Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin, Fall 2012

Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine

f a l l 2012 | preview:

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Choate alums are helping to shape our digital future

Smart Enough to Work at Google

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Living in community with the environment

Kohler Environmental Center

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A Shepherd’s duty

Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld ’79 – Episcopal Bishop of N.H.

Doing

Cool Things that Matter »

Choate Alumni at Google

Contents f a l l 2 0 1 2 Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine Director of Strategic Planning & Communications Alison J. Cady Editor Lorraine S. Connelly Design and Production David C. Nesdale Class Notes Editor Henry McNulty ’65 Contributors Wendy Carlson Victoria H. Irwin Katharine H. Jewett Henry McNulty ’65 Kevin Mardesich ’87 Tochi Onyebuchi ’05 Ruth Walker Photography Wendy Carlson Deron Chang John Giammatteo ’77 Ian Morris Laura K. Morton Life Trustees Charles F. Dey Bruce S. Gelb ’45 Edwin A. Goodman ’58 Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57 Cary L. Neiman ’64 Stephen J. Schulte ’56 Edward J. Shanahan William G. Spears ’56

2012-2013 Board of Trustees Samuel P. Bartlett ’91 Michael J. Carr ’76 Alex D. Curtis Richard Elman David R. Foster ’72 Robert B. Goergen, Jr. ’89 John F. Green ’77 Linda J. Hodge ’73 Christopher Hodgson ’78 Brett M. Johnson ’88 Warren B. Kanders ’75 Cecelia M. Kurzman ’87 Edward O. Lanphier ’74 William Laverack, Jr. Gretchen Cooper Leach ’57 Kewsong Lee ’82 Robert A. Minicucci ’71 Linda H. Riefler ’79 Marshall S. Ruben Henry K. Snyder ’85 M. Window Snyder ’93 Jeanette Sublett Thomas M. Viertel ’59 Benjamin S. Walton ’92 Editorial Advisory Board Christopher Hodgson ’78 Judy Donald ’66 Howard R. Greene Jeein Ha ’00 Dorothy Heyl ’71 Stephanie Ardrey Hazard ’81 Henry McNulty ’65 John Steinbreder ’74 Francesca Vietor ’82 Heather Zavod

Contact the Editorial Office Communications Office, c/o Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800 Editorial Offices: (203) 697-2252 Fax Number: (203) 697-2380 Email: alumline@choate.edu Web site: www.choate.edu Submissions to the Magazine All submissions to the Bulletin should be made via email or through regular post. Photos should be supplied in hard copy format or in digital format at 300 dpi. Every effort is made to accommodate all submissions.

However, the Editor reserves the right to refuse images that are not suitable for printing due to poor quality and to edit content to fit within the space allotted.

Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin is published fall, spring, and summer for alumni, students and their parents, and friends of the School. Please send change of address to Alumni Records and all other correspondence to the Communications Office, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492-3800.

Choate Rosemary Hall does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, athletics, other school-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or non-job-related handicap.

Our Commitment to the Environment The Bulletin is printed using vegetable-based inks on ChorusArt Silk, an FSC-certified paper which contains 70% recycled content, including 30% post consumer waste. This issue saved the equivalent of 32+ trees, 13,488 gals. wastewater flow, 92+ lbs. water-borne waste not created and prevented over 2,938+ lbs. of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Printed in U.S.A. 1213-049/17.5M

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Headmaster’s Letter

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Doing Cool Things That Matter

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Reflections on Choate’s many educational tributaries that collect and combine, forming a river of excellence.

Choate alumni working at Google thrive in its innovative environment.

Kohler Environmental Center: A Microcosm for Living and Learning The School’s new year-long residential academic program transports students from a traditional classroom setting to the great outdoors.

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Campus Connection News about the School

Alumni Association News

Class Notes Profiles of The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld ’79, Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire; Maria Semple ’82, author/ screenwriter; Stan Savage, Jr. ’92, Owner/Executive, A.F. Gilmore Co.; Carter Wilding-White ’97, V.P. Operations, Real Goods Solar; Matt Paul ’04 and Doug Berman ’05, Co-founders, Electrolites Sneakers.

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Readers' Corner

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Scoreboard

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Bookshelf

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End Note

In Memoriam

Fall Sports Wrap-up

Reviews of works by Lee Chadeayne ’50 and Maria Semple ’82.

Spontaneous Generations – A daily celebration of the unscripted curriculum.

On the Cover Seth Sternberg ’97, sold his start-up

company, Meebo, to Google in June.

back Cover Logo design by Andrea Wang ’15

T h e burn in g drag on Deerfield Day festivities began Friday

evening with a torchlight parade leading down to the Johnson Athletic Center where celebratory revelers ignited an effigy of the Deerfield Dragon before proceeding to the pep rally.

letter from the headmaster

Dear Alumni and Friends of Choate Rosemary Hall, I write this a week before exams – officially marking the conclusion of fall term and the approach of Thanksgiving break. We have so many things to be grateful for this year: our dedicated faculty members who bring their A-game to class each and every single day, our eager students thirsting for knowledge, and our signature programs, such as the inaugural Environmental Immersion Program at the Kohler Environmental Center, that are putting Choate on the map of innovative education.

At the dedication of the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC), visionary donor Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57 shared his hope that students in the Environmental Immersion Program “would develop a leadership capacity, and that over generations they will bring substantial influence to the way others treat this planet.” Indeed, the KEC represents not only the very best in interdisciplinary and collaborative education, but offers a unique leadership opportunity. Students in the program are active learners who participate in weekly community meetings with their teachers to discuss the rules they wish to live by and how to meet their sustainability goals. (See story, p. 16) At the Center, we catch a glimpse of what education in this century will look like: a technologyrich learning space that will produce learners who are confident, adaptable, independent, and inspired to learn.

The KEC is just one of many exciting new initiatives.

The iPad one-to-one program adopted this fall is already demonstrating the effectiveness of the tablet as a tool for learning. Skill-building apps such as Educreations

and Explain Everything are allowing students to make presentations using all forms of media. At least 20 faculty members are using eBooks as a primary or supplemental resource in one or more courses. A significant number of teachers are using Dropbox to create a paperless classroom.

Faster feedback and improved management of coursework means better prepared students. Some English teachers are using Google Drive for student writing and peer editing, thereby making the writing process much more interactive, as it is in the world of publishing.

While we fully embrace education in a Google world and accept the very best that technology has to offer, we are intent on preserving the “secret sauce” that is the essence of a Choate Rosemary Hall education – the creative dynamic of bringing students and faculty together face-toface in a supportive classroom environment where positive risks are encouraged. It is this dynamic that will hold our students in good stead as they prepare for unpredictable career paths. Alumni now working at Google say they were well equipped by Choate for their future work in an open, collaborative environment.

As Matt Dunne ’88 says in the feature Doing Cool Things That Matter (p. 8), Choate started him down “a path of having no fear” allowing him “to connect the dots between many different things.” Hannah Mestel ’96 reflects, “The ability to take risks and experiment was really supported at Choate,” noting that at Google, “It’s not necessarily about results. It’s about investing in the future and building strong relationships.”

Similarly, investing in the School’s future while building strong relationships are the twin goals of our strategic planning process that began this fall and will continue into the winter months. It is our hope that with the significant feedback we have already received from focus groups and online surveys, we can develop a long range plan that will reaffirm our position at the forefront of educational innovation.

In geography, when rivers collide, they create confluences around the world. So, too, with Choate’s topography. Our campus is the point where many tributaries of innovation collect and combine to become the impressive river of excellence that is, and will continue to be, Choate Rosemary Hall.

With all best wishes from campus,

Alex D. Curtis Headmaster

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Campus Connection w i t h

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2013 NATIONA L MERIT S CHO L ARS HI P S EMIF INA L ISTS Eleven

FACULTY CHAIRS AWARDED Students and faculty gathered

sixth formers have been named Semifinalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship competition. Finalists will be announced in the spring. The Semifinalists are: Matthew Chan of Granite Bay, Calif.; James Deng of Hamden, Conn.; Johann Fitzpatrick of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; Jesse Jiang of Beijing, China; Dongsik Kong of Seoul, South Korea; Ryo Kono of Mamaroneck, N.Y.; Jack Maher of Glastonbury, Conn.; Bo-Hyun (Salina) Moon of Flushing, N.Y.; Allan Wang of Shanghai, China; Emily Wang of Killingworth, Conn., and Kelly Zhang of Trumbull, Conn. Cameron Regan of Hong Kong, China was named a Semifinalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Competition.

Forty students were named Commended Students in the 2013 National Merit Program.

September 4 for the School’s 122nd Convocation and the awarding of faculty chairs. Choate currently has 23 endowed chairs named either for the donor or a former member of the faculty. Appointments to an endowed faculty chair recognize scholarship, excellence in teaching, and distinguished service to the School. The recipients receive a chair as well as a modest stipend.

At the Convocation ceremony Assistant Headmaster and Dean of Faculty Stephen Farrell announced the awarding of two faculty chairs. The Richard ’22 and Lenore Earhart Chair was awarded to John S. Cobb. An English teacher who joined the faculty in 1988, Cobb holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, a master’s degree from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School, and a second master’s in religion from Hartford Seminary. Said Dean Farrell, “He has brought dedication and energy to his work, earning the respect of his colleagues who elected him to the Faculty Committee where he served for 12 years. A teacher of both third and sixth formers, he challenges students to move outside their comfort zones to make personal and in-depth connections to the literature they are reading.”

The Alan H. and Margaret L. Kempner Chair was awarded to English teacher Douglas S. James. A former All-Ivy League safety and tailback at Princeton, James joined the faculty in 1974 as head coach of Choate’s varsity football team. Noted Farrell, “During his long career here, he has been head coach of two high profile varsity sports, but his many accomplishments beyond the gridiron and baseball diamond have been no less spectacular. He has been an English teacher, house adviser, and admission officer, and completed two rotations as boys’ dean from 1983 to 1989.” James holds a master’s degree from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School.

The previous evening, all 269 new students were invited to "Sign the Register" at the Matriculation Ceremony in the Seymour St. John Chapel. Jeein Ha ’00, Alumni Association Executive Committee Communications Chair, gave remarks. See p. 24.

PRI ZED P IANI STS Ming Jun Wilson ’14 of Johnson City, Tenn., a member of Choate’s signature Arts Concentration Program, has been named a winner in the Connecticut Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competition Senior Performance. Michelle Li ’13, of Shenzhen, China, won the Hamden Symphony Orchestra Concerto competition for high school students last spring and then went on to play the full concerto in China over the summer with two symphony orchestras. Both are students of music faculty Thomas Martin.

M AT H TEAM C O M P E T ES Choate’s math team is in first place in the

Greater New Haven Math League at both the Varsity and Junior Varsity Levels. Students Charles Fu ’13 of Beijing, China; Salina Moon ’13, of Flushing, N.Y.; Lawrence Hong ’14 of Seoul, South Korea, and Albert Zhang ’16, of Acton, Mass., are all tied for first place at the Varsity Level. At the JV level Sam Lee ’15 of Seoul, South Korea and Jacky Xu ’15, of Shenzhen, China, are in first place. In mid-October the team participated in a math tournament at Hotchkiss that included Hotchkiss, Taft, and Kent. At the team competition, Choate teams came in first in the intermediate and novice division, and 2nd in the advanced division. Individually, Lawrence Hong ’14 and YoonJi Moon ’14 won the intermediate division, and Michael Wang came in second in the advanced division.

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1 Michelle Li ’13, of Shenzhen, China, won the Hamden Symphony Orchestra Concerto competition for high school students last spring.

2 Ming Jun Wilson ’14 of Johnson City, Tenn., was named a winner in the Connecticut Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competition Senior Performance.

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3 Convocation 2012 From right, Assistant Headmaster and Dean of Faculty Stephen Farrell, faculty chair recipients John S. Cobb, Douglas S. James, and Alex Curtis, Headmaster.

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h a r v e st f e st On Sunday, October 21, several hundred students

hopped on board shuttles which transported them from the main campus to the Kohler Environmental Center for the 26th Annual Harvest Festival. Every year, club presidents sponsor booths at the all-school event. Since the event was held this year at the School’s newest venue dedicated to energy conservation, instead of a popcorn machine and inflatable bouncy houses, students were able to climb a rock wall and bungee jump. Students were treated to performances by Andrew Suzuki and the Method, a band that has performed at Harvest Fest for the past four years, and the Mariachi Academy of Connecticut, the latter courtesy of the Spanish Community of Wallingford.

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FACU LTY M E MBER P RES ENTS AT IN TERNATIoNA L L ANGUAGE CONFERENC E In late September, Arabic and French teacher Georges

Chahwan gave a paper at the Arabele Conference, which occurs in Madrid once every three years and includes teachers of Arabic as a Foreign Language from the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.

Chahwan was the only non-university presenter at the conference, where he spoke about using the iPad to teach Arabic.

STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS BEGINS Headmaster Alex D. Curtis and Board Chairman Michael J. Carr ’76 have appointed a Strategic Planning Steering Committee that includes Trustees Linda Hodge ’73 and Rob Minicucci ’71, along with on-campus co-chairs Alison Cady and Trent Nutting, to oversee the School’s strategic planning process.

Alumni were asked to complete an online survey and participate in a focus group, either virtually or in person.

A strategic planning retreat is planned for January 2013; the plan will then be presented to the Board of Trustees for adoption.

Implementation will begin with the 2013-2014 school year. Says Dr. Curtis, “It is our collective hope that this strategic planning process will be embraced with the same enthusiasm, energy, and execution that have become this school’s – this community’s – trademark in all of our endeavors.” i n

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iPAD P ROGRAM F EATURE IN U .S. N EWS & WORL D REP ORT

Choate was featured in an August article, “Tablets Trump Laptops in High School Classrooms,” in U.S. News & World Report on the School’s incorporation of iPads into the classroom. “Adopting a one-to-one iPad program for all students at Choate Rosemary Hall is the right move at the right time,” says Headmaster Curtis. The School launched an iPad Pilot Program in spring 2011 with 13 faculty members across all academic departments to explore and develop ways to integrate this technology into best teaching practices. With enthusiasm for iPads growing, faculty participation in the pilot doubled last fall, then 80 students were added to the program in January 2012. The School moved to full adoption of a one to-one iPad Program this fall.

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1 This fall the school embarked on its iPad one-to-one program. This initiative attracted the attention of US News and World Report.

2 Arabic and French teacher Georges Chahwan presented at the Arabele 2012 Conference in Madrid last summer where he spoke about using the iPad to teach Arabic.

n ew ADMINIST RATOR S COME ON BOARD Two administrators joined Choate Rosemary Hall this summer.

In July, Alison J. Cady became Director of Strategic Planning and Communications. Throughout her long career in independent schools, she has had several Choate connections. She comes to Choate from Morristown-Beard School, where she was hired by then-Headmaster Laird Davis, Choate ’65. There, she was Director of Development; Director of Admission, Marketing and Strategic Planning; and Director of Admission and Financial Aid. She also was Co-Chair of the Strategic Plan Committee when present Choate Headmaster Curtis headed Morristown-Beard. Alison also had been Associate Director of Admission at Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa., where the Head of School was Jere Packard, Choate ’55. “I am so pleased to be joining the Choate Rosemary Hall community at this important time,” Alison says. “The strategic plan is a wonderful opportunity for the school to reflect on where it is, and where it would like to go. I look forward working closely with all of Choate's constituent groups as we evaluate and determine our course for the next five to 10 years.” Alison and her family live on campus at Fay House.

Also in July, Geoffrey Liggett was named Director of Development and Alumni Relations; he will work for Dan Courcey ‘86, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations. Geoff most recently was Director of Institutional Advancement for The Wheeler School in Providence. Before that, he was the Director of Development for Pomfret School. “After working in smaller boarding and day schools for the past 11 years, I look forward to helping lead one of the best development teams for one of the top schools in the country,” he says. “I feel very fortunate to be here at a time when the alumni and parents recognize what a great school Choate is, and are ready to support our fundraising and service opportunities for them in a big way.” Geoff has also worked as a fundraiser at Brown, Yale and Carnegie Mellon universities. He and his family live in Deep River, Conn.

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3 Alison J. Cady, Choate's Director of Strategic Planning and Communications and Geoffrey Liggett, Director of Development and Alumni Relations.

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Choate Rosemary Hall Dedicates Kohler Environmental Cen t e r On October 18, Choate Rosemary Hall dedicated the

Kohler Environmental Center in Wallingford. The new 31,800-squarefoot academic and residential facility, designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects, is set in the midst of 266 acres and is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification and net-zero energy usage. It can accommodate up to 20 students for a total-immersion environmental living experience.

Presenting at the ceremony: Alex D. Curtis, Headmaster; Kathleen Lyons Wallace, Associate Headmaster and Dean of Academic Affairs; Glenn Prickett, Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy; Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57, former Chairman of Choate Rosemary Hall’s Board of Trustees; Edward J. Shanahan, retired Headmaster of Choate Rosemary Hall; and Michael J. Carr ’76, Chairman of Choate Rosemary Hall’s Board of Trustees. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Wallingford Mayor William Dickinson were on hand for the dedication.

T O P Trustees gather around former Board Chairman, Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57, as he prepares to cut the ribbon.

L E F T Sarthak Agrawal ’13 and Jack Murren ’13, inaugural members of the Environmental Immersion Program, tour Senator Richard Blumenthal and Trustee Marshall Ruben, through the facility.

Herbert V. Kohler, Jr., CEO and Chairman of Kohler Co., provided the inspiration, financial support, and design direction for the new Center. At the ceremony he remarked, “We believe that these students, by living in community with daily focus on their environment through the sciences and the arts, will develop a leadership capacity, and that over generations they will bring substantial influence to the way others treat this planet. I am delighted with the potential for improving sustainability that this Center represents and I am confident it will do so.”

Choate Headmaster Alex D. Curtis added, “As we look at this beautifully appointed quad and building, we catch a glimpse of what a 21st century education will look like—a technology-rich learning space, of efficient and effective design, that will produce learners who are confident, adaptable, independent, and inspired to learn.”

Read Wendy Carlson's feature on students in the inaugural Environmental Immersion Program on p. 16.

RIGH T Students in the Environmental Immersion Program’s inaugural class with guest speaker, Glenn Prickett of The Nature Conservancy, second row, far right. Resident faculty members, Joe Scanio, next to Prickett, and Marybeth Duckett, first row, second from left, are also pictured here.

p h o t o c o u r t e s y o f Š i S t o c k p h o t o . c o m / SK r o w

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An impressive number of Choate Rosemary Hall graduates have become movers and shapers of the 21st century at another innovative campus on the West Coast: Google.

Close to a dozen alumni have found a place at Google, a place where creative thinking and intellectual freedom combine every day with hard work and a deep respect for learning. story by Carrie James Lightner ’91 photography by Laura Morton

Google has grown at an incredible pace since its incorporation in 1998. The company moved to its sprawling corporate headquarters, called the “Googleplex,” in Mountain View, Calif., in 2004. Today Google has more than 55,000 employees worldwide, with more than 70 offices in 40 major cities. Yet, as one Choate alum says, “Google has really kept the heart of its creative culture – even with such huge growth.”

The playful, light-hearted corporate culture at Google – the slide in the lobby, the ping-pong tables in the breakrooms, the bright yellow loaner bikes that employees ride around campus – are legendary. As William Poundstone states in his recent book, Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?, “For all the emphasis on brains and ambition, Googlers believe in an open, collaborative environment… the Googleplex is a gregarious place.”

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While there are plenty of fun and goofy touches on the surface at Google, everyone there is focused on doing serious and important things, helping to make lasting and significant change in the world. The Mountain View campus hums with creative energy. One Choate alum who works there describes this paradox as a “…special sauce: a balance between creative chaos and incredible focus.” According to Poundstone, “What Google offers is more like an elite college or think tank. But colleges are about theory, and Google is about practice. It offers the heady challenge of creating the new digital universe.”

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R a z v a n S u r d u l e sc u ‘ 9 4 , a senior software engineer, came to Choate from Romania, first as a summer school student, then as a junior. He attended Harvard and received his graduate degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Razvan had always been passionate about engineering and computers; he found his niche as part of the Google Ads team seven years ago, where his colleagues share his passion for engineering. The company was built by engineers, and as he explains, “There is a respect and appreciation here for the craft of working with computers.

Engineering is the core at Google. People here have a passion for problems and a positive and curious attitude about solving them.”

He remembers feeling struck by the diversity at Choate. Discovering like-minded people with shared interests and so many different backgrounds there helped him feel comfortable at a place like Google, which as it has grown, Razvan says, “…has gained astounding diversity and reach and complexity.” He also recalls an eagerness to share knowledge among his fellow students at Choate. This happens at Google as well, he says, and is a big part of the innovative process there.

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M a tt R e i d ‘ 0 1 also followed his interest for computers and engineering to Google. A day student at Choate, he graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2005 with both undergraduate and master’s degrees in electronic and computer engineering. Google was Matt’s first job after college; he works in the Manhattan office as a software engineer. One of the first teams he joined was with Google Maps, a project he found fulfilling and exciting because it applied to the real world. He explains, “Google’s products are changing how people interact with each other and how we go about our lives…it’s amazing to be a small part of that.”

Matt describes Google as “…a very open and collegial place, incredibly intense with an exploratory culture.” He has found that many of the skills he learned

at Choate have served him well in his career at Google, especially the ability to communicate well and to find solutions to problems by thinking on his feet and looking at problems from different angles.

