BULLETIN | FALL/WINTER 2020
Forever
Our Coach PAGE 12 The Bancroft community reflects on the life of a beloved coach, teacher, mentor, and friend.
ALSO INSIDE JIM DEPREZ ’98 IS THE IDITAROD’S TEACHER ON THE TRAIL™ PAGE 16 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 27
Bancroft Snapshots Life on Shore Drive looked a bit different this Fall as students adjusted to social distancing and mask-wearing. But even a global pandemic couldn’t stop our students from taking ownership of their learning. Check out some of the best shots of students in action, both in and out of the classroom.
Contents Bancroft Bulletin | Fall/Winter 2020 110 Shore Drive Worcester, MA 01605 508-853-2640 www.bancroftschool.org Bancroft Bulletin is published twice a year and mailed to alumni, parents, and friends of Bancroft School.
James P. “Trey” Cassidy III Head of School
Tina Gorski-Strong Chief Advancement Officer
Brianne McNamara Alumni Engagement Officer
Dan Mercurio Director of Marketing & Communications
Jane Carlton
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FOREVER OUR COACH Words of remembrance and celebration of the remarkable life of Coach Mark O’Brien
Marketing & Communications Manager
Christa Papula Advancement Associate
Contributing Writers Dan Mercurio Jane Carlton Brianne McNamara
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VIRTUAL REALITY How Bancroft remained nimble and adjusted to learning during the global pandemic.
Design Greg Gilman Photography Dan Mercurio Jane Carlton
EEP LEARNING, K KEEP EXPLORING!
On The Cover: Bancroft remembers coach Mark O'Brien.
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Jim Deprez ’98 is chosen as the Iditarod’s Teacher on the Trail™.
BULLETIN | FALL/WINTER 2020
Forever
Our Coach
DEPARTMENTS Head of School’s Message.............................................................................. 4 Bancroft News......................................................................................................6 Alumni Class Notes........................................................................................... 17 Annual Report................................................................................................... 27 In Memoriam.......................................................................................................41
A Message From The Head of School
Dear Bancroft Friends, If our community proved one thing when our school shifted to a remote platform this past March, it was the strength in our collective resilience. I witnessed firsthand our incredible teachers shift and rewrite curriculum while learning to teach through a computer seemingly instantly. I witnessed students thinking creatively to maintain a sense of community, camaraderie, and school spirit while staying engaged. I witnessed parents balance their professional lives and responsibilities while simultaneously helping their students at home. And I witnessed alumni reach out in droves to ask how they could help. The Bancroft community did what you would expect when facing adversity; leaned on each other and pushed forward. As we returned to campus this fall, we faced other challenges. New COVID-19 protocols and procedures have temporarily changed a few of the trademark events around school. A ban on large gatherings, social distancing, and mask-wearing are not what any of us signed up for. But I am so incredibly proud of how our students, teachers, staff, and parents have made the most of the opportunity to be on campus, learning together in classrooms and spending lots of time in outdoor activities. Active and engaged learning is happening everyday, and our faculty and students are finding ways to stay true to our mission and values even from 6 feet apart. While nothing is certain as we head into 2021, one thing we feel confident in is our bright future. Our strategic plan BluePrint 125 was designed by our community, for our community and lays out an exciting set of priorities that will carry us forward as we approach our 125th anniversary in 2025. I invite you to read more about the plan in this edition of the Bulletin and to visit our website to see the final digital version. We will need your involvement to achieve our goals and hope you will continue to take an active role. I hope the holiday season is a happy and safe one for you and your family. Sincerely,
Trey Cassidy Head of School
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Pam Sheldon (center) is the latest recipient of the Carpe Diem award, Bancroft’s top teaching honor.
SEIZE THE DAY—AND THE YEAR While 2020 has shut down many traditional Bancroft events, it did not stop our incredible faculty from teaching. It also did not stop the annual recognition of that exceptional teaching. Pam Sheldon, Upper School science and health teacher, is the latest recipient of the Carpe Diem award, Bancroft’s most prestigious teaching honor. Typically, the award winner is announced in an all-school assembly at the end of the academic year. Given that nothing is typical about 2020, Sheldon’s award was formally announced on a Zoom call with Upper School faculty and students this past May. “To have it happen in front of my students, and to see their reactions and their comments in the chat, that meant more to me than anything because they're the reason we do this job,” Sheldon said. “To see them just be so happy and say things like, ‘That's my advisor,’ it was huge.” There was the initial shock—and then there was the additional surprise of seeing some familiar faces on the Zoom call, too. “I heard my dad's voice be like, ‘Go, Pammy,’” said Sheldon. “I come from a family of educators, and so to feel like I'm carrying on that family tradition of trying to do it well to impact the next generation means a lot.” The Carpe Diem Award winner is selected by a committee comprised of past recipients and the Head of School and
honors a faculty member who excels in service to Bancroft and the community, builds a classroom atmosphere distinguished by excellence and creativity, seeks to expand his, her, or their curriculum and pedagogy, and shows exceptional peer leadership. In addition to Sheldon’s roles as teacher, assembly coordinator, speech team coach, and advisor, she helps coordinate the Upper School Awards program, Cum Laude selection process, Upper School Musical, and is a faculty advisor to the student organization GSA. She is also the first to volunteer for things like the annual faculty lip sync, and goes all-out with costumes for Spirit Week and Halloween. In announcing Sheldon as the winner of this year’s award, Head of School Trey Cassidy said, “Throughout the years, she has always put the students at the center of her professional circle, whether it was organizing events, dealing with discipline, teaching in her own classroom, or catching up in the hallways. It is fitting that we present this award in front of the students, because you are the reason she does this work.” Now that she’s had a few months to reflect on the award, Sheldon feels humbled. “The first thing that strikes you is there are so many amazing teachers at Bancroft. When I look at all these amazing people, who taught my own children going through here, I know the level of impact they had. To feel like I'm even in the vicinity of that group is amazing.” 5
BANCROFTNEWS SPECIAL DELIVERY In his woodshop class over 20 years ago, Peter McKone, Director of Operations, Campus Enhancement, and Maintenance used to have students make birdhouses. It was the perfect project—easy to make and fun to decorate. The woodshop program is no longer around, but when McKone thought of students stuck in their houses as Bancroft shifted to remote learning last March, he knew exactly what could raise spirits—these same birdhouses. McKone connected with fourth-grade teacher Ali Chappell and Lower School art teacher Cory Shepherd, who were more than willing to add some woodworking art classes into their virtual curriculum. Then, McKone got to work. He carefully cut pieces for 16 separate birdhouse kits—one for each 4th grade student (plus a few teachers) and added a little bag of nails and detailed instructions. He then drove around and hand-delivered each kit—all 16 of them. “Building a birdhouse is a great project for a quarantined Lower School student,” McKone says. “It’s a hands-on project that requires measuring and hand-eye coordination using hand tools, yet goes together quickly. When I taught woodworking in Lower School the birdhouses were a favorite project of the students. Working with the same basic structure, each student is able make theirs unique by decorating and painting it how they want.”
A SLAM-DUNK VISIT Basketball practice looked a little different than usual on February 24 as Taj McWilliamsFranklin, a six-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA champion, took to the gym after sharing her story and advice in an assembly in Harrington Theatre. “The words, wisdom and experiences she shared with our community was such a motivating experience,” said Jane Gerhardt, Chair of the Physical Education Department and Head Coach of the Girls Varsity Basketball team. After the assembly, McWilliams-Franklin threw on her sneakers and joined the Girls and Boys Varsity, JV Boys, and Middle School Girls and Boys Basketball teams in the gym. “She ran drills with the team, and shared stories of how basketball helped open doors for her,” Gehrhardt said. “What was especially cool was seeing other student athletes, boys and girls alike, just so eager to listen to Taj, many staying after practice or just trying to observe and take it all in!”
SHARING KINDNESS As the phrase “physical distancing” became part of everyday conversation—Lower School teacher Ali Chappell was looking for ways to put into practice the kindness Bancroft students are always showcasing. Her lightbulb moment? Why not have Lower School students make uplifting cards for residents in senior homes who could no longer have visitors? Chappel brought the concept to her students who thought it was a great idea. She then reached out to the Salmon family— who operate a series of senior homes and whose daughters Aubrie and Avery are in Grade 3 and Grade 5, respectively, at Bancroft—to see if they’d be interested in receiving cards for their residents. The answer was a resounding yes. Alongside Chappell, Aubrie and Avery took to the charge of inspiring other students to participate. “I had been thinking about how difficult this period of isolation must be for the senior population, especially those in facilities that are not able to allow visitors during the pandemic,” said Chappell. “I came up with the idea because we had talked
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so much about kindness in the Lower School during the year and now we had a real opportunity for the kids to put that into practice in a very concrete way. We can empower our youngest kids to know that spreading kindness truly matters, maybe now more than ever.”
SENIOR SURPRISE! Seniors were in for a big surprise when members of the Upper School faculty showed up at their houses! The teachers, administrators, and coaches (and Spike!) formed a socially distant caravan to deliver “Class of 2020” signs to the then soon-to-be graduates. For Dean of Students and Latin teacher Robin Silverman, it was the highlight of her year. “When I think of all of the wonderful memories in my 15 years of teaching at Bancroft, driving to the homes of 40 seniors in a honking, hooting, and hollering caravan of colleagues and seeing the joy and appreciation on their faces is hands-down my favorite! I know how meaningful that experience was for all of the seniors, and it was equally valuable for the faculty members who participated.” Silverman hoped that — in light of everything going on — the gesture made the Class of 2020 feel special. “We miss our students so much and can imagine how the Class of 2020 must feel as they are not able to take part in some of our traditional senior rites of passage. We are hopeful that the sign delivery gave this class their own special moment.”
WINTER WARMTH DRIVE The Upper & Middle School’s Social Concerns Clubs came together to plan a school wide day of blanket and care package making to support the homeless in Worcester last February. Donations of toiletries, food, and materials to make blankets came in from across campus. All students in grades PreK to 12 were split into teams cross divisionally and worked side by side to support their community. The ‘Winter Warmth Drive’ will now be an annual school tradition.
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virtualreality
Grade 5 students and teachers celebrate the end of the school year during the annual closing ceremonies.
Bancroft prides itself on empowerment. It’s right there in the motto: Own your learning. But little did Bancroft faculty know that in mid-March—as they bid goodbye to students for the usual two-week Spring Break— the very nature of learning, community, and camaraderie was about to change. To keep students, faculty, and staff safe in the face of the thenburgeoning coronavirus pandemic, Bancroft shifted to an online platform—on a dime. Starting on April 1, the challenge became how to get 395 students up and running virtually. In many ways Bancroft was in good company—Worcester, and the rest of the world, faced the same challenges. But in other important ways, the school very much paved its own path, prioritizing small groups and personalized interactions between students and teachers. To go from in-person, hands-on teaching to a completely remote model—to bring the best of Bancroft into the virtual realm across all divisions—took quick thinking, resiliency, and flexibility. Here’s a window into the virtual classrooms of Spring 2020 and how the change looked—and felt— from the lens of four different members of our community.
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harnessing the joy of curiosity and scientific discovery In a normal week, Lower School science teacher Mason Hendershott makes sure students get outside in the forest. “There’s no better way to learn than by charging through the beautiful Bancroft woods,” he said. And yet, when students were homebound and Zoom-bound, how would he capture that same joy? “I figured it was a great time to model versatility to my young scientists,” Hendershott said. “In order to combat the level of awkwardness and fear that flavored the state of the world, I turned to the joy that exploration and curiosity can bring. Children are naturally inquisitive, and a big part of my philosophy of education is discovering how remarkable the world around us is, even in an extremely local setting.” Hendershott re-engineered lessons based on materials and locations immediately accessible to his students. “For engineering projects, for instance, everyone collected different materials and so their designs were much more unique than what they would have been in my lab here at school.” There are a few take-aways for Hendershott about that semester. “Icelanders have a glyph called the 'Vegvisir" or universal compass, which represents the idea that even if there are no maps, and the weather makes the course forward unsure, one can al-
ways find their way to where they want to go. I drew inspiration from that. If any community can figure out how to make it work thoughtfully, safely, and as effectively as humanly possible, it is us. This spring was our chance to prove it.”
feeding friendships online In Middle School, when social connections are nearly as important as academic ones, the challenge becomes capturing the buzz, energy, and comradery of the classroom virtually. “The hardest thing about going remote was when I was unable to be in class with my friends,” said Lilianna, an eighth grader. “But our advisory meetings once a week helped, because my advisory would always make me laugh.” To keep learning active—and avoid Zoom fatigue—Lilianna appreciated teachers who found ways to animate learning. “One of my teachers, Ms. Hwang [who teaches Middle School science] put together scavenger hunts that had to go with our lesson. This made learning more interesting because we weren't just sitting in front of our computers the whole period and it was also really fun.” Technology ended up being the answer to feeding friendships, too. “I stayed in touch with my friends by FaceTime and Houseparty,” Lilianna said. “Sometimes we would spend hours on there talking and catching up.”
thinking beyond the box—and screen To engage students, Upper School Spanish teacher Shari Belanger crowdsourced ideas from colleagues. In Spanish 3 classes, for instance, she created slide decks of images students could use to analyze scenes and language on a Spanish-language Netflix series. “That was something I’d never tried before, and students thought it was cool.”
For the highest-level Spanish class, Belanger looked to the headlines for inspiration and connection. “The virus was so widespread in Spain, I contacted a friend with a 16-year-old daughter and asked if the daughter’s friends would be willing to exchange videos with my students.” The answer: si. “Our students talked about what life has been like in quarantine and the Spanish kids did the same,” said Belanger. The exchange was such a hit, she has already set up something similar for this year. Leaning into tech didn’t come naturally for Belanger. “Typically, I teach with no desks and no tech at school. Students would drop their tech when they came in the door and sit in a circle with nothing on their laps. We liked to move around a lot and change partners.” But the pandemic forced faculty to dig deeper. “At first it’s devastating to think about all we had lost, but then we shifted into creative mode.” Grouping students into break-out rooms was one tactic. Meeting with students one-on-one via Zoom was another. “I would reach out to kids who didn’t seem connected in the big class, and I found those one-on-ones so good and so refreshing.”
finding the new normal While faculty were getting their digital ducks in a row, students had adjustments to make as well. “I was initially anxious about the schedule,” Brady Mena ’21. “But for me, it was a pretty smooth transition.” In fact, it didn’t take long to see the benefits. “Our classes were still small, and I was still able to speak to my friends. And I found I could wake up a little later.” Always a bonus, particularly for a difficult year. Another welcome surprise for Mena was the way that testing pressure eased up, even for the AP tests that loom so large Junior year. Instead of the usual nearly three hours exam time for the AP English exam, for example, Mena said, “we had just one essay for forty-five minutes and that was the whole exam.” For Mena, one of the most memorable parts of the pandemic semester was the way in which his teachers went above and beyond to connect with him. “I’ve always been the kind of kid who wants to meet with my teachers oneon-one, and to have so many teachers set aside time, ready to help, I was really appreciative.” Individually, and collectively, students and faculty found ways to bring the Bancroft spirit—engaged, passionate, resilient—to life online.
Student remote workspace
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2020 Senior Victoria Adusei makes her way through the commencement car parade.
A COMMENCEMENT LIKE NO OTHER
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or most students, senior year is filled with questions— about navigating tough classes, athletic seasons, friendships, and all those college applications. Through it all, though, that seminal rite of passage shines at the end of the year—commencement. Typically, anyway. 2020 had other ideas. Starting in mid-March, when seniors (and the rest of the Bancroft community) took up remote learning, Bancroft faculty and staff began brainstorming ways to create a joyous commencement for the Class of 2020. It was a day that seniors, their families, and the many people involved will never forget—as powerful, relevant, and extraordinary as the individuals it honored.
REIMAGINING GRADUATION If anything was clear as planning for commencement 2020 started, it was that it simply wouldn’t be normal. In typical Bancroft fashion, the question became “but what could it become?” What could the Bancroft brain trust come up with to honor the spirit and essence of graduation and also respect the community and its public health? Commencement is meant to be a collective moment, but any graduation is also a very individual moment. “As the individual experiencing it, whether you're the student, the parent, or the teacher, the administrator, this is a personal moment, for you, of transition,” says Trey Cassidy, Head of School. “We had to hold those things, and manage those things wisely. We couldn't lose that. We couldn't lose that this was going to be a personal stepping stone, for each individual who was going to be involved.” 10
As the weeks ticked by, the conversation turned philosophical. “We had to say, ‘Well, how do we protect what graduation really is? How do we articulate that, to the people who feel a sense of loss?” Students who had anticipated that walk across the stage for years were facing a new, socially distanced reality. “There was a sadness that their parents couldn’t see them take ‘the walk.’” Along with the sadness came a kind of epiphany. “All those things that we associate with graduation, with commencement, are really moments. They're parts of it, but they're not what graduation really is.” So what, at its core, represented a Bancroft graduation? “We had to reimagine graduation, not so much as protecting the event, but protecting the symbolic reality of what it was. I think that in the end, we did a really good job of actually protecting both.”
VIDEOS, SPEECHES, AND MESSAGE BOARDS Student input was critical to creating a commencement that felt authentic and not pro-forma. Faculty had a say as well; after all, many faculty members had been with the students for years and wanted to send them off in style. A pre-recorded video ceremony took the place of the typical in-person event. The 45-minute long video featured the same line-up of speakers and performers as other years, filmed socially-distanced on the Harrington Theatre stage over a two day period. The final cut was shown using a YouTube Live feed on June 4th so that students could simultaneously see it for the first time at the same time as their classmates and families. This also
allowed distant relatives to tune in live from around the country and world, something that wouldn’t have been possible with the traditional commencement. Also new this year was a dynamic and interactive page on the Bancroft School website where friends, family members, and classmates could share messages and congratulations for each graduate. “We found the right balance—it was a shared moment that honored the individual well,” says Cassidy. Julia Nguyen ’20 put it this way in her Benediction speech: “Our bad luck has coincided with some good, too. It’s difficult to see it this way when we haven’t been able to continue Bancroft’s traditions together—no senior dinner, senior trip, senior sweatshirt photo taken on the steps of the Roman garden, and no walking the stage while the entire Bancroft family cheered us on. Yet, despite all of this, we have been lucky enough to experience this together as a class.” Of course, there were many things the students couldn’t share. “They didn't have as much collective, shared hugging, and celebrating together at all. They missed prom, they missed a normal graduation. What we couldn't do, we simply couldn't do. Everybody understood that. But they had pieces of it, that were among the more important pieces of it. That we could protect.” For Cassidy, the decision was also personal. “What was absolutely unique and different for me this year, is that my daughter graduated. My perspective on the whole experience of what it means to be a graduating senior, and a graduating parent, was different. The benefit for me, of giving my speech alone in a room, with seven people at most in the building, was that I didn't have to look out at the faces of my wife, or my parents, or anybody else, and bring a tear to my eye. It was a great joy, for me to hand Page her well-deserved diploma, and for me, to be able to hug at least one kid.”
