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All Those People by Gala Kamal Bordelois, Class of 2026
All those people Young and old. All those people, weak and bold. All those people Make a change When they come together and when they speak out loud Their voices boom! And rattle and shake. And when those walls of anger and hate, Begin to break, and are replaced, By: Doors of love Inside those doors there is peace, And everyone will let you speak The thoughts that occupy, your mind And everyone will be kind. And that is why We fight for change. Alone, together, and every day
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Journal and Annual Giving Report WINTER 2018/19
2 Message from Head of School Larry Weiss 4 Taking It to the Top of Excellence: Hispanic and Latinx Celebration at BFS
Critical Thinking and Hands-on Engagement: A Solidarity and Immersion Experience in Post-Hurricane Puerto Rico
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12 Portraits in Leadership: Meet Our Newest Changemaker, Upper School Head Lisa Arrastia Portraits in Leadership: You Can Go Home Again, 14 and You Can Take Your Students with You – Dr. Glen Pinder’s Philadelphia Story
16 Profile in Volunteerism: Unpacking the School’s Treasures – Katie Bednark and the BFS Archive 18 Alumni: Class Notes 20 Alumni: The BFS Merit Scholars: Where Are They Now?
22 Athletics at BFS 23 Stephen J. Friedman ’55 –
An Alumnus of Distinction
26 In Memoriam 27 Brooklyn Friends School Annual Giving Report 48 A Year for the History Books – The BFS Sesquicentennial
50 Report to the Community from
Horizons at Brooklyn Friends School
56 Take a Bow: Kudos to BFS Students 57 Performing Arts at BFS: In the Heights BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL JOURNAL
is published by the Advancement Office of Brooklyn Friends School for alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, and friends. 375 Pearl Street • Brooklyn, NY 11201 Tel: 718.852.1029 • brooklynfriends.org Joan Martin, Editor Karen Edelman, Director of Advancement Lekeia Varlack Judge ’99, Director of Alumni Anna Ferber, Director of the Brooklyn Friends Fund Emily Cowles, Special Events and Digital Marketing Manager Peter Mackie, Advancement Assistant
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Guided by the Quaker belief
that there is a Divine Light in everyone, Brooklyn Friends School cultivates an intellectually ambitious and diverse community that celebrates each individual’s gifts. We challenge our students to value and embrace difference as they develop critical thinking skills and apply their knowledge and intelligence both in and out of the classroom. In this rich learning environment, we inspire all members of our community to voice their convictions, to discover and pursue their passions, and to seek truth. Our graduates are compassionate, curious, and confident global citizens who let their lives speak in the spirit of leadership and service.
C O V E R P H O T O : Kobe Cuprill ’19 and Minerva Macarrula ’19, International Baccalaureate (IB) dance students, perform at the Nov. 2 Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Celebration.
Claudius Agrippa ’17, recipient of the Brooklyn Borough President’s Youth Achievement Award, headlined a concert at Borough Hall Plaza. Read more on page 19.
PHOTO ABOVE:
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, 2018-19 Steven Burwell, Co-Chair Ed Oliver, Co-Chair M. Salomé Galib Lakisha Grant Marie Hoguet Ben Horner Audrey Jaynes ’03 Macon Jessop Kamauru Johnson Pamela Kiernan William G. Morris, Jr. Bradford Mulder ’83
Gustav Peebles Robin Puskas Adam Rashid ’94 Judson Reis Margaret Trissel Willie Mae Watkins Larry Weiss Karen Edelman Christine Schwegel ex-officio
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A MESSAGE FROM
Dr. Larry Weiss Head of School
Writing in the early months of my ninth and final year as Head of School at Brooklyn Friends, I wanted to share my thoughts on the future: What are some of the initiatives that BFS can take over the next several years to achieve its place as a sustainable premier institution of learning in downtown Brooklyn? My answers concentrate on the concept of relationships — relationships that are already in the process of developing and, if well-nurtured, have the potential of moving our institution forward from the steady and successful platform of growth that we have achieved over the past decade. The first important relationship, I believe, is with New York University, our neighbor on both Lawrence and Pearl Streets. The NYU Tandon School of Engineering in MetroTech is a dynamically thriving center of research and learning for 21st century technology and innovation. In a few short years applications to Tandon have doubled and the University has committed $500 million to its growth and development. At 370 Jay Street, adjacent to 375 Pearl Street, NYU is completing a massive 3-year renovation for CUSP, the Center for Urban Science and Progress. NYU-CUSP students undertake crucial research projects in transportation, energy, pollution, waste management, and citizen science. Additional collegiate programs in the arts and education will be housed in the building. The University’s dramatic and positive impact, right in our own backyard, offers BFS significant opportunities for collaboration, mutual benefit, and curriculum development. There are other significant change factors in our neighborhood. Enormous capital investments are being made within a twenty-block radius of the school. Residential, corporate, commercial, cultural, arts and entertainment projects abound all around us. These new developments create significant opportunities to improve
the quality of life for the residents and institutions with which BFS maintains relationships through our successful and growing service learning and civic engagement programs. Community partnerships can be deepened and accelerated by engaging with the developers, new families, and organizations in efforts to address the goals and expectations shared between new and current residents. Working with local leaders and investors, Brooklyn Friends School has the potential to be a catalyst in promoting inclusive, creative, social-justiceseeking engagements that can result in a better, thriving community for all involved. One initiative would be for BFS to form a “Board of Visitors” or other formulation used among colleges and some schools to support strategic initiatives. Whatever the chosen name, BFS needs to cultivate motivated, capable investors whose commitment to the institution’s capital sustainability arises from their long-term, multi-faceted, ongoing positive relationships with the school. Another important relationship to be continuously nurtured and treasured is the Horizons at Brooklyn Friends program, which began in 2008. Horizons is now in its third year of full enrollment, with approximately 15 students at each level from Kindergarten to Grade 8, participating in a comprehensive summer program as well as taking advantage of elements of the BFS afterschool program during the academic year.
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Most Horizons students and their families live within a mile of Brooklyn Friends in public housing in the Brooklyn Navy Yard area. A sustainable longterm relationship with Horizons has the potential of including Horizons scholars in the applicant pool for our Upper School. This would provide ongoing access to students and families that can broaden the reach and depth of our inclusion and equity enrollment efforts. Finally, the most important of all relationships is with our current families (parents, grandparents, and students) and with our alumni families. These ties must continue to be cultivated and deepened in order to provide vital resources for the school’s long-term financial sustainability now that we have achieved more than 95% of our planned growth over the past decade. Upholding our significant financial aid commitments; continuously improving the educational program; and enhancing compensation and benefits for our outstanding faculty and staff — all of these require significant sustainable funding beyond tuition revenue and annual giving. To grow and to evolve our program and services to be the best that we can be as a school community necessitate substantial capital resources for general endowment and designated long-term strategic projects. Raising such capital requires investors; and a Board of Visitors, with investors from the BFS parent, grandparent, and alumni constituencies are important potential contributors to the future of BFS, As we celebrate, in this issue of the Journal, the success of 150 years of Brooklyn Friends School, may we redouble our commitment to the present and the future of this extraordinary school. In friendship,
The BFS A ll-Sc hool Qua ker Li fe Commit tee is w orking across al l area s of the scho ol to streng then our connections and practices inspired by the testimonies of simplicit y, pe ace, integrit y, communit y, equa lit y, and stewardship. W ith input from al l faculty and staff , the Commit te e ha s chosen “Com munit y” as the Qua ker Testim ony of the Year for 2018-19. Fift h through eighth graders pa rticip ated in a Qua ke r worship sharin g in November to consider the testimony of communit y, refle cting on the question, “W ha t aspects of the Brooklyn Friend s communit y are uplif ting fo r you? ” Their responses were collected in post -it notes on a 5th flo or bulletin boar d. Some of their re flections follow :
• An aspect that I find uplifting is having Quaker Me a time to reflect . eting,
• Collections are good times beca use we can sit in same space and the have fun, or disc uss some things are important in that the world. • I get a chance to talk to my frien ds every day and are all very supp we ortive of each ot her. • By reassuring people that they will be okay. • Ice Cream on Fr idays • We can help ou rselves and our co mmunity by striv to be aware of ea ing ch other, our hope s and fears, and be sensitive to ph to ysical and menta l areas, so that we can help others wh en they need it. • Independence in 8th grade • Everyone is fri endly and kind, no matter if you know them or not. • The community feels safe and we lcoming. • If you need to talk to someone ab out something, th is someone who ere is willing to liste n. • I find the adviso ry community up lifting. • Being able to pl ay with my friends at recess. • My mom told m e that she could no t ask questions in scho ol. BFS encourag es you to ask questio ns.