Not all Choate alumni at Google became a part of the team right out of college or grad school, however, and not all of them have joined Google’s illustrious ranks of computer engineers. Several spent years working in very different industries, only to find that as Google expanded, there was a place for them and their particular expertise within its ever-widening sphere.

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"What Google offers is more like an elite college or think tank. But colleges are about theory, and Google is about practice. It offers the heady challenge of creating the new digital universe.”

– Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?, William Poundstone

Google engineer Razvan Surdulescu ’94, left, and Google Global Search Strategist, Nic Maisano ’97, outside of Building 44 on the Google campus which houses the offices where Android development takes place.

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“At Choate you’re taught to be a leader and you’re taught to challenge the status quo. So much of the work we all do now is in groups and it’s such an important skill to be able to figure out how to make that a really effective model.”

– Caty James Everett ’94

Caty James Everett ’94, a leadership development and executive coach, is a member of Google’s People Ops (Human Resources) Department.

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M a tt D u n n e ’ 8 8 ' s path to Google is somewhat unorthodox. Matt, son of the late civil rights activist John Dunne ’61, attended Choate as a postgraduate student for a year and continued on to Brown, where he majored in public policy. He was elected to the Vermont state legislature right out of college, where he served for seven years. Matt then joined the Clinton administration as the head of the AmeriCorps VISTA national service program. In 2002, he returned to the state senate in Vermont for two terms and also directed the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth.

Matt ran for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont in 2006, losing a close race. He then joined Google, but stayed closely involved with Vermont politics, vying for the state’s Democratic nomination for governor in 2010. Google offers employees three months unpaid leave to work on any campaign, even your own. Matt did not ultimately succeed in his bid for the nomination, but his work in politics has proven valuable in his current work at Google.

As head of Community Affairs, Matt works to ensure that employees in Google’s offices and data centers around the country stay connected to the nearby communities. He meets with local people, and trains teams at all the different Google offices in how best to reach out to those in the neighborhoods and to support local causes and organizations.

“Choate started me down a path of having no fear,” he says “It gave me an earnest love of learning and exploration.” Google wants its employees to always be hungry for something new; Matt remembers feeling this way at Choate as well: “There is an intensity at Choate that allows you to be able to connect the dots between many different things.”

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J o r d a n L l o y d B o o k e y ‘ 9 6 , another Choate graduate, occasionally crosses paths with Matt in her work at Google. Jordan has been at Google for five years and and leads the K-12 Education Outreach team to design, develop, and launch education outreach programs globally.

Her background in teaching, both as a volunteer and at a high-needs charter school in Washington, D.C., gave her a solid foundation for her current career.

Jordan and her team try to generate more interest in engineering and computer science in schools, especially in underprivileged communities, because the supply currently doesn’t meet the demand for those skills. Her team engages an army of volunteers, much like Matt’s.

“We create centralized resources, including presentations and guidelines for visiting classrooms and inspiring kids to pursue computer science, and a number of Community

Affairs volunteers utilize them,” she explains. “We also rely on Community Affairs to identify what is working at the local level, and funnel these organizations and schools through our programs and into our partner pipeline so that we can help build their organizational capacity and scale nationally.”

Jordan attended business school at Wharton but wanted to return to education. She remembers feeling inspired at Choate by the energy and passion of several of her teachers, including Charlie Holmes and Doug James in the English department. “At Choate I found an openness, an interest in discussing ideas all the time, not just in the classroom,” she recalls. Google, she says, attracts intelligent people who can think on the fly and adapt well to change: “I am constantly amazed by the caliber of people with whom I work. They are productive, passionate, and excited about what they are doing.”

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started at Google in late 2011 in the People Ops department (Human Resources), after working independently as a leadership development and executive coaching consultant with them for several years. She helps teams at Google figure out how to be as effective as possible in what they do, providing assessments and team coaching, often in strategic off-site sessions.

Caty believes that Choate definitely cultivates an innovative spirit in its students and says, “At Choate, you’re taught to be a leader and you’re taught to challenge the status quo.” She emphasizes the need for a place like Choate to cultivate the team-oriented mindset and help students feel comfortable in such a setting in order to be successful at a place like Google. “So much of the work we all do now is in groups and it’s such an important skill to be able to figure out how to make that a really effective model,” she adds.

Crediting her fellow employees as the most inspiring aspect of her job, Caty says, “I have a lot of respect for the mission and culture at Google. And the people are really bright, interesting, and motivated to develop and learn and grow.” There is constant movement and change at Google, Caty adds, which means “…you have to let go of any perfectionist tendencies you might have because there’s just not time to perfect things.” Yet it is also addicting, she continues, “I’m very drawn to the pace at Google and I like the innovative, entrepreneurial mindset and the intensity. Overall, it’s an environment that I find very exciting and inspiring.”

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H a n n a h G o l d i e M e st e l ’ 9 6 is also in the People Ops department at Google and was always drawn to the “human” side of the technology industry. She designed her own major as an undergrad at Stanford, studying human-computer interaction. After working at a few start-ups and doing some consulting, Hannah landed at Google in 2003. She was able to take a leave of absence from the company for two years as a Google Fellow to attend business school at Harvard and also spent a summer working for the head of HR at Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas.

About a year ago, Hannah became the Programs Manager for MBA and graduate programs. As she puts it, “We are building a pipeline for leadership talent.” Many business school graduates choose to go into finance and Hannah’s team does a lot of outreach to engage current graduate students and alumni, making sure they are aware that Google needs smart business minds as well as brilliant software engineers to help shape their products.

Reflecting on her years at Choate, Hannah says, “The ability to take risks and experiment was really supported at Choate.” She points out many similarities to the culture at Google, in that “everyone here has something to share and you are inspired by the people around you every day.” She continues, “I really feel like I know my colleagues at Google in a holistic way…you are never alone at Google. It’s not necessarily about results. It’s about investing for the future and building strong relationships.”

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S e t h S t e r n b e r g ’ 9 7 has been following his own ideas for a long time. He has only been at Google since this past June, when the company acquired his start-up, Meebo, and brought him on board. Seth, who went to Yale and attended Stanford Business School for a year, is enjoying Google’s intense culture. “It’s as fast-paced as a start-up,” he says. Seth Sternberg knew he had an entrepreneurial spirit, even from a very early age, and describes it this way: “If you can’t stop trying to start something, then you are an entrepreneur. I could never stop.”

Seth recognizes the diversity at Choate as a big advantage for students wanting to work at a place like Google and says, “Choate exposes you to a lot of students from all over the world. Having a diverse perspective and being able to put yourself in the shoes of someone else with a totally different background…that is a really big deal.” He also feels that flexibility is vital and thinks that teachers can foster that: “It’s important to be accepting of change and eager to learn new skills. That is teachable.”

In much the same way that Choate focuses on cultivating a spirit of innovation at School, Google does the same for its employees, providing plenty of opportunity

for continuing education and self-advancement. Says Seth: “Google is probably one of the best companies at enabling personal growth in a professional environment.” And just as Choate faculty members engage students and encourage them to think critically and independently, offering students opportunities to advance themselves, Google knows that giving people time, freedom, and space to think and grow is essential to its own success.

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N i c M a i s a n o ‘ 9 7 agrees and says, “Having happy and productive people in the long run matters and Google can afford, in the short run, to invest in that. It’s kind of an enlightened position that more and more people and companies are talking about now.”

In many ways, this strategy spurs innovation and improvement. Nic continues, “Being personally fulfilled is really important and having passion for what you want outside of your career is really important.”

Nic grew up in Hong Kong and attended Choate and then Columbia for his undergraduate degree. His background before Google was in business and management consulting and he is now a lead project manager for the company’s Global Search strategy. As a student at Choate, Nic remembers feeling somewhat humbled by his experience there, which was not necessarily a bad thing. “I think education should be learning how to unlearn as much as learning how to learn,” he says.

When asked about the culture at Google and how he has found his place in it, Nic brings up the concept of “Googliness,” which could be loosely defined as a combination of passion, intelligence, creativity, and humility.

Nic expands on this quality that the company looks for in all its employees, saying, “We absolutely emphasize hiring leaders…I want to know that somebody started something.

What are you passionate about? What do you really care about? Did you create something out of nothing?”

Google certainly does its part to nurture the interests and passions of its employees, but the individuals who work there also develop a deep connection to the company itself, a true recipe for innovation and success.

As author Poundstone notes, “More work gets done at those rare businesses where people care about the product, their superiors, and the company itself.” All of the Choate alumni at Google have thrived in its innovative environment.

They have been able to follow their passions to a place that is always open to and accepting of new ways of thinking and doing. One of Google’s mantras is: “Do cool things that matter.” These Choate alums are definitely doing just that – making an impact, helping to shape the future – and they are loving it.

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Entrepreneur Seth Sternberg ’97, former CEO and one of the Co-founders of Meebo, sold his business to Google in june.

Seth Sternberg knew he had an entrepreneurial spirit, even from a very early age: “If you can’t stop trying to start something, then you are an entrepreneur. I could never stop.”

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feature

Sarthak Agrawal ’13 takes photos for his Nature Photography class as part of the Environmental Immersion Program.

The Kohler Environmental Center: A Microcosm for Living and Learning

O n a c h i l l y f a l l morn i n g, fourteen students and their advisers in Choate’s Environmental Immersion Program pulled on rubber boots, picked up shovels and trudged along a path past a field of solar panels. Within minutes, they were i mme rs e d i n n a t u re . T h e earthy smell of dry leaves filled the a i r ; a re d - t a i l e d h a wk circled overhead; and the only sounds o f c ivi l i z a t i on we re t h e distant blasts of a train w histle.

Story and photography By Wendy Carlson

Far le ft Justin Chu ’13 has discovered a new passion for birding.

LEFT

Zach Berzolla ’14 would like to pursue his interest in environmental policy when he gets to college.

W h i l e sc i e n c e i n st r u ct o r J o s e p h Scanio guided the group through t h e w o o d s , the

rest of the Choate Rosemary Hall school community was settling into classrooms at the main campus located approximately a mile away. But Scanio and his students would spend the morning digging two-foot-deep holes in the earth and collecting soil samples in plastic bags. Later, in the center’s laboratory, the students would study the soil for nutrients, pH, and organic matter to determine factors that might explain the distributions of particular species in the surrounding 226 acres of forest, fields and wetland.

“This area was largely agricultural,” says Scanio. Over time, that’s changed. “One of the goals of field ecology is for students to reconstruct a land use history so that we can look at the influence of past use on current species composition,” he says.

Field excursions like these are part of the new interdisciplinary curriculum of the Environmental Immersion Program at the Kohler Environmental Center. The year-long residential academic program transports students from a traditional classroom setting to the great outdoors, while incorporating the surrounding ecosystems in the study of literature, ethics, economics, public policy, photography and environmental science.

As students collect samples, Scanio crouches over the freshly turned clump of dirt and picks up a small, yellow organism. “It’s a grub,” he says to the students who huddle around to peer at the beetle larva coiled in the palm of his hand.

Rich in seeds and insects, the pasture is a rich source of food for birds and wildlife.

“Maybe that’s why we sometimes call food ‘grub’,” interjects one student.

Ten minutes later, when the group had walked from the grassy field to an adjacent wetland, Scanio queries students about changes in the environment. “Can you smell the skunk cabbage?” he asks. In a ravine, the rusted remains of a farm truck, deep in muck and covered with brambles, is yet another clue to the land’s former use.

Along the way, Justin Chu, a sixth former from Los Angeles, paused momentarily to peer through a pair of binoculars at a bird flying overhead. “Birding has become my passion,” he says; he has been learning to identify bird species by their calls.

This sort of multi-sensory experience is important for students, says Scanio: “They need to use their senses when making observations in the field. Most students have not stood still in the forest and taken the time to look, listen, and smell.

They can also use touch to help identify plant species. We try to stay away from using taste for safety reasons, but many of them have not been in the woods much, or aren’t from areas where plants like skunk cabbage grow,” he says.

The group of fifth and sixth formers along with Scanio, his wife, Lena, and their son, Zev, 13; and English instructor Marybeth Duckett are pioneers in the first secondary school program of this kind in the country. They live, dine, attend classes and conduct research in the 31,800 squarefoot Kohler Environmental Center, which was completed in August with a multi-million dollar gift from Herbert Kohler ’57, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The Chairman and CEO of the Kohler Co., Kohler developed a reverence for nature growing up in Wisconsin, where he spent his youth canoeing and fishing in the wilderness.

He paved the way for the preservation of the land, financed the construction, and was the inspiration behind the program.

RIGH T Joe Scanio and students on a field excursion.

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A common beetle grub; one of more than 350,000 described species.

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Designed by Yale University School of Architecture Dean Robert A. M. Stern, the LEED Platinum certified center includes a greenhouse, laboratory, classrooms, kitchen and dining area, and residential quarters for students, faculty and guest educators.

Powered by a 294-kilowatt array of solar panels, the center also features numerous advanced environmental designs, including geothermal heating and cooling, passive solar design, and tubes that absorb solar energy and convert it into heat for use in water heating. But its underlying purpose, and Kohler’s intention, is for the center to serve as a model of green living. Students and faculty sign a “green social contract” to live sustainably by cultivating habits that help preserve natural resources.

To that end, the center itself looks vastly different from the Georgian Revival-style architecture typical of Choate’s main campus. Students, faculty and visitors traverse a wooden footbridge built over a wetland ravine when traveling from the center’s parking area, then walk through a field of mixed grasses before reaching the center’s courtyard, which connects the research, living and classroom areas. Inside, the hallways are lined with maple, salvaged from sugar maple farms in Vermont.

Bathrooms are equipped with low-flow Kohler plumbing fixtures to conserve water, including the “Choate” shower head specifically engineered for the center. Locally sourced stone was used as veneer on parts of the exterior, and some furniture was fashioned out of reclaimed materials like tree stumps. The walkways were paved with reclaimed asphalt and lined with LED motion sensor lighting to limit energy consumption.

Living here is a different experience from campus life as well, says Marybeth Duckett, an English instructor who teaches “Literature and the Landscape.”

“I lived in a dormitory for two years before this, and I really liked the kids there. This is just, to put it simply, something different. We eat meals together; we see each other during class every day; we exist in the same space for the majority of our time. Dinner conversations flow over from class and breakfast usually involves conversations about last night's homework. Along the same lines, kids bring food into the classroom. Every part of our lives is integrated into the next. And almost every part is shared,” she says.

T O P Jonathan Wu ’14 heads to class.

M IDD L E From left, Courtney Pal ’14, Jack

Murren ’13, Jonathan Wu ’14 and Cassia Patel ’13 like the relaxed classroom atmosphere at the KEC where dress code is not required.

BO T T O M

Amy Foster, head of the history, philosophy, religion and social sciences department, teaches a course in Environmental Ethics.

Chef Janusz, the Center’s main chef, uses local ingredients in all of the dishes he prepares for students and faculty members in residence at the KEC.

Marybeth Duckett teaches a course in Literature and the Landscape. She says, “As settlers and writers were struck by the vastness of the landscape in America, interaction with nature and the environment became integral to their stories.”

For that reason, faculty looked for a variety of qualities when selecting the 14 students from among the more than 60 applicants for this year’s program.

“We wanted a group who brought individual strengths to the program. Given that it is interdisciplinary in nature we wanted people who were strong in science, literature, social science, history, and so forth so that we could all learn from each other. We also wanted people who could work together and live in a close community setting,” says Scanio.

Students compost their food scraps, experiment with growing plants in the extensive greenhouse that is heated with recycled cooking oil, and constantly track their energy use to assure that the building doesn’t use more energy than it produces through the solar panels and other features. The goal is to be energy net-zero by the year’s end.

“We also are working to incorporate as much local and organic food into our diet as possible,” says Scanio. “We minimize our waste by using our leftovers in subsequent meals. While we

do use good ingredients, the skills of Chef Janusz, the Center’s main chef, are key to the excellent dining experience. We also purchased all of our dishes in a second hand store, we use cloth napkins, and we weigh and compost our food waste daily.

The students are about to help build a three-bin compost system so that we can mix the fallen leaves from around the center with our food waste. This organic material will be used to enrich our garden plots in the spring. We also have recycling bins for plastic, metal, glass, cardboard and paper.” he adds.

A wall-mounted video screen near one of the building’s classrooms allows instant access to how much energy is being produced and how much is being used. The greenhouse, which has a cistern for collecting rainwater, also serves the entire Choate Rosemary Hall community for biology, AP environmental science, and science research project classes as well as for independent study projects.

“We expect that students who participate in the program will have some interest in the environment before they apply, since it is a common theme in all of the courses, but it has been exciting

to watch the current group of students develop an even greater appreciation for the natural world over the past term,” adds Scanio. He notes that students still participate in sports and take courses on the main campus (students use a mini-bus powered by biodiesel fuel to get to main campus), yet the program is a more intense experience than living in a normal dorm. Students also pursue kayaking, hiking and farming at the center.

“We interact with the students for most of every day,” he says. “In addition, we have weekly community meetings in which we discuss the rules that we wish to live by and how to meet our sustainability goals.”

Students and faculty do projects together and cook occasional meals together, working as an intentional community.

“I wasn’t sure at first whether I’d like it,” says Justin Chu. But, after several months, the center now feels like home, he says, and the community is like a family. He decided to apply to the program toward the end of his junior year when he started spending time outdoors shooting nature photography for a biology project.

“Last year, I went out nearly every day with my roommate’s Rebel t3i and shot hundreds of pictures of wildlife,” Justin says. “There was something about walking around with a camera and chasing birds and bees that swept away all the meddling details of everyday Choate life, and life as a teenager in general. After realizing this new passion for nature photography, I became interested in the program because of its immediate proximity to New England wildlife habitat.

“I dreamed about taking one step outdoors and finding myself in the wonders of New England wilderness, and I pretty much can do that here at the center. By that time, I also knew that I wanted to go into some section of biological sciences, and getting an early start on it was added bonus.” Justin plans to attend college in Great Britain.

Like Justin, Courtney Pal, a fifth former from New Canaan, Conn., also was interested in the program because it offered her the opportunity to study nature closely. “I've always loved spending time outdoors, and I often didn't have time to do so with my busy schedule on main campus,” she says.

a b o v e The KEC has given students a new focus that encourages a heightened awareness and appreciation for nature.

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“We believe that these students, by living in community with daily focus on their environment through the sciences and the arts, will develop a leadership capacity, and that over generations they will bring substantial influence to the way others treat this planet.”

“The program allows me not only to study the natural world in classes like ecology and biology, but also to spend time outdoors in classes like nature photography and on field trips, like on our recent trip to the Harvard Forest” in Petersham, Mass.

And living close to nature often brings unexpected rewards: the sound of a chorus of crickets in summer, a glimpse of a great-horned owl, the beauty of the night sky.

“We find some pretty cool animals when we're doing ecology experiments, and there's always time to pause and study them,” says Courtney. “So far, we've found a turtle, a camouflaging caterpillar, brightly-colored spider, and a red-tailed hawk just sitting on a tree branch not even 10 feet away from us. These little discoveries are clearly not part of the curriculum, but they're all super exciting and a great opportunity to learn more about the ecosystem in which we live.”

While biology and environmental science classes readily make use of the surrounding natural resources, courses in literature, social sciences, economics and nature photography incorporate environmental themes. An ethics class includes topics such as religion and nature, and its relation to the rise of environmental activism. This interdisciplinary approach attracted students like Zach Berzolla, a fifth former from Greenwich, Conn., who is a member of Choate’s Students Against Climate Change. “Environmental policy is one of the fields that I want to get into in college,” he says, “and without the program I’d never have the opportunity to study ecology, along with ethics, economics and literature.”

Weaving the natural world to literature was surprisingly easy, according to Marybeth Duckett: “This is an area of academic interest at the

– Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57 moment, and the scene of secondary literature on the subject is exploding. As settlers and writers were struck by the vastness of the landscape in America, interactions with nature and the environment became integral to their stories. More specifically, students are very much in touch with the world around them. The land manifests itself in their writing in new ways every week.”

Their trips outdoors have the greatest impact on their descriptive writing, she says. “We use elements of the landscape as fodder for these descriptions, and then use these descriptions as a point of departure for arguments about our relationship with the natural world. Some students have proposed trying to replicate bits of Thoreau's experience in nature.”

Much like Walden Pond, the center is a microcosm, providing students with a contemplative place that encourages a heightened awareness and knowledge of nature. “Even though we're only 10 minutes away from bustling suburbia, here I feel we’re in the middle of the woods,” says Courtney.

Students not only develop a greater respect for the land under their feet, but the sky above as well.

The center’s lighting system was designed to minimize light pollution, “So you can see an incredible number of stars on a clear evening,” says Courtney. “It’s just spectacular, and that is something I never noticed on campus – or even at home.”

Wendy Carlson is a Connecticut-based writer and photographer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Town and Country, Yankee magazine and other publications.

She lives in New Milford.

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Alumni Association News The Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association's mission is to create, perpetuate, and enhance relationships among Choate Rosemary Hall alumni, current and prospective students, faculty, staff and friends in order to foster loyalty, interest and support for the School and for one another, and to build pride, spirit and community.

