Spring 2018

Spring 2018

bulletin Thank You, Rebecca!

bulletin Spring 2018

Events Calendar A pr i l Tuesday, April 17 BB&N in Washington D.C. Reception Thursday, April 19 BB&N in New York Reception

May Saturday, May 5 Circus Lower School Campus, Cambridge Friday, May 11 Celebration of Rebecca T. Upham 5-6:30 PM, Nicholas Athletic Center Friday, May 11-Sunday, May 13 Strawberry Night & Reunion Weekend Upper School Campus and Harvard Square, Cambridge

J une Wednesday, June 13 BB&N in Boston Networking Reception

Community News 2 MLK Jr. Luncheon, Middle School

Features

BB&N Community honors 14 The the incredible 17-year legacy of Head

the Archives: Former Upper 26 From School science teacher Sandy Wagner

of School Rebeca T. Upham

recounts the origins of the B&N Outings Club Faculty Profile: 28 Former Brian Staveley

Advancing Our Mission 30 Faculty Chair/Instructorship

Recipients Recognized, 100 Knights ‘til Graduation Alumni/ae Challenge

Alumni/ae News & Notes

32 Alumni/ae News and Notes

Alumna 43 Distinguished Award Receptionn

45 BB&N in Boston 47 BB&N in Los Angeles 49 BB&N in San Francisco

54 Former Faculty News Milestones 56

For more information about alumni/ae events and programs, visit www.bbns.org/alumni For more information about School events, visit www.bbns.org/news-events

Interfaith Pilot Program, Distinguished Alumna Award, Winter Sports, Upper School Musical, Fourth Grade Renewable Energy Study, Spotlight on the Arts, and more

Director of Communications Joe Clifford, Editor Associate Director of Communications Andrew Fletcher, Senior Editor Communications and Website Coordinator Hadley Kyle, Editor Contributing Writers Joe Clifford Cecily Craighill Davis Andrew Fletcher Janet Rosen Al Rossiter Audrey Wallace Kim Ablon Whitney ’91 Contributing Editors Cecily Craighill Davis Kate Radlauer Janet Rosen Katie Small Alumni/ae News & Notes Cecily Craighill Davis Laura Kandziolka Kate Radlauer Tracy Rosette Design & Production Nanci Booth www.nancibooth.com 781-301-1733 Photography/Artwork/Design Andrew Fletcher Eric Nordberg ’88 Shawn Read Joshua Touster Adam Richins

Board of Trustees, 2017-2018 Officers Bracebridge Young Jr., Chair Charles A. Brizius, Vice Chair Erica Gervais Pappendick, Vice Chair/Secretary Bob Higgins, Vice Chair/Treasurer Members Leslie Ahlstrand ’08 Jeff Barber James T. Berylson ’00 Agnes Bundy Scanlan Tim Cohen Karen Donovan Diala Ezzeddine Mary Beth Gordon Christtine Gross-Loh Jason P. Hafler ’00 Katherine Kargman Holden ’01 Freddie Jacobs Kenneth W. Lang Peter K. Levitt ’84 Bridget Terry Long Tristan Mannion Stevie Olson Leslie Riedel Emma Sagan ’10 Matthew Sidman ’90 Stephen Spaloss Janet M. Storella ’74 David J. Thompson ’85 Charlotte Wagner Fan Wu ’98 Head of School Rebecca T. Upham Front Cover:

Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and her dog Leo celebrate with students at this year’s Saturday Knight Lights event.

(Photography by Joshua Touster http://www.joshuatousterphotography.com) Correspondence may be sent to: Office of Alumni/ae Programs (alumni_programs@bbns.org or 617-800-2721) or the Office of Communications (communications@bbns.org or 617-800-2403), 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138-5512

NOTE TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this Bulletin was sent to your daughter or son and they have updated contact information, please send us their new address and email. Thank you!

Please send updates to: alumni_programs@bbns.org or Alumni/ae Programs, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138

: FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

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www.bbns.org

Community News BB&N Celebrates the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Celebrated Writer Fanny Howe ’58 Honored with Distinguished Alumna Award Alumni/ae, faculty, and trustees gathered on Thursday, March 1 at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge for a reception to honor BB&N’s 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient Fanny Howe ’58. Presented by Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and Alumni/ae Awards Committee chair Kathrene Tiffany Bell ’99, the award recognized Howe for her extraordinary achievements as an internationally renowned poet, novelist, essayist, and professor of writing and literature.

The 34th annual BB&N Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon, held on Monday, January 15, 2018, honored the memory and legacy of Dr. King. Members of the community, including Head of School Rebecca T. Upham, Director of Multicultural Services Lewis Bryant, Chorale Director Joseph Horning, and several students, offered their perspectives on Dr. King’s impact.

1 PICTURED x 1 x Some of the younger attendees enjoy the music. x 2 x Zoe Ting ’18 and Isaac Glotzer-Martin ’18 impressed with a stirring rendition of Lean On Me. x 3 x The band “Confirmation” performs at the luncheon. x 4 x Director

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of Multicultural Services Lewis Bryant speaks to the guests with his granddaughter Melody Lofton x 5 x Head of School Rebecca T. Upham addresses a packed Upper School community room.

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“Fanny Howe embodies so much of what we value as a school and a community. Through her work as a poet, a storyteller, and a teacher, she has been a voice for social change and justice, for spiritual reckoning, for the dynamic tensions and rewards of human interaction, and for the beauty of literary expression,” said Upham in her remarks.

Ms. Howe spoke movingly of the importance of her Buckingham education in preparing her for life and art. The video of her acceptance speech may be found on the school website: https://vimeo.com/260692011

Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and Alumni/ae Awards Commitee Chair Kathrene Tiffany Bell ’99 present the 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award to poet and novelist Fanny Howe ’58.

(See additional photos from the event on page 43)

Fourth Grade Showcases Renewable Energy Study with Open House As part of a year-long study of energy and the environment, BB&N fourth graders hosted an Energy Open House this spring, showcasing their work on renewable energy. During an integrated study, teams of five students were each assigned a renewable energy source—solar, wind, hydro, or fuel cell—to investigate. In social studies and language arts, students researched their energy source and reported their findings in notes and essays. In science, students built working models and learned how each form of energy works and how it is used. The Energy Open House was the students’ chance to share their knowledge and experience with the broader BB&N community.

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Iris Fahy ’26, Declan Walsh ’26, Sydney Francis ’26, and Chloe Rankel ’26 2

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Community News BB&N Alumnus Screens Award-Winning Film at Upper School Sitting in the Upper School theater in mid-February, Tim Bohn ’85 confessed to a few nerves before the screening of his film Good Bones. Although no stranger to the room (as a student he acted throughout his time at BB&N), that night an audience of students, alums, faculty, and friends were about to watch a labor of love he had worked on for many years.

I bet there weren’t a lot of high schools in the 1980s that were already approaching film as a legit part of our culture’s literature, which Rob was. The secondary school study of film, and the treatment of film as literature, has become more broadly accepted since. I was lucky that he was teaching it to us then!

Good Bones, written, directed, and acted in by Bohn, is described as “a comedic coming-of-age story set in the cutthroat world of Hamptons real estate,” and is set for a spring release through Candy Factory Films, along with an iTunes release. During a spate of showings at nine separate film festivals in 2017, Good Bones garnered several honors and awards, including:

I also studied photography at BB&N with Marky Kauffmann, who took great care to introduce us to the theory as well as the practice of the art. I also acted in a number of plays, and studied acting and theater with Mark Lindberg, whose lessons I still employ myself, and try to pass on to others. (Side note: the physical stage at BB&N, and the resources and crew expertise dedicated to productions, rival most off-Broadway houses and professional regional theaters.)

- Best Feature at the 2017 Fort Myers Film Festival - Best Comedy Feature at the 2017 Garden State Film Festival - Best Editing at the 2017 Golden Door Film Festival Additionally, the film was nominated for best feature at the 2017 Long Island International Film Expo, and at the 2017 Golden Door Film Festival, where Bohn was also nominated for best director. The Bulletin recently caught up with Bohn to discuss the film, and his journey from BB&N to the present day.

Upper School English and history teacher Rob Leith mentioned that you were a student of his in a film appreciation class. Was this class an influence on your decision to get into writing and directing? Were you involved in theater or film in your time at BB&N? Rob was my 10th grade English teacher, and then in senior year I took his film class—it wasn’t so much film appreciation as film theory and analysis—and I make the distinction because

Writing and directing a film is one of the very few ways to combine all of those disparate materials and influences, to try to synthesize it all and spit out something new and personal, so, yes, I am indebted to all of the really expert teachers at BB&N who fed quality stuff into those channels at a formative stage. Also, someone forgot to tell me to get a real job, which is another question.

What was the biggest challenge in getting this film made?

The process was very long, many years, because it was not linear—the script went into development at a company where I worked and went through several pre-production scenarios before I finally decided to do it myself. I guess the biggest challenge is that first moment of deciding that you’re not going to turn back. Once I started, some of my critical first-choice calls offered me unprecedented access to their locations and events in the

Hamptons, and I just kept falling forward once those doors were opened, because it became more awkward to retreat than to keep pressing forward.

Is there a moment in the process of making this film that stands out? The first screening, when funding came in, a particularly poignant acting moment, etc?

Hah. Lots. For some reason right now, I am remembering the moment when my excellent and experienced cinematographer, Nelson Hume, turned to me in the middle of the crowded Reggae bar that we were shooting in on our second night—a complicated, scripted scene in the middle of a real, live, public concert—and he said “Holy crap. I think this is going to work!” I guess he had been keeping his doubts close to the vest...

You’ve done some acting work as well, what made you decide to focus on screen writing and directing…was it a natural progression? Or a goal you had always been aiming for?

I started acting in fourth grade, and all through high school and college. But after graduation I quickly felt that the pursuit of professional acting was not only stressful, but basically boring— even most of the jobs I was lucky enough to get were not nearly as fulfilling as, say, Three Penny Opera was in 11th grade. I was cast in an episode of Superman, the New Adventures of Lois and Clark that had been written by the show’s star, Teri Hatcher. When we talked about her satisfaction in writing, she literally dared me to write my own episode, and the show’s producers promised to read it. While I wrote it, I suddenly remembered the one other

thing I had done continuously from fourth grade through college: creative writing…and I missed it! I’m not much better at the professional pursuit there, either, but the practice itself satisfies me deeply. Directing a piece of my own seemed the obvious and natural next step, and in fact was completely fun and addictive.

How did the screening at BB&N come to pass?

I went to a BB&N in the Arts gathering in NYC last summer and thanked Rob Leith for his early influence, and he told me about his current film class, and described the theater’s new digital projection system. I proposed showing Good Bones there, and answering practical questions from his students—I am no Hitchcock or Ernst Lubitsch, but I have the distinct advantage of being alive and very happy to relate the actual nitty gritty processes beneath a finished film. BB&N was generous enough to let me invite my friends and family to the screening, and it turned into a nice community event.

Any advice for students or other alums attempting to make a go of it as a filmmaker?

Creative projects require deep attention and long gestation, so it’s hard to just dart around doing practical things in between, but that’s how the “successful” creatives I know sustain themselves—not usually by their labors of love, unfortunately.

I am still trying to get better at multi-tasking—applying myself to jobs and projects that feel satisfying themselves, while I am waiting for the big thing to come together.

PICTURED x 1 x Tom Bohn ’85 and Upper School English teacher Rob Leith before the screening of Good Bones. x 2 x Bohn (far right) directing on the set of Good Bones with lead actress, Comfort Clinton and cinematographer Nelson Hume.

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Community News Sixth Grade Visits Cambridge Biotech Lab When Sixth Grade teacher Lauren Rader heard about the chance for her class to visit Rubius Therapeutics in Cambridge this March, she jumped at the opportunity. Rubius is a biotech startup that specializes in growing red blood cells to deliver powerful medicines to treat enzyme deficiencies, rare diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

“Rubius is the only company in the world that is doing this cutting-edge work and they were recently written up in The Boston Globe for receiving significant funding to continue their work,” says Rader. “This trip fit in perfectly with our science curriculum as students are currently studying the circulatory system and learning about red blood cells and blood types.”

During their foray into the Cambridge biotech lab, students listened to a presentation about the work Rubius is conducting and then were able to tour some of the lab spaces, including seeing the bioreactors where the blood cells are being grown.

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Upper School Musical

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The Upper School theater came alive with laughter and song this March when students performed My Fair Lady to several packed houses. The famous musical with book and lyrics

by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe, featured beguiling performances by all of the actors, and an impressive live student orchestra. Directed by Upper School theater teacher Mark Lindberg, with musical direction by Upper School music teachers Brian Reasoner and Joe Horning, the production turned on strong performances by Andreas Frank ’18 and Cordiana Cozier ’19 in leading roles.

1 PICTURED x 1 x From left: Julie Klingenstein ’20, Sam Moskow ’19, Cordiana Cozier ’19, Alice O’Neill ’19 (kneeling), and Alyse Bierly ’19 x 2 x From left: Ali Plump ’18, Jeremy Tang ’18, Aidan Klein ’19, and Trevor Donovan ’18 x 3 x Andreas Frank ’18, Cordiana Cozier ’19, and Max Ambris ’19 x 4 x Cordiana Cozier ’19 and Myles Nadeau-Davis ’20 x 5 x Jayanth Uppaluri ’20, Tina Kulow ’20, and Lucy Lyman ’18

PICTURED x 1 x Sixth Grade students listen to Rubius scientists during the visit. x 2 x Students observe an up-close demonstration of work in the lab.

Middle School Girls Work Together to Solve Math Challenge This year’s Middle School Girls’ Math Collaborative was an afternoon of problem-solving, teamwork, and lots of fun. The girls organized themselves and worked together to tackle some very challenging problems and puzzles. As a team, they were tasked with piecing together a series of clues to discover a code that unlocked a treasure chest full of prizes just for them. It took a lot of effort, teamwork, and perseverance, but as usual, the result was a gratifying and empowering experience.

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Conceived of and run by Dr. Ken Fan, BB&N’s Middle School has hosted this event for seven years running now. In addition to teaching a math section at BB&N’s Middle School, Dr. Fan runs Girls’ Angle, a math club for girls with a mission to “foster and nurture girls’ interest in mathematics and empower them to be able to tackle any field no matter the level of mathematical sophistication.” BB&N was the first school to host a school-based program by Girls’ Angle, and this year 25 girls participated in the event.

Former math teacher Randi Currier brought the program to the Middle School in 2011, and current math teacher Camilla Lau was excited to work with Dr. Fan to offer the program this year. After teaching at an all-girls school for 13 years before BB&N, Ms. Lau shares Girls’ Angle’s mission and believes opportunities like these are particularly valuable for girls this age.

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x 1 x Naomi Wang ’22, Zoe Dodge ’22, Sofia Chen ’22, and Connie Yang ’22 work through a problem during the math challenge. x 2 x Amelia How ’23, CC Chung ’22, and Ali Roche ’22 anticipate the unveiling of a hard-wrought treasure.

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Community News BB&N Winter Sports BB&N athletes hit the courts and ice again this winter for another exciting season. See below for some of the highlights.

Co-Ed Varsity Fencing (Boys Record: 10-0; Girls Record: 5-5)

Boys Varsity Hockey (Record: 4-20-2)

Girls Varsity Basketball (Record: 10-12)

Varsity Co-Ed Squash (Boys Record: 1-11; Girls Record: 3-10)

• Fencing completed another exciting season which culminated in a fourth-place finish at the Massachusetts State Fencing Championship.

• This competitive team battled injuries and hard luck all year, but persevered under the leadership of a tight-knit group of seniors.

• Spencer Kuldell ’18 won first in Men’s Sabre Individual for the second straight year.

All League: Jack Studley ’18

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Cup Winners: Spencer Kuldell ’18 and Eileen Rhie ’20

Honorable Mention: Michael Bulman ’18, Ryan Donnelly ’18, and Corey Herron ’18

All League: Kayla Kaloostian ’18

Cup Winner: Michael Bulman ’18

Cup Winner: Kayla Kaloostian ’18

Both the boys and girls squash teams battled through a hard- fought year punctuated by a highlight win for the boys over Newton Country Day, and an impressive victory for the girls over Brookline High.

