Choate Rosemary Hall Bulletin | Spring '19

In this issue:

ON THE MIGHTY MISS with John Ruskey ’82

FROM BLUEPRINT TO BLUE SKIES: Choate’s Strategic Plan

END NOTE Remembering George H.W. Bush

ON THE COVER: John Ruskey ’82, owner and founder of the Quapaw Canoe Company and the 2019 recipient of the Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters’ Board of Governors.

CONTENTS | Spring 2019 features

6 16 22

From Blueprint to Blue Skies How Choate’s Strategic Plan allowed the School to reach new heights

Rivertime: Regaining a Lost Paradise John Ruskey ’82 reminisces about his time on the Mighty Mississippi

Duty, Integrity & Service: Linson Dzau, Choate Class of 1916 Living the values and hallmarks of a Choate education

departments

2 3 26 30

52 56 60 64

Letters

On Christian & Elm News about the School Alumni Association News

Classnotes Profiles of David Fraze ’84, Treasurer, San Francisco’s de Young Museum; Bob Lord ’84, Chief Security Officer at the Democratic National Committee; Diana Pittet ’87, Adjunct Professor, Food Studies Department at New York University; Elana Horwich ’93, Founder, “Meal and a Spiel” cooking school; and Amara Omeokwe ’04, Producer, NPR’s Morning Edition In Memoriam Remembering Those We Have Lost Scoreboard Winter Sports Wrap-up Bookshelf Reviews of works: S. Davis Phillips ’61, Basil Hero ’73, Lauren E. Oakes ’99, and Jane Mosbacher Morris ’04 End Note Have We Met Before? A Remembrance of President George H. W. Bush by Gian-Carlo Peressutti ’91

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

Choate Rosemary Hall does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, athletics, other school-administered programs, or in the administration of its hiring and employment practices on the basis of age, gender, race, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic predisposition, ancestry, or other categories protected by Connecticut and federal law. Printed in U.S.A. CRH190318/18.5M

Editorial Offices T: (203) 697-2252 F: (203) 697-2380 Email: alumline@choate.edu Website: www.choate.edu Director of Strategic Planning & Communications Alison J. Cady Editor Lorraine S. Connelly Design and Production David C. Nesdale Classnotes Editor Henry McNulty ’65 Communications Assistant Brianna St. John Contributors Diana Beste Sarah V. Gordon Christopher Hogue Jeffrey MacDonald ‘87 Kevin Mardesich ’87 William Monroe ’68 Gian-Carlo Peressutti ’91 John Ruskey ’82 Stephen Siperstein Hoi Sang U ’64 Jack Vaughan ’10 Photography Rory Doyle Al Ferreira Sam Kittner Nate Krauss ’20 Matthew Millman Ross Mortensen

Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees 2018-2019 Alexandra B. Airth P ’18 Kenneth G. Bartels ’69, P ’04 Samuel P. Bartlett ’91 Peggy Brim Bewkes ’69 Caroline T. Brown ’86, P ’19 Marc E. Brown ’82 Michael J. Carr ’76 George F. Colony ’72 Alex D. Curtis P ’17, ’20 Borje E. Ekholm P ’17, ’20 Gunther S. Hamm ’98 Linda J. Hodge ’73, P ’12 Jungwook “Ryan” Hong ’89, P ’19, ’22 Parisa N. Jaffer ’89 Daniel G. Kelly, Jr. ’69, P ’03 Vanessa Kong Kerzner P ’16 Cecelia M. Kurzman ’87 James A. Lebovitz ’75, P ’06, ’10 Takashi Murata ’93 Tal H. Nazer P ’17, ’19 Peter B. Orthwein ’64, P ’94, ’06, ’11 Anne Sa’adah

BOB BRYAN REMEMBERED I write on hearing the news of the death of Bob Bryan. No doubt this sad event will cause an outpouring of reminiscence, affection, and life lessons from the many at Choate who knew him and were touched by him. Although I did not know him well in the years 1960–63 when our time at Choate coincided, even a more distant relationship was rich in association and benefit from this warm, cordial, high-minded man. Frequently he delivered in chapel talks an everyday gospel of care, empathy, and principled action. He talked to us boys at our level: he knew it and we knew it. Some boys, the fortunate, were privileged to work with him and share with him his ministry of good works to the isolated communities of maritime Quebec and Labrador. His presence as a rugged bear was belied by a soft, understanding voice and a gentle humanity. In many ways he soared above us in the light, and we will remember him and be inspired by him.

Doug Myers ’64 Cambridge, Massachusetts Remembering Rev. Bob Bryan with admiration and fondness. Bob often sermonized at the Lattingtown Church across the road from my mother's house in Locust Valley, the site of our Class of ’62 Grad Party which many of you attended and enjoyed though details may remain obscure! Best to all of you – see you in ’22!

Bob Boggs ’62 Beverly Hills, California

Life Trustees Bruce S. Gelb ’45, P ’72, ’74, ’76, ’78 Edwin A. Goodman ’58 Herbert V. Kohler, Jr. ’57, P ’84 Cary L. Neiman ’64 Stephen J. Schulte ’56, P ’86 William G. Spears ’56, P ’81, ’90 Editorial Advisory Board Judy Donald ’66 Howard R. Greene P ’82, ’05 Dorothy Heyl ’71, P ’08 Seth Hoyt ’61 Henry McNulty ’65 Michelle Judd Rittler ’98 John Steinbreder ’74 Monica St. James P ’09 Francesca Vietor ’82 Heather Zavod P ’88, ’90

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’63 1963 Choate ski team at Powder Hill

POWDER(LESS) HILL Responding to your welcome that appeared in the most recent alumni magazine to send along class notes and photos, I offer a long-lost image of a bunch of guys who found little connection with the accomplished ski racers of the era.

The attached is a photo of the Choate ski team 1962–63 season. It was the second year of the ski team. We practiced at “Powder Hill” in Middlefield, Conn., (now known as Powder Ridge).

The snow bore no resemblance to powder and little resemblance to snow. It was, most agreed, a slightly tilted ice rink. Our record was 3 wins, 3 losses.

Andy Love ’63 Major General USAF (Ret) Englewood, Colorado

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 3

ON CHRISTIAN & ELM |

Community-wide Diversity Day with Producer André Robert Lee On January 21, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Choate students, faculty, and staff participated in this year’s Diversity Day program. Director of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Keith Hinderlie opened the discussion with a reminder of the importance of MLK Day as a time to reflect not only on Dr. King’s work, but on the work that lies ahead of us today.

This year’s program welcomed André Robert Lee, producer of the documentary I’m Not Racist ... Am I? The documentary follows 12 teens from New York City as they navigate questions about race and privilege through a series of workshops and discussions with their friends, their families, and each other. The film is just one part of a larger initiative called Deconstructing Race, developed by the Calhoun School in New York, N.Y., that encourages conversations about structural systemic racism.

The film was shown in three different viewings for faculty and staff, third and fourth formers, and fifth and sixth formers. Each was followed by a 30-minute Q&A, led by Lee. Conversations ranged from examining the power that lies within the discussion of race – even when those conversations are uncomfortable or difficult – to asking critical questions about how to turn conversations into actions. Students discussed the need for new methods of teaching the history of racism, so as to examine and deconstruct what came before in order to build something new.

Participants and Lee discussed the role each of us holds in speaking up, coupled with the importance of self-care when involved in these difficult conversations.

Following the Q&A, students attended studentled workshops and activities that were designed to dig deeper into specific topics concerning race, bias, privilege, and more.

Lani Uyeno ’19 Presents Concussion Research at International Conference From March 13 through 16, Lani Uyeno ’19 attended the International Brain Injury Association’s 13th World Congress on Brain Injury in Toronto, presenting her research poster to a global community of 1,200 doctors and other health care professionals from Australia, the U.S., Europe, and Canada.

Her research focuses on how active rehabilitation may help decrease symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, and fogginess in youth with persistent concussion symptoms. She says her study “consisted of low intensity aerobics, sport coordination drills and relaxation exercises. I used descriptive statistics to summarize demographic data of the participants and statistical analysis to determine the significance of our results.”

Lani attributes much of her interest and the next steps in her work to Choate’s Science Research Program. “SRP was integral in developing my interest in neuroscience and brain injury,” she says.

“Choate’s Signature Programs are a great way for students to develop a specialized and focused intellectual interest that can be pursued at the college level and beyond.”

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ON CHRISTIAN & ELM |

National Signing Day: 33 StudentAthletes Commit

Guest Lecturer James Surowiecki ’84 Presents Stevenson Lecture On March 25, the History, Philosophy, Religion, and Social Sciences department hosted James Surowiecki ’84, who presented this year’s Stevenson Lecture. Since 1976, the annual lecture, named for two-time presidential candidate and UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson II ’18, has brought to campus speakers who have made a distinguished contribution to public life and who might inspire students to public service. Mr. and Mrs. Martin J. Koldyke, parents of Laird ’79, Elizabeth ’83, and Benjamin ’87, endowed the lecture program.

At Choate, Surowiecki was a member of the Computer Club, Cum Laude Society, and the Choate News. After graduating in 1984, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with highest distinction. He later pursued his Ph.D. in American history on a Mellon Fellowship at Yale. He found his calling as a writer and journalist, writing for The New Yorker, Slate, and Talk, among others. His book The Wisdom of Crowds was published in 2004.

In his remarks, he focused on the issue of crowd mentality, discussing how groups of people together can be more knowledgeable or wise than individual participants. He visited four classes in a wide variety of disciplines. Says HPRSS teacher Jonas Akins, “Students were very impressed with Jim’s range of knowledge, his deep engagement with the students, and his clear enjoyment in being back on campus.”

This year’s Junior Fellow, Ian Bamford ’19 (top right), delivered a brief interpretation of the life and work of Adlai Stevenson.

