Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin | Winter/Spring 2022 by Choate Rosemary Hall

THE MAGAZINE OF CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL

FALL ‘22 ’21 WINTER/SPRING

Celebrating Our Milestones

In this issue:

THE KEC TAKES ROOT Celebrating 10 Years in the KEC

CHOATE + ROSEMARY HALL 50 Years of Coordinate Education

ALUMNI SURVEY RESULTS Thank you for your feedback!

Students perform in the spring 2022 production of Footloose.

CONTENTS | Winter/Spring 2022 d e p a r t m e n t s

2 3 4 20

Letters Remarks from the Head of School On Christian & Elm News about the School Alumni Association News

Classnotes Profiles on Raven Monique Gaddy ’11, International Affairs Specialist, U.S. Department of Justice; Stephen Hawthornthwaite P ’24, CEO, Rothy’s; Sidney Faithfull Van Zandt ’52, Founder, Groton Open Space Association, Inc.

40 46 50

In Memoriam Remembering Those We Have Lost Scoreboard

Bookshelf Reviews of works by Jim Beloff ’73 and Matthew FitzSimmons ’87

End Note Wintertime by Adrienne Chacón ’22 f e a t u r e s

6 10

Alumni Survey Results

The KEC Takes Root: Creating a Sustainable World One Day at a Time Celebrating 10 years in the Kohler Environmental Center 50 Years of Co-Ed Celebrating 50 years of coordinate education

WINTER/SPRING ’22

Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin is published fall, winter, and spring 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, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic predisposition, ancestry, or other categories protected by Connecticut and federal law. Printed in U.S.A. CRH201201/17.75M

Editorial Offices T: (203) 697-2252 F: (203) 697-2380 Website: www.choate.edu Chief Communications Officer Alison J. Cady Design and Production Donna Archambault Todd Meagher Ann Marie Nolan Editor Brianna St. John Classnotes Editor Henry McNulty ’65 Contributors Adrienne Chacón ‘22 Donald Firke Kim Hastings Rhea Hirshman David McKay Wilson Magaly Olivero Laura Scaviola Philip Ventre Leslie Virostek Julie Winkel Photography Joey Avena John Giammatteo

Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees 2022-2023 Danya Alsaady P ‘17, ‘19, ‘23 Kenneth G. Bartels ‘69, P ‘04 Marc E. Brown ‘82 Seth J. Brufsky ’84 Yahonnes S. Cleary ’96 George F. Colony ‘72 Alex D. Curtis P ‘17, ’20 Elizabeth M. Ferreira ’92 Katherine B. Forrest ’82 David A. Fraze ‘84 Kristen M. Garlinghouse ’85 Gunther S. Hamm ‘98 Elizabeth A. Hogan ’82 Jungwook ”Ryan” Hong ‘89, P ‘19, ‘22 ‘25 Kelly Green Kahn ’86 Daniel G. Kelly, Jr. ‘69, P ‘03 Vanessa Kong Kerzner P ’16, ‘19 James A. Lebovitz ‘75, P ‘06, ‘10 Christian B. McGrath ’84, P ‘18, ’21 Takashi Murata ‘93, P ‘25 George F. Pyne, IV ’84 M. Anne Sa’adah Life Trustees Bruce S. Gelb ’45, P ’72, ’74, ’76, ’78 Edwin A. Goodman ’58 Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57, P ’84 Cary L. Neiman ’64 Stephen J. Schulte ’56, P ’86 William G. Spears ’56, P ’81, ’90

Follow us! Network with other alumni! Download the ChoateConnect mobile app in iTunes or Google Play. Like us! www.facebook.com/GoChoate Tweet us! twitter.com/gochoate Watch us! www.youtube.com/gochoate Share! instagram.com/gochoate View us! www.flickr.com/photos/gochoate

Correction The previous issue of the Bulletin included an article that erroneously named Mr. Will Gilyard ’98, Form Dean, as the Dean of Students. The current Dean of Students is Mr. Michael Velez ’00.

Remarks from the Head of School

Dear Alumni and Friends of Choate Rosemary Hall, In this issue, we embrace the opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate our achievements, while also looking ahead with excitement toward the future of our community. We are now approaching the 10th anniversary of when students first took up residence at the Kohler Environmental Center, welcoming students who wanted to learn more about the environment and how we can all live more intentionally and in harmony with the natural world. To celebrate a decade of sustainable living and learning at the KEC, we reunite with three young alumni and see the ways in which these talented and driven individuals have gone on to embrace lessons of sustainability in their lives beyond Choate. We are also excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rosemarians returning to Wallingford. In this issue, we catch up with four members of the Classes of 1972, the first classes to experience coordinate education on the campus. As we share in their memories since graduation, we are reminded of the variety of experiences they brought to our school. We also share the results of an alumni survey collected in 2020-21, detailing the engagement of our community. In addition to informing the most recent strategic plan, these results have provided a roadmap for us as we work to develop networking opportunities, offer new programs, and engage with our alumni of varying backgrounds and perspectives. We thank you for your valuable feedback. Finally, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Karlen Elliott as Choate’s inaugural Head of Student and Academic Life beginning July 1, 2022. Jenny will oversee many of the important day-to-day operations of the School, serving as an invaluable resource to students, faculty, and staff. Jenny’s appointment was unanimously recommended by the Board of Trustees after a more than eight-month search process. She comes to Choate from Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., where she worked since 2010. I hope you will join me in welcoming her and her family to campus and the Choate community. As always, we are grateful to our alumni, students, parents, staff, and faculty for their continued support. With all best wishes from campus,

Alex D. Curtis Head of School

ON CHRISTIAN & ELM | NEWSWORTHY

Choate wins InspirEd Awards

Regeneron Scholar Joy Bang ’22 of Seoul, Korea, was named a Semifinalist in the 80th Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. Each year, 300 Regeneron STS scholars and their schools are recognized in the competition. Joy is a member of Choate’s Science Research Program. Her research, conducted at Suwon University in South Korea, focused on DNA data storage. The title of her project was “TFAM-DNA Complex, A Novel Digital Data Storage Model: A Histone-Like Architectural Role for the Stability of DNA.” In an interview with GoChoate for the Beyond the Block feature, a series showcasing what students do beyond the block schedule, Joy said her project was sparked by an interest in solving the rising energy and space needs in current DNA-based data information storage methods. Joy and Choate both received $2,000 to use toward STEM-related activities.

Choate Rosemary Hall took home three top design awards in the InspirEd School Marketers 2021 Brilliance Awards competition: Gold for Website; Silver for Still Photography, Outsourced; and Bronze for Printed Viewbook/Prospectus. Of the website, judges said, “It has a bold design that also works well on mobile devices, which is critical but can often get missed with school website redesigns. The interior pages are also as thoughtfully considered as the landing pages. What really struck us though was that this site had the trifecta: beautiful design/UX, compelling, onbrand imagery, and fantastic copy that conveyed a meaningful message about the school.” InspirEd is an online professional development resource and community for PK-12 private school marketing and communications administrators in the U.S. and abroad.

“After reading about the TFAM protein and its ability to encapsulate and protect mitochondrial DNA, I wanted to test if forming a TFAM-DNA complex could enhance the stability of DNA against various stress factors.”

Choate Students Win Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards Ten students were recognized by the Connecticut Regional Scholastic Arts Award, the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for teen artists and writers. Art students earned Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention, and two special awards.

Sejin Kim ’22, two Gold Key awards and one Hartford Art School Scholarship

Isabella Wu ’24, two Gold Key awards, one Honorable Mention, and the CAEA/ Arnini Best in Digital Art

Rocky Wan ’24, two Gold Key awards

Women’s Ice Hockey Alumnae Return to the Olympics For the last two decades, Choate Rosemary Hall alumnae have earned spots to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. Since 1998, six Choate Rosemary Hall women have won bronze, silver, and gold medals in Winter Olympics Women’s Tournaments as well as one player competing for the first time in 2022. Angela Ruggiero ’98, Kim Insalaco Legg ’99, Hilary Knight ’07, Julie Chu ’01, and Josephine Pucci ’09 represented the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team and Phoebe Staenz ’13 competed on the Swiss Women’s National Ice Hockey team. This year, in China, Samantha Kolowrat ’15 played for the Czech Republic as the team entered the Winter Games for the first time. Knight entered her fourth Winter Olympic Games on Team USA and Staenz played in her third, representing the Swiss team.

Choate Hosts ABC Correspondent Juju Chang

Sharma ’25 led a student-driven Q&A. The lecture was followed by an AAPI affinity lunch reception and faculty discussion.

On Tuesday, April 26, ABC News Correspondent and Nightline Anchor Juju Chang presented the Ambassador S. Davis Phillips ’61 Family Lecture to the Choate Rosemary Hall community. Chang presented a keynote discussing her personal and career experiences. After the keynote address, student facilitators Audrey Lim ’23 and Raghav

This lecture series, supported by an endowed fund started by alumnus, parent, and former Trustee S. Davis Phillips ’61, P ’91, P ’94, P ’01, brings distinguished decision-makers from business, government, public life, education, and the arts. This event also kicked off the School’s programming for AAPI Heritage Month.

Merit Scholarships

Ryan Lee ’24, Honorable Mention

Five sixth formers were named Semiﬁnalists in the 2022 National Merit Competition: Conor Brown, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Claire Fu, of Hong Kong; Kevin Gu, of Shanghai; Pranav Pendri, of Basking Ridge, N.J.; and Max Zhang of Palo Alto, Calif. These academically talented high school seniors will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships this spring.

Katherine Chong ’25, Honorable Mention

Emily Son ’23, Silver Key award

Yujin Kim ’23, one Gold Key award and one Silver Key award Sophia Kim ’24, Silver Key award

Paola Diaz del Castillo Rosique ’23, Honorable Mention

General Survey Findings: Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni are engaging positively with the School, via events, career networking, communications, and financial support

2020-2021

ALUMNI

SURVEY RESULTS

3,036 Our first comprehensive survey conducted since 2010

COMPLETED SURVEYS

Survey Goals: UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE IDENTIFIERS TO SUPPORT EQUITY & INCLUSION EFFORTS GATHER FEEDBACK ON ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNICATIONS, AND GIVING PRIORITIES

Survey Responses By Cohort:

In 2020-21, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations conducted a survey of Choate Rosemary Hall alumni. The purpose of this survey, the first comprehensive poll since 2010, was to reconnect with alumni, broaden the ways alumni are identified, and get vital feedback about the programming, engagement, and communication the community is looking for. The voices of our community members are more important than ever as we continue to strive to meet the needs of our students and the expectations of our alumni. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

POST-50th

MIDDLE YEARS

YOUNG ALUMNI

PHILANTHROPIC ENGAGEMENT 30.0%

Factors Influencing Giving

25.0%

Post-50th

20.0%

Middle-years

15.0% 10.0%

Young Alumni

5.0% 0.0%

Communication about School Accomplishments

Communication about School Needs

Identified School Needs

Improvement in Personal Finances

Note: Respondents were able to select more than one factor.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 7

Alumni Interest by Event Type Top Interest by Event Type

43%

REGIONAL/SOCIAL EVENTS

31%

CAREER/INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC

29%

CLASSES TAUGHT BY ALUMNI

43%

Regional/ Social Events

21%

SOCIAL EVENTS ON CAMPUS

AFFINITY-BASED EVENTS

Career/ Industry-Specific

25%

PANELS MODERATED BY FACULTY

COMMUNITY SERVICE

31%

27%

PROGRAMS ON CURRENT EVENTS

19% 18%

HEAD OF SCHOOL EVENTS

16%

WELLNESS ACTIVITIES

16%

BOOK CLUB EVENTS

16%

STARTUP/CHOATE EVENTS CLASSES TAUGHT BY FACULTY

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

“

I don’t get back to campus often but would love to attend events locally!

15% 14%

”

Which areas are you most likely to support within the next year?

34% of Alumni are Extremely Likely to give in the next year Classes ‘89-’98 ranked highest Classes ‘09-’20 ranked lowest

37% Area of

27% Financial

20% Equity &

17% Academic

15%

11%

greatest need

Programs

11% Faculty Support

Aid

The Arts

Health & Wellness

Inclusion

Athletics

Technology

CAREER NETWORKING Alumni Interest in Career Networking

1514

interested in participating in an industry or career panel

35%

from classes 1971-2020

interested in serving as mentors willing to offer internships or shadow opportunities

COMMUNICATIONS How often do alumni read our content?

67%

Physical Mail

74%

Alumni E-News

Preferred Content from alumni E-News ALUMNI PROFILES

UPDATES FROM CAMPUS

FACULTY PROFILES

STUDENT PROFILES

ALUMNI EVENT RECAPS

OTHER

“

I appreciate the frequency of email and print communications. It’s enough to keep me engaged and interested, but not so much that it’s overwhelming.

”

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 9

THE BULLETIN

Which aspects of the Bulletin do alumni enjoy most?

70%

of respondents read some or most of the magazine

56.2% Classnotes

19.1%

Updates from Campus

17.3% Alumni Features

In Memoriam

“

An invitation to continue connecting, learning from each other, expanding networks… It is THIS that will create deeper investment.

”

5.2%

2.4% Book Reviews

The Kohler Environmental Center

TAKES ROOT Creating a sustainable world one day at a time BY MAGALY OLIVERO

Anyone worried about the future of our planet need only speak with students of the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC) at Choate Rosemary Hall to regain a sense of optimism. These individuals are working to create a better world right now, whether assisting people displaced by environmental upheaval, providing cities worldwide with the expertise to create net-zero energy buildings, or helping nonprofit agencies secure funding to support climate solutions.

Established in 2012 with funding by Herbert V. Kohler Jr. ’57, the Kohler Environmental Center is Choate’s leading-edge immersive research and education facility, housing the signature Environmental Immersion Program, a yearlong interdisciplinary program for students who are dedicated to understanding and preserving the natural environment. A decade later, the KEC remains a model for sustainable living and learning. “The Environmental Immersion Program gives students a knowledge base, a skill set, and a way of looking at the world that allows them to be major contributors to help deal with the world’s environmental problems and environmental justice reforms as they continue on in their education and careers,” says Joe Scanio, KEC Program Director.

Many students who have participated in the program credit the KEC with turning their interest in nature into a passion that guides their academic, professional, and personal endeavors. Learning takes place beyond the traditional classroom setting, allowing students to understand the connection between the environment and other disciplines. A walk through the forest sparks conversations about poets who were inspired by nature. Dinnertime discussions with peers and faculty focus on the challenges posed by responsible food sourcing. Student research projects shed light on how climate change impacts social justice, economic growth, and residential displacement. “The environment touches every aspect of our lives, where we live, work and play; what we eat; how we interact with others and much more,” says Scanio. “It’s all connected.” The KEC’s academically vigorous curriculum and emphasis on communal living also help students develop leadership, communication, and resiliency skills. “They are doing this challenging work alongside a community of people who share their passion for the environment,” says Scanio. “It’s extremely impactful.”

Meet three Kohler Environmental Center alumni who are moving the needle every day when it comes to creating a more sustainable and environmentally just world.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 11

A native of Vietnam, Aitran Doan ’13 connected with the environment at a young age while living in a rural village at the mouth of the Mekong River Delta. Days were spent exploring nature, playing in the forests, listening to the birds, and watching the beauty of the river. The scene changed dramatically when the five-year-old immigrated to Brooklyn, N.Y., to live in a “doubled-up apartment,” a place where multiple families cohabitate to cope with the high cost of living. Aitran lived in a tiny apartment with six family members in a blue-collar neighborhood. “It was very different from the rural village where I grew up,” says Aitran, 26. “I didn’t know how to articulate that as a child, but I definitely missed having access to open space.” The backdrop shifted again when Aitran arrived at Choate Rosemary Hall with its expansive New England campus. Having the opportunity to live for a year at the Kohler Environmental Center, nestled in the forest, reignited her love of nature. “I remembered again what it meant to go outside and run for miles surrounded by trees,” she says. “I realized I had been numb from ages five to 13. It’s unfortunate that we have created conditions where access to nature is based on how much money you have.” Today the scene is San Francisco, where Aitran coordinates the tenant counselor network at the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC). The organization was established in 2013 by tenant organizations and allies to address the wave of evictions and landlord harassment forcing thousands to leave their homes and neighborhoods. Before joining SFADC, Aitran assisted families living in crowded single room occupancy hotels, where they shared a communal bathroom and kitchen with other residents. “This could have been me,” says Aitran, recalling the cramped quarters she shared with families in Brooklyn. She has seen the impact of climate change firsthand, such as the severe drought that has contributed to raging wildfires in California, forcing people

Fighting for environmental justice Aitran Doan ’13 “[I] solidified my interest in how humanity intersected with the environment, especially in terms of environmental justice.”

to flee their homes. She witnessed the “day of the orange sun” on September 9, 2020, when a convergence of smoke and fog cast an eerie orange tinge over the Bay Area due to the wildfires. “All of these experiences have led me to think more about climate change, climate refugees and climate displacement,” says Aitran, who majored in international relations at Stanford University. “What forces people to leave; who gets to stay; what severs communities?” These were among the issues explored at the KEC, which Aitran says “solidified my interest in how humanity intersected with the environment, especially in terms of environmental justice.” It was also a place where Aitran “found a sense of community that was important and impactful,” sharing ideas with peers and faculty around the dinner table, at the greenhouse or at lectures. “It was a formative experience.” At Choate, Aitran also wrote about “what the Amazonian people of Ecuador were doing to fight environmental pollution and theft of their land by oil companies.” She took a year off before heading to Stanford University to be a Fellow with a program called Global Citizen Year. She worked at a rural health clinic in Ecuador and lived among the indigenous community she had studied and admired at Choate. For now, San Francisco offers Aitran the best of both worlds. At SFADC, she can work to advance environmental justice. As a city resident, she can enjoy the natural beauty of the area while biking to the local market, across the Golden Gate Bridge or along the Pacific Ocean. Her goals as we move to a new normal following the pandemic are to retain the lessons learned during the crisis – the importance of staying in the present and never taking any day for granted. “I’m trying to be more like the person I am when I am in nature. I’m present, in tune, good with the here and now,” says Aitran. “Recognizing the miraculous beauty that surrounds us takes us back to the essence of what it means to be a human being.”