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TAKING IT TO THE TOP OF EXCELLENCE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Emily Cowles and Joan Martin The inaugural Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Celebration at Brooklyn Friends School on the evening of Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, was a stunning representation of scholarship, teamwork, outreach, and inclusion. In all aspects of planning and implementation, it was an example of how a single concept can be nurtured, grown and be taken to the top of excellence. The event was organized with heart and hard work by faculty members led by Laura Murtula, Myriam Juarbe, Maria Sanchez, Felix Alberto, and Kim Allen and with the leadership and strong support of Middle School Head Glen Pinder. It took place following a six week curricular focus on Hispanic/Latinx heritage and highlighted many facets of our teaching and learning community:
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. .
Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Celebration at BFS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • The depth and breadth of the World Languages curriculum •T he magnificence of the Visual Arts and Performing Arts program •T he intentional ways BFS integrates Service Learning and Civic Engagement across the curriculum •T he school’s continuing commitment to relief efforts in Puerto Rico (“Hurricane Maria Is Still Here. . .”) •T he appreciation and celebration of the varied Hispanic/Latinx cultures, heritages, and backgrounds represented in the many people who spend their working days at BFS with young children. The event kicked off in the late afternoon with a postcard writing campaign
organized by the PAT Service Learning and Civic Engagement Committee. A group of students gathered to write encouraging messages to children in immigration detention centers in Texas and New York. At 5:00 p.m. the party officially began in the Lobby and Cafeteria. The stage was set when Peruvian musicians played folkloric music to greet guests. Artwork created by lower and middle school students continues on page 6
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continued from page 5
during Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) filled the lobby, cafeteria and hallways. (More examples of the art is included in the annual giving section of this Journal beginning on page 27. ) The Cafeteria was packed as guests enjoyed traditional food, delicacies, and desserts from Spanish-speaking countries – all prepared and donated by community members. Sales of the delicious food raised $3,000 for BFS community partner Teens4PR. “Eat and learn” was an apt description of what happened during the first hour of the celebration. Looking like a traditional science fair with posterboards, the aisles of the cafeteria were lined with Middle School Spanish language students, who presented their research projects on Hispanic/Latinx countries, changemakers, and prominent people. Younger students were encouraged to “visit” each country and receive a stamp in their “passports.” The celebration continued in the Lower Gym where joyful cameraderie, music, and Latinx rhythms filled the air. Upper School IB Dance students performed Afro Caribbean dances. The Middle School choir sang Dominican folksongs, and the Upper School choir sang Latin American songs. The Panthers Supreme dancers gave their first performance of the academic year in colorful ensembles. The celebration concluded with a professional Latin dance showcase followed by dance lessons from the pros that partnered students with their parents. 6 BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL JOURNAL Winter 2018/19
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Taking it to the Top of Excellence
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From left: Felix Alberto, Kim Allen, Myriam Juarbe, Maria Sanchez, and Laura Murtula PHOTOS BY JOSEPH GOMEZ
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CRITICAL THINKING AND HANDS-ON ENGAGEMENT IN POST-HURRICANE PUERTO RICO A Solidarity and Immersion Experience for Upper School Students
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In the days, weeks and months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, dozens of Brooklyn Friends faculty, students, and families shared their connections with Puerto Rico. The school mobilized to offer immediate humanitarian assistance and worked to engage and educate the community about the needs of more than three million fellow US citizens on the island. In line with the BFS approach to service learning and civic engagement, we partnered with families having direct experience on the ground in Puerto Rico and with two expert organizations, Para La Naturaleza and Teens4PR. By the end of December, another initiative had taken place. The BFS Office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement, led by Natania Kremer, working with parents Salomé Galib and Dr. Ambereen Sleemi, had created a Puerto Rico Solidarity Immersion Experience for students to take place when the academic year concluded in June. The program, in which BFS partnered with Para La Naturaleza on the island, required both attendance at two full-day preparation sessions leading up to the trip in June as well as a commitment to sustained advocacy for Puerto Rico upon return. Noel Quiñones, Upper School Creativity Activity Service (C.A.S.) Coordinator, and faculty members Verónica Rodriguez-Torres and Razi AbdurRahman (who both grew up on the island) led the group of 15 BFS students on their solidarity immersion trip to Puerto Rico from June 17-22. The students were Ema Ball-Storrow, Tate Beech, Mira Belkin Sessler, Lily Boyd, Charles Campbell, Bella Gonzalez, Maya Holtham, Sasha Imbleau, Aria Komoroff, Minerva Macarrulla, Lili Massac, Jaylen McHayle, Laila O’Neal, Karen Sanchez, and Sophia Sanz. On pages 10 and 11, read excerpts from two firsthand accounts that describe the experience.
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From left, Samuel Lind, Noel Quiñones, Razi Abdur-Rahman and Veronica Rodriguez
‘‘
From Noel Quiñones I am a third generation Puerto Rican from New York City. After Hurricane Irma and Maria devastated the island I knew I had to do something. The last time I went back to Puerto Rico was five years ago, to celebrate Christmas with my family in San Sebastian. In many ways the BFS Immersion Experience was unlike anything I had ever felt before — I was returning to my grandparent’s homeland with a purpose that could be considered familial but in a sense went beyond that. I was returning to learn from and connect with an island I did not know and one that I felt would never want to know or accept me. Yet it was the same island that had raised my grandparents and taught my parents what it meant to be caring, proud, and community-oriented people. Nothing could have prepared me for the profound effect this experience had on me. My goal was to provide an Experience that would shape the lives of my students but as always, the same became true for myself. I was reminded of what it truly means to show you love others rather than just saying it, reminded of how all of us are connected by a shared bond to see others prosper alongside us, and most important I was reminded of the power of grassroots community organizing to both bring about change and love for all people. Natania (BFS Director of Service Learning and Civic Engagement) and I are very clear on the fact that while we can speak with students for months or even years about Service Learning & Civic Engagement, having them participate in various experiences at Brooklyn Friends, there is something about them traveling outside of the school that brings a new meaning and weight to what we are doing. This held true for this experience. Each day was packed with programming from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Para La Naturaleza (PLN), our main community partner, brought decades of experience with environmental educational programming and taught us the needs of the island pre and post–hurricane. We learned about different ecosystems, the plants and animals that were affected and the ways in which people across the island are still without their basic needs. We worked on local farms to harvest yuca, planted trees in the ecological devastation of the Hurricanes. We participated in discussions on solar energy, tree restoration, water filtration, habitat recovery, and maintaining ecosystems.
