39 minute read
Athletics
— BRIAN DOWLING ’22
FEATURED ATHLETE
BRIAN DOWLING ’22
More Than a Legacy Player
It’s not everyday someone graduates from Avon Old Farms School and leaves the place he has called home since birth. But that is the case for Brian Dowling ’22, son of Amy and Rob Dowling ’91. To say Brian’s Avon journey has been unique is probably an understatement but to say he is an exceptional Avonian is not. Before he sets off for Harvard in the fall, the Avonian sat down with Brian to learn what being a part of Avon, specifically Avon baseball, for so many years has been like.
People often say top baseball players were born with a bat in their hands, and in this case, that statement isn’t far off. Brian says he began swinging a bat by the age of two and was dressed up as a baseball for the Avon Old Farms Halloween costume contest even before then. He was just a youngster when he began attending AOF baseball practices, serving as the team’s bat boy and traveling with the team to Florida for spring break training. “Growing up, my family always gave me the option of attending Avon Old Farms or another school, but in my heart, I knew Avon would be it,” begins Brian. “I played hide-and-seek in the Field House as soon as it opened, watched baseball games on Carpenter Field, and ate meals in the Riddle Refectory. Avon was a home I was in no hurry to leave—just the opposite. I couldn’t wait to join the community and earn the title of Avonian after living among them for so long.”
When he enrolled as a freshman in the fall of 2017, Brian was the one telling new students how to find the Elephant 44 classroom and which field fifths soccer practiced on. He also has a cohort of seven Avon public school friends who enrolled at AOF with him, so the transition to high school was fairly easy.
When it came to baseball, Brian tried out for the Avon varsity team in the spring of his freshman year. Though he was cut that first season, he knows it was the right move and is grateful for the opportunities trying out provided. “I knew as soon as I saw the other varsity candidates that I was not ready to be on that team, but I was still able to go on the March spring break trip to Florida and spend some time with those guys. I played on JV, and we ended up finishing with a record of 12-0. It was a lot of fun playing that spring.”
That freshman season was also when Brian began to see himself as a pitcher. He was still hitting a bit, but he and two other guys were the go-to pitchers for the JV team. That summer during AOF baseball camp, alumnus Mike Castellani ’13 shared some techniques with Brian, and from there his progress continued. The following summer, he put a lot of time and energy
challenge of it. — BRIAN DOWLING ’22
into developing his pitching skills, and from that point forward, he knew his place on the field. “I really enjoy being a pitcher because I’m always in control of the play. I’m not left hoping someone else will do what I would do. It’s a mental battle, taking the pitcher’s mound, and I love the challenge of it,” he explains. “I have to be on my A game every pitch, and I also have to imagine what the batter thinks I’m going to do, what I can do instead, and how I can make it look to him. I need to know the right pitch for each situation. I also love that baseball isn’t a game of brute force; there’s a lot of finesse to it, especially in terms of pitching.”
After finishing his first year on varsity at the end of his sophomore year, Brian had a big decision to make when it came to his game and his future: should he repeat his sophomore year? Brian explains that his father had always pushed the merits of having an extra year under his belt before moving on to college, but Brian wasn’t always on the same page. He worried what that would mean socially and how his peers would perceive it. However, once he began to focus his skills and grow as a player and as a student, he began to see the benefits.
“Actually, my uncle Patrick came to Avon to repeat his junior year and graduated as a senior in 2000,” Brian explains. “I always wanted to follow in my dad’s and my uncle’s footsteps when it came to baseball, and when it was time to really hone my skills, I knew that repeating would give me the best college prospects in the future. The extra year would benefit me as a student and as an athlete.”
The Dowling intuition for repeating was fruitful: as soon as Brian began his repeat year, colleges began to reach out, saying they’d be interested in having him on their team when the time came. That winter, he traveled to Harvard’s prospect players camp. He wasn’t pitching especially fast yet, but the coaches said they’d be keeping an eye on him. He knew he wanted to improve as much as he could and looked forward to another season with the varsity team when something no one could have predicted happened: COVID-19 cancelled the spring 2020 term, including all spring sports.