A 12

Living an intentional life Zach Berzolla ’14 Zach Berzolla ‘14 remembers the day he consciously decided to stop eating meat after touring a local farm with fellow classmates from the Kohler Environmental Center. The tour was part of a broader discussion on food sourcing, examining where and how people get their sustenance. “It was the first time I became more intentional about the choices I was making and how these choices have a broader impact,” says Zach, 26, a Ph.D. candidate in building technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “I’m still a vegetarian, 10 years later.” Zach continues living an intentional life that focuses on the environment and energy. At MIT, Zach is part of a team helping six communities worldwide meet their goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through building efficiency retrofits and renewable energy. These include San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico; Calgary, Canada; Petaluma, Calif., Sandy Sprints, Ga., Adison County, Vt., and the Codman Square neighborhood in Boston. “We want to make the tools easy, affordable and accessible,” he said. At Middlebury College, Zach helped model the potential benefits of a micro-grid to make the campus independent of the town’s electrical grid in the event of a power failure. He also led initial efforts to establish Energy 2028, an initiative to increase Middlebury’s use of renewable energy, improve energy efficiency in existing buildings, eliminate fossil fuel investments in the endowment, and engage the entire campus community in meeting these goals. This led the college to retrofit existing buildings, break ground on a solar farm, and source local biogas from cow manure and food scraps. Zach credits his year at the Kohler Environmental Center for turning his interest in the environment into a lifelong passion. “I had the opportunity to look at the environment through many different lenses beyond the narrow scope of activism. The faculty was driving intellectual curiosity. I was able to draw the connections between all these disciplines and build a tool kit that I could use going forward in my career.” Zach also discovered a passion for research at Choate, learning for the first time of the important work being done by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which is transforming energy though research, development, commercialization, and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. “I knew I wanted to work there,” says Zach, who was fortunate to work at NREL for several months during his college years. These days, Zach is striving to break down the financial and technological barriers that sometimes make it difficult for communities to reach their emissions goals. “Education is a large part of it,” says Zach. Retrofitting buildings to make them energy efficient can be difficult for communities, especially those that include a large number of rental units and low-income homeowners. “For the most part, you need to own your home and have access to a funding source,” he says. “Communities can’t reach their emissions goals without addressing this issue.” Zach hopes to continue working in this arena once he’s completed his doctorate. He may use his building technology expertise in the private or public sector to inform policy decisions and program development, or return to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to push the boundaries of research. “Either way,” he says, “I intend to make a difference.”

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 13

Building communities, holding polluters and governments accountable Gavriela Reiter ’13 Twenty-seven-year-old Gavriela Reiter ‘13 has spent more than half of her life thinking about the climate crisis. It began at age 10 when her neighborhood challenged a local private utility for proposing to construct energy infrastructure near schools. “I saw the power of community organizing,” says Gavi, who now works as a program associate at the Pisces Foundation in San Francisco, which provides grants to environmental nonprofits and environmental justice organizations working to secure a clean and just energy future. For Gavi, addressing the climate crisis entails building relationships and communities while at the same time holding polluters and governments accountable for the harm they’ve caused. “I’ve been a climate organizer from the moment I stepped off the Choate campus and started college,” says Gavi, who has a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership and a bachelor’s degree in earth sciences from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Pisces, Gavi was an organizer at Lead Locally, supporting community and environmental justice organizations to elect leaders who would stop fossil fuel infrastructure and create green jobs. She was an emergency manager for the COVID-19 Emergency Activation at New York City Emergency Management, where she was also a strategic operations consultant and NYC Urban Fellow. With SustainUS, Gavi created and led a delegation of young New Yorkers impacted by the climate crisis to the U.N. Secretary General’s 2019 Climate Action Summit. She also organized a coalition of disaster-prone communities in New York and New Jersey. She credits her experience at the Kohler Environmental Center for building the foundation for her commitment to climate justice. “I was able to explore my passion for the world in an interdisciplinary setting for the first time,” she says. “My thinking at the KEC evolved from ‘how to keep our earth healthy’ to ‘what does justice mean in the context of the environmental consciousness.’” Choate was also her first model of an “intentional community co-living situation where we were living and experiencing the program,” explains Gavi. Learning took place beyond the classroom setting. “So much of my learning was facilitated around a meal,” says Gavi, recalling the spirited discussions that took place around the dinner table. “Since then, I have sought out community living, programs, and settings where people are supporting each other in similar ways.” These days Gavi is using the lessons learned as a climate organizer to inform her work at Pisces Foundation. “It’s exciting to be part of an organization that is committed to rethinking new strategies from the more traditional environmental philanthropy towards prioritizing justice and frontline communities,” she says. “I know we have the solutions to the climate crisis; we just need to build the political will.”

Magaly Olivero is an award-winning freelance writer and editor.

BY RHEA HIRSHMAN

On a Thursday afternoon in early June of 1972, Rosemary Hall’s senior class graduated on the Wallingford campus, which had become the school’s new home. Sixty Rosemarians and 159 Choate seniors graduated separately, a practice that would last for six years until the first joint Commencement in 1978. The 202122 academic year marked the 50th anniversary of the merging of these two proud institutions, which began with the arrival of the entire Rosemary Hall student body in the fall of 1971.

As part of the celebration, four members of the Classes of 1972 share their memories and stories. Choate Rosemary Hall became a fully co-educational institution in 1977-78. From 1971-72 to 1976-77, the Choate School and Rosemary Hall experienced coordinate education on the Wallingford campus.

Carlotta (Liza) Rice ’72 and Christopher Rice ’72

“My sixth form project involved my traveling solo and unsupervised through Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, and several other countries. The international experience that Choate gave me meant that I was comfortable going pretty much anywhere as I moved up in my career.”

When Christopher Rice stopped in at a cocktail party on New York’s Upper West Side in the fall of 1980, he saw a familiar face. “We didn’t really know each other in high school,” he says, “and I was amazed that Liza knew my name.” Two years later, Chris and Carlotta (Liza) Wick were married. In the ensuing four decades, they continued their educations, raised boygirl twins, traveled widely, and pursued both individual careers and joint ventures. Liza majored in English and comparative literature at Smith College and obtained her law degree at the University of Chicago. Chris has an undergraduate degree in economics and a master’s in Russian and Slavic studies from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating from Smith and spending time in Malaysia, where her father was working, Liza began her post-college work life as an editorial assistant at House and Garden magazine. A few months later she became the assistant wine and food editor. “It was perfect,” she says. “I was born to do that job!” But law school was beckoning. After a year in law school at Duke, she headed for Chicago where Chris was a regional manager for Xerox. They married, and Liza finished her law degree at the University of Chicago. After working for a Chicago firm that specialized in commercial real estate and representing franchisors, Liza continued her law career at a large firm in Connecticut when Chris was transferred to Xerox Learning System’s headquarters in Stamford. Continuing in the same practice areas,

Liza immersed herself in the work and began to get calls from head hunters. “I loved practicing law,” she says, ”but I was working 24/7 and had no life.” After their twins, Alex and Carlie, were born, she arranged with her thenemployer to work part-time. The setup did not work out. “I felt that I was doing 50 percent at two jobs, and I wasn’t happy in either. I knew that if I wanted to go back into the kind of practice I’d been doing, I would have to commute to New York as well.” So Liza retired from her legal career and became, in her children’s words, “a non-practicing attorney.” They relocated to Princeton, N.J., when Chris joined The Gallup Organization to survey people’s attitudes about their “cars, credit cards, and employers.” While the preponderance of Liza’s time after the move to Princeton became focused on school and community volunteer activities — including homeschooling their son for a year — she also found an opportunity to exercise her legal expertise when Chris became CEO of BlessingWhite, a global leadership and employee engagement consulting firm. The company, which did not have in-house legal staff, was engaged in a management buyout from a Dutch firm. “Liza dealt with everything that an in-house attorney would have done, from real estate leases to international copyright matters,” says Chris, “except pro bono.” And when Chris decided to co-author a book with two colleagues, he called on Liza’s editing skills to meld three different voices into a coherent whole.

“The Rosemary Hall motto — altiora peto (I seek higher things) — has always been a personal motto for me as well. I am looking forward to whatever comes next. As I said to an old friend a while back: my work here is not done.”

LIZA’S ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOL (1969-1972): ART CLUB | LITERARY MAGAZINE | GIRLS VARSITY LACROSSE HONOR COMMITTEE | RASSWEILER AWARD | SPANISH PRIZE That book — The Engagement Equation: Leadership Strategies for an Inspired Workforce — explains how companies use employee engagement to execute strategy, reduce costs, and meet organizational goals. It presents a model that focuses on both individuals’ contributions to a company’s success and employees’ personal satisfaction in their roles. Chris spent 16 years as president and CEO of BlessingWhite, including several years after selling the firm to GP Strategies — a successful transaction with lots of free legal advice from Liza — and was managing director of the global talent development practice for Lee Hecht Harrison. Throughout, his focus has been human capital management, a field, he explains, that involves leadership training, executive coaching, employee and customer satisfaction surveys, organizational change consulting, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Chris’ career has taken him all over the globe, but one of his early exposures to international travel came with Choate’s summer trip to Russia between his fifth and sixth form years. He also got a taste of making his own way. “I still can’t believe that my parents and the school approved.” he says. “My sixth form project involved my traveling solo and unsupervised through Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, and several other countries. The international experience that Choate gave me meant that I was comfortable going pretty much anywhere as I moved up in my career.” Chris’ extensive traveling was another reason they decided that Liza would be a stay-at-home parent when the children were young. But once their children were in college, Liza was able to join him.

For the past few years, Chris has turned his attention to serving on the boards of three companies affiliated with human capital: a venture capital firm, a company that focuses on leadership communication through story-telling, and a company that has developed a gamified application for training employees of large companies. Liza has become both a certified master gardener for Mercer County, N.J., “something I’ve always wanted to do,” she says, and a certified ESL literacy tutor. She has also undertaken 85 hours of training under the auspices of a group called Womanspace that counsels, represents, and shelters victims of domestic and sexual abuse and their children. “I didn’t think I was naïve when I began the course,” she says, “but I learned far more than I could have imagined.” Coming from a former Rassweiler Scholar — an honor awarded to the student who, “in achieving academic excellence, has shown a true love of learning” — Liza’s comment about learning is no surprise. In fact, she says, “Chris and I spend a lot of time asking each other questions.” They both credit their Rosemary Hall and Choate School educations with teaching and rewarding them for critical thinking. Chris even credits his third form public speaking class — “which didn’t go so well at the time,” he confesses — with providing the foundation for a lifetime of successful speeches around the world. Asked for his reflections on retirement for the 50th reunion book, Chris wrote: “I will never completely retire!” And, as for Liza: “The Rosemary Hall motto — altiora peto (I seek higher things) — has always been a personal motto for me as well. I am looking forward to whatever comes next. As I said to an old friend a while back: my work here is not done.”

If you had asked a young Ann-Louise Hittle what she wanted to be when she grew up, it’s a good bet that she would not have said “an oil market analyst.” In fact, she was not thinking of that career path even when she enrolled at St. Lawrence University, where she majored in history. But, sparked by a Choate class with Mounir Sa’adah and the experience of her father, whose work often took him to the region, she had developed an interest in the Middle East. For her junior college year, she did an independent study at American University in Cairo. “You have to understand that I didn’t have a plan,” she says. “I just knew that I was interested in the Middle East and wanted to further my education.” Accepted into Harvard for a master’s degree in Middle East studies, AnnLouise studied Arabic, Turkish, modern Middle East history, and Islamic philosophy. “I was also a teaching assistant for a great professor who taught the economy of the Middle East,” she says, “and the economy of the Middle East is a lot about oil.” A chance encounter at a Harvard reception led to an interview with Gulf Oil and launched Ann-Louise on her career path. “Companies back then were much more willing to take a chance on someone like me — no MBA, but with a strong academic background,” she says. “I think that interview would never happen now.” Starting her career at Gulf Oil, where she did supply and distribution analysis on OPEC and non-OPEC production, Ann-Louise then took a staff position for Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, writing articles on areas such as East Asia oil markets and OPEC production. “It was like going to oil graduate school,” she says. “And the analytic and writing skills I learned at Rosemary Hall really paid off in that job!” After spending four years at PIW and taking time off to travel in Japan and Russia, Ann-Louise joined Kissinger Associates as a Middle East and oil markets researcher, and then took a position as a senior oil and gas futures analyst with Shearson Lehman Brothers. When Shearson Lehman split in the early ’90s, Ann-Louise stayed with Lehman until leaving the firm to join Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) in August of 1993.

Meanwhile, the previous December, Ann-Louise had married Tim Constable, a fellow Shearson Lehman employee. Then, as she was changing jobs and moving to Cambridge, Mass., she was pregnant with their first daughter. “It was,” she says, “a little wild.” After several of her colleagues left CERA for another firm, Ann-Louise subsequently decided to make the same transition. Since 2003, she has been with Wood Mackenzie, a global energy consulting company based in Edinburgh. She is now a vice president leading oil market research. When she and her daughter Catherine were in Edinburgh for a year so that Ann-Louise could set up the firm’s oil market service, she and Tim started the process to adopt a daughter from China. “Usually, these referrals take a long time, but ours did not,” she says and, in the fall of 2004, the whole family was on a plane to Wuhan. They brought home their second child, Poppe, on Christmas Eve. Now working in the Boston area, Ann-Louise is still analyzing and consulting on worldwide oil markets. With increasing concerns about climate change, much of Wood Mackenzie’s current focus is on the energy industry of the future. “We have an energy transition service that I work with every day,” she says. “The world’s huge global energy system has to transform.” A great animal lover, Ann-Louise currently shares their home with five cats and two dogs, and serves on the board of a charity that rescues horses. She is particularly proud of her work as a Catvocate with the MSPCA, a Massachusetts program to reduce the homeless cat population through adoption promotion and spay/neuter initiatives. As she looks back on her Rosemary Hall years, Ann-Louise has fond memories of starting the Rosemary Hall girls’ ski team with classmate Stephanie Hugus ’72. And, of her successful career, Ann-Louise notes, “The whole reason I am where I am today is because of my Rosemary Hall education. It lit a fire in me and gave me the skills I’ve relied on and a joy of learning that has guided me throughout my career.”

“The whole reason I am where I am today is because of my Rosemary Hall education. It lit a fire in me and gave me the skills I’ve relied on and a joy of learning that has guided me throughout my career.” ANN-LOUISE’S ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOL (1970-1972): GIRLS VARSITY LACROSSE | INTRAMURAL SKIIING | FIELD HOCKEY

Even if you’ve never met Stephen Bogardus, you may very well know Stephen Bogardus. An actor who has toured with regional and national companies, appeared in 13 Broadway shows and a dozen off-Broadway productions, and made numerous television appearances, including guest spots on The Good Wife and Law & Order, Steve has become accustomed to having his fellow New Yorkers peer at him, wondering why he looks so familiar. “Sometimes I’ll say, ‘Are you a Law & Order junkie’ and the person will respond, ‘Oh, yeah. You’re the crooked lawyer from last week.’” Steve’s engagement with the arts began in childhood. He was in a youth orchestra, sang in the school and church choirs, and joined the chorus of community musicals during summers. At Choate, he played violin in the Telemann Society and sang in both the Glee Club and the Maiyeros, the school’s a cappella group. But, in his fifth form year, Steve was cast in the role of Bobby Van Heusen in Sandy Wilson’s musical comedy The Boy Friend — the first time a musical was staged at the school, and the year before the opening of the Paul Mellon Arts Center was open. “Being on the stage, singing and dancing ‘Won’t You Charleston with Me’,” he says, “was a seminal moment in my early career – something that felt right.” After Choate, Steve headed to Princeton, where he majored in psychology. “Not even clinical,” he says. “It was neuropsychopharmacology — I was in the lab with the rats. At that point, I didn’t think of myself as being able to sustain a career as an actor.” He did join the school’s Triangle Club — an organization with a professional director and choreographer but with scripts written by students — and sang with the a cappella group, the Nassoons. But, by the end of his junior year, Steve had a realization. “I called my parents and said, ‘I want to pursue a career in theater. I don’t know if it’s going to work for me but that’s where my heart is.’” His parents were cautious (“Are you sure you are prepared for the ups and downs?”) but supportive — his mother had had a successful professional life in the Ice Capades — and, the day after graduation, Steve was on a train to a summer stock company in Rhode Island.

“Early on, I was cast in lot of musicals,” he says. “But I didn’t want to be onedimensional.” He settled in New York and, between gigs, took acting classes, building a craft that could get him work in plays and films and television. Slowly, he began to get roles in nonmusical theater, as well as film roles and television appearances. Steve’s Broadway credits include Bright Star, Falsettos, Grapes of Wrath, High Society, King David, Les Misérables, Man of La Mancha, White Christmas, and West Side Story, which he describes as “the production that is probably most dear to me” — the 1980 revival was his first Broadway show. He starred as Tony in a 1981 Paris production, with Leonard Bernstein joining the cast at their opening night bows. He received an OBIE Award and Tony nomination for his work in Terrence McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion, which began as an off-Broadway production, then moved to Broadway and finally became a film, all with the original cast. (“That rarely, if ever, happens,” Steve says). In the early 1980s, Steve did a workshop production of a show called Kicks. While the show never made it to Broadway despite an impressive pedigree (music by Alan Menken, book by Tom Eyen of Dreamgirls fame), it was where Steve met his wife, Fosse dancer and dance teacher Dana Moore. The couple, who live on New York’s Upper West Side, have one son. In addition to performing, a major part of Steve’s professional life for the past 13 years has been devoted to Actors’ Equity. A member of the union’s governing council and a trustee of its health and pension fund, he has been involved in contract negotiations — particularly fraught as performance venues shuttered during the pandemic — and in helping to craft protocols to protect members’ physical and emotional safety once those venues began to reopen. As the arts begin to come alive again, Steve looks forward both to continuing to practice his craft and to taking more time for himself. “I’ve worked hard over a 45-year career — it’s a career I’m content with — and have let go of all expectations about the future. But I do plan to continue — on my own terms and on projects that capture my imagination and tell compelling stories.”

Rhea Hirshman is a freelance writer in New Haven. She also teaches women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at the University of Connecticut in Stamford, and is a former member of the Choate Rosemary Hall English Department.

“Being on the stage, singing and dancing ‘Won’t You Charleston with Me’, was a seminal moment in my early career – something that felt right.”

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION | The Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association’s mission is to create, perpetuate, and enhance

HONG KONG THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION, NOVEMBER ‘21

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 President David Hang ’94

Connecticut David Aversa ’91 Katie Vitali Childs ’95, P ’24

Vice Presidents Justin Graham ’98 Elizabeth Alford Hogan ’82 Dewey Kang ’03 John Smyth ’83, P ’20

Los Angeles Wesley Hansen ’98 Alexa Platt ’95

Additional Executive Committee Members Director of Development and Alumni Relations Mari Jones Director of Alumni Relations Andrea Solomon Alumni Association Past Presidents Susan Barclay ’85 Chris Hodgson ’78, P ’12, ’14, ’17 Parisa Jaffer ’89 Woody Laikind ’53 Patrick McCurdy ’98 Members Susan St. John Amorello ’84, P ’15, ’15 Melissa Barrett ’88, P ’21, ’23 Sam Chao ’04 Jaques Clariond ’01 John Glanville ’73 Chris Herzog ’99 Ashley Holt ’11 David Javdan ’86 Lena Sullesta Jessen ’92 Jack Kingsley ’87 Lambert Lau ’97 MaryLiz Williamson ’94, Faculty Representative REGIONAL CLUB LEADERSHIP Boston Lovey Roundtree ’97 Sarah Strang ’07 Kristine Yamartino ’10 Chicago Maria Del Favero ’83 Jacqueline Salamack ’06

New York Sheila Adams James ’01 Julie Kang ’12

NEW YORK HOLIDAY PARTY, DECEMBER ‘21

Rosemary Hall Anne Marshall Henry ’62 San Francisco Ian Chan ’10 Washington, DC Olivia Bee ’10 Dan Carucci ’76 Tillie Fowler ’92 Beijing Matthew Cheng ’10 Gunther Hamm ’98 Hong Kong Lambert Lau ’97 Sandy Wan ’90 Jennifer Yu ’99 London Ed Harney ’82, P ’15, ’17 Elitsa Nacheva ’08 Seoul Ryan Hong ’89, P ’19, ’22 Shanghai T.C. Chau ’97 Michael ’88 and Peggy Moh P ’18, ’23 Thailand Isa Chirathivat ’96 Pat Sethbhakdi ’85, P ’18, ’18, ’20 Tokyo Robert Morimoto ’89 Miki Yoshida ’07

ALUMNI & PARENT RECEPTIONS, MARCH ‘22 Naples, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach and Vero Beach

Career Networking Brings Alumni Connections to the Next Level Alumni are an important part of the Choate Rosemary Hall community. They are lifelong advocates and champions for the School, and their active participation is essential to building a robust community around the work. In July 2021, the Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association Executive Council (AAEC) launched a special ad hoc committee focused on creating and launching the Choate Nexus career-networking program. This initiative was inspired by an expressed need and desire for meaningful careeroriented experiences and professional outreach. Choate Nexus aims to create tangible ways for alumni to engage in career exploration, job search skills and best practices, ethics, professional enhancement, and the exchange of ideas across sectors and industries. Though career panels have been a successful mainstay offering for the last several years, the Alumni Relations team and this new committee are working together to bring networking to the next level. Choate Nexus Virtual Networking events kicked off in November 2021, with industry-focused panels including finance, medicine, health and wellness, the arts, and technology. Seventy-six alumni hosted breakout rooms and more than 225 alumni attended at least one event, and often more. AAEC member Jaques Clariond ’01 emphasizes the value of this work: “In addition to Choate’s skill in teaching students how to think critically, our career network is our number one asset when we leave Wallingford. We need to maximize this, to leverage Choate, and make use of this in the best way possible. When we are engaged with each other as Choate alumni we grow our own skills and network, but we also develop richer relationships with the School.”