All of this work gained a new meaning as students ate, traveled, learned from, danced with, and became friends with the PLN leaders assigned to us. To have our students work with young people their age from the island was the most significant aspect of this program, because there is nothing stronger than having young people learn from each other and push the boundaries of what they believe is possible at their age. The young PLN leaders were growing experts in environmental sustainability; they taught our students what they knew about the island and also shared their experiences of being Puerto Rican. When we were not with the PLN leaders, we were connecting with Puerto Ricans in various different sectors of the island to gain perspective on their lives and their passions. Among these activities, we • met with the senator of the island, Eduardo Bhatia, who spoke about post-Maria clean water initiatives, • attended a workshop on anti-austerity activism with University of Puerto Rico alumnus Ana Portnoy Brimmer, • participated in a community poetry open mic with the Poets Passage, • dove into the history of race and racism on the island with Colectivo Ilé, • visited the art gallery of the famous Samuel Lind in Loiza and spoke with him about his work. Everyone we met shared their story, made us feel at home, and told us directly the ways in which we could support them as Americans. We farmed, planted, chanted, kayaked, danced, argued, learned, challenged, re-evaluated, loved, and grew together, both with each other and the people we met who became a part of our journey. If I have any mission as an educator, it is to teach my students to be compassionate and critical, to engage in reciprocal relationships, and to build a world that provides justice and equity for all. I believe they started that mission during our six days in Puerto Rico.
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‘‘
From Minerva Macarrulla
CL ASS OF 2019
One of the things that surprised me most about this experience was the amount of time we spent learning about nature. The PLN student leaders and outside speakers gave us presentations on the wildlife in the surrounding forest, astronomy, bioluminescence, and the effect of light pollution on our perception of the night sky. Our time was immersed in nature. We spent part of one day helping out on a farm and another planting and transporting trees for PLN. We took an educational tour through the rainforest El Yunque and observed parts of the night sky through a telescope. The emphasis on appreciating nature made me think a lot about the importance of access to, and understanding of, nature. For example, I heard Lili, another student, comment that immersion in nature had had the effect of strengthening her motivation to be sustainable back home. Lili’s comment made me consider the continuous effects our immersion in nature could have on the service we as individuals do for the planet. I perceived an underlying purpose of the program to be encouraging and empowering us all to keep nature in mind in our own lives, as we are all more likely to care about something that we’ve seen with our own eyes (especially when those views were actually the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!) Additional background material, reflections, and photos from the Puerto Rico Solidarity Immersion Experience are on the BFS website, brooklynfriends.org/pr2018 Winter 2018/19 BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL JOURNAL 11
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Meet Our Newest Changemaker: Upper School Head
© KEVON HANLEY
LISA ARRASTIA by Jeffrey Stanley Lisa Arrastia, the new Head of Upper School, comes to BFS with a stunning, well-earned résumé. Here are just a few of the highlights: middle school principal at UNIS, the United Nations International School; lecturer in SUNY Albany’s Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry; founder and former director of a high school in Chicago; Director of Diversity, Community Outreach and Service Learning, and English teacher at Marin Academy in the San Francisco Bay Area; Director of Public Purpose and history teacher at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago; author, researcher, organizer, mentor, board of trustees member — and through it all —changemaker. Lisa’s work in the nonprofit educational sector is equally impressive. This native New Yorker is President of the Board of Kite’s Nest, an educational social change organization for youth in Hudson, New York, and she continues to work with the Ed Factory, a consultancy she founded whose mission it is to use “the art of social engagement to transform the educational process and challenge notions of difference.” In 2009, Lisa created the Young People’s Archive. She is also a candidate for a Ph.D. in American studies at University of Minnesota, where she has also taught, and her fields of concentration are critical education, youth, and race studies. In every aspect of her life, Lisa has demonstrated a determined and singular focus on students and schools. “Since my days in first grade at Lenox, now the Birch Wathen-Lenox School, to the 12th grade there, and now to my days here with you, I have spent every day between
<PORTR AITS
September and June inside a school,” she told the Upper School student body in September. “Every new school year gives us dozens of first days. I think this might be one of the central reasons why I have never left school.” While working with teachers and young people across the country, Lisa has developed a qualitative research methodology known as audioethnography. “This approach allows young people and teachers to use what I call engaged interviewing, radical listening, writing to inquire, and audio production and editing to help understand how people experience the world and notions of difference.” Lisa shares, “Often, real listening is radical because like the word’s etymology suggests, when we listen we get underneath, to the bottom, we get at the root of what someone thinks, believes, and feels. To listen with radical intent is to slow down and to listen beneath the words others say. When we listen with this kind of purposefulness, we give a gift to our narrators because their experience is allowed to be heard.” This process is also something Lisa defines as listening to understand and listening across difference. “It’s about exploring silence, exploring pauses, trying to listen and put into your back pocket your own biases as they emerge while listening.” Outside of BFS, Lisa spends time with daughter Betye and her husband Mark Nowak, an English professor and recipient of the Guggenheim for poetry. Mark is the founder and director of the Worker Writers School, an organization that facilitates poetry workshops for global worker centers.
IN LEADERSHIP>
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Betye, who graduated high school at age 16, studies Mandarin and Spanish at the New School; like our own seniors, Betye is in the process of applying to college. Betye volunteers at the Audre Lorde Project, serves as the Managing Archivist for the Young People’s Archive, and is a member of the Public Theater’s Radical Hospitality Committee. Another aspect of Lisa’s life is focused on research and writing. Her numerous accolades in the field speak for themselves. She has been awarded fellowships from the Coordinating Council for Women in History, the American Association of University Women, Big Picture Learning, and New Leaders. She co-edited the book Starting Up: Critical Lessons from 10 New Schools, and she has contributed articles to the Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, Antipode, Exposure, and the Huffington Post. She is also a consulting editor for the journal Schools. Lisa’s essay, “Love Pedagogy: On Disrupting the Education Economy” was recently published in Australia’s longtime progressive literary journal Overland. On Nov. 28, 2018, at New York University, Lisa joined neuroscientists, activists, artists, and education scholars from across the nation and the globe for an event launching a book in which Lisa has a chapter titled “Love Pedagogy: Teaching to Disrupt.” The book, The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequences, and Solutions, edited by Niobe Way, Carol Gilligan, Pedro Noguera, and Alisha Ali, is now available on NYU Press. Lisa says she’ll never give up working in schools or writing about them. “Writing and the school are areas through which I have the power to provide a voice for young people and their families, myself, and those I call courageous intellectual workers: teachers.”
IN HER OWN WORDS An excerpt from Lisa Arrastia’s address to the Upper School student body on the first day of school Every school year gives us a chance to be a new and better self. A better self whom we determine. We get to be compassionate this year, if we were not last year. We get to look more insightfully at something we didn’t understand or wouldn’t accept last year, and we can determine to look with new eyes and a more open heart. We get to listen, radically listen, until our hearts crack open and we can see the inherent value of the person and people before us. And finally, we get to welcome the fact that we have been given the opportunity for one more breath, a breath we can take inside the mutual, complex life of a school. This year, I will look to see you open up to new ideas, be curious and ask open-ended questions, pause and slow down to think, wonder, and reflect. I want you not just to be joyful, but help to produce genuine joy in this school. You and I, you, the faculty, and I are responsible for the welfare of us all. So I ask you to walk gently amongst each other, to listen to and revere all the lives before you while never forgetting your inherent responsibility to build a different world of equity, access, justice, and voice. Connect and reconnect to self and other. Seek to know and listen to understand, this year and all the years. Finally, a bit more gratitude. Thank you to your families because had they not shared you with us, I’d have no purpose, no first day of school. I will not say that you, that youth are the future, although you are. I will not say that youth are resilient because like adults, young people hurt and the hurt can last, but like us all, we can find ways to embrace change and grow. I am still growing with you. What I will say is that you are my gift, Brooklyn Friends Upper School students. You are the reason I walk this Earth. I have dedicated my life to the rights of young people and so I honor and I am dedicated to you.