In response, Brian doubled-down on his commitment to baseball. Without a season, he once more turned to the Avon network literally in his backyard: he began working out with Coach Callaghan, starting with P90X in his basement. When he realized how his gains in strength and conditioning could improve his game, he was all in. He also credits his younger sister with helping him make significant gains, sharing that she has a knack for nutrition and often had a protein shake waiting for him when he returned from the gym—and with any luck, one of her fabulous bowls too. With her help, he gained almost 40 pounds in a single year, and his fastball speed went from 79 to 87 mph.
That summer Brian began sharing film of his improved technique and increased
speed. In the fall of 2020, as Avon prepared to reopen its doors to students for in-person learning, Brian sent a flurry of emails to all the colleges he had any interest in—just before September 1, when they could legally contact him for recruitment. “I got a few calls, but the process took some time. Coaches would ask me how my fall was going and request current video, but recruitment picked up when the first offer came. I think knowing I was receiving offers began putting the pressure on other schools to follow suit, and on October 28, Harvard called. The coach said, ‘We’re going to offer you a spot.’ They said all I needed was to get a certain score on my SATs, and then it would be secure. When my SAT results came on November 4, I called them back and told them I had done well, and that was it. I was officially recruited by Harvard to play baseball.
“I never thought going to Harvard, let alone getting recruited by them, would be possible. It’s more like a dream than reality,” Brian says. “But, when the opportunity came, I was thrilled. The academic environment combined with baseball, my relationship with the coach, and being in Boston is a special opportunity I realize I am fortunate to have.” As it turns out, all the years of being a bat boy for the likes of George Springer ’08 and living next to his high school math teacher can be the road to big things. But there’s more to Brian Dowling’s story than baseball and good grades.
In addition to five years of Avon baseball, Brian also put in five years of Avon basketball. He started on thirds as a tall and lanky player but eventually worked his way to varsity with Coach Mihalich his junior year. “My first two years at Avon I was on thirds, which was a lot of fun. During my repeat year, I had the opportunity to be the last man on the varsity squad but decided to play on JV instead. When it came time to play varsity, I thought maybe I’d get a free sweatshirt and some good times on the bench, but it was the year of COVID,
and we were down some major players. I ended up starting and battling with my teammates through a tough but fun season.”
At the end of the season, Coach Mihalich asked Brian if that would be his last time playing varsity basketball, but to the coach’s delight, Brian agreed that he’d be back the following year to finish his Avon career with the varsity team. Brian says that he’s enjoyed how different the games of baseball and basketball are: one is more focused on a group of individuals working together in separate plays; the other is truly a team sport. He’s also enjoyed getting to throw his weight around on Cole Court in more of a show of strength and force than he can on the baseball diamond. “I’m still waiting to get my free sweatshirt from Coach; maybe as a graduation present, I’ll get it. But, if I traded that for minutes during my last year at Avon, that’s not a bad deal either,” he jokes.
Like many Avonians before him, Brian also packed a lot more than sports into his time at Avon. During his five years as a student, he took eight advanced placement, two post-advanced placement, and eight honors courses. He was an admissions ambassador and a club leader, a Big Brother, a peer tutor, a head day-student monitor, and a Special Olympics volunteer. He gave up leadership positions so others could have them for their college applications and often struck out on his own to make a name for himself as a Avonian.
One such endeavor was wearing a child’s Sofia the First backpack all fall semester and replacing it with a Lightning McQueen child’s backpack in the spring when the first one could no longer hold up to the weight of large textbooks. In his Chapel Talk, Brian explained, “At the beginning of this year, a few seniors thought it would be funny if we bought kindergarten backpacks. I bought
— BRIAN DOWLING ’22
mine early but soon realized no one else had followed through. I decided to keep mine because if you let other people’s perception of you dictate your behavior, you will not grow as a person—if you leave yourself open to experience and act on personal choices regardless of the possible reaction of others, you will learn who you are and, from that, be a true version of yourself.”
