Westminster Bulletin Spring 2021

Spring 2021

Westminster Bulletin

An Extraordinary Year Moving Westminster Forward Learning Good Design and More Sabbatical Highlights

Westminster Bulletin

SPRING 2021

FEATURES

An Extraordinary Year 10

Moving Westminster Forward 20

Learning Good Design and More

DEPARTMENTS 2 Head of School Message

54

Supporting Westminster

4

Hill Headlines

60

Martlets on the Move

41

Westminster Poet

66

Class Notes

48

Faculty Sabbatical Experiences

71

In Memoriam

52

From the Archives

80

Closing Thoughts

42

On the cover, Head of School Bill Philip and Jenny Philip on campus.

On opposite page, Sixth Formers select a class pin or pendant after signing the Sixth Form book at the Lawn and Pin Ceremony.

Spring 2021

1

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear Westminster School Community, Visits with alumni who were students during my time at Westminster are so personally rewarding. To be in the company of these alumni, now in their settled adult lives, while remembering them as students, is a remarkably affirming experience. Together with them in their professional offices, at their homes or at coffee shops, we discuss their personal and professional experiences since graduating from Westminster, often with them crediting the lessons they learned on Williams Hill.

Throughout, memories flood my mind of them as students on campus — for many were in my history class, on my team, on my corridor or among my advisees. Students arrive at Westminster as adolescents and graduate as young adults, and the arc of their transformation on campus and after graduation animates all of us who devote our lives to teaching.

As many of you know, this winter we put an outdoor ice rink on Commencement Lawn in order to provide students another venue for fun and relaxation during this pandemic.

In fact, Commencement Lawn has been a hive of activity throughout this school year. For instance, this fall, the performing arts staged outdoor productions there. Similarly, our Student Activities Committee hosted Saturday evening movies, and volleyball and badminton games, among other weekend activities on that lawn. During the spring, Commencement Lawn is a venue for evening stickball games — yes, stickball remains a much-anticipated feature of our spring term! — and the pathways along the lawn are often lined off for four square. Surrounded

by Cushing Hall and Keyes House, Armour Academic Center, Andrews Memorial Chapel, and the head of school’s residence at Pratt House, Commencement Lawn is a vibrant community space.

In the moment of any school year for students, their future trajectory from adolescence to adulthood remains mysterious.

Recently, Athletic Director Tim Joncas ’00 shared with me a 1915 photograph taken by our school’s founder, William Lee Cushing, of boys playing hockey on an outdoor rink on Commencement Lawn. Personally, as a history teacher, reflecting upon what lay ahead for those boys in that 1915 photograph is sobering: our entry into World War I in 1917, the 1918-1919 flu pandemic,

Above, students in 1915 skating on a campus outdoor rink, and on opposite page, students in 2021 skating on a new rink in the same location.

2

Westminster Bulletin

the Great Depression and World War II, all by the time they were in their mid-40s. And the memorial plaques in the chapel and Alumni House honoring the fallen alumni in World Wars I and II, respectively, remind us that some of the boys in that 1915 photograph surely did not live through it all.

Perspective is especially critical in challenging times, and our shared pandemic experience, extending back to the winter of 2020, has certainly been challenging, especially so when considered with our national reckoning about systemic racism and the horrific events of Jan. 6, 2021. Perspective, though, helps us transcend absorption in our own circumstances, as we seek to appreciate the even more challenging experiences endured by those before us and in the process discover pathways to address better our current challenges.

In that regard, I have been so proud of how well our school community has responded to all that has confronted us recently.

Beginning with their 2020 spring vacation, faculty and staff colleagues devoted countless hours to reimagining Westminster in a world of masking and distancing; students embraced that challenge with remarkable grit and grace, led successively by the Classes of 2020 and 2021, which both had Sixth Form experiences far different than what they ever anticipated. With a similar resolve, faculty and students recommitted to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including focused study of the significance of the enduring legacy of racism through our nation’s history.

Our school’s motto balances grit with grace and, in doing so, affirms the importance of personal improvement balanced with a concern for and an attention to others. As underscored by the focus of our Soar Together Campaign, on enhancing community spaces and supporting the people of our school community, Westminster School seeks to prepare students, as they transform to adulthood, to make a difference for the world at large and to adopt a world view imbued especially with grace. And it is that spirit, which I have encountered so often in my visits with Westminster alumni, that has been so personally energizing and affirming, and that lights our way forward together.

Jenny joins me in extending our best wishes to Martlets across the country and around the world. You will always be in our hearts and on our minds, so please stay in touch. Martlets Fly Highest When They Soar Together!

William V.N. Philip P’06, ’09 Head of School

Spring 2021

3

HI IL LL LH E H H A DELA I ND E SL

INES

New Head of School Announced The Westminster School Board of Trustees announced Dec. 8 the appointment of Elaine White, who has had a distinguished career in education, as Westminster’s ninth head of school beginning July 1.

Her appointment follows a national search for a successor to Head of School Bill Philip, who is stepping down from the position and departing Westminster in June after 38 years at the school.

During Elaine’s tenure at The Governor’s Academy, she has been a teacher, coach, advisor and dorm parent, as well as serving in a variety of significant leadership positions including chair of the English Department, academic dean, interim director of advancement and assistant head of school, with some of these responsibilities overlapping. Known for her dynamic, Elaine White warm leadership style and strong moral compass, she has worked with the head of school on daily operations and has been at the heart of the school’s strategic planning for the past decade, both at the board and faculty level.

In addition to managing multiple offices, she was the first female department chair in the school’s history, cultivated and stewarded donors for the school’s capital campaign, led a task force to design and implement a hybrid learning platform for the current academic year, facilitated creation of a Learning Center, managed development and operation of the school’s advisory program and helped design a summer internship program for rising seniors. Also, she is proud to have played an instrumental role in the creation of the school’s Seven Essential Skills and Visiting Professional Seminar Series.

Elaine’s appointment followed a five-month national search led by a 10-member Head of School Search Committee that included faculty, trustees, alumni and parents. With the assistance of Carney, Sandoe & Associates, a nationally recognized educational search firm, the committee developed a position statement that served as a framework to review a diverse pool of around 140 candidates. During the search process, input was gathered from members of the Westminster community through an online survey, which was completed by more than 600 people, plus innumerable individual communications.

The committee interviewed 13 candidates, from which they selected four finalists, with whom members of the committee and the Westminster community then participated in interviews

and provided feedback. On the recommendation of the Search Committee, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved Elaine White as Westminster School’s next head of school.

“Elaine’s depth and breadth of experience as an educator and administrator make her an inspiring leader and the most qualified candidate to steer Westminster into the future,” said Brad Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We are confident she will continue Westminster School’s extraordinary momentum as one of the leading independent schools in the world. She possesses all of the qualities we sought in our next head of school and is passionate about enhancing the educational experience of students.”

“I am absolutely delighted to serve as Westminster’s ninth head of school,” said Elaine. “It is a remarkable institution whose commitment to students forms the very center of its existence and whose faculty passionately and completely share their lives and their love of learning to ensure that Westminster students ‘reach well beyond the ordinary.’ Westminster’s commitment to all of its various communities — students, faculty, staff, families and alumni — inspires me, and I am excited to become part of those communities. As a school that knows itself well and takes pride in its achievements, Westminster is also a school that pushes itself to be even better — to seek and embrace excellence — with grit and grace. It is a school that is unafraid of the future, and it is an honor and a privilege to be at the helm in that journey forward.”

“Elaine’s depth and breadth of experience as an educator and administrator make her an inspiring leader and the most qualified candidate to steer Westminster into the future.”

4

Westminster Bulletin

HILL HEADLINES

An Immersive Examination of Black American History During the first three weeks of the winter trimester, all students taking a Westminster history course participated in a shared, immersive and sustained examination of Black American history.

During nine class meetings, students examined eight case studies dealing with specific issues of Black history in America.

Teachers used the lesson plans as resources for their classes, combining and connecting to their own content and syllabi.

The eight case studies were organized in four pairs, addressing issues of antiBlackness and responses to anti-Blackness.

Several lesson plans were accompanied by a short video featuring an eminent scholar of Black history with particular expertise in the area.

The four lesson plan pairs of the curriculum included a close examination of the compromises that led to the institutionalization of slavery in the U.S. Constitution contrasted with the history of antebellum resistance and rebellion by enslaved people; the efforts of the freedmen to build new lives and communities during Reconstruction and the emerging national leadership of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois and others at the end of the 19th century; the remarkable story of “Black Wall Street,” which led to the Tulsa pogrom of 1921, and the power and influence of the Harlem Renaissance; and the structural and systemic racism of the post-1945 era, which fueled the civil rights movement and continues today through many forms of contemporary activism.

As part of the curriculum, students and faculty attended a webinar Dec. 14 featuring Allison Dorsey, professor of history at Swarthmore College, who is a scholar of Reconstruction and, specifically, the experience of the freedmen — formerly enslaved, newly freed Americans — after the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Part of her research has examined the efforts of Lancaster King, a formerly enslaved person who fought for the Union in the Civil War and his

family to secure a federal pension and land ownership. During her presentation about her work, she spoke about the experiences of King and Mustapha Shaw, another freedman, in Georgia in a talk titled “Race, Wills and ‘Family’: Securing Land and Opportunity in Redeemed Georgia.” She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in American history from the University of California, Irvine. Following her presentation, she responded to a number of questions.

In addition, all history students and faculty received a copy of James Baldwin’s book “The Fire Next Time,” thanks to the generosity of the Griffith Family Foundation. Students read and discussed the book in classes, and the faculty had a “book club” meeting the final week of the classes and used the book as the basis for faculty discussion and professional development.

“The goal of this curriculum was to encourage students and participating faculty to think and rethink the history of Black Americans,” said Charlie Griffith, head of the Westminster History Department. “We consciously sought to ‘disrupt the narrative,’ and build an understanding that Black history is American history — not an adjunct or an add-on. In the past, we have treated Black history more cursorily, and this program allowed our students to carefully consider these issues in an intensive, meaningful way. Moving forward, this curriculum and its materials will be curated and archived and used by teachers every year in a variety of classes and contexts.”

Leading up to the winter trimester,

Allison Dorsey

Erin Corbett ’95 worked broadly with the History Department beginning last summer and into the fall helping it audit its overall curriculum. She is a graduate of Swarthmore Erin Corbett ’95 College, where she studied psychology and education. She then earned an MBA from Post University and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been a longtime and passionate advocate for the poor, women and people of color.

Currently, she is the founder and CEO of Second Chance Educational Alliance in Bloomfield, Conn., an education-focused community reintegration initiative for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. “Erin was an invaluable resource to the History Department as we critically examined all of our courses with the goal of addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Charlie. “That process inspired me during the fall and over Thanksgiving break to design and implement the examination of Black American history curriculum for the beginning of the winter trimester.”

Charlie Griffith, head of the History Department, with students in a history class.

Spring 2021

5

HILL HEADLINES

Sixth Former Named One of Top 300 Student Scientists in the Nation Society for Science announced in January that Sixth Former Michelle Wu was among the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. She will receive $2,000, and Westminster School will receive $2,000.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars were selected from 1,760 applications received from 611 high schools across 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 10 countries.

Scholars were chosen based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking and promise as scientists. They hail from 198 American and international high schools in 37 states, Puerto Rico, Taiwan and Singapore.

Regeneron Science Talent Search requires applicants to submit an individual research paper, extensive written responses about their research procedures and their future aspirations as scientists and mathematicians, a list of extracurricular activities, transcripts, test scores and two recommendation letters (one from a school teacher and one from a research mentor). The title of the project Michelle submitted was “Biases in First and Second Moments of the Fourier Coefficients in One- and Two-Parameter Families of Elliptic Curves.”

“I am tremendously honored to be named a 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar,” said Michelle. “It feels like a recognition of my passion for mathematics and years of hard work in mathematical research. With this honor, I feel a great responsibility to more actively reach out to my community, especially to female and underrepresented students, to promote scientific and mathematical research. I also want to thank Westminster for providing a nurturing environment for intellectual discovery.”

Michelle began her research the summer after her Fourth Form year.

“I conducted mathematics research on the group of rational solutions, or rank, of a type of cubic equations called elliptic curves, which are crucial to cryptography and the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem,” she explained.

“The behavior of these curves remains a mystery to mathematicians. In my research, I confirmed my mentor’s conjecture on the property of rank in five new one-parameter families of elliptic curves and seven two-parameter families of elliptic curves, which had never been studied before. If the conjecture holds, then it helps us to understand one of the Millennium Prize Problems — the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture.”

Michelle is interested in number theory. “It is the area elliptic curves belong to,” she said. “I was drawn to

Michelle Wu ’21

elliptic curves when I first read about the mathematician Sir Andrew Wiles in Simon Singh’s ‘Fermat’s Enigma.’ Curious about Wiles’ investigation of these curves, I wanted to find out more about them and investigate some of their properties, which have defied mathematicians’ classification. I am also interested in topology and want to learn how objects in our daily life can be mathematically transformed and folded.”

At Westminster, Michelle has taken Linear Algebra with faculty member Peter Doucette and an Independent Study in Mathematics with Head of the Mathematics Department Tony Griffith.

She plans to pursue mathematics in college and hopes to not only find the solutions to equations but also to apply them to solve societal challenges such as pollution and gerrymandering.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search provides students with a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and discoveries of young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to significant global challenges. This year, research projects covered topics from bioinformatics to public health and energy efficiency.

Horizons at Westminster Holds Saturday Academies

Horizons at Westminster students with Westminster students during an online Saturday Academy.

6

Westminster Bulletin

Despite the pandemic, Horizons at Westminster continued its programming throughout the academic year by holding three Saturday Academies for students in the program who reside in Hartford. The goal is to build on what the students have learned during the six-week summer program and keep them engaged throughout the year.

Horizons at Westminster held its third year of summer programming last year, and the follow-up academies were held in December, February and April, all online.

HILL HEADLINES

Students Participate in Two Model U.N. Conferences Westminster Model U.N. participated in two conferences during the winter.

In December, while students were off campus, 30 of them attended the Connecticut World Affairs Council conference, and Jan. 21-24, 15 students participated in the Yale Model U.N. conference.

The Connecticut World Affairs Council conference provided a nice introduction for students new to Model U.N. and allowed veteran members to hone their skills. Three students were chosen to chair committees: Sung Min Cho ’22, Hudson Stedman ’21 and Qifei Min ’22. Despite being scattered all across the globe, students made a valiant effort to contribute to their committees and connect with others over their oneday sessions.

Yale Model U.N. was a more intense experience for the students who participated. The conference lasted four days and proved to be an entertaining option for those students who were still in quarantine on campus. Yale did an excellent job of creating its own platform for the conference that was easy to navigate. And Yale Model U.N. worked hard to create an experience as similar as possible to what the delegates would have had in person. As in past years, delegates

Students participate online in a Model U.N. conference.

As in past years, delegates learned a great deal and enjoyed getting to know likeminded students from around the world. learned a great deal and enjoyed getting to know like-minded students from around the world.

The Westminster delegation had eight students who participated from campus and another seven who spanned

On the Friday before the Saturday Academies, “school in a box” packets, which had been assembled by Westminster student volunteers, were delivered to the Horizons students. During the Saturday class sessions, Horizons students in first, second and third grades participated in reading sessions with Westminster student reading buddies. Similarly, Horizons students in second, third and fourth grades immersed themselves in STEAM activities and read alouds with Westminster students, who also provided live tech support to ensure connectivity.

Horizons at Westminster is part of a national network of K-8 summer school programs that aims to build a “bridge” from one academic year to the next and is designed to boost

time zones from the eastern United States to Turkey to China. Aleyna Baki ’21 deserves special recognition for staying up through the night to make her committee meetings from Istanbul. One fun surprise was to see Olivia Zhang ’20, who is a first-year student at Yale and last year’s Model U.N. president at Westminster, helping to organize the Yale conference as a member of Yale’s International Relations Association.

Betsy Heckman is the group’s advisor and Westminster’s director of studies.

educational achievement and broaden access to opportunity for students from under-resourced communities.

“During a year when so much was not possible, we are proud of all that we were able to accomplish and the meaningful connections we were able to maintain through Westminster’s Hartford Partnerships,” said Kathleen Devaney P’19, ’22, executive director of Hartford Partnerships and Horizons at Westminster. “We continue to focus on meeting people where they are. In a time of dislocation, this work nurtures the power of connections and essential kinship that defines Hartford Partnerships.”

Spring 2021

7

HILL HEADLINES

The Evolving Media Landscape Alternative facts. Fake news. Opinion pieces versus a news story. Everyone is a journalist. These are a few of the issues facing people trying to stay informed in an increasingly fractured media landscape.

To discuss these and other topics, as well as take questions from students, was a five-person panel of journalists made up of Westminster alumni and parents who participated in a Feb. 2 webinar titled “The Evolution of Media in an EverChanging World” that was shared with the Westminster community. The panel was moderated by Director of Studies Betsy Heckman.

Panelist Draggan Mihailovich P’22, who has worked as a producer for “60 Minutes” for over 20 years, has seen these changes unfold. He said the only thing he used to focus on was putting on a show Sunday night. Now, there is an overtime show and social media to update. But it is the loss of local papers that concerns him the most. “The internet has really destroyed local newspapers across the country,” he said. “In so many small towns, you don’t even have a newspaper,” adding that most big city papers are shells of what they once were.

Top row, Alden Bourne ’84 and Daniel D’Addario ’06; bottom row, Eunice Han ’84, P’21, Draggan Mihailovich P’22 and Soledad O’Brien P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24

8

Westminster Bulletin

Panelist Alden Bourne ’84, a reporter and producer for New England Public Media (NEPM) and who was also a producer for “60 Minutes,” said he remembers when there were three networks and a few newspapers to choose from on the national level that were trusted. “There is a wider variety of new outlets out there, and the American public has a harder time agreeing what the truth is,” said Alden, who worked on The Westminster News as a student.

Panelist Eunice Han ’84, P’21, a business news anchor and reporter with more than 10 years of experience in TV, digital, audio and print, said social media has blurred the lines between trustworthy categories. “Trump made Twitter a valid source,” she said. “Social media is so fast and so prevalent; it has become a source for traditional media.”

Panelist Soledad O’Brien P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24, CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions, said when she first started, there were certain people who could ‘go live’ but with advances in technology anyone with a phone can broadcast.

“Social media and the internet changed everything,” she said. “It’s about

access — who gets it and how quickly.

But sometimes incorrectly. It’s had a devastating effect in many areas and a terrific effect in some.”

That stratification, getting information from 280 characters, versus a 1,500-word story, a radio segment, television or myriad social media apps, can mean consumers have very different impressions of the same event.

Panelist Daniel D’Addario ’06, Variety’s chief TV critic who produces reviews, features and interviews for the magazine, said technology has given everyone a voice if they choose to use it, which is a great leveling, democratizing force, but it can undercut real expertise.

“Where do people turn to get an objective set of facts?” he asked. “That kind of work, where we agreed upon reality, has gone away.”

Soledad said social media has been helpful in elevating certain voices that people might not be exposed to, but it has done a disservice as it pushes the speed of how fast people need to report. Cutbacks on all levels of media are another issue.

“The AP (Associated Press) used to have three or four reporters covering

HILL HEADLINES

state legislatures,” said Draggan. “Now it’s down to one or zero.” That means there’s no watchdog and that can lead to corruption, such as gerrymandering that nobody sees coming before it’s too late.

Soledad relayed a story about a community newspaper reporter who became the de facto source for coronavirus vaccine information. “She was receiving hundreds of calls asking her for help, and she takes every single one,” said Soledad. “That’s the job. That’s the gig, right. She wanted to serve her community.”

There are bright spots, said Draggan, such as The New York Times podcast “The Daily” that has 4 million listeners.

Alden said “60 Minutes” is doing as well as ever — it’s often at or near the top of the TV ratings — and The Washington Post’s newsroom staff is at a record number.

Problems arise when news organization on any platform care more about headlines and making a splash than the news itself, the panelists said. When those in charge are looking for “good TV” that can mean elevating a lie for ratings purposes or retweeting a falsehood to gain traction. Not everyone has the consumers’ best interest in mind. “If the point is to go viral, that’s not journalism,” said Draggan.

Dan talked about the confusion that can arise between news and opinion programming. “That to me is somewhat troubling,” he said, adding that opinions are easier to prepare and don’t require all the work to get straight “pesky facts.”

Those facts, a love of the written word, the desire to tell stories, to hold people accountable, to give people information — to help — were many of the reasons the panelists said they got into journalism.

They also offered advice to students about entering the journalism field.

Soledad told them to try and get an internship, even if that means fetching coffee, like she did, saying it will teach multitasking and provide a sense of whether or not they have a passion for journalism.

“Learn to write,” said Draggan.

“Anybody that can write and tell a story is going to get a job in journalism.

“There is a wider variety of new outlets out there, and the American public has a harder time agreeing what the truth is.”

You see fewer and fewer people with the ability to write. It sets you apart.”

Alden advised students to be open about an initial job. He was working as a limo driver and writing the afternoon news at an easy-listening radio station when he started. “Be open-minded to how you get in,” he said.

Euni worked at CNBC from midnight to 8:30 a.m. making coffee and pulling video, among other tasks, all while learning the ropes. She said there are different roles in media, and a person may not realize what is right for them until they try something.

Soledad stressed to the students that whatever they do, hard work will take them far. She suggested starting a password-protected podcast on an iPhone.

“You can do that now,” she said, adding they will learn and grow through the effort.

The panelists were realistic but hopeful about job prospects. The field keeps morphing, but there are opportunities.

“Young people should not necessarily feel discouraged,” said Dan. “As things get winnowed down, we are going to need our absolute best. Who better to be inventive and scrappy than the young?”

Soledad agreed that young people with various social media accounts are well positioned to use the different apps.

One piece of content can live on several platforms. “There’s no more ‘oh I do this one thing,’ and young people are positioned well for this,” she said.

Alden said the jobs can be difficult to get, but it’s a great way to make a living. “You’re basically being paid to be educated,” he told the students. “It’s hard, but it’s awesome. And we need you.”

Women of Westminster: Celebrating 50 Years of Coeducation (1971-2021) This fall, Westminster will launch a yearlong celebration of 50 years of coeducation, showcasing the important role of women in the school’s history. Planning for the celebration has been spearheaded by a 17-member committee composed of alumni and faculty and co-chaired by Trustee Renée Lynch Carrel ’84, P’19, ’21 and Director of Advancement Operations Shannon O’Shaughnessy.

“In the early ’70s, Westminster was part of a sweeping cultural revolution in single-sex educational institutions that C E L E B R AT I N G 5 0 Y E A R S realized they wouldn’t thrive without women,” said Renée.

O F C O E D U C AT I O N “Over the last 50 years, Westminster has flourished with the 1971–2021 positive influence of women in the classroom, in the arts, on the athletic fields and in the overall school community.”

To celebrate this important milestone, Westminster is planning special programming, events and content for the entire Westminster community throughout the 2021-2022 academic year. More details about the celebration will be shared in the coming months.

Women of Westminster

Spring 2021

9

An Extraordinary Year 10

Westminster Bulletin

Westminster’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic will stand out as a remarkable chapter in school history. Members of the campus community drew on comprehensive planning, resourcefulness and resilience to create a 2020-2021 academic year that exceeded expectations in providing students a quality teaching and learning experience during a time of overwhelming uncertainty. By all accounts, it was an extraordinary year on Williams Hill.

Spring 2021

11

Creating a Path Forward Following the closing of campus in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the move to distance learning for the remainder of the spring term, work began on developing plans for a fall reopening of school. Priority was given to returning to in-person learning and creating opportunities for students to spend time with their peers and Westminster faculty. Head of School Bill Philip shared that planning would emphasize the watchwords vigilant, sensible, calm and balanced as governed by the importance of pacing.

The planning was undertaken by a 12-member Westminster School COVID-19 Task Force composed of Head of School Philip, Dean of Admissions Miles Bailey ’94, Chief Financial Officer Julie Collins, Associate Head of School Mark de Kanter ’91, Director of Student Life Tony Griffith, Director of Studies Betsy Heckman, Associate Dean of Faculty and Fifth Form Dean of Students Lee Huguley, Director of Athletics Tim Joncas ’00, Dean of Faculty Jess Keough, Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lisa McGrath, Academic Dean Bill Sistare and Director of Health Services Dr. Davis Smith.

As spring 2020 progressed, parents were invited to attend webinars about school reopening plans, and a resource board of information was established on the school’s website. Faculty met regularly via Zoom, and 12 reopening committees were mobilized to develop plans for various areas of school life. Those plans became the foundation of a report that was submitted to the State of Connecticut for reopening approval.

12

Westminster Bulletin

Head of School Philip credits the school’s ability to reopen last fall to the work of the reopening committees. “I really believe a key decision we made in spring 2020 was to spread responsibility for the different elements of the program across a dozen faculty committees,” he said. “All of these committees put together plans for various parts of our program and coordinated much of the execution of those plans. As a result, the planning cultivated buy-in and was excellent because of all of the input.”

The plans called for modification of almost all areas of school life. In residence halls, nests would be established, so returning students could be broken into smaller groups with associated safety protocols. Armstrong Dining Hall and Brockelman Student Center would employ new food serving methods, and the daily academic schedule was modified to facilitate in-person and distance learning. On July 15, the Founders League canceled all interscholastic competition for the fall season, and Westminster embraced plans for a fall afternoon program that would include numerous offerings.

Frequent communications about the process of returning to school and changes to the school calendar were sent to students and their families during the summer. In a July 22 letter, Dean of Faculty Keough wrote: “While there may be elements of our usual school life that seem unrecognizable, we must remember that the absence of those familiar qualities is what makes our being together on campus possible. Together, we can continue to nurture the values of Grit & Grace and look forward to a new academic year.”

Beginning the New School Year The school adopted a color-coded alert system that would With phased reopening plans in place, Westminster began its reflect campus and local coronavirus case conditions, and it 133rd school year in August with a record 413 students from implemented four pillars of risk reduction: maximizing masking, 24 states and 19 countries. More than 90% of the student body distancing and hygiene, and minimizing mixing. opted to return to campus for in-person learning.