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YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN – and You Can Take Your Students With You
Dr. Glen Pinder’s Philadelphia Story Middle School Head Glen Pinder led his first overnight student trip last spring for BFS, but it wasn’t just a typical chaperoning necessity. When the opportunity arose to join the entire seventh grade class to the City of Brotherly Love, he jumped at the chance. “Being from Philadelphia, it was like coming home again,” he explained. “It was really special for me to be with the seventh graders. I don’t often get to go there since my mom passed away.” The purpose of the trip was to support the seventh grade’s American history curriculum and “Constitution Works” study. “We went to Philadelphia to learn about the history of the Constitution at the National Constitution Center. When I was a kid, the Center was not great,” he admitted. “I was happy to see that it’s really amazing now.”
<PORTR AITS
IN LEADERSHIP>
by Jeffrey Stanley
Philadelphia, being the city founded by the first Religious Society of Friends members to settle in North America, provided the students with much more to discuss and explore than the Constitution. One of their visits was to the historic Arch Street Meeting House, a National Historic Landmark built by the Quakers in 1803. “We talked about Quakerism, and the fact that even back then, it was segregated. Everyone was not inclusive, not even the Quakers,” said Glen. “I think that was a revelation for the students.” He continued: “I want to emphasize that even at Arch Street there was segregation of women and of people of color. It’s something that resonated with all of us in today’s world and it was kind of striking to us knowing that Quakers, who stress equality and the inner light in everyone, behaved that way so many years ago. We’re big on social justice at BFS, and it was something to think about.” Glen also appreciated the chance to get to know the students informally outside the classroom on a more personal level. “They only see me as an administrative head,” he said.
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“Spending time with them reminded me of why I got into this business: to work with children as they grow and develop. At this stage they really start to develop in their maturity, in their ability to carry on conversations.” He was thrilled to give the students an opportunity to go to a restaurant and sit down and get to know one another better. “It was nice to see them interacting with each other and with their teachers and advisers without their phones,” he quipped. At Philadelphia’s historic City Hall, which is capped with Calder’s iconic statue of Quaker William Penn, the students visited the city’s newest statue, a 12-foot bronze sculpture of Octavius Catto, an iconoclastic 19th century abolitionist, teacher, baseball player, and civil rights activist. The monumental work is barely a year old, having been unveiled in September of 2017. Entitled “A Quest for Parity,” it is the city’s first public statue honoring an African-American citizen. Catto was murdered in 1871 on Election Day, during which the whole city was marred with violence when white mobs attacked black men in an effort to prevent them from voting. “I had an emotional response to the statue,” said Glen. “It wasn’t there when I was a kid. In fact the entire trip was an educational experience for me. It had an emotional component that, when I reflected on it, really resonated with me.” Another social justice dimension of the trip occurred when the BFS group visited Eastern State Penitentiary, which opened in 1829 and was the largest building in the United States at the time. The historic site is known to be the nation’s first mass incarceration facility and, this being
Philadelphia, 19th century Quakers had a hand in creating it. A penitentiary, as the name suggests, was intended to be a place where criminals were sent to be penitent and reflect on their crimes. The notion of solitary confinement, which seemed like a humane step forward in the treatment of prisoners at that time, was instituted there. “It was a Quaker idea that people would reflect and find their Inner Light and as we know the opposite happened, explained Glen. “The visit worked well as part of our social justice curriculum. We’re off the charts with incarceration rates in this country.” A student trip wouldn’t be a memorable without time for fun, and there was plenty of that. The group thoroughly enjoyed the well-known Franklin Institute, a hands-on science museum that’s as entertaining as it is educational. They had lunch at the famed Reading Terminal Market, an old railroad station now full of vendors featuring cuisines from around the world. “I hadn’t been there in 15 years,” said Glen. “It’s a huge space, it’s international with all these diverse shops, people and foods – the kids spread out and tried different things.” He contrasted the authenticity of the Reading market with a multinational food court one might find in a modern shopping mall. “I don’t know if it’s the architecture or not, but those ready-made places come off as overcommercialized. Reading Terminal Market is always evolving and it feels real.” Overall, the Philadelphia trip was a potent way for Glen to complete his third year as Middle School head. “It was no doubt my best year,” he concluded. In fact, he’s fully intent on making the trip to Philly an annual event and he plans on leading it himself. “It’s going to be a new tradition for me.” The nostalgic and educational trip to Philadelphia wasn’t the only highlight of Glen’s tenure at BFS. In May of 2017, he successfully defended his dissertation and earned his Ed.D. degree from Seton Hall University. “It took me five years but I got it done” he said with a mixture of relief and gratitude. Glen’s research and dissertation examined school leadership through three lenses: improving instructional practices, setting high expectations, and creating a positive learning environment. It’s evident that he’s done just that at BFS.
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For the past two years, tucked away in a tiny utility closet near the girls restroom on the fourth floor of 375 Pearl Street, Katie Bednark has spent hours sitting on the floor, beside a sink and a mop bucket, quietly sifting and sorting through the school’s 150-year history. Katie is a BFS parent to Middle and Lower School students Caroline and Ian, and she is also a professional archivist volunteering her considerable time and expertise to the school. She began to professionalize the archives at BFS while working part-time in the Archives and Library of the American Kennel Club (AKC), the country’s oldest and largest purebred dog registry, doing, well, “the same things I’m doing here,” she explained. “I archive.” That includes the cataloging of donated materials, photos and institutional materials. She now works as a consulting school archivist at the Nightingale-Bamford School in Manhattan while continuing to volunteer in the archives for BFS. “The work I did at AKC is similar to the work I’m doing at BFS,” Katie said. “The Nightingale-Bamford work is more related to managing their collection via long term storage and new catalog software, selective digitization, and creation of a platform to share digital material.”
Katie Bednark and the BFS Archives by Jeffrey Stanley
<PORTR AITS
“Archivists preserve contexts,” she said emphatically. “Who made it, and why. We arrange, preserve, and describe the materials so they can be accessible now and hopefully long into the future.” In her prior life, Katie was a practicing attorney specializing in corporate bankruptcies and financial restructuring. “I spent a lot of time in libraries. I always enjoyed the research part of it,” she
IN VOLUNTEERISM>
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recalled. When her daughter began at BFS in the Preschool 4s program, Katie volunteered in the school’s libraries. She also does genealogical research as a hobby. “Everything I like is somehow connected to libraries.”
the school has it that the colors were chosen after the Civil War to symbolize reconciliation between the North and South. Thus far, Katie has found no confirmation of that story. “It’s possible they just liked the colors,” she quipped.
She enjoyed volunteering in the BFS libraries so much that she was inspired to go back to school, obtaining a Master’s in Library and Information Science with an Archives Certificate from Pratt Institute’s School of Information. When the BFS Advancement Office approached her in January of 2017 in preparation for the Sesquicentennial and related book project that was already underway, she jumped at the chance to volunteer her archival skills to the effort. “Karen Edelman and Emily Cowles helped me get started,” Katie said. “They showed me the archives — in boxes and drawers and big rubber tubs.”