Brian is also a shameless Taylor Swift fan and loves trying to be an example of irony on campus. But as much as he’s known for being a bit of a jokester, he also wants people to know he’s a genuine guy who deeply cares for the Avon community. “I strive to practice empathy all the time and push myself to be aware of what’s going on around me. I try my best to not leave anyone behind. I take the time to get to know people and their stories. Growing up at Avon could have been like living in a bubble, but if you’re open to it, you can take Avon for the diverse microcosm it is and learn to be a global citizen.”
As his Avon student chapter closes, Brian reflects on his time as one of true growth and says that the school he thought he knew so well gave him much more than he ever would have expected. “I know it’s the school cliche, but I understand now why Avon is where boys become men. I started as a wide-eyed 14-year-old with a developing work ethic, but Avon taught me how to mature as a person, a student, and an athlete. I am leaving here more prepared for the next step in my journey than I ever could have imagined.”
COACHES CORNER
COACH JOHN T. GARDNER: Lessons Learned after Nearly 50 Years of Coaching High School Sports
IN December 2021, Coach John T. Gardner hit a major milestone: 800 career wins. With that much experience, both on and off the ice, he likely learned a few truths along the way. The following is some of what Coach Gardner learned and believes to be true during his 47 years of teaching and coaching.
Team sports, particularly contact sports, are great training for life because people need courage to play these sports and must sacrifice their personal egos for the sake of the team.
• Certain rules are hard and fast, such as being on time. • Try to treat everyone the same but know that is impossible in managing a team of different personalities. • Always be prepared and know what you want and are going to do for each practice. Always have a sheet with drills to do. It may vary or change, but you need structure and preparation. • Coaches must be good teachers and communicate clearly. • Try to teach values and good habits as in class and with your team, but don’t be political or proselytize your religion. • Realize the game is for the players, not the coaches. Sublimate your ego, and know parents want to win but that their children’s success is number one. • Embrace the idea that you can always learn from others. As my father said,
“The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.” • Practice is usually a pretty good indicator of how players will perform in a game.
If they can’t do it in practice, chances are they won’t do it in a game. • If you think your team played poorly, it’s usually not that bad when watching the video. Conversely, if you think they played really well, it’s not always the case on video. • Learn to read people through their actions, not what they say. Body language! • When recruiting a prospective player, remember the apple does not fall far from the tree. • Fame is fleeting. There will be highs and lows. Try to remain balanced. • Know that sports can often bring a group or school together. In a boy’s boarding school, athletics are the glue that brings all together in a common cause. • Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. However, if you lose, use that loss as motivation to perform better in the next contest. • The only way to ensure failure is to give up. “Never, ever give up.”—Jim Valvano. • The best coaches never stop working to make their teams better. Success is a product of hard work and preparation. Having good players helps!
FACULTY FOCUS
Cristina Pinton
A Decade of Leading the Arts— and Other Initiatives
BY JACQUELINE KELLER
Ms. P loves a challenge. From the postgraduate who declares on day two of classes that he’s going to drop his art course to the freshman boy who doesn’t dare take a risk in the art studio, Cristina Pinton has been persuading Avonians to give art a chance for 10 years. She’s one of the most vocal advocates on campus when it comes to standing up for what she believes in, and during her whole career, that’s been one thing: people need art.
Pinton grew up in Canton, Conn., where she drew from the moment she could hold a pencil. The youngest child in the family, Pinton admired her older brothers and their interest in the fantasy world of Michael Wheelan, complete with imaginative castles and dragons. Mythical art always covered the bedroom walls, and the rest of the house was adorned with Renaissance art thanks to her Italian American father and aspiringactress mother, but she didn’t begin to find solace in the art studio until high school.