A PARADE THROUGH CAMPUS On Friday, June 5, 110 Shore Drive was transformed into a parade route, with students and their families lining up their cars in alphabetical order to “process” through campus. Faculty and staff members lined either side of the street 6 feet from one another, clapping and cheering on the class of 2020 as they made one final walk as High School seniors. Cars were decked out with balloons, streamers, window chalk, and posters—and most importantly, they were filled with proud family members. As Lisa Baker read their names aloud via a megaphone perched on a balcony outside the Harrington Theater, students could choose to exit their cars and walk—or stay in their cars—to meet Mr. Cassidy, where they received their hard-earned diplomas. As Cassidy said, “We call it commencement, which is a starting point. But it really is more of a point of closure, for their experience as high school students. They've done a lot. They have had an impact on this community, and on each other. It was cut a bit short in some ways, but they understood that, and they recognized what they had done and accomplished up to that point.” Nguyen notes that on the day of the actual event, she didn’t even stop to think about how different it was. “While I wish I could've heard all the speeches in person, or to have taken pictures with faculty and classmates side by side, or to walk the stage, I felt content knowing that Bancroft had included us in the conversation to have a meaningful graduation.” As it turned out, June 5 was a beautiful late spring day. “My classmates were sitting on top of their cars and others were walking the pathway with smiles on their faces,” said Nguyen. “To me, it was no longer our graduation during a pandemic, but simply our graduation, and it was a good one. Thank you, Bancroft.”
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Forever Our Coach Teacher. Mentor. Colleague. Father. Friend. The spirit of Bulldog pride. Broad in stature and in personality, there are many words that could be used to describe Mark O’Brien. Most of us simply use the one that defined him best. Coach. His sudden passing in June left a giant void in the hearts of the hundreds of former and current students and faculty at Bancroft. His 31 years as a Physical Education teacher and Cross Country, Golf, Basketball, and Baseball Coach will forever be remembered. Not just for the many accolades he accomplished with his teams, but for the indelible mark he left on those that were lucky enough to know him. In July, we reached out to the Bancroft Community for words of remembrance and celebration of the remarkable life of Coach O’Brien. Here are just some of the many alumni, students, current and former faculty, and family members that were moved to share their personal stories and memories.
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Mark Taylor BANCROFT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ENGLISH TEACHER
When coming together to mourn with alumni, as I saw their faces and nodded, or shared a moment of laughter, or exchanged tearful acknowledgement of our shared loss, I realized just how many of them I knew had been personally influenced and inspired by Mark. Class after class, year after year, Mark became that figure in their lives that they would always be able to count on, well after a season or a graduation had gone by. But this is my 15th year here—I only knew him for his second half at Bancroft —and from the pride with which he told me stories about his earlier years, and the way in which others told me about him, I am struck by just how influential a presence he has been at this school.
Chris Sholla ’21
and cared for them individually, noticing their strengths and making true, genuine connections. We can not thank Mark enough for all his love and attention. The baseball season will never be quite the same without Coach O'B.
Trey Cassidy,
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Coach O’Brien was the heart and soul of Bancroft spirit. He was a Bulldog through and through. His enthusiasm for teaching and coaching was only surpassed by his affinity and care for the students that were lucky enough to call him Coach. He is, and will continue to be, sorely missed. His memory will undoubtedly live on through the hundreds of people he impacted on Shore Drive.
Mark was my go to guy. If I needed help, inspiration, a listening ear. He was the man. A good friend and teammate for me; for many of us. He cannot be replaced.”
Martha Fortier BANCROFT ENGLISH TEACHER
“Who are we, if not measured by our impact on others? That’s who we are! We’re not who we say we are, we’re not who we want to be – we are the sum of the influence and impact that we have, in our lives, on others.” – Carl Sagan
Coach O’Brien played a huge role in my life during my time at Bancroft. My relationship with him was more than just teacher and student or coach and player. He was a great friend to me and my entire family. When I had my bas– JANE GERHARDT Jane Gerhardt ketball injury last year, Coach BANCROFT PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER O’Brien came to the hospital evEvery day, from morning, until ery single day I was there to get late, after practice, we worked closely together as colleagues, updated on what was happening and to check-in on me. He coaches, and friends. 31 years of working together, teachwas there pre-surgery and post-surgery. He was there when I ing together, talking, helping, celebrating wins and champiwas first starting to walk on crutches and he was there when onships, rivalries and analyzing some tough losses. In the the injury happened, holding my hand and trying to get my Physical Education/Athletic Dept, we were family. Sharing mind off it telling me jokes and just making me smile. Coach stories, thoughts and ideas about teaching, coaching, life, was a genuinely great person. He pushed me to be the best and family. Mark was my go to guy. If I needed help, inspiversion of myself. I’m forever grateful for what Coach has ration, a listening ear. He was the man. A good friend and done for me and I won’t ever forget him. teammate for me; for many of us. He cannot be replaced. I think of him every day and I will cherish every minute I had Shari Belanger with him at Bancroft. He taught me to live in the moment BANCROFT LANGUAGE TEACHER and never look back—and my team will do form shooting Mark was not only a warm, thoughtful and kind colleague every day, for him. We never wished each other “good luck” to both of us (Shari and Husband Paul Belanger)... for many as we prepared for a game - instead, it was always “play well.” years...but he also guided all 3 of our children throughout Coach is missed every day, but his legacy at Bancroft, and their time at Bancroft. He knew each of them personally our memories together will last a lifetime. 13
Coach O’Brien with 2020 seniors (Left to Right) CJ Holmberg, Prince Collins, and Nate Coz.
Carol Ryan BANCROFT PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER
Mark O’Brien was a wonderful friend and colleague during the 15 years I had the honor and privilege to have known him. Mark was not only the consummate professional, he was truly one of the most humble, caring and proud husband, father, teacher and coach and I was so lucky to have been able to call him my friend. I have many wonderful memories of O’B, but I think my favorite memory of Mark is watching him interact with his own children around campus. I had all of his children in PE class, at one time or another, and it was not unusual for Mark to come into the gym, into the dining hall, watch from his office window or walk around anywhere on campus, while his children ran around the gym or playground, sat in the dining hall eating, interacted with their classmates; he simply enjoyed every moment watching them from afar. The smile on his face was priceless. Mark loved his job teaching and coaching all of his students, that’s for sure, but he often would tell me how lucky he was to work where he could watch his four children, Shannon, Conor, Molly and Caroline, grow up every day.
Tracy Jones BANCROFT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Mark O'Brien was a true original. He was funny, light-hearted, often direct, fiercely competitive, and dedicated to his family, his student-athletes, and his friends. He had a huge 14
heart...and big shoes that will never be filled. As the most recent addition to the Athletics/PE department at Bancroft, there was tremendous wisdom and experience in the group. As many daily conversations as I had with Mark about sports, his teams, game strategy, logistics, scheduling, officiating, etc. - and there were many - we had more conversations about students. He cared deeply about the wellbeing of all of his students, and the role he played in helping them navigate the often tumultuous waters of growing up. He held them to high expectations, and he supported them every step of the way.
Kristina Melo ’22 I was lucky to have Coach OB as my advisor as he was caring, wise, and very encouraging. He constantly reminded me to have faith in myself and ease my stress. He believed in me and my aspirations when I did not believe in myself. Coach OB was very persistent in looking out for my future as he got others involved to make sure I made decisions that would benefit me most. I’m forever grateful for his commitment to get me where I want to be.
Manny Bangandozou ’17 Coach O’Brien was my hero, a father-figure to me, my everything. I’m forever grateful for what he did for me. I wouldn’t have been the player I was without a great coach like him.
Steve Kelley
Connor O’ Brien ’15
BANCROFT PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER FORMER DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
on behalf of the O’Brien family
Mark was a friend, colleague, confidant and family for the past 30 years. His welcoming, positive personality had a tremendous impact on my children and all the students he coached and taught. He was able to engage students and players of all ages and help them strive to reach their potential. Mark was respected as a teacher, coach, father and husband by his students, colleagues and coaching peers. His teaching and coaching went well beyond the skills and strategies. He also taught us life lessons that will carry on forever.
John Duggan ’78, TRUSTEE As an Upper School student in the mid-70’s I was fortunate to be able to participate, as a student athlete, in some of the first years of Boys Upper School athletics. It is safe to say that some of the lessons I learned on either the soccer field or basketball court, helped form me into the person I became. 25 years after graduating from Bancroft, I reconnected with the athletic program and spent 14 seasons as Mark’s assistant coach on the Boys varsity Basketball team. It was during those years I watched Mark continue the traditions that were started in the 70’s. Very simply, Mark used athletics to get young people ready for the next phase of life. The relationship that can exist between player and coach is a special one. If you stop and think about 30 years of teaching and coaching, the numbers of lives Mark touched and continued to have relationships with after Bancroft is mind-boggling.
The O'Brien family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love and support you have shown our family over the last four months since Mark's untimely passing. We have heard from so many current and former students, staff, and friends in that time, all sharing remarkable stories of the impact "Coach OB" made on their lives. In Mark's short time on earth, he truly changed the world-devoting his entire life to helping others. Coaching and teaching were his true passions and the 31 years he spent on Shore Drive at Bancroft making wonderful memories with his co-workers certainly solidified their status as "family." While words cannot describe how much we miss him, we know he remains with us each day-guiding our way, and reminding us of the importance of being kind, standing up for the underdog, and stepping up to the plate to live the best life we possibly can.
Wayne Penniman BANCROFT ATHLETIC TRAINER
I was fortunate to call Mark my best friend. He was larger than life. His ability to connect with his students was staggering. It didn’t matter what alumni I saw out in public; the first question was always “Is Coach OB still there?” It wasn’t till my 12-year-old son said, “I will never be able to play for Uncle Mark!” that I realized what an impact he had on the whole Bancroft Community and how we will all truly miss him. RIP OB!
Manny Bangandozou ’17 and Coach O’Brien celebrate his 2,000 point milestone on February 1, 2017.
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KEEP LEARNING, KEEP EXPLORING! BY BRIANNE MCNAMARA
JIM DEPREZ ’98 CHOSEN AS IDITAROD TEACHER ON THE TRAIL ™ 2021 After graduating from Bancroft in the Spring of 1998, Jim Deprez set his sights on the state of Ohio, attending College of Wooster for undergrad and Ohio State University for his Master’s in Early Childhood Education. Now he has his sights set on a new destination – Alaska and the 2021 Iditarod. I had the opportunity to speak with Jim Deprez over Zoom in early August to discuss his recent achievement of being chosen as the 2021 Teacher on the Trail™ by the Iditarod Trail Committee in Alaska. For those of you unfamiliar with the Iditarod Trail, it is a nearly 1,000-mile month long dogsled race through the state of Alaska. The race began in 1973 and is held each March as a tradition to preserve the art of dogsledding, which was the main form of transportation to remote areas of Alaska prior to airplanes. The race travels from Nome, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, passing through some of the most outlying towns and wilderness in the state. The goal of the race is to finish the 1,000-mile trek as quickly as possible. It can take as few as 10 days or more than two weeks. The Teacher on the Trail™ application process was no easy feat. “I had to submit five identical binders answering indepth questions of why I wanted to do this, include letters of recommendations as well as send a video to the Iditarod Committee explaining why I should be a candidate,” Jim says. In addition, he had to be able to handle very cold temperatures and be able to carry weight while trudging through snow and winter weather. The final step of the process was what Jim calls an incredible experience: the three finalists were sent on a 10-day trip to Alaska to experience the Iditarod firsthand. The finalists were interviewed by volunteers, mushers, and committee members and practiced their responsibilities hands-on by working with the communications team and presenting at a conference. “It was a 10-day ongoing test and fortunately they called me back and I was selected as Teacher on the Trail™ 2021!” “Jim was always thoughtful and generous toward his classmates,” says Jim’s third grade teacher, Halley Allen. “I’m not surprised that his dedication and diligence resulted in his being chosen as The Teacher on the Trail™ 2021.” Beginning in September, Jim officially started his work as Teacher on the Trail™ while teaching his third grade class in Ohio. Jim will incorporate the Iditarod Trail into the class curriculum in creative ways and share his lessons on Iditarod.edu for fellow teachers across the country to
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use and expand their knowledge of the Iditarod Trail and its importance. Each month he will post three various activities and lessons for teachers across the country to access and use. “One thing I loved about Bancroft were the central subjects. Each year there were thematic subjects that were integrated into our lessons. I remember fourth grade was Pilgrims and we studied them throughout the year. I wanted to do the same thing with the Iditarod.” However, the most exciting part of his experience will be flying to Alaska in March to experience the Iditarod firsthand. Jim will have the opportunity to fly to different checkpoints with Iditarod Air Force—a group of pilots supporting the Iditarod by flying to the remote areas of the race—interview mushers and volunteers, and visit different towns and schools along the route. He will continue to post his updates and hopes to connect with teachers across the country directly from Alaska. For access to Jim’s posts and to join him along his adventure you can visit: iditarod.com/edu/category/teacher-on-thetrail or on instagram @iditarodeducation.
Class Notes CLASS OF 1949 Alison Robb: “I have heard from only two others for several years. Ann Brown O’Connell is in Chatham on the Cape, Nina Heald Webber is in West Falmouth and I am in North Falmouth, formerly in Woods Hole. We three on the Cape have met each year in the summer for a grand lunch or a walk on the beach somewhere. In recent summers we have met at the Alumni gathering as well, happy to meet up with fellow alumnae such as Irene Andreson Camougis and her daughters, and many others younger than us.”
CLASS OF 1951 Elizabeth Bousquet Johnson: I am stuck in Arizona because of Covid. I want to get home to my nine grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. I hope many of my classmates write in.
CLASS OF 1954 Janice Hardy Bjork: Karl and I are enjoying our life at Briarwood Community Center. So happy to be here during this lockdown time! Janet Newton Weinberg: Enjoying life in Burlingame, California which is on the Peninsula, not far from San Francisco, and would like to see any of you who live nearby or visit here. Bradford C. Gooch: Your Ex-yet-still-humble Secretary has little to report from Rome. I am learning to live without Mary, the love of my life, but am also learning to make a super slow-cooker chicken teriyaki and a beautiful beef stew! I also wear a mask and only go out when necessary. I will brag about my granddaughter who just graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Dublin in Neuropharmacology and who is continuing there in Medical School; and about my grandson in Ohio who just finished his first year at Kent State as a Music Major with a 4.0 average. He sent me some of his compositions which show real talent and promise. Now the trick is to stay safe and healthy even as COVID-19 cases rise in Floyd County. You all stay safe and healthy, too!
CLASS OF 1957 John S. Mayher: In the current climate it’s almost impossible to remember when we were all together at Bancroft—which was actually 1953 since all of us boys were kicked out after 8th grade. Fortunately, Sue and I are in good health and in the process of selling our Pocono paradise to move back to Westchester County, but we miss my cousin Barry Morgan and several other friends who were COVID victims. I can only hope that the country we rebuild after the multiple disasters of the past few
years will enact the images of America we were taught at Bancroft—and be less like the painful reality we’ve come to recognize as the norm for too many people. Hope you are all staying well.
CLASS OF 1959 Judy Jarmer: Not much startling news. I’m still here in South Jersey trying to stay healthy! I spent a week on the Cape and 4 weeks at my home on Nantucket in June/July, before returning to New Jersey and the hottest 2 weeks on record. I hope to return for a couple of weeks in September or October. My heart is in New England, but my kids are not. My family are all well: grandkids; Jacob a rising senior and into the college search, Ronan is a rising freshman, hoping to run cross country and later play lacrosse, his passion, Saoirse, starting 1st grade, very excited, Abbie, her cousin, also starting 1st grade. Three in NJ, one in NY. School plans still not quite certain. This is all such a shame. Nice to hear your happy news, Phil. You are very lucky! That’s it for me. No major travelling in sight. Phil Kinnecut: After more than 55 years in the islands, I traded my Hawaii driver’s license for one from Florida when I moved to Vero Beach to be with Marcia Schoeller. It’s a happy story that began in the fall of 2012 when my late wife Annetta and I were on a Williams alumni travel Med cruise, met Marcia among the group and discovered that her younger brother had married the daughter of my uncle Lincoln Kinnicutt ’43 back in the day. Fast forward to September 2018, and another Williams trip, this time to Italy where we serendipitously reconnected. We are thinking we are very lucky. As I write this, we are still sheltering in place and hoping we will be able to resume traveling sometime soon. First on my list is a new grandson in Salem, MA and we have plans for a Danube River cruise next fall, but at this point, who knows... Sandy Sessions emailed me recently from an anchorage near Goose Island between Freeport and Harpswell, that he and Susan had just finished a picnic lunch and were still enjoying life in Maine. He reported they are protected from outsiders bringing in the virus by a secure bridge to the island where they live. They saw Billy Mayher a couple of years ago in Blue Hill and Billy himself sent me an email saying he was still living on the Maine coast. He is making fish and shorebird sculptures out of wood he finds along the shores of distant islands and Caroline, his wife of 52 years, is still making pottery. Per Billy, “We sell our stuff in galleries in Blue Hill, Rockland, Castine, and Northeast Harbor and have a sale at our studios in August. Our daughter Jenny lives down the coast and we see her family often. All of these activities, plus an active life out on the water, have provided us with a sense of fulfillment that we are grateful for every single day.”
And a final sad note. I came across the obituary for Linda Harris Farnum who passed away this spring in Tallahassee, Florida on April 8. I had an instant memory flash back of dance parties in the basement of her house on Ardmore Road in Worcester so many years ago and more recently seeing her on The Cape before she moved south to Florida. She will be missed.
CLASS OF 1960 Edith Heier: Hi everyone! In a world without Corona I would have attended our 60th reunion in May, but instead I am staying at home base which means meandering through an empty house. No small kids to homeschool, doing garden work and being lazy on the patio. In other words, quarantine on a high niveau. In Germany most folks have been compliant, accepting the common good over petty individual rights and so society has pretty much opened up again as long as regulations are followed. Schools open next week, some in class, some per ZOOM, some a mix of the two. My granddaughter, Charlotte returned from spending four months at two different BIO farms in Washington State and Oregon under the WOOF program (World Organization of Organic Farms) and was inspired by living a minimalistic, sustainable "green" life. Grandson Ben will start medical school in Vilnius, Lithuania, and already has a communal apartment lined up with three other German med students. So, life goes on and everything has a bright side. Stay well. Judy Sawyer McKeown: Still enjoying my life in Colorado. The weather lets me be outdoors every day. Tons of golf make me happy. Kids are awesome - two juniors and a freshman this year. Yikes! Sending my best to all classmates.
CLASS OF 1962 Jeffrey Hickox: Moved to Worcester after 70 years in Westborough. I am enjoying the city. Having my daughter, the biologist, with our grandson one street up nice! Our son-the CPA, daughter-in-law and our granddaughter are in Holden and our daughter, an Assistant Principal with son-in-law and our surfer grandson are in CA. I am semi-retired, but life seems to be as busy as ever!
CLASS OF 1963 Hilary Hosmer: “Bob and I are both feeling the effects of age, mostly in our knees. We have taken up croquet. We have been very careful to avoid Covid-19, staying home and walking around the neighborhood a lot. Our twins and grandkids are well, but we all fear school reopening in eastern Mass. Despite Covid-19, we, our twins, and four grandchildren are well. I am active in the climate movement trying to prevent climate change. Bob climbs mountains for fun, while both of us play competitive croquet and beach bocce for fun and exercise.”