Cup Winners: Matthew Walsh ’18 and Margaret Foot ’18

Honorable Mention: Sharon Pongnon ’20

Boys Varsity Basketball (Record: 12-13) •

Girls basketball improved all year despite a challenging schedule. Highlights included Kayla Kaloostian ’18 topping 1,600 career points at BB&N, and a dramatic come-frombehind, overtime victory against Governor’s Academy.

Wrestling Girls Varsity Hockey (Record: 16-9-3)

Despite being the youngest team (only one senior) and shortest team (no player over 6-2 feet tall) in the league, this squad battled hard all year and secured some impressive victories over the likes of Groton, St. George’s, and Thayer.

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Honorable Mention: Nick Johnson ’20 and Julius Nagin ’20

Recording their fifth straight season with 14 or more wins, and their highest win total in the program’s history, this impressive team made the finals of the Nobles tournament and also qualified for New England tournament.

All League: Mia Biotti ’21, Molly Griffin ’20, and Maya Mangiafico ’20

Cup Winner: Justin Albee ’19

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• This impressive squad placed second in the Northern New England tournament, and fourth in the ISL tournament where it was also named the most improved team.

• Brad Basham ’18 and Will Jarrell ’19 placed first in the ISL tournament in their respective weight classes, and Basham also garnered the honor of being named All-American.

Honorable Mention: Kayla Duran ’18

All League: Bradley Basham ’18, Will Jarrell ’19, Ben Ross ’18, and Malcom Zuckerman ’18

Cup Winner: Kayla Duran ’18

Cup Winners: Bradley Basham ’18 and Benjamin Ross ’18

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PICTURED x 1 x Bradley Basham ’18 dominates his opponent with a hammerlock and far wrist move. x 2 x Molly Griffin ’20 beats her defender en route to the net. x 3 x Kayla Kaloostian ’18 turns the corner on a fast break. x 4 x Justin Albee ’19 drives to the hoop. x 5 x Spencer Kuldell ’18 scores on his opponent. x 6 x Irfan Chaudhuri ’18 gets to work on the squash court. x 7 x Jack Studley ’18 gets a shot off around a defender.

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Community News Middle School Launches Interfaith Pilot Initiative A rabbi, a reverend, and an Islamic educator walk into room…it may sound like a bad joke, but when those exact circumstance came to pass in the Middle School Big Room this February, the punchline was an enlightening exploration of faith.

As part of a pilot program undertaken by the Middle School, eighth grade students enjoyed the opportunity to engage in an eye-opening interfaith study and immersion initiative this winter. Over a series of four weeks, students learned about the three Abrahamic faiths ( Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) participated in field trips to a synagogue, a church, and a mosque, and attended a panel discussion at BB&N with a rabbi, a reverend, and an Islamic educator.

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Organized by Middle School faculty Stefanie Haug, Sasha Bergman, Youseff Talha, and Beth Brooks, the pilot program sought to demystify misperceptions about the different faiths, and perhaps more importantly, to underscore how much the three faiths have in common.

Based off of feedback from a two-year, School-initiated reflection and query into BB&N’s cultural competency, the pilot was a groundbreaking attempt to address issues raised by the students as sources of curiosity.

“When we looked at some of the survey results from our cultural competency work, we discovered that Middle School students had many questions about religion that were not being specifically targeted in our curriculum,” says Middle School counselor Stefanie Haug. “We value holistic learning at BB&N…learning about yourself and your relationships to other people is a huge part of teaching. We wanted to find a way to explore the diversity that makes us who we are…and faith is a big part of that.”

After much discussion and planning, it was decided that the pilot would focus on the three Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) due to their similar ancestry and the fact they comprise the three largest religious groups in the U.S. The intiative manifested as a series of discussions with Reverend Matt Carriker, Rabbi Natan Margalit, Ph.D., and Islam educator Barbara Sahli, along with visits to each religious leader’s respective church, synagogue, and mosque.

In their panel discussion in the Middle School Big Room, the guests spoke about their faith and answered questions from students.

All three landed on the same point when asked what they love most about being Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, speaking about the importance of being part of a community that guides people to do good, and live up to ideals highlighted by each faith. As students discovered, all three of the religions share very similar ideals.

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Particularly poignant was Sahli’s insight into being a Muslim following the 2001 bombings of the World Trade Center. She noted that the first instinct was “put your head down, and hide for fear of anger,” but she quickly realized that outreach, education, and dialogue were more essential than ever to allow people to understand that the attacks did not reflect true Islam.

Middle School director Mary Dolbear considers the pilot and ensuing discussions to be some of the most important learning undertaken at the Middle School in her time at BB&N. “I am deeply proud of our MS Faith Project pilot,” Dolbear says. “The guest panel was powerful. The focus on people’s stories are always impactful, but for this age group, it was an even more effective format to invite kids into the conversation. A huge takeaway was something we don’t get to hear much about: the similarities between the three faiths.”

Following the fields trips and panel discussions, students met again to study poetry from each faith, and reflect on what they had learned, including a general discussion about the importance of finding common ground in a community comprised of varying beliefs.

The interfaith pilot was made possible through an Urban Connections Grant, a School-funded resource allowing faculty to implement creative programs that connect curriculum with the verdant urban resources surrounding BB&N.

PICTURED x 1 x Left to right: Reverend Matt Carriker, Islam educator Barbara Sahli, and Rabbi Natan Margalit, Ph.D. converse during the interfaith panel discussion. x 2 x Students examine the Torah during a synagogue visit. x 3 x Eighth graders gather outside the Islamic Society of Boston before attending a service. x 4 x Students speak with Reverend Matt Carriker at his church.

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It was interesting to me to learn about the similarities between the three faiths, not just because they are all Abrahamic, but because they all involve aspects of prayer, trust, and community. While certain religions and even religion in general can be painted as bad, there are aspects of religion—like community and charity—that focus on not just belief in a God, but improving the world around us. I was very interested to visit the mosque and sit in on a service, because the image that I now have of hundreds of people joining together in prayer was very powerful.

I think that it’s very important to learn about the key aspects of mainstream religions, because they impact almost everyone, even people who do not believe. It also seems that a healthy religious practice is one that has respect for people of other faiths, and the idea of coexisting is very important. While I had been inside several churches and synagogues before, I had never been to a mosque, and I think that people should have the experience of visiting places of worship in order to understand what different religions stand for.

- JULIA SHEPHARD ’22

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ALUMNI/AE SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS Film • Video • Theater • Photography • Books • Ceramics • Music • Design • Sculpture • Drawing • Painting • Architecture

Please send submissions to alumni_programs@bbns.org or mail to BB&N Alumni/ae Programs Office, 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138

Alisa Dworsky ’83 I By Kim Ablon Whitney ’91 Even after spending countless hours in the art studio at BB&N, Alisa Dworsky ’83 chose to major in International Relations at Stanford University. But she soon found that the artist inside her was still very much alive. “In college I kept gravitating back to art, taking studio classes and art history classes for electives,” she explains. “Eventually one of my professors noticed and encouraged me to pick up a double major in Studio Art.” After graduating from Stanford, Dworsky pursued graduate school in architecture as “a way to integrate all of my interests—social sciences, the sciences, the arts, mathematics, and design.” She chose Yale because the graduate architecture school was in the same building as the graduate art school. “I took several courses in the art school when I had free electives and I made friends with many of the art students,” she explains. “I very much wanted to keep my foot in the world of studio art.”

The Yale program also stood out because at the time it was the only graduate school that integrated design-build into its curriculum. “It made deep sense to me that in order to understand buildings I should have some handson experience making them,” Dworsky says. “By the summer after my first year in graduate school I was in a harness on a roof three stories up putting on shingles in 90 degree weather—not always fun, but certainly empowering!”

Dworsky and her husband Danny Sagan, a fellow graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, founded a design-build firm upon graduation. Ever since they have been based in Vermont where they continue to practice architectural design while also teaching architecture at Norwich University.

But once again her career path did not mean giving up her art. For the past 17 years, Dworsky has been creating largescale site-specific installations as well as drawings, prints, and multimedia works. This past year she has had exhibitions of her work at the Art Miami Fair, the Palm Beach Art Fair, and the Bennington Museum.

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Pursuing both art and architecture has only enhanced her work in each domain. “I believe that creative insights in art are supported by a cross-disciplinary practice and I find that my work in one discipline will influence my work in another,” she says.

As an example she explains that in her current exhibition, the installation, InVersion, is made from a series of tetrahedrons—regular polyhedrons made of four connected triangular planes—which are known for being efficient and strong. “Inspired by tent and kite construction, I make the tetrahedrons of tensile fabric panels assembled with lightweight connectors. The free interplay among the geometric forms in this large-scale installation suggest shelter and vessel, sail and tent, origami and architecture.”

Balancing art and architecture is still integral to Dworsky’s life. “I prefer to be primarily immersed in one project, in one discipline at a time, but in real life that almost never happens,” she says.

She continues to rely on her ability to switch and meld fields. “With the exception of in-class teaching hours, I don’t reserve specific days for each endeavor although I try to establish seasons when one creative pursuit becomes the focus,” she says. “I also try to establish larger chunks of time in my weekly schedule for art or architectural design. That being said, I still often have to change hats within a given day.”

Dworsky and her husband are appreciative of the flexibility having their own business affords because beyond blending art and architecture, there is the rest of life to enjoy. “Often we have work discussions over breakfast meetings and in the evenings. When our children were younger we couldn’t take on as many architecture projects but now that our oldest daughter is at college and our younger daughter is a teenager, we have more time,” she says. “It’s very important that we choose carefully what we want to work on and remember to make time for other activities as a family and individually. We love living in Vermont where we can set out within a few minutes from our home and office to go hiking, swimming or cross-country skiing.”

ABOVE: Dworsky at work LEFT: Dworsky’s current exhibition, a large-scale installation titled, InVersion.

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Thank you,

Rebecca!

AN APPRECIATION OF OUR ESTEEMED HEAD OF SCHOOL’S 17-YEAR LEGACY

“But how will this feel for our students?”

School administrators had been huddled in the room for a while, debating the ins and outs of a potential new policy.

It was Head of School Rebecca T. Upham who drilled to the core with a variant of the same question she’s asked countless times during her 17-year tenure.

“Student-focused” is a catchphrase that has almost become a cliché in academia. Nevertheless, it has been a genuine calling card of Upham’s during her accomplished career as an educator, and especially during her transformational leadership of Buckingham Browne & Nichols School over the past 17 years.

The School has made many strides under Upham’s watch, but perhaps the most powerful has been in the quality of students’ overall experience at BB&N. Always an academic powerhouse, BB&N has come a long way since 2001 in its attention to supporting the development of the whole child.

Upham significantly expanded health, learning, and counseling resources on and across all campuses, ensuring that BB&N fosters meaningful connections with each and every one of its students.

Early into her leadership, Upham set her focus on the heretofore elusive, but in her mind essential, concepts of “community” and “kindness” on BB&N’s three campuses.

It was a constant refrain when she communicated to students and parents. Alumna and teacher Joelinda Coichy Johnson ’07 remembers how this felt as a student (see page 17): “It became clear that, to Ms. Upham, these were not just words emblazoned in shiny letters on wooden plaques on school walls, they were an integral part of the 14

kind of school, and world, that she was trying to build for us.”

The biennial event One School One World, launched in 2007 by Director of Multicultural Services Lewis Bryant in 2007, was an excellent example of this culture that Upham instilled throughout the School—one in which multiculturalism and diversity became elements for the entire community to celebrate.

Taller than most of the starters on the Knights basketball team, Upham was an unmistakable presence on BB&N’s campuses. It might be the common sight of her pedaling to the Upper School on her pink bicycle, or the oncea-year sight of her wearing a bright red clown hat to lead the Circus parade down Buckingham Street. Some students, particularly at the Lower School, perceived her primary responsibility as being the escort for BB&N’s lead ambassador, the sweet-natured golden retriever Leo (and before him, Zoey), as he greeted his multitude of student admirers each day.

Just as unmistakable has been her steady hand at the wheel of this institution, its 1,000 students, and 250 teachers and staff members. A scientist by training, Upham’s thoughtful, analytical style lent itself well to seeing around corners. (A colleague describes her as someone whose natural problem-solving approach makes it appear as if she is playing three-dimensional chess while most everyone around her is seeing the board in just two dimensions.)

This skill served her and the School well as she spearheaded the $69 million Opening Minds comprehensive campaign; as she transformed the learning experience on the Upper 15

and Middle School campuses with two game-changing building projects; and she initiated curricular initiatives that included a full-day Beginners program, world language courses such as Arabic in the Upper School and Spanish in the early grades, and the introduction of a schoolwide global education program.

Her steady hand was especially important in turbulent times. Her concern and care for the members of the BB&N community was profound and far-reaching. It was a muchneeded beacon during human tragedies such as 9/11, which occurred during the second week of her tenure, and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, both of which directly affected students and families at the School. And the BB&N tenets of “honor” and “kindness” were never in finer display than in the way the community rallied around Zack McLeod ’10 after he suffered a traumatic brain injury during a football scrimmage in September 2008.

Upham’s care also extended to BB&N’s alumni/ae community. From floods in Houston to wildfires in Los Angeles, she was always quick to pen a note of concern to those affected. And her forthright acknowledgment and reckoning of past abuses by BB&N faculty members was guided first and foremost by a desire for healing of any community member impacted by those terrible deeds.

Upham also was an innovator—one whose reputation, much like BB&N’s, increased well beyond regional borders to reach

ABOVE: Upham in 2006 marching in the BB&N Circus parade. RIGHT: Upham at the Middle School Closing Ceremony in 2008

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national and even international acclaim. One example is the School’s 2007 groundbreaking study on race-based academic achievement patterns, which has helped shape the thinking of schools nationwide. Upham also sharpened BB&N’s global lens by joining the G20 school group, a collaborative of leading independent schools from 21 different countries, whose heads meet annually to share ideas and best practices.

Above all, Upham’s remarkable 17-year legacy will be headlined by the expression, “principled leadership.” It is an especially appropriate turn of phrase for the Head of School who coined the concept of “principled engagement” in 2012 to stand as a cornerstone of the School’s revitalized mission statement.

When the final notes of “Jerusalem” drift away at the graduation ceremony on June 8, 2018, BB&N’s biggest fan, and one of the most influential figures in its history, will lead the recessional one final time. On that day, as is typical for her, she will deflect any attention away from herself and steer it toward the 125 members of the Class of 2018.

Her humility, however, will not prevent the BB&N community from being united in its collective and colossal appreciation for Rebecca T. Upham.

Thank you, Rebecca, for all you’ve done for BB&N, and Godspeed in your adventures ahead!

Reflections on Rebecca JOELINDA COICHY JOHNSON ’07, UPPER SCHOOL FRENCH TEACHER I don’t remember when I first met Ms. Upham. In retrospect, I imagine that it had to be at an admitted students event of some sort. I was coming to BB&N, as a rising 7th grader, from a different kind of private school, and event by event and letter by letter, I was taking in this brave new world. I don’t remember for sure, but in the buzz and hum of it all, to a 7th grader, Ms. Upham likely felt like a given, an important but taken-for-granted face in this new ecosystem.

As my BB&N experience got underway, I had increasing context for the role that Ms. Upham held as the Head of School. But Ms. Upham was really the only Head of School I knew. As such, subtly but certainly, she became the standard against which I would norm other leaders in my life. In retrospect, there is perhaps nothing more extraordinary than to come of age with Rebecca as the Head of School, not just for all that she did and who she was, but for all that I could take for granted because she was the standard bearer.

Honor, scholarship, kindness. To be honest, sometimes we students tired of the words. It would not be until later that it became clear that, to Ms. Upham, these were not just words emblazoned in shiny letters on wooden plaques on school walls, they were an integral part of the kind of school and world that she was trying to build for us. She spoke of these words as much as she could—during assemblies and special events, on paper and in emails. She spoke these words—of which she was thoroughly convinced— to students, parents, prospective families, and alumni/ ae. Those values of honor, scholarship, and kindness really were the identity that she wanted to forge into our consciousness as a community. Taking them for granted, these values of which Ms. Upham spoke time

and time again, not just out of obligation, but from deep conviction, shaped my own priorities in the world.