A fundamental goal of the Choate Nexus career network is to build engagement that is streamlined, formal, and meaningful for all alumni, across age, industry, and geography. Choate Nexus aims to support: young alumni who seek career advice; mid-career alumni who seek new business opportunities; extroverts looking for a lively conversation in their city; introverts looking for an engaging and informative panel. We have something for everyone! Dewey Kang ’03, who serves as a Vice President of the AAEC and chair of the Choate Nexus Committee, sees this program as an expression of the AAEC at its best: “I approach networking as simply making friends – and making friends is so much easier when we have something in common, something that we love: Choate Rosemary Hall. Choate’s alumni network is truly special. The alumni I know are all excited to meet each other, whether to help or to simply hang out, irrespective of what stage we are in our busy lives. We want to help facilitate these connections, and I believe our Choate Nexus career network initiative is being structured to do exactly that.” From a full line-up of virtual events to the imminent return of in-person gatherings to an exciting new digital platform which will be live in the Fall, networking has never been easier, more engaging, or more rewarding.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 23

CLASSNOTES | News from our Alumni

1940s 1950s

’53 C Thomas Clements writes, “All goes well with both Kitty and myself. We’ve been living in Key West for over 30 years and are active in a number of civic organizations. I just retired from being Treasurer of the Friends of the KW Library after 27 years and am still actively involved with the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys. We do head for Blue Hill, Maine for three to four summer months, more to avoid hurricanes than heat.”

’51

’54 C

’45 C

Bruce Littman writes, “At 95 years old I will not bore the reader with all the stuff that went on over the years. Happy New Year to anyone who knows me and is still alive.”

C Eric Seiff writes, “I was recently re-appointed for my 14th term to the Board of Trustees of the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection of the State of New York. I am also Chairman. The Fund, which reimburses law clients who have been victimized by their attorneys has, since its inception, paid out more than $230 million. It is a remarkable effort to recompense those who have been victimized by a smattering of dishonest attorneys, and is almost entirely funded by the other 99-plus percent of attorneys admitted to practice in New York. No tax monies are used.”

’52 C

Arthur (Micky) McCain writes, “The last quarter of 2021 brought me two significant changes. In December, my wife of 65 years, Peggy Dale McCain, a 1952 graduate of Masters School, Dobbs Ferry N.Y., died after many years struggling with diabetes and dementia. Peggy and I met in our senior years and in 1952 when she came to Choate’s Winter Festivities. The two of us had a long run. Also, in October, I sold our home of 48 years and moved into the home of my son. I am entering a new phase of life with great support from my family, friends and church. I feel blessed.” Miguel Suarez writes, “What a surprise! After 62 years, I was contacted by Michael Klipstein, the 60-year-old son of Herbert (Choate ’52). He informed me that his father passed in 2016 after living in Sitges, Barcelona Province, since 1960. After Choate, I saw my friend in Cuba and in Madrid (1959). In Madrid, Herbie was on his honeymoon with Linda. RIP, amigo. Recently, Yolanda and I were in Spain, driving around for 45 days.”

Miguel Suarez ’52 visits Béznar Reservoir in Granada.

Benjamin Horne writes, “Jean and I celebrated our 60th anniversary with a week on the big island of Hawai’i in August 2021 with all of our family.”

’55 C

Bill McConnel writes, “The cross-country guys from the ’70s – ’90s got together to name the re-routed cross-country course at Shady Side Academy. The new course will be named after the retiring Athletic Director, who has been at SSA for 41 years. All of this was celebrated during Homecoming the weekend of October 8. I heard from Caroline Hunt, SSA ‘97 (runner, student and Senior advisee of mine), whose father Todd C ‘66 had seen the Hall of Fame award in the Bulletin, all of which is very exciting.” Roger Vaughan writes, “Having two books published lent a positive note to an otherwise trying 2021. Learning to Fly reveals the extraordinary inside story about the 2010 Americas Cup when two multihulls squared off for the first time ever. Coming About, a novel, came out in September to good reviews: ‘Come for the sailing, stay for the story. Vaughan (is) one of the few writers who can capture the essence of the sea and bring readers along for a ride almost as good as what they’d find sailing themselves’ (Bill Schanen, Sailing Magazine). Otherwise, ours is a vaccinated, mask-wearing family keeping tabs on Omicron, Climate Chaos and the infantile efforts afoot to promote the Big Lie and lay waste to democracy.”

’56 C Robert Shields writes, “I have moved to Delray Beach, Fla.”

Bill McConnel ’55 poses with the newly renamed cross-country course at Shady Side Academy.

’57 C

Peter Schmidt writes, “From Choate, I went to Washington and Lee University, then to Columbia Business School, where I got my MBA. I spent a decade in Peru and Mexico, 10 years in Paris, 10 in Boston, and am currently in Toronto. Forty-seven years of marriage, three children and grandkids keep myself and my wife all well and buggering on (Churchill).” Peter Sipple writes, ”Having recently reconnected after 40 years with Choate roommate and fellow saxophonist Steve Gilford, I’m inspired to reach out to other classmates. Art Trotman remains a close friend; Margaret and I visited Art and Kate in Rhode Island last June. Though retired as a school head after 25 years and an Episcopal minister of nearly 50, I assist at Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven. Margaret and I sang in the Yale Camerata until COVID-19 put masks over our noses, compromising our love of choral music. We live in Guilford, Conn., in pretty good health, and are ever grateful for daughter Alice and son Matthew, their spouses and children.”

’57 RH Debby Cornwell retired from teaching in 2001 and went on to work 12 more years as a sales associate in a fine arts store. She writes, “I discovered I loved to sell and was really good at it! In 2016 I sold my beloved condo in Farmington, Conn., and moved to Pomperaug Woods, a retirement community in Southbury, Conn. I am grateful to have a beautiful apartment and enjoy many classes of tai chi, yoga, and pilates. Mr. Delbos would be so surprised to see what I have discovered I can do in my creative arts class! I remain thoroughly convinced that there exists no better education than what we received at Rosemary Hall.” Dona Acuff Fitzsimons writes, “After 30 years, I have just moved from Bodega Bay, Calif., (on the coast) to San Diego, where my kids live. I am in a neighborhood within San Diego named Kensington, built in 1928. Most of the neighborhood (including my home) is Spanish Revival, and so my daily walks are very different. Before COVID-19, friends and I had begun choosing an American city, studying its history and going. We can resume here for this year.”

Peter Sipple ’57 and Margaret Sipple, fall 2021.

24 CLASSNOTES

Victoria Mayes writes, “My husband, Frank Furio, died in April 2021. I am most grateful for family, friends and neighbors—kind, caring and patient— and for memories, photos and recordings of his exceptional baritone.”

’58 C

Ian Bennett has written his second book, The Nefertiti Collection, a collection of short stories. Tom Cornell writes, “I always look forward to Choate news. I give it all the credit it deserves for all the successes I’ve enjoyed so far in life. I may see Ian Bennett from Vermont if he drives over the summer. Told him he could stay at the cottage if it’s not rented but we’re always open here at our winter home. I have fond memories of all that Choate prepared me for. My sixth form year was the ‘cat’s meow.’ It’s been a wonderful ride, better than anything I could have expected.” Whitman Knapp writes, “I have recently been asked by a Swiss fintech FQX AG to become Advisor for Stategic Partnerships. My years as a transaction banker roll on.” Bob Knisely writes, “2022 will bring Susan and me our 11th grandchild and our 20th wedding anniversary, as well as my 60th Class Reunion at Harvard (and my 50th at Georgetown Law). I am on the boards of several nonprofit organizations: the Arundel House of Hope, working with homeless people here in Maryland, and the Cacapon Institute and the Cacapon Lost River Land Trust, both involved in environmental concerns in nearby West Virginia. I am on several committees at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where I also serve as a volunteer outpatient, helping to educate medical students. I’ve taught at Johns Hopkins Homewood campus and the Chautauqua Institute and given presentations at George Washington University and elsewhere. Apart from family, I am most devoted to our second home in West Virginia, on land I bought in 1968. When there I am high on a mountaintop, surrounded by 110 acres of forest and meadow. This is larger than the Vatican – although the Pope has better art, in the spring I have more cardinals.”

William Clendaniel ’62 and partner Ron hiking in the Berkshires.

1960s ’61 C David Cook writes, “I was honored to be chosen to narrate Boston Harbor Walk.” ’61 RH Annie Gardner Alexander has been making transdimensional sculpture for 30 years. She opened Gallery Beyond Words in 1998 and featured contemporary art from local and international artists. After operating for 20 years, the gallery closed so Annie could pursue her fasciation for creating handmade paper art and transdimensional sculpture. Gallery Beyond Words is now open again, with quarterly exhibits featuring Annie’s sculpture, cards, clouds, and other beautiful things. Visit anniealexanderart.com or search gallerybeyondwordsprescott and Facebook for updates on current shows. Sue Bristoll Sayles writes, “I moved to the Vineyard in 2016. I work for the school system with primarily autistic kids, ages 4–21. I find them to be fun, funny, unpredictable, challenging and very bright, and I adore them. Our grandkids range in age from 18–25, two out of college and three in. Doesn’t seem possible. Love being around them.” ’62 C

Deaver Brown has released an audiobook, Being Happy Is Your Responsibiltiy: A Practical Guide. He writes that the philosophy for the book “came directly from Seymour St. John, Stanley Pratt, and Choate masters who taught us to always be responsible for one’s self and thoughts.” William Clendaniel writes, “My partner, Ron, and I have had a reasonably normal year despite the virus. We substituted snowshoeing in Ron’s New Hampshire woods for our usual downhill skiing with my two sons and two grandchildren, and gave up our annual March trip to Florida, but found lots of new places in the Greater Boston area to walk during the winter and spring. We were able to spend a long summer in my family’s Maine home, sailing and motorboating with my family, and hiking there until early October. After a 1,100 mile driving trip to stay with several friends we had not seen for some time and to

Left to right: Bill Brock ’67, Patricia Brock, Cammie Bryant and Doug Bryant ’67 at the Hillsboro Club in Hillsboro Beach, Fla.

enjoy the fall foliage in New Hampshire, Vermont and the Adirondacks, we settled in for the winter back in Boston. We’ve managed two concerts and celebrated our 25th anniversary eating out, but otherwise have hunkered down after celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with various members of Ron’s family.” F. John Wilkes writes, “Elle Wilkes arrived December 29, 2021 — no papers to grade, no lesson plans to prepare for her. She is a Christmas gift to my youngest son Nat and his wife Kit in Boulder, Colo. — and for Gini and me, our second grandchild.”

’62 RH Georgia Brady Barnhill announces the publication of Gems of Art on Paper: Illustrated American Fiction and Poetry, 1785-1885. Published by the University Press of Massachusetts, this book examines the intersection of text and image, documenting the interactions between authors, illustrators, and publishers.

’63 C Bob Keller writes, “In early December, Fred Wilson and I headed up from the Hudson Valley to the Boston area to visit Dave Escher. We had an enjoyable couple of days reminiscing about the 1960s and our days at Choate. A highlight was enjoying the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. We are looking forward to our 60th Reunion in 2023, and hope to see many of our classmates there.” Dick Knight writes, “In early December I completed my 20th annual heli-skiing trip to the wilderness of northeastern British Columbia. I was able to bring my son and my son-in-law as members of the group of 33 that I organize, so it was a very special occasion! I am retired from my business, but I still teach skiing on winter weekends at Waterville Valley. In fact, this is my 50th year of doing that!”

Karen Browning ’64, Christie Thompson ’64, and Sally Schaefer ’64 bike the Island Rail Trail in Vermont.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 25

3 1 Peter Orthwein ’64, Dr. Sandy

Carden ’64, and Curt Tobey ’64 at the Sail Fish Club in Palm Beach, Fla., February 18, 2022. 2 From the Class of 1965: Tony Smith

and Jan Endresen present Peter Schaeffer with an original Doug Cooper watercolor of Choate’s Chapel with pictures of the Class of ’65. 3 Left to right: Aldrich Humphrey ‘57,

Dr. Hugh Dundee ‘57, George Colyer ‘57. Taken 64 years after graduating from Parris Island, USMC. 4 Left to right: Doug Bryant ’67, Bill

Bryant ’59, and Hank Bryant ’60, attending Bill’s 80th birthday celebration. “We missed brother Steve ’65, who passed away in 2013.” 5 Ben Horne ’54 with wife, Jean, and

all their descendants.

26 CLASSNOTES

’63 RH Vicki Brooks writes, “COVID-19, unfortunately, is still driving what our family does (or, more to the point, what we don’t do). We had some small gatherings with friends locally, but the real salvation was FaceTime, when we were entertained by our 2-yearold grandson, who is quite cheerful. I am spending time on more basic activities: cooking and exercise (I am in the best shape ever, due to COVID-19—no excuses any more to not exercise!), and trying to stay as healthy as possible.” Penny Griffith Dix writes, “We are enjoying our new life in Florida. I will always miss New England, but our community here is lovely. This year our three children visited along with some of the grandchildren. We have rented a house in the North Carolina mountains for July this year as summers are beastly here in Florida. We are also about to be dog parents again to an Aussidoodle.” Alice Chaffee Freeman writes, “It’s no trips, no guests, no frivolous excursions, no three-hour martini lunches at McDonald’s, not even a gas-station coffee. I continue to paint and will be part of an exhibition at the local library in June.” Doreen McClennan Gardner writes, “Online training for tax preparation and senior driving volunteer work has been keeping me busy during year two of the pandemic. My husband Michael and I get out often to enjoy our local Central Coast of California nature and beautiful scenery; always a good excuse for a picnic.” Jean McBee Knox writes, “I continue to enjoy life in the country of Center Sandwich, N.H., but look forward to the arrival of Broadband later this year. Fiber-optic cables are being installed throughout our little town this winter. The best news of 2021 was the arrival of our granddaughter, Ava Luise Yamaguchi, on August 31. Having both grandkids and their parents with us for Christmas made for happy chaos. We’re grateful that they live just two hours away in Bedford, Mass. Writing, art projects, hiking, cooking, conservation and library work fill my day.” Angela Lyon has written three books in her Inside Secrets, Stories I’ve Never Told Anyone series. They can be found at atlyon.gumroad.com. She immersed herself totally in art this year, creating 1600-plus designs for fabric, tiles, wrapping paper. Lots of examples at https://www.LyonPaintings.com/ funstories. Chris Murray McKee writes, “My holidays were pretty tame because the kids were all at the in-laws’ this year. It has been two full years since I last saw Ethan’s girls. They live in Thailand and I fervently hope they will be able to travel this summer. Rachel’s girls (aged 14, 10 and 8) have managed pretty well. Tom and I took a road trip to Ohio for Thanksgiving to see the granddaughters and find driving a pretty good way to travel. Been working at the local food pantry and volunteering at the assisted

living place here in New London, N.H. We hope to go to Costa Rica and Guatemala next fall. I want very much to go back to Guatemala where I was a Peace Corps volunteer in ’69–’71.” Margo Melton Nutt keeps busy with Zoom church, Zoom yoga, and Zoom tai chi, plus online classes, lectures, and author readings, as well as online library board meetings. She has not traveled at all since 2019, except to visit her step-family in Greenwich. But she has been lucky in the past to have made wonderful trips both in the U.S. and abroad, quite a number of them to England with Margo Bradford. In early December, she had lunch at her house with Alice Chaffee Freeman and Jean McBee Knox. She writes, “Three hours of laughter and catching up were such a treat.” Reeve Lindbergh Tripp writes, “We are still living at the end of our dirt road in northern Vermont, with our chickens and two ridiculous Labradors. We’re very happy when our children and grandchildren come to visit, as a couple of families did over Christmas, and otherwise we feed the chickens and the dogs, shovel snow when necessary, and are carefully protecting ourselves from whatever COVID-19 variant comes along. I’ve just finished a short piece for an anthology to be titled Writers and Their Teachers, edited by Dale Salwak, to be published this year. I had a very good time remembering teachers and friends from long ago, definitely including memories of our time at Rosemary Hall.”

’64 RH Karen Browning writes, “Christie Thompson and I live in Vermont and often get together to hike and bike. Last summer, Sally Schaefer came up for a visit and we biked the island rail trail across Lake Champlain which is a beautiful bike ride.”

’65 C

Jan Endresen writes that “Seventeen classmates honored Peter Schaeffer for re-organizing us into a real Choate alumni group with two purposes: raising money and awareness of the success of the Will Ireland Scholarship Fund, and reconstituting our class friendships with Zoom calls every two weeks with our own ‘TED-Talks’ given by ’65 experts regarding subjects of mutual interest: the environment, baseball, and art to name a few.” Clif Leonhardt writes, “I have, in the last year, enjoyed tremendous reward from the Class of 1965 online, continuing reunion, organized by a group of classmates with Peter Schaeffer as Chairman. Our ‘Endless Reunion’ generally convenes with about 20 classmates, biweekly by Zoom, and has featured a substantial series of presentations by members of our class on subject matters within each presenter’s individual area of expertise. I hope additional members of our class will join the Class of 1965 ‘Endless Reunion’ and I encourage other classes in their retirement years to organize their own online reunions. It

is great fun to hear what others have done and learn who they have become. But the reconnecting also has helped me to understand and sum up the whole of my own life. It has been thoroughly worthwhile.” James Liberman writes, “Ellen and I are trying to navigate through the COVID-19 waves, to catch up with a son in Oakland who works in the solar energy field, a Ph.D. scientist daughter in North Carolina who has two delightful kiddos, a daughter in Vermont who’s been involved in early child development and education, and an artist daughter who pays the bills as an admininstrative assistant. I continue to practice tai chi and play some tennis; and I’ve discovered a surprising passion for table tennis. I’ve also published a children’s story: Have You Ever Dragged a Dragon? Abrazos to you all.”

