and was elected the FirstYear Class President of the Dental Class of 2024. 40 2017 Lachlan Ashenmiller shared this photo from Amsterdam prior to quarantine. Like many who were studying abroad, he returned home in March. 41

Dylan Wensley created a portrait in memory of Occidental College classmate Jaden Burris, who sadly passed away in early 2020. “The piece was supposed to be a community-based collage created by his Oxy friends and classmates, but because of COVID, we weren’t able to do it this way. So over the summer, I completed the project and presented it to his mom in September.” 42

Payton Williams interned with Sandeep Madhavan ’99 this past summer. During the internship, she worked on script writing for a series of videos that Sandeep’s firm is using across social media to strengthen their brand and market. 43

2019 After two years of recording, producing, and mixing, Drew Hersch has released his debut album Sad Boy Summer. In an interview with the Webb Canyon Chronicle, Drew said, "It pretty much all started at Webb, those were where the ideas came from.

I wrote ‘May’ there; I wrote ‘Cellophane’ there. It took me two years because I was just getting better at producing. There were a lot of songs that I tried to make, and I had drafts of, but I was like, ’No, they’re not ready yet.’" Sad Boy Summer has 12 tracks and can be found on Spotify.

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2020 Amelie Cook has

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deferred a year from Carleton College to serve with AmeriCorps NCCC and help people in need around the country. “Due to the COVID pandemic, there has been a serious shortage of volunteers, and many organizations still need lots of help. Currently, I’m doing disaster relief work in southwest Louisiana.

I’ve been removing fallen trees and debris from people’s homes and helping homeowners muck and gut their houses that have suffered extreme water damage from Hurricane Laura. It’s very challenging work, both emotionally and physically, but I’ve gained so many new experiences and perspectives and I’m grateful for that!” If anyone is interested in getting involved, Amelie is happy to answer questions. 44

FORMER FACULTY Juli James and Arran Shea ’95 enjoyed a Webb reunion in November.

“Arran and I were two loud peccary buddies and have kept in touch on and off over the years. We both love our Hawaiian shirts! Sean (WSC ’11) is still at Apple and finishing up his private pilot license training. I am back to Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy as the Director of Residential Life and Service Initiatives. I work with Sherrie Staveley!” 45

Logging in from Canada,

We enjoyed seeing

Jo-Anne, James and Sarah ’07 Kingstone joined

Brian Ogden and Ilya Shoniya ’12 at our San Diego

our Zoom concert with

event last March. Brian is in his fifth year as Head of Upper School at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla.

Ilya is a Lead Global Print Ambassador at HP. 47

Summer Swee-Singh ’07.

“It was such a blast to be a part of the conversation, to hear Summer’s stories and listen to her beautiful music! Jim and I have both ‘retired’ which means we are pursuing our own paths!

It’s been a great shift. Sarah and I are actually partnering to build a consultancy that offers strategic planning and design services, organizational and executive coaching, and research and program development. Our business is Elarton Point Strategies (website in process!). Part of our work includes designing and delivering programs for students that focus on health and wellness.

Ideally, we train adults (teachers, leaders) to deliver our model and then they work with their students.

It is a program based in positive psychology and energy management. It’s all great work! Jim is coaching students through their final years of high school so they are well-positioned for the post-secondary application process and able to manage the challenges of this important transition.

He spent the final years of his work in schools in University Counselling.

We are also running all the trails on Vancouver Island and drinking coffee together every day after a very busy 40 years working in schools!

Couldn’t be happier.” 46

Coach Dan Pride was an integral part of Webb’s Athletics Department for 20 years, coaching football, basketball, and softball.

When he retired from Webb in 2008, he returned to his hometown of Ironton, Ohio.

He is now featured in the film “Hometown Hero” by fellow Ironton High School teacher Travis Kleinman.

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Virtual Alumni Gatherings

Connecting with classmates and friends looks a lot different these last several months, but there has been no shortage of virtual reunions among Webbies. Alumni all over the world have been using technology to stay connected while we are not able to gather in person. Thank you to all of the alumni who have shared their events with the Alumni Office!