OFFICERS Chris Hodgson ’78 President chodgson@durantnic.com

Leigh Dingwall ’84 Faculty Representative ldingwall@choate.edu STANDING COMMITTEES Admission Colm Rafferty ’94 Admission Chair Colm_Rafferty@hotmail.com

Patrick McCurdy ’98 Vice President pmccurdy@merlinsecurities.com Ed McCormick ’78 Vice President edward.mccormick@ubs.com

Alumni Programming Ed Keating ’83 Campus Programming Chair keating_ed@hotmail.com

Susan Barclay ’85 Nominating/Prize Chair sbarclay@ric.org

Santiago Caraballo ’95 Campus Programming Vice Chair sdcaraballo@yahoo.com

Chris Vlasto ’84 Annual Fund Co-Chair chris.j.vlasto@abc.com

Regional Programming Seth Hoyt ’61 Regional Programming Chair hoytse@gmail.com

David Hang ’94 Annual Fund Co-Chair davidrandallhang@yahoo.com

Communications Jeein Ha ’00 Communications Chair jeeinha@gmail.com

ADDITIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Dan Courcey ’86 Executive Director of Development dcourcey@choate.edu

Michele Judd Ritter ’98 Communications Vice-Chair m.h.judd@gmail.com

Geoff Liggett Director of Development gliggett@choate.edu

Student Relations Gian-Carlo Peressutti ’91 Student Relations Chair gian-carlo.peressutti@rrd.com

Monica St. James Director of Alumni Relations mstjames@choate.edu

Mike Furgueson ’80 Student Relations Vice Chair mgfurgueson@yahoo.com

A LU M NI club s W RAP- U P The Alumni Association has been busy!

This summer the Alumni Club of London sponsored a brunch attended

by Headmaster Alex Curtis during the London Olympics; the New York Alumni Club won the honors for best dressed at the Harriman Cup Polo Match for the third year; the Alumni Club of Boston cheered the Red Sox at Fenway Park while the Alumni Club of D.C., celebrated with the Division leading Nationals. The Alumni Club of San Francisco toured the Bay on the Rocket Boat and then gathered for lunch at Neptune’s. The Rosemary Club sponsored a program on girls’ education at the Colony Club with faculty members Leigh Dingwall ’84 and Fran O’Donoghue. An animated discussion followed the presentation proving that the Alumni Association continues the School’s mission to provide intellectually stimulating experiences. And at long last, the Association launched the Alumni Club of Connecticut at the New Haven Country Club with 82 alumni in attendance spanning 67 years of graduates.

A LU M NI ON CA M P U S On campus, alumna Jeein Ha ’00 started the 2012-2013 school year with a great Matriculation speech in which she encouraged students to discover their passions and make lifelong connections during their years at Choate. During Deerfield Day Weekend, 31 athletes were inducted into the Hall of Fame at a dinner in the dining hall. For the inductees, though, the highlight of the evening may have been standing on the steps of Hill House and being cheered like rock stars by an energized student body. The evening was followed by one of the most successful Deerfield Days, with all varsity level sports posting wins and a fantastic Livestream video that brought Choate’s signature fall event to alumni and parents across the country and the globe.

A LU M NI ASSO CIAT ION E X E CU T IVE CO M M I TT EE At its fall meeting, the Alumni Association Executive Committee reinforced its commitment to energize Choate’s career networking and mentoring efforts by taking advantage of the power of LinkedIn and other social media to help alumni leverage their Choate connections. To that end, a Young Alumni Task Force is being put in place that will develop and plan meaningful events that meet the needs of our newest graduates. The Task Force will also have a role in identifying Class Agents and the next generation of alumni leadership. The Task Force will meet on campus in February for an intensive weekend of work and planning. Look for more information about their efforts in the spring.

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1 1 S a n F r a n c i sc o R o ck e t B o at Families from the Alumni Club of San Francisco enjoyed a real rock ‘n’ roll ride and great views of the harbor on the October 13 Rocket Boat Tour.

2 2 Alu m n i S o cc e r The 14th Annual Alumni Soccer game was held September 15 on the North Maguire pitch hosted by former Varsity head soccer coach Watson “Chip” Lowery. Alumni from 1980 through 2008 got in their kicks and reconnected with friends at the barbecue lunch.

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Front row, from left, Alicia Forrey ’00; Kate Aquila ’92; and Penny Heald Whitehouse-Vaux ’67. Second Row, from left, Harrison Lapides ’16; English Department faculty member Sarah Kate Neall; Sabrina Jiang ’11; Vicky Luh ’11; Harriet McGann ’87; Debbie Kostin Weinstein ’91; Bob Gould ’63; Scott Coby ’97; and Headmaster Alex Curtis. Back row, from left, Jack Winkler ’55; Philip Crean ’11; Andrew Flint ’63; Peter Madouros ’02.

3 H a r r i m a n C u p P o l o M atc h o n L o n g Isl a n d In September, Max Sinsteden ’05 and Ben Broderick ’05 hosted the tailgate which was the top contender for Best Tailgate 2012. From left, Meredith Mosbacher ’07, Sacha Wagle ’05, Christian Tookes ’05, Ben Broderick ’05, Max Sinsteden ’05, Ali Weiner ’07, Morgan Eifler ’05, Dane Evans ’05, Case Carpenter ’06, David Victor-Smith ’05. Front row: David Bloys ’05 and Ann Marshall ’05.

5 1 Alu m n i C lu b o f C o n n e ct i c u t L a u n c h

4 C o l o n y C lu b The Rosemary Hall Club hosted a special

Eighty-two alumni and guests helped the Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association launch its newest regional club serving alumni in Connecticut on September 20 at the New Haven Country Club.

reception that drew 67 alumni and parents and featured faculty members Leigh Dingwall ’84 and Fran O’Donoghue discussing the topic “Transforming Girls into Women: Education in the 21st Century.”

2 Alu m n i C lu b o f L o n d o n More than 40 alumni, family and friends of the School attended a brunch at the Royal Automobile Club in London on July 29, including Headmaster Alex Curtis, his wife Beth Fecko-Curtis, and their sons. It was a wonderful opportunity for our extended Choate family overseas to connect with each other. The event was hosted at the Pall Mall location of the RAC by the Alumni Club of London, which is co-chaired by Alicia Forrey ’00 and Kate Aquila ’92.

5 N e w Yo r k V i n t n e r s On October 25, the Alumni Club of New York hosted its third annual wine tasting at lower Manhattan’s posh New York Vintners. Guests in attendance sampled hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and a selection of fine wines from the USA, Italy, Portugal, Australia and Argentina.

Stay connected to Choate and fellow alumni using Social Media ________________________________________________________________________________

Use Choate’s LinkedIn group to connect with

Like the Alumni Association Facebook and Bulletin pages. Stay in touch with

alumni in your profession

friends and find out when alumni events are happening in your area.

we y da d iel f er e d

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Athletics Hall Of Fame H ea d m ast e r Ale x Cu r t is intr oduce d the 2012 Indu ct ees to t he H a ll o f Fa m e celebrating the accomplishments of four

individuals and two teams, covering baseball, sailing, volleyball, tennis and squash.

We marked a century of Choate alumni in the sport of professional baseball by honoring two major league baseball players: Alexander Burr, Class of 1913, who played for the New York Yankees; and Christopher Denorfia, Class of 1998 who currently plays for the San Diego Padres.

We honored Rosemary Hall alumna Elizabeth Weed Foulk, Class of 1955, who was named Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year in 1967, which is perhaps the most prestigious sailing distinction in the nation.

We saluted Choate Rosemary Hall’s first New England champion girls volleyball team, the undefeated squad of 1998. Coached

by Gary Dormandy, this team began what can only be described as a virtual dynasty of prep school volleyball.

The sport of tennis was among the first played by students at The Choate School and Rosemary Hall, and we recognized the stellar Choate School tennis teams of 1967 and 1968. Coached by John Foster, these teams not only dominated peer prep schools but also several college freshman teams, Yale among them.

Finally, we honored one of the true giants of the Choate School, Gordon Stillman. Legendary squash coach, tennis coach, history teacher, and assistant headmaster, Gordon Stillman went on to serve as the Headmaster of Riverdale Country Day School until his retirement in 1984. His family was in attendance for this tribute.

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1 Thirty-one athletes were inducted into the 2012 Choate Rosemary Hall Athletics Hall of Fame.

3 Plaques honoring baseball player Alexander Burr, Class of 1913 and

2 Members of Assistant Headmaster Gordon Stillman’s family were

4 Inductee Chris Denorfia ’98, outfielder for the San Diego Padres,

on hand for his posthumous induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame.

From left, Alfred Stillman, Fred Stillman, Anne Stillman Nordeman, Peter Stillman, and Waddell Stillman

with his former varsity baseball coaches Doug James, left, and Tom Yankus ’52, right.

legendary squash coach Gordon Stillman.

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Calendar of Events Alumni Events through June 2013 december __________________________

12/6 | Holiday Party, The Doubles Club, NYC 12/13 | Holiday Party, The Annenberg Community Beach House, LA

January 2013 ______________________ Celebrate Winterfest! Shake off the winter doldrums by joining fellow alumni at our new Winterfest events! These informal, fun gatherings are the perfect way to avoid post-holiday blues.

Post your photos to Instagram at #gochoate and Facebook!

Choate vs.

Deerfield Live Stream!

For the second year in a row, Choate offered live stream coverage of our athletic contests during Deerfield Day. Virtual alumni gatherings were held in nine domestic locations and in London, England where parents and alumni were able to watch Choate Varsity Volleyball and Choate Varsity Football sweep Deerfield, 3-1 and 47-34 respectively.

Viewers were treated to Michael Lavigne’s (’03) play-by-play commentary of the games and guest color commentary from Alex Curtis, Headmaster.

1/10 | Winterfest, The Metropolitan Club - DC

1/24 | Winterfest, The Graduate Club - CT

1/31 | Winterfest, Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks – Boston

TBD | Winterfest, SF

February___________________________

2/6 | Zack Goodyear and political science students, annual DC trip

2/7 | Happy Hour, Pranna, NYC

2/26 | Annual Fund Real Estate Panel and Networking Gathering, NYC

March_____________________________

3/8 | The PGA Cadillac Championship, The Trump Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami l e ft Deerfield Day Virtual New York City Tailgate at Lido’s Deck at 3 Sheets Saloon.

April______________________________

TBA | Annual Brunch, LA 4/12 | Sixth Form Transition Dinner, Campus

May________________________________ 5/17–5/19 | Reunion Weekend, Campus

June_______________________________

r i g h t Deerfield Day Virtual Denver Tailgate at Choppers.

l e ft Deerfield Day Virtual D.C. Tailgate at Whitlow’s on Wilson, Clarendon, VA.

6/2 | Commencement, Campus

May 17–19, 2013 for more info visit www. c h o at e . e d u /a lu m n i

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Choa e summer

Rosemary Hall

a winning combination and are part of the equation

you

Choose from our five-week Academic Enrichment Program for high school and middle schools students, or our four- and two-week Signature Programs.

NEW FOR 2013! The Kohler Environmental Center Summer Institute, This four-week residential program takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the environment, stewardship of the land and social responsibility.

Students engage in ecological studies as well as work in the Center’s gardens.

Choate Volunteer Corps Immersive collaborative seminars on service learning are followed by a week of hands-on experience in the Northeast, on a Native American reservation in South Dakota, or at the Sonrise School in Rwanda.

The John F. Kennedy ’35 Institute in Government This intensive five-week program in U.S. government and politics includes a five-day trip to Washington, D.C. where students meet with government officials.

Study Abroad Our five-week and four-week study programs in China, France, Jordan or Spain are led by experienced Choate faculty members. They include family home stays, language immersion, and visits to historic landmarks.

June 23–July 26, 2013 learn more and apply online at: www.choate.edu/summer

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Class Notes p r o f i l e s

Artwear | The Brooklynite Duo Behind “Electrolites”

By Tochi Onyebuchi ’05

Matt Paul

’04

( top left) Doug Berman

’05

( top right)

Tochi Onyebuchi ’05 graduated New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a master of fine arts in dramatic writing.

He is now a first year student at Columbia Law School.

On Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, restaurants and cafes are anchored to their corners like watchmen at their posts. Here, bike lanes are ubiquitous. On my way to North 4th Street, I count six different languages, only half of which I recognize. Under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, an island of skaters wearing trucker hats and baseball tees build makeshift ramps out of the expressway supports. People come here to make things.

Doug Berman ’05 and Matt Paul ’04, the duo behind Electrolites Footwear, came here to make shoes.

Contemporaries at Choate, then at Brown, they hatched their idea at school as something of a joke. “Light-up shoes for adults,” Matt says, chuckling.

It was a half-formed idea late at night that, the following morning, started to fill itself out. “Sneakers are something we can actually do,” says Matt, who saw the project as a way to gain entrepreneurial experience. Doug, who quickly took charge of the design aspect, noted the resources available to them. Not only had they spent multiple summers in New York, that destination city for many of their classmates both from college and from Choate, but at Brown they’d witnessed firsthand the work of inspiring young artists at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design.

These artists, however, had no idea how to monetize their product. They could create art, but what could they do with it afterward? Sneakers are a wearable commodity that can be personalized, a blank canvas for inventive artists, the perfect marriage between street art and fine art.

Artists have averaged new designs every two months, allowing the Choate duo two production runs in four years. A big break came when the Brooklynite duo had their wares featured in one of Japan’s biggest streetwear shops, “Fake Tokyo” in Shibuya.

“We flew first-class,” Doug recalls with a grin. “They had these chairs that recline into beds that swivel into desks, and we had this two hour-long, intense meetings. Then for the rest of the flight, we had a blast with the chairs.” But challenges dogged them early on.

They had worked on the project all during their senior college year with an entrepreneurial course professor, and ended up funding the entire project themselves. “We bought a few sneaker magazines,” Doug confesses, but outside of an artist they knew who was well acquainted with sneaker culture, their research was minimal. “It was the worst decision for my wallet,” Matt claims.

An early trip to China to meet with their sourcing agent ended with the two dropping that manufacturer, setting them back an entire year.

But self-sufficiency is highly prized in these quarters. “It’s not like we owe money or are paying a debt,” says Matt. “We can’t blame anyone else.” This philosophy is far-reaching.

Matt, currently a third year student at Fordham Law, was taking a course in trademarks while filing for the international trademarks that Electrolites Footwear now owns. After classes, he would show drafts of artist contracts to his contracts professor for feedback.

The two relish their independence.

“This is something that’s entirely yours,” Doug says. “You see direct results.”

Matt’s vision for the business is to expand laterally into new wares, while Doug hopes to bring more artists on their roster. Now, with the buzz they’ve built, artists have begun approaching them.

“There’s a lot of potential,” Matt says, “at the ground level.”

All around Doug are boxes filled with different Electrolites designs. The sneaker exteriors are cherry-red with a striped pattern on the inside lip. “We did a limited run for the Cincinnati Reds,” he beams. “It started out as our Valentine’s Day pair.” To hear him tell it, it was a simple serendipitous leap from designing a random novelty line to running a whole Cincinnati Reds Collection; each pair hand-dyed and painted with numbers embroidered for each player. continued on p. 52

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Photo: Courtesy of

A . R o b e r t H i r sc h f e l d

’79

A Shepherd's Duty

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald ‘87

G. Jeffrey MacDonald ’87 is a journalist, ordained minister and author of Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul (Basic Books, 2010). He lives in Massachusetts.

CONCORD, N.H. The atmosphere was duly festive on the hot afternoon last August when the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld ’79 became New Hampshire’s 10th Episcopal Bishop. But not everyone felt like celebrating.

Ken Samonds of Amherst, Mass. sat alone on the perimeter of the raucous chatting that followed an elaborate, two-hour ceremony at the Capitol Center for the Arts. He was losing his pastor, and it hurt to say goodbye.

For the past 11 years, Rob has been preaching, baptizing, teaching and eulogizing at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, where he was rector. In the oldfashioned tradition of making pastoral house calls, he routinely visited the Samonds’ home. There, Ken’s wife Carolyn, immobilized by lung disease, listened carefully to his prayers and received Holy Communion from his hands.

“He is just a loving friend,” Samonds said, trying not to tear up. “I had assumed that Rob was going to preside at my burial… It’s hard to share him.”

A newly minted bishop at age 51, Rob finds himself responsible for a flock 20 times larger than the one he shepherded in Amherst. Come January, he’ll oversee the 47 parishes and 10,000 members who comprise the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. He’ll also follow in the footsteps of one of the world’s bestknown and most controversial bishops, the Rev. Gene Robinson, who rocked the 77-million-member Anglican Communion in 2003 when he became its first openly gay bishop. Until January, Rob will serve as Bishop Coadjutor and learn the ropes alongside Robinson.

Rob has paired with veteran bishops, who are coaching him, through the church’s College of Bishops, to spot and troubleshoot urgent needs before they fester. He’ll be expected to excel as an administrative superstar, a chief executive and deft politician, all in one. He’ll inevitably be compared to his groundbreaking and locally admired predecessor, who’s frequently described as “courageous” and “history-making.”

"He’s a scripturequoting agitator for social change, both in church matters and public policy."

Yet even as Rob prepared to don his cope (bishop’s cape) and mitre (head-dress) for the first time, he focused on a different symbol: the crosier (staff shaped like a shepherd’s crook). Receiving the crosier on stage would represent his calling as a shepherd, his commission to mind the flock under his care.

“I won’t be in as much demand as Bishop Robinson has been as a national figure,” Rob said in an interview at the diocesan headquarters. “My role will be to be the pastor of this diocese… it will be to see and hear how God’s mission – to restore and heal and reconcile the world to God’s self – is already being done. And then to ask, ‘how do we sign on to that?’”

At this juncture, New Hampshire’s Episcopal churches need a shepherd’s encouragement, creativity and vision. They watched average Sunday attendance plunge 20 percent from 2000 to 2010. Over the same period, New Hampshire emerged as the least religious state in the union (tied with Vermont). Only 23 percent of state residents are “very religious,” according to a Gallup poll. Tough choices could lie ahead for the state’s Episcopal parishes, which might in some cases need to cut staff or revamp ministries if trends continue.

Rob seems built for conversations on weighty topics from the meaning of life to the inevitability of death. Although quick to see ironies and enjoy a good laugh, he has long had a serious side, going at least as far back as his days at Choate.

As a senior in Quantrell House, he was a “thoughtful” student prone to pensiveness, according to David Webb, his dorm adviser. While studying hard with a goal of getting into Dartmouth, Rob knocked on the Webbs’ door one evening; he and his wife, Barbara, were rocking out to Jackson Browne at the time.

“He’s the only boy in our four decades of advising students who ever knocked on our door and asked us to turn the music down,” David Webb recalled after attending Rob’s consecration. “There were periods of deep, deep thoughtfulness. Those would be the closest thing we saw to the seed of his spiritual calling.”

An early marriage ended in divorce, which led Rob to question his vocation, too. He left seminary to try his hand at banking, but “it just wasn’t for him,” David Webb recalled. The Webbs introduced

him to a former Choate teacher, Polly Ingraham, who had followed a passion for teaching underprivileged teenagers and adults. Before long they were married, and he was back in seminary, en route to a ministry that reflects appreciation for how life doesn’t always go as planned.

“Now when I meet people,” Rob said, “I’m interested in the false starts, in the changes of course.”

These days, Rob is at ease with being different, even among his new peers. For example, most of his fellow bishops don’t ride motorcycles. He plans to serve communion on his bike next July in Laconia, when some 10,000 bikers converge for Bike Week.

He’s a scripture-quoting agitator for social change, both in church matters and public policy.

Episcopalians nationwide know him as the priest behind the “marriage fast,” whereby Grace Episcopal refused to host any weddings as long as the Episcopal Church would not allow for same-sex blessings. (This summer, the church’s General Convention authorized a rite for same-sex blessings, which priests may use if their bishops approve it). He’s also outspoken on the need to slow global warming and close military prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

For now, Rob is planning to do more listening than activism as he gets to know a culture far removed from those of the college towns he’s served thus far in Amherst, New Haven and Storrs (Conn.).

That will mean lots of hours on New Hampshire’s windy back roads, attending potluck dinners in his honor and hearing what keeps the faithful up at night.

Much hangs on this unorthodox churchman’s ability to help the faithful connect with an increasingly secular culture. If past is prelude, he’ll at least get people thinking. He’s influenced the likes of Sara (Say White) Lennon, a former Choate teacher whose family vacationed near Rob’s in Vermont for years.

“I’ve always appreciated literature as the way to answer the big questions, and Rob partly looks at the Bible as literature,” Lennon says. “He’ll always bring in stories and allusions from the Bible, so I’ll say ‘Wow, I need to read that, it sounds really interesting.’

[Because of Rob’s approach], I’m certainly more open to religion as sort of a way to make sense of the everyday.”

top le ft Rev. Hirschfeld, assisted by Bishop Robinson, celebrates the Eucharist at his consecration top r ight From left, Choate former faculty Becky and Marshall Moore, Polly Ingraham (Rob’s wife), Say White, Jere Packard, and Barbara and David Webb at the August consecration of Rob Hirschfeld ’79 as the 10th Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire.

S ta n S ava g e

’92

Scanning the Horizon from Gilmore Island

By Kevin Mardesich ’87

P h o t o s : C o u r t e sy o f A . F. G i lm o r e C o mpa n y

A Los Angeles oasis lies hidden to the Kevin Mardesich ’87 teaches Writing for Marketing and Story Development for Film at UCLA Extension. He also runs KevinMardesich.com, a communications practice.

south of CBS television studios , to the west of The Grove’s shopping mall, and to the north of the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax; here, nestled behind tall lush landscaping and dry rancho walls, sits the beautifully-maintained 1852 historic Gilmore Adobe.