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Class Notes CLASS OF 1966 April Leyla Hammond: From forays into Facebook it appears that many of my classmates are all doing well, isolating, wearing masks and staying safe. After surviving for nearly four months in New York City - the Epicenter, I’m so used to the drill that it is now second nature. Last year ended with a wonderful trip to New Zealand—ah, if only I were younger I would move there!—and Tasmania. New Zealand is wild and beautiful, friendly people, turquoise colored crystal clear glacier lakes, volcanos, wild coasts, friendly birds and animals and lots of fish and chips!!! I met Tasmanian devils in Tasmania. They are cute, loud, voracious and very small. Whales, dolphins, wildfires, rain forests and wild coastlines alternate with picturesque towns and villages. Food was much better in Tasmania, also the wine. Returned just in time, before flights, fears and quarantines stopped it all for now. Will spend the year teaching fire science courses at John Jay College of City University of New York. A first for this old bird. As giddy as any first timer and anxious too! Online teaching for now. Hope everyone is well and stays that way.
April Leyla Hammond ’66 adventuring in New Zealand.
CLASS OF 1967
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Clarinda Higgins: Nothing much new during the pandemic except my house is cleaner, my garden fuller and ice-cream has become the go-to daily treat. We’ve seen our 1.5-year-old granddaughter a few times which is such a joy. I miss being with family and friends in person. It’s been special staying in touch with classmates via Facebook.
Judith Peachy Rives Warren: I retired in June 2014 after working nearly 30 years for a Head Start program based in Framingham. I was a Family Services Manager. In retirement, I have found meaningful community connection serving on several community Boards and in my local parish. And 5 years ago, I discovered the Community Harvest Project in Grafton where I volunteer regularly from March October. CHP grows more than 270,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables annually for hunger relief organizations.
CLASS OF 1969 Melinda (Dahart) Ladyzinski: I’m so appreciative of the Facebook posts I see regularly from classmates. Hearing updates and seeing photos is so enjoyable especially during the COVID shutdown! I have been running a bridal business since 2012 and John is still teaching at NYU. Our big news this year is a new grandson, Oliver, who is seven months old and the apple of our eye, along with our granddaughter, Violet, age 3. Best wishes to everyone. Stay safe. Susan McChesney: Isolating in the mountains of western North Carolina, I am lucky. I can curbside pickup groceries, farm stand vegetables and flowers, all without contact. I have space to roam. I have creative and intellectual pursuits that engage me. I have family and friends that call and meet virtually. But it is hard to be so isolated from true human contact, and to not be out making ‘good trouble, necessary trouble’. I am hopeful we will emerge stronger, kinder, and more resilient than ever. I continue to press flowers, make art, write, teach virtually, and breathe. Visit my work at McChesneyArt. com and on Instagram @mcchesneyart. Sarah Garfield Berry: After 42 years in the traditional wire house world, I set out with my partner in business, to establish The Berry Group in Worcester as a registered investment adviser. The move went seamlessly, and we now look out over the old railroad station and the side of Worcester that is being transformed. I continue to enjoy working, as well as spending a lot of time on Cuttyhunk with my husband, kids, grandkids, and my siblings and mom. My 7th year as a selectman on the island brought with it the challenges of COVID especially getting boaters and islanders on board with mask wearing. A party produced some unwelcome positive cases, and we were lucky enough to have 4 nurses from DPH show up quickly to test the island with 3 stations set up on outside porches. Not exactly ideal for privacy but everyone was relieved to have access to testing so quickly. If only the rest of the world did. Social life is diminished, but one on one outdoor cocktail hours, BYOB seems to be working. We all feel like it is an alternative universe. Many are not so fortunate. For now, we are enjoying the slower pace and deeper connections this has brought to our often too frantic lives.
Hester Kinnicutt Jacobs: This time has been challenging in different ways. In March, my daughter decided that her 7 and 9-year-old children would be better at my house. We have room to roam on our ranch and I was hired as their remote learning teacher. I received all their schoolwork by email and returned finished work the same way. After 9 weeks without Mom and Dad, we took them home and spent another week teaching there. I really miss them. We Facetime once a week, but it is not the same. My daughter was on unemployment then re-opened her store the beginning of June. Her husband, on the other hand, got extra hours working at Walmart. I Zoom once a week with my siblings (Phil Kinnicutt ’59, Pamela Motley ’62, and Valerie Powell ’66) now. It is great to keep up this way. We used to do it email. Montana has been luckier than some states with lower numbers, but we are under a mask order for counties with 5 or more active cases. This means we wear masks when we go to Billings for supplies and medical appointments. I am hoping this pandemic will make people re-evaluate what is good in the world and we will be a kinder and gentler world as Sue McChesney said. Joe Meigs: In May 2018 I decided to retire after 44 years as a Geologist/Hydrogeologist working first in the mineral exploration and mining industry, and then in the water resource industry. The last 7 years of my career I worked for a water resources consulting firm located here in the Denver, Colorado area helping water districts, cities and towns, and industrial clients with their water supply needs. During retirement, I planned to travel to all sorts of exotic places to take photographs of the natural landscapes and the indigenous people. Well unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic got in the way. So now Susan and I are hanging at home in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, a western suburb of Denver, and isolating ourselves from the rest of the world. I have been doing a lot of bike riding to stay in shape and help keep my sanity. My favorite bike trip of late is a 15-mile loop from our home to Golden, Colorado and back. As I ride, I am fixated on what the 2020/2021 ski season will be like dealing with the pandemic. In retrospect, I am glad that so many of the Bancroft Class of 1969 could make it back for our 50th reunion. It was a great time to reconnect. I saw people, many of whom, I had not seen since graduation. That leaves me with wishing all my classmates well. I hope you are all thriving and staying safe. I heard a good one from a friend the other day – “Stay positive but test negative”. I think that’s good advice!
CLASS OF 1970 Amy R. Rome: After living in New York for many years, I moved back to Massachusetts in November. I live in Northampton where I work as a fund-raising consultant.
CLASS OF 1971
CLASS OF 1975
Laura Markowitz: Brianne McNamara arranged a Zoom call for our class in July. Sara Arthur, Melissa Howe and I were on the call and it was really nice. Please be sure Brianne has your email address and we can try for another one. I’m coping in the current environment. I have always worked at home but the rest of my life has come to a halt, but I do get to see my children and granddaughter. My youngest daughter’s wedding has been postponed several times but will now take place on September 30, 2020, with just the immediate family. Hope everyone is well.
Beth Hotz: Not much to report—I hope all my classmates are doing well. I am still working full time at the credit union enjoying my girls and my grandson Waylon often, as they live here in Port Orange as well. Has been a tough year for all, but I pray that all are healthy. Would love to see anyone if they make it this way.
Melissa Howe continues to serve in her role as Chief of Staff at Berklee College of Music, working tirelessly to support young musicians’ pursuit of their dreams. She counts her blessings that she and her family are all well, and her heart goes out to all who are suffering in this terrible public health and civic crisis.
CLASS OF 1972 William C. Stebbins: We are doing well despite the shelter in place. I have been studying to become certified as an Unbeatable Mind Coach. It should take little over a year. My wife has been working in the garden and it is flourishing. That is it from the West Coast!
CLASS OF 1973 Betsy (Wells) Moir: Bruce and I have been happily married for 42 years and live in Albany, New York. Our daughter Anna and Tristan (her husband as of September 2019!) are living and working in the Boston area. Ordinarily the big excitement for our class would be that 2020 is the year most of us turn 65. Birthdays have taken a back seat to COVID, so I hope everyone is well.
CLASS OF 1976 Barbara Stebbins-Boaz: Well into a second year of retirement from university life, I am relieved that the burdens of figuring out how to teach effectively during the coronavirus pandemic are not on my shoulders. I send a huge shout out to those teachers, staff, students and parents who are wrestling with logistics of safety and using their imagination to create new ways of learning that are engaging and meaningful. Trips my husband, Bob, and I didn’t take this year: a choral tour in Italy and a cruise from Athens to Istanbul. We feel fortunate to be stuck in beautiful Oregon. Bob and I are well. Enjoying summer hikes, bikes and picnics. We are dismayed at the uncoordinated national response to the pandemic but we are encouraged by local and individual efforts to promote safety and well-being. Glad the state of Oregon has been practicing mail-in ballots for years now. My message to you: make sure you vote and take care of you and yours.
Thomas Hollinger ’20, son of Cheryl Cowley ’77
Thomas will be attending Cornell this fall and majoring in physics and political science. He was recently offered a position in their Milstein Program of Technology and Humanity, which is a nice honor! We are still waiting on a movein date from Cornell, with the COVID-19, they are being really careful. Thomas, who had been put in a freshman triple, has been changed to a single, for which we are very grateful. The rest of the family is all doing well. Mary in Manhattan, programming for Bloomberg and Graham is thinking about a law degree. Mark is still working from home, only now he doesn’t have to fly out to San Francisco every couple of months. Hope the world goes back to normal and we can all get together someday soon! Lauren Shuster: I am living in Phoenix AZ! A big climate change from everywhere I’ve ever lived. Guess I’m still an adventurer. I am retired, and spend time hiking, bike riding, playing djembe (until the COVID-19 ended our drumming get togethers). I also play Native American Flute, and often bring one with me on my hikes. The Saguaro and lizards don’t seem to mind.
CLASS OF 1974 Robert Casper: In July Jessie was engaged to Tom Bruhis of Texas and Israel. Jessie is a neurosurgical PA-C at Beth Israel Deaconess and Tom is a Senior Manager of Solution Engineering at Salesforce. The couple lives in Boston. Charlie is an Application Analyst at Mass General Partners (the new enterprise name) and Ben just completed his first year at Sackler School of Medicine, the American Program, operating at Tel-Aviv University; though with the pandemic, we have had the pleasure of Ben’s company and bedrooms becoming zooming medical school classrooms. Sue and I are still living in North Truro for the better six months and Leominster for the rest of the year. This past winter we stayed in Coconut Grove, though, with COVID-19, we think we will stay home. Sue and I both had the virus, late March and early April, and thankfully recovered very quickly with no apparent lingering problems.
Barbara Stebbins-Boaz ’76 with husband, Bob.
CLASS OF 1977 John Gilvar celebrated the 1-year anniversary of Gilvar Consulting in August 2020. After many years of leadership bridging publicly funded healthcare and housing systems, John offers coaching, technical assistance, and strategic guidance to change agents in both sectors. Cheryl Cowley: My big news is that Thomas, my youngest, just graduated from Bancroft. As you may have heard, the graduation was "online" this year, with the kids picking up their diplomas by walking the school driveway backwards. The staff all lined the driveway, waving and cheering with the families following in their cars. It wasn’t the graduation we had expected, but the school did a really nice job of making the kids feel special and cared about.
Lauren Shuster ’77
With the help of Brianne McNamara, I recently saw a few of our classmates on Zoom! In attendance were Eric Wells, John Duggan, Paul Levenson and Rett Nelson. Rett and his husband, Ralph, are still living in Chicago. Rett is working on superfund clean-ups as he is an attorney with the EPA. Paul is still very much involved as the Executive Director of the Mass Symphony Orchestra and Tuckerman Hall, and busy planning events at Institute Park. His mom passed in April of this year. Our deepest condolences to you and your family, Paul. I have many fond memories of learning how to cross-country ski with Annie Petter at Institute Park way back when. I had a blast! Annie’s sister taught me how to apply the wax to the wooden skis. John has recently started a new
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Class Notes position with United Health Care (Congrats!) and is still very involved in Bancroft sports. Our deepest condolences to him, as he lost someone very special in his life: Coach Mark O’Brien. John is an extraordinarily strong and amazing person. Eric is enjoying retired life with his wife Nancy and getting more involved with the workings of the Friends of Institute Park as one of its Board of Directors. He has a handful of grandkids now (I lost count). Thanks to Eric’s vigilant eye on the Worcester scene, he keeps me informed of interesting Worcester and Bancroft news (the Kelley Square and Shore Drive reconstruction projects) and has been known to email me with crossword puzzle comments, “Nancy and I finished a crossword puzzle over the weekend, and the answer to one of the clues was Oro (Valley, Arizona). Is Oro Valley, AZ, near you (and Glen, of course!)?” That’s all the news that’s fit to print this time around. Please send me your news, pictures, and stay in touch! I wish you all good health, peace and hugs (from a distance).
Jeffrey Gratton: On March 14th I boarded a 12-hour one-way nonstop flight from JFK to Honolulu having completely liquidated my NYC life, deeply concerned that this city, which has blessed me with one hundred lifetimes of adventures, would never be the same again. In recent years I have been studying the ideas of the Ringing Cedars movement (out of Russia) which to my knowledge, represents the only comprehensive farming/lifestyle modality meeting all 17 of the United Nation’s official goals for humankind sustainability. For the next chapter of my life, I am committing myself to developing a high-level planned neighborhood of private 2 to 3 acre organic family farms. Our team is currently evaluating parcels on both Molokai and the Big Island. Foremost among our aims is respectfully soliciting local input with sincerity and inclusiveness.
Lauren R. Shuster, 23607 N 21st Place, Phoenix, AZ 85024, 978-855-5573 abeautifulview.lauren@gmail.com
Dakin Ferris: Being a parent has been the greatest experience of my life. My wife, Kayono, and our twins Kaisei and Mailani live in Oakland, CA these days, but with any luck, we will be off to Japan this Fall for a couple years. Wishing all my class and schoolmates a great summer and prayers for relief from Covid-19.
Jeffrey Gratton ’78
CLASS OF 1986 Becca Condon Zieminski: Hello to the Class of 1986! I enjoy keeping up with many of you and some of our former teachers on social media. My brother Jim Condon ’83 and I took a bee keeping class this spring. Through bee keeping, I reconnected with our classmate Mark Lundstrom who has been fielding my many questions and has been an invaluable helper to us as new beekeepers! I wish you all well as you weather through these unusual times and I hope you all are staying healthy and well.
CLASS OF 1987
Dakin Ferris ’78 with wife, Kayono, and twins, Kaisei and Mailani.
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CLASS OF 1990 Ashley Groves: After 20 years of wandering the West Coast and the DC area my family and I have returned to Massachusetts. We are looking forward to taking possession of a new house in Westborough. I am also working on the same Framingham campus that I left those 20 years ago, which was then Genzyme but is now Sanofi Genzyme. Funny world. COVID-19 conditions do make it interesting as, although returning, I still cannot see so many old friends that are now close by, but I look forward to such a time in the future. Stay safe everyone!
CLASS OF 1993
CLASS OF 1978 Andy Bjork: My wife Carolyn and I are enjoying north and south properties - North in Newport, RI and South in Charleston, SC. Angus has also found Charleston to be a good place when he is not on Cuttyhunk, so we connect periodically for food, beverage and storytelling.
EMT and 21st as a paramedic. During the spring coronavirus surge, my agency transported over 700 COVIDpositive and COVID-suspected patients from community hospitals to major medical centers in Boston, or between the Boston hospitals to keep any one of them from becoming overloaded. I am still in touch with some members of the Class of 1987 via social media and hope to be able to physically visit with them in the future. As with many of us my family life and career have taken me away from the Worcester area, so chances to visit Shore Drive were fleeting even before the pandemic.
James Pelletier: I recently (end of June) completed my sixth year as a Communication Specialist for Boston Medflight, a non-profit medical transport agency for the very sick and injured; we use specialized ground and helicopter ambulances for these transports. My role at BMF is to answer calls for service, obtain the necessary patient information, and assign the transport request to the correct vehicle. 2020 also marks my 28th year as an
After 14 wonderful years at Kimball Union Academy, Kevin M. Ramos-Glew is moving on to serve as the founding Dean of Enrollment at New England Innovation Academy (NEIA) in Marlborough, MA. It’s a new school focused on human-centered design, passion, purpose, creativity, and entrepreneurialism. Kevin was immediately drawn to the mission of this place — out of the box and just what is needed for today’s world! Just as our beloved Worcester County is a land of many inventions, NEIA is an incubator for future innovators. Kevin and his family continue to spend most of their time in the lovely outdoors of New Hampshire — gardening, running, biking, skiing, swimming, and appreciating nature. Erica Driscoll Ribeiro is the Director of Development at St. Agnes School/Arlington Catholic High School in Arlington, MA. Her son, Caleb, is a freshman at Bard College and her daughter, Hannah, is a freshman at Worcester Academy.
CLASS OF 1998 Michael Cohen: Last fall, after ten years, I finished my project editing James K. Polk’s letters at the University of Tennessee. This March I started a new project at American University editing the letters of two even more obscure presidents: Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore. I’m still living in Minnesota and working from home (I did it before it was cool). Meanwhile, it was great to catch up with Dave Hawkins, Abby Morgan, Josh Katz, and Drew Freilich (all ’98) in our class Zoom chat this summer.
CLASS OF 1999 Danielle Spring: Got married in November 2019 to Julie A. Toupin then honeymooned in Amsterdam, Paris and London. I currently work as a Finance and Sales manager at Harr Toyota in Worcester, MA. I’ve been able to help a lot of other Bancroft alum with their car buying experiences.
Though I still have an autographed copy of the most recent Vertical Horizon CD to send to Abe Stein, I wanted to use these class notes to inform Abe that it is ‘in the mail." And while I wait for an official statement from Abe, I urge you all to follow Abe on twitter @abestein. As for me, I recently took the oath of office for the Census Bureau for the 6th time in 11 years. Hopefully this Bancroft Bulletin comes after a ‘successful’ Decennial Census. One can only hope though. Speaking of enumerating a household, my wife and I expect our first born on August 29th, just days from this submission. (FYI he or she will not be counted in the 2020 census in case anyone needs a civics lesson about the Decennial census. A more entertaining way to learn about the Decennial would be to watch Season 1 Episode 6 of The West Wing.) I urge any members of the class of 1999 who are not receiving correspondence from me, to email me at chrisjvazquez@gmail.com or call me at 774.262.9507. I would love to get the final fourth of our class within reach.
CLASS OF 2001 Danielle Spring and wife, Julie.
Chris Vazquez: From the desk of 1999...Fresh from ‘HotLanta’ Amanda Lewis Kantor has submitted her first ever class notes (to the best of her recollection) and tells us that she has been living outside of Atlanta after moving to Georgia three years ago. She and her husband Josh have two adorable children (I was lucky enough to meet the family in 2019 while they were visiting MA.) Their daughter, Hannah, is 4 and just started Pre-K, and their son, Jacob, is just about to turn the ripe old age of 2. Amanda adds, "We enjoy it here but are hoping we can make it back to MA next summer for some beach time and to catch up with family and friends." Amanda kindly sends her best wishes to the Bancroft community and hopes “everyone is doing well and keeping safe.”
Kelly (McKallagat) Rogers: My husband and I welcomed our second child in late April amid the early COVID-19 outbreaks. We are all doing well. Hoping everyone is staying safe and COVID-19 is only a memory by the time this is published.
CLASS OF 2002 Rebecca Kowaloff: In October my husband and I welcomed our first child, Wesley Kowaloff. Parenthood has been the best!
Larry Atupem’s ’02 daughter, Olivia Maame Akua.
CLASS OF 2005 Caleb Dresser: This has been a year like no other. In addition to continuing my fellowship in Climate & Human Health at BIDMC / Harvard, I’ve been working in local emergency departments throughout the pandemic, and volunteered at the Boston Hope field hospital during the springtime COVID-19 surge. Stay safe everyone. Wear those masks!
CLASS OF 2006 Morgan Cichon and Jeffrey Jablonka were married on June 23, 2020 in an intimate ceremony at the Ohio Supreme Court in Columbus, where the couple lives. They are excited to begin this next adventure together!