The Class of 1965 celebrated their 55th reunion on Zoom in November. eleven members of the class attended and made future plans to keep in touch online. A

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The Class of 1970 celebrated their 50th reunion on Zoom in November with 28 classmates logging in from 13 states. B Michael Diamond ‘85 and Jeff Cannon ’84 hosted several virtual gatherings for alumni from the 1980s. C A few members of the Classes of 1989 and 1990 caught up in April.

The Class of 1996 came together from as far away as Dubai!

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Richard Yao ’03 (not pictured) brought together Chris Forney ’03, Jayson Sohi ’03, Alex Gordon ‘02 and Daniel Suhr ’02. F The Class of 2004 shifted their spring reunion plans to Zoom with some special “Future Webbie” guests. G Members of the Class of 2006 enjoyed a game night hosted by Chad Pharnichyakul and Michael Sun. H VWS ’06 alumnae welcomed Sarah Lewis new baby on Zoom. Top to bottom L-R: Katie Dahl, Maggie McMillan, Sarah, Leslie Greening ’04, Heidi Marti, Gauri Gadgil, Jordi Baron and Esther Kim. I Kevin McNamara ’11 and several 2011 classmates shared their Zoom hangout with the Alumni Office. J

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Volunteer Thank You ALUMNI ADMISSION INTERVIEWS, JANUARY 2020 Angela Alexander ’07 Emily Hammett ’05 Abigail Hess ’12 Johnson Lightfoote ’08 Bassil Madanat ’04 Nihar Shah ’04 Henry Xu ’12

AFFILIATES MEETING, YOUNG ALUMNI PANEL, JANUARY 14, 2020 Laurel Benjamin ’17 Lawrence Mao ’19 Michael Paik ’14 Shannon Torrance ’15 �

SOPHOMORE CAREER EVENING, FEBRUARY 23, 2020

UNBOUNDED DAYS, FEBRUARY 2020

Angela Alexander ’07 Emily Boyce ’04 Zamia Cohen ’95 Amanda David Ho ’02 Stanley Eosakul ’04 Sarah Lewis ’06 Matthew Lim ’99 Maggie McMillan ’06 Kunal Shah ’97 Jeff Taylor ’06 James Wu ’97

James Chang ’04 Jeffrey Cripe ’08 Stephanie Ho ’04 Sandeep Madhavan ’99 David Myles ’80 Edmond Ng ’92 Rose Roll ’99

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A tremendous thanks to the many alumni and parents who volunteered in-person and online for Webb programs and events this past year.

WEBBSTORIES ADMISSION EVENTS, MAY-JUNE 2020 Lily Chen P ’22 Celia Chu P ’11, ’14, ’17 Dakota Santana-Grace ’11 Ruth Santana-Grace P ’11 Elisa Kong ’15 Jenny Kong P ’15, ’18, ’22 Kylie Osborne ’23 Karen Rosenthal P ’91, ’93 Kathy Winant Osborne ’88

ORIENTATION WEEKEND “ALUMNI & STUDENT STORIES VIDEO” FOR NEW FAMILIES, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 Dakota Santana-Grace ’11 Siri Dominguez ’15

DISCOVER WEBB DAYS, NOVEMBER 13-14, 2020 Angela Alexander ’07 Ziyad Duron ’15 Adriana Fung ’17 Daniel Hernandez ’13 Meredith Hess ’14 Emma Ng ’17 Wilson Parnell ’13 Jordan Taylor ’02

Catherine Cordes P ’21 Francisco & Devanie Donez P ’21, ’24 Jimmy Feng ’21 Angelica Gutierrez P ’20, ’24 Hazel Hu P ’20, ’23 Chris Jin P ’23 Jenny Kong P ’15, ’18, ’22 Barry & Jennifer Oglesby P ’23 Patrice Ratinoff P ’23 Sonia Seara P ’23 6

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AFFILIATES MEETING, VWS ALUMNAE “WEBB FIT” PANEL, OCTOBER 13, 2020 Connie Cheng ’05 Rita Forte ’99 Emily Hammett ’05 8

THE MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Carlos A. Baez, MD Stephanie Baron, PA-C ’96 Dr. Daniel Gluckstein, MD P ’05, ’08 Dr. Sandra S. Lee, MD ’88, P ’23, ’24 Dr. Rahmi Mowjood, DO ’90

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In Memoriam We are saddened by the news that CHRIS PURVIS passed away on April 24, 2020. He is survived by his wife Lauren and their two sons. Chris was a Webb faculty member from 2008-11, teaching AP Psychology, Biology and Honors Chemistry.

