Celebrating 40 Years
Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin
www.choate.edu/artscenter
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s pri n g 2012
Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine
A portrait of a vibrant, dynamic school community
8 State of the School
A volunteering tradition permeates school culture
16 Community Service
Change Service Requested
Heeding the call of the Peace Corps
PAID
New Haven, CT Permit #1090
7 An Unintended Consequence
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
s u m m e r 2011 | preview: s p r i n g 2012 | preview:
Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800
Strengthening
Communities for the Common Good
Save the Date
May 18-20, 2012
Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications Mary G. Verselli Editor Lorraine S. Connelly Design and Production David C. Nesdale Class Notes Editor Henry McNulty ’65 Contributors Charles F. Dey Kate Doak Ron Fleury Henry McNulty ’65 Kevin Mardesich ’87 G. Jeffrey MacDonald ’87 Cynthia Stahura David Webb John C. Whitney, III ’08 Photography Deron Chang Al Ferreira John Giammatteo ’77 Paul Horton Ian Morris ChiChi Ubiña Life Trustees Charles F. Dey Bruce S. Gelb ’45 Edwin A. Goodman ’58 Cary L. Neiman ’64 Stephen J. Schulte ’56 Edward J. Shanahan William G. Spears ’56
2011-2012 Board of Trustees Luis H. Ball ’78 Susan M. Barclay ’85 Samuel P. Bartlett ’91 Michael J. Carr ’76 Alex D. Curtis Richard Elman David R. Foster ’72 Robert B. Goergen, Jr. ’89 John F. Green ’77 Linda J. Hodge ’73 Brett M. Johnson ’88 Warren B. Kanders ’75 Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57 Edward O. Lanphier ’74 William Laverack, Jr. Gretchen Cooper Leach ’57 James A. Lebovitz ’75 Kewsong Lee ’82 Robert A. Minicucci ’71 Linda H. Riefler ’79 Marshall S. Ruben Henry K. Snyder ’85 M. Window Snyder ’93 Jeanette Sublett Thomas M. Viertel ’59 Benjamin S. Walton ’92 Editorial Advisory Board Susan M. Barclay ’85 Christopher Hodgson ’78 Judy Donald ’66 Howard R. Greene Dorothy Heyl ’71 Stephanie Ardrey Hazard ’81 Henry McNulty ’65 John Steinbreder ’74 Francesca Vietor ’82 Heather Zavod
We want to see you! Start planning now.
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Contact the Editorial Office Communications Office, c/o Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800 Editorial Offices: (203) 697-2252 Fax Number: (203) 697-2380 Email: alumline@choate.edu Web site: www.choate.edu Submissions to the Magazine All submissions to the Bulletin should be made via email or through regular post. Photos should be supplied in hard copy format or in digital format at 300 dpi. Every effort is made to accommodate all submissions. However, the Editor reserves the right to refuse images that are not suitable for printing due to poor quality and to edit content to fit within the space allotted.
Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin is published fall, spring, and summer for alumni, students and their parents, and friends of the School. Please send change of address to Alumni Records and all other correspondence to the Communications Office, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492-3800. Choate Rosemary Hall does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, athletics, other school-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or non-job-related handicap. Our Commitment to the Environment The Bulletin is printed using vegetable-based inks on ChorusArt Silk, an FSC-certified paper which contains 70% recycled content, including 30% post consumer waste. This issue saved the equivalent of 32+ trees, 13,488 gals. wastewater flow, 92+ lbs. water-borne waste not created and prevented over 2,938+ lbs. of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere.
Printed in U.S.A. 1112-108/17.5 M
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You are an important member of the Choate Rosemary Hall community. We invite you to reconnect and celebrate with your classmates, teammates and friends from around the globe.
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Please plan to visit campus May 18-20, 2012 for a memorable weekend of Reunion programs and festivities. Watch your mail and e-mail for schedule updates, events, places to stay, and class-specific activities. Visit the alumni section of the school website at www.choate.edu/alumni for further information and to update your contact data in the online directory.
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We look forward to seeing you soon!
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Your friends at Choate Rosemary Hall. 1 9 9 7
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on t he cover Choate Rosemary Hall students tutor elementary and
middle schoolers at the Wallingford Public Library. Seated, from left, Rohan Deshpande ’12, Nic Savulis, Reem Ahmed ’12, Brittnee Diorio, Emma Kahn ’13, Michelle Orozco, and Stephen Adamo ’13. Standing, from left, Marie Kustikova ’13, Juan Godinez, Kirby Pedersen ’13 and Fernando Sanchez.
Call 203-697-2228 Visit www.choate.edu/alumni Email alumnirelations@choate.edu
Contents s p r i n g 2 0 1 2
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f e a t u r e s
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Headmaster’s Letter
An Unintended Consequence Former Principal and President of Choate Rosemary Hall, Charley Dey, reflects on his Peace Corps service and the ordinary citizens who had the good fortune to share an extraordinary experience.
d e p a r t m e n t s
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Campus Connection
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Class Notes
50 56
In Memoriam
60 64
Scoreboard
State of the School New initiatives are setting the tone for a future that will position Choate at the forefront of the 21st century educational experience.
Strengthening Communities for the Common Good Sharing oneself with people in need has become an essential element of a Choate Rosemary Hall education.
News about the School
Alumni Association News
Profiles of Dr. David Knight ’68; sports writer and Choate Society member John Steinbreder ’74; Hollywood director David McWhiter ’82 and international educator Katie Maeve Murphy ’97
Bookshelf Reviews of works by Reeve Lindbergh ’63, Sarah Kernochan ’65, Dr. Robert Santulli ’65 and John Burnham Schwartz ’83
Winter Sports Wrap-up
End Note Humanitarian Work is Powerful Education
letter from the headmaster
Dear Alumni and Friends of Choate Rosemary Hall, I write these remarks on the very day that Apple’s new iPad makes its debut and hundreds of thousands of consumers are lined up at Apple stores worldwide to be among the first to sample the latest that technology has to offer. Technology is revolutionizing the way we think, feel and communicate with one another, and undoubtedly will have an impact on the way Choate Rosemary Hall pursues its educational goals in the 21st century. While most of us will take advantage of the best that technology has to offer, for instance, the advanced satellite and computer technology that has allowed for the Global Positioning System (GPS), we must not forget the tried and true fundamental tool that got us to where we are today – the compass. Such trailblazers as George St. John and Caroline Ruutz-Rees were guided by their inner compass in their educational explorations, just as ChristopherColumbus, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Lewis and Clark relied on the physical compass to enable their exploration of new worlds. This School continues to benefit from the wisdom of our former heads, who established a curriculum premised on the idea that the education of the heart, as well as the mind, is the surest path to a meaningful learning experience. From the earliest days, whether it was Rosemarians supporting the World War I effort by planting potatoes in times of scarcity, or Choate boys volunteering at St. Andrew's summer camp for underprivileged youth, giving back to the community has been a hallmark of both schools.
In these pages you will read about how students today are engaged in service-learning experiences and in finding purposeful ways to connect with the Wallingford community and beyond. The culture of service has permeated the lives of many alumni, like Jack Kingsley ’87, who is devoting his time and energies to International Habitat for Humanity, or classmates Wende Valentine ’92 and Danielle Elkin ’92, who are working for the global initiative, Water For People. Closer to home, Dr. David Knight ’68, a general surgeon from Connecticut, has established an organization, Loupes Around the World, making a vital surgical tool available to doctors in 42 underdeveloped countries. (See profile on p. 28). In his End Note (p. 64) recent graduate John Whitney ’08 speaks of the transformative experience of humanitarian relief work and former Principal and President of Choate Rosemary Hall Charles F. Dey delivers a powerful message (p. 7) on the unintended consequence of service as a Peace Corps coordinator some 50 years ago. Sir Ken Robinson, who gave the keynote remarks at my Investiture ceremony earlier this year, has noted the value of service-learning in an educational curriculum, “[It] integrates community service with instruction and reflection, to teach civic responsibility and engagement and strengthen communities for the common good.” Similarly, on this campus we are engaged in strengthening our own community “for the common good” through a variety of important initiatives. As you will read in the State of the School messages, we have established a timeline for a strategic planning process that will provide a compass for the future direction of our School. By fall of 2012, alumni, parents and external constituencies will have an opportunity, through a series of distributed surveys, to weigh in on Choate Rosemary Hall’s priorities for the next five to 10 years. I hope that many of you will take the time to help us better understand what you see as the fundamental aspects of what Choate does so well and how we might productively direct our efforts in the future. As we look to the future, I would be remiss if I did not thank both Charley Dey and Ed Shanahan for their invaluable advice and the generosity they have shown me these past few months. It speaks volumes for the legacy I have inherited. We are a community of learners; we are a family with a common vision; and we are aware of how fortunate we all are to be connected to this great institution – Choate Rosemary Hall. I look forward to meeting many of you at the Headmaster’s Receptions slated for various cities this spring, and of course, at Reunion Weekend here in Wallingford in May.
With all best wishes from campus,
Alex D. Curtis Headmaster
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Campus Connection w i t h
d i s t i n c t i o n
Sixth Former Named Semifinalist in the 2012 Intel Science Talen t S ear ch On January 11, Aaron Shim of North Haven, Conn.,
was named a Semifinalist in the 2012 Intel Science Talent Search. The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competition. Each year the Intel STS recognizes 300 students and their schools as Semifinalists. Aaron’s project was entitled, “Calculating Redox Potentials of Organometallic Complexes for Renewable Energy Applications.” Aaron worked with Yale Professor of Chemistry Victor S. Batista and his group last summer. The most rewarding part of the experience, says Aaron, “was being able to explore the field of computational chemistry. I got to see how computers, with their immense supercomputing power, could be used to enhance research in the physical and natural sciences, helping us understand a little bit more about the natural world around us, and helping solve real-world problems.” Aaron’s project involved refining methods of modeling organometallic complexes in order to speed up the process of modeling and testing potential catalyst candidates for hydrogen energy storage. In the last five years Choate has had four Semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, two of whom were named Finalists. F o u r t h F o r me r W ins P r att- Pac k a r d Declamat i o n Co n test On February 22, Ian M. Silvers of West Hartford, Conn., won first place for his speech “Size Matters” in the 11th school-wide Pratt-Packard Declamation Contest. The contest honors two Choate teachers who were at the center of the School’s public speaking tradition: E. Stanley Pratt, a Choate dean and public speaking and drama teacher, who taught at Choate for 39 years, from 1921 to 1960, and H. Jeremy Packard, former head of the History Department and a 1955 graduate of Choate. Mr. Packard, one of Mr. Pratt's students, revived the tradition of declamation at school when he initiated public speaking as a requirement for all 3rd formers in the late 1970s.
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1 Aaron Shim ’12 of North Haven, Conn., was named a semifinalist in the 2012 Intel Science Talent Search, the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition. 2 Ian M. Silvers ’14 of West Hartford, Conn., won first place for his speech in the 11th school-wide Pratt-Packard Declamation Contest held on February 22. To view the speech, visit www.choate.edu/youtube
The contest is underwritten by Mr. Charles Krause III, Choate 1951, whose generous gift 11 years ago has supported the teaching and study of public speaking as well as the expansion of the School’s debate program. All finalists receive monetary awards, but the first-prize winner will additionally have his or her name engraved on a silver bowl as the Charles Krause Junior Fellow in Public Speaking. Other finalists: Sally Lindsay '13, 2nd place, "Glimpses of Gold"; Evan Goldstein ’12, 3rd place “I'm Not Smart Enough to Think of a Clever Title for This Speech”; and Aitran Doan '13, 4th place ,“Along for the Ride.” Science Teacher Receives Stat e G reenCircle Awa rd
On December 26, Choate Rosemary Hall science teacher Ian Morris received the GreenCircle Award from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. This is the second time Morris has received the award for his work with students to remove invasive plant species from meadows and wetlands, plant disease-resistant American Chestnut trees (through Yale University and the American Chestnut Foundation) and construct butterfly garden beds registered as Monarch Watch “waystations” on the School's campus. Daniel C. Esty, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said in a statement announcing the honorees, “The award ceremony recognizes the efforts of many groups: businesses, which are becoming ‘greener’ every day while promoting sustainable practices that are good for the environment and their bottom line; nonprofits, who have worked with their constituents to become environmentally friendly; and individuals, whose unselfish acts make a positive environmental impact in their homes, schools, and communities.” Since the GreenCircle Award Program was launched in 1998, more than 1,425 projects have helped to preserve natural resources and protect the quality of the state’s air, water and lands.
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3 Science teacher Ian Morris, left, received the GreenCircle Award from Daniel C. Esty, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on December 26, 2011.
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c a m p u s
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update:
photography by John Giammatteo ’77
c o nst r uct i o n o f The Ko hle r E n v i r o nmen tal C en t e r advances daily Mild weather conditions have enabled construction teams to install the Center's solar panels, green house, and much of the external electrical and plumbing systems. With the exterior of the facility nearing completion, much of the attention has turned indoors, where the walls, doors and interior details are taking shape. The facility's three laboratories, two classrooms and office spaces are fully insulated, wired, and dry walled. Details in the dining hall, dorm, and faculty living spaces are steadily progressing. The academic program itself is also well underway. Classes in ecology, biology, nature writing, photography and environmental ethics, environmental economics and policy, have been developed and approved by the faculty. The two residential faculty members will include Joe Scanio, an experienced science teacher, and Marybeth Duckett, an English instructor with outdoor education experience. The inaugural class of the Environmental Immersion Program – 14 students chosen from the current student body – has been selected and students are preparing for their unique opportunity next fall.
n e w s w o r t h y
John F o r te Offe r s M usical Reflection for ML K Day
Headmaster Curtis Designates Task Force on Community
John Forte, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, and former member of the 1990s hip/hop group, “The Fugees,” was the guest speaker at the School’s Martin Luther King Day program on January 16. Raised in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn and educated at Phillips Exeter and NYU, Forte suffered a career reversal in 2000 after being arrested for a drug trafficking charge and serving prison time. Since his release, he has been working with at-risk youth to deter them from drugs and crime. In addition, he has been working with a New York-based charity called Music Unites to promote the arts in underserved communities. Forte’s address was punctuated by brief musical performances serving as transitions for the cautionary retelling of his own life’s experiences.
Headmaster Curtis appointed Dan Courcey ’86, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, and Ellen Devine, faculty member in the English Department, to serve as co-chairs of a special task force that will focus on “identifying those elements that contribute to productive community and developing strategies and structures that will further develop what is best in the Choate Rosemary Hall community.” Members of the Task Force on Community are Gordon Armour ’76, Kate Biddiscombe ’03, Meg Blitzer, Fred Djang, Ed Griffin, Sarah Hurtt ’06, Trevor Peard, Monica St. James, Mike Velez ’00, Tom White, Jim Yanelli and Kalya Yannatos. They will examine intraschool communication as well as the daily schedule and various rituals, ceremonies, events, and gatherings that regularly occur at Choate. The Task Force held a number of Open Houses and one-on-one meetings both in the Hill House Headmaster’s Study and the Ruutz-Rees Commons Meeting Room during January and February, and plan to follow up with community-wide electronic surveys. The Task Force’s guiding definition reads, in part, “Choate’s ambition is to nurture in students the kind of self-possession that expresses itself through community, and the sense of belonging that empowers one to stand alone.” Says Dan Courcey, “We hope that the feedback that we are gathering will be helpful in informing the School’s strategic planning process.” Adds Ellen Devine, “We know anecdotally that Choate makes a powerful impact on people’s lives. This self-reflection will help us distill those important aspects of community that are unique, positive and should be preserved.” As the remainder of this academic year progresses, the Task Force plans to use its survey results, subcommittee findings and information gathered from the Open Houses, as well as other outreach initiatives, to narrow down a list of recommendations for implementation. A draft report is planned for consideration and discussion by the greater Choate community for late spring.
Angela Ruggie r o ’ 9 8 to S pea k at Commencemen t
On February 15, Headmaster Dr. Alex D. Curtis announced to the Class of 2012 that four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero, Class of 1998, will deliver remarks at Commencement on June 3, 2012. While at Choate, Angela was President of her Fourth and Fifth Form classes. As a Sixth Former and youngest member of the U.S. Women’s Hockey team, she helped Team USA secure a gold medal at the Nagano Olympics. After graduating from Choate, Angela attended Harvard, where she became the sixth all-time leading scorer in Harvard program history, with 253 points on 96 goals and 157 assists. Her accolades continued with USA Hockey. After Nagano, she went on to collect two silver medals (Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010) and a bronze (Torino 2006) with the assistance of Choate alumnae and USA Hockey teammates Kim Insalaco ’99, Julie Chu ’01 and Hilary Knight ’07. In 2010 Angela was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission. In January 2012, Angela announced her retirement from hockey. Her 256 games played for Team USA rank the highest in the program’s history, and she finishes her international career with 208 points on 67 goals and 141 assists.
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1 Four-time Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero ’98 will give Commencement remarks on June 3, 2012. 2 Recording artist John Forte performs for the School’s Martin Luther King Day program on January 16.
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3 Ellen Devine, English Department faculty member, and Dan Courcey ’86, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, are co-chairs of the Task Force on Community.
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insight
ab ove Charles F. Dey, second from right, being greeted by Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver, second from left, in Legazpi City, Southern Luzon
Excerpted remarks by Charles F. Dey, Tucker Foundation Dean Emeritus, Dartmouth College, and former Principal and President of Choate Rosemary Hall (1973-1991), given on the occasion of Dartmouth's Peace Corps 50th Anniversary Celebration, November 15, 2011.
An Unintended Consequence B y C h a r l e s F. D e y
In 1960, three weeks before the 1960 election, I stood on the steps of the University of Michigan Student Union at 2 a.m. to hear a speech by the Democratic candidate for President, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy ’35. “How many of you who are going to be doctors are willing to spend your days in Ghana?” he asked us. “Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service? On your willingness to contribute a part of your life to this country...will depend the answer whether a free society can compete.” In a way, Kennedy’s words prefigured the “ask not” portion of his inaugural address. But mostly, they spoke of his passion for service that within months would blossom into the Peace Corps. Four months after his Michigan speech, March 1, 1961, newly inaugurated President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924, and appointed his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver as Director. At the time, I had no thought of joining. My wife, Phoebe, and I, along with our two young daughters, were new at Dartmouth, where I was Assistant Dean of the College. At winter term registration I had inserted a brief questionnaire asking students whether they might be interested in Peace Corps service. Almost as an afterthought, I forwarded the results to Washington. The next thing I knew, I received a call asking if two Peace Corps representatives might visit Dartmouth to seek volunteers. Two senior staff persons spent two days interviewing on campus. Before departing, they
asked whether I would be willing to serve. Sargent Shriver, they said, believed that college deans, accustomed to the unexpected, were just what he needed to ride herd on volunteers in unfamiliar, challenging circumstances. My intrepid wife agreed. A month later, we were in the Philippines. I was not as a volunteer, but a staff person, responsible for the well-being of 80 volunteers scattered over some 400 square miles of Southern Luzon and two nearby islands. They were part of the pioneering Philippines Group I, the third group to be sent overseas, following Ghana and Nigeria. My responsibility was to see them through their second year in the field. Ranging in age from 18 to 60, most were liberal arts graduates assigned as Educational Aides, a job never clearly defined and therefore left to the imagination and creativity of individual volunteers. The results defied simplistic categorization. Those most successful had achieved personal relationships within their barrios that made possible joint successes – a basketball court, a school library, a fresh water system. At times, life seemed a never ending series of personal setbacks. Whether the issues were physical, mental, interpersonal, job related or puzzling combinations, the emergencies were real and solutions elusive. Unreliable phone connection to Peace Corps headquarters in Manila and erratic Western Union transmission made professional backup hugely difficult. Being light skinned Anglos in a dark skinned society was only the beginning of the issues we faced. A major local employer was non-unionized. That I was a field rep under the State Department, with strict instructions to steer clear of local politics, meant little to the earnest copra worker sitting in my office, seeking help. Describing abysmal working conditions and lack of benefits, he entreated, could I not " ... assist his efforts to organize a union?" After all, unions were permitted in America, and the Peace Corps was sent to help Filipinos. That was a tough day. In comments requested by the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine for the May, 1963 Peace Corps article, I wrote: "Whatever the shortcomings, almost to a person, the 80 volunteers in this region, knowing what they now know, would again volunteer for service with the Peace Corps. They might choose a smaller program, they might hold out for a more clearly defined role; but they would endorse the learning opportunity as simply fantastic." And I added, "I fervently hope that upon completion of their Peace Corps service these people will be allowed to return quietly to the usual walks of life in cities and towns across the nation, not as returning heroes but as ordinary citizens who have had the good fortune to share an extraordinary experience."
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Reuni on Weekend Peace Corps Panel Saturday, May 19 Come hear shared stories of the Peace Corps Experience.
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State of the School A Portrait of a Vibrant, Dynamic School Community
F r o m M ichael J . C a r r ’ 7 6 , C hai r man o f t he B o a r d
You will be happy to know that Choate
Rosemary Hall is in excellent shape. There is an energy and a sense of momentum on campus. This is particularly noteworthy because the School has gone through a series of gradual but meaningful changes in the recent past, and these developments have been completed in a very smooth and orderly manner based on the superb planning and execution of our outgoing Chair, Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. '57. Herb has expertly managed a year of transitions including the search for and hiring of our new Headmaster, Dr. Alex D. Curtis, the successful conclusion of the largest capital campaign in school history, the selection of a new Chairman of the Board and the development and construction of the Kohler Environmental Center, a breathtaking new facility for our students.