On Februrary 6, friends, family, and coaches gathered in the Worthington Johnson Athletic Center to celebrate 33 Choate student-athletes from the class of 2019 who will continue their academics and have committed to play athletics at the college level. They are Chloe Blanc/New York University (Women’s Basketball); Emma Brophy/ William Smith College (Women’s Hockey); Hunter Burns/College of the Holy Cross (Football); Rashaud Conway/Trinity College (Football); Jack Daly/Bryant University (Football); Liza Diffley/ William Smith (Women’s Hockey & Lacrosse); Lily Dumas/Brown (Women’s Track & Field); Alya Elam/Yale (Women’s Basketball); Xavier File/ West Point (Football); Samantha Gallo/University of New Hampshire (Women’s Basketball); Yale Hardberger/University of Chicago (Football); Gary Kazanjian/Tufts (Football); Konrad Knaus/ The College of the Holy Cross (Men’s Lacrosse); George LeBoeuf/Franklin & Marshall (Men’s Lacrosse); Kevin Lynch/Notre Dame (Men’s La-

crosse); Jack Maley/Washington & Lee (Football); James McCarthy/Dartmouth (Football); Daryan McDonald/West Point (Football); Shaka Moales/ Merrimack College (Football); Michael Monios/ University of Maine (Football); Arinze Nzeako/St. Michael’s College (Vt.) (Men’s Lacrosse); North Peters/Harvard (Football); Jocelyn Polansky/ Utah State University (Women’s Basketball); Will Ryan/Middlebury (Men’s Lacrosse); Jonathan Sadler/Georgetown (Football); Kyle Sanborn/ Babson College (Men’s Lacrosse); Crawford Sargent/Trinity (Football); Jack Schulz/Colorado College (Men’s Lacrosse); Walter Soefker/Naval Academy (Football); Tracey Stafford/Hamilton College (Hockey); Matthew Tynes/Harvard (Football); Spencer Witter/Boston College (Football); Clarence Zachery/Amherst (Football).

On April 17, an additional 9 student-athletes committed. In total, 42 students will play athletics for 27 select colleges and universities.

Choate Ethics Bowl Competes at Nationals

Kate Bailey ’21, Anya Miksovsky ’20, Faisal Nazer ’19, Wavy Griffen ’21, Giorgie McCombe ’19, and Tyler Neri ’21

Choate’s Ethics Bowl team traveled to UNC Chapel Hill on April 6 to compete in the National High School Ethics Bowl tournament. They earned a spot by winning both the Connecticut Regional competition and the playoff with the winner of the Rhode Island Regional. At UNC the team made it all the way to the finals! They went up against a strong team from Jesuit High School, in Portland, Ore., and took second place.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 5

Choate

Dean of Students Appointed Mike Velez ’00 has been appointed Dean of Students, effective July 1. In his announcement to the community, Head of School Alex Curtis said, “Since arriving at Choate as a full-time faculty member in 2004, Mike has consistently demonstrated his commitment to serving the needs of our students through tireless work and deep involvement in all areas of school life. He has taught history in our classrooms; coached football, ice hockey, and lacrosse; and advised students of all forms in Memorial House, Tenney House, and Combination, where he serves as Head of House.”

Dr. Curtis added, “But Mike is more than the classic triple threat. He brings seven years of form dean experience to the Dean of Students position, having worked with the Classes of 2015 and 2018 and this year with our third formers.

Mike also has several years’ experience as both a dean and Dean of Students in Summer Programs.

And he has shown himself staunchly dedicated to handling calmly, carefully, and thoughtfully the many tasks and challenges his work at Choate brings his way each day, while always seeming to have time for the student or colleague in front of him at that moment.”

Velez succeeds James Stanley, who has served in the Dean of Students Office since 2006 and as Dean of Students since 2012.

WALLINGFORD

Reading Buddies at the Wallingford Public Library

Katie Gendrich ’22 with her Reading Buddy.

SECOND ANNUAL ROTHBERG CATALYZER On April 6, Choate Rosemary Hall hosted the second annual Rothberg Catalyzer competition in the Lin i.d.Lab. Forty students worked collaboratively in eight teams in an all-day session to explore this year’s topic of how to improve human abilities with technological assistance.

Sponsored by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg P ’17, ’19, founder of medical device incubator 4Catalyzer and recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the competition brings together teams from Choate, Yale, Brown, Penn, and Carnegie Mellon in a human-centered design hack-athon challenge that aims to ”catalyze” new ideas for improving and transforming human lives.

The Rothberg Catalyzer competition asks students to identify, articulate, and develop a product or service that addresses vital human needs. This year’s topic focuses on human disabilities, and how to make the world more inclusive and accessible using technology.

Students started by brainstorming and discussing some of the issues surrounding a ”disability,” beginning with the World Health Organization’s observation that disabilities are not health problems that individuals suffer from, but are rather contextual: they are the mismatching of human abilities and human environments. This year’s participants sought to better match abilities with environments, with 12 students from Miss Porter’s School joining Choate students to create functional components for the competition.

Each team presented their own prototype for devices that would help make it easier for individuals with disabilities to interact with the world.

The helperGripper – a soft robotic arm that uses a balloon like gripper with vacuum force to pick up and move items – won the challenge. The team will travel to the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in May, where they will meet the other Rothberg Catalyzer teams.

The Choate Interact Club is a volunteer organization, associated with the Wallingford Rotary, that serves students, school, and community. A valuable and valued initiative, the Reading Buddies program helps youngsters improve their reading skills. One Friday evening a month, first and second graders from the Wallingford Public Schools meet with Choate student volunteers at the Wallingford Public Library. Choate students work one-on-one with their buddies, socialize with them over a snack, and often end the event by playing games or creating a skit. Says rising co-president CiCi Curran ’20, the liaison between Rotary, Choate, and the library, “I make sure that every Choate volunteer finds some way to help once they’re at the library. Reading Buddies, more than anything else, is a way for Choate students to interact with the Wallingford community with something simple and wholesome that everyone enjoys. In this day and age, we get so caught up in technology, so I think it is important that young learners start developing good reading habits and creating positive associations involved with reading.”

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Feature

BLUE PRINT TO

How the School’s 2013 Strategic Plan allowed us to dream big and reach new heights

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 7

DEAR MEMBERS OF THE CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL COMMUNITY, on behalf of the entire School we are pleased to share with you some of the outcomes of the School’s Strategic Plan that was adopted in June 2013 and has served as our blueprint for action over the past six years.

With priorities outlined in four major areas – Cohesion and Culture, Teaching and Learning, Enrollment and Student Outcomes, and Communication and Outreach – we were able to develop an actionable, measurable implementation plan from which to move forward.

We began this journey six years ago on a celebratory note: “Choate Rosemary Hall is a school dedicated to transformative student experiences. Drawing on more than 120 years as a demonstrated leader in education, Choate has moved with confidence into the 21st century integrating innovation with traditional strengths.” At every juncture we tested ourselves against this fundamental question: Did it offer unique and transformative student experiences that integrated innovation with our traditional strengths?

With annual updates made to the Board of Trustees benchmarking our progress, our blueprint for action became a living document that nimbly responded to address our most pressing needs. Over the past six years, we implemented more than 26 major initiatives that, we believe, have enhanced the long-term future of the institution.

We are grateful to all members of the community, including our many alumni, who have helped to articulate and support the strategic initiatives that have led us to become the School we are today. We are proud of the blueprint that has allowed us to dream big, and we hope you will join the conversation as we reset our institutional priorities and develop our next strategic plan beginning in September of this year.

With all best wishes from campus,

Alex D. Curtis Head of School

Michael J. Carr ’76 Chair, Board of Trustees

We value shared experiences and traditions that shape character, build cohesion, generate school spirit, and foster lifelong connections. We will ensure that the School’s programming, size, facilities, and resources remain pre-eminent and foster a cohesive, vibrant campus community.

2014 STAT EMENT OF EX PEC TATI O N S

COHESION

A single document outlines communitywide expectations. Together with our Mission Statement and Statement on Character, the Statement of Expectations reaffirms our collective responsibility to promote a culture defined by integrity, honor, ethical behavior, and good decision-making.

2015

C U LT U R E Choate cultivates a vibrant community of principled individuals from diverse backgrounds and unites them through common purpose, active engagement, and mutual respect.

1 2 5 YEARS CELEB R ATI O N →

More than 2,200 alumni, parents, and friends gather in 15 locations around the world and in Wallingford to mark this important milestone.

RESIDENT IAL LIFE TI ER ED - H O US I N G LOT T ERY is introduced to create more

opportunities for continuity in advising.

Since then, two-thirds of fourth form students have elected to return to the same house for their fifth form year.

2016 DEGENDERING OF D EA N G R O UPS

to ensure optimal support for our students. The graduating class of 2018 was the last class to be divided based on gender. An all-gender housing option will be offered to students in the 2019 spring housing lottery.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 9

OFFICE OF EQUI TY A N D I N C L US I O N

Choate reaffirms its commitment to diversity with the appointment of Keith Hinderlie, Ph.D., as the School’s first Director of Equity and Inclusion overseeing diversity initiatives, community service, and spiritual life.

Diversity Education Committee evolves to Driving Equity at Choate. ← ST. JOHN HA L L S TUD EN T C EN TER OPENS An educational and social hub

for the community, the LEED Gold certified building includes spaces for small and large group gatherings, the Choate Store and Tuck Shop Café, Deans’ and Student Activities Offices, meeting rooms, student project rooms, and club spaces.

2019 COLONY HALL TO O PEN I N FA L L 2019

An architectural and programmatic complement to the nearby Paul Mellon Arts Center, Ann and George Colony ’72 Hall will have ample seats for faculty, staff, and students. The auditorium will be the ideal location to bring the entire school community together.

”Colony Hall will be the place where the entire school can gather to share, celebrate, and reflect. In addition to the auditorium, the building will have dedicated spaces for dance and music, making it a premiere arts facility among our peer schools.”

- ALEX CU RT IS, H EA D O F S C H O O L

10

We will continue to identify, promote, and enhance distinctive characteristics of the overall student experience. We will recruit, retain, and support an exceptional faculty and staff who reflect the diversity of the student body and are dynamic educators deeply committed to the entire student experience.

2013 F U L L A D O P T I O N O F A 1 : 1 I PA D P R O G R A M integrates new technology

with best teaching practices. Today, all students and teachers are provided iPads for use on campus.

R E CO NF IGUR E D DEAN OF FACU LT Y’S O F F ICE In addition to the Dean of

Faculty position, the Office is supported by a Director of Curricular Initiatives; a Director of Faculty Development; a Director of Studies; and a Director of Global Programs.

2014 S IX NE W FACULT Y HOMES enhance the residential life experience for our faculty and their families.

TEACHING LEARNING

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 11

“Choate’s educational experience continues to evolve by integrating our traditional strengths with innovative thinking, the result of which is collaborative learning in a technology-rich academic space that will produce confident learners.”

- ALEX CU RT IS, HEAD OF SCHOOL.