Many unanticipated expenses arose for such things as After submitting a pre-arrival negative SARS-CoV-2 test, the personal protective equipment, a mobile annex for the Health first wave of boarding students arrived Aug. 26-27 for a twoCenter, safety-related signage, plexiglass dividers, rigorous week quarantine in their nests. School life kicked into gear with sanitizing and COVID-19 testing. a full range of campus activities structured To minimize health risks upon to meet safety protocols. Students met with everyone’s return to campus, numerous We are very appreciative others in their nest, obtained grab-and-go online safety videos were required viewing meals from Armstrong Dining Hall and of the flexibility and for students, faculty and staff as well as engaged in supervised and socially distanced completion of a washout period and daily patience of everyone in outdoor activities. All students — including responses to a self-checker health app. New this community — the day students, other boarding students who campus signs related to social distancing would be returning soon and distance and other health protocols were installed, faculty, the staff and the learners — participated in virtual advisory furniture was moved in many locations students — who all group meetings, orientation games, a club to reduce seating capacity, new outdoor fair, and an equity and inclusion program. furniture was placed in strategic locations made this work.

Distance learning classes began Aug. 28 and outdoor games were purchased for for all students. “It is fantastic to see student use during free time. students back on campus,” said Head of School Philip in a On Sept. 1, Dr. Smith began sharing regular prerecorded message to the school community Sept. 1. “Looking ahead, we health status reports with the school community covering topics cannot wait to welcome students still at home. Since March, it such as national and Connecticut coronavirus data, travel has been much too quiet on Williams Hill.” considerations, and health and safety protocols on campus.

The first assembly of the academic year took place virtually He concluded each report by saying, “The only way through Sept.

9 and was viewed by students in their advisory groups. this is through this together.”

Spring 2021

13

“From the moment students arrived back on campus, there has been a great positive energy with those who are here and with those who are online from their homes and have been engaged in classes, orientation activities and other ways we have been working to bring our community together,” said Associate Head of School de Kanter. “We are very appreciative of the flexibility and patience of everyone in this community — the faculty, the staff and the students — who all made this work.”

Head Prefect Will Rizzo ’21 spoke about the challenges that shaped the world and Westminster during the pandemic.

“We begin this year with a great deal of change and a departure from what we are used to or what we might have envisioned for the school year,” he said. “As we adjust to these difficult times, we must remember the significance of this moment, not just for ourselves, but for our school and for each other. This year, more than ever, will require that every member of our community accepts this reality and commits to the greater good for our school.”

Following a two-week quarantine period for the first group of boarding students, remaining boarding students arrived Sept. 11-13, and day students returned Sept. 13. They, too, had participated in a washout period and underwent pre-arrival COVID-19 testing. Some students elected to remain distance learners.

In-person learning began Sept. 14 in combination with continued distance learning. In-person classes were limited to eight students, so teachers taught their classes twice a day, both

14

Westminster Bulletin

in the morning and in the evening, to a weekly rotation of groups that included both distance learners and on-campus students.

The afternoon program started Sept. 21 with options for advanced placement and developmental athletics, the arts and community service.

The daily rhythm of campus life included virtual assemblies, chapel talks, advisory meetings, club meetings, a Halloween costume contest and student life programming. Socially distanced in-person activities involved such things as open ice at Jackson Rink, a volleyball contest and activities under the lights on Hovey Field.

Visits by food trucks with ice cream and pizza were very popular.

Maintaining Traditions Where Possible While Grandparents Day, and Parents and Family Weekend had to be canceled in the fall, some Westminster traditions were able to take place, although modified to meet health protocols.

Members of the Class of 2021 were officially welcomed as Westminster Sixth Formers during a combined Lawn and Pin Ceremony Oct. 1 that was livestreamed to the school community.

Due to the pandemic, the traditional Lawn Ceremony, which usually takes place the night before Commencement, had been canceled in spring 2020. As a result, members of the Class of 2020 were unable to bring members of the Class of 2021 onto the Sixth Form Lawn in the customary manner.

The Oct. 1 ceremony began with members of the Class of 2021 gathered on Commencement Lawn looking toward Keyes Porch to hear remarks from their form dean, A-men Rasheed.

“This day officially welcomes you to a fine group of Westminster Sixth Formers,” he said. “Although we can never replicate the majesty of the traditional Lawn and Pin ceremonies that many of us have grown to love, I feel today will be a wonderfully unique experience for you to cherish with fond remembrance as you look back on your Sixth Form year at Westminster School.”

Meg Rittenhouse ’20, last year’s head prefect, extended greetings to the Class of 2021 through an audio recording, and Head Prefect Rizzo encouraged students to be committed to a successful school year.

Following the remarks, Sixth Formers walked to the circle surrounding the Sixth Form Lawn where they were brought onto the lawn, one by one, by alumni faculty and honorary alumni faculty using Sixth Form banners from years past. Bryan Tawney and Peter Doucette, who had recently celebrated 20 years on the faculty, were brought onto the lawn as honorary alumni faculty as was Jenny Philip. After the lawn portion of the ceremony, members of the Class of 2021 signed the Sixth Form book and were given a Sixth Form pin or pendant, which had been designed by their class.

Students new to Westminster participated in the traditional Sign-In Ceremony Oct. 14, which took place on Keyes Porch instead of its usual location in Andrews Memorial Chapel. New students signed the book signifying their formal entrance into school and then gathered socially distanced on Commencement Lawn to get better acquainted.

Some campus restrictions were slightly eased in early

October when families were permitted to sign up to visit their student in outdoor locations on campus. Students were also permitted increased movement in their nest. Since parents and family members were unable to be on campus for class visits, those visits took place virtually Oct. 8-9.

When a round of COVID-19 surveillance testing resulted in what were thought to be two positive tests among students, protocols for isolation, quarantine and contact tracing were implemented before the tests were determined to be false positives. The tests had been subject to processing errors by the testing company, so a new testing company was put in place, and regular surveillance testing among members of the campus community continued.

Many community events were also adapted, so they could take place in the fall. During the last weekend in October, advanced placement teams played scrimmages on Hovey Field in front of a limited number of spectators. Members of the Chamber Choir, Chorale, Concert Band, Jazz Band and Dance Ensemble showcased their accomplishments during concerts Nov. 9-10 on Commencement Lawn under bright blue skies and unusually warm weather. Similarly, Dramat held performances of scenes from various productions in outdoor locations and for reduced audiences in Werner Centennial Center.

“Here we are in the final week of the fall term in 2020, the year of COVID-19, and it is truly amazing what we have accomplished together,” Head of School Philip wrote to students, faculty and staff Nov. 11. “Since mid-August, with lots of Grit &

Spring 2021

15

Grace, we moved forward together through the fall term in a way that reinforced our core values as well as our certainty that we can overcome these challenges together. That we accomplished this achievement is entirely to the credit of our entire school community. We committed to these trying circumstances because we valued our relationships and the lessons we learned from being together, including those who remained connected as distance learners. At the same time, we engaged in thoughtful reflections about diversity, equity and inclusion, and respectfully navigated a national election.”

Continued Success During the Winter Trimester When students departed campus for Thanksgiving break in November, they would not be returning until mid-January.

During the first three weeks of the winter trimester, Nov. 30 to Dec. 18, all students participated in a revised schedule for distance learning and were encouraged to take part in an afternoon wellness program that featured guest speakers and activities to do at home. Student clubs continued to meet online, and Model U.N. even sent a virtual delegation to two conferences. Parent and teacher conferences took place online Dec. 7-11, and the annual Candlelight service was shared in a livestream video Dec. 16, although it had been recorded in late October.

Protocols similar to those used in the fall, such as pre-arrival testing, a staggered return, an initial quarantine and on-campus

16

Westminster Bulletin

surveillance testing, were utilized to repopulate the campus in mid-January. A new health screening app was also introduced for students, faculty and staff to complete each morning.

In-person classes and meals began Jan. 25, and the winter afternoon program began offering athletics, arts and community service programming. Since the Founders League had, again, canceled all interscholastic competition for the season, studentathletes selected from advanced placement and developmental sports options.

The normal pace of school life returned for the winter trimester with virtual chapel talks, assemblies, club meetings, a Friday Nights at Westminster reading, guest speakers and student life programming. Weekend activities included a movie night, a coffeehouse, games on the turf field, a karaoke event, a dance-off and gym time. Adams Dining Hall and Baxter Gallery were also repurposed to serve as socially distanced lounge spaces.

One of the most visible additions to campus outdoor activities was the opening of an ice rink on Commencement Lawn for scheduled free skating, often accompanied by snacks, music and the warmth of firepits. On the first Hill Holiday of the calendar year Feb. 10, students skated on the rink, built igloos, enjoyed menu selections from food trucks, and took part in games and activities. A snowy February contributed to widespread enjoyment of campus outdoor spaces.

Dr. Smith continued his weekly campus status reports providing members of the school community with information regarding national and local coronavirus trends, and campus

surveillance testing and results. While unsettling, but not worked very hard throughout the shortened semester to complete unanticipated, a couple of positive student cases of COVID-19 their pieces and are really looking forward to performing for a were identified on campus and safety protocols were live audience. For many of these students, their last performance implemented. For the most part, however, weekly surveillance on the stage was March 5, 2020.” testing of students, faculty and staff On those same February dates, a returned negative results. Dr. Smith Winter Cabaret took place in Werner continued to prompt everyone about Centennial Center before limited audiences.

This year, more than ever, the importance of mitigation protocols Classes for the winter trimester ended will require that every as primary protection measures Feb. 26, and while most students departed and acknowledged that keeping the campus for a two-week break, a small member of our community community safe required considerable number opted to stay on campus due to accepts this reality and effort on everyone’s part. travel restrictions and the need to observe a Finishing the trimester, winter washout period during the break. commits to the greater season advanced placement athletes good for our school.

Spring Forward played intrasquad scrimmages that were livestreamed, and a first-ever “dinner The beginning of the 2021 spring trimester date” was held on two weekend evenings coincided closely with the anniversary of in Armstrong Dining Hall in place of the winter formal. the World Health Organization’s declaration of the worldwide Accomplishments in the performing arts were shared pandemic March 11, 2020. In a sign of the progress made Feb. 22-23 when members of the Concert Band, Jazz since that date, Westminster faculty and staff participated in a Band, Dance Ensemble, Chamber Choir and Chorale gave vaccination clinic for educators March 9 that was made possible performances during a Performing Arts Concert in Werner through a collaboration with the Farmington Valley Health Centennial Center with restricted seating. “Our steady vigilance Department and other independent schools in the region. with social distancing allows for this very event to happen,” Repopulation of campus for the term included the same said Director of Theater A-men Rasheed. “This is progress.” measures used earlier in the year. Following pre-arrival testing, And Head of the Visual and Performing Arts Department David most boarding students returned March 13-14, and remote Chrzanowski added: “The students in all of these ensembles have learning for everyone began March 15 while on-campus students

Spring 2021

17

were in quarantine. As a result of early surveillance testing of scrimmages per week from April 3 through May 2. The students, faculty and staff, some positive student cases were arrangement was made through the coordination of the medical identified, and protocols for contact tracing, isolation and directors and athletic directors of the schools and involved quarantine were activated. In-person classes and the afternoon increased surveillance testing and stringent safety requirements. program started March 22, and a small number of additional When any positive cases were identified at Westminster, students returned March 27 and April 4 protocols for contact tracing, isolation and and completed quarantine before quarantine were again activated. beginning in-person activities.

During the afternoon program, We committed to these Campus safety mitigation strategies Westminster students were also able to and regular health status reports from take part in a full slate of developmental trying circumstances Dr. Smith for the school community sports, arts and community service because we valued our continued throughout the term, as options. In addition, meetings of student relationships and the lessons vaccination expansion for individuals 16 clubs and organizations, chapel talks, and older began in Connecticut April 1. assemblies, advisory meetings and student we learned from being Through a partnership with Community life programs contributed to the vibrancy together, including those Health Center Inc., Westminster was able of daily life. The warmer weather also to host an on-campus first dose vaccine sparked the resumption of many outdoor who remained connected as clinic for qualifying students April 22 activities, including noncompetitive ball distance learners. with a second dose administration tossing under the lights on Hovey Field, May 13. Additional students were firepits, glow-in-the dark badminton and vaccinated off campus April 24 with a stickball, to name a few. second dose administration May 15.

As the spring term progressed, families were able to schedule And while the Founders League had, once more, canceled a campus visit on selected dates to see their student in designated interscholastic competition for the season, Westminster worked areas on campus in accordance with safety protocols. The term with four other schools — Taft, Loomis Chaffee, Hotchkiss and also featured some long-established events taking place in new Choate Rosemary Hall — to create opportunities for each of the formats. Reunion, which had been canceled in 2020, was held spring advanced placement teams to play in two interscholastic online in March for classes ending in 0s, 1s, 5s and 6s. This year’s

18

Westminster Bulletin

Westminster Poet, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, who had previously served as the Westminster Poet for 2011-2012, gave an online reading and visited classes virtually March 30-31. And after a very robust admissions cycle, admitted students were invited to participate in a series of informative virtual activities leading up to a livestreamed admitted students day April 3.

Other highlights included a Graham Gund ’59 Visiting Artist Series video performance April 15 of Syncopated Ladies, a female tap dance band from Los Angeles, and a Friday Nights at Westminster reading by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Blake via a webinar April 23. And showcasing Westminster’s own visual and performing arts accomplishments, visual arts students presented an April Earth Day exhibit in Fearn Hall, and performing arts students took to the stage in Werner Centennial Center for Spring Cabaret April 26-27, for the Spring Performing Arts Festival May 4-5 and for One Acts May 6-7.

Year-End Events At the end of the school year, traditional celebratory programs took place with some health and safety modifications. Members of the Class of 2021, who had more than a third of their fouryear Westminster experience affected by the pandemic, were a particular focus of the events.

The Lawn Ceremony was held May 8 and was limited in attendance to members of the Fifth and Sixth forms and livestreamed to others. All students, except those in the Class of

2021, departed campus May 14-15 with underformers taking exams remotely May 18-21.

Commencement took place May 16 on Commencement Lawn but not under a tent this year in order to accommodate limited socially distanced seating for guests. The keynote speaker was Jeff Artis ’72, the president and CEO of Genesys Works.

By the end of the school year, Westminster had offered on-campus living to all of its boarding students for 87% of the school year and in-person learning for 77% of the school year, while simultaneously providing synchronous learning opportunities to students who were not on campus.

A Test of Grit & Grace In many ways, the extraordinary 2020-2021 academic year at Westminster was a test of Grit & Grace. Students were able to have a meaningful and engaging year because of the thoughtful preparations of faculty and staff, along with the support and cooperation of students, parents and the entire school community. And while many familiar aspects of school life were necessarily modified, students attended classes in person and through distance learning, participated in a robust afternoon program, enjoyed meals together in Armstrong Dining Hall and were involved in a full spectrum of student life activities. All were incredible achievements given the pandemic. In the end, Dr. Smith’s reminder throughout the year proved to be true: “The only way through this is through this together.”

Spring 2021

19

Moving Westminster Forward

Bill and Jenny Philip strolling across campus.

20

Westminster Bulletin

Bill and Jenny Philip P ’06, ’09 will be departing Westminster at the end of the current academic year, following nearly four decades serving in various roles on campus. They met at Yale University when they were students, have been married 35 years and have approached their time at Westminster as a team effort.

Bill became Westminster’s eighth head of school July 1, 2010. A

graduate of The Hotchkiss School, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at Yale and completed a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Wesleyan University. During his 38-year tenure at Westminster, he has served in a variety of roles, including associate head of school for eight years and assistant head of school for three years. He also taught history for 25 years, and served as director of studies, director of college counseling and senior development director. He has been a corridor and dormitory supervisor, a coach of swimming, baseball and lacrosse, and a sought-after advisor. He received the O’Brien Award in 1998 and was named an honorary member of the Class of 2006.

A graduate of Renbrook School and Miss Porter’s School, Jenny

received her Bachelor of Arts from Yale as a history of art major. She has worked as an interviewer and applications reader in the Yale Admissions Office, as the associate and acting director of admission and financial aid at The Ethel Walker School and as the alumni coordinator at Renbrook School, where she also coached varsity field hockey and lacrosse.

At Westminster, Jenny has coached Third Girls’ Field Hockey, Second

Girls’ Field Hockey and Second Girls’ Lacrosse, assisted with electronic communications in the Marketing and Communications Office, curated art exhibits in Baxter Gallery and maintained an active presence in the school community. Most recently, she has been a member of the committee managing food services for the school during the pandemic. Last year, she was named an honorary member of the Class of 2021.

Over the years, Bill and Jenny have lived in various dormitories and

faculty homes at Westminster, including Pratt House during Bill’s tenure as head of school. Their two daughters, Kate ’06 and Alie ’09, grew up on campus, discovered their passion for art history as Westminster students and enjoyed considerable success on various Westminster athletic teams, before matriculating to Yale University and Bates College, respectively.

Nearing their departure from campus, Jenny and Bill took time to

discuss their Westminster experience.

Spring 2021

21

Many were surprised by your announcement to leave Westminster at the end of the current academic year. Why is the timing right to do this?

Bill: Leaving Westminster will always be very hard for us, but it is something we had been thinking about for a while, and we are turning 60. Thirtyeight years is a good run. I think it is important to be able to preview ahead and say to yourself that I have plenty of energy and enthusiasm now, but at what point in the future am I likely to be out of gas. And that is where we were early last summer when we confirmed with Brad Raymond ’85, Jenny and Bill with their daughters, Kate ’06, on the left, and Alie ’09, on the right.

P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24, chair of the Board of Trustees, that this next year has to be it. And that was added to by the whole experience in March doors open, and children are running in and out. Older with the COVID-19 planning that was going to make this children are out in the neighborhood, and people are riding academic year like six years in one. We were at the point where bikes and scooters, and doing other activities. When your we knew that in fairness to Westminster, we were all in for one own children are in school, the rhythm of the school year is more year but could not imagine doing more years well. very similar and comfortable. It has been great living in the dorms and faculty housing, and going to the dining hall and Jenny: And obviously with this job there is no off switch. Yes, we

all of that. get time off theoretically, but Bill’s cellphone never stops, and you plan to go away and something comes up and suddenly you cannot take the trip. Also, we were looking ahead and felt there were not a lot of head of school searches going on this academic year, but perhaps in a year or two there would be a larger turnover. This led us to think that this timing would better for Westminster in the search process.

Bill: I also think it has to be looked at through the lens that I served 11 years as head of school, but before that, I was assistant head of school and associate head of school. The basic scheme has been in place for more than two decades of what is involved, even though there is a difference in the roles. We have devoted our lives to Westminster and care about nothing more, other than our family. Because of that, we wanted to do what is right for the school. This is not a job where you just ride it into your 70s and do it well.

You have spent your entire married life on campus.

How has that shaped your family?

Bill: We have gone through different phases as a family at Westminster. I arrived in the fall of 1983 as a bachelor, and Jenny and I got married in the summer of 1985. We spent three years as a young married couple on campus and became parents in 1988. We spent about 20 years bringing up our two daughters on campus until we became empty nesters.

Jenny: We have moved six times at Westminster. Pratt House was our sixth move. What a great place to bring up our daughters.

It is like the neighborhoods of old where people have their 22

Westminster Bulletin

How have you supported one another in your roles at Westminster?

Bill: Jenny is a saint.

Jenny: I have always worked in schools. When I first moved to Westminster, I was working in the Admissions Office at The Ethel Walker School and then I was at Renbrook School, working in the Development Office as the alumni coordinator.

I’ve always understood the outward-facing part of schools.

The first year Bill was head of school, I was still the alumni coordinator at Renbrook. That was a rough year because all of my alumni events happened to be on the same weekends we had big events at Westminster. There was one Parents Weekend when I was leaving a parent reception at Pratt House to go run a reception for the head of school at Renbrook. It was clear that I could not continue to work off campus, so I started working at Westminster, initially coaching. Some help was needed with the field hockey program, and I had played field hockey at Yale and coached at Renbrook for years. I also volunteered to help in the Marketing and Communications Office because I was familiar with the web platform used at Westminster. I took over the Connections and Hill Happenings newsletters, and when the Advancement Office wanted to do an alumni art show, I got involved with that. I had helped organize Westminster’s 125th anniversary alumni art show and had run alumni art shows at Renbrook. It was an easy transition to turn Baxter Study Hall into a gallery and do an annual alumni art show there.

Bill: One of the most significant things that has changed in my 11 years in this role is the explosion of the external component.

And that is not to say that previous heads of school did not attend admissions receptions or advancement receptions. They did, but the scale that we are talking about now is not comparable. Receptions are taking place all over the world, and often the spouse is expected to be there because we position ourselves as a family school. This work has to be a family commitment. In most jobs, a person can have their professional life and their personal life. At a school like Westminster, it doesn’t work that way if it’s going to be done well.

What are the major factors that have kept you at Westminster over the years?

Bill: Jenny would be No. 1. No question about it. This doesn’t work unless she’s all in. I think at the end of the day, we’ve done remarkable work in terms of facilities and all the rest, but it is mostly the relationships you have. Some of them are with mentors and some of them are with friends. That is the personal side.

On the professional side, there has been serendipity. I arrived here teaching three sections of history and one section of English, coaching baseball and swimming, and living in Memorial Hall. And then a year and a half later, Don Werner, who was head of school at the time, asked me to join the College Counseling Office and then be head of college counseling a few years later. When Geoffrey Wilbraham retired, I was asked to be the director of studies, and when Richard Miller retired, I was asked if I would serve as assistant head of school. There was no plan. And ironically, I was asked to return to the College Counseling Office years later when the director position opened up late in the academic year. And so, I was happy to serve in that role again for a year to give the school a chance to hire a new college counseling director in a normal cycle of things.

Some people get comfortable with what they are doing professionally and want to continue it indefinitely. That is not the way I’m wired. Even teaching history, I would rotate teaching European history, world history and U.S. history.

New opportunities seemed to come along just when I was getting ready for a change, so I was able to stay.

admissions process. And when I took over the director of studies position, I began the process of moving the office online, scheduling classes and writing comments on computers and digitizing the office generally. Again, these changes were generational.

You both have a long history with boarding schools.

How has that affected your work at Westminster?

Jenny: Bill and I both went to boarding schools, and I have worked at a couple of different schools. We always knew that Westminster is a great school. Even when we were attending boarding schools, the students who attended Westminster then always loved the school. Also, Bill’s brothers have worked at schools. When we get together with them, we often talk about the things we like at schools. Westminster has always seemed to be the perfect size to us. It is big enough to have a variety of faculty and students, and its athletic component has always been competitive.

Jenny, you chose to assume a wide range of responsibilities at Westminster. Would you care to comment about that?

Jenny: Some of it is the jobs needed to be done. I tried to pick spots where it has really added value. I have taken on jobs and done things because the community needed it and part of it was interest. I have the time and see it as helping move Westminster ahead. I am also a people person. I like talking to people, especially prospective families in the Admissions Office and hearing how they found out about Westminster. I wanted to get involved and do something that would actually help.

Bill: There will be no problem replacing me. The biggest holes are going to be where Jenny was involved, even though much of that has been behind the scenes. As an example, almost nobody knows that Jenny has been the Hartford area chair of alumni interviewers for Yale for decades. She

What were some of the administrative changes you made while serving in these various positions?

Bill: Each of the professional intervals were as much generational as real moments of transformation for the offices. For instance, when I first moved to the College Counseling Office, we had a school report, which had a school history on one side and the college placements of the previous class on the other side. We changed that to make it a more compelling case for our students and the college

Top, Bill in 1983 when he was first appointed to the faculty and, above, meeting with students.

Spring 2021

23

What are some major ways the school has changed during your tenure?

Top, Jenny coaching field hockey and, below, Bill greeting students on campus.

is the one who coordinates all of the alumni interviews for all students in the greater Hartford area who are applying to Yale. And Westminster has a few, too. When Yale admissions representatives come to visit Westminster, they are coming to visit Westminster, but they are also coming to see Jenny.

Jenny: From our point of view, it has taken a family commitment.

Bill, has serving in the role of head of school been different in any ways than you expected?

Bill: The short answer is no, but a big new piece is the increased focus on the external component, as I mentioned earlier.

Westminster is expected to do a reception in Chicago, San Francisco and other places on a pretty regular basis, and I’ve been to Asia just about once a year as head of school. Other schools are doing the same thing. One of the challenges is managing this and maintaining a presence on campus. To do this, I’ve tried to stay away from extended trips, even though it is less efficient. I have visited Los Angeles for one or two nights and returned rather than making a lengthier trip by visiting additional places on the West Coast. The Asia trips have lasted longer, but I tried to take those in the summer when it doesn’t matter in terms of school presence.

Bill, you often cite pillars for guiding campus decisions.

What have been your guiding pillars as head of school?

Bill: First, I have always felt that I would never ask anyone to do something that I have not done or would not do myself.

And that is certainly the case with regard to faculty. Just about everything I have asked faculty to do, I have done.

Secondly, I believe it is better to deliver bad news early.

Delaying the delivery of bad news never works out. There is an aphorism that there are three types of people in the world: problem creators, problem identifiers and problem solvers.

Whenever possible, we should aspire to be the third.

24

Westminster Bulletin

Bill: The school is in such a different place right now. We have the new buildings and the school community has changed, too.

When we first arrived in the early ’80s, faculty members were largely all older white men approaching retirement or young white men just out of college. There were a few female faculty members. Today, there are more women on the faculty than men, and the demographic of our faculty is spread nicely from those in their early 20s, to those in the middle and rearing children, to those with longer tenures. And while we still have a ton of work to do, there is a meaningful cohort of faculty of color who serve in significant leadership roles and are bringing up their families on campus in standalone faculty housing.

Westminster always strives to make a professional and familial commitment to faculty.

As we have pushed forward, the demographics of the faculty directly correlates with the student experience. If you are a student of color at Westminster, you can go through your day and encounter people who look like you, and if you are a girl, you can see women serving in various positions. I think this has been an affirming development. Similarly, we have increased the percentage of students of color, which is now pressing on 20%, not counting international students. If you look back to the 1980s, it was 10% in a good year. That doesn’t mean this progress is complete, but it does mean it is a very different setting than when we arrived.

Jenny: Westminster has always been very understated in promoting itself. When Bill became head of school, he and I had already discussed possible steps that could make people stand up and take notice. I spend a lot of time in the Admission Office striking up conversations with people who are visiting, and they are blown away by how the campus looks now,

which is obviously different from what it looked like when we first moved here. The campus facilities finally match the strength of the faculty and students in the community. Some of this progress was good fortune, certainly with the anonymous donor and the confluence of many people coming to the same realization about supporting the school. I think it was fertile ground to actually make some pretty big changes without altering the culture of the school. Grit & Grace still defines our school community, but our physical campus looks different, and our school community includes more people from different circumstances and experiences. It still feels like the same place.

What are some of the leadership challenges of serving as head of school?

