Perkiomen MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2014
F O R F A M I LY, A L U M N I , F A C U LT Y, S T U D E N T S , AND FRIENDS
HEADMASTER Christopher R. Tompkins ASSOCIATE HEADMASTER Carol Dougherty DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Karl Welsh EXECUTIVE EDITOR Corin Breña COPY EDITOR Maura C. Ciccarelli
“DREAMING IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE GROWTH OF O U R C O M M U N I T Y. A T T H E E N D O F T H E D A Y, T H E M O S T I M P O R TA N T PA R T O F A S C H O O L I S T H E STUDENTS’ WELL BEING.” - TONY ’14
“DREAMING HELPS YOU FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD.” - ABBY ’18
“PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CONTRIBUTE T O T H I S C O M M U N I T Y, S O I D R E A M P E R K CONTINUES TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES BY PROVIDING MORE STUDENTS WITH MORE O P P O R T U N I T I E S T H R O U G H T H E I R E D U C AT I O N . ” - B E N ’ 1 4
“PERK HELPS YOU DREAM OF YOUR FUTURE AND G O F U R T H E R I N L I F E . ” - A K S H AY ’ 1 4
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Maura C. Ciccarelli, Sasha Vorlicky ’15, Corin Breña, Shaun Yorgey ’97, Dagny Barone ’14, Greg Martin, Christe Thompson ’09, Tara Mastrangelo Smith, Diana Weir-Smith ’85 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Gunselman, Tim Miller, Jorge Ramirez DESIGN Michael Gunselman Incorporated
Sept.2014 Inside This Issue
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Eat|Sleep|Dream A Vision for Student Life 10 Perk’s First Line of Defense 12 Lights-Camera-Action 16 Outside the Box 18 Parallel Lives: Amy Voloshin, Amy Brand 20 Congratulations to the Class of 2014 24 The Many Perspectives of Mr. Jonathan Moser 28 Alumni Weekend 2014 32
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Maddy Ferdock: Athlete, Scholar, Service Leader 36 In the Spotlight 38
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Class Notes 42
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The recent renovations of the Huttel Natatorium during the summer of 2013 have been put to good use by the Perk swim team, having placed 17th at the 114th Eastern Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championship competition (Easterns) this past winter. Six Perk students qualified for Easterns, breaking two school records: the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay and the 200 Yard Medley Relay.
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Da Chen, author of the New York Times best selling memoir, Colors of the Mountain, pictured with student Frank Zhang, was one of the worldrenowned speakers to visit Perk during the 2013-2014 academic year. Perk students had the opportunity to hear presentations and meet speakers in break-out sessions afterwards, learning about their work and lives. Other noteworthy speakers to visit Perk for the Chapel Speaker Series were Rodney Glasgow and Alan Gregerman. A few of the speakers were interviewed by students following their presentations and their videos can be viewed on the Perk website at: http://www. perkiomen.org/perkspeakerseries.
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The Perkiomen School is building a vision for student life with the Eat|Sleep|Dream campaign. Beginning with the recent completion of two new residence halls, the campaign also includes plans for a new dining experience on campus. Look for an invitation to the campaign kick-off event, the Eat|Sleep|Dream Celebration, soon. The event will feature The Hewett Concert followed by the Dormitory Ribbon-Cutting.
Eat Sleep Dream Celebration
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Always a popular event, Purple and Gold Day is an opportunity to bring the community together and rejuvenate students through fun competition. Here, the winning team celebrates their victory.
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A little over a year ago, The Perkiomen School community began dreaming of a new vision for student life. It involved improving residential living facilities and the dining experience for all students, faculty, and staff. Today, part of that dream is a reality, with two beautiful new dormitory buildings—Kolbe Hall for girls and Riordan Hall for boys. Opened this fall, each building has 16 dorm rooms accommodating 32 students, three apartments for faculty and their families, a student kitchen, a study room, numerous lounges, and a generous laundry facility. The energy and excitement of the residents is infectious and is proof positive that dreams coupled with generosity are transforming the quality of life on our campus. We are extremely grateful for the generous gifts from Eric Kolbe ’61 and the estate of Dr. Frank S. Riordan Jr. ’34, as well as from other Perkiomen School donors from around the world; together, they have made the “Sleep” part of our Eat|Sleep|Dream Campaign come true. Now, we move to the next stage of making our vision for student life a reality: raising funds to provide a new, modern dining experience for our students, faculty, and staff.
Parents Hall, built in 1962, has served us well over the last 50 years but the size, configuration, and design are inadequate for serving our students, faculty, and staff. The dining hall serves as the heart of campus life, providing 19 meals each week, including brunch on the weekends. This interactive social time binds us together and contributes to a thriving academic community. OUR DREAM FOR THE DINING EXPERIENCE IS TO: >
Provide sufficient space for 350 students.
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Provide a gathering place for the school community and give us flexibility to host a wider variety of events.
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Create an after-hours student center where students can socialize, interact, and partake of healthy, fresh food.
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Improve the flow of serving and kitchen areas.
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Provide a dining experience that is ADA-compliant.
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Support a dining program that offers a wider variety of customprepared meals serving the dietary needs and interests of students from 26 countries and 11 states.
In the last decade we have provided students with transformative facilities, such as the Schumo Academic Center, and have preserved other spaces such as the Carnegie Library. This phase of our Eat|Sleep|Dream Campaign will decide whether we construct a new dining hall to meet the needs of our students or, alternatively, extensively renovate Parents Hall. Please join us on October 17 for our campaign kickoff and dormitory ribbon-cutting event, The Eat|Sleep|Dream Celebration. Come take a look at the campus with fresh eyes and share in our vision for a thriving Perkiomen School.
Eat|Sleep|Dream A Vision for Student Life A Message from Christopher R. Tompkins, Headmaster
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“In the last decade we have provided students with transformative facilities, such as the Schumo Academic Center, and have preserved other spaces such as the Carnegie Library.”
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PERK’S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE At 4:30 in the morning on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, the sun has not yet uncovered the blanket of darkness over the Perk campus. Still hidden is the onslaught of snow left from the days of constant storms. Yes, the rhythm of persistent shoveling can be heard all across campus at this early hour.
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By: Sasha Vorlicky ’15
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“It is because of the tireless work of our maintenance staff that we can be successful as a school. Enrollment and retention are truly a team effort and we are so thankful to have a wonderful team in place at Perk.”
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Left to Right: Jerry Schantz Ryan Hanosek Larry Hange Merrill Yorgey Jason Smith Gary Arndt
he hardworking and persistent grounds crew members tirelessly chisel frozen foot after foot of snow. Away from their families often, Gary Arndt, Steve Burgeson, Larry Hange, Ryan Hanosek, Howie Hendricks, George Moser, Jerry Schantz, Jason Smith, Rick Smith, and Merril Yorgey attend to nature’s constant turbulence. The physical labor they provide is the backbone of Perkiomen’s ability to function, allowing the classrooms’ mental labor to continue and thus enable education to thrive. Jason Smith, Director of Building and Grounds, summarized the maintenance crew’s informal mission statement recently when he said the team’s role is to ensure that “our students can make it to the classes safely. [Our] first priority is always the students.” Mr. Smith is proud of the team he has developed since he joined Perkiomen in 2010. Building on his extensive experience in general construction repair, he has implemented incredible change in the infrastructure of the school’s maintenance department. Both he and Assistant Headmaster for Finance and Operations, Michael Foux are especially excited for the new dorms that will be ready by the fall. While these will bring extra work for the crew, the hopeful addition of new workers, including specialists such as electricians and landscapers, will provide the school and students with an expanded campus, newer buildings, and endless opportunities funded by the Eat|Sleep|Dream Campaign. Everywhere you look, maintenance is happening somewhere on the 172 acres that encompass some 17 buildings and four athletic fields. There is always a job to do, whether it be electrical, plumbing, cleaning, maintaining grounds, or preparing buildings for events 365 days a year. Stunningly, not a day goes by without the hard work of maintenance tirelessly behind the scenes. For example, at 1:00 a.m., long before the crew grounds awoke to find several feet of snow, hours of hard labor, and constant flakes nipping at their noses, one man finishes cleaning the final room in the middle school. Steve Burgeson’s last bead of sweat drops off his brow and he drains the mop bucket after a long day of work. He takes pride in seeing the kids go into the classrooms and move on into the next stages of life—that motivates him to remain working for hours after the middle school students have left and the shuffling of bags and feet are long silenced. Mr. Foux, the team’s supervisor, says: “They never seem to leave because any time something goes wrong—for example, if the heating system in Kriebel needs fixing or a water leak floods the building—they are the first line of defense.” He adds that the best job is “the one that is unseen; the one that no one notices because it was done so well.” Their tireless work continues to support the school in pursuing its mission, and the maintenance staff ’s role should be recognized and praised. From the first moment that I considered Perkiomen as my future school, I could not help but look around in awe at the beautifully kept campus. This reflection of care, organization, respect for detail, and preservation of historic facilities makes all the difference. Eventually, after being accepted, I learned of these unsung heroes, dedicated to the school, students, and community. I’m not the only one who has been impressed by the campus and the staff who keep it so well maintained. According to the Director of Admissions Abby Moser, “Perk experienced record enrollment this year.Visit after visit, our prospective students and their families comment on how beautiful Perk’s campus is. Visitors are overwhelmed by how clean the grounds and campus is. “One of the most important influences on a family’s decision is the visit to campus,” she continues.“It is because of the tireless work of our maintenance staff that we can be successful as a school. Enrollment and retention are truly a team effort and we are so thankful to have a wonderful team in place at Perk.”