This adobe was once at the center of the Gilmore family’s dairy ranch. One day in 1900, Stan Savage’s (Class of 1992) great-great grandfather Arthur Fremont Gilmore drilled into the grounds’ parched soil to build a well.

Instead … up flowed what? Oil! After a twodecade run, the vast majority of the wells were capped and the company turned to buying crude oil and refining it at its refinery in Vernon. They then shipped it to their network of stations up and down the West Coast, which topped-out at about 3,500 at its peak.

The historic adobe is, in many ways, the heart of “Gilmore Island” – their real estate holdings that grew out of the 256-acre ranch.

Today, Stan Savage’s business-development office sits in the adobe, where he scans the horizon for future opportunities beyond his family’s core competencies in real estate, development, banking, and to a lesser degree, oil.

The historic adobe is also home to Choate’s “L.A. community” each spring, when Stan generously hosts the School’s annual Sunday Brunch. Choate’s Angeleno alumni and friends follow the School’s gold-and-blue balloons down the same path that Arthur Fremont Gilmore once strode. They pass what could be his 19th century wheelbarrow and the houses’ freshlypainted wood-framed windows underneath redtiled roofs. The guests reach the adobe’s grassy courtyard surrounded by palm trees and lush vegetation, relaxing into their round tables and conversations. They sip mimosas, unwinding in this oasis from a long work-week and that longer stretch called “L.A.”

As sixth-generation Horgan and McDonough families from nearby Hauser Blvd. (the Hausers were also part of the Gilmore family) can attest, L.A.’s rich history resides in its oil industry as well as the sense of community that respected families like the Gilmores have nurtured for future generations. The preserved adobe is one such example; the Gilmores’ low-profile donations to the Salvation Army is another; but their greatest gift is the market they built that millions of locals and tourists have enjoyed for 78 years.

The Original Farmers Market was born in 1934 just down the way from the adobe, on the corner of 3rd and Fairfax. Here, Southern California farmers happily supplied fresh produce to Miracle Mile and Beverly Hills housewives.

While the Farmers Market is two years shy of being an octogenarian, it seems like not a day has gone by – not even 9/11 – when the market hasn’t touched someone. The Gilmores have cultivated a historical and cultural icon. The market has constantly contributed to the city’s well-being, according to Mayor Villaraigosa's article in the Larchmont Chronicle special issue, which celebrated the market’s 75th anniversary.

While the Gilmore Company owns both the Farmers Market as well as the “dirt” under the adjoining Grove mall, they sold Gilmore Stadium (the site of championship boxing) to CBS in the 1950s. But it is the charm and

p r o f il e s

community of the market that endures beyond boxing stars and reality-TV wars. The market is where everyone feels at ease in its old-fashioned comfortable stalls, shopping and eating there as they have done for 78 years.

Trolling the stalls today, one might find five-time Oscar-nominated writer-director Paul Mazursky sipping coffee in front of Bob’s Coffee and Doughnuts with its enormous doughnutand-coffee placard. A few stalls over at Magee’s Kitchen, “foodies” clamor for a delectable corned-beef sandwich, the same kind that proprietor Phyllis’s mother-in-law sold to farmers hawking oranges from the back of their trucks almost 80 years ago.

As the market grew and built permanent venues, the old-L.A. families referenced above, the Horgans and McDonoughs, bought their meat from Marconda’s fine cuts, established in 1941 and still going strong today. Meanwhile, in the market’s east patio, Huntington Meats supplies L.A. restaurateur Nancy Silverton, who recently opened two stalls, Short Cake bakery and Short Order restaurant.

Perhaps the best example of community, though, occurred on 9/11 – when the market stayed open. L.A. residents flocked there to worry and eat, allaying fears with affordable meals that nourished them, amongst friends they trusted and knew. Today, patina marks the same tables in the communal eating areas. Stan admires their character. He buys his coffee and lunch at the stalls, too, practicing the lesson that one should treat your tenants right when they bring their A-game every single day. As the daily crowds attest, the "A" grades are not only from the Health Inspector.

Stan developed his business skills by putting in several years at top executiveeducation programs. He graduated from the prestigious 74-year-old Pacific Coast Banking School, which partners with the Graduate Business School at The University of Washington. He also graduated from Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. But Stan wasn’t always gifted at accounting; he admits math was a struggle when he was young, even at Choate. After going back to school as an adult, though, he found the perspective that he needed. Today, balance sheets and 5-year business plans have grown to be his passion.

The big picture has always been part of Stan’s game. In his office, a display case presents an old, fraying, boxing speed-bag. It looks like it trained Gilmore Stadium’s champions. The memorabilia reminds Stan of his present-day sparring sessions at a local gym. This athletic intensity was founded at Choate, whose hat is also proudly displayed. Reflecting on his three years at the School, Stan says it laid the foundation for brotherhood and athletic discipline. He

32 | 33

served as a dorm prefect when his brother was a third former. Stan rowed for Choate’s competitive crew team, was named captain, and won a Head of the Charles race. This feat helped launch Stan into The University of Wisconsin’s highly-ranked Division 1 crew program. Stan was on the water (the university’s boathouse even has indoor tanks for winter) often at 5:30 a.m. six days per week. Stan humbly jokes he made “third boat at best.” Midwest farm boys and future Olympians won the big races. But Stan saw the big picture.

He had followed his “big brothers” from Choate to the university’s rowing program; Rod Wagner, Choate Class of 1991, rewarded Stan with a far-better prize – the introduction to his wife, Pippa. Today, Stan and Pippa make their home not far from the Farmers Market. One wonders if Arthur Fremont Gilmore is smiling down on them, enjoying an orange from long ago.

Little did Stan’s great-great-grandfather know when he struck oil that day in 1900 that one day a sense of community would flow from his dry rancho, the Gilmore Adobe, into the Farmers Market, and through millions of locals and tourists.

Stan hopes you will join the Choate community for brunch next Spring at the Adobe, where you too can wander down its path to a bygone era and into an oasis of friendship. _______________________________________ To be added to Choate Alumni Office’s Gilmore Adobe Spring Brunch invitation list, please contact: alumnirelations@choate.edu.

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Carter Wilding-White

’97

Real Goods Solar

By Henry McNulty ’65

Carter Wilding-White ’97 faced a somewhat delicate moment three years ago when his company, Colorado-based Real Goods Solar, sold a large solar power system to a boarding school in northern Massachusetts. The school was Choate Rosemary Hall’s archrival, Deerfield Academy.

“That was an amusing situation,” he says. “We had several conversations along the way, and several of the people I was working with were Deerfield alumni. I naturally had to tell them that I was a Choate alum.” In the end, all went well; after any inter-school awkwardness passed, the system was installed to Deerfield’s satisfaction.

And then, in 2011, Carter, Real Goods’ Vice President of Operations, found himself in Wallingford, working on the thousand-panel solar energy system now connected to Choate’s landmark Kohler Environmental Center.

The project, it turned out, was not only satisfying professionally, but personally. “I’m beyond thrilled to see that not only has Choate invested in a solar array, but that it extremely outsizes that of Deerfield,” he says. “You may detect a small hint of pride in that!”

On a sunny day, “the panels produce far more power than [the KEC] needs, and they send it back to the [interconnected electricity network] grid,” Carter explains. “So during the day, the Center’s electricity meter is spinning backward. At night, they’ll turn the lights on, and the meter will spin forward. The goal is that at the end of a certain period of time – a day, a week, a month – it balances out.”

In the KEC, “they’re actively monitoring their energy usage everywhere: every outlet, every light, all their heating and cooling. Everything is being monitored against the production of the solar panels. So the reliability of the photovoltaic array is critical to this whole system.”

After Choate, Carter earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell, then worked for International Paper Corp. as a project manager. He started in 2003 with the solar power company that, after some name changes, mergers, and acquisitions, eventually became Real Goods Solar. The company has provided solar panel systems for Avon Old Farms, Westover, Chase Collegiate, and Putney schools, among many.

He now lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and three-year-old daughter. Carter says the nature of Choate’s groundbreaking environmental initiative made the design of a solar power system different from that of a typical home or business. “Knowing what the end result is – that the solar array provides all the electricity the building needs – allowed our company to get more involved in the design process,” he explains. “In this case, you’re not just buying solar panels, you’re buying electricity, and there’s a much different focus in terms of the design.”

A typical home or business owner, he says, will say “look at our roof; look at our property. How many panels can you fit in?” But at Choate, the goal was different: “Not ‘look at our field, how many panels can you fit in it?’ but ‘this is what we’re trying to do; help us make it happen.’”

When he was a Choate student, Carter says, he was not particularly connected with environmental initiatives, largely because such programs were rare in any secondary school then. “I certainly was engaged in the sciences,” he says. “I started to realize that I enjoyed math and science more than English, and obviously that led me to engineering. What Choate has now for classes and other options in terms of environmental work is light years beyond what we had then.”

Henry McNulty ’65 is a communications consultant and the Bulletin's Class Notes editor.

The solar power system, nine rows of solar panels located immediately adjacent to the KEC, generates 295 kilowatts of electricity, about 100 times the amount used by a typical one-family home.

M a r i a S e mpl e

’82

Unveiling Seattle’s Quirks and Warts

By Victoria H. Irwin

Victoria H. Irwin is a freelance writer and events coordinator who lives in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Life is nonstop for Maria Semple ’82 these days: A quick trip to Austin for the Texas Book Festival to speak on a panel entitled “Is There a Therapist in the House?: Fictional Families Falling Apart.”

Three essays for different publications due yesterday. And, oh yes, make time to read to her daughter’s third-grade class.

But such is life for a New York Times best-selling author and former television writer of such favorites as “Ellen,” “Mad About You,” and “Arrested Development.” And, hunkered down in the soggy Northwest fall, Maria wouldn’t trade it for the world. Her life is light years removed from her Hollywood days.

“A Hollywood writer gets up and gets in a car, and drives – one hour to the studio, through the canyons and terrible traffic. Writing there is totally collaborative – there are lots of outside demands on your writing,” says Maria.

Maria loves that she can now make mistakes, go down wrong paths, and then figure it out, without having legions looking over her shoulder. “I like it,” she says, adding that she does not ever envision going back to Hollywood.

“How lucky I am to do it!.”

A native Californian, her father, Lorenzo Semple Jr., was a playwright and screenwriter, perhaps best known for his work on the campy “Batman” television series of the 1960s, though he also worked on such films such as “The Parallax View” and “Three Days of the Condor.”

Her family ended up in Aspen, Colo., where, Maria says, she was something of a misfit – though cool enough to befriend a young man named Darren Star on the slopes, which eventually led to her first job writing for his TV show, “Beverly Hills 90210.”

Her parents decided Maria should “broaden her horizons” rather than stay in Aspen for high school, and sent her to Choate, where she thrived.

“I feel like the person I am now was born at Choate,” she says. “One of the beautiful things about going to Choate was that nobody there knew that you were a loser. I hung out with a lot of different kinds of people. I was editor-in-chief of the Brief, friends with the jocks and the Dead Heads, and the preppies – it was a wide net. I am still great friends with a lot of my Choate classmates.” Even more so than people she met at Barnard, where she majored in English.

“By the time I got there, I had already had the experience of forging intense friendships with people away from home,” says Maria.

“Choate is also where I learned I wanted to be a writer. I remember faculty members, David Webb and Susie Ryan turning me on to literature.”

Her first novel, This One is Mine, received great reviews, but was not a best-seller.

The public love for her second, Where'd You Go Bernadette (see review p. 63), is something she is happily accepting. “The path is never direct for anything,” she says. “It’s always mysterious, with any kind of art.”

So why did Maria move to Seattle, so perfectly mocked in Bernadette, with her boyfriend George Meyer (writer and producer of “The Simpsons”) and their daughter, Poppy? “No reason,” she claims. “We just wanted to get out of LA, but I came up here kicking and screaming.

It was just random. We’d been here once.”

She laughs because when she travels to promote Bernadette, people always expect to hear that people in Seattle hate her for her spot-on descriptions of their quirks. “ It’s just the opposite,” she says. “I can’t leave the house without someone wanting to be my friend … Bernadette came from a very personal and powerful place in me, but the writer and the craftsman in me had to exaggerate for comic effect.”

Maria doesn’t mind the rain; “I like it!” she says. She’s also come to terms with Seattle idiosyncrasies, and she likes it there. Indeed, she says she feels she’s found her tribe among the great community of writers in the region, who adore her right back.

She's an active part of the Seattle7Writers, a non-profit collective of Pacific Northwest authors who seek to foster and support a passion for the written word. Best-selling author Carol Cassella (Oxygen and Healer), says,"Maria is one of the most genuine, refreshingly sincere people I've ever met – LA's loss was decidedly our gain."

Class Notes f a l l 2 0 1 2 n e w s

How To Submit Class Notes and Photos Please note these guidelines: 1. Class notes should be verifiable and appropriate for publication.

2. Submit photos electronically in a .jpg format to alumline@choate.edu Please make sure the resolution is high enough to be of publication quality – 300 dpi at 4” square, or comparable. Please be aware that a photo that looks good on a computer screen does not mean it will reproduce the same in print. Your safest bet is to use a digital camera with a setting of at least 3 megapixels for the highest image-quality, usually indicated by the term “fine” or “large.” Please include a caption with specific details (who, what, where and when) with your photo. Paper copies of photographs will not be returned. Please write your full name and class year on the back of the photo.

3. Wedding photos may be submitted only by the alumnus, bride or groom. Sorry, no third party submissions.

4. The Bulletin does not announce marriages until they take place (i.e., no engagement news), and does not report births until they occur (i.e., no pregnancy news).

5. If your note or photograph does not appear in this issue, it may appear in a subsequent issue, or be posted online to Alumni News on www.choate.edu. Please keep your news coming to alumline@choate.edu.

Do you have updated information?

Contact: Christine Bennett at (203) 697-2228 or email alumnirelations@choate.edu.

We look forward to hearing from you.

f r o m

’48 C

Deke Dorey writes, “All’s well here in McKinney, Texas.

Waking hours are mostly spent playing golf, part-time marshalling at a local country club, and watching grandkids’ athletic and musical endeavors, with an occasional trip thrown in. A short résumé since Choate includes graduating from Dartmouth College, three years in Army Intelligence during the Korean War, then some 35 years with General Electric, mostly in human resources and government relations. Along the way I picked up a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University. A Texas howdy to all remaining 48s.”

’51

C Ch arlie K rause writes, “Seven of our 10 grandchildren have graduated from college. All have jobs! Only three more to go. Another reason to say ’four more years.’”

Hedrick Smith writes, “Random House this fall has published my fifth book, Who Stole The American Dream? and the response has been great. The book reaches way beyond the election and digs deeper than my earlier book, The Power Game: How Washington Works. It took me 21/2 years to report, research and write the story of how America has moved from a society of middle class prosperity and power and effective bipartisan politics in the 1950s through 1970s to the modern America of gridlocked politics, starkly unequal democracy and even more gaping inequalities in our economy with a middle class that is stuck in a rut.”

’52 C

Dave Sortor writes, “As we all fade into the next stage, I just wanted to say to my classmates how much I enjoyed so many of you at Choate. During the final years of my maxillofacial surgical practice, Rosemary and I, along with other investors, built the Sherborn Inn. Sherborn, Dover, Natick, Medfield, Framingham and Wellesley, Mass. are all grouped together here just a little southwest of Boston. I would love to welcome any of you to our Inn. It has a great tavern and dining room as well as a few overnight rooms. We started our 25th year on October 11, and I feel that this will be my last year as an owner. I have had many good moments running the Inn, as well as difficult ones. My good friend Jerry Cobb ’52 lives a few houses down from us so I’ll include his greetings as well. Choate has always been a part of all of us, for better or worse. I, for one, am thankful for all that Choate gave me from opportunity to friendships … and I just wanted to say that and I hope to see any of you walk through the door at the Sherborn Inn and ask our hostess if I’m around, I will always be around for you.”

’57

C Ben Pag e , professor of philosophy at Quinnipiac University writes, “My article on parallels and ’convergences’ in the thinking of Albert Schweitzer and Teilhard de Chardin was recently published in Teilhard Studies, a monograph series of the U.S. Teilhard Association; it is also being translated into their languages by the French, Italian, and possibly the Spanish Teilhard associations. I hope the Schweitzer side will also express interest – next year marks the 100th anniversary of Schweitzer’s and his wife, Helene’s, going to Africa. By interesting synchronicities 2013 is the

TOP Ted Little ’49 and grandson, Kohl Weisman ’15, at the

October Parents Weekend concert featuring the Choate Rosemary Hall Jazz Ensemble.

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50th anniversary of two other Schweitzer-related events: the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, that so inspired environmental concern in the U.S. and was dedicated to Schweitzer; and the signing of the first nuclear test ban agreement (partial, to be sure) among the U.S., the U.K., and the Soviet Union – the campaign to end testing to which Schweitzer devoted much of his energy. Greetings to all of ’57, and I would welcome correspondence from anyone interested in any of these ‘tracks.’”

’57 RH Va l e r i e Ra mse y writes, “we moved from Pebble Beach,

Calif., to Florida last winter and life has been incredibly good! I am busy with Wilhelmina Models as well as agencies in Paris and Toronto, continue to do television appearances, and am on the speakers circuit with Premiere Speakers Bureau delivering keynote speeches all over the country. My husband, Wally, is still involved in education – he is with Bill Koch’s new school here in West Palm Beach, The Oxbridge Academy, and is loving it.

Our six children and eight grandchildren are spread out across the U.S., and visits with them are always major highlights. Two years ago, Ali MacGraw ’56 and I had a marvelous reconnection in Carmel, Calif., and it was just as if we had been at Rosemary Hall yesterday. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside and it was such fun to see her again! Life has been so good – and such a far cry from anything I could have ever anticipated all those years ago at Rosemary!”

’58

C J i m Dw i ne ll writes, “Ellen and I had a wonderful dinner with Kit and Chris Norris. Fifty years or more ago, Chris had been a wrangler at Paradise Ranch in Buffalo, Wyo. Well, just by chance, that is where Ellen and I decided to celebrate our 50th anniversary with our children and grandchildren. We had a fabulous time and found out that all the stories Norris told us were lies! No, they really were not; he was a legend. Anyway, we had a terrific time relating our escapades at their spectacular house with amazing views in Andover, N.H. It was my time to tell lies about my cowboy skills.”

B o b H a r rison writes, “My East Coast ’58 classmates (Dick Murdock, Jim Whitters, Chris Norris,) got me out of the islands last May for a whirlwind visit of the New England area to visit friends and family. With happy memories of reconnecting with many of our mates in May of ’08 for our 50th, I decided to go for it again and am so glad I did. I’m grateful to Choate for many things, not the least of which is lifelong friends.”

D e n n i e Willia ms writes, “I am excited and thankful about this incredibly positive news in my life, the publication of an inspiring nature book, The Spirits of Birds, Bears, Butterflies and All Those Other Wild Creatures. I spent over two years writing, searching for agents and publishers.

I finally discovered CreateSpace, part of Amazon, which published my paperback and a Kindle version as well. This was one of the most arduous tasks ever for this lifelong writer. I have been involved in some tense and tough investigative news work, uncovering corruption by governors, judges, lawyers and businessmen, but composing this book project was as difficult as it gets!” See it at www.createspace.com/3952248

TOP Three generations celebrate at Commencement 2012, from

left, Kaelyn Quinn ’12, Hank Stifel ’46, and Amy Stifel Quinn ’80.

Hunter, Peggy Hart Rogers, Elsie Guion Pierot, Ruth DeNoyelles Diefenbach, Diana, and Liz Evans Hamilton.

Middle The Rosemary Hall Class of 1951 held their 60th reunion

bottom Class of ’58 classmates, from left, Dick Murdock, Jim

celebration at the Junior League in New York City hosted by Diana Brothers McGhie. From left, Joan Stulman Gilbert, Frances Chaffee Taliaferro, Libby Jones Thorne, Sara Avery Kelley, Eunice Beers

Whitters, Chris Norris, and Bob Harrison on Dick's veranda in South Dartmouth, Mass.

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’62 C

D e av e r B r o wn writes, “My company’s fastest growth area of late for our audiobooks and eBooks has been online education and test prep. One longstanding Harvard Business School case about Alex Goodwin Levitch and me making Umbroller strollers many moons ago, Deaver Brown & Cross River, was an instant hit on iTunes/audible.com. Musical Chairs: Keep Your Job when the Music Stops has also been another. But perhaps the best titles came out of our 50th Reunion event in the August before at Alex Levitch and Linda Goodwin’s camp on Lake George, when 30 of us gathered for a long weekend. Terry Beaty generously set up a visit to Fort Ticonderoga, where he serves as a trustee. So an audiobook and eBook on that important gateway was a natural. Philip Issenman suggested one on the Meech Lake Accord, a focal point in the English-French Canadian tug of war. Many of us renewed old acquaintances in this pre-50th, which made for a far more fun 50th and now post-50th. We were and are very grateful to Choate for helping make it all such a success for us!”

Jack H e r tz writes, “I came back to Choate for the first time in too many years for my 50th Reunion. My wife, Gevene, was with me, and we both had a wonderful time with all my old classmates who were there.

We found a lot of them are now living in the Washington area, which, although we live in Denmark, is kind of our U.S. base, since one of our children is living there and I often travel there for work. We organized an informal Class of ’62 Washington network, and I’m looking forward to getting together with classmates there more often from now on. I’m sorry I haven’t come to more reunions, but I plan on coming back to Choate again soon. (It’s too late to wait another 50 years.)”