An Opportunity to Lead: The Campaign for Choate Rosemary Hall was a resounding success, closing out at $220 million, well above its $200 million dollar goal. In addition to fundraising, the Trustees approved the construction of the Kohler Environmental Center, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. This significant achievement, the first of its kind in secondary-school education, will enable the School to add an entirely new academic chapter to its curriculum and further expand the already considerable sense of responsibility and stewardship of the broader Choate community. In the words of Sarthak Agrawal ’13, “The School's willingness to sponsor such a program is a clear sign of Choate's openness to new ideas and influences.” The Kohler Environmental Center represents the best of Choate – a unique and groundbreaking vision combined with an ongoing commitment to academic excellence. In the following messages, you will read highlights of other accomplishments from the past year as seen through the eyes of the Choate administration. There is
valuable thought and information in each of these pieces. In the year ahead, the Trustees have set goals which include the completion of a new strategic planning process led by Dr. Curtis, the execution of a compelling enhancement of the School’s mathematics, computer science and robotics capabilities, and the completion and dedication of the Kohler Environmental Center. I hope that by reading this report you will get a clear sense that the past and future are fusing together to create a portrait of a vibrant, dynamic school community that will continue to be a global leader in secondary education. Over the past several months, we celebrated the incredible impact that Headmaster Ed Shanahan's 20 years of leadership had on Choate Rosemary Hall. I want to thank him for what he has offered to the School, and to me personally. Ed attracted me back to Choate Rosemary Hall many years ago, which in turn introduced me to the School’s remarkable and talented Board of Trustees. It is my great honor to serve Choate and my fellow Trustees in my new role.
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“New initiatives are positioning Choate Rosemary Hall at the forefront of the 21 st century educational experience.” —Dr. Alex D. Curtis, Headmaster
F r o m A le x D . C u r t is , H ea d mas t e r As I complete my first term as Headmaster, I am excited to report that we are moving forward on a number of important initiatives on campus, and there is palpable excitement among faculty and students about the opportunities that they present. Our Campus Master Plan Committee continues to make progress on some of the issues facing the School, both in the medium- and the long-term. In our initial data and opinion gathering stage, we have assigned a number of sub-committees to review residential life, athletic facilities and the needs of our ever-expanding academic program. To that end, after meeting with architects and reviewing plans to update our mathematics building, St. John Hall, a new construction rather than a renovation became the preferable option. The robust fundraising from our recently completed capital campaign, An Opportunity to Lead: The Campaign for Choate Rosemary Hall has allowed us to consider this option. Our Board of Trustees has reiterated its commitment to providing the best possible space for the mathematics and computer sciences department, including the laboratory space necessary for the burgeoning field of robotics and applied mathematics. We are excited about the prospects of creating a built environment that is suited to 21st century learning, grounded in the way students actually experience the world around them. Another important initiative is the appointment of a Task Force on Community, chaired by English faculty member Ellen Devine and Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations Dan Courcey. This committee is charged with examining, assessing, and, where necessary, making recommendations to improve and strengthen the Choate Rosemary Hall campus community. It will focus closely on connectedness within the campus community. I have asked the task force for a draft report by early spring.
Our last initiative focuses on interconnectedness – and the world of technology. Last spring we kicked off an iPad pilot with 13 faculty members. It was so successful that Dean of Academic Affairs Kathleen Wallace asked to expand it to the Academic Council, so that department heads, in particular, could work with teachers in their area to explore ways in which the iPad could be used in the classroom. The feedback continues to be enthusiastic, and we are now moving to the next phase, which will include a pilot of 80 students who will be using the iPad in a significant way in their classes. This coming May, a contingent of Choate teachers and administrators will travel to Cupertino, California, where the Apple Educational Group will share with us suggestions for possible implementation of new technologies in the Choate classroom. These initiatives, along with the opening of the Kohler Environmental Center in 2012, are setting a tone for a future that will position Choate at the forefront of the 21st century educational experience. I am ever grateful for the support that our Board of Trustees, faculty, students and staff have given me as we embrace together the many new opportunities that lie ahead. I extend my heartfelt gratitude, as well, to the unfailing generosity of those alumni, parents, and friends who continue to give unselfishly in all ways in support of our School.
1|2 S tate o f t h e Sc h o o l | d evelopm ent Of f ice
“During fiscal 2011, total contributions to Choate were nearly $36 million, more than just about any other private secondary school in the United States and certainly one of the best years in Choate’s history.” –Dan Courcey
F r o m Daniel J . C o u r ce y I I I ' 8 6 , E x ecu t i v e Di r ec t o r o f De v el o pmen t an d A lumni
Fiscal 2011 witnessed a Choate Rosemary Hall community – students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents – coming together to celebrate several milestones and to embrace both transition and tradition. After meeting many alumni, parents and friends of the School at a July reception at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Headmaster Curtis was formally invested on September 21 and has ushered in a wonderful new era for the School. In his remarks, Dr. Curtis assured students and faculty that while Choate Rosemary Hall would continue to do what schools traditionally do, we would also “welcome the appropriate and meaningful integration of the resources that today’s (and tomorrow’s) technology avail for the benefit of humanity and the good of the planet.” As the first-of-its-kind Kohler Environmental Center takes shape, it is clear that Choate is poised to do just that. The close of Choate’s $200 million capital campaign, An Opportunity to Lead, which rang in at an outstanding $220 million, was marked by celebrations in New York and on campus. Our Board of Trustees, now led by Michael Carr ’76, will join forces with administration and Development and Alumni Relations to continue the extraordinary momentum we have worked so hard to achieve. Rela t i o ns
The Annual Fund enjoyed a rock-solid start this fall, with 30 percent of Choate Rosemary Hall alumni and 60 percent of current parents contributing a collective $4.75 million to support the School’s operating costs. During fiscal 2011, total contributions to Choate were nearly $36 million, more than just about any other private secondary school in the United States and certainly one of the best years in Choate’s history. The School’s Alumni Association continues to grow stronger with each regional club event and every volunteer that joins its ranks. The Boston Club held a well-attended reception for Dr. Curtis in November at the Harvard Club. Holiday parties in New York, Boston, New Haven and Washington show that alumni are eager to remain connected to the School and to each other. The Volunteer Admission Network has interviewed hundreds of students in 36 countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Morocco, Switzerland, and Australia, which demonstrates the global recognition of a Choate education. Our achievements would not have been possible without the support of the entire Choate Rosemary Hall family. We are grateful for and proud of what we have accomplished, and eager to meet the ambitious goals we have set for ourselves in 2012.
10 | 11 State of the Scho ol | financ i a l r e port
FY 2011 revenues ■ Net Tuition & Fees – 62% ■ Endowment Draw – 22% ■ Annual Fund Gifts – 10% ■ Other Income – 3% ■ Summer Programs – 3%
FY 2011 Uses
■ Compensation & Benefits – 52%
■ Facilities –10% F r o m Richa r d S alt z , C hief F inancial
Fiscal year 2011 was a good year for Choate Rosemary Hall. Our operating budget generated a slight surplus, even taking into account a substantial increase in funding physical plant maintenance projects and equipment needs. We met our annual fund goal for the year, and exceeded the School’s capital campaign goal. The School’s operating revenue of $46.4 million for the year was 2 percent higher than the budget, primarily due to above-budget results in Summer Programs. The annual draw from the School’s endowment of $12.6 million is based on a formula. However, in keeping with the plan to rebuild endowed assets to partially offset the impact of the 2008 financial cutbacks, we returned $2.5 million back to the endowment, resulting in a net draw of $10.1 million. All other components of revenue such as tuition, annual fund, and other income or fees, were virtually on budget, totaling $35.1 million for the year and 2.5 percent above last year. Operating expenses, not including depreciation, increased 4.0 percent to $39.2 million, compared with the prior year. Compensation and benefits, which comprise approximately 60 percent of our operating expenses, increased 5.7 percent this past year. Adding capital needs and the principal payment on the School’s debt, total cash needs were $46.2 million.
Office r
■ Academic and Student Programs – 11%
■ Debt Service –6% ■ Administration – 8% ■ Capital Expenditures – 13%
Choate’s endowment results were also favorable for fiscal 2011, with a one-year return of 20.0 percent. The School’s endowment ended the year at $286.5 million, up $49.4 million from its beginning balance, aided by record gifts of $16.7 million and the previously mentioned reduction in the calculated annual draw by $2.5 million. For fiscal 2012, the School is gearing up for several new initiatives which will have long-term positive budget impacts, including 14 additional students for the Kohler Environmental Center and a revision and update to the School’s campus master plan. In the current budget, we were able to increase faculty compensation to correct for inaccuracies and changes in the teaching environment in order to maintain the highest level of faculty talent possible. As the same time, we continue to focus on providing adequate funding to support the student experience at Choate.
12 | 13 S tat e o f t h e Sc h o o l | aca d em ic a f fa irs
fa r RIGHT We continue our outreach through our cultural exchange programs. This winter term, Choate hosted a delegation from Fudan University High School in Shanghai. Last March, six Choate students and language teacher Julia Brown participated in our first exchange to Fudan. The exchange was coordinated by Anne Armour, Director of Choate’s Study Abroad Programs, and Carol Chen-Lin, Head of Choate's Study Abroad Program in China.
F r o m Ka t hleen Ly o ns W allace , A ss o cia t e H ea d mas t e r an d Dean o f A ca d emic A ffai r s
When Dr. Curtis arrived on campus last summer, we were in the middle of planning to restore and expand St. John Hall, the last academic building to be renovated; however, we soon recognized that renovations were not going to meet future programmatic needs. We are now exploring plans for a new building to accommodate the changing needs of mathematics, computer science, and robotics. Last year, Choate Rosemary Hall expanded its offerings in Arabic as part of our interdisciplinary Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies Program, now in its third year. This summer we are offering a month-long pilot Study Abroad Program in Jordan. Led by Arabic and French teacher Georges Chahwan, students will live with Jordanian host families and take courses conducted in Arabic at AmidEast, a leading American non-profit organization. In addition, during the 2012-13 year we are adding third-year intensive Arabic to the academic offerings on campus. The latest addition to Choate’s suite of academic signature programs is the Environmental Immersion Program at the Kohler Environmental Center. Those selected for the program will be asked to sign a “green social contract” requiring them to actively participate in community life, and to be accountable to each other, the biotic community, and to future generations. We look forward to all this program will contribute to the Choate community and our working knowledge of sustainable living, interdisciplinary education, and environmental issues.
In addition, English and history teacher and Athletic Director Ned Gallagher visited International College in Beirut, Lebanon on a professional development exchange in late February and early March. In return, Choate will host two science teachers from the college at Choate in April. Last April, we hosted Tarek Mousally, the college’s Athletic Director, and are looking forward to all we will learn as a result of both parts of this exchange. Last spring we asked our faculty for ideas about how they might use an Apple iPad to enhance teaching and learning, and selected 13 faculty members from across the School to participate in a pilot program this year. This past fall, as excitement for the technology grew, the pilot group was doubled to ensure we were using iPads in as many venues as possible, from the classroom to the administrative office to the athletic arena to the dorm. What we have learned thus far has compelled us to make iPads available to all of our faculty begining in May. Finally, we share news from our College Counseling Office. Of the 204 students who applied under an early admission plan, 58 percent were admitted to their colleges of choice. This is the fourth year that the College Counseling Office is coordinating a college bus tour for interested fifth formers during March break and for the second time the tour is of colleges in the Philadelphia area. The implementation of a comprehensive monthly College Seminar curriculum for all fifth and sixth formers has been met with resounding support and success.
3|4 State of the Scho ol | facult y r e port
F r o m S t ephen C . F a r r ell , A ssis t an t H ea d mas t e r an d Dean o f F acult y Choate continues to attract strong teaching candidates with varied experiences. We had a very successful year in hiring, adding considerably to the academic credentials of the faculty (three PhDs) while mixing youth and experience. We appointed a new Director of the Arts (Kalya Yannatos), the first Director of the Kohler Environmental Center (Howard Ernst), a new Assistant Director of Admission (Jared Liu), a top-notch mathematician (Matt Bardoe), a high-level physicist (Chris Hogue), a new College Counselor from Phillips Andover (Angie Flygh), a new Admission Officer with a powerhouse athletic resume (Whit Hagerman), and six strong interns in English, history, science, and math. In addition, two staff positions were given faculty status, Libby Peard (Manager of Parent Relations) and Lorraine Connelly (Manager of Marketing Communications and Media Relations). We remain committed to the recruitment and retention of faculty of color, as the student body deserves a faculty that reflects its diversity. We want to build a community that allows “teachers and students to live with, and learn from each other in important ways.” As we have had some attrition of our younger faculty of color in the past five years, I am very focused on improving those numbers, and the addition of three Asian Americans this year moved us in the right direction. One of the charges of the Dean of Faculty's Office this year was to resume the faculty sabbatical program after a two-year hiatus. Sabbaticals were suspended for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years because of budgetary pressures. I am happy to report that our revised and expanded sabbatical program now offers 15 sabbaticals each year, based on seniority, including our new summer sabbatical option that has drawn a number of teaching faculty with its sizable stipend that guarantees a break from summer work for faculty who work every summer. This option also eliminates the administrative costs associated with finding replacements to cover classrooms and dorms during the academic year. At Convocation this year, four faculty chairs were awarded: the Earl G. Leinbach Chair to Director of Counseling Charlotte L. Davidson; the Ed and Susan Maddox Chair to mathematics teacher Velma M. Dean; the Charles and Phoebe Dey Chair to history teacher Thomas S. Foster; and the Independence Foundation Chair to science teacher Benjamin T. Small.
The Dean of Faculty's Office remains committed to the recruitment and retention of faculty of color reflecting the diversity of Choate's student body.
We are in the process of reviewing the recommendations of a final report from the Trustee Task Force on Interscholastic Athletics, which was charged to take a comprehensive look at the School’s interscholastic athletics program. It examined coaching, scope of offerings, facilities, equipment, and the definition of athletic “success.” But perhaps its most important recommendation, one that I am trying to implement incrementally, is to increase support for the varsity interscholastic coaches of our signature sports. The School’s expectations of these coaches has soared in the past decade, as we now ask them to actively participate in the recruiting process, ensure their continued professional development, and help place the best players with the right colleges. In return, we need to support them with course relief. Thanks to the successful fundraising efforts of our recently completed capital campaign we have added endowment to support professional development opportunities. Walton Grants allow faculty to pursue professional development that is global in nature, and in the past year three faculty members – Meg Blitzer, Emily Lovejoy, and Katrina Linthorst Homan – were able to work in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the E/V Nautilus on one of the expeditions of Dr. Robert Ballard's Inner Space Center (ISC) at the University of Rhode Island.
1|2 S tate o f t h e Sc h o o l | a d m ission of f ice
Choate Admission continues to go beyond traditional measures of test scores and grades to assess applicant qualities through its groundbreaking research on “success factors.”
F r o m Ray Diffle y I I I , Di r ec t o r o f A d missi o n
As I read admission stories in the media from across the country I see the same headlines: despite economic conditions and general downward trends, the top schools' applicant pools continue to go upward. Demand is up. Selectivity is at a record low. That story is alive here at Choate. However, a growing number of admission offices are trying to take the emphasis off the numbers and shine the light back on the applicants. Choate is proud to be a leader in that effort. While “traditional boarding school markets” are very much alive and well, there are also more candidates than ever from around the globe (60 countries and 48 states in Choate’s 2011 applicant pool), and more variety in the applicant pool than ever before. One phrase we hear more and more is ‘diversity within diversity,’ which speaks to the fact that one cannot judge an applicant at first glance. Each candidate has a story, and that is what drives our admission officers. Choate is filled with interesting stories and it is one of the things that makes Choate a vibrant community. Getting beyond the numbers also means understanding how a new group of students might gel as they bring their perspectives to form each class. Enrolling a class each year truly is a community effort, and we are seeing more and more a delicate choreography to each admission cycle between admission and faculty. That's great news.
In 2011, Choate had the highest number of applications in the School’s history (more than 1,900); the lowest acceptance rate (20 percent); and the highest yield (66 percent). As demand increases, Choate Admission continues to go beyond traditional measures of test scores and grades to assess applicant qualities through its groundbreaking research on “success factors.” I would be remiss if I did not report, with great gratitude, that the Volunteer Admission Network continues to be a key asset to our efforts, as are the many Choate alumni, family and friends who support us around the country and world looking for the next great member of this outstanding school community. F r o m J o hn H . F o r d , A ssis t an t H ea d mas t e r
It has been exciting from my point of view this year to watch how students are relating to a new headmaster, and especially the dynamic between the Student Council and the headmaster. Issues relating to residential life – community lunch and a more relaxed dress code during the dinner hour – have been negotiated with mutual understanding and respect. As part of a larger discussion on communitybuilding, Headmaster Alex Curtis has agreed to curtail sit-down community lunch to once a week for the remainder of the year, until The Task Force on Community (see p. 6) makes further recommendations. At a recent an d Dean o f S t u d en t s
14 | 15 State of the Scho ol | Stude n t r e port
school meeting, Dr. Curtis and President of the Student Council Jason Plush ’12 announced a trial run for a more relaxed dinner dress code, with the caveat that students themselves are to monitor their peers – with added privileges come responsibilities. The Student Council has embraced a number of charities, both locally and abroad. Proceeds from The Daily Grind, a student-run coffee house open during conference periods and at various home athletic events, were donated this fall to the Great Commission Alliance, an international group that has been serving Haiti since 2000. During the period before Christmas break, the Student Council also donated funds to a Secret Santa operation in Branford, Conn., that provided food, medical supplies, and clothing to more than 15 families. This term, current proceeds are being donated to Master’s Manna, a soup kitchen and food pantry in Wallingford that also provides other necessities to local families. Beyond campus, student enthusiasm for service continues. Under the leadership of the Rev. Marc Trister, members of Christian Fellowship made their fourth service trip to Mexico during March break to build homes and help orphans in the village of Oaxaca. Under the auspices of World Horizons International, 11 Choate students also traveled to Cayambe, Ecuador to work in a village school.
In conjunction with our 2012 Summer Programs, Choate Volunteer Corps, a new service-learning program, will offer two-week immersion service opportunities in three locations this summer – the Northeast, the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, and the Sonrise School in Musanze, Rwanda. These opportunities help students fulfill an important part of the School’s mission “to develop a global perspective on cultural, social, political and environmental issues.” Our Parent Relations Office, led by Manager of Parents Relations Libby Peard, continues as a vital conduit between parents and the School. In January, 2012 a new Parents Portal was launched successfully, and gives Choate parents fast, easy access to critical information. Finally, after seven years in the Dean of Students Office, I have decided to step down at the end of this year, but will remain Boys Dean for the Class of 2013, seeing them through to their graduation. It has been a privilege to serve the school as Dean of Students, but I do believe it is important for this office to benefit from new and fresh leadership. I look forward to the camaraderie of my fellow deans for another year, before returning to teaching full-time in the science department.
“Service-learning opportunities help students fulfill an important part of the School’s mission ‘to develop a global perspective on cultural, social, political and environmental issues.’” –John Ford
16 | 17
Choate student volunteers at the Wallingford Public Library, from left, Emma Kahn ’13, Cheshire, Conn.; Kirby Pedersen ’13, Bolton, Conn.; Stephen Adamo ’13, Riverdale, N.Y.; and Reem Ahmed ’12, Saar, Bahrain.
cover story
Strengthening Communities for the Common Good “Service-learning integrates community service with instruction and reflection, to teach civic responsibility and engagement and strengthens communities for the common good.” –Sir Ken R obinson from Out of Our M i nd s: Learni ng to Be Creati ve
s t o r y b y G . J e ff r e y M a c D o n a l d ’ 8 7
Sharing oneself with people in need has become essential to what it means to be a Choatie. Students carve out time to skate with disabled adults, mentor disadvantaged children, organize fundraisers for disaster victims and much more. Encouraged to be creative, they’re involved in hundreds of programs, including many they’ve designed themselves.
abov e Stephen Adamo ’13 and Rohan Deshpande ’12 give Wallingford resident Chuck Zehn a tutorial in computer basics.
Service Oriented When fifth former Stephen Adamo arrived at the Wallingford Public Library on a January afternoon to give his first tutorial in computer basics, he had no idea how much would be at stake. The person he was tutoring was Mary Warner, a 71-year-old who’d lost her job a month earlier when the Visiting Nurse Association of Wallingford closed its doors. She was desperate. She couldn’t afford to stop working. But how would she ever find a job, since she’d never used a computer? She hadn’t needed one as a homemaker for the elderly. She would need to bone up fast, but had no idea where to begin. “They have computer lessons at the Senior Center and at Sheehan High School, but you still have to pay,” Warner says. “I just lost my job. I don’t have any money.”
Warner spent the next hour with Adamo, who showed her – free of charge – how to turn on a laptop, launch an Internet browser, send an e-mail and run Microsoft Word. For him, the tutorial marked an hour of community service, one of thousands that Choate students contribute each year. For her, it signaled that a young person with much to offer cared about her situation and gave her hope. Students who are on campus for three or four years must perform at least 30 hours of community service before graduation – otherwise, no diploma. Most do far more than 30 hours, according to Director of Community Service Mary Pashley. “The culture of service has permeated the School,” Pashley says.