Growing up watching Ms. Upham as I, the daughter of immigrants, formed my own aspirations, I took for granted that a woman could represent a prestigious institution. I took for granted that a woman could lead with excellence, poise, and deep thoughtfulness, as well as humility and compassion. Watching Ms. Upham lead as I came of age, I took for granted that leaders are meant to care about others, the world, and those whom it might be easy to leave behind. Watching her, subtly but steadily, I decided that I, too, wanted to be a leader and that I wanted to lead with those qualities. In 2002, the way Ms. Upham led with competencies as well as character was shaping my sense of the norm. But in 2018, I know her kind of capable and compassionate leadership, now more than ever, must never be taken for granted. She and her form of leadership should be elevated as the standard for leaders of all stripes, everywhere.

It is hard to quantify what it means to have grown up shaped by a leader like Rebecca. And now, as I am older, grappling with what leadership ought to look like in our nation and in our world, I am incredibly grateful that the norm and the only Head of School that I have known is Rebecca. Because when I consider what a leader should be, I think of Rebecca: thoughtful and measured, caring and compassionate, community-invested but globally minded, observant but never intrusive. We need more Rebeccas leading in our world today.

Above: Upham hands Coichy Johnson her diploma in 2007.

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BILL ROGERS, MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER, PAIDEIA MASTER TEACHER CHAIR, 2012-2017 What words come to mind when thinking of Rebecca?

Gracious, thoughtful, laughter, patient, thorough, integrity, empathy, confident, listener, insightful…. I realize as I examined her tenure at BB&N, I cannot think of a single negative descriptor. Is there any other leader you have knowledge of for whom any of us can say that?

If there is, he/she is in the Upham Class of Exceptional Administrators.

First let me put my own biases aside. We share a love of the wilderness and outdoors. She is a serious rock climber, and I love Katahdin and Yellowstone. She gets major points in my book for leaving Los Angeles.

We both share a fascination of world cultures and connectivity, particularly China. I recognize that it is common practice for people to show associative qualities with those they respect. Guilty.

I have observed Rebecca most over the years in her participation in the ARC (Academic Review Committee) meetings.

These take place two times a year and discuss students who are having some academic difficulty in the Middle School.

Rebecca is as skilled a listener as she is a leader, dedicated to seeing the whole child and acting in that child’s best interest. She can love BB&N and still see that we may not have the particular tools that a struggling child needs. I have long admired her insistence on clear actions steps before we leave a decision. She is always sure to

show clarity and confidence in her counsel to parents, always steering them to the most productive—and sometimes difficult—choices.

One sees Rebecca’s leadership most clearly when the school is facing difficult situations. Rebecca has been at her most impressive when dealing with those rare but deeply troubling instances of inappropriate faculty behavior. Nearly all, if not all, predated her tenure, yet she has embraced the search for fairness and compassion for those who may have been affected. Her clear message and tireless efforts give us all confidence and pride in the institution which she has led with such integrity.

Finally, let us not forget the rest of Rebecca’s legacy.

She leaves a school with an impressive admissions record, markedly increased diversity, a healthy scholarship fund, a supportive parent body, and a dramatically updated physical plant on all three campuses. She has hired skillful and energetic administrators to carry the ball, while the news constantly reminds us that many leaders do not possess this critical skill. Teachers in the Middle School rarely leave unless retiring or moving, and that speaks to the wonderful positive sense of mission she has fostered among us. Most of all she leaves a powerful and generous board of trustees who will ensure that her many victories and initiatives will continue to move us forward. She has made an impossible job look easy, and her positive spirit has infected us all for 17 wonderful years.

LOUISE MAKRAUER, UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER I will remember Rebecca as a builder. One of the first times I saw her in action was in a small group of faculty and staff.

She was quite new and she asked what we really needed. Most of the issues of the group centered on the facilities and the limitations they presented in what we wanted to do as teachers and coaches. She listened! I was surprised and heartened. The next step was a master plan from a firm in Washington, DC. And then I had the opportunity to be on a committee that worked with Centerbrook Architects to comment on the design of the new Upper School building.

They were the origin of the phrase “messy vitality” and it has resonated ever since. I wasn’t a part of Rebecca’s work on the Lower School campus but I was on the Board at the time of the development of the scheme to renovate the Middle School. At every point in every project, when it looked as if either financial, design, or logistical issues would sink us, Rebecca seemed to pull one rabbit out of the hat after another (excuse my mixed metaphors!) and move from concept to ribbon cutting with amazing drive, purpose, and speed. She has transformed EVERY campus—and enabled every member of the faculty to do his or her job better. The kids, today and to come, are the beneficiaries. A monumental achievement.

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DAVID STRODEL ’78, P’14, ’16, US SCIENCE TEACHER, BIVOUAC DIRECTOR, GRADE 9 DEAN Soon after Rebecca Upham arrived at BB&N in the summer of 2001 she spoke at a faculty meeting and, in offering that sense of purpose so vital to teachers at the start of each year, she shared these words about vocation and “ministry” from Frederich Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet" (118-19).

Through seventeen years at BB&N Rebecca has challenged us—as faculty, parents, and students—to engage with one another and with our world. My own family has been touched in so many ways by experiences and relationships from BB&N under her care as Rachel ’14 and Daniel ’16 moved through their years here. An environment of serious academic and relational growth that is outward looking is not an easy one to craft and Rebecca has done so with intention to all of our benefit.

Our present mission statement, one she guided into being, speaks of living lives of “principled engagement.”

While that statement took shape only somewhat recently, throughout her tenure she has supported initiatives that have nurtured that goal. Among them have been E.E. Ford Foundation work to identify and support “characteristics of success” in all of our students, and a recent emphasis on global connections and the Round Square Global Network of schools.

Rebecca has also provided leadership and clarity in communication regarding access to support for victims of past abuse with stalwart compassion and integrity.

Progress

in these areas has been hard won and her singleness of purpose has been vital in ensuring positive change.

Over the years, Rebecca has championed the dynamism of BB&N as a “messy vitality” marked by the often less than tidy manner in which the effort to grow such lives of engagement necessarily plays out. By that she has meant acknowledging the often non-linear and sometimes even confusing environment where such growth occurs. Those two themes mentioned by Buechner seem to reemerge here. This context for growth pays dividends as individual students and faculty members, and even their families, find community as they connect the mystery of their own deep passion and purpose with the larger needs and complexities of the world around them.

Thank you, Rebecca, for making your commitment to BB&N and to our world such a critical aspect of your own vocation and work.

LAURA HODGES TAYLOR ’74, P’04, ’08, BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR 2006-2009 It’s a huge challenge for me to limit myself to a few words to describe all the gifts Rebecca Upham brought to BB&N and to me.

was that she retained her optimism about the future and the opportunities for BB&N to surpass the ambitious goals she had.

I first met Rebecca when she interviewed to become Head of BB&N. I was struck by her intensity, and my perception was that she could handle any challenge, any problem, with confidence and thoughtfulness. I noticed her strong hands, which became a symbol to me of both her strength and her ability to take care of our School. Of course, it was in her first week that we all faced the nightmare of the 9/11 attacks, and while it was a terrible time for everyone, the atmosphere on campus over the ensuing days (I had one child in the Upper School, one in the Lower) were of sorrow and shock, but not panic or doom. Rebecca’s leadership and steady yet sensitive attention modeled for all a way to confront the times.

During those years, I became close to Rebecca, at first as an advisor and sounding board, later as a partner during my years as chair of BB&N’s board of trustees and, throughout, as friends. We spent innumerable evenings talking about her current projects and her vision of the school 10 years out, brainstorming ideas for future programming, and, occasionally, facing the inevitable crises. While I ostensibly was there as a guide, in reality it was I who learned—about schools as organizations, about effective cultures, about dreaming big and putting those dreams into actionable steps in a high-stakes environment. Rebecca can be fiercely passionate, but she is also ever practical and down to earth. Perhaps her greatest success—or at least the success that best reflected the effectiveness of all the underlying accomplishments—was to lead the School’s culture and reputation from intense and hyper-competitive to challenging and supportive.

Over Rebecca’s early years, much of her focus was on bringing the program and the operations of BB&N to the next level of excellence. In addition to dealing with changing needs of students and families, a difficult economic environment, an insufficient endowment, and a culture that had become, perhaps, too demanding and pressured, Rebecca wanted to improve support for the faculty, increase access to financial aid, and establish community standards and norms of behavior. I think what I admired most, as she addressed one issue after another,

I will never forget, when the school was last accredited, the comments of the visiting committee at the conclusion of their multi-day review of the school. The chair of the committee told me that when she first visited the Upper School, and saw the kids’ backpacks strewn across the commons, the wild range of dress, and the relaxed atmosphere, she and the other members imagined they would also find sloppy thinking, a lack of academic purpose and discipline. Instead, she said, as they visited classrooms, and eavesdropped on students’ conversations, and watched faculty meeting informally across the three campuses, they found dynamic, engaged, and sophisticated thinkers and teachers, fully absorbed in and committed to learning and exploring together.

As one head of school on the committee put it: “We all wished we could walk around our schools and see the same thing.”

Rebecca was and is a transformative leader, wise and empathetic, with deeply held values and clear vision. She is also a great friend, in good times and bad.

BB&N will miss her, but her legacy will live on for generations of children, teachers, and professionals. And I am greatly thankful for all she has given us.

Hodges Taylor ’74 and Upham at BB&N’s Celebration of Teaching Excellence

GEORDIE MITCHELL, DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT I have worked closely with heads of schools for more than thirty years and sometimes feel as if I have had the privilege of peeking behind the curtain of the great and powerful Oz. And just like in the movie, behind the intimidating exterior, which is often due to the title more than anything else, there is a real, caring, feeling person.

Due to the multiple responsibilities of the job and the numerous decisions that need to be made on a daily basis on everything from hiring to curricular matters to disciplinary issues (not to mention items that are sometimes seen as newsworthy), I think this fact can sometimes get lost.

To her core, Rebecca Upham is one of the kindest and most caring people I have known or worked with. She personifies the “kindness” that we value so much as a school that it is part of our motto. Her acts of caring and kindness almost always fly under the radar screen because she doesn’t seek accolades or ask for credit. In fact, she seems more comfortable when credit is directed elsewhere. As the person who oversees enrollment and financial aid at BB&N, I often speak with Rebecca about very difficult family situations. The loss of a job, the death of a parent or other family member, and challenges dealing with immigration are just a few examples of scenarios we have discussed.

Rebecca always bases her decisions on the needs and well-being of the student and their family; so much so that I now seek her counsel more as a courtesy because I can anticipate her response, “Of course we will do all we can to help this family.”

Rebecca is equally concerned for the faculty and staff and I know of several instances when she made trips to the hospital to visit sick colleagues and reached out to their families to see how she and the school could be helpful. One example I think best personifies Rebecca’s kindness is when a former colleague became so ill we were not sure he would survive. After long and busy days, Rebecca visited almost every night—and he didn’t even know she was there. She is also a source of wisdom and font of knowledge and is very generous sharing both to help others solve problems and grow as professionals. I have personally benefited from her guidance and have encouraged numerous others to do the same. After meeting with her, the response from others is always a variation of, “Wow, she was great. I can’t believe how much time she gave me and how understanding and helpful she was.”

This is the side of Rebecca I wish more people had known about—a person who cares deeply and works tirelessly for her school and everyone who is a part of it. My alma mater’s school prayer, which is aspirational, reminds me very much of Rebecca Upham: “ ...to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward….”

Thank you, Rebecca.

gala in 2008.

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The Upham Era Builder Rebecca T. Upham saw her primary role at BB&N as one of providing teachers and students the environments they needed to thrive. Many times that boiled down to bricks-and-mortar needs. Consequently, building projects abounded during her tenure. From the Lehner Center and new Beginner classrooms at the Lower School, to the stunning Renaissance Hall at the Upper School (below), to a massive renovation of the Middle School (right), Upham succeeded marvelously in fostering the collective success of students and teachers.

Global Perspective Upham was quick to recognize the importance of instilling a more robust global perspective throughout BB&N’s program.

Staying true to her vision of the School producing “global citizens,” she oversaw several initiatives to achieve that goal of preparing students for 21st-century success.

In 2014, the Upper School joined Global Online Academy. Upham also connected BB&N to the G20 school group, sharing cuttingedge ideas with schools from 21 countries across the globe. In 2016, Upham appointed the School’s first director of global education, Karina Baum. (Right: Upham, Baum, and Upper School Counselor Sarah Vollman with students at the 2017 Round Square Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.)

Opening Doors As someone who believed so strongly in the value of a BB&N education, Upham was passionate about increasing access to the School. BB&N’s commitment to financial aid increased by 230 percent during Upham’s tenure, from $2.5 million in 2001 to $8.3 million this year. The School also introduced eight different bus routes, spoking in all directions outward from Cambridge, to increase the geographic radius of potential students who otherwise would have been unable to attend.

Faculty Support The crown jewel of BB&N has long been its incredibly talented group of teachers.

Upham was a powerful advocate for the importance of professional development for faculty, and made sure to provide ample opportunities. During her tenure, 15 new endowed and spendable funds were established to support faculty professional development on all three campuses. Additionally, with generous gifts from donors, the School created six endowed master teacher chairs and “future leader” instructorships to honor the legacy of teaching excellence demonstrated by BB&N faculty of all experience levels. Sixteen different BB&N teachers have been honored to date.

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The Upham Era

Opening Minds

Financial Sustainability

From 2003 to 2011, Upham and BB&N’s External Affairs team marshaled the philanthropic support of the BB&N community by raising a record-setting $68.8 million in the School’s Opening Minds Campaign (below, the 2011 gala to celebrate the campaign’s successful conclusion). Campaign funds transformed the Upper School campus and the arts with the construction of the spectacular Renaissance Hall; increased the endowment for faculty compensation and professional development by $12 million; and bolstered the financial aid endowment by more than $6 million.

When the global financial crisis of 2008 struck, independent school leaders across the country looked nervously to the horizon, concerned about the potentially catastrophic effects that the recession could have on their respective institutions. BB&N’s administration and board, however, did not have to scramble and come up with a reactive plan.

Two years earlier, they had already crafted a multifaceted blueprint for how to proceed in a financially sustainable manner. The key step in that process was meeting proactively with BB&N faculty in a series of information-sharing sessions that helped galvanize buy-in to the various changes that ultimately were enacted. Ten years later, the School is on very healthy footing, with an endowment that has nearly quadrupled over the past decade and a half.

Community Builder

Commitment to Diversity As Upham noted in a speech during her first year, “The different perspectives and experiences of our students define the fabric of this community.” She stayed true to that vision throughout her tenure. This school year, the student body is 57 percent more diverse than it was just 12 years ago. She also prioritized cultural competence as a professional development goal for all faculty members.

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Kindness and compassion were mantras that Rebecca T. Upham stressed whenever she spoke with students. This culture permeated beautifully among the student body. Following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, students on all three campuses spearheaded a BB&N Strong day in support of their classmate Gillian Reny ’13 and other victims. Two years ago, Upper School students requested to hold a Community Day, in which they organized student-to-student workshops/ discussion groups around the themes of identity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, and class. And one of the most joyful moments each fall takes place at Homecoming (a tradition Upham restored), when a long line of Lower School students form a raucous handshake line to high-five the varsity football players as they sprint onto the field for kickoff.

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1.

From the Archives

THE BROWNE & NICHOLS OUTING CLUB Former Upper School science teacher Sandy Wagner recently wrote into The Bulletin with his memories of the beginnings of the B&N Outing Club. The outing club has endured intermittently at the School as the “outdoors club,” providing a chance for students to explore the natural terrain of the School’s New England environs.

Wagner recounts its humble origins below: “I thought some people at BB&N would like to see these photos and hear the story of the first outings of what I guess is now called the BB&N outing club. In 1964, Tom Kensler ’66 and Ed Minot ’66 invited me, a B&N math and science teacher, to go on a winter hike with them. During the preparations, I realized that my qualification for this trip was only one: having a car. While still too young to drive, these boys had climbed every mountain over 4,000 feet in New England and New York (more than 50 in all!), and had recently discovered that one mountain in New York had been re-surveyed and now became a ‘must-climb.’ There had been no interest in the mountain so there were no trails, thus our climb would be in the winter, on snowshoes.