2015

W ELLNESS CO O R D I N ATO R H O L LY HINDERLIE PH . D. , is appointed to

C E N T R A L Q U A L I T I E S O F A C H O AT E EDU CAT ION is a document that lays

oversee Choate's sexual misconduct prevention and response efforts, including education and awareness efforts as well as compliance with School policy and federal and state laws.

out the skills and habits of mind that the School affirms and instills in its students. ← LANPHIER CENT ER OPENS Cameron and Edward Lanphier ’74 Center for Mathematics and Computer Science is home to Choate’s first purpose-built i.d.Lab, which serves as a catalyst for the curriculum.

1 0 0 + YEARS

of Choate Summer

Programs NEASC SELF- ST U DY BEGINS for the 10-year New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation process. NEASC visiting team in 2017–18 makes recommendations and concludes that Choate exceeds expectations in the evaluation and accreditation process.

Taking into account the pace and quality of life for students and faculty, a new daily schedule introduces 70-minute class blocks that meet three times a week, lunch block for all students, and two sleep-ins per week.

NEW DAILY SCHEDULE

2017 MOH FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT FOR GLOBAL U NDE R S TA N D I N G More than

100 students have participated in immersive transformative off-campus opportunities from China to Cuba, Spain to South Africa.

2018 is implemented as a stand-alone program during the class day, and a communitywide initiative once a term.

LIFELONG W ELL N ES S PR O G R A M

T W O NEW SIGN ATUR E PR O G R A MS

are introduced in 2018 – the Advanced Robotics Concentration (ARC) and the John F. Kennedy Program in Government and Public Service, bringing the total of Signature Programs to eight.

Choate provides students with transformative and meaningful experiences that instill lifelong habits of learning, leadership, and service, shaped by innovative and passionate educators.

E N R O L L M E N T

OUTCOMES Choate is committed to enrolling exceptional students and preparing them to achieve success in higher education, to be adaptable in a rapidly changing world, to improve the communities in which they live, and to ďŹ nd fulďŹ llment in their chosen pursuits.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 13

We seek to enroll the most talented and accomplished individuals who together create an engaged and inspiring student body. We will commit additional resources to support enrollment and student outcomes.

2015 M U R ATA U. S - J APAN S CHO LAR S HIP IS E STA B L I S H E D by Takashi Murata ’93.

The scholarship encourages Japanese students to attend Choate Summer Programs and the full academic year. ↗ OF F I CE O F I N S TI TUTIO NAL R E S E AR CH IS C R E AT E D “to collect and utilize in-

stitutional data, including longitudinal studies, to assess and enhance student outcomes.” Corey Wrinn is appointed. (see sidebar).

Institutional Research at Choate with Corey Wrinn Institutional Research is informing the way schools, colleges, and universities approach campus decision-making and strategic planning in admission, financial aid, curriculum assessment, enrollment management, student life, and alumni relations. One of the goals of Choate Rosemary Hall’s 2013 Strategic Plan was “to collect and utilize institutional data, including longitudinal studies, to assess and enhance student outcomes.”

The School created a dedicated Office of Institutional Research in 2015 and hired Corey Wrinn as its first director. Because the position is still relatively new among our peer schools, Corey recently extended an invitation to a dozen school administrators from Deerfield Academy, Groton School, Milton Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter, St. Mark’s School, St. Paul’s School, Taft School, The Hill School, The Hotchkiss School and The Loomis Chaffee School to discuss how the collection of data can enhance student outcomes.

BULLETIN: Tell us a little about your background.

2016 TA B S I N I TI ATI V E

Choate takes a leadership role in supporting TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) North American Boarding Initiative supporting industry-wide efforts to raise awareness of boarding schools across the continent. In 2017 Alex Curtis joins the board of TABS.

a master’s degree in public administration and worked briefly for the State of Connecticut’s Office of Economic Development before working in the field of institutional research at two colleges – Iona College and Fairfield University. I found that I liked the research aspect to the role and enjoyed using complex data to inform strategy and to tell a story that people could relate to and understand.

2019

B: Since your arrival, what common data sets have you been able to examine?

CW: Survey design and management is one of the projects I’ve focused on that is most associated with IR work. Although Choate has been conducting surveys for years, this is the first time surveys have been thoughtfully developed in-house for consistencies and organized to maximize insights.

The new student survey, for example, gives us a sense of the expectations that students have upon enrolling at Choate. These students are then surveyed again as sixth formers and are asked whether Choate met those expectations – identifying areas of success and future focus.

ACCESSIBILITY & AFFORDABILITY

Tuition increase is held at under 3% for the 5th consectutive year. Financial aid budget increases to $12.4 million.

B: What is your role vis-à-vis the Board of Trustees and the monitoring of strategic goals and objectives?

CW: In the next Strategic Plan we hope to create and manage attainable goals that we can track over time. Some of our benchmarks may be monitored through data collection in a more concerted way.

What drew you to this field?

COREY WRINN: I graduated from UConn with

A D MI S S I O N S E L E CTI V ITY Choate achieves lowest acceptance rate of 16.7%, with more than 2,600 applicants from 80 countries and 49 states including D.C.

B: How can the collection of data improve and inform decision-making?

CW: We want to make sure we are data-informed, not data-driven. We don’t just want to repeat things we have done in the past, but want to view them with a fresh set of eyes. The information we have been collecting is valuable to not only working more efficiently but being able to support the students more completely. The data complements some of the great programs and processes that were already in place when I arrived.

My office has also assembled a group of 10 campus stakeholders, both teaching faculty and staff, who are in effect a sounding board for various projects.

B: Michael Whitcomb, Wesleyan’s Director of Institutional Research, was invited to speak to a peer school group to discuss the role of institutional research in higher education today. What can we learn from the way colleges and universities are employing data?

CW: Colleges collaborate to share data that benchmark institutional priorities. Peer schools can learn from this mutual collaboration, and Choate is proud to be spearheading this effort.

Associate Head of School Kathleen Lyons Wallace gave the keynote address to our peer schools and has been a prime mover in this effort. We can share knowledge without giving away institutional advantages. We can learn from one another.

The ultimate goal is to determine how we define success, and how we identify students who are most likely to thrive at our schools. We’re still very much in the process of figuring that out.

COMMUNICATION

OUTRE ACH Choate will capitalize on traditional media and emerging technologies to communicate the exciting and innovative nature of campus life with constituents and the broader world.

We will eectively communicate the distinguishing qualities of the Choate experience.

2013 Update of the School’s official crest and introduction of the shield. New brand assets are developed for digital use and for athletic teams. Brand and editorial style guide is introduced.

VISU AL IDENT IT Y

2015 REDESIGNED WWW.CHOATE.EDU

is awarded Best School Mobile Website Award by the Web Marketing Association (WMA).

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 15

2017 BUL L ET I N R E AD E R S H I P S UR V E Y results show that 94% agree that the Bulletin strengthens their connection to the School. In 2018 Bulletin receives silver and gold Brilliance awards for design from InspirED School Marketers.

2018

CASE EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR EDU CAT IONAL FU NDRAISING

TAR GE TING EMERGING MARKET S

Over a three-year period, Choate demonstrates continued growth with contributions totaling $69,636,207 including a total of $18 million for the Annual Fund.

Admission, Communications, and Institutional Research teams use research and demographic trends to target potential emerging markets through social media, direct outreach, and marketing efforts.

CHOATE CONNECT

A new mobile app connects alumni with the School and each other.

Cover Story

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 17

R I V E R T I M E:

Regaining a Lost Paradise by john ruskey ’82

I M A G I N E floating down the 2,300-mile Mississippi River on a 12-by-24-foot raft built from found materials and oil drums. The fall and winter after we graduated, Sean (Kevin) Rowe ’82 and I did just that, and it almost killed us.

Five months after we launched from Minnesota’s North Woods, we reached the Mississippi Delta, the land where the blues was born and where I was destined to plant my roots. The water was high and cold with snowmelt, and flowing fast, furious – full of the flotsam and jetsam associated with winter high waters – and us, a couple of kids on a raft. Little did we know, we were about to receive a crash course on turbulence, Mississippi style.

In 1983, a 350-foot power line tower sat smack-dab in the middle of the maelstrom below Memphis, supported by four concrete pylons, each 30 feet in diameter. We sighted the ominous, steel truss giant five miles upstream, but we paid it no particular attention, our minds wrapped up in an ongoing game of chess around the open raft fire, serenely sipping cups of hot coffee. The river was probably a mile wide and flowing 9 mph. How are you going to hit anything in a mile-wide river?

However, fate had a hand in the matter. The river pushed us directly into one of the concrete pillars. I can’t remember now which it was, but we hit it hard, with so much force that everything loose skidded across the deck, all of our worldly possessions gone in one gulp. We could neither crawl up the rounded wall of concrete, nor could we push the raft away from it. photography by rory doyle

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W E S H O U L D H A V E D I E D . The wreck threw us into the river, Sean on one side of the pylon and me on the other. I remember only darkness and deadly forces pulling at me. We popped up downstream amidst the remains of our raft and called out to each other, “Sean! Sean!” I couldn’t see him anywhere. But then his voice rang out: “Here I am, Johnnie!” We pulled pieces of wreckage together and tied it as best we could with our ropes, and held on, partially in the water. We were a half mile from either shore, now floating helpless, becoming hypothermic, in the biggest and baddest river in North America.

What led us to the river? The roots of the raft trip can be traced back to Wallingford. In the early 1980s, just as we should have been making plans to go to college, Sean and I decided instead to build a raft and live like Huck Finn and Jim on the Mississippi. Our counselors were at first amused, and then astounded. Who could fault their response? “Not going to college? Are you crazy? You spent four years at one of the leading college prep schools in the world and now you’re going to drop out and become a river rat?”

And yet it was my Choate Rosemary Hall education that led directly to that decision. Melinda Talkington’s quirky Honors English class in particular. Twain cleared our clouded adolescent minds of idle thoughts and illuminated a shining pathway to the river. After reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, nothing sounded more enticing than life on the raft. (Starry-eyed kids, we ignored all of the painful parts of the river journey described in the book.)

Thoreau and Melville had their effect also; Walden and Moby Dick both spoke to the invigorating challenge of the elements and finding oneself through adventure. Wordsworth said you can read all the poems you want, but it would be best to close your books and go discover the wonders of nature for yourself. And so we did. With twinkling, mischievous eyes glowing through thick glasses, Melinda Talkington became my muse, and oversaw my senior folk music project, artfully guiding me to Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly and other American folk heroes who “came with the dust, and were gone with the wind.”