CLASS OF 2008
Rebecca Kowaloff's ’02 son, Wesley. Amanda Lewis Kantor ’99 with husband Josh and children Hannah & Jacob.
Larry Atupem and wife Massa, welcomed a daughter on March 27th, 2020, Olivia Maame Akua. Congratulations!
Alexis Kelleher ’08 and her husband Nate Rossi welcomed their first son, Reed George Kelleher-Rossi on November 13, 2019.
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Class Notes
Alex Owen: My wife Molly and I had our first child, Clara, on May 1. She is happy and healthy and has already joined us on our socially distanced summer adventures!
Morgan Cichon ’06 and husband Jeffrey Jablonka
Alex Owen ’08, wife Molly, and Clara.
CLASS OF 2009 Wilma Cespedes-Rivera has been living in NYC for 10 years and recently has been cast in a JC Penney commercial, two independent films which you can find on Amazon Prime Inveigh and Such A Funny Life - and was in a world premiere play at The Portland Stage Company! She plans on moving to LA with her long term boyfriend next spring!
Emilee St Germain ‘10, Josephine Cordery’10, Nina (Shapiro) Sufrin ‘10, Zach Sufrin, Kelsey Watkins ‘10, Helena Zakon ‘10 and Matt Caron ‘10 celebrating Nina & Zach’s nuptials.
2012 Classmembers left to right: Guillermo Cremer, Hannah Reisinger, Jennifer Wallace, Olivia Collette, Felicia Pellegrini, and Danielle Cahn
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Molly Jackel: Ben Camp’s mother sent me the following a month or two ago: We were all SO proud to see that Ben was recently highlighted by Rochester Institute of Technology for his skills and leadership that have landed him a great job with Illuminate a pharmaceutical marketing company in the Boston Back Bay. (www.rit.edu/news/hands-experience-rit-leadscareer-success-alumnus) Also, Jackson Stell has done great things as Big Wild in the music industry! He just got married & bought a home in Oregon. Rachel Gerhardt: I recently wrapped up a 2-year Administrative Fellowship program at Johns Hopkins Medicine and have made the move to Pittsburgh, PA! I loved my time in Baltimore and I am excited for the next chapter in Pittsburgh where I recently started working at UPMC Children’s Hospital as the Director of Operations for Pediatric Ophthalmology. Before moving, I was able to spend some time back in Worcester with my family and had some extra quality time with my niece and nephew! The Gerhardt family is on the move this summer as Dave ’05 moved to Vermont! Like the rest of the Bancroft community, we are devastated with the loss of Coach OB. It was nice to reconnect with some Bancroft alums and see all of the stories shared about
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how special Coach was. It was also special to reminisce with my mom and brother about our time growing up at Bancroft. I hope to be back at Bancroft sometime in the next year to honor Coach. I hope everyone has a safe and healthy summer and fall!
CLASS OF 2010 Annie (Massard) Mercier: My husband, Tim and I welcomed our first child at the during the COVID-19 pandemic! Chase Adam Mercier was born on April 17, 2020 weighing 9lbs 12oz. He is now 3 months old and is changing every day! Delivering and now raising our first child during a pandemic wasn’t something we had ever imagined, but we are enjoying every second and taking it day by day. We can’t wait to bring Chase to a future Bulldog event!
CLASS OF 2011 Andrew Hitzhusen: Got a new job as an AP World history teacher outside of Chicago. Graduated with a Master of Science in Education from Northwestern University. Proposed to my now fiancé on the shores of Lake Michigan. June was a very good month despite the global pandemic.
catching up with my friends from Bancroft via Zoom. Living so far away, this has been a great opportunity for me to stay involved with my friends and be caught up on all of their successes. If anyone finds themselves at Disney World or in Orlando on the other side of all of this, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
CLASS OF 2013 Nimisha Patil: I have been working in Los Angeles as a Mechanical Design Engineer for the past few years. I design medical devices at Medtronic. I also moonlight as a freelance Producer/Director on various film projects, including commercials, shorts, and indie feature films. However, I’ll be heading back to Massachusetts this fall to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. I am excited to be coming back home and back to real seasons for a bit!
Andrew Hitzhusen ’11 with his fiancé.
Anastasia Theophanous: Earlier this year I graduated with a Bachelor of Property and Real Estate from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. I feel honored to have received two academic excellence awards from the Deakin Business School. Firstly, I was recognized as the Best Graduate for achieving the highest academic standard within my course. Additionally, I am a recipient of the prestigious Deans Merit List 2020. A huge thank you to my teachers at Bancroft for inspiring me and preparing me with the necessary tools to be a top student across several universities in Melbourne, including Monash University.
Annie (Massard) Mercier ’10 and husband, Tim
The Force is strong with Katie Oliver ’12 at Disney World’s new Star Wars: Galaxy Edge attraction.
CLASS OF 2012 Guillermo Creamer: Members of the Class of 2012 took a beach trip together in the summer of 2020! (Photo on page 22)
Chase Adam Merciery
Nina (Shapiro) Sufrin: I was overjoyed to celebrate my wedding day with some of my closest friends that I made at Bancroft! Although we’ve all moved around the world, it was great coming back together - Josie flew in all the way from Germany! (Photo on page 22)
Katie Oliver: I hope this message finds everyone staying safe and well. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since my time at Bancroft. While a whole lot has happened since 2012, most recently I "celebrated" five years of living in Orlando, Florida in early August. I am still working for The Walt Disney Company, most recently in the Special Events area. After getting my start as a hotel concierge in 2015, I have worked in conventions, press/ media events, and special events for Disney Youth Programs and Disney Performing Arts. It’s been a whirlwind watching my lifelong dream coming true. While these unprecedented times have put a temporary pause on my career, I have enjoyed spending some of my free time
Anastasia Theophanous ’13 at her graduation in Melbourne, AUS.
CLASS OF 2014 Evan Cummings is now a spoken word poet in Hollywood, California and is currently working on and compiling his first written collection.
CLASS OF 2016 Iris (Jiaying) Li: In May, I graduated from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, with a B.S. in Economics. I am now a full-time private equity investment professional, and a part-time artist. I will be moving to New York City in the fall and start a new chapter of my life. I wish the best to our Bancroft community during these trying times.
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OWNING OUR FUTURE A COLLABORATIVE DESIGN FOR EXCELLENCE IN INQUIRY-BASED EDUCATION 2025 will mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of Bancroft School. BluePrint125 provides a community-designed framework for launching our next 125 years from a place of confidence and strength. Hundreds of community members participated in an intentionally inclusive process to examine the current state of the School and develop a clear, intentional direction for how Bancroft will move forward over the next five years. BluePrint125 is our community’s plan for the future. The Strategic Planning Team, formed through a community-wide call for nominations, included an array of Bancroft constituents—faculty, staff, current students, alumni, parents—both current and past, trustees, and community partners; many fell into more than one category. With a broad range of connections to the School, this 22-member team brought diverse perspectives to both the planning process and the plan itself. The group conducted over 100 interviews with faculty, staff, students, parents, people in the greater
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Worcester community, and professionals at other schools. We also saw incredibly valuable dialogue at faculty and parent Think Tank events. We took all of this information and spent time carefully analyzing and processing. The Team worked collaboratively to imagine a future Bancroft grounded in the School’s mission and guided by the needs of the Bancroft community. This initial research, along with the findings from the 2018 NEASC Accreditation Self Study, laid the groundwork for Community Design Day. On a cold Saturday in February, over 100 members of our extended Bancroft community gathered in the Dining Hall to imagine what Bancroft’s desired future looks like and how we might get there. Design Day was a huge success, producing dozens of ideas and clarifying a shared vision for the future — BluePrint125. I am proud to report that late last fall, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved this community design, setting the wheels in motion for the plan’s implementation.
Throughout the design process, the Team kept returning to these three questions:
And, the plan’s building blocks provide a community-designed path to achieve this vision.
Who are we? Where are we headed? How do we get there? BluePrint125 captures the Bancroft community’s collective response to each of these questions.
Just as our students embrace owning their learning, the Bancroft community has embraced owning our future. BluePrint125 is truly a collaborative design to fulfill a shared vision for the Bancroft of 2025 and beyond. I invite you to visit the Bancroft website to take a look at the finished version of the plan and learn more about opportunities to be involved as we work together to bring BluePrint 125 to life.
We learned that our community shares an understanding that Bancroft exists for the benefit of our students as embodied in these three promises: • We promise to know each student as an individual with a unique history and trajectory. • We promise to partner with each family to chart students’ personal journeys towards mastery and independence while challenging students to become the best version of themselves. • We promise to provide an equitable learning environment. The three pillars of the plan embody our community’s vision for Bancroft in 2025. These are the three areas of focus to help us reach our goals: • INNOVATIVE TEACHING FOR ACTIVE LEARNING • EQUITY IN ACTION • INVESTED COMMUNITY
I want to thank my fellow Strategic Planning Team members and the hundreds of people who helped craft this plan. I am grateful to be a part of this community and its work, and I am confident that together we can ensure Bancroft continues to fulfill its promise for another 125 years.
Katy Sullivan, P ’19, ’21 BOARD PRESIDENT & STRATEGIC PLAN CHAIR
Meet the newest members of the Board The Bancroft Board of Trustees has welcomed four new members for the 2020-21 school year.
Susanne Choate P’19, ’21
Elizabeth Wambui
PFA PRESIDENT
Elizabeth is the Director of Advancement at Nativity School of Worcester, the city’s only private, tuition-free middle school for boys from low-income backgrounds.
Susanne attended the University of Pennsylvania where she earned B.A.s in Mathematics and Political Science. She went on to earn an M.B.A from Boston University. She has worked over 20 years as a management consultant with Fortune 100 companies and has expertise in client relationship management, strategic planning, business process definition, and integration of new technologies. Since 2016, Susanne has been a Principal Consultant with CastleHill Managed Risk Solutions. She has been an active Bancroft Parent and Faculty Association (PFA) volunteer for over four years and now serves as its President. Susanne lives in Princeton with her husband Jon, and two sons. Aidan ‘19 currently attends Lafayette College and Elijah is a senior at Bancroft.
Polly Tatum P’04, ’08 Polly is the founder of the Law Office of Polly A. Tatum/Mediation Advantage Services. As an attorney, she provides Comprehensive Estate Planning Services with a focus on empowering individuals and families with children to make wise choices to protect what they love the most. She was the 100th President of the Worcester County Bar Association and presided over the Association as it celebrated its 125th Anniversary. Polly is also a leader in the field of Divorce Mediation and Conflict Resolution in Central Massachusetts. Polly has a long history with community involvement in Worcester County. She has served on various nonprofit boards both past and present that include Current Vice Chairwoman of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts. She has also served on the boards of Girls Inc., The Links Incorporated, The United Way of Central Massachusetts, and The MLK Jr. Business Empowerment Center. She was named the 2012 Outstanding Women in Business Award Recipient from the Worcester Business Journal and 2005 Katherine Forbes Erskine Award Recipient for Business and Law. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from New Hampshire College, J.D. from Massachusetts Law School, and an LLM in Estate Planning and Elder Law from Western New England College School of Law. She is the proud mother of three young adult daughters, Jasmine ’04, Jamese, and Jamelah ’08.
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Prior to joining Nativity, she served as a Major Gifts Officer and the Regional Financial Development Specialist at the American Red Cross of Massachusetts. She has also served as the Development Associate at Easter Seals Massachusetts. Elizabeth’s community involvement has included serving as a committee member on the Veteran’s Inc. Gala committee, Holy Cross Alumni Club of Greater Worcester, Diverse Professionals Roundtable member and past Board Member for Creative Hub Worcester. She currently serves as a Greater Worcester Community Foundation Early Childhood Committee member, Modern Mechanics Guild Member and Worcester Art Museum Corporator. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross. She was part of the Leadership Worcester Class of 2016-2017 and was one of the honorees in the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Class of 2014.
Bill Zujewski P’16, ’18, ’21 Bill is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Green Business Bureau and is responsible for building the company’s brand and promoting the value of being a certified green business. He is passionate about helping businesses become more sustainable and socially responsible. Bill has over 30 years of global marketing experience in the high tech and software industry and has led marketing organizations at four hyper-growth companies with four successful exits. He was CMO of Tulip Software from 2016-2019 and helped the startup raise $40 Million from Kleiner Perkins. He was CMO for five years at a software company called Axeda which was acquired by PTC in 2015. Before that, Bill held executive leadership positions at ATG, eDocs, BroadVision and Informix. Bill holds a B.S. in Computer Science from UConn and an MBA from Boston College. Bill and his wife Sue reside in Grafton and have four children. Matthew ’16 and Jonathan ’18 both graduated from Bancroft and attend UConn. Their daughter Annie attended Notre Dame Academy of Worcester and UConn. Their son CJ is currently a Senior at Bancroft.
ANNUAL
REPORT 20192020
A Note from the CAO BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020-21 Executive Committee President Katy Sullivan First Vice-President John J. Duggan ’77 Vice-President Sheena Sharma ’89 Treasurer Martin S. Richman Secretary James P. Condon ’83 At Large Peter A. Janhunen Jr. ’85 Michael Palermo Ex Officio James P. “Trey” Cassidy PFA President Susanne Choate Trustees Padgett Berthiaume ’97 Mary Halpin Carter ’83 Susanne Choate Catherine Colinvaux Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86 David Fahlstrom Dr. Terence Flotte Elvisi Mena Susan Onffroy Polly Tatum Jo Truesdell ’72 Alumni Council President
Elizabeth Wambui William Zujewski Honorary Trustees Warner S. Fletcher ’63 Neil D. McDonough
Dear Bancroft Community, During a year of a global pandemic and political and social unrest, I found myself asking “what does being resilient really mean?” 2020 has felt like climbing a mountain without having trained or packed the proper equipment. There have been setbacks and disappointments, but there have always been family, friends, and colleagues to support one another. That has been apparent as I continue to watch how our community of administrators, faculty, students, and parents come together to lift each other up along the way. While many challenges came our way this year, we remained open, flexible, and willing to adapt. Soon, we will be able to look back with pride at just how far we have come. In this issue of the Bancroft Bulletin we share inspiring stories of teaching, learning, and empathy. Most of all, you’ll truly see the resilience of this community. Forever Our Coach shares moving words of remembrance of our dear friend, colleague, and coach Mark O’Brien following his sudden passing in June. In addition, we have highlighted some of the great work of our bright current students and our many accomplished alumni. You will see that the Class of 2020 may not have held its traditional commencement, but was celebrated in memorable ways. When you read these and other stories, you will learn how we are a community that has embraced challenges and found opportunity within adversity while staying true to our culture and values. None of this would be possible without the philanthropic support of alumni, faculty, family, and friends who we honor in the 2019-2020 Annual Report of Donors. Your generosity is so important and sincerely appreciated. We hope you will continue your incredible support of Bancroft going forward and I wish you and your families a safe and happy 2021. With gratitude,
Tina Gorski-Strong, P’23 Chief Advancement Officer
ANNUAL REPORT | 2
We are a community that has embraced challenges and found opportunity within adversity while staying true to our culture and values.”
CONTENTS OUT IN FRONT CAMPAIGN Gifts & Pledges ...............4 Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds .....................6 Bancroft Fund Giving OneBancroftFund ....... 8 Current Parents ............9 Parents of Alumni .......9 Corporations & Foundations ..............9 Alumni ........................... 10 Faculty & Staff .............12 Head’s Circle ................12 Grandparents ...............12 Honorary Gifts .............13 Memorial Gifts .............13 Gifts to Special Funds ............................... 14 George Bancroft Legacy Society ............ 14
ANNUAL REPORT | 3
WE DID IT! Over 210 donors helped us raise $8,279,262 (vs. $8.0 million goal) Impact of the OIF Campaign •
A digital media lab for students to develop skills in graphic design, film, and photography
•
A modernized and functional music room to showcase the Bancroft music program
•
Renovated fieldhouse that provides flexible space for physical education, summer camp, and community events
•
New, energy efficient boiler, exterior lighting, and HVAC systems
•
Updated student support space
•
Over $1 Million raised to support the Bancroft Fund
•
$100,000 Endowment Fund for Visual Arts Scholarships
ANNUAL REPORT | 4
OUT IN FRONT CAMPAIGN Gifts & Pledges Bancroft School is grateful to the following generous donors who have made gifts and pledges to the Out In Front campaign by June 30, 2020. Funds raised through the campaign will provide support for capital improvements, endowment, and programs. Patricia Doon Martha Duggan ’74 John ’77 and Mary Beth Duggan David and Leslie Duval Scott Dworman and Nancy Berley William H. Ebert ’99 Brian and Ashley Edwards Christian Epple and Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86 The Ruth H. and Warren A. Ellsworth Foundation Nathaniel Erskine ’06 Linwood Erskine ’41 David and Paula Fahlstrom Matthew Fargo ’79 Bradley P. Ferris ’82 David and Susan Fisher Elizabeth S. Fitzpatrick ’72 Allen W. Fletcher ’65 The Fletcher Foundation Estate of Patricia Fletcher ’56 Warner ’63 and Mary Fletcher Terrence and Kye Flotte Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin Marc ’89 and Becky Frieden George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation The Wyatt Garfield Family Beckley Alley Gaudette Kevan Gibson and Linda Tilton Gibson ’83 Heidi Ginter Joan Wandrei Gong ’69 Bradford Gooch ’54 Tina Gorski-Strong and Keith Strong Robert and Maureen Gray Robert Gray ’86 Christine Carr Hague ’64 Thomas and Patricia A. Halpin Estate of Robert D. Harrington, Jr. ’50 Hart Foundation Charles and Lindsay Hart Lawrence Hayward and Christine Nelson Estate of Carolyn Heald ’60 Elizabeth Heald James N. Heald II ’45 Arthur and Elisa Heinricher John and Lea Hench Mary D. Herron ’83 Prentiss Higgins ’57 and Mary Cushman Higgins ’61 Michael E. Hochman ’97 James Holdstein and Emily Gould Holdstein ’72 John Howe ’76 Ian and Kelly Hurd
Mary Lee O’Connell Jamieson ’54 Mark C. and Barbara Johnson Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74 Benjamin S. Josephson ’93 Harry Keates and Robin Silverman John and Rayna Keenan Judith Stoddard King ’52 Judy and Tony King Foundation Suzanne B. Klainer ’98 Brad C. Knapp Craig ’77 and Suzanne Knutson Benjamin Krefetz ’96 Christina Gummere Laurie ’60 Nathan P. Lemay ’03 S. Robert Levine ’76 Huiming Li and Haiyan Zhang Shaina N. Lo ’11 Deborah Locke ’65 Robert ’82 and Annette Loring Stephen Loring and Valerie Stoddard Loring ’55 Alisheya Luthman ’10 Gregory and Margaret MacGilpin Lindsey Madison ’06 Nicole Manning ’10 Russell and Julie Mason Kristina Nassikas Matsch ’76 John Mayher ’57 Brian and Dana McAllister David and Ann McCann C. Jean McDonough C. Jean and Myles McDonough Charitable Foundation Shawn McGuinness Kathryn Crowley McNeal ’98 Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90 and Neal Melley Daniel Mercurio Douglas and Diane Meystre Erwin ’58 and Margery Miller JoAnn and David Mills Rebecca Mitchell ’66 John and Janice Morello Daniel and Mayo Morgan Joan Moynagh ’77 Carol Holmstrom Narbeshuber ’51 Andrew N. C. Nash ’93 T. Leverett Nelson ’77 David ’72 and Susan Nicholson Joshua and Susan Onffroy Michael and Martha Palermo Alfred and Amy Pearson Adrian ’72 and Ruth Perschak David and Marlene Persky Joseph Persky ’98 John and Patricia † Peterson Jennifer and Catherine Petter
Dwight Poler ’82 Protective Services, Inc. Estate of Ann Prouty Nicolina Puccio Jane Radcliffe ’64 Erica Driscoll Ribeiro ’93 Martin Richman and Joanne DeMoura Rockwell Foundation Betty Russell Giuliana Russo ’18 Igor Samartsev and Natalia Pavlova Estate of Virginia Wade Sampson ’38 Lucinda Reed Sanders ’71 Judith Sbrogna Ralph Sbrogna ’94 Susan and Paul Schlaikjer Robert and Dawn Seiple Natalie West Sellin ’64 Selvitella Family Frank Sessions ’59 Roderick and Karen Shaffert Sheena Sharma ’89 and Joseph Cotten Sholley Foundation Joan M. Sholley ’77 Albert Sjogren Stephen and Margaret Skiles The St. Germain Family Peter B. Stebbins ’79 Deborah and Jeff Stockwell Stoddard Charitable Trust Eve Meiklejohn Stone ’53 Karsten Stueber and Manisha Sinha Katy and Peter Sullivan Ronald Tadiri and Judith Pernice Frederic Taylor ’54 Mark R. Teutsch George ’78 and Lynne Tonna Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 Samuel Truesdell ’02 John and Nancy Tumolo Keith and Holly Turley Karyn and Mark Wagner ’84 Joanne Wallmuth Lorna Erickson Wayland ’62 Nina Heald Webber ’49 Todd Wetzel ’86 Estate of Anny Maclaurin Winch ’41 David Woodbury and Susan Brownell Woodbury ’61 Virginia Woodbury Estate of Hope Gilson Wright ’47 Barbara Smith Young ’67 Lisa Heald Zuar ’74
†Deceased
ANNUAL REPORT | 5
Anonymous (1) George I. Alden Trust Charles and Mary Aleksiewicz Lynn Kremer and Iouri Alsov John Anderson David and Jill Asher Lisa Baker and Kristi Fielder Zachary Bamberg ’04 Frederick and Isabel Bayon John and Anne Beauregard Beth Beckmann Paul and Shari Belanger Sarah Garfield Berry ’69 Padgett Berthiaume ’97 and Paige Spence-Berthiaume David C. Bjork ’80 K. Andrew Bjork ’78 Karl N. Bjork ’52 and Janice H. Bjork ’54 William K. Bjork ’86 Jonathan Blake ’65 and Susan Hunter Dwight ’68 and Susan Blake Matthew Bovenzi Rhonda Brodeur Miriam Wade Butts ’44 Maureen Cabral Mary Valentine Callahan ’67 Charles and Deborah Cary Mary Jo Cassidy Trey and Bonnie Cassidy Elizabeth Bullock Chandler ’76 Michael Chang ’96 Micah and Iris Chase R. Conrad and Christine Clemson Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore Flavien Collet Gerald and Patricia Condon James and Beth Conners Amy Corbett ’67 Nicholas Cotsidas ’58 Henry Coz David and Susan Cranford Frederick G. Crocker Jr. Susanne Gosnell Currie ’64 David and Janet Cyganski The Fred Harris Daniels Foundation, Inc. Estate of Elizabeth F. Davis ’37 Phillips ’58 and Laurel Davis Estate of Ron S. Davis ’38 John T.G. Dearborn ’72 Douglas DeFonzo ’88 Martha Lowell Densmore ’42 † George Dewey ’58 Jane Difley ’67 Benjamin Dobson ’97 Peter and Mary Donaty Megan D. Donaty ’18
Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds | Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds | Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds
Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds Bancroft School is grateful to its community of donors. This list recognizes all who made gifts to the Bancroft Fund and any non-Out In Front Campaign gifts during the 2019-2020 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2020. A special recognition to those who have supported Bancroft for 5+ and 10+ consecutive years! (Please note that donors to the Out In Front Campaign are recognized on page 5.)