“It really was my two high school art teachers who made the difference: Renee Hughes and Jim Gorman. They pushed my boundaries and opened my eyes to the worlds of jewelry, ceramics, drawing, painting, and more,” Pinton shares. “At the same time, the art studio became a safe-haven and a source of inspiration. I battled the classic ‘artsy-smartsy kid’ thing in a school of jocks and good-looking teenagers, and the art studio became my territory. Canton High’s studio was always open to me, and I often stayed into the evening until the janitors locked up. As a freshman, I worked alongside upperclassmen and was treated with respect. That time spent in the studio was a source of strength and courage that fueled me throughout my adolescence.”
One day she happened to find an old pamphlet from Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program. Her teacher encouraged her to pursue a teen workshop at the craft school, and the rest is history. “It’s really quite amazing that one encouraging word from a teacher you trust or one old pamphlet at the bottom of a bookshelf in the back of an art room can change your life forever,” she muses now.
College and Beyond
After Canton High, she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. Although she studied art, she’s quick to remind people she took advantage of the school’s well-rounded curriculum and earned A's in her criminology, sociology, and psychology courses. Her first job was working for the Department of Corrections teaching pre-education classes. Her experiences there
I actually got to know Ms. Pinton through one of the most difficult times of my education. It was my sophomore year, and I was torn between my cultural identity and my personal identity.
During this lost adolescence time, I actually got to produce one of my personal favorites and most important pieces of art in my life so far. Under Ms. Pinton's guidance, I was able to fully explore and manifest my self-identity through painting. The self-portrait In the mirror, I am also myself not only helped serve as a self-reminder of who I truly am but also convinced my parents to support my application to architecture school. To this day, when I face a difficult creative decision, I still look back to those days and the self-portrait as a source of inspiration and reminder.
— JACKIE CHEN ’15
and her future roles teaching in low-income areas and with at-risk students after earning her master’s in art education from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design showed her how much young people need art as an outlet, a form of expression, or an escape.
“I learned both sides of the coin: teaching in the most challenging circumstances with both economic and behavioral challenges and teaching some of the most artistically talented young folks. Through teaching these populations, I began to see how important education is and why I am the fierce advocate for the arts I am today,” she explains. “Shouldn’t everyone teach the thing they think is essential?” Pinton goes on to explain that art is at the core of all education, saying, “Art helps people learn who they are and what they think about the world. How they weave a solution together for an abstract prompt reflects a lot more than artistic ability. How could art not be important?”
Finding Her Future
In 2004, Cristina moved to Italy to soak up the culture where her family originated. There, she created and taught art classes to college students, focusing on hands-on, on-site, truly experiential and experimental learning. “I was teaching about the architectural feats of Brunelleschi standing in front of the massive dome he built, in the Piazza del Duomo … I was surrounded by pigeons, passing out charcoal and sketchpads to my students, and drawing 1,000-year-old sculptures!” she excitedly recalls.
Lured by the food, art, language, and history, she remained until 2011. It was in Italy that she met her husband, Klajd, but they eventually agreed that their future was in the United States. Curiously, that mysterious school hidden in the woods near her Ms. Pinton was one of my closest teacher relationships, and that did not stop after Avon. She was the first person I called when I decided to switch my major to art and design at the University of Delaware, and we talked often when I decided to transfer to the Cleveland Institute of Art. I graduated from Cleveland with a BFA in drawing. I have shown in multiple galleries, painted murals of my own in Cleveland, and am currently a paint apprentice at Colossal Media in Brooklyn, New York, hand painting murals and advertisements around the country for clients like Nike, Chanel, Gucci, Patagonia, and many more. If it wasn't for the classes I took at Avon, my life would be very different right now.