Woody Guthrie’s words “it’s always we rambled, this river, you and I/all along your green valleys I will work until I die” became the mantra of my life.

At the time, nothing seemed more important than our freedom – freedom from the 9-to-5, freedom from being inside, freedom from the cookie-cutter type of gridlock that seemed to strangle the nation. I have since learned that real freedom comes from within, but at the time we needed the release of infinite physical space, the spectacular natural landscapes still found in our country.

Cervantes fed this insanity. It was Spanish literature taught by the romantic madman Señor Juan López, God rest his love-filled soul. We read Don Quixote in Spanish.

What an experience, a journey in and of itself. Sean was akin to Don Quixote, and I was more Sancho Panza; the

Don inflamed Sean’s already outrageous flights of fancy; I tended more towards Sancho’s salty earthiness with my own folksy aphorisms and otherworldly ideas. Bill Wingerd’s nutty self-examinations opened up the hidden recesses of the heart, while Jim Spencer’s zany physics opened up the workings of the universe. Mountaineering Club under Charlie Long and George Firth taught me the skills to survive in the raw American wilderness.

When I entered Choate, I was a misfit, a goofy kid with a good heart, an open mind, and dreamy. Some of my peers made mincemeat out of me; I was the brunt of many jokes, and socially uncomfortable. But I didn’t pay too much attention and didn’t really care. I was mentored by and then inherited the WWEB bluegrass radio show from Mr. Cool himself, Colin Walsh. I learned mandolin as a way to reconnect to my Rocky Mountain roots. My fourth form roommate, John Milliman, and I started the Whiskey River Jug Band with banjo-playing postmaster Jay Burrell.

I built a mandolin from scratch and then won the woodworking award in 1982 (and now I am building wooden canoes). I had great difficulty fitting in at first, and finding myself, but over the years the Choate community became a thriving fertile playground where my many dreams could take form. After a steep uphill learning curve that first semester battling loneliness and class fright (I’d never worn a suit and tie previously, or been called a “Mister”), I began to see the shadows in the cave I had entered.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 19

�Today I carve hand-crafted voyageur canoes out of bottomland bald cypress and guide others in the same. I and my team of Mighty Quapaws (as we call ourselves) have adopted the Lower Mississippi as our own and have become her stewards, squires, and servants.�

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THE MIGHTY

MISS

Arguably the wildest river in the continental U.S., it also boasts the longest stretch of free-flowing water.

1, 154 M

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BELOW ST. LOUIS

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807

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OF FREE-FLOWING MISSOURI FROM YANKTON, SD

=

NEARLY

2,000 M

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OF PURE WATER JOY!

Photo courtesy of John Ruskey

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 21

”We are the first and only outfitter on the Lower Mississippi to have opened up the river below St. Louis to outdoor recreation. We are mentoring youth to become lifelong stewards of their floodplain environment through deep engagement.”

Today I carve hand-crafted voyageur canoes out of bottomland bald cypress and guide others in the same. I and my team of Mighty Quapaws (as we call ourselves) have adopted the Lower Mississippi as our own and have become her stewards, squires, and servants. Decades ago I hit the limits of “freedom,” and found the strength of belonging. Now I am a worker bee in the colony of my queen, the Lower Mississippi River. It feels like a miracle to be able to do this, and support myself and my family, and team of a dozen or so river rat roustabouts. We are based in Muddy Waters’ home, Clarksdale, Miss., with outposts in Vicksburg and Helena, Ark. After working the summer of 1982 to save money, Sean and I set off down the river late in the season, in August.

There was already a chill in the air. And so began the journey that would change my life. (By the way, useful tips for any would-be voyageurs: the best time to paddle the Mississippi is to start in May or June. Three months is the average top-to-bottom expedition. Canoes are advisable over rafts – faster and more maneuverable.)

It didn’t seem remarkable at the time, but we didn’t encounter anyone else rafting the river – or canoeing or kayaking either – nothing but half-mile-long tows and fishermen in johnboats; that and the largest bottomland hardwood forests and river swamps in North America!

Sean and I never made it to the Gulf of Mexico on our raft.

Everything ended abruptly and disastrously. But they say once you get the mud between your toes, you can never shake it off. I got the mud in my blood, and my blood in the mud. “I’ve known rivers:/Ancient, dusky rivers/My soul has grown deep like the rivers…” (Langston Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers).

We have opened up the river below St. Louis to outdoor recreation and we are mentoring youth to become lifelong stewards of their floodplain environment through deep engagement.

After five months of life on the Mississippi, Sean and I were both inevitably drawn back to the big river, although in much different vessels. Several decades later found me spreading Sean’s ashes from his untimely death not far downstream of the location of our wreck. I also carried out his specific request to carve a wooden monument bearing the Latin words “Utram Bibis? Aquam An Undam,” which translate to “Of which do you drink, the water or the wave?” My crew helped me hang this monument on a cottonwood tree near the end of an island not far from where the river destroyed our raft in 1983. Brother Sean, wherever you are, I know that your spirit rolls on in these mighty, muddy waters.

Looking back now on that first trip, I realize that I was given a vision of how it can work for man and nature, how we can regain the balance we have lost. My work today is all about regaining that lost paradise, here on midAmerica’s healthiest and most prolific ecosystem, a long skinny wilderness connecting the North Woods with the Gulf Coast marshland. It is still mostly wild, little changed from what it has been for centuries. That is the amazing part. Sure, there is big-time commerce and industry – the river’s tows move a major portion of America’s agriculture exports. But in a strange intersection between towboats and wetlands – the Lower Miss is still predominantly wild and still functioning as a healthy ecosystem. The meandering channels and giant islands, the expansive hardwood forests and rich wetlands, everything contained between the levees was – and is – a thriving habitat where the animal kingdom and the forces of nature prevail. And it is there you will find me, at the crossroads of the earth and her big waters.

John Ruskey ’82 lives in Clarksdale and Gulfport with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Emma-Lou. The author of the Wild Miles (www.wildmiles. org) and the Rivergator: Paddler’s Guide to the Lower Mississippi River (www.rivergator.org), John is the owner and founder of the Quapaw Canoe Company (www.island63.com), which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018. He will be featured on the BBC’s “Earth’s Great Rivers” series to air later this summer on PBS. He would love to share the raw wild power and beauty of the Mississippi River with you.

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BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 23

D U T Y, I N T E G R I T Y, & S E R V I C E

LINSON DZAU ’16 by hoi sang u ’64

The values and hallmarks of a Choate education have been amply demonstrated by a host of graduates. Linson Dzau (Choate 1916) was one. Few men have experienced the vicissitudes of life as he did. In his earlier years he enjoyed great wealth and influence; later he was forced to live in utter poverty, with its attendant suffering and depression. Yet at the end of his life, his sense of purpose and service was strong enough to sustain him and to enable him to overcome extreme adversity.

In the 19th century, China was ruled by an inward-looking Qing dynasty in steep decline. The educated and enlightened in society came to believe that modern knowledge was essential for national salvation and, therefore, encouraged young people to obtain education abroad in Europe and the United States.

A Chinese Educational Mission was organized in 1872 to recruit teenage boys to be sent to the United States for secondary and college education. Among the first group to travel abroad for this purpose was Linson’s father, Dzau

Kit Foo. The Dzau family was reputed to be the second richest in North China at the beginning of the 20th century.

Linson’s father and uncle had both graduated from Yale.

Linson was a cousin of Madame Sun Yat-Sen, whose husband was the founder of the Republic of China in 1911.

He was also a cousin of Madame Chiang Kai- Shek. Linson boarded the S.S. China for the United States in 1908 and arrived in Hartford, Connecticut at age 13, whereupon he began his formal education in Hartford Public High School before moving on to the Taft School.

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“OUR SCHOOL IS EVER MINDFUL OF BETTER MANNERS AND SPEECH, TONE A N D TA S T E , W H E T H E R AT H O M E O R I N THE CLASSROOMS OR IN THE FIELD O F S P O RT S , W I T H F R I E N D S O R W I T H S T R A N G E R S , E V E N W I T H F O E S .”

Throughout his career, Linson kept up a correspondence with the St. John family. Here is a photo from his West Point days that he sent to the St. Johns.

In 1914, he enrolled at Choate, becoming the first student from China in the history of the School. He was on the second football team and was a member of the Glee Club and the Mandolin Club. Linson also served as Associate Editor of the Choate News, Business Editor of the Literary Magazine, Chairman of the Handbook Committee, and Vice President of the St. Andrew’s Society. These activities increased his familiarity with Western values and practices.

He then entered West Point through a special act of Congress. Graduating in 1918, Linson joined Dr. Wellington Koo, the Chinese Ambassador, at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. as an attaché. In 1919, he was appointed Secretary of the Chinese Delegation to the World War I-ending Paris Peace Conference serving under Dr. C. T. Wang, the second delegate of the Chinese Delegation.

In a few months he was also appointed Treasurer of the Chinese Delegation.

The Chinese government had contributed significant manpower to the war effort in Europe, with the expectation of the cancellation of unequal treaty agreements and international recognition. But despite American support, the Western powers refused Wellington Koo’s demands. And Germany’s concessions in Shandong province were transferred to Japan instead. The government was eventually pressured into refusing to sign the Treaty of Versailles especially by student demonstrations in the May 4th Movement. Linson then returned to China to apprise the government of the situation. The Chinese delegation, including Linson, were hailed as heroes upon their return.

After an interlude during which he attended to family business, in 1921 Linson was appointed Private Secretary to the Envoy Extraordinary and Delegate Plenipotentiary to the Washington Conference. This was the first arms control conference in history. It has been studied as a model for a successful disarmament movement.

Returning to China in 1922, Linson was deeply engaged in both academic and military enterprises. This included a professorship at Tsing Hua University, one of the top universities in China. While he was Professor of Military Science and Commandant of the Tsing Hua Cadet Corps, Linson was also Counsellor to the Ministry of War. This period in Chinese history saw the beginning of Japan’s encroachment into China. The chaotic situation led to Linson’s resignation from all military duties and his return to civilian life. The multitude of governmental and private commitments unfortunately prevented him from active participation in the bringing up of his family, one son and two daughters, who were with their mother in Beijing.

In 1937, Japan started its full-scale invasion of China.

Linson took the last ship out of Shanghai while his family remained there. In 1943, he was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army and placed in solitary confinement for allegedly spying for the Chinese government in Chungking.