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By: Corin Breña
Eric Cola was the first to walk through the door of my first Film Foundations class three years ago. I had no idea what to expect with this class, my first foray into teaching in my first year at Perk, but I knew that if even one student was as passionate about film as I was, it was going to be a great year. Slight of build and preppy in his Monday blazer, Eric’s excitement to be in Film Foundations was obvious. I could tell that film was his thing. The lone sophomore in a class of seniors, Eric was one of only two students with film experience under his belt. As each student explained why they had chosen to take the course, Eric—ambitious from the start—said he was eager to learn about special effects. I explained that it would be important to master foundational film skills before tackling special effects. He was up for the challenge. Eric quickly made himself invaluable that first year to his classmates as a team player, hard worker and quick study, unafraid to learn new skills when they were needed and to master them to teach the rest. With unending positivity, Eric’s energy was contagious. In his junior year, Eric was the oldest and “wisest” in the class, and he took on the role of mentoring the newbies. One of the most memorable projects was creating a video for the school website, where they had to practice working with a client—me. The students formed their own individual production companies and were tasked with pitching ideas and working with me to develop them into final pieces. I promised that if their video was good enough, it would be showcased on the website for its 30,000 monthly visitors to view.This was an opportunity for their work to be seen by a large audience and Eric immediately understood what that meant. Eric’s final project, an extremely humorous student life video, has been on the school site since last year and has been directly named as a reason for new student enrollment. In fact, Naial Casanovas-Mack said he decided he wanted to attend Perk after viewing it while he was still living in Spain. Earlier this year, Eric’s senior year, the White House held its first-ever student film festival, with the winning video landing a place on the White House home page. The theme was technology, which was a perfect fit for Perk, where so much has changed concerning technology in recent years. I challenged Eric, as the most experienced student, to lead the project. At first, he did not think it would be possible to get it done in time since they would only have one week to plan, shoot and edit the piece. But, since few opportunities such as this come along, and you never know, until you try, whether you can achieve something that seems impossible, he organized his
five fellow film class students to help with the brainstorming and filming. They voraciously shot for two days straight, and he conducted interviews, even sitting for an interview himself to help tell the story of technology at Perk. After collecting all the footage, he spent two days editing, which is an unheard of timeline for a quality video to be completed. But, he did it. My office was a flurry of activity that week, with students coming in and out with footage, and meetings with ideas flying around the room. The final version was submitted just 30 minutes before the deadline. I sat in the middle of it all, knowing that this was what we were capable of as a team of filmmakers. The first time I watched it, I knew it was a contender. The Perk team won honorable mention for their film out of more than 3,000 student videos entered in the festival. Of working with Eric on the project, his classmate Stefan Engels said, “He was very organized in Final Cut, plotting out exactly how long it would be and knowing exactly where to put what and then cutting in the videos. It looked professional. I wondered what it would be like to work like that too and knew he was a great resource if I ever had any questions about editing.” Sasha Vorlicky, another Perk student, says of him: “Eric is a positive role model who has always kept us on our feet with new ideas and imaginative projects. He is organized, complex, respectful and fun!” Eric explains that taking on filmmaking has “helped me plan, organize and work with other kids [and] I have had to coordinate with people on every project. Working with others means we all help each other improve.” He has always been willing to lend a hand without judgment of others; his positive outlook has been maintained. At the 2014 commencement ceremonies, Eric received The Headmaster’s Cup, an honor bestowed upon the student who exhibits leadership and service to the community. Having had the privilege to work with him for all three of my years at Perk, I understood exactly why he was so deserving of the honor. Eric will be studying communications this fall at Syracuse University and plans to take a film course. He is still excited to learn special effects, now that he has mastered everything he will need for a good foundation. Of his future goals, he says, “I have always had a dream to work with the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. Film has the power to change the world—it tells a story of something that connects with the audience and inspires them to change their outlook on life. I hope to be able to use my filmmaking skills to create media that influences people’s perspectives.”
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By: Shaun T. Yorgey, Science Department Chair
OUTSIDE THE BOX: Naial Casanovas-Mack ’16
Aeronautical enthusiast, inventor, entrepreneur, and high school student—each describes Perk sophomore Naial Casanovas-Mack, but the sum of these titles fails to encompass his energy and enthusiasm. Raised in a rural area north of Barcelona, Spain, Naial was encouraged to pursue his aeronautical and engineering interests by his parents, Xavier Casanovas and Cynthia Mack. There, he built an airstrip for his remotecontrolled (RC) planes, worked on several inventions, and spent a summer restoring a 1950s-era Isetta, an Italian-designed three-wheeled microcar. During three years of home schooling with his mother, Naial’s creativity and passion rooted and let him develop a design approach that incorporated experimentation and multiple iterations. Naial embodies The Perkiomen School motto: Solvitur Vivendo, which means “Experience is the best teacher.” A driven individual, Naial began networking with organizations before he arrived on Perk’s campus last year. By the first day of classes he had already met with the Uncommon Individual Foundation (UIF), a Villanova, PA-based foundation dedicated to promoting mentoring to help young people “become entrepreneurs of their own lives.” With UIF’s help, Naial arranged for Perk students to join him each Saturday morning to construct a Van’s Aircraft RV-12 two-seat, single engine airplane with only hand tools. This spring, key school administrators met with UIF to plan for the expansion of the relationship between Perkiomen and the UIF. As a physics teacher, it has been outstanding to witness students learning hands-on the hows and whys of an aircraft’s engineering and build process. Naial is working toward his pilot’s license and is gaining air time with the help of other pilots, including UIF’s Chief Operating Officer Dimitri Vissiliou, who has served as a mentor. Naial, who knows how to work hard to reach his goals, admits that the pilot’s test will be tough but says, “I’ll have to put the time in, but it’s worth it.” Recently, Naial’s interest in RC aircraft shifted to hexacopters. He describes his first flight: “Of course I crashed it. It was just like the first time I flew my RC plane and crashed it in about four seconds.”
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Naial’s willingness to literally pick up the pieces and sustain the pursuit is moving his various enterprises forward. I was fortunate to have Naial in robotics this winter and learned first-hand of his hexacopter work. Now working with his second machine, Naial has set up a remote viewing screen mounted on a shoulder harness and fabricated a pivoting mounting bracket for a video camera on the hexacopter so he can capture dramatic imagery as it is flown above and around its subject. The resulting Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] (UAV) forms the technical equipment for his new business, Aerial 51 Productions. His company’s goal is to “be a designer and distributor of equipment for and production of aerial photography, and find ways to benefit society.” He has already shot stills and video for Perk of campus, construction and demolition efforts, as well as sporting events (many of which can be found on Perk’s website). He plans to remain in the States this summer to grow his new enterprise. He will be working with construction companies and plans to expand into showcasing real estate and golf courses, among other possibilities. Reflecting on the prospects before him, Naial expressed gratitude for the opportunities that he has had, as well as his parents’ support and encouragement that fostered his innovation and enthusiasm and helped set the stage for his further development. Also, his uncle, Jeff Mack ’72, has played a key role in helping Naial network and develop and market his business concept. Perk also has recognized Naial’s unique talents and has increasingly provided workspace, tools, equipment, and support for him to realize his potential—all vital to his design process. The school has benefited from Naial’s aerial photography and video work, which in turn has allowed him to learn and grow his craft. When asked about the future, Naial said he most likely would pursue both aeronautical engineering and being a pilot. I believe his entrepreneurial spirit will drive him to continue experimenting, learning, and innovating, fueling both his passions and his future successes.
Amy Voloshin ’99 Longtime friend of Amy Brand Attended Perk 1992-1999 Art School: Rhode Island School of Design Young Mother-two children Creative Career Owner: Printfresh
PA R A L L E L
Amy Brand ’99 Longtime friend of Amy Voloshin Attended Perk 1992-1999 Art School: Vassar MFA, University of the Arts Young Mother-two children Creative Career Teacher/Fine Artist
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LIVES:
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Amy Voloshin: Creative Entrepreneur By: Corin Breña
Amy Voloshin ’99 always had big dreams but never imagined they would lead her to where she is now. Reflecting on how she arrived at her custom-designed life, she attributes her current achievements to hard work, following her passion and recognizing the right opportunities at the right time. Her Perkiomen School experiences helped prepare her for her life today, which include having a family and running her own business called Printfresh that sells unique textile designs to major brands like Urban Outfitters, GAP Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch Co., and more. First and foremost, Perk shaped the education she wants for her children—“the resources, being able to participate in everything [and] exposure to arts and music. At Perk you had to participate, which enhances skills and abilities and help you find things you never knew about and discover hidden talents you never knew you had.” The high standards and having classes with really bright fellow students helps inspire and instruct, as well. She remembers going to school with Amy Brand ’99 and says “she is so brilliant and talented. Amy was great to have in the classroom as she elevated what we were doing.” During the summer of AmyVoloshin’s junior year at Perk, she went to a program at Rhode Island School of Design and fell in love, immediately knowing where she wanted to go for college. Then, with the help of her Perkiomen art teacher Jean Thobaben, she worked hard to pull her portfolio together. Just as she had envisioned, she headed off after graduation to Providence to pursue a degree in Art at RISD.
“Amy (Voloshin) is who I call if there is a gallery opening or event I want to go to. It blows me
“I remember going to school with Amy
Amy Brand: Teacher/Fine Artist
By: Corin Breña
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When Amy Brand ’99 was deciding what to pursue in college, she kept coming back to the classes that she enjoyed most at Perk: art. “They gave me enough of the skillset to be able to do what I want to do and keep that interest going and then keep pursuing it,” says Amy, who has now earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Vassar College. “I was always the last kid working on the project. I just wanted everything to be exactly right.” For the past few years, Amy has been balancing several roles: as an artist, as an MFA student at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and as a mom to two young children, Kurt and Greta, with her husband, math teacher and Chair of Performing Arts, Jacob Hauser. It’s a balancing act that she thought about more when she noticed there were not too many other artists—especially women—in the UArts master’s program who had young kids like she did. “There is almost a stigma about it, [that] you can’t be a mom and also be serious about being an artist at the same time,” she says. “I do get it because you are split. I was already thinking about the fact that I had this all-consuming thing of taking care of a baby and so I asked myself if [I should even be] making art at the same time? But being an artist had always been part of my identity so I really couldn’t imagine not doing it. I had to figure out what pursuing art meant now that I am also a mom.”