Bill: Some of those holding successive leadership positions in offices after me were anxious that perhaps I was going to try to continue to run that particular office. That is never how I have approached things. If my successors needed any help, they were welcome to come check with me. I also periodically checked in with them to see how they were doing. Giving people the space in successor positions to do their thing has been important to me.

There was also a time when I thought too many of us were literally the same age in leadership positions at Westminster.

If you think about the school strategically, you are not just thinking about now, but you are thinking about tomorrow and positioning it to flourish in the future. We have taken the school to the place that our generation can take it. It is time for the next generation to make the next move.

Also serving as head of school is different from any other position on campus in that it is harder to maintain personal and professional relationships. Not because you don’t want to but because, for one reason or another, colleagues may get upset with decisions you make. Perhaps, they do not get an appointment or something they wanted, and they view it as your fault. That doesn’t mean that person couldn’t necessarily do the job, but it might be better for somebody else to do it. Serving as head of school can be isolating, and periods of change are necessarily uncomfortable.

plans for relevant donor priorities. And that has to do with a lot of Westminster facilities. We are lucky because we don’t have facilities that are unrelated to the school’s mission. Some schools have architectural statements that have really nothing to do with what the school is doing but are what a donor or campus master planner wanted. We have avoided that, and it all pulled together nicely.

And we have continued to enhance the school’s reputation.

This is a great school and, obviously, I’m biased, but I think it is one of the best secondary schools in the country or the world. Westminster must not be afraid to claim that. I would make the case that a more intimate community-oriented school is more important to students than large reputational schools, but everyone can make their own decision. Westminster is not trying to become some other school. We do a great job, and all of us as faculty members and students are lucky to be a part of the school community.

How have you strengthened ties to the larger school community?

Bill: Previously, Westminster School forever defined its school community as the students and faculty who are on Williams Hill. And those people are very important and are central to our school. But I have always seen the community as extending to the alumni, parents, past parents and friends of the school who are scattered around the country and around the world.

I went to London in fall 2019 for a reception which was attended by a robust group of more than 20 people affiliated with Westminster. There were even alumni who took the train from Scotland, just for the event. And the same thing happens when we have held events in Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing, as well as around the U.S. This larger conception of community has always been important to me.

What have been your overarching goals as head of school?

Bill: The most overarching goal has been to push the school forward. Schools put a lot of stock in strategic plans and that is wonderful. We have one, and it is relevant to what we are doing.

But at the end of the day, donors get to have some say, too. You have to be nimble and willing to flex your school’s

Bill with Westminster’s 2016 WALKS Scholars.

Spring 2021

25

How has Westminster’s commitment to Hartford evolved?

Bill: Faculty member Todd Eckerson P’09, ’11, ’17, ’21 first committed Westminster to a public purpose and extending its meaningful involvement in Hartford in all sorts of ways. That involvement continues with Kathleen Devaney’s P’19, ’22 leadership of Hartford Partnerships and Horizons at Westminster, and my participation on the boards of Hartford Youth Scholars, Renbrook School and the Horizons program.

Is there anything that has worried you the most as head of school?

Jenny curating an art exhibit in Baxter Art Gallery.

Bill: The students. We have 400 wonderful students on campus, but the capacity for a teenage mind to come up with incredibly unwise ideas is always a continued concern. What is most important is to take care of these students.

Of all of the milestones while serving as head of school, are there a few that stand out?

Bill: There is something about Westminster that is like the folktale “The Little Engine That Could.” You have to get that little engine to believe that it actually can climb the mountain.

And once it believes it can climb that mountain, then it has a better shot at the next mountain, even though that next mountain is a little taller. An example of that early on in my tenure was raising money for the Westminster turf field, so our field hockey program could be competitive, and studentathletes in the program would have a chance to play in college.

Getting that project approved and then getting the money raised was a meaningful moment for that “little engine that could.”

And then moving ahead next with the first two new dorms, Squibb House and Gund House, was another important step, even though some did not see a problem with the existing Andrews House and the original Squibb House, which were significantly outdated. I remember the conversation I had with our campus master planner, Graham Gund ’59, about his vision for the campus that had a coherent architectural style.

On many of the great college and school campuses around the country and the world, you can look at any part of the campus and you know where you are. It does not mean all of the buildings are identical, but there is a coherence. During the days of the original Squibb House and Andrews House that was not the case at Westminster. So getting those two new dorms approved was another big leap because there was a major financial commitment. It was a risk, but a risk I and others felt we could take. We met the challenge and got it done. We also did it in a way that was consistent with the 26

Westminster Bulletin

ethos, mission and history of the school as highlighted most significantly by the community vision in Armstrong Dining Hall and Brockelman Student Center. That process started with the construction of Armour Academic Center in terms of changing the school’s mindset.

Those were some of the milestones. And then coming down the homestretch in my tenure, probably the most meaningful for me is the sustainability of all of this. Everybody said you cannot raise money for endowment related to financial aid and faculty because people want their names on buildings. But we did. While the school has a long way to go on increasing its endowment, we raised significant resources for scholarships and for faculty support.

What led to the success of the Soar Together Campaign?

Bill: I still can’t believe we are going to get the campaign completed this academic year. It has been great for the school in all sorts of different ways, especially increasing support for students and faculty. Having it completed is really nice for a new head of school coming in because it provides an opportunity to plan from scratch and size up the school’s various priorities and what should be undertaken next.

The money that was raised for faculty support and needbased financial aid is going to make such a difference in the student experience. Credit is spread wide for getting this accomplished, including donors, the Board of Trustees and great teams in Advancement, and Marketing and Communications. And we did it without the help of a fancy outside marketing consultant, even the logo. We conceptually had in mind what needed to be done in terms of the campus’s future, but then we took advantage of opportunities as they came along that relate to the school’s mission and core values and what we are trying to do.

Have expectations for a Westminster School education changed over the years?

Bill: We are dating ourselves, but as I have said before, Westminster in 1983 was not all that different from Westminster in 1953, even though we went coeducational in 1971. However, for faculty from 1983, today’s school would seem quite different in all sorts of ways. The presence of parents in school life has also increased. They are in and out of campus all of the time for such things as attending games.

They also are in regular telephone and email contact with their child and the faculty. That level of access, accountability and expectation on the part of our families has intensified.

Has your leadership focus changed while leading the school’s response to the pandemic?

Bill: This past year, in many respects, is a return to the older and more internal style of headship for the campus, which is not so externally focused. To keep Westminster operating well over the past year required a huge reapportionment of my time to internal matters related to the day-to-day running of the school. The pandemic has forced us to reimagine all aspects of the school’s operations. One thing I think we have done quite well related to our COVID-19 response is communicating with the school community. We have had major communications going out almost weekly and at a minimum of once every other week. And most importantly, we were able to return students to campus for most of the year.

How have your daughters continued your family’s involvement with schools?

Jenny: They are both married and live in New York City. Kate is director of alumni relations at The Buckley School, which is a K-9 boys’ school, and Alie is the alumnae director at The Spence School, which is a K-12 girls’ school. Both of their husbands work in finance.

What are your next steps?

Bill: This sounds crazy, but we have no idea. This year, with the all-encompassing nature of the pandemic, we really have had no time to even think about that. We are going to be moved out of Pratt House in time for any changes to be made there, so Elaine can move in as soon as she starts July 1, if not before.

We are all-in on supporting this successful transition and Elaine’s leadership.

In terms of whether we will retire or not, we have no idea.

If the timing is right for you to leave the school, you have got to do it and have personal confidence that you will figure the rest out. Too many people get frozen in place because they do not have an answer to what is next. You have to have enough personal confidence that you are going to figure it out.

What do you look forward to pursuing in the next stage of your lives?

Bill: Not that I am any good at it, but I have not played any golf since August 2019, and I would like to pick that up again. We have rented a small apartment in New Haven, and we have a home in Vermont. We understand that Vermont is beautiful in the fall. … We would also like to travel, even to some places we have visited related to work and were only there for 48 hours or so and had to leave.

Jenny: We have thought about visiting the Southwest sometime other than the summer when it is too hot. And we usually go to Bermuda in March during spring break, but if you ask Bermudians, they will tell you there are prettier times to be there.

Bill: Going back to why we are leaving now. No one knows for sure, but you would hope you have 10 to 20 years of active life still in front of you when you are 60. Maybe more, but who knows. We wanted to make this move at a time when we still have the opportunity to do some things that we would like to be able to do.

How do you plan to stay involved with Westminster?

Bill: A lot of that will depend upon what is most helpful to Elaine White, the next head of school. The expectation for outgoing heads is to literally disappear for an extended period, which we intend to honor. I have always thought that was a little strange, but it does not matter what I think. What matters is what would be helpful to Elaine. If the school ever reaches out, we will be there to help and support in any way we can.

How would you like people to remember you?

Bill: My goal is to slip out the back door at some point in June and move on to other things. In this position, you do the best you can in the circumstances you have. You cannot get caught up in what accolades or other things people are going to say or not say about you. All that will be forgotten in time. But, hopefully, the school and the experience of the students are incrementally better, which is what matters.

Bill and Jenny in the head of school’s study in Keyes House.

Spring 2021

27

Timeline of Milestones During Bill Philip’s Tenure as Head of School 2010

2011

The Westminster Teaching Initiative holds its first Westminster Teaching Symposium and invites teachers from other schools in the region.

The Crossroads Cooperative Learning Program (CCLP) officially becomes part of Westminster School. With the new name Westminster Crossroads Learning Program in Hartford (WCLP), its mission is to serve the needs of students from Hartford, especially Hartford Public High School, through summer enrichment and after-school programs

Longtime faculty member Bill Philip becomes Westminster’s eighth head of school July 1.

John Armour ’76 completes a seven-year term as chair of the Board of Trustees, and T. Treadway Mink Jr. ’77, P’11 becomes the new chair of the Board of Trustees.

Westminster begins its 123rd year.

Four renewal committees are formed to take stock of what Westminster is doing well and what it can do better in major areas of school life.

Culture Draws are started to extend Westminster’s longstanding involvement in Hartford. Four times a year, four students and two faculty members are selected from a lottery to travel to Hartford for dinner and a show.

Jenny and Bill Philip visit Seoul, South Korea, in June.

This is one of many trips they will take abroad to meet with alumni, parents and students.

A Sixth Form flag that features the same design as the Sixth Form pin becomes the new signal for Hill Holidays and will be displayed at Commencement and reunions.

The Class of 1966, in honor of its 45th reunion, creates the Alan F. Brooks ’55 Distinguished Alumni Award to annually honor a Westminster alumnus or alumna who exemplifies in thought, word and deed the school’s mission and who practices Westminster’s core values.

Novelist and short story writer Anthony Doerr, who was awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for “All the Light We Cannot See,” is a featured reader at the Friday Nights at Westminster series.

28

Westminster Bulletin

An anonymous donor steps forward during the summer with the offer of a $10 million gift to transform the residential experience for students and faculty at Westminster. It is the second largest gift in the school’s history.

The Board of Trustees at its September meeting approves construction of two new student and faculty residential facilities beginning in spring 2012.

2012

2013

At its January meeting, the Board of Trustees launches a strategic planning process to create a new strategic plan for Westminster.

Programming for the 125th anniversary celebration includes a March performance by tap legend Savion Glover as part of the Graham Gund ’59 Visiting Artist Series, an alumni athletics forum in May and community service donations.

Baxter Gallery, the former site of Baxter Study Hall in Armour Academic Center, opens with the first major alumni art show in the school’s history.

Construction begins in March on two student and faculty residences. To make room for the buildings, Wyckoff House, West Cottage, Andrews House and the former Squibb House are demolished.

Westminster kicks off a yearlong 125th anniversary celebration in September with the theme “Leading with Grit & Grace” to highlight academics, athletics, arts and service through numerous activities and events.

Members of the Westminster community begin regular visits to Hartford March 25 to help serve lunch at Loaves and Fishes Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides services to the poor including a soup kitchen.

Hovey Field, a new synthetic field funded entirely by philanthropy and named in honor of David “Hov” and Jenks Hovey, P’78, ’80, ’83, GP’09, ’11, ’14 opens.

Hundreds turn out for the dedication Sept. 29.

The Chapel Gallery opens on the lower level of Andrews Memorial Chapel as a new multipurpose working gallery for students, faculty and other artists. The first show features works of five visual arts teachers.

The Stanley Cup visits Westminster in July via Chicago Blackhawks player Ben Smith ’06. The event in Armour Academic Center is attended by members of the Westminster community, guests and the news media.

Community Service Day takes place Oct. 4 at 20 venues around the Greater Hartford region, with students and faculty wearing 125th anniversary T-shirts.

A closing celebration Sept. 28 for the school’s 125th anniversary includes dedication of two new dormitories named Gund House and Squibb House, and a reshaped center lawn named Baxter Lawn. The construction project also involved building three carriage houses, including McCullough House, and reshaping Perkin Memorial Drive. An evening gala attended by nearly 400 people features keynote remarks from New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks and fireworks.

The Westminster Teaching Symposium held in September features an address

by Patrick F. Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan gives a campus reading.

The Bruyette Leadership Academy is created in the fall to help leaders of student government, athletic teams and organizations develop their leadership potential.

A new Introduction to the Visual and Performing Arts course gives Third Formers early exposure to the broad spectrum of visual and performing arts courses they might pursue while at Westminster.

Spring 2021

29

2014

2015

Westminster begins a rigorous self-study as part of a two-year accreditation process by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) that takes place every 10 years.

In honor of the 13 Westminster alumni who died in World War I, 63 mature trees are planted on campus as part of the centennial observation of that conflict.

Yale Whiffenpoofs of 1958 and 2015 perform in the Werner Centennial Center in September. The combined performance was thought to be the first of its kind in the 105-year history of the group.

The Board of Trustees votes at its April and September meetings to move forward with construction of a new dining hall, a new student center, a new dormitory and two new carriage houses.

Westminster hosts its 15th annual MS Walk.

Fifty educators from area private and public schools visit Westminster in September for the fourth annual Westminster Teaching Symposium.

The Westminster website is redesigned.

Among its many undertakings, WCLP sponsors two summer enrichment programs: Summer Academy at Westminster School (SAWS), run in conjunction with Covenant Preparatory School, and a program at Hartford Public High School.

Westminster begins a summer online orientation program for new students that consists of two one-hour sessions on consecutive days with a faculty member and other students to become familiar with the school’s learning management system and each other.

Westminster begins a fee-based, noncredit summer online learning program offering two weeks of interactive courses in a variety of disciplines taught by Westminster faculty.

30

Westminster Bulletin

Former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell gives a presentation to students and faculty in September.

Following a visiting committee review, NEASC awards Westminster its decennial accreditation.

2016

2017

The WALKS Foundation, of which Westminster was a founding member, celebrates its 60th anniversary during the 2016-2017 academic year. Its primary mission is to provide scholarships at its five member schools for motivated, talented youth from Greater Hartford.

Armstrong Dining Hall opens at the beginning of the new academic year and family-style lunches begin four days a week.

Ground is broken in March for a new dining hall, two carriage houses and a student and faculty residence that will house Fourth Form, Fifth Form and Sixth Form girls.

A new public speaking course is launched during the winter trimester with 12 finalists competing in a public speaking contest in May.

Armstrong Dining Hall, Kelter House and Brockelman Student Center are dedicated Oct. 13 along with two new carriage houses named Beinecke House and Flinn Family House.

T. Treadway Mink Jr. ’77, P’11 completes five years as chair of the Board of Trustees, and Brad Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24 assumes the role of chair of the Board of Trustees and Moy Ogilvie Johnson ’86 becomes the new vice chair.

A rebuilt Sixth Form Lawn opens with a more symmetrical shape and perfect alignment with the chapel.

An announcement is made that football as a fall sport will be replaced going forward by water polo.

Nearly 200 grandparents visit Westminster in September for Grandparents Day. Spring 2021

31

2018

2019

In January, the first floor of Cushing Hall is transformed with the opening of Brockelman Student Center, a new office area for the deans in Watts Hall, a remodeled head of school’s study, a new building entrance and new restrooms.

The Friday Nights at Westminster series of readings and concerts celebrates its 10th anniversary during the 2018-2019 academic year with an impressive lineup of guest writers and performers.

Timken Student Center is taken down following the opening of Brockelman Student Center. A plaque in the new student center commemorates the philanthropy of Jack Timken and his wife, Joy, and the nearly four decades of enjoyment students experienced in Timken Student Center.

The Davis Scholars Program celebrates a decade of transforming lives by bringing students from all over the world to Westminster to seek new education opportunities.

After a 10-year break, the faculty sabbatical program resumes for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Horizons at Westminster holds its first six-week summer learning program on campus with an inaugural class of 18 first grade students from Hartford.

The program is designed to boost educational achievement and broaden access to opportunity for students from under-resourced communities.

The Soar Together Campaign for Westminster School is publicly launched to raise money for students, faculty and programs. It is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the school’s history. Numerous regional, national and international receptions for alumni and parents are held.

32

Westminster Bulletin

A generous donor pledges to give Westminster $10 million for financial aid if the Soar Together Campaign raises $90 million by 2022.

Westminster’s website is enhanced with a new color palette, a cleaner user interface, updated pages and an improved responsive design for mobile devices.

2020

2021 A transformational gift of $5 million to the Soar Together Campaign from a small group of alumni, parents and trustees creates the Jenny and Bill Philip Student Support Fund to impact and support the experience of students receiving needbased financial aid.

Ross Gay visits as the 20th Westminster Poet. Each year, the English Department invites a major poet to campus to give a reading and visit English classes.

The COVID-19 worldwide pandemic forces Westminster to go to distance learning for the spring trimester and hold a virtual celebration for the Class of 2020. Other spring events, such as reunion, are canceled.

A Celebration of the Class of 2020 includes a video message by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr. P’20. Diplomas and yearbooks are mailed in special boxes with notes from faculty to members of the class.

Numerous committees of faculty and staff meet over the summer to create a path to reopen school in the fall.

Equity and Inclusion at Westminster, a coalition of Westminster faculty and trustees, is created to address all aspects of the Westminster experience for students and alumni regarding racism.

Summer online courses for credit begin, offering new and returning students the opportunity to take one academic pass/fail course for credit during the summer taught by Westminster faculty.

The 2020-2021 academic year begins in August with record enrollment, and a combination of in-person and distance learning, and comprehensive health protocols.

A 12-member COVID-19 Task Force meets multiple times a week to plan all aspects of school life during the pandemic.

Students are on campus during the winter and spring trimesters following comprehensive planning efforts and hard work on everyone’s part to meet the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

A reunion for alumni with class years ending in the 0s, 1s, 5s and 6s takes place via Zoom in March and includes a virtual alumni art show.

The Lawn Ceremony and Commencement are held on campus in May in modified formats that follow health and safety guidelines. Jeff Artis ’72 is the keynote Commencement speaker.

The Black Alumni Affinity Group is established to acknowledge the rich history, contributions and struggles of Black alumni while also celebrating their accomplishments in a positive fashion among the school community at large.

With wide-ranging health and safety protocols in place, Westminster completes a successful fall trimester with three months of on-campus student learning.

The Board of Trustees announces the appointment of Elaine White, who has had a distinguished career in education, as Westminster’s ninth head of school beginning July 1, 2021.

The Soar Together Campaign ends one year early after successfully reaching its goal.

Spring 2021

33

Reflections About the Philip Years While many of the milestones listed in the timeline on the preceding pages will be prominent in Westminster history, the following reflections from alumni, trustees, parents and faculty are an indication of Jenny and Bill’s personal legacy in the lives of members of the school community.

Always Focused on Westminster

By Chair of the Board of Trustees Brad Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24 I first met Bill Philip 38 years ago in 1983 when he was a first-year teacher, had a head full of hair and was known for his contagious enthusiasm — in the dorm, in the classroom and in the pool as a coach.

I was a Fifth Former, living with my two roommates in Memorial Hall above Bill’s apartment. As you can imagine, three 17-year-old boys might have been challenging neighbors.

In spite of that, over the years, Jenny and Bill have become good friends of mine, and I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with them.

On many occasions, I have witnessed their deep character that has enabled their many important contributions to Westminster. When I think of the characteristics of Bill that have made him a successful and dynamic leader, several traits come to mind:

Enthusiasm. Bill’s enthusiasm is palpable. I remember it when I was a student, and he would talk to students in the halls and in the classroom. You can see it on his face these days as he brags about Westminster students and faculty.

It is crystal clear when he talks about continuing to build a foundation, so Westminster will thrive for years to come.

Passion. I met with Bill the summer of his first year as head of school. I’d been a trustee for a few years, and he was meeting with each of us to discuss his vision and plan, and of course, he wanted everyone’s feedback. He was clear about his vision and how to get there. What I remember most of all, though, was his passion for Westminster and his new role.

34

Westminster Bulletin

Industriousness. In my first year as Board chair, Bill called me on a Saturday evening to discuss an important matter.

He apologized for intruding on my Saturday night. I said you can call me any time. And — he did. We spoke on weekends, after hours and even during his vacations. His priority is always Westminster, the faculty and staff, and the students. He works tirelessly.

Empathy. Bill is very thoughtful and empathetic. He is always inquiring about family, mine and everyone else’s.

No one cheers louder for Westminster students than Bill Philip. He understands the challenges of growing up today.

He is demanding of students but also understanding and forgiving. And he is always generous with praise for Westminster students — highlighting their strengths and abilities, and their victories at the slightest urging.

Dedication. Bill’s focus on solving problems means that he considers every facet of an issue. Often, after a long day of Board meetings, we’d end with dinner, and then Bill, Jenny and I would sit in their library for hours, discussing the state of the school and their vision for its future. These discussions occurred at almost every single Board meeting, and would last long into the night.

Welcoming. Bill and Jenny have opened up Pratt House to all of us. They welcome the entire community in so

Brad Raymond

many ways. Jenny greets nearly every prospective student in the Admissions Office. Bill is well-known for his giant high-fives to students around campus. It’s hard to imagine teenagers thinking it’s cool to high-five with the head of school, but my daughters — now in college — remember that fondly.

Finally, Focused. Bill’s singular focus is and has always been Westminster.

Always Westminster. Bill and Jenny have dedicated their lives to our school, its students, its faculty and staff, and its future. This is how it has been for 38 years. What our school has gained from the Philips is immeasurable and our gratitude is deep.

“His priority is always Westminster, the faculty and staff, and the students. He works tirelessly.”

Approachable and Understanding

By Euny Kwon and Hae Young Lee P’18, ’20 “Even the shadow of your teacher should not be stepped on.” As this old Korean proverb implies, the conventional image of the head of a high school in Korea is of a somewhat aloof disciplinarian to whom everyone should bow distantly with due deference and with whom they would hardly ever be on speaking terms.

But Bill Philip has been the opposite. He has always been very approachable and understanding.

While our sons, Ryan ’18 and Scott ’20 attended Westminster, Bill made annual visits to Asia, including Korea, and Jenny accompanied him every other year. Bill and Jenny’s visits were always a big hit in Seoul. Many students and their parents, alumni, parents of alumni, and prospective students and their families attended Bill and Jenny’s reception.

Everyone appreciated them traveling to Korea since we all knew that it is a very demanding journey. It takes 14 hours to fly from JFK to Seoul international airport with added extra hours of horrible traffic time to downtown Seoul and a gruesome 13-hour time difference. It is never an easy trip, even for Korean parents who are rather accustomed to this.

When traveling to Seoul with Jenny or a member of the Advancement or Admissions offices, we never saw Bill look fatigued. On arrival at the hotel directly

from the airport, he met Korean parents convivially, enjoying talks and dinner with unremitting zeal while using chopsticks gracefully. After a three-day tight schedule of a reception, dinners, meetings and interviews, Bill always departed for three or more other destinations. His inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm always impressed us.

Bill’s prompt and thoughtful emails regarding any situation have also been amazing. Whenever there were concerns or questions, he responded to them right away. His reply at 4 a.m. EST to an email we wrote in the evening our time, was very surprising since we expected his reply the next morning our time, at the earliest. For international parents, his quick responses have meant a lot.

Sending young children far away to other countries and cultures for the first time is bound to worry parents. Not just promptly but most considerately, Bill also sent us emails even before any questions came up. When North Korea’s provocation of a mine blast took place in the summer of 2015 and built up higher tension on the Korean Peninsula, the very next morning, we received an email

Hae Young Lee and Euny Kwon

from Bill wishing for a speedy resolution to the situation and ultimate peace. He added that if something did happen, he would take care of our children safely, mentioning “Martlets Fly Together.” Bill’s heartfelt understanding made us feel a strong family tie in time of need. Thanks to him, we were able to experience a deep sense of belonging to the Westminster community.

Bill has made every effort to warmly welcome all of us who come from afar.

Unlike the teacher whose shadow should be a long way off in an old Korean proverb, Bill’s continuous efforts to foster a close-knit community have been deeply appreciated by us.

“Bill’s heartfelt understanding made us feel a strong family tie in time of need.”

Grateful for His Friendship

By Tuey Connell ’86

Tuey Connell

In the summer of 1983, just before returning to Westminster School for my Fourth Form year, my mother said: “There will be a new teacher at school this year whom you may remember from the swim team at the Bedford Golf and Tennis Club. His name is Bill Philip, Mr. Philip. Mr. Philip will be your history teacher this year. Be sure to say ‘hi’ and to welcome him on campus.”

Upon arriving on Williams Hill and with all due excitement to see my returning classmates as well as to meet new ones, I met Mr. Philip. I remember the twinkle in his eye and the laughter as we pieced together our shared past. I have actually known Bill since the ’70s, and I am grateful for his leadership and tenure at Westminster. But mostly, I am grateful for his friendship. We are all better for knowing “Mr. Philip.”

“I remember the twinkle in his eye and the laughter as we pieced together our shared past.”

Spring 2021

35

Always on Our Team

By Sofi Garnett Keller ’06 and Maddie Garnett ’10 While Bill Philip will always be remembered as a dedicated head of school, we will personally think of him, first and foremost, as our advisor.

Mentoring the Garnett girls was anything but easy. Although better known as associate headmaster and senior development director during our time there, he advised us through tough exams, ups and downs on the sports fields, and everything in between — for seven years!

We’d like to give an extra thank you to Kate and Alie for sharing their dad.

While Mr. Philip didn’t advertise an open-door policy, we Garnett girls felt welcome any time in his office with our joys and woes. He would gulp and deal with the teenage drama, even though his schedule was always packed with far more important school responsibilities.