He was tortured so severely that he was pronounced dead.

However, a Japanese prison doctor, a Yale graduate, revived him and allowed him to escape in a manure cart. This escape led him to Wai-Chow in southern China, where he was given refuge by the British Army Aid Group. Linson recovered from his injuries under the care of British doctors, with one flown in from Admiral Mountbatten’s Headquarters in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). In 1946, the Dzau family was finally reunited in Shanghai after nine years of separation.

China was, once again, plunged into turmoil as a civil war broke out between the Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-Shek and the Communist insurgents of Mao Zedong.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 25

In 1948, Communist troops entered Shanghai. Linson was told to go to Hong Kong to arrange for quarters for his family. But within six weeks after arrival there, he learned that no exit permits for his family were forthcoming from the newly established People’s Republic of China, and he was warned not to return. By 1951, all his possessions were lost. He was kicked out of Hong Kong by the British government and became a refugee in the Portuguese controlled territory of Macau with few funds and no friends, a landless exile.

Linson did educational work from 1952 to 1965. This included teaching one year each in the best schools in Macau. He also gave private lessons to Portuguese officials from judges and chiefs of departments, doctors and lawyers, to students of all nationalities.

With great effort, Linson was able to eke out a meager existence. “I suffered extreme depression, almost lost my mind,” he wrote. “Faith in Christ’s word and a resolve to work to the brink of exhaustion, forgetting losses of the past, praying that Mai [his wife] and the children be granted exit … was my only remaining strength.” He worked 18 hours a day, every day but Sunday, when he went to the Portuguese Catholic Church. With the help of his classmates (especially Leslie Grove from West Point), he was able to purchase a small condominium and later founded a private college preparatory academy, Linson College. In fact, one of his Choate classmates, Craig Munson, became a trustee of Linson College.

Throughout these trying and difficult years, his thoughts were never far from Choate. A lively correspondence ensued with his Headmaster, George St. John, throughout his early career. This was continued with George’s son, Seymour, who went to Macau to visit him. The values he learned at Choate now became the principles which directed the course of the college.

“Our School,” he wrote, “emphasizes the qualities of a student’s character, character with judgment … our School is ever mindful of better manners and speech, tone and taste, whether at home or in the classrooms or in the field of sports, with friends or with strangers, even with foes.”

For several years the college flourished. To the graduating class of 1969, he said: “We have emphasized Virtue, Fidelity and Honor. But it is for you to make them your signposts for living.” Linson College finally had to close

Linson had become a revered figure in Macau. The governor placed him on his staff as an adviser and, in the eyes of many, he was a beloved sage.

for economic reasons, but Linson himself had become a revered figure in Macau. The governor placed him on his staff as an adviser and, in the eyes of many, he was a beloved sage.

While in Macau, Linson’s prayers were eventually answered when his wife, Mai, and Kim, his grandson, both in poor health, joined him. Even though he was finally reunited with them, his children were scattered throughout China. A family reunion was planned for 1978 in Shanghai, but it was not to be; Linson died from a heart attack in 1976.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I first learned of Linson Dzau because my Headmaster Seymour St. John went to Macau to visit him shortly after I came to Choate as the fourth student from China and the first from Hong Kong. In many ways, those of us who attended Choate in those early generations were rather similar with respect to background and aspirations. Linson’s record of duty, integrity, and service has captured and commanded my respect and admiration. He is an incredible role model and his story is an example to future generations.

I am grateful to Ken Chan, one of Linson’s students in Macau, who tirelessly helped me research the Linson Dzau story, and his brother Ernest who connected me with Linson’s surviving daughter, Lelia. Ken guided me from Hong Kong to Macau in November 2018 to meet Lelia and her daughter, Vicky Ku, and son-in-law, Alan. We had a most memorable lunch when stories and photos were exchanged. It was in this meeting that Alan gave me a copy of Linson’s autobiography. I am grateful to Mike Barry, my Choate classmate who taught at Linson College after Stanford, for providing me with stories of Linson and much material and photos. I have also been helped by Lino Cheang and Shirley LeMelle (both students at Linson College), and Bill Palmer (who taught at Linson College from 1969 to 1970) in this quest. Many of the texts concerning Linson’s career are in Chinese. I am grateful to Sam Yip and Philip Yau for their help in obtaining and translating these texts.

Dr. Hoi Sang U ’64 was a recipient of the 2003 Alumni Seal Prize. He is a board-certified neurosurgeon, a professor in the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and a renowned expert in brain tumor and stem cell research.

The Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association’s

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION | Alumni Gatherings and Celebrations

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 Parisa Jaffer ’89 President

Chicago Maria Del Favero ’83

David Hang ’94 Vice President, 1890 Society

Connecticut David Aversa ’91 Katie Vitali Childs ’95

John Smyth ’83 Vice President, Regional Clubs and Annual Fund

London Ed Harney ’82 Elitsa Nacheva ’08

ADDITIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Dan Courcey ’86 Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Los Angeles Alexa Platt ’95 Wesley Hansen ’98

Mari Jones Director of Development and Alumni Relations Monica St. James Director of Alumni Relations PAST PRESIDENTS Susan Barclay ’85 Chris Hodgson ’78 Woody Laikind ’53 Patrick McCurdy ’98 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Carolyn Kim Allwin ’96 Susan St. John Amorello ’84, P ’15 T.C. Chau ’97 Jaques Clariond ’01 Alexandra Fenwick ’00 Mike Furgueson ’80 Elizabeth Alford Hogan ’82 Dewey Kang ’03 Lambert Lau ’97 Shanti Mathew ’05 Shantell Richardson ’99 Michelle Judd Rittler ’98 Alexandra G. Smith ’09 Jessy Trejo ’02 REGIONAL CLUB LEADERSHIP Boston Lovey Oliff ’97 Sarah Strang ’07 Kristine Yamartino ’10

1 COOK ING DEMO IN BEV ER LY HILLS

New York Sheila Adams ’01 Jason Kasper ’05 Rosemary Hall Anne Marshall Henry ’62 San Francisco Ian Chan ’10 Samantha Vaccaro ’98 Washington, D.C. Dan Carucci ’76 Tillie Fowler ’92 Olivia Bee ’10

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Beijing Gunther Hamm ’98

SA N FR A NCISCO EX PLOR ATOR IUM

Hong Kong Sandy Wan ’90 Lambert Lau ’97 Jennifer Yu ’99

1 Elana Horwich ’93 gave

a cooking demo to alumni and parents in Beverly Hills.

2 Alumni and parents gath-

Seoul Ryan Hong ’89

ered in San Francisco for a special tour of Exploratorium After Dark: Outer Space led by COO Laura Zander ’83.

Shanghai T.C. Chau ’97 Michael ’88 and Peggy Moh P’18

3 The latest installment in

the StartUp series featured a conversation with Beth Ferreira ‘92, Managing Director of FirstMark Capital, and Patrick James McGinnis, best-selling author of The 10% Entrepreneur.

Thailand Pat Sethbhakdi ’85 Isa Chirathivat ’96 Tokyo Robert Morimoto ’89 Miki Yoshida ’07

3 STA RT UP//CHOATE N YC

4/5 Acclaimed screenwriter,

film director, and actor, Doug McGrath ’76 spoke to more

than 70 alumni, parents, students, and faculty about the process of writing Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Group photo from left: Ed and Susan Maddox P ’86, ’88, ’92 GP ’18, ’20, Doug ’76 and Jane McGrath, Beth Fecko-Curtis P ’17, ’20, Whitney ’76 and Meredith George P ’20, Fifi Clark GP ’20, and Susan Farrell P ’12, ’14, ’15, ’20 6/7/8 36 alumni joined the

Class of 2019 for a special dinner in Hill House to congratulate them on their upcoming commencement and to welcome them to the Alumni Association.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 27

SCR EEN WR ITING W ITH DOUG MCGR ATH ’ 76

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3 4

6

7

8 CL ASS OF 2019 A LUMNI W ELCOME DINNER

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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION | Recognition

With remarkable warmth, hospitality, and generosity, C HA LI SOP HON PA N I C H ’7 9 , S U N PITT SETHPORNPONG ’84 , PIRA P O L SE T HB HA K D I ’ 85 , and I SA RE I T C HI RATH IVAT ’9 6

have served as the School’s ambassadors to the extended Choate community in the Republic of Thailand. They have shared their love of Choate with their fellow alumni, faculty and students, parents and prospective families. Their efforts have significantly expanded the international reach of the Choate experience, while simultaneously celebrating Thai culture and heritage.

2019 DISTINGUISHED

SERVICE AWARD

’84

The bond between Choate and Thailand dates back to 1960 when siblings Tarrin Nimmanahaeminda ‘64 and Sirin Nimmanahaeminda Rumpypa ’66 arrived in Wallingford after a grueling multi-day journey. In no small part due to their influence, Choate now boasts 8 current students and 165 alumni from Thailand. Among them, Chali, Sunpitt, Pirapol, and Isareit stand out as some of the School’s most treasured alumni. In the myriad of different roles they have collectively and individually played over the years, these stalwart supporters of Choate Rosemary Hall have rightfully earned the 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

Soon after arriving in 1976 with very basic English, Chali Sophonpanich ’79 and his sister Savitri Sophonpanich Ramyarupa ’78 proved themselves exemplary students. Upon graduation, Chali attended Brown University and then the University of Chicago for his M.B.A. Chali went on to build the successful City Realty Company, and later founded Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok. As an alum and then parent of Siriporn ’08, Chali has served on the Alumni Advisory Council and the Volunteer Admission Network.

Upon graduation from Choate, Sunpitt Sethpornpong ‘84 went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. As an alum and then proud parent of Namsai ’17 and Popo ’14, Sunpitt served on the Parent Advisory Council and the Volunteer Admission Network.

Pirapol “Pat” Sethbhakdi ‘85 shared his Choate experience with his brother Sunpitt, and likewise went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He has also passed down his love of the School to the next generation, through Mint ’18, Pavin ’18, and Pawit ’20. Pirapol serves as Executive Director of Siam Aroon Development Company, Ltd. He currently serves on the Volunteer Admission Network and is Co-Chair of the Alumni Club of Thailand, and previously served on the Parent Advisory Council, Upon graduation from Choate, Isareit Chirathivat ’96 attended Boston College and now serves as Business Development Manager for Central Pattana Public Company, Ltd, Thailand’s largest retail developer. Isareit serves as Co-Chair of the Alumni Club of Thailand and on the Volunteer Admission Network.