J o e Pawl a k writes, “Class of ’62 classmates and football teammates Burge Ayres, John Wilkes, Bill Chapin and I, with our wives, attended the Giants/Steelers football game at the Meadowlands. We got together for dinner in NYC on Saturday night, Brunch on Sunday morning and then off to game.”

B i ll R o b e r ge writes, “This has been a year of highlights. In May, I joined the law firm of Stein Sperling Bennett DeJong Driscoll, P.C. in Rockville, Md., as Of Counsel, continuing to focus on estate planning, probate and real estate transactions. Our son Marc and his wife presented us with our seventh grandchild (sixth granddaughter), Mila, who is pure joy. And, of course, our 50th Reunion was outstanding. The turnout was great and the memories will last. I can be reached by email at wroberge@ steinsperling.com.”

’62 RH G e o r gi a ( G i g i) Br a dy Bar nhill writes, “I thoroughly

enjoyed our 50th Reunion, and I appreciate all the work that Anne Marshall Henry and others devoted to it. Also, after almost 44 years at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Mass., I have retired. Much of my time in the near future will be devoted to research for a book on American literary illustration.”

TOP Cindy Skiff Shealor ’63 with her granddaughters in

Galveston, Texas.

middle Gerry Cooper ’62 married Nancy Van Gulick at the Old

Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, VA on June 23, 2012.

bottom Pete Hovey ’66 and wife Patricia. Pete has started an

artisan furniture business from scratch specializing in customdesigned fireplace benches.

readers' cor ner I just read my way through the summer Bulletin and felt I must pass on my impressions. The shining faces of the graduates is wonderful and I hope that everyone has had the years of marvelous education that I had many years ago. High school was a life experience for me and has made my 64 years of marriage steady, very interesting and endearing, My name is on a chapel rafter at St. Bede’s – misspelled as usual but a true memory for me.

Bettina Kluepfel Schackelford ’44 West Columbia, Texas Thanks very much for publishing Pauline Anderson's reminiscence in the summer 2012 issue of the Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin. Memories came flooding back.

Please forward my very fondest regards to her and thanks for the guidance she gave me as a student as well as making the library a place I loved as a student and still love to visit when I can make the pilgrimage east. I remember her well and appreciate her and her work.

Tom Shorten '68 Burien, Washington

The Bulletin has had much favorable reaction to the story “A History of Outreach” about Choate Peace Corps volunteers that appeared in the summer 2012 issue. One of those who wrote us was Donald Yates ’58, who served in the Philippines from 1962 to 1964. In a speech on the 25th anniversary of the Peace Corps, Dr. Yates recalled that “I felt that if I could teach for two years under the most adverse of conditions in a leaky, termite-ridden school house in the middle of a jungle half way around the world and return to the States with a strong commitment to continue teaching, then I would know that it had to be in my blood to be an educator.” The experiment worked. Since the 1960s, he has taught and administrated at almost every grade level in both public and private schools and in urban as well as suburban settings. Dr. Yates has just finished contributing to a documentary film entitled “Waging Peace: The Peace Corps Experience.”

He is a retired Associate Professor of Education and Director of Field Experience at Georgian Court University in New Jersey.

Lorraine S. Connelly, Editor

w e'd l i k e to h e a r fr om you!

For letter to the editor submissions, please contact Lorraine Connelly at lconnelly@choate.edu

’63

RH An g ela T reat Lyon Belk n ap and her stone sculpture were the cover story (with three full pages inside) for Sculpture Quarterly 2012, a prestigious sculpture magazine sent to galleries, collectors and sculptors.

To top it off, Angela was also accepted at Gallery 531, a new fine arts gallery in Kailua, on Oahu, Hawaii. You can find her at Lyon-Art.com and facebook.com/AngelaTreatLyonART.

Rozz ie Davis writes, “Horses and dogs are still a dominant factor in my life at our ranch in Montana, as are our wonderful children, their wives and our grandchildren. Our oldest grandson turned 13 on September 11. He is a straight A student and outstanding athlete. Soccer and cross country are his primary sports, but he is also a first string basketball player. His six-year-old sister is into riding, gymnastics and ballet.

She just won the role of Molly in a production of Annie. Their four-year-old cousin is thrilled to be at the same school as his heroine/cousin Wilson.

Though Wyatt has not established his sport’s preference as of yet, he swims like a fish and has started playing soccer. His uncle played basketball at Yale, so who knows? I am back on the board of Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy. I am also co-chairing the search committee for our church as we seek to find a new rector after 24 years. It is an interesting and rewarding honor to have been asked to serve. I am also Development Chair for the Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society and Animal Control. I could not be successful at any of these without the unceasing love, support and wisdom of my husband Eddie. After 39 ½ years we make a pretty good team. We also have a great relationship with my ex-husband and father to two of our three sons! In closing, my life is remarkably blessed and I am constantly in awe of how lucky I have been.

I also believe the education I received in many different areas during my four years at Rosemary Hall is directly responsible for any success I have achieved as an adult! My best to all my classmates. Who would have ever thought we would be anticipating our 50th reunion so soon?”

’65 C

Hen ry McN ulty had a nice lunch in Essex, Conn., with John Callan and Nat Norton when Nat made his annual pilgrimage to New England to escape the summer heat in Florida. He and his wife, Anne, also had a very pleasant dinner with Dave Baines and his wife, Cherie, at their home overlooking Candlewood Lake in western Connecticut.

Bob San tull i writes, “We have three Choaties living on our little street – Jennifer Stone Randolph ’85, myself, and Tom Abbatiello, also ’85. All of us are at Dartmouth: Jennifer is a research coordinator in neuropsychology, I’m a geriatric psychiatrist (both of us in the Medical School) and Tom works at Tuck Business School.”

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’66

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C David Holmes has recently joined Regions Bank in Pensacola, Fla., heading their Wealth Management Group’s Portfolio Management Team. He is still living in Spanish Fort, Ala.

Pete Hovey writes, “Call me crazy! After 35 years in financial consulting I’ve started an artisan furniture business from scratch. We custom design fireplace benches. Happily, interior designers and architects are very keen on our 18th century representation of this iconic British furniture genre.” See us at www.Fireplace-Bench.com

Ralp h Metcalf e Jr. writes, “The Metcalfe Collection has a new web site at metcalfecollection.org. It features much information including highlights of my father’s track career, including world records (more than twice as many as he is officially credited for) and important historic photos, including his refusal to salute Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and an image of Mayor Richard J. Daley in a dashiki. Please favor us with a visit and, if you can, a donation in support of this important work. The congressman’s grandson, my son Nasser Metcalfe, made the Internet Movie Database’s (imdb.com) list of the Top 40 Young Black Actors to Watch. He was nominated for Best Actor for his work in the web series “Disciplinary Actions,” which is viewable on YouTube. My daughter Gia Lynn Garel recently returned from Auschwitz, where she filmed Holocaust survivor and proponent of forgiveness Eva Kor dancing and singing Hava Nagila on the selection platform with my granddaughter Golden Cartman. Golden is 10 years old, the same age Eva was when the Nazis killed her entire family.”

Rod Walk er writes, “In March, we sold our house in Illinois and moved to our farm in Charlottesville, Va. Anyone coming by this way should drop me an email (rwalker@alum.mit.edu) and stop by to catch up. In June, I retired from HP after 41 years in IT consulting. We are now busy putting the final touches on our new mountain home, for which we used about 250 tons of our own stone and 250 of our trees of 7 different species. And now we have started on what promises to be a long-term series of landscaping projects. With the Shenandoah National Park as one of our neighbors, we are enjoying the country life. I’m refreshing my table tennis skills and hope to get back to fishing and hunting here on the farm.”

’66

RH Gusty Lan g e writes, “I am still teaching at Pratt in the Graduate Design Department. My son Dylan just graduated from Wheaton, music major, drummer, and he spent the summer working on an organic farm in Maine, the Four Season Farm. Daughter Chelsea is a senior at Friends Seminary in NYC and applying to college, following a direction in drama and psychology or education. Husband Steve (Ettlinger) is pursuing new book projects; his last was Twinkie, Deconstructed.

Edwin a (Wen dy) von Gal writes to report wonderful success of the benefit we organized for the Azuero Earth Project, the environmental nonprofit she is running; see it at www.azueroearthproject.org.

“I hope some Rosemarians will join us in 2014 for the next one,” she says.

“Or, do come visit me at my office in East Hampton, N.Y.”

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Le i gh J o h nson Yar b r ough writes, “My three children are all doing well with jobs, and their young families. Edwin lives in Charlotte and works for Cresa Partners. He and his wife, Sarah, have a two-year-old daughter, and are expecting No. 2. My daughter Christina lives in Raleigh, where she works for Progress Energy. She and her husband, Jamie, have an 18-month-old son, and are also expecting No. 2! Needless to say, I am going to be a very busy granny the next few months – and, an elated one, as well! Andrew, my youngest, lives in Durham, and works for Square 1 Bank as an assistant manager in the portfolio department. I have been in touch with Cornelia deSchepper recently. She has been in Greensboro, Vt., with her Mom for a good part of last summer. Always a nice getaway for both of them, and a welcome change!

’67

C D o u g E i se nha r t had a mini-reunion in St. Paul’s River, Quebec, with Philip Nadeau ’68. It was the first time they had seen each other in 45 years. Philip and Doug first met at Choate in the mid-1960s when Philip was brought out from his home in St. Paul’s River by thenChaplain the Rev. Robert A. Bryan, who was an Anglican minister to the remote fishing villages of Atlantic Canada and started the Quebec-Labrador Foundation in the late 1950s. Doug was one of the many students Bryan recruited from Choate to serve as volunteers on “the coast”, the Lower North Shore of Quebec and Labrador. The summer of 2012 marked the first time Doug had returned to the coast since 1970, on a QLF-led tour of Newfoundland and Labrador. Philip, who is Chair of the QLF, Canada Board of Directors, was the group’s host in St. Paul’s River. Bob Bryan, now retired, is still active on both the U.S. and Canada boards of the foundation.

S e l b y H i nke b e in writes, “Pam and I went to Napa and Sonoma last November. Have already bought some wines, including the ’09 Monte Bello, from Ridge. Paul Draper ’54, a Choate graduate, heads Ridge – a world class winery. I urge my fellow classmates to show their support as well! You will be glad you did.”

’67

RH Ma r y Lo u L a nge writes, “My clinical work at The Rockland Psychiatric Clinic remains a rewarding challenge despite mile high paperwork. Love my new 4-legged soulmate, Lola (woof!). Seeking travel adventures, too!”

’68

C P e t e r H e inr ichs is a pastor, life coach and consultant in Maine these days. Also, a new grandfather! No retirement anticipated.

’68

RH G i n ge r P e r r y writes, “I have returned to being a DJ on Boulder/Denver’s community station KGNU at KGNU.org online and 88.5 FM locally. I host three different shows – Gospel Chime Hour Sunday mornings, the folk show Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. (Highway 322) and the Morning Sound Alternative. I’ve lived in Boulder for the most part since 1971. I still love it!”

TOP Leigh Johnson Yarbrough ’66, Tina Johnson Lewis ’64 and

their sister Isabelle Johnson Mender at the wedding of their nephew Winslow Lewis, at Seeley Lake, Montana, on Sept. 10, 2011.

middle Philip Nadeau, Choate ’68, left, with Doug Eisenhart,

Choate ’67, at a mini-reunion this July in St. Paul’s River, Quebec – the first time they had seen each other in 45 years.

bottom Rosemary ’67 Celebrating their 45th Rosemary Hall reunion in Nantucket on September 11, 2012, from left, Kelsey Bryant, Betsy Holch, Catherine Allport, and Lissy Bryan.

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S h aw M u d ge J r . , writes, “I am currently designing the seminary curriculum for (and teaching seminary courses for) the Anglican Diocese of Belize in Central America, mostly teaching online from the U.S. I am in the process of setting up online seminary courses for the Anglican Diocese of Western Tanganyika in Tanzania, also to be taught from the U.S.”

Te r r y N e ff , reports that his daughter, Jaz, has just entered kindergarten. His wife, Paula, is a biology professor at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire campus. He writes, “We had the pleasure of visiting the Galapagos Islands this summer. I share patients with a Choate Rosemary classmate, Emily Smith Blaskey, on a daily basis at the St. Joseph Hospital in Chippewa Falls, Wis. Chip Truwit, a radiologist, in the Twin Cities, is also a local and, occasionally, sails with us on our J24 sailboat on Lake Minnetonka.”

C h r i s R i c e writes that his book, The Engagement Equation: Leadership Strategies for an Inspired Workforce, was published by Wiley on October 1.

’73

C P e t e r B e lla my has been working on a book of portraits of American playwrights for the past several years. His love of theater started at Choate, where theater, he recalls, was presented as man's highest calling.

St e p h e n Dav is left the Yale School of Management in August to join Harvard Law School as a senior fellow and associate director of the School’s programs on corporate governance and institutional investors. He is also a senior fellow in governance at the Brookings Institution. His and wife Clo Davis’s son, Gabriel ’14, became a boarder at Choate this fall.

’73 RH L au r i e Mc Le od took a new road in her creative career and

published a book, Make It Happen in Ten Minutes a Day: The Simple, Revolutionary Method for Getting Things Done. Inspired by the time constraints she encountered as a single mother, Laurie developed this simple blueprint for productivity and wrote a book about it (yes, in 10 minutes a day).

Already a bestselling eBook in England and France, and gaining national recognition at home. More at www.makeithappenintenminutesaday.com.

’74 C

J o h n d e J o n g was recently elected as an alumni trustee of

Tufts University.

’75

C Ti m ot h y B a r na r d had a show at Hunter Kirkland Contemporary in Santa Fe in October. More at www.tbarny.com and www.hunterkirklandcontemporary.com

’76 RH S u e Z i e gl e r Bar r ows , writes, “I have been living in

Bozeman, Mont., for 24 years after graduating from veterinary school. I started my own small animal and exotics practice in 1992 and recently sold it. I currently work for the new owner and I am loving my part-time schedule. I now have time for my 3-year-old granddaughter, and my son and daughter in-law, who have both recently returned to Bozeman from their deployments as Marines.”

top Class of 1972 Peter Lund, Mike Welles, Dave Sims and Chip

Underhill gathered for dinner at Jake's in Wallingford prior to the Class of '72 Reunion. Classmates Chris Rice and Charlie Hoffmann paid the price for not attending as photos from "the day" served as their stand-ins.

middle Dominique Callimanopulos ’76, right, in Costa Rica

with Erica Ellis Disch ’76.

bottom Tammy Bronk Kerigan ’82, far right, enjoyed

reconnecting with her classmates at Reunion.

CHOATE

b o k s tore

Dominique Callimanopulos is enjoying her first empty-nest fall in Cambridge, Mass., now that her youngest is off to college (Oberlin ’16).

Her eldest two have long since graduated (Brown ’06 and Colorado College ’08). She has little time to smell the roses, however, as she continues to manage her philanthropic travel company: www.elevatedestinations.com.

She is looking forward to traveling to Africa, exploring conservation and community projects in remote regions of Botswana and Namibia.

Dominique is still best friends with Erica Ellis Disch – her first roommate freshman year at School.

’77

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RH Lauren B. Cramer was elected a trustee at Syracuse University. She joined the New York law firm McLaughlin & Stern in 1995, and is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York State Bar Association. Her areas of concentration include trust and estate administration, and tax-exempt organization work, focusing particularly on public charities and private foundations, as well as general corporate and litigation law. Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law in 1994.

’78

Allison Murray writes, “I spent two weeks mountain biking in southern China, eating rice noodles, rice noodles, and more rice noodles, which are fabulous for cycling. The road quality made me appreciate every pothole here in America. I met wonderful Chinese people and celebrated the festival of honoring the dead with a family. Explored Beijing with a very modest Chinese vocabulary, and hiked on The Great Wall, an experience of a lifetime.”

Heidi Call ison Smith writes, “One child is in college (USAF Academy), one child is applying to college this year and also modeling for a local startup company, and one child splits his time between marching band (sousaphone), computer science classes and scouting (BSA/OA). No word on where he wants to go to college yet. I’m working part-time and Mom-ing the rest of the time, and looking forward to the day (can it be just 2-plus years?) when my husband and I can officially call ourselves empty-nesters!”

’81

Tom Colt writes, “I’m living in Pittsburgh with my wife, Megan. We live within walking distance of downtown. I’ve been working at Shady Side Academy for the past five years as a college counselor and cross country coach. I also work in the summers and on weekends as a narrator for Just Ducky tours – we give tours of Pittsburgh in World War II era Duck boats which travel on land and in the water. Megan and I have been able to travel a bit, most recently to Iceland and Cuba.”

Don K irby writes, “Still living in Santa Fe and very happy that my eldest child, Elsebeth, is enjoying her third form experience at Choate.”

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Joh n Sch n eider writes, “ After living in Corvallis, Ore., and teaching PE at a private k-8 for the past six years, our family (including daughters Emma, 11 and Phoebe, 9) is headed on an eight-month adventure Down Under for my wife Hannah’s sabbatical (she’s an associate professor of geography at Oregon State). Our first stop is New Zealand by camper for November and then on to Oz, specifically Wollongong, for seven months. Lots of barbies and surfing on the horizon. I’d love to know of any Choate grads down that way! Always enjoying Michael Breed’s tips on The Golf Fix!

Gwen Strauss writes, “I currently live in Southern France, where I am the on-site director of the Dora Maar House, a Brown Foundation artist residency program administered by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; more at www.mfah.org/doramaarhouse. I also continue to write books for children. Most recently, I co-authored Ruth and the Green Book (Carolrhoda, 2010), which was honored by numerous awards, including the Jane Addams Peace Association Prize and made the American Library Association’s 2011 list of Notable Children’s Books.”

’82

K alen Hockstader Holl iday writes, “I hosted a party at my mom’s and had Choate grads ranging from George Bradt ’75 to Serena Torrey Roosevelt, who was in my sister Avery’s class, ’94. Others in attendance included my cousin Lee Levitz ’91 and a number of N.Y. area ’82 ers: Page Vincent, Cynthia Houx, Christine Mulkiewicz, Blaine Bortnick, Kris Mack, and Sheila Baker. The last two were also schoolmates at Georgetown. One of the silver linings of working in NYC is getting to keep in touch with so many classmates. Was also fortunate to spend time with Page, Laura Rawlings, Andrea Dodd and Ray Hovey in September.”

Tammy Bron k K erig an writes, “I had a fantastic time with my fellow 1982 classmates - catching up with Laurie Abel, Sue Conroy, Kate Klemmer, Carla Fremlin, Michele Parker, Will Aufderheide, Dave McWhirter, Deryn Semmes, Parker Neave and countless others. Ray Hovey had an awesome vintage car and Kyle Hopkins and her husband gave a wonderful presentation about their family’s adventure sailing around the world. And of course, it was wonderful to see our former deans - Monica St. James and Ed Maddox.”

An drea Learn ed writes, “I am now the Senior Social Media Strategist with Pyramid Communications in Seattle – at www.pyramidcommunications.com/about/our-team/andrea-learned. We work with foundations, organizations and businesses that have a positive social or environmental impact. In addition, I continue to write about women and leadership as it relates to sustainable business and corporate social responsibility. I moved from Vermont to Seattle in early 2011 and have been loving it!”

TOP Alexander von Cramm ’82, right, and Coach Chip Lowery at

the recent Alumi soccer match which Alexander has now attended twice from Germany.

bottom Maggie England, daughter of Elizabeth England ’84,

the granddaughter of Lynne England Barber and Robert Barber, (both former faculty), and niece of Kat England ’78 and Jeff Barber ’76.

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’83

K at i e B e r tini became associate general counsel at Otis

Elevator Co. in May.

was recently appointed to the Harvard faculty in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, where he teaches innovation and entrepreneurship and continues to love working on new ideas with student innovators.

Ca mmi e P hillips Hunt completed her first Half-Ironman distance triathlon, The Pumpkinman in South Berwick, Maine, on September 9. Cheryl Stahl Borek ’80 ran the same event.

E r i n R uane recently retired from Netflix after eight years managing content acquisition and is now taking time off doing one new thing a week and blogging about it at www.we-never.com (think flying a helicopter or water jet-packing). She is also working on fundraising for her 30th Reunion. She lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif., with her husband and three kids.

Ma r ga r e t Stockton writes, “This fall I am assistantproducing one of the programs in the 13th EstroGenius Festival. This past summer I directed In the Green Room by C.J. Ehrlich, all about the backstage shenanigans of the Mario Brothers.”

Pau l B ottino

’86

L e a h G u g ge nhe ime r writes, “In September, I joined senior management of Tiger Bay Advisors, a professional services company that provides investment managers with options to co-source or outsource key business management functions. Managers can focus on what they know best – designing and managing investment strategies and high-touch customer service – while improving quality, increasing scale, containing risk, and reducing costs for their middle office functions.”

Ma r c i a McMilla n McDonough is living in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., with her husband, Tim, two boys, a dog, a cat, and two giant leopard tortoises. She and Tim were recently able to catch up with Kevin Kassover ’87 when they were visiting Los Angeles. She has had a blast catching up with Choate alumni on Facebook.

’87

C e c i K u r zm an welcomed a new addition to her family on January 17: Dashiell Cole, who joins his brother Roman, 3 years old. Ceci is living and working in New York.