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“The culture of service has permeated the School,” says Director of Community Service Mary Pashley.
Choate no longer has a Community Day when everyone does service projects, but instead encourages participation at events throughout the year. A Task Force on Community has been charged by Headmaster Alex D. Curtis to explore, among other things, how service projects can further shore up bonds among students, faculty and staff. Today's service-oriented students aren’t breaking entirely new ground. The expectation for service has institutionalized a volunteering tradition that dates back to the earliest days of both Choate and Rosemary Hall. Nonetheless, students are cultivating service habits that do more than round out college applications or make them feel socially responsible. Service is also educating their hearts. As they discover what that means, they’re on a shared path with alumni and alumnae of all ages. Service commitments, it seems, help keep personal goals and responsibilities in perspective.
In a demanding environment such as Choate's, “you have to do a lot of things for yourself, or else you’re going to find yourself in a hard place,” says sixth former Alex Bolinsky, whose projects have ranged from collecting food for local pantries to protecting turtles in Costa Rica. A student can become self-absorbed, he says, but outreach projects help temper that tendency. “The service [work] I’ve done for others has helped me look up and round things out … I found a more selfless side of me and saw how it made their lives better.”
top left above Emma Kahn ’13 helps a middle schooler with homework at the Wallingford Public Library.
top RIG HT Since 1990, Mary Pashley has been in charge of Choate’s Community Service Program, helping the School develop a community service graduation requirement.
20 | 21 to p Rosemarians support the World War I effort by planting potatoes.
botto m The Kindly Club, founded in 1912 at Rosemary Hall supported
charity projects that fostered “a feeling of kindliness throughout the school.�
A Volunteering Tradition The School’s service tradition goes way back. In 1912, Janet Ruutz-Rees, mother of founding Rosemary Hall headmistress, Caroline Ruutz-Rees, formed the Kindly Club to support charity projects and foster a “feeling of kindliness throughout the school.” Students made items for sale at an annual fair whose proceeds supported war orphans, scholarships and the American Red Cross. Eventually every Rosemary Hall girl was considered a club member. The Choate School established its own early channel for connecting students with less fortunate children. Beginning in 1925, Choate upperclassmen volunteered each summer at St. Andrew's Camp, which enabled dozens of kids from nearby cities to experience the country, often for the first time in their lives.
Community service even marks the most famous quote from Choate’s most famous alumnus. “Ask not what your country can do for you,” said President John F. Kennedy ’35 in his 1961 inaugural address. “Ask what you can do for your country.” A few weeks later, he issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Choate’s service ethic reflects the proverb that says much will be expected of those to whom much is given. And to be sure, volunteering satisfies a sense of responsibility among people who’ve been blessed with great opportunities.
ab ove St. Andrew's Camp, founded in 1925 at The Choate School, enabled children who lived in urban areas to experience the country. Back row, right, Camp counselor Ted Ayres ’46. Front Row: Camper Arne Carlson ’53 (third from left), from Brooklyn, New York who earned a scholarship to Choate and later became Governor of Minnesota (1991-99). Arne’s brother, Sten ’50, is to his right.
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Educating the Heart
"Until I met David, I never truly understood what it meant to be giving with respect to community service. Since I have had this experience, I have learned that giving to others is actually what sets my heart on fire." –– Bailey Stankus ’12
ab ov e Girls Ice Hockey Captain Bailey Stankus ’12 with skate partner David at Choate’s Adaptive Skate Program.
As the tradition matures, it’s increasingly clear how service also plays an anchoring, stabilizing role for students and graduates, whose lives tend to be highly intellectual and achievement-oriented. Personal feats are great, they discover, but what people often need from them isn’t a quick wit or a cogent analysis of a complex issue. They need a person who cares enough to share in their day-to-day struggles and to affirm their value as human beings, even if they can’t walk or care for themselves. This discovery seems to strike an especially tender chord with people who are geared to outperform and consequently put a premium on what they and others can do. Perhaps that’s why one of the most popular and memorable activities at Choate has nothing to do with grades, competitive sports or the arts. The Adaptive Skate Program (better known as Special Pop Skate) gives local residents with disabilities a chance to get out on the ice on Sunday mornings at Choate’s Remsen Arena. Choate volunteers make it possible, as students, faculty and staffers lace up skates and push wheelchairs around the ice for 75 minutes. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hockey superstar or a beginning skater; faces beam either way. All the week’s griping tends to give way to an intoxicating gratitude. It’s a peak experience, one that’s rivaled only by the Adaptive Swim Program, which brings the same concept to the Larry Hart Pool. “I look forward to it every week, just like the kids do,” says Sophia Kaufman, a fifth former from Charleston, W.Va. and regular participant in Adaptive Swim. “There’s no pressure. These kids like you and consider you their friends. They come every week wanting to swim, and they’re not looking at life in terms of, ‘what can I put on my college application?’ Or ‘how can I do this or that?’ They just want to have fun, and there’s not really any pressure. I really like that.” Sometimes the heart-level connections come to light when they’re tested. Fourth former Andrew Moeckel learned this when he was running late one day to pick up Alex, a 10-year-old boy whom he mentors through the Choate Mentoring Program (formerly the Nutmeg Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program). Every Sunday, they hang out on campus: brunch in the dining hall, ping pong at the SAC, maybe a game of squash. This time, Alex might
Brandon Chin ’14, of Reading, Mass., helps middle schooler Stephen Zenisky with homework at the Wallingford Boys and Girls Club.
Continued Service have wondered whether Andrew would show up. When Andrew rushed in, Alex was sitting by himself, staring down at his shoes. “As he looked up and saw me, his face lit up with the biggest smile I had ever seen,” Moeckel recalled. “Alex jumped up and gave me a big hug. At that moment I realized how the small act of my coming to our Mentoring Program affected Alex.” For some in the Choate Diaspora, service careers help resolve tensions that emerge during their days at School. That’s the case for several young alums who teach in public schools through Teach For America (TFA). Conscience tells them education shouldn’t be stellar for some kids, as high school was for them, yet woefully subpar for others. Rather than accept apparent injustices, they join TFA and get to work.
Claire Sullivan ’04, who grew up in Wallingford, had planned to attend Lyman Hall High School, but her basketball skills helped her go to Choate. Now she works in a part of Kona, Hawaii that’s no paradise. She teaches disadvantaged kids with serious disabilities, from Down’s syndrome to low IQ and autism. To get the services to which they’re entitled under law, they need a committed advocate. In Sullivan, they have one “Any kid who lives in any ZIP code should be able to get a great education and have opportunities when they’re done with school,” Sullivan says. “They should have the skills to do what they want in life… Every kid deserves what I had in terms of a good education, and every kid in this country right now isn’t getting that.”
Clockwise from top left: Jack Kingsley ’87 at a Habitat for Humanity dedication in Yogyakarta, Indonesia; tasting the local fare in Rach Gia, Vietnam; working in Vinh Yen, Vietnam; with the Habitat for Humanity team and local families in Jhapa, Nepal; and working with bamboo in Nepal.
Fulfillment found in Service is what turns uplifting experiences into enduring habits, for alumni as much as students. Ask Jack Kingsley ’87 of San Mateo, Calif. He prepares trainers to serve corporate clients in his role as Senior Director of Sales Engineering for Oracle Corp. Yet when he’s on vacation, he seeks something completely different – and not an umbrella at the beach. For the past 10 years, Kingsley has rolled up his sleeves and led an annual, two-week Habitat for Humanity home construction project in Asia. He’s built homes in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal and Mongolia. The work connects him in a tangible, personal way with families who now have secure shelter year-round because of choices he and his team made for their vacations. The habit keeps him grounded through the year. “When you actually go back six months or a year later, you can see the progress the family has made,” Kingsley says. “You see how healthy the kids look, how much cleaner their clothes are, how they’ve built cottage industries around the house. Then you go inside. In the Buddhist countries, they have a shrine with pictures of grandma, the wedding and the kids. And inevitably, your picture is on the wall in that family photo album. It's an indescribable felling.”
24 | 25
Paying It Forward >> For others, a service career offers an avenue for living gratefully. Wende Valentine ’92, whose father, Ralph Valentine ’62, taught music at Choate for decades, grew up marking holidays by serving at area soup kitchens. She’s intimately aware of life’s fragility. After Choate, she got so ill from dysentery in Madagascar that she thought she might die among the cockroaches in a local clinic. On a college field study trip to Belize, one of her friends contracted spinal meningitis and died. Such experiences helped make her unafraid to die, she says, and to live each day with a certain grateful vigor. That ethic drives her work as major gifts officer at Water For People, a non-profit agency that provides sustainable water and sanitation in developing countries. The need is sobering: she says a child under five dies every 30 seconds due to water-related illness. Her organization’s work is supported in part through Challenge21, a fundraising initiative that Valentine manages with classmate Danielle Elkin ’92. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have two healthy children under the age of five,” says Valentine, who lives in Golden, Colo. “When we have all of our basic human needs met, it’s a matter of all of us doing our part to pay it forward.” As members of the Choate community learn to open their hearts in many ways, they’re not the only ones changed by the process. Beneficiaries of their efforts are leading notably better lives. It’s obvious at Wallingford’s Boys & Girls Club, which offers affordable after-school care for working families. Daily attendance has swelled from 60 to 80 with the tough economy; adult staff and volunteers are now stretched thin. But they’re getting help from Choate, which sends students as many as four days per week to help with homework and play games. One recent day, two Choaties played ping pong with excited boys while a third treated a girl to a game of Candy Land. “I usually don’t need help with my homework, but when I do need help, I go to the Choate kids,” says 11-year-old Stephen Zenisky, who’s narrowed down his career options to four: mathematician, doctor, football player or pro wrestler. “I’ve always wanted an older sibling, and they make me feel like I have an older sibling to give advice and encouragement. They’re showing me that high school isn’t a bad place, and college isn’t a bad place.”
left Wende Valentine ’92, a major gifts officer for Water For People, a nonprofit agency that provides safe drinking water and sanitation for third world countries, visits Pathar Prathima on the Sundarban Islands in West Bengal, India.
r ight Wende Valentine ’92, second row, at Adhata Girls’ School in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India.
Choate’s ever-expanding service initiatives address a growing set of needs. While 71-year-old Mary Warner was making progress in her first-ever computer lesson, others arrived at the public library with computer woes that needed troubleshooting. Again, Choate students found that a little care and patience go a long way. One taught an out-of-work nurse how to dress up her résumé. Another helped a Brazilian immigrant search government web sites in a bid to rescue her frightened mother, who had left the United States to visit family in Brazil and couldn’t return home due to a visa mix up. In these times of tight public and household budgets, the need for community service work is only getting bigger, as many in the Choate community have learned first-hand. As they get involved, they’re finding they feel more complete, more in tune with what’s most important, and more equipped to pass down lessons about citizenship and responsibility. They’re also claiming anew the wisdom inside an old Choate tradition: the heart needs educating, too. And as it learns, it sings a more joyful song.
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Alumni Association News Welcome, Monica St. James
Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association Mission Statement
Our mission is to create, perpetuate, and enhance relationships among Choate Rosemary Hall alumni, current and prospective students, faculty, staff and friends in order to foster loyalty, interest and support for the School and for one another, and to build pride, spirit and community.
OFFICERS Susan Barclay ’85 President Barclays2001@yahoo.com Stephanie Hazard ’81, P ’10 Vice President eavjhv2@aol.com Ed McCormick ’78 Secretary edward.mccormick@ubs.com Woody Laikind ’53 Past President Nominating/Prize Chair jlaikind@gmail.com Jim Lebovitz ’75, P ’06, ’10 Annual Fund Chair james.lebovitz@dechert.com
ADDITIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Dan Courcey ’86 Executive Director of Development dcourcey@choate.edu Monica St. James P ’06 Director of Alumni Relations mstjames@choate.edu Leigh Dingwall ’84 Faculty Representative ldingwall@choate.edu Bill Knapp P’ 12 Director, Annual Fund wknapp@choate.edu
STANDING COMMITTEES Admission Henry Chung ’86 Admission Chair henrywchung@gmail.com
The Alumni Association is excited to welcome Monica St. James as the Director of Alumni Relations. She started in her new position on February 1. Monica is in her 21st year at Choate. She most recently was the Registrar and Director of Studies, and has also taught English. Monica looks forward to reacquainting herself with her former students as well as meeting other alumni at upcoming Reunion events. The Alumni Association is thrilled to be working with her and looks forward to many years of successful teamwork.
Colm Rafferty ’94 Admission Vice Chair Colm_Rafferty@hotmail.com Alumni Programming Ed Keating ’83 Campus Programming Chair keating_ed@hotmail.com Santiago Caraballo ’95 Campus Programming Vice Chair sdcaraballo@yahoo.com Patrick McCurdy ’98 Regional Programming Chair pmccurdy@merlinsecurities.com Communications Chris Hodgson ’78 Communications Chair chodgson@durantnic.com Jeein Ha ’00 Communications Vice Chair jeeinha@gmail.com Student Relations & Young Alumni Gian-Carlo Peressutti ’91 Student Relations Chair gian-carlo.peressutti@rrd.com Mike Furgueson ’80 Student Relations Vice Chair mgfurgueson@yahoo.com
Deerfield Day Regional Club Events
We were pleased with the turnout at Regional Clubs throughout the country for Deerfield Day last November 12, where enthusiastic alumni cheered the Choate Wild Boars football team in its overwhelming 40-7 victory. Choate and Deerfield arranged to web stream the event live so that alumni were able to watch the event on a big screen and enjoy catching up with friends. In addition, Choate’s young alumni beat the Deerfield young alumni in a fundraising challenge, making the day a total success! We look forward to doing this again next fall. Join us on
www.linkedin.com
Created by Michelle Judd ’98 in spring of 2008, our LinkedIn group has been gaining momentum in the past year with the heightened interest in professional networking among Choate Rosemary Hall alumni. Currently, alums in financial services make up 11 percent of members, but we have members from other industries including marketing and sales, information technology, law, education, entertainment, and more. Twenty percent of the group members hold senior positions in their current jobs. Thirty-five percent live in greater New York City, but the list is expanding, covering greater Boston, San Francisco Bay, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and more. The Communications Committee of the Alumni Association has been working with Michelle to capitalize on this opportunity of creating a centralized networking hub for our alumni community. This LinkedIn group is the marketplace to offer or find a job, internship or project opportunities.
Calender of Events April 1 | Boston Museum of Science 13 | Sixth Form Transition Dinner 18 | Alumni Awards Ceremony 22 | LA Gilmore Adobe Brunch 25 | DC Headmaster Welcome Reception
may
3 | Greenwich, Connecticut Headmaster Welcome Reception 6 | Los Angeles Headmaster Welcome Reception
Political Science Students Attend U.S. State Department Briefing
Twenty-six students in Zack Goodyear and Ned Gallagher’s Effecting Political Change classes attended the U.S. State Department Daily Briefing on January 31, presided over by U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland ’79. Before the official briefing began, Ms. Nuland gave a shout-out to her alma mater and visiting students. During the three-day trip to Washington, D.C., students had an opportunity to meet with several alumni who are themselves working to effect political change, including: David Kamin’98, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, The White House; Jane Mosbacher ’04, Counterterrorism Adviser, U.S. State Department; Sheila Adams ’01, Clerk to the Honorable Raymond A. Jackson, U.S. District Court, Va.; Justin Goodyear ’91, Trial Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; and Pete Meachum ’91, Director of Development, The American Action Network and American Action Forum. Students also had a meeting with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
8 | San Francisco Headmaster Welcome Reception 20 | Reunion Weekend Alumni Lacrosse Game 24 | New York City Headmaster Welcome Reception
June 13 | San Francisco Giants Baseball Game and Tailgate
The Alumni Club of D.C. hosted a buffet reception at St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School for visiting Choate students and faculty that was attended by 50 alumni, parents and friends. Members of Choate's Debate Team staged a debate for guests and fellow students. Ms. Nuland and Dr. Daniel J. Carucci ’76, President of Global Health Consulting, Inc., were recipients of the 2012 Alumni Awards presented by Headmaster Alex D. Curtis at an all-school meeting on April 18. –Susan Barclay, President
left page Choate-Deerfield Football Game live telecast in NYC. From left,
Grace Kelly ’07, Kiki Kazickas ’07, Chelsea Laverack ’07, Zach Remsen ’07, Briana Fasone ’07, and Eliza Robie ’07.
above Justin Goodyear ’91 is pictured with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. After five years of practice with a New York City firm, Justin was appointed in November 2010 as a Trial Attorney (Prosecutor) in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Justin resides in Rockville, Md., with his wife, Chiara, and their two sons, Luca and Rafe, ages 4 and 2.
We want to see you! May 18-20, 2012 For more info: Visit www.choate.edu/alumni Call 203-697-2228 or Email alumnirelations@choate.edu
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Class Notes p r o f i l e s
David Knight
’68
Dr. David Knight displays a pair of loupes in his Middlebury, Conn., office.
By Henry McNulty ’65
Loupes Around the World A pair of loupes – high-tech magnifying lenses on an eyeglass frame – is commonly used by American surgeons because they allow doctors to see tiny structures more clearly. In developing countries, however, loupes are rarely available, even for those performing complicated microsurgeries, because they are so expensive – about $1,000 a pair. That’s changing now, thanks to the work of Dr. David C. Knight ’68 and the organization he founded, Loupes Around the World. “Five years ago, I went with a group of 50 general surgeons to Vietnam and Cambodia,” he explains. “It was in Cambodia that I met a plastic surgeon named Ly Heng, who told me about some complex reconstructive surgery that he had done. But he didn’t have loupes, because he is paid $70 a month by the government, and he couldn’t afford them. So I said, ‘Well, I’m going to get you a pair.’” Back home, David did some research and discovered just how rare loupes are in ThirdWorld surgeries, and it wasn’t long before he had founded Loupes Around the World. To date, the organization has given out nearly 200 pairs of loupes to doctors in 42 countries. David has been a general surgeon at Waterbury (Conn.) Hospital for more than 25 years. Last fall, the hospital honored him as its Humanitarian of the Year, citing not only his founding of Loupes Around the World but his many volunteer missions to Africa. Some of the loupes, ones that may be adjusted to fit different users, are bought from a distributor at cost – about $300 a pair. Others are custom-fitted and provided free of charge by Designs for Vision, Inc., an optical products company in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Still others are donated by doctors who no longer need them.
Funds to purchase the loupes have come from several sources. “Obviously, family and friends have been very generous and helpful,” David explains. “There’s also a foundation in Virginia that gave us a grant to do this. They really liked the idea that there’s no administrative expense – every penny goes to buy loupes for surgeons who need them.” Donations are received through the group’s web site, www.loupesaroundtheworld.org. The web site is also used by surgeons seeking loupes. “In Africa, there’s a lot of pediatric urology surgery,” David says. “Before, that had to be done without loupes. Surgeons have written me to say that with the loupes, it’s like a different operation – it’s so much cleaner, it’s so much better, and they just know that they’re doing a better job.” Twice a year, David also spends two weeks as a volunteer surgeon in Liberia with the group Health Education And Relief Through Teaching (HEARTT), which was started by a doctor of Liberian heritage in Bridgeport, Conn. At one such session, HEARTT held a fundraiser in Monrovia. At the event, “I introduced myself as a general surgeon from Connecticut,” David recalls. “When the evening was over, a young Liberian woman came up to me and said, ‘I went to school in Connecticut.’ I asked her where, and she said ‘a boarding school called Choate Rosemary Hall.’" She was Idella Cooper ’94, now Liberia’s Deputy Minister of Justice for Economic Affairs. “I thought it was pretty amazing to meet another Choatie in Monrovia,” David laughs. “What are the chances of that?”
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Magic Time This year, David McWhirter ’82 directed his fourth episode of the smash TV series The Closer in what was its seventh and final season. Featured actress Kyra Sedgwick told him she felt safe with him directing, a compliment that David says was the greatest he could receive.
David McWhirter
’82
First Assistant Director David McWhirter ’82 on the set of the hit series The Closer with actress Kyra Sedgwick. Photo credit: Gil Garcetti.
By Kevin Mardesich
It confirmed his three decades of storytelling training: an acting class at Choate with teacher Paul Tines, a CalArts master of fine arts in film; the Directors Guild of America Assistant Director Training Program, and 19 years of production credits on TV shows, which culminated in the last seven seasons as The Closer’s First Assistant Director. How did a boy who grew up in rural Greenville, Pa. with a couple of cows across the street pull off this trick? If you work in Hollywood, you have to believe in magic. Growing up, David’s favorite reading was Genii, a magician’s trade magazine. One weekend, his parents – a homemaker mom and his orthopedic-surgeon dad, who were always supportive – agreed to take him to New York City’s revered magician’s shop, Tannen’s. Young David was mesmerized as he wandered down the aisles lined with saw-a-woman-in-halfboxes and other professional tricks. He was hooked.