For their unwavering support of Choate Rosemary Hall and its extended alumni community, we are honored to name Chali Sophonpanich ’79, Sunpitt Sethpornpong ’84, Pirapol Sethbhakdi ’85, and Isareit Chirathivat ’96 the recipients of the 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

Pirapol Sethbhakdi ’85 will accept the award on Saturday, May 11 at the Leadership Reception.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 29

2019 ALUMNI AWARD

Matt Baron/Shutterstock

LORENZO DI BONAVENTURA ’76 Each spring, Choate Rosemary Hall presents the Alumni Award to an alumnus/a for outstanding achievement in his or her chosen profession. This is the highest award the School bestows upon a graduate.

The 2019 Alumni Award will be presented to Lorenzo di Bonaventura ’76 for his distinguished career as a filmmaker. Mr. di Bonaventura is perhaps best known for producing the Transformers series of films.

Upon graduating from Choate Rosemary Hall, Mr. di Bonaventura went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in Intellectual History from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. The son of a well-traveled symphony conductor, Mr. di Bonaventura’s career took many turns before landing him in filmmaking. After a stint on Wall Street, a year in Indonesia, and a course to earn himself a cooking diploma from Ecole La Varenne in Paris, Mr. di Bonaventura arrived in Hollywood in 1988 as a cable-TV analyst for Columbia Pictures. He transitioned quickly to the production side, and then, in 1989, took a position as Vice President of Production for Warner Brothers.

While at Warner Brothers, he was involved in more than 130 productions and eventually became President of Worldwide Production.

Amongst his biggest commercial and critical successes were A Time to Kill (1996), The Matrix (1999), Analyze This (2000), The Perfect Storm (2000), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

(2001) and Training Day (2001). In his early days, di Bonaventura became known for taking risks and scouting out the new crop of Hollywood actors. In 1996, he eyed George Clooney on the television series E.R. and pushed Warner Brothers to have the largely untested actor take over the role of Batman in the third Batman sequel.

In 2002, he started di Bonaventura Pictures, based at Paramount Pictures. Since then, he has produced over 30 movies including Shooter starring Mark Wahlberg (2007); the big screen adaptation of the popular comic book, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and its sequel; Paramount Pictures’ revival of Tom Clancy’s famed franchise Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014); American Assassin (2017); The Meg (2018); and the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee (2018); among others. On April 5 of this year, Mr. di Bonaventura’s bold adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary was released. In 2011, the company branched into television production with the formation of di Bonaventura Pictures Television, which produced The Real O’Neals and Shooter.

For his remarkable successes in the field of filmmaking we are pleased to honor Lorenzo di Bonaventura with this year’s Alumni Award. The School is also thrilled to welcome him in May to give the Commencement Address to the graduating class of 2019.

30

CLASSNOTES | News from our Alumni

Send Us Your Notes!

We welcome your electronic submission of classnotes or photos in a .jpg format to alumline@choate. edu. When submitting photos, please make sure the resolution is high enough for print publication – 300 dpi preferred. 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. To update your alumni records, email: alumnirelations@choate.edu or contact Christine Bennett at (203) 697-2228.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 31

From the Archives Faculty member Amy Stone Foster leads an aerobics class, fall 1982.

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32 CLASSNOTES

1950s ’50 RH Janet Beck writes, “2019 started off with a bang. In the first week, had two litters of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies – nine in all; that kept me busy this long cold New Hampshire winter. I live near Keene with my busy doctor daughter, and have three kids in their sixties, five grandkids, and four greats.

I help with the household chores – love to putter in the garden etc. I keep in touch with Nancy Burns – and we do the same gabbing and laughing that we’ve done since 1947 when we first met at RH.“ ’51

C Eric Seiff, counsel at Storch Amini, has been practicing law for more than 35 years. A founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, Eric was recently reappointed for his 13th three-year term by the New York State Court of Appeals. He is presently Chairman of the Fund. Writes Eric, “Every lawyer in New York State contributes $30 a year to reimburse clients who have been defrauded by their attorneys. Since its creation in 1981, that $30 contribution has resulted in total payouts exceeding $200 million.” This past September, Eric won his third national age group running championship, a 5-kilometer cross country race held in Buffalo, N.Y. He ran his first race at Choate in 1949.

Hedrick Smith has completed a new TV documentary on the missing story of American politics - grassroots citizen movements winning political elections in various states around the country. Rick is working on a broadcast with PBS or cable, but in the meantime, you can get a sneak preview of the film on YouTube. It will help restore your faith in American democracy. https://goo.gl/b4pSFE

’51

RH Peggy Rogers writes, “2018 was not the best year for me as I had major back surgery, and an injury to my ulnar nerve caused by a blood pressure cuff which got to be too tight on my arm. However, I am surviving and have to do things a bit differently. Last summer I had a surprise phone call from Jan Turner Sleeper, who was staying in Greenwich for a few days at her son’s home before heading over to the Isle of Man with her husband where they have a cottage.

I haven’t seen Jan since we both graduated, so we had a lot of catching up to do. Also, this past year I drove up to Indian Lake in the Adirondacks to visit Cynthia Austin Zimmerman. She has a lovely home looking down over the lake. We had a lovely visit going over our memories of Rosemary. I get to talk with Didi Brothers McGhie on the phone now and then.

She has such a sweet cottage up in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., but still misses not living in New York City. Emily Howe Buttaro is another person I get to have great phone conversations with. She lives in Wisconsin in her eldest daughter’s home where she has a lovely apartment overlooking a wooded area and a lake.”

’52 C

Miguel A. Suarez writes, “This winter my wife, Yolly, and I went to Andalucía, Spain, for three months. We rented a car and from our perch (overlooking the Mediterranean Sea) in Mijas Pueblo (located north of Fuengirola) drove all over Andalucía, including Portugal – 9,000 kilometers. We enjoy the folks, the food, and the terrain – the mountain White Villages are impressive.”

’53 C

Arne Carlson notes, “A book published last fall, Statesmen and Mischief Makers, assessed many of our past nation’s governors, including me: “Arne Carlson was ranked in a public opinion poll taken by the St. Paul Pioneer Press alongside [Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale] as the three most influential Minnesotans of the 21st Century … Carlson was an effective, erudite and immensely congenial governor - a Republican during his years in office by the way, who succeeded in putting his state on the cutting edge of innovative concepts that would soon be emulated nationwide.”

’55 C

Roger Vaughan writes, “I just published my 18th book, Arthur Curtiss James, Unsung Titan of the Gilded Age. It is a biography of one of the men who ran America in the 1930s. Not many have heard of James, the last of America’s railroad barons and a devoted blue water passage-maker, because that’s the way he wanted it. Celebrity was unappealing for him. It is available as print-on-demand or electronic, at Amazon. Kippy and I happily celebrated our 38th year together on January 1, and are delighted that we are still having fun together. Other than that, the hens are laying, the waters are rising here in Oxford, Md., and having an only cat has been a rewarding experience after harboring many cat communities over the years.”

’56 C Jon Dickinson writes, “My wife, Marlene, and I live in Portland, Ore., where, until about three years ago, and immediately after receiving simultaneous degrees in Electrical Engineering and Law from Cornell, I practiced Intellectual Property law, first in a small IP-focused law firm in downtown Portland, and then later, and for a handful (a decade or so) of years, independently as a ‘soloist’. During the earlier years of my IP practice, I and my advocacy appeared twice before the Supreme Court in two ‘patent’ cases.

One of the most well-known inventions (many people have asked about this) whose patenting centered on my work was the once world-popular, best-selling toy known as the ‘Koosh Ball.’ Throughout my law-practice years, I engaged in a fairly wide variety of artistic adventures, including drawing and painting; electronic music composition and performances (including the creating of perhaps a half dozen or so graphic musical scores intended for improvisation); and filmmaking.

It is this area which now largely fills my time – filmmaking with a focus on producing original-story, narrative, short (up to about 30-minute) films.”

Lee Gaillard writes, “In August 2017, we drove from Saranac Lake, N.Y., to Eugene, Ore., so my wife, Ann, could answer her call to be the rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Eugene. We have moved into our new house, and we love the city … and have begun exploring Oregon’s beautiful coast and its volcanic peaks. I have continued writing and most recently had an op-ed published in the city’s paper, a critique of the flawed decision and failed communication from Boeing and the FAA concerning the new MCAS modifications to the 737 Max’s flight control system. In February, I turned 80 … as have most of my class, I suspect. The BEST birthday yet!”

Paul Kurzman writes that he continues to work full-time as a faculty member with a dual appointment as Professor of Social Work at Hunter College and Professor of Social Welfare at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. “I find the students as bright and stimulating as ever,” he writes. “I recently published two new books, one on distance learning and online education, and another on continuing education and lifelong learning. My children and grandchildren are well, and I’m very pleased that my niece, Cecelia Kurzman ’87, is a member of the Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees.”

Dave Nichols writes, “As President of the Bennington (Vt.) County Habitat for Humanity affiliate board, I was required to justify the requested allocations from each of two select boards at two Town Meetings. I gritted my teeth and thought loving thoughts of E. Stanley Pratt (who had also taught my father, brother, and cousin in School oh, so long ago!) After the Dorset town meeting, I got a round of applause and two residents came up to congratulate me after the meeting ended. Thank you, Choate, and Mr. Pratt.”

Robert Shields writes, “I am still alive, thankfully, and I have no pain and I have no artificial body parts! I have two wonderful daughters, one of whom lives in Lake Luzerne, Switzerland with her family and the other lives and works in Cruz Bay on the island of St. John in the USVI. I now have two grandchildren, Sadie, 4, and Freddie, 6 months. I am having my beautiful rosewood Steinway piano rebuilt now. It was built in 1894 and purchased new for my grandmother in that year by her father. It has been in our family ever since. It has only an 85-note keyboard.

It will take 6 months to rebuild it. (Ouch!) It will be ready in August. Hope I am still alive by then.

Are any of our classmates going to the Reunion Weekend in May?”

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 33

Jon Dickinson ’56, who practiced IP law for many years, lives in Portland, Ore., with his wife Marlene. One of Jon’s artistic side adventures is the designing and fabricating of a custom Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Lee Gaillard ’56 and his wife of 33 years, Ann, live in Eugene, Ore. Pictured here with their children, Greg and Jennifer.