Sofi’s demands for counsel, while taking refuge on the couch in his office, made him late for more than one visiting dignitary, while he patiently listened to the pathetic excuses for why a report was unjustly given. Sofi certainly broke in Mr. Philip, which meant he never missed an opportunity to check in on Maddie — just to make sure she wasn’t in need of a vent.

Somehow, he knew our class attendance before the reports were delivered. Somehow, he knew what to warn us about and was always on our team with our best interests at heart. Fair enough, he was there to celebrate the happy times, praise the good grades and give a high-five for the wins. We were away from home, and he had our backs.

Come to think of it, while he provided constant comfort and safety for the both of us, he was simultaneously providing our parents with an unmatched sense of relief.

We count ourselves lucky to have had Mr. Philip in our court, dispensing advice and watching over our antics throughout our Westminster years. Looking back, we are so grateful for the support and

guidance we received from him.

Thank you, Mr. Philip, for your heartfelt advice and your caring and watchful eye. We will miss being greeted by the big bear hugs at the Westminster holiday party in New York. Once an advisor, always an advisor.

We adore you and appreciate you, Mr. Philip.

“Come to think of it, while he provided constant comfort and safety for the both of us, he was simultaneously providing our parents with an unmatched sense of relief.”

Sofi Garnett Keller and Maddie Garnett

Shepherding the School to be the Best Version of Itself

By Susie Werner Berenson ’82 “It was clear that he was the total package.” These are the words my father, Don Werner, former headmaster, used to explain why he hired a very inexperienced Bill Philip just out of Yale to teach and coach at Westminster nearly 40 years ago.

It was, in fact, while in college that I first met Bill myself, when he was one of my freshman counselors. After having the pleasure of knowing Bill in his capacity as a student, a teacher and a leader, I can attest to my dad’s assessment: Bill Philip embodies all that a head of school should be. Bill brought his 36

Westminster Bulletin

talents to every aspect of school life. He taught history for 25 years and has been director of studies; he has led the College Counseling Office and worked as senior development director; he has coached swimming, baseball and lacrosse; and he was former Headmaster Graham Cole’s assistant headmaster for four years and associate headmaster for seven years before becoming head of school himself. I had the honor to serve as a trustee for Westminster, and while we were conducting a search to find Graham’s successor, one faculty member said, “Simply put,

Bill made every department he touched

No discussion about Bill and his better.” success as head of school would be

While Bill’s wide-ranging talents, complete without mentioning Jenny, expertise and experience are clear to and all that she contributed to the life of anyone who knows the breadth of his the school. In the small world category, history at Westminster, the quality that she and my sister, Betsy, were childhood I admire most in him can’t be learned friends. I doubt that when Jenny was by reading his resume. His passion racing through the rooms of Pratt House to shepherd the school to be “the as a middle schooler, she ever envisioned best version of itself” was a mantra I coming back to campus to work, coach repeatedly heard him say, both publicly and help to raise her two lovely daughters, and privately. For Bill, this meant living Kate ’06 and Alie ’09, in what I still think and breathing every aspect of the school, of as MY childhood home!

24/7. (In fact, one of the few suggestions

Over the course of 38 years, Bill I heard the Board give to Bill was that he and Jenny touched every facet of what needed to take more vacation!) No sooner makes Westminster such a special place. would I leave for home after a Board of Their dedication and grit, their grace Susie Werner Berenson Trustees meeting than my phone would and personal character, will reverberate ring — sometimes while I was on the way to throughout the classrooms, the athletic the airport! — with Bill eager to discuss ways to implement items fields, the dorms, the dining hall, the chapel and Cushing Hall, discussed during the weekend or to brainstorm for how to make long after they leave. future meetings run even more smoothly.

“Over the course of 38 years, Bill and Jenny touched every facet of what makes Westminster such a special place.”

A Rare Selflessness and Dedication

By Ted Carstensen ’96 My family prioritized finding the right community when deciding on a boarding school for me and my sister, Lee ’93. We wanted one that would foster growth, encourage us to try new things, and most of all, support us through the ups and downs of adolescence. This is what led our family to choose the Westminster family. Little did we know that the people we would meet would remain friends to this day, and that the subtle nudges, words of wisdom, encouraging comments, and helping hands we would receive at such young ages would forever set the trajectories of our lives.

I think every student at Westminster finds at least one faculty member whose quiet wisdom proves invaluable as the student awkwardly navigates high school.

I’m not sure my sister and I would have made it through Westminster if we hadn’t found those teachers. For me, Bill Philip

Ted Carstensen

Lee Carstensen Genung

was core among the group of supporters there who shaped the person I am today.

I was first introduced to Bill and Jenny when I arrived at Westminster my Third Form year. My mom and I found my dorm room on the second floor of

Andrews House, where Bill and Jenny were brave enough to be dorm parents for a hall full of freshman boys. They quickly demonstrated the true spirit of dorm parents, opening their door to all of us living on the hall for food, TV, and often Spring 2021

37

just to share kind words and a laugh. Bill was the director of college counseling at the time and played the formal role of advisor to me. Unbeknownst to me, he also played the informal role of team captain for everyone who supported me during my time there.

Throughout my four years at Westminster, I experienced some failures (every sport I played) and enjoyed some successes in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. Bill played a vital role in helping me learn grit and grace when handling both the failures and successes. Bill and his family opened their door to me late at night freshman year when I was homesick and cheered me on

when I went against the odds to apply to my dream college, even going so far as to drive me off campus to take standardized tests.

My entire family greatly appreciates what Bill and Jenny did to support and encourage me during my time at Westminster, and our admiration for them has only grown as we’ve watched the school develop and improve under their leadership. Bill and Jenny’s continued devotion to the students and the school’s

legacy shows a selflessness and dedication that is increasingly rare in this day and age.

There is no question that the school is better for having had them in the community, as are many people like me.

My family is proud to know Bill and Jenny, and we are tremendously grateful for all they’ve done for me, my sister, and for all of Westminster, so it’s with gratitude that we wish them health, happiness, and lots of fun in their next adventures.

“Bill and Jenny’s continued devotion to the students and the school’s legacy shows a selflessness and dedication that is increasingly rare in this day and age.”

Phenomenal Mentor, Inspiring Role Model and Friend

By Cris Gomez ’10 there for me, and I spent countless hours in his office laughing, My brother, Andy ’06, told me that I was very “lucky” to crying and celebrating. After four years at Westminster, I knew have Bill Philip as my advisor upon my arrival on the Hill in that I wanted to work in education as a teacher because of his the fall of 2006. As an eager Third Former, I simply brushed positive impact on me. And building on my teaching experience, that comment aside as I focused more on making friends and I wanted to return to the Hill as a faculty member and have a figuring out where I should sit in the foyer of Baxter Academic positive impact on other Martlets.

Center. All I knew was that Bill had been Andy’s advisor for two

Eleven years after graduating from Westminster, Bill years, and it was clear to me that he had played an important continues to serve as my mentor and role model. Being part of role in Andy’s success as a student at Westminster. As I look the faculty has been an eye-opening experience as you get to back, I think Andy’s comment to me being lucky was a massive see how Westminster operates from understatement. Bill was not only a great the other side. One of my biggest “He allowed me to fail when advisor, but most importantly, he ended takeaways from day one has been up being a phenomenal mentor, an needed, but he would pick Bill’s unequivocal commitment to all inspiring role model and a friend. me right up with his calming aspects of Westminster. It is clear to me

As an advisor, Bill ingrained in me the presence and wise advice.” that he bleeds black and gold and that Westminster core values of community, Westminster will always be part of his character, balance and involvement. He life. He often says that Westminster is a encouraged me to try new sports and school of relationships. It is what makes join multiple clubs, and he challenged me Westminster such a unique and special to take difficult classes. He also taught place for many of us. However, these me what Grit & Grace was all about relationships would not be possible if we by consistently keeping me accountable did not have people like Bill as part of and never letting me select the easy way the Westminster community for 38 years out. He allowed me to fail when needed, and play such an influential role in all but he would pick me right up with his aspects of the school. I look forward to calming presence and wise advice. As an continuing to celebrate Bill and Jenny’s aside, I will never forget his steak dinner legacy and accomplishments for many feeds and Jenny’s famous Napa salad. years. I am appreciative of everything

I would not have had the positive they have done for me and, most experience and grown as much as I did importantly, for Westminster. as a student without Bill’s guidance and support along the way. He was always Cris Gomez 38

Westminster Bulletin

Many Hats

By Trustee Will Beckford ’89, P’23, ’23 I am an accidental collector of hats — mostly of the baseball variety. My wife has spent over two decades attempting to showcase, organize, store and eventually “disappear” the most random of them, fearful that I have become a walking advertisement for cities I’ve never visited, events I don’t remember attending and microbrews I’ve never tried. There are, however, two categories of caps which have been rendered “untouchable” in our home: those associated with the city of Baltimore and the colorful array of Westminster ones that hang in the mudroom, adorn the kitchen table and are tucked in the backseat of my car.

Given my proclivity toward this favorite appendage to my wardrobe, it seems only fitting that I have this opportunity to showcase the many accomplishments of Bill Philip, the ultimate wearer of many, many hats during his 38-year tenure at Westminster School.

Certainly, I could chronologically tick off his many accomplishments on the path from history teacher to head of school, but the breadth and depth of Bill’s involvement in his almost four-decade tenure on the Hill would read more as a nonfiction novella than one man’s reflections. Instead, I offer two personal memories of Bill’s contributions to one grateful family.

FALL 1988 A 17-year-old me embarks upon his Sixth Form year at Westminster. Four years on the Hill will be wrapping up in a matter of months, and it is time to consider the next stage of my education. This is new.

This is daunting. This is overwhelming.

Unlike many of my peers, I am pretty much going this one solo. My family is certainly aware of the process that needs to unfold but are trusting me to “make it happen.” Unfortunately, other than a few summer stints at basketball camps in Pennsylvania, visiting grandma in North Carolina and my time in Simsbury, my worldly experience is extremely limited.

I need a guide and a voice I can trust. I

need someone with patience and foresight, insight and empathy. This is the story of Bill Philip, the college counselor.

It was Bill who drove me to Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., to tour the school, meet with the basketball coach and interview with the admissions team. It was Bill who processed my visit with me on the return drive to Westminster that evening, providing a sounding board as I weighed my choices and strategized the entire admissions process. And it was Bill I notified first when I made my decision that spring. Bill’s commitment to his role, and his open mind, quick smile and accessibility allowed me to make the right choice during a foreign and overwhelming process. That same accessibility would bring our family back to the Hill three decades later.

SPRING 2015 An 11-year-old girl, my 11-year-old girl, approaches me with a neatly folded piece of paper. “Daddy,” she declares, “We need to mail this to the man at Westminster!”

I am curious and amused. I unfold the paper to find a letter (in seven different colors and five different fonts) addressed to Bill. The message is simple and honest: “I want to attend your school when I am older. What do I need to do to make that happen? Especially the math part?”

Keep in mind, my wife and I had never seriously considered boarding school for our children. And our daughter was, after all, only 11! But my recent class reunion at Westminster had introduced her to the campus and its leader, just a few years into his tenure. There are dozens of edits I want to make to her letter, starting with the colors and the fonts, and some tweaking to the content, but I practice restraint and encourage her to send the

Will Beckford

letter, confident that it’s recipient will appreciate its authenticity, humanity and candor. This is the story of Bill Philip, the head of school.

Always accessible, Bill became her pen pal over the next two years, sending her notes of encouragement and advice (and maybe a little swag as well).

My daughter’s initial impressions of Westminster’s head of school are certainly in line with comments I received from Westminster alumni who were quick to point out Bill’s “kind and warm vibe,” his “consistent, fair, calm and always smiling and cheerful” demeanor, and that “smile and giggle when he busted you” for being late to corridor checks in Andrews House!

“Bill,” noted one classmate, “was always pragmatic and classy.” It is no surprise, then, that my daughter was drawn to her future school. A school where the leaders know your name, smile authentically and genuinely care.

Of the many hats Bill has worn through the years, it is the cultivator of a very special school culture that I value the most. And for that, I thank you, my friend.

“Bill’s commitment to his role, and his open mind, quick smile and accessibility allowed me to make the right choice during a foreign and overwhelming process.”

Spring 2021

39

We Mattered

By Ricky Padro ’87 I don’t know how others store or retrieve important events from long ago which helped shape their lives or characters, but for me, it’s like visiting the Sterling Memorial Library (SML) in New Haven.

This edifice is an almost sacred fixture of Yale academic and campus life. It sits majestically at the far end of Cross Campus, contemplating students as they walk to class, gather with friends, play Frisbee, share ideas or just sit on the grass and read. In describing the mastery of its architecture, the Yale website writes: “Even the most unexpected portions of SML have been adorned in the manner of a Gothic cathedral, but in this case to the greater glory of Ricky Padro scholarship and the dignity of libraries.”

I picture myself walking in through the heavy doors and feeling tiny under the glorious vaulted ceilings. Bathed in a warm glow of amber light, I shuffle past the giant stone columns and arches on either side with a sense of purpose. I head past security and into the inner sanctum of this “cathedral,” a place known as the “stacks.” These 16 floors of dark rooms and dusty bookshelves house over 2.5 million books that have helped to shape countless minds, educations, lives and communities. It seems appropriate that Bill Philip — the coach, the teacher, the book, the memory that I now seek to retrieve — is housed in this monumental place (in my soul, at least). In fact, as a Yale student, he himself no doubt maneuvered the stacks at some point and experienced the solemnity associated with searching for a key manuscript, memoir or piece of literature, each demanding to be treated with the deference it deserves.

I walk down a creaky old book aisle with just a crack of light and sound coming in from York Street. As I step further into the depths, I feel the water rising. I sense that I am out of my league in this labyrinth. I recall the onerous task of writing a 25-page senior thesis in which I try to give voice to the victims of Stalin’s gulag camps. What a dark, intimidating topic. How did I ever manage?

Surrounded by must, I reach for that book on Bill Philip, and when I open it, I become engulfed in a heavy odor of chlorine. I get dunked back into the cold waters of the “Tank” at Westminster. I am treading water in the slow lane of the swimming pool with two other “challenged” swimmers — my buddies in pain and humiliation. We had gone through so much struggle together. The real swimmers (and winners), we knew,

were in the other lanes which churned with the feverish foam of strength, confidence and mobility. But in this salient memory, housed in my own personal cathedral, the other lanes are silent and still as a pond. The superstars have blown through practice and left for the day.

It is now just the three of us, looking up at Coach Philip in his beige slacks and sneakers, holding a stopwatch. After a (no-doubt) exhausting day, our coach had found the kindness and patience to spend an extra 15 to 20 minutes of his personal time with us. We had wanted to see if we could swim the 100-freestyle in under a minute. We knew this goal was probably a joke to the strong swimmers in the main lanes, but to the three of us, it was dead serious. We had requested this personal moment. We needed it. He granted it.

We try several times, and after each go, Coach Philip smiles and shares an encouraging word or two. At this moment, I realize that this man really cares about us as individuals. He is seeing and recognizing each one of us, and we are no longer a stigma hidden in the margins. He is chatting with us, and it oddly feels like all four of us are friends just hanging out together. It seems like a weird paradox, not to mention, we are actually having fun for once in that icy, wretched pool!

I also realize in this moment that I myself have ambition. I want so badly to swim the 100-free in under a minute! I am so close to winning in my mind. As Coach Philip finally prepares to leave, I smile a huge smile and summon up the audacity to blurt out, “Let me try it one more time!” Whoa, did I actually just utter that?! I brace for him to reply “no,” but instead, he turns around and gets his stopwatch ready. I am struck by both his altruism and the power of my own words.

I am not going to say whether or not I hit the 100-freestyle in under a minute because that’s not what really matters in this memory. What really matters is that “we” mattered. We mattered to Coach Philip, and by extension (we realized), we mattered to others.

Even if we always took last place, our personal growth mattered.

This was a huge moment. It was partly why I managed to power through my senior thesis at Yale and give voice to the “zeks,” Stalin’s “imprisoned ones.” It was also partly why I became a teacher in New Haven and why I continue to advocate for diverse students with varying needs to this day. Yes, it is a key Bill Philip moment which deserves a special place in the sacred “stacks.”

“We knew this goal was probably a joke to the strong swimmers in the main lanes, but to the three of us, it was dead serious. We had requested this personal moment. We needed it. He granted it.”

40

Westminster Bulletin

Aimee Nezhukumatathil Visits as 2020-2021 Westminster Poet Award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil shared her sense of wonder during her March 30-31 visit as the 2020-2021 Westminster Poet. She gave an all-school reading and visited English classes, all virtually from Oxford, Miss. She had previously served as the Westminster Poet for 2011-2012.

A professor of English and creative writing in the University of Mississippi’s M.F.A. program, Nezhukumatathil is the author of The New York Times bestselling illustrated collection of nature essays and Kirkus Prize finalist “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments,” which was published last year and chosen as Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year for 2020. She has also published four poetry collections: “Oceanic,” “Lucky Fish,” “At the Drive-In Volcano” and “Miracle Fruit.” Her most recent chapbook, “Lace & Pyrite,” is a collaboration of epistolary garden poems with the poet Ross Gay, who was last year’s Westminster Poet.

“World of Wonders” was taught in every Westminster English class this year and was an all-school faculty read. Students also studied poems in “Oceanic” and from her other collections.

Nezhukumatathil began her reading by saying, “I hope to bring wonder back into your lives today.” She spoke about difficult experiences growing up and shared a favorite video of a frog giving birth. While reading an essay from “World of Wonders,” she asked students to draw a narwhal. She then read four of her poems from “Oceanic” and spoke about their origins.

An image from an online English class with the visiting poet.

During one of her class visits, she asked students to recall moments of learning that brought a smile to their face. “In college, I want you to explore those things you are interested in because you will never feel bored,” she said.

When asked what prompted her to start writing poetry, she credited studying living poets for the first time in college and reading poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye, who has twice served as the Westminster Poet.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil Nezhukumatathil recounted McCarthy ’23, a student in Lawrence Court’s how the experience prompted her to switch AP English Language and Composition class. from studying honors chemistry to English “I really enjoyed understanding the personal at Ohio State University. “I wanted to be a stories behind her work. She explained to us writer because I had so many how important it is to have a creative outlet questions,” she said. and to pursue careers in what we love, no In response to other matter the job or the probability of success.” questions, she shared that she

And Carolyn Cheng ’24, a student in writes with a pencil and paper, Scott Stevens’ The Literature of Becoming and that she tries to evoke class, said: “I loved the recurring theme of a certain mood in a poem interconnectedness with nature in her poems, rather than meaning. “I enjoy and how she brought to life even the smallest writing essays the most, but details to make her poems magical. It’s always my first love is writing poetry,” wonderful to hear the author’s works in their she added. “I love the revision voice, and it was interesting to hear what process. Revising is where the inspired some of her writings.” magic happens.”

“It was a joy to have Aimee “If we had to have a Nezhukumatathil join our community and Westminster Poet do a virtual visit, Aimee address our students,” said English teacher Nezhukumatathil was the perfect poet to Arianna Vailas. “She asked them questions have,” said former Westminster English to awaken their dormant sense of wonder: teacher Michael Cervas who directs the She provoked them to remember a time Westminster Poet series. “Both in her allwhen they lost track of time because they school reading and in her visits with English were so enthralled by the natural world. She classes, she was engaging and full of energy. encouraged them to consider whose stories I especially liked her choices of poems to read about the outdoors are being told (and in the various English classes, poems that were whose aren’t) and to write down their own in turn funny and wise and very moving.” childhood experiences in a journal to preserve

“I have read a lot of poems on the them for posterity. I hope we remember how ocean throughout my English career and have to wonder and wander and grow together as even attempted writing about it myself, but a community. Her visit was a delightful and Ms. Nezhukumatathil’s writing has a unique purposeful step in that direction.” element that makes her work have depth and deeper meaning behind the fantastical creatures she describes,” said Maggie Spring 2021

41

Architecture teacher Rebeccah Tuscano-Moss is in her fifth year on the faculty.

Learning Good Design and More Dane Moliterno ’24 works on a study model in his Introduction to Architecture class.

42

Westminster Bulletin

Students enrolled in Westminster School’s architecture courses have the opportunity to experience what it would be like to study architecture in college. The four courses are taught in a studio format by Rebeccah Tuscano-Moss P’20, who is an architectural designer and builder, and in her fifth year on the Westminster faculty. About 75 students were enrolled in the courses this year, which include Introduction to Architecture, Architecture 1, Architecture 2 and Architecture 3.

Students advance from learning how to draw with a triangle and T-square in the introductory course to working on large design problems with a focus on complex, multifunction buildings where the major concerns are architectural theory and layering of various 3D programs as well as making technical drawings. Oftentimes, students skip ahead in the course sequence because of advanced progress in their work. Some students even complete an independent study course.

“We have to cover things a little faster than is done in college courses, but our students get a sense of exactly how it all works,” said Rebeccah. The Westminster courses meet four days a week throughout the academic year and take place in Hamilton Art Studios where there are two studio classrooms, 3D printers, a laser cutter and numerous workshop tools.

Rebeccah aims to teach to the individual student. “I want to know what they are thinking and what they need,” she said. “For that reason, I like to think of them in three groups: those who want to go into some type of design field such as engineering,

graphics or architecture; those who it is going to be used and how they are going are not sure what field they want to put it together. We do this because one of to pursue but will benefit from the the biggest criticisms of architects is that they very solid foundation offered in can draw something, but they have no idea the courses; and those who will how to put it together.” Students work on the gain a good perspective about the design-build projects in tandem with working way they think about architecture on theoretical building projects. and, hopefully, will someday hire

Rebeccah follows a parallel sequence in A final wooden model of a place of an architect. all of her courses. The first trimester, students contemplation completed by Madison

Rebeccah’s own interest in focus on hands-on work by building a study Khuu ’24 for Introduction to Architecture. architecture started while she was model, which is often made out of cardboard in college, although she grew up always building things and even and helps them learn about scale. They also prepare a final wood had her own toolbelt and workbench at an early age. She earned model with aesthetic drawings. During the second trimester, the a Bachelor of Architecture, a five-year professional degree, at the focus is on two-dimensional architecture on the computer, where University of Arkansas and has worked as a private architect, students make a full set of construction documents, mostly using mostly related to renovations of antique properties. Prior to AutoCAD, which is computer-aided design (CAD) software her Westminster appointment, she served eight years as an that architects, engineers and construction professionals use to adjunct professor of architecture in the College of Engineering, create 2D and 3D drawings. And for the third trimester, students Technology and Architecture at the University of Hartford, where work on 3D modeling, using software such as SketchUp and she founded a design-build program and received the university’s make a 3D printed model. The most advanced students often use Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award. In recent years, she Revit, Rhinoceros or other sophisticated software, and all of the has traveled extensively delivering papers and lecturing on her students are required to do oral presentations about their projects continued research and writing in the area of “beginning design,” with some of them presenting to a jury of professional architects the pedagogy of how young architecture students process that often includes Westminster alumni. artistic concepts and the significance of design-build education

Students in Introduction to Architecture and Architecture 1 in the architectural studio. She has also written articles about were given a project assignment in the fall to design a small Westminster facilities, including their geothermal heating and structure for a client with a notable history. They could choose cooling systems. from a list of 13 individuals, ranging from photographer James

“Architecture is the only thing I ever wanted to learn,” said Barnor to explorer Roald Amundsen. The structure was to be Rebeccah. “But it is hard because it involves the left and right designed as a place where the client could contemplate their brain and is pure math and art.” Her daughter Abigail ’20, is existence in the world around them at a particular moment in following in her footsteps as an architecture student at Miami time. It could be designed with typical construction materials University in Ohio.

Design-Build The concept of design-build, where students not only design something but also build it, is a foundation of Westminster’s architecture courses. All students have to complete a designbuild project they start at the beginning of each course and have all year to complete. Some do large items while others make something small. Recent projects included a ukulele, a motorized cart for a cooler, an intricately designed wooden pen, a jewelry box, a wall frame for a sports jersey, a toboggan, a snow skate, various furniture pieces, a wooden hurdy gurdy and wooden lanterns.

“I explain to them that every product is like a mini piece of architecture,” said Rebeccah. “They have to think in a detailed way exactly how

Rebeccah discusses use of a 3D printer with Jean-Claude Lane ’21.

Spring 2021

43

Architecture students work on their projects in one of two studio classrooms.

and natural elements such as hedges. The objectives were to develop awareness of how an individual’s history, personality and profession influence design decisions and to develop an ability to execute a concept with sketches and models. The deliverables were floor plan drawings, elevation drawings, section drawings, a site section and a wooden model. Students also had to give an oral presentation about their client and design concept intensions.

The main design project in Architecture 2 and 3, which was assigned in the fall, was for a new kindergarten through third grade magnet school in Little Rock, Ark., of approximately 20,000 square feet with the magnet portion of the project consisting of either an art, music or science facility. The

Nick Wurts ’24 assembles a study model in Introduction to Architecture. On the monitor behind him is a video feed to distance learning students and the second architecture studio.

44

Westminster Bulletin

assignment specified that the facility should serve as a physical representation of reconciliation of racial conflict, which came to a head in 1957, and should be designed with a structural system and programmatic layout that reflects integration, interdependence and harmony, while respecting the intrinsic nature of the individual participants. Presentation deliverables included a parti site model, elevations, a site and building section, a rendered perspective and a wooden model. Numerous texts and videos provided reference and background information.

Along with the design projects, students are often required to complete in-class memory writing assignments related to their own personal experiences. “The objective is to get the students into being that person for whom they are designing and to identify why that person thinks the way they do,” said Rebeccah.

“Part of my job is to help students with their craft and get the ideas out, whether it be in a model or drawing. A student can imagine something pretty amazing and with a lot of detail, but it is hard if they don’t have the training to execute those ideas so someone else can see them.”

Rebeccah’s overarching goal for students in her courses is to train their eye to understand all aspects of good design, such as what makes a clean line. And beyond that, she wants her students to develop communication skills, so they can talk about how they did something, why they did it, why it is important and how it relates to what they have learned. “When you have to describe why you did something in a creative way, it is much more personal and you learn so much more about yourself,” she explained. “Skills in drawing and in model-making are all secondary to students understanding how they think.”

Student work is graded using a rubric. “Because we are not at the university level, the rubric rarely judges students on the actual design of their projects,” said Rebeccah. “It is always about whether they finished all of the work, used the right scale, used a certain amount of materials and incorporated design details that can be seen. Typically, if they have completed all of

Rebeccah talks with Gabriel Mays-Sanchez ’22 about his school design project in Architecture 2.

those steps, the result is good. Our students have a serious work ethic and often work harder than some of the students I have taught in college.”