In 2011, the students selected him to be their baccalaureate speaker. After leaving Webb, Chris transitioned into consulting work before taking a job in Google's business operations and strategy division.

1937 We just learned that LUIS CARSCADEN died on November 9, 2015. We last saw Luis in 2011 when he visited campus with his son Bill. At that time, Luis was 91 years old.

1940 ROBERT LEARY passed away on April 16, 2020.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret and his four children Charles, John, Allison and Barbara. At Webb, Robert played tennis and was a member of the glee club. He was known for performing chemistry experiments both in his own laboratory and the classroom.

Robert attended Stanford University, where he studied experimental psychology. He began his professional career as a professor at University of Oregon where he received many grants to support his research. Before retirement, Robert invested in securities and real estate so that he could devote more time to photography, literature and art.

1942 GEORGE HALL died on September 6, 2020.

He is survived by his three children, Wendy Read, Suzette Seagoe and Herb Hall, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. At Webb, George was a member of the tennis team, camera club and was an avid skier. He attended UC Berkeley briefly before leaving to serve in the Army Air Corps as a map maker for an aerial photography unit. After the war he earned a post-graduate MBA then went to work at Tubbs Cordage Company, a successful family rope manufacturer with roots in the gold rush. One of his passions was time spent at the Bohemian Club and Grove. He also enjoyed time at the Claremont Country Club, especially playing dominoes. George was a great conversationalist with a wonderful sense of humor.

1945 ROBERT “BOB” RICHARDS passed away on May 24, 2020. He is survived by his children Paul '76, John '78 and Beth, and his brother Benjamin '46. At Webb, Bob was an active student serving as chairman of the Honor Committee, president of Block W and editor of El Espejo. He earned many varsity letters and was captain of the football team in his senior year. One of his fondest Webb achievements was being named “Best All-Around Athlete.”

Bob graduated from Pomona College and then earned his master’s degree from Claremont Graduate University. After graduation, he began his career as a teacher. For 25 years, he taught at Foothill Country Day School, helmed by Howell and Betty Webb. He retired to Sacramento and became involved in social justice activism through the Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals & Peace Action. He traveled all over the nation attending seminars and rallies for issues that concerned him, and he cherished time with his children and grandchildren, hikes with his brother Benjamin and travels to the United Kingdom and Holy Land. His memory and health gradually faded due to Alzheimer's, but his spirit and enthusiasm remained fiercely present. He died amidst the COVID-19 crisis, but his daughter was able to visit him via FaceTime and in person near the end.

1947 ROLAND JOSLYN passed away on September 18, 2020 in Issaquah, WA, at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife Dorothy and children Gregory ’72, Daniel and Amy. At Webb, Roland was a member of the track and field team and well known as a fantastic piano player. He attended Pomona College, where he studied architecture and went on to attend Northrop Institute.

HUGH VAUGHAN passed away on June 23, 2019.

At Webb he was a member of the track team and worked on the Blue & Gold and El Espejo.

Hugh attended Yale University and went on to start his own advertising agency, Jefferson Marketing & Advertising Inc. which he operated until his retirement.

1949 JOHN H. THATCHER JR. died peacefully at home in Hillsborough, NJ, on August 14, 2017. He graduated from Princeton University in 1953.

An avid fisherman, John spent many summers fishing on Fishers Island, NY. His passion for preserving the island's clean waters and natural habitats spurred him to co-found The Fishers Island Conservancy in 1985 and serve as its president for many years. As president, he advocated for preservation and conservation of the island's clean water and ecosystems. A stroke, sustained while fishing on Fishers Island in 2005, prevented him from returning to his favorite island and fishing grounds.

1950 We just learned that JOHN KOHLER passed away on December 1, 2011.

1951 ROY PARKER died on February 2, 2020. He earned a B.S. from MIT and a M.Div. at Episcopal Divinity School. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1964 and the priesthood in 1967. He joined the Order of the Holy Cross and returned to the Diocese of Los Angeles to serve

at the Santa Barbara monestary Mt. Calvary.

Roy was also an accomplished calligrapher whose work is displayed in churches and homes throughout the Diocese of Los Angeles.