’56 ’57 C

Mason Morfit and his wife of 48 years, Margaret, have bought a winter home in the retrotacky town of Gulfport, Fla., hard by St. Petersburg, to escape the cold, snow and ice in Maine from January to May. Mason has joined the board of the League of Women Voters of Maine, where he is working to get dark money out of politics. He is also volunteering with Citizens Climate Lobby to get the U.S. government to institute a national program of carbon fee and dividend, described by leading economists and climate scientists as the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the threat of climate change. Concern about GHG emissions notwithstanding, Mason will be spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during planned trips to Italy and the ”Five Stans”: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Luis Armando Roche writes, “I turned 80 years old last November 21. Although the political climate in Caracas is uncertain, personally, I’m writing novels, which I like because of the freedom it entails. Life is great with my life companion MarieFrançoise Barré de Roche. Long live companionship!”

’58 C Ian Ball writes, “I really enjoyed the class of 1958 reunion dinner organized by Larry Morin last April. It was a great opportunity to visit with old classmates in a private setting and hear about their careers and families. Larry deserves many gold stars for that effort. It was fascinating to learn that several of us had joined the Peace Corps in 1962 as I had, and how many of us had gone through several career changes before settling down. In December

2018, my wife and daughter and I flew to Chiang Mai, Thailand for an extended visit with my brother Monte (Choate ’56), who is a permanent resident in Thailand after living in Bali, Indonesia for 10 years. During our side trip to Kerala, India, I finally tackled The Patriarch – reading it seemed like a life sentence but the parts about Jack Kennedy’s carefree existence at Choate were fun to read. After six weeks of loafing in Chiang Mai and Kerala, I returned to Minnesota and minus 16 degree weather and decided that this is the year to finally retire from my law practice; but as I told Larry, a former Chapter 13 trustee in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia, practicing consumer bankruptcy law sure has been a lot of fun and hard to leave behind.”

T. Dennie Williams writes, “Wow, it’s been 50 years since I graduated from Choate, where I played soccer and baseball. The experience inspired me to play varsity soccer for four years at Middlebury College and become the team captain in my senior year. Unfortunately, I didn’t make the baseball squad despite playing for the Litchfield Cowboys, a local amateur team. I’m now a semi-retired freelance investigative reporter after working at that profession for five decades, four of them at The Hartford Courant. Well, my Dad, Tom, went to Choate for a year before going to Yale and my son, Tommie, spent four years there before graduating from Arizona University. So it’s been three generations!”

Don Yates writes, “Just retired in December after 58 years in both private and public education as well as in higher education. Taught and administrated in both Essex and Bergen counties in New

Jersey over the years and taught and administrated at three higher education institutions in Essex, Ocean, and Monmouth counties, as well. Helped to coordinate our 60th Reunion at Choate last year with Larry Morin, Jim Dwinell, and Lindsey Smith, with good success and a fine turnout. Oldest grandson finishing his freshman year at the University of Arizona, two granddaughters finishing their junior years in high school, and one other grandson finishing his eighthgrade year. Penny and I are fortunate enough to be now living within five minutes of each of my son’s and daughter’s families, and have plenty of activities of theirs to keep us busy.”

’59 C

J. Breck Boynton Jr. writes, “I spend as much of my retirement time as I can cruising with Royal Caribbean, mostly in the Caribbean basin, but have also enjoyed Alaska, Canada/New England, along with one transatlantic to Rome. I have now amassed 1036 cruise points. Most recently I traveled to the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. My other hobby is physique maintenance.”

Jeffrey Faigle writes, “I spent the last three months in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in the house I built in 2001. Just getting around to really enjoying time off. Spent 10 days in Cuba understanding more about the island. Still working in the real estate business I started about 40 years ago, but I think my son and daughter, who run the business now, are getting tired of me. Have three grandchildren, my granddaughter at the University of Vermont and the two grandsons will be in college shortly. Looking forward to our 60th Reunion.”

34 CLASSNOTES

1960s ’61 C

Zadoc Brown Jr. writes, “My daughter Emalia died in February 2014 from cancer at age 42 and my wife of 28 years, Hilary, died on February 4, 2019.

Luckily, I still live on Maui, where I am surrounded by the Aloha spirit. It is much needed.”

John Siebel writes, “I was happy to hear that Bob Bryan lived a long and full life on his own terms and died in the beautiful city of Sherbrooke, Québec.

While I was not close to him, his adventurousness, generosity, and humor made him a mentor. More so to my classmate and friend, Hardy Jones. He gave him an old 8mm movie camera, which Hardy used above ground and then had fitted into a Plexiglas case for his first underwater efforts.”

Bob Whitman writes, “I recently sold my house in Southampton Village and moved to West Palm, where I rebuilt a condo overlooking the island.

Big project, but finally done, and a home run. Life in paradise … lucky me. Sad to hear of the passing of some classmates.”

’61 RH Ann Rippin Rae writes, “My husband, Jim, and I lead an active life here in Guilford, Conn. My design business is a lot of fun these days, with selected clients I have met in the area and from New Canaan, where we lived for 35 years. We have just renovated our 1790s home here close to the picturesque Guilford green. Everything we need is in walking distance! With three dogs, and four grandchildren nearby, there is never a dull moment. I continue to serve the Episcopal Church as a lay minister and pastoral caregiver. I am in touch with many of my friends from Rosemary Hall, especially since the gathering last spring at St. Bede’s and the dinner at Belle Haven in Greenwich. Altiora Peto!” ’62 C Ray Egan writes, “I am still living on the Maine coast year-round with my four Ryman English setters. I retired for the third time six years ago and my days are now spent visiting family, collecting art, hunting upland birds, fly fishing, cooking, gardening and restoring 356 series Porsches. I have four children, biologically three boys and a girl, now two girls and two boys. I feel blessed to now have a second daughter. Life does present us with surprises! Susie and I separated 13 years ago, but we are now back together long distance. She in San Francisco and I in Maine. Last year, I completed the restoration of a remote northern Maine hunting and fishing camp and a 1956 Porsche Spyder. Any classmates passing through mid-coast Maine are invited to stop in. And I can be followed on Instagram at Loonsnest.”

F. John Wilkes Jr. writes, “I started Masters’ alpine racing the day I walked out of the Robert Redford movie Downhill Racer in 1969. Over the

years, my start number has continued to decrease as bibs are given out according to age group – lower numbers are for the older racers. In 2016, I was hit by a car while riding my bike, and it has taken me two years to slowly come back from a broken leg and broken back. It feels so good to finally be back racing on the Masters’ circuit and seeing all of my old friends again. My results over the years would probably have been better had I gone to UNH, Middlebury, UVT, or Colby, as so many of my fellow competitors did, instead of UNC.”

’62 RH Caroline Ruutz-Rees Stafford writes, “We moved to Florida and are settling in. We built a house and are working out the kinks and emptying out lots of boxes! At this stage of the game we want warmer, not colder! We plan to visit Connecticut to see the grandchildren (four there, two in Tokyo) and our friends.” ’63 C Dick Knight writes, “I’ve been retired for five years now. My wife and I will soon welcome our 7th grandchild, which keeps us busy, and it’s nice to have them all close to our home in Marblehead, Mass.

We sail in the summer to ports from Newport to the coast of Maine. I’m still teaching skiing on the weekends (48 years now) at Waterville Valley, N.H. I enjoy staying in touch with classmates.” ’63 RH Vicki Brooks traveled extensively in 2018, visiting friends and family (in Hawaii, California, Colorado, Florida, Colombia and Bolivia). Also in the last year, she and David downsized and moved to a townhouse in New Providence, N.J. Anne Carroll Furman writes, “With one daughter in Iowa and the other in California, I have made several trips to both places this past year. I am expecting a fourth grandchild in August. I attended the beautiful wedding of Betsy Brown Hawkins’s daughter, Emily, in Old Greenwich. I’m planning to see Sharon Stevenson Griffith (RH ’64) and Alice Chaffee Freeman.”

Donna Dickenson writes, “My main recent activity was the TEDx talk I gave called In Me We Trust: The Rights and Wrongs of Personalized Medicine. The 800-seat theatre in Oxford where the talks were held was daunting enough, but it was memorizing the 15-minute talk that really stretched me. The next big event, Brexit permitting, is a workshop at the Pontifical Academy in Rome where I’ve been invited to speak. The event takes place in a summerhouse in the Vatican gardens, and we stay in a hostel for visiting dignitaries called the Bonus Pastor.”

Angela Lyon writes, “I’m still in Chico, Calif., so dreary after living in Hawaii for so long. Grey, rainy, cold – thinking of moving south! Since last update, I’ve settled in a bit more and now have a nice functioning studio; have published three books of my

own and two for clients – I’ve always loved books and wanted to be a publisher – now I am, and I’m loving it! And I love it that I now have the chance to delve into painting – experimenting with color, shape, and form. I’m also presenting and teaching online courses for entrepreneurs.”

Alma Phipps fell and broke her hip the day before Christmas and has been limping around since then. She has been working with Dogs for Life in Vero Beach, a nonprofit training dogs for veterans with PTSD. Currently, she is redesigning their website. Do check it out at Dogsforlifevb.org.

Cindy Skiff Shealor visited her sister Debbie Cobb (RH ’65) in Hilton Head in March. Cindy and her husband are heading to Maine in May for a cruise around Nova Scotia and the St. Lawrence Seaway. She is learning to play mahjong.

’64 C David Gens writes, “In November of 2018, the University of Maryland School of Medicine named an endowed scholarship in my name: The David R. Gens Shock Trauma Endowed Scholarship. Over 250 people from around the country, many of whom I had trained in surgery, attended the announcement of the event, which was a total surprise to me. There is a YouTube video that was played. I was tricked into the filming: they told me it was for something else.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOhmexwpbQo ’64 RH Linda Holch Gordon writes, “We are enjoying retirement and traveling when and where we can. We were up above the Arctic Circle this past summer. We will celebrate our oldest grandson Charlie’s graduation from Appalachian State University in May. His sister Liza is a freshman at ASU. Our other grandchildren are in Vermont, and we drive up several times a year. I am still painting and am represented by the All About Art gallery on Bald Head Island, N.C. We still go to Nantucket; if anyone is there the end of July please give us a call.”