He soon started at Choate Rosemary Hall, which was challenging in its own right for the 14-year-old. He did his best to pull a rabbit out of his hat so as not to fail physics, but Robert Sells taught him there was no magic to studying hard. He also learned about earning respect from Dean of Boys Jere Packard, who remembered the third former’s name, saying, “Whoa, Mr. McWhirter!” as if he was bowing to him on the battlefield. David felt honored that he knew his name. On the set today, as an assistant director who commands his own “troops,” David makes it a priority to learn every person’s name, even those of the day players. At Choate, Ed Maddox, his dean, taught him another lesson about positive leadership. One weekend, David sought Mr. Maddox’s permission to arrive home by taxi one hour after curfew from a local rock concert; he declined. Mr. Maddox encouraged him, though, to attend and enjoy the concert. David persisted, “But Mr. Maddox, you won’t even know if we arrive after curfew.” To which Dean Maddox replied, “You’re right, I won’t.” David ensured he and his buddies arrived home well before curfew. He says it was a lesson well learned: Being on time is critical for Hollywood production shoots; hundreds of thousands of dollars can be lost if the director and crew go over the allotted hours. After Choate, David began as a pre-med major at The University of California at San Diego but switched to a film major. After graduation, he recognized that he needed conservatory training, so applied and was accepted to CalArts. His early employment years were brutal; he sometimes slept on couches while trying to find work. In one tear-filled conversation with his father, grasping for career straws, David mentioned the competitive Directors Guild of America trainee program, which places its graduates on TV and film sets. One of a handful selected from hundreds, he proved to be a good match for the program. When The Closer wrapped its successful seven-season run this year, David was already tapped as assistant director for its spinoff series, Major Crimes, which stars series regular and twotime Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell. A couple of other directing assignments also wait on his horizon. And occasionally you can catch him at the Hollywood Hills’ famous Magic Castle, where once in a blue moon he performs magic.
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Katie Maeve Murphy
’97
Katie, a research fellow with Save the Children, pictured here with young school children in Bangladesh. By Henry McNulty ’65
Third World Educator Working with the New York-based International Rescue Committee as a manager of a refugee camp in northeastern Chad was wonderfully fulfilling, says Katie Maeve Murphy ’97. “It was amazing,” she says, “to see the resilience of the people who lived in those kinds of places, and even to see kids with smiles and a wonderful spirit.” She was there in 2006, when the guerrilla war in the nearby Darfur region of Sudan was raging. “The daily commute would include passing rebels on pickup trucks with their huge machine guns, and a harsh physical environment – sandstorms, and extreme heat and cold,” she recalls. “We were only three kilometers from the border of Darfur, and refugees kept poring over into Chad.” One day, the violence came too close for comfort. “We were leaving a small compound where we had a field office,” Katie says, “and a group of teenagers surrounded one of the vehicles with guns. I, in my naïve instinct, because I’d never lived in a war zone, thought ‘Oh, we can talk with them. These are kids, I can smile at them. We can wave them off’ – and I looked at one of my colleagues, a doctor from Rwanda, and he was visibly shaking. I knew then that this was a real threat, not just kids playing with guns. Shortly after that, we were all evacuated.” Katie, who earned a master’s degree in international education policy from Harvard, is now completing a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in human development, focusing on child development in the Third World. “My work mainly concerns how governments or programs or UN-connected organizations in developing countries help children learn, and grow, and overcome conditions of poverty,” she explains.
Recently a research fellow with Save the Children in India and Thailand, her interest in international education started at Choate Rosemary Hall, she says: “I always had a strong interest in service. I remember quite well an inspirational speech given at School by (South African Nobel Peace laureate) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and wonderful Reflections speeches in the Chapel. My parents were always very encouraging about putting yourself outside your comfort zone to try to effect change. When I was at Choate, I wrote a letter to myself saying “when I grow up, I’m going to be in the Peace Corps.” She followed through immediately after graduating from Johns Hopkins, joining the Peace Corps and living in a rural community of El Salvador for two years to develop income generation projects and health initiatives. “I really became part of the community, which was an amazing experience,” she says. This summer she hopes to return to Central America to do research on maternal literacy in Nicaragua. Once she earns her doctorate, Katie says she would like to remain active working with part of the United Nations or a non-governmental organization in a developing country, but with a specialty in child development and education. “I’m considering teaching,” she says, “but not a desk job. If I were a professor, rather than academic research I would like to have lots of field work, practical work.”
H. John Steinbreder, III
’74
By Ron Fleury
“I want to be associated with great people, great hearts and great places and Choate is one of these. The School prospers because of people, and I am very proud to be a part of it.”
Early Lessons Inspire A Legacy John Steinbreder '74 arrived at Choate after spending his early years at Fairfield Country Day School. Today, John uses that school's motto, Laboribus Iudicamur (“We are judged by our deeds”) as a compass for his life. And the people John came to know at Choate offered further evidence of the value of that motto, as well as great friendships. John's first year in Wallingford was also Seymour St. John's last as Headmaster (coincidentally, his father, Harry “Sandy” Steinbreder ’48, graduated at the end of St. John’s first year as Head). In 1974, Rosemary Hall was newly reestablished on the campus. Cultural and societal changes created great challenges for the School's leadership. Yet, Choate was still Choate. “I did not give it my all academically, but so much sunk in by osmosis,” John says, “and so many people believed in me.” He recalls a note home from St. John near the end of a trying first year, referring to John as “still among the best.” Jere Packard (whom John still refers to as “Mr. Packard”) was a great influence on his life, as were Harvey and Sarah Morse, who nurtured him. Tom Yankus was a coaching hero, as he has been to so many. “Team sports were so important to my development and confidence,” says John,
who participated in football, hockey and skiing. David Webb ignited John's early interest in writing, especially free topic composition, and Burr Johnson, who died late last year, cultivated his interest in poetry. After Choate, John continued to explore writing and journalism professionally. The sale of his first magazine article while a student at the University of Oregon led to a career with major publications, including Fortune and Sports Illustrated. Now, he works primarily in digital media and loves the new environment, writing almost exclusively about golf for globalgolfpost.com and for Masters.com for the Augusta National Golf Club. Included among the 13 books he has had published is a 2010 set featuring the golf courses built by Herb Kohler '57. He is currently working on two more projects: a history of Matedconk National Golf Course in New Jersey, and a book on the art of putting with Michael Breed '81. In 2003, John informed the School that he had included Choate in his will. “I did it to let Choate know how much it meant to me,” he says. “I want to be associated with great people, great hearts and great places – and Choate is one of these. The School prospers because of people, and I am very proud to be a part of it.”
To learn about the creative ways you can include Choate Rosemary Hall in your personal legacy, contact Ron Fleury in the Planned Giving Office at (203) 697-2288 or rfleury@choate.edu. Visit our website at www.choate.edu/plannedgiving
Class Notes s p r i n g 2 0 1 2 n e w s
f r o m
’40
How To Submit Class Notes and Photos
Please note these guidelines: 1. Class notes should be verifiable and appropriate for publication. 2. Submit photos electronically in a .jpg format to alumline@choate.edu Please make sure the resolution is high enough to be of publication quality – 300 dpi at 4” square, or comparable. Please be aware that a photo that looks good on a computer screen might look fuzzy on a printed page. Your safest bet is to use a digital camera (not a cell phone camera) with a setting of at least 3 megapixels for the highest imagequality, usually “fine” or “large.” Please include a caption with specific details (who, what, where and when) with your photo. Paper copies of photographs will not be returned. Please write your full name and class year on the back of the photo. 3. Wedding photos may be submitted only by the alumnus, bride or groom. Sorry, no third party submissions. 4. The Bulletin does not announce marriages until they take place (i.e., no engagement news), and does not report births until they occur (i.e., no pregnancy news). 5. If your note or photograph does not appear in this issue, it may appear in a subsequent issue, or be posted online to Alumni News on www.choate.edu. Please keep your news coming to alumline@choate.edu. Do you have or need updated information for your classmates? Contact: Christine Bennett at (203) 697-2228 or by email to alumnirelations@choate.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
c John Clement writes, “This just might be Choate’s ’Last Hurrah’ for the Class of 1940, since we are all close to 90 years old. How fortunate we were that our families, despite the continuing Great Depression, managed to give us Choate’s superlative education and pave the way to the college of our choice. A year later, we were at the prime age for junior leadership roles in World War II, and many of us fulfilled these responsibilities as NCOs, lieutenants, and ensigns. Since then, most of us have made significant contributions to the country’s economy. A national news commentator has referred to us as ‘The Greatest Generation’ and I, modestly, tend to agree.”
’42
c St ephen A. Wise writes, “I practiced law for 50 years and recently retired. I had my share of wins and losses, but the worst was my failure in not getting Dietrich Bonhoeffer recognized by the Holocaust Museum in Israel even though he saved a number of Jews and was executed at Hitler’s direct command only a few days before VE-Day.”
’44
c Kennon Jayne writes, “I am still going strong at 85! All four children are fully employed and my wife still thinks I am the love of her life. What more could I ask for!”
’45
c David Carpent er writes, “My wife, Jane, died last summer, the result of a brain tumor that we didn’t know about. She had not been feeling well for several weeks, and when we got to the mountains it was clear she needed medical help. Just two months later she was gone. At her request the only service was graveside at the family plot in Milwaukee. Friends here have made sure that I am kept busy and have company. My address: 500 Waters Drive, Apt. C203, Southern Pines, NC 28387."
’46 r h Dorot hy Montague Choln oky writes, “Last June, I went
to my granddaughter Kari’s art show in Hanover, N.H. I met two classmates, Lydgie Thorne Lucy and Nell Lloyd Helm, for a Rosemary Hall reunion. We had a wonderful visit: the years slipped away, and we spoke of the chapel, old friends and funny memories. They both are healthy and full of pep. Lydgie and her husband have a farm in Vermont and raised six kids. Nell and her husband moved to a retirement place in Hanover and they enjoy the benefits of a college town environment.” Dottie is the grandmother of Choate graduates JB Cholnoky ’04, Kari Cholnoky ’06 and Robert Cholnoky ’09.
’50 r h Marlee Tu rne r writes, “Rosemary Hall helped teach me to think and to look for different points of view with Miss Ruth Yerrall.”
’51
r h Joan St ulman G ilbert writes, “I never knew retirement would be as much fun as work (35 years in public relations), but here I am living ’the good life.’ New York is a cultural smorgasbord and I feast weekly on theater, jazz, concerts, lectures and museums. Classmate Didi McGhie is
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my frequent companion, and we credit Rosemary Hall for encouraging our curiosity in just about everything. My granddaughter, Anna Cooper, is an M.D., specializing in orthopedic surgery, and my grandson, Kevin Cooper, is attending law school. It’s every woman’s dream for their kids or, in this case, grandchildren. My three daughters, Linda, Dana and Patti, are all thriving in their careers, and Dana has two young boys, not yet old enough to be professionals.”
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Miguel A. S uar ez writes, “This past Christmas, my wife, Yolanda, and I traveled by rental car to France and Spain, and took a five-day tour from Spain to Istanbul. I drove 5,000 kilometers! The highlights were: Oradour Sur Glane (a small French town devastated by the Nazis in 1944), the Loire Valley with its grandiose castles, the spectacular Millau Viaduct (taller than the Eiffel Tower), the ancient El Torcal in Antequera, Spain, and the impressive Hagia Sophia museum (360 AD) and the six minaret Blue Mosque in style-soaked Istanbul. I will soon make several colorful ’photo books' of these historic places on www.lulu.com."
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A r ne H . Car lson , Governor of Minnesota from 1991 to 1999, was presented a Humphrey Legacy Award for his continuous work on behalf of improving the quality of governance in Minnesota. A blogger and frequent speaker in his retirement, Arne, a moderate Republican, frequently teamed with former Vice President Walter Mondale on a variety of issues ranging from creating an independent panel to handling legislative and Congressional redistricting to presenting a compromise designed to resolving the 2011 state of Minnesota budgetary deadlock. In 2001, Minnesotans, in a poll conducted by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, named Arne as one of the great political leaders of the 20th Century. He was also honored in October 2011 by being named by the Rochester Post-Bulletin as Minnesota’s “most effective” governor in the past 50 years.
’53 r h
J ean W ilson writes, “Last fall I retired from the Vail Ski School, however I’m working there part-time when it’s busy. I’m still keeping active with summer and winter sports and traveling. I went to Bhutan and Nepal in September and October, hiking and touring. Next year, 2013, will be our 60th Reunion. Please, Class of 1953, let us plan to all get together and celebrate in style!”
’56
c Te d M a r t in writes, “Liz and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in September 2011 by gathering all 14 immediate family members in Colorado. Our three sons and their wives have presented us with six grandchildren (so far) which range in age from 14 to less than a year old. I’ll need to find the fountain of youth in order to keep up with the tiny ones! Staying busy in retirement with golf, tennis, fly-fishing and travel. Hated learning of ‘Top’ Sargent’s passing. He and his roommate, George Gross, also deceased, were among my best pals at Choate."
TOP Rosemarians from 1946 gathered last summer, from left, Nell
Lloyd Helm, Lydgie Thorne Lucy, and Dottie Montague Cholnoky.
Middle Ted Martin ’56 and his wife, Liz, celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in September 2011.
bottom Jim Metzger ’56 and his wife, Agnes, and David
Wood ’56 hosted an event at the Metropolitan Club in New York on November 2, 2011 to introduce The Parklands of Floyds Fork. David Wood ’56, of Louisville, is a Co-Chair of the $113 million campaign to develop this new 3,800-acre park system.
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and his wife, Agnes, hosted an event at the Metropolitan Club overlooking Central Park in New York on November 2, 2011 to introduce The Parklands of Floyds Fork, one of the nation’s largest new urban parks projects, located in Louisville, Ky. David Wood, of Louisville, is a co-chair of the $113 million campaign to develop this new park system (3,800 acres, divided into four separate parks, all interconnected), which is 97 percent funded and on target for completion by 2015.
J im Me t z ge r
’57
c Luis A r man do Roche writes, “We are currently writing a theater play about Calamity Jane, the fabulous Frontier Lady. We hope to produce it this year. All my cinema work is being shown at the Centro Cultural Chacao in Caracas. It began in March and will go on until June. At that time, our feature film: De Repente, La Película (Suddenly a Film) will be shown competitively at the Festival de Mérida, Venezuela." Here is a link to the same film at the St. Louis International Film Festival: wearemoviegeeks.com/2011/11/suddenly-the-movie-sliff-review/
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Dic k D o mmer s has published Moray - A Tale of the Deep, and The Aeronaut, Create Space, available on Amazon.com. R o be r t Knisely and his wife, Susan, doubled their grandchildren from four to eight between December, 2010 and October, 2011, with one each in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and California. Robert is teaching a graduate level course, "The Tools of Government," at Johns Hopkins Institute of Policy Studies this spring for the second time. He is on the board of the Arundel House of Hope, an organization devoted to caring for the homeless. The Arundel House of Hope just opened a free medical clinic in January. Anyone earning less than twice the poverty level can come in for free care. He also continues making frequent trips to his 110-acre retreat in West Virginia. Dennie W illiams writes, “Hello all! I may be retired from journalism after almost five decades but I hope to publish my unusual nature book, The Spirits of Birds, Bears, Butterflies and All Those Other Wild Creatures, sometime this year. It’s a book of short stories about interaction and communication among animals, birds, fish and humans. It’s not certain to get finally approved yet, but I am already pushing the book with an Internet site of my own, www.birdscrittersbutterflies.webs.com It’s my 50th reunion at Middlebury College this June. That should be fun! Meanwhile, my son Tommie ’92, also a Choate graduate, is out in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, operating his own developed sport hat and T-shirt business with his own imaginative designs. He is doing well at www.dedicatebrand.com.
TOP Seth Hoyt ’61 and wife Nancy with their grandchildren
from left, Oliver Hoyt Ward, age 6, Hadley Hamill Ward, age 14, and Duncan James Ward, age 6, at a family outing in Minnesota on Long Lake.
middle Megan Clarke ’98 and husband, Michael Archambault,
welcomed their first daughter, Lucy Jane Archambault, on August
2, 2011. Megan is a third-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Connecticut. The family lives in West Hartford, Conn. bottom Colm Rafferty ’94, and wife, Carol, welcomed a son,
Colm Jr., on September 29, 2011.
’58 r h Doreen H are writes, “It is with great sadness that I report
that my roommate of two years at Rosemary Hall, Valerie Darke Finlay, died last summer of a brain tumor. I have stayed in touch all these years and we even met up with each other twice in the last five years. She has three children and several grandchildren. My husband and I have become ‘snowbirds’ in Naples, Florida with summers on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. We are blessed with three wonderful grandchildren, ages 9, 11, 13 who live in North Carolina. Our daughter and her husband are also snowbirds and we enjoy their two shire horses, two goldens, and one rag doll cat. It is always an adventure when we are all together.”
’61 c
Richard E. Burne y writes, “I am now in my 35th year at University of Michigan, where I am Professor of Surgery in the Section of General Surgery. I have been active throughout that time in quality oversight at local, state and national levels. In January 2012, after being reappointed by the governor, I was elected chair of the state Board of Medicine, which oversees licensure and disciplinary matters for physicians in Michigan.” Set h H oyt writes, “Our five-year-old grandson, Hugo Wustman, and his mom, my daughter Sky Hoyt, visited Nancy and me for a week in January in Wickenburg, Ariz. Pony rides, new cowboy boots, swimming pool time (old "Poppy," me, was exhausted!), and endless tortillas and enchiladas made for a perfect holiday for Sky and Hugo (Charlie Wustman couldn’t make this trip), and blessed get-together for the grandparents.”
’62 r h Lovejoy Reeves Du ryea and her husband, Bobby, spent visiting choate? ... A historic inn at the heart of campus
Open September through July, the Lodge is ideal for an overnight stay or a special event. It is available for the use of the extended Choate Rosemary Hall family, including: Alumni | Prospective Students and Families | Parents of Current or Former Students | Summer Programs Families | Official Guests of the School | Relatives and Guests of Faculty and Staff. For more information and online reservations, visit: www.choate.edu/sallyhartlodge or (203) 697-3933.
some time in Italy, where she was a visiting artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council of Interior Design Qualification which administers and prepares the exam used by state boards for licensure of interior design. She and Bobby are expecting their 7th grandchild this summer.
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Dick Knigh t writes, “I am still (37 years) living in Marblehead, Mass., with my wife, Lee. After 26 years of growing a career management consulting firm, Keystone Partners, based in Boston, I continue to work (albeit about half time) because it’s still fun. We have raised three children, happily working in the fields they studied in college, and now have four grandchildren who all, fortunately, live nearby. So we spend a lot of time with them. I still teach skiing on the weekends at Waterville Valley, N.H. For the past 10 years I have organized a group of people for an annual weeklong heli-skiing trip to the wilderness of northeastern British Columbia. It’s the highlight of my winter, and forces me to stay in shape! In the summer, we sail along the coast on our Sabre 38 from Marblehead to Maine. I play a lot of tennis and some golf; and we ride our Harley
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Davidson up around the mountains and lakes of New Hampshire. We both have read the book, Younger Next Year, and try to live life each day by eating the right things and staying strong and healthy. All in all, we feel very fortunate. I am looking forward to seeing Choate classmates at our 50th reunion next year.”
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UP STEP for the
CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL
ANNUAL FUND
CHALLENGE
With $200,000 in matching funds, the Board of Trustees has issued an extraordinary challenge to Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni, and if you step up, we will succeed. Alumni who have given in the past 5 years: Give a larger gift than your last and
our challengers will match your increase (up to $1,000). Alumni who have not donated in 5 years or more: Give a gift of any size and
our challengers will add a $250 match to your contribution. Please send your donation to the Annual Fund at: Choate Rosemary Hall, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492 Give us a call at (203) 697-2389, or go to www.choate.edu/donate to make your gift online.
San dy Litt le Bea rd and her husband, John, divide their time between Charlottesville, Va., and North Palm Beach, Fla. They travel quite a bit. John worked for Save The Children for 12 years, so they have travelled some with them to Burma, El Salvador, and Bhutan. They also spend time visiting their grandchildren in California and North Carolina. Margo H eun Bradford retired at the end of 2011 from her job as operations manager at the Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge at the National Institutes of Health, where she had been since 2004. Before that, she was at The Children’s Inn at NIH until 2004. She writes, “I am thoroughly enjoying retirement, and highly recommend it. I’m taking a four-session women’s history course called “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History,” taught by my friend, Betsy Griffith, former head of Madeira School, which I attended after leaving Rosemary Hall. Also, I’m working on a temporary basis for someone who runs estate sales in the DC area. If nothing else, it’s convincing me to get rid of my clutter and excess stuff.” Tina Close writes: “I’m plugging away painting, enjoying my animals, snow blowing and seeing friends.” Donna Dick enson and her husband, Chris, spent the holidays in New Mexico with daughter Pip. Chris had a rather bad skiing accident while there, but is home and recovering nicely. Alice Chaffee Freeman had hip replacement surgery in November. She’s doing nicely. Doreen McClennan G ardne r and her husband, Michael, are happy to report that they have their first grandchild, Emma Marie, born June 7, 2011. “Little did we know just how much fun this would be!” They are both still working but gearing up for a change in schedule and possibly relocation in the next couple of years. Jean McBee Kn ox writes, “In November, sales at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt took a nosedive and I was laid off, along with most of my department. Since then, I’ve been busy with print and online freelance writing, all of which are more satisfying than the work I had been doing, so I feel lucky. I love having a more flexible work schedule. My poetry group, the “Dot Four,” has had a terrific year, with a reading at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in May, three readings in Dorchester in the fall, and another scheduled for this spring. Thanks to everyone who sent birthday cards to my aunt, Alice McBee, for her 93rd birthday last fall. Her health is still good, although she no longer writes letters. She is well cared for in Hanover, N.H.”