ANNUAL REPORT | 6
★★ 10+ year consecutive giving
★ 5+ year consecutive giving
Anonymous (6) AbbVie Foundation Employee Engagement Fund ★ Brian Abend Jay and Myra Aframe ★★ Ting Li Ahmari ’99 Ali Akalin and Ceyhan Karabas-Akalin ★ James and Tina Alberto Jo Anne Pierson Albright ’57 ★★ Charles and Mary Aleksiewicz ★★ Kathleen Aleksiewicz ’92 ★ Howard and Susan Alfred Elizabeth R. Allen ’08 John and Halley Allen ★★ Lynn Kremer and Iouri Alsov ★ Alena T. Amano ’07 Michael D. Chang ’96 Megan Anderson ’10 Forbes ’77 and Candace Anderson ★ Paul Anderson and Ann Cichon Katelyn Enlow Anderson ’99 Andreoli Insurance Agency, Inc. ★ Ursula Arello Patricia Higgins Arnold ’62 ★★ Lawrence Atupem Jr. ’02 Patricia Ramsdell Austen ’55 Mark Azar ★ William and Mary Bagley ★ Bruce Baird ’04 ★★ Bruce and Amy Baird ★ Emily Baird ’05 ★★ Lucy Baird ’08 ★★ Jessye M. Ball ’97 Eleanor Ballard F. Elizabeth Ballotte ’75 Zachary Bamberg ’04 ★ John and Anna Barker ★ Daron and Katharine Barnard ★ Timothy Barnard and Meridyth Patterson Phyllis Barra Richard and Suzanne Barriere Thomas Barthel and Marci Jones ★★ Al Barthelman ’63 ★ Cornelia Alden Bates ’55 ★★ Frederick and Isabel Bayon ★★ John and Anne Beauregard ★ Beth Beckmann ★ Paul and Shari Belanger ★★ The Benevity Community Impact Fund ★ Jeffrey Berger ’95 Theodore and Maryellen Beriau Barbara Bernardin ★★ Sarah Garfield Berry ’69 ★ Padgett Berthiaume ’97 and Paige Spence-Berthiaume Robert Bicknell ’60 ★ Gene and Barbara Bisol ★ K. Andrew Bjork ’78 ★★ Dwight ’68 and Susan Blake ★★ Jonathan Blake ’65 and Susan Hunter ★★ Amy Glick Blecher ’63 ★★
Kim Boin Tracy Bombard Andrew and Anne Bond Nancy Horner Borden ’62 Boston Scientific Employee Giving Sasha Boussina Laurie Bowater ★★ Judith Sanders Boylan ’64 Mark Braley and MaryEllen McArdle Baird Bream ’06 Lisa Bright Smith ’66 Yuri ’97 and Ann Brightly Robert D. Brockway ’84 Rhonda Brodeur ★ Edmund H. S. Brose ’13 Caroline G. Brown ’11 Mark and Gail Buckley ★ Steven and Lisa Budish David Butler ’81 ★★ Brian and Sayra Butterfield Miriam Wade Butts ’44 ★★ Andrew and Megan Byron Maureen Cabral Andrea Salloom Cali ’72 ★ Christopher and Claire Campbell ★ Robert and Joan Carlson ★ Deborah D. Cary Estate of Alice Skelton Carr Calvin Carr ’55 ★★ Adrienne Otto Carr Pfluger ’51 Mary Halpin Carter ’83 ★★ John and Betsy Carver ★★ Bridgette A. Cassidy ’23 Page A. Cassidy ’20 Richard Cassidy Trey and Bonnie Cassidy ★ Shelby Catino ’03 Christopher Chand ’02 and Uyen Le Chand ’02 Michael Chang ’96 ★ Alison and Christopher Chappell Micah and Iris Chase ★★ Richard and Avery Chase ★★ Jonathan Chason and Traci Portnoff Keith and Barbara Chenot ★★ Jonathan and Susanne Choate ★ Abigail Church ★ Kim Ciborowski ’76 Justin A. Ciccolini ’26 Michael and Stacy Ciccolini Morgan Cichon ’06 ★★ Brenda Booth Clapp ’57 Tucker Massey Clark ’61 ★★ Kieran J. Cloonan ’91 Eric B. Coghlin ’98 ★ Abby Cohen ’93 ★ Dennis and Cynthia Cohen Stephanie Cohen ’02 ★ Teena Betten Cohen ’64 Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore ★★ Flavien Collet ★ Lisa Conboy ’86 Michael J. Conboy ’84
Christopher J. Condon ’19 Gerald and Patricia Condon ★★ James ’83 and Isabel Condon ★★ James and Beth Conners ★ Daniel Conroy and Isabelita Bella-Conroy ★★ Gail Whitcomb Coon ’47 Nicholas A. Cotsidas ’58 ★ Anne West Cowenhoven ’68 Joy Meystre Cowles ’91 ★ Henry Coz ★ Christopher and Elizabeth Crawford Norman and Judy Crawford ★★ William Cronin and Cynthia Pendleton David I. Crowley ’06 Lisbet Crowley ’07 Robert N. Crowley ’12 Trudy Crowley ’09 Janis Hampshire Cummins ’70 Douglas Cutler Melvin S. Cutler Charitable Foundation ★★ Mary Bomba Danenberg ’64 Petraq and Eugjenja Danga Jyoti Datta William and Shelagh Davenport ★★ June Davenport ★ Dix and Sarah Davis ★ Roger Davis and Hayla Sluss Paige O. Dawson ’19 Peter and Maura Dawson ★ Christopher DeAngelis and Suzanne Owen Douglas DeFonzo ’88 ★ Eugene and Patricia Degre G. Adam Del Rossi ’92 Jon and Laura Deneen Martha Lowell Densmore ’42 † ★ Louis DeSantis ’96 ★ George Dewey ’58 ★ Henry ’42 and Jane Dewey ★ Sarah Dewey ’78 ★★ Ramon Diaz ★ William and Laurie Diercks Jane Difley ’67 ★★ James Dinan ’77 Charles and Laurie Dings ★★ Thomas L. Dings ’84 Thomas and Lisa DiRienzo John and Dawn DiVito Benjamin Dobson ’97 ★★ Suzanne Doiron Megan D. Donaty ’18 Peter and Mary Donaty John ’77 and Mary Beth Duggan ★ Martha Duggan ’74 ★ Peter ’88 and Alison Durant ★★ David and Leslie Duval ★★ William H. Ebert ’99 Christian Epple and Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86 ★★ Richard Ellison III and Gretchen Schultz-Ellison
Janet Alford Eltorai ’75 Betsy Glass Engvall ’57 ★★ Jonathan Epstein ’85 Christopher Erskine ’44 ★★ Linwood Erskine ’41 ★ Nathaniel Erskine ’06 Terri Sundin Evans ’73 David and Paula Fahlstrom ★★ Rachel A. Fahlstrom ’11 ★★ Rebecca Fahlstrom ’07 ★★ Christine Feldt ’99 Graham Fernald ’51 ★★ Rodney Ferris ’76 David and Susan Fisher Elizabeth S. Fitzpatrick ’72 Edith Plimpton Fleeman ’70 Jennifer M. Fleming ’89 Andrew ’95 and Katie Fletcher ★★ Justin ’89 and Laine Fletcher ★★ Matthew ’91 and Julie Fletcher ★★ Warner ’63 and Mary Fletcher ★★ Terence and Kye Flotte ★★ Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin ★★ Drew A. Freilich ’98 Paul E. Friedman ’14 Mike Frizzell Sharon Kleiv Fromm ’63 ★ George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation ★★ John Gallagher and Carolyn Cuff ★ Elizabeth O’Hearn Galvin ’89 Sean and Matthew Ganas Jose Garcia-Lopez and Katherine Chope Katharine Garfield ★ Emily Athy Garrett ’00 ★★ GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program Mary Gelber Steven Gelber John Generelli Stuart and Jane Gerhardt ★★ James and Cassie Gevry Peter and Laura Gibson Heidi Ginter ★★ Goldman Sachs Gives Jill Goldstein ’04 ★★ Joan Wandrei Gong ’69 ★★ Bradford Gooch ’54 ★★ Tina Gorski-Strong and Keith Strong Ellen Gould ’63 ★★ Richard Graham ’67 ★★ William Graham ’72 ★★ Robert and Maureen Gray ★ Greater Worcester Community Foundation ★★ John Greenman ’58 Jinjing Gu ’14 Eric and Nancy Gunnard Christine Carr Hague ’64 ★★ Helen Frost Hale ’53 ★ Patricia A. Halpin ’85 Thomas and Patricia A. Halpin Tracey McGan Hamill ’80 Eric and Catherine Hanssen ★★ John Hanssen ’23 ★
Contributors July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020 †Deceased
Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds | Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds | Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds Adele Griffith Krumpholz ’64 Melinda Dahart Ladyzinski ’69 Ronald and Lynn Lancaster ★★ Christina Gummere Laurie ’60 ★ Christopher Chand ’02 and Uyen Le Chand ’02 Gail LeBlanc ★ Lana LeBlanc ★ Michelle Lessard Peter Levine Amanda Lewis Kantor ’99 Zhichen Tiger Li ’23 Susan Garrison Liming ’71 ★★ Joan Millar Lincoln ’62 Shaina N. Lo ’11 Deborah Locke ’65 ★★ Melissa Cohen Loeb ’96 Sage N. Look-Why ’23 Stephen Loring and Valerie Stoddard Loring ’55 ★★ Kathleen Sessions Low ’61 ★ Peter and Elaine Lucas ★ Alisheya Luthman ’10 Russell and Linda Luthman ★ Gregory and Margaret MacGilpin ★★ Carlene MacMillan ’99 Robert and Deborah Macomber Craig and Ellen Madonia Jane Martell Barry and Rebecca Maskas Gary Mathieu ★★ Kristina Nassikas Matsch ’76 John Mayher ’57 ★ Beverley Baldwin McCoid ’52 ★★ Margaret Richardson McGirr ’70 Moira A. McGrain ’82 Sally Poor McHenry ’56 ★ Courtney McKallagat ’99 Peter and Patricia McKone ★★ David and Kimberly McLaren Meghan McLaughlin ’01 David and Diane McManus Donald McMillan Kathryn Crowley McNeal ’98 ★★ Rebecca Meigs ’74 ★ Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90 and Neal Melley ★★ Elvisi Mena and Stephen Knox Daniel Mercurio Christopher Mercurio Joseph P. Mercurio William Meyers Douglas and Diane Meystre ★★ Henry ’72 and Katherine Michie ★★ Thomas S. Michie ’74 Erwin ’58 and Margery Miller ★★ Samuel Millette ’11 ★ Molly Beals Millman ’66 ★★ JoAnn and David Mills ★★ Renee Michelson Minsky ’49 ★★ Susan Sydow Mitchell ’59 Heather Moon Zohaib M. Moonis ’13 John and Janice Morello ★★ Daniel and Mayo Morgan Barrett Morgan ’57 † ★★ Pamela Kinnicutt Motley ’62 ★★ Joan Moynagh ’77 ★ Thomas and Vanda Mullins Scott Mulloy Michelle Farina Murphy ’01 ★★ Edmund Murrah ’62 ★★ Donald Naber and Maura McCarthy ★ Craig Napolitano Andrew N. C. Nash ’93
T. Leverett Nelson ’77 Trung Nguyen ’02 David A. Nicholson Jr. ’02 David ’72 and Susan Nicholson ★★ Joyce Anderson Nicholson ’47 ★★ William ’76 and Mary Nicholson Anne Bagley Nielsen ’68 ★★ David and Kathryn Niose ★ Alexander Norton ’12 Erica Puccio O’Brien ’91 ★★ Susan Hogeman O’Connor ’73 Kerry Sullivan O’Keefe ’92 ★★ Susan O’Neil Jeffrey Oakes ’73 ★★ Russell B. Oliver ’10 Joshua and Susan Onffroy ★ Burton and Carole Orland ★ Burton and Na-Young Osterweis Elizabeth Osterweis Christian and Brita Outzen ★ Michael and Martha Palermo ★★ Nathan and Erin Palumbo Gene and Christa Papula ★ Jordan C. Papula ’16 Tyler D. Papula ’19 Robert and Judith Paradine ★ Chirag and Jigna Parikh ★ Jennifer Parks Stefan Parnell Kamran and Nexhmije Parvin Harish and Namrata Patil Devendra and Sujata Patil Matthew and Taryn Patrick Deborah J. Patterson ’69 James ’96 and Nicola Paugh Sally Gooch Paynter ’51 ★★ Kenneth Payson ’63 ★★ Alfred and Amy Pearson ★★ Edward Perrin ’04 Sarah French Perry ’52 Adrian ’72 and Ruth Perschak ★★ Henry ’74 and Katharina Perschak David and Marlene Persky ★★ Joseph Persky ’98 ★★ Lauren D. Persky ’95 Joseph Persky Foundation ★★ John Peterson Jennifer and Catherine Petter Michael R. Pigott ’13 Allison Plourde Polar Beverages ★ Dwight ’82 and Kirsten Poler ★★ Cheryl Pope Vickie and Paul Powers ★★ Jessica Poznik Garnett ’99 Joe Prestes Hilary Prouty ’62 Justin Puccio ’89 ★ Nicolina Puccio ★★ Christina Puleo Hale and Sarah Pulsifer ★ Kelly Quill ’86 Stephen and Maureen Quill ★★ R. Dale Rains Kevin M. Ramos-Glew ’93 Barbara Davies Ramsdell ’53 ★★ Beth Sanders Ratner ’66 Nicole Y. Rawson Monica Redmond-Nieves Hannah Reisinger ’12 ★ Scott and Anne Reisinger ★★ Reliant Foundation Inc. ★ Arthur Remillard III ★★ Arthur Remillard ’04 ★ Michelle Remillard ’08 ★
Monique Remillard ’06 ★ Mohan Renganathan ’92 Nancy Rhinesmith Erica Driscoll Ribeiro ’93 ★★ Karen Jones Richard ’89 Martin Richman and Joanne DeMoura ★★ Elizabeth Nealon Ridgley ’91 Richard and Laura Rogan Leah M. Rosales ’99 Matthew M. Rosales ’01 Paul and Fay Rossley Fund of Greater Worcester Community Foundation ★★ Doriane Ruml Margery Asher Russem ’46 Carol Ryan ★★ Andrew and Julie Salmon Igor Samartsev and Natalia Pavlova Lucinda Reed Sanders ’71 Huyen and Dante Santelli David and Nancy Santory Elizabeth Tonna Sarantos ’75 ★★ Judith Sbrogna ★★ Ralph Sbrogna Ralph F. Sbrogna Jr. ’94 ★★ Meredith Crawford Scaplen ’06 Judith L. Schechtman ’72 Robert Scheier ★★ Nathaniel F. D. Schultz ’00 Zelda Jacobson Schwartz ’57 ★★ Helen Seale ★★ Richard and Maria Sebastian Carl and Carolyn Selavka Natalie West Sellin ’64 ★ Selvitella Family Anthony J. Selvitella ’97 ★ Frank Sessions ’59 ★★ Georgianna Sgariglia Jeffrey and Elaine Shack ★★ Peter Shapiro Sheena Sharma ’89 and Joseph Cotten ★ Sherri Sharma ’94 Amol Sharma ’96 Theodore and Sharon Sharp ★★ Mark and Debra Shear ★ Sarah L. Shear ’05 Betsy R. Sheerr ’68 Roger and Carol Sheldon ★ Christopher and Pamela Sheldon ★★ Michael and Jaleen Siekman Angela Sigismondi Harry Keates and Robin Silverman ★★ Susan Silverman ★ Hannah E. Sinrich ’15 Scott and Deborah Sinrich Bradford and Lisa Sippy ★ Albert Sjogren ★ Naomi R. Sleeper ’99 Cynthia Foster Smith ’71 John Smith Samuel and Patricia Smith ★★ Sally Horner Smyser ’50 Duncan and Melissa-Lee Sorli Niko Spadea Brook Spaulding ’80 Robin Spaulding ★★ James and Susan Spencer ★★ Emilee St. Germain ’10 ★★ Hayley St. Germain Todd and Lynn St. Germain ★★ Marc Starzyk ’88 ★ Martin Sterman and Annette Schwartz Sterman Marguerite Stinson ’65 ★★ Eve Meiklejohn Stone ’53
Contributors July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020 †Deceased
ANNUAL REPORT | 7