“My latest book, When Giants Ruled the Sky, was published in April. It tells the true but little-known story of the U.S. Navy’s airship program (19171935) and the four men responsible for guiding it.” JOHN J. GEOGHEGAN ’75

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 27

David Wilmoth writes, “I have just published a memoir that includes a fond account of my year at Choate, 1964-65, under the AFS Exchange Program, then called American Field Service. It’s called The Promise of the City: Adventures in Learning Cities and Higher Education. There’s nothing like a year out of one’s familiar environment during teenage years to build self-reliance and intercultural understanding, albeit with a bit of culture shock. Looking back, I see that my year at Choate helped set my values and the direction of my career. These days I live in Sydney and work with international education providers and not-for-profit foundations in a number of countries. It’s a sad irony that until last year I chaired AFS Intercultural Programs in Australia, the organization that gave me the opportunity to study at Choate, but as a result of the pandemic, when international student mobility virtually stopped, I had to lead its liquidation.”

’65 RH Deborah Skiff Cobb writes, “We took the whole family to Italy for Christmas. It was really magical with all the beautiful sights and the fabulous Christmas decorations. We are now home with a quiet lifestyle and lots of great memories.” Wesley Cullen Davidson writes, “My two blogs—Straight Parent, LGBT+ Kid and When Your Child Is Addicted to Drugs—and my new Facebook group, Kids on Drugs: Signs, Risks and How To Get Help!, keep me busy. When I’m in Manhattan, I stay with Lesley Hencken Starbuck and Kathy Ketcham Wikowitz. We reminisce about our wonderful days at Rosemary.”

Diane King Miner writes, “During our hiding days, when my family and I bunkered down in Martha’s Vineyard, I depended utterly on monthly Zooms with a small group of ‘65 classmates. We checked in on each other, shared feelings on every subject under the sun, revealed things unknown to the others, cried, laughed, reminisced, recommended books and movies, never tiring of each other’s company. That sustaining bond only has grown stronger through these Zoom conversations. I am forever grateful to Rosemary Hall for fostering those friendships. I’m now retired and living in Prescott Lakes, Ariz.” Polly MacDougall Oliver writes, “Ann Sears is the best class rep EVER! We are in Palm Desert, Calif., for the winter months and enjoying the sunshine. Winter is too long for this lady who lived in Honolulu for 43 years! I love seeing all the Classnotes from the friends of my ‘youth.’ I see Nan Harman regularly, but no one else. Spring found us back on the farm in Pennsylvania!” Ann Mason Sears writes, “I’m on the path of acceptance and enjoyment of retirement! Please join me in Florida on the water or on the slopes of Vermont or coast of Maine. Nice to see classmates in all these areas. COVID-19 has canceled our Maine gatherings at my house the past two years. I love our personal classmate email chat—keep it up: searssunshine@comcast.net. We can all use a bit of classmate support during these times. And I hear from our class that they appreciate it.”

’67 C Richard Terry writes, “I currently work with people with autism. Love the job! Thanks to Choate for teaching me discipline. Comes in handy on the job.” ’68 C Peter Jensen writes, “During our 50th reunion in 2018 as I read the names of our class members who had died, I thought to myself how few class members we had lost. Since that time, our count has risen. One of those individuals was Taysen Van Itallie. Tay and I remained close friends over the years, due to Tay’s great ability to work at maintaining and sustaining friendships. Tay, Don Gilpin and I spent two summers living together in northern Quebec as volunteers with the Grenfell Association headed by Rev. Bob Bryan. While in college, Tay, Porky Knight, Rob Schoen and myself made a feckless trip to Alaska for summer jobs. Tay and I ended up working in Ketchikan, Alaska for the summer before hitchhiking home at the end. While practicing dentistry in rural Nebraska where I grew up, Tay would always keep in touch. I took up fly fishing because of him. Tay had been battling a chronic form of leukemia since 2008, and in August of 2020 he rolled the dice and underwent a bone marrow transplant. He celebrated his 70th birthday in the ICU. Unfortunately, the graft failed. He lived a good life, and I am fortunate to have had him as a friend.” ’69 RH Helen Halpin writes, “My husband and I spend six months each year living in our condo in Walnut Creek, Calif., to be near our four kids and four grandchildren, and spending six months in our villa in Greece on the Island of Corfu.” Vickie Spang writes, “I recently retired as the CMO of a 1,000-attorney law firm where I worked for the last 18 years. As a farewell, the Chairman had someone create a video of me and many of my celebrity selfies interspersed with the folks on my marketing team and issued it to everyone. At first I had a hard time adjusting to this new normal, but now I’ve adapted and enjoyed a trip to NYC over Thanksgiving and caught three Broadway shows. Not sure what my next step will be, if any, but I’m considering trying my hand at stand-up comedy. Lawyers provide a lot of material! Classmate Helen Halpin splits her time between Greece and the San Francisco Bay Area so I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her when she visits the U.S.”

Helen Halpin ’69 and family spent Christmas in Tahoe.

CLASSNOTES | Profile

Raven Monique Gaddy

’11

Forging International Connections Every year the U.S. Department of Justice receives thousands of requests for assistance from foreign authorities who are pursuing cases of smuggling, fraud, murder, drugs, and a host of other crimes. In her recent work on the DOJ’s Incoming Mutual Legal Assistance Team, Raven Monique Gaddy ’11 was a conduit for this collaboration. An International Affairs Specialist, Raven was tasked with processing requests—often for physical evidence, an interview with persons of interest, or permission to use U.S. documents—as well as assisting attorneys with tracking cases and making referrals to domestic agencies such as the FBI or IRS. She also communicated with Interpol and foreign law enforcement entities, primarily in South America, Central America, and Europe. At times, the workload was overwhelming. But every email, letter, phone call, and meeting could help solve a crime or prosecute a case. For Raven the rewards included furthering the cause of justice and “contributing to this quintessential greater good.” Even more gratifying was that, as representatives of the United States, she and her colleagues were building key personal relationships and strengthening ties with other nations. She says, “Collaboration on criminal matters is actually a form of diplomacy.”

Forging international connections and doing good are recurring themes in Raven’s life and work. Prior to joining the DOJ in 2020, she was a Peace Corps volunteer. Having double-majored in global studies and Africana studies at Lehigh University, she went on to earn a master’s degree in international affairs from the American University of Paris and then worked for a year at the intergovernmental, Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Peace Corps represented an opportunity to gain real-world perspectives on what she’d been studying for years: sustainable development, the effects of imperialism, and the impact of colonialism. And she was curious: Young people often have a romanticized idea of saving the world, and Raven wanted to “find out if a young African American woman could contribute to the world or not.” Her assignment was to teach English at a technical university in Madagascar. Since the livelihood of many of her students depended on their language skills, Raven could claim to be making a difference. But she sought a deeper engagement in the community and began mentoring kids in orphanages. She also made inroads at the local women’s prison, visiting every week to teach the inmates to sew and knit—skills they could use to support themselves upon their release. Proficient in the local dialect of Malagasy, Raven was able to form meaningful relationships by talking with the women in their language and listening to their stories, often of the harshness and inequities of the Malagasy justice system. Raven was disappointed when, three-quarters of the way through her two-year commitment, COVID-19 prompted the March 2020 recall of all 8,000 Peace Corps volunteers in the world. To date Raven has worked, volunteered, or studied abroad in seven countries. None of it would have happened without Raven’s mother, who gave her the push she needed to get out the door. “I grew up in a low-income, singleparent house,” she says. “My mother wanted me to see and do as much as I possibly could.” She was in eighth grade when her school offered a trip to Italy and she went abroad for the first time. The experience left her eager to see more of the world. Offering the global perspectives she sought, Choate Rosemary Hall was her next adventure. Former Director of Admission Ray Diffley and the late Andy Noel, then head of the Choate Scholars program, provided both encouragement and support for Raven to pursue her passions. In addition to service trips to Fiji and Costa Rica, Raven spent a term at St. Stephen’s School in Rome. Influential mentors and the Choate ethos both contributed to her sense of empowerment. Says Raven, “Choate gives you the drive to do what you want to do. There’s a fearlessness that Choate instills in us.” Raven recently summoned that Choate spirit when she applied for a “dream job” as an Administrative Officer in the DOJ’s Office of the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. Her tenacity paid off and she began her new position in January. Reporting to the Chief of Staff directly, she has a birds-eye view of the workings of the entire division and supervises a team that supports the division’s leaders, each one a Deputy Assistant Attorney General. “I am incredibly inspired by all of them,” she says. Ever concerned with the greater good, Raven currently volunteers in a virtual mentorship program through her college sorority and serves on DEI committees both at Lehigh and at Choate. She realizes now that she has answered her question about what one person can do: You don’t have to “save the world.” You just strive to make a difference, one person to another, wherever you are. BY Leslie Virostek Leslie Virostek is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to the Bulletin.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 29

CLASSNOTES | Profile

SUSTAINABILITY P with STYLE ’ Stephen Hawthornthwaite

When Stephen Hawthornthwaite P ’24 was contemplating the next adventure in his business career, he teamed up in the early 2010s with San Francisco gallery owner Roth Martin, who shared a passion for well-made consumer goods. Stephen, who worked for many years in the business and finance industry, had long had an interest in the aesthetics of women’s shoes. His first gift in 2002 to his wife-to-be, Erin, was a pair of strappy heels. He and designer Roth Martin spent four years in research and development to come up with designs for women’s shoes that were stylish, comfortable and manufactured in a sustainable manner. Their machine-washable products are made from recycled plastic repurposed from discarded water bottles. Handbags were added in March 2020 and the men’s category in May 2021. “It was simplistic, bordering on cliché, but critical to success,” says Stephen, of San Francisco, whose daughter, Bladen, is a Choate Rosemary Hall fourth former. “Fashion shoes hurt. Comfortable shoes historically weren’t that good looking. And sustainability for a long time was associated with lower quality that didn’t work that well.” He wanted to make everyday shoes with style, comfort, and sustainability combined. “The original vision was for a front-of-the-closet shoe, easy and fun, and your first choice in the morning,” he says. “We were informed by watching our wives, going to yoga or Soul Cycle, dropping the kids off at school or going out to dinner, and all these shoes to wear.” With casualization a trend unfolding in women’s apparel in recent years, what struck Stephen and Martin was the realization that there wasn’t a good all-around shoe choice for women who wore leggings all the time. They’d have a nice handbag, creative top, and ended up wearing flip-flops or ballet flats,” he says. As he and Martin explored the industry, they knew they would have to innovate to gain a foothold in the competitive marketplace, rather than depend solely on marketing to woo shoppers. They developed a 3-D knitting process, using computer programming at their wholly-owned factory in Dongguan, China, that reduces waste to virtually zero, and uses the recycled plastic that would otherwise be deposited in landfills. Rothy’s has so far transformed more than 125 million single-use bottles and over 400,000 pounds of ocean-bound marine plastic into yarn, which is then used to 3-D knit Rothy’s footwear, handbags and accessories with nearly no waste. “We are about a simple and beautiful style, creative manufacturing, and sustainability,” he says. “Big companies may have a handful of products that are sustainable. But everything we do is sustainable, built from the ground up. We are pulling for everybody in the sustainability journey.” Stephen said he’s a “huge fan” of Choate Rosemary Hall’s sustainability initiatives, which include its Environmental Immersion Program at the Kohler Environmental Center, with its one-acre field of photovoltaic solar panels and a research greenhouse that’s supplied with supplemental heat from burning biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil.

He said that sustainability is central to Rothy’s business model, but most likely not the top reason people buy his company’s shoes. “People want sustainability, but that’s not the primary reason they buy,” he said. “You have to make an amazing product, and then if it’s incredibly sustainable, it becomes circular, and that’s the icing on the cake.” Rothy’s began as an online business venture in 2016. By 2018, the company’s first retail store was opened in San Francisco. Today, there are 11 more retail locations across the U.S., including shops on Newbury Street in Boston and the New York City’s West Village, with several more shops under development. At last count, Rothy’s had over 2.5 million customers. Big changes are in store at Rothy’s, following the purchase in December 2021 of a 49.9-percent stake in the company by the Brazilian footwear giant Alpargatas, whose brand of open footwear called Havaianas is sold in more than 130 countries around the world. Rothy’s will continue to be helmed by Stephen, chief executive officer, and Martin, president. “It’s really hard to get a partnership right in business, and Roth and I have trusted each other over the years,” he says. “It has been an iterative process, with a lot of failure over the years. We’ve been working on it for a decade, and we are now still very much in the first inning of building a global business.”

By David McKay Wilson David McKay Wilson is a freelance writer based in New York.

30 CLASSNOTES

“Happy, fortunately healthy, and a delighted grandparent to Nora.”–CHIP UNDERHILL ’72

’72 1970s ’71

C Curtis Spraitzar writes, “Kudos to Andrea Solomon and the entire Alumni Relations Office team for putting together a virtual event for our 50th anniversary class reunion last May. There were some excellent speakers on a variety of topics, a time for Zooming with old classmates from all corners of the U.S. and beyond, and even a magic show (which reminded me of the Amazing Kreskin who performed at Choate over 50 years ago). I hope that in future reunions Choate will continue to incorporate this virtual element, so that alumni from more distant locations can participate if unable to be there in person.”

’72 C

Paul Carty writes, “2021 was a rough year. I lost my wife in February and my mother the Sunday before Christmas. So far, my law practice is surviving the pandemic. However, I hope to be able to stick to my plan to retire at the end of next year. No health issues or anything like that. I just want to be able to do things and travel while I still have my marbles and I’m still physically capable.” Stephen Monroe writes, “My best friend for 43 years, my wife for 36 years and business partner for 35 years passed away at home on October 2 after a battle with bile duct cancer. All four kids were home by her side and we had a music-filled celebration of her life three weeks later. Steve Bogardus ‘72 and Belinda Winpenny ‘72 were in attendance.” Chip Truwit writes, “I know I should retire, but I’m still having fun. After two decades as Chair of Radiology at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, I hung up the cleats on clinical practice. For nearly three years, I have worked for Philips, traveling the world as one of their Chief Medical Officers. As of January 1, however, I have joined hyperfine.io. Siblings Peter, Jonathon ‘74, Seth ‘76, Amy, Phoebe ‘82 and Mitch ‘87 all thriving. Twenty offspring at the next level and already four at the level beyond. Paula and I still live in Wayzata, Minn., (since ‘93). Peter and Lauren and two children, Jude (2) and Mathilda Rose (6 months), live nearby in Woodland, having

moved back from Mill Valley. Christina Rémy lives in Providence, having trained and now teaching at RISD. Last fall we sold our beach cottage in Little Compton, as we live on the lake here in Minnesota. Ultimately, I’m sure we will get back to New England; I’m already searching for a teardown for a pied-à-terre on the water.” Chip Underhill writes, “Lisa Underhill and I have moved to the country, i.e., Alton, N.H. on Lake Winnipesaukee, where a new birdfeeder invites cardinals, finches, and bears. Formally retired but working at Riverwoods, a retirement community where I’m more seasoned than some of the residents. Also run a small business, The Birthday Board (bdayboard. com). Happy, fortunately healthy, and a delighted grandparent to Nora.”

’73 C

Stephen Davis stepped down from editing Global Proxy Watch newsletter 25 years after starting the market’s first weekly covering international corporate governance. He remains a senior fellow at Harvard Law School. On January 6 he co-directed a historic Brookings roundtable of investors building a case that an erosion of U.S. constitutional order represents a systemic risk to capital markets and, therefore, requires investor participation in steps to protect democracy. Basil Hero has retired to Chapel Hill, N.C., where he is currently working on a new book after the release of his widely acclaimed book The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons From The Men Who Went to the Moon. George C. Whipple III bought Castle Rock in Garrison, N.Y., an abandoned (for half a century) national historic landmark which he is restoring. He doesn’t know where to start as there are no walls, ceilings, bathrooms, kitchens or water-septic, but he figures in about a decade he’ll be able to have his fellow members of 1973 by for a drink. TOP Vickie Spang ’69 performs at The Comedy Chateau in LA. CENTER Chip Truwit ’72 sails on Brown’s Bay, Lake Minnetonka BOTTOM Left to right: Andrea Rothe ’74, Pamela Forrester ’74,

Katie Ewald Brooks ’75, and Meg Monroe Zellinger ’74 had a mini-reunion in NYC.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 31

CLASSNOTES | Profile

Photo features Haley Farm and Palmer Cove in the background, 2022.

Sidney Faithfull Van Zandt

’52

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT From her early days exploring the woodlands and wetlands of Bedford, N.Y., and as a day student and head “day marshal” at Rosemary Hall (1949-1952), to her emergence as an environmental-conservation pioneer in the 1960s, Sidney Faithfull Van Zandt’s educational and environmental trajectory exhibits a fierce determination directed toward whatever target is within her sights. Sidney’s memories of Rosemary Hall include her duties as marshal—providing plans and schedules for the day students and boarders—and a favorite English class where students developed themes with a “sense of wonder.” Her athletic pursuits included field hockey, track, varsity basketball, and the old English game of “beat the bounds”—an alternative trail hike to a sports program. “These were all excellent training for all the projects I have tackled in life since then,” she says. Following her graduation from Colby Sawyer College in 1954, Sidney worked at the First Investors Corporation in New York City. She married her husband, Sandy, in 1955, and helped put him through Middlebury College. The couple and their son, Doug, moved to Noank, Connecticut, in 1961, and formed Van Zandt Sails in 1959. It was in 1963, while opposing the development of a housing development planned for a historic coastal property, Haley Farm, that Sidney’s reputation as a firebrand was forged. The subsequent formation of the Groton Open Space Association, Inc. (GOSA) became a pivotal moment that established her as a lodestar in a 50-year (and counting) quest to protect land, water, wildlife, and passive outdoor recreation on the Connecticut coastline. As the founder and first president of GOSA, “Haley Farm is my heart and soul,” she says simply.

Haley Farm was preserved as a state park, earning Sidney a spotlight in the July 4, 1970, issue of Life magazine in a story titled, “Battles Won,” which featured environmental battles waged across the country. Not content to rest on her laurels, that same year Sidney helped develop the environmental education committee which planned and sponsored the first Earth Day and recycling programs in Groton and was instrumental in publishing an environmental teaching guide for the local school system. Over the years Sidney has been involved in GOSA’s purchases of the 257-acre Haley Farm in 1970; the abutting Bluff Point of 800 acres in 1975; the 75-acre Merritt Family Forest in 2008; the 63acre-Sheep Farm in 2010; the 91-acre Candlewood Ridge in 2013; the 305-acre Avery Farm Nature Preserve on the Groton/Ledyard border in 2015; the 201-acre Candlewood Hill Wildlife Management Area in 2017; the 104-acre Sheep Farm South in 2021; and the 5.7-acre Walts Walls and Woods also in 2021. Sidney has served the open-space movement in numerous capacities. In 1972, she was appointed co-chairperson of the Bluff Point Advisory Council tasked by the Connecticut legislature to determine the “highest and best use” of Bluff Point, the last remaining significant piece of undeveloped land along the Connecticut coastline. The area is now a public recreation area and nature preserve. Sidney has served on several boards protecting open space and the Groton watershed, including the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal Area Management Program, the Eight-Town Mashantucket Land Trust (now Avalonia Land Conservancy), and the Governor’s Council of Environmental Quality. In 1981, Sidney resigned from her many positions and she and Sandy moved to Deltaville, Va., to build a 39-foot steel cutter of Sandy’s design that they launched in 1982. They lived aboard for 14 years and completed a 6-year circumnavigation, arriving back home to Noank, Conn., in 1996. Sidney resumed her activities on the GOSA board in 2003 as a director, and became a member of the Drinking Water Quality Management Plan in 2006 and the Shellfish Task Force in 2007. She was elected vice president of the GOSA board in 2009 and reelected to the board of the CT Forest & Park Association as an honorary director in 2011. The year 2014 was one of special recognitions for Sidney. In March, she received the Katchen Coley Award for Excellence in Land Conservation. The same day, United States Senator Richard Blumenthal awarded her a “certificate of special recognition.” One week later, on her 80th birthday, Connecticut General Assembly members presented Sidney with an “official citation.” She also received an award for “women inspiring conservation” for her leadership in the environmental conservation movement. Still serving as vice president of GOSA, Sidney continues to fight the good fight. She notes the organization’s next project is a 161-acre property they are purchasing in cooperation with the Town of Groton. By Julie Winkel Julie Winkel is a freelance writer and publicist in Connecticut.