Another student, Peter Williams ’66, joined the group on what became the first outing of the BNOC.

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“The second outing was to Mount Katahdin in Maine in June of 1965, and this time George Von Mehren ’68 was the fourth. After two days sitting out the rain in a leanto at the base of Katahdin, I told the boys I had heard about a mountain in the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. Soon we were off through northern Maine and across New Brunswick province, and on a Gaspé dirt road in the dark, one of the boys exclaimed, ‘I’m sure glad this wasn’t my idea!’ We stopped at the first sign of habitation, slept on the grass of what turned out to be a famous old hotel, and woke up to see the amazing Mt. Albert. We had a wonderful ascent that included being poled across a fast river (photo 2, taken on a 1966 climb). Somewhere on the broad top of Mt. Albert are the car keys of new driver Ed Minot, where he used them to show the size of a flower. Luckily his family had a magnetic key container attached to a fender.”

(Note: If you can help fill in some of the missing names from the accompanying photos, please send along any information to alumni-programs@bbns.org.)

PICTURED x 1 x The 1966 group, heading for successful trips up Albert and Katahdin. From left to right: Former Upper School French teacher Larry Cabot, former Upper School science teacher Sandy Wagner, Tim Wherry, David Banash ’68, (unidentified), Bill Worrell ’68, (unidentified), Hal Minot ’68, George Von Mehren ’68, and Tom Kensler ’66. x 2 x Being poled across a river near Mt. Albert in the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec on a 1966 outing. “The guide poling the boat was Louis-Marie Gagnon, the same guide we had on the first trip to the Gaspé in 1965. Then, Larry Cabot, Tom Kensler ’66 and Tim Wherry.” (Caption courtesy of Ed Minot ’66) x 3 x The forgotten car keys of Ed Minot ’66, left atop Mt. Albert, where perhaps they still lie alongside some offspring of the flower they were used to measure. x 4 x Sandy Wagner and Tom Kensler ’66 with Mt. Katahdin in the background—before the marathon drive to the Gaspé in 1965.

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FORMER FACULTY PROFILE

Brian Staveley, BB&N faculty member from 2002-2013, now a

Adventurer for Life: Brian Staveley

by Al Rossiter, Faculty Emeritus

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successful author residing in Marlboro, Vermont, speaks about one of his graduate school professors at Boston University who began a class on Pilgrim’s Progress this way: “This is the most difficult book I have ever read, and I hope to make it difficult for you as well.”

Something in the professor’s comment resonated with Brian. It’s the old learn by doing, learn by making mistakes, taking risks, accepting challenges. This became a mantra for Brian at BB&N, where, for ten years, he taught, coached, and was a Bivouac guide. He believes that students learn best by dong, by having to figure it out on their own, and by not having information spoon-fed. Brian, now as writer and outdoor adventurer, continues to live by this wisdom.

“I’ve always wanted to write. Out of Dartmouth, I started writing poetry, but quickly realized I could never make any money with poetry, so, hey, why not try teaching? I stayed at BB&N for ten years because I liked everything about it— the freedom to teach what I wanted, the coaching, Bivouac, the kids, my colleagues.” A somewhat restless man who likes challenge doesn’t stay in one place for too long. So, after five years, Brian took a break, spending a year traveling in Mongolia, China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. He then returned to BB&N. In Mongolia, he began writing what is now his most successful epic fantasy novel, The Emperor’s Blades (now translated into 13 languages) and where he learned about yurts. At BB&N he taught in the winter in a yurt located on the baseball field.

While at BB&N he taught The Art of Literary Translation, Introduction to Poetry, Creative Writing, Playwriting, The Ancient World, Medieval Europe, World Religions, 28 22

PICTURED: 1. Brian Staveley 2: Staveley at BB&N Bivouac in 2005 and Philosophy. If there had been a single Humanities Department, Brian surely would have been its leading member. Sam Wallis ’10 speaks of Brian as writer and teacher: “His writing pulls you in as a reader the same way his courses pulled you in as a student because he isn’t just relaying a story, he’s actively sharing it, and that energy comes across.”

Sarah Parkinson ’05, who was in his 10th grade English class, his advisee, and member of Brian’s fencing team, puts it this way: “Mr. Staveley was remarkable for his perceptiveness and his interest in his students as people. He had this ability to see past our classroom identities—the shy kid, the funny kid, the athletic kid—to identify potential that we might not have seen in ourselves.”

As a child, Brian liked climbing trees. “My buddy and I would find a tall tree, climb it, and from the top look for a tree that was even taller.” So, from a very early age, he learned to love the outdoors and the challenges that the natural world provides, free of charge. In fact, during the summer of 2018, Brian will compete in a 100-mile race in the mountains between Austria and Italy. I asked him about outdoor learning, the education, say, that Bivouac provides as opposed to what happens in a classroom. His answer: “In a classroom, learning can feel abstract. Students often have to take on faith what the teacher or the text tells them. At

Bivouac or on a 10-mile adventure race through uncharted woods, there are immediate and tangible benefits and detriments.”

As a Bivouac guide, he didn’t tell his 9th graders how, for example, to set up an A-Frame to create a secure eating area. They just got enough advice to get them started— then they had to solve problems on their own and “if it rains, well they’ve got to figure that out so they won’t get wet the next time. Immediate consequences.” Mark Fidler, Bivouac Guide and one of Brian’s former colleagues, puts it this way: “Brian loved Bivouac and Bivouac loved him…. He loved that Bivouac is designed to push freshmen out of their comfort zone, and so Brian thrived there. His passion for the natural world and the Bivouac world were infectious.”

Katie Gayman, another former BB&N colleague, comments on the same theme as follows: “Train a group of students to compete in a 12-hour winter adventure race in the mountains of Vermont. Anything is possible. To be in Mr. Staveley’s orbit was to feel elevated.” (It is perhaps noteworthy that Mark Fidler, Katie Gayman, and Brian Staveley all attended Dartmouth College.)

of finding his way when there was no path to follow would, as an adult, be drawn to fantasy writing. His novels are filled with characters (with wonderful names like Annur, Kaden, Valyn, Pyrre, Ruc) who have various challenges and trials, who are tested, sometimes triumphing and sometimes failing. Mystery, intrigue, and love triangles, all in a fantastic setting. “Writing is like magic,” Brian says. “First there is a blank page, and then there are words, a character, a scene. What’s both tricky and challenging is that there are no guide rails when you are writing. You’re making it up, and it works or it doesn’t. It’s never a fully linear process. I rarely know how the work will end.” Brian speaks fondly of Ursula K. Le Guin and George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones author), both of whom have been mentors for him.

Brian is married to Johanna, who, he says on the acknowledgement page of Skullsworn, “believed in (this book) and me more powerfully than I did.” They have a six-year old child, Felix, who, when asked what was behind one of his baby teeth, which had just fallen out, replied “a grownup.” They live in Marlboro, Vermont at the top of a steep hill. A quiet place to write epic fantasies, to explore the woods with family, and to have all kinds of adventures. v

One can imagine why a bright and curious child, who loved exploring the woods, who thrived on the challenge 29

Advancing Our Mission

Thank you to everyone who participated in our second annual 100 Knights ’til Graduation Alumni/ae Challenge! Whether engaging on social media, sharing your BB&N story, or making a gift in honor of the Alumni/ae Challenge, we are proud to be part of such an incredible institution that continues to make a difference in the world of education.

Faculty Chair/Instructorship Recipients Recognized Outstanding faculty have been a hallmark of BB&N throughout its history. And for more than ten years, the School’s Master Teacher Chair and Future Leader Instructorship Program has provided special recognition to senior faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and faculty leadership, as well as promising earlyand mid-career faculty. Earlier this year, a set of plaques was installed on each of BB&N’s three campuses to provide permanent recognition to the recipients listed below, and the donors whose generosity made these endowed positions possible.

Tiana Lewis ’06 came to visit the Upper School and spoke with the EMPOWER group, a gathering of young women of color. Tiana spoke honestly, empathetically, and compellingly about her time at BB&N, her career journey, and her experiences as a woman of color. These students left feeling empowered and inspired. Thank you, Tiana! #100Knights #BBNPride

Paideia Master Teacher Chair Established in 2005 by Anonymous Donors Rob Leith, Upper School English/Art History, 2009 – 2012 William Rogers, Middle School History, 2012 – 2017 Rachel Jamison, Middle School English, 2017 – 2022

Several recipients recently reflected on what this honor has meant to them both personally and professionally.

“BB&N is an amazing institution, filled with innovative and invested educators who challenge and support their students to be better people to build a better future.

It is truly an honor to be recognized in this manner and to be among such esteemed colleagues as Margaret Hardy and Bill Rogers. I am grateful to Rebecca and the Board for supporting the endowed chair program; and I have been, and continue to be, impressed with the Board’s commitment to fostering a community of life-long learners.”

RACHEL JAMISON, MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH PAIDEIA MASTER TEACHER CHAIR “There are so many of my colleagues who are deserving of this type of recognition. It’s nice that the School has established these chairs and is recognizing faculty in this way. It honors the faculty as a whole.”

LEIGH HOGAN, UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY JEANETTE MARKHAM MASTER TEACHER CHAIR “My teaching is the most important thing I do at BB&N, and I was honored to be recognized for what I do in the classroom with my students. I feel fortunate to be working in a school where so many outstanding teachers inspire me to always strive to be a better teacher.”

The Jeanette Markham Master Teacher Chair Established in 2007 by Anonymous Donors Margaret Hardy ’61, Middle School Languages, 2009 – 2012 Bill Hritz, Grade 4 Teacher, 2012 – 2017 Leigh Hogan, Upper School History, 2017 – 2022 The Marian W. Vaillant Future Leader Instructorship Established in 2008 by Anonymous Donors Caitlin Drechsler, Lower School Science, 2009 – 2011 Alda Farlow, Upper School English, 2012 – 2015 Christa Crewdson, Middle School Drama, 2015 – 2018 The Edgar H. Nichols Future Leader Instructorship Established in 2011 by Anonymous Donors Maria Barton, Kindergarten Teacher, 2013 – 2016 Jennifer Lavenberg, Lower School Technology, 2016 Gabrielle Mbeki, Grade 5 Teacher, 2017 – 2020 The Barrows Family Master Teacher Chair Established in 2011 by Tim Barrows and Peg Flanagan P’09,’11 Mark Lindberg, Upper School Theater, 2012 – 2017 Mark Fidler, Upper School Math, 2017 – 2022 Honestas Future Leader Instructorship Established in 2013 by Parents of the Class of 2013 Rachel Riemer, Upper School Science, 2013 – 2016 Joshua Walker, Upper School Russian, 2016 – 2019

Today marks 100 days until the Class of 2018 embarks on their next chapter as BB&N alumni/ae.

That is right—there are only 100 (k)nights until graduation! #100Knights

7 7 A Show of Gratitude: “The generosity of all the donors is not lost on the student body and I want to show my gratitude for what you have given to me and the school that I am proud to represent.” Student, Class of 2019 #BBNPride #100Knights

MARK FIDLER, UPPER SCHOOL MATH BARROWS FAMILY MASTER TEACHER CHAIR “I felt privileged and honored to be selected to receive the first Edgar H. Nichols Future Leader Instructorship. The award re-energized me personally and professionally. It challenged and encouraged me to further pursue my goals and passions as a teacher and as a life-long learner.

“The award was also a great inspiration for me to strive to become an even better teacher. It enabled me to flourish and grow professionally and, as a result, benefit the children in my classroom as well as the BB&N community.”

MARIA BARTON, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER FORMER EDGAR H. NICHOLS MASTER TEACHER CHAIR

BB&N Investment Club founder, Eric Hoagland ’88, came back to his old stomping grounds providing great insight and advice to today’s members. Thank you for visiting, Eric! #BBNPride #100Knights

8

Nothing makes us happier than seeing alumni/ae come back with their kids to cheer on BB&N’s teams!

We hope to see you at one of our games this spring! #100Knights #BBNPride #UniteOurKnights

Learn how to stay connected with BB&N by visiting www.bbns.org/alumni!

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Class Notes

How to submit a Class Note:

Submit your class notes and photos at bbns.org/ classnote or email bulletin @bbns.org. Notes may be edited for style, length, and clarity, and digital images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi) for publication.

If you would like to serve as class secretary, please let us know! For more information on ways to volunteer visit bbns.org/alumni. The deadline for Summer 2018 class notes is June 4, 2018. Questions? Contact Tracy Rosette, Class Notes Editor at 617.800.2736 or bulletin@bbns.org.

1938

80th Reunion

Buckingham

Lydia Phippen Ogilby 617-484-1048

Browne & Nichols

Dave Nickerson is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1939

Browne & Nichols

Fred Phinney and Charlie Reeves are mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1940

Browne & Nichols

Dan Fenn was featured in an article about reenactments of the Battle of Lexington in the Fall 2017 issue of National Parks magazine. He has participated as a Minute Man about 25 times, and presents a historical talk on the American Revolution every Patriots’ Day. Larry Field is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1941

Browne & Nichols

Ted Sparrow is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1942

Browne & Nichols

Jim Powers and Richard Smith are mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1943

75th Reunion

Browne & Nichols Robert Ganz 508-645-2522 robertganz@earthlink.net

Bob Ganz reports, “Each of the last two reports featured one main subject. As a result other items that cropped up during the months preceding these two reports have yet to be considered. Also postponed have been afterthoughts on subjects already broached. So now I move back a bit in time, but first, two reflections on the subjects most recently discussed. The map sent me by Emerson Hovey ’44 showing alums residing on Avon Hill included James Howe ’10, located on Upland Road.

By ’10 is meant, of course, the Class of 1910, not 2010. His inclusion on the map reminds me that Emerson belonged to the third generation of his family who lived on the hill. Emerson told me of his mother’s remembering having gone to visit James in the family horse and buggy.

“Apropos of my recounting in my last report of Peter Powers’ death on 12/17/44, I might note that this was the day after the Battle of the Bulge began. It would end in a little more than a month. In the course of that relatively brief time, American forces incurred their highest casualties for any specific engagement with the enemy during WWII. Then as I wrote up the account of the service for Jim Powers ’42, given by the town fathers of Needham last September, I was more struck than ever before of how faithfully he devoted his life to the memory of his lost brother. Even the service seemed to have been planned by him, whether or not that was really so.

“In retrospect, I regret not having made clearer to him how much I appreciated his never-failing devotion. Sometimes we don’t quite see our friends clearly, perhaps because they have been too close to us for so long. Late during the celebration for Jim

at the Powers Auditorium in the Needham Town Hall, the daughter of John Powers ’67, Alicia—she who had spoken so well of her uncle during the service—told me that the two Powers brothers had had their differences in politics. I would guess that many of these would have occurred during the Vietnam years 1964-75. John must have graduated from high school in 1945 shortly before VJ Day, so wouldn’t have served in the military. I am assuming that, like me, Johnny must have been antiVietnam, owing especially to the misrepresentations of those in authority, including General Westmoreland, but Jim would have always kept in mind the Marines who were bearing the brunt of the combat. In this period Americans were sharply divided just as they are now.

Sometimes I was a little put off by Jim’s single-mindedness, which was evident as soon as we both returned to Harvard in the spring of 1946. I was rather anxious to shed the military trappings, but Jim wasn’t so inclined. He often wore his Marine fatigues on campus and used the military terms when referring to the time of day: 02:00, for example, to refer to 2:00 am.

“By 1970 I’d taken on the attitudes of many other academicians. We lived in DC during the protest years and in fact, tear gas once seeped into my classroom while I was teaching. Jim, on the other hand, became secretary of his Marines battalion reunion association. Jim’s understanding was never very susceptible to nuance, hence one always knew where he stood. I think of my own identity as lurking somewhere in the shadows and subject to varying selfjudgments over the years. The striking coherence of Jim’s life and political career reminds me of the ancient connection made between ‘the wound and the bow’ to indicate how what damages a person can become the source of their power.

Both Nietzsche and Hemingway have observed the same human phenomenon.

“In the last issue I did note the passing of my good friend of many years, Bronia 33

Class Notes descending into madness, to don a straightjacket. Lewis said of this scene, ‘Like a clear beam of light, I saw the power of her acting. It was crystalline and pure and perfect.’