— NICK BIRNIE ’14
childhood home called out to her on her return. “When we came back to Canton, it was meant to be temporary. I took a position as a temp art teacher for 600 elementary schoolers while a woman was on maternity leave. At the end of that, I myself was pregnant and looking to settle down when a position at Avon Old Farms appeared.” That was in 2012, and over the past decade, Pinton has become a defining feature of not only the arts but also Avon. Under her leadership, the department has expanded to include more teaching staff and more classes. It’s moved forward with the times, offering classics such as dark room and drawing but also new skills, including digital photography and graphic design. “We’ve not only grown our own skills through each other and through professional development but have also transformed our curriculum and projects from year to year based on what students are attracted to. There’s a constant discourse and reflection of what’s Ms. Pinton's greatest impact on my career at Avon was providing me with a safe, judgment-free space to create. The art building became an oasis for me; it was a place I could go to at any time to escape. It didn't matter what was happening on the fields or in the classroom; the environment Ms. P created in that art building allowed me to express myself in a healthy way. Having that outlet was a big reason for my success as an artist, a student, and an athlete. The freedom I and so many other students felt and still feel in that building is a testament to Ms. Pinton’s passion and love for showing young men the arts and the importance of expression. She makes each and every student feel welcomed in that building and creates an environment that does the same.
— MAX RIESER ’16
happening in the art world, what’s happening in our boys’ lives. That’s what keeps us—both teachers and students—engaged.”
She also spearheaded the Advanced Independent Project Program (AIP) for students who show exceptional skill in a niche area. Through the program, students work under the expertise of professionals both on and off campus to learn how to expand their own gifts and desires to excel. Each student is required to complete a significant project or series of projects— ranging from portfolio building to medical research, athletic training to finance and investment and more—and then present what he learned to the entire student body at the end of the time allotted. Given the space to experience a trade with the guidance of trained and proven adults, students build their résumés and gain invaluable experience as they seek further education in that field.
“I know that not every kid is an artist and an athlete. I wanted to challenge that perception while making a space for the boys who have a different facet that needs to be shined up. The AIP helps do that, and with more sides shining, the more brilliant they become. The boy who loves medicine can intern with Jackson Labs. The boy who loves fashion design can sew and create a brand. It’s completely up to them, and if they prove to be dedicated to working on that project, we now have a spot for that to happen.” Ms. Pinton was my photo teacher all four years, and seeing her grow and push herself to be a better, more creative artist gave me a greater appreciation for art and for high school teachers and in turn pushed me to be a better student and creative artist. She helped me be the artist I wanted to be and was always trying to show the world that her students had talent worthy of being seen. Ms. Pinton elevated my time at AOF and helped elevate my spirit.
— LUKE O’CONNOR ’16
My afternoons immersed in art and showcasing my work through the many exhibits Ms. Pinton organized were some of my most memorable times at Avon. After graduating, I found myself less occupied with art because of the demands of being a pre-med undergraduate at Johns Hopkins. As I look back at the impact Ms. Pinton had on me, I understand how my love for art has now been filled with research. The biggest lesson Ms. Pinton taught me was to project myself into the work I'm engaged in. As a neuroscience researcher, this is the approach I take when asking questions about how the brain allows us to perceive and navigate the world. The creative energy I put into perfecting an artwork at Avon has seamlessly transferred to tackling scientific problems at the lab.
— YOUNG JUN SONG ’16
More Than a Workplace
Through her constant advocacy around campus, everyone—even those who do not take art—knows Ms. P, her husband, and her boys, Orion and Xhulian. They’ve lived in the Coop since day one, and Avonian Jackie Chen ’15 was first to see Pinton and her first newborn baby when they came home from the hospital. “When I think about my family, Avon is interwoven now. I think about Orion, and I remember being seven months pregnant at the start of the school year, worrying how all my students probably wanted my big belly to stop banging into the backs of their chairs. I think about Arden Coleman ’16 excitedly knocking on my door to show me something and not understanding that I had a sleeping baby upstairs so he had to be quiet. Those memories are beautiful because I’m still in touch with dozens of those boys from every year I've taught art!”