1952 ANDREW “ANDY” GRIFFIN died on February 29, 2020. He is survived by his sons Mark and Sherman and his siblings Sarah and Cyrus.

At Webb, Andy was president of the camera and chess clubs in his senior year, as well as a photographer for the Blue & Gold and El Espejo.

Andy graduated with a B.A. in history from UC Berkeley, where he was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity and coxswain for Cal crew. He served in the Merchant Marine and U.S. Army, based in both Fort Ord, Calif., and France. When he returned to San Francisco, he spent his entire career with the Bank of California, where he started as a teller and retired as Vice President of Loan Policy.

1953 CLEVE BAKER passed away peacefully on August 12, 2020. He is survived by his four children and brothers John '57 and Bruce. At Webb, Cleve was president of the student body, El Espejo editor, an Honor Committeeman and a member of the California Scholarship Federation. After Webb, he earned a B.S. in fresh water biology from Stanford University with a minor in East Asian studies before attending Stanford School of Medicine. After completing his medical degree, Cleve entered the Air Force and served as an officer and physician at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. He became a husband and family man after marrying his high school sweetheart, Deborah Dane. When they moved to Woodland, Calif. in 1966, their family grew to include four children. Cleve built a dermatology practice with the Woodland Clinic Medical Group that spanned 33 years. He loved caring for people and never begrudged the minutes spent with each and every patient. He was known for making house calls, visiting nursing homes and volunteering to support migrant health initiatives in Yolo County. He also held teaching positions as a clinical instructor at Stanford School of Medicine and as a Clinical Professor of Dermatology at UC Davis. Cleve actively participated in the restoration and preservation of historic Woodland through his work with the Yolo County Historical Society, Stroll Through History and the Woodland Opera House.

1956 We recently learned that WILLIAM “WIL” D. STRATHMANN died on February 11, 2018. He is survived by his wife, Randi, their two sons Bill and Joe, and his brother, Richard '59. At Webb, Wil received a varsity letter in football and was a member of the drama club. After graduating from Pomona College, he attended Harvard

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A celebration of life Medical School. After completing his residency, Wil served in the Air Force before starting a private practice as a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C. In 1983 he joined the Baltimore Washington Institute for Psychoanalysis and served as the Co-Director of the Adult Psychotherapy Program for several years. Wil retired in Maine to begin his dream of living in a place filled with natural beauty.

1960 We just learned that STEPHAN “STEVE” COOK passed away on January 2, 2017. Steve received his B.A. from Colorado State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Marquette University. He was a beloved English professor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. During the last 15 years of his life, he suffered from Parkinson's disease. He is survied by his wife Terri and their son Ian. PIETER SPEYER passed away on November 11, 2019. He is survived by his wife Catherine and daughter Danielle. At Webb, Pieter was a member of the California Scholarship Federation, the camera club and drama club.

He also received B letters in soccer and track.

After Webb, Pieter attended University of Redlands where he studied Spanish and Latin American civilization and earned his J.D. from Western California School of Law. He then journeyed to Spain, where he received a degree in international law from the University of Barcelona. He moved to La Jolla and set up his practice, where Pieter had an illustrious career as an immigration lawyer. In 2005 he began a successful weekend radio program where people could call in with immigration questions. He always credited his bilingual career to the Spanish classes at Webb with John Sumner.

1963 We recently learned that JAN JANSEN died on December 13, 2014. At Webb, Jan earned the nickname “Howdy” and was a member of the soccer and track teams. He also served as the circulation manager for the Blue and Gold. Jan attended Columbia University where he studied engineering before serving with the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. His classmates remember him as a happy, high energy guy, always with a smile on his face.

1967 WILLIAM “BILL” SCHOONMAKER passed away on March 22, 2020. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Jill, and their children Emily and Jesse.

At Webb, Bill was very active on campus: he was captain of both the football and rugby teams and president of his class and the student body.

He was also a member of the Honor Committee, choir and the Blue & Gold. His classmates described him as “one of those individuals who improve a situation merely by being a part of

it.” After Webb, he graduated from Amherst College and then earned a master’s degree in architecture from University of Washington.