Wheeler P’87. She was the mother of Lewis Wheeler ’87 and the wife of my Harvard classmate David Wheeler P’87.

I’ve written about the Wheelers in several of my previous class reports. David died a few years ago. I missed both of the services but I gather each was filled with moving testimonials by colleagues distinguished in their fields. Bryan Marquard, who runs the obituary pages of The Boston Globe, wrote a beautiful tribute to Bronia and her career as an actress, director, and teacher. I recommend that you look it up online. It is full of interesting information on her activities and includes a fine photograph of her.

“Many of the plays in which she performed were directed and produced by her husband, the founding artistic director of the Theater Company of Boston. The two collaborated in the production of many plays that were adventurously new and or brought to the fore new young performers who went on to become famous, including Matt Damon and Al Pacino. The Wheelers also worked with Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Robert Duvall, Stockard Channing, Peter Falk, Christopher Lloyd, James Wood, Dustin Hoffman, and Jon Voight. They introduced the works of Tina Howe, Harold Pinter, Sam Shepard, Edward Albee, and David Rabe, among others. David’s obituary, published in 2012, was very admiring and full of fascinating information. ‘David was one of the founding fathers of postwar American theater,’ said Robert Brustein, former head of the Loeb Theater, where David directed many plays, and founder of the American and Yale Repertory Theaters.

“It should be noted that Bronia’s obituary is fully as admiring and informative as was David’s. In fact, the many words devoted to her professional career are remarkably detailed and clearly draw on a number of sources, including a long interview that appeared in the Globe sometime back and a number of reviews of her performances.

Her son Lewis contributed expert observations. In the 1990 production of August Strindberg’s The Father, Bronia, playing the nurse, calmly persuaded Christopher Lloyd, whose character was 34

“As I have said before in an earlier report, Bronia’s first love was Lewis Sibley, an Exeter classmate and very good friend of David’s who was killed in WWII. David and Bronia’s son was named in honor of Lewis Sibley and has had a distinguished dramatic life of his own. His parents had long careers in the theater, though Bronia took some time off when she became a mother. Both Bronia and David were very good parents. Lew once told me that he thought of his father as more like an older brother. David, in spite of his gifts and accomplishments, was never in my experience overbearing, and I’ve thought of the three Wheelers as like peas in a pod.

“The Wheelers and the Ganzes had their children around the same time, which was rather late in the lives of us three contemporaries. (We were in our mid-40s at the time.) My father was consulted shortly after Lewis’ birth and was able to diagnose and treat correctly an unusual ailment. David and I first met at Christmas time in 1943 when our two mothers happened to visit us at the same time during our basic infantry training at Fort Benning. I met Bronia after we returned to college. Our lives kept being intertwined all through the subsequent years. In 1998 they stayed for several weeks at our summer place when David was directing plays at the Vineyard Playhouse.

“After my brief mention of Bronia in my last report, Igor Blake ’47 sent me the following supplementary information, ‘My parents and now I have a farm in Newport, NH, and I met Bronia in the 1950s. I never met Lewis Sibley. I did know Lewis’s mother, Goldina Lewis Sibley, a Colonial Dame, mill owner and owner of the Lewis and Dewolf blocks in Newport as well as the Conistan movie theatre.

Bronia’s parents were Polish and had a small farm on Rowell Road in Newport, which her younger brother Edward kept.’

A very welcome addition to what I’d known!

“Igor divides his time between NH and CA. In an earlier class report I discussed the career of Igor’s father Robert, a large-framed Harvard professor. His specialty was Russian history, art and

culture. His research both on and in that area began in 1911, well before the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

impression is that he is the most publicly successful to have attended the school in my time.

“As I’ve noted before, Harry ‘Buddy’ King ’46 now lives in retirement in Exeter and enjoys the school’s extensive library.

Rebecca Upham’s grandfather John C. Hogg was the Harlan Page Amen Professor and chairman of the science department at Exeter. A classmate of Lew’s and David’s at Exeter in 1943 was the satirical novelist-to-be Gore Vidal.

“I first knew the late Paul Watkins ’45 in 1936, when he and I and several others were driven regularly to the lower school during that year. Paul lived on Bond Street, which runs between Concord Avenue and Garden Street just below Observatory Hill.

I enjoyed renewing my friendship with Paul at the Golden Oldies luncheons over the past two decades and had expected that these would continue for quite a few more.

“Both Louis Cutter ’44 and his wife Ann died last winter at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick, Maine. Of course I knew Louis at school. He became a chemical engineer who worked for U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh and held a number of patents. In 1960 I stayed with the Cutters at the beginning of my sojourn in Pittsburgh as a Mellon postdoctoral fellow. We resumed our relationship when the Cutters moved east to Thornton Oaks. We had some good exchanges during several of the Golden Oldies lunches of recent times. Ann’s father was a medical colleague of my father’s and Louis’ father was a very distinguished Boston lawyer. Louis was a direct descendant of Ammi Cutter, a Cambridge physician in the 18th century who was a very important participant in the Siege of Louisbourg during the French and Indian War. I had hoped to be able to visit the Cutter compound with them in Randolph, NH. Thornton Oaks, where the Cutters retired, was also the home of the late Charlie Woodman, brother of Alice Woodman Rossiter ’33 and son of Cyrus Woodman, B&N Class of 1903.

“Susan Smith, the wife of Richard Smith ’42, died in the summer of 2016. Susan’s obituary, like Bronia Wheeler’s, was admiring and thoughtful. It too was written by the Globe’s Bryan Marquard.

Susan was co-chair of the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation. She founded and was a substantial benefactor of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber. Susan and Richard also founded the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center at Harvard, a gathering place for students from the university’s many schools. Obviously Richard Smith was a B&N schoolmate of mine. He is a former member of the Harvard Corporation, a former chairman of General Cinema Corporation and former owner of the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich publishing house. My

“The remembrance by Tom Fitzgerald ’53 of his classmate Jack Grinold ’53 in the Summer 2017 Bulletin was as moving as any I’ve ever read. Tom spoke of Jack’s falling victim to polio, which settled into one of his arms. I’m assuming that the illness occurred sometime during the 1951-52 period. This last significant outbreak occurred ironically very shortly before Salk announced his discovery in the spring of 1953. Alums who caught polio in that time included Anne Landis McLaughlin ’47 and Peter Hewitt ’44.

Peter recovered without losing his great facility as a pianist. Jack’s father, like my father, was a physician to many patients in the suburbs close in to Boston, including Arlington, Belmont, the Newtons, and Wellesley.

“I enjoyed having lunch with the late Duncan Smith ’49 at the Golden Oldies luncheon of 2016. I had seen him in attendance in his wheelchair many times before that but hadn’t realized how accomplished he was especially in the designing of museum exhibitions and how many interests we had in common. I think he lived on Buckingham Street during the school years and was a good friend of Kirk Bryan ’47.

“Dave Nickerson ’38, whose obituary appeared in the Bulletin a while back, had an extra year at Browne & Nichols after graduating from Quincy High. A few years ago the NPR station for the Cape and Islands, WCAI, referred to the Nickersons as a ‘baronial family’ on the Cape. There is Nickerson State Park between Brewster and Orleans on the bay. The family’s common ancestor was William Nickerson who came to America in 1637. By 1656 he was Chatham’s first settler, where he founded the First Congregational Church.

Dave Nickerson was the first really good

thousand-yard runner that I knew of on our track team. The wooden track was situated not very far away from the lower school building of that time.

“The other members of the school track team in those years included Fred Phinney ’39, also in the thousand-yard run, he had a good track career at Harvard. Then there was Charlie Reeves ’39 in the shorter distances and Ted Sparrow ’41 in the hurdles. There hasn’t been a track team at the school since Pete Powers and I were co-captains in 1943, but in the years between the wars track drew the attention of sports pages almost as much as did amateur tennis, amateur football, professional hockey and baseball. In the 1930s we avidly followed the career of miler Glenn Cunningham and celebrated the exploits of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics. The winners of the B.A.A. (Boston) Marathon, Les Pawson, Johnny Kelley and Ellison ‘Tarzan’ Brown, were enduring celebrities. Paavo Nurmi, ‘the flying Finn,’ dominated the long-distance races during the 1920s. His coach Jaako Mikkola stayed in the U.S. and was the longtime track coach at Harvard. He was still coach there in my time. A Harvard track star in 1939 had the fortunate last name of Lightbody.

1945

Browne & Nichols George Hansen, Jr. 781-934-2946 hansen34@comcast.net

Paul Watkins is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1946

Browne & Nichols William Dole

508-428-6673 wpdole@post.harvard.edu Harry King is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1947

Buckingham

Ann Simmons Butler 617-270-4814 abutler51@aol.com Anne Landis McLaughlin is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

“I will discuss the 2017 Golden Oldies luncheon in my next report. In the meantime, I will try to answer Gordy Lunn ’52’s request for information about Diane Moore Field and her father. I don’t remember any Fields on the Harvard faculty but do recall my contemporary alums at the school, Larry Field ’40 and his brother Henry ’44.

Browne & Nichols

1944

1948

Browne & Nichols Melvin Chalfen 617.864.7965 mhchalfen@mac.com

Melvin Chalfen shares that he has been living at Brookhaven at Lexington (MA), a senior community, for almost three years, and Adams Little is still in Cambridge, in Central Square.

Louis Cutter, Peter Hewitt, Emerson Hovey, and Henry Field are mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

Norman Hansen 207-363-3812 nehansen001@maine.rr.com Igor Blake and Kirk Bryan are mentioned

by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

70th Reunion

Browne & Nichols

Fred Stevens writes, “My wife and I continue to thrive at the senior living community known as ‘The Village at Duxbury.’ We also continue with town affairs and I remain on the board of my hereditary organization for descendants of Union Civil War Officers.”

1949

Buckingham

Johanna Larson Perry 650-344-0862 jlplcsw@earthlink.net

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Class Notes the way of that. His mind continues to slip away and we do the best we can from day to day.”

1950

Buckingham

Virginia Angevine Fuller 617-489-0639 vfuller@earthlink.net

Browne & Nichols Trentwell “Pete” White 540-788-9889 trentwell@comcast.net

1951

Buckingham

New York resident Lise Liepmann says, “Hello everybody. I so enjoy reading your news and I thought it was past time for me to send something in as well. I have two grown daughters and three active grandchildren. My other big news is that I will shortly be starting my dissertation in the doctoral program at Walden University.

It is in the field of Early Childhood Education and is currently called Teaching Early-Childhood Teachers: Creating ChildCentered Dramatic Role-Plays for Empathy Awareness. The topic combines my long-range interest in writing and drama.

I will always be grateful to Ms. Vailliant and Mrs. ‘Matt’ for their outstanding and exceptional classes at the Buckingham School. Walden stresses ongoing written interaction with fellow students. I must confess that on occasion, I wish I could send some of my fellow students a ‘Vaillant/Matt’ writing package.”

Browne & Nichols Edward Mason 925-984-5175 edmason55@gmail.com

Betsy Packard lets us know that husband Peter Packard celebrated his 85th birthday in early December. “We delighted in having all our ‘kids’ (kids no longer as they are in their 50s and 60s) present with us here in Kansas as well as assorted grandkids plus old friends (everybody is ‘old’ these days!). Peter enjoyed it all very much even though he did not recognize most there. The point is that he had a good time and his Alzheimer’s did not stand in 36

Naomi Cohan and Allan Seigal have been partners since some time after Al’s wife Lenore died nearly 20 years ago. Al has Alzheimer’s and for two years this May has been living in a facility near Mashpee, MA for patients with memory loss. Naomi says that Al is sometimes aware, “it is on and off.” She tries to see him 4 to 5 times per week. Alan Sawyer is “thankful to be in reasonably good health with only the usual minor aches and pains that seem to accompany ‘middle age.’ With my partner Linda we visited Allan Seigal a few months ago on the Cape. As reported by Naomi, he has Alzheimer’s but, gratifyingly, has many lucid moments, and we were able to share some B&N memories, which he fondly recalls. I also spoke with John Hammond and, possibly, we will visit Allan together in the spring. My granddaughter, Alanna Sawyer, is spending her senior year in high school in Jakarta, Indonesia, courtesy of the State Department, as part of a program that sends high school seniors to Muslim countries (friendly ones) as goodwill ambassadors. Following her brief return, she is off to Israel to participate in the birthright program and then to Barcelona for a summer gig as an au pair. Amazing. At her age I was lucky to get a weekend trip to the Cape! There is not much planned for the balance of the winter. I am very comfortable inside by the fireplace. Will be going to visit my son and granddaughters in LA in early March, and Linda and I are planning a trip to England and Ireland in April. Following that, I will be ‘traveled out’ for 2018 and will be happy to spend (as usual) the balance of spring, summer and fall on my 30 year-old sail boat floating on Narragansett Bay. Keep up the good work as class secretary, Ed, and please let me know if you’re back in the Boston area. It would be nice to connect with some of the remaining old faces.”

Harry Barr died on Christmas Day [see In Memoriam for obituary]. Ed Mason notes, “One of Harry’s two years at Harvard Business School overlapped mine. I was recently impressed to find that at least two of his sons attended that fine institution, one of them marrying the granddaughter of the late Juan T. Trippe, a founder of Pan American World Airways.

Mike Moskow and Harry had remained close, having lunch together in Boston three or four times per year, until Harry

and his wife moved south to a retirement community in Westwood about 18 months ago. Mike is still active in his real estate business, working out of his unique Park Square building with a round elevator.

He continues to be on the Boards of the Conservation Law Foundation and the Walker School. Mike and his wife, Donna, have a place on Martha’s Vineyard, an ideal place to entertain their ten grandchildren.

Also, on January 18, 2018 Margaret and I celebrated 60 years of marriage. To highlight the occasion, our three children, their spouses and eight grandchildren, four of whom have spouses, joined us. We are fortunate to now have all of our children and grandchildren now living within 30 miles of us in the SF bay area. We were able to get a picture of most of them.

Our oldest son took the picture, which is missing him as well as one granddaughter and one granddaughter’s spouse.”

1952

Browne & Nichols

Charlie Morrissey, a Pepperdine University emeritus professor of strategy and information systems, and his wife are living in southern California in a nursing home in Newport Beach. He was recently featured by his doctoral alma mater Claremont Graduate University in a story on his innovations at the forefront of what is now known as eLearning.

Gordon Lunn is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1953

65th Reunion

Buckingham

Janet Clarke-Irwin is “still living in Savannah, GA with my darling husband, Fred, and our not so darling cat, Mr. Harry. Both offer me endless hours of entertainment. We thrive on visits from our children, grandchildren and friends and continue to enjoy all that Savannah has to offer, including a Film Festival, a Music Festival, and frequent new restaurant openings. We keep our minds relatively active with classes at a nearby Senior Center, (sounds awful, but it’s not), and bridge. I thoroughly enjoy working with two 2nd graders weekly to help them with their reading skills. One is soaring like a star. The other: not so much, but they are both fun to be with. So all is well in Savannah. If you are passing through our fair city, please give us a call. Love to all!”

Lee Herbst says, “All is well. We saw the total eclipse in Idaho and went to the Dominican Republic at Christmas. I am still involved in math education and art.

Our grandchildren are all in college. We enjoy visits from everyone in Tucson and Chicago.”

Browne & Nichols

Tom Fitzgerald and Jack Grinold are mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

1954

Buckingham

1956

Buckingham

Eleanor Littlefield Hunter 207-420-7462 ewordsmith@gmail.com Eleanor Hunter announces, “Big 80th Birthday Bash planned for me this summer. If you think you might be able to join me, my family, and friends for sun, a jazz band, good food, and a fresh ocean breeze—please call me. If you are a friend from another class, and will be in the area traveling, call also. Love to you all!”