To that end, Avon isn’t just about art for Pinton. Avon is where she’s lived and raised a family, just steps away from the studio she works in each day. That space is an extension of her family, a space she cares for deeply. She’s cultivated a place on campus where kids can relax, complete homework, listen to music, and just be kids. It’s not sterile, so when a new student comes in, he isn’t afraid to grab a marker and some paper and settle into a quiet corner. It’s also a space full of respect, and the students take that to heart. “Whether it’s an art student bringing a friend with him
Ms. P impacted my growth at Avon tremendously. She was not only my art teacher and academic advisor but also a parental figure, someone I could go to for guidance and comfort. She frequently invited other advisees and me to her family lunch/dinner at her house in the Coop. Those were some of the best memories I had at Avon.
— BON BHAKDIBHUMI ’19
or a boy I’ve never worked with before emailing me about using the digital arts lab on a Saturday morning so he can make a hockey poster for his roommate, boys know they can come in and feel free to be themselves—as long as they respect the space and each other. Very few have ever taken advantage of that, and when someone does try, usually there are students who set him right.”
Pinton also knows that creating a judgmentfree environment is necessary for the kids who need art to work through thoughts and ideas they don’t yet have words for. Some boys paint their fears. Some boys paint their aspirations. But only if they know they’ll be supported through that are they comfortable putting it down in any tangible way. “When I was in high school, the art studio was an area of no judgment, no limitations. I remember how important it was for me to have that untamed outlet for self-expression, and that’s something that I keep at the forefront of my teaching every day,” she says. “I intentionally write vague prompts and encourage students to create something that is meaningful to them, to give students room to run with an idea. ‘Show me your connection to home,’ for example, can be taken in a different direction by each student, and seeing someone formulate an idea and surprise himself with an outcome is what fuels me. I know the story of each boy’s AP portfolio and his journey to that point of expression. I remember faces and can feel their individual energies—though some may have been goofier than others, or less serious about art, they each found a place to learn something new about making or being.”
As a teacher, Ms. Pinton helps her students explore the full extent of their creativity. She also listens and feels strong empathy for each of her students. I think that's a great strength because it helped me a lot to realize what I can do with the skills that I have. I've become more expressive than before and find it easier to express my thoughts and feelings.
— MATT SON ’20
Ms. Pinton was the first person to show me the possibilities I could have with a medium, which was art in my case. From my first year of Avon to my last, she pushed me when I needed motivation and gave me support when I needed strength. As my advisor, she took me in as a part of one big family of various artists, and under her guidance, I was able to create an environment where I could focus on furthering my passion with art and animals while growing my work ethic in classes.
— EUGENE KIM ’20
Passion Recognized
Pinton’s excitement for her students has been well documented. She has led the development of the art curriculum as chair of the Visual Arts Department. In 2019, Pinton was voted Connecticut Art Educators Association (CAEA) Art Educator of the Year. She has presented at the International Boys’ Schools Coalition’s conference, celebrating all-boys education and bringing awareness to boys’ voices through art. She brought the National Arts Honor Society to Avon and also dreamed up a special annual show at Avon to feature the art of local middle schoolers and high schoolers—in a gallery space she created on campus—with the goal of supporting all young people in the arts. During her time at Avon, she has been named the Independent School Representative for the CAEA and received the 2017 AOF Fanning Faculty Award. Even more recently, Pinton began writing for SchoolArts (Davis Publications), which seeks art educators who are talented in the classroom and yearn to share their experiences and discoveries with peers and colleagues in the field.
Her efforts don’t come easy: answering the call of a student at night when she’s just sitting down to dinner with her family or supervising the studio on a weekend when her children are outside playing in the grass are active choices. It takes a special family to love and appreciate being part of such a demanding community and a keen understanding of being apart from your family to empathize with the boarding students. Though it comes with perks such as family/ student pick-up soccer games in front of the Coop and Pokémon cards from all over the world for the children, the Pinton family
Ms. P is unmatched. She’s always had a super power for knowing students' capabilities and energy for the arts. Once you are in her class, it isn't a free period. She demands a serious and explorative attitude from every student. She knows what her students are capable of and expects them to live up to the potential she sees. Her class was intense but one of the most rewarding because she pulls out her students’ potential and leaves us surprised with ourselves. To anyone in the future taking a class with Ms. P, get ready to work hard, have fun, and create work you would have never guessed you could do.