’88

K at e Byr ne s is back living in Madrid, Spain, working as the Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy. She was selected as a Leadership Fellow with the International Women’s Forum for 2012-2013 and is looking forward to visits in San Francisco, Cambridge, Mass., and Fontainebleau, France, as part of that program.

top Patrick Holley ’90, Co-Chair of the Alumni Club of DC and

his daughter, Palmer, pictured here, attended Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Night at Nationals Park to watch the DC Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, October 2.

bottom Dan Kamensky ’91 finished two triathlons this

past summer.

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started a new full-time teaching position at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., in August, teaching astronomy.

Au st i n F r agome n was voted one of New York’s top doctors this year by New York magazine.

Amy Ta lk i n gton writes, “I’m so excited to announce that I just closed a deal to write a young adult novel for my classmate Daniel Ehrenhaft who is the Editor of Soho Teen, the new teen imprint of Soho Press. Dan and I have wanted to work together since our days at Choate, and I’m so pleased we found this exciting project. The book, which we are simultaneously developing as a movie, will be published in the spring of 2014 – we’ll keep you posted with details!”

Dav i d C o l e ma n

’90

A n d r e w R . We ston reports that he has published his first e-book, The Blue Reality, a compelling story of dedication, friendship, and love. The book is available on Amazon. A companion novel is due out shortly.

’91

G i lli a n ( R o b er ts on) Mole sw or th-St Aubyn was delighted to snatch a brief but fulfilling moment with Jennifer Chen at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station in August. Gillian, still based in Cornwall, England, was on her annual visit home and quest to administer a dose of American values and/or pronunciation to her English kids, or at least feed them soft pretzels and Ranch dressing. Jennifer was making a celebrity visit to the Eastern seaboard before jetting back to the Far East – ditto the soft pretzels. As befitting two journalists, Gill and Jenn’s conversation was sparkling and pithy, covering a wide range of subjects in 20 minutes. Oysters were slurped, after which the party (including other non-Choate friends – no one from Deerfield, luckily) decamped to eat less expensive fare in the main food court before quitting the station. “My 45 minutes with Jenn sparkled like a gem held up to the light,” remarked Gillian, before wiping her children down with wet-wipes and boarding the Hampton Jitney.

Da n a L aws o n Pounds writes, “I am a cancer survivor – lost my leg four years ago above the knee but gained my life. I am a marine biologist and environmental educator. Super passionate – and through my cancer struggles, realized I just needed to launch my own 501c3 to support my cause. My husband and I launched Nature’s Academy in 2007 and have not looked back. Here is the link to our website: www.naturesacademy.org.

We are working toward providing a fully-funded marine science field trip for every student in Pinellas and Manatee counties here in Florida (Tampa Bay region) by 2020. Once this is successful, we plan to use this model to replicate this program throughout the state and, hopefully, the nation.”

G e o ff T r acy writes, “On September 15, 2012 I opened my fifth restaurant, Chef Geoff’s Rockville, on Rockville Pike in Maryland.

Additionally, my wife, Norah O’Donnell, children Henry (5), Grace (5), Riley (4), and I will be moving part-time to New York City for her new role as co-anchor of CBS This Morning. I’ll be commuting back and forth between New York and DC. Looking forward to seeing the NYC folks.”

top Gillian Robertson Molesworth-St Aubyn ’91 and Jennifer

Chen ’91 at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station, New York City in August.

middle Meredith Levin ’91 married Richard Hollander on June 2,

2012 on the top of Aspen Mountain. Anne Glass '91 officiated the wedding. From left, Anne Glass, Richard Hollander, Meredith Levin Hollander, and Ron Hester.

bottom Danielle Elkin ’92 married Jon Block on August 26, 2012

in Kipahulu, Maui. Classmates in attendance included, from left, Monica Darer, Betsey Geller, Marti Johnson and Wende Valentine.

and his wife, Melissa, moved from NYC to Ithaca, N.Y. as he took a position at the Cornell Endowment in June. Roger writes, “The change has been significant but enjoyable, and we hope to hear from anyone who might be travelling through the Finger Lakes district.“

Rog er B. Vin cen t

’92

Sam Coleman writes, “I recently got a new job and I am loving it. I took second place in the women’s division championship in motorcycle road racing in the Motorcycle Roadracing Association of Colorado (MRA). I see a few Choaties, like Kristen (Zeitzer) Bourke and Onna Houck, and I talk to quite a few on Facebook. Life is great in Colorado, and my three kids and I are running around all the time!”

Emily Coven reports, “I’m writing from Truckee (Lake Tahoe), Calif., but by the time this is published, I’ll be in Queenstown, New Zealand. I have the great fortune of dividing my time between these two beautiful places, and sometimes living back-to-back summers. My husband, Adrian, and I both run our own small businesses – I have an interactive design and development company that’s been going for eight years now, and he runs the self-explanatory New Zealand Adventure Travel Guides.

And just to add to the chaos, we have two other major projects – our sons CJ (2 years) and Zane (2 months). I’ve been sorry to miss the past two Reunions, but they keep colliding with major life events – I got married the weekend of our 15th, and was too pregnant to travel the weekend of our 20th. Maybe things will calm down by the 25th?”

K atie Marsh writes, “On October 9, my new young adult novel Jepp, Who Defied the Stars, was published by Hyperion. Jepp is historical fiction inspired by the story of the real life court dwarf who served the 16th-century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. Early accolades include a starred Publishers Weekly review and inclusion on the ABC Best Books for Children and Indie Next lists. Anyone who enjoys Renaissance history and coming-of-age epics should check it out!”

Garrett Soden was recently appointed CEO of RusForest AB, a publicly-traded Swedish forestry company with operations in Russia.

Garrett joins RusForest from the Lundin family office in Geneva. The Lundin family is indirectly the largest shareholder of RusForest. The company is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm First North under ticker symbol RUSF.

’94

Aman da T uck er Doug h erty welcomed a second daughter, Elizabeth “Libby” Ryan Dougherty, on July 4, 2011. She joins her older sister Madeline who is 3.

Melan ie Samarasin g h e married Craig Balderston on October 15, 2011, with a great gathering of classmates. More recently, they had their first child, August Samarasinghe Balderston, born July 21, 2012.

Melanie is currently working at Spotify, and living in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

top Gary Bisbee ’93 married Carey Starno on May 21, 2011 in Westport, Conn. Choaties in attendance, from left, Katie Bisbee ’94, Mike Opdenaker ’93, Sara Upton ’94, Kane O'Neill ’93, Doug Yates ’93, and Laura Theobald-Opdenaker ’93. Front row: Gary and Carey Bisbee.

middle Rob Russo ’93 and wife, Carolyn, welcomed twin boys

Christopher R. Russo (“Bobby”), and John D. Russo (“Jack”) Russo on May 10, 2012.

bottom Marly Merenda Franke ’93 and her husband, Chris,

welcomed a daughter, Milana Grace Franke, on August 9, 2012.

n e w s

f r o m

’95

Mo K abug a and his wife Surhi welcomed their daughter Anahí on August 10. She was born at the John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, where Surhi is pursuing her DPhil. Mo has been working in London’s financial sector for the past three years since his MBA. He has recently joined ClimateCare, a leading emissions reduction project developer and carbon credit offset retailer.

’96

Pete Mayer and his wife, Dawn, welcomed a son, Luc Patrick Mayer. “We hope he’ll join recent additions Tyler Ullman (son of Alex ’96) and Teddy Egan (Nathan ’96) in the Choate class of 2030,” writes Pete.

Is abell e Moses joined The Management Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit providing management coaching services to nonprofit executives, as partner and chief of staff in October. In this role, she will coach nonprofit leaders nationwide and help set strategic direction for the organization.

’97

Sh olon do Campbell and his wife, Jamie, welcomed twin girls, Atiya Keanna and Zuri Kalea, on August 11. Sholondo is still overseeing student affairs for the Fort Myers campus at Nova Southeastern University and hopes to finish his doctoral work by 2014.

Jason Giff en writes, “I just accepted a job as the director of admission at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Ill. My wife, Lizzy, is teaching 9th and 10th grade English and my sons Tucker (1 year old) and Wyatt (3 years) will join the school.

Coll een Morrow married Robert Luzzi on May 20 in a small ceremony in their current home town of Boca Raton, Fla. They were pleased to have Daphne Lockyer Butas and her husband in attendance.

Al ison Vasan writes, “This summer, I moved to Durham, N.C., to attend Duke’s School of Medicine. I really enjoyed catching up with everyone at Reunion, and I’m hoping that being on the east coast again will give me more chances to stay in touch.”

’98

Cath al Bl ake , a seasonal firefighter with CAL FIRE in Mariposa County, Calif., near Yosemite, has created a Hybrid Extrication Guide app, a crash-rescue guide that explains the hazards in each vehicle during extrication work. Simplicity and flexibility are crucial in rescue operations. He adheres to the KISS philosophy: Keep It Super Simple.

El izabeth W. Ch ilds married Matthew S. Sommer (’98 Middlesex) on July 28 in York Harbor, Maine.

K ate Hutch in son - K eesen and her husband, Pieter Keesen, welcomed their son, Quintijn Jan. Kate lives in Amsterdam and works for Greenpeace International.

Lake Polan writes, “I quit my job in corporate law over the summer and on October 1, I started a Ph.D. program in anthropology at the University of Chicago. I learned last week that one of the other students in my first year cohort is also a Choate alum, Zachary Sheldon ’07.

top Julia Leeming ’96 and Paul McCarthy ’95 were married in

2010 and welcomed their first child, Emilia McCarthy Leeming, on August 1, 2012.

middle Melanie Samarasinghe ’94 married Craig Balderston,

on October 15, 2011. Top row, from left, Sarah Shetter; Micah Schraft; Lauren Wimmer; Trina Meiser, Melanie Samarasinghe,

Sarah Blodgett, Abdi Nazemian. Bottom row: Odinn Johnson; Jenny Salomon, and Rachel Josephs. bottom left Alessandra Irene O’Toole, 5 months, daughter of

Damarie O’Toole ’99 at a family wedding weekend in Syracuse, NY.

bottom right Ric Haeussler ’96, married Denise Hauser, on

April 9, 2012 at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.

cl ass n ot e s

’99

B r a d l e y Clair married Kaitlin Marie Healey on June 30 at the Knowlton Mansion in Philadelphia. Jon Brown, Carter Romansky and Roberto Brillembourg were groomsmen and Drew Kovacs was the best man.

Da m a r i e O’Toole welcomed a daughter, Alessandra Irene O’Toole, on March 11. Alessandra has had quite an active few months.

Damarie writes, “In August she flew to San Francisco and met her mommy’s friend, Sarah Greenberg for a hike through Muir Woods. While there she also got to meet her mommy’s friend, Brendan Nemeth-Brown, his wife Nikki, and son Liam, who played with her while her mommy and daddy attended a wedding. She also has many adventures in her home town of NYC. She recently got to meet LeShone HoSang-Navies and Andrea Johnson. She loves meeting new people, and can’t wait to go with her mommy to the next Choate Reunion!”

’01

Jay H a lleck married Olivia Mei He on August 3 in Westport, Mass. Michael Hoepp and the Milikowsky family were in attendance. Jay and Olivia live on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where Jay is a lawyer and Olivia is attending law school.

Em i ly Le va da writes, “This May, I graduated with my MBA from the Yale School of Management. I relocated to Boston to take a position in Inventory Planning with Wayfair.”

N at h a n i e l Roge r s married Katherine Allidah Muller on May 19. The Episcopal ceremony took place in Charleston, S.C. Elizabeth Rogers ’04, sister of the bridegroom, was a bridesmaid. Also in attendance was Mazie St. John, the groom’s maternal grandmother and widow of the late Headmaster Seymour St. John ’31. The newlywed couple lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Allidah is an elementary school art teacher. Nate is an architect with Beyer Blinder Belle, an architecture, planning, and preservation practice in the city.

’02

J o n at h a n Ahlb in recently finished his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in May, and is now working for the University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute in their Arlington, Va., office as a senior electrical engineer. Now that he is living in Virginia, he has been hanging out with fellow Choatie Daren Makuck.

A n t h e a Jay Kamalnath was named the Advocacy Chair for the Los Angeles Chapter of the United States National Committee for UN Women.

B o L e l a nd writes, “I have been working for about five years as a police officer for the city of Hollister, Calif., and coaching the shotput and discus throwers at San Benito High School. I live just south of Hollister with my daughter, Emeline (Emma) Leland. She’s just about one year old and is fantastic!”

top left Elizabeth K. Potter ’98 welcomed a son, Ulrich Knight Olson, on August 7. Ulrich is the grandson of Al Potter ’67.

Whitney Meredith Osterman, Liz Gaines Cardone, Ashley Barton Ostroff, Ali Cobbet Stafford.

Top right Beau Tuke ’98 celebrated Cincinnati’s first Dîner en Blanc with Drew Knowles ’00 on September 15.

bottom left Michelle H. Judd '98 married Steve Rittler on

middle Whitney Talbot ’99 married Tim O’Connor on June 16 in

Bottom right Colleen Morrow ’97 married Robert Luzzi on

Annapolis, MD at the USNA (United States Naval Academy) Chapel.

Pictured, from left, Lisa Malitz Briffel, Tara Elwell, Kristin Hanley,

August, 18, 2012 at the Seymour St. John Chapel.

May 20, 2012

483||49 4

50 | 51

Dav i d M o r r is married Virginia Farmer at the Seymour St. John Chapel in August. Virginia is an associate at the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. She graduated from McGill with first-class honors and received a law degree cum laude from Harvard. David is pursuing a bachelor’s in biology at Hunter College in New York. Until 2009, he was a medic in the Army 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

He served in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and was discharged with the rank of specialist. David is the son of Choate biology teacher Ian Morris.

Ma r k H . Osb or ne writes, “I graduated from Stetson University College of Law in May and recently passed the Florida bar exam.

I am working in the Legal and Compliance office of Grow Financial Federal Credit Union in Tampa.”

Dav i d P e l i o , a graduate of Pepperdine University, earned his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in June from Oregon State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He is doing a one-year internship at a specialty veterinary hospital in Los Angeles.

’03

K e st r e l S c h waige r Br ogan writes, “I recently finished my doctorate in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. I moved to the Portland, Oregon area and am now working as an engineer with Intel.”

Ly d i a H awki n s writes, “After four excellent years living in Ontario and bumping into Choaties all over the globe while traveling for a Canadian boarding school's admissions office, I recently made the move west to join my partner in Calgary, Alberta. I am still in the independent school world having joined the faculty of Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School first as the Online Communications Coordinator and now as the Director of Enrollment. I am playing hockey and have also taken up camping and skiing here in the Canadian Rockies! If anyone is ever in western Canada, definitely let me know!”

K at e H a r v e y and Ca r oline Howe are not only living in the same part of the world after so many years, but actually living in the same house! Kate teaches ESL in Boston and Caroline's starting at MIT, and together, they're taking New England by storm.

B a r r i e K r e i n ik is currently completing her final year in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Acting Program. She will return to the professional stage this December in Trinity Rep’s production of The How and the Why, a two-character play by Sarah Treem (writer of HBO’s In Treatment). She recently served as Assistant Voice and Speech Coach for Trinity Rep’s production of A Christmas Carol and recorded her second audio book, So Hard to Say, for AudioGO.

’06

Eli z a B u d d e n hage n writes, “I traveled to St. Petersburg and Moscow this August and visited some of the great sites there, including the Hermitage Museum, the Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Kremlin, the Tretyakov Gallery and Leo Tolstoy’s House in Moscow.”

top Bradley Clair ’99 married Kaitlin Marie Healey on June 30,

2012 at the Knowlton Mansion in Philadelphia. Back row, from left, Jon Brown, Carter Romansky, Roberto Brillembourg, Cristina Mestre, Drew Kovacs, Justin Karush and Vik Gautam. Front row: Bradley and Kaitlin.

Middle Grace Clark ’01 welcomed her second son, Owen, on

May 1, 2012.

bottom Nathaniel Rogers ’01 married Katherine Allidah Muller

on May 19, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. Elizabeth Rogers ’04, sister of the groom, was a bridesmaid.

K ari Ch oln oky writes, “After spending a year living in a closet (literally) in Brooklyn, N.Y., and painting in Gowanus, I’ve entered a Masters in Fine Art program at Cranbrook Academy of Fine Art, outside Detroit, where I am a candidate in painting.”

Ch arles Depman writes, “I recently moved back to the U.S. after 6 years abroad in Canada/Asia and have installed myself in Manhattan with a job as Asia Regional Coordinator at Waterkeeper Alliance, an environmental non-profit. I’m enjoying city life and am volunteering as a coach/tutor at StreetSquash. It has been great reconnecting with NY-based friends and teammates.”

Spen cer Haug h t married Caitlin Patterson on July 28. The ceremony took place in the bride’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Choaties in attendance included Spencer Young, Albert Chen, Kendall Dacey, Weston Haught, and Pooja Phull. The couple will live in Cambridge, Mass., while Spencer pursues a law degree at Harvard Law and Caitlin continues work as a consultant at Cambridge Associates.

’08

Julian n e Fowl er received the Sally Abrahms award for non-fiction writing and the Gerda Taranow Prize for excellence in an advanced Shakespeare course in a ceremony at Connecticut College in May.

Allison Hin ckley writes, “This year, I won the GatesCambridge scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge in England.

I have just started my MPhil in Micro- and Nanotechnology Enterprise. If there are any Choate alums in the Cambridge/London area, I would love to meet up sometime. You can reach me at ach89@cam.ac.uk.”

Ch ris Mitch ell interned in Hong Kong over the summer at Credit Suisse, and is now entering his final year at Georgetown.

Brian McDermott graduated from Wesleyan and moved to Austin, Texas, working at a law firm.

Taylor McDon ald , following his graduation from Dartmouth, is now working at Goldman Sachs in New York City.

Max Mull en graduated from Claremont McKenna in May and is now living in Beverly Hills and working for Goldman Sachs.

An n ie Ox boroug h -Yan kus was named one of two D3 National Water Polo Players of the year at Pitzer and recently moved to Florida.

Sarah Rosen won the annual Morris and Roslyn Flerberg Student Film Award for her fantasy short feature, Food of Love, at the Rehoboth (De.) Beach Independent Film Festival. Iris, a shy baker (played by Rosen herself), lives an exciting fantasy life inspired by the poetry of Shakespeare.

Tory Sh eeh an is working for L’Oreal in New York City and is now a huge electronic dance music fan.

’09

Al ex K laris interned for NBC Sports over the summer and is headed back to Syracuse for his final year, where he is fraternity brothers with Alec Barnett. Klaris, Barnett, and Ben Loveman went on a tour of Midwestern ballparks before they headed back to school in the fall.

top Vanessa Kitchen ’02 married Mike Taylor on July 28, 2012

in Lake Tahoe, Calif. From left, Paul Kitchen, Nina Hatvany, Mike and Vanessa, Jonathan Kitchen, Natalie Kitchen ’01, Eamon Blake, and Tagan Blake ’01.

middle left Emily Russell ’03 married Dale Winter, July 20, 2012, in Cambridge, England.

middle right Bo Leland ’02 with daughter Emma. bottom Spencer Haught ’06 married Caitlin Peterson on July 28,

2012 in Cleveland, Ohio.

 “Electrolites” profile continued from p. 29

“We even designed a pair for [the record producer-rapper] Timbaland,” says Doug, grinning. Apparently, word of their customdesigned fine-art/street-art matrimony made its way to Timbaland’s staff, who got in touch with the Choate duo for a pair specifically tailored to his taste. They’ve given one of their artists free rein over the design.

Doug and Matt credit their time at Choate with building them into who they are now. “Something about that is so binding,” Doug says. “You never know what people will do in college or after.” He is persistently surprised to open the latest edition of the Choate Bulletin and see what his classmates have been up to, what they’ve made, what they’re still building.

“We’ve been thinking about a gold-and-blue pair,” Doug half-jokes. In his mind, he’s already building it.

top Ronna Chao ’85, pictured with mathematics teacher Fred Djang, and his wife, Martha, and Eunice Lai ’85. This summer, Fred led an AP Statistics workshop at the Hong Kong International School. middle Three former Choate administrators reunited at a

memorial reception for former director of the Paul Mellon Arts Center, Terry Ortwein, in Norwich, Vermont, on October 20, 2012.

From left, Principal Charley Dey; Vice Principal Ed Maddox; and Vice Principal for Students Tom Yankus. bottom U.S. Olympic ice hockey player Julie Chu ’01 was

a featured speaker at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury on October 23, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the passage of Title IX. Chu is pictured here with her former dean, Fran O’Donoghue.

