Alumni 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.”

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

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.

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. 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 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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). Lauren R. Shuster, 23607 N 21st Place, Phoenix, AZ 85024, 978-855-5573 abeautifulview.lauren@gmail.com

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. 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: 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.

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

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.”

Amanda Lewis Kantor ’99 with husband Josh and children Hannah & Jacob. 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

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!

Rebecca Kowaloff's ’02 son, Wesley. Larry Atupem and wife Massa, welcomed a daughter on March 27th, 2020, Olivia Maame Akua. Congratulations!

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

Morgan Cichon ’06 and husband Jeffrey Jablonka

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

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!

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! 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

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!

Annie (Massard) Mercier ’10 and husband, Tim

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) 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.

Andrew Hitzhusen ’11 with his fiancé.

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) 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 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! 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.

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.

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 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:

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.

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

And, the plan’s building blocks provide a community-designed path to achieve this vision.

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.

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

The Bancroft Board of Trustees has welcomed four new members for the 2020-21 school year.

Susanne Choate P’19, ’21

PFA PRESIDENT

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.

Elizabeth Wambui

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. 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.