More than unearthing lost classics like the song, she was surprised to learn more about certain parts of the school’s history. “It’s been educational,” she said. “We almost lost the Meeting House and the school in the 1960s when the city wanted to claim public domain on the property in order to build a detention center there. The Meeting and school received widespread support from other religious groups in the city to turn back that decision.”
She’s not shy about describing the work as a mammoth task. Among some of the gems she has come across are old plaques from when the school was at the Meeting House at 110 Schermerhorn Street, school catalogs from the late 1800s, VHS tapes of student concerts, board of trustees minutes dating back to the 1950s and 60s, and student work that alums have found in their attics over the years and donated to the school. “There was a fire at the Meeting House in the 1960s,” she said, “and we lost some things. Some of the documents have smoke damage and burn marks.” She also found a recording of the school’s old Alma Mater song, which a 4th grade class revitalized and recorded during the spring 2018 semester. Additionally, she came across written exchanges about the school colors, and the decision to change them from blue and white to blue and gray. Legend at
been shared with other professionals as well. Katie was a speaker at the end of June at the Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists, in Amherst, MA. She presented a seven-minute talk on the BFS collection, its strengths, usefulness to Quaker research, and how the school utilized the archives for the Sesquicentennial. Of course she also promoted the BFS history book, 150 Years of Light. As for the future in terms of learning from the past, Katie said, “I’d love to see faculty use some of the material to complement the curriculum. Primary record analysis is an important critical thinking skill.”
She was also surprised to learn that throughout the school’s history, they wrestled with some of the same thorny issues the school is still working through today. To wit, she came across a letter from the 1940s on behalf of the teachers, who were responding to the fact that more African-American families were applying to the school. This was at a time when 99 percent of independent schools in New York were strictly segregated, unlike the city’s public schools. “The teachers supported the students’ admission based on the school’s Quaker values,” Katie said. Finds like that are what make the job worthwhile. Why do archiving? “To preserve the school’s history and legacy,” she answered. “You need to know where you’ve been in order to know where you’re going.” Katie admits that the project has been a big time commitment. “It’s a gift of my time to the school, but it’s an important project and it needs to be done,” she said. Her knowledge and skills have
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A L U M N I Class Notes by Lekeia Varlack Judge ’99
Although George Parker Morgan, Jr. attended Brooklyn Friends School for only one year for kindergarten from 1944-1945, our school left an impression on him that lasted for decades. George shared, “Although my formal education started at BFS I eventually earned a Doctorate in Business Administration. I now enjoy a comfortable retirement in Coronado, California.” George proves our alumni association has no enrollment limitations. In other words “Once a BFS student, always an alum.”
David’s efforts exemplify our values of service to others and civic engagement.
Exciting news from Edisa Weeks ’87: The Brooklyn based artist and choreographer, started new company Delirious Dances. Her latest work of art, RITES: Life, Liberty, Happiness, is a shining example of her artistic talents. Congratulations to Casaundra “Cassie” BroadusFoote ’01 who graduated this spring from CUNY School of Professional Studies with a MA in Youth Studies. Cassie plans on using her expertise to deepen her involvement in youth development programs including BEAM Center, a youth driven non profit organization, where she is currently the Cassie with her cousin Alex Foote, daughter of Cornelius Foote ’77 Beam Camp Director. During a chance encounter with Athletic Director, David Gardella, Rebecca (Becky) Simon ’02, said she hopes to make it back to BFS someday soon for a visit and catch a game. She has been teaching for 13 years, lives in the city, and has two little girls. Thanks for the update, Becky. In a groundbreaking philanthropic effort, David Willner ’02 and his wife Charlotte raised over $15 million, the single largest fundraiser in Facebook history, for RAICES, an organization that aims to provide legal representation to undocumented immigrants at the border.
In July, BFS alum and teacher Amanda Welch ’03 gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ariah Skye Paul. We wish her and her husband, fellow BFS alum Darnell Paul ’03 all the best for their bundle of joy! Marna Herrity, former BFS dance teacher and current Coordinator of All School Quaker Life, had the privilege of seeing BFS alumna Emma Skove-Epes ’04 perform in CMA RoseAnne Spradlin’s piece “Y” at New York Live Arts. It was a very powerful choreography with very intense movement. Marna described Emma as a joy to observe – so physically centered and connected – as were all of the other dancers. It’s always a treat to hear from our alumni. Recently, former student Victoria Sullivan Wu ’04 shared “I look back on my time at BFS with such love, pride and gratitude. I was only there for three years (8th - 10th grades), but these were by far the most impactful and wonderful years of my education. I was also fortunate enough to form some of my most enduring and precious relationships during my time on Pearl Street.” In addition to sharing her fond memories of Brooklyn Friends, Victoria was pleased to discover that her non-graduate status does not exclude her from being an active part of the alumni community. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Victoria. You are always welcome back!
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Daniel Eden ’06
graduated from Weill Cornell Medical School in May and is a Resident in Psychiatry at NewYorkPresbyterian Hospital. He received an award for outstanding scholarship in his concentration of Psychiatry. We are so proud of Ross Barkan ’07 who made a run for the New York State Senate in the 22nd District. His bid for political office is a transition from his award winning career as a political journalist. Check out this article which discusses his principled political platform and includes a brief Brooklyn Friends shout out at brooklynfriends.org/journalextra Continuing the incredible musical talents he displayed while attending BFS, Scott Gentile ’07, graduated with his masters in piano performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in May. Scott was the recipient of both the prestigious Maurice Perez Conducting award and the Centurion Public Service award as well as the chamber music award. We are proud of your accomplishments Scott, congrats! If you watch television, you might have recognized model / actress Naomi Edmondson ’07 in a commercial promoting the importance of HIV testing. We appreciate Naomi’s role in raising awareness about such an important issue and look forward to witnessing her continue to blossom. Politician Stephen Wooden ’09, was recently elected as County Commissioner in the 18th District, Kent County, Michigan. According to Middle School Science teacher Janet Villas, Stephen was passionate about politics in middle school as well. Congrats, Stephen! After receiving her Juris Doctorate from Tulane Law School in the spring, Miriam Gentile ’11 began working at Brooklyn Defender Services beginning in September. For Miriam’s graduation, she was appointed to “The Order of the Barristers” at the awards ceremony. This is a national organization recognizing achievement in oral advocacy. Congrats on this impressive achievement and best of luck in your new position. Over the summer, the BFS Advancement office welcomed Amara Granderson ’13 as our alumni intern where
she learned the ins and outs of working in development. Amara worked on several projects before returning to graduate school at the University of California, San Diego, where she is currently pursuing her MFA in Acting. During her internship, she learned about data entry, alumni engagement and conducted a Merit Scholar survey among other projects. Thank you Amara, for being a valuable addition to our summer team.
Leneil Roderique ’13, graduated from Wesleyan University in 2017 with a degree in American Studies and Caribbean Studies and has made a name for himself at home in the marketing world. Upon graduating, Roderique started his post-college career as a Creative Strategy Fellow at Vox Media, and is now working as a Creative Development Coordinator at VICE Media. Congratulations, Leneil! It’s safe to say all of her hard work paid off because Tyler Clarke ’14, joined Bloomberg full time after being in
their intern program last summer. Awesome news, Tyler! Good news! This summer, Claudius Agrippa ’17 received the Brooklyn Borough President’s Youth Achievement Award. An article from Caribbean Life News states, “Violin prodigy, Claudius Agrippa, who played the “Star Spangled Banner” to begin the concert on Borough Hall Plaza, is the talented son of Guyanese parents and a student at Berklee College of Music, where he is pursuing studies in music.” We’re so proud of this outstanding achievement, Claudius. As the co-president of the Students for Environmental Action (SEA), Sophie Edelman ’17 was interviewed for the school newspaper, The Brandeis Hoot, about her role in one of the largest student run environmental groups on campus. Her work on environmental stewardship began at BFS, when she founded the environmental club. In the interview, Sophie was quoted as saying “SEA is a club that promotes sustainability on campus through small steps that add up to make a real impact. We make sure Brandeis students have the opportunity of, and know the importance of, sustainability.” We are glad she is still committed to such an important cause.