Aspiring Architects Each year, there are always aspiring architects in Westminster’s architecture courses. For Hudson Stedman ’21, the architecture program was a major factor in his decision to attend Westminster.

During his revisit day as a prospective student, he spent time in an architecture class and was amazed at the myriad student models and tools in the studio.

“The overall atmosphere of limitless possibilities guided by such passionate students in the field finalized my decision to attend Westminster,” he said.

Hudson has taken Introduction to Architecture, Architecture 2 and Architecture 3, and completed a joint independent study and teaching assistant role this year. He was able to progress to Architecture 2 after his Third Form year due to the swift progress of his work.

As a teaching assistant, Hudson would help Rebeccah by working with other students during a few classes each week when students were divided into two separate studio spaces due to COVID social distancing restrictions.

“It was such a wonderful opportunity to be able to apply my knowledge thus far in architecture to some of the younger

Tatum McBreen ’21 glues final touches on her wooden model of a school in Architecture 3.

“The objective is to get the students into being that person for whom they are designing and to identify why that person thinks the way they do.”

students as they worked on a wide range of projects and to help with some COVID-presented challenges as well,” said Hudson.

He especially likes that the architecture courses have allowed him to tap his other passions for environmentalism and theoretical principles. “It is a great program with a range of opportunities that offer a muchneeded early glimpse into the practice of architecture,” he said. “The studio is a place where I could relax, discuss ideas

Hudson Stedman ’21 works on his college admissions portfolio using the digital application Rhinoceros.

Spring 2021

45

Campbell Swift ’21 makes a 2019 presentation about her work to a jury consisting of alumni, local architects, university professors and Westminster faculty.

with other students and be free to express my artistic motives through architectural mediums alongside like-minded peers.”

As part of Hudson’s independent study, he explored more theoretical aspects of architecture including research initiatives and projects through an online architecture course offered by the University of Virginia about proactive work related to urban climate change. He also spent time in the fall developing and finalizing a professional portfolio that documents his architecture projects going back to his Third Form year. “I was able to depict the story of each project, beginning from the study model to site analyses and final renderings or models,” he said. “I combined a variety of representational pieces under the grand architectural umbrella, while expressing my passion for environmentalism in the field of architecture.”

Hudson, who will be attending Princeton University this fall, hopes to continue to explore interdisciplinary courses related to architecture and environmentalism. “I’m hoping to make an impact on the field of architecture from an environmentalist angle by helping to combat climate change and other environmental crises,” he said.

Coming into Westminster, Margaret Kennedy ’22 did not anticipate discovering an interest in architecture. As a Fourth Former, she enrolled in Introduction to Architecture, and she took Architecture 2 this year. Now, she is aiming to become an architect.

“Introduction to Architecture taught me all of the basic points of architecture,” she explained. “We designed a study model of a building and learned how to draw floor plans and elevations in both our sketchbooks and on AutoCAD. Participating in the architecture program has taught me creativity and patience when I am trying something new and the outcome does not come out as expected.”

Like Hudson, Margaret enjoys spending time in the architecture studio.

“It is an environment where students are allowed to express their own ideas and have many tools to do so,” she said.

“Mrs. Tuscano-Moss is very helpful, especially when it comes to using new tools, so that in the future we are comfortable with them and can use them without assistance. The studio format is valuable because it allows students to get up and help other students freely and discuss ideas that could potentially inspire someone else.”

Studying Architecture or a Related Field in College Over the years, many Westminster graduates who studied in the architecture program have pursued architecture or a related field in college and as a career.

As a Westminster student, Audrey Froelich ’19 took Architecture 1, Architecture 3 and an independent study in architecture. She is currently a candidate for a B.S. in chemical engineering in Northeastern University’s Class of 2023.

“My decision to enter Northeastern as an engineer was influenced by Westminster’s architecture program,” she said.

“And the architecture program prepared me well for my life at

Margaret Kennedy ’22 assembles a ukulele, which is her design-build project in Architecture 2.

46

Westminster Bulletin

Northeastern. The experience I gained doing and it excited me.” in the maker studio, working with 3D

At Westminster, William took printers, laser cutters, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Introduction to Architecture and and other machining tools prepared me Architecture 2. “Before I took the so much more than I thought it would. classes, I would have never looked at When I applied for my first co-op at architecture as a field to pursue,” he said.

Northeastern, all the employers with whom “I found that I really enjoyed the handsI spoke were very impressed with the fact on work, and the classes allowed me the that I have so much more experience than opportunity to find my passion and to the average applicant.” make a career out of architecture.”

She says her favorite part of the

He liked the chance to be creative Westminster architecture program was in his Westminster architecture classes. being able to research and design a “The very first project I made was an ice structure on paper and then translate that cream shop that was meant to be located into a digital or palpable model. “It was so in downtown Simsbury,” he said. “At different from any other art courses I had first, everyone thought of crazy design Audrey Froelich ’19 is studying chemical taken and was what kept me coming back ideas, like the whole building being an engineering at Northeastern University. to the program every year,” she said. upside down ice cream cone. But when

One of the class projects she most Mrs.Tuscano-Moss mentioned that none enjoyed was designing ski lodges for a resort’s employees. “Each of those designs would really fit into Simsbury, we all made member of the class chose a different style, so it was fun to see how more realistic designs. This was my first big realization about they all designed their buildings differently,” she said. “Mine was architecture and how it is all connected. Unless you build in the in the style of a deckhouse. This was the first time we got to design middle of nowhere, there is always going to be a preexisting style our 2D sketches on AutoCAD and then translate those sketches that should provide an inspiration.” into 3D models on SketchUp. It was a ton of fun!”

William found that his Westminster courses gave him a

Learning to use sophisticated design software was solid base on which to build in college. “Many RPI architecture advantageous for Audrey early in her chemical engineering studies. students never had the chance to take architecture classes before “At Northeastern, all engineers take a first-year course titled coming to RPI, with some only having experience from summer Cornerstone to Engineering that exposes students to programs courses,” he explained. “The experience I already had when I such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, 3D printing software, laser cutting arrived at RPI was invaluable. I had designed entire buildings software and numerous programming languages,” she said. “While and had experience with computer modeling.” everyone else was struggling to learn all of those programs, I

William is still not sure of his exact career plans in breezed through the class with ease because I have over five years architecture. “There are so many different paths I can take of experience now with the skills I learned with an architecture degree,” he said. in the architecture program.”

“However, I do know that my dream

Once Audrey graduates from project would be to design a major Northeastern, she plans to enter the league baseball stadium.” workforce and pursue an MBA part A Great Sense of time. “At this moment in time, I would like to work in a consulting and project Satisfaction management position.”

In addition to teaching architecture,

William Carlisle ’19 is in his second Rebeccah, who lives on the Westminster year of a five-year architecture program at campus, coordinates an afternoon Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He community service program and robotics takes five to six classes at a time with only program, is an advisor and has other one not focused on architecture. “They student supervisory responsibilities. “I each have taught me a different aspect of have a great sense of satisfaction when architecture and design,” said William.

I go home at night,” she said about “Some are about history and key designers, serving on the Westminster faculty. “It is some are about structural integrity and the community, it is the people, it is the some are about computer modeling. Every students and it is the autonomy in my class is preparing me with a different teaching. It is everything together, and it skill required of an architect. I chose RPI makes me feel this is exactly what I want William Carlisle ’19 is in his second year of a because during my campus visit, I was five-year architecture program at Rensselaer to be when I grow up.” able to see examples of what I would be Polytechnic Institute.

Spring 2021

47

Two Westminster faculty members share highlights of their recent sabbatical experiences in the following articles.

Furthering Interests and Passions

By Nancy Urner-Berry ’81, P’11, ’16 Mathematics teacher I saw my first bald eagle several years ago sitting at the top of a tall pine tree while leaving family-style lunch at Westminster, and I was mesmerized. When granted a sabbatical for the 2019-2020 school year, I knew I wanted to study raptors. A second focus for the year would be to train for a half-marathon, a distance I never thought I would consider running. Both of these areas of focus would enhance my investment in the academic life of the classroom and my athletic life as a coach.

I kicked off my sabbatical by taking a graduate course at Wesleyan University with a professor whom I have long wanted to have as a teacher. The course was Biology of Birds, and it got me very excited not only to observe and identify raptors but also to learn more about shorebirds. My great-grandfather was a wellknown expert on shorebirds, and I wanted to be able to identify gulls and sandpipers. Through the summer, I studied ospreys, a type of raptor whose diet consists primarily of fish, that were

nesting near Barnegat Bay, N.J. I read several books and became well-versed in the conservation of migratory bird habitats. It was a good experience for me to be back in the classroom setting, on the other side of the desk, and I came away with a renewed appreciation for how much effort it takes to research and write a paper!

At the end of the summer, my husband, Scott, and I traveled to Bread Loaf, Vt., to participate in a long weekend with the Middlebury Alumni College. Our course was titled Geologic Controls on Human History in the Champlain Valley. Following closely on the heels of that trip was a week spent in Bremen, Maine, at the Hog Island Audubon Camp. We participated in a program called “Migration and Monhegan.” I learned more about birding and experienced my first day participating in a hawkwatch. I valued observing others teach and found attributes in each instructor that would serve me in the classroom.

Above left, Nancy visiting New England Falconry in Woodstock, Vt., where she was able to handle a trained hawk, and, above right, looking for waterfowl outside of Bremen, Maine, on a day trip for the Hog Island Audubon Camp.

48

Westminster Bulletin

through New England Falconry, where I was able to handle both a trained hawk and an owl. Both were fascinating creatures and the experience was incredible.

By the beginning of November, though, the raptors were gone, and it was time to turn my attention back to the classroom. I participated in a one-day seminar titled “Develop Growth Mindset in Mathematics” that was presented through the Bureau of Education and Research. I spent another morning attending classes and talking to teachers at Loomis Chaffee about their math program.

In January, I traveled to Choate Rosemary Hall for a seminar titled “The Tech-Rich Learning Environment.” I continued to network with other math teachers and made plans to visit more schools in the spring term. Lastly, I took an online introduction to statistics course through the Simsbury Department of Continuing Education program called Ed2go.

Without Saturday classes, I was able to take long weekends to visit family in Baltimore, Denver, Maine, Florida, New York and Vermont. I read lots of books, organized all of my photos and played mah-jongg every Tuesday morning!

Through this all, I followed a training program for running a half-marathon.

Finally, at the end of February, Scott and I went to Disney World for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon Weekend. The culmination of my hard work paid off, and we had a wonderful time. (Although, if we knew what was in store with the Nancy competed in the Disney Princess Half-Marathon at Disney World in Florida. pandemic when we returned, we might have stayed!)

Late in September, Scott and I spent a wonderful long

When the country shut down in March due to the growing weekend in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont at a running pandemic, it also cut short my sabbatical. My April trip to camp at Craftsbury Outdoor Center, which offered excellent Chicago for the 100th conference of the National Council of food, great trails and wonderful mentors. This really ignited my Teachers of Mathematics was canceled as was my opportunity desire to do well in a half-marathon in February for which I had to experience a taping of the NPR show “Wait Wait...Don’t Tell signed up. I came away from the camp having reaffirmed my Me!” Races in Burlington and Philadelphia went virtual and observation that coaches are important role models for students. plans to visit new migration sites, as well as friends and family,

October brought a change of seasons, and I watched the were scrapped. Instead, I focused on academic lesson plans for weather closely for good days to spot migratory hawks. I traveled the summer and the fall. to Light House Point in New Haven to spend a morning counting

I am grateful for the time I had to further my interest and raptors with a hawkwatch group. I spent another chilly morning passion for running, raptors and mathematics. My sabbatical counting migrating hawks at Greenwich Audubon Center and truly helped me recharge by focusing on personal enrichment and even had my name recorded in its log as an official spotter. I professional development. traveled to Woodstock, Vt., and spent time up close with raptors Spring 2021

49

A Year to Focus on Music, Writing, and Math and Computers While Baking

By Dan Aber P’16, ’18, ’20 Mathematics, and Visual and Performing Arts Teacher

So what did I do on my 2020-2021 sabbatical, 15 months, if you count both summers, of essentially free time?

Fortunately, I guess, I had no big travel plans, although I did manage to get to New Orleans for five days in April to feast on the local cuisine, take in an exhibit at Studio BE — a 35,000-square-foot warehouse filled with works exploring the intersection of art and resistance — see the Pelicans with Zion Williamson take on the 76ers at the Smoothie King Center, and listen to the music of a social aid and pleasure club and a brass band at The Broadside.

For the most part, I spent my days pursuing my three passions: music, writing, and math and computers. I also expanded upon my baking repertoire.

Music I continued practicing my clarinet every day and meeting with my teacher for a lesson every other week. I’m making my way through the solo clarinet repertoire.

Top, Dan playing the piano and, above, rehearsing with band colleagues Michael Cervas, on the left, and Grant Gritzmacher, on the right.

50

Westminster Bulletin

I had initially intended to learn the upright bass, but instead, I ended up dedicating a great deal of time to the piano, specifically working on Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” well, not all of them, as there are 30 variations, many beyond my ability. I focused on learning and memorizing four or five, including the prelude, which proved challenging but extremely rewarding.

Knowing I had a lot of time, I proceeded slowly, learning a measure or even less a day, and constantly reviewing everything I knew up to that point. I found a series of YouTube video tutorials that were tremendously helpful, along with Glenn Gould’s remarkable recordings, both inspiring and humbling.

Once or twice a week, I rehearsed with a relatively newly formed band consisting of colleagues Grant Gritzmacher on guitar and vocals, Michael Cervas on piano and myself on sax. We play mostly originals, written by Grant and Michael (I contributed one song), in a style loosely classified as country-folk-jazz, and we call ourselves Firetown Road.

We’ve recorded a few songs, which Grant has expertly mixed, and Michael has big plans for us: an album, songs on Spotify and perhaps a tour warming up for Rascal Flatts.

For now, we’re just having fun playing.

Guide to Absentee Voting,” “Congratulations, You’ve Been Selected For a Random Drug Test” and ”I Have a Measuring Tape and I Know How to Use It.” I wrote essays based on actual events in my life, such as “Inside Out,” about the time in seventh grade I went to school wearing my shirt inside out. I also wrote three poems, a 10-minute play, various lists, including College Clubs for the Pandemic, and one profile on Joey Chestnut, the world’s greatest speed eater, titled “Joey Chestnut Is Eating the World.” I tried to write something every day, although some days I’d stare at the blank computer screen until I dozed off. One time, I woke up to a string of Zs filling up the screen: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. My finger had apparently been resting on the Z key when I nodded off. Very appropriate, I thought.

Math and Computers

I audited various courses through MIT’s OpenCourseWare: Game Theory, Artificial Intelligence, and Programming with Python. They were all wonderful and got me thinking about designing a course this summer in one of those fields. I also wrote a few programs to keep my coding chops in shape, including one to play Yahtzee. I’m trying to come up with the ideal strategy for playing Dan prepared baked goods from recipes in the cookbook “Pieometry.” Yahtzee and have the computer improve the more it plays. It’s a work in progress. Another program was inspired by The New York Times Writing daily Spelling Bee game, in which you have to come up with as I dabbled in various genres but wrote mostly short, one- or many words as you can using the given seven letters, all of which two-page, satirical pieces with titles such as “An Unexpurgated must contain the middle letter.

Baking My older sister, Emily, knowing that I enjoy baking, sent me a cookbook called “Pieometry,” which consists of recipes for geometrically designed pies, and a note from her husband saying it’s time I “stepped up my game.” So far, I’ve made three, all very good and somewhat decadent: Oreo crust with rainbow sprinkles, mint chocolate chip ice cream topped with Andes mint chocolates; malted chocolate banana cream pie with Nutella crust; and Oreo crust filled with whipped cream, cream cheese and peanut butter mousse, topped with strawberries. I’m looking forward to making these for my advisees.

Dan during a visit to New Orleans in April.

I am tremendously grateful to Westminster for the opportunity to take this sabbatical year and to explore these passions. I learned a lot. I’m also excited to return to my regular duties in the fall and to spend time with students and colleagues I’ve missed.

Spring 2021

51

From the Archives 1918 Influenza Pandemic According to the Centers for Disease Control, the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin, spread worldwide during 1918-1919, with about one-third of the global population becoming infected with the virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide and about 675,000 occurring in the U.S. The presence of the pandemic was felt on the Westminster School campus as recorded by the school’s founder, William Cushing, in his fall term 1918 daybook. The daybook was a place where he made daily entries about campus arrivals and departures, chapel services, health events, meetings and even the weather.

Some of his entries related to the pandemic included: Sept. 27, 1918: “Spraying of all boys and household against Spanish Influenza.“

Oct. 4, 1918 (entered as Sept. 4): “The Hill in quarantine. No one allowed to go to village or to receive visitors from outside.”

Oct. 12, 1918: “Mr. and Mrs. Holder arrived at noon. Quarantine rules kept them out of the school buildings.”

Oct.13, 1918: “Prof. Tweedy’s engagement (for chapel) cancelled.

Quarantine.”

Oct. 28, 1918: “O’Donnell boys with mother arrived. Boys in infirmary for quarantine.”

Nov. 3, 1918: “11’o’clock chapel.

Rev. H.E. Adrian’s engagement cancelled. Quarantine.”

52

Westminster Bulletin

Above, William Cushing and his 1918 daybook

Above, The Westminster Review of Feb. 25, 1920, included an editorial about the pandemic. In that same issue, a Jan. 28 entry states: “In chapel, Mr. Cushing announced that on account of the flu, no more village permits would be granted.”

The following images of students and faculty appeared in the 1917 Westminster Annual. No annual was published in 1918.

Spring 2021

53

Supporting Westminster

New Trustees Join Board for 2020-2021 Five new trustees and three new ex officio trustees were named to the Board of Trustees at its September meeting.

Elisabeth Gailun Baird ’98 is a

Martin Kelly P’22 is chief financial

graduate of Middlebury College, where she earned a B.A. in English. She and her husband, Jamie, live in New Canaan, Conn., with their children, George, Henry, Charlie and Anna. Elisabeth is a board member of the New Canaan Winter Club and the Weekapaug Yacht Club, and a member of the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital Council.

officer and co-chief operating officer of Apollo Management LLC. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in finance and accounting, from the University of New South Wales and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. His community involvement includes serving as treasurer and board member of his co-op, on the Parents Council of the University of Michigan and on the University of New South Wales Foundation Board of Directors. He and his wife, Allegra, live in New York City with their children, Ethan, Jack ’22 and Aidan. Martin enjoys cycling, tennis, golf and running.

William L. Beckford ’89, P’23, ’23 serves as executive director at Morgan Stanley in the Fixed Income Division. He earned a B.A. in economics from Union College. He and his wife, Randy ’89, and their children Ava ’23 and William Jr. ’23, live in Baltimore. Will is a member of the board of directors of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and of Gilchrist, which provides hospice care. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative.

Christopher J. Campbell ’91 is senior partner of CapVest Partners LLP, a London-based private equity firm.

He earned a B.A. in European history from the University of Pennsylvania.

Christopher and his wife, Christina, live in London with their children, Alexander and India. He is a trustee of the John Badley Foundation, an educational charity associated with Bedales School in Hampshire, England, and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Westminster Alumni Association.

Euni Han-van Vredenburch ’84, P’21 is an anchor-correspondent for ABC News Audio. She and her husband, Pieter, currently live in White Plains, N.Y., with their two daughters, Nina and Sasha ’21. Euni has volunteered extensively at Rye Country Day School and the Rye Arts Center. She received her B.A. in international relations from Mount Holyoke College and enjoys tennis, dance and the arts.

54

Westminster Bulletin

Ex Officio Members As president of the Westminster School Alumni Association, Jakub B. Mleczko ’00 is an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees. He lives in New York City with his wife, Kristen, and their children, Roman, Gabriel and Hanna. Jakub works in investment banking and is an executive director in the restructuring group at Perella Weinberg Partners. He is a graduate of Emory University, where he earned a B.A. in political science, and of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he earned an MBA. As co-chairs of the Parents Committee, Alison P. Pappas and William Pappas P’22 serve as ex officio members of the Board of Trustees. They live in New York City and are the parents of Charlie ’22 and Teddy.

Alison earned a B.A. in art history from Denison University, where she has served on the Board of Advisors. She has also been a board member of Shinnecock Hills Education Fund. Will is a graduate of Duke University where he earned an A.B. in economics and history. He is a founding partner of Endicott Growth Equity Partners

Supporting Westminster

New Leadership in Alumni Relations Last fall, Westminster welcomed two alumni to new leadership roles in alumni relations. Cris Gomez ’10 was named director of alumni relations and Kelsey O’Brien ’11 assumed the role of director of young alumni programs and assistant director of leadership gifts.

Following his 2010 graduation from Westminster, where he served as head prefect, Cris earned a B.A. in politics and international affairs with double minors in Latin American studies and international studies at Wake Forest University. While a student there, he served as a peer ambassador for the university’s international study programs and was a member of the executive board of Sigma Chi fraternity.

For two years, Cris was a teacher with Teach for America at Democracy Prep Harlem Elementary School in New York City. He managed a classroom of 25 students, created weekly lesson plans and analyzed data to ensure students met rigorous proficiency requirements in mathematics and reading. During his time with Teach Cris Gomez ’10 for America, he earned an M.Ed. at Fordham University. director of young alumni programs,” said Cris. “It is important

Upon his return to Westminster in 2016, Cris served one for alumni to feel like they are still part of Westminster’s year as associate director of admissions before assuming the role close-knit community, especially during these difficult times. of director of young alumni programs and assistant director of COVID-19 changed many of the ways we interact with our leadership gifts in the Advancement Office. After a brief interlude alumni, so I have been finding ways to continue connecting at GiveCampus, an education technology startup, he returned to alumni with Westminster in a remote world, either via virtual Westminster in fall 2020 to serve as director of alumni relations. events or connecting over Zoom. I very much look forward to

“I love building relationships with Westminster alumni, and when we can resume in-person alumni programs safely.” this new position allows me to continue the work I was doing as While a student at Westminster, Kelsey was a member of First Girls’ Hockey, First Girls’ Lacrosse, and Black and Gold. At Wheaton College, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history and was a member of the Women’s Varsity Lacrosse Team and a First Year Ambassador. She also spent a semester studying abroad at the University College Cork in Ireland.

Before returning to Westminster last fall, Kelsey was an advancement officer at Middlesex School, where she served as a prospect manager and co-head of the school’s giving day. She created communications, attended events, oversaw class reunions, worked closely with young alumni and assisted with stewardship.

Before that, she worked as a development associate for three years at Belmont Hill School, where she supported the annual fund team, worked with young alumni, planned and ran alumni events, and worked with the senior class on a gift to the school.

“I am very excited to be back at my alma matter,” said Kelsey. “How fun to build relationships and connect with alumni who I know and to fundraise for a school that I hold near and dear to my heart. My biggest goal is to continue to engage Westminster’s young alumni and to continue to build its already robust Young Alumni Program. I want to make sure our young alumni have opportunities to stay connected with Westminster and with each other, and remember their favorite Kelsey O’Brien ’11 times spent on the Hill.”

Spring 2021

55

Supporting Westminster

Rebecca Brooks ’96 Presented Distinguished Alumni Award Rebecca Brooks ’96 was presented the 2020 Alan F. Brooks ’55 Distinguished Alumni Award in a virtual ceremony shared with the Westminster community Jan. 28. The award, which was established in 2011 by the Class of 1966, is given annually to a former student who exemplifies in thought, word and deed Westminster’s mission and its core values of community, character, balance and involvement.

A graduate of Williams College, where she earned All-American honors in soccer, basketball and track, Reb played professional sports before deciding on a career in education. She spent 15 years as associate director of admissions and director of financial aid at Pomfret School where she also coached girls’ varsity basketball. Since 2019, she has served Brewster Academy as director of financial aid in the Admission Office and coach of girls’ varsity basketball.

She and her husband, Dolph Clinton, live on the Brewster Academy campus in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Reb is the daughter of Alan ’55 and Marie-Pier Brooks P’89, ’91, ’96, and her brothers, Fletcher ’89 and Ethan ’91, also attended Westminster. Alan was a longtime faculty member at Westminster and is the namesake of the Distinguished Alumni Award.

“Awarding the Alan Brooks Distinguished Alumni Award is always one of the happiest occasions in the school year, since we celebrate devoted, leadership alumni ambassadors,” said Head of School Bill Philip at the beginning of the ceremony.

Former Westminster faculty member Dick Adams P’93 presented the award to Reb. He served on the faculty from 1970 until 2013, during which time he taught English and history, served as dean of students, and coached basketball, football, baseball and soccer. He was also the holder of the Walter E. Edge Jr. ’35 Master Teacher Chair and the John Gow Master Chair. Adams Dining Room is

56

Westminster Bulletin

Rebecca Brooks ’96

named after him and his wife, Barbara, a former Westminster English teacher.

“It is easy to think back on what Reb has accomplished and conclude that it all came so easily for her, but as one

who watched her almost every day of her Westminster life, both in the classroom and on the playing field, I know that it didn’t,” said Dick. “Throughout her years at Westminster and afterward, Reb epitomized

“Throughout her years at Westminster and afterward, Reb epitomized the Grit & Grace we try to instill in our students. It is for those qualities, her loyalty to Westminster and for her accomplishments that we honor her.”

Supporting Westminster

the Grit & Grace we try to instill in our students. It is for those qualities, her loyalty to Westminster and for her accomplishments that we honor her.

“As her English teacher for two years, I watched Reb move from a shy, uncertain student in her early years, to one who fell just below the top 10 students in her Sixth Form year. Her athletic accomplishments at Westminster were staggering.”

While a student at Westminster, Reb was a three-season varsity athlete in soccer, basketball and track. She was the soccer team’s goalie for four years during which time it lost only six games and made four consecutive season-ending Division I Tournament appearances. In basketball, she was recognized as All-New England three years in a row and named to the first team her last two seasons. In track and field, she dominated the New England Championships, winning the shot put three years in a row and the discus her last two years; she took first place in the shot put, discus and javelin as a Sixth Former. She also participated in Serving Our Neighbors, was an admissions tour guide and volunteered as a student tutor.

“Few athletes can expect to match their high school performances in college, but Reb exceeded them,” said Dick. “She not only played three sports each of her four years at Williams — an incredible commitment that we just don’t hear about these days — but she also achieved AllAmerican status in each.”

In basketball, Reb was the top scorer and rebounder her senior year, finishing as Williams’ fifth all-time leading scorer and second all-time leading rebounder.