It was at the end of her first year at RISD when Amy had a pivotal experience: “I saw the senior show of textiles and was blown away. I was in love with the tactile nature of the work, the color, and, even though I had no previous exposure, I knew I had to do it.” Having declared her major in textile design, she began taking courses in silkscreen, weaving, knitting, and sculpture during her sophomore year. “Looking back, as I went along, I toyed with many art forms. What speaks to me about any artwork is the emotional quality.” In reflecting on how she got to where she is, Amy says, “part of it is intuition, and knowing what opportunity is the right one and when to take it.” She got an in-depth understanding of how the business worked when she spent three and half years purchasing textile designs for Urban Outfitters. She then realized that she would love to be on the other side of the transaction, so when an opportunity to be an art director at a New York textile studio presented itself, she jumped on it. Everything just kept rolling in the right direction toward her tapping into her entrepreneurial side to start her own business. In 2006, Amy started Printfresh Studio in a former paper box factory in the Olde Kensington section of inner-city Philadelphia. Her husband, Leo Voloshin, helped her build her part-time venture into a company whose designs show up on the companies named earlier, as well as with brands such as Mango, Roxy, Billabong, Element, American Eagle, Aeropostale, J.Crew, Justice, Pottery Barn, H&M, and Zara. When you walk into their office space it is breath-taking yet comfortable; with exposed brick walls, natural wood, and an open floor plan and just the necessary furniture, perfectly placed, Printfresh is an ideal work environment for their 22 employees.
Printfresh also was recently recognized as one of the fastest growing Philadelphiabased companies by the city’s Initiative for a Competitive Inner City program. She hopes to double the number of employees in the next 10 years. In addition to running her own business, she and her husband own the 32,000-square-foot building with two-dozen tenants renting from them. “There is a real sense of community among our tenants, and there is a lot of creative energy. A florist, a PR company, photographers, artists, and designers all rent space from us,” she says. Amy admits that it is challenging to balance motherhood with running a business but feels fortunate to have the flexibility to determine their own schedule in considering their two children: “There are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do.” She attributes a great deal of Printfresh’s success to the combined skillset of her and her husband. Amy is the artist and he is a computer scientist; his experience and knowledge make him hugely helpful with the business side of their company. She describes her husband as having a “pie-chart for everything.” He has also encouraged her to learn the business side of everything, something she never envisioned as part of her daily life but what has become crucial to their success. Finally, Amy says she uses her strategic, visual, and intuitive approaches to craft more than just her business: she also uses them to design a custom-made life for her and her family. “I feel like I am living the dream that I really had for myself,” she says. “I try to make everything fun. I’ve always been a hard worker. I throw myself into it so much.”
away to see what she is doing now! The fact that she runs her own business and balances being a mother is so amazing.” Amy Brand ’99
Brand ’99. She is so brilliant and talented. Amy was great to have in the classroom as she elevated what we were doing.” Amy Voloshin ’99 Her MFA studies have focused on the theme of why she was doing art and what was it for. She spent a semester closely examining the relationship between play and art and what made her want to make things. The answer, as it had been her entire life, was the joy of making something with her hands and getting lost in the creative process. “Most artists make their work about their lives in some way,” she says. “In the art world, there is a bit of prejudice against mothers and an eye roll if you mention motherhood.There is this idea that work on that topic is going to be like a Hallmark card or a formula commercial, that there is just this blissful presentation [of motherhood] and it would be boring if it was just sentimental. But, as a mother, you realize there is so much more to it than that. You have blissful moments, extremely difficult moments and moments when you want to be selfish when you are not supposed to be. As a mother you are supposed to be selfless and I think that is a lot of the pressure. It feels like making [artwork goes] against this expectation... and [you are expected] to give all of your time to your kids. Instead, I am dedicating my time to this other thing and [I ask myself,] is art worth that time or not?” It is worth that time, she says: “You are going to spend 75 percent of your life working so you better make it something that you either enjoy or find meaningful... it has to be more than just a paycheck.” Amy worked as an art teacher at Perk before starting her MFA and says she wants to go back to teaching in the future. “Ideally I would like to keep teaching and making my own work as it is the perfect balance and makes me excited to get up and do stuff,” she says. “I like feeding off the energy of the students and you learn a lot about what you are teaching. Sometimes new material forces you to learn more and be inspired and then you can embrace it in your own work.”
Ultimately, her art is her outlet for expressing her life and perspective. Her final MFA exhibit explores how objects help people create systems of understanding – through scientific, spiritual, and/or personal means. In her artist’s statement about the work, which consists of industrial metal shelves holding a collection of sculpture, tiny bottles containing scrolls of handwritten notes, and everyday artifacts, Amy says she wanted to challenge the viewer by juxtaposing mythological female archetypes with the detritus of daily life to question assumptions about the roles of women in contemporary society. Her clay sculptures are fantastical storybook creatures that are precise and delicate. They make the viewer want to take a closer look and spend time with them, exploring the story that develops from them, to see what is beneath the surface. The scenes are intricate but have depth, speaking to the themes in her life story and her day-to-day life: motherhood, marriage, her children’s experiences, and the coming together of adult and childlike versions of reality. They are carefully sculpted life-like illustrations from a children’s story, speaking to adult concerns. Through her art, Amy asks herself hard yet important questions about her life and the answers come out through her work, allowing the observer a window into her mind.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2014 1. TOP ROW (Left to Right) 1. Liz ’14 and Logan ’14 Burnett 2. Kimi Molina Orte ’14 and Justas Valciukas ’14 3. Anthony Perdue ’14
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Congratulations to the 93 members of the Class of 2014! Fifty percent of the graduates were accepted as Early Decision students and 74 percent as Early Action. Thirty percent of the schools are ranked Most Competitive or Highly Competitive, according to Barron’s. Twenty-six students will matriculate to schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report as being in the top 100 National Universities and seven students will matriculate to schools ranked in the top 100 National Liberal Arts Colleges. The colleges are located in 21 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. From the class of 2014, one student will be an NCAA Division II athlete and three will be NCAA Division II athletes. We wish them the best of luck in their ventures beyond Perk.
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SECOND ROW 1. Tianyu Zhang ’14, Meredith Davey ’14, Victoria Rath ’14 2. Akshay Kripalani ’14 4. Karl Schmidt ’14
4. THIRD ROW 1. Logan Burnett ’14, Timothy Turner ’14, Hira Hai ’14 2. Madison Faraco ’14 Dagny Barone ’14, Brad Heinzinger ’14 Emma Longstreth ’14
2. BOTTOM ROW 1. Samira Uddin ’14, Abdel Ibrahim ’14 3. Paula Pupillo, Nicole Pupillo ’14, Salvatore Pupillo 4. Rajeeyah Conleton, Seidah Conleton ’14
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2. TOP ROW (Left to Right) 1. Huiyi Liu ’14, Congshan Gui ’14, Rihan Hai ’14, Jieni Hua ’14 2. Paige Longstreth P ’14, ’17, Emma Longstreth ’14 and Mark Longstreth P ’14, ’17 3. Christopher R. Tompkins with Class of 2014 4. Kevin Manferdini P ’07, ’09, ’11, Gillian Albanese ’14, Tetsuharu Hashimoto ’14, Nana Arthur ’14, Tristan Hardinger ’14
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2. THIRD ROW 1. Kentaro Masrin ’17, Indrawan Masrin P ’14, ’17 Hillary Masrin ’14 and Farida Masrin P ’14, ’17 2. Christopher R. Tompkins 3. Madison Faraco ’14 4. Dagny Barone ’14
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SECOND ROW 1. Benjamin Shapiro ’14, Carol Dougherty 2. Shane Flynn ’14, Arnaldo Contreras ’14, Gillian Albanese ’14 4. Nelson (Connor) Bade ’15 5. Taehoon Yang ’14
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4. BOTTOM ROW 1. Joseph Peña ’14 and Nicole Pupillo ’14 2. David H. Myers, Ph.D 3. Christopher R. Tompkins, Antonio Coleman ’14 Derek Fosbenner ’14, Alex Arhontoulis ’14, Grant Briddell ’14, Isaiah Smith ’14, Joseph Peña ’14 4. Benjamin Jaindl ’14, Hillary Masrin ’14 5. Chandler Junk ’14
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The Many Perspectives of Mr. Jonathan Moser By: Dagny Barone ’14
A l t h o u g h I o r i g i n a l l y k n e w M r. M o s e r b e c a u s e h e i s my m o t h e r ’s f i r s t c o u s i n , n ow t h a t I h ave h a d h i m f o r t h r e e d i f f e r e n t c l a s s e s s i n c e my f r e s h m a n ye a r, I v i e w h i m a s a t e a c h e r a n d a f r i e n d a n d a s a k n ow l e d g e a b l e a n d a r t i c u l a t e h i s t o r i a n , a s we l l as a man with a g reat sense of humor and g reat enthusiasm for his subjects. O n a n y g i ve n d ay, o n e m ay n o t i c e a b e a r d e d , b e - s p e c t a c l e d f i g u r e wa l k i n g a c ro s s c a m p u s , s e e him standing before the school leading mor ning meeting, or glimpse him through a classroom w i n d ow. N ow i n h i s s e ve n t h ye a r a s a h i s t o r y t e a c h e r a n d c h a p l a i n a t Pe r k i o m e n , h e h a s b e c o m e a f i x t u r e i n m a n y p e o p l e ’s m i n d s w h e n t h e y t h i n k o f w h a t t h e Pe r k i o m e n S c h o o l r e p r e s e n t s . M r. M o s e r a r r i ve d i n 2 0 0 7 t o f i l l t h e p o s i t i o n o f c h a p l a i n a f t e r M r. S a k a l o u c k a s r e t i r e d b u t h e wa s a l r e a d y ve r y f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e c a m p u s a n d t h e s c h o o l , h av i n g g r a d u a t e d f ro m h e r e i n 1 9 9 7 . L o n g t i m e t e a c h e r s M r. L o n g s t r e t h , M r. D o u g h e r t y, a n d M r. B a ke r t a u g h t h i m , j u s t a s t h e y d o s t u d e n t s o n c a m p u s t o d ay. S o m e o f h i s f o n d e s t m e m o r i e s a r e o f “ h av i n g t o r u n s p r i n t s f o r C o a c h L o n g s t r e t h a n d I n d i a n r u n s f o r C o a c h D o u g h e r t y.”