Hildi Gabel ’17 received the Writing Award, the Armstrong Prize, which is given to freshman students at Amherst College. Hildi said that Brooklyn Friends School gave her a very valuable experience and provided a good foundation to prepare for college courses and because of this, she would like to share the accomplishment with BFS. Excellent work on this prestigious distinction!
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THE BFS MERIT SCHOLARS:
Where Are They Now? by Amara Granderson ’13 Amara spent her summer interning with the BFS Advancement team. A Merit Scholar herself, she reached out to her fellow scholarship winners to see what they’re up to now. As for Amara, she graduated from Oberlin College in 2017 with a degree in Africana studies, religion and theater and is now pursuing a master’s in acting at University of California, San Diego. Here at Brooklyn Friends School, we are still rejoicing over last year’s sesquicentennial celebration. From the gala, to the book, to the film, to the in-school celebrations and the all-school class photo, it goes without saying that after 150 years, Blue Pride still runs deep. After a vibrant, holistic celebration of a milestone such as this, one might find it hard to imagine — what’s life like without BFS? Luckily for parents quietly dreading their not-so young ones leaving the nest — and for students ready to fly the coop and never look back — all parties will be relieved to know that this analogy doesn’t end with the fall of Icarus. To put it succinctly, much like Red Bull, BFS gives you wings. Each year, up to three 8th grade BFS students are awarded a scholarship to attend the Brooklyn Friends Upper School. Each student receives $10,000 a year towards tuition as long as they consistently demonstrate strength in scholarship, service and stewardship of the school. We sent out a survey to the recent alumni/ae merit scholars, ranging from post-undergrad to those starting college this fall. These scholars attended Brooklyn Friends anywhere between seven to 14 years and we asked how Brooklyn Friends had affected their lives postgraduation. Education at Brooklyn Friends surpasses just learning in the classroom. We asked the merit alums what they learned here at BFS that they retained through college and beyond in both their personal and professional lives.
Here are some highlights from the feedback we received:
Sarah DeFalco ’11 “The Quaker values of
integrity, equality, simplicity, community, and peace have all remained very important to me and have guided me academically, professionally, and personally.”
Conor Heins ’11 “From the BFS institution at large I learned the importance of community, of silence (e.g. through Quaker meetings), and of service to the world and less fortunate people.” Clara Siegmund ’14 “I learned how to create and embrace communities wherever I may go, enabling me to foster environments of care, encouragement, and growth similar to that which I found at BFS.” Amara Granderson ’13 “The IB curriculum helped with
properly articulating the theses I wrote in college and helped me approach academia with a more nuanced and holistic lens.”
Giovanna Molina ’15 “I really value the leadership and public speaking skills that BFS taught me.”
Jacob Swindell-Sakoor ’15 “I learned from Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. and the Diversity Office to always speak up and speak out if I felt moved to do so. In my college years I have done less organized activism, but I am always a vocal advocate for non-white identities in the mostly white collegiate atmospheres. Without some BFS molding, I might not be as vocal.” Having BFS as a foundation has certainly prepped our alums for the world beyond upper school. Here’s what some of the scholars shared about some surprising aspects of Brooklyn Friends that they missed! For Max Scherzer ’11 , “Quaker meeting was a way to settle myself every week. I have recently, in times of high
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stress, sought out the meeting house here in DC to recenter myself.” Raphael Norman-Tenazas ’14 recalls that being at BFS was about “knowing everyone — Hopkins was 50 times larger and I feel like I knew a small fraction of my class.” Lucy Smith ’18 says, “I miss the camaraderie of Panthers Supreme and the dedication of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team,” while Theo Eagle ’13 testifies, “BFS does an incredible lunch — shoutout to the kindest, most loyal, and best cafeteria staff in NYC.”
Wherever you are, nostalgia always reigns true. Here are some of the merit scholars’ favorite BFS memories they’ve cherished — some for over a decade! Hildi Gabel ’17 proudly states, “I always loved
Privilege Day in the high school; I found it empowering and felt it was a time when the closeness and care of the community was particularly evident.”
Anna Franceschelli ’16 reminisces, “One of
my favorite memories from upper school would have to be the figure drawing classes. I also always loved roof and snack time when I was younger, the winter sings, and getting to use the darkroom.”
Jacob Ginsberg ’12 retells the story of an early epiphany. “There was a ‘popcorn’ Quaker meeting in 2004, just after the Red Sox had defeated the Yankees in the ALCS...I was really moved to say something in meeting in the way that gave Quakers their name - this phrase just popped into my head and I physically needed to share it. I stood and said ‘How about them Sox,’ and sat again. This somehow caused a chain reaction that ended in dozens of students popping up to talk aggressively about baseball and speaking and yelling over each other, with the entire Quaker Meeting descending into chaos —it’s a favorite memory of mine because this was probably the first time I realized the profound effect the right words can have over a group of people.” So fret not about an Icarus complex, friends. The wings gained at Brooklyn Friends are grown from integrity, hard work and community, and cannot be melted away.
Scholar Updates at-a-Glance Max Scherzer ’11 graduated from The University of
Pennsylvania in 2015 with a degree in international relations. He is now doing non-profit international development in DC working on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Conor Heins ’11 graduated from Swarthmore College in 2015 with a degree in neuroscience, now completing a Master’s degree in neuroscience at the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) in Göttingen, Germany. Sarah DeFalco ’11 graduated from Colgate University in 2015
with a degree in sociology and environmental studies. Having worked at a real estate consulting company, she is now pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at NYU.
Jacob Ginsberg ’12 graduated from Brown University in 2016 with a degree in English. He is currently tutoring in Philadelphia and pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing (fiction) at Temple University. Theo Eagle ’13 graduated from Bates College in 2017 with a
degree in rhetorical theory and pre-modern history, minoring in comparative religious studies. He just finished a 10-month service term with AmeriCorps NCCC, participating in hurricane relief efforts in Houston, working as a firefighter, and working with Habitat for Humanity in Colorado. He also went to Puerto Rico to participate in the All Hands and Heart’s hurricane relief project.
Clara Siegmund ’14 graduated from Wesleyan University in 2018 with a degree in English and French studies, and moved to Paris to teach English to middle schoolers. Raphael Norman-Tenazas ’14 graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2018 with a degree in computer engineering and robotics; he is now pursuing a Master’s in Robotics at the Applied Physics Laboratory.
Jacob Swindell-Sakoor ’15 attended Northeastern University for one year as a music industry major and transferred to Columbia College Chicago to study audio engineering and production. He interns with Earhole Studios. Giovanna Molina ’15 is at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in The Writing Seminars and film & media studies, just finished shooting her senior thesis film for which she received the Woodrow Wilson Research Fellowship grant.