Browne & Nichols

Nancy Hoadley Fryberger 617-924-8921 fryberger@verizon.net

John “Tom” Giblin 802-382-9856 tomg@sover.net

1955

1957

Buckingham

Buckingham

Susan Harwich Pollock 781-862-4768 suhpol59@aol.com

Joan Floe Holdgate 508-228-2680 theislander@comcast.net

1

Elizabeth Hale Sommerlad writes “with a half-good, semi-relieved report on the status of the terrible wildfire in California in December—the worst in history. My sister Georgia Hale ’56, her son David and all his family (including one dog, two cats,

two bunnies etc., etc.) were evacuated for nearly three weeks. It was a very close call for the town of Ojai, but both the respective houses were saved, and they returned home the day after Christmas to begin the cleanup. Our cousin David Cox in Santa Barbara reports lots of ash and smoke, but his house is still standing, too. Whew! Our sympathies go to all those who lost everything. Other sad family news concerns the passing of our ‘cousin’ Laurie Vance Adams in June.

Georgia and I had hoped to be able to travel to Maine to see her, but then everything happened very fast. I had already started a pictorial history of us ‘four girls’ growing up together to give her something to laugh at. This then turned into a farewell letter from Georgia and me, which was read to the mourners at the memorial service for Laurie in July.

The photo of ‘us four girls’ was taken on one of the revolutionary cannons on The Common in Cambridge, Massachusetts, way back when. After I learned to use the scanner on my new printer properly, I scanned other childhood photos and presented Georgia with a ‘baby book’ of her own on her 79th birthday in August.

The black-and-white picture of us two in Maine formed the title page. Georgia’s granddaughters are looking at this book in the modern-day photo. These granddaughters, Aurora and Myrina, are both school children now, and loving it. Aurora (8½) is very good at reading, and Myrina (6½) loves to dance. They

PICTURED x 1 x Ed Mason ‘51 & Mike Moskow ‘51, P’79, ‘79, 85, GP’19 on the Moskows’ Martha’s Vineyard beach 25 years ago x 2 x Ed Mason ‘51, wife Margaret, and the Mason clan celebrate Ed & Margaret’s 60th anniversary.

2

37

Class Notes books fun to make, and they form a good alternative to the old pasted albums.”

also did a performance of synchronized swimming in the fall. Very cute! After getting back to Berlin in March, I was off fairly soon again to a long weekend in Copenhagen. The ‘Publikumsorchester’ of the Konzerthaus, which I support as a volunteer, gave a concert together with the amateur orchestra of the stunning new Opera Copenhagen. The photo shows us three volunteers before the concert on the ‘Commando Bridge.’ Our conductor found that very funny. I also very much enjoyed a long musical weekend in Leipzig—where Johann Sebastian Bach spent his final glorious decades—in the context of the Bach Festival in June. I was joined there by my friend Renata from Berlin, with whom I play flute and piano duets almost every week. (Our ‘concert’ plans haven’t quite materialized yet, but we did entertain her 2-year-old neighbor with her family just before I left.) Trips to the amazing Barock church in Neuzelle (near the Polish border) in August and to Dresden in September rounded off my travels. My volunteer work for the Konzerthaus in Berlin continues— introducing school children to classical music. In Berlin the conversion of my rental apartment into a condo is still not complete. Thanks to Berlin laws to protect tenants, I should be allowed to stay there for at least 10 more years, paying rent to a new owner. Because I like the location and the garden, I hope to do just that.

In the course of the year there were lots of viewings with agents and potential customers. Still, some uncertainty remains.

Here in Gran Canaria I also had to pack up and store all my ‘stuff ’ because my former apartment was to be sold. Before that happened, I had lots of visitors, and we got around to all sorts of interesting places. This winter I have a new rental apartment in the same building, and this seems to be working well. Unfortunately my planned Christmas visitor had to cancel because the airline she had booked her flight on went bankrupt. I also don’t quite know how I will get back to Berlin at the end of February (same airline). In the course of the spring I finally got around to organizing all my beautiful photos, and created two very nice photo books with my impressions of the island. I find these

38

Sherry Kibbee Weinberg shares that “in addition to a busy year, I spent 2+ weeks visiting several wildlife reserves in Madagascar.”

Browne & Nichols Mark DeVoto 781-395-1872 mdevoto@granite.tufts.edu

1958

60th Reunion

Browne & Nichols

Charles Woodard, Jr. 781-749-4693 charleswoodard@verizon.net

1959

Browne & Nichols Douglas Jackson 801-733-9301 brojackson@gmail.com

1960

Buckingham

Betsy Baum Vickers 802-785-2994

Browne & Nichols

Richard Chalfen 617-227-1534 richard.chalfen@temple.edu Arthur Shurcliff 505-508-4386 ashurcliff@icloud.com Hugh Field reports, “In 2015 my son

Jonathan married Andile, a Zulu who grew up on a small farm. The wedding in Dundee, South Africa was wonderful. He gave her parents 11 cows as a bride-price.

Their daughter, Anna Liyakhanya Field, will be 2 this summer. They now live near Las Vegas. What a change of scene! But they’ve fitted right in. Sharon and I continue to live in New Salem, Mass. Also, in December, the husband of my sister Alison Field-Juma ’75, Calestous Juma, died of cancer. He was professor of Agricultural Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School. I hadn’t realized how very much he was honored and appreciated in Kenya.”

How will the new tax law affect you and your charitable giving?

While the new Tax Reform Act limits charitable deductions to those who itemize rather than using the newly increased standard deduction, there are still a number of ways to make gifts to BB&N that provide tax benefits. These include: ■ Gifts of appreciated property such as publicly traded securities allow you to avoid capital gains tax on the appreciated asset if it were sold.

■ Gifts using the charitable IRA rollover remain available to donors age 70 ½ or older.

1961

Buckingham

■ Make larger gifts to charity. If your total noncharitable deductions are close to equaling the standard deduction, a larger charitable gift may increase your total deductions enough that it makes sense for you to itemize, reducing the effective cost of your gift.

Linda Thimann Dewing 401-728-5974 ldewing@riverfrontloftsri.com

Browne & Nichols Richard Anderson 781-334-4847

In addition to the John Brisbois P’72, ’74, Faculty Emeritus memorials featured in the Fall/Winter 2017 Bulletin, Jim Donovan shares his own: “We recently lost John Brisbois. You may have died medically John, but you’re not gone. I met you, in the 11th grade, in 1959. Little did I suspect that this gentle quiet man’s shadow would follow me the rest of my life. My friends and I encountered you at that critical age, 15, when we were just learning how to think.

John taught us American and European history. I found his classes spellbinding. John you didn’t focus as much on who, where, and when. You beckoned us to scramble toward ‘why?’. Which trends could we grasp

Be sure to check with your own advisor to understand how the new law will affect your individual tax situation.

For information visit giftplanning.bbns.org/tax or contact Janet Rosen at jrosen@bbns.org or 617-800-2729.

that later influenced the extraordinary events that were to come? A psychologist now, every week, sometimes every day, I ask myself what piece have I left out from my analysis that will deepen my thinking so that I can finally understand what lies, beneath, at the heart of today’s discussion.

John, you taught us to spy those fragments which start to explain our present quandary in a new way, as we follow their trail. I considered, of course, becoming a history teacher myself, but now I study the feelings

and happenings of my clients that will make the crucial difference, that unlock the door.

I use the methods, John, that you offered us continually, long ago. You and Hal Melcher and one prof from graduate school represent the teachers alive, in Technicolor, to me. For the most part I’ve forgotten all the rest. John, you remain a living presence for me, and I suspect for many others. John, so warm a man and such good fun, you seemed always smiling in your slightly shy way. I remember your classes as improbably

funny, not only incredibly intellectually challenging. You made and kept that everlasting connection with your students. When at age 40 our great friend and former student body president Bob Smith tragically died, you from the faculty attended the memorial service, standing by the side at Storey Chapel, Mt Auburn. Afterwards, we filed by you and briefly touched your hand. The circle remains unbroken. Thank you. We love you, John.”

PICTURED x 1 x Jonathan Field, son of Hugh Field ‘60, with wife Andile and daughter Anna x 2 x Eric Juma, son of Alison Field-Juma ‘75 and nephew of Hugh Field ‘60, meets Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2018

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Class Notes 1963

55th Reunion

Buckingham

Elspeth Eustis Taylor 617-512-3421 etbost@aol.com

1962

Buckingham

Katharine “Trina” Barnett Grantham 805-640-9635 trinagrantham@gmail.com Trina Barnett Grantham writes, “I am working on various neighborhood projects, not the least of which is to develop a system for helping neighbors age in place for as long as possible through the national Village to Village network.

There have been various trips east to visit my mother who is wonderfully sharp.

The first of these was to celebrate her 95th birthday. One of the other trips was combined with our Buckingham School 55th reunion. This was a wonderful weekend filled with warmth and laughter thanks to the classmates who hosted meals and offered guest rooms. Each time we gather, there is ever greater appreciation of our shrinking group. You’ve probably all read or heard about the devastating fires we have just been through here in Ojai, CA burning 270,000 plus acres, one of the largest fires in California’s history. It’s been the most incredibly frightening natural disaster I’ve ever been through. At its closest the fire was less than a mile away from our house, with flames jumping 100 ft. in the air. We evacuated once to watch our house from the local high school Red Cross Center, and thought all was lost at one point when the entire neighborhood was obscured by black and white smoke blowing horizontally. When the smoke cleared the house was still standing!

The mountains on all sides of the valley have been completely denuded of any vegetation, a veritable ashy moonscape.

Then came the floods and mudslides that buried Montecito after the fire and then heavy rain swept on towards Santa Barbara. After the fire and the rain we were blessed with a gorgeous double rainbow clear across the valley. We are blessed and fortunate to have been inside the little teardrop of our valley that did not burn thanks to 8,000 firefighters and support crews from all over the west.”

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Browne & Nichols Richard Litner 561-429-6408 rlitner@gmail.com

1964

Buckingham

Caroline Howard 617-864-4729 elizasophronia@yahoo.com Carol Foster Whitlock writes, “It is wonderful how we connect! I hope to be able to come down this year! Plus, anyone who comes to Nova Scotia, please look me up! The teacher in me is concentrating on Matthew, age 9, and Benjamin, age 5, my youngest grandsons...cursive writing, which is being dropped by our school board and old fashioned sums!”

Browne & Nichols

Charles Atherton 978-723-3003 charlieatherton2@gmail.com

1965

Browne & Nichols Tim Whiting tnw69_2000@yahoo.com

1966

Buckingham

Lauretta Katz MacColman 503-936-3799 lauretta.maccolman@gmail.com Gail Wallins Plotkin 804-288-6275 gailwp@gmail.com

Browne & Nichols Lawrence Schell 518-453-1460 lmschell@albany.edu

1967

1969

1970

Frances Atherton 510-437-1236 fatherton@jps.net

Mary Whiston Moura 617-308-5290 maralton@aol.com

Cynthia Chace 781-749-2598 ccborage@gmail.com

Buckingham

Joanna Reynolds 720-226-5238 jodi@q.com

George Kacoyanis 978-468-4845 gkacoyanis@live.com

1968

Buckingham

Buckingham

Browne & Nichols

Browne & Nichols

David Minot reports, “I am retiring from investment advisory work at Morgan Stanley. Live with wife Marjorie and pets (dog, horses, cat) outside of Burlington VT—Jericho Center. Son Josh is in a master’s program studying data (management, interpretation, analysis, etc.) at University of Vermont and lives at home where room and board cost is favorable. Hard to believe that our 50th reunion is just a couple of years away! Looking forward to it, hope you are too.”

Roger Sohn joined Jeffrey Lurie and his victorious Philadelphia Eagles team in Minneapolis on February 4 for Super Bowl LII. In a very sad and unexpected turn of events, Roger passed away in Los Angeles, CA on February 23. (see In Memoriam for obituary).

Browne & Nichols Roger Sturgis rs@rbsturgis.com

Richard Waring 617-484-7895 re.waring@verizon.net

50th Reunion

Browne & Nichols David Banash 781-290-5855 d.banash1@verizon.net

From David Banash: “Your 50th Reunion Committee has shifted into high gear in preparation for the gala Strawberry Night/Reunion Weekend of Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12. (We wised up just in time not to schedule anything for Sunday, Mother’s Day.) The first event will be a Charles River cruise Friday night. For details on that and the other events please contact me.”

David Epstein reports, “I’ve now experienced over 50 years of memorable experiences at BB&N. My three children attended the school in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Currently four of my grandchildren enjoy this great school. For me and my son Aron ’96, BB&N was a place that encouraged and nurtured our shared interest in theatre. I may have been an underwhelming actor in the 1966 production of Kiss Me Kate, but that hasn’t stopped me from achieving fame (no fortune) as the new Board Chair of Boston’s own Huntington Theatre Company. We are rebuilding an incredible 1920’s Broadway style house, operating three stages that support a broad range of smaller Boston theatre arts companies, and running a vigorous theatre education program for Boston area students. I welcome all students and alumni to visit us and enjoy our ambitious, sometimes provocative and always entertaining plays.”

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PICTURED x 1 x Buckingham’s 55th reunion celebrates at 80 Sparks Street. Left to right: Pamela Hardee Jackson ‘62, Lyn Mechem Fenollosa ‘62, Trina Barnett Grantham ‘62, Kathy Winslow Herzog ‘62, Gina Simonds White ‘62, Roz Gorin ‘62, Ellen Frost ‘62 x 2 x Trina Barnett Grantham ‘62 captured a sign of hope in southern California after devastating wildfires and subsequent winter rains x 3 x David Banash ‘68 & Doug Rosen ‘68, at Doug’s Calabasas, CA home x 4 x Roger Sohn ‘69 & Jeffrey Lurie ‘69 in Minneapolis at Super Bowl LII x 5 x David Epstein ‘68 with son Aron Epstein ‘96 41

Class Notes Browne & Nichols

Ethan Jacks ethan@mediabridgecap.com

1971

Browne & Nichols Thomas Blake 617-484-3346 tomblake52@gmail.com

Tom Blake says, “This is the year that most of our class turns 65. How many of you are retired, retiring, or still working? I am in the latter category, because 1—my phone keeps ringing for work, and 2—I’d be bored silly and drive my wife nuts if I hung around the house. I divide my time between Belmont and Ipswich, and I’ve also been volunteering with conservation groups on the North Shore. Stepson Trevor got engaged to his lovely girlfriend in August, so we’ll have a wedding in 2019.

Good health to all.”

1972

Buckingham Erica Lenk Emmet 978-448-1448 elenk72@aol.com

1973

45 Reunion th

Buckingham

Christine Hill Smith chsmith1973@aol.com

Browne & Nichols Mark Satterfield 770-640-8393 msatt@mindspring.com

1974 1975

Brenda Gross Stahl brendag.stahl@gmail.com

1976

Tad Lawrence 617-469-4122 tadlawrence@comcast.net

1977

1978 1979

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40th Reunion

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD RECEPTION March 1, 2018 American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Jon Pressman 203-856-8879 pressco4@aol.com

Photos by Shawn Read

Tenney Mead Cover writes, “I often wonder where the years have gone?!

With a daughter working in NYC and a son about to graduate from college, I returned to ‘school’ last year to train to be a guide at the MFA for the next 4+ years.

Great experience and harder to memorize facts than it used to be. It looks like my next challenge will be to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in September—and I’ll be thinking of our classmate Ken Moskow at every step.”

PICTURED

x 1 x 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient poet and novelist Fanny Howe ’58 x 2 x Bob Higgins P’26, Trustee and Joelinda Coichy Johnson ’07, BB&N Fellow, Alumni/ae Council x 3 x Graeme Blackman ’10, Alumni/ae Council and Leslie Ahlstrand ’08, Trustee, Alumni/ae Council, applaud at the reception. x 4 x Buckingham alumnae and friends turn out for the 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award celebration. Sally Murray Crissman ‘55, Pat Murray Nagano ‘58, Dorothy Dundas ‘58, Lydia Thayer ‘58, award recipient Fanny Howe ‘58 and Ivy Smith MacMahon ‘58

Maia Ettinger reports that “amazing things can happen on social media. Starting in late November 2017 a riveting conversation erupted on Facebook and Facebook Messenger as alums from the late 70s and early 80s talked honestly and movingly about the challenges and complexities of their experiences as students. Can an alumni program encompass the dark and the light, taking into account the painful memories as well as the sweet? The hope of the discussion group is that, as BB&N comes to terms with the whole of its past, it will lead the way among private schools in helping heal wounds and overcome grief

(See page 3 for more coverage of this event.)