She was named to the All-NESCAC First Team in her junior and senior years. In track, she was named All-American her last two years, winning the shot put her senior year and placing eighth in the hammer throw in the national finals.

“But her soccer career at Williams perhaps reveals the real athlete and person Reb is,” explained Dick. She did not start as Williams’ goalie until her senior year because her coach had an announced policy that she always started her oldest

“Despite all of her achievements, Reb has always been unassuming and encouraging to her friends and teammates.” goalie. Reb waited three years to get the starting position, and in her senior year, recorded 13 shutouts in 18 games and led Williams to its first appearance in the NCAA Final Four. At the conclusion of her senior year, Williams recognized Reb with the Purple Key Award, given to the top Williams athlete for leadership, athletic ability and character.

Following college, Reb worked as a professional athlete, playing with the Lavalle Knights professional soccer team from Montreal, a basketball team in France, in the women’s soccer league with the W-2 team Springfield Sirens, and with the Springfield Spirit in the National Women’s Basketball League, which was the off-season league of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

In 2006, she was elected to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

Reb began a new chapter in her life when she joined the Pomfret School faculty and coached girls’ varsity basketball. “She brought Grit & Grace with her,” said Dick. Her teams won three Class B Championships, one with an undefeated team.

“My only concern is that all of these marvelous statistics might hide the person, Reb, and the way in which she reflects Westminster’s values,” added Dick. “Despite all of her achievements, Reb has always been unassuming and encouraging to her friends and teammates.

An enthusiastic supporter of Westminster, she never misses a reunion and regularly contributes to the annual fund. Her presence onstage before our student body during Westminster’s celebration

of 125 years was a particularly powerful moment, especially for our aspiring female athletes.”

Dick concluded by telling Reb: “My only regret is that I cannot present this award to you in person, surrounded by so many people who care about this school and celebrate its values.”

In accepting the award, Reb said: “There are so many things I am thankful for from my years at Westminster. I learned how to balance three seasons with a rigorous academic load, although I can tell you now, it wasn’t all that rigorous.

And thanks to Scott Berry and Sara Deveaux, I learned the value of being on time, or at least the consequences of not being on time. I learned how to structure my day independently, so when I got to college it all felt really easy. But the biggest takeaways for me by far were the people and the relationships that I formed, because without them, the experience would not have been the same and I would not have been the same.”

She recounted how she asked herself why she was selected for the award. “And the only answer I could come up with is that I am now following in the footsteps of all those great people who mentored and guided me, and even yelled at me when needed,” she said. She expressed appreciation to all of her Westminster coaches and teachers, and closed by saying: “I am so incredibly humbled to be the recipient of the Alan F. Brooks ’55 Distinguished Alumni Award. Thank you to everyone who helped get me here.

Thank you, Westminster.”

Spring 2021

57

Supporting Westminster

Transformational Gift for Student Support Announced Curtis Brockelman ’86, P’19, chair of Westminster’s Soar Together Campaign, announced Jan. 5 a transformational gift of $5 million to the campaign from a small group of alumni, parents and trustees to create the Jenny and Bill Philip Student Support Fund. The fund honors the legacy of Head of School Bill Philip and Jenny Philip P’06, ’09, who will be departing Westminster at the end of June.

The fund will impact and support the experience of students receiving need-based financial aid at Westminster by helping to underwrite academic, technological and extracurricular supplies; tutoring and counseling; off-campus athletic, arts and academic trips; allowances to enjoy activities with friends; and family travel to campus events. The fund will also help Westminster compete with peer schools by diminishing financial obstacles for those promising students who can take full advantage of all that the school has to offer.

“The Philip Student Support Fund makes it possible for all students to have similar experiences at Westminster,” said Kelly Babbidge, director of financial aid and associate director of admissions. “This guaranteed funding allows the financial aid department to fully support students in all aspects of life on the Hill.”

Every Gift Counts, Every Student Benefits Gifts to The Westminster Fund ensure that students are able to enjoy enhanced learning opportunities in and out of the classroom. This year, The Westminster Fund supports so much more, including the many protocols that allow for successful in-person learning.

Visit gift.westminster-school.org to make your gift. The Westminster Fund closes on June 30.

58

SUPPORT FACULTY

SUPPORT FINANCIAL AID

SUPPORT STUDENT LIFE

SUPPORT ATHLETICS

SUPPORT THE ARTS

AREA OF GREATEST NEED

Westminster Bulletin

Supporting Westminster

A Smart Solution Bill Childs ’54 and his brother, David Childs ’52, P’80 attended Westminster School while their parents lived and worked abroad. Westminster represents Bill’s foundation, and he considers it home for those formative years. Bill has wanted to do something to show his gratitude toward Westminster for some time, and followed the process closely when his brother joined the Thring Society with a charitable gift annuity.

In 1968, Bill inherited some highly appreciated stock that his father had purchased in 1940. The shares began dwindling in value when the company experienced difficult times and the dividends had fallen to nearly 1%. With this downward trend in mind, Bill decided to use the stock to create a charitable gift annuity and joined the Thring Society in 2019. He Bill Childs ’54 and David Childs ’52, P’80 was able to increase his income from 1.2% to 8.5%, decrease and spread out the payment of the capital gains tax, and get a tax deduction while making a meaningful gift.

Charitable gift annuities are life-income gift vehicles that pay you or another beneficiary annually. Charitable gift annuities are just one tax-smart way to support the mission and make an impact on the future of Westminster School. If you would like more information or to see a charitable gift annuity illustration, please contact Jennifer Keyo, Director of Planned Giving, at 860-408-3039 or jkeyo@westminster-school.org.

How it works: • You transfer cash or low-yielding stock to Westminster and sign a charitable gift annuity contract.

• You can add one other beneficiary.

• You receive an immediate tax deduction, an annual income stream, and possible estate tax savings. If you give appreciated stock, you also receive favorable tax treatment on the gain.

• Westminster receives the remaining principal when your estate is settled.

The Soar Together Campaign aims to support the people and programs of Westminster by increasing endowment for financial aid, faculty support and programs.

If you want to find a way to give back to Westminster for all that it gave you, contact: Jennifer Keyo Director of Planned Giving (860) 408-3039 jkeyo@westminster-school.org

Spring 2021

59

Recognized for Excellence in Investigative Journalism Lisa Cavazuti ’08 always knew a career in investigative journalism wouldn’t be easy to come by or to navigate. However, she recently reached some of the highest levels of recognition in the field when an investigation she pitched, and helped research and produce for NBC News received Emmy and Murrow awards as well as other prestigious honors.

The story, “‘Zone Rouge’: An army of children toils in African mines,” was the first news report to focus on the extent of child labor involved in Madagascar’s mica industry. It first aired Nov. 18, 2019, on the “Today Show” and “Nightly News with Lester Holt” with an accompanying digital article

by Lisa, Christine Romo, Cynthia McFadden and Rich Schapiro.

Journalistic recognition of the story has continued since then.

Lisa joined NBC in New York in 2017 and is an associate producer for the network’s national investigative unit following prior work as an associate producer at CBS News and as a production assistant for Shepard Smith at Fox News. A graduate of Georgetown University, where she earned a B.A. in American studies, she also completed internships during that time at “60 Minutes” and “The Charlie Rose Show.”

Work on the mica investigation started nearly a year before the story aired with research on international supply chains, which are opaque, often corrupt and notoriously hard

to penetrate. Through their research, Lisa’s team came to find that child labor was common in the extraction and processing of mica. Despite being the lead exporter of the type of mica used in electronics, there had not yet been comprehensive reporting on the scale or conditions in Madagascar’s mica industry. Working with the Dutch child protection group Terre des Hommes, Lisa and three members of the NBC investigative team spent nine days in summer 2019 in Madagascar where they drove about 400 miles throughout the south of the island and witnessed young children working alongside family members in dangerous unregulated mica mines as well as at processing centers. The workers, including children, are paid a pittance and descend into pits as deep as 50 feet to dig for and bring to the surface shards of mica. “‘We don’t have a choice,’ is something we heard a lot,” said Lisa. “Nothing prepared us for what we saw at the mines.”

In addition to several mining sites, the NBC crew showed up at a coastal mica export company and interviewed a representative.

Upon returning to New York, Lisa and her team continued research about the companies that ship mica and visited India in fall 2019, where there has been some progress in improving conditions for families and children in its historic mica mining industry.

Mica is commonly used in industries including the beauty and electronics sector, as well as an ingredient in many paints.

Above and bottom of opposite page, Lisa Cavazuti ’08 in Madagascar with an NBC investigative team.

60

Westminster Bulletin

Lisa, while working for CBS, with Bob Schieffer at a 2016 presidential debate.

The overwhelming majority of mica from Madagascar is shipped to China, where it is used in component parts primarily as an insulating element, and eventually ends up in products across the world used by American consumers.

NBC shared images of the child labor they witnessed with two U.S. senators who sponsored legislative regulations related to banning products made by child labor. “The goal is to compel companies to reexamine their partnerships and their supply chains and to pay people a living wage,” said Lisa.

And in an uncommon move, last September, the U.S. Department of Labor recognized mica mined in Madagascar as a good produced by child labor and intends to fund a $4.5 million grant to focus on the issue. The NBC report was cited as part of the agency’s decision, which advocates say will add further pressure to root out child labor from mica’s supply chain.

In addition to an Emmy Award for hard news feature story in a newscast and a Murrow Award for hard news, the story has garnered Deadline Awards, a SABEW Award (Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing), an Overseas Press Club Citation, a Headliner Award, a Gerald Loeb Award and a National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Award.

“These awards are a nice punctuation that people care, are paying attention and are interested in this type of journalistic work,” said Lisa.

Some of Lisa’s other recent assignments at NBC have related to the 2020 election and the pandemic. “We have the flexibility to take on longer-form projects in addition to doing more day-today supportive research,” she explained. “We are responsible for

producing investigative pieces for ‘Nightly News with Lester Holt’ and the ‘Today Show.’ I basically pitch, develop ideas, do the related research, write TV scripts, produce interviews and then generally write corresponding digital articles. It has been a range of topics, and most of 2019 was taken up by the Madagascar project.” She has also worked for NBC’s “Dateline” where she did investigative stories, such as an hourlong piece about the fraternity hazing crisis.

Lisa says she has always been a curious person and grew up watching the news. She cites two experiences as a Westminster student that were early seeds for her career. “Nancy Spencer’s History of the Outsider class my senior year was very formative for me,” she said “I have always been drawn to learning about and telling stories about history and world events through compelling characters.” Lisa also points to the summer of 2007 when she and classmate Dorothy Brown ’08 traveled to South Africa to learn about the country’s HIV/AIDS epidemic and helped those directly affected by it. “It was my first time out of the country, and it really opened up the world to me,” recalled Lisa. “I saw how important it is to see how other people live and what they persevere through.”

Lisa’s college internships for “The Charlie Rose Show” and for ”60 Minutes” were what cemented her desire to work in journalism. “I didn’t know what was to come in the media world in the years to follow, but it was clear to me that if I could find a way to get to the top of the mountain in the field, what a way it would be to spend life traveling and learning.”

Lisa feels fortunate to be where she is in her career, saying, “It is a privilege to do this kind of work for an audience of this scale.”

Spring 2021

61

Viewing Everyone in the Classroom as a Teacher Everyone is a teacher in Amal Cummings’ ’01 classroom at the Urban are infinite possibilities. My parents always stressed education and Assembly Gateway School for Technology in New York City. Since made sacrifices. They made sure I always attended private school and the spring of 2020, she has been teaching algebra and geometry gave me experiences that set me up for success. This was magnified at via Zoom to ninth and 10th grade students, many from underserved Westminster.” neighborhoods, from all five boroughs of New York City.

While at Westminster, Amal was a member of the Dance

“We are all students, and we are all teachers,” said Amal. “The Ensemble, Bells, Chorale, Chamber Choir, the Art Club, the Spirit Club students need to have a stake.” She breaks her students into groups and the Multicultural Student Union. She also volunteered with the and assigns each group member a specific task — from sharing the Simsbury A Better Chance program and participated in the musical screen, to operating the help button to filling in late arrivals. “It’s “Anything Goes.” teaching them how to collaborate,” she said.

Her parents were frequent visitors to campus, and their support

Reflecting on her own school experiences, Amal says she was not was key to her success. “My mother knew that social and emotional always a stellar math student, but the challenges she faced made her a care was important,” explained Amal. “While I was living on their halls, better teacher. At Skidmore, where she earned a B.A. in mathematics, my mother called Mr. Newman and Mr. Daly all of the time. They made she often found it challenging to get clarity from instruction during sure I felt supported. It was difficult for Black students at Westminster, lectures. “The work wasn’t broken apart,” she explained. “When and I think that’s why my parents showed up so much — for all of I teach, I always show my students four different ways to find a us. My mom would pick up other students and bring them home for solution.” breaks. Some parents never made it to campus until graduation. It was

Amal did not join the teaching profession immediately a community for me because my mom fostered that experience.” after college. She was first an assistant buyer with Lord & Taylor.

Amal points to the importance of her Westminster geometry and Simultaneously, she was volunteering with young people at her church, AP Statistics courses with faculty member Peter Ulrich. “He took the who were encouraging her to become a teacher. “When my boss time to help me and showed me math in the context of looking at at Lord & Taylor went to Ireland for two weeks, and I was to assume data,” she said. She also continues to appreciate her interactions with additional responsibility, it was supposed to be a happy time, but it was faculty member Martha Woodroofe, who died in 2016. “A few of us the catalyst to make a change,” said Amal. asked her to teach an African American studies course, which she did,

Amal applied to the New York City Teaching Fellows program, and it was awesome. I saw her in 2012 while chaperoning a student which recruits and trains talented career changers to teach high-need retreat in upstate New York, and I thanked her for being an awesome subjects. In 2008, she started teaching in Brooklyn, and in 2010, she teacher and making such an impact.” earned an M.A. in mathematics education from The City College of New York. By 2014, she had become a master teacher with Math for America, an organization that identifies the best teachers in New York City and builds professional communities for teachers to collaborate and learn from one another. In addition to her teaching responsibilities at Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology, she mentors other teachers, runs workshops and helps share best practices. “I am part of a leadership team that keeps talented math and science teachers in the classroom,” she said.

Amal has made it her mission to support her students after they graduate by helping them stay enrolled in postsecondary programs. She founded the nonprofit Urban Assembly Gateway Alumni Association for Gateway graduates. “These kids are usually the first in their family to go away to school,” she said. “We want to keep them there, so fundraising is big for me.” She explained how a small financial issue, such as the cost of a needed device or a housing or loan problem, can interfere with a student’s ability to continue school.

Amal says she approaches her work in education through a Westminster lens. “I had the experience of Amal Cummings ’01 what a dynamic school could be,” she said. “I know there

62

Westminster Bulletin

Extraordinarily Privileged to Do This Work An undergraduate internship with the research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Jewish campus organization Hillel at economic justice work with LIFT and Tufts University led to an important uAspire, as well as social justice causes of realization for Jeremy Cramer ’96, the Anti-Defamation League, the United who has made a career of advancing States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the causes of some of the country’s The Better Angels Society, which educates most recognizable philanthropic the American citizenry about its history organizations: There are many more through documentary film. “They are an important things than money, but exceptional family doing so much good they all cost money. with their money across the country,” said

“On the first day of my Jeremy. “I am proud to be an extension of internship with Hillel, my boss gave their family values. As an advisor, I have a me a list of people to call to ask for unique ability to effectuate change across donations,” recalled Jeremy. “I made the country and the world.” my first few calls and had incredibly

Jeremy, who came to Westminster meaningful conversations with alumni as a Fourth Former, played soccer and about how they were impacted by tennis, and was team captain of squash.

Hillel. I learned that fundraising was He was also a member of Black and Gold, Jeremy Cramer ’96 with his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Jonah and Eli, and puppy, Benny. about listening and so much more. It treasurer of John Hay Vestry, president was about connecting alumni stories of the Chamber Choir and Chorale, to present-day programming and the impact donors could have on and served as features editor and associate editor-in-chief of The current students. I knew then that I wanted a career that could make Westminster News. social change in a meaningful way.”

“I remember the John Hay Society so fondly,” said Jeremy. “I was

Jeremy graduated from Tufts with a B.A. in child development able to partner with classmates and friends to do good work from the and in 2002 was named director of alumni affairs and assistant Hill. It was where my leadership doctrine was formed: Leadership is campaign director of Fay School, where he had studied before setting an example for others to follow.” attending Westminster. “Working at Fay School was wonderful,” said

Jeremy credits former faculty member Michael Cervas’ English Jeremy. “I am most proud of the funds I raised for scholarships for class with fortifying his writing skills. “He taught me about inference, underrepresented students.” reading carefully, how to read between the lines, and how to analyze

Following his tenure at Fay School, he worked for United literature and poetry and write about it.”

Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and later joined

He also credits former faculty member Ann Gilman with City Year, one of the largest AmeriCorps programs in the country, advancing his understanding of music during an independent study where he served as vice president of major gifts. He also enrolled in he took with her as a Sixth Former. “I had the flexibility to meet Northeastern University where he earned an M.S. in organizational with her in the chapel several times a week to study music and vocal leadership and nonprofit management. theory,” said Jeremy. “I learned more during those months than any

In 2019, after more than two decades leading fundraising efforts other arts experience. That one-on-one time was very special.” for many prominent educational and charitable organizations, Jeremy

Jeremy has stayed close with the Gilman family over the years, founded Boston-based Exponential Philanthropy, a philanthropic and it continues to this day. During a prepandemic trip to New York advisory and consulting firm. As CEO of Exponential Philanthropy, City, he and his 13-year-old son Jonah, who is a professional actor, Jeremy supports leading social enterprises and serves as philanthropic attended a performance of “Phantom of the Opera,” for which advisor to Jonathan Lavine, co-managing partner at Bain Capital, and Suzanne Gilman ’80 performed as principal violinist. “Suzanne gave his wife, Jeannie Lavine.

Jonah a tour, and he got to meet the show’s costume designer,” said

Jeremy had become acquainted with the Lavines when he was Jeremy. “It was wonderful for me to meet another branch of the working for City Year, and Jonathan was chair of the organization’s Gilman family tree.” board of trustees. Jeremy subsequently became chief development

Jeremy and his wife, Jennifer, an executive with SAP, are also officer of the nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves, which is parents to 10-year-old competitive hockey player Eli. They live in supported by the Lavines and provides educators with resources to Needham, Mass. address racism, antisemitism and prejudice at pivotal moments in

Looking back at his longtime involvement in philanthropy, Jeremy history. concluded, “I find myself at the high point of my career and feel

Through Exponential Philanthropy, Jeremy manages the Lavine’s extraordinarily privileged to do this work.” support of a wide range of philanthropic causes, including innovative

Spring 2021

63

Leading Racial Equity and Social Justice Curriculum Development David Martinez ’05 is leading racial equity and social justice curriculum development for Portland Public Schools in Portland, Oregon. “I’ve been rebuilding a department that didn’t have a lead,” said David.

“Teachers were using curriculum materials that were outdated and out of compliance, many with inaccurate sources and skewed perspectives.”

As the academic program associate for K-5 language arts and social sciences, David manages curriculum changes that center around equity, civic engagement and action, while also providing guidance and instruction to teachers on how to deliver the curriculum authentically.

Originally from the Bronx, N.Y., David settled in San Francisco after graduating in 2009 from Occidental College with a B.A. in American studies. “Occidental was a small school with a high equity and social justice emphasis, and a community like Westminster,” he said.

David was not planning a career in education. “My mother worked in public education, and when I graduated from college during an economic hardship, I ended up applying to and enrolling in a teacher preparation program,” he explained. While earning his K-12 multiple subject teaching credential at San Francisco State University, he served as an associate teacher at an independent K-8 school for girls. He later joined the staff of Mount Tamalpais School as a Spanish teacher and served on the school’s equity committee.

While studying at the University of San Francisco for a Master of Arts in education, he accepted a position as a digital media specialist for the former Marin Preparatory School, now Spanish Infusión School.

After completing his degree with an emphasis on digital technologies for teaching and learning, he was promoted to director of instructional technology and library services.

In 2016, David and his partner, Jason Strickland, relocated to Portland when Jason received a job offer with global advertising

agency Wieden+Kennedy. “I wanted to return to a role that supported equity and social justice,” said David. “When I saw the Portland Schools opening for a multicultural curriculum coordinator, I could not pass up the opportunity.” Since joining Portland Public Schools four years ago, he has served as multicultural curriculum coordinator, as a student success program manager for ethnic studies, and as the K-5 social studies and language arts academics program associate, before assuming his current district-level responsibilities.

Because David’s current administrative appointment was filled on an emergency basis, he will return to school this year to obtain his administrative license, which will allow him to continue his work at the district level. He has also served as president of the Oregon Council for Social Studies, through which he advocates to change and influence state and national laws.

David came to Westminster after participating in Prep for Prep 9, a program that identifies promising students of color and prepares them for success at independent schools throughout the Northeast. He says that even though the idea of boarding school was completely new to his family, they supported his choice. “I knew I wanted a small school and a dress code,” he recalled.

As a Westminster student, David was a senior prefect, vice president of the John Hay Society, and a member of the Multicultural Student Union, Dramat, Serving Our Neighbors, Black and Gold, and The Westminster News. He was also a swimmer, played soccer, and served as manager of volleyball, track and field, and softball. He was awarded the Fourth Form Bowl and is particularly proud to be the recipient of the Paul Winship ’35 Alumni Book Prize, which is given to a Sixth Former who has made “an unusual commitment in both breadth and depth to the school’s programs and activities.”

“I loved my social studies classes at Westminster,” said David. “I could really dive into them.” Among the courses he says most impacted him was The History of Others, a Sixth Form elective taught by Jennifer Elliot. “It was a profound class for me,” he said.

Since graduation, David has served as a class agent, on reunion committees and attended San Francisco alumni events. “We were in the beginning stages of planning for our 15th reunion last year, when it had to be canceled due to the pandemic,” he said.

“We were excited to join in remotely in March with this year’s reunion classes and see as many faces as possible digitally before a physical gathering can be determined!”

David Martinez ’05, center, with two Oregon State Social Studies Board members at the 2020 National Council for Social Studies conference in Austin, Texas, serving as a house delegate and Oregon council president.

64

Westminster Bulletin

Bringing a Lifetime of Work in Infectious Diseases to the Current Pandemic By the time public awareness of COVID-19 first emerged in the United States in the early months of 2020, epidemiologist Hilary Rosen ’91 was already in the throes of the pandemic working from her home in Los Angeles for the Disease Investigations Section of the California Department of Public Health. She had been conducting listeriosis and botulism surveillance and working on a paper about injury-related botulism when her schedule took a hard turn. “Everything took a backseat to COVID-19,” she said.

With 61 separate health jurisdictions in California, Hilary is coordinating with the clinical, epidemiology and science teams reporting to a command center in Richmond, Calif. Working remotely from her home, she ensures that COVID-19 cases are entered into the state’s reporting system, conducts quality checks and verifies deaths. “We don’t count case-patients more than once,” said Hilary. “There are hundreds of people working with data. It’s a steep learning curve.”

She recounted the earliest days of the pandemic. “I was on a call with the Centers for Disease Control in early January 2020, and there was a rare syndrome in China,” she said. “Within days, we realized it was more. By mid-February, we had our first nontravelassociated case in California.”

Weeks later, the much-publicized Grand Princess cruise ship arrived in California carrying infected passengers and crew.

Hilary had previously worked on a West Nile virus outbreak in New York City and had been deployed to a California County on the Mexican border in 2009 to assist with surveillance during the H1N1 outbreak, but said this experience was different. “The Grand Princess was a nightmare,” she said. “We had the information before it went public. I had dealt with emerging pathogens before but nothing to this extent.”

Even with the demands of her COVID-related work, Hilary’s expertise is still needed in other areas. She regularly receives calls regarding suspected botulism cases and coordinates with the CDC to release antitoxin, life-saving medication.

Hilary’s own experience with potentially fatal infectious diseases was a major influence on her career. As a history major at the University of Colorado, she spent part of her junior year abroad in Kenya to study contemporary African history, politics and tribal tensions. There, she contracted malaria and cholera — diseases that remain pervasive in the region. Aided by staff at a clinic, she recovered and returned to the U.S. to complete her B.A.

For the first two and a half years out of college, Hilary worked as a ski instructor in Breckenridge, Colo. “It was fun to do for a few years, because once you have a career, you can’t go back,” she said. During that time, she prepared to attend graduate school, taking prerequisite classes to study at the Yale School of Public Health, where she earned a master’s degree in public health, with a focus on the epidemiology of microbial diseases. While attending Yale, she received a fellowship and conducted research in Thailand on leptospirosis, which can cause kidney failure. During her time

at Yale and after completing her degree, she conducted research in the Vector Ecology Laboratory on a West Nile virus project in the Bronx Zoo.

In 2000, she moved to California and has worked for the California Department of Public Health for two decades.

Her early work involved investigating environmental risk factors for breast cancer and childhood cancer. And after 9/11, she joined the department’s bioterrorism epidemiology section, before her current work investigating infectious diseases. She is the co-author of numerous research papers, including those about listeriosis, botulism and salmonella.

Hilary came to Westminster as a Fourth Former from Monticello, Hilary Rosen ’91 N.Y. “My hometown was the same small community where my parents were raised,” she said. “I wasn’t challenged and was ready for more. My dad didn’t have a choice in his education, but he wanted me to have a choice.” Her mother required that Hilary not study more than three hours away, so she could visit and return home in one day.

Hilary says that she was always independent and made an easy adjustment to Westminster. “Westminster was an experience that stayed with me,” she said. “Everyone had to participate in the work program, no matter who you were or how much money you had. I learned a lot about myself.”

As a student, Hilary swam and played soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She also volunteered at Holly Hill, participated in the Environmental Club, the National School Campaign Against Hunger and the Outing Club, and was an officer with SPHERE.

Hilary is married to Dr. Christopher Combs, a surgeon, and they have a son, Jack, who is 7. They live in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

The family typically travels frequently, and Hilary has returned to Westminster for several reunions. Looking ahead, she expects the current pandemic to dominate her time indefinitely, at least until the fall. “It has been worse than people think,” she said.