Anna Franceschelli ’16 is at Occidental College, planning to major in biology, double minoring in neuroscience and studio art and now studying botany abroad at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Hildi Gabel ’17 is at Amherst College, where she is a contributing writer to The Amherst Student, an independent newspaper of the college since 1868. She continues to create art, compose music, and actively contribute to college life. Lucy Smith ’18 is also at Occidental College. She worked at
Beam Camp in Strafford, New Hampshire, this summer, which is linked to the non-profit Beam Center. Winter 2018/19 BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL JOURNAL 21
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FALL 2018: A Magnificent Season >
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Boys Varsity Soccer
Girls Varsity Volleyball
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Girls Varsity Soccer
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LEAGUE CH A MPIONS/ U N D E F E AT E D
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Girls JV Volleyball
Boys Middle School Soccer
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Girls Middle School Soccer
Cross Country
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< AT H L E T I C S
AT B F S >
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AN ALUMNUS OF DISTINCTION:
Stephen J. Friedman CLASS OF 1955
by Jeffrey Stanley
Stephen J. Friedman, President Emeritus of Pace University, was the 2018 George Fox Award Distinguished Alumnus recipient and commencement speaker at graduation. “It felt wonderful,” said Steve of receiving the award, “particularly because it’s fundamentally for service, which is an important Quaker value. Service to others has been a guiding principle for me.” Steve would have earned the title of Distinguished Alumnus based solely on his outstanding career as a lawyer, government executive, law school dean, and university president. But here is a man who had demonstrated exceptional talent, stamina, a never-ending work ethic, and, simply put — a desire to serve, to contribute, and to make a difference. A long list of nonprofit leadership activities on his resume — in the fields of education, performing arts, health care, international relations, museums, small business development, and environmental and social services work — speaks volumes about his commitment. Add to that the joys of having a close, supportive family, and here is a man who lives a full and wonderful life. Growing up in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, Steve was the son of a lawyer who had a private practice and “did pretty much everything” in a law practice in New York. While this BFS grad wasn’t always sure that he wanted to be a lawyer or what kind of law might appeal to him, he did have role models in his father and the post-World War II generation of lawyers like Dean Atchison. “He was a great hero of mine because he cycled back and forth between government service and private practice,” he recalled. “It was the combination of law and public service that appealed to me.” Steve found excellent preparation for the law, for public service, and for life at Princeton University. “The Woodrow
Wilson School at Princeton was an interdisciplinary major in political science, economics, and history,” he recalled. “But I took a literature course every semester, so I read very widely. I tried to take in as broad a curriculum as I could.” That included not only literature, but music, visual art, sociology and psychology. He felt that all of these studies would broaden him, because, he said, “I knew I was headed toward law school.” He did well at Princeton, graduating magna cum laude, and entered Harvard Law School. “What really transformed my life was, much to my astonishment, at Harvard I was at the very top of my class. In those days there were no exams at Harvard Law School until the end of the first year, so you really had no idea how you were doing. The whole Socratic method was intended to shake your confidence and teach you to think more analytically. You really didn’t know if you were getting it,” he confessed. He had a summer job doing drudgework at an insurance company, “putting things in alphabetical order.” He called home to Brooklyn every day to find out if his grades had arrived. Finally a dispatch came in the mail. The letter from Harvard said number in class, 500, and rank in class, four. “I thought the number in the class was my rank,” he laughed. He wasn’t expecting first place, but “how could I be at the very bottom of my class?” he asked himself in dismay. The next year he moved up two more positions to second in his class and won the prestigious Sears Prize. He also served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. “Doing that well really transformed my life,” he said. “All of a sudden, I realized that I could go anywhere in the world and do pretty much what I wanted. I was fortunate enough to begin my career by clerking at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. and then joined what I continues on page 24
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Stephen J. Friedman
continued from page 5
thought was one of the best law firms in New York, Debevoise & Plimpton.” In law practice, he was fascinated by the interplay between business and regulation, and over his career he worked both sides of the fence. Steve became a partner at his firm; he left and then returned to it, multiple times throughout his career. He first left to join the Carter Administration as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and then became a Commissioner of the SEC. He returned to the firm again, and stayed for five to six years. “Then I left to become General Counsel of EF Hutton, a large securities firm.” After Hutton was sold, he became General Counsel and EVP of Equitable Life Assurance, and then returned to his firm as co-chair of the Corporate department. In 2004 he retired, to use the term loosely, and became dean of Pace University’s Law School. The last thing he wanted for his later life was to sit gathering moss. “Older friends of mine started to retire,” he said, “and I was struck by how clueless they were about doing something productive and helpful with their lives.” How did he make the move from law to higher education? Despite flirting with teaching and education here and there, “I didn’t think of myself as an education person,” he said. A new door opened for this lifelong polymath during a lunch chat with a colleague. “One day over lunch, a friend mentioned that he had seen listings for several law schools seeking deans.” He suggested that Steve give it a try. Thus began his leadership career at Pace. “I thought that being a law school dean was an area where I could make a contribution. It was unusual for a non-academic to become a law school dean, but they offered me the job. I thought it was my last job.” Naturally for Steve, it wasn’t. “The law school was doing well,” he said, “but the rest of the university was not.” Soon he found himself at another transformative lunch meeting. “The University’s Board of Trustees chair had been COO of a large law firm,” Steve said. “He invited me to lunch. Much to my surprise, he asked me to step in as Interim President of Pace. Without really knowing much about the university as a whole, I said ‘sure.’ ” He recalled how, during his second year, the university had a re-accreditation visit. “They said, you’ve done an impressive
Steve and his family
job, but we are concerned about instability at the top. I said, ‘What do you mean?’ They said, ‘Well, you’re interim.’ Shortly thereafter, the Board of Trustees confirmed his “permanent” appointment as the seventh president of Pace University. Now President Emeritus, Steve is clearly proud of his accomplishments over the subsequent decade. “I changed a great deal,” he said. “Pace historically was an institution that combines a liberal arts core with a big focus on professional and pre-professional training. We had separate schools of computer science, education, business, health sciences and liberal arts, plus the law school. The most successful undergraduate program was performing arts, which was among the best in the country. My predecessor had moved the image and marketing of the university away from professional and pre-professional education. I decided to return to our historical roots and build on the combination of liberal arts and professional preparation. We turned around our declining enrollment; we turned around the university’s finances. And we changed the marketing….We had a lot of diversity, a lot of first-generation college students, and they were most interested in building successful careers.” He beamed at the mention of the student body. “We had a lot of really smart students. What made that job so satisfying was watching the transformation of our students. Being part of that in their lives was so gratifying.” Throughout his career, Steve has been active in the nonprofit sector. He chaired a new university for women that was being created in Bangladesh and taught as an adjunct law professor at Columbia Law School. He initiated a program to bring the skills and experience of recently retired successful business and professional men and women to aid the NYC Department of Education That wasn’t enough to keep him busy. He is a past chairman
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and trustee of the American Ballet Theatre and has served for more than 20 years. He also is a member of the esteemed and sometimes controversial Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which he described as “a combination of think tank and membership organization.” The nonpartisan Council started after the First World War. “It grew out of support, particularly on the East Coast, from people like David Rockefeller who didn’t want the US to return to isolationism,” he said. Over the years, Steve has chaired CFR task forces on war-to-peace transitions and humanitarian efforts for Afghan and Palestinian refugees. The pressing question: is Stephen Friedman finally retired now? “No,” he said emphatically. He now works as an executive coach to CEOs and other leaders. Steve’s executive coaching and consulting firm, Open Mind Associates, focuses particularly on nonprofit leaders. Not bad for a Brooklyn kid who entered BFS in fifth grade with what he describes as a minor learning disability. “Everyone told me I was being careless. I made a huge number of computational errors,” he said, describing the problem. He was at the school for two years before he got his first good grade, an accomplishment that gave him a tremendous ego boost. He remembers that milestone like it was yesterday. He crossed it in his seventh grade English class. “I got an A- on a book report on one of C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series. I was more surprised than the teacher!” he quipped. By his senior year he was at the top of his class and a member of the varsity basketball team. “That was important to me,” he said of making the team. “High school kids are highly competitive but Friends was a mutually supportive place.” Today Steve is a proud grandparent who resides in Manhattan with his wife Fredrica, a literary agent. Daughter Vanessa Friedman is Chief Fashion Critic and Fashion Director of the New York Times. She has three children, Allegra, Miranda, and Zeb. Son Alexander is the CEO of an investment management company based in London and Zurich. A former CFO of the Gates Foundation, Alexander was also a White House Fellow, a prestigious award for mid-career professionals. Reflecting on his overall development at BFS, Steve’s summary was simple — “Friends was a supportive environment,” he said. “It supported me while I worked through a challenging period in my life.” He also credited the school with instilling in him a respect for others’ views and a sense that he should take risks and that he could accomplish much in life. He has certainly done so, and has yet to slow down.