— GRAHAM DECKERS ’20
gives just as much to the community as their matriarch, and Avonians are grateful to have been a part of her decade of work and selflessness. “The truth is, I live through the art of my students, and sometimes I get more excited about what they’re doing than they do. Then, when a student who said he’d never like art walks away on graduation clutching something he completed that he’s prouder of than anything else, it’s all worth it.” Having Ms. Pinton as a teacher is like having a cool aunt. In short, she’s not just an exceptional teacher, but she’s a mentor, a friend, and someone you can trust like family.
I signed up for art to impress my girlfriend. Little did I know art would become my career pursuit. My point being, Ms. Pinton helped to turn a simple new experience for a trivial reason into a core part of my current being. Even when I had an idea that conflicted with the traditional assignment, she would help me mold it into an applicable piece. She supported all my abstract ideas all the while helping me turn them into beautiful visualizations. By doing all of this, Ms. Pinton helped me find my path even when I couldn’t quite see it myself.
— XANDER SANBORN ’21
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS:
Andreas Zavitsas ’55
In the late fall of 1954, Andreas Athanasios Zavitsas boarded a plane and traveled from his home in Greece to Avon Old Farms School. The opportunity had been organized by a Greek American association to thank the young defenders of the Greek nation in the face of Hitler’s invasion. Private schools, such as Avon, agreed to give these men an education so they could one day return to Greece and pull their country out of despair. Speaking little to no English when he arrived, Andreas planned to spend one year learning the language and the culture before enrolling at an American university. He never could have foreseen the wide-reaching scientific and academic career that would be his future.
“When I arrived, I had no idea where I was. Several feet of snow covered the grounds, and I didn’t even know where to find the bathrooms. I was comforted seeing the Greek philosopher Diogenes sitting atop one of the dorms and the Greek Doric columns that sat in front of the bank. But I disliked the rural setting of Avon Old Farms so much that when the Greek American association that got me to America said I would matriculate to a small college in the woods of New Hampshire if I received good marks on my Avon exams, I failed on purpose. I would rather have been sent back to war-torn Greece without an
When I arrived, I had no idea where I was. Several feet of snow covered the grounds … I was comforted seeing the Greek philosopher Diogenes sitting atop one of the dorms and the Greek Doric columns that sat in front of the bank.
— ANDREAS ZAVITSAS ’55
American education than spend more time in the woods! In Avon’s rural village setting, I was a fish out of water.”
Fortunately, an observant science teacher brought Andreas’s failings to the attention of Don Pierpont, who got to the heart of the matter quickly. “I owe Don Pierpont a lot; he was the one who sat me down and said, ‘What the hell is happening here? No one can fail a true/false exam, getting 98 percent of the questions wrong. You’ve done this on purpose!’ The faculty didn’t have to care or look into it. But they did.”
When Andreas explained his desire to be in an urban setting, Don called the Greek American association and renegotiated where Andreas could matriculate. Don’s demands were of course agreed to, and after his year at Avon, Andreas attended the City College of New York from 1955–59 and continued at Columbia University, earning his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1962. He then accepted a two-year post-doctoral position for research with stable and radioactive isotopes coming from the nuclear reactors of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island.