Julia Hanssen ’21 ★ Michael P. Harrington ’08 Paul and Kathleen Harrington ★★ Charles Harris ’67 ★★ Charles and Lindsay Hart Hart Foundation Cynthia Howard Harvell ’66 ★★ James N. Heald II ’45 ★★ Rebecca Morgan Hedgecock ’60 ★★ Betsy Campbell Heide ’56 ★★ Alexander Heinricher ’09 Arthur and Elisa Heinricher ★ Jed A. Hellstrom ’89 M. Diane Hendricken Timothy Hession Robert Hicks ’57 and Susan Sperry Hicks ’58 Helen Sessions Higgins ’54 ★★ David D. Higgins ’64 Lee Higgins ’62 ★★ Milton Higgins ’56 ★★ Lawrence and Yvette Hochberg James Holdstein and Emily Gould Holdstein ’72 ★★ Mark Hollinger and Cheryl Cowley Hollinger ’77 William and Jane Holloway ★★ Sarah Hope John and Lois Horgan Hilary Hosmer ’63 Mary Louise Persons Hoss ’68 ★★ David V. Howe ’70 John Howe ’76 ★★ Colleen Hunter Ian and Kelly Hurd ★★ Steve and Tara Husson Lynn Hutchins ’72 ★★ Kate Hutchinson ’98 John and Clare Hyland Jeanette McIntosh Ingersoll ’55 ★★ Derek Ishibashi Peter A. Janhunen Jr. ’85 Mary Eddy Janigian ’64 ★★ Ann Jasperson Jeppson Memorial Fund of Greater Worcester Community Foundation ★★ Stephen Jerome ’79 Elizabeth Johnson Harry Johnson ’53 ★ Mark and Barbara Johnson Richard Johnson ’74 ★ Rebecca L. Johnstone ’83 Tracy Jones Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74 ★★ Susan Seder Joseph ’61 ★ Richard and Martha Karwowski ★ Avi Kaufman ’99 Joel and Carol Kaufman Seth Kaufman ’97 ★★ James Kelley ’09 ★ Sarah Kelley ’10 ★ Stephen and Katherine Kelley ★★ Denis and Kathryn Kennedy Robert and Nancy Kenney ★ John and Cynthia Kennison Nancy-Jo White Kessler ’60 Donna Eteson Kishibay ’67 John and Ann Klump Richard Knight ’62 Thomas and Susan Knight ★★ Lindsay Knowlton ’60 ★★ Richard and Diane Knutson Brian and Carol Kondek ★★ Fanfei Kong ★ Laurie Jasperson Kovalik ’90
Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds | Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds | Honor Roll of Donors to All Funds Valerie Gustafson Stowe ’64 Karsten Stueber and Manisha Sinha ★★ Robert Sulik and Kathleen Wood ★★ Katy and Peter Sullivan ★ Jennifer Summers ’90 ★★ Taryn and Matt Surabian Andrea Sussman ’78 ★ David Sweet ’92 and Meredith Morse Sweet ’92 Corinne Swoff Basil and Harieta Synodinos Ronald S. Tadiri and Judith Pernice Polly Tatum Paul and Lucienne Taylor Mark Taylor and Kate McCann ★ Frederic Taylor ’54 ★★ Michael B. Terry ’60 John Thayer and Martha Coes Thayer ’58 Frances Kumin Ticktin ’69 ★★ Edwin Tiffany ’60 Henry Tiffany ’58 ★★ Martha Anderson Tole ’75
George ’78 and Lynne Tonna ★★ Diane Tonna ’78 ★ Christina Wellington Traister ’90 Jennifer Backus Trowbridge ’93 Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 ★★ Alexis Tumolo ’02 John and Nancy Tumolo ★★ Kristin Tupper ★ Keith and Holly Turley Mark Underkofler and Stacy Weisberg United Way of Central Massachusetts United Way of North Central Massachusetts Unum Michael and Andrea Urban ★ Ketan Vakil ’99 Thomas Vander Salm and Adelaide Sherer Vander Salm ’64 ★ Christopher Vazquez ’99 Pamela Lee Veith ’76 ★ Wagner Motors
Raendi and Rachel Wagner Jennifer Wallace ’12 ★ Peter and Donna Wallace ★★ Robert and Martha Wally Karen Walton-Bowen Jing Zhuo Wang ’98 Allen Ward and Ann Tilton Ward ’58 ★★ Jeffrey Ward ’85★ Laura Poler Ward ’81★★ Richard and Lindsay Watson ★ Lorna Erickson Wayland ’62 ★★ Nina Heald Webber ’49 ★★ Roger and Elise Wellington Jr. Margaret Davis Werner ’95 Todd Wetzel ’86 ★ Nancy Smith Whelan ’64 ★★ W. Holt Whiting ’61 and Patricia Jones Whiting ’64 David and Carrie Whitney ★ Lloyd Williams and Lucia Maneri Mia K. Williams ’99 Amy and Mitchell Wolf
David Woodbury and Susan Brownell Woodbury ’61 ★★ Worcester Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry David G. Wright ’01 Hope G. Wright Trust Erin Wynne ★ Adrian Xibri and Denita Cipi YMCA of Central Massachusetts Sara Yood ’99 Elizabeth V. Young ’67 Laura Wetzel Yousefi ’80 Tara Zahorenko Hannah Zamore ’15 Eli K. Zamore ’19 Mingdi Zhang and Jiayi Liang Rebecca Condon Zieminski ’86 Lisa Heald Zuar ’74 ★★ William and Susan Zujewski ★
Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund
OneBancroftFund
Just as many in our community struggled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, others reached out and asked, “How can I help?” In response, the OneBancroft Fund was established last spring. Donations to the Fund were able to assist Bancroft families in need by allowing increased financial aid, as well as providing Bancroft with additional resources to make our campus healthy and safe for faculty and students to teach and learn in person this fall. Thank you to our generous community of donors who stepped forward with gifts to the Fund. Charles and Mary Aleksiewicz Howard and Susan Alfred William and Mary Bagley Zachary Bamberg ’04 Daron and Katharine Barnard Paul and Shari Belanger Padgett Berthiaume ’97 and Paige Spence-Berthiaume Jonathan Blake ’65 and Susan Hunter Andrew and Anne Bond Baird Bream ’06 Andrea Salloom Cali ’72 Mary Halpin Carter ’83 Trey and Bonnie Cassidy Jonathan and Susanne Choate Michael and Stacy Ciccolini Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore James ’83 and Isabel Condon James and Beth Conners Henry Coz Louis DeSantis ’96
Thomas and Lisa DiRienzo John ’77 and Mary Beth Duggan Christian Epple and Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86 David and Paula Fahlstrom David and Susan Fisher Elizabeth S. Fitzpatrick ’72 Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin Jose Garcia-Lopez and Katherine Chope James and Cassie Gevry Tina Gorski-Strong and Keith Strong John Greenman ’58 Eric and Nancy Gunnard Charles and Lindsay Hart Madelyn Hicks Lawrence and Yvette Hochberg Mark Hollinger and Cheryl Cowley Hollinger ’77 Peter A. Janhunen ’85, Jr. Gail LeBlanc Michelle Lessard
Alisheya Luthman ’10 Sally Poor McHenry ’56 Peter and Patricia McKone David and Kimberly McLaren Donald McMillan Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90 and Neal Melley Elvisi Mena and Stephen Knox Daniel Mercurio Erwin ’58 and Margery Miller Samuel Millette ’11 JoAnn and David Mills Zohaib Moonis ’13 Scott Mulloy Joshua and Susan Onffroy Michael and Martha Palermo Nathan and Erin Palumbo Devendra and Sujata Patil Hale and Sarah Pulsifer Kelly Quill ’86 Nicole Rawson Monica Redmond-Nieves
Scott and Anne Reisinger Erica Driscoll Ribeiro ’93 Martin Richman and Joanne DeMoura Anthony Selvitella ’97 Frank Sessions ’59 Sheena Sharma ’89 and Joseph Cotten Christopher and Pamela Sheldon Bradford and Lisa Sippy Albert Sjogren Karsten Stueber and Manisha Sinha Katy and Peter Sullivan David Sweet ’92 and Meredith Morse Sweet ’92 Basil and Harietta Synodinos Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 Mark Underkofler and Stacy Weisberg Nancy Smith Whelan ’64 Amy and Mitchell Wolf Hope G. Wright ’47 Trust Erin Wynne
Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund
Current Parent Giving
It is with great appreciation that we acknowledge our current parents for the generous commitments they made to the Bancroft Fund. Your support is a tangible sign of your belief in the mission of our School. Ali Akalin and Ceyhan Karabas-Akalin James and Tina Alberto Mark Azar Daron and Katharine Barnard Thomas Barthel and Marci Jones John and Anne Beauregard Paul and Shari Belanger Theodore and Maryellen Beriau Padgett Berthiaume ’97 and Paige Spence-Berthiaume Andrew and Anne Bond Mark Braley and MaryEllen McArdle Mark and Gail Buckley Steven and Lisa Budish Andrew and Megan Byron Christopher and Claire Campbell Trey and Bonnie Cassidy Alison and Christopher Chappell Micah and Iris Chase Jonathan and Susanne Choate Michael and Stacy Ciccolini James ’83 and Isabel Condon James and Beth Conners Henry Coz
William Cronin and Cynthia Pendleton Petraq and Eugjenja Danga William and Shelagh Davenport Roger Davis and Hayla Sluss Christopher DeAngelis and Suzanne Owen Eugene and Patricia Degre Jon and Laura Deneen Ramon Diaz John and Dawn DiVito Suzanne Doiron Christian Epple and Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86 David and Susan Fisher Elizabeth Fitzpatrick ’72 Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin John Gallagher and Carolyn Cuff Sean and Matthew Ganas James and Cassie Gevry Heidi Ginter Tina Gorski-Strong and Keith Strong Eric and Nancy Gunnard Eric and Catherine Hanssen
Charles and Lindsay Hart Lawrence and Yvette Hochberg Mark Hollinger and Cheryl Cowley Hollinger ’77 Steve and Tara Husson John and Clare Hyland Richard and Martha Karwowski Denis and Kathryn Kennedy Craig and Ellen Madonia David and Kimberly McLaren David and Diane McManus Neal Melley and Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90 Elvisi Mena and Stephen Knox Donald Naber and Maura McCarthy Joshua and Susan Onffroy Burton and Na-Young Osterweis Christian and Brita Outzen Gene and Christa Papula Chirag and Jigna Parikh Kamran and Nexhmije Parvin Matthew and Taryn Patrick Jennifer and Catherine Petter Hale and Sarah Pulsifer
Andrew and Julie Salmon Igor Samartsev and Natalia Pavlova Carl and Carolyn Selavka Sheena Sharma ’89 and Joseph Cotten Michael and Jaleen Siekman Harry Keates and Robin Silverman Scott Sinrich and Deborah Sinrich Duncan and Melissa-Lee Sorli Martin Sterman and Annette Schwartz Sterman Katy and Peter Sullivan Basil and Harieta Synodinos Mark Taylor and Kate McCann Diane Tonna ’78 George ’78 and Lynne Tonna Michael and Andrea Urban Raendi and Rachel Wagner Karen Walton-Bowen David and Carrie Whitney Erin Wynne Adrian Xibri and Denita Cipi Mindgi Zhang and Jiayi Liang William and Susan Zujewski
Parents of Alumni
We are grateful to the parents of our alumni who maintain strong ties to Bancroft through their participation in the life of the campus and their generous support of the Bancroft Fund. Anonymous (1) Jay and Myra Aframe Charles and Mary Aleksiewicz John and Halley Allen Lynn Kremer and Iouri Alsov Forbes ’77 and Candace Anderson Paul Anderson and Anne Cichon Bruce and Amy Baird John and Anna Barker Frederick and Isabel Bayon Barbara Bernardin Dwight ’68 and Susan Blake Jonathan Blake ’65 and Susan Hunter Robert and Joan Carlson Estate of Alice Carr ’38 † Richard and Avery Chase Keith and Barbara Chenot Dennis and Cynthia Cohen Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore Gerald and Patricia Condon Daniel Conroy and Isabelita Bella-Conroy Christopher and Elizabeth Crawford June Davenport Dix and Sarah Davis Peter and Maura Dawson Martha Lowell Densmore ’42 † Henry ’42 and Jane Dewey
Charles and Laurie Dings Peter and Mary Donaty Richard Ellison and Gretchen Schultz-Ellison Linwood Erskine ’41 David and Paula Fahlstrom Warner ’63 and Mary Fletcher Terence and Kye Flotte Katharine Garfield Stuart and Jane Gerhardt Robert and Maureen Gray Patricia and Thomas Halpin Paul and Kathleen Harrington James Heald ’45 Arthur and Elisa Heinricher M. Diane Hendricken James Holdstein and Emily Gould Holdstein ’72 Ann Jasperson Mark and Barbara Johnson Elizabeth Johnson Joel and Carol Kaufman Stephen and Katherine Kelley John and Cynthia Kennison John and Ann Klump Thomas and Susan Knight Richard and Diane Knutson Brian and Carol Kondek Ronald and Lynn Lancaster
Stephen Loring and Valerie Stoddard Loring ’55 Russell and Linda Luthman Gregory and Margaret MacGilpin Barry Maskas Peter and Patricia McKone Douglas and Diane Meystre Henry ’72 † and Katherine Michie Erwin ’58 and Margery Miller JoAnn and David Mills John and Janice Morello Daniel and Mayo Morgan David ’72 and Susan Nicholson Joyce Anderson Nicholson ’47 William ’76 and Mary Nicholson David and Kathryn Niose Burton and Carole Orland Michael and Martha Palermo Harish and Namrata Patil Alfred and Amy Pearson David and Marlene Persky John Peterson Cheryl Pope Stephen and Maureen Quill Barbara Davies Ramsdell ’53 Arthur and Debra Remillard Doriane Ruml Judith Sbrogna Ralph Sbrogna
ANNUAL REPORT | 9
Contributors July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
Robert Scheier Richard and Maria Sebastian Selvitella Family Jeffrey and Elaine Shack Peter Shapiro Mark and Debra Shear Christopher and Pamela Sheldon Robin Spaulding James and Susan Spencer Todd and Lynn St. Germain Lewis and Eve Meiklejohn Stone ’53 John and Valerie Gustafson Stowe ’64 Ronald Tadiri and Judith Pernice Polly Tatum John Thayer and Martha Coes Thayer ’58 Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 John and Nancy Tumolo Keith and Holly Turley Thomas Vander Salm and Adelaide Sherer Vander Salm ’64 Peter and Donna Wallace Allen Ward and Ann Tilton Ward ’58 Roger and Elise Wellington Jr. Todd Wetzel ’86 Lloyd Williams and Lucia Maneri David Woodbury and Susan Brownell Woodbury ’61
Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund
Alumni Giving Bancroft School is so very grateful to the following alumni who joined our community of donors by making a gift to the Bancroft Fund. Our thanks, as well, to the many alumni who volunteered their time and energies in support of the School. 1941
Linwood M. Erskine Jr.