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new book of her mother’s letters and journals from 1947-1986, Against Wind and Tide, will be published this spring. J u dy S haw Richa r dson writes, “Our big news is the marriage of our daughter in September. Meg graduated from optometry school in May in Portland, then she and her fiancé, Brendan Kelly, bought the house next door to us and moved in on July 5. I still dance and work at Hawthorn Hollow, a nature sanctuary and arboretum in Kenosha, Wis., where I am on the Board of Directors. We are spearheading a big Watershed restoration.” C indy S k iff S healor is planning a visit to the grandkids in Hong Kong soon.
Ree v e L indbe r gh’s
’64
c H ank Mi xsell writes, “I drove to Framingham, Mass., to watch Tom Smith play a concert of his new CD, Journey Home (Birch Beer Records). Tom is the husband of Margo Ayres, whose brothers, Rob and Burge, are both graduates of Choate and whose father, Burge, uncles Ted and Bill, and grandfather, Russ, were all part of a long and meaningful legacy at Choate. My father, John, graduated when Russ was the Dean under George St. John and Burge Sr. was the Dean when both of my brothers, Mike and Steve, graduated before me. Small world, no?”
’65 c
Ge o r ge H an dzo writes, “After many years as a health care chaplain and consultant, I have launched my own venture to make spiritual care a fully integrated part of health care in America.”
’66
c J o hn A r thu r was rudely ejected, after 23 years, at The Los Angeles Times, where he had been executive editor, managing editor (twice), the page 1 editor (twice) and did a host of other jobs. The first thing John did was take a solo cross-country baseball drive. One stop was in Washington, D.C., where he visited Ed Miller, and where they went to a Nationals game. In July, 2010, John began a three-month temporary job as editor of the Bakersfield Californian, a small, privately-owned daily newspaper 111 miles north of Los Angeles. He liked it so much he stayed, and he is now executive editor and a vice president of the paper. John lives in Bakersfield during the week, goes home to Santa Monica on weekends, is still married to Anne Eggebroten, his wife of nearly 40 years, and their middle daughter is getting married in June. John doesn’t spend too much time on Facebook but is a maniac on Twitter @jarthur47. F o ste r G amble has recently released a feature documentary, Thrive: What On Earth Will It Take? (www.thrivemovement.com). He created and hosts the film, which is produced and directed by his wife, Kimberly. The movie follows the money upstream to see what is in the way of our thriving and what we can do about it. It was voted Transformational Film of the Year in public polling by the Aware Guide.
top Amanda Todd Lynch ’98 and her husband Barclay welcomed
their second child, Millicent Claire Lynch ("Mia"), on July 24, 2011. Amanda and Barclay also have a son, Redington, who is two and half years old. The family lives in Old Greenwich, Conn.
Allie O'Kane Miller ’98 and her husband, Alistair, welcomed their second child, Elizabeth Kathleen Miller, on September 16, 2011. Elizabeth's big brother, Jenson, turns 2 years old in April.
bottom
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writes, “While still active in business financing (Network Capital Consultants), I started a new company in 2011 that designs and makes New England Fireplace Benches. See pictures at www.ClubFenders.us. My idea for this company started while at Choate. It’ll keep me busy for another 20 years.” N o el H y n d ’ s Flowers From Berlin, a pre-World War II spy thiller, has been an Amazon Kindle best seller since publication in December 2010, currently 60 consecutive weeks in the Top 100 Paid Political thrillers. Jamie Ki r k patr ick recently purchased a home in Chestertown, Md., that had once been owned by classmate Chris Havemeyer. Small world! P e te r T. H ov ey
’66 r h C o r nelia d e Schepper writes, “I continue to enjoy living in
San Francisco with all its cultural and athletic offerings. I am working hard in a challenging real estate market as one finds in most places these days. Last fall I helped out once again as a chairperson of The San Francisco Fall Antique Show. It’s a marvelous world class show with dealers from all over the globe featuring all kinds of antiques. For part of the summer, I steal away to my house in Greensboro, Vt., for my ’New England fix’ and am lucky to have my mother, who lives on Hilton Head Island, accompany me. I have enjoyed meeting new alums at the CRH alumni activities that take place in the Bay area and I’d love to hear from any classmates who might be passing through San Francisco as Connie Fisher did not too long ago.” L e x ie H o war d writes, "Our biggest news is that our youngest, Heidi ’96, and her husband, Brett, had a baby boy, Brooks Lyle Allen, last June 3, and we have realized how much we miss a baby in the family. With many visits to Maine, Vermont, and Long Island, we have been able to see him quite a lot and are witnessing the incredible changes that happen so quickly at this age. I am still in real estate after 20 years. It has been tough going over the past few years, but I love the people I work with.”
’67
C L ee C o le- C hu was nominated in January to be a Connecticut Superior Court judge. He hopes to soon be confirmed by the legislature and to take office. He looks forward to the 45th reunion. S elb y H ink ebein writes, “Very happy to be grandparents! We have a three-year-old grandson, Shepard, and a one-year-old granddaughter, Caroline. It is amazing how they own you the instant you see them for the first time! Makes turning 60 a lot easier. I hope 60 is the new 40 for all of us. I am a stockbroker for Wells Fargo. Happily, I got a lot of my clients in Apple starting in 2004. That stock has absolved me of some of my previous sins!” Ric k R o sen t hal ’s company Whitewater Films had two films at Sundance – “California Solo” and “A Fierce Green Fire,” a film at Berlin – “Arcadia” – and their film “A Fat Kid Rules the World” will play opening night at South By SouthWest. Rick also just finished directing “Drones,” a micro-budget feature about two Air Force personnel in a trailer in Nevada flying a drone over Afghanistan on the trail of an Afghani who may or may not be a terrorist.
top Denise Byrd ’84 and Tom Ficklin ’67 at the Yale Alumni
Association Delegate Assembly.
bottom Lee Cole-Chu ’67 was nominated to be a Connecticut
Superior Court judge.
’67 r h H elen Truss Kwesk in writes, “It has been a time of joyous celebration: son Adam and daughter Abi both married wonderful mates during the past six months. Both young couples are living in Manhattan (only a train ride away from our home base of Rowayton, Conn.). After more than 40 years of teaching high school English, I am easing toward retirement by teaching half-time next year. I remain involved in work with schools and orphanages in Rwanda; our organization is planning an eye-care mission for June 2013. Looking forward to joining classmates at our 45th reunion.”
’71 r h Caroline Preston , the author of the New York Times
Notable Book Jackie by Josie, and two other acclaimed novels, Gatsby’s Girl and Lucy Crocker 2.0, has created the first ever scrapbook novel, The Scrapbook Of Frankie Pratt: A Novel In Pictures (Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers). The novel describes the vibrant, burgeoning bohemian culture of the 1920s.
’72 c
Jason Danielson writes, “I’ve taken a position with NetApp leading their media and entertainment industry marketing. It’s one of the 10 best multinational companies to work for rated by Fortune magazine and the second largest manufacturer of digital storage systems. I’ve become reacquainted with many of my old colleagues from Silicon Graphics (SGI) since joining. So I am enjoying the fast pace of Silicon Valley again, which is good because at this pace, I’ll never be retiring. Freda, my wife of 31 years, has now moved her worldwide commercial artists’ representation headquarters into our house so she is enjoying the best of both worlds, home and work. Our daughter, Amy, is now 37 and living in Portland. She just spent the last year opening one of the hottest restaurants in town and is now out looking for her next opportunity. It might be running her own food truck. Hi to everyone I’ve neglected all these years.” St eve Monroe writes, “Time certainly creeps up on us, as I hope to see many of you at our 40th reunion in May, the last one before we are in our sixties. Currently, my eldest daughter is a junior at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, the next daughter is a freshman at Tufts, my third daughter is a senior in high school and may go to St Andrews as well (already accepted) or McGill University in Montreal (has not heard yet). The baby of the family (although at 5’ 10" hardly a baby anymore), and the only boy, is in 8th grade and will be sending his football highlight video clips to Choate after he visits the campus for an interview. Our business is still going well despite the economy. Bob Miller, John Gelb and I all went to the reception to meet the new Headmaster at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port in August, which was a fun event. A few faculty from our day attended, including Tom Yankus and Zack Goodyear. See you in May.”
top Filmmaker Rick Rosenthal ’67, center, directed “Drones,”
a feature film about two Air Force personnel flying a drone over Afghanistan from a trailer in Nevada.
middle Doug Pease ’72 and Rich Carlson, left, were married
on June 11, 2011 in Harthaven, an area of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard.
bottom Jason Danielson ’72 and his wife, Freda.
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Who needs a vacation? ... You do!
Venice & the Lakes Region
October 6–14, 2012 Save the date for a oncein-a lifetime tour of northern Italy’s historic canals, lakes and vineyards. This exclusive invitation to Choate Rosemary Hall alumni, parents and friends is limited to 20 participants. The trip includes guided excursions to Venice, Padua, Lake Garda, and Verona. Visit one of Murano’s famous glass blowers’ studios | Join a private tour of Saint Mark’s Basilica | Taste the finest wines of the region | View Palladio’s masterpieces in Vicenza | Explore Italy’s lake district and Champagne Region in Franciacorta For information visit www.choate.edu/italy or contact AnnMarie Engstrom in the Alumni Office at (203) 697-2431 or email aengstrom@choate.edu.
f r o m
Bill Murray writes, “This summer, I marked 30 years as a real estate broker at Berkley & Veller Greenwood Country Realtors in Brattleboro, Vt. Much of my work has focused on historic preservation, land conservation, green building and developing a sound local economy. I just completed three terms on the Brattleboro Food Coop Board of Directors. I serve on the Windham Regional Commission, an organization involved with regional planning. Governor Shumlin recently appointed me to the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. I reached the height of my political aspirations when I was elected to the Guilford Cemetery Commission. If you’re looking for a pastoral plot, give me a call.” Doug Pease and Rich Carlson were married on June 11, 2011 in Harthaven, an area of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. The couple exchanged vows before family and friends in an outdoor ceremony at their home on Farm Pond Road. The service was officiated by the Rev. Cathlin Baker of the West Tisbury Congregational Church. Doug, a refugee from the advertising community, has reinvented himself to pursue his interest in home renovation. Chip Underhill is five months into a new career after three years of running back and forth to Choate where son Ethan ’11 graduated last spring. After "too many years" in corporate marketing for telecommunications, Chip moved into education as Executive Director of Public Relations and External Affairs at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. Chips says, "Pinkerton is a 200-year-old school with 3,100 students but the environment is friendly, the setting is like a small college, the attitude is current and I absolutely LOVE being in education." Chip challenges the class of ’72 – that’s C and RH – not to let life’s roadblocks prevent a return for the 40th!
’73 c
St ephen Davis , with wife, Clo, and son, Gabriel Davis ’14, toured the New Hampshire primary with Andrew Cohen and son Alexander, on the weekend before the vote. Davis and Cohen first visited the primary back in 1972 for the McGovern campaign; the two also went to the Miami Beach Democratic Convention that year.
’76
c H ans Kaiser writes, “Saw Ned Goddard, Danny Carucci, Bruce Cooper ’75 and Ed Maddox in Washington recently at a Choate event highlighting the talents of the Choate debate team. Ed couldn’t sit still and called me out to the vestibule during the debate proffering his ‘get over hee-uh right now’ look we all remember so well, even 36 years later. I thought for a second he was going to send me home for a 10-day vacation, but fortunately he just wanted to chat. Work is busy in the political world, but I did find time to play in the over 45 and over 50 national lacrosse championships in January at the Florida Lacrosse Classic, where our teams won both age divisions. Fritz Mitchell was in Baltimore recently for work. I was out of town but we did manage to catch up by phone and he shared that he has been busy and all is well in Charlotte, Vt.”
class n ot es
Dav i d Teeple had an exhibit in February and March, "Thinking Water: Poetry, Systems and Politics," at the University Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It was part of a series in which artists are invited to integrate their own works with pieces they select from the museum’s works-on-paper collection, which includes over 2,600 contemporary prints, drawings, and photographs.
’77 c
Gr eg Kats writes, “I received the first US Green Building Council Lifetime Achievement Award. After 16 years of helping the green build movement and standard grow, it has become the biggest and most hopeful trend in the building industry, and 80 countries now have national green building council organizations. In the last five years, green has gone from exotic to mainstream. The folks involved tend to be passionate leaders so it’s been great fun, and wonderful to see Choate moving rapidly in the green design direction.”
’77
r h L eslie M er r ell Zimme r man has launched TaBoot, a line of high end custom made cowboy boots with needlepoint designs on the uppers. If that strikes your fancy, you can reach her at TaBootBiz@gmail. com or visit her website www.Taboot.Biz.
’78
A llis o n Mur r ay writes, “For my 50th birthday, I went bicycling in New Zealand for 2½ weeks! A fabulous adventure and awesome cycling through rainforest, alps, plains and next to the ocean. Next stop: China or India by bike!!”
’81
To m C o lt is living in Pittsburgh and working as a college counselor at Shady Side Academy. Also, he works as a duck boat tour narrator in the summer. He and his wife, Megan, did the Pittsburgh Polar Bear Plunge on January 1, jumping into the frigid Monongahela River. They traveled to Cuba last year for spring break and will be going to Iceland in March. R o b Falk has been living in Washington, D.C., for 21 years, and currently serves as General Counsel of the Human Rights Campaign. He also reports that he has a side business coaching triathletes. S a r a B . Kinsman , MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She writes, “Love living in Philadelphia. Isabel our 11-year-old daughter loves anything and everything related to ponies and dogs. I am directing in-patient services for Adolescent Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and John is teaching European history. Lots of fun all around. Hi Keira, Liz, Jen, and Leslie!”
top Leslie Merrell Zimmerman ’77 is launching TaBoot, a line of
custom made cowboy boots.
middle Stephanie Hazard ’81, center, and son Jack Vaughan ’10,
right, at the opening of painter Steven Vaughan’s exhibition of hyperrealist paintings at the Paul Mellon Arts Center.
bottom Mary Hinojosa ’07 is working as a Legislative Fellow
for Congressman Henry Cuellar representing the 28th congressional district of Texas. Mary is pictured here with Minority Leader of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Cuellar.
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Gwen Str auss writes, “I co-authored a children’s book Ruth and the Green Book which in 2011 went on to distinguish itself with numerous awards including the Jane Addams Book Peace Award, the Jefferson Cup Award, the Cardozo Award for Children’s Literature and the ALA Most Notable book award. I live with my three children and work in a small village in Provence where I am the on-site director of the Dora Maar House, an artist residency program in southern France run by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “
’82
S a r ah W hittle Stoffel has been living in the Sarasota, Fla., area for the past six years. She and her husband, Gary, both work for Tellabs, based in Naperville, Ill. Their youngest daughter is a freshman at High Point University in N.C. and their son, Alex, is a freshman at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School. Alex is an avid lacrosse player and would love to attend Choate, but he is just going to have to settle for attending the 30th reunion this spring. Kalen H o c k stader Holli day writes, “Just returned from a lovely dinner with Page Vincent, who I had the good fortune to see two nights in a row. Thursday, we were together with Ray Hovey, Cynthia Houx, Laurie Abel, Christine Mulkiewicz and a number of other classmates at Blaine Bortnick’s pre-reunion reunion. Next week I’ll be in Boston where I plan to see 4th form roomie Lynn Pantano; 6th form, college and post college roommate Laura Rawlings and I took our moms to a spa in Virginia to celebrate our/their birthdays. I also got to spend several days with Laura and a number of other Choaties, including Dave Seaman, during our Georgetown reunion. I’m currently running marketing and communications for Covestor, an online asset management company that, essentially, lets you copy the smart kid in the class by replicating experienced investors stock trades. Living in Sleepy Hollow, New York, which is about as quaint as it sounds. An adjustment from being a native New Yorker, but I commute to the city by train, so it’s the best of both worlds. I’ve made my reservations for Reunion and look forward to seeing everyone there.”
’85
J eff H am o n d left the Senate after 12 years and is now Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates in Washington, D.C., focusing on tax issues and government relations for private foundations.
’86
E v e Kushne r writes, “I have launched a business called Joy o’ Kanji, which will keep me very busy for the next 40 to 100 years! I intend to write one essay about each of the 2,136 Joyo kanji (the written characters used in daily life in Japan). For a small price you can download these essays in PDF format from my new website, joyokanji.com. In a sense these essays are profiles. After all, kanji are every bit as complex, inconsistent, and fascinating as humans!”
top Claudia Saunders Bourke ’84, Maria Hall Rooney ’84,
and Susan Adams ’84 had their annual reunion last July in the Princeton area to catch up and take their kids to nearby Sesame Place.
middle Mary Guinivere Maisonneuve ’87 welcomed twin boys, John-Henri Thomas and Charles Anatole Maisonneuve, in Paris on January 16, 2012. bottom Kristen Zeitzer Bourke ’92 and husband, Mike,
welcomed a son, Alexander Soren Bourke, on January 5, 2012.
Marcie McMillan McDonough has resurrected her Choate friendships through Facebook and is back as a donor. She and husband Tim live in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., with two boys and promise to be at the 30th. She writes, “It’s also a giggle to know that Dan Courcey is out there making it happen for Choate.”
’87
Dave Joseph writes, “Having left Morgan Stanley in 2009 to run a mobile technology startup for a couple of years (which was recently acquired), I moved to a completely new challenge last year in pre K-12 educational technology. I’m currently SVP, Global Strategic Alliances at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where I lead the company’s engagement with global technology partners in delivering digital educational content and services to schools and consumers around the world. Most recently I’ve been spending a lot of time in Asia. I live in Montclair, N.J., with my beautiful wife, Mary Lee, who has been incredibly tolerant of my entrepreneurial endeavors and travel, and three wonderful kids, Sarina (age 8), Lily (age 5), and Jack (age 4). Hope to see you at the reunion in May!” Torrey Kindred Ke z iah has put everything, including the scruples she developed at Choate, on the back burner during a year of oldfashioned VW camper van travel around the US with her husband, two kids and labradoodle. She is currently sipping Planters Punch poolside in Fla. She plans to resume normal life in her Boulder, Colo., home this summer, but not without a visit to the Reunion in May. Cecelia Kurz man welcomed a son, Dashiell Cole Alvils Lacgalvis. He joins big brother, Roman, 2. Mary G uini vere Maisonneu ve was looking forward to returning to Choate for the 25th year reunion, however she does not think she’ll make it given the birth of her sons John-Henri Thomas and Charles Anatole Maisonneuve in Paris on January 16, 2012. Chris Mik sovsky writes, “My outdoor and travel accessories company, humangear, is now carried nationwide in stores such as Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Container Store, Whole Foods, and REI. We have yet to crack the Choate bookstore, but they will submit someday. I’ve also started a new dog products company called Paww that is quickly gaining traction. Otherwise, I am unmarried and childless, but my mother still loves me.” Abigail Zavod writes, “My news is that I am living in the Boston area and am a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. I am also an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and love teaching medical students and residents. I am also raising my three boys, two of whom are in high school.”
top Robert P. Kirschmann, Sr. ’00 and wife, Monica, welcomed
their first child, Robert Phillip Kirschmann, Jr., on August 9, 2011.
bottom Derek Moore, ’93 and wife, Lana, welcomed twin girls
Madeline and Amelia. The family lives in Westchester, N.Y.
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f r o m
’88
Kat e Byrnes writes, “After a year overseeing governance and development efforts in the eastern part of Afghanistan, I am now serving as the Counselor of Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain.”
’91
John T. Langa k er , wife Michelle, daughters Ava (7) and Tessa (4) and Labrador, Abraham, are relocating from the Kansas City area to the Raleigh, N.C. area this summer. (Finally returning to East Coast after 14 years in KC!) Kim Smit h Major writes, “After eight years working in the Alumni & Development Office at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., I jumped on the career change bandwagon and took a job as Assistant Director of Admission with Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. It was a very welcome change, and the work has been invigorating, and work is, no joke, fun every day. The pay cut? Not so fun, but, hey, quality of life, right? My travel territory is all of New York state and North Jersey, and I am on the road most of the fall and part of the spring. I often have free evenings when no college fairs are scheduled, so I would love to get together with folks in the region....message me on Facebook! When not traveling, I continue to enjoy New Hampshire with my husband and two sons. We are fortunate to have Jordan Guagliumi and his family nearby and we get together a few times a year. If anyone is passing through New Hampshire for a ski or lake vacation, I’d welcome a visit!” Mart in Morris on III writes, “I am living in Philadelphia with my wife, Dr. Bronwyn Carlson, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and my 1-year-old daughter, Lakelyn. I have one year remaining in my orthopedic surgery residency at Drexel and I will remain in Philly for one more year to do my fellowship in Pediatric Orthopedics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.” John N ewman writes, “My wife, Molly, and I were delighted to welcome our second daughter, Cecelia, on May 3, 2011. Cecelia joins big sister Lucy Elizabeth. We are thrilled to be raising our girls on the campus of Idyllwild Arts Academy, where I am Dean of Students and Molly teaches American Literature and Poetry. I would love to hear from classmates at jnewman@idyllwildarts.org “ Scott Valen t in o and his wife, Aubree, welcomed their second son, Carter James Valentino, on November 20, 2011. He joins big brother Luke Charles, who turned 2 in January. Scott is working as the VP of Development for NRG Energy in San Diego, Calif., and Aubree is a stay-at-home mom.