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Historic Perspectives As a History teacher, Mr. Moser challenges us to think differently. For example, he encourages us to appreciate the perspectives of historical figures. Some of my favorite memories are from his classes’ debates. We students spend a week preparing for the culminating challenge: a fast-paced volley of discussion with each team trying to prove their argument to be stronger. During my junior year in AP United States History, our debate was on the validity of Andrew Jackson’s decision to begin the forced march of Native Americans, an event known as the Trail of Tears.The entire class was completely biased against Jackson and unwilling to view the series of events that preceding the action from Jackson’s point of view. Instead of simply letting us judge history, Mr. Moser challenged the class to debate the validity of Jackson’s decision—to study, understand, and learn from this long-ago decision. This assignment was one of the hardest I’ve done for any class but it was extremely enlightening, revealing how hard it sometimes is to remember to look at all sides of an issue instead of simply choosing a side and regarding all other evidence as irrelevant. Many of Mr. Moser’s other students express the same sentiment about his teaching. AP United States History class student Connor Bade says, “Mr. Moser makes [his classes] as exciting as possible while still infusing them with a sense of understanding regarding historical events and their significance to the future.” Religious Perspective The same excitement and passion for learning are shared with his religion classes, according to Ying (Amy) Li, a boarding student from China. She says Mr. Moser “makes [his students] discuss the relationships between religion and everyday life and [he inspires us] to realize that religion is everywhere, not only simply through going to church on Sundays.” These testimonies about his teaching style reveal just how much Mr. Moser has changed his student’s impressions of the world around them while keeping them informed about different cultures and religions around the world. As Perkiomen’s chaplain, Mr. Moser has three main responsibilities: teaching the world religion class, ceremonial responsibilities, and being available to the community as someone to talk to with spiritual issues. When teaching the world religion courses, Mr. Moser strives to make sure there are enough options to allow students to meet their graduation requirements, as well as modernize the topics to make them more global in scope. His ceremonial responsibilities include writing and delivering prayers at the weekly Friday morning meetings as well as at different ceremonies and special events. With that responsibility, he feels it is important to spread as big an umbrella as possible so that the most people can be involved. Keeping the prayers nondenominational but also full of meaning is a balance he tries to strike and is one of the more challenging aspects of that position. Mr. Moser hopes to be a spiritual voice for the community, both for the students and the faculty. Campus Life Perspective In addition to his teaching, Mr. Moser also contributes to Perkiomen’s expanding campus life and strong sense of community, through weekend activities such as card tournaments and opportunities to compete in Model U.N. debates. An avid card player and classic video game player himself, Mr. Moser’s weekend Magic tournaments have
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become favorites of students and faculty alike and have sparked a growing interest in other students who had never heard of the game before. Now it is nearly impossible for anyone to enter the computer lab without finding a group of students battling and laughing together, enjoying a game they now share a common interest in. World Perspective At Perkiomen, The Model U.N. program, an internationally recognized form of competitive debating allows students to take on the responsibility of becoming a representative of a nation to try and debate world issues while forging alliances with other student representative nations to achieve a majority for a specific solution. In addition to creating the program as a student forum to understand other cultures and world issues, Mr. Moser has grown the program into a multi-term option as an after-school activity and class. Students also are able to attend multi-day conferences as well as conferences that are now hosted at Perkiomen. He not only increased student awareness of world problems through this program but also created a strong drive in some to pursue a college major in political science or international relations to explore the topics discussed in the classroom further. Personal Perspective From his perspective as a former day school student and now teacher, Mr. Moser says, “Perkiomen has developed more of a community and a campus life, with day students now returning to campus to meet with boarding student friends and go on weekend trips.” He also can see the changes the school has made in him personally as he went from being a student to leaving to pursue his degree and now being chaplain and head of the history department at Perk.Though he still fondly remembers his time as a young thespian in Perkiomen’s theater productions, Mr. Moser knows that he has much to bring to creating a truly global community at Perkiomen through his work as a history teacher and chaplain. In addition to being a teacher and advisor for students, Mr. Moser has two little students of his own: his son, Oliver, and his daughter, Beatrice. Oliver shares a passion for superheroes and loves to be around other students in his father’s classroom and the day student lounge. After conference period you can sometimes catch sight of Oliver and Mr. Moser challenging each other on a classic arcade game. Mr. Moser’s exuberance for life has clearly been passed on to both his children and his students. Now, as another school year ends, Mr. Moser’s advice to his students as they head off for college or prepare for one more year of high school is to take advantage of all the opportunities that come your way. Either at Perkiomen or abroad, you may not realize how many choices are available to you, whether it is class choices, extra-curricular, sports, clubs or other chances to get involved or learn something new. He says that by reaching out for all these opportunities, you’ll gain a better sense of who you are and a better sense of what you want out of life. I know I speak for the entire senior class when I say we will miss Mr. Moser next year and the excitement he brings to any class or activity he leads.
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TOP ROW (Left to Right) 1. Rachel Denny, Ben Watts ’94, Larry Jackson ’95 2. Don Barnes ’69, Chris Reshower ’69 3. Greg Finn ’72 and George Fernandez ’72
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THE PERKIOMEN SCHOOL
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PERKIOMEN MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2014
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BOTTOM ROW 1. Townsend Anschutz ’64 Ronald Stemler ’64, Paul Lansberry ’64 2. Ted Cooper ’64, Bob Morgan ’64 3. Deb Edelman, Dodie McGuire ’88, Jen Procak ’86 Todd Mayer ’85, Stacy Jeffers ’88 Liz Whitehouse ’88, Eric Edelman ’88 Nadine Crapo ’88, Jodi Tansy ’88
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BOTTOM ROW 1. Tim Snyder ’82, Cheryl Price ’73 2. Kendall Baker, Sue Baker P ’86, ’91 3. Megan Smith ’94 Stacia Barnett ’94, Joyce Kim ’94 Laura Mullaney ’94 Teryl Brake, Tilghman Lesher ’94 4. Larry Jackson ’95
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TOP ROW (Left to Right) 1. Wendy MacDonald ’72 2. Kevin Kirkwood ’81 3. Bill Fritz ’64 Larry Jackson ’95
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Class of 1964 50th Anniversary Class
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“ W H AT I S T H AT S O U N D ? ” “ O H , T H AT ’ S F E R D O C K .” “ W H AT ? ” “ M A D DY F E R D O C K — S H E ’ S YO U R G O A L I E T H I S S E A S O N .”
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That was my introduction to Maddy Ferdock this year: Her laughter falls somewhere between the Aflac Duck and Woody Woodpecker.While her laughs and guffaws, self-directed or in general good humor, can be heard in the halls and on the lacrosse and field hockey fields, they belie the character, strength, intellect, and talent of this young woman. As a second-year goalie returning to a team with new coaches and a new philosophy, Maddy had a great deal to be concerned with. It takes a certain kind of person to play goalie in lacrosse: They must have nerves of steel, the ability to anticipate shots, the grace and selfefficacy to command the respect of their defense, and the clout to hold teammates accountable for their play. With the departure of a dominant defensive player, Maddy had to become the persona of the entire defense and take responsibility for the points scored against us. Maddy anchored a defense that was asked to pull more than their weight due to a lack of production by the offense in the early part of the season, all the while adjusting to a new philosophy. As the season progressed, Maddy became more and more confident in both her abilities and her view of herself as a leader. Gone were the days of dropping her head. Now, she talked to her defense about how goals were scored against her and took responsibility when a ball got by, saying: “I should have saved that.” Maddy became a positive cheerleader for the offense as well. The more goals the offense scored, the less pressure she felt to keep games tight. She came to understand this and parlayed it into an exercise in team cohesion. With a nearly 65 percent save average last year and 500 saves in the past three years, Maddy has had seasons most goalies could never dream of. As a result of her play and leadership, she was named MVP for the 2013
season and in 2014 she continued with a wonderful performance both in the net and as a field player when given the opportunity. In addition to her success on the lacrosse field, Maddy has earned honors in field hockey, where she plays wing and was a top scorer in her freshmen, sophomore, and junior years. She’s also had experience with swimming, track, and lacrosse during her years at Perk. “I like the physical activity and being part of a team,” she explains. She also finds athletics to be a great stress reliever, as well as presenting welcome challenges. Then, there’s the thrill of adrenaline that kicks in at the start of a competition, such as when the whistle blows at a swim meet and she dives into the pool. “I try harder when I feel the adrenaline,” she says. Her track coach Peter Wickman also has had a great impact on her, she says: “His outlook on everything is different from any other coach I have had. He tells us that running and motivation are all in your head. Your body can physically do it, so it is just your mind that holds you back.” Off the field, Maddy has been a successful AP student, having taken numerous AP classes since her sophomore year. What she’s learned in the classroom —patience for working with many different people— has also helped her on the playing field, just as learning teamwork in sports has helped her in her academic work. A stalwart annual volunteer and model servant leader with the Appalachian Service Project each June, she has helped get more people involved by making announcements at meetings, raised money through bake sales in Schumo, and done the hard work of wielding a hammer to build houses in the hot Appalachian summer. Maddy has a bright future ahead of her, be it on the field, in the classroom, or as a leader. She exemplifies the qualities needed in our modern world and, as a skilled, energetic, and hardworking model of the servant leader, Maddy adds so much to our community. Now, about that laugh...
Maddy Ferdock: Athlete, Scholar, Service Leader By: Greg Martin History Teacher and Girls Lacrosse Coach
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Jennifer Pirri is Closer to Her Dream By: Christie Thompson ’09
Jennifer Lange Pirri ’10 has gone from Perkiomen Latin scholar to PR/New Media Marketing Intern for the Reading Fightin Phils and is so happy her heart could sing… Pirri was a formidable opponent on the athletic fields at Perk; she also indulged her creative side by taking courses in photography and working with local professional photographer and Perkiomen friend, Tim Miller. Today, Pirri has followed both of her passions—sports and social media—to a job that Pirri admits is “very close” to her dream job. “At first I wanted to only work in photography,” said Pirri, “but after interning for two years with the Philadelphia Phillies, I knew I wanted to work in sports.” Pirri earned a communications degree at the University of Michigan and had an impressive GPA of 3.66. With a resume bursting with internship experience, all she needed next was a job that would capitalize on her diverse skills. Pirri said the best advice she ever got was from Michigan entrepreneur Rich Sheridan during her junior year: “He said, ‘As you go forward in life, the one thing you should be seeking are those things that make your heart sing.’” That’s when Pirri realized that she could combine her passions into a career that she would love: Pursuing work in social media/marketing for a sports team.