32 CLASSNOTES

’73 C

Matthew Murray spoke at the New Haven Lawn Club on how “The Weaponization of Corruption” by Russia, China, and other nations has come to threaten U.S. national security. Matthew, an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, shared his experiences after the end of the Cold War when he moved to Saint Petersburg and found himself playing on the chessboard of Vladimir Putin, then Deputy Mayor of St. Petersburg. It was a productive, fun, and rewarding collaboration.

’74 RH Meg Monroe Zellinger writes, “In November 2019, when I was having a mini reunion in NYC with Andrea Rothe and Pamela Forrester, both ‘74 with me, Katie Ewald ’75 happened to walk into the restaurant where we were having brunch and recognized us (45 years after our last contact)!”

’75 C

John J. Geoghegan writes, “My latest book, When Giants Ruled the Sky, was published in April. It tells the true but little-known story of the U.S. Navy’s airship program (1917-1935) and the four men responsible for guiding it. Not only were Navy Zeppelins the largest, most expensive, most technologically sophisticated aircraft of their day, they were flying aircraft carriers that could deploy and retrieve the planes they carried in mid-flight. Incredibly, the Navy promised to transform Zeppelins into the dominant form of long distance transportation. But when the Zeppelins’ chief designer realized his creation suffered from a fatal design flaw, he insisted on blowing the whistle. Unfortunately, the Navy refused to listen, resulting in the worst disaster in aviation history and an egregious cover up. When Giants Ruled the Sky can be ordered on Amazon.”

1 George Zeller ’79 spent Christmas in South Africa.

4 Paco Martínez-Alvarez ’78 visited San Juan, Puerto

2 Dan Moriarty ’79 says becoming a grandparent has

Rico, and met up for lunch with classmate Angel Franco-Abarca.

been, “The best job since graduating Choate!” 5 Merrick Murdock ’75 is the director of a national 3 Classmates from the Class of 1980 at the home of

John Baay Jr. on Squam Lake, N.H. Left to right: Liz and Jeff Kahle, Michael Furgueson, John Baay, Chris Craig and Rob Harteveldt.

healthcare startup and mobile app focused on delivering solutions and resources for the 90 million Americans impacted by addiction.

’75 RH Merrick Murdock is the director of a national healthcare startup and mobile app focused on delivering solutions and resources for the 90 million Americans impacted by addiction. The app launched in March 2022. Margaret Moffitt Rahe and Ginny Perry Worcester remember classmate Katie Ewald. Margaret writes, “Katie was our class leader for many years, and will be forever remembered by all her classmates.” Says Ginny, “We will miss her dearly. She loved Choate Rosemary Hall.” A celebration of Katie’s life was held on August 16, 2021 in Dorset, Vt. ’76 C Jim Bryan writes, “Still alive and well in Greensboro, N.C., have been here for 32 years. Still playing competitive tennis. Still practicing law and being a business litigator (same law firm for 32 years). Got COVID-19 in August, 2021, mild case. Still happily married (32 years). One child married and the other about to get married. Life is full. Missing my 1976 classmates at Choate Rosemary Hall.”

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 33

James Olcott writes, “My new book from SAP Press is a technical manual called Sales and Distribution in SAP S/4HANA: Business User Guide. Over the winter, I teamed up with a world-famous SAP SD consultant and author Jon Simmonds to share notes. Together, we have over 50 years experience in IT and SAP. We carefully examined changes in the latest version of SAP like enhanced Business Partner functionality, Fiori UI, data handling changes, new data tables, and more. I have relocated to Manchester, N.H. so local classmates can complain to me personally.”

’77 David Callander ’84 is directing a play called A Perfect Ganesh. Dreams really do come true!

“I was very involved in the theatre department when I was at Choate. After graduation, I attended Pomona College, where I majored in theatre, and I then I moved to New York where I became a stage manager on Broadway. My life took an unexpected turn and I then went to medical school and I’m now a psychiatrist in LA. After 30 years, I’ve returned to the theatre and am directing a play called A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally which will open October 29, 2022. It’s never too late to make your dreams come true!” – DAVID CALLANDER

’84

C Lee Hockstader, a member of The Washington Post Editorial Board and a 40-year veteran of the paper, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing last year. His two kids having left for college, he has been living mainly in Paris and working remotely.

’78 C Paco Martinez-Alvarez was recently in San Juan, Puerto Rico, visiting his family and meeting up for lunch with classmate Angel Franco. Paco lives in Sarasota, Fla., and Angel splits his time between San Juan and Spain. ’79 C

Dan Moriarty writes, “Last year, my wife Kiela and I became grandparents and this year our grandson Gregory Daniel Silva came from Denver to spend Christmas with us at our home in Pacific Palisades, Calif. No snow!”

’79 RH Mary Thomson writes, “After 23 years at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, I have returned to the museum field as Director of Corporate Engagement and Special Events at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. I often see Sue Hall Cool in Marblehead. We share a love of Portuguese water dogs and regularly visit local beaches and trails with our pups. I would love to see fellow alums if you are in the Boston area.”

1980s ’80

Michael Furgueson writes, “Classmates from 1980 gathered at the home of John Baay Jr. ’80 on Squam Lake in New Hampshire last summer to swim, hike, row and drink good wine. All honoring Dr. John Baay ’49, who passed earlier this year.” Michael Lewyn writes, “I saw Brian Harris (visiting from Florida) and Rory Costello in December, a year after finishing my Manhattan Borough President campaign. I got just over 4,800 votes, 40 percent more than the last nominee on my party’s ballot line. I continue to blog prolifically at planetizen.com and marketurbanism.com. I also moved, but not very far: from the southern end of Midtown Manhattan near the New York Public Library to the northern end, two blocks south of Central Park. My newest scholarly article, defending supertall buildings, was published in the New Mexico Law Review, and can be downloaded at https://works.bepress.com/lewyn/215/.”

34 CLASSNOTES

LEFT Lisa Peterson Finis ’78 and

Christopher Finis ’10 hiking in Branford Land Trust. RIGHT Corina Slas-Römer Alvarezdelugo ’81 (R) met with her daughter, Isabel Alvarez de Lugo ‘13 in NYC.

’80 Gordon St. John writes, “We are excited to welcome Ellis St. John Stone into the world. Born in the fall of 2021, Ellis has some deep roots with Choate: great-great-great grandson of George St. John; great-great grandson of Seymour St. John ‘31; great grandson of Gordon Webb St. John ‘55; grandson of Gordon W.S. St. John ‘80.” ’81 Corina Slas-Römer Alvarezdelugo, who lives and works in Connecticut, met with her daughter, Isabel Alvarez de Lugo ‘13 in NYC to visit The Armory Show in September. Isabel is currently living and working in the city, so this was the perfect excuse to see each other while enjoying viewing the current art trends. Theresa LaPera writes, “Along with my husband, Bernard, I made a pandemic move to Colorado Springs in September 2020. I retired from Anthem where I was head of the Medicaid proposal management team at the end of 2020 and consider myself ‘semi-retired’ as I still do some part-time consulting. Loving life in Colorado, especially with my brand new (as of October 2021) right hip!” ’82

Beth Johnson writes, “I spent a wonderful Christmas with my daughter Annora Johnson ‘21 and classmate Liz Alford Hogan and her family in Montana.” Tammy Bronk Schenkelberg writes, “Can’t believe it has been almost 40 years since the class of 1982 had its tsunami graduation ceremony. Although I spent the last 40 years either on the East or West coast, we are now in Southlake, Texas and loving it. Between my husband Tommy and me, we have five children (ranging in age from 30 down to 15) and two

granddaughters (ages 2 and 1 month). I am a law firm administrator/paralegal at an awesome boutique litigation firm in Dallas with amazing attorneys, and am beyond happy that we landed in Texas. I look forward to seeing my fellow Choaties at our 40th (COVID-19 and work permitting)!” Alexander von Cramm writes, “Mission achieved. On December 16, 2021, I reached the summit of Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, thereby having concluded my seven summits goal (climbing the highest peak on every continent). Not yet retiring, though.”

’83

Catharine Slusar writes, “I am the first person to have gone through the tenure process in the performing arts at Bryn Mawr College, and am happy to report that my bid was successful. I am now chairing the arts and mentoring junior colleagues as they navigate tenure. Professionally I am still performing, and just completed a run of Samuel Beckett’s difficult 15-minute ‘mouth’ play, Not I, at the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival. My daughters started their sophomore years of college in this strange pandemic landscape, which they seem to be successfully navigating (one at Smith, one at Emory).”

’84

David Callander writes, “I was very involved in the theatre department when I was at Choate. After graduation, I attended Pomona College, where I majored in theatre, and I then I moved to New York where I became a stage manager on Broadway. My life took an unexpected turn and I then went to medical school and I’m now a psychiatrist in private practice in LA. After 30 years, I’ve returned to the theatre and am directing a play called A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally which will open October 29,

2022. It’s never too late to make your dreams come true!”

George Stein writes, “I am living in San Diego enjoying the vibe, the beach and the weather. Had great fun in Annapolis with Choate buddies Noel Williams, Greg Williams and their wives recently. My two sons are enjoying college life at Tufts University and the University of Colorado.”

’85 Lynn Grant Beck writes, “It was wonderful to see my Choate roommate and good friend, Susan Barclay, in Santa Barbara, Calif. in December. Susan was on a work trip, visiting from Chicago.” Burt Osterweis writes, “My oldest son is now a freshman at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. For the last five years, I’ve been consulting at Lazard Freres in NYC, and invite any fellow Choaties living in Massachusetts to look for and try my absinthe. Available only in Massachusetts, learn more at www.osterweis.biz.” ’86

Peter Finfrock and Paul Gachot had a minireunion in Palm Beach. Bobby Vanech writes, “This summer, I launched Trebel’s intern program in Stamford, Conn., with students from elite colleges helping prepare for Trebel’s IPO. It included one high schooler, Rebecca Alston ’22!”

’87 Alfred Watts was recently elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the newly combined Connecticut Food Bank/Foodshare, an organization committed to meeting the needs of the food-insecure in Connecticut.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 35

’88 Merrill Barden Collins writes, “I escaped to Mexico for the New Year with the family celebrating my mother’s 75th, my youngest’s 15th and an overdue 50th for me. An excellent trip planned by ‘Master’ travel agent and classmate Michelle Master Orr.” Courtney Williams writes, “I am writing and creating digital content in the wilds of Ashland, Ore. You Go Girl!, a short film I co-wrote and produced with a great team, in association with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2022.” ’89 Andy Bragen writes, “My new book of plays is just out with Northwestern University Press. I’m still in the East Village of Manhattan, where I live with my wife and seven-year-old daughter. I see fellow downtown Choate friends from time to time, including Cynthia Fety and Rob Goergen.” Susanna Howe writes, “I’ve been working with Gaines Peyton at the Sears Peyton Gallery in New York for the last couple of years, continuing my shift from commercial photography to fine art. To see the work, check our searspeyton.com. Would love to connect!”

1990s ’90

Joanna Hershon writes, “Met up with Daria Levin & Jennifer Moorefield in Sedona, Ariz., for a long overdue reunion!” Matt Kraus writes, “Starting in early 2021 I transitioned my counseling practice to full-time. I had been a part-time therapist while serving as the Director of the Wellness Center at Purchase College, SUNY. I am currently part of a larger practice group called DBT Associates of Nyack. I am loving the freedom of working for myself and not having a boss.”

Tom Lecky and Amanda (Courtney) Lecky expect to be empty-nesters by the end of the year when both of their sons will be off to college. Amanda is a writer and editor at Consumer Reports, and Tom can be seen on the Antiques Roadshow (now his 20th year doing it) as part of his career in rare books and manuscripts. Tom and Amanda clearly carried their work as editors of The Lit forward wisely. Several years ago, Tom helped the Choate Library review the wonderful material in its special collections. In 2019, Tom dug even deeper into the world of books, starting the publishing imprint Understory Books as an adjunct to his rare book business. He is sure that the wall of books published by New Directions, founded by Choate alum James Laughlin ‘32, that used to be in the library was a huge early influence.

’92

Brookes McKenzie writes, “How do I sum up the last 30 years? After graduating from Smith College in 1996, and doing various odd jobs in NYC for a few years, I stumbled into the world of software development for Medicare HMOs in ‘99. I designed software for 15 years, after which I consulted briefly to my own former clients. Then I retired for the sake of my mental health and began working on myself. I learned how to play an instrument called the Omnichord and began attending open mics in the East Village. There I met the man who would become my husband, E. Niveous Rayside, with whom I formed a band in 2016 called Lucky Witch & the Righteous Ghost. Niveous and I were married on June 4, 2019 outside an open mic in Brooklyn. I lived in Manhattan for 22 years, spent a horrible year in Jersey which we’d rather forget, and in 2019 moved to Staten Island, where I now spend most of my time fixing up our house, an 1860 landmarked mansion that has its own Wikipedia page. I have also been teaching myself how to paint with oils. You can find my poetry at brookesmckenzie.com, my paintings and ephemera on Instagram (@arby_m) and our music at linktr.ee/lwrg.”

Alexander von Cramm ’82 reached the summit of Mt. Vinson in Antarctica.

Several years ago, Tom helped the Choate Library review the wonderful material in its special collections. In 2019, Tom dug even deeper into the world of books, starting the publishing imprint Understory Books as an adjunct to his rare book business. – TOM LECKY

’90

36 CLASSNOTES

’96

Jessica Fritz Aguiar writes, “After serving as investigator on the Clovercrest Media Group podcast Faded Out beginning in the fall of 2018, I have taken my investigation into the 1988 disappearance of 12-year-old Doreen Vincent from Wallingford to the next level by launching my own podcast on the little girl. It’s called Sticky Beak, named after a New Zealand/Aussie euphemism for a nosy person.” Emily Falcigno writes, “To all the teachers who told me to speak up in class: thank you! I started a podcast called The Visionary’s Journey to demonstrate that jumping into the scary unknown is worthwhile. When you have faith, the universe aligns opportunities for you. Case in point, this process helped me find my new career – Pro Organizing and Feng Shui. Come listen at https://savvysinglesstudio. buzzsprout.com.”

’97

Joseph Hocking writes, “The third edition of my book Unity in Action is now complete! Take your existing programming skills and develop video games or XR (VR/AR).” In December 2021, Kate Lemay, a historian and curator at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, was named the recipient of the 2021 Smithsonian Secretary’s Research Prize for her exhibition catalogue, Votes for Women! A Portrait of Persistence (Princeton University Press, 2019). The book was judged on its quality of research, originality, grace and clarity of writing, and usefulness of research to the scholarly field and society. Roderick Richards writes, “The Richards are excited to announce the birth of Miss Hunter Sutton Richards, born August 17, 2021.”

’99 Sterling Ely and Kelly Michelle Walsh were married in an outdoor ceremony at Sterling’s childhood home in Locust Valley, N.Y,. on September 18, 2021. William Rompf ’99 was a groomsman and Edward Spering was also in attendance. Sean Thomas and Jamel Melville ’00 completed the 50th anniversary of the NYC Marathon on November 7. The two ran for a Brooklyn-based team called Spartan Sundays and finished in the top two of their team of 24 finishers. Both were former captains of the Track and Field team at Choate and were thankful to see so many Choate alumni along the course.

2000s ’00

Rebecca Mishkin Truong writes, “I am currently living in New Canaan, Conn. Have two daughters, McKinley (6) and Dakota (5). Started a new job in 2021 with First Factory, a nearshore software development company in Costa Rica.”

’01 Emily Levada writes, “I’m excited to share that last year I left Wayfair after nine years to take a role as the Chief Product Officer at Embark Veterinary – a startup that works to empower dog owners, breeders and veterinarians to maximize health and longevity of dogs through the power of genetics. We were recently named the third fastest growing private company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal and made Forbes list of 25 venture-backed startups most likely to become unicorns. It’s been an exciting and fun new challenge!”

Tammy Bronk Schenkelberg ’82 writes, “An oldie but a goodie. Our 2018 wedding ceremony at sea in Antartica!”

’02

Amy Hellman Grimes’ book, An Instructor’s Guide to Educating with Kindness and Leading with Love: A Workbook of Sustainable Support Practices for Educators, Parents, and Facilitators, was released in November, 2021. It is available for purchase on all major online booksellers in ebook, softcover, and hardcover. Albert Lee went back to school in September 2021. He is attending the Stanford Graduate School of Business, MBA Class of 2023. Kathrin Schwesinger writes, “I was awarded my doctorate in law following the publication of my doctoral dissertation on director and officer liability in public corporations in the United States and Germany as a book (of 540 pages) in April. I continue to practice M&A and corporate law at White & Case LLP in New York.”

’03

Amanda Esten Brown writes, “My husband and I bought a home in Davis, Calif., and are currently in the process of fixing it up. I am excited to live within a mile of work and ride my bicycle on days with good weather.” Matt Hichborn writes, “I am currently the Northeast Area Director at Penumbra, Inc. (a neurovascular medical device company). On May 29, 2020, my wife (then fiancée) and I welcomed our baby girl, Kennedy Revere Hichborn. On September 4, 2021, Adriana and I tied the knot and are happily married living in southern Connecticut.”

Left to right: Ken Kennerly ’83, Malinda Bradley Bergen ’83, and John Smyth ’83.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 37

Mary-Ellen Lavigne, formerly Michael Lavigne Jr., has begun the process of publicly identifying as a transgender woman. She and her wife Lauren also welcomed their first child, Jean-Luc, in May 2021. She writes, ”After coming out once at Choate, I am relieved to be out of a second closet and able to openly embrace who I am. I’m grateful to be surrounded by an amazingly supportive family and community and to have had the paradigm-shifting experience at Choate that laid the groundwork for me to accept and celebrate myself, as I am.”