Spring 2021

65

Class Notes Send alumni news and class notes via email to Cris Gomez ’10, Director of Alumni Relations: classnotes@westminster-school.org • Send updates to contact information to spierson@westminster-school.org

1949

1960

1970

Ronald Mitchell writes that he is in good

John Gow continues hiking, fishing

Sandy Jones moved to Brattleboro, Vt.,

health and perking along. He turned 91 in January. “My son, Ron, and wife, Lajohanna, have recently moved from Dallas, Texas, to Nashville, Tenn., to be closer to my great-grandson, Leon Mitchell. I have three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all living in the South. I’m enjoying every morning at a six-person breakfast club that I started four years ago.”

and fly-tying. “We enjoy living near the families of our two daughters and spending our summers at Moosehead Lake.”

saying, “Finally near family after 25 years in the West.”

1953 Joel Brightman writes: “Sold our place in

St. Augustine and will spend the winter in Maine. Gave up skiing last year (got some balance problems) so will have to stick to cross country. Visited the campus with one of my daughters last summer. She thinks Williams Hill looks like a movie set. It does! Will have a ‘baker’s dozen’ of greatgrandkids in a few months. Life is good!”

1955 Alan Brooks reports that as the virus

canceled out last year’s track meets, he is hopeful he can still compete successfully against the “youngsters,” though a dislocated shoulder three years ago forced him to abandon the discus and focus solely on the shot put. With the Westminster gym closed because of the pandemic, Alan resurrected his old gym equipment in the basement and is preparing for the 2021 throwing season and what, at 85, he said, might well be his last hurrah.

1959 Philip Kerr says he is still vertical and

misses his old friends.

66

Westminster Bulletin

1961 Keith Keogh writes that after 48 years

in their home in Wayland, Mass., they moved to Lancaster, Mass. “Forty-five years of junk into dumpsters, and we still are purging our ‘treasures.’”

1966 Greg Islan moved full time to

Williamstown, Mass., about one and onehalf miles from where his class held its graduation party in June 1966. “Both of our daughters live in Seattle, and our son has been with us for over a year working remotely due to COVID. Life is good!”

1972 Rob Douglass and his wife of 26 years,

Shelia, are proud to announce the graduation of their son, Jeremy, with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and his commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Jeremy’s first duty station will be on the USS Milius (DDG69) homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.

Rob continues to work for the Navy as an auditor for the Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific in San Diego, Calif.

1973 Hilary Kumnick says he continues to

Dick Stewart teaches history to people

over age 50 at Cape Cod Community College on U.S. 19th and 20th centuries, the Russian Revolution, Stalinism and the Cold War. He also gives history lectures at local libraries. He was elected to the Nauset Regional School Committee for a three-year term and is up for reelection May 25. The committee is fighting to get four towns in the region to support financing for a rebuild of their local public high school.

1967 James Mendillo writes that Evan Boenning received the prestigious

Colorado Realtor of the Year Award in September 2020. “Evan, who has been a leading realtor in Aspen and active in the Colorado Realtors Association for nearly a half-century, was taken completely by surprise by the top realtor award. Welldeserved, Evan! Congratulations to our head prefect!”

be a ‘guru’ of sorts in the industrial and institutional dust collecting design field throughout New England. His other ‘job’ is as an officer with the state and regional areas within Lions Club International. Hilary was governor for Eastern Connecticut counties in 20172018, was the chair for all Connecticut Lions in 2018-2019 and will be president of the New England Lions Council in 2022-2023. Recently, he was a leader for an international group of incoming governors across the world and was dean of the USA/Canada Leo Leadership Forum in Calgary. Nearer to home, he provides grant writing and is on his fifth Lions van for the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. Hilary was an elected official in Killingworth, Conn., for 12 years and served the town on many committees. He and his wife, Laurie, have two sons.

John McGrath writes: “Barbara and I are

now grandparents times two. Our son, Michael, and his wife, Heather, gave birth to a son, Miller, and four days later our daughter, Mary Adair, and her husband, Jake, gave birth to son Archie. I studied philosophy in Westminster faculty Todd Eckerson’s evening classes during six months or so of pandemic shutdown.

Trying to keep my brain active.”

1974 William Counihan is “retired, playing golf

and walking.”

1985 Louise Hough Palangi has gone back

to school to get her master’s degree and become a teacher.

1986 Mark St. Amant is a freelance writer and

creative director at daily fantasy sports and sports betting brand Draft Kings. He recently interviewed classmate and varsity hockey teammate Grant Slater for popular culture, sports and entertainment site The Good Men Project. The two discuss Grant and brother Todd’s production company (Slater Brothers Entertainment), their fantastic new indie film “Odd Man Rush,” fatherhood, filmmaking, creativity and more. There’s even a little Martlet hockey reminiscing.

1989

1992 Christophany Creed writes: “On Jan. 20,

2020, my husband and I welcomed our daughter, Athira. It has been a wild journey navigating parenthood and COVID during these first months of her life. She brought pure joy to our lives, and we couldn’t be happier.”

1993 Dorian Thompson Dawodu was married

July 25, 2020, in Fort Washington, Md., to Oludotun Dawodu in a small ceremony at the National Golf Club that was attended by family and a select group of friends. She says it was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions but was a beautiful occasion.

1995 Sarah Booth and Armando Inarritu were

married Sept. 12, 2020, in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

1998 Trustee Kirsten Sichler Webb and her husband, Tyler, announced the birth of daughter Kimball Leighton Webb in September 2020. She writes: “We are over the moon with the arrival of our little bundle of joy. We are truly grateful for everyone’s kind wishes and support along the way, and look forward to Khaki sporting black and gold in the years to come.”

Mike Kennedy ’00 with his daughter, Katie, and wife, Courtney.

2000 Ashley Beckwith married Will McKellar

Sept. 29, 2019.

Mike Kennedy’s 6-year-old daughter, Katie,

rang the bell at New York-Presbyterian/ Columbia University Irving Medical Center to signify her triumph against Ewing’s sarcoma July 10. Katie was diagnosed in November 2019. She has returned to school at Greenwich Academy, where she is a first grader, and her sister, Meryl, is in third grade. Mike is in his 16th year teaching, coaching and working in communications at Brunswick School.

2001 Julia DeCiantis and her husband, Jeffers,

announced the birth of Goldie Marietta Lyon Oct. 16, 2019.

Dan Keating writes: “All is going well

here in Pittsford, N.Y. I’ve just taken a full-time job as a professor in the MBA program in the Simon School at the University of Rochester. As well, I continue to do some technology consulting and serve as an elected trustee on our village board.”

Kimball Leighton Webb is the daughter of Kirsten Sichler Webb ’98 and her husband, Tyler.

Goldie Marietta Lyon, daughter of Julia DeCiantis ’01 and her husband, Jeffers.

Spring 2021

67

CLASS NOTES

2002 Michael D’Agostino hopes everyone is

doing well up on the Hill and enjoys seeing all of the amazing progress the school continues to make. “Wishing you all the very best and please keep up the great work!”

2004 Elliot Byrd made the U.S. parachute team

and will be representing the U.S. at the World Parachuting Championships in Tanay, Russia, in August 2021.

Laura Keene recently founded her own

architecture firm in southern Rhode Island, Keene Architecture Inc.

2005 Andrea Seymour Walker and her

husband, Colby Walker, welcomed son Logan Seymour Walker July 6, 2020.

2006 Tyler Daly ’04 and Aileen Daversa ’90 at the Travelers Championship, Connecticut’s annual PGA Tour showcase in June 2020. Tyler is a producer for Shotlink, and Aileen was a volunteer Shotlink tablet operator on the 15th green.

Lizzy Moran, an ex officio trustee, and her

Benjamin Ryder Stone, born in March 2020, and Ava Christina Stone are the children of Andrew Stone ’04 and his wife, Lee.

Wyatt, son of Lizzy Moran ‘06 and her husband, Pete Kennedy.

68

Westminster Bulletin

Bailey Harris ’05 married Michael Caspani Sept. 12, 2020, in Salisbury, Conn.

husband, Pete Kennedy, welcomed son Wyatt Ranney Kennedy Nov. 5, 2020.

CLASS NOTES

Chelsea Hall Anderson ’07 with her four sons, Oliver, Henry, Charlie and Teddy.

2007 Chelsea Hall Anderson and her husband,

Biedron, Kelsea Wigmore, Adam King, Victoria Manganiello ’08 and Liza Winship. Other classmates were

Matthew, welcomed Henry Hall Anderson and Charlie Beckeet Anderson in April 2020. She writes: “Can’t wait to get these guys back to campus once COVID passes!

Hope all is well.”

unable to attend due to the pandemic.

The couple are planning a larger celebration for October 2021.

William Walter Katz III was born to Will Katz and his wife, Mary Helen, Nov. 23, 2018.

Courtney Stafford Gill and her husband,

After postponing their larger wedding celebration, Caitlin Romaniello and James Whitcomb were married June 27, 2020, in a small ceremony. In attendance were Sky

Will Katz ’07 and Mary Helen Katz with their son, Billy, on Billy’s first birthday.

2008 Joe Gill, of Stratford, Conn., welcomed their first child, Henry Russell Gill, June 19, 2020.

Charles Lent married McCrae Lenahan

on Sept. 14, 2019, in Wilmington, Vt.

James Renwick ’08 married Maggie McDermott Oct. 3, 2020, in a private, family-only ceremony.

Caitlin Romaniello ’07 and James Whitcomb were married in June 2020.

Spring 2021

69

CLASS NOTES

The Crus11Tour team in Cape Cod Aug. 2, 2020.

2009 Once again, members of the Westminster community turned out to participate in the Crus11Tour team, which bikes in memory of David Hovey ’09 to raise money for brain cancer research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The ride is usually part of the PanMass Challenge, which was reimagined last summer into regional rides.

The Crus11Tour team had a Cape Cod ride Aug. 2 and a Simsbury ride Aug. 8.

2011 Eric Wainman is an MBA candidate at

MIT Sloan School of Management with an expected graduation in June 2022.

Eric is engaged to Anna Fang, a medical student at Harvard Medical School. A summer 2022 wedding is in the works.

The Crus11Tour team in Simsbury Aug. 8, 2020.

2016 Stephen Gasior has accepted an inside sales

position at Dell Technologies and will begin his new career in July.

2013

Allison Devins ’13 was married Aug. 8, 2020, to Roman Ammirato.

70

Westminster Bulletin

Gavin Durham ’13 and Olivia Durham ’15 aboard Seaborn in Nantucket last summer.

In Memoriam Geoffrey Wilbraham Longtime Westminster faculty member Geoffrey Wilbraham died Nov. 18 in Canton, Conn., at the age of 92. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, he graduated as head prefect from Longton High School where he was captain of both the cricket and rugby teams, two sports he continued playing as a college student at the University of Manchester. Following graduation from the university with a B.A. in French, he served two years in the British Army, attaining the rank of captain before being discharged in 1951.

After coming to the United States in 1952, Geoffrey worked, as had his father, for Josiah Wedgwood and Sons. When he visited Westminster as a representative of the company, he so impressed Louise and Pete Keyes that Headmaster Keyes appointed him to the faculty in 1958.

During his 36-year tenure at Westminster, Geoffrey, who Geoffrey Wilbraham earned an M.A. at Trinity College, served as director of studies, as a French teacher, as an advisor to the Chapel Program and as a coach, becoming renowned in New England as a soccer coach. best embodies the qualities of Geoffrey Wilbraham, who gave

He began with a fledgling boys’ soccer program in the distinguished and loyal service to Westminster from 1958 to early 1960s and eventually led his teams to championships. He 1994: high personal standards, consistent respect for others, served on the Executive Board of the Western New England unswerving commitment to the common good, steady insistence Preparatory School Soccer Association for which he was elected on fair play and abiding human decency.” president in 1969. In 1981, he was chosen Coach of the Year by

In his professional and private life, Geoffrey always stood the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association, and in 1991 and for high academic standards, sensitivity, diplomacy and patience.

1992, when his teams won a pair of back-to-back New England He led a life of love and loyalty and had no regrets. He was a Championships, he was elected New England Coach of the Year. wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend. His son,

Geoffrey enjoyed playing tennis and was interested in Charlie ’76, cherished the countless times they played tennis gardening and music, having sung with The Simsbury Light together.

Opera Company.

Geoffrey was predeceased in 2012 by Betsy, his wife of

At the time of his retirement in 1994, former Headmaster 46 years; his brother, Arnold; and his sisters, Margaret and Donald Werner wrote in the spring 1994 Bulletin: “Westminster Kathleen. He leaves behind his son, Charlie; daughter-in-law, will miss Geoffrey, not only as a teacher, coach and advisor. He Yvette; and granddaughter, Katherine. has gently touched a lot of lives. The school will miss his example, especially when times become shrill and cantankerous. In both his personal and professional dealings, Geoffrey Wilbraham has always treated everyone the same way — with an intuitive, completely natural and unaffected kindness.”

Geoffrey and his wife, Betsy, who had been involved in all aspects of school life at Westminster while Geoffrey served on the faculty, moved to Williamsburg, Va., when he retired from Westminster. They returned to Connecticut in 2006 in order to spend time with their granddaughter, Katherine.

“Always, Betsy and Geoffrey Wilbraham were a wonderfully gracious presence on Williams Hill,” wrote Head of School Bill Philip in announcing Geoffrey’s death to the Westminster community. “The Wilbraham Bowl honors the family’s name. The award Geoffrey coaching in 1991. is given to a member of the Fifth Form who Spring 2021

71

In Memoriam TRIBUTES Stuyvie Wainwright ’60 He was a man to be proud of while inspiring generations.

Charles Fineman ’65 It is next to impossible to express adequately my deep sorrow upon learning of Geoff Wilbraham’s passing, even at the age of 92, and eight years after the passing of his wife, Betsy.

He was almost literally the “light” of my Sixth Form year at Westminster in 1964-1965, and I tried to keep in touch with him, albeit intermittently, after graduation. I last saw him at Betsy’s funeral.

In the French 5 class of that year, populated only by myself and Dan Hitchcock ’65, Geoff introduced me to what would become my second career, as a translator, initially of French to English and adding Danish, Norwegian and Swedish later, as my education and language training progressed. Each week, the class had to translate 250 words of English into French, which, as I later found out, is not the way a professional translator works, unless he or she is totally bilingual in both languages.

But the technique was traditionally French, called in French “theme et version.” At commencement in 1965, I won the prize for excellence in French.

It gave me a taste for the work, the precision and the discipline; and — a surprise even to myself, the librarian from birth — some years ago I discovered that I had held on to each and every one of those weekly assignments, neatly marked up in red by Geoff, whose French, though not native, was superb and flawless and yet, in its crispness and intonation, still spoke of his Englishness.

Above and on opposite page, Geoffrey with students

Even for the mid-’60s, Geoff’s approach to our class entailed little if any technology, even the technology of the moment. There was a blackboard and chalk in our basement classroom and not much else. We read, we read, we read.

Geoff also understood my indifference to sports and named me manager of the varsity soccer team in the fall and as the totally unnecessary manager to the fourth tennis team in the spring.

Geoff had a distinguished career at Westminster, and I’m certain others who knew him for longer than I did will have deeper recollections of him and his work. Yet for me, he was the teacher who inspired me and, almost literally, if unwittingly, gave me one of my two professions.

Stephen D’Ambrosio ’70 Saddened to read that Geoffrey Wilbraham passed away.

The notice from the school hit the nail on the head when it stated that he and Betsy were “gracious.” Their understated and dignified approach to whatever was before them always impressed me. On a more personal note, the highlight of my soccer career at Westminster was being on Coach Wilbraham’s very first team that had a winning season in 1969. The second highest point in my soccer career was the look on his face the day I nutmegged him during a scrimmage! Priceless!

Art Dague ’79 Geoffrey and his wife, Betsy.

72

Westminster Bulletin

Geoff Wilbraham truly embodied the best of the best as described in the Wilbraham Bowl award established in his

honor: “... high personal standards, consistent respect for others, unswerving commitment to the common good, steady insistence on fair play and abiding human decency.” I was fortunate to have played on his soccer team for three years (captain my final year) and was lucky to have had him as my academic advisor.

On the field, he was a talented and passionate coach, and off the field, he was the perfect advisor for me, always constructive in his advice and always supportive, positive and genuine.

is determined by our confidence in the various situations we find ourselves. And much of that confidence comes from the understanding that we have people in our corner. Geoff has always been one of those people for me, though we are 40 years downstream now of that fateful game. I hope my words are a reminder that lives endure well beyond lifespans. What Geoff taught me, I have tried to teach to others. Who better than Geoff Wilbraham to teach us to pay it forward?

Ben Williams ’81

Steven Bristol ’82

Geoff Wilbraham was an important person in my life. We spent two years studying French together, and he was my soccer coach. He was a thoughtful and gentle man who at every moment helped me be better at whatever I was doing.

My two French classes with him had no more than five students in them so that was a personal journey. And I remember envying his effortless fluency and pronunciation.

Everything sounded good when he said it!

In my senior year, we played Avon Old Farms in soccer on Family Weekend. They were really good but so were we, and we took it to them from the start. We won 4-0 on a gray overcast day. I played sweeper, and though I did not know it, the Avon coach said some unkind things about me during the game.

Coach Wilbraham heard every word, though, and he took the matter up with the opposing coach immediately after the game.

A few days later, I got a note of apology from the Avon coach, all because Coach Wilbraham wasn’t going to allow anyone to conduct themselves in an unprincipled and unfriendly manner.

Though I was oblivious to the abuse coming my way from the Avon coach, I was deeply affirmed and touched by Coach Wilbraham’s support. So much of our path through life

I along with Colin Flinn ’82 were the captains of the soccer team the year Geoffrey Wilbraham was named Coach of the Year in Connecticut. None of us started the year with the lofty ambition of making it to the New England finals. As far as we knew, Westminster had never done such a thing, and it never crossed our minds. Then the success came. We started winning games and kept winning them.

Even now, I remember the moment after our last game when Coach Wilbraham told me we had been invited to the New England Tournament. He looked so proud. We lost to Northfield Mount Hermon 1-0, and I felt so badly for him that we had let him down. We all understood he was one of the “good guys.” He exuded honor, dignity and character, and he reminded us every day of those virtues, not so much in what he said but just by who he was. In the end, I think we just wanted the good guy to win for once. He deserved that because he was steadfast in his character, and we all respected him for that.

He was an important person to me, even though I didn’t appreciate it at the time. After graduating from Westminster, I went on to Hamilton College, where I continued to play soccer and lacrosse, and then I went on to become a teacher, coach and administrator in several different boarding schools. I even spent 10 years as director of athletics at a New England boarding school.

As I think about it, much of what I tried to teach in those roles, I learned from him. Successful teams are built on character not talent.

Who you were was always more important than how skilled you were. I knew my talent was limited, but I understood from him that if I kept working hard, I could be successful. In fact, that was who we were as a team. We were the gritty underdogs, who accepted our coach’s direction that we play the right way.

Seeing firsthand how that ideal could actually lead to competitive success was a powerful experience for me and one that has guided me professionally up until today.

Spring 2021

73

In Memoriam

1941

1947

John B. Ahrens, who died April 10,

John Millard Rigby, of Salem, S.C., died

2020, grew up in Suffield, Conn., and attended Suffield Academy, followed by Westminster. Jack signed up for the Navy ROTC right after Pearl Harbor and went on to complete an undergraduate degree in engineering from Yale University in two years and five months. He joined the Navy as an officer early in 1944.

Jack fought on both fronts in World War II. He and his fellow sailors participated in D-Day for the invasions of Normandy and Southern France and then joined the naval assault forces for the invasion of Iwo Jima and, finally, the battle of Okinawa.

Jack was a lifelong pacifist and struggled with the dilemma of participating in violent combat, ultimately putting his “beliefs on the shelf” in the name of fighting a greater evil. He rarely spoke of his experience in World War II until writing his three-part memoir, “One Man’s Journey,” several decades later.

Jack married Lois Welch Ahrens in 1950, and they moved frequently for Jack’s graduate degrees: first a master’s degree in engineering and then a doctorate in psychology from Columbia University.

He said, “In engineering, it’s how things work, and in psychology, it’s how people work.”

The couple eventually settled in Suffield with their four children, and Jack ran his own practice focused on industrial and vocational psychology. Jack and Lois retired to Cape Cod in 1987, where they built their dream home on the town cove in Orleans, which was a summer gathering place for their family. Lois died in 2017.

Jack is survived by his children, Kimberly Mayer, Beth Yourgrau, Tracy Ahrens and John Ahrens, along with their spouses; his grandchildren and great-grandchild; nephew Leavitt Ahrens ’61; and grandnephew Leavitt Ahrens III ’87. He was predeceased by his brothers Leavitt Ahrens ’37 and Gilbert Ahrens ’56, his uncle Arthur Bissell 1912 and cousin Arthur Bissell Jr. ’36.

Sept. 25, 2020. He graduated early from John Adams High School and matriculated to Westminster School, where he excelled as a multisport athlete. John followed his older brother to Yale University, graduating in 1951 with a degree in history, after which he completed his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

In the summer of 1954, John met the love of his life, Jacqueline “Lynn” DeHaas. In a letter to his Yale buddies, he wrote, “Boys, I’ve found the one.” After a whirlwind courtship, they were married Oct. 30, 1954. John and Lynn settled in Niles, Mich., where John practiced law and served as the city attorney. It was there where they raised their four daughters.

Upon retirement, John and Lynn moved to South Carolina, fulfilling a dream of living quietly on a small lake and owning a bass boat where they could enjoy their shared love of fishing. They spent more than 25 years admiring their lake view and hosting family gatherings.

John was a devoted and proud 51year member of Alcoholics Anonymous, where he met many of his closest and dearest friends and spent years as a mentor to others. John’s greatest joy was his family, and he loved nothing more than spending time with his daughters and their families and his nephews and their families. He will be remembered for his strength of character, his wonderful dry sense of humor and his devotion to family.

Sadly, less than three weeks after his death, Lynn, his wife of nearly 66 years, died. He is survived by a large family including his daughters.

74

Westminster Bulletin

1949 Edward Parsons Corning Jr. died June

24, 2020, in Greenville, R.I. Born in New York City, he grew up in Stamford, Conn., on Shippan Point, sailing at

Stamford Yacht Club and later at Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, where he raced in the Ensign and then the Sonar fleets. Bud attended King School in Stamford, Westminster School and Bard College, before entering the family business, the Edward Corning Company, a construction management firm founded by his grandfather in New York in 1898, and where his father was then president.

Bud became secretary-treasurer at the company. He then entered the insurance and estate planning business, first at Home Life Insurance Company of New York, where he earned membership in the Million Dollar Round Table, and later as an independent agent.

Bud enlisted in the Organized Reserve Corps (ORC) and served in the Army Reserve, being promoted to Sergeant E-5 in 1952. He married Joan Halloran in 1956 in Darien, where they raised their children and lived for the next 58 years.

Bud was active in town affairs. He served as treasurer and president of the Darien Young Republican Club, as chairperson of the planning and zoning committee in the Republican Town Meeting, and as chairperson of the building committee, director, vice president and president of the Darien Historical Society. He was a member of Darien’s 150th Anniversary Celebration Committee.

A talented artist, Bud painted watercolors and showed his works at the Rowayton Arts Center. He loved sailing, tennis and skiing. He joined Silvermine Golf Club and enjoyed playing golf in his retirement years. Known for being a great storyteller, he regaled both children and adults with tales both imaginative and true, including sound effects and character impressions.

W. Brewster Taylor died Jan. 13, leaving

behind his son, Timothy; daughter-in-law, Amy; and two granddaughters, Cori and Ashlynn.

1950 Whitmarsh Jackson Letts died May 18,

2020. Jack was born in St. Louis and grew up in Short Hills, N.J., where he excelled in sports, including ice hockey, baseball and football. Following Westminster, he earned a B.S. in engineering at Yale.

As a member of the Yale Army ROTC program, he was sent to Korea after graduation, where he served honorably as a second lieutenant in the 24th Infantry Division. For his service in the U.S. Army’s Inspector General’s Office, he was awarded a commendation ribbon.

Jack began his long career in the pump industry at Worthington Corporation, which took him to numerous locations and eventually landed him in New Jersey where he was the marketing manager at Worthington’s Standard Pump Division. In 1973, he accepted a position at Fairbanks Morse Pump in Kansas City, Kan., as general manager and was soon promoted to vice president. In 1979, he was named president of the Fairbanks Morse Pump Division of Colt Industries, and in 1985, he put together a group of investors and bought Fairbanks Morse Pump from Colt Industries. After successfully guiding the corporation as a standalone company for nine years, he retired in 1994.

Jack devoted much of his time to community service and philanthropic efforts. His greatest commitment was to the United Way where he held a number of leadership positions. He also served on the board and as chairperson for Kansas City Public Television, Bethany Medical Center, the Wyandotte County Red Cross and Baker University. In 1998, he received the Kansas City, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizen of the Year Award. His volunteerism also extended to the pump industry and the Kansas City business community, where he served on a number of boards.

Jack was a world traveler, an avid skier, and enjoyed golf and sailing.

Retirement finally gave him the time to take up flying. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joyce, two sons,

grandchildren, his sister, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother The Honorable J. S. Letts ’52.

Clinton Lawrence Rossiter Jr. died

Dec. 13, 2020. A U.S. Air Force pilot in the Korean War, Clint flew the iconic F-86 Sabre Jets with the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing. His military service also included several years in the Air Training Command. In later life, he was a safety engineer and then worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

Following Westminster, Clint attended Cornell University, where he was a member of Sigma Phi. He was an honors graduate of the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where he studied geology. He was devoted to scientific ideas, relishing scientific writings and documentaries.

He also loved Dutch late 17th-century and American 19th-century landscape paintings, visiting museums in America, England and Europe.

Clint is survived by his wife of 61 years, Barbara; his son, Clinton, and daughter-in-law, Lana; his daughter, Virginia; and his granddaughter.

Henry Lamberton Sweatt died Oct. 21,

2020. Harry passionately loved his family, friends, church, community, and the wild places of the Minnesota Northwoods, especially his cabin at Redpine Island on Rainy Lake. His loyalties were strong and never in doubt as he followed his father, Charles B. Sweatt Sr., in his generous commitment to the community in and around Minneapolis.

Following Westminster, Harry graduated from Princeton University in 1954 with a degree in history and from Harvard Business School in 1956. He married Virginia Ecklund in 1955, and they spent two years in the Army Finance Corps in Ulm, Germany.

Starting his career at MinneapolisHoneywell upon his return to the U.S., Harry sold computers out of the New York office and rose to branch manager in Cincinnati. In 1967, he joined Honeywell Information Systems in Boston where he built joint ventures and strategic partnerships around the world.