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Today, Pirri is one step closer to her dream, spending her time managing the social media accounts for the Reading Fightin Phils Double-A affiliate of the Phillies. She staffs the press box during games and assists the PR Director, gaining invaluable experience. She has even conducted post-game interviews that can be viewed on www.fightins.com and served as the press box attendant, helping the media with anything that they needed during games. Along with her public relations experience, Pirri is heavily involved with marketing and organizes and handles all email marketing initiatives. She incorporates her creativity while generating content based on upcoming games and promotions and drafting ideas for graphics. Always the leader, she regularly updates the franchise’s various departments, keeping projects moving forward and office staff mindful of upcoming events, promotions, and games. Although it sounds like a lot of work, Pirri tells a different story: “I often work anywhere from 40-60 hour weeks and at the end of the day, no matter how tired I am, I am always happy to be doing what I do. I really enjoy media and marketing, and my job in Reading allows me to be creative and social, while also giving me freedom to learn new things every day.” Pirri believes she is on the right track, even though there were barriers to reaching her dream. “It has always been a bit difficult,” she admits. “There is not a lot of turnover in professional baseball. In sports, it’s all about interning and paying your dues. At times, that can be frustrating but it has been worth it.” Though the road has been a little bumpy, Pirri wants to use her experience to lend some words of wisdom to her peers and future college graduates.
First, she says, intern as soon as possible: “Oftentimes, the skills I learned in my internships were extremely valuable.” Second, she emphasizes do what makes you happy: “I’ve learned that it’s not always about the money, but it’s about doing something that you look forward to every day and that you can put 100 percent into. Don’t settle for anything that doesn’t make you happy.” Finally, she advises all students to make connections: “If you’re applying for a job, email them, call them, follow up, and do anything you can to get in touch so that they remember who you are.” It is no surprise that Pirri continues to apply herself to her work and that she is already making goals for her future. “In the next five years I hope to be managing or directing social/new media for a Philadelphia team,” she says. Pirri hopes to continue to work within the Phillies organization, but we know that wherever she works, she will find continued success in pursuing work that makes her heart sing. At press time, we learned that Jennifer recently accepted the position of Ticket and New Media Manager for the Reading Fightin Phils. Congratulations on achieving your dream.
Jennifer Lange Pirri ’10 has gone from Perkiomen Latin Scholar to PR/New Media Marketing Intern for the Reading Fightin Phils and is so happy her heart could sing‌
Dr. Felix Mondejar’s natural curiosity, energetic spirit, and childhood dreams of exploration have not diminished throughout his long and fascinating life.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
World Traveler Felix Mondejar ’33 at 100 By: Tara Mastrangelo Smith Director of Donor Relations
“As a child, I used to think—to start dreaming right away—that someday I would go there,” recalled Dr. Felix Mondejar ’33 P ’71, who first heard of Mount Everest and the Amazon River as a young boy attending a one-room elementary school in Cuba. The newfound knowledge appealed to his spirit of adventure and inspired a deep desire for world travel that remains with him today, even at age 100. Born into a small community on the outskirts of a Cuban sugar mill, Mondejar developed a love of open spaces, action, and horseback riding. One of his early memories is of riding a horse for the first time on his fourth birthday and falling off when the horse tripped on a pipe.The event had a lasting impression and taught him about resiliency when faced with life’s trials; his grandfather, a horse trader, insisted that he check his tears, stand up, and get back in the saddle. “Physically, emotionally, financially, mentally —I had my share of them all. Fortunately, Grandpa has always been there to tenderly say… ‘Stand up,’” he explained. With his love of freedom and open spaces, Mondejar had a difficult time adjusting to regimented private school life. After attending schools in Cuba, New York, and New Jersey, he came to Perkiomen in 1930 at the age of 15. Reflecting on his education, he recalled, “At all schools, excelling in scholastics and sports was easy, but discipline was an issue before reaching Perkiomen, and although there I felt free and happy, I still carried a little flair for noise and notoriety that caused a collision with Professor Sam Pascal.” That “collision” occurred after he disrupted Pascal’s French class by bursting in late and announcing his arrival with a hearty“BONJOUR!” Pascal gave him a memorable lecture on respect and reminded him of his parents’ love and sacrifice in sending him to Perkiomen. “It was like a dagger going right through me,” he remembered.“That day, I grew up seven inches. Years later, Pascal and I maintained a fast friendship until his death. At one of my visits, which occurred often, he insisted that I relate to his class at Lafayette College the episode, and I did it in French!” 1933 was a momentous year for Mondejar. He left Perkiomen due to the strains of the Great Depression and moved to New York City to live
with his aunt. He soon decided to make his own way in life, however, and spent two weeks living in the city subways before boldly stowing away on an ocean liner. He was quickly discovered and eventually returned to his family in Havana, Cuba, one of the ship’s ports of call. Following this remarkable year, he explored truck driving, modeling, and semi-pro baseball in Cuba, among various other jobs, before graduating from Havana University in 1939 with a degree in optometry.A few years later, during World War II, he served overseas in the U.S. Army until a service-related injury kept him hospitalized in France for nearly two months. Following the war, he practiced optometry in Venezuela before settling into a private practice and eventual retirement in Miami, Fla. The young boy from the Cuban sugar mill achieved his dreams many times over throughout his adult life. Mondejar visited the Amazon twice and traveled to Kathmandu in Nepal, near the base camps of Mount Everest. Mondejar’s adventures did not end there; his travels have taken him to nearly every continent. Of his many journeys, he highlights spear fishing in Australia (“I caught two little fishes and a bad cold,” he recalled), visiting the sacred Ganges River in Varanasi and the Taj Mahal in Agra, and a trip to the island chain Tierra del Fuego as the most important. Mondejar continued to travel the globe during his nineties. Just a few years ago, his zeal for world travel led him and his wife, Carmita, a former Ecuadorian journalist, to add Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to the extensive list of countries they have visited. As recently as this past winter, the couple spent 36 days exploring Argentina and Chile. Today, Dr. Mondejar maintains his vitality, keen wit, independence, curiosity, and spirit of adventure.While he does not currently have travel plans, it is unlikely he will slow down in his 100th year. As he says, “there are beautiful places in the world to see!”
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Class Notes By: Diana Weir-Smith ’85 Director of Alumni Affairs
60s
1964 50th Reunion Class Mark Averbach reports that he is still practicing law and his wife, Patricia, is an award-winning poet and novelist. They keep pretty busy by spending their summers in Chautauqua, N.Y., where they attend Chautauqua Institute lectures.They winter in Sarasota, Fla., where they attend Baldwin Wallace College and CWRU lectures and courses. ■ Bruce Sanft graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and then ran the family auto dealership after his father died in 1972. His three children — Albert, Bryan, and Brianna — all attended Perk. Brianna, who also taught AP physics at Perk for a year between her undergrad at Johns Hopkins and medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, is now an ER doctor in Boca Raton, where she lives with her husband and five kids. Bryan and Al both graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and still live in the Pottstown area; they each have two children, which brings the tally up to nine grandchildren for Bruce. He was married twice, divorced once, and both his wives have passed away. Bruce retired to Florida where he lives with his girlfriend, Barbara, and their dog, Rascal Lee. He plays a lot of tennis, works out at the gym three days a week, and visits his mother. ■ Hunter Smith received the Perkiomen School Alumni Achievement Award for his outstanding service to our country for over 35 years of Service with the West Virginia National Guard. ■ Bill Morton graduated from Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio (fellow Perk grad Tom Parsons was also there) and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became a Medical Corpsman and earned a Radiology Technician degree. After his discharge in 1974, he worked as an X-ray Tech for two years at a Pennsylvania hospital and became a Physicians Assistant in 1978. He spent 15 years at a sports medicine orthopedic practice. Bill then entered the world of OR medicine, working for three years with an orthopedic practice at a hospital trauma center. Now he works as the First Surgical P.A. in the Lankenau Hospital’s Department of Surgery in Wynnewood, Pa., specializing in joint replacement, hand surgery and spinal surgery. In his down time, he has stayed busy as a long-distance runner, qualifying for and running in the Boston
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Marathon in 1977 and 1978, as well as doing 17 other marathons. Bill loves salt-water fishing from Cape Cod to Florida. He and Paula are avid antique collectors, specializing in the Arts and Crafts Era of 1900 to 1920. They enjoy gardening and have been active in political campaigns, local citizens groups, and animal welfare issues, including opening their home to numerous animals and pets in need. He writes, “I have many good memories of attending Perkiomen for three years. Probably my best memories involve my playing sports there. In the fall, I played football and I always looked forward to the daily team practices and traveling to other schools for away games. I was on the team when we won the Penn-Jersey League Championship. And in the spring I played on the Perk baseball team. It was great fun as I played multiple positions. I enjoyed my roommates while attending school there (although my intentions to keep in touch have too often gotten lost in the shuffle). There are also memories involving historical moments—I remember being in Latin Class when we got the stunning news that President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas. And I remember when the Beatles first released ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand.’ We played it repeatedly 20 times or more that day in the Student Union.” ■ For Tim Roach, the last 50 years seem to have “moved too fast.” After graduating, he began working for an engineering firm before he was drafted and joined the Marines in 1965. Upon his discharge, he began his career in the swimming pool construction business. He builds Olympic-sized competition pools for colleges, universities, high schools and private entities and pools on high-rise buildings. His company has also done large government contracts such as the White House, Camp David, the Naval Academy and large rehabilitation facilities for the military such as Ft. Belvoir, Va. and The Warrior Transition Facility at the Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. Tim and his wife, Candy, have five children, all of whom are business professionals in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. Their hobbies are boating, fishing, travel cruises and traveling to visit family on Nantucket Island for family get-togethers. ■ Bob Morgan, who received the Carl Pfrommer ’36 Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding service as Class Agent for over 25 years, attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and earned a B.S. in Business Administration. He and his whole family continue to be huge Carolina basketball fans. After college, he went to work for Standard Brands and spent “an awful year in Detroit.” He calls it “the worst year of my life, and then decided that I had to find the place where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.” He fell in love