52 | 53

In Memoriam a l u m n i

a n d

a l u m n a e

’35 C

J o h n M. J oha nse n , 96, a retired architect, died October 26, 2012 in Brewster, Mass. Jo, as he was known, came to Choate in 1929. He was the son of the artists John and Jean Johansen, who painted the portraits of former Headmaster George St. John and his wife, Clara St. John, that now hang in the Andrew Mellon Library’s Reading Room. At School, Jo was Art Editor of the Brief, President of the Combined Musical Clubs, head cheerleader, and in St. Andrew’s Cabinet. He also was captain of varsity soccer, captain of varsity track, and Vice President of the Athletic Association. A School high jump record he set was unbroken for more than 30 years, and he was one of those voted by his classmates as “wittiest.” After Choate, he graduated from Harvard cum laude, where he was captain of the soccer team. There, he studied under famed architect Walter Gropius, whose daughter he later married; he then worked for prestigious architecture firms and taught at Yale and the Pratt Institute. Working on his own, he was known as one of the “Harvard Five,” a group of Modernist architects who designed ultramodern homes and offices, many in southwest Connecticut. But he also designed the U.S. Embassy Building in Dublin, the Mummers Theater in Oklahoma City, the Morris A. Mechanic Theater in Baltimore, and many other buildings. One of his better-known designs was his own home for a time, the so-called “Plastic Tent House” in Stanfordville, N.Y. Jo continued writing into his 90s. He leaves his wife, Ati Gropius Johansen; two children; a stepdaughter; three grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

’36

C Wa r w i ck McCutc he on , 93, a retired rubber company executive, died June 8, 2012. Mac, as he was known, came to Choate in 1933, where he was captain of the track team, on the board of the News, and in the Glee Club, the Dramatic Club, and the Cum Laude Society. He then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cornell. During World War II, he was a Lieutenant in the Navy on an aircraft carrier, and was awarded the Bronze Star. After the war, he worked as a sales executive for rubber companies: first B. F. Goodrich, then the J. M. Huber Corp., retiring in 1983; he also belonged to the American Chemical Society and several professional organizations. Mac enjoyed golf, playing cards, and reading. He leaves three sons, including Kevan McCutcheon, 7072 Victoria Circle, Hudson, OH 44236; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

’40

C S e ym o u r R. “Bud” Young , 91, a retired CIA agent, died October 11, 2012, in Alexandria, Va. Born in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., Bud came to Choate in 1934. He took forestry and fencing, and was manager of varsity wrestling. He attended the University

Our sympathy to the friends and families of the following alumni and alumnae, whose deaths are reported with sorrow:

of Virginia, but interrupted his studies to serve in the Navy during World War II, eventually becoming Commanding Officer of the USS Cayuse 8 in the Philippines. After the war, he completed his education, then was with the Central Intelligence Agency for 30 years, mostly in Europe and the Far East. Bud was active in preserving and restoring the Old Town part of Alexandria, and was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He enjoyed painting, designing stained glass works, and making reproduction antique furniture, and was active in the Episcopal Church. He leaves his wife, Marion M. Young, 518 S. Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314; three children; and eight grandchildren. A brother, the late Coulter “Cy” Young ’38, also attended Choate.

’41

RH Edith Den t Moore , 88, active in civic and community life, died September 11, 2012 in Bridgeport, Conn.

Born in Philadelphia, Edie came to Rosemary Hall in 1936. She was on the boards of the Question Mark and Answer Book, Vice President of the fourth form, an assistant Marshal, an assistant Fire Captain, and on the Dance Committee. After attending Bryn Mawr, she was a Red Cross volunteer during World War II while she worked at Random House publishers. Later, she co-founded the Fairfield Women’s Exchange in Connecticut, was a Trustee of Union Theological Seminary in New York, and was on the boards of the Child Guidance Center of Greater Bridgeport, Goodwill Industries, Greens Farms Academy, the Fairfield Historical Society, and the Aspetuck Land Trust. Edie loved gardening, and for years maintained the colonial era gardens at Ogden House in Fairfield.

She leaves four children, including Edith Moore Blair ’73, 535 Park Ave., New York, NY 10021; 11 grandchildren; nine greatgrandchildren; a brother; and a sister, Diana Gwyn Dent ’46.

’41 C

Irvin g D. Booth Jr. , 91, the retired President of an electrical wholesaling firm, died July 26, 2012 in Elmira, N.Y. Born in Elmira, Denny, as he was known, came to Choate in 1938. He was President of St. Andrew’s Cabinet, on the Dance Committee, and in the Fire Department, but he was best known as an athlete.

He lettered in football, wrestling, and track, won school awards in football and wrestling, and was voted “Best Athlete” by his classmates. After graduating from Dartmouth, he joined the Marines and served in the Pacific; he was awarded the Purple Heart for action on Iwo Jima. After the war, he joined the family business in Elmira, I. D. Booth Inc., which had been started in 1875. Denny enjoyed skiing, hunting, golfing, swimming, and hiking, as well as camping and traveling. He leaves three children: Irving D. Booth III ’71; Robertson D. Booth ’73, 1401 West Water Et., Elmira, NY 14905; and Donna Booth Quinlan ’76; and five grandchildren.

Another son, Duff Wilson Booth ’83, predeceased him. A brother, the late John S. Booth ’29, also attended Choate.

1968 c

1946

Michael B. English

Condolences to Diana Gwyn Dent , whose sister, Edith Dent Moore , died in September.

October 25, 2010

RH

Condolences to Jane W. Rutter , whose sister, Bertha Wheeler Wenzel ’42 , died in 2011.

54 | 55

’42 RH

Gl a dys D e v e r e ux Bake r Tyle r , 88, died June 14, 2012 in San Diego, Calif. Born in Houston, Texas, Devereux came to Rosemary Hall in 1939, where she was secretary of the Athletic Association, on the Library and Dance Committees, and in the Music Club. After attending Vassar, she worked in advertising and then was a homemaker, spending many years in England and Switzerland. Devereux enjoyed horses, tennis, and playing bridge. She leaves a daughter, Carol O’Connor Iovino ’67, and a granddaughter.

B e r t h a W h e ele r W e nze l , 87, a singer, died September 10, 2011 in Lone Oak, Ky. Born in Paducah, Ky., Bertha came to Rosemary Hall in 1939, where she was Head of Choir and was awarded the Music Prize twice. After attending Paducah Junior College, she was a voice major at the University of Louisville and sang in the Louisville Summer Opera. Knowledgeable about folk music as well as classical music, Bertha recorded two albums of traditional folk songs sung by roustabouts on packet boats in the South. She was also interested in gardening and genealogy, and was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames, and Magna Charta Dames. She leaves four children, including Juliana Harrison, 655 Highland Church Rd., Paducah, KY 42001; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren, and a sister, Jane W. Rutter ’46. Another sister, the late Mary W. Hilliard ’39, and her mother, Bertha F. Wheeler ’17, also attended Rosemary Hall.

’43 C

R u sse ll W e l don , 89, a retired silver company executive, died September 14, 2012, in Branford, Conn. Born in Meriden, Conn., Russell came to Choate in 1940, where he was manager of the baseball team and the drum major for the school band. After Choate, he served in the Navy on a destroyer in the Atlantic, then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

He worked for many years in the silver industry, retiring as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for International Silver in Meriden. Russell was a member of the local Lions Club for 56 years, and served a term as its president. He leaves three children, including Susan Weldon, 103 Cottage Rd., Madison, CT 06443; three grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

’44 C

H o wa r d E . “ J im” Nor r is , 85, a retired civilian employee of the Air Force, died August 27, 2012 in Charlton, Mass. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Jim, as he was known, came to Choate in 1941, where he was Chairman of the Engineering Club and in the Dramatic Club and the Cum Laude Society. After

Choate, he served in the Navy, then graduated from Columbia. He received a direct commission into the Air Force, serving several years in England and attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After active duty, he took a civil service job with the Air Force in New York and Lexington, Mass. An avid history buff, Jim participated in Civil War reenactments and was a member of several Civil War associations. He was also a Mason. He leaves his wife, Thelma Norris; two sons; and two grandchildren.

’45 C

Hen ry Bloch Jr. , 85, a retired financial advisor, died June 21, 2012 in Hyannis, Mass. Born in New York City, Hank was at Choate for one year after graduating from Scarsdale High School; he played league sports and was on the Library Committee. After earning degrees from Middlebury and Columbia, he worked in White Plains, N.Y., with his father as a financial advisor. He was active in the Scarsdale Congregational Church and in that town’s Fair Housing Group. After retirement, he and his wife lived in Provincetown, Mass., and Bondville, Vt. Hank also enjoyed skiing, running, sailing, and kayaking. He leaves three children, including Neil Bloch, 6 Furnace St., Cold Spring, NY 10516; two grandchildren; and a brother.

Walt er E. Veg h te Jr. , 85, a retired insurance executive, died August 30, 2012. Born in East Orange, N.J., Walter came to Choate in 1943, where he played league football, basketball, and baseball. During World War II, he served in the Pacific with the Navy. After graduating from Trinity College, he joined the Insurance Company of North America, and after 24 years there became Vice President and Director of the reinsurance broker Towers, Perrin, Forster and Crosby in Philadelphia, retiring in 1989. Walter enjoyed travel and golf. He leaves his wife, Ann Veghte; three children; and nine grandchildren.

’47 C

Ph ilip J. Ch rist , 83, a retired telephone company executive, died August 31, 2012 in Aptos, Calif. Born in New Hyde Park, N.Y., Philip came to Choate in 1945, where he played league football, basketball, and baseball. He then graduated from Hobart University, where he was a standout lacrosse player, and served in the Korean War as an artillery forward observer. Philip spent many years with the New York Telephone Co. in managerial positions, retiring in 1987. He was a Commissioner for the Santa Cruz County Fish and Game Commission, and enjoyed fly fishing tennis, and bocce. He leaves his wife, Jean Christ, 525 Cuesta Dr., Aptos, CA 95003; a daughter; two stepchildren; and four grandchildren.

1955

c

Condolences to Wally and David ’56 Nichols , whose mother has died.

1963 c Condolences to Roger Vincent , whose brother, former Trustee Robert Vincent , died in September.

1965

c

Condolences to Bob Thompson , whose mother, Marion Thompson , the widow of faculty member Fred Thompson , died in September.

1967

rh

Condolences to Carol O’Connor Iovino , whose mother, Devereux Tyler ’42 , died in June.

’61

Wa llac e Kir kpatr ick ,

83, a retired steel company executive, died April 10, 2012. Born in Pittsburgh, Wally came to Choate in 1944, where he played soccer, was a cheerleader, and was Chairman of the Library Committee. After graduation from Brown, he worked in the steel industry for many years, retiring as an executive of Allegheny Ludlum Steel. Wally was a Director of the Greater Pittsburgh Capital Corp. and a Vice President of the Allegheny Valley Chamber of Commerce. He also was one of the principal developers of the Shadyside Village shopping center in Pittsburgh, and owned a sporting equipment store there. He leaves his wife, Nancy Kirkpatrick, 239 Aspen Mountain Dr., Boswell, PA 15531; three children, John W. Kirkpatrick ’70, William H. Kirkpatrick ’73, and Nancy Kirkpatrick Yale ’76; and eight grandchildren.

C Joh n Van der Horst Jr. , 69, the retired owner of a wholesale hardware business, died September 8, 2012 in Charleston, S.C. Born in Philadelphia, John came to Choate in 1958. He lettered in squash and tennis, was in St. Andrew’s Cabinet and Gold Key, and sang in the Glee Club and the Maiyeros. After graduation from Sewanee, he moved to Baltimore and joined Wm. H. Cole and Sons, a family-owned wholesale hardware business. He rose to the position of President.

Interested in genealogy, John was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. He leaves a brother, Allston Vander Horst ’67, 962 Bluewater Rd., Centerville, TN 37033; and a sister. Three uncles also went to Choate: the late Allston Vander Horst ’23, Lloyd Vander Horst ’23, and Elias Vander Horst ’28.

’48

’74 C

C Th e m i stocle s D. Anastasiadis , 81, the owner of a civil engineering firm, died July 1, 2012 in Mountain View, Calif.

Born in Athens, Greece, he was at Choate only in 1948, and played tennis. After Choate, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Stanford, and in 1962 officially changed his name to Timothy D. Sandis. In 1965, he founded the civil engineering firm Sandis and Associates, now Sandis Humber Jones, with four northern California locations. Tim was a member of the Rotary Club and worked with the Community Services Agency and the Community School of Music and Art in Mountain View. He enjoyed painting, camping, and fishing. He leaves six children, seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a sister.

’50 RH F r a n c e s Chapline Eve r e tt , 79, active in commu-

nity life, died September 19, 2012 in Gloucester, Mass. Born in Washington, D.C., Cherie came to Rosemary Hall in 1947. She was on the Answer Book Board and the Kindly Club Council, was in the Dramatic Club, and was Secretary of the Athletic Association. After attending Skidmore, she worked in New York for several years, including time at The New Yorker magazine. After she married, she and her husband opened the Old Ark Inn in Vermont. Cherie was a corporator and volunteer at the Sawyer Public Library in Gloucester and sang in the choir of St. John’s Episcopal Church there. She leaves her husband, Richard Everett III, 4 Warwick Rd., Gloucester, MA 01930; four sons; seven grandchildren; and two sisters.

1967

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Condolences to Allston Vander Horst , whose brother, John ’61 , died in June.

1970

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Condolences to John, William ’73, and Nancy Kirkpatrick Yale ’76, whose father, Wallace Kirkpatrick ’47 , died in April.

Ph ilip Portser , 55, the owner of a commercial real estate company, died February 1, 2011 in Hopkinton, Mass. Born in New York City, Philip came to Choate in 1970, where he played intramural sports. After Choate, he attended Boston University and graduated from the University of Colorado. He was the owner of PRE, Inc., a commercial real estate firm specializing in storage and modular homes. He enjoyed world travel, skiing, sailing, and photography. He leaves his wife, Vickie Portser, 99 Thacher Shore Rd., Yarmouth Port, MA 02675; his mother; and a sister.

Bren t Wilcox , 55, a radio music host, died February 20, 2012 in Girdwood, Alaska. Born in Pasadena, Calif., Brent came to Choate in 1971, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Literary Magazine, President of the Military History Club, Vice President of the Film Society, and on the Student Activities Committee.

After Choate, he graduated from the film school at UCLA, then worked as an on-air host for public radio in Los Angeles. His shows concentrated on world music, progressive and alternative rock, and experimental music. He later moved to Alaska, where he was an on-air personality and jazz music director of KEUL-FM. He also worked as revenue manager at the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood. He leaves his mother and four siblings.

’85

Don ald J. McCarth y Jr. , 45, a professor of mathematics, died July 29, 2012 in Peoria, Ariz. Born in New Haven, Conn., Don came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1983. He rowed crew, and played trombone and piano, winning a prize in excellence in piano. After earning degrees from Southern Connecticut State University and the State University of New York at Binghamton, Don taught math at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Ariz. He leaves his parents, Donald and Elizabeth McCarthy, 1649 Great Hill Rd., Guilford, CT 06437; two brothers; and two sisters.

1971

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Condolences to Irving D. Booth III , Robertson ’73 , and Donna Booth Quinlan ’76 , whose father, Denny Booth ’41 , died in July.

1973

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Condolences to Edith Moore Blair , whose mother, Edith Dent Moore ’41 , died in September.

’93

K a r i n a S a a r i , 37, an architectural administrator, died July 24 in Greenwich, Conn., of cancer. Born in Greenwich, Karina came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1990. She played varsity field hockey, was captain of lacrosse, and sang in the Whimawehs.

After Choate, she attended Middlebury, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the State University of New York at Purchase, then worked for CPG Architects in Stamford, Conn. Karina enjoyed all sports, especially tennis, squash, basketball, field and ice hockey, swimming, and lacrosse. She leaves her parents, Leonard and Yanna Saari, 14 Hidden Brook Rd., Riverside, CT 06878; and a sister.

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J e an Pie r r e Cosnar d de s Close ts died on August 4, 2012 at

the Alzheimer's wing of a retirement home in Moncontour, France. He was 84. According to his family, JP – as he was always known – was born and raised in Paris. He volunteered to help the American Red Cross as an interpreter after World War II; he then served in the French Army.

Later on, his love for languages enabled him to hold diverse jobs, such as launching Coca-Cola in France, following the Tour de France in a sponsor car, working on film sets in Spain and Italy, running a fine arts bookstore, and teaching French in England. In 1956, he came to America to teach at Portsmouth Priory in Rhode Island. Hired by Choate in 1958, he was one of the first teachers in the United States to use the “Direct Method,” where students spoke exclusively in French in class.

Writes longtime faculty member Zack Goodyear, “In the 1960s, with the support of Seymour St. John, a linguist himself, JP founded what has become known as our term-abroad program.

On the heels of Jo van Straalen’s taking a group of boys to Russia for a summer, Seymour sent JP to France for a term to see if there were teachers and families who could constitute a Choate “campus” of immersion. JP reported that this idea looked promising. That experimental kernel has blossomed today into study opportunities for Choate students in France, Spain, Italy, China and, soon, the Middle East. It should also be noted that in the 1960s JP taught Choate’s first art history course.

1973

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Condolences to Eugene and Pamela ’74 Forrester , whose father died in July.

“JP retired as a teacher in 1976. He remained on campus for twenty more years as a “house husband” (his term) during his wife Jessie’s tenure as a French teacher and form dean.

During that period, JP was affectionately known as the “mayor of Choate” for his friendly presence at meals, his perambulations of campus and his warm embrace of a broad spectrum of new faculty, staff and older friends who had known him from his early years as a pioneering French teacher and language department head.

“In more personal terms,” says, Zack, “ JP was my most loyal friend and mentor in my early years at school. His cosmopolitan perspective reminded me that there were ironies attached to adults’ choosing to live with teenagers who were not their children.

Since I had spent five of my own formative years in boarding school, this advice helped me maintain a sense of proportion about my calling. He had a restless intellect, and it was mostly focused on the world beyond Choate. He taught me more about the English language – from the outside in – than all the courses I had taken as an undergraduate. I taught him a little about U.S. government and politics, and was deeply honored to be his sponsor when he decided in 1985 to become an American citizen. He taught me about wine. And computers – for those who saw it, no one will forget JP’s mammoth “Wang”, one of the very first computers on campus. And then there was France. The number of Choate faculty – invited and uninvited – who arrived on JP and Jessie’s welcoming doorstep in Paris and in Jugon in Brittany will never be counted. The definition of hospitality must have the name Cosnard somewhere embedded in its etymology.”

“JP was singlehandedly responsible for the one year the Goodyears spent away from Choate, in 1983-84. In a casual dining hall conversation, Julie and I mentioned to JP our interest in spending a year abroad at an international school. JP swung into action and his efforts resulted in our signing on with College du Leman in Versoix, Switzerland, just up the lake from Geneva.

No time in our life had such a strong impact on our family’s core.

I will always remember this imaginative, dignified, dynamic man’s contributions to our school and to our family.”

Jean Pierre leaves his wife, Jessie Cosnard des Closets, Les Roches Blanches, 22270 Jugon-Les-Lacs, France; three children, Sean Cosnard ’80, Marc Cosnard ’81, and Elisa Cosnard Colas ’85; eight grandchildren; and a sister.

1979

1980

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Condolences to Elizabeth Haselkorn , whose father died in July.

Condolences to Sean, Marc ’81 , and Elisa ’85 Cosnard , whose father, retired Choate teacher Jean Pierre Cosnard, died in August.

Condolences to Page Vincent and Caroline Mockridge ’84 , whose father, former Trustee Robert Vincent , died in September.

Condolences to Timothy McKay , whose stepfather died in July.

56 | 57

A n to i n e tte Donar umo ,

who worked in the housekeeping department at Choate for 23 years, died August 15, 2012 in Wallingford. She was 85. Born in New Haven, Antoinette came to Choate in 1966, when she and her husband both joined the staff; he was a groundskeeper, who retired when she did in 1989. They lived on campus with their children, one of whom, Ann Votto, is now an administrative assistant in the Summer Programs department. Antoinette enjoyed cross stitching and embroidering pillowcases for her grandchildren. She leaves her husband, Vincent Donarumo, 8 John Savage Commons, Wallingford, CT 06492; two children; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Ma r i o n R. Thompson , the widow of retired Choate faculty member Frederick E. Thompson, died September 7, 2012 in Essex, Conn. She was 98. Born and raised in Durham, N.C., Marion never lost her Southern accent or style, even after living in New England for 73 years. A member of the Class of 1937 at Duke, Marion met Fred in Watertown, Conn.; they were married in the Duke Chapel. Their first stop in the world of boarding schools was Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., Fred’s alma mater; they then spent some years at Trinity Pawling School. The Thompsons came to Choate in 1949, and for many years lived in the Long House.

“From my first day as a ’new boy’ at Choate in 1954, she was a warm and welcoming friend, the charming center of Choate’s Camelot,” said retired faculty member Ben Sylvester. Retired faculty member Ed Maddox remembered that Marion “exuded a gracious Southern charm that endeared her to thousands of students and faculty who had the privilege of knowing her.” She was the first hostess of the historic Royce House not far from campus, which for a time was Choate’s official guest house. “I will never forget the generous caring and support that [Marion and Fred] gave me when I was a student at Choate,” said former teacher Ralph Valentine ’62, “and how that same spirit of friendship continued years later when I joined the faculty.” The Thompsons retired in 1975 to Madison, Conn., though they maintained many of their Choate connections in retirement. Fred died in 1996, and three years later Marion moved to the Essex Meadows retirement community in Essex, Conn. She leaves her son, Bob Thompson ’65, P.O. Box 446, Marion, MA 02738; a sister; a niece; and two nephews.

1991 Condolences to ROGER VINCENT, whose uncle, former Trustee ROBERT VINCENT, died in September.

Mary G. Versell i , Choate

Rosemary Hall’s Director of Community Partnerships, died October 16, 2012, at age 51.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Mary and her family moved to Wallingford, where she graduated from Mark T. Sheehan High School, and is an inductee in its Hall of Fame. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford and continued her education at Northeastern University, earning an MBA with highest distinction.