’92
Danielle Elk in is working with Wende Valentine in Colorado on a campaign, Challenge21 (www.challenge21.com) in which Wende’s husband, mountaineer Jake Norton, aims to be the first person ever to climb the Triple Seven Summits (tallest 3 peaks on each continent, 21 in total) while raising awareness about the global water and sanitation crisis (www.waterforpeople.org).
top Scott Valentino ’91 and wife Aubree welcomed their second son, Carter James Valentino, on November 20, 2011. He joins big brother Luke Charles, who turned 2 in January. bottom Caitlin Thompson ’92 married Sean Whitson on September 4, 2011 in the back yard of their cottage in upstate New York.
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her husband, Tim, and twins John and Clementine (2) are moving back to the US from London. The Hanrahans relocated to Washington, D.C., in late March and Sophie hopes to get in touch with any Choatie Washingtonians. K r ist en Kittscher writes, “I had a wonderful time at Caitlin Thompson’s wedding to her childhood friend, Sean Whitson, which was held outside at their home near Rochester, N.Y., last Labor Day weekend. My husband, Kai, and I made the trip from Los Angeles, where we’ve lived for the past 14 years after a short stint in Germany. After teaching middle and high school English since 2000, I now run a tutoring business and write mysteries for kids. My first, The Wig in the Window, will be published by HarperCollins Children’s next spring. I’m hoping to make it to the 20th reunion to catch up with others from the Class of ’92!” Ke v in M ur ph y writes, “I left my Vice President/General Counsel position at Home Loan Investment Bank, FSB in Warwick, R.I., and joined the law firm of Adler Pollock & Sheehan, PC in Providence in May 2011 as a corporate attorney.” Cait lin Thompson married Sean Whitson on September 4, 2011. She writes, “We were so thrilled to have Kristen Fiedler Kittscher attend and read at the ceremony. I met Sean when we were 10-year-olds during a community theater production in Allentown, Pa. After losing touch for 25 years, we reconnected on Facebook and have been together ever since. (Yup. We’re one of those couples.) Sean is a political consultant (www.trailreadycommunications.com), and I continue to work as a psychologist who oversees the clinical work for the National Veterans Crisis Line (www.veteranscrisisline.net).” S o phie H aywa r d Han r ahan
’93
L aine Catlin married Justin Fletcher on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at Hildene in Manchester Center, Vt. Der e k M oor e and his wife, Lana, recently welcomed twin girls into the world (Madeline and Amelia). Derek is now VP of Business Development for ePrize (interactive promotions agency) and lives in Westchester, N.Y.
’94
Michael Cr eighton welcomed a daughter, Victoria.
C o lm Raffe r ty and his wife, Carol, welcomed a son, Colm, Jr., on September 29, 2011. The family resides in Beijing.
’95
L issa Yo ung received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from University of Massachusetts, Boston. She has joined a private psychological and consulting services practice in Canton, Mass., near Boston.
top Trillium Sellers ’96 is a PGA and LPGA golf instructor based
outside of Washington D.C.
bottom Laine Catlin ’93 married Justin Fletcher on October 8,
2011 at Hildene in Manchester Center, VT. From left, Warner Fletcher ’63, (Justin’s dad), Allen Fletcher ’65, (Justin’s uncle), Justin and Laine, Elana Horwich ’93, Rod Wagner ’91, Danielle Taylor Holmes ’93 and Mimi Mather ’92.
46 | 47
’96
Melissa B e r ry and her husband, Jeremy, welcomed their first child on August 17, 2011. Their new daughter’s name is Alexis Anne Berry. J u r i H enley- C ohn married Lana Yoo of Queens, N.Y., in Anguilla on April 9, 2011. They live in Brooklyn, N.Y., with their two dogs, Magnum PI and Betsy. H eather S c o bie is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC in Global Immunizations. She recently completed a seven-week project in Fiji! T r illium S eller s is a PGA and LPGA golf instructor based outside Washington, D.C. She writes, “I had been spending winter months in South Florida. This winter, I will make a change and go to graduate school at Columbia Teachers College in The Movement Science and Education/Kinesiology program. My interest is in motor learning and will focus on the behavioral, biomechanical, and neural skills associated with performance. I will be the first golf professional to go through this program. I also recently was awarded the US Kids Top 50 Teacher for the second time. I am delighted that Heather Boynton started her first year at Georgetown Medical School and enjoy regular visits.” L au r en J . W ebb writes, “I am an Assistant Professor, tenure-track, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. My research focuses on the physical chemistry of large biological molecules such as proteins. Getting my independent lab up and running has been interesting and challenging, and I have loved getting to know Austin.” Ken dal W o lf writes, "After spending time in Bangladesh and Mozambique last year, I am currently working on education capacity building projects in Louga, Senegal. I welcome contact from other alumni in West Africa.”
’97
L eah B e r end zen wed Justin Johnson of Nassau, Bahamas, after three years of engagement. The ceremony took place in April 2011 in Charleston, S.C. A lex F leming and his wife Mary-Katherine, welcomed their daughter, Cheyanne Katherine Fleming, born December 26, 2011 at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital. Alex and MK live in Houston, where Alex is a manager for Accenture Management Consulting, working in the Oil and Gas Industry on unconventional gas production and supply chain issues. E r ic Kaplan and his wife, Meredith, welcomed their second child, Bryce Alexander Kaplan, on January 11, 2012. S hann o n S mith Retzke was appointed to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list for 2011-2012 in the area of taxation.
top Sarah B. Handyside ’98 married Sean T. Daily on June 4,
2011, in New York City. Sarah works in project management and business development work at Starworks Group. The Dailys live in Brooklyn.
middle Juri Henley-Cohn ’96 married Lana Yoo in Anguilla
on April 9, 2011. They live in Brooklyn with their two dogs.
Choaties in attendance, from left, Neil Gordon, Aaron Zubaty, Christian Cheney, Lana and Juri, Eliza Eubank, Jen Caine and Heather Boynton. bottom Geoffrey Kao ’96 and wife Grace Cheung Kao ’94 with
sons Jefferson and Jamison.
’98
Megan Cla rk e and husband, Michael Archambault, welcomed their first daughter, Lucy Jane Archambault, on August 2, 2011. She writes, “After completing a Master’s degree at Harvard in 2006, I am currently a third year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Connecticut. Michael, Lucy and I live in West Hartford, CT. Life is good.” G ee G ran donico writes, “In the past year, I was named to Business West’s 40 under 40, and this year I’ve been named the Amherst Area’s Chamber President. I look forward to working with local businesses in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.” Sarah B. H an dysi de married Sean T. Daily on June 4, 2011, in New York City. Sarah also recently left her position as agent trainee with Creative Artists Agency for Starworks Group, where she works in project management and business development. The Dailys live in Brooklyn, N.Y. Amanda Todd Lynch and her husband, Barclay, welcomed their second child, Millicent Claire Lynch ("Mia"), on July 24, 2011. Amanda and Barclay also have a son, Redington, who is two and half years old. They live in Old Greenwich, Conn., and enjoy seeing many fellow Choaties around town.” Aleagia Merce r- Fal koff married Dr. Benjamin Barnes on August 20, 2011 in her home town of Branford, Conn. They were happy to have Elizabeth Burris come all the way from Japan to be one of their bridesmaids. Other Choaties in attendance included Dr. Sharmila Mohanraj ’97. Allie O’ Kane Miller and her husband, Alistair, welcomed their second child, Elizabeth Kathleen Miller, on September 16, 2011. Elizabeth’s big brother, Jenson, is 2.
’99
Sean A. Th omas married Hemangi S. Pai on September 4, 2011 in Greenkill, N.Y. The couple spent their honeymoon traveling through Rome, Florence, and Venice for two weeks.
’00
Maya G oldin - Perschbacher writes, “In September 2011, I celebrated my marriage to Mark Manetti at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. In attendance were Shana Goldin-Perschbacher ’97, Whit Scudder, and Chris Stubbs. I am now practicing primary care pediatrics in Pittsburgh. Robe rt P. Ki rschmann, Sr. and wife Monica welcomed their first child, Robert Philip Kirschmann, Jr. on August 9, 2011. He was born at Yale New Haven Hospital with the assistance of Melissa Haury Herrin ’00, now a Yale medical student.
’01
Leigh Kosc o Auletta attended the Military Academy’s 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Army Women’s Soccer Team. After graduation from the Military Academy Leigh served in the Air Defense Artillery and the Corps of Engineers and had a tour in Iraq. She is now married to Nicholas Auletta (USMA ’03), has a son, Powers, and is serving in the Army Reserves. Kat hleen Murphy married Carlos Galo in New Haven on September 4, 2011.
top Sean A. Thomas ’99 married Hemangi S. Pai on September
4, 2011 in Greenkill, N.Y. Choate alumni in attendance from left, Douglas Chang, Michael Mitchell, Matthew Lyn, Sean, Shantell Richardson and Parag Shah.
middle Aleagia Mercer-Falkoff ’98 married Dr. Benjamin Barnes
on August 20 in her hometown of Branford, Conn. From left, Elizabeth Burris, Aleagia and Benjamin and Sharmila Mohanraj ’97.
bottom Leigh Kosco Auletta ’01 pictured here with her son,
Powers, and Coach Gene Ventriglia at the Military Academy's 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Army Women's Soccer Team.
n e w s
f r o m
’02
Tessa Angle writes, “After living and working in Paris, I moved to Sydney, Australia last April to work as a health economist for Sanofi. Life in the Land Down Under holds true to reputation, and I’m starting to get a hang of barbies, surfing road trips, and the brutal contrast of 100 degree weather and monsoons. However, I’m starting to miss the U.S., so I’m looking very much forward to the class of 2002 reunion!” Jessica G oldst ein married Ari Malzman in Ithaca, N.Y., on September 24, 2011. They were married in Sage Chapel at Cornell, where they met as undergraduates. The bride’s sister and fellow Choate alumna, Vanessa Goldstein ’04, was the maid-of-honor. Other Choaties in attendance were Fraser Trimble, Joshua Ho-Walker, Rachel Turner, Lauren Shockey, Owen Dailey and Jennifer Mingrino ’01. Jessica works as an Executive Recruiter at Whitney Partners in Manhattan, where she is a Vice President. She currently resides in Manlius, N.Y., with her husband, whom she plans to bring back to Choate with her for her class’s upcoming 10-year reunion. Kat e Pet ers married Drew Kiraly on August 21, 2011 in a ceremony at her parents’ home in North Haven, Conn. Classmates in attendance included Heidi Cho and Elisabeth Long.
’03
N ihal Eisa writes, “I am nearing the end of my preliminary year of internal medicine residency training in Georgia and will soon move to Baltimore to start my anesthesia residency training at Johns Hopkins University for the next three years. I am very excited to be back up North where I can visit Choate more often and attend more alumni events.” Mart ha Farnswort h married Gary Klaukka on October 28, 2011 in Helsinki, Finland. She writes, “I was lucky to be joined by my parents and my sister, Mary Farnsworth ’00, at the ceremony in Finland. Fellow Choatie Elizabeth Farabee introduced us at Alli Lami Sawyer’s wedding in Oxford, England this past August, where we also spent time with Laura Toh. After a whirlwind of flights between the U.S., England, India, and Finland, we decided to get married. I’m also excited to share that I just started with the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service Officer, so we’re moving to Mumbai, India for my first two-year post!" Rebecca Faulk enberry is again on Broadway in the role of Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man, Turn off the Dark after making her debut in 2011 as Sherrie in Rock of Ages. Kat e H ui and Aaron Brown were married in Chicago on March 24, 2011. Her bridesmaids included classmates Lauren Buller and Caroline Howe. Rebecca Shrag o writes, “I recently earned a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Boston University, and am currently a dietetic intern at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Mass. I’m excited to become a registered dietitian later this year, and would love to reconnect with any Choaties in the medical/health sciences field.”
top Kathleen Murphy ’01 married Carlos Galo in New Haven on
September 4, 2011. Choate connections present included, from left, maid-of-honor Katie Timlin ’02, Marisa Jaffee Gelfand, Steve Watson, Sarah Lane, Dorie Kirkbright, Mike Lane, Ryan Colton ’00, Carlos, David Knapp, Kathleen, Jim Balmer, Mary Nelson, Charlotte Murphy, Paul Tines, Erin Pizzonia ’01, Mimi Falsey ’77, Bill Dennett ’64 and Jane Dennett.
middle Jessica Goldstein ’02, married Ari Malzman in Ithaca,
N.Y. on September 24, 2011. The bride’s sister, Vanessa Goldstein ’04, was the Maid of Honor.
bottom Kate Hui ’03 and Aaron Brown married in Chicago on
March 24. Kate’s bridesmaids included two Choate classmates, Lauren Buller and Caroline Howe.
48 | 49
S hann o n S weeney writes, “Stephen Abbott is enjoying his time at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. He will receive his MBA in the spring of 2013. Sarah Pickard graduated from the Stanford School of Medicine in June 2011, and is now enjoying her pediatrics residency at Children’s Hospital Boston (Harvard)."
’04
Ka r l B lunden married Hayley Soltesz on October 22, 2011 in Charlottesville, Va. They were joined by bridal party members Megan Blunden ’06, Ryan Kang, John Sheehan, and Dhruv Singh, and fellow alumni Darren Fernandez ’01, Mac Bartels, Billy Driscoll, Josh Koster, Ean Saberski, Jeff Berry ’06, and Chip Robie ’06. The couple live in New York, where Karl works in high yield research at Goldman Sachs and Hayley attends Columbia Business School. Vanessa Goldstein writes, “I graduated from Barnard College, Columbia, in May 2008, and have been living in Los Angeles ever since. I work for Hasbro in their Film Division developing movies like “Transformers,” “GI Joe,” and “Battleship.” At the end of August last year, Matt DeSantis ’03 and I traveled to Bhutan to visit Jigyel Wangchuck ’03. While there, we witnessed Jigyel and his team, Phoja, complete their seventh straight win in the final match of 15th Yangphel open archery tournament. It was an exciting day and a beautiful trip!”
’06
Ka r i C h oln oky is a recent Graduate Resident at the Brooklyn Artist Gym, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her work was on view at Woman Made Gallery (Chicago) in the exhibition Twenty In Their Twenties, and she soon will be featured in solo exhibitions at HERE (New York) and the INSTINC Gallery (Singapore). Photographs of her work and announcements can be found at www.karicholnoky.com. A J Me y e r writes, "I am moving from Austin, TX to New York City in early March to work on the Private Equity Sales team at Gerson Lehrman Group (http://www.glgresearch.com/). Austin has been an amazing experience and my time down here has been unforgettable. I look forward to getting back up North and re-connecting with Choate alum and faculty this Spring." S a r a S hapir o worked for Bradford Miller ’93 at a summer program in Florence last summer. Sara is finishing up her second year as a special education teacher for Teach for America in Denver. Brad is working in Florence as the Dean of Students for a study abroad program.
’07
Daniel G r obe r g writes, “After graduating from Kenyon College in May, I’ve begun work toward a Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on non-profit management.” Ma r y H inojosa writes, “The past year has been quite exciting for me. I graduated from Pepperdine University in April 2011 and then traveled around Europe (Spain, Portugal, Croatia, England and Scotland). I moved to Washington, D.C., this fall and am now working as a legislative fellow in the congressional office of Rep. Henry Cuellar from Texas. I am so happy and am learning a lot every day! I hope to make it back to Reunion this year.”
top Karl Blunden ’04 married Hayley Soltesz on October 22, 2011
in Charlottesville, Virginia. In attendance from left, Josh Koster, Ean Saberski, Jeff Berry ’06, Dhruv Singh, John Sheehan, Karl, Billy Driscoll, Chip Robie ’06, Ryan Kang and Mac Bartels.
middle Jane Mosbacher ’04 married Nathaniel R. Morris on
December 31, 2011, at St. John’s Georgetown in Washington,
D.C. From left, Rob Mosbacher Jr. ’69, Rebecca Shapiro ’03, Elizabeth Mustin, Jane, sister Meredith Mosbacher ’07 and LeAnne Armstead. bottom Sara Shapiro ’06 and Bradford Miller ’93 at the
Coliseum in Rome.
50 | 51
In Memoriam a l u m n i
a n d
a l u m n a e
’34
R H B a r ba r a H ansl Gr iggs , 94, a retired editorial assistant, died May 5, 2011 in Salisbury, Conn. Born in New York City, Barbara entered Rosemary Hall’s Junior School in 1926. She was a Head Marshal, Editor of the Answer Book, and in the Current Events Club, the French Club, and Equites. After earning a degree in music from Sarah Lawrence, she married John van Benschoten Griggs, a language teacher at Hotchkiss, Yale, and the Thacher School in Ojai, Calif. Widowed in 1954, Barbara moved to New York City, where she worked for the American Field Service and the Metropolitan Opera Guild, then became an editorial assistant at Devin Adair Publishers. She leaves two children, including Steven Griggs, 39 Calais Road, Randolph, NJ 07869; four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
’35 C
J o hn H all N or ton , 94, a retired steel company executive, died November 7, 2011 in Damariscotta, Maine. Born in Wallingford, John came to Choate in 1931. He played violin in the school Orchestra, rowed crew, and was on the basketball team. After graduating from Yale, he briefly worked for the Wallingford Steel Co. before joining the Navy, where he served in North Africa, France, and the Pacific. John then returned to Wallingford Steel, where he was an executive until he retired in 1979. He was a director of the Dime Savings Bank and a founding director of the Independent Day School in Middlefield, Conn. In retirement, he and his wife, Caroline, moved to Maine. He leaves three children, including Jeffrey Norton ’67, 108 Heath Road, Bremen, ME 04551, and Ellen N. Peters ’73; three grandchildren; and three greatgrandchildren. A son, the late John “Tuck” Norton Jr. ’64, also attended Choate, as did a brother, Austin Norton ’40, and two nephews, Henry A. “Hy” Norton ’66 and David Norton ’68.
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August ine H icks L aw r ence J r . , 91, a retired chemicals sales executive, died December 20, 2010 in Williamstown, Mass. Born in Englewood, N.J., Gus, who was known as Hicks at School, came to Choate in 1934. He was in the Dramatic Club and the Cum Laude Society, and he played on varsity tennis. After graduating from Yale, he joined E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., during World War II supporting the war effort by working in the company’s high explosives division. After the war, he became a chemicals sales executive with du Pont, retiring after 41 years. He enjoyed tennis, golf, and choral singing. He leaves his wife, Jocelyn Lawrence; three children; four stepchildren; five grandchildren; six step-grandchildren, including Jennifer Bierce ’05; and four great-grandchildren.
Our sympathy to the friends and families of the following alumni and alumnae, whose deaths are reported with sorrow:
1951
c
Robert O. King
December 3, 2011
Richard Young ,
92, a retired lawyer who specialized in international issues, died November 19, 2011 in Van Hornesville, N.Y. Born in New York City, Dick came to Choate in 1931, where he was President of The News, on the board of the Literary Magazine, Vice President of St. Andrew’s Society, in the Cum Laude Society, and won the school prize for excellence in English. His classmates voted him “Best Student” and among those “Most to be Admired.” He earned a bachelor’s degree Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence University, served in Army Intelligence during World War II, and afterward earned a law degree from Harvard. Dick then spent more than three decades practicing international law, including years in Saudi Arabia assisting the Arabian-American Oil Company develop the oil fields there. He was also an authority on law of the sea, appearing before the World Court in the Hague. Dick was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a member of the American Geographical Society, and he served on the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on the Law of the Sea. He was also on the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law, and for many years was a Trustee of St. Lawrence University. He left no immediate survivors. A brother, the late Philip Young ’27, also attended Choate.
’37
C Frederic k D. H affner , 92, a retired pediatrician, died December 4, 2011 in Naples, Fla. Born in Cincinnati, Fred was at Choate for one year; he played soccer and tennis. After graduating from Princeton, he enlisted in the Army Medical Corps and attended Cornell Medical School in New York City. He then served at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. In 1951, he returned to Cincinnati, where he spent 42 years practicing pediatrics. Active in many charitable community organizations, Fred enjoyed golf and dancing. He leaves his wife, Priscilla Haffner, 1226 West Rookwood Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45208; two children; four stepchildren; two grandchildren; and five step-grandchildren. Philip B. Jack son , 93, a retired executive of a general contracting firm, died August 1, 2011. Born in Toronto, Phil came to Choate in 1935; he played hockey and tennis. After graduating from Yale, he joined the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for service in World War II. For many years he was the Chairman of Jackson-Lewis, a general contracting firm in Toronto. He leaves his wife, Diana Jackson; two sons; and three grandchildren.
1940 C
1944 R H
Condolences to Austin Norton , whose brother, John H. Norton ’35 , died in November 2011.
Condolences to Bettina Kluepfel Shackelford , whose sister, Jane Kluepfel Gore ’49 , died in January.