with Canada after going to Expo ’67 and then took a two-month camping trip across Canada, visiting most of the national and provincial parks. When he came down the west coast from Vancouver, he arrived in San Francisco, where he found his “home.” For 20 years, he worked for an insurance company based there and traveled up and down the west coast from Seattle to Phoenix to visit his company’s offices. He retired 23 years ago and started traveling: “What was supposed to be only a couple of years of traveling has turned into an amazing 23. I have traveled all over North America and Europe and especially the west coast from Vancouver to San Diego. I have fallen in love with the Redwood Forests and the Sierras, especially Yosemite… all of which I have hiked often.” His love for theatre and music, which began at Perk, continues to this day. Bob sees more than 150 live performances each year. He has volunteered for the last 17 years at the Fromm Institute at USF, where he has been the Performing Arts Representative for the past 13 years. Bob also has been taking continuing education courses from retired college professors from Bay Area universities like Berkeley and Stanford. His brother, Harry (Perk ’66), passed away eight years ago at the age of 59 from pancreatic cancer. His late father was the pilot of the WWII B-17F named “Memphis Belle,” which inspired two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, “Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress,” and a 1990 Hollywood feature film, “Memphis Belle.” He writes,“Life has been very good to me and I owe a lot to Perk and to the great guys who were my classmates for 3 years. I have been very proud to be our class of ’64’s agent for over 25 years and truly believe we have the best class that Perk has ever produced.” ■ Jack Ebbert has been involved in music his entire adult life. He received his Master’s in Music Composition from Temple University in 2006. For five years he’s been working on an opera for a full orchestra and expects to complete it and copyright it this summer. For many years he played in a small jazz band, listed as one of the top 10 in the Philadelphia area; he also taught students at Haverford and other area colleges. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of the band due to health issues. Jack and his wife have a daughter attending Millersville University, who is continuing with her family’s musical background— she is a very accomplished violinist. He also thanks
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The Class of 1964 members: 1. Hunter Smith, Winner of the Alumni Achievement Award 2. Bryce Manthorne, Buzz Baylis 3. Fred Melpolder 4. Fred Meyers 5. Tony Cucinotta 6. Bob Morgan, Hunter Smith 7. Ted Cooper
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Class Notes Mr. Shearer for the inspiration to pursue music as a career. ■ Buzz Baylis reports that after Perk, he went to Muskingum College (1964-65) followed by Westchester Community College (1965-67). During that time, he courted and was engaged to Pam Hyland. Buzz went on to enlist in the U.S. Airforce, where he was trained as a crypto computer maintenance guy. He volunteered to be assigned to California in 1968 and has never had “any reason to leave.” Fast forward to 1970, when he courted and married Tina Mack, with whom he was married until her death from cancer in 1995. Together, they had two daughters and two grandchildren. He graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1973 and spent six months selling hand-held calculators from Texas Instruments. Soon after, he launched his own businesses in dental sales and then high-end residential door hardware. In 2005, a long time Southern California lock industry colleague gave him the opportunity to open his own independent door hardware agency representing various related vendors. “The current count is eight factories and the real bonus is I get the opportunity to talk to new folks and some that I have dealt with since 1975!” On the personal side, in 1996, he reconnected and married his former fiancée and soul mate, Pam Hyland. He writes, “We live overlooking San Francisco Bay with Alcatraz, the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge as our daily view.” ■ Bill Fritz reports, “It is not easy to summarize the last 50 years. I married my high school sweetheart, Mary Grammes. Our son Bill Jr. is a CPA and our daughter, Claire ’90, is a Process Engineer. Our three grandchildren are Brittany, Brandon, and Ryan. Brittany just graduated from college and has a fulltime position with a major accounting firm in the fall. She is working on her CPA. Brandon will finish his junior year at Lehigh University this year. Ryan started Penn State University this past fall. My real joy over the last 50 years is the love of my life Mary and watching both my children and grandchildren become beautiful adults. This is really the true meaning of life.” Bill’s professional career began with Mass Mutual in 1970. He became a principal with Miers Insurance in 1984. He retired in 2012 after 43 years in the industry. During his career, Bill held leadership positions in the Pennsylvania Association of Financial Advisors, Lehigh Valley Association of Financial Advisors, and Lehigh Valley Chapter American College of Financial Advisors and his resume included CLU, CHFC, Million Dollar Round Table, PAIFA Keystone Award for outstanding leadership to NAIFA and PAIFA, among others. Bill joined the Perkiomen board in 1973, when the school faced many problems. In the mid-1980s, he was elected chairman of Perkiomen’s board, which went on to hire Headmaster George Allison, who served the school for 23 years. Bill
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reports, “George changed Perkiomen from a failing school to a thriving institution. It is very unusual to have a Headmaster for more than five years. That tradition continues today under the superb leadership of Chris Tompkins. We have a full enrollment, a beautiful campus, and a national reputation for excellence. Just look around at the new buildings and technology that is part of a quality school. I’m very proud of Perkiomen because the future is bright and will continue to provide a quality experience for students many years from today.”
70s
1976 Robin Short has been in the Disabilities field since 1988. She currently works for Heartshare Human Services in the QA department. 1977 Jennie Cook, who runs a leading green catering company in Los Angeles, is a chef, author and blogger. Learn more about Jennie’s food and books at jenniecooks.com. 1979 Marcia Moll Barone ’79, P ’14, ’17 received the James E. Schultz ’81 Alumnus of the Year Award for her years of dedication to The Perkiomen School, its students and alumni.
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1984 Earl Kight was inducted into the Hall of Athletic Honor during the Alumni Weekend festivities for his achievements on Perkiomen lacrosse field and at Gettysburg College. Earl is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Ballast Point Brewing Company. 1987 Scott Bramer writes: “I hope this finds my Perkiomen family happy and well. Life in Southern California is nothing short of colorful.After completing my B.A. in English / Law I spent about 10 years in the Music Industry, both on and off stage. My band, LOVECRAFT, released two albums/CDs during that time. After 10 years it was time for a change, so I left the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and the Music Industry to pursue other avenues. I moved to one of
my family’s favorite vacation destinations, Palm Springs, Calif. I love it here. I took a job working for a local police department, managing their Animal Control Division. What an amazing job that was. Due to the ailing economy and severe budget cuts within the City, my division was cut as well as several other departments, leaving nearly 60 people out of work. Currently, I have again turned my focus back towards music where I play guitar as part of the worship team at my church. It is indeed a small world, as the band is composed of several notable musicians from the ’80s and ’90s. I am also working on my first book, which will chronicle the events and personal experiences of the last two decades. I know I have connected with many of you on Facebook. However, if you would like to reach out I would love to hear from you.” 1989 Darren “Rex” Rexroad was awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Award for entrepreneurial work with his company, Rex’s Outrageous. Find out more at www.rexsoutrageous.com.
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1996 Kerry Plunket writes: “We are pleased to announce the birth of our son, James Taylor Plunket, born on March 4, 2014 at 11:42 pm. He weighed 8 lbs. and was 20.25 inches long. James has been welcomed by his happy parents, Bob and Kerry, his big brother, Teddy, and family, including his aunt Ashley (Smith) Younger ’99.”
00s
2000 Karlee Fain is the author of “The Grocery Store Adventure Guide.” Read more on her website: www.everybodythrive.com. 2001 Congratulations to Jason and Janelle Kreischer as they welcomed Stephen Kreisher to world on May 30. 2004 Congratulations Captain Michael Wagner USAF on receiving the Carl Pfrommer Distinguished ’36 Service Awards on Alumni Weekend. 2005 On February 1, Cara Bumgardner got engaged to Gavin Mathis, who she met while serving as hostess at a restaurant in D.C. in 2011.The wedding is planned for November 9, 2014 in Pinehurst, N.C. Included in the wedding party will be Cara’s twin brother, Jeffrey Bumgardner ’05. Cara is a Public Affairs Specialist at the Department of Justice, and her fiancé is a Government Affairs Specialist at the law
firm K&L Gates, both in D.C.They reside in Annapolis, MD.” ■ Elliott Katz graduated from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Del., with honors certificates in Criminal Law and Trial Advocacy. ■ On a perfect Saturday, June 7th, Theresa Gerhold married John Schlatterer in a beautiful ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Conshohocken, PA. Theresa and John met while undergrads at Villanova University. In the bridal party were Anne Marie Blair ’05 and Melissa Weinstein ’05, and in attendance were Rachel McElhenney ’06, Anna Dixon ’05, Paige Lieberman ’05, Corey DelPrete ’05, Cara Bumgardner ’05, and Will Gerhold ’07.Theresa and John spent their honeymoon in Italy! ■ Paige Lieberman graduated from St Luke’s School of Nursing. 2007 Rachael Slack received her B.A. from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in 2008 and a Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University in 2013. She works at the National Institutes of Health, designing potential drugs for the treatment of psychostimulant addiction. 2008 Dan Pitmann writes, “This past year, I taught my first year of dance classes at Applause Dance Academy, was the dance captain in ‘The Wedding Singer’ in Harrisburg, and was choreographer for ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Shippensburg High School. I will be returning for a second year of teaching and choreographing ‘Into the Woods’ at Shippensburg High School.” 2010 Jenn Pirri graduated from the University of Michigan. She is currently working for the Reading Fightin Phils minor league baseball team as a PR/ New Media Marketing Intern. ■ Eddie Stubbs graduated from Quinnipiac University. He majored in Public Relations with a minor in International business. He will be attending Emerson College for his masters in Global Marketing communications and advertising.