’04

LeAnne Armstead married Walter Smith Randolph in Villanova, Pa., at St. Thomas of Villanova Church on Villanova University’s campus, where they met. The University’s President, Rev. Peter Donohue, presided over the ceremony. LeAnne currently works as Ecommerce Marketing Manager for The Kroger Co., a grocer and retailer, and her husband, Walter, works at Connecticut Public Broadcasting in Hartford as investigative editor. The couple now reside in New Haven. Mollie Dolcimascolo was recently booked as series regular, Chelsea Gamble, in the TV Series Lace – a sexy, soapy legal drama set in Los Angeles. The pilot episode premiered on November 4 of last year, and the entire first season is available on the AMC-owned streaming service: ALLBLK. Rebecca Jones writes that in June 2021, the Arizona Prosecuting Attorney Advisory Council awarded her the Felony Prosecutor of the Year – Large Jurisdiction award. In September 2021, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office awarded her the Criminal Division 2020 Attorney of the Year award. In March 2022, her debut novel, Steadying the Ark, is being released by Bella Books. Elizabeth Oler writes, “My husband, Andreas, and I have been settling into southern Oregon. I am practicing as a General OB/GYN. We have a small vineyard, a dog, and 8 chickens. Never would’ve thought I’d be living the rural life but we’re loving it! My parents have come to live with us part-time in their retirement so we can spend some more time together. I’d love to connect with any Choaties in Oregon.” Dhruv Singh writes, “I had my second daughter, Serena Singh, on January 6, 2022. My eldest, Emilia, is delighted to be a big sister. My wife Liz, our kids, and I are living in in the lower Hudson Valley (Tuxedo Park) full-time, but hope to return to NYC this year. Professionally, I continue to found and invest in early-stage tech companies via DEWS Holdings. Outside of the private sector, I have been

spending time with GiveDirectly and the Council on Foreign Relations.”

2010s ’11

Chris Aguiar writes, “I have been teaching at a peer private school, Worcester Academy, in Massachusetts and am currently the Science Department Chair and an assistant varsity volleyball coach.” Dylan Anslow writes, “I moved to Portland, Ore., in October to start a new job as a landscape designer.” Jarry Lee was on the cover of L’Officiel Magazine in September 2021.

’12 Edward Speyer married Kelsey Dennis on June 6, 2021 in Catonsville, Md. The wedding featured a handful of Edward’s Choate classmates, family, and even some faculty! Andrew Speyer, Edward’s father and Choate’s Director of Information Technology Services, surprised the crowd during his speech

at the reception by leading the Choate contingent in the school song. Edward and Kelsey now live in Washington, DC. Benming Zhang writes, “I was appointed to Chesapeake Bank’s peninsula business advisory council. Chesapeake is a community bank based in Kilmarnock, Va., and is primarily geared towards small businesses. This year, the bank was recognized for the 14th consecutive year by American Banker magazine as a Top 200 Community Bank in the nation based on a three-year average return on equity.”

’14 Ashley Kim writes, “I married my husband, Matthew Lee, on June 26, 2021 and moved to San Francisco in July. I’ve also had four poems published in various literary magazines and journals: ‘Last Frost’ in RHINO Poetry, ‘Whitman in the Ward at Chatham’ and ‘Alfacinhas’ in Literary Matters, and ‘Choate, 2011’ in Raleigh Review. As of November, I’m a poetry reader for Quarterly West.”

LEFT Sean Thomas ’99, Arthur

Powel Jr., and Jamel Melville ’00 completed the 50th anniversary of the NYC Marathon in November. RIGHT Mary-Ellen Lavigne ’03 with her wife, Lauren, and their son, Jean-Luc. BOTTOM George Stein ’84 in An-

napolis Md., with Greg Williams ’84, Noel Williams ’84, and their significant others.

CLASSNOTES | Babies & Brides 1

1 Liza Wehrly Andrews ’04 and husband Paul with their son, George

4 David R. Holmes, Jr. ’02 and Milena Holmes celebrated the birth of

7 Kathryn Maresca Faull ’03 and her husband, Chase, welcomed

Martin, born on September 14, 2021, and their dog Max.

their second daughter, Alice Moore Holmes, on April 9, 2021. Alice is pictured here with her older sister, Olivia.

daughter, Louise Augusta Faull, on December 18, 2020.

2 Tansy Peplau Tufts ’07 and husband Tom welcomed daughter

Amelia Florence Tufts on April 7, 2021.

5 F. John Wilkes welcomes second grandchild, Elle Wilkes.

3 Alexandra Tenney ’11 and husband Max Katzenstein ‘11 welcomed

6 Jim Lebovitz ’75 writes that “daughter Sarah (Class of 2006) just

daughter Grey Tenney Katzenstein on March 3, 2021.

received some Choate swag for new baby, Rusty.”

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 39

5 3

1 Ashley Kim ’14 married Matthew Lee on June 26, 2021. They were

4 Sterling Barclay Ely ’99 and Kelly Michelle Walsh were married

7 LeAnne Armstead ’04 married Walter Smith Randolph in Villanova,

joined by Brandon Chin ’14, Isaac Lee ’14, Sally Darr Griffin ’14, and Jasmine Kim ‘16.

in an outdoor ceremony at Sterling’s childhood home in Locust Valley, N.Y., on September 18, 2021. Choate Rosemary Hall alumni William Rompf ’99 was a groomsman, and Edward Spering ’99 was also in attendance.

Pa. Their wedding was attended by Avi and Vanessa Khachane ’04, Amy Mascunana ’04, Rasool Todd ’04, Oana Serban ’04, Adrienne Myescha Joell ’04, Jane Mosbacher Morris ’04, Amara OmeokweDavis ’04, Shawn Jones ’04, Queenette Young ‘05, Shanellah Verna ‘05, and Eric Rodriguez ‘05.

2 Adrian ”Boom” Flores ‘98 married Sarah Sirajuddin in Philadel-

phia, PA, on November 20, 2021. From left, Nicolas Valdes-Fauli ‘98, Amy Valdes-Fauli, Trina Meiser ‘94, Sarah and Adrian, John Meadow ‘98, and Josh Dolin ‘98.

5 Matt Hichborn ’03 with wife, Adriana, and daughter, Kennedy

3 Edward Speyer ’12 married Kelsey Dennis on June 6, 2021 in Ca-

6 Lily Catherine Colley Ferguson ’08 married Duncan Lockhart

tonsville, Md. Left to right: Sarah Smith ’12, James Line ’12, Johannes van Mierlo, Laura Lynn van Mierlo, Andrew Speyer, Edward Speyer, Elizabeth Speyer ’10, Russell Bogue ’12, Toby Mirman ’12, Jason Plush ’12, Kai Takahashi ’12, and Max Bluestone ’12.

Ferguson on May 22, 2021, at St. Johns of Lattingtown Episcopal Church, with a reception at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Revere Hichborn.

IN MEMORIAM | Remembering Those We Have Lost Alumni and Alumnae

’34 RH Jane Wolcott Steinhausen, a retired nurse, died January 7, 2022, a few days before her 106th birthday. Born in Rochester, N.Y., Jane came to Rosemary Hall in 1930. She was President of the Kindly Club, ViceCaptain of basketball, Chair of the Chapel Committee, she lettered in track, and she earned eight bars on the Committee. After earning a degree from the University of Rochester, she was a nurse for many years. Active in the community, Jane led two Girl Scout troops and a Cub Scout den, and volunteered for Planned Parenthood of Rochester. She enjoyed tennis, water skiing, swimming, sailing, hiking, ice skating, and many other activities. She leaves three children, six grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. Two sisters, the late Elizabeth Angle ’31 and the late Ann Cobb ’37, attended Rosemary Hall, as did their mother, Elizabeth Wolcott ’09.

’39 C Alexis P. Nason, 100, a retired geologist, died October 21, 2021 in Shelburne, Vt. Born in Lyon Mountain, N.Y., Lex came to Choate in 1936; he lettered in cross-country, was in the Cum Laude Society, and was on the boards of the Literary Magazine and Brief. After graduating from Amherst, he was in North Africa, Syria, and the Pacific during World War II. He then spent 15 years in South Africa as a prospecting geologist. He then returned to the United States, where he spent many years as a geochemist. Lex enjoyed cross-country skiing and building boats, and in retirement he worked to restore the last sidewheel passenger steamer in the country. He leaves two children, including Steven Nason ’66, 5210 East Pima St., Suite 140, Tucson, AZ 85712; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. ’39 RH Jean Dain Waters, 100, who founded an exercise and dance program, died June 11, 2021. Born in St. Paul, Minn., Jean came to Rosemary Hall in 1937; she was Captain of the tennis team. After graduating from Bennett Junior College, she served in

the Red Cross during World War II. An accomplished amateur actress, she was President of the Rochester, Minn., Civic Theatre for many years and played leading roles in several productions. In 1975 she founded Fitnastics, an exercise and dance program; she also taught ballroom dancing for 40 years. Jean was a tournament level tennis player, and also enjoyed playing piano and guitar. She leaves three daughters, including Dain Waters ’65, 825 3rd St. SW, Rochester MN 55902; a granddaughter; and two great-grandchildren.

’41 C

William Thomas Sanders, 99, an independent oil producer, died December 27, 2021. Born in Chattanooga, Tenn., Ted came to Choate in 1939; he lettered in crew and was on the Board of the Brief. After Navy service in World War II, he graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy. In 1953 he started a lengthy career in the oil business in Wichita Falls, Texas, maintaining a downtown office until his death. Tom enjoyed world travel, fishing, backpacking, and hiking. An enthusiastic pilot, in 1981 he flew the New-York-to-Paris leg of an air race, taking first place. He leaves his wife, Carolyn Sanders, 3702 Cedar Elm La., Wichita Falls, TX 76308; a son, Blair Sanders ’69; a daughter; and two grandchildren.

’45 C Saron S. Warman, 94, a retired bank executive and businessman, died December 30, 2021 in Wilmington, N.C. Born in Scranton, Pa., Sandy came to Choate in 1942. He was Chair of the Student Council, President of the Dramatic Club, Vice President of St. Andrew’s Cabinet, Advertising Manager of the Choate News, and in the Cum Laude Society. After serving in the Navy, he graduated from Yale, then was a vice president of two Scrantonarea banks. He later owned a printing company called Outsets. Active in the community, Sandy served on several boards, was director of the Lackawanna United Fund and president of the local Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and in retirement volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. He enjoyed tennis, swimming, and golf. He leaves his wife, Abigail

Warman, 1335 Edenhouse Court, Leland, NC 28451; three daughters; a stepdaughter; nine grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

’45 RH Beverly Baird Wood, 93, active in the community, died October 11, 2021 in Bloomfield, Conn. Born in Chicago, Beverly came to Rosemary Hall in 1941; she was Head of Day Boarders Self-Government and won two School prizes for excellence in piano. After graduating from Smith and traveling to Europe, she lived in St. James, N.Y., where she helped to found Harbor Country Day School. Beverly and her family then spent many years in Stowe, Vt., where she was active in the League of Women Voters and historic preservation organizations. She was an avid skier, gardener, and town meeting debater. She leaves four children, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

’46 C Robert W. Frazier, 92, a retired physician, died July 1, 2021. Born in Meriden, Bob came to Choate in 1943; he lettered in soccer and was in the Debate Council. After earning degrees from MIT and McGill University, he completed his residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Bob then was a radiologist in Annapolis, Md., from 1962 to 2007. He leaves his wife, Andreas Frazier, 208 St. Ives Garth, Severna Park, MD 21146; five children; four grandchildren; and several greatgrandchildren. A brother, the late David Frazier ’49, also attended Choate.

Magalen Ohrstrom Bryant championed environmental projects in Virginia, Mississippi, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and several African countries. Maggie was Chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for nine years.

’46

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 41

’46 RH

Magalen Ohrstrom Bryant, 92, a conservationist, died June 28, 2021 in Middleburg, Va. Born in Bronxville, N.Y., Maggie came to Rosemary Hall in 1940. She championed environmental projects in Virginia, Mississippi, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and several African countries. Maggie was Chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for nine years. She enjoyed horses, and was inducted into the Virginia Steeplechase Hall of Fame in 2014. She leaves five children, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. A stepsister, the late Elizabeth Messick ’51, attended Rosemary Hall, as did two stepdaughters, Mary Stuart Crane ’74 and Carroll Bryson Crane ’75. A nephew, Barnaby Ohrstrom ’77, attended Choate.

’48 C David D. Snyder, 90, a retired surgeon, died December 10, 2021 in Jacksonville, Fla. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Dave came to Choate in 1946; he was Associate Editor of the Choate News and was in the Ski and French clubs and the Cum Laude Society. After graduating from Northwestern, he earned his M.D. from the George Washington School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Minnesota. He moved to Oklahoma City, where he had a long career as a thoracic and vascular surgeon. Dave enjoyed tennis, hunting, fishing, and world travel. He leaves his wife, Margaret Snyder, 545 Atlantic Beach Court, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233; three children; and four grandsons.

’47 C

’49 C Victor H. Hanson II, 91, a retired newspaper publisher, died January 7, 2022. Born in Augusta, Ga., Victor came to Choate in 1945; he was in the Southern and Choral clubs. After graduating from the University of Alabama, he moved to Alabama and was the third generation of his family to work for the Birmingham News. He worked in every department of the newspaper, finally being named Publisher in 1983; under his guidance, the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 1991. Victor served on many community organizations, including Birmingham’s Chamber of Commerce, the Alabama Symphony, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and the local Public Research Council. He enjoyed reading, travel, old movies, and work with his church. He leaves his wife, Elizabeth Hanson, 1685 Mason Mill Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30329; five children; 15 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren

Robert J. Bohner, 91, a retired investment banker, died July 15, 2021. Born in Flushing, N.Y., Robert came to Choate in 1943; he lettered in soccer and was in the Cum Laude Society. After graduating from Princeton, he served in the Army and later was an investment banker with Fiduciary Trust Co. He enjoyed nature and hunting. Bob leaves nieces and nephews; his brothers, the late William Bohner ’45 and the late Arthur Bohner ’46, also went to Choate. Arthur A. Rouner Jr., 92, a retired minister, died December 16, 2021, in St. Louis Park, Minn. Born in Boston, Arthur came to Choate in 1943. He lettered in crew, was President of the Glee Club, Art Editor of the Brief, and on the Honor Committee. He earned degrees from Harvard, Union Theological Seminary, and Luther Seminary. Arthur then served churches in Massachusetts and Minnesota, writing many books on the Christian life. At age 65 he retired from parish ministry and founded the Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation, which led programs in several African countries to help the poor, the hungry, and the wounded. He leaves his wife, Molly Rouner, 5800 Saint Croix Avenue N, No. W217, Minneapolis MN 55422; five children; seven grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters. A brother, the late Lee Rouner ’48, also attended Choate.

’50 C Donald C. Berry Jr., 88, a retired bank executive, died July 23, 2021. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Don came to Choate in 1946; he was Circulation Manager of the Choate News, was in the Chess Club, and was a Campus Cop. After graduating from Williams, he served in the Air Force, attaining the rank of First Lieutenant. Don worked for Chase Manhattan Bank for 26 years, then moved to Connecticut National Bank, which eventually

became Fleet Bank; he retired in 1998 at Fleet’s Senior Vice President. He enjoyed tennis, golf, and traveling, and served on several foundation, corporate, and nonprofit boards. He leaves his wife, Linda Berry, 343 Seabury Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; four children; nine grandchildren; a sister, Linda Trimble ’54; and a niece, Dede Griesbauer ’88. Joseph L. Davis Jr., 88, an advertising executive, died August 31, 2021 in Sarasota, Fla. Born in New York City, Jay came to Choate in 1946; he lettered in football and skiing, and was an editor on the Brief. After graduating from Dartmouth, he was with the Army for five years, then earned a master’s degree from NYU. Jay spent the first decade of his advertising career at Young & Rubicam in New York. He then joined Medicus, Inc., and pioneered the now-common practice of advertising prescription drugs to consumers, not just to medical personnel. He leaves his wife, Martha Davis, 5582 West Long Common Court, Sarasota, FL 34235; two sons; and three grandchildren. A brother, the late Robert Davis ’47, also attended Choate. Tristan E. G. Krogius, 88, a lawyer and the retired president of food companies, died December 30, 2021. Born in Finland, Tris came to New York in 1939 and Choate in 1947; he lettered in soccer, was in the Press and Current History clubs, and was Managing Editor of the Choate News. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, he was in the Marine Corps for six years. He began as a salesman for Scott Paper Co., and later was President of Hunt-Wesson Foods of Canada and its frozen and refrigerated foods division. He retired as President of Tenneco West. Tris then earned a law degree from Western State University and was an adjunct professor there for five years. He was a past Board President of South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach, Calif. He leaves his wife, Barbara Krogius, 32411 Sea Island Dr., Dana Point, CA 92629; six children; 19 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A brother, the late Henrik Krogius ’47, attended Choate, as did a nephew, Thomas McCormick ’75.

Joseph J. Lawton II, 89, an executive in the grain and oilseed milling industry, died October 7, 2021 in Charlotte, S.C. Born in Hartsville, S.C., Joe came to Choate in 1947; he was in the Cum Laude Society and won School prizes for excellence in piano. After graduating from Princeton, he earned a degree in music from Indiana University. Joe served in the Army, then joined his brother at the Hartsville Oil Mill. In retirement, he continued as a concert pianist with symphony orchestras. He enjoyed foreign travel and lived in Vienna, Austria for 10 years, where he studied the lives of the great composers. He leaves a son, Dr. Joseph Lawton III ’81, 143 Saluda Ave., Columbia, SC 29205; three grandchildren; a brother; and a niece, Drusilla Lawton ’76. Peter B. Moss, 88, an executive of cosmetics companies, died October 15, 2021 in Charleston. S.C. Born in New York City, Peter came to Choate in 1945; he was a cheerleader and in the Press Club. After graduating from Princeton, he served in the Army in Germany. He then attended Columbia Business School and joined the family cosmetic company, George W. Luft/Tangee. Peter later became a broker for various health and beauty lines and founded Northside Sales, a cosmetic brokerage. He enjoyed birdwatching, hunting, fishing, and sailing. He leaves his wife, Anne Moss, 1 Bishop Gadsden Way, Unit C15, Charleston, SC 29412; four children; six grandchildren; and a brother.

’52 C Chester W. Cooke, 86, a retired bank executive, died July 12, 2021 in Bath, Maine. Born in Wallingford, Chester came to Choate in 1946 as a day student; he was Associate Editor of the Brief. After graduating from Bowdoin, he was an officer of the New Haven Savings Bank and later a consultant with the Connecticut Savings Bank, retiring in 1992. Chester had a deep interest in music; for many years he was a volunteer as an editor for Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music. He also enjoyed travel and collecting antiques. He leaves several cousins.

42 IN MEMORIAM

In recent years William S. McChesney Jr. headed the New Jersey office of the Trust for Public Land, founded the Harding Land Trust in New Jersey, and chaired an environmental advocacy and education group in Quogue, Long Island.