For over 30 years he had a successful career as an architect, helping his clients actualize their dream homes or helping design new and innovative spaces for his local community. Bill was also an active volunteer and philanthropist, serving as a trustee for the Durham Public Library and supporting a wide variety of causes including education, environmental conservation efforts and liberal political causes.

1976 DILIP RATAN passed away on May 15, 2020. He is survived by his mother Sheela, brothers Rajiv ’77 and Suneel ’81, and many nieces and nephews. At Webb, Dilip ran cross country and was a photographer for El Espejo and the Blue & Gold. Many may recall his pithy sense of humor, but he will also be remembered for being remarkably empathetic, often befriending classmates to help them integrate. After Webb, Dilip attended Wesleyan University before transferring to Cal State San Bernardino, where he earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology. Dilip was a true scholar: he was brilliant in every sense of the word and studied philosophy, physics and chemistry even in his final days. His brother Raj described him as a “loving older brother who, when we were younger, provided much needed perspective and wisdom at critical times.”

1977 JEFF CALAMUSA died after a short illness on August 15, 2020. He is survived by his wife Erika Amato, his mother Linda Lou Bourque and his brother Alfred. At Webb, Jeff was a member of the soccer and football teams and the senior class president. He attended Cal State Fullerton, where he earned a B.S. in business administration, double majoring in management and finance. Although he had an excellent aptitude for business, his heart and soul were devoted to music, and in 1988, he decided to focus entirely on songwriting, playing bass guitar and producing. Going by the stage name Jeff Stacy, he had several bands over the years, but by far his most successful project was Velvet Chain. They regularly played the best venues in Los Angeles, including the Troubadour and House of Blues, and completed a successful U.S. tour before making their mark internationally on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This led to many more TV and film placements. Velvet Chain released five albums, all produced by Jeff, and was actually gearing up to put out a new album this year.

1980 We recently learned that JOHN CURTIS died on May 6, 2017. John was a day student and manager of the track team. He graduated from University

of Redlands with a B.A. in economics and later worked for Transamerica Life Co. More recently he had some serious health issues and was living in an assisted living facility. His classmates recall that he was an avid follower of the stock market and did fairly well with his trading.

DAVID DUKES passed away on November 3, 2020.

He is survived by his son Robert, and siblings Richard ’78 and Pamela. David suffered greatly during the past four years after nearly drowning off the coast of Kauai in 2016. He was taken to Alvarado Hospital San Diego where he died peacefully with his sister by his side. At Webb David worked on the Blue & Gold and was a member of the prom committee. He received a B.A. from Oregon State University and an M.A. in health care administration from National University of San Diego. Before beginning a successful career in real estate, David worked for his father's health care company. He greatly enjoyed his time at Webb and credited his wonderful teachers, like former French teacher Jacques Pauwels, for making his experience so memorable.

MARTIN “MARTY” DWORSKY died on September 19, 2018. He is survived by his wife Tracy and two daughters. At Webb he played tennis and was editor of the school newspaper. He studied prelaw at UC Berkeley and then earned his J.D. from the University of Southern California.

Many years ago, Marty had a medical procedure that never left him the same. He was not able to practice law again, nor could he drive. In spite of his situation, his classmates always found him in good humor, funny and warm. He was the definition of grace under adversity.

CHARLES LIKAS passed away on January 26, 2019.

At Webb, he was a member of the glee club and was in the fall play his senior year. After Webb, Charles attended University of Southern California where he studied international relations and psychology. He was well known for his love of Elvis. For several years he organized the West Coast Elvis Tribute in Napa Valley.

2011 LANDEN J. POWELL died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 7, 2020. He is survived by his parents Steve ’85 and Darla, brothers Collin ’08 and Garret ’11, uncle John ’83 and cousin Nicole Kjellander ’10. Landen earned his bachelor’s degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology from UCLA and worked as an IT manager at a San Diego medical clinic.

He also oversaw the internet sales for Peter Rabbit Farms in Coachella, Calif. His many talents included electronic music production, art, poetry and a novel in process. He left a legacy of true gentleness, kindness and special memories for those who knew him.

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THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org

FALL / WINTER 2021 WEBB MAGA ZINE

Alumni Bookshelf

James E. Sullivan with William R. Ripley ’60

The Bad, The Ugly and The Good In 1983, while Bill Ripley was studying at Princeton Seminary in New Jersey to become a pastor, he became pen pals with James E. Sullivan, who was serving a life sentence at Eastham Unit, a prison in the Texas Department of Corrections. This is a story of redemption and follows the 30-year friendship between Ripley and Sullivan.