1942
Martha Lowell Densmore † Henry B. Dewey
1944
Christopher F. Erskine
1945
James N. Heald II
1946
Margery Asher Russem
1958
Anonymous (1) Nicholas A. Cotsidas George T. Dewey III John S. Greenman Erwin H. Miller Fay Blakeslee Rossley † Martha Coes Thayer Henry D. Tiffany III Ann Tilton Ward
1959
Susan Sydow Mitchell Frank E. Sessions
1960
Renee Michelson Minsky Nina Heald Webber
Robert B. Bicknell Rebecca Morgan Hedgecock Nancy-Jo White Kessler Lindsay Knowlton Christina Gummere Laurie Michael B. Terry Edwin P. Tiffany
1950
1961
1947
Gail Whitcomb Coon Joyce Anderson Nicholson
1949
Sally Horner Smyser
1951
Graham H. Fernald Sally Gooch Paynter Adrienne Otto Carr Pfluger
Tucker Massey Clark Susan Seder Joseph Kathleen Sessions Low W. Holt Whiting Susan Brownell Woodbury
1962
Helen Frost Hale Harry M. Johnson Barbara Davies Ramsdell Eve Meiklejohn Stone
Patricia Higgins Arnold Nancy Horner Borden Lee C. Higgins Richard A. Knight Joan Millar Lincoln Pamela Kinnicutt Motley Edmund J. Murrah Hilary J. Prouty Lorna Erickson Wayland
1954
1963
1952
Beverley Baldwin McCoid Sarah French Perry
1953
Bradford C. Gooch Helen Sessions Higgins Frederic F. Taylor
1955
Patricia Ramsdell Austen Cornelia Alden Bates Calvin Carr Jeanette McIntosh Ingersoll Valerie Stoddard Loring
1956
Elizabeth Campbell Heide Milton P. Higgins III Sally Poor McHenry
1957 ANNUAL REPORT | 10
Jo Anne Pierson Albright Brenda Booth Clapp Robert F. Hicks John S. Mayher Barrett Morgan † Zelda Jacobson Schwartz
Al Barthelman Amy Glick Blecher Warner Fletcher Sharon Kleiv Fromm Ellen Gould Hilary H. Hosmer Kenneth Payson
1964
Judith Sanders Boylan Teena Betten Cohen Mary Bomba Danenberg Christine Carr Hague David D. Higgins Mary Eddy Janigian Adele Griffith Krumpholz Valerie Gustafson Stowe Adelaide Sherer Vander Salm Patricia Jones Whiting
1965
Jonathan D. Blake Deborah Locke Marguerite M. Stinson
1966
Lisa Bright Smith Cynthia Howard Harvell Molly Beals Millman Elizabeth Sanders Ratner
1967
Jane A. Difley Richard T. Graham Charles F. Harris Jr. Donna Eteson Kishibay Elizabeth V. Young
1968
Dwight C. Blake Anne West Cowenhoven Mary Louise Persons Hoss Anne Bagley Nielsen Betsy Ribakoff Sheerr
1969
Sarah Garfield Berry Joan Wandrei Gong Melinda Dahart Ladyzinski Deborah J. Patterson Frances Kumin Ticktin
1970
Janis Hampshire Cummins Edith Plimpton Fleeman David V. Howe Margaret Richardson McGirr
1971
Susan Garrison Liming Cynthia Foster Smith
1972
Andrea Salloom Cali Elizabeth S. Fitzpatrick Emily Gould Holdstein Lynn F. Hutchins Henry T. Michie David A. Nicholson Adrian Perschak Judith L. Schechtman Josephine Herron Truesdell
1973
Susan Hogeman O’Connor Jeffrey Oakes Terri Sundin Evans
1974
Martha Duggan Richard A. Johnson Louisa Gebelein Jones Rebecca W. Meigs Thomas S. Michie Heinrich K. Perschak Lisa Heald Zuar
1975
F. Elizabeth Taylor Ballotte Janet Alford Eltorai Elizabeth Tonna Sarantos Martha Anderson Tole
1976
Kim M. Ciborowski Rodney J. Ferris Jr. John F. Howe Kristina Nassikas Matsch William H. Nicholson II Pamela Lee Veith
1977
Forbes L. Anderson James G. Dinan John J. Duggan Cheryl Cowley Hollinger Joan Moynagh T. Leverett Nelson
1978
Sarah P. Dewey Andrea L. Sussman Diane L. Tonna George K. Tonna
1979
Stephen Jerome
1980
Tracey McGan Hamill Brook Spaulding Laura Wetzel Yousefi
1981
David S. Butler Laura Poler Ward
1982
Moira A. McGrain Dwight M. Poler
1983
Mary Halpin Carter James P. Condon Rebecca L. Johnstone
1984
Anonymous (1) Robert D. Brockway Michael J. Conboy Thomas L. Dings
1985
Jonathan H. Epstein Patricia A. Halpin Peter A. Janhunen Jr. Jeffrey T. Ward
1986
Lisa A. Conboy Khurston Ellia-Epple Todd H. Wetzel Rebecca Condon Zieminski
1988
Douglas R. DeFonzo Peter M. Durant Marc R. Starzyk
Contributors July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020 †Deceased
Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund | Bancroft Fund
1989
Jennifer M. Fleming Justin L. Fletcher Elizabeth O’Hearn Galvin Jed A. Hellstrom Justin P. Puccio Karen Jones Richard Sheena Sharma
1990
Laurie Jasperson Kovalik Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley Jennifer A. Summers Christina Wellington Traister
1991
Kieran J. Cloonan Joy Meystre Cowles Matthew V. Fletcher Erica Puccio O’Brien Elizabeth Nealon Ridgley
1992
G. Adam Del Rossi Kerry Sullivan O’Keefe Mohan Renganathan
1993
Abby Cohen Andrew N. C. Nash Kevin M. Ramos-Glew Erica Driscoll Ribeiro Jennifer Backus Trowbridge
1994
Ralph F. Sbrogna Jr. Sherri Sharma Parfitt
1995
Jeffrey A. Berger Andrew W. Fletcher Lauren D. Persky Margaret Davis Werner
1996
Michael D. Chang Louis F. DeSantis III Melissa Cohen Loeb James Paugh Amol Sharma
1997
Jessye M. Ball Padgett D. Berthiaume Yuri Brightly Benjamin I. Dobson Seth R. Kaufman Anthony J. Selvitella
1998
Eric Coghlin Drew A. Freilich Kate E. Hutchinson Kathryn Crowley McNeal Joseph A. Persky Jing Zhuo Wang
1999
Ting Li Ahmari Katelyn Enlow Anderson William H. Ebert Christine Feldt Avi Kaufman Amanda Lewis Carlene MacMillan Courtney McKallagat Jessica Poznik Garnett Leah M. Rosales Naomi R. Sleeper Ketan Vakil Christopher Vazquez Mia Pearson Williams Sara Yood
2000
2003
Shelby Catino
2004
Bruce C. Baird, Jr. Zachary Bamberg Jill Goldstein Edward Perrin Arthur Remillard IV
Edmund H. S. Brose Michael R. Pigott
2006
2015
Morgan J. Cichon David I. Crowley Nathaniel A. Erskine Monique Remillard Meredith Crawford Scaplen
2007
Alena T. Amano Lisbet Crowley Rebecca Fahlstrom
2008
Elizabeth R. Allen Lucy G. Baird Michael P. Harrington Michelle Y. Remillard
2009
2001
2010
Lawrence Atupem Jr. Christopher Chand Stephanie Cohen Uyen Le Chand Trung Nguyen David Nicholson Jr. Alexis Z. Tumolo
2013
2014
Emily W. Baird Sarah L. Shear
Trudy Crowley Alexander C. Heinricher James P. Kelley
2002
Robert N. Crowley Alexander Norton Hannah E. Reisinger Jennifer C. Wallace
2005
Emily Athy Garrett Nathaniel F. D. Schultz Meghan J. McLaughlin Michelle Farina Murphy Matthew M. Rosales David G. Wright
2012
Paul E. Friedman Jinjing Gu Hannah E. Sinrich Hannah Zamore
2016
Jordan C. Papula
2018
Megan D. Donaty
2019
Chris J. Condon Paige O. Dawson Tyler D. Papula Eli K. Zamore
Future Alumni
Page A. Cassidy ’20 Julia Hanssen ’21 Bridgette A. Cassidy ’23 John Hanssen ’23 Sage N Look-Why ’23 Justin A. Ciccolini ’26
Megan Anderson Sarah Kelley Alisheya Luthman Russell B. Oliver Emilee M. St. Germain
2011
Caroline G. Brown Rachel A. Fahlstrom Shaina N. Lo Samuel J. Millette
ANNUAL REPORT | 11
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Faculty & Staff: Current and Former
In addition to the many contributions in the classroom and across the campus, our faculty and staff have for many years shown tremendous support of the Bancroft Fund. We are proud and grateful to recognize generous participation from our current colleagues, as well as many of our former colleagues. Anonymous (1) Brian Abend Charles Aleksiewicz Halley Allen Candace Anderson Mary Bagley Eleanor Ballard Richard Barriere John Beauregard Beth Beckmann Paul Belanger Shari Belanger Kim Boin Rhonda Brodeur Gail Buckley Maureen Cabral Richard Cassidy Trey Cassidy Alison Chappell Barbara Chenot
Flavien Collet Patricia Condon Jyoti Datta Sarah Davis William Diercks Laurie Dings Matthew Ganas Sean Ganas Katharine Garfield John Generelli Jane Gerhardt Tina Gorski-Strong Maureen Gray Catherine Hanssen Elisa Heinricher Colleen Hunter Ann Jasperson Elizabeth Johnson Tracy Jones Stephen Kelley
Kathryn Kennedy Cynthia Kennison Diane Knutson Brian Kondek Fanfei Kong Gail LeBlanc Lana LeBlanc Michelle Lessard Margaret MacGilpin Jane Martell Peter McKone Neal Melley Daniel Mercurio William Meyers Heather Moon Janice Morello Christa Papula Jordan Papula ’16 Amy Pearson Allison Plourde
Vickie Powers Justin P. Puccio ’89 Martin Richman Richard Rogan Carol Ryan Judith Sbrogna Helen Seale Elaine Shack Theodore Sharp Christopher Sheldon Pamela Sheldon Robin Silverman Lynn St. Germain Mark Taylor Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 Michael Urban Rachel Wagner Carrie Whitney
The Head’s Circle
The Head’s Circle was established in 2008 to honor and recognize the extraordinary generosity of individuals who support the Bancroft Fund with annual gifts of $1,500 or more including matching gifts. Anonymous (4) Paul Anderson and Anne Cichon Mark Azar Padgett Berthiaume ’97 and Paige Spence-Berthiaume Mary Halpin Carter ’83 Trey and Bonnie Cassidy Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore Michael J. Conboy ’84 Roger Davis and Hayla Sluss Martha L. Densmore ’42 † James Dinan ’77 Suzanne Doiron John ’77 and Marybeth Duggan William H. Ebert ’99 David and Paula Fahlstrom David and Susan Fisher
Warner ’63 and Mary Fletcher Terence and Kye Flotte Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin John Gallagher and Carolyn Cuff Joan Wandrei Gong ’69 James Heald ’45 Lawrence and Yvette Hochberg Peter A. Janhunen Jr. ’85 Stephen Loring and Valerie Stoddard Loring ’55 Elvis Mena and Stephen Knox Joshua and Susan Onffroy Michael and Martha Palermo Harish and Namrata Patil Joseph Persky ’98 Jennifer and Catherine Petter Dwight Poler ’82
Remillard Family Arthur Remillard ’04 Monique Remillard ’06 Michelle Remillard ’08 Mr. Arthur Remillard III Sheena Sharma ’89 and Joseph Cotten Sherri Sharma ’94 Michael and Jaleen Siekman Katy and Peter Sullivan Basil and Harieta Synodinos Nina Heald Webber ’49 Todd Wetzel ’86 Mingdi Zhang and Jiayi Liang
Grandparents of Students & Alumni
Grandparents truly are a special part of the Bancroft community. Led by Former Faculty Member and Grandparent Pat Condon, P ’83, ’86 and GP ’19, ’24, these grandparents showed great support of the School and their grandchildren – both students and alumni. Charles and Mary Aleksiewicz Timothy Barnard and Meridyth Patterson Gene and Barbara Bisol John and Betsy Carver Gerald and Patricia Condon
Norman and Judy Crawford Martha Lowell Densmore ’42 † Linwood Erskine ’41 Robert and Maureen Gray William and Jane Holloway John and Lois Horgan
Erwin ’58 and Margery Miller Daniel and Mayo Morgan Joyce Anderson Nicholson ’47 Elizabeth Osterweis John Peterson Stephen and Maureen Quill
David and Nancy Santory Roger and Carol Sheldon Susan Silverman Samuel and Patricia Smith Eve Meiklejohn Stone ’53 Paul and Lucienne Taylor
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Corporations, Foundations & Organizations
Bancroft School gratefully acknowledges the following corporations, foundations and organizations for their gifts to the Bancroft Fund. AbbVie Foundation Employee Engagement Fund Boston Scientific Employee Giving Melvin S. Cutler Charitable Foundation GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program
Goldman Sachs Gives Hart Foundation Network for Good Giving System UBS Financial Services, Inc.
Unum Wagner Motors
†Deceased
Gifts in Honor & Memory | Gifts in Honor & Memory | Gifts in Honor & Memory | Gifts in Honor & Memory
Honorary & Memorial Gifts
Bancroft School extends appreciation to the following donors who chose to honor or remember some of Bancroft’s distinguished alumni, dear friends, and special community members in 2019-2020.
These donors made gifts to honor: Charles Aleksiewicz Scott and Anne Reisinger Martin Richman and Joanne DeMoura Maeve ’17 & Moira ’20 Buckley Norman and Judy Crawford Page ’20 and Bridgette ’23 Cassidy Gene and Barbara Bisol The Class of 1989 Elizabeth O’Hearn Galvin ’89 Robert Dec Anonymous Elizabeth Densmore ’70 Deborah D. Cary Daniel Freedman ’20 Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin
Jane Gerhardt Alisheya Luthman ’10
Diane Knutson Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74
Heather Sebastian ’08 Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Sebastian
Dr. Thomas L. Hedstrom Worcester Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry Staff
Kim D. Landers Justin A. Ciccolini ’26
Robin Silverman Susan Silverman
Lisa Leach William and Mary Bagley
Stefani T. Silverstein ’00 Burton and Carole Orland
Moriah Mensah ’09 Georgianna Sgariglia
Darcy E. Walton-Bowen ’25 Ramon Diaz Karen Walton-Bowen
Elisa Heinricher John Hanssen ’23 Lea Hench Sara Yood ’99 June Sheldon Michael J. Conboy ’84 Steve Kelley James Kelley ’09 Sarah Kelley ’10 Mary Anne Kennedy Justin A. Ciccolini ’26
Benjamin Niose ’18 David and Kathryn Niose
Eli K. Zamore ’19 Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore
Nicolina Puccio Justin Puccio ’89 Erica Driscoll Ribeiro ’93
Hannah H. Zamore ’15 Catherine Colinvaux and Phillip Zamore
Kimberly Rogers Justin A. Ciccolini ’26
Jialiang William Zhou ’20 Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin
These donors made gifts in memory of:
Christopher R. Boone Samuel and Patricia Smith
Robert D. Cope David Woodbury and Susan Brownell Woodbury ’61
Patricia Fletcher ’56 Elizabeth Campbell Heide ’56 Wyatt Garfield Deborah J. Patterson ’69 Christopher Vazquez ’99 Janis Olson Graham ’67 Richard T. Graham ’67 Edgar A. Gauthier Christopher Vazquez ’99 Jane Metcalfe Heald ’43 Lisa Heald Zuar ’74 John T. Heald Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin Timothy Hession
Cameron C. Lufkin ’95 Jeffrey Berger ’95
Patricia Peterson Robin Spaulding
Vanessa Marcotte ’07 Patricia A. Halpin ’85
Scott A. Resnick ’76 Rodney Ferris ’76
Caryl Masiello Wagner Motors
Mr. Ian G. Taylor ’46 F. Elizabeth Taylor Ballotte ’75
Barrett Morgan ’57 John Mayher ’57
Wolfgang Tretter Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin
Mark O’Brien Ting Li Ahmari ’99 Katelyn J. Anderson ’99 Eleanor Ballard Jeffrey Berger ’95 Padgett Berthiaume ’97 and Paige Spence-Berthiaume Michael Chang ’96 Christopher J. Condon ’19 John ’77 and Mary Beth Duggan
Dennis Trocchio Brian and Carol Kondek
Marion Howe Richard Johnson ’74
Barbara Coe Robin Spaulding
Martha Lowell Densmore ’42 Deborah D. Cary
Judith Hunter McCann ’56 Elizabeth Campbell Heide ’56
Peter ’88 and Alison Durant Christine Feldt ’99 Lawrence and Yvette Hochberg Courtney McKallagat ’99 Meghan McLaughlin ’01 Samuel Millette ’11 Hannah Reisinger ’12 Peter Shapiro Keith and Holly Turley
Jewell Holden Warner ’63 and Mary Fletcher Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74 Gregory and Margaret MacGilpin
Samuel and Patricia Smith Terry Bartkus Baird Bream ’06
Joan A Whiting ’38 W. Holt Whiting ’61 Patricia Jones Whiting ’64
Care was taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this report, but mistakes do occur. If your name was misspelled, omitted, or listed incorrectly, please accept our apologies. You may contact Christa Papula at 508.854.9212 or cpapula@bancroftschool.org so we can rectify the problem.
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Contributors July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
Gifts to Special Funds | Gifts to Special Funds | Gifts to Special Funds | Gifts to Special Funds
Gifts to Named & Special Funds
There are a number of ways to make meaningful contributions to Bancroft. We are grateful to the following donors who have made gifts to named and special funds that support our endowment, special programs, faculty development, and student financial assistance. If you are interested in learning more about these or other existing funds, contact Tina Gorski-Strong in the Advancement Office at 508.854.9201 or at giving@bancroftschool.org. Isa Bayon Bowl Frederick and Isabel Bayon Dresser-Herron Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Arts Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 Ann S. Durant Memorial Scholarship Fund Jennifer Summers ’90 Gifts in Kind Trey and Bonnie Cassidy Marion Howe Scholarship Fund Katharine Garfield Macomber Family Scholarship Fund Robert and Deborah Macomber Nicolina A. Puccio Fund JoAnn and David Mills Daniel and Mayo Morgan Nicolina Puccio Campus Scoreboards Polar Beverages Worcester City Scholars Georgianna Sgariglia Ronald Tadiri and Judith Pernice
Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 The Worcester Partnership Program Like so many events in 2020, the Worcester Partnership Golf Tournament was postponed last spring due to COVID-19 restrictions. We thank all those who continued to support the program as of June 30, 2020. Kathleen Aleksiewicz ’92 Andreoli Insurance Agency, Inc. Bruce and Amy Baird Phyllis Barra Tracy Bombard Laurie Bowater Brian and Sayra Butterfield Joan Carlson Alison and Christopher Chappell Jonathan Chason and Traci Portnoff Abigail Church James ’83 and Isabel Condon Melvin S. Cutler Charitable Foundation John ’77 and Mary Beth Duggan David and Leslie Duval Christian Epple and Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86
Betsy Glass Engvall ’57 Andrew Freedman and Paula Bellin George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation Peter and Laura Gibson William Graham ’72 Robert and Maureen Gray Greater Worcester Community Foundation Eric and Catherine Hanssen Charles and Lindsay Hart Mark Hollinger and Cheryl Cowley Hollinger ’77 Ian and Kelly Hurd Robert and Nancy Kenney Zhichen Tiger Li ’23 Peter and Elaine Lucas Gary Mathieu Daniel and Zoe Mercurio Douglas and Diane Meystre Thomas and Vanda Mullins Craig Napolitano Susan O’Neil Robert and Judith Paradine Jennifer Parks Joseph Persky Foundation Joe Prestes Protective Services, Inc.
The Richard and Ann J. Prouty Foundation Christina Puleo R. Dale and Laurie Rains Reliant Foundation Inc. Regan P. Remillard Foundation Martin Richman and Joanne DeMoura Huyen and Dante Santelli Angela Sigismondi Todd and Lynn St. Germain Hayley St. Germain Robert Sulik and Kathleen Wood Peter and Katy Sullivan Taryn and Matt Surabian Corinne Swoff Philip Truesdell and Josephine Herron Truesdell ’72 Kristin Tupper United Way of Central Massachusetts Michael and Andrea Urban Robert and Martha Wally Todd Wetzel ’86 Worcester Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry YMCA of Central Massachusetts William and Susan Zujewski
George Bancroft Legacy Society
The George Bancroft Legacy Society is an honorary association of individuals whose planned gifts have already been received or will someday accrue to Bancroft School. The Society was established to honor the spirit of philanthropy that has nurtured and enhanced Bancroft School for more than 100 years. Eleanora G. Baird † Elizabeth Gummere Baker ’32 † Mary Daniels Blake ’39 † Barbara Gifford Brown ’25 † Donald Brutvan and Cynthia Hastings-Brutvan Elizabeth Brown Burguet ’39 † M. Valentine Callahan ’67 Deborah Root Carley ’70 Alice Skelton Carr † Edith Bullock Chute ’28 † Mary Thompson Colton ’21 † John W. Curtis ’28 † Dix and Sarah Davis Ronald S. Davis ’38 † Lyall Dean ’37 † David L. Dean ’38 †
Martha B. Deering ’21 † Jane A. Difley ’67 Marcia Dowgielewicz Downs’73 † Louise Trowbridge Erskine ’38 † Marion Stoddard Fletcher ’28 † Patricia A. Fletcher ’56 † Phoebe Ann Davis Freeman ’46 Wyatt Garfield † Edgar A. Gauthier † Lydia Gifford ’28 † Charlotte Millard Harrington ’63 James H. Harrington ’57 Robert D. Harrington ’50 † Marjorie Hayden † Carolyn Heald ’60 † Gordon T. Heald ’54 † Pauline W. Heald †
Mary Louise Persons Hoss ’68 Richard B. Hutchins ’36 † Jeanette McIntosh Ingersoll ’55 Peter A. Janhunen, Jr. ’85 Anne Morgan Jefferson ’53 † John Jeppson II ’34 † Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74 James and Linda Lingley Valerie Stoddard Loring ’55 Virginia Thayer Macauley ’44 † Robert and Deborah Macomber Sarah Lynn Mallard ’51 † Lemuel A.W. Manchester ’44 † Gary J. Mathieu Sally Poor McHenry ’56 Erwin H. Miller ’58 Pamela W. Mitchell ’39 †
Rebecca M. Mitchell ’66 Thomas Peirpont ’76 Elinor Willard Pike † Mary Piper Johnson † Jane Prouty ’65 † Richard and Ann Prouty † Virginia Wade Sampson ’38 † Zelda Jacobson Schwartz ’57 and Dr. Paul Schwartz Helen Estabrook Stoddard ’22 † Lorna Erickson Wayland ’62 Nathaniel Wheeler ’24 † Anny MacLaurin Winch ’41 † Susan Brownell Woodbury ’61
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Making provisions for the School in your estate plans demonstrates the sincere value you put on this institution and can also help you meet your financial goals. If you have included Bancroft in your estate plans or would like to discuss the opportunity, please contact: Chief Advancement Officer Tina Gorski-Strong at 508.854.9201 or giving@bancroftschool.org.