“Life is filled with endless possibility” An excerpt from Stephen M. Friedman’s address to the Class of 2018 . . .Think of yourselves as lifetime trustees for the future of America, and the kind of country, society and culture we build during your lifetimes will be your responsibility. It will be the result, not so much of what you do, but of who you are – of how you shape the kind of person you become. In that shaping, there are, I believe, three major steps that are critically important for you. First. Higher education. Educational attainment levels – college, graduate school and lifetime learning – increasingly define social class, power, and privilege in America. Some view that as a barrier to social mobility. Viewed differently, however, education is the very engine of social mobility. Pace University, which I had the honor to serve as President, is ranked first in the country in moving students from families in the lowest 20% of family income into the top 20% in midcareer. That is what higher education can do for everyone. Embrace it. Second. Incorporate service to others in your life. Last week I attended the high school graduation of my eldest granddaughter. Her school’s Latin motto is non sibi, which means “not for self.” That principle goes far deeper than just public service or nonprofit activities. It is the set of values on which the George Fox Award is premised. We see its significance instantly when a classmate, a business person, or any leader describes a successful group or team effort. If he or she is constantly saying “I” instead of “we,” you know that is a person totally focused on self. It is the opposite of the Quaker value of community. It is also the opposite of the road to success and leadership in life. Be a “we” person. Third. Be brave. In a column a few years ago, New York Times Op-Ed writer David Brooks said, “All of life is a series of daring adventures from a secure base.” You have been educated here to express unique ideas and to deal with new and unfamiliar intellectual territory. That is a secure base. Higher education will add to the strength of that base. It is a secure base for the next stages in your lives. So do not shy from daring adventures. If I have learned one major lesson in a long and varied career, it is that life is filled with endless possibility. If you embrace that possibility and commit to make it a reality, remarkable things can happen. Do not be afraid of failing. Everyone who dares fails from time to time. Failure teaches important lessons, but it is not a predictor of the future. Winter 2018/19 BROOKLYN FRIENDS SCHOOL JOURNAL 25
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Jack Ramey, a beloved Brooklyn Friends School teacher, administrator, and colleague from 1980 to 1995, died on March 2, 2018. A resident of Conway, Massachusetts, he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sydney; two sons, Jack and Mark, two grandchildren and two step grandchildren. Jack was described as “a teacher to his core” and “a renaissance man,” who exceled in the fields of music, literature, and history. During his 15 years at BFS as Assistant Principal he served as interim head of several departments, including Middle School Head and Director of Development. Many BFS students from the 1980s and early 90s participated in the Explorers Club, which he founded. Interested students met weekly to share information they researched about a European or Latin American country, which they then visited during their two-week spring break. From Diane Mackie and Don Kneis: Jack was a classicist who was passionate about history and all of the arts. An erudite, convivial educator, with an easy laugh and a ready smile, he introduced his students to “Paradise Lost” and the books of the Old Testament. He was at once intellectual and endearingly entertaining. He exuded warmth and contagious good cheer. He and his wife Sydney graciously hosted the best faculty parties at their home where his discriminating taste in music, particularly that of the great masters, and his extensive library and personal teapot collection were defining aesthetic features. Charged with mining the community for financial donations, he delighted in proclaiming that he was as much a “fun-raiser” as he was a “fund-raiser.” And, more than any other colleague with whom we have worked, he was. From Marna Herrity: Jack was one of my most powerful mentors when I was a new teacher at BFS. In the 90s he wrote TE, a musical about an extra-terrestrial landing on downtown Brooklyn’s Pearl Street and discovering this wonderful little school. Many faculty and staff members performed in the show – Cheryl Foote starred as Mary Haviland, BFS’ first Headmistress. Over and above Jack’s scholarly contributions to BFS, he was also a tremendous community builder. I fondly remember him donning make-up, a wig, and a cheerleader’s outfit for a basketball season pep rally. Starting in 1987, Jack took time every week to come play with and read to the youngest members of our community, faculty children in the Little Friends Nursery. He truly cared for each and every member of our BFS community.
Patricia Lea (Pat McIlnay), who taught at BFS from 1968 to 1986 and is often cited by alumni as an outstanding, multitalented and change-making teacher, died on Jan. 28, 2018 in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. Both her children are BFS alumni, Cory McIlnay, Class of 1973, and Blake McIlnay Yohe, Class of 1974. She also had four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, whom she cared for prior to their starting school. Pat’s daughter Blake shared the following recollections of her mother’s life and BFS: Pat taught in the Lower School for a year or two before joining the Upper School English faculty. She taught Creative Writing, Mystery Fiction, other literature courses, and briefly taught a communication course. She also taught students who had difficulties with traditional learning styles. Pat followed jazz closely, becoming acquainted with many fabled jazz musicians over the 20 years that she lived in NYC. She was a practicing Quaker in NYC and spent the years from 1986 on as a member of Lancaster Friends Meeting, where Blake is also a member. William Lorenzo Brown ’85 loved BFS. In fact, he would often say those were some of the best times of his life. Unfortunately, William passed away on August 14, 2018. It was a shock to learn of his passing. Devastating. I first met Will 35 years ago. If you knew Will back in high school, you knew he loved to be in plays, play ping-pong, laugh with an unforgettable laugh, and be charming. The BFS community lost a great man way too young. He walked down the aisle of his graduation to “Don’t you (forget about me)” by Simple Minds. None of us will ever forget you Will. – written by friend and fellow alum, David Lewis ’86 Maureen Burns died on July 4, 2018 peacefully in Greensboro,
NC, where she had retired in 1999. Her daughters, Beth Punzi ’82 and Jacqueline Burns ’83, were at her side at the time of her passing. Maureen was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Alex, in 2015. Maureen was the school nurse/ health teacher at BFS from 1984-1988 and both her daughters attended BFS from 3rd grade until graduation. Donations in Maureen’s memory can be made to the BFS Scholarship Fund. Maureen was living a vibrant and socially active life until June when illness rapidly progressed and she passed on. Thank you for all the years of joy! – written by Jacqueline Burns ’83
Brooklyn Friends School mourns the passing of the following alumni and alumni faculty members.
Louise Stubbs Williams ’30 Geoffrey Pelletier ’44 Virginia Glebocki Marino ’45 Pete Valentine ’45 Elna Elisabeth (Patti) Riker Broffman ’47 William Lorenzo Brown ’85 Rachel Auster-Rosen ’09
Alum Faculty:
Jack Ramey Maureen Burns Pat Lea Kathy Loreto
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