Available on Amazon.

John Scalzi ’87

Jenn Louis ’89

The Last Emperox

The Chicken Soup Manifesto

This is the final volume in John Scalzi’s Interdependency trilogy series and a sequel to The Consuming Fire. It opened at #6 on The New York Times bestseller list for combined print and e-book fiction and #14 on the USA Today bestseller list. Scalzi has been a frequent speaker at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, a creative consultant for the TV series Stargate Universe, and in 2013 his book Redshirts won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Netflix also optioned his Old Man War book and used three of his stories for episodes in the animated series, Love, Death & Robots.

“It’s like a documentary about chicken soups all over the world,” says Louis. Her previous books include Pasta

by Hand and The Book of Greens. Louis, who is based in Portland, Ore., is known for using seasonal ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. Signed copies available at jennlouis.com

Kate Wharmby Seldman ’93

For Those About to Rock: A Kid's Guide to 50 Legendary Musical Acts This nonfiction book for kids aged 8-15 tells the inspiring stories of 50 celebrated popular musicians, including Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, Run DMC, The Doors, Bjork, Black Flag, Blondie, and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. Based in Los Angeles, Seldman is a writer and a mother of two boys. She loves cats, heavy metal, and anything weird. This is her first book. Available at forthoseabouttorock. co.

Belinda Lei ’13

Not THAT Rich Belinda Lei's debut YA novel follows the lives of a diverse group of private high schoolers in an affluent Southern Californian suburb.

The dramatic and satire-filled storyline tackles classism, multiculturalism, and the high-pressure environment in today's college admissions process. Through this lens, Lei weaves together nuanced stories as her characters navigate the biggest challenge of all—being a teenager.

If you enjoy Crazy Rich Asians, Gossip Girl, or Frankly in Love, this book is for you!

Available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles.

Find out more at notthatrich.com.

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Your future gift intentions today will support Webb’s success in the next 100 years.

The Class of 1967 have taken a particular interest in preserving and maintaining one of their favorite campus spaces – Iversen Park. Together, they are committed to transforming the space between Alamo and the Hutchison dorms into a multi-purpose gathering space to honor their memories of days spent learning under the magnificent oak trees that line the park.

The path ahead

Earlier this year, Charles “Chuck” Ensey ’67 and his wife Gloria made a commitment to endow the Iversen Park project space in the form of a charitable gift annuity.

Chuck says, “I realized that a gift annuity was a great idea that worked for me and for Webb, a true win-win situation! ...We set up the income for joint life, so even after I pass on, my wife will continue to get a monthly check for the rest of her life, and I was able to help our Class of 1967 fund an important class gift that we had been working on for years.”

Charitable gift annuities (CGAs) are just one example of creative giving strategies that donors use to support The Webb Schools and the Alf Museum, while also providing income for themselves, or their beneficiaries. CGAs are an excellent option to secure fixed income regardless of fluctuations in the market while supporting the schools and our mission for many years to come.

For more information on gifts that pay you income, contact Bob Fass (bfass@webb.org) or Danielle Gordon (dgordon@webb.org).

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THE WEBB SCHOOLS webb.org

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The Webb family all together in the Webb House living room on campus. 1

Our first entrance to campus at the Old Schoolhouse. 2

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ADMINISTRATION Taylor B. Stockdale Head of Schools

Hector Martinez Dean of College Guidance

Theresa A. Smith, PhD Associate Head of Schools

Michael Hoe ’04 Director of Studies

Dutch Barhydt Director of Institutional Advancement

Janet K. Peddy Director of Finance, Planning & Operations

Jamila Everett, EdD Director of Admission & Financial Aid

Joe Woodward Director of Strategic Communications

CREDITS VOLUME 23, NUMBER 2 EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Joe Woodward CONTRIBUTORS

Dutch Barhydt, Lexus Beaman ’08, Debbie Carini, Andrew Farke, John Ferrari, Danielle Gordon, Don Lofgren, Jessica Rice ’12, Michael Simonelli, Laura Wensley

Donald L. Lofgren, PhD Director, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