In 1978, Harry and his family returned to Minneapolis to reestablish their deep roots in Minnesota. Grandson of William R. Sweatt, co-founder of Minneapolis-Honeywell, Harry’s devotion to his work reflected his commitment to Honeywell as an essential part of his family and legacy. Harry left his mark through his sense of responsibility for the company’s financial strength and ethical integrity.

Harry enjoyed young people and enthusiastically supported their wellbeing. Happiest while working with children, he was a self-taught naturalist and camper. He is survived by his wife, Virginia; his daughter, Margaret; his son, William; son-in-law, Phillip; eight grandchildren; and his sister.

1951 Peter Gage died March 30, 2020. He was

born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, and was educated at Kings College, Taunton, Somerset. After completing his Higher School Certificate in 1950, he was awarded an English Speaking Union scholarship to Westminster as an exchange student for one year. That year proved a most rewarding experience for him, enjoying particularly his participation in the choral groups, American field sports and, above all, the wonderful friendship and hospitality he found among his class and roommates.

He returned to the U.K. in 1951 and took up his place at Wadham College, Oxford, where he read English literature for the next three years. It was at the end of his second year that he met his future wife, Sheila. At Oxford, he again enjoyed his association with the choral society, and he had good reviews of parts he played in the Drama Society performances. His rowing attempts were the source of many amusing stories. Wadham College has dedicated a book in the college library in his memory.

After graduating in 1954, it was then necessary to do his compulsory two-year National Service. He was called up in October 1954 and sent to an officer cadet training course where he eventually was Spring 2021

75

In Memoriam commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Somerset Light Infantry April 23, 1955, the day he and Sheila were married.

Following a brief honeymoon, he joined the 1st Battalion of the Somerset L. I. in Malaya, which was involved in jungle warfare against communist terrorists during the Malayan Emergency at that time. He wrote an account of his platoon’s experiences.

Military service finished in October 1956, and he then joined John Holt and Co. in Northern Nigeria as a venture agent trading in hides and skins, cotton and groundnuts, as well as overseeing the bush village canteens that sold everything from bicycles and sewing machines to cooking pots and dress fabrics. Sheila joined him in May 1957, having stayed in the U.K. for the birth of their first son.

Peter’s first tour of duty finished in March 1958, and the family returned to the U.K. for a three-month leave.

However, with Nigeria receiving its independence within two years and the obvious problems that would ensue there, plus the very unhealthy climate, Peter decided to stay in the U.K. and joined BB Chemical Co. (Bostik in U.K.), an associate company of the Boston Blacking Company in Boston. He worked his way up to sales director of one of its associate companies over the next 10 years during which time two more sons were born.

He then had the opportunity to set up the English company of the Gustav Kaser Management and Sales Training organization, a Zurich-based company looking to expand into Europe and, subsequently into the rest of the world.

Peter enjoyed this challenge enormously, particularly as he was able to use his language skills of French, German and Spanish, and spent the rest of his working life enjoying his success as managing director of the U.K. company. He retired in 1992.

For 38 years, Peter and Sheila enjoyed their second home in Mallorca and their many associations walking with groups in the mountains and the numerous organizations to which they belonged and the many friends they made.

Peter always maintained his involvement with Westminster, and Sheila 76

Westminster Bulletin

and he enjoyed several alumni reunions at the school, the last being in 2011. Sheila says he owed a huge debt of gratitude to Westminster for the wonderful experience and opportunity the school gave him.

Peter leaves behind Sheila, three sons and eight grandchildren.

Fred Martin Hector, a resident of North

Dakota, died June 1, 2019. He attended the schools Hawthorne, Agassiz and South High School in Fargo before graduating from Westminster. He was a U.S. Army veteran and served at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver, Colo., from 1957 to 1959.

Robert M. Whitaker Jr. died May 30,

2020. Born in New York City, he was raised in Westport, Conn. In addition to his parents, Bob was predeceased by his first wife, Patricia. He is survived by his wife, Tinker, his children, grandchildren, sisters, brother-in-law, nieces and nephews.

1956 Michael Gardner Brenner died April 12,

2020, in Knoxville, Tenn. He was born in Quincy, Ill., and is survived by his wife of 54 years, Heidi.

1957 Joseph Beveridge Palmer died April 30,

2020. While at Westminster, Joel was a hockey, football and track athlete.

He served in the U.S. Navy, living on a submarine for four years and attended Colby College and Western New England College, where he obtained a business degree.

He sold microfiche for Bell and Howell and later owned a Goodyear Tire store in Guilford, Conn., where he raised two daughters, Christa and Leah, with his former wife, Ingrid.

Joel flew airplanes, collected antique cars, and sailed and built boats — including the first Dickerson 50, a staysail ketch presented at the Newport International Sailboat Show in 1982.

He was a world traveler, having visited

faraway places like Russia and Vietnam, befriending and mentoring many along the way.

An active Westminster alumnus, he served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association.

He later turned his trade to bookkeeping and maintained a base of clients working from his home office in Center Sandwich, N.H., where he moved in 1994.

In his later years, he enjoyed visits on Bear Camp Pond, boating on Squam Lake and rides in his antique cars with his three granddaughters, and daughters and sonsin-law. He also enjoyed in the last few months of his life a visit with his extended family in Vietnam, a destination he grew to love and longed to call his permanent home. He is also survived by his brother Geoffrey Palmer ’59 and was predeceased

by Anthony Palmer ’52.

Perhaps his greatest passion in life was mentoring young people, especially those who experienced a tough start in life or needed extra support to achieve great things and to lead a more positive way of life. He fulfilled the role as father to many and in some cases gained custody.

In a manifesto he penned in 2001 titled “Philanthropy My Way,” he wrote about his work “rescuing and mentoring” others: “When I began my work with young people 35 years ago, I had the strength to take on this task, but not the wisdom. Now, I have the wisdom, but I no longer have the strength. But no matter, I shall never give up nor shall I ever let them down so long as I live.”

Bob Wing writes: “I was saddened to learn of the death of Joel, my Sixth Form roommate. Joel was a class leader all four years at Westminster, and he ended up as the school’s junior prefect.

“Joel was a man of many talents, as I learned from living with him. His stereo system had a unique variable-speed turntable, so we could play along with our records by simply turning the stereo instead of having to tune our instruments.

And his telescope was far superior to mine, having a larger aperture and an equatorial clock drive.

“But I think Joel will be best remembered for his exploits on the track team. His huge stride was a thing of beauty. He held school records for the 220-meter and 440-yard event, and I don’t think he ever lost a race. Once, on the day of a track meet, our coach, Mr. Clough, asked Joel if he would consider running the 880, since our distance-runner was out with an injury. ‘Sure,’ said Joel, ‘I’ll just do the 440 twice.’ We all watched nervously as Joel set out on a race he had never ran, even in practice. After one lap around the track, he had built a large lead, but on the second lap, he was clearly struggling. He held on just enough to win the race, but promptly lost his lunch. He never did the 880 again. ‘I almost died,’ he told me later. But he had preserved his personal win streak and secured a win for Westminster’s track team.

“I regret that I saw so little of Joel after graduation, but we did catch up at recent reunions. He will be remembered by all who knew him as a kind, caring person.”

1959 Dr. John L. Atlee III died Dec. 18, 2020.

He earned a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College in 1963, his Doctor of Medicine in 1967 from Temple University, and a Master of Science in pharmacology as a postdoctoral research fellow in 1970 from Temple University Graduate School of Medicine. He was a staff anesthesiologist at the United States Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md., from 1970-1973.

John and his wife then moved to Wisconsin, where he was a professor of anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later a professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He frequently lectured abroad and was a prolific writer of textbooks and peerreviewed journal articles. In retirement, he pursued his entrepreneurial interests by working to develop medical devices.

His many accomplishments testify to the Atlee family’s long history of serving as physicians in America, dating back to

Colonial times. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara, a son and daughter, grandchildren and other relatives.

Charles F. Gummey Jr. died Dec. 23, 2020.

Following graduation from Westminster, Charlie attended Washington and Lee University (W&L), where he received Honorable Mention All-American recognition in both football and lacrosse and was inducted into the W&L Athletics Hall of Fame.

Charlie worked at the Wilmington Trust Company for 43 years, retiring in 2006 as a vice president and managing director in the Trust Department. In retirement, Charlie served as secretary of the Marmot Foundation, as well as a consultant for Wilmington Trust. At various times he served on the board as both president and trustee for the Boys and Girls Club of Delaware, the Wilmington Club, the Delaware Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, Tower Hill School and Delaware Wildlands.

His dedication to service was recognized through a series of awards including the Brandywine Association of Fundraising Professionals Award, the Bank of America Local Hero Award and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Philanthropy Day Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, he received an honorary degree from Tower Hill School along with the Founders’ Achievement Award.

An avid outdoorsman and gifted athlete, Charlie enjoyed hunting, fishing, maintaining his Pennsylvania property, and coaching his children and grandchildren in all sports. He also spent several summers on the coaching staff of the Grand Slam Diamonds, a local baseball team for college- and professional-bound players. Charlie was a constant fixture at University of Delaware football and baseball games and spent countless hours on the Tower Hill athletic fields watching his children and grandchildren compete for the Hillers.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Winkie, his two children, four grandchildren and a sister.

1960 Paul LeGrand Johnstone Jr. died in

February. Following his graduation from the University of Delaware, he entered the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Sill, Okla. He served two tours in Vietnam, where he was promoted to the rank of captain and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal.

Returning from the service, Leigh began a long career in commercial real estate in Delaware, working with Patterson Schwartz, CB Richard Ellis, and Grubb and Ellis. At the time of his death, he was chairperson and CEO of his own firm, Johnstone and Associates.

Leigh was the founder and first chair of the Commercial Industrial Realty Council of Delaware and was appointed chair of the Wilmington Economic Development Committee. He served on the state’s Economic Advisory Council.

Leigh also served on the board of directors of the Addiction Coalition, Easter Seals, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Delaware Academy of Medicine.

He volunteered as a tutor and mentor to young students and was recognized by the State of Delaware and Business Mentoring Council for his personal mentoring of boys at the Ferris School.

Leigh was a member of the Wilmington Country Club and the Wilmington Rotary Club. As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 40 years, he provided counseling and support to help hundreds of people maintain sobriety.

He loved to play golf and won three Super Senior Championships. Playing what was to be his last round, Leigh teed it up with a friend Jan. 30, the last day before the course was covered with snow and shot a 77 — two shots below his age. Leigh was also renowned for his exceptional skill at backgammon and won many tournaments.

His love for nature, in particular his fascination with songbirds, led him to establish the Bluebird Committee at Wilmington Country Club. With his leadership, the club installed 40 bluebird houses and five purple martin houses

Spring 2021

77

In Memoriam and earned the prestigious designation of Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

Leigh never retired. He was passionately engaged in his business, his volunteer pursuits, and his academic interests in political science and contemporary issues through the Academy of Lifelong Learning. He is survived by his wife, Kitty, children, sisters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

Edward Kubler was born during an air

raid drill in 1942, in New Haven, Conn., and died 78 years later on a night in July 2020 when the Comet NEOWISE was visible in the sky. These events mark the breadth and depth of Edward’s interests across many fields. He was an architect, teacher, scholar and collector, who enjoyed discussing history, art and the way all things are made.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Edward earned a B.A. and a graduate degree in architecture. He then taught at Penn and at the Rhode Island School of Design. He maintained an interest in helping young underserved members of his community develop skills in art and woodworking. As a handson architect, who could build as well as design, he once developed a contract for clients who wished to help build their own houses. He had a lifelong interest in his great-grandfather, Cornelius Scranton Bushnell, who participated in the financing of the Union Pacific Railroad and the building of the first submarine, the Monitor, during the Civil War. Edward’s family and friends remember his sense of humor, generosity, artistry, rugged individualism, social consciousness and loyalty.

He is survived by his wife, Allie, his daughter and son-in-law, and grandchildren.

1961 Patrick C. Ellis, who hosted 96.3 WHUR-

FM’s very popular Sunday morning radio gospel program in Washington, D.C., for more than four decades, died July 16, 2020. Before becoming a Westminster student, he attended public 78

Westminster Bulletin

schools in Washington, D.C. Following graduation from Westminster, he studied communications at Howard University, where WHUR soon began broadcasting.

He became a full-time staff producer at the station in 1975, and after taking some time off from school, he completed his bachelor’s degree in 1977. Two years later, the program director encouraged him to become the station’s new gospel DJ, and in 1986, he became the station’s production director.

Patrick played a wide range of gospel artists on his hit show, “Gospel Spirit,” and the program also provided community announcements from churches and nonprofit organizations. The show drew a devoted, large audience, and he was a prominent figure in Washington’s gospel scene.

Patrick is survived by his wife, Angela, two daughters, three grandchildren, a nephew and greatnephew, a sister-in-law, and a host of other relatives, friends, colleagues and a vast radio-listening audience.

Scott Kent died in November 2020.

1969 Peter Husted Duxbury died July 13, 2020,

in Los Gatos, Calif. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Kathy, and his daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Noe. Peter rallied a month before his death to give a memorable wedding toast to Elizabeth and Noe that not only honored the newlyweds but also included a reference to every single person who attended the wedding. As a father, Peter always made it a priority to be present and be supportive of Elizabeth’s education, career and aspirations.

Peter was born in New York City and grew up in Riverside, Conn., with his older brother and sister. Following Westminster, he graduated from Syracuse University with an architectural degree in 1974. Peter launched his residentialoriented practice, Duxbury Architects, in 1985 in Los Altos. He designed and built over 200 custom homes in affluent hillside communities throughout the San

Francisco Peninsula with an emphasis on Los Altos Hills. He was especially proud of his design and construction of the Los Altos Hills Town Hall. Peter was passionate about architecture and design, and was a master of melding each project to the topography and orientation of the site.

Peter’s third passion, after family and architecture, was golf with his buddies at the Saratoga Country Club, where he rarely missed a Saturday morning golf game with his many friends. Peter was interested in the people with whom he played as much as the game of golf itself.

Others in his family who attended Westminster included his father, the late John H. Duxbury ’34; his brother, David C. Duxbury ’65; and his nieces, Katherine Duxbury Hills ’99 and Alison C. DuxburyShadwick ’91.

Richard Porth writes: “We all miss

Peter terribly as he was a bright light in our class. I remember him most for his quick wit, great smile, wonderful sense of humor and infallible balance on the diving board. Peter was humble, modest, yet gregarious and welcoming of all. His famous saying was, ‘I’ll give you five pennies for a nickel.’”

1983 David Strause died Oct. 13, 2020. Born

and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he was a student of history and dedicated to preserving it. While attending Ohio State University, he settled in the Short North, recognizing that the neighborhood was on the verge of a rebirth. Hoping to aid in its preservation, he served on the Victorian Village Planning Commission for 12 years, as well as the Short North Special Improvement District. He was an avid collector of art, books and assorted ephemera.

David excelled at every sport he played, but especially tennis, which he played at Westminster and as a freshman at Ohio State, where he was a member of the men’s varsity squad. He also had great success playing squash at Westminster, and in 1994 became the Ohio champion for men over 30.

David loved Columbus and seldom saw a reason to venture too far away.

Most recently, he was hoping to provide the Columbus jazz scene with a safe harbor at the Blue Velvet Room, the club he created at the Snowden Gray Mansion.

He is survived by his mother, Nancy Strause, as well as his brother, Brian Strause ’86 and sister-in-law, Amy Decker.

1986 John Clinton Hayworth of Nashville,

Tenn., died Sept. 8, 2020. Born in Memphis, John spent his formative years on Penrose Farm in Knoxville. He worked every aspect of the farm, including caring for the numerous horses, driving the tractor and the farm truck, and breaking the first ice off the troughs. John developed his lifelong love of the great outdoors on the farm, especially hunting and fishing. Following Westminster, he graduated from Colby College in 1990 and then moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University Law School, earning his degree in 1993. He was also a member of the Order of the Coif.

After completing a year as a U.S. District Court clerk, John entered private practice in Nashville. He engaged in a long successful litigation practice at Bass, Berry and Sims; Walker, Tipps and Malone; and Butler Snow. A wellrespected litigator, he brought a quiet and determined approach to each case, and his thoughtful judgment was widely appreciated.

A community leader, John served on the boards of Harding Academy, the Economics Club of Nashville and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. He was also a communicant of St. George’s Episcopal Church and a member of Belle Meade Country Club. Most recently, he taught undergraduate business law at Belmont University.

John’s sense of humor and laugh were contagious. He was well-read, had a keen intellect and could tell a story like no other. His famous dance splits at parties were the highlight of any gathering. His gentle spirit, quick wit and devotion to his family and friends will be missed and

remembered. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Martha; daughter, Margaret; and son, John. He is also survived by his mother and sisters. His uncle is Orton Jackson ’70. John participated in Westminster Today in 2003, was a class agent and a reunion committee member, and attended a Nashville reception, Williams Hill Dinner, and his 10th and 15th reunions.

Mark St. Amant writes: “I was a ‘new kid’ in ’85. Came to Westy as a junior day student. Didn’t really know anyone.

But John was one of those kids who, even though we didn’t really know each other aside from having a few classes together, always said hi or gave a head nod in the hallways or athletic fields, and invited me to join him and his friends at lunch or just hang in his dorm room and listen to music, etc.

“I admittedly didn’t know him as well as so many others in our class — to whom I also send heartfelt condolences along with Martha, his kids and family — but he was always someone who, regardless of how long it’d been, took about a second to reconnect with at reunions (and I remember a recent class Zoom call where he didn’t say much but sat there in his little Brady Bunch video frame, smiling, clearly enjoying himself, which is how he made me and probably all of us feel in the moment: smiling, content, happy to reconnect with so many truly special people).

“Bottom line, John was a decent, friendly, sharp- and dry-witted, empathetic soul. He’ll be missed.”

2000 Gretchen Wendell Finley died Feb. 21 in

Manchester, N.H., where she had lived for many years. She was born in Pekin, Ill., and two weeks later, her parents brought her and her twin brother to New Jersey.

She attended the University of Southern Maine and enjoyed competing in team sports, especially field hockey, ice hockey and soccer, with some golf and sailing thrown in. But mostly, she was a team player.

Gretchen was a loving, caring and thoughtful soul, and funny. At age 6, she announced: “I’m going to write a cat story about cats; it’s called ‘Vic’s Diner.’”

She is survived by her parents, James and Anne; her brother, James, and his wife, Brighid; and her life partner, Amy, and sons, Joshua and Jonathan.

Former Faculty William Thompson Prewitt, a

Westminster faculty member from 1980 to 1985 who taught English and was the Dramat director, died Nov. 11, 2020, in Alexandria, Va. A longtime area theater director, he dedicated his life to championing the performing arts and empowering those who shared his passion for the stage.

Tom lived in Falls Church City with his wife and son from 1995 to 2015, volunteering as a coach for many youth basketball and Little League Baseball teams. He was an avid amateur chef, filmgoer and stargazer whose unquenchable thirst for reading was reflected in the numerous late fees he accumulated at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library.

Born and raised in Memphis, Tenn., Tom was class president at White Station High School before attending Harvard University, where he graduated with honors in 1979. An educator at heart, he went on to teach English and theater at schools in Memphis, as well as at Westminster, and later at NYU, Manhattanville College, University of Maryland and George Mason University.

He also engaged with numerous community nonprofits to connect younger generations with the arts.

For 25 years Tom was a fixture in the Washington, D.C., theater scene.

Since 2013, he served as executive and artistic director at Avant Bard Theatre in Arlington, where his bold creative vision brought to life both classical texts and new projects. He is survived by his wife, Eun-Joo Chang; son, Alex; father, James; siblings; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Spring 2021

79

Closing Thoughts

The Cursor on the Page

By Olatunji Osho-Williams ’21 Westminster Alumni Association Scholar

You are walking through a library, searching for something to pass the time. You eye a couple of shelves and pick up a book.

You flip through, read the inside cover and put it back. Wasn’t for you. You see other books and repeat the process until something on the bestseller shelf catches your eye. As you drive away, the expanse of books you just walked through shrinks into a small library-sized dot in the distance. Those thousands of books fade back into a blip on your radar until your next visit.

There were thousands of books in that library, and you chose one. There may have been another, equally appealing book, but final decisions are final. What happens to those books?

What happens now that you have made your choice? Does their memory stay with you on your next trip to the library? Do they disappear?

A blinking cursor greets me with these same questions every time I open a new word document. Each time the cursor blinks, the fear of missing out rears its ugly head, and I am stuck with the fact that there is only so much I can do. There is only so much I can do to control the possibilities of what I could write instead of what I am writing. There is only so much I can do to seize the ideas that float my way until I have spent a half-hour thinking about writing instead of actually putting pen to paper.

There is only so much I can do to silence the old adage that lurks at the end of each period and comma: “nothing lasts forever.”

With this in mind, there is a sense of urgency that comes when I am writing, a constant clock ticking in the back of my brain. Sometimes it feels like a race between my mind and my keyboard for who will finish the line quicker. Other times, it feels like a geriatric half-marathon. What remains the same is the finality of those lost ideas and the danger of the unexplored path I am following. I never escape this fear; it follows as a story switches direction and a poem changes tone. But as words begin to fall in line and I slide into the rhythm of a sentence, that fear recedes and the clock slows its timer.

People call this place “the zone.” The zone is the sensation of entering an air-conditioned room on a hot day. For a split-second, every sense is concentrated on that change in temperature. When I write, this sensation is stretched and expanded over sentences and paragraph breaks. All possibilities of brainstorming disappear, and I am left with clear skies to navigate the path I have chosen. When I forge down the unexplored path with clarity of mind, I am at my happiest. I am unbothered by the fear of what this piece could have been, and I am absorbed in what it is. I am reassured with the knowledge that out of thousands of changing paths and ideas, I chose the perfect book at the library.

80

Westminster Bulletin

Olatunji Osho-Williams

I continue down this path and arrive at a place where the clock stops, the race ends, and I am left with the product of that initial possibility: the results of my writing. Out of a wide array of paths, I chose one that brought me to the tangible representation of what I had formed in my mind. The air conditioning continues and if just for a short time, my ideas feel permanent. The constant search for this place of clarity and permanence is my writing process. It is the light that guides every time I experiment with sentence structure, erase dialogue and rearrange scenes. Writing is the translation of my thoughts into their locked container, into a work I feel can preserve my initial idea’s emotions and defy the constraints of time.

I write in the pursuit of happiness. I write for when the world grows calm and shrinks to my computer screen. I write for the final comma in a sentence, when the terror of choice recedes because I know what word comes next. When thoughts ebb and flow from the mind to the page, I am finally free from the age-old adage: “nothing lasts forever.”

TRUSTEES 2020-2021 John S. Armour ’76 Emeritus Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

Elisabeth M. Armstrong P’04, ’06, ’07 Emerita Dallas, Texas

Jacqueline J. Ferro P’20 Chicago, Ill.

Jakub B. Mleczko ’00 Ex officio New York, N.Y.

Colin S. Flinn ’82 Sanibel, Fla.

Elizabeth A. Moran ’06 Ex officio Seattle, Wash.

Stephen W. Bailey ’89, P’21, ’23 Alexandria, Va.

Joseph L. Gitterman III ’55, P’86, ’86, ’90, GP’24 Emeritus Washington Depot, Conn.

Elisabeth Gailun Baird ’98 New Canaan, Conn.

Eunice J. Han-van Vredenburch ’84, P’21 Rye, N.Y.

Christopher M. Beck P’08, ’13 Ex officio Harpswell, Maine

Powell W. Holly III ’82 Fredericksburg, Va.

William L. Beckford ’89, P’23, ’23 Baltimore, Md. William D. Brewer P’17, ’21 New York, N.Y. Curtis F. Brockelman Jr. ’86, P’19 Greenwich, Conn.

Robert T. Horsford ’89 Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Ian M. Morton ’87, P’22 San Francisco, Calif.

David H. Hovey Jr. ’78, P’09, ’11, ’14 Chatham, Mass.

Martin R. Irani ’83 Encino, Calif.

Alison P. Pappas P’22 Ex officio New York, N.Y. William Pappas P’22 Ex officio New York, N.Y. Mary Minns Peck ’90 Denver, Colo.

William V.N. Philip P’06, ’09 Head of School Ex officio Simsbury, Conn.

Christopher J. Campbell ’91 London, U.K.

Moyahoena Ogilvie Johnson ’86 Vice Chair of the Board Bloomfield, Conn.

Renée Lynch Carrel ’84, P’19, ’21 Boston, Mass.

Martin Kelly P’22 New York, N.Y.

C. Bradford Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24 Chair of the Board New York, N.Y.

Edward V. Dardani Jr. P’14, ’18 Waccabuc, N.Y.

David W. Kistler ’87, P’22 Tiburon, Calif.

Susan M. Ryan P’12 Smithtown, N.Y.

John H. Davis P’05 Emeritus Longmeadow, Mass.

Jane Kessler Lennox ’88, P’16, ’18 New Albany, Ohio

Thomas D. Sargent II ’77, P’10 West Hartford, Conn.

Bryan Martin ’86 Larchmont, N.Y.

Samuel Thorne ’46, P’74, ’76 Emeritus Bedford, Mass.

Lori P. Durham P’13, ’15 Denver, Colo.

William C. Egan III ’64, P’92, ’95, ’00, ’02 Emeritus Jackson, Wyo. Madeleine Ekholm P’19, ’20 Greenwich, Conn.

Westminster Bulletin SPRING 2021 Published by:

Westminster School 995 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070 (860) 408-3000

Thomas W. McCargo ’82, P’21 Sewickley, Pa. Andrew D. McCullough Jr. ’87 Houston, Texas T. Treadway Mink Jr. ’77, P’11 Emeritus Greenville, S.C.

This magazine is produced twice a year by the Marketing and Communications Office.

Send Class Notes

via email to Cris Gomez ’10, Director of Alumni Relations: classnotes@westminster-school.org In keeping with our support for a diverse community, Westminster abides by all applicable federal and state laws and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry and/or disability.

Kirsten Sichler Webb ’98 Greenwich, Conn.

Benjamin D. Williams IV ’81 Carpinteria, Calif.

Editor

Darlene Skeels Director of Communications and Publications dskeels@westminster-school.org Director of Marketing and Communications

Jeff Kennard P’19 Photography

Seshu Badrinath, Richard Bergen, Jeff Kennard, David Newman and Tyler Wosleger Design

John Johnson Art Direction & Design Riverton, Conn.

The Trustees of Westminster School, Inc. 995 Hopmeadow Street Simsbury CT 06070

www.Westminster-School.org

Members of Chorale during a February performance in Werner Centennial Center.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Avon, CT Permit #9