commencement Magna Cum Laude James Parry Henckel von Donnersmarck ’18, Henderson Hayes Jiranek ’17, Edward Lowndes Laney ’17, Chenqui Li ’18, James Bennett Parks ’17, Dominic Sebastian Pinion ’18, John Powell Pittman II ’16, Chun Zen Marc Tse ’15, David Earl Willis ’16, Robert Barksdale Willis ’16; Cum Laude William Wallace Bruner IV ’17, Hayes Richard Johnson ’17, George McLean Shriver V ’18, Alfred Braswell Cooper Willis ’18 princeton book award for outstanding leadership and academic capabilities as well as leadership contributions outside of school Jannis Stöter ’16
scholastic art & writing awards Gold Key David Nathanial Gussler ’16, Robert Stanley Prater III ’16, Jordan Heath Silberman ’16; Silver Key Andrew Foster Harris ’15; Honorable Mention John O’Donnell Creasy ’15, Spencer Teel Goodwin ’16, Caleb Taliaferro Rogers ’16
religion award John Powell Pittman II ’16
underformer drama award Jared Lucas O’Neal Thalwitz ’16
rensselaer medal for math and science Byungjoo Park ’16
william & mary leadership award for inspirational leadership, outstanding scholarship, and unwavering loyalty Jaquelin Taylor Robertson Claiborne ’16
rhodes book award for exemplary community service Hayes Richard Johnson ’17 samuel b. fray memorial award for distinction in character, leadership, and athletics Caleb Hite Simmons ’18
Joel Ndumbalo ’15 and Nolan LaVoie
stories and histories award Kyle Patrick Kauffman ’18 literary magazine award Robert Stanley Prater III ’16 third form physics award Chenqiu Li ’18 us history award Wyatt Sanford Beazley V ’16
william r. kenan jr. science award for the top scholar in science among the fifth form Justin Drury Mitchell ’16
Senior prefect Christian Zaytoun ’15
Ryan Kim ’15 and family
26 woodberry forest magazine and journal
billy armfield ’52 receives woodberry’s highest honor William Johnson “Billy” Armfield IV ’52 received the J. Carter Walker Award at graduation in May 2015. This award has only been presented twenty-eight times to a person who has served the school with unusual distinction and is deserving of special recognition. Few alumni can match Billy’s commitment to Woodberry over the years. He has served as a class agent, reunion chair, and a member of the sixth-form parent committee. In addition to serving as national chairman of Woodberry’s Centennial campaign, he was vice-chairman of the recent Our Strong Band campaign effort. He has also been a dedicated trustee, serving between 1978 and 1984 and again between 1992 and 2001. During his second term on the board, he chaired its investment committee. Billy received the school’s Distinguished Service Award in 1989, and he is currently a member of the On My Honor Committee. Armfield Hall is named for the Armfield family; Billy and his wife, Janie, are among the school’s most generous supporters. Billy came to Woodberry from Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1948. Lauded in the 1952 Fir Tree as “one of the most popular boys on campus,” he was an active and engaged member of the community. He was a member of the monitor board and the German Club. He captained the varsity soccer team and played golf and varsity football. Billy went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a degree in business administration in 1956 and ultimately chaired its board of trustees. He then served in the US Army for two years. After receiving an MBA from Harvard in 1962, he launched a highly successful career in the textile industry, including service as president of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute. Billy worked as vice president for marketing for the Madison Throwing Company. He later started Macfield Texturing Company, which merged with Unifi, Inc., a leading processor of multifilament polyester and nylon textured yarns. He left Unifi in 1996 to become president of Spotswood Capital, LLC, a private investment firm. Billy and Janie live in Richmond and are the parents of seven children, including three who attended Woodberry Forest: Claiborne Hancock of the Class of 1992; James Hancock of the Class of 1995; and Billy Armfield of the Class of 2007.