’61 ’52 RH Suzanne Schulhofer Maguire, 87, a retired executive of the United States Tennis Association, died December 22, 2021 in Rye, N.Y. Born in Durham, N.C., Suzy came to Rosemary Hall in 1947; she was Secretary of the Athletic Association, a cheerleader, a fire captain, and the captain of “R” Team. She then attended Northwestern University. Suzy had a 27-year career with the USTA, including time as its Director of Marketing; in the 1980s, she worked with Davis Cup Tennis and was friends with many stars of the time, including Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Andre Agassi. She leaves four children, 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

’53 C

Timothy S. Cooper, 87, an entrepreneur, died October 21, 2021 in Savannah, Ga. Born in Bristol, England, Tim was at Choate for one year as an exchange student; he lettered in soccer and tennis, won a School prize for excellence in Latin, and was in the Cum Laude Society. After graduating from the University of Bristol and serving in the British armed forces, Tim returned to the United States, where he earned a degree from the Wharton Graduate School, owned a temporary help service, managed two printing machine companies, ran a farm, and was involved with several digital companies. A lifelong avid tennis player, he was also active in historic preservation. He leaves his wife, Polly Cooper, PO Box 16355, Savannah, GA 31416; two children; and three grandchildren. John M. Faulhaber, 86, a retired banker, died October 10, 2021. Born in New York City, John came to Choate in 1948. He lettered in crew; was

Secretary of the Weather Bureau and Manager of the Projectionists’ Association; and was in the Dramatic, Choral; and Glee clubs. After graduating from Middlebury and serving as a Captain in the Army, he was a broker for Paine Webber. John then became a Trust Officer and Vice President of the Private Bank of the Rhode Island Hospital Trust National Bank. An active Freemason, he held several national Masonic officer positions, winning awards in 1991, 1998, and 2007. He also enjoyed amateur acting, hunting, fishing, and boating. He leaves three children and three grandchildren. Robert Bruce Hilton, 86, a retired executive of a cellulose firm, died January 25, 2022. Born in New Haven, Bruce came to Choate in 1949; he lettered in cross-country and lacrosse, was Business Manager of the Choate News, and was in the Cum Laude Society. After graduating from Harvard, he worked for Celanese Fibers Corp. for many years, living in Spain, Belgium, Brazil, and New York. He retired as director of the company’s International Division. Retiring to Charlotte, N.C., Bruce was active in the community. He leaves his wife, Carmen Hilton, 902 Cherokee Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207; and a brother.

’56 RH Patricia Ballou Trevillian, 83, a retired teacher, died April 9, 2021 in Charlottesville, Va. Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., Patsy came to Rosemary Hall in 1952. She was Captain of the hockey team, Chair of the Dance Committee, Assistant Day Boarder Marshal, and a cheerleader. After graduating from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Va., she taught

fifth grade in Charlottesville. Patsy enjoyed tennis, gardening, and West Highland White Terriers. She leaves two children; two grandchildren; and a brother, Donald Ballou ’61, 16 Creek Rd., Suite 2-A, Middlebury, VT 05753.

’57 C

Luis Armando Roche, 82, a filmmaker, died October 1, 2021 in Caracas, Venezuela. Born in Caracas, Luis came to Choate in 1952. He lettered in soccer and squash, was Photography Manager of the Brief, and was President of the French and Camera clubs. He then studied at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinematographiques in Paris and the USC and UCLA film schools. Luis was the director of more than 13 Venezuelan films, and was a writer and cinematographer on several more; he also directed theater and opera. He leaves his wife, Marie Francoise Roche, Apartado 49089, Bello Monte, Caracas 1042A, Venezuela; and three children, including Alvaro Roche ’83.

’58 C William C. Richardson, 81, a retired college president, died May 18, 2021. Born in Passaic, N.J., Bill came to Choate in 1954; he lettered in track; was President of the Band and the Golden Blues (playing trumpet); and was in St. Andrew’s Cabinet and the French Club. After graduating from Trinity College, he earned an MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He started his academic career as Vice Provost for Research at the University of Washington in Seattle, then was an Executive Vice President at Penn State. In his tenure as the 11th President of Johns Hopkins (1990-95), African American

and Latino enrollment doubled. Bill served on many foundation and corporate boards, including those of the Kellogg Co., the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Bank of New York Mellon, and Trinity. He was awarded several honorary degrees. One of his proudest achievements was chairing an Institute of Medicine committee that produced a groundbreaking report on medical errors. He leaves his wife, Nancy Richardson, 4392 East Gull Lake Dr., Hickory Corners, MI 49060; two daughters; and three grandchildren. A brother, Burtt Richardson ’52, also attended Choate.

David D. Thomas, 80, a retired medical researcher, died June 22, 2021 in West Hartford, Conn. Born in Burlington, Vt., David came to Choate in 1955; he was in the Rifle and Chess clubs and was a Campus Cop. After graduating from Trinity College, he did graduate work at NYU, Iowa State University, the University of Hawaii and Woods Hole. For years he was a medical researcher at the Veterans Administration, first in Connecticut and then in Washington, D.C. David was active in St. James’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford; he was also an accomplished chess player. He leaves his wife, Priscilla Thomas, 791 Prospect Ave., Apt. B-6, West Hartford, CT 06105; two children; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

’61 C William S. McChesney Jr., 78, a banker and environmentalist, died November 17, 2021. Born in New York City, Bill came to Choate in 1957; he was Circulation Manager of the Press Club and in the Current History, Rifle,

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 43

Rod and Gun, and Skeet clubs. After earning degrees from Princeton and Columbia Business School, he had a long career with Chemical Bank. In recent years he headed the New Jersey office of the Trust for Public Land, founded the Harding Land Trust in New Jersey, and chaired an environmental advocacy and education group in Quogue, Long Island. Bill was an avid golfer and a lover of all things British. He leaves his wife, Denise McChesney, 18 Midland St., Quogue, NY 11959; two sons; and three grandchildren. An uncle, the late Thomas Balmer ’31, also attended Choate.

’63 C James M. Beaty, 75, a retired geotechnical engineer, died September 23, 2021 in Hague, N.Y. Born in New York City, Jim came to Choate in 1960. He lettered in soccer and lacrosse, was Vice President of the Glee Club and in the Maiyeros, and was in St. Andrew’s Cabinet. After earning degrees from Cornell, he served as a Lieutenant in the Army, earning a Bronze Star in Vietnam. Jim was an engineer with Golder, Gass and Associates, involved in the design of King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia. His later career involved developing computer-aided design technology, space planning, and computer networking. He enjoyed singing, sailing, and coaching youth sports. He leaves his wife, Seddon Beaty, 9250 Lakeshore Dr., Hague, NY 12836; a son; and two brothers, including John “Terry” Beaty ’62. His sister, the late Janet Beaty ’67, attended Rosemary Hall, as did cousins Frances Perry ’68 and Anne Beaty ’70. Another cousin, Richard Beaty ’70, attended Choate, and a niece, Nancy Protzmann ’80, attended Choate Rosemary Hall. Nixon W. Hare, 76, a retired banker, died May 17, 2021 in Spartanburg, S.C. Born in Mineola, N.Y., Nick came to Choate in 1959. He was Captain of varsity soccer, lettered in hockey, was President of the Athletic Association and was among those his classmates voted as “best athlete.” He was also Secretary-Treasurer of the sixth form, on the Student Council, and Vice President of the Art Club. After graduating from Colorado College, he served with the Marine Corps until 1973 as a radar intercept

officer, attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant. He then worked for several commercial banks, including Citibank and J. Henry Schroder Bank and Trust in New York. Nick was an accomplished photographer, specializing in animals, nature, and sports; he also enjoyed hiking and golf. He leaves six children, three grandchildren, and a brother.

’63 RH Sandra Little Clark Beard, 76, a retired grade school teacher, died November 6, 2021. Born in Lima, Peru, Sandy came to Rosemary Hall in 1957; she was President of her second form class, played lacrosse, and was in the Ski and Art clubs. She taught grade school in New York City for many years and was active in the community as a volunteer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Central Park Conservancy. Sandy enjoyed sailing and performing international work with Save the Children. She leaves her husband, John Beard, 11772 Lost Tree Way, North Palm Beach, FL 33408; her son; his three sons; and two grandchildren. Margaret Heun Bradford, 75, formerly with the National Institutes of Health, died December 30, 2021. Born in Richmond, Ind., Margo came to Rosemary Hall in 1960; she sang in the Choir. After graduating from the Madeira School in McLean, Va., she attended Vassar. Margo devoted her life to public service. For 10 years she directed the Association of Junior Leagues office in Washington, D.C. She then spent many years supporting patients and their families, and was the founding Operations Manager of an NIH residence for adults and their families; she also volunteered with nonprofits. Margo was also co-owner of a catering business called “We’ll Cook Your Goose.” She leaves a sister.

’65 RH Sarah F. Hudson, 74, who taught at Maine Maritime Academy, died September 10, 2021 in Hermon, Maine. Born in Fox Chapel, Pa., Sally came to Rosemary Hall in 1962. She was Head of the Recreation Committee and was in the Nominating Committee, the fire squad, and Dramu. After graduating from Colby College, she was involved in medicine for many years. She started an ambulance service, and

taught ship’s medicine and emergency medicine at the Maine Maritime Academy. Later, she taught CPR to elementary school students. Sally was honored many times for her work, including being named Maine’s “Citizen of the Year.” She leaves a sister and several nieces and nephews.

’66 C

Jeffrey D. West, 72, a retired investment executive, died September 24, 2021 in Houston, Texas of cancer. Born in New York City, Jeff came to Choate in 1962; he was in the Glee, Automobile, and French clubs and was Vice President of the Sailing Club. After earning degrees from UNC Chapel Hill and Dartmouth, he worked for Xerox Corp. and later for OAK Investment Partners in Westport, Conn., and Atherton, Calif. Jeff, a lifelong sailor and fisherman, then moved with his family to St. John in the Virgin Islands and started a sportfishing business. After several years he moved back to the United States. He leaves his wife, Kay West, 105 Henry Sewall Way, Stuart, FL 34996; a son; a stepdaughter; two grandchildren; and three brothers, including Nicholas West ’68 and Andrew West ’71. A niece, Corinna West ’10, attended Choate Rosemary Hall. His father, the late Davenport West Jr. ’37, attended Choate.

’67 C

Edward O. Wenzel, 73, a retired biologist and teacher, died June 23, 2021 in Florence, Mont. Born in Philadelphia, Ted came to Choate in 1964; he lettered in lacrosse and was in the Ski, French, Automobile, and Rod & Gun clubs. After graduating from UC Davis in California, he was a biologist with the Bureau of Land Management; he later taught high school biology, earth science, and geology in Great Falls, Mont. An avid fisherman and big game hunter, Ted also enjoyed archery, tennis, English Setters, and Appalachian music. He leaves his partner, Eileen Eamon, 1537 So. Catlin St., Missoula, MT 59801; a son; two stepsons; and two siblings.

’68 C Michael M. Reid, 71, a teacher and later a woodworker, died July 12, 2021 in Belfast, Maine, of cancer. Born in New York City, Mike came to Choate in 1964; he was in the Automobile

Club and was Vice President of the Rifle Club. After earning degrees from Bucknell and Syracuse, he taught third and fifth grades at the Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, N.Y. He later moved to Maine, where he founded Rabbit Corner Woodworks, specializing in Windsor chairs. Mike enjoyed photography, folk music, and nature. He leaves his wife, Lane Fisher, 49 Herrick Rd., Belfast, ME 04915; a son; a grandson; and two half-sisters. Theodore “Tay” Van Itallie, 70, an attorney, died September 11, 2021, of blood cancer in Princeton, N.J. Born in Boston, Tay came to Choate in 1964. He was in St. Andrew’s Cabinet and was President of the Camera Club, earning a special School award in photography. After studying for a year at the American University in Beirut, he earned degrees from Harvard and Columbia. A litigator for 19 years in New York, he later was Associate General Counsel and head of global litigation for Johnson & Johnson before becoming an arbitrator. Tay, a co-founder of two law reform associations, was also known for his photography and enjoyed skiing, golf, and cycling. He leaves his wife, Jane Scott, 35 Battle Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540; two children; and four sisters.

’70 C

Deborah Hewit Verbillis, 69, a retired addictions counselor, died December 9, 2021 in Bel Air, Md. Born in Philadelphia, Deborah came to Rosemary Hall in 1968; she was in the Art, Math, and Ski clubs and Gold Key. After earning a degree from Towson University, she was an addiction counselor for the State of Maryland, eventually becoming Director of Women’s Programs for the state. Active in the community, she was a Court Appointed Special Advocate and a volunteer with the Chesapeake Cancer Alliance. An avid music lover, Deborah sang with Sweet Adelines International and played bells and chimes in her church. She also enjoyed foreign travel. She leaves her husband, John Verbillis, 14 Glengate Court, Bel Air, MD 21014; four daughters; nine grandchildren; a brother; four sisters, including Stacie Elliott ’73; and her mother.

’71 RH Therese Forsyth Hare, 68, a musician, died July 17, 2021 in New Haven. Born in New York City, Terry came to Rosemary Hall in 1968; she was in the Kindly Club and the Chapel Committee, was in the Choir, and played cello in the Orchestra. Earning degrees from Ithaca College and Central Michigan University, she was a professional musician for many years, teaching cello privately and performing with several orchestras and string ensembles in Michigan and, later, in Connecticut. Terry also sang with the Yale Collegium and directed several choirs. She leaves her husband, John Hare, 15 Everit St., New Haven, CT 06511; two sons; a grandchild; and two siblings. ’74

C Douglas H. May, 65, a retired insurance executive, died October 22, 2021 in Flower Hill, N.Y. Born in Plainfield, N.J., Doug came to Choate in 1971; he lettered in skiing. After graduating from Syracuse, he held senior management positions with AIG, CNA and the Home Insurance Co., and RVI Group of Stamford, Conn. Doug enjoyed skiing and sailing. He leaves his wife, Anne May, 97 White Hill Rd., Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724; and a daughter.

’74 RH Linda Jaffe Franklin, 64, a retired interior decorator, died April 6, 2021, Born in New York City, Linda

came to Rosemary Hall in 1971. After attending Denison University and graduating from the University of Texas, Linda enjoyed a career as an interior decorator, and later became involved in helping families in her community overcome substance abuse issues. She enjoyed raising animals. She leaves a daughter and two halfsisters. Her mother, the late Josephine Tompkins ’50 and her grandmother, the late Josephine Pope ’29, also attended Rosemary Hall.

’75 RH Kathryn Ewald Brooks, 64, an entrepreneur, died July 31, 2021. Born in New York City, Katie came to Rosemary Hall in 1972; she was on the staff of the News, lettered in skiing, and was captain of the softball team. After graduating from Sweet Briar, she spent the early 1980s in New York, then moved to Dorset, Vt. She started Vermont’s first country music station and later founded the Vermont Wood Pellet Co. A lover of mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, biking, and horse riding, Katie brought SheJumps, a women’s outdoor leadership initiative, to Dorset. She leaves two sons and two brothers. Robin Walker Sletten, 64, an executive of the National Association of Realtors, died July 29, 2021 in Park City, Utah. Born in Fort Stockton, Texas, Robin grew up in north Africa, where her father was a geophysicist; she came to Rosemary Hall in 1973. After earning

a degree from Lake Forest College, she worked in the headquarters of the Realtor association in Chicago. Since 1992 she had lived in Utah. Robin worked tirelessly for animal rescue organizations. She leaves her husband, Mark Sletten, 2473 Holiday Ranch Loop Rd., Park City, UT 84060; a daughter; three stepchildren; and five grandchildren.

’78 C Lawrence P. Carrozzella, 61, a real estate entrepreneur, died August 19, 2021 in Wallingford. Born in Wallingford, Larry came to Choate in 1974; he was Captain of the varsity golf team. After earning degrees from Cornell and Duke, he joined McDonald’s Corporation Real Estate division; he later owned his own firm, Cazman Investment Co. Throughout his life Larry had a passion for golf, and he also coached youth sports. He leaves three children; three brothers, including John Carrozzella ’74, Christopher Carrozzella ’76, and his twin, William Carrozzella ’78; and a niece, Andrea Carrozzella ’07.

the accounting field and was Director of Finance at Spacesmith LLP. She enjoyed studying the Bible, gardening, and travel. She leaves two children; two siblings, including Mary MacFarland ’80, 5419 Renton Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98118; and her mother.

’79 C

Michael G. Barbis, 59, a real

estate agent, died September 22, 2021. Born in Washington, D.C., Mike came to Choate in 1977; he acted in several plays and was in the Cum Laude Society. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he worked in the Investment Department of Barclay Bank. He later moved to Norwalk, Conn., and was an executive with UBS and Prudential Wheeler Real Estate. Active in the community, Mike was a past Chairman of Norwalk Public Schools, and served on the School Board for more than 10 years. He leaves a sister, Dina Barbis ’81.

’78 RH Lydia MacFarland Aaron, 61, an account executive, died September 9, 2021 in New York City. Born in Washington, D.C., Lydia came to Rosemary Hall in 1976. She was Managing Editor of The Socratic and lettered in crew, winning a School award in that sport. After graduating from Amherst, she had a long career in

’75 After graduating from Sweet Briar, Kathryn Ewald Brooks spent the early 1980s in New York, then moved to Dorset, Vt. She started Vermont’s first country music station and later founded the Vermont Wood Pellet Co. A lover of mountain climbing, skiing, hiking, biking, and horse riding, Katie brought SheJumps, a woman’s outdoor leadership initiative, to Dorset.

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’82

Michael J. Covello, 57, a retired architect, died October 31, 2021. Born in Babylon, N.Y., Mike came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1980; he was co-captain of Varsity football and won a School award in the sport. After graduating from the New York Institute of Technology, he was an architect and project manager with Marriott International. Active in the community, he volunteered at a food pantry in Cocoa Beach, Fla., and distributed school supplies for the Brevard School Foundation. Mike enjoyed travel, building models, kayaking, and bicycling. He leaves his wife, Robin Covello, 1835 Minutemen Causeway, Apt. 104, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931; and three sisters.

’83

Eric M. Weiner, 56, an operator of ice cream shops, died November 2, 2021 in Naples, Fla. Born in Rochester, N.Y., Eric came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1979; he lettered in baseball, was on the staff of WWEB, and was active in Junior Achievement. After graduation from the University of Virginia, Eric moved to Naples, where he operated several Ben & Jerry’s franchises for 34 years. He enjoyed animals, especially Wheaton terriers. He leaves his mother and two sisters.

’87

Andrew F. Morey, 51, an equities researcher, died June 7, 2021. Born in Greenwich, Andrew came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1984; he played league sports and was in the French Club. After earning degrees from Vanderbilt and Columbia Business School, he had a 30-year career in finance, mostly researching equities for mutual funds. Andrew enjoyed playing squash, skiing, and reading. He leaves his wife, Carolyn Morey, 48 Chestnut St., Boston, MA 02108; three daughters; his parents; and two siblings.

’88

Peter L. Macarthur, 51, a commercial banker, died December 6, 2021 in Cooperstown, N.Y. Born in Ridgewood, N.J., Peter came to Choate in 1986; he was a house prefect, in the Cum Laude Society, and lettered in crew, winning a School trophy in the sport. He then earned degrees from Bowdoin and the University

of Edinburgh, Scotland. He had a lengthy banking career, beginning with the Bank of Scotland and ending as Senior Relationship Manager for HBSC Bank in New York. Active in the community, he was a certified EMT with the Cooperstown and Dobbs Ferry emergency services. He enjoyed boating, rowing, and hiking. He leaves three siblings.