DESIGN

Shari Fournier-O’Leary

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020-21 Sanjiv P. Dholakia ’87, Chairman David Loo ’79, Vice Chair Christina Mercer McGinley, PhD ’84, Vice Chair, Secretary R. Larry Ashton ’70, Chairman, Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology Board, ex officio Blake H. Brown ’68 Michael M. Chang ’92 Deval R. Dvivedi ’00 Jenna Z. Gambaro ’95 Janel Henriksen Hastings, PhD ’87 Wendy Hornbuckle William Hornbuckle Naveen Jeereddi ’92 Sandra Lee Rebish, MD ’88 Julia Marciari-Alexander, PhD ’85 Roger J. Millar ’61 Rahmi Mowjood, DO ’90 David C. Myles, PhD ’80 Mickey E. Novak ’70 Melvin Oliver, PhD Janet K. Peddy, Director of Finance, Planning and Operations, Chief Financial Officer & Secretary, ex officio R.J. Romero Miles Rosedale ’69 Wendin D. Smith, PhD ’89 Taylor Stockdale, Head of Schools, President & Chief Executive Officer, ex officio Lara Tiedens, PhD Lance Williams ’97 Denis Yip

LIFE TRUSTEES Jim Drasdo ’63 Hugh H. Evans Jr. ’49 Anne Gould Earl (Bud) Hoover II ’52 Murray H. Hutchinson Ann Longley Claire H. McCloud Kimball (Kim) McCloud ’67 Susan A. Nelson Paul M. Reitler ’54 Peter Ziegler ’63

HONORARY TRUSTEES Robert Hefner ’53 Pak Fu King Ming Chung Liu Yafei Yuan

ALF MUSEUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020-21 R. Larry Ashton ’70, Chairman Gretchen J. Augustyn Terry W. Baganz William Baldwin Richard H. Clark Jeffrey C. Cripe ’08 Sanjiv P. Dholakia ’87, Chairman, The Webb Schools, ex officio Daniel (Dan) Gluckstein, MD Jack (Jay) Greening Ronald (Ron) P. Hagander ’66 James E. Hall, PhD ’59 F. Gard Jameson, PhD ’71 Jenny Kong Carl W. R. Lachman ’86 Donald L. Lofgren, PhD, Museum Director, President, ex officio David P. Mirkin, MD ’66 L.J. Patrick Muffler, PhD ’54 Michelle Plyley Mary W. Rose, PhD Elizabeth A. Smith ’92 Charles Steinmann, MD Taylor Stockdale, Head of Schools, ex officio Page W. Thibodeaux Monica Atiyeh Whitaker ’96 Tammy Zipser

LIFE MEMBERS Anne G. Earhart Sherwood C. Kingsley ’58 John (Dick) R. Lynas ’55 Douglas F. Myles Michael O. Woodburne, PhD

PHOTOGRAPHY

Don Lofgren, Nancy Newman, Scott Nichols PRINTING

Precision Services Group NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

The Webb Schools admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the schools. The Webb Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law in administration of their educational policies, tuition assistance, athletic, and other school-administered programs, or any other basis in law.

THE WEBB SCHOOLS — MEMBERSHIPS

The Association of Boarding Schools; National Association of Independent Schools; California Association of Independent Schools; Western Boarding Schools Association; Western Association of Schools and Colleges; National Coalition of Girls’ Schools; Independent Curiculum Group; College Entrance Examination Board; Educational Records Bureau; Association of Independent School Admission Professionals; National Association of College Admission Counselors; Council for the Advancement and Support of Education; and the Cum Laude Society.

ALF MUSEUM — MEMBERSHIPS

Geological Society of America; Society of Vertebrate Paleontology; American Alliance of Museums; Association of Science Museum Directors; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections; and the National Association of Geology Teachers.

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

WEBB Magazine is the official publication of The Webb Schools.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Webb Schools 1175 W. Baseline Road Claremont, CA 91711 PH (909) 626-3587 FAX (909) 621-4582 EMAIL: alumni@webb.org webb.org THE MISSION of The Webb Schools is to provide an exemplary learning community that nurtures and inspires boys and girls to become men and women who: • Think boldly, mindfully and creatively, • Act with honor and moral courage, • Lead with distinction, • Serve with a generous spirit.

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