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8. The 2014 James E. Schultz ’81 Alumnus of the Year Award was presented to Marcia Moll Barone ’79, P ’14, ’17. Joining Marcia are her daughter Dagny Moll Barone ’14, mother Barbara Moll and husband Christopher Barone P ’14,’17. 9. Earl Kight, III ’84 was inducted into the Hall of Athletic Honor. 10. Darren “Rex” Rexroad is the 2014 Young Alumni Achievement Award recipient. 11. Captain Michael Wagner ’04 was also a reception of the Carl Pfrommer ’36 Distinguished Service Award. With him is Jennifer Hutchinson. 12. Cara Bumgardner ’05 and fiancée Gavin Mathis. 13. Celebrating with Theresa Gerhold are her 2005 Classmates: Corey DelPrete, Anna Dixon, Anne Marie Blair, Paige Leiberman, Rachel McElhenney, Cara Bumgardner and Melissa Weinstein.
Former Faculty Paul and Carla Hausmann celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in style at Alumni Weekend on June 7, 2014. John Sackaklous was back on campus to participate in the Alumni Weekend Celebration.
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Class Notes In Memoriam 1942 The Alumni Office just received notice that Edward W. Schlechter Jr., 90, of Allentown, died Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013 after a brief illness. He and wife Gale (Snyder) Schlechter celebrated 30 years of marriage just two days before. Born and raised in Allentown, Mr. Schlechter was a 1940 graduate of Allentown High School and 1942 graduate of Perkiomen Prep and furthered his education at Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College. He joined the family business, Schlechter Printers and Publishers, Allentown, and retired in 1985 as the owner after more than 40 years employment. Founded in 1810, Schlechter Printers was one of the oldest family business establishments in the Lehigh Valley and published Der Unabhaengige Republikaner (The Independent Republican,) a German-language newspaper. He was an avid and skilled fly fisherman. He also enjoyed golf and was a member of Lehigh County Club. As a dedicated community volunteer, Mr. Schlechter was President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, President of the Livingston Club 196263, Rotary Club, and United Way, and served Meals on Wheels for more than 20 years. Mr. Schlechter was one of the three founders of Trident Swim Club, the first in Allentown, which then served as a model for many other neighborhood swim clubs. He also served on the South Whitehall Township Recreation Commission. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Allentown, and former member of Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown, serving on the vestry and church council. A veteran of World War II, Mr. Schlechter served the 7th Army Air Forces Radio Squadron in the Philippines. He is survived by his beloved wife, Gale Snyder Schlechter, his children, a brother, and other family. 1946 Richard J. Hope, 85, of Allentown, died Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014. The son of the late Richard and Claire (Bonner) Hope of Tamaqua, he graduated from Perkiomen Prep and then Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Hope served in the U.S. Navy (1950 to 1954) in the Legal Department in Norfolk,Va., and on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Upon discharge he worked in the family business in Tamaqua. He married his late wife, Barbara (Sweeney) Hope, in 1956. In 1958 he re-opened the Allentown Business School and served as owner and Director. Ten years later he sold the school to ICS of Scranton and joined Air Products & Chemicals in Trexlertown, where he worked as a Personnel Supervisor for 22 years. Upon retiring in 1990 he worked as a volunteer at LVHS for 10 years. Mr. Hope is survived by his daughter, Jane McDonnell of Blue Bell, Pa., siblings, and a granddaughter.
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1955 The Alumni Office just received notice that Harry Weissmann, 74, died peacefully in his Binghamton, N.Y., home on Dec. 16, 2010 after a courageous three-month battle with Melanoma. Born in 1936, in Mannheim, Germany, he was a Holocaust survivor and came to the United States with his parents, Fred and Erna Weissmann, when he was four years old. He was a graduate of Harpursville Central School, Perkiomen, and West Virginia Wesleyan College. He grew up and built a thriving dairy farm in Harpursville, N.Y., and served as a Broome County Legislator from the 9th District. After retiring from farming, Mr. Weissmann went to work for Broome County, where he served as Manager of Risk and Insurance, Deputy County Clerk, Manager of Department of Motor Vehicles, and Director of Public Works. Always active in community affairs, he was founding President of Colesville Rotary Club, Past President and Treasurer of the Broome Tioga Holstein Club, member of Farm Bureau, member of Afton Sertoma Club, member and past Treasurer of Hillcrest Rotary. Mr. Weissmann served on the Board of Education of Harpursville Central School for 20 years and was on the Boards of Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference and Metro Interfaith Housing. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Carol (Simons), his children, grandchildren, brother-in-law, and his faithful dog, Derby, and is predeceased by a son, Denton. 1958 Joseph A. Rado Jr., 75, of Wyomissing, died peacefully on April 25, 2014 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Happily married to his wife, Elaine (Fugo) Rado, for 49 years, he was born in Bloomsburg, Pa., to his parents, the late Joseph A. Rado Sr. and Margarite Jones. He grew up in Berwick, Pa., and was a 1957 graduate of Berwick HS before graduating from Perkiomen School. He earned a B.S. in elementary education from Bloomsburg University in 1963 and a master’s degree in education from West Chester University in 1970. Mr. Rado’s career spanned many successful professions, including education, coaching, insurance sales and business leadership. For all those who knew him, his inspiring and positive nature brought out the best in the people. Upon graduating from Bloomsburg, he became a teacher and coach at Upper Merion High School (19631965) and Lourdes Regional High School (19651974). As Lourdes’ wrestling coach, the team had eight Catholic Wrestling Team Championships, one state champion wrestler, and 23 regional wrestling champions. He also sold Metropolitan Life policies (1974-1986) and received numerous national sales
awards, including five President’s Council Awards, 12 Leader’s Council Awards, and was named a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. In 1986, he purchased WORLD Electronics, a small company that repaired electronic elevator boards. By 1998, Mr. Rado expanded the company’s expertise to any kind of electronic assembly and moved the company headquarters to a state-of-the art, 84,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Muhlenberg Township that has been recognized, over several years, as one of the Top Places to Work in Berks County. Today,WORLD Electronics has two locations in Pennsylvania: at the main headquarters in Reading with more than 100 employees and in Indiana, Pa. Mr. Rado served on the Advisory Board for the College of Business at Bloomsburg University. In 2012, the university named the Rado Lobby in Sutliff Hall in recognition of the many contributions made by Mr. Rado and his wife, Elaine. He also was a charter member of the International Alumni Council at Bloomsburg University. Former Chairman of the Board of the Agile Web, he also served on the Advisory Board for the National Association of Elevator Contractors, the National Association of Surface Mount Technology and the Board of Directors for the Manufacturers Association of Berks County. He was a member of Sacred Heart Church in West Reading, a former head wrestling coach for the Wyomissing Grapplers, a charter member of the Pennsylvania chapter of Unico, and a Pennsylvania Ambassador from 2000-2007. Mr. Rado also was a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society and served on the Board of Directors for the Berkshire Country Club for many years, as well as the Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America’s The Hawk Mountain Council. His many awards included All-State Football Player at Berwick Senior H.S., 1956; Service Key at Bloomsburg University, 1963; Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee at The Perkiomen Prep, 1987; Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 1992; Academic Hall of Fame Inductee at Berwick Senior H.S., 2003; National Leadership Award/ Honorary Chairman of the Business Advisory Council, 2004; Distinguished Alumni Award, Bloomsburg University, 2004; United States Army Reserve Patriotic Support, Operations Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom, 2004; Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Bernie Romanoski Chapter, 2005; Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Centennial Award, 2006; 1st Honorary Member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Bloomsburg University, 2007; and Who’s Who of the Heritage Registry, 2006-2007. Mr. Rado loved people, golf, Tuesday night cards, football, photography and kids’ sports, which extended to his children and his grandchildren. He was known for applying his catch phrase—“Have some fun today”— to any endeavor or activity that he undertook, professional or personal. He is survived by his stepmother, Catherine Rado of Berwick, his four brothers, five children, and five grandchildren.