His next career stop was with the Monsanto Chemical Company in Chicopee Falls, Mass., where he researched synthetic resins, such as Formica. These materials are highly heat resistant, strong, and nonflammable. The timing of his work there—1964–67—proved important. “In those days, NASA was planning the moon mission. President Kennedy was told that we had the power to leave Earth, go to the moon, land, get back off the moon, and return. However, one little problem did remain,” he explains. “The craft would come back to Earth with the velocity of a speeding bullet, and that, paired with our
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APOLLO 8, THE FIRST MANNED MISSION TO THE MOON, ENTERED LUNAR ORBIT ON CHRISTMAS EVE, DEC. 24, 1968. THAT EVENING, COMMANDER FRANK BORMAN, COMMAND MODULE PILOT JIM LOVELL, AND LUNAR MODULE PILOT WILLIAM ANDERS HELD A LIVE BROADCAST FROM LUNAR ORBIT, IN WHICH THEY SHOWED PICTURES OF EARTH AND THE MOON AS SEEN FROM THEIR SPACECRAFT. SAID LOVELL, "THE VAST LONELINESS IS AWE-INSPIRING AND IT MAKES YOU REALIZE JUST WHAT YOU HAVE BACK THERE ON EARTH." THEY ENDED THE BROADCAST WITH THE CREW TAKING TURNS READING FROM THE BOOK OF GENESIS.
90
international journals of research in chemistry, physics, biology, biochemistry, and engineering
$2.4
million
in grant funding received for Long Island University
atmosphere, would raise the craft’s temperature to the point of vaporizing its occupants. NASA asked Monsanto and the other leading chemical companies of the age to create something lightweight that could protect the ship upon reentry.” Thanks to Andreas and his overengineering of Monsanto’s components, the 1968 Apollo 8 mission was a success.
As exciting as having any part in the nation’s space program could be, Andreas was looking for an academic position to support his expanding interest in research. In 1967, he opted to take a 40 percent pay cut for a position at Long Island University in Brooklyn. N.Y. He’s called it home ever since.
Google Scholar reveals that since 1967, Andreas has published 91 scholarly articles, which have been cited nearly 3,000 times in more than 90 international research journals
IMAGE CREDIT: NASA
in chemistry, physics, biology, biochemistry, and engineering. He has received several grants for the university, totaling about $2.4 million. He taught until the fall of 2021 but is currently continuing his academic research into the properties of a very valuable and cheap substance: water. “We still do not fully understand why it does what it does. No other liquid can support life. How come?” he asks. His latest paper, “Properties of aqueous solutions: A treatise against osmotic and activity coefficients,” published in December 2021, aims to build research in that area.
Andreas met his wife of 62 years, Lourdes, nee Romanacce, during his first weeks in the United States. When Avon shut down for Thanksgiving break, he traveled to New York City to stay with a Columbia student. That student took him along one day to his job at the radio station—there Andreas first laid eyes on Lourdes. “She was sitting behind a console, with all these buttons and slides, running the whole thing. It was incredible,” he recalls. “She asked the Columbia student, ‘Why doesn’t your friend talk?’ When it was shared that I couldn't speak English, she asked, ‘Well, what does he speak?’ Translating through the student, we determined that we both spoke French. From that day forward, we have been together. She was studying physics at Columbia’s Barnard College and went on to earn a master’s in mathematics at City College of New York. Cute as a button and smart as a whip.”
Though none of Andreas’s family immigrated to the United States, his academic work came with a perk: summers off meant he could travel to Greece to spend time with his loved ones. When asked why he never did return to Greece permanently, he spoke to the corrupt landscape left after World War II. “I felt obligated to fulfill my duty to the Americans who paid for my education by returning to Greece and contributing to the rebuilding of the nation. However, when I accepted a contract and returned after completing my degrees, I was told I didn’t have a job. The boss wanted to hire his friends for the work that I was contracted to do. The board of directors pointed out that this man’s wife was the sister to one of the junta leaders—the militia group that had taken control of the government in a coup d'état. It was suggested I leave the country or face execution as a communist. I got the first flight back to New York.”
Today, with a 50-plus-year career as a U.S. science and technology educator behind him, Andreas knows the importance of teaching the hard sciences as early as possible. He believes students need to gain an interest in and curiosity for discovery, and only investing in science and youth will make future innovation possible. He aims to be a part of that support network as long as he can. For that, and all of his work adding to the field of science, this June during Reunion Weekend, Avon Old Farms School will present Andreas with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, a prestigious award bestowed upon a deserving alumnus who has achieved distinction in his professional career, humanitarian endeavors, or other areas of his life.