’38
R H E liz abeth Jane Cr amer Cr andall , 90, a retired teacher, died February 3, 2011, in Utica, N.Y. Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Betty Jane came to Rosemary Hall in 1936. She won the Optima award, earned 10 bars on the Committee, was on the Kindly Club Council, was President of Philomel, Vice President of the Sixth Form, Business Manager of the Answer Book, and won School prizes for singing and science. After she graduated from Vassar, she was a research chemist for the Vick Chemical Co. in Flushing, N.Y., earned a master’s degree from the College of St. Rose, and was a teacher in Utica for 20 years. An avid tennis player, Betty Jane was on the Board of the Mohawk Valley Braille Transcribers and the Swancott Home. Her husband, John Crandall, and a son predeceased her; she leaves no known relatives. Betty Jane was a member of The Choate Society, those alumni and alumnae who have left a bequest to the School.
’40 R H
H enr ietta Hicks Watt , 89, a retired physician, died December 6, 2011. Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., Honey, as she was known throughout her life, came to Rosemary Hall in 1937. An excellent scholar, she had the highest grade average in School for two years; she was also captain of basketball, director of the school play, an honorary librarian, and on the Board of the Answer Book. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley, she earned her M.D. from Johns Hopkins, performed an internship at Hartford (Conn.) Hospital, and completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins. Honey maintained a private practice in Tallahassee, Fla., from 1971 to 1989. She and her husband, also a physician, worked in mission hospitals in Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Mexico; she was also a medical consultant to the office of Florida State Vocational Rehabilitation and was on the Board of the Medical Benevolence Foundation. She leaves her husband, Dr. F. Hansell Watt, 2212 Ellicott Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32308; seven children; 16 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
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A lex and er B . B r ook , 89, a retired newspaper publisher, died January 23, 2012 in Damariscotta, Maine. Born in Woodstock, N.Y., Sandy came to Choate in 1936. He was on the Board of the Literary Magazine, in the History Club and the Cum Laude Society, and he ran track. After graduating from Yale, he was a Navy fighter pilot during World War II. He then wrote a novel, worked for a jute buyer in India and Pakistan, and worked on Wall Street. In the 1950s, he moved to Maine and bought a small weekly paper in Kennebunk, which he eventually merged with two others. Under Sandy’s ownership, the York County Coast Star won
several awards and increased its circulation almost 1,000 percent. Before his 1975 retirement, he was called “the conscience of York County.” In addition to two novels, he published six volumes of essays. He leaves his wife, Kelly Patton Brook, 57 North Newcastle Rd., Newcastle, ME 04553; three children; and three grandchildren.
’41
C J. Leona rd G raham , 90, a retired rancher and state legislator, died November 9, 2011 in Palm Desert, Calif. Born in Camden, S.C., Leonard came to Choate in 1937. He was captain of the skeet team, Circulation Manager of The News, in St. Andrew’s Cabinet and the Choir, and was a Campus Cop. After World War II service in the Navy Reserves, he worked for Pan American Airways. Afterward, for decades he owned Little Tongue Ranch in Dayton, Wyo., and he served three terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives. He was active with several government agencies, including the Governor’s Little Big Horn River Negotiating Commission. He leaves his wife, Gretchen Graham, 41 Scott Circle, Sheridan, WY 82801; two children; and two grandchildren.
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Donald R. G rin dy , 85, a retired Episcopal minister, died December 28, 2010. Born in Medford, Mass., Don came to Choate in 1940, where he was Alumni Editor of The News and in the Glee Club. After graduating from Tufts in the Navy V-12 program, he served as a naval submarine officer during World War II. He then earned a business degree from Babson Institute and a Master’s of Divinity degree from the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass. Don served churches in the Syracuse, N.Y., area, notably as rector of St. Alban’s Church, Syracuse, for 32 years, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cazenovia, N.Y., and St. Paul’s Cathedral in Syracuse. He leaves his wife, Margaret Grindy, 311 Hurlburt Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224; two daughters; eight grandchildren; and a sister. A brother, the late Richard K. Grindy ’45, and a cousin, the late H. Dana Grindy ’43, also attended Choate. G eorge B. Lark in Jr. , 87, the retired owner of a fluid connector firm, died May 20, 2011. Born in Ossining, N.Y., George was at Choate for one year; he played varsity football. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force as the pilot of a B-17, and after the war continued to fly to assess damage in Europe. After working for various companies as a salesman, he purchased a Houston firm, renamed it Hufco Inc., and ran it until he retired in 1991. George enjoyed golf, mentoring high school students, and volunteering with the Senior Corps of Retired Executives, advising entrepreneurs. He leaves his wife, Joan Larkin, 15327 Pebble Bend Dr., Houston, TX 77068; four sons; and seven grandchildren.
1945
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Condolences to David H. Carpenter , whose wife died in 2011.
1950
C
Condolences to Robert McAllester , whose twin brother, Chamberlain “Chee” McAllester ’50 , died in October.
1952
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Condolences to Alfred Devendorf , whose brother, Donald Devendorf ’51 , died in October 2011.
1966
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Condolences to Hy Norton , and brother, David Norton ’68, whose uncle, John H. Norton ’35, died in November 2011.
Russell J . Q uinlan ,
86, a retired lumber retailer, died Nov. 24, 2011 in Meriden, Conn. Born in Meriden, Russell was at Choate for one year; he played basketball. After Choate, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. After the war, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1951, he returned to Meriden, where he established Quinlan’s Home Center. Russell was a past President of the Connecticut Lumber Dealers Association, a Commissioner of the Meriden police and fire departments, and was active in Meriden politics. He leaves his wife, Barbara Quinlan, 148 Beverly Drive, Meriden, CT 06451; and two sons.
He served in the Air Force, attaining the rank of Major. For years, he practiced law with his twin brother, Robert McAllester ’50, in Chattanooga. He was also an adjunct professor of business law at the University of Chattanooga. Chee became interested in aviation when at Yale, earning a license to fly commercial single- and multi-engine aircraft. He leaves his brother, Robert McAllester, 814 W. Brow Rd., Lookout Mountain, TN 37350. Another brother, the late William McAllester Jr. ’43, also attended Choate. Chee was a member of The Choate Society, those alumni and alumnae who have left a bequest to the School.
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music company, died July 14, 2011 in Falmouth, Maine. Born in Boston, Herbert came to Choate in 1942, where he was Assistant Manager of the football team, a Campus Cop, in the Choral Club and on the Library Committee. He served in the Navy in the Philippines, then attended Bowdoin College. He then joined his father in Cressey and Allen, a firm of piano distributors, in Portland, Maine. The company evolved into Commercial Distributors, of which he was named President in 1972. He was also active in civic life, serving as a Trustee of Hebron Academy, a Director of Camp Fire Girls, President of the Falmouth Memorial Library, and a board member of Key Bank. He leaves his wife, Betsy Anne Holmes, 16 Baysite Lane, Falmouth, ME 04105; two daughters; and five grandchildren.
Donald A. Deven dorf , 78, a retired personal care products company executive, died October 18, 2011 in New York City of throat cancer. Born in Great Neck, N.Y., Don came to Choate in 1947. He was on the Student Council, in St. Andrew’s Cabinet, and was Vice President of the Current History Club, but he was best known as an athlete: captain of varsity soccer, captain of varsity squash, and a varsity tennis player, he won three sports awards, including one for general excellence in athletics. He was one of those chosen “Best Athlete” by his class. He then went to Yale, graduating in 1955, and entered the Air Force as a Captain. After military service he worked many years for Clairol Co. He also developed childproof safety packaging for aspirin. He leaves his wife, Barbara Devendorf, 300 East 57th St., Apt. 8-H, New York, NY 10022; three sons; four grandchildren; and a brother, Alfred E. Devendorf ’52.
’49 R H Jane Kluepfel Gor e , 80, a retired pilot and co-
’52 R H H anne W. N ielsen Williams , 76, the retired head
’45 C
H e r be r t S . H olmes J r ., 84, a retired executive of a
owner of an aviation company, died January 28, 2012 in Brevard, Fla. Born in Sharon, Conn., Jane came to Rosemary Hall in 1946; she was Head of the Rules Committee, Secretary of the Kindly Club, Treasurer of the Sixth Form, and a Fire Captain. She then attended Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. After she earned her private pilot’s license, she and her husband, Bill Gore, ran Suncoast Aviation in Venice, Fla. Later, Jane was a real estate saleswoman in North Carolina and Florida. She leaves a daughter and a sister, Bettina Kluepfel Shackelford ’44.
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C hambe r lain McAllester , 80, a retired lawyer, died October 27, 2011. Born in Chattanooga, Tenn., Chee, as he was known at School, came to Choate in 1947. He was SecretaryTreasurer of the Southern Club, was in the Cum Laude Society, and played varsity basketball. After Choate, he graduated from Yale, earned a law degree from McKenzie College of Law, and received a certificate of accounting from the University of Chattanooga.
1967
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Condolences to Jeffrey Norton , and sister, Ellen Norton Peters ’73, whose father, John H. Norton ’35 , died in November 2011.
1974
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Condolences to Drew Casertano , Teresa ’84 and John ’87 whose father died in December.
of a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, died of cancer November 23, 2011 in Berlin, Vt. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Hanne grew up in Connecticut and came to Rosemary Hall in 1948; she was head of the Chapel Committee, on the Kindly Club Council and the Fire Squad, and was class President for two years. After graduating from Vassar, she and her husband moved to Vermont, where they taught in one-room schoolhouses. Hanne then was the first Executive Director of the New England Chapter of the AIA, a position she held for more than 40 years. She played polo, earned a license to pilot gliders, acted in the Mad River Players, and enjoyed skiing and tennis. She also volunteered for the Red Cross and other charities. She leaves her husband, Arthur Williams, 1662 Millbrook Rd., Waitsfield, VT 05673; three children; four grandchildren; and a sister.
1978
2005
Condolences to Burr Johnson , David ’80 , and Rebecca Mahan ’82,whose father, former Choate English teacher A. Burr Johnson , died in November.
Condolences to Jennifer Bierce , whose grandfather, A. Hicks Lawrence Jr. ’36 , died in December 2010.
52 | 53
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Stanle y G. F r ench J r . , 76, a retired history professor, died October 21, 2011 in Rumford, Maine. Born in Weston, Mass., Stanley came to Choate in 1950, where he was in the Automobile Club and the Weather Bureau, was a Campus Cop, and rowed crew. He served in the Army for four years, then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He was a professor of American Intellectual and Social History at California State University in Northridge. Stanley, who had written his doctoral thesis on the history of American cemeteries, was an avid believer in the importance of upkeep and preservation of cemeteries for their historical value. He leaves his wife, Susannah French, Round Pond, Isle au Haut, ME 04645; two children; two grandchildren; and a sister. His father, the late Stanley G. French Sr. ’21, also attended Choate.
’54
C J o hn T. M or gan , 76, a retired sales representative, died December 31, 2011 in Danville, Va. Born in Port Washington, N.Y., John came to Choate in 1947; he ran track, excelled in forestry, was in the Campus Cops, and was manager of the Band. After serving in the Army, he worked in information technology for American Machine and Foundry, then was a sales representative for 26 years for A.C. Morgan & Co. of New York City. John was an avid reader, an automobile and motorcycle enthusiast, and a Mason. He leaves his wife, Sonja Morgan, 1117 Pinecroft Rd., Danville, VA 24540; three children; two grandchildren; and a sister.
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L e o p o l d Godows ky III , 73, a pianist, composer, and music teacher, died November 25, 2011 in New York City. Born in Rochester, N.Y., Lee was the nephew of George and Ira Gershwin and the grandson of composer Leopold Godowsky. He came to Choate in 1952, and was in the Art Club, French Club, and Radio Club. After graduating from Columbia and Columbia Teachers College, he worked for several years in the music publishing and concert management business. He then taught privately, composed chamber music, and performed widely in concert. Lee was also on the faculty of the Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, Conn. He leaves his wife, Mary Milton; a daughter; and three sisters.
’58 R H Vale r ie Dar ke F inlay , 72, a retired accountant,
died September 23, 2011, in Stuart, Fla. Born in Providence, R.I., Val came to Rosemary Hall in 1956. She was on the staff of the Answer Book, on the Library Committee, and was a Marshal. In the 1980s, she and her husband co-ran a motel near the ski community of Ludlow, Vt. Val was also a self-employed accountant. She leaves three children, two grandchildren, and a sister.
’65
C Fran k J. G riffit h Jr. , 64, a retired lawyer, died January 18, 2012, in Titusville, Fla. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Frank came to Choate in 1962, where he played varsity football and was in the Spanish National Honor Society. He then earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a law degree from the University of Florida College of Law. Frank concentrated his practice in the areas of family law, land use and zoning, and municipal law; he also was County Attorney for Brevard County, Fla., and the City Attorney for the City of Rockledge. He was a former President of the Brevard County Bar Association and a member of the Titusville Rotary Club. He leaves four children, including John Griffith, 3650 N. Damen Ave # 1, Chicago, IL 60618; four grandchildren; and a sister.
’73
C Richard S. Carab oola d , 57, owner of an insurance company, died December 3, 2011 in Palm Beach, Fla., of cancer. Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Rich came to Choate in 1970. He played varsity soccer and varsity squash, and was in the Press Club, Gold Key, the Chess Club, and the Ecology Club. After Choate, he graduated from Lake Forest College, then owned the Caraboolad Insurance Co. in Cleveland. Rich enjoyed tennis, skiing, hunting, and collecting art and fine wines. He supported many children’s causes. He leaves his mother and father, and two brothers.
’78
Deborah S. Edelman , 51, an author, died of breast cancer November 10, 2011 in Mount Washington, Md. Born in Garden City, N.Y., Debbie came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1976, and left at the end of her fifth form year to attend Syracuse University. She completed her sixth form requirements while at Syracuse, and was awarded a Choate Rosemary Hall diploma in 1978. She later studied at Franklin College in Switzerland and graduated from McGill University in Montreal, completing a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia and a doctorate in public health from The University of California at Berkeley. She wrote mainly about health-related issues, and in 1992 wrote a book, Sex in the Golden Years. From 2005 to 2006 she was an adjunct professor at George Washington University of Public Health in Washington, D.C. In 2006, Debbie started Public Health Media, Inc., which promotes health through the news media. She also wrote poetry and a screenplay, and was a yoga instructor. She leaves her husband, Joseph E. Davis, 5734 Ridgedale Rd., Baltimore, MD 21209; two daughters; a stepdaughter; two brothers; and her mother. Her former husband, Tobey Roland ’77, also attended Choate Rosemary Hall.
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f o r m e r
f a c u l t y
"Burr always had an extraordinary
"Diane's bright smile,
relationship with Choate students.
infectious laugh, and love
He connected with them on
of life, family and friends
a personal level, he always
will remain her legacy to
understood the challenges they
all who knew her."
faced as adolescents, and he
—Former Dean of Faculty Ed Maddox
was always willing to hear their concerns and respond to their questions."
—Dean of Faculty Stephen Farrell
A . B u r r J o hns on , who taught English at Choate for
Diane B. Kowalchuk G enerous ,
former Assistant
more than 30 years, died November 14, 2011 in Putnam, Conn.
Director of Admission, died on March 12, 2012, at her home in
He was 87. Born in New Haven, Burr, whose first name was Arnold,
Carrboro, North Carolina. She was 69.
interrupted his high school years to join the Army Air Force in
Born
1943. Returning in 1946, he graduated from St. Mark’s School
Patterson Park High School, then took secretarial positions in
and earned his B.A. from Trinity College; he later earned a master’s
Baltimore; Long Beach, Calif.; and Honolulu. After she met and
degree from Columbia. After teaching at the Hawken School in
married William T. “Tom” Generous Jr., they moved to Choate in
Cleveland and then at Hotchkiss, Burr came to Choate in 1957.
1971. Tom had accepted a position as a history teacher, and Diane
In the 1980s, a colleague wrote that he “is … a model of love of
settled in to Chapel House for two years, and then for 16 years
learning and love of teaching. Burr’s impassioned responses, his
in Pitman, where she was at home with her two young daughters
thoughtful reflections on ethical questions, and his total commitment
while acting as a surrogate mother to the girls who lived there.
to the School are all part of his teaching.”
In
In
her caring and thoughtful work earned her praise from students,
1962, when the poet Robert Frost visited campus,
and raised in Baltimore, Diane graduated from
1974, she joined the Admission Department, and
Burr was in the select group who was with him as he toured
faculty, and even some parents of teens who had been turned
the campus. According to Hans Kaiser ’76, Burr “was one of my
down for admission to Choate Rosemary Hall! When she and Tom
very favorite teachers, and one who understood his students as
retired in 1999, the editors of the Brief dedicated the yearbook to
individuals.” The 1977 Brief was dedicated to him; it noted that
them, commenting that Diane “is a caring admissions officer who
he “reaches out to help beyond what is expected and always with
keeps in touch with her students through all their years at Choate,
an unrelenting kindness and generosity toward all.” Says Stephen
and beyond.” Indeed, she was never known to have missed the
Farrell, the Dean of Faculty and long-time colleague of Burr’s in the
New York young alumni Christmas party.
English department: “Burr always had an extraordinary relationship
At
with Choate students. He connected with them on a personal level,
push for a student she thought would make it at Choate, despite
he always understood the challenges they faced as adolescents,
low scores or whatever yellow flags in an application, kids who
and he was always willing to hear their concerns and respond to
would not have gotten in without Diane’s insistent, albeit cheerful,
their questions. Students felt he was an advocate for them, and even
pushing.” Notes former Choate Director of Admission Andrew
late into his career, he remained a popular teacher, always attempt-
Wooden, “No admissions person was more loyal to Choate than
ing to connect literature to life. For Burr, schools were always first
Diane. As an admission officer, Diane was the greatest champion of
and foremost about the students, a lesson he never forgot over the
the "good person." In an era when test scores loomed all important,
entire length of his career.”
Diane fought for the kid who would love being a Choatie.”
Retiring
in 1990, he moved to the small town of
In
her retirement, the Bulletin noted that Diane “would
addition to her duties in the Admission Office, she
Putnam, Conn., where he enjoyed shopping for antique books,
was also Coordinator of Commencement, a job that involved juggling
gardening, bird watching, and reading. He leaves his wife, Harriet
students, faculty, parents and staff – all the while keeping an eye
Johnson, 51 Church St., Thompson, CT 06277; four children, A.
on the weather.
Burr Johnson Jr. ’78 and his wife, Kathleen Dahill Johnson ’78,
Besides
David Johnson ’80, Rebecca Johnson Mahan ’82, and Charles
Michelle E. Generous ’84 and Suzanne F. Generous Prentice ’87, her
her husband, Tom, she leaves her daughters,
Johnson; and seven grandchildren.
son-in-law, Michael R. Prentice, and granddaughter, MaryJane F. Prentice.
AMS R G O 2 R PR es 7–1
d ME in gra M U dents u S t s for ALL rams
g YH t pro R A hmen M enric E ic S m e O cad
TE R ek and two-week a A O H we AT C , four -week
f five
iety o
A var
New for 2012! Volunteer Corps: Immersive week-long seminar on global leadership and service learning, followed by a week of service learning experience in the Northeast, on a Native American reservation, or at the Sonrise School in Rwanda.
Documentary Filmmaking: Learn the power of the moving image and how to create a video essay. An introduction to documentary filmmaking for rising ninth graders and above.
New for 2012! Oceanographic Institute: Explore technologies used by geologists and oceanographers on the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus via our communications console. Engage in project-based activities as well as field trips to Mystic Aquarium’s Institute for Exploration and the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island.
I n st i t u t e f o r E x p lo r at i o n / Oc e a n E x p l o r a t i o n T r u s t. ©
JUNE 24–JULY 27, 2012 • For information call (203) 697-2365 or visit www.choate.edu/brightenup
Bookshelf
In this issue works reviewed include a sequel to a critically-acclaimed novel made into a feature film; a paranormal thriller set in a fictional Massachusetts town; a caregiver’s guide to coping with loved ones afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease; and the whimsical world of a library cat.
Homer, the Library Cat
By Reeve Lindbergh ’63 and Anne Wilsdorf (Illustrator) Reviewed by Cynthia Stahura
With whimsical words and lovely imagery, Reeve Lindbergh's latest work, Homer the Library Cat, is an uplifting story that combines a thrill-seeking adventure with love and companionship. After all, isn't that the purest definition of childhood? Homer is a house cat – "a quiet cat" – who lives with a lady – "a quiet lady" – and stayed at home when "the lady went away each day." One day, Homer's quiet existence is interrupted by CRASHES and BANGS – "a noisy day" – so Homer runs away and, in turn, finds play. While exploring, he visits the post office, the fire station, and a boxcar; each time looking for a quiet place to snuggle up. Every step along the way there is an unexpected bang, clang, or choo to keep him moving along. In due time, Homer finds himself wandering into a quiet building, hearing a quiet voice, and leaping into the arms of the quiet lady. Of course, this quiet place is none other than the Library – where he is "purr-fect"-ly at home as the Library Cat. Perhaps the most poignant message of the story is that joy comes in all forms. For Homer, he revels in his travels to places unknown;
yet, he finds ease in familiar places; and, finally, comfort in the place where children go to read and learn – the Library. Anne Wilsdorf's brilliant illustrations wonderfully complement Lindbergh's fascinating tale. With the turning of each page, we are taken back to the thrill of a child's world – of big, colorful places and many people's faces – smiles from a quiet house cat or a quiet lady that brighten up each and every day. Homer the Library Cat teaches us to relish the little moments of life. Whether that is "in a quiet house" or "in a cozy, cat-size space," we are reminded that reflections of our childhood make all of life's adventures that much more thrilling – and, if we're so fortunate, full of love and companionship. Perhaps my five-year-old, Isabella, put it best: " . . . my favorite part of the book was when Homer jumped into the quiet lady's arms. Silly Homer!"