1961 The Alumni Office recently learned that William K. Bayley, 68, of Neenah, passed away on Oct. 13, 2011. Son of the late Elden and Alice (Kelly) Bayley of Springfield, Ohio, he married Lisa A. (Golladay) Bayley on June 8, 1996. He served as a Captain in the United States Army during theVietnam War. An accomplished skydiver for many years, he completed 500+ jumps and reached Master Sky Diving status. Mr. Bayley also was an avid camper and loved riding his red scooter. Mr. Bayley spent much of his career in the Paper Distribution Industry. He and his wife, Lisa, loved to travel together, exploring new adventures. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, his children, stepchildren, grandchildren, and other family, as well as his beloved Boston terrier, “Ted.” 1964 Mark Claster Mamolen, 67, died unexpectedly after a fall on Dec. 25, 2013 in Miami. He was a longtime Perkiomen School donor, 2004 commencement speaker and member of the 50th anniversary class. Born in western Maryland, Mr. Mamolen always said that his upbringing in the small blue-collar town of Westernport taught him much of what he knew about people, character, business, and life. Son of the late Benjamin Edward and Sara Claster Mamolen, who inspired him by their hard work, curiosity, education and kindness to others, Mr. Mamolen was a beloved brother, uncle and friend and a highly entertaining storyteller. He received his B.A. in Economics and his MBA from George Washington University and a JD from the University of Chicago. A life-long entrepreneur, Mr. Mamolen started his first business while an undergraduate, and, after early stints at IBM and Boston Consulting Group, acted as the principal non-family financial advisor to J. A. Pritzker. While at Pritzker & Pritzker (1978 to 1985), he was responsible for underwriting a number of investments including TransUnion Corp. and TicketMaster. After this, he became an independent private investor in a number of businesses and the managing partner of Carl Street Partners. Mr. Mamolen was a key principal in the buyout of Bendix Engine Products and DeflectaShield Corp., where he was also a director, as well as other businesses. He was a Life Member of the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Law School, a member of the Dean’s International Council at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies of the University of Chicago, Board Advisor to Intellectual Property Development, Inc., Board Member of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University, and previously served as a member of the
Advisory Board of DigaComm, LLC. One of the primary joys of his adult life was his introduction to the art of Edgar Miller (1899-1993), a Chicago artist of the mid-20th century. He was Miller’s friend, a major collector of the artist’s work, and a supporter of the publication of the recent book entitled, “Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home.” Mr. Mamolen is survived by his sister and nephews. 1966 Roger Henry Detwiler, ladies’ man and bon vivant with great wit, died on Nov. 25, 2013. A gourmet cook with a passion for food who always carried a spoon in his jacket pocket because he might “run into something good to eat,” Mr. Detwiler was a man about town in any town of the world. He had a penchant for striking up a conversation with anyone, whether man on the street or distinguished dignitary, and often said the least expected thing in the middle of a conversation to garner a smile, trying to leave his conversational partner “feeling on top of the world.” An “observer and chronicler of the human condition,” Mr. Detwiler also was a photographer his entire adult life. He had an eye for beauty that was more than skin deep, especially when it came to the ladies. He was drawn to smart women, but he never missed the opportunity to kiss the hand and compliment any of the ladies he met or knew. Yet he was devoted to the girl he said he fell in love with at first sight: Lynn (Mazakas) Detwiler, to whom he was married for nearly 45 years. She often said, “There isn’t a day I don’t feel loved or beautiful” because of her husband. Mr. Detwiler also loved to give advice, whether or not it was sought. In particular, he was passionate about lifting up people’s spirits, telling anyone, especially children, to never use the word “can’t.” “You can do and be anything you want,” Mr. Detwiler said repeatedly. He applied this “can do” attitude in his recovery from a spinal cord injury. Wheeled into rehab to meet patients who suffered similar injuries, he joked, “Don’t get up.” Then he proceeded to lead them through the rehab regimen of the day to the tune of his favorite Motown song. From a family with a legacy of public service, Mr. Detwiler spent much of his time serving his community in the leadership of local governmental and non-profit organizations, including the North Penn American Red Cross, Souderton Borough Zoning Hearing Board, Souderton Borough Recreation Board, Indian Valley Arts Foundation, and Indian Valley Opportunity Committee, now part of the Keystone Opportunity Center.When asked about his work and family legacy, he would often quip, “Well let’s say, I know where all the bodies are buried.” (So that no one could include him in such a statement, he insisted on having his ashes scattered.) He spent 30 years restoring his Edwardian home on Main Street in Souderton, where he created a nature retreat in his yard replete with pond, stream, waterfalls, and perennials. Mr. Detwiler
also spent time there restoring his lap strake wooden boat, which he sailed most evenings on Lake Nockamixon. He took pride in serving as a Marine Corps corporal in the Vietnam War and received a purple heart for injuries sustained there.While he was recovering during 18 months at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital with others suffering a similar fate, he took every opportunity to speak publicly and privately about the ravages of war in pursuit of spreading good karma. A free spirit and full of life, he had a certain disdain for funerals and feared that his remembrance ceremony would be a traditional one such as those rightly held for his father Henry S. Detwiler and mother Neva (Badertscher) Detwiler at their request. Therefore, his family held a private celebration of his life for family and friends without traditional trappings on May 31, 2014. 1969 Lawrence S. Allison Sr., 63, of Williamsport, Pa., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, at his home. Born on July 6, 1950, in Daytona Beach, Fla. to Herbert and Lois Harrison Allison, Mr. Allison grew up loving go-cart racing locally and regionally; he even competed internationally at the Go-Kart World Championships in the Bahamas. After graduating from Perkiomen, he attended Franklin Pierce College and went on to work for the family business, the former Lycoming Construction Company, until starting Allison Crane & Rigging Inc. with his father; he was president for 38 years. He was a board member and past president of the Williamsport Country Club, served on numerous bank boards, was chairman of the Divine Providence Lefty Wagner Golf Tournament, the Laurel Valley Country Club, the Ocean Reef Club, Los Suenos Marina in Costa Rica, the Grays Run Hunting Club and the Homewaters Club. Larry enjoyed his winters on his sport fishing boat, High Hook, fishing in tournaments and watching his friends catching sailfish and marlin in Costa Rica, traveling the world fishing, hunting and his summers golfing with his friends. Mr. Allison especially loved spending time with his granddaughter. He was very generous with his time and donations for numerous charities, friends and employees. Larry was predeceased by his father and brother, Herbert “Bert” Allison. He is survived by his mother; a son, Lawrence S. Allison Jr., of Williamsport; daughter, Tiffany J. Allison, of Palm Beach Garden, Fla.; a sister, Patricia (Robert) Landis, of Coleman, S.D.; a granddaughter, Sadie; and numerous nephews.
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Class Notes 1988 Margaret Klopf White, known variously by friends and family as Peggy or Garet, was born Oct. 24, 1969 and passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep on May 15, 2014. She attended Hathaway Brown School in Cleveland, Ohio, graduated from Perkiomen School, and then received her B.A. degree magna cum laude from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville. Her chosen career was social work as a determined and tireless advocate for those living lonely and painful lives, but most importantly the children. She served children caught up in a foster system they could not understand and could not deal with. She wouldn’t rest until she helped place each child she cared for in a “forever home.” The most famous of these cases was that of Dani Lierow, “The Girl in the Window.” She had a kind and generous spirit and her time on earth was too brief but she touched many lives. The good she left behind will forever be her memorial. In 2013 she received the Ralph Hossman Awards from her Alma Mater for her work with Dani Lierow. She is survived by her loving family: her son, Charles Randolph White; her mother, Lynne Batzer Klopf; her stepfather, John Tissue; her brother, John Klopf (Kate Voshell); her cousin, Geoff Bronner (Kristy); her biological mother, Linda Clark; her half-brother, Ian Clark; and her half-sister, Jalin Clark Runza (Michael). She also left behind an aunt, three cousins and four nephews.
Former Faculty David Dewey Detar Jr., 84, former Perkiomen School’s Admissions Director and husband of Kitty Lou (Schmearer) Detar of Pottstown, died May 6, 2013, at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center. Born in Philadelphia to the late David Dewey Detar, M.D. and the late Emma (Burdan) Detar, he was a 1947 graduate of Pottstown High School and 1951 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. In addition to Perkiomen School, Mr. Detar worked at the former Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Teleflex and NW Controls. He was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Pottstown, Stitcher Lodge #254 F&AM, Pottstown, and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elk’s Lodge #814, Pottstown. Mr. Detar
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served on the Pottstown School Board (1966-1973) and was President from 1969 to1973. He also was President of the Pottstown Sports Hall of Fame and the Pottstown Cemetery Association. He was a fouryear varsity athlete at Pottstown High School: he played football as quarterback, halfback, and punter and was a member of the famous 1946 Trojan football team; he also was on the basketball, baseball, and track teams. He was recruited by the United States Military Academy to play football and played for coaches Vince Lombardi and Colonel Red Blake. He was a very faithful member of the Ellis Drug Store Reunion Group and the ’40s group, and will be remembered for his hearty laugh. In addition to his wife, Mr. Detar is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and one great-grandson. Esther Irene Weiss, 100, formerly of East Greenville, passed away Sept. 20, 2013 at Frederick Living. Born in East Greenville, she was a daughter of the late Charles and Irene (Bowman) Weiss. Miss Weiss was a librarian at the Perkiomen School for 28 years before retiring in 2004. Prior to that, she was a Librarian for the Lankenau School from 1948-1979. She began her career as a third-grade teacher in Pennsburg and New Hanover Townships. Janet Wampole, a 28-year member of the Perkiomen School staff passed away June 2, 2014. She was the beloved wife of Michael Wampole. Born in Philadelphia, she is a daughter of Robert and Dorothy (Link) Elker, of Newtown. Mrs. Wampole graduated from Council Rock High School in 1959. She is survived by her husband and her parents as well as her daughters, Sarah Crabtree ’92 and Rachael Demeter ’93, her sisters, Jill Ebeling of New Jersey and Joanne Hansen of Langhorne; and her grandchildren, Katelin, Maya, Tessa, Jacob, and Michael. She was pre-deceased by a brother, Michael.
Friends John R. Thomas, 96, of Elmhurst Twp., died April 30 at home. He was grandfather of Jeffrey Thomas ’10 and a longtime Delray Beach Gathering Host. He was married to his late sweetheart, Jean (Saitta) Thomas, for 69 years. Born in Scranton’s Hyde Park section, son of the late Chester A. and Mary V. (Evans) Thomas, he graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., in 1936. He attained his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Princeton University in 1940 and his M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut in
1944. Mr.Thomas was the owner, president, CEO and chairman of the board of the Wesel Manufacturing Co. in Scranton and a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Elmhurst, where he served as an elder and a Sunday school teacher, sang in the choir, and was a trustee. Active in community affairs, he held positions on the board of directors of many organizations including First National Community Bank of Dunmore, AAA Motor Club of NEPA, Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation, Museum Association of Scranton and the Forest Lakes Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He also served as the president of the Scranton Industrial Development Corp., a division of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and was on the board of directors of the North Pocono Joint School Authority and previously the Elmhurst School District. He also belonged to many organizations, including St. David’s Society of Scranton, Shriners International, was a past president and life member of the Lackawanna Audubon Society, the Hyde Park Lodge 339 of the Masons, where he received his 50 years Masonic service emblem, and was on the Lodge Council Chapter Consistory in the Scottish Rite. Mr. Thomas is survived by his two daughters, Barbara Harder and her husband, Frank, of Philadelphia, and Sue Thomas, of Ambler; his grandchildren, Jason and Jeffrey; and his cousin, Cynthia Thomas Stuck, of White Bear Lake, Minn. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Helen Thomas.
Alumni Parents Anne M. Meade, mother of Chris Meade ’11, passed away on Aug. 7, 2013. Robert W Nester, father of Claire Nester ’96, passed away on Aug. 28, 2013.
NON-PROFIT U . S . P O S TA G E P A I D PERMIT NO. 130 H O R S H A M , PA 1 9 0 4 4
THE PERKIOMEN SCHOOL OFFICE OF ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT 200 SEMINARY STREET P E N N S B U R G , PA 1 8 0 7 3
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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