Contributors July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
†Deceased
In Memoriam ALUMNI Mary-Louise I. Cobb ’46 July 29, 2020 Brunswick, ME at 92 Mary-Lou graduated Bancroft in 1946 and went on to become a nurse working at Walden Nursing Home in Concord, MA and finishing her career working at Mere Point Nursing Home in Brunswick, ME retiring in 1987. She married Harold W. Cobb who predeceased her in 1985. Her life’s enjoyments were, training and showing horses, candlepin bowling, tennis and competing in duplicate bridge tournaments. She was also an active volunteer with Maine State Music Theater for many years. She was a lifelong member of the Mere Point Yacht Club in Brunswick. Mary-Lou is predeceased by her daughter, Amanda Gentile of Watertown, Mass. Survived by her daughter, Rebecca Cobb of Brunswick and son, Charles Cobb of Nashua, N.H. Also survived by grandchildren, Marie Elise Gentile of Watertown, Mass. and Thomas Cobb Watson of Minot. Barry Morgan ’57 Barrett (“Barry”) Morgan of Worcester, MA, passed away peacefully from complications related to COVID-19 on Friday, April 17th, 2020 at age 80. Barry is survived by his wife, Mahroo (Tavakolian); his daughter, Anna Mitra and her husband Philip Moremen of Brookline; his son, Ralph Tavakolian and his wife Olga Konovaltseva of Moscow, Russia; his five grandchildren, Charlotte, Geneva, Caspian, Darius and Christayvia; his sister, Rebecca Hedgecock of Southborough; four nieces and three nephews; and a generation of young relatives who will miss their beloved and fun loving “Baba,” as he was affectionately known. He was predeceased by his parents, Weld and Mary Helen (Barrett) Morgan. Born in Worcester in 1939, Barry was a lifelong and devoted resident of the city. He attended Bancroft School and Milton Academy before attending Yale University. Following his graduation from Yale, he returned to Worcester to pursue a master’s degree in geography from Clark University. In the late 1960s, Barry joined the David Clark Company, a maker of high-altitude aviation and industrial protection equipment, and later purchased the company with several colleagues. He spent 30 years working at David Clark
contributing to its recognition as one of the international leaders in its field. Barry believed firmly in giving back and investing in his community. He was a loyal alumnus of his alma maters and generously supported the many causes in which he involved himself. “My father encouraged my sister and me to be adventurous and experiment, and it’s on these adventures that we have learned the strongest lessons in our life,” his son Tav said in an article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “He was like that too: as soon as you get too comfortable doing something it’s time to move on to the next adventure.” Frank Kenney ’48 July 13, 2020 Kennebunk, ME at 90 Frank was born on November 9, 1929 in Worcester, MA to George and Marguerite Kenney. He graduated from The Bancroft School, The Governor’s Academy (formerly Governor Dummer), Middlebury College and the former Philadelphia Textiles School. Following the footsteps of his mentor and grandfather, Frank, Sr., who co-founded Kennedy’s retail clothing stores, Frank pursued the women’s manufacturing business. He met his wife, Nancy Towler, on Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunkport, right in front of his family’s summer home. Together in 1962, they designed and created the first collection for their company, The Sporting Tailors, based in Boston. Throughout many decades, Frank sold his conservative and classic women’s clothing to boutiques up and down the Eastern corridor, including Talbots, Carroll Reed and Bonwit Teller. No surprise given his fashion DNA, Frank was a snappy dresser, favoring bespoke blazers and trousers tailored just so. He loved to dance - rock and roll, ballroom, disco, you name it. After retiring, Frank and Nancy moved from their home in Weston, MA to Kennebunk, ME. Linda Harris Farnum ’59 April 8, 2020 Tallahassee, FL at 80 Linda attended Bancroft from 1953-1955 with the Class of 1959. “I have wonderful memories of her radiant smile, lovely red hair and, of course, her annual Christmas holidays party to celebrate her December 24th birthday. She was a popular classmate and a good friend.” –Phil Kinnicutt ’59
Janet A. Bath ’49 April 12, 2020, Shrewsbury, MA at 89 Janet was born on November 16, 1930 to John Chester and Florence (Harris) Bath. She lived most of her life in Shrewsbury. For the last 20 years she was a resident, along with her adored dog Roxi, at Westbrook Crossing in Shrewsbury where she developed many cherished friendships. Jan was a graduate of Bancroft School and Centenary University. She worked at BBDO Advertising in New York City as a skilled writer for many years. Jan was a member of the Worcester Country Club, becoming a 50-year life member. She was a two-time Women’s Club Champion, and the first female Board member. She served as one of a five-person committee that developed the WCC Centennial History Book in 2000. Jan also had memberships at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda and Tedesco Country Club in Marblehead. She was a board member of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts, serving as the Central Mass. Liaison. She was an avid Patriot’s fan, attending games at Fenway Park, Alumni Stadium, Harvard Stadium and Foxborough with her dear friends Joan and Bob MacPherson. Jan was an accomplished cook and loved to travel, read, garden and ski, and go to the beach. She was blessed with wonderful friends. Janet Mix Hemminger ’51 March 28, 2020, Northampton, MA at 86 Janet grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts and graduated from the Bancroft School in 1951 and from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1955. While in college, she met her soul mate, Charles Hay Hemminger, and they were married weeks after she graduated from college. For several years, she worked as a teacher, before giving birth to her son, Stephen and two years later to her daughter, Helen. The family settled in Northampton in 1961 where her husband practiced medicine. She enjoyed swimming, gardening, and welcoming friends and neighbors to her home for exquisitely prepared meals. The legacy that she leaves is the memory of how thoughtful, loving, caring, and affectionate she was to people of all ages. Few people her age had so many young friends and admirers. Janet was an active community member for nearly 60 years. She served as a school committee member for Northampton Schools, a Trustee of the Forbes Library, and a Trustee for Clarke School for Hearing and Speech. She also served in various positions for Edwards Church including, most recently, preparing meals for the Interfaith Emergency Shelter, serving on a Circle of Care to resettle an Iraqi refugee family, and arranging flowers for Sunday worship. For many years, she combined her interests by teaching swimming to children with hearing impairments at Clarke School.
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In Memoriam Ellen Rockwood Hunt ’54, May 17, 2020 Plymouth, MN, at 84 Ellen was born in Worcester Massachusetts to George I. Rockwood and Anna V. Rockwood on February 26, 1936. She went to the Bancroft grade school through the 9th grade, boarded at Dana Hall high school (graduated 1954) and went on to study at Middlebury College (graduated 1958). The extended family and friends that surrounded her Worcester and summer home in Harwich Port, Massachusetts were foundational influences throughout her life. Ellen’s energy and positive spirit were admired by many. She was a life-long athlete and captain of field hockey, basketball and tennis at Dana Hall. She continued playing tennis throughout her life into her early fifties. Ellen loved the water and was surrounded by it most of her life. She was often at the beach swimming, and in her thirties surfed the big waves on her bright red surfboard at either Horseneck beach in Westport Massachusetts or First Beach (Easton’s) in Newport, Rhode Island. She lived alongside the Atlantic ocean north of Boston in Marblehead in the early years of her married life where she and her then-husband James H. Hunt lived with young RayC enjoying a tight knit group of friends that revolved around the water and sailing. Later the young family moved to Padanaram Village in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts where both her children Annie and Beth were born. They lived across the street from Concordia Company and the New Bedford Yacht Club where life alongside Buzzards Bay waters remained central. Weekends were chock full of either summer sails to the Elizabeth Islands or winter ski adventures in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When Ellen entered any space, she immediately thrust aside the curtains and opened windows to let in light, color and fresh air. She was a spiritual seeker of life’s deep meaning and our place in the cosmos. She learned and later taught Transcendental Meditation to nearly everyone in her immediate community – an expression of her deeply held sense that a closer connection and belonging existed that each of us could access. In her mid-life Ellen lived in Fairfield, Iowa as a devoted follower of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Later she sought the warmth of the sun in Tucson, Arizona and Carlsbad California where she lived for many years overlooking a lagoon on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. There she continued her teaching of meditation and joined in with close friends that led Oneness Meditation. Ellen is survived by her three children Ray C. and Laura (Cabot) Hunt, Annie R. Hunt and Elizabeth S. Hunt as well as many grandchildren and extended family.
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Virginia Perry-Senior ’43 April 13, 2020 Needham, MA at 95 Virginia was born in Worcester to Dr. Franklyn Philip Bousquet and Adele Pratt Bousquet in October, 1924. She graduated from The Bancroft School and attended Smith College before marrying Fredric Scott Perry of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1945. After a year in Boston, where they had their first child, Virginia and Fred moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where they raised five children before emigrating to Weston, Massachusetts in 1964. Virginia was a beautiful and elegant woman who loved and admired her husband, children, grandchildren, colorful humor, good conversation, tennis, cooking, fashion and chocolate. In Uruguay she bred Dalmatians, enjoyed summers in Punta del Este, and hosted dinner parties for diplomats and dignitaries. Predeceased by Fredric, her husband of 53 years, and her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Wise of New York, Virginia is survived by Winthrop Scott Perry and his wife Christine Fox Perry of London, England and Carrasco, Uruguay; Edward Scott Perry and his wife Alexandra Perry of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Franklin Philip Scott Perry and his wife Laura Fernandez of Rio Cuarto, Argentina; Virginia Perry Clerkin and her fiancé David Casey of New London, New Hampshire; eleven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and her two sisters, Elizabeth Johnson and Carol Logan. With impeccable manners born of quiet grace and strong character, Virginia charmed and was loved by all who knew her. Donna M. Rodrigues ’64 March 26, 2020 Worcester MA at 73 Born in Worcester, Donna was the daughter of the late James and Glynes (Buzzell) Ghize. She was predeceased by her brother James Michael Ghize. A graduate of Bancroft School, Donna received her Bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College and a Master’s degree from Worcester State College. In 1994, Donna was the recipient of the Hiatt Fellowship which enabled her to earn a Master’s degree from Harvard University in School Leadership, Planning and Social Policy. Donna spent her entire teaching career in the Worcester Public Schools. She taught Spanish and Latin for many years at South High Community School. Upon completion of her degree at Harvard University, Donna was selected, by the Worcester Public Schools and Clark University, to open University Park Campus School (UPCS), a seven through twelve grade school in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood. Donna’s educational compass guided her conviction and belief that all
students, regardless of their background, could succeed academically and become a positive influence in their community. As the founding Principal of UPCS, Donna’s conviction was quickly realized and subsequently proven, year-after-year by the success of the school. After retiring in 2003, Donna continued her work by joining Jobs For The Future, a nonprofit organization in Boston, which supported the development of Early College High Schools across the country. Donna was an avid reader and enjoyed summertime at the lake. She was a member of the St. Peter’s Church in Worcester. Henry “Tuck” Michie ’72 October 18, 2020 West Boylston, MA at 67 Henry, also known as Tuck by some, was born in Worcester on September 30, 1953, son of Forbes and Martha (Esty) Michie, both deceased in 1998. He leaves his wife, Kathy, of 41 years, and his daughter, Eliza Laurent, and son-in-law Mike Laurent, and two grandsons. His brother Tom also survives him. Henry attended Bancroft School from 1960 to 1968, then Vermont Academy and finished up at Babson College. For his formal career, he and Kathy ran a commercial printing business for nearly 30 years. But it is what came afterwards that really showcased his strength and talent. He became a strong contributor to the community. Over the years he was on the Bancroft School Board of Trustees as well as the VNA Hospice board; he was a Founder and Director of Commonwealth National Bank. He came onto the board of Rural Cemetery & Crematory in 1994, from which he had just stepped down after being its longest running president of 21 years. He also served on the Board of Governors and was Grounds Chair for Tatnuck Country Club for many years. One of his true passions was his love for cars, which developed at a young age. This passion grew into an incredible knowledge of how to acquire, collect, and care for vintage sports cars. He not only owned them but drove them to keep them running in their original form. Being a skilled driver also helped fuel the fire to teach others to learned how to drive on track. This became a skill that he realized late in his life but kept him fighting for many years. His students, track buddies and family considered this his true gift. Henry will always be remembered by his family and dear friends as someone with an amazing sense of humor, quick wit, and always up for a good laugh and fun. These qualities will surely be missed. While his family would have wanted a party in his memory, due to COVID restrictions a celebration will be scheduled at a later date.
FACULTY & STAFF Jaye (Judith) Boardman May 29, 2020 Hyannis, MA at 81 Jaye taught elementary school music and produced several musical productions at Bancroft from 1972-1985 and served as Chairman of the Music Department from 1981-1983. She is survived by her loving husband of 58 years, Dick (Richard) Boardman; daughter Stephanie Casale, her husband Thomas Casale, and their two children Alessandro and Sofia; daughter Jessie (Jennifer) Glockner and her son Liam; a brother Peter Brightman and his wife Leslie Altman; and extended family and friends. Jaye was born on December 18, 1938, in Boston, MA, to Elizabeth K. and Milton B. Brightman. She grew up in several New England towns, including Manchester, NH, Suffield, CT, and Needham, MA. She graduated from Needham High School in 1956 and attended Mary Washington College in VA for two years before deciding to pursue a degree in music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she graduated in 1961. Jaye met her husband, Dick, in 1959 on a blind date at Cranes Beach that had been set up by her brother, Peter. They were married in 1961. Jaye and Dick raised their family in Sharon and Princeton, MA, before moving to Orient, NY, Mystic, CT, Yarmouth Port, MA, Nokomis, FL, and finally, Brewster, MA. In addition to teaching at Bancroft, Jaye also taught music at Thomas Prince School in Princeton, MA for several years. At the end of her professional career, Jaye was a successful real estate agent and appraiser. She and Dick worked together to restore and resell several homes throughout MA, NY, and CT. Anyone who knew Jaye will remember her lifelong passion for music. She started voice lessons at the age of 15 and sang with the Needham High Glee Club and also a trio called the Harmonettes. During her adult life, she sang soprano with the Worcester Chorus from 1978 to1995 and enjoyed participating in several of their European tours. She also sang in the Mystic Chorale, Mystic, CT, and participated in a trip to China. In addition to singing, Jaye played a variety of instruments, including the piano, guitar, recorder, and cello. In addition to music, Jaye's interests included family, friends, animals, gardening, sewing, politics, travel, and reading. She volunteered at the Princeton Library and participated in numerous women's and reading clubs during her retirement years. Jaye will be remembered fondly by her students and the entire Bancroft Community who had the fortune of knowing her and her music.
Sarah Hardy March 5, 2020 Southbridge, MA at 83 Sarah was a Trustee at Bancroft from 19801983. She was a devoted wife to Richard Hardy, for nearly 61 years. Born and raised in Southbridge, MA, she was the daughter of Robert Upham Clemence and Elizabeth Rees Clemence, and sister to Richard R. Clemence, married to Patricia, Southbridge, MA. Sarah graduated from Walnut Hill School, Colby Junior College, Elmira College and Salter Secretarial School. Her laughter, enthusiasm for life, and buoyant and generous spirit uplifted all, and her warmth, optimism, and loving acceptance remain a legacy. Sarah was an enthusiastic volunteer and never stepped back from a challenge to try something new. A terrific fundraiser and community leader for many organizations, Sarah had a lively and humorous personality, and loved to entertain. She had a positive attitude and always had a smile on her face. She was widely admired, respected and above all, liked by all. Her affection and humor lifted the lives of many. In the course of a long productive life, Sarah received countless rewards for her dedication to the community. Throughout her life she volunteered with the Girl Scouts of America, Harrington Hospital Auxiliary and with Southbridge Rotary. She also served on the boards of the Visiting Nurses Association, United Way, Quienbaug Valley Counsel for the Arts and Humanities, Alzheimer’s Support Network, Girl Scouts of Montachusett Council, Inc., Young Women’s Club and Southbridge Tri-Community YMCA. In the summer you could find Sarah boating with Dick on their boat, Inspiration, and in the winter, you could find her downhill and cross-country skiing. She also enjoyed hiking, sewing and traveling extensively around the world. In her snowbird days in Sun City Center, Florida, she was an advocate and fundraiser against human trafficking. Even with all her community involvement and public contributions, nothing was more important to her or provided her with more pleasure than spending time with her family and friends. She is survived by her children Elizabeth Peppel ’79, Thomas B. Hardy ’81 and Susan H. Tretter ’82 along with many grandchildren.
Stanley A. Starrett Jr. February 12, 2020, Wimberly, TX at 81 Stan served as Director of Development at Bancroft from 1972 – 1975. Stan was born on June 20, 1938. His parent’s Stanley Starrett, Sr. and Dorothy Lorraine Clarke Starrett raised their five children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Stan being the eldest. He graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School where he was very active in sports. During his early years in Pittsburgh, he sold newspapers, worked construction jobs, and was a laborer in the summer of 1957 for US Steel. In 1959, he received a partial track scholarship to the University of Houston, and hitched hike all the way from Pittsburgh. His cross country team won the NCAA National Championship in 1960. While he attended U of H, he majored in radio and television where he earned his bachelor’s degree. Lucky for Stan, he also met the love of his life, Elizabeth “Liz” Hiller who was also attending U of H. In 1962, he started working for the Houston Sports Association, with the emergence of the Houston Colt .45’s, the forerunner of the Houston Astros. Three days after graduation in 1963, he and Liz were married and moved to Moultrie, GA where Stan was the general manager of the Moultrie Colt .22s. The family then lived in New England for five years to be close to their oldest son, Eric, who was attending the Clarke School for the Deaf. Stan then moved the family to Harlingen, Texas to begin a long career in real estate development. He developed many subdivisions worldwide. The highlight of Stan’s developments was the Beachwalk communities in Port Aransas, TX, for which earned two awards, Keep Texas Beautiful and Environmental Excellence. In 1998, Stan and Liz then settled in Wimberley. Whereever Stan went he had an impact. Besides Stan’s love of sports, his greatest love was Liz and their three sons, Eric, Duff and Jeremy. Stan is survived by his wife Liz, his sons Eric, Duff and Jeremy as well as extended family. Margaret Arnold September 18, 2020 Grafton, MA at 98 Margaret taught Physical Education and Manual Training at Bancroft from 1961-1966. She is survived by three daughters, two granddaughters, and two great grandsons. She is predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Warren D. Arnold, Jr. She attended Winsor school and Smith College. She loved tennis, photography, carpentry, travel, music and singing, and her family and friends. She had a great sense of humor, and often remarked on what a wonderful and adventurous life she had had.
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