Homer, the Library Cat
Author: Reeve Lindbergh ’63 and Anne Wilsdorf (Illustrator) Publisher: Candlewick About the Author: Reeve Lindbergh ’63 has lived in Vermont for many years. She is the author of more than 20 children's books, including There's a Cow in the Road!, North Country Spring, and Our Nest. About the Reviewer: Cynthia Stahura grew up in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. A former middle school science teacher, she now enjoys raising her two daughters Isabella, age 5, and Emilia, age 3, with husband Choate College Counselor Eric Stahura.
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Northwest Corner By John Burnham Schwartz ’83
Northwest Corner
Author: John Burnham Schwartz ’83 Publisher: Random House About the Author: John Burnham Schwartz ’83 has written five novels. About the Reviewer: David Webb is a longtime English teacher and current Boys Third Form Dean.
Reviewed by David Webb
It pleased me to review John Burnham Schwartz’s earlier novel Reservation Road for the Bulletin in 1998, and I've enjoyed tracking his development as a writer – more generally, his contributions to American letters – and, by reading his books, to share in it. His newest book, Northwest Corner, is a sequel to Reservation Road. In many ways, one can summarize the new novel as an exploration of the fallout, widespread and brutally destructive, from the major event in the earlier book: the accidental killing by Dwight Arno of 10-year-old Josh Learner, and Arno's failure to take responsibility for that immediately. This novel manifests Schwarz's growth as an author. In my earlier review I spoke of his choice of subject and characters; I speculated that “perhaps he wanted to write of an experience – and emotions – unfamiliar to him.” These characters must have appeal for him, for they've stuck. The form of this novel follows the pattern of the earlier one, in that Schwartz advances his plot through short chapters, each named for one of the novel's characters, some of these first-person narratives, some limited third-person, but they come very much from inside the different characters’ heads. Some readers may find this alternation jarring – of the short chapters and of the differences in narrative technique – but it seems to me to enable Schwartz to tell his story better, more wholly. Here, there’s a shift of emphasis from the Learners, the victim-family of Reservation Road, to the family of Dwight Arno, the perpetrator, postprison term. This novel looks hard at the dynamic between the perp, his son Tom, and his former wife Ruth. We do follow the Learners, but they’re in the background here; most of what we learn about them comes from the daughter of this family, the victim’s younger sister, Emma, who has become, oddly enough, Tom Arno’s girlfriend. Much of this story happens in California, and that becomes a new theme: our Connecticut characters operate elsewhere, and the contrast between our country’s two coasts plays a decided role.
In this beautifully written, largely dark and unhappy book Schwartz is, at the very least, a realist. Tom’s mother, having recently gone through a second divorce, at last with her long-wished for situation of having her only son at home with her, observes, “Everything for two now. Too bad, isn’t it, how the things that one has so long prayed for never do happen the way one wants them to, and never without a price.” In Schwartz’s world, people get cancer, secure people lose children to accidents, good men are imprisoned, marriages fall apart, and relationships go awry. Further, Schwartz’s view is that, try though we may, we cannot escape or erase our pasts. They’re stubborn and persistent, these pasts, and they define us. But good fiction, even tough fiction, often shows humans’ capacity to learn from experience and to change. At a tense moment between father and son, Arno narrates, “My hand that is a fist. The violence in it already born. As if the rest of me that’s always wanted to be good is just dead skin over the old, true self, which is the fist.” Shortly thereafter, Arno’s ex-wife observes, “The difference, she is starting to believe despite her instincts, is that he’s finally learning to live with his hands gripping only his own throat. The only person he dreams of hurting now is himself.” Schwartz’s characters grow, they change. His novel makes for a very good read—supporting, as good fiction does, that human beings are capable of changing and of learning a few things from their own lives.
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The Alzheimer’s Family: Helping Caregivers Cope By Robert B. Santulli M.D. ’65
THE ALZHEIMER’S FAMILY: HELPING CAREGIVERS COPE
Author: Robert B. Santulli, M.D. ’65 Publisher: Norton About the Author: Robert Santulli ’65, a geriatric psychiatrist, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School and Director of the Dartmouth Memory Clinic. About the Reviewer: Communication consultant Henry McNulty ’65 is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Bulletin.
Reviewed by Henry McNulty ’65
For many families, a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is at least as bad as, and sometimes worse than, the death of a beloved relative. As author Robert Santulli ’65 points out, “… most people with Alzheimer’s disease live for many years following the diagnosis, and thus the family, in spite of its grieving, must also cope with the challenge of maintaining a relationship with the afflicted person, in the face of growing impairment.” Alzheimer’s is also ubiquitous – by age 85, about 40 percent of people will meet the criteria – but much of the current literature, understandably, focuses on the patient. There’s not an overabundance of practical advice for caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Family, drawn from Santulli’s 20 years of treating Alzheimer’s patients and advising their families, is different. It provides an informative guide, in easy-to-understand language, for those who care for those with the disease. Starting with a concise review of the different types of dementia, The Alzheimer’s Family is a step-by-step analysis of nearly every situation faced by children, spouses, or friends. Denial by patients, safety issues, practical matters such as dressing and personal care, behavioral problems such as delusions – all these, and more, are discussed in the book, with an eye toward drawing on proven techniques. It is a volume for lay people; the medical aspects of Alzheimer’s are explained in common, understandable language, and the strategies discussed straightforwardly.
The title of the book is especially apt, because Alzheimer’s disease, sometimes more than other conditions, can affect family members deeply, as the person they have known and loved seems to be slipping away from them. At every stage—from the earliest suspicions that a relative may have memory issues to the realities of endstage disease—families get the benefit of Santulli’s decades of experience. What to say (and not to say) to an Alzheimer’s patient, how to choose a nursing facility, the best ways to deal with caregiver stress, managing patient aggression—all are informed not only by Santulli’s expertise, but by his compassion and understanding as well. Nothing is sugar-coated in The Alzheimer’s Family, but it is not a book marked by hopelessness. Indeed, one of its last sections is titled “Finding Meaning.” As the author puts it: “Growth through adversity almost always takes place.” The fact that Santulli has guided hundreds of families along this difficult path gives that message added veracity.
Jane Was Here By Sarah Kernochan ’65
Jane Was Here
Author: Sarah Kernochan ’65 Publisher: Grey Swan Press About the Author: Sarah Kernochan ’65 is a writer of fiction, film, and music. She has written screenplays for such films as 9½ Weeks, Sommersby, Impromptu, What Lies Beneath, and All I Wanna Do which she also directed. Both of her documentaries, Marjoe and Thoth, won Academy Awards. About the Reviewer: Kate Doak is an English and drama teacher at Choate. She holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama.
Also of Note ...
Reviewed by Kate Doak
What if you remembered your own murder? Not in its entirety, but in flashes, in fragmentary visions of your past life. To what lengths would you go solve the cold case of your own death? Sarah Kernochan's paranormal thriller Jane Was Here asks these questions of a young woman who returns to her home town only to discover she'd been killed there more than a century ago. Inserting herself into the lives of its current residents, Jane initiates a cycle of karmic retribution for the role each of them played, in his former life, in her death. Much of Kernochan's novel is focused on the citizens of a fictional Graynier, Massachusetts – a factory town that has lost its glass factory. The narrative begins and ends with explicit, disquieting accounts of their shattered lives: an intellectual turned alcoholic, a mother turned prostitute, a college-bound senior producing crystal-meth. Each is more desperate and despicable than the last. Each yearns for further degradations. Kernochan's style in these chapters is modern and visual, even cinematic. These characters haunt you after you've closed the book. The central section of the novel, however, is all about Jane. It's a collection of letters she'd written in her former life. Victorian, formal, and
spiritually driven, these epistles strongly contrast the rest of the novel – the sacred amid the profane. While the letters pause the forward momentum of the modern chapters, they offer us an exciting chance to play detective, to explore old documents in search of clues. They also help us get to know Jane, a character facing her own ethical crisis. Through the letters the divine architecture of the narrative becomes clear: in this story everyone will get what he or she deserves. Good will come to good, bad to bad. Jane Was Here reaches across literary styles and time periods, and Kernochan is an author well suited to its ambitious scope. Her screenplays show her almost uncanny ability to leap from one historical moment to another – the impersonal intimacy of the 1980s in 9½ Weeks, the youthful rebellions of the 1960s in All I Wanna Do (echoing her years at Rosemary Hall), and the witty romance of the 19th century in the exquisite Impromptu. Kernochan is as comfortable in the gritty contemporary sections of the novel as she is in the 19th century narrative. And for readers who are willing to travel across time with her, she's written a compelling and memorable novel. .
From Africanus By Matthew J. Storm ‘90
Publisher: CreateSpace
Matthew Storm sets this work of historical fiction in the “other” Rome, Constantinople, during the reign of Justinian the Great, the man known as “the Last Roman.” The story follows Valentinian Constans from boyhood to manhood just as the Nikka Riots explode about him.
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Scoreboard 2 0 1 2 w i n t e r s p o r t s
The 2011-12 winter season proved a successful one for Wild Boar Athletics, with several teams heading into post-season play. The wrestling team won the Founders League Championship and took 3rd place in the Class "A" Tournament. Boys’ varsity basketball capped off their second straight Founders League title and headed into the New England Championship to defend their title. Boys’ varsity ice hockey headed to the playoffs led by Captain Ben Foster ’12, who this season scored his 100th career point, only the second player in the history of the program to do so. Boys’ varsity swimming also brought another Founders League Title back to campus with seniors Matt Heise and Alex Poltash breaking school, pool and New England records this season. Archery Record: 7-1 Captains: Aaron K. Shim ’12, Katie A. Sewell ’13, and Jessie M. Meier ’12 Highlights: Team members shot at the JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) Nationals held in Andover, Mass., one of six national sites. Basketball Boys Record: 21-4 Captain: John J. Papale ’12 Highlights: Won holiday tournament, including beating Deerfield. Won Founders League Championship for second straight season. Headed to the post season. Girls Record: 12-12 Captain: Margaret Sundberg ’12 Highlights: Beat Deerfield during Holiday Tournament. Beat Taft in second meeting of the season. Beat Deerfield in thrilling fashion in second to last game of the season.
Ice Hockey Boys Record: 16-8-3 Captains: Benjamin I. Foster ’12 and Joseph P. DePietto, Jr.’12 Highlights: Went 2-1 in Holiday Tournament. Beat Salisbury for first time in a couple of years. Headed to the post season. Captain Ben Foster ’12 was a key contributor to the team’s success this season breaking the 100-point mark this season. Girls Record: 9-11-3 Captain: Bailey J. Stankus ’12; Assistant Captain Brianna Mastel ’13 Highlights: Lost in finals of Taft Holiday Tournament to Tabor. Squash Boys Record: 19-7-0 Captain: William P. Gregory ’12 and Jeremy Van ’13 Highlights: Several boys placed at New England Tournament. Team placed 7th out of 16 teams at New Englands. Girls Record: 10-7-0 Captain: Ericka N. Robertson ’12; Assistant Captain: Paget A. Stanco ’12 Highlights: Beat Andover, Loomis and Westminster. Team 7th overall at New Englands.
Swimming and Diving Boys Record: 8-1 Captains: Samuel G. Boissard ’12 and Curtis C. Kwan ’12 Highlights: Only loss was to Andover. Won Founders League Championship. Matt Heise ’12 and Alex Poltash ’12 broke school, pool, and New England records. Girls Record: 3-6 Captain: Julie K. Kang ’12 Highlights: Placed 3rd at Founders League Championships. Several swimmers placed at Founders League, six of whom competed in New Englands. Wrestling Record: 18-1 Captains: Simon T. Mirman ’12 and Austin B. Wruble ’12 Highlights: Only loss to Brunswick. Won Founders League Title. Placed 3rd in Class "A" Tournament. Captain Austin Wruble ’12, placed 3rd in New Englands. Six wrestlers qualified for Prep Nationals including Riley O’Connell ’14. Justin, Choi ’12, Austin Wruble ’12, Eddie Carroll ’12, Chris Chambers ’13, and Ryan Ruiz ’12.
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To p lef t Carley Mulligan ’13 drives to the basket. b otto m L eft Matt Heise ’12 swimming breaststroke. Heise
broke school records in the 100 meter backstroke (establishing a new NE record at the same time) and the 100 Butterfly. He led off the school-record breaking 200 yd. Medley Relay with
a backstroke split that was nearly 2 seconds faster than any previous swim in Choate history. top right JesusisLord Nwadiuko ’12 making a layup. bottom right Archery Team Tri-Captains, Jessie Meier ’12, Aaron Shim ’12 and Katie Sewell ’13 at a tournament in Lunenburg, Mass.
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Go Wild Boars!
to p left Michael Foley ’13 taking the faceoff.
bottom lef t Richard Soper ’13 hits a front court shot in his
match against Avon Old Farms' Antonio de la Torre. Choate won the team match 6-1.
top right Assistant Captain Paget Stanco ’12 goes in for a winning shot against her opponent. bottom right Sophomore Taryn Samet ’14 spins a front
1½ somersault pike in a dual meet against Hotchkiss. Taryn went on to win the 6-dive meet with a score 181.25.
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To p lef t Taegan Blackwell ’15 rushing the puck up ice. b otto m L eft Megan Belliveau ’14 swims the butterfly
in a home meet. Megan is a part of the young talent that is powering the regrowth of our program.
top right Fourth former Jack Bertolini (160 lbs) runs a chancery from a front headlock on his way to pinning his Hyde-CT opponent 15 seconds into the second period. Jack went 17-2 on the season with 12 pins. bottom right Captain John Papale ’12 driving the ball.
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End Note
John C. Whitney, III ’08 currently attends McGill University.
Humanitarian Work is Powerful Education B y J o h n C . W h i t n e y , III ’ 0 8
At Choate, we frequently discussed the importance of becoming “international citizens,” using our knowledge and skills to interact with people from all corners of the world. Gaining an understanding of underdeveloped countries is a prerequisite for aspiring international citizens. Underdeveloped countries, according to the United Nations, are those with people living in poverty (the equivalent of less than $2.50 a day) and they represent nearly 50 percent of the world’s population. Statistical data is available, but getting at the true meaning of life in those nations can be a challenge. For me, humanitarian work provides one solution. Although I participated in community service activities as a child, my real epiphany occurred as a teenager, when my role evolved from fundraiser to “active participant” during a trip to rural Uganda to rebuild schools. We lived in a village lacking clean water, medical services, police and electricity. Wearing old work clothes, we worked side-by-side with local villagers, shared endless meals of rice, beans and matooke (mashed, steamed green bananas) and talked about life in their village. Even taboo subjects such as AIDS, government corruption, and attitudes regarding the United States were up for discussion, as were our dreams and aspirations. I learned that some differences can be understood on an intellectual level, but when experiencing them firsthand, the real meaning can be felt in the pit of your stomach. Intellectually, we knew that police were few and far between, but when we saw the lifeless body of a village thief on the roadside, the victim of vigilante justice, we learned what “no police” really means. Previously, I had wondered why poor countries were so slow to develop, despite the millions they receive in economic aid. Living for a mere two weeks under conditions where every day is about survival, I came to appreciate the challenge of simply living, let alone building an economy.
As we developed relationships, similarities were revealed. No matter where we were, we found an unbending theme across continents and socioeconomic lines: All parents want their kids to have a better life. They want them to have medical care, security, and an education. One man worked three jobs in order to send his five kids to grade school. It was his dream to someday send them out of Uganda for a better life. Much personal growth can be derived from humanitarian work. Now, in the middle of my college years, I have lived off and on in China for 2½ years and have experienced summer internships in three all-Chinese organizations. Although fluency in Mandarin is an important reason for my comfort level, I attribute much of my ability to adapt to the active role I’ve taken in humanitarian work. The lessons I’ve learned and skills I’ve developed are wide-ranging, but none more important than being nonjudgmental and guarding against my unconscious biases. Without this awareness, I might not have understood why some Ugandans think of the late dictator Idi Amin as a great leader, nor would I have appreciated why the Chinese place such importance on history and culture. I have dealt with a wide range of individuals, forcing me to hone my relationship-building skills, and I’ve leveraged those abilities with everyone from the unskilled laborers with Cummins Engine in Beijing, to senior government officials, including the Director of China’s Space Agency. For the desperately poor, conditions worsen daily, magnifying the need for greater commitment to onsite humanitarian work. And though the benefits to the recipient community are profound, so too are the personal benefits to the active volunteer.
Save the Date
May 18-20, 2012
Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications Mary G. Verselli Editor Lorraine S. Connelly Design and Production David C. Nesdale Class Notes Editor Henry McNulty ’65 Contributors Charles F. Dey Kate Doak Ron Fleury Henry McNulty ’65 Kevin Mardesich ’87 G. Jeffrey MacDonald ’87 Cynthia Stahura David Webb John C. Whitney, III ’08 Photography Deron Chang Al Ferreira John Giammatteo ’77 Paul Horton Ian Morris ChiChi Ubiña Life Trustees Charles F. Dey Bruce S. Gelb ’45 Edwin A. Goodman ’58 Cary L. Neiman ’64 Stephen J. Schulte ’56 Edward J. Shanahan William G. Spears ’56
2011-2012 Board of Trustees Luis H. Ball ’78 Susan M. Barclay ’85 Samuel P. Bartlett ’91 Michael J. Carr ’76 Alex D. Curtis Richard Elman David R. Foster ’72 Robert B. Goergen, Jr. ’89 John F. Green ’77 Linda J. Hodge ’73 Brett M. Johnson ’88 Warren B. Kanders ’75 Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57 Edward O. Lanphier ’74 William Laverack, Jr. Gretchen Cooper Leach ’57 James A. Lebovitz ’75 Kewsong Lee ’82 Robert A. Minicucci ’71 Linda H. Riefler ’79 Marshall S. Ruben Henry K. Snyder ’85 M. Window Snyder ’93 Jeanette Sublett Thomas M. Viertel ’59 Benjamin S. Walton ’92 Editorial Advisory Board Susan M. Barclay ’85 Christopher Hodgson ’78 Judy Donald ’66 Howard R. Greene Dorothy Heyl ’71 Stephanie Ardrey Hazard ’81 Henry McNulty ’65 John Steinbreder ’74 Francesca Vietor ’82 Heather Zavod
We want to see you! Start planning now.
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Contact the Editorial Office Communications Office, c/o Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800 Editorial Offices: (203) 697-2252 Fax Number: (203) 697-2380 Email: alumline@choate.edu Web site: www.choate.edu Submissions to the Magazine All submissions to the Bulletin should be made via email or through regular post. Photos should be supplied in hard copy format or in digital format at 300 dpi. Every effort is made to accommodate all submissions. However, the Editor reserves the right to refuse images that are not suitable for printing due to poor quality and to edit content to fit within the space allotted.
Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin is published fall, spring, and summer for alumni, students and their parents, and friends of the School. Please send change of address to Alumni Records and all other correspondence to the Communications Office, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492-3800. Choate Rosemary Hall does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, athletics, other school-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or non-job-related handicap. Our Commitment to the Environment The Bulletin is printed using vegetable-based inks on ChorusArt Silk, an FSC-certified paper which contains 70% recycled content, including 30% post consumer waste. This issue saved the equivalent of 32+ trees, 13,488 gals. wastewater flow, 92+ lbs. water-borne waste not created and prevented over 2,938+ lbs. of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere.
Printed in U.S.A. 1112-108/17.5 M
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You are an important member of the Choate Rosemary Hall community. We invite you to reconnect and celebrate with your classmates, teammates and friends from around the globe.
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Please plan to visit campus May 18-20, 2012 for a memorable weekend of Reunion programs and festivities. Watch your mail and e-mail for schedule updates, events, places to stay, and class-specific activities. Visit the alumni section of the school website at www.choate.edu/alumni for further information and to update your contact data in the online directory.
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We look forward to seeing you soon!
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Your friends at Choate Rosemary Hall. 1 9 9 7
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on t he cover Choate Rosemary Hall students tutor elementary and
middle schoolers at the Wallingford Public Library. Seated, from left, Rohan Deshpande ’12, Nic Savulis, Reem Ahmed ’12, Brittnee Diorio, Emma Kahn ’13, Michelle Orozco, and Stephen Adamo ’13. Standing, from left, Marie Kustikova ’13, Juan Godinez, Kirby Pedersen ’13 and Fernando Sanchez.
Call 203-697-2228 Visit www.choate.edu/alumni Email alumnirelations@choate.edu
Celebrating 40 Years
Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin
www.choate.edu/artscenter
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s pri n g 2012
Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine
A portrait of a vibrant, dynamic school community
8 State of the School
A volunteering tradition permeates school culture
16 Community Service
Change Service Requested
Heeding the call of the Peace Corps
PAID
New Haven, CT Permit #1090
7 An Unintended Consequence
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
s u m m e r 2011 | preview: s p r i n g 2012 | preview:
Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800
Strengthening
Communities for the Common Good