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PICTURED x 1 x Tom Blake ’71 and son x 2 x The Nantucket Hotel owned by Gwenn Masterman Snider ’79

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Class Notes 1

BB&N IN BOSTON January 11, 2018 City Winery

even as it celebrates fond recollections of bygone days.”

Gwenn Masterman Snider is “so proud that The Nantucket Hotel has been named #1 in the US and #7 in the world

by Trip Advisor. We also own the beautiful Winnetu Oceanside Resort on Martha’s Vineyard. Please come visit!”

1980

Randi Stempler Chen 408-395-5443 teamchen@comcast.net Cathleen Howard Holmes 508-358-0815 chholmes@verizon.net Jane Coles Ryter 617-823-2550 janecoles@aol.com

Photos by Shawn Read Bill Rodriguez ‘81 and wife Rebecca with their daughter

1981

Suzanne Balise Holmes 781-894-3221 suziholmes@verizon.net Bill Rodriguez shares, “My wife Rebecca and I have been living in Botswana for 2.5 years with our young daughter, and loving the ease and calm of Botswana life, despite the hardship faced by many of the

2

PICTURED people there. I’m now a (very) part time infectious disease doctor and working for a Boston/San Francisco-based venture philanthropy fund (and get to see John Toupin on my San Francisco stopovers).

Would be happy to host/advise anyone planning an African safari.”

1982

Alison Koff Arnstein 617-264-0448 alison.arnstein@gmail.com

x 1 x Melissa Griswold ‘07, Kyle Johnson, Chris Haynes ‘07 and Joelinda Coichy Johnson ‘07, Alumni/ae Council, BB&N Fellow x 2 x James O’Regan ‘16, Sanjeeve Martyn ‘97 and Monica Snyder ‘04 x 3 x Karen Su ‘10, Ilya Fuchs ‘90, and Lucie Mugnier ‘10 x 4 x Emily Leinbach ‘09, Michaela Wozniak ‘13, and Alix Wozniak ‘10 x 5 x Stephanie Lyon ‘78, Betsy Ludwig ‘88 and Deborah Gordon ‘90 x 6 x Kathryn Kargman Holden ‘01, Alumni Council Chair, Trustee, Caroline Cole ‘01, Reid Diamond ‘01, Garrett Sullivan ‘01 and Richmond Holden ‘01 x 7 x John Fuller ‘71 and Mary Rentschler

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Class Notes 1984

Elizabeth Terry 617-489-1644 eterry@fas.harvard.edu Robert Cohen 203-662-0676 robert.a.cohen@wellsfargo.com Jeannine Privitera 781-641-3434 jpap1i4s@gmail.com

1983

35th Reunion

Kevyn Barbera Fusco 781-729-5517 kevynfusco@verizon.net Mark Leeds 914-939-3168 leeder60@optonline.net Jennifer Borden Mikell 802-863-0351 jenmikell@myfairpoint.net

Jonathan Justi writes, “I can’t believe it’s been 34 years since graduating! All has been good with Jonathan J.—still happily married (29 years in March), two great young adult children (22 and 20 years old), two chihuahuas, 25 years working for the government (NOAA) as an ‘international specialist’ where I’ve had a rewarding time seeing the world and dealing with a variety of earth science issues. After BB&N I went to college in Oregon, 3-years work and study in Asia, graduate school in California, then since 1993, I’ve been here in DC/ Maryland. Hopefully my wife and I will make the next big class reunion… I hope everyone is doing well!

Justifamily4@gmail.com.”

Sharon Kuong says, “I coincidentally ran into Rebecca Felton at a yoga studio in Lebanon, New Hampshire a few months ago. Occasionally I take the same class as Rebecca and we catch up on life, past and current. Rebecca is an online high

school teacher and enjoys it very much.

She has lived in Lebanon, NH for several years and is an avid yoga enthusiast. She enjoys living in the Upper Valley NH area and its year round outdoor activities.

I am a staff radiologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH and specialize in musculoskeletal imaging (MRI of shoulders, knees, joints), emergency department imaging, and general radiology. I am also a part-time business student at UCLA Anderson School of Management in their fully employed MBA program, which is done partly online and partly on campus in Los Angeles. I plan to specialize in both finance and social impact at UCLA.”

1

BB&N IN LOS ANGELES February 13, 2018 Annenberg Beach House Photos by Debra Gerson

PICTURED x 1 x Michael Abrams ‘05, Alumni/ae Council and Rob Warner ‘06, Alumni/ae Council x 2 x Vincent Scrima ‘72, Story Clapp Phillips ‘80 and Ned Menoyo ‘88, Alumni/ae Council x 3 x Alison Parker ‘09, Addie Doyle ‘09 and Rob Warner ‘06, Alumni/ae Council x 4 x Henley Hansen, Thad Wharton ‘94 and Doug Rosen ‘68 x 5 x Rosie Meyer '14 and event speaker Jesse Sarzana '93, P'23, MS Mathematics & Admissions, Boys Varsity Soccer Head Coach x 6 x Maggie Brelis-Farrell ‘10 and Adam Morollo ‘10 x 7 x Haley Barrows ‘11, Alumni/ae Council and Ed Murphy ‘85, Alumni/ae Council

1985

Beth Whitlock 978-443-6945 bethwhitlock@me.com At the invitation of Upper School English and Art History Faculty Rob Leith, Tim Bohn screened his film Good Bones, which he wrote and directed, in the Upper School Theater on February 13 for

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THE BB&N BLOG ON AND OFF CAMPUS

“Three years are in the books. My Junior year has come to a close. These last three years have been a whirlwind of an adventure, and the first thought that comes to my mind as I look back at my time at BB&N so far is, ‘Whoa. That was fast.’”

Charlie Whitney ’18

“Always remember you were fortunate to have received your BB&N education. You have the responsibility to share what you have learned.”

Posted weekly by Alumni/ae Programs, featuring contributions from a student writing panel, past and present faculty, and alumni/ae.

Submissions welcome— visit our website for more information.

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7

Eleanor Hunter ’56

www.bbns.org/alumni/on-and-off-campus 46

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Class Notes 1988

Leverett Wing 617-884-5254 levster88@yahoo.com

students, faculty, and alumni/ae.

Classmates in attendance included Brenda Herschbach Jarrell, Jeffrey Klein, JK Nicholas, and Tanya Swann, as well as Catherine Bohn ’88, Nina Biggar Del Vecchio ’86, Karin Elliott ’88, and Marlene Smurzynski ’86.

(See page 4 for an interview with Tim Bohn ’85.)

1986

Ali Gifford Stevens aligiffordtalent@aol.com

30th Reunion

1

Betsy Ludwig 617-489-1080 betsyludwig@mac.com

1987

February 15, 2018 Noir Lounge

1989

Serena Satyasai 415-921-2116 serenasf@gmail.com Wilson Kerr says, “Later than most, I have settled down in Concord, MA with my wife Lynda and our 2 little girls (1 and 4).

I run sales for a start-up in the mobile commerce space in Newton and enjoyed seeing classmates ‘recently’ at Gen Cremaldi’s house. Thank you Gen! Eager to see local classmates more often and hope you are all well!”

Lewis Wheeler is mentioned by Bob Ganz in the B&N Class of 1943 notes.

2

BB&N IN SAN FRANCISCO Photos by Cindy Chew

Keri-Anne Gill Laidlaw 781-620-0178 kalbal@comcast.net

PICTURED

Geoffrey Pardo 617-407-4865 gpardo1918@comcast.net

1990

Eric Jacobson 610-240-4859 ericsjacobson@hotmail.com

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x 1 x Lily Lacoste ‘97 and Natasha Sommerfeld ‘04, Alumni/ae Council x 2 x Theo Armour ‘66 and Diana Chace ‘67 x 3 x Gordon Lunn ‘52, Former Trustee with Rebecca Upham, Head of School x 4 x Dan Oshima ‘06 and Tim Parks ‘01, Alumni/ ae Council x 5 x Carrie Ardito Fanlo ‘93, Alumni/ae Council, event speaker Brad Murray ‘93, Aaron Ratner ‘93 and Haden Ware ‘93 x 6 x Steven Gordon ‘89, Michael Slavin ‘77 and Tom Pollock ‘77 x 7 x Cole Cable ‘13, Taylor Schoettle ‘13 and Blaire Hunter ‘14, Alumni/ae Council x 8 x Jen Acker Parks, Molly DeShazo ‘04, Dara Kosberg ‘96, Amanda Smith and Kyle Sullivan ‘05

4

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PICTURED x 1 x Marlene Smurzynski ‘86, Brenda Herschbach Jarrell ‘85, Tim Bohn ‘85, Catherine Bohn ‘88, JK Nicholas ‘85, Tanya Swann ‘85, Jeffrey Klein ‘85, Karin Elliott ‘88, and Nina Biggar Del Vecchio ‘86 at the on-campus screening of Tim’s film February 13, 2018 x 2 x Wilson Kerr ‘87 with wife Lynda and daughters x 3 x Classmates gather at a holiday party hosted by Rachel Kroner Hanselman ’89, P’27. Left to right: Wendy Falchuk ‘89, Danyel Barnard ‘89, Cindy Simonides Farina ‘89, Rachel Kroner Hanselman ‘89, P’27, Lizzie Allen Lewis ‘89, Katy Kehoe ‘89 & Josh Bers ‘89

6

3

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Class Notes 1995

Elizabeth Myers Azano 781-864-6970 eazano@partners.org

1991

Sara Ciotti Bavaro 781-237-3646 sjcio@yahoo.com Julia Kennedy 617-926-9266 joolezkennedy@gmail.com

1992

Michael Schnitman 781-489-5407 mschnitman@mba2002.hbs.edu

1993

25 Reunion h

Sumi Paek DeBenedittis 917-903-8252 sumi@benit.com Alexis Boyle Egan 617-437-7260 alexisegan11@yahoo.com

1994

Sophia Fregosi 917-586-5153 sfregosi@hotmail.com Aldis Russell 617-694-4332 aldisrussell@gmail.com Derek Townsend 617-921-3245 derek.b.townsend@us.pwc.com Lisa Bard Levine is now the CEO of The MAVEN Project (Medical Alumni Volunteer Expert Network), a nonprofit health care organization right near BB&N that connects physician volunteers via telehealth to underserved patients seeking care at safety net clinics. If interested in getting involved (physician volunteer, donations, etc.) please contact llevine@mavenproject.org and visit mavenproject.org.

50

Ben Caplan and his wife Erin live with their two daughters in Needham. Building upon background training in family medicine, he recently established the CED Foundation.

Teaming up with entrepreneurs in the cannabis space, Ben and his team aim to help lift the shroud of ignorance and misinformation that has flooded the cannabis industry for decades. From politicians to regulators, dispensary owners to average consumers, the foundation works to protect, educate, and guide wellness with cannabis.

1996

Jesse Needleman 617-233-4535 needlem@post.harvard.edu

1997

Philip Auerbach 646-241-5340 philip_auberbach@hotmail.com Jennifer Berylson Block 617-921-4765 jenberylson@gmail.com Matthew Griffin 617-256-0610 griffman21@hotmail.com Sanjeeve Martyn 781-729-4101 fsmartyn@gmail.com Phillip McCarthy 781-266-8779 phillip.mccarthy@gmail.com Jacob Meyer meyer3030@yahoo.com Nathaniel Meyer 617-548-0970 nat.meyer@yahoo.com Sarah Puglia O’Brien 617-513-7726 sarahwobrien@gmail.com

Nathaniel Jacks 617-953-1467 nathaniel.jacks@gmail.com

Jacob Peters jake@mail.jake.net Rebekah Splaine Salwasser bekahsplaine@gmail.com Natasha Velickovic 617-480-7701 velickovic.natasha@gmail.com Amy Tobin Wilson 603-424-1081 amytwilson03@gmail.com

1998

25 Reunion h

Lilla Curran 617-480-7673 lillacurran@hotmail.com Anne Diamond 617-548-1851 anne.diamond@gmail.com Joseph Ghory 646-696-0533 jghory@gmail.com Jaime Bard Goldstein 857-636-8284 jaimebgoldstein@gmail.com Benjamin Grossman 917-922-9040 bgrossman@grossmanmarketing.com Gregory James 781-910-1814 gjames1980@gmail.com Alisa Ray 732-329-4139 alisa.ray@gmail.com Bradford Sohn bsohn@post.harvard.edu

1999

Kathrene Tiffany Bell 617-306-1107 ktiffany@gmail.com Michael Ellis 617-462-6075 mwalshel@gmail.com

Alix Leader-Cramer 781-405-8118 alixleadercramer@gmail.com Oliver Nordlinger 617-359-0436 oliver.nordlinger@gmail.com Carolina Samudio-Ortega 617-504-7442 carolina.lineth.ortega@gmail.com

2000

Jason Hafler 617-320-7999 jasonhafler@gmail.com

Lauren Gross laurenbgross@gmail.com

Katharine Herrup kherrup@gmail.com

Richmond Holden III 781-771-3665 richmond.holdeniii@gmail.com

Matthew Javitch 617-835-7737 mjavitch@gmail.com Katherine Thorpe Kerr 617-840-5184 katherinetkerr@gmail.com Robert McManmon 617-835-9919 robertmcmanmon@gmail.com

Kristin Tyman Brawn 781-820-5770 kristen.l.brawn@gmail.com

Matthew Slovik 617-921-0309 matthew.slovik@gmail.com

Elizabeth Howie Dank 781-504-5535 elizabethwhdank@gmail.com

2001

Adam Cohen 512-461-6918 adamfcohen@gmail.com

Andrew Jewett 617-320-6853 jewett.andrew@gmail.com Rory Jones 617-852-1686 roryljones@gmail.com Natalie Zervas Miles 919-824-5565 natalie.zervas@gmail.com Timothy Parks 617-872-1002 timothy.parks@gmail.com

2002

Patrice Ryce 781-483-3371 pcr612@gmail.com

Stay Connected & Get Involved with BB&N CONNECT WITH THE BB&N COMMUNITY IN PERSON OR ONLINE!

• Find alumni/ae near you with the online Alumni/ae Directory • Attend a regional event • Come back to campus • Join BB&N social media pages • Read the On & Off Campus blog • Submit a Class Note • Make a gift to BB&N

www.bbns.org/alumni

BB&N ALUMNI @BBNSCHOOLALUMNI BB&N ALUMNI/AE ASSOCIATION

51

Class Notes 2007

Mia Weiss Wittels 617-835-1309 msweiss29@gmail.com

2003

15th Reunion

Meredith Coburn 617-462-3565 meredith.coburn@gmail.com Michelle Shortsleeve 617-823-9363 michelle.shortsleeve@gmail.com Adam Zalisk 617-285-7454 adam.zalisk@gmail.com

2004

Eyob Yohannes 617-489-6754 yohannes.eyob@gmail.com

2005

Jack Carlson 339-222-3116 jack.l.carlson@gmail.com Lindsay White 617-957-3502 lwillardwhite@gmail.com

2006

Rebecca Heymann 781-454-8676 heymann@gmail.com Margaret Shurcliff Cook reports, “2017 was a busy year for us. My husband and I welcomed our second daughter, Augusta, in April, and I graduated with my Master’s from Virginia Commonwealth University in May. I am now practicing as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, so if you ever find yourself in a psychiatric crisis in the Richmond, VA area, come find me!”

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2008 2009

10th Reunion

Emily Leinbach emily.leinbach@gmail.com Carolyn Levitan 781-956-0203 levitan.carolyn@gmail.com Alison Parker 617-817-5540 ali.parker.13@gmail.com

2010

Kendrick Evans kendrick.evans25@gmail.com Sarah Gottlieb sarah.gottlieb520@gmail.com

2011 2012 2013 2014

5th Reunion

2015 2016 2017

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FORMER FACULTY NEWS 1

2

3

5A

1. Tim Kendrick Upper School Math 2006-2015 “I'm in my third year teaching statistics and economics at the Latin School of Chicago, and Wiley and I are having a great time getting to know this new city. It's been a lot of fun to connect with former Knights when they make their way through town and I hope that people will continue to let me know when they are here so we can try and connect! I often find myself reflecting back on my years at Gerry’s Landing and I am so grateful for all the wonderful memories that I have from BB&N. Go Knights!”