Before coming to Choate, Mary was chosen as the first administrator of the Ashlar Village retirement community in Wallingford. She began her own business consultancy, Senior Markets Network, before becoming an executive at The National Theatre of the Deaf and The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. From 2005 to 2012, Mary was Choate’s Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, and earlier this year was appointed Director of Community Partnerships. Describing her as “a person of great dignity, faith and unending kindness,” Alex D. Curtis, Headmaster, said Mary “worked tirelessly and effectively to improve how we communicate both within our own ranks and with the external world.” She was active in the community, serving as Choate’s liaison with the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW). Maria F. Campos Harlow, SCOW’s Executive Director, said Mary was “such a pleasure to work with. I would mention a program – she just took it over. She made sure everything we wanted would happen. She holds a special place in all our hearts.” Mary was a Board member and chairman-elect of the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Holy Trinity School Board. She is survived by her husband, Mark Verselli, 1317 Durham Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492; and their sons Michael and Matthew.

Robert C. Vin cen t Jr. , a former trustee, died September 12, 2012, in Greenwich, Conn. Born in Staten Island, N.Y., Robert was a graduate of Dartmouth and Columbia Law School, and was a retired partner of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He was also a director of several companies, including Barclays Bank of New York, where he was chairman, and First Westchester General Bank. Robert served as a Trustee from 1982 to 1985. He leaves his wife, Karin Vincent, 197 Stone Hill Rd., Pound Ridge, NY 10576; three children, including Page Vincent ’82 and Caroline Mockridge ’84; three stepsons; nine grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; and two siblings, including Roger Vincent ’63. A nephew, Roger Vincent Jr. ’91, also attended Choate Rosemary Hall.

h What Will Be Your Legacy?

To learn about the creative ways you can include Choate Rosemary Hall in your personal legacy, contact Ron Fleury in the Planned Giving Office at (203) 697-2288 or rfleury@choate.edu. Visit our website at www.choate.edu/plannedgiving

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Scoreboard 2 0 1 2 f a l l s p o r t s

Choate celebrates after Serena Sommerfield ’15 (#13) scores her third (and the winning) goal against Deerfield. Co-captain Lauren Berestecky ’13 is first on the scene to give her the congratulatory hug while Co-captain Aisling Gorman ’13, who passed it to Serena, charges in to join the cheering. Caroline Buckholtz ’14 is beside Aisling.

photogra p hy b y I an J . M o r r i s

Congratulations to the Girls varsity volleyball team for winning the 2012 New England Championship title. Girls and Boys cross-country teams won their respective Founders League Championships. Varsity field hockey made the New England tournament after beating Deerfield to close the regular season. Varsity football finished the season with only a single loss. Boys and Girls varsity soccer headed to the New England tournament. Boys varsity water polo finished second in the New England finals.

CROSS COUNTRY Boys Varsity Season Record: 6-3 Captains: Bernard W. Costich ’13 & Benjamin T. Seymour ’13 Highlights: Won Founders League and placed 3rd at the New England Championships Girls Varsity Season Record: 7-1 Captain: Margaret R. Peard ’13 Highlights: First in the Founders League Championships and 2nd in the New England Championships FIELD HOCKEY Varsity Season Record: Record: 13-4-1 Captains: Lauren C. Berestecky ’13 & Aisling J. Gorman ’13 Highlights: Heading to New England tournament. Lost to Hotchkiss in the semifinals.

FOOTBALL Varsity Season Record: 8-1 Captain: Daniel J. Piscatelli ’13 Highlights: Snapped Taft 11-game winning streak with a 29-19 victory. Only loss was to Exeter. The boys played their hearts out this season and provided plenty of thrills in an 8-1 campaign capped by a fourth straight win over the Big Green.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Varsity Season Record: 14-6 Captains: Candace Y. Fields ’13 & Ashley N. Scheller ’13 Highlights: Defeated Deerfield to complete the season. Won a dramatic five-game match against Hotchkiss for the New England Championship title.

SOCCER Boys Varsity Season Record: 12-4-1 Captains: Sebastiaan C. Blickman ’13 & Alexander Choi ’13 Highlights: On a seven game unbeaten streak to end the season. Lost to Berkshire in the first round of the New England Tournament.

Girls Varsity Season Record: 10-5-1 Captains: Briana R. Mastel ’13 & Erin R. Boudreau ’13 Highlights: A come-from-behind tie with Wilbraham and Monson and a big victory over Andover. Lost to Brooks School in the first round of the New England match up.

BOYS WATER POLO Varsity Season Record: 10-4 Captains: John L. Currie ’13, Henry I. McMillan ’13 & Ellison J. Taylor ’13 Highlights: Placed second in New Englands.

Beat Deerfield in the semifinals and lost to Exeter in the finals.

Capt ion C or r e ction s: Summer 2012 Scoreboard – Girls tennis player, Maddie Barnes ’14 was pictured, not Ericka Robertson ’12. Girls lacrosse player, Mackenzie Tesei ’12 was pictured, not Grace McVey ’12.

Go Wild Boars!

top l e ft Water polo co-captain Ellison Taylor ’13 shoots during a game at the Larry Hart Pool. This year's sixth form players lost only one home league contest over four years where they went 19-1 against league opponents at home and 19-4 overall. The boys enjoyed three trips to the Championship game, including this year, and one 3rd place finish in the league during their time at Choate. bottom l e ft Junior wide receiver Jack Bertolini ’14 hauls in a 15-yard touchdown from quarterback Quinn Shanbour ’13 en route to beating rival Deerfield Academy 47-34. The Wild Boars went 8-1 in 2012 behind the senior leadership of linebacker Chris Chambers ’13, fullback Steel White ’13 and offensive guard, Captain Dan Piscatelli ’13.

top rig h t Austin Hajna ’14 competing in dual meet action on the Choate course. bottom rig h t #14 Emily Shires ’14, a new fifth former from

Nanaimo, British Columbia, prepares to strike the ball in the home opener vs. Greenwich Academy. Choate won the game 1-0 and went on to finish 4th in the highly competitive WNEPSSA league.

The Wild Boars earned a second consecutive bid to the NEPSAC post-season tournament and capped their 2012 campaign as New England Quarterfinalists with an overall record of 10-5-1.

60 | 61

To p l e ft Field hockey co-captain Aisling Gorman ’13 about to

fire a shot against Taft in overtime.

botto m Le ft Candace Fields ’13, Co-captain of the varsity

volleyball team, swings for a kill at home against NMH.

top rig h t Varsity team runners, from left, Chelsea Swift ’15, Captain Maggie Peard ’13, Olivia Podos ’16, and Emma Zehner ’13 at first home meet against Kent. The girls’ team ended the season as Founders League Champions. bottom rig h t Boys varsity co-captain Seb Blickman ’13 puts a

header on target as he rises over a Trinity-Pawling defender en route to a 5-0 home win.

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Bookshelf

In this issue: From the translation of a popular 17th century historical crime fiction series, to the modern day comic novel, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, the human desire for suspense and how it all ends keeps readers turning those pages!

The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch Translation by Lee Chadeayne ’50

The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch

Translation: by Lee Chadeayne ’50 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Mariner Books About the Translator: A life-long translator, Lee Chadeayne ’50, now has an encore career as a translator of the historical crime novels of Oliver Pötzsch, the “Bavarian Stephen King.”

About the Reviewer: Ruth Walker is a freelance writer living in Cambridge, Mass.

Reviewed by Ruth Walker

When Andreas Koppmeyer, the parish priest in St. Lawrence Church in the Bavarian town of Altenstadt, dies unexpectedly, the likeliest explanation seems to be that he ate himself to death. After all, on the morning when his body is found, his housekeeper notes he had consumed nearly all the doughnuts she had left out for him the night before. But it doesn’t take Simon Fronwieser, the town medic, long to suspect the priest has been poisoned – because of something he knew.

Soon, Fronwieser and his friend and mentor, Jakob Kuisl, are on the case, along with Jakob’s daughter, Magdalena. Kuisl is known as the hangman of Schongau, although when the occasion demands he can perform other tasks for municipal officials, such as torture. He has to keep his wits about him. He’s expected to put on a good show for the people when he has to perform an execution.

He knows that if the masses think they’ve been shortchanged – if the condemned man dies too quickly or too quietly – they may turn on the hangman and string him up, too.

The Pötzsch novels, based on the author’s own ancestors, are set in the mid-17th century, in Schongau, a region then still reeling from the Thirty Years’ War. The novels relate the adventures of the town executioner who, despite his grim profession, manages to embody humanity and decency.

The sleuths are soon joined by a woman who rides into town on an imposing stallion and introduces herself as the younger sister of the priest. When told of his suspicious death, she, too, is keen to solve the mystery, and also to find the church treasure he apparently stumbled upon.

This treasure, they figure, is the legacy of the Templars, who were leading Christian warriors during the Crusades but were then shut down when they became too powerful an order. Was their treasure hidden centuries ago in this quiet corner of Bavaria, Simon and the others wonder?

They are not the only ones interested in finding out what the murdered priest knew. Three dark-robed monks keep popping up at every turn, and at other points, our heroes keep feeling they are being watched.

Part of a popular vogue of historical crime fiction, the five-part Hangman’s Daughter series is set in a section of Bavaria known as the Pfaffenwinkel, or “Priests’ Corner. The Dark Monk is the second of the series, and an Oprah book club selection.

It is a real page-turner, fast-paced, with plenty of action and plot twists, involving knife fights, poisons, secret passageways, and heavy stone doors that give way in the nick of time. Jakob and his daughter, especially, exhibit a knack for escaping from crypts, coffins, and other tight squeezes. Toward the end, there’s a conflagration so spectacular that it makes one of the characters think Judgment Day has come – but let’s not spoil the story.

The book also casts a certain light on a war-devastated region on the brink of modernity.

It was a dark, brutal time, but there are flickers of light in the story: the Hangman’s relatively compassionate sense of justice, Simon’s interest in new theories of how diseases spread, and even his interest in that new imported beverage: coffee.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

By Maria Semple ’82

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Author: Maria Semple ’82 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company About the Author: This is Maria Semple’s second novel, her first, This One is Mine, was published in 2010. Semple’s screenwriting credits include “Beverly Hills, 90210”, “Mad About You”, “Saturday Night Live”, “Arrested Development”, “Suddenly Susan” and “Ellen”.

About the Reviewer: Victoria H. Irwin, a Seattle native, is the Events Coordinator at the Eagle Harbor Book Co. in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where Semple recently made an author’s appearance.

Reviewed by Victoria H. Irwin

In most novels, it would be the child who goes missing. Maria Semple’s brilliantly hilarious novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette turns that upside down when a socially anxious Seattleite seemingly drops off the face of the earth, and it’s her devoted early-teen daughter who tracks her down via letters, faxes, invoices, and a big fat FBI file.

Full disclosure: I was born in Seattle. I currently live on Bainbridge Island, Wash. And I wrote about Choate’s Successful Intelligence project for the Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin in 2005. All of these have bit parts in Semple’s marvelous story.

As a bookseller and discriminating TV watcher, I already knew Semple’s writing was riotously funny, whether from her years in Hollywood (“Arrested Development” comes to mind), her infamous New Yorker tale about the preschool teacher who tries to give her class a lesson in multiculturalism by celebrating the Day of the Dead, or her first, wickedly funny, novel This One is Mine.

Bernadette is told in an epistolary manner (letters, emails, journals, receipts), pulled together

by Bee, the wonderful daughter of the infamous recluse Bernadette. Semple traces the life of the high-strung Bernadette, who won a MacArthur genius grant for her architecture, only to drop off the map when her beloved and revolutionary Twenty Mile House (built entirely with materials found within 20 miles – and that does not mean from the local Home Depot) is destroyed by a nasty neighbor in a McMansion. Bernadette struggles with her inner demons in Seattle, where her family flees when her husband joins Microsoft. But despite her prickly nature, she maintains her decency and intelligence, and while not always likeable, she is the kind of complex, droll personality I’d love to count as a friend.

Bee is true, wise – and yet still a kid. She’s appalled at how people are treating her sometimes off-putting mother, and she believes in Bernadette even when she seemingly walks off the face of the earth (or at least Queen Anne Hill).

Semple is pitch perfect in her depiction of Seattle, her own adopted home. She’s not so much skewering the mossbacks of the Pacific Northwest as lovingly talking out our neuroses. She captures a city that refuses to salt the streets after the rare major snow storm because it could harm the salmon in Puget Sound, (“Anytime you express consternation as to how the US city with more millionaires per capita than any other would allow itself to be overtaken by bums, the same reply always comes back. ‘Seattle is a compassionate city.’”)

Like any good tale, there is redemption at the end, and in some unexpected places. But there is plenty of turmoil getting you there: A shrill private school matron who falsely (and very publicly) accuses Bernadette of running over her foot in the school pick-up lane. A head of school whose sends very earnest notes about crises to school families on an almost daily basis. A brilliant husband who is afraid of what is happening to his wife, but who is also susceptible to the bile spewed forth by her jealous detractors. An outsourced personal assistant in India who makes 75 cents an hour, but does up-close errands such as dinner reservations, online orders for gear for the family trip to the Antarctic, dental appointments, and research on strong medicine for seasickness (aka anxiety).

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? is not just a book of great one-liners and name-dropping, however. It’s a marvelous tale, whether you are Northwest born, a preppie from Connecticut, or anyone who ever left LA for anywhere else. By the end, which Semple pulls together in altogether unexpected ways, you don’t want to leave. Like any good comic novel, it is, of course, really about the characters. And they are what wow you.

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End Note

Spontaneous Generations

By Katharine H. Jewett

The elaborate floral arrangements on tables covered with foie gras, champagne, and the best that New York's chefs had to offer should have been tempting, but rather than drink it all in, I worried about my upcoming AP calculus exam and the paper on The Great Gatsby my 12th grade English teacher had asked me to rewrite yet again. It was May 1987, and Texas magnate Ross Perot had sent the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, of which I was a member, to New York to play at a $2,000-a-plate benefit dinner in his honor at the Waldorf Astoria.

As I looked out over the opulent scene, a fellow viola player tapped me on the shoulder to say that "some old man" was waiting to speak to me in the press room. Alarmed and clueless – I was quite sure that no one in New York knew me – I followed him. There, among a sea of reporters, stood my maternal grandparents wearing press badges and trying (poorly) to act as though this was not their first visit to the Big Apple, much less the Waldorf! On the spur of the moment, they had made a six-hour journey by Greyhound bus from their dairy farm in New Hampshire to the Astoria's front desk. Somehow they talked the concierge into letting them sit in the press box that evening to watch us perform. Pianist Leonard Bernstein was on the program, and TV icon Barbara Walters emceed the star-studded affair. Hugging my grandparents in utter shock, I learned that their hotel room alone had cost $350, which back in 1986 equaled half their monthly salary.

Gramp was always more comfortable with grease under his fingernails and wearing hay chaff-covered dungarees than in any other more sanitized state, and I still most often picture Gram greeting us at the door in the graying housedress that she wore for years.

Registering their presence in that setting, so far from the family farm, meant a psychic collision of two separate worlds – my working-class extended family and my increasingly educated and upwardly mobile parents and friends. In no time, with their generous and unselfconscious impulsiveness, Gram and Gramp managed to do what no adult around me had been able to for months: get me to relax.

As a teacher here at Choate Rosemary Hall, I am often reminded of the circumstances surrounding that encounter. For the four years of high school, teenagers can be, as I was, consumed by structure and stress, by never living in the moment and by being an ironic slave to the forces from which they most want to become independent – Mom, Dad and “the College Process.”

Before that night in New York, I defined myself by my SAT score, my GPA, my "probables" and my "safeties."

Like most teenagers, I was incredibly self-absorbed, but the self I was absorbing was the one I thought I should become, not the one I was. What I needed was a big reality check, a getaway from my obsessive and overscheduled world. And that night I was rescued – not by a fairy godmother, but by my merry grandparents.

I played my heart out with the orchestra that evening - not for Leonard Bernstein, Barbara Walters or Ross Perot, but for Gram and Gramp.

That night at the Waldorf carries power in its remembering. Here at Choate, I try to encourage students to find their own zany personal influences, those who in a healthy way make them forget to do and help them simply to be. Even more important, to my mind, is prodding them out of the Wallingford nest, suggesting that they spread their wings and move out of their comfort zones by leaving their time zones. Had Gram and Gramp surprised me at home, the whole encounter would have been entirely different, and I would likely remember it about as much as I now recall the content of that imminent calculus test.

My grandparents’ view of life as a daily celebration of the unplanned inspires me to make the most of my unique position as a teacher who actually resides with students. If from time to time I can be to the boys in Tenney House what my grandparents were to me that night in New York and so many other times since, I will have imparted a lesson more valuable than anything I've taught in the classroom. When a pack of hungry prefects climbs into my minivan for a spontaneous late night trip to a local eatery, I silently thank my grandparents. They bequeathed to me a carefree chutzpah that is ideally suited to a dorm parent's unscripted "curriculum."

katharine Jewett is head of the language department and has also taught in the English department. She and her husband, Mark Benson, live in Tenney House with their three daughters. Their eldest, Sophia Benson, is a fifth former.

Contents f a l l 2 0 1 2 Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Magazine Director of Strategic Planning & Communications Alison J. Cady Editor Lorraine S. Connelly Design and Production David C. Nesdale Class Notes Editor Henry McNulty ’65 Contributors Wendy Carlson Victoria H. Irwin Katharine H. Jewett Henry McNulty ’65 Kevin Mardesich ’87 Tochi Onyebuchi ’05 Ruth Walker Photography Wendy Carlson Deron Chang John Giammatteo ’77 Ian Morris Laura K. Morton Life Trustees Charles F. Dey Bruce S. Gelb ’45 Edwin A. Goodman ’58 Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57 Cary L. Neiman ’64 Stephen J. Schulte ’56 Edward J. Shanahan William G. Spears ’56

2012-2013 Board of Trustees Samuel P. Bartlett ’91 Michael J. Carr ’76 Alex D. Curtis Richard Elman David R. Foster ’72 Robert B. Goergen, Jr. ’89 John F. Green ’77 Linda J. Hodge ’73 Christopher Hodgson ’78 Brett M. Johnson ’88 Warren B. Kanders ’75 Cecelia M. Kurzman ’87 Edward O. Lanphier ’74 William Laverack, Jr. Gretchen Cooper Leach ’57 Kewsong Lee ’82 Robert A. Minicucci ’71 Linda H. Riefler ’79 Marshall S. Ruben Henry K. Snyder ’85 M. Window Snyder ’93 Jeanette Sublett Thomas M. Viertel ’59 Benjamin S. Walton ’92 Editorial Advisory Board Christopher Hodgson ’78 Judy Donald ’66 Howard R. Greene Jeein Ha ’00 Dorothy Heyl ’71 Stephanie Ardrey Hazard ’81 Henry McNulty ’65 John Steinbreder ’74 Francesca Vietor ’82 Heather Zavod

Contact the Editorial Office Communications Office, c/o Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800 Editorial Offices: (203) 697-2252 Fax Number: (203) 697-2380 Email: alumline@choate.edu Web site: www.choate.edu Submissions to the Magazine All submissions to the Bulletin should be made via email or through regular post. Photos should be supplied in hard copy format or in digital format at 300 dpi. Every effort is made to accommodate all submissions.

However, the Editor reserves the right to refuse images that are not suitable for printing due to poor quality and to edit content to fit within the space allotted.

Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin is published fall, spring, and summer for alumni, students and their parents, and friends of the School. Please send change of address to Alumni Records and all other correspondence to the Communications Office, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492-3800.

Choate Rosemary Hall does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, athletics, other school-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or non-job-related handicap.

Our Commitment to the Environment The Bulletin is printed using vegetable-based inks on ChorusArt Silk, an FSC-certified paper which contains 70% recycled content, including 30% post consumer waste. This issue saved the equivalent of 32+ trees, 13,488 gals. wastewater flow, 92+ lbs. water-borne waste not created and prevented over 2,938+ lbs. of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Printed in U.S.A. 1213-049/17.5M

f e a t u r e s

2

Headmaster’s Letter

8

Doing Cool Things That Matter

16

Reflections on Choate’s many educational tributaries that collect and combine, forming a river of excellence.

Choate alumni working at Google thrive in its innovative environment.

Kohler Environmental Center: A Microcosm for Living and Learning The School’s new year-long residential academic program transports students from a traditional classroom setting to the great outdoors.

d e p a r t m e n t s

3 24 29

ANNUAL FUND 2012-2013

Campus Connection News about the School

Alumni Association News

Class Notes Profiles of The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld ’79, Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire; Maria Semple ’82, author/ screenwriter; Stan Savage, Jr. ’92, Owner/Executive, A.F. Gilmore Co.; Carter Wilding-White ’97, V.P. Operations, Real Goods Solar; Matt Paul ’04 and Doug Berman ’05, Co-founders, Electrolites Sneakers.

Give to the Annual Fund

39 53

Readers' Corner

In appreciation of the education you received

58

Scoreboard

62

Bookshelf

64

End Note

In Memoriam

Fall Sports Wrap-up

Reviews of works by Lee Chadeayne ’50 and Maria Semple ’82.

In honor of an esteemed faculty member To provide essential financial aid to a student

To support a diverse and robust learning community

Please send your tax year-end donation to the Annual Fund at Choate Rosemary Hall, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, give us a call at (203) 697-2389, or go to www.choate.edu/donate to make your gift online.

Spontaneous Generations – A daily celebration of the unscripted curriculum.

Thank you!

On t h e Cover Seth Sternberg ’97, sold his start-up

company, Meebo, to Google in June.

back Cover Logo design by Andrea Wang ’15

Choate Rosemary Hall 333 Christian Street Wallingford, CT 06492-3800

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Deerfield Day 2012