Faculty, Staff, Trustees The Rev. Richard L. Aiken, Head of Choate for three years, died July 26, 2021 in Truro, Mass. He was 90. Born in New York City, Dick attended South Kent School, then earned degrees from Trinity and Harvard. In 1956, he was ordained a Deacon and Priest in the Protestant Episcopal Church of Honolulu, and served churches there until 1960. For 11 years he was Chaplain at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. Dick came to Choate in 1971, where he was Dean of Students for two years. In 1973, when Choate and Rosemary Hall were embarking on a period of coordinate education, Dick was Head of Choate under President and Principal Charles F. Dey. Says Joanne Sullivan, then Head of Rosemary Hall, “During the challenging years of joining our two schools into one Dick was unfailingly open-minded, thoughtful, and generous of spirit, in every way that I can think of a true gentleman and fine colleague.” Starting in 1976, he was Chaplain at South Kent School. Retiring to Truro, he ran a gas station and cut and split firewood for friends and customers. He enjoyed sailing and sports. He leaves two children, including Alison Aiken ’76, P.O. Box 1041, Truro, MA 02666; and three grandchildren. Vincent Donarumo, a groundskeeper at Choate Rosemary Hall for 23 years, died December 9, 2021. He was 99. Born in New Haven, Vincent was in the Navy in World War II and later attended the Culinary Institute of America. He and his wife, the late Antoinette Donarumo, were at Choate from 1966 to 1989; she was a housekeeper for Headmaster

Seymour St. John and President and Principal Charles Dey. Vincent leaves two children, including Ann Votto, 377 North Elm St., Wallingford, CT 06492, who worked for many years in the School’s Development Office. He also leaves seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Ronald G. Whittle, who taught history at Choate Rosemary Hall for seven years, died August 17, 2021 in Belfast, Maine. He was 83. Born in Worcester, Mass., Ron earned degrees from Brown University and Clark University. Before coming to Choate in 1979, he taught at the Gunnery and at Kathleen Laycock Country Day School in Greens Farms, Conn. At Choate, Ron taught history; coached football, hockey, and baseball; and for a time was Head of the History Department. At his retirement, President and Principal Charles F. Dey said, “More than most, you quickly became a strong force in our community, earning widespread praise and respect from old and young.” In 1986, he became Associate Director of Admissions at Colby College in Belfast, Maine, and in retirement he taught at Belfast Senior College. He leaves his wife, Carol Whittle, 20 Ocean St., Belfast, ME 04915; a daughter, Sarah Stoffel ’82; a grandson; six step-grandchildren; seven step-great-grandchildren; and two step-great-great grandchildren.

Our sympathy to the friends and families of the following, whose deaths are reported with sorrow: Dudley R. Beggs ’49 April 16, 2021 Robert G. Hynson ’63 December 21, 2021 Johnston W. Northrup ’71 April 19, 2021

Marie “Mazie” St. John, the second wife of former Headmaster Seymour St. John, died July 27, 2021 in Westerly, R.I. She was 94. Born in Hartford, Marie Landry graduated from the Oxford School (now KingswoodOxford) in West Hartford and earned a degree from Marymount College in Tarrytown, N.Y. After marrying Frederick “Scot” Race III in 1948, she ran an interior design studio in West Hartford for many years. After Scot died in 1986, she met Seymour, whose wife, Peggy, had also died. At first, Seymour mistakenly read “Marie” as “Mazie,” and she was known by that nickname for many years. They married in 1989. Along with Seymour, she was involved in many Choate Rosemary Hall events and traveled widely, especially internationally. He died in 2006. Marie leaves three children; two stepchildren, including Gordon St. John ’55, 31729 Curtis Rd., Livonia, MI 48152, and Margaret St. John Eloul; seven grandchildren; five step-grandchildren, including Gordon St. John ’80, Susan Amorello ’84, Nathaniel Rogers ’01, and Elizabeth Rogers ’04; 18 great-grandchildren, including Jacob and Alexander Amorello ’15; and a sister.

SCOREBOARD | Spring Sports Wrap-up

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This past winter season saw our teams back in action after a season of adjusting to COVID-19 protocols. Girls varsity ice hockey made the playoffs this year. Girls varsity swimming were runners-up at the Founders League Championship. Boys varsity swimming won the Founders League Championship. Girls varsity basketball finished the season with a 17-5 record and made the Class A playoffs following their game in the semifinals. Boys varsity squash amassed a 13-8 record across all team matches. Girls varsity squash won the Class B New England Interscholastic Championship and placed second in Division II of the U.S. Squash High School Nationals.

ARCHERY Varsity season record: 2–0 Captains: Elsie Ng’eno ’22, Elton Zheng ‘22 Highlight: Choate archers competed in two matches and went undefeated. BASKETBALL Boys varsity season record: 9–13 Captains: Tyler McLemore ‘22 Girls varsity season record: 17–5 Captains: Sarang West ’22, Norah Saluja ’23 Highlights: Norah Saluja ’23 made All NEPSAC and Sarang West ‘22 and Paika van der Maas ’24 were NEPSAC honorable mentions. ICE HOCKEY Boys varsity season record: 5–17–3 Captains: Tom Lynch ‘22, George Pavlus ‘22, Dimitri Tzaferis ‘22 Highlights: Had a big home win over Deerfield early in the season. Came from three goals down in the last two minutes to tie Northfield Mount Hermon on Senior Day. Girls varsity season record: 11–9–5 Captains: Madeleine Dubrinsky ’22, Miya Imaeda ’22, Morgann Skoda ’22 Highlights: Gave gutsy performances against Hotchkiss, Kent, and Andover in the holiday tournament, as well as a thrilling overtime victory over Hill School.

SQUASH Boys varsity season record: 8–7 Captain: Ari Starr ’22 Highlights: Finished 15th in the NEISA league rankings. At the NEISA team championships, they were 2-1 and so finished 3rd in the B division and 11th overall. And at the National High School Team Championships, they were 3-1, finishing 9th in Division II and 25th overall nationally. Girls varsity season record: 11–4 Captains: Paley Adelson-Grodberg ’22, Blake Bertero ’22, Nina Hashmi ’22 Highlights: Charlotte Flynn ‘25 and Annelie Hang ‘25 won their bracket at New Englands. At the end of the season, Rachel Miller ’23 and Nina Hashmi ’22 won All NEPSAC awards. SWIMMING & DIVING Boys varsity season record: 3–2 Captains: Priam Alataris ’22, Kevin Chang ’22, Benjamin Cho ’22, Max Xu ‘22 Highlights: Winner of the Founder League Championships. Ben Cho ‘22 medaled at the New England Championships in the 50 yard free and placed in top 8 in the 100 butterfly and was All NEPSAC in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 butterfly. Choate boys placed in the top 8 in all 3 relay events. Daneel Polakoff ‘25 made All NEPSAC in the 200 meter individual medley and in the 100 backstroke. Henry Ding ‘24 was All NEPSAC in the 100 backstroke.

Girls varsity season record: 2–3 Captains: Martha Chessen ’22 Highlights: The girls swim dive team were runnersups at the Founder League Championships. Cat Cronin ‘23 placed in the top 8 in diving. Victoria Layden ‘24 placed in the top in both the 200 free and 100 backstroke. Amelia Cronin ‘23 and Kaya Tray ‘24 both placed in the top 8, in the 50 free and 100 breast respectively. All NEPSAC swimmers: Amelia Cronin and Victoria Layden in the 200 freestyle; Amelia Cronin in the 50 freestyle; Martha Chessen ‘22 in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Victoria Layden in the 100 backstroke; Kayla Tray and Maggie McCcabe ‘22 in the 100 breaststroke; Catherine Cronin in diving. WRESTLING Varsity Co-Ed season record: 0–5 Captains: Spencer Bowles ’22, Mark Chapman ’22, Zayd Gonzalez ’22 Highlights: Ethan Rothman ‘25 won the tournament at the 113lbs weight class. At Prep-Nationals in Maryland, Sachi Mehra ‘23 became the first female All-American wrestler in Choate history. She took 5th place in the 114lbs weight class in the female division of nationals.

SCOREBOARD

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 49

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1 The Wild Boar Archery team practices and competes in Macquire Gymnasium. 2 Sarang West ’22 (L) and Norah Saluja ’23 3 Ral Nwogbo ’23 4 Boys varsity basketball plays against Loomis 5 Norah Morris ’24 and Caroline Holm ’24 6 Sophia Britton ’24 7 Kyle Chitty ’23 v. St. Paul’s – NH

BOOKSHELF

In this issue, we review the work of a renowned ukulele artist and visit a genre-blending futuristic world where a murder mystery and science fiction collide.

Uketopia! Adventures in the Ukulele World By Jim Beloff ’73 | Reviewed by Philip Ventre

UKETOPIA! ADVENTURES IN THE UKULELE WORLD Author: Jim Beloff ’73 Publisher: Backbeat About the Reviewer: Philip Ventre is a former Faculty Marshall and maestro at Choate Rosemary Hall.

Let’s begin with my favorite moment of Jim Beloff 73’s inspirational musical journey as a ukulele virtuoso, composer, author, and music publisher. In 1999 in Los Angeles working for Billboard and promoting his ukulele publications at NAMM, the annual trade show for music stores, Jim hears a knock on his front door. Yes, it’s The Beatles’ George Harrison! Jim and George play classic ukulele tunes together for three hours! George Harrison is just one of the thousands of lives worldwide Jim’s ukulele books and music have inspired and enriched, including collaborations with Bette Midler, Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary, Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Eddie Vedder, John Sebastian, and Tiny Tim. UKEtopia!, Beloff’s memoir, shares many such personal memories, all woven together with anecdotes, history, and heart to provide an in-depth look at Jim’s career by way of his fondest memories surrounding music. He writes about several notable events in his life, giving a thorough history of his evolution as an artist and music producer, and his love of the ukulele. Jim’s journey began in 1975 when he became an intern for renowned composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim for the premiere of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He went on to compose projects like the off-Broadway musical Jennifer & Her Bag Lady and Two Sides of Heaven for the Wallingford Bicentennial Committee. He recounts how, early in his career, he married graphic artist Liz Maihock, who also became his esteemed music partner and co-creator of Flea Market Music, their publishing company. In 1991, while living in Beverly Hills and attending Rose Bowl Flea Market, Jim purchased a 1950s Martin Ukulele, and the next chapter of his inspirational journey began.

Jim recounts the flurry of activity once he picked up that fateful ukulele. In 1992 Jim met songbook editor Ronny Shiff and in 1996 Jim performed with internationally renowned ukulele players across America, in Hawaii and on NPR. In 1999 Jim’s Ukulele Masters Tour was featured on ABC World News Now. Jim mentioned to me there was no concerto for ukulele and orchestra. I replied, “Let’s do it.” Jim’s innovative, effervescent and delightful Uke Can’t Be Serious premiered in November 1999 at the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra’s 25th anniversary concert, receiving a standing ovation. It is still performed worldwide today. Jim and Liz went on to tour America, England, Ireland, Wales, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Australia and Japan, releasing CDs, DVDs, instructional books, and more while spreading a love of the ukulele and a connection with music wherever they went. Audiences loved the Uke Can’t Be Serious tour and especially Jim and Liz’s post-performance play/sing-along with audience members who brought their ukuleles. Jim and Liz continue to tour worldwide. It was my honor and pleasure to be Jim’s advisor/ mentor when he attended Choate. His Flea Market Music publications, his CDs and DVDs, Jumpin’ Jim’s Camp Ukulele, Ukulele Beach Party, Gone Hollywood, Gone Hawaiian and Ukulele Spirit have enriched the lives of millions of people worldwide! So purchase a ukulele or a fluke (a ukulele created by Jim’s brother-in-law Dave Webb and named by Liz) – both are easy to play. Start every day with one of Jim’s Daily Ukulele songs. Smile, calm your mind, and enrich your soul. My favorite song is Can’t Help But Smile.

BULLETIN | WINTER/SPRING 2022 51

Constance By Matthew FitzSimmons ’87 | Reviewed by Donald Firke Matthew FitzSimmons blends science fiction with a murder mystery to create an action-filled story that quickly draws the reader in. Fans of FitzSimmons’s Gibson Vaughn novels will find plenty of action to keep them satisfied. Science-fiction enthusiasts will enjoy the portrayal of mid-21st century life. And the many plot twists and turns unexpectedly lead the reader to consider the philosophical, ethical and legal aspects of both future and contemporary society. Constance D’Arcy is a 23-year-old singer in a rock band. The year is 2038, and science has brought us self-driving electric cars, light-field devices (LFD’s) that rest behind the ear and project information and images in front of the user, food printers capable of conjuring whatever the diner requests (when they work), and human cloning. Constance (better known as Con) goes in for a regular, routine uploading of her consciousness, only to awaken to find out that eighteen months have elapsed, her original has died, and many people would be happier if she, the clone version of Constance D’Arcy, should happen to ”disappear.” What follows is a most unusual murder mystery, where the victim strives to find her own killer. As Con investigates both what has happened in the last year and a half as well as the circumstances of her own death, she finds powerful allies and enemies, follows leads and hits dead ends, connects with old friends and learns of hidden conflicts. She grapples with the uncertain legal standing of clones—absent national legislation, the rights of clones vary radically from state to state—as she travels from Washington, D.C. to Virginia and back again. The parallels to a variety of historical and contemporary social issues, from slavery to reproductive rights to the rights of transgender citizens, are clear. FitzSimmons manages to help the reader see, from the perspective of the year 2038, the inequities of current policies and practices. Con and her friends also consider the question of whether clones are, in fact, truly the equals of their deceased originals. Distrust of science and widespread misinformation have led a majority of the people to believe clones can spread disease among the young, and many states have passed laws banning clones from working with children. One anti-cloning group, the Children of Adam, condones

violence against clones, and behaves in a manner very reminiscent of the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. Ultimately, after the Supreme Court rules in favor of the full rights of clones, anti-clone groups see their number swell in response. In the face of such widespread suspicion and opposition, the suicide rate among clones is high and many of the clones themselves believe they are inferior to their originals. Con’s confusion is resolved when she speaks with the daughter of an old friend, and realizes that her identity is not an either/or proposition. ”A definition of herself, one that allowed her to accept both who she’d been and who she was now, had begun to come into focus.” In Con’s world, clones are the same age as their originals. In other words, cloning serves to remove the risk of premature death, but it does not promise eternal youth. And just as there is much research currently devoted to solving the ”problem” of aging/ mortality, scientists in 2038 attempt to resolve the mind/body paradox. Con meets up with a pair of scientists and learns that they have found a way to download one person’s consciousness into clones of younger family members, and that widespread cloning into younger bodies is likely within the next decade. FitzSimmons shows us, once again, science threatening to leap ahead of legal institutions and philosophers. Con finds herself trapped in the secret laboratory of the mad scientists, and, with the assistance of the clone of a former Special Forces soldier, she escapes while destroying the laboratory and all of the scientific research. She knows that the scientific setback is only temporary, but she accepts that it is the best that she can do. Running through the novel is the spirit of David Bowie. He is Con’s favorite musician, and she took the name of her band, Awaken the Ghosts, from a Bowie quotation. He said, ”On the other hand, what I like my music to do to me is awaken the ghosts inside of me. Not the demons, you understand, but the ghosts.” The image of awakening the ghosts, and not the demons, within us informs FitzSimmons’s depiction of scientific research, cloning, identity, memory, and music. Constance is a genre-bending, rewarding, and entertaining journey.

CONSTANCE Author: Matthew FitzSimmons Publisher: Amazon Publishing About the Reviewer: Donald Firke is a former Dean of Faculty of Choate Rosemary Hall.

END NOTE |

Archbold, Winter 2022.

Wintertime Wintertime. It comes heavily and forcefully, with big billowing gusts and the cold torment that drives animals to hibernate. Everything about it is strange and menacing except that it is beautiful. There is a certain mystery behind the cold condensation. Perhaps menacing is wrong, perhaps it is mysterious. Above all, it is beautiful. Wintertime is graceful. It appeared suddenly and asserted its presence as if it were always here. Snowflakes gust through the air like spirits. They come down in waves, silently. They rest upon everything and make everything feel their touch. The whiteness coated fall’s dying grass. Anxious trees dropped their leaves in anticipation. The snow rests, accumulating, on the boughs. It collects on the waiting arms of the evergreens. The white blanket of Wintertime covers then overcomes the floor of twigs and leaves and rocks and ground. Howling wind blows through the snow-filled boughs of trees. The growing ice and snow become too heavy for the trees and tumble tumultuously to the ground, the passing rodent just barely evades the cascade. Squirrels roam the barren tree trunk, hoping to come across some other living thing. Do not worry squirrel; underground, insects have burrowed closer to the Earth’s warm bosom. Above, birds have flown

away in anticipation of the dormant period. They are not gone… they are like the Wintertime themselves. They have always been here, will always be here. They pass along by their nature, and when they return it will seem as if they never left. Even in this time of cold and dormancy, life remains. Recall the eternal evergreen? Think of bears and turtles and bugs, creatures that seek warmth and rest out of sight of the cold. The deer and moose and buffalo; they still forage on, in spite of the deep frost. It lounges on their horns, but still they care for their young, they feed themselves, they dominate the forest. Life wriggles on even through the cold harshness of winter. Wintertime is a melancholy force of nature: It kills, it ravages, it destroys. It decimates, then, as everything is dead under its cold hand, gives way to spring. As deep as it is possible to peer into the woods, there is that formidable sheet of pure white, clear to see. The purest white ever to be seen, cleaner than any white elsewhere observed. The snow must come from a slow-passing cloud, must it not? That snow-bearing cloud above must stretch as far as the eye can see. A sky of truest white to match a floor of purest white. The floor is often interrupted by a fallen branch or pile of leaves. Just as the sky is often interrupted by swooping birds who have not yet fled from Wintertime. It is universally reckoned that for Wintertime to occur there must be an agreement. The weather must naturally grow cold, and the sun must habitually shy from the Earth. It can only happen through this consensus, forcing the cold to appear and increase as the season wears on. It is a precarious, unsure alignment; yet, annually, Wintertime comes into existence: absolute, disastrous, glistening, and pure. Every year, the torch must pass from last year’s Wintertime, to this Springtime, to next Summertime, to the following Autumntime, back to the incoming Wintertime, and then again and again and again… It is uncanny, isn’t it? That the Wintertime forages and destroys what Springtime restored, Summertime cultivated, and Autumntime gently lulled to sleep? One season and boundless destruction. Or is this the way it was meant to be? The beauty that weighs down branches. The blanket that hardens the ground. The force that repels life. This all seems to happen seamlessly, purposefully, purely because Nature called it so. Ostensibly it kills, but perhaps it is like Springtime and it is a rebirth. It seems to paralyze, but perhaps it is like Summertime and it curates and fosters growth underground as it carries on. It feels as if it assimilates, changing the multitude of colors to a palate of white, but perhaps it is like Autumntime and it brings new color – without Wintertime the leaves would never form a mosaic and die artfully. Wintertime is not the bleak, but the triumphant. Not the dark, but the light. Not the old, but the new. It is so beautiful it makes the heart hurt, and it is so forceful it makes the feral fear. Wintertime is etched into the bones of animals and awake in the roots of trees. It lies heavy upon branches, howls through the sky, smothers the sun, and makes a laureate of the cold. Ah, Wintertime. It is beautiful, and, as Nighttime comes on this wintry day, alive. Wintertime is alive.

Adrienne Chacón ‘22 Adrienne Chacón ’22 is a recent graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall.

Families explore campus during Grandparents’ Day 2022.

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Choate students participate in the 2022 Physics Phlotilla.

The Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin is printed using vegetable-based inks on 100% post consumer recycled paper. This issue saved 101 trees, 42,000 gallons of wastewater, 291 lbs of waterborne waste, and 9,300 lbs of greenhouse gases from being emitted.

Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin | Winter/Spring 2022

Articles inside

50 Years of Co-Ed

The Kohler Environmental Center Takes Root