2. Ken Weinstein Middle School Math and Computer Technology 1992-2001 “I am Head of Middle School at The Hun School of Princeton, a progressive 6 -12 boarding and day school.

While I miss BB&N, especially Bivouac, I love this school and living in Princeton, which has allowed us to get back into

56 54

rowing. Susan is rowing with the Carnegie Lakers and I coach the varsity girls at Hun. We live on campus and work with our resident students from almost 30 different countries. We have three sons: Jonah is working for MediaMath in NY, Tal is a student at RIT, and Noah is a freshman at Hun.”

3. Lee Behnke Upper School Latin 1983-1997 “I am still teaching classics and humanities to members of Beacon Hill Seminars here in Boston. I split my time between York, Maine and Boston with husband, Michael.

I keep up with former colleagues from BB&N who share a love of Shakespeare and food. My eldest grandson will start Latin next year at the Williston School. Score one for the classics! I’m often in Cambridge and would be happy to meet up with BB&N folk for a coffee or a chat.”

PICTURED: Lee and Michael Behnke

4

5B

6

4. Bill Fregosi

6. Sandy Wagner

Upper School Scenic Designer 1976-1998

Upper School Science Teacher 1962-1966

I continue to serve as President of the Board of Trustees of Monadnock Music and its famed Summer Festival. During my career designing for several opera companies in Boston, I was a facilitator of three of them merging into Boston Lyric Opera, whose first seasons I designed. BLO is establishing an archive of my designs for the company and the ones leading up to it.”

A note of thanks to Browne & Nichols. In 1962 I was a laidoff engineer, right out of MIT, when B&N took me in. Four years convinced me that I had found my career. My teaching in California public high schools included being one of the first adopters of what we called, before the IBM PC, personal computers. That led to several other careers in education and technology before I retired in 2008.

Best regards to any old codgers who might remember me...

5 A&B. Brigitte Tournier P’97, ’01 Upper School French Teacher 1990-2015 Have been living in the UK since 2015. Photo of Edward Tournier ’01, Emilie Jarvis ’97 and Henry and Charlie, Christmas 2017. Life in Hampshire is extremely busy and wonderful with many new friends, work with charities, golf, amateur dramatics (this year’s “panto” Jack and the Beanstalk!), and travel to Russia, France, Morocco.

(Please see page 26 for a “From the Archives” Piece in which Mr. Wagner recalls the genesis of the BB&N Outing Club.)

PICTURED: This photo shows me on the top of Mt. Albert in 2017, with my son and my cousin, fulfilling what had been a life-long dream.

PICTURED: Edward Tournier ’01, Brigitte Tournier, Emilie Jarvis ’97 and Henry and Charlie, Christmas 2017.

Tournier (far right) in a production of Jack and the Beanstalk 57 55

Milestones If you would like to request a BB&N banner for a wedding photo, please email alumni_programs@bbns.org and provide the wedding date and best mailing address.

If you would like a BB&N baby t-shirt, please send us your birth announcement!

Alumni/ae Programs looks forward to including the images in this section.

Weddings & Commitments

2008 2009

Emma Huvos ’09 and Greg Faxon ’10 September, 2017

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PICTURED

1995

Weddings & Commitments: x 1 x Christie Musket ‘08, Michelle Mathai Van Niel ‘08, Leslie Ahlstrand ‘08, bride Reni Ellis ‘08, Annie Streetman ‘08, Lindsay Ellis ‘11, and Cara Bergantino x 2 x Reni Ellis ‘08 & David Slotnick were married in Brooklyn in October 2017 x 3 x Emma Huvos ‘09 and Greg Faxon ‘10 tied the knot in September 2017 at their home in West Virginia. x 4 x Phil Cody ‘10, Clif Cody ‘12, Poppy Lynch ‘09, groom Greg Faxon ‘10, officiant Emma Sagan ‘10, O’Mara Taylor ‘07, Marisa Ancona ‘09, Hilary Faxon ‘07, bride Emma Huvos ‘09, Kieran Long ‘10, and Sam Wallis ‘10 celebrate at the wedding.

2003

Births & Adoptions: x 5 x Isaac Elvis Hirsch Oppenheim joined his sister, Rosalind Iona Hirsch Oppenheim, 5, in expanding their family ranks with extensive nomenclature and general awesomeness x 6 x AJ Agajanian, son of Mark and Amanda Hall Agajanian ‘95 x 7 x Kendall Melillo, daughter of Kenny Melillo ‘03, is pretty in pink at 6 months x 8 x Augusta Cook with her sister and parents Daniel and Margaret Shurcliff Cook ‘06

Rachel Hirsch & Josh Buresh-Oppenheim Isaac Elvis Hirsch Oppenheim April 15, 2017

Elizabeth Melillo & Kenneth Melillo Kendall Noelle Melillo Summer 2017

1

4

1993

Amanda Hall Agajanian & Mark Agajanian Austin James “AJ” Agajanian January 10, 2018

Reni Ellis ’08 and David Slotnick October, 2017

2

Births & Adoptions

2006

Margaret Shurcliff Cook & Daniel Cook Augusta April 2017

5

3

7

6

8 57

Milestones friend of everyone with a gentle smile and the most agreeable disposition.

In Memoriam

Louise Pfeiffer ’36, of Cambridge, passed away on January 5, 2018. Louise was in Miss Hammond’s Kindergarten in 1923, then attended the Russell School for Grade 1, and Buckingham School through 9th grade.

Marjorie D. Moerschner ’43 of West Newton died on Oct 9, 2017. Marjorie attended the Buckingham School in Cambridge and graduated in 1949 from Boston University with a degree in education. Her father, an emigrant from Germany, owned and operated Morschner Dye Works in Needham Heights. Marjorie spent some time teaching primary grades and later worked at Nutter, McClennen & Fish as a real estate title examiner. She lived in West Newton until 2014, when she moved to Brookhaven at Lexington.

She also owned a home in Brewster and enjoyed her summers on the Cape. She traveled extensively and was active in numerous charitable organizations, including the Newtonville Garden Club and serving as a Deacon and member of the Legacy Committee of the Central Congregational Church in Newtonville and as a Deacon of the Second Church in Newton UCC, a driver until age 90 for FISH (an organization which provides transportation to medical appointments for elders), and as Secretary of the Middlesex County Prison Coordinating Committee, which supported education programs and other restorative services for prisoners. Marjorie is survived by many cousins in Germany and by Ortrud Koob, of Weston, MA, Inge Yarri, of Milford, CT, and Elizabeth Gibbs, of Middletown, RI. George W. Jones ’47 of Cambridge passed away on February 5, 2018 at the age of 87.

Son of the late Llewellyn Jones and Susan Wilbur Warren Jones. Devoted brother of the late Llewellyn Jones, Jr. and the late Cornelia Jones. Long time electrical engineer for Draper Labs, ham radio and trolley car buff,

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Harry Barr ’51 of Westwood, MA, Boston, and Little Compton, RI, passed away peacefully December 25, 2017 surrounded by his loving family. He was 85. He endured a long battle with cancer and also lived with type I diabetes for 62 years. A graduate of B&N, Wesleyan University, and Harvard Business School, he enjoyed a long career in investments at several firms in Boston. After retirement he volunteered on several nonprofit boards. He was a scholar of World War II and a collector of memorabilia. He also enjoyed his sizeable stamp collection plus travel, reading, and sports. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Judith Wetherbee Barr; his four children, Pamela, Douglas, David and his wife Lisa, and Gregory and his wife Elizabeth; his sister, Audrey Maxwell Barnell; and his seven grandchildren who were the light of his life—Emma, Dekkers, Tyler, Maxwell, Nathaniel, Haley, and Justin.

Roger Stuart Sohn ’69 of Los Angeles died suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, February 23, 2018 at the age of 66. Born May 19, 1951 in Boston, he was a graduate of Browne & Nichols, Brandeis, and the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. During his career as an orthopedic specialist and surgeon he was affiliated with Tufts Medical Center, Century City Hospital, Midway Hospital, and Cedars Sinai in Beverly Hills, and established a private practice in Century City, CA. He was also an accomplished magician. He will be deeply missed by his friends and family. He is survived by his wife Francine, sons Joshua (Amy), Matthew, and Jonathan, grandson Benjamin, and his brother Stephen Sohn ’62.

Penelope Lincoln Homans Craig ’76 died of end-stage colon cancer on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at the home of her brother and sister-in-law in West Tisbury, MA. She found peace after fighting a hard 22-month battle. Penelope was born on June 26, 1958 to Elizabeth Greenleaf Pattee Homans and William Perkins Homans, Jr., a prominent Boston civil rights and criminal defense attorney. She grew up in Cambridge. During her years at BB&N she sang in the school choir and with the Madrigals, acted (a

memorable performance was as Titania, Queen of the Faeries in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and played flute for the Russian Dance troupe, with whom she traveled to perform in Russia in 1976. She was also a remarkable hunter-jumper horseback rider in Ipswich. She attended Tufts University and the University of Rhode Island. She acquired amazing culinary skills and possessed a creative flair which she brought to her early jobs in retail. She relocated to Newport, RI in the late 1970s and lived there through the 1980s, opening her own retail clothing store, Penelope’s. In 1997 she married Steven Craig. Together they started Boston Lead Company, with Penelope serving as a lead instructor, teaching individuals how to inspect for and remove lead and asbestos from buildings, and running its business operations for 20 years. They lived and raised a family in Essex, CT. She returned to her acting career, performing with Healing Hearts for the Arts. Martha’s Vineyard was a vitally important place to her and her family.

She went from the time she was born and herded her family almost every summer for years to Seven Gates Farm in West Tisbury, staying at the Bunkhouse, a house built by her grandfather, father, and his siblings. Her grandparents William and Edith Parkman Homans first leased in Seven Gates in 1930, then built their own. Penelope’s mother Elizabeth and her grandmother Penelope Pattee had rented near Beetlebung Corner in Chilmark for many years before she was born. Her strong love for the Vineyard led her to live her last days surrounded by the scrubby neck oaks and the sounds of the waves which had provided her peace her whole life. Penelope was a caring and loving wife, mother, sister, aunt, great-aunt, and grandmother. She leaves behind her husband Steven Craig; step-daughter Kristen Craig Defrance and husband August, stepson Mathew Craig and fiancée Ashley, sister Ana Ionnitiu ’69 of Santa Fe NM, brother Nicholas Ionnitiu ’70 and wife Lori of West Tisbury MA, brother, William P. Homans in MS, sister-in-law Leslie Homans, Cambridge MA, sister Elizabeth Homans McKenna and husband Jeffrey of Phoenix, AZ, eight grandchildren, seven nieces and nephews, and one great nephew. Penelope’s vibrant spirit, love, and beaming smile will be missed and remembered by all who knew her.

Friends of BB&N Ellen Agabedis September 17, 2017 Mother of James J. Agabedis, Jr. ’82 James Andraos December 25, 2017 Grandfather of Elizabeth Taylor ’18 and Philip Taylor ’18 Brandon Binneman January 10, 2018 Father of Phoebe Binneman ’21 Dorothy Heilman Budd December 8, 2017 Grandmother of Jordan Gill ’00 and Taylor Gill ’02 Mother of Karen Gill, Former Staff David W. Budding January 5, 2018 Grandfather of Austin Cohen ’20 and Sophia Cohen ’21 Nancy Penton Etter February 6, 2018 Wife of the late John “Jack” Etter ’49, BB&N’s Former Athletic Director and Faculty Emeritus John Fusco January 18, 2018 Father-in-law of Kevyn Barbera Fusco ’83 Grandfather of Bradley Fusco ’15, Eleanor Fusco ’17, and Mia Fusco ’19

Raymond B. Hanselman January 5, 2018 Father-in-law of Rachel Kroner Hanselman ’89 Grandfather of Charlotte Hanselman ’27 Wilbert C. Longfield February 17, 2018 Grandfather of Timothy Longfield ’18 Kirkland C. Mead November 26, 2017 Father of Lindsey Mead Russell ’92 and Hilary Russell ’95

Charles Merrill, Jr. November 29, 2017 Former Trustee Grandfather of Emma Ansara ’92 Father of Bruce Merrill ’66, David Merrill ’71, and Paul Merrill ’72 Cristina Moniz-Baltazidis January 3, 2018 Mother of Aris Baltazidis ’23 Eli Rubenstein January 27, 2018 Father of Isaac Rubenstein ’98 Elizabeth Howe Verrill June 15, 2017 Mother of Rebecca Verrill Smith ’76 and Former Faculty

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1

BB&N’s financial aid budget for 2017-18 is

$8.26M

Jim Donovan B&N ’61:

to provide tuition grants and fund supplemental expenses.

HONORING HIS SUPERB EDUCATION THROUGH PHILANTHROPY

2

$450,000

of BB&N’s financial aid budget is used to support supplemental expenses such as books, computers, tutoring, transportation, field trips, international travel grants, and summer opportunities.

6

Things About BB&N:

4

$33,440 is the average financial aid grant awarded this year.

BB&N’s Financial Aid Program

When Jim Donovan reflects on his 13-year education at Buckingham and Browne & Nichols, he recalls lifelong friendships, a superb education, and particularly the outstanding teachers who far surpassed those he had in college and graduate school.

3

234

students, or

23%

of the student body, receive financial aid from BB&N.

5

BB&N’s financial aid budget is supported by

more than 50 endowed and spendable funds as well as the generosity of many donors through The BB&N Fund.

Following his brother Andrew ’60 to Buckingham, their neighborhood school, as a kindergartener, Jim moved on to B&N’s Gerry’s Landing campus in fifth grade. Among the teachers he recalls most fondly are history teacher John Brisbois and English teacher Hal Melcher, both of whom had a profound influence on his life and career. As Jim reflected, “I wouldn’t be where or who I am today, without these teachers;” and as he noted in a recent remembrance of Brisbois,

“John didn't focus as much on who, where, and when. He beckoned us to scramble toward ‘why?’ A psychologist now, every week—sometimes every day—I ask myself what piece have I left out from my analysis that will deepen my thinking so that I can finally understand what lies beneath, using the methods that John offered us continually, long ago.

Jim remains a devoted BB&N alumnus and a regular attendee at Reunion Weekends, leading the popular Bird and Flower Walk on Saturday morning with Mark DeVoto ’57. His deep connection with the School is also rooted in his lifelong friendship with classmate Jack Hardy ’61 and wife Margaret Hardy ’61, Middle School language teacher until her retirement last year. Their senior year, Jack, Margaret, and Jim were all in the French play Antigone, directed by B&N French teacher Claude Levy, and it was in the weeks after the play that Jack and Margaret got together.

Jim’s BB&N legacy extends to his son Brian ‘96, whose career was launched on the BB&N stage under the direction of Mark Lindberg.

After a brief time as an actor, Brian is now a television script writer in Los Angeles. Seeing BB&N through the lens of his son’s experience, Jim finds that a strength of the School today is that both boys and girls whether athletes, artists, scholars, or all three have equal value and recognition.

Over the years, Jim has been a loyal and generous donor to The BB&N Fund and also to the Middle School Renovation Project in honor of Margaret Hardy. A number of years ago, he also notified the School that he had made provisions for BB&N in his estate which he has designated for financial aid, and for which Jim is recognized as a member of The Almy Society.

For more information about The Almy Society and opportunities to include BB&N in your estate plans, contact Janet Rosen at 617-800-2729 or jrosen@bbns.org, or visit giftplanning.bbns.org.

6

“I would like to sincerely thank all of you for making it possible for me to attend this amazing school.

The experiences I have had here, the people I have met here—I would not trade them for a thing in this world. Because of BB&N, I have become not only a much better student, but also a more active voice and participant in my community. They say the true purpose of a school is not only to create intelligent citizens, but to foster a deep sense of humanity in each of its students. I believe that BB&N has been such a school for me.”

GRADE 12 FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENT

Jim Donovan ’61 and Margaret Hardy ’61 at Strawberry Night 2017

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Worcester, MA Permit No. 2

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138-5512 www.bbns.org

REGISTER TODAY! STRAWBERRY NIGHT 2018 May 11-13, 2018

ALL ALUMNI/AE WELCOME! Special celebrations for the reunion classes of 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013

Please visit bbns.org/strawberry for more information