Jeanne Medalie Temkin ’64 and her rescue poodle, Bark, are enjoying retirement in Raleigh, N.C.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 35

’65 C Peter Calder writes, “Cynthia and I moved from New Canaan to Skidaway Island, Savannah, Ga., in January 2008. Peter Kastner is also a resident here at the Landings. I’m still active with the daily management of The Foundation, office now located in Denver, and travel there on a quarterly basis as well as NYC for meetings. Great to see Walt Kelly during my initial visits to Denver. He was very helpful in the transition. We have two children. Alex and his wife, Leslie, left manager positions at PWC in Chicago to relocate to Jacksonville this past June. They are expecting their first child in May. Stewart is a full-time USAFR pilot of C-17s based in Charleston. It’s nice having them all two hours away. Please contact us if your travels bring you down to the area at 4 Sea Lavender Lane, Savannah.”

Jan Endresen writes, “Gail and I are still in Rye, N.Y. Two of our kids are married with two children each; son Reed is in NYC working and playing. I am still working hard; I started a new aviation parts business and am now raising money for it. A highlight of last fall was playing golf at Pinehurst with Reed, seven of his college pals, and seven other fathers. I recently lost 15 lbs., which is a beginning on getting back in shape. I still ski, but slower.”

The New York Rangers honored Peter Schaeffer with his own official Rangers jersey in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden on March 4.

Peter, who saw his first Rangers game in 1957, was cited for his longtime support of the team. The jersey was presented to him by Alan Latkovic, Madison Square Garden’s vice president for season subscriptions. Although he’s not the oldest fan of the team, Peter notes that he has been “part of the club for two-thirds of its history and a season-ticket holder for half.” He played varsity hockey at Choate.

Rob Simpson writes, “While I ‘retired’ from running hospitals as a CEO, I have not retired from working. I’m a Principal in the Difference Leadership Group, consulting around the country on how leaders find their purpose and that of the organizations they lead. I’m writing, publishing and following a patent I have in a clinical trial at MGH. My wife, Ariane (who is still working as an executive in a community mental health agency as Director of Quality), and I travel to be with our children and grandchildren and we adventure to Europe, Africa or Asia. We spend more time at our summer house at the Cape fishing off our boat and meeting friends in P-town for dinner. I have traveled the world playing golf with friends (such as Doug Clark ’66) learning the lessons of play on the great courses. I was surprised at the honor bestowed to me by the Western Massachusetts chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame at its football banquet on March 31, honoring Dr. Robert E. Simpson, Jr. with the Henry A. Butova Award, given annually to a former football player who is devoted to the game of football and who has

distinguished himself in later life. Memories poured in of Coaches Jack Davison, Bobo Williams and fellow football players John Callan, Tony Smith, Sperry McNaughton, Phil Hoverston, Phil Laughlin, Dean Currie, John Blair. We were a band of brothers learning life lessons from each other.”

’66 C

Rod Buchen writes, “The Sixth Form Elections in the 1966 Brief stated I would be ‘First to the Altar!‘ My classmates were right! I married my gorgeous wife, Sheri, in 1968. I’m proud to say we’re still in love and courting each other every day, celebrating 51 years as we continue to create lasting memories. I invite any alumni to contact me for ideas on how to keep your courtship alive and how to become a better leader. We’re currently living in McKinney, Texas (a Dallas suburb) but we also spend time enjoying the beaches and sunsets in Florida.”

Noel Hynd is the translator into English of the 13 volume French-language graphic novel, Djinn, a story of history and fantasy which takes place both contemporaneously and in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. ”Djinn is one of the most successful series ever in the French-speaking world,” Noel says. ”I happened across a copy in Paris about nine years ago, and fell in love with the story and the art.

I became friends with Belgian author Jean Dufaux and Spanish artist Ana Miralles, two creators whose work leaves me in awe. The publisher, Les Editions Dargaud, eventually asked me if I would translate the entire work into English. Naturally, I responded, ‘Bien sur!‘ The first U.S. edition is being published by Insight Comics of Sacramento, Calif.”

Rod Walker writes, “Our first grandchild, Walker Scott Byrnes, was born February 18, 2019 to our daughter, Hilary, and her husband, Kevin Byrnes, in Seattle. Maggie and I are thrilled and looking forward to spending lots of time in Seattle.”

’66 RH Gusty Lange writes: “As a 70-year-old (ouch, it is amazing) I still am a professor at Pratt (three courses, much work), son Dylan (29) moved to Portland, Maine, works in a Brewery (Good Fire, loves it), plays in a jazz band, daughter Chelsea (24) works at City Harvest and is a barista in NYC, husband Steve (retired) spends time sculpting (Brancusi-inspired).

We have a small real estate business in Park Slope … much work … the 70s aging is a phenomenon felt. Went to an amazing wedding in Whitefish, Mont., last summer of classmate Anne Wadsworth Markles’ son, Brinton, a joy.”

Katherine Verdery writes, “I am retiring this spring, so entering a new phase of life. My department threw a really lovely party for me, with good food and drink. I published a new book this year, My Life as a Spy (Duke U. Press), about my encounter with the files kept on me by the Romanian secret police during my research 1973-1988. It’s been reviewed in

all kinds of great places and won a prize in anthropology, so I think this is the time to step aside – can’t do better than that!”

’67 C Doug Bryant writes, “Cammie and I spent the winter at the Moorings in Vero Beach where we see a lot of my brother Bill ’59, and Dan Hunt, fellow member of the Class of 1967. We recently had lunch in Hobe Sound with Mazie St. John who is 92 and still playing competitive tennis. She is remarkable! Have also played golf with Tony Childs ’67, who lives down the road in Jupiter.”

’66

“I published a new book this year, My Life as a Spy, about my encounter with the files kept on me by the Romanian secret police during my research 1973– 1988.” –KATHERINE VERDERY

36 CLASSNOTES

Dr. David M. Reed (center) received the 2018 Albert Schweitzer Award for Humanitarian Endeavors from the Fairfield County Medical Association in October.

’68

1 William Ewen, former

2 Filmmaker Rick Rosenthal ’67

3 John Faber ’70, announcer

4 Alex McFerran ’60 and

Choate varsity tennis assistant coach, John Foster, former Choate varsity tennis head coach, and Bill Rompf ’68, varsity tennis captain, reunited for lunch in Florida.

had a busy winter shooting two films simultaneously - Small Engine Repair in NYC and the Boy Behind The Door in Los Angeles, plus Standing Up, Fall Down starring Billy Crystal, Ben Schwartz, and Eloise Mumford premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.

for the Honda Golf Classic at the PGA Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is pictured here in #18 skybox with Noah Syndergaard, pitcher for the New York Mets.

Bill Bryant ’59 played tennis together in Vero Beach, Fla.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 37

’67 RH Mary Lou Lange writes, “This year will be my 32nd working for the state of New York as a psychologist.

I continue to enjoy the challenges with the patients, though not the paperwork. My dog, Lola, is a very bright miniature Australian Shepherd and my fourlegged soulmate. I loved recent travel adventures to the Dolomites, Venice, and skiing in August at Valle Nevado, Chile.”

’68 C Dr. David M. Reed received the 2018 Albert Schweitzer Award for Humanitarian Endeavors from the Fairfield County Medical Association in October.

David joined the Stamford Health Medical Staff Department of Surgery in 1985. In 1991 he was appointed to the Medical Advisory Board of AmeriCares Foundation and Deputy Director of Doctors to All Peoples (DTAP), a program of AmeriCares Foundation for medical professionals. On 9/11 he was flown into New York City by the military to provide surgical triage at Ground Zero. Most recently, he traveled to Myanmar, where he performed surgery and taught local surgeons at a small hospital.

Bill Rompf, former Choate tennis captain, recently enjoyed lunch with former head tennis coach John Foster and assistant coach William Ewen in Sun City Center, Fla. These three were instrumental in leading their ’67 and ’68 teams to historic 12-1 and 11-1 victories. Bill writes, “John lives in Sun City Center, where he is a published and award-winning poet and Silver Life Master bridge instructor. Bill lives in Bradenton, Fla., where he owned his own tennis academy. He is now retired and spends much of his time traveling and attending his daughter’s varsity tennis matches at the University of Wisconsin. He returned to and celebrate his 50th Class Reunion last May.” Phil Snyder writes, “My brother, Rob Snyder ’69, and I are honored that our new fantasy comedy short film, The Driving Dead, is an Official Selection of the Golden State Film Festival. It was screened at the famed TCL Grauman’s Chinese Theater, in Hollywood, Calif., in late March.”

1

’68 RH Carolyn ”Lindy” Dewey writes, “Our FarmStay Retreat Center is entering our second season and the Herb Farm is in year five. We welcome classmates who are traveling to visit Glacier National Park. As I approach 70, I am embracing the youthfulness of my health with gratitude. May you each find the same.”

Dr. Alexis Finlay is newly retired and enjoying having guests at her North Salem farm, where she has horses, and in Newport, R.I., where she sees Kathy Teichgraeber, who has a house there as well as in England.

Ginger Perry is off to Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef with a friend by way of Hong Kong and stopping off in Maui to visit a friend on the way back.

Three trips in one! When in Boulder, you can listen to Ginger as DJ on KGNU or at KGNU.org Suzy Prince Quinn’s father just died after celebrating his 100th birthday with his two daughters and 4-year-old granddaughter and other family and friends. Beloved by all, he and Suzy lived close to each other in Cincinnati. ’69 C Greg Hooker writes, “I have retired after an enjoyable and rewarding career in the communications world, in both the radio and newspaper businesses. While retired, I continue to help edit, remotely from home and very part-time, the weekend edition of the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and Rutland Herald in Vermont. My wife, Sarah, and I have been in Vermont for 40 years, leading a quiet life in the small town of Marshfield. We lost our first-born, Rory, shortly after his birth in 1982. Our daughter, Cassidy, is 35, and will be married in New York City later this summer, and our son, Nick, is 32.

Both are good-hearted and hard-working people of whom we’re very proud. As for Choate classmates, I have stayed in closest touch with old roommate Rob Snyder. Rob asked me to be godfather to his daughter, Elizabeth, an honor for which I’m forever grateful. We most recently got together last summer on Long Island.”

2

3

’69 RH Page Allen is terribly sad to miss our 50th Reunion but other priorities are keeping her at home.

She hopes we find a way to FaceTime with her on Saturday afternoon so she can say hello to us all and enjoy some of the energy of the weekend.

Connie Terry Ferguson writes, “Bob and I are thrilled to have two granddaughters (Abby Ferguson Walsh ’98). Our son, Peter, is getting married on Shelter Island this fall to a fabulous woman we’ve all fallen in love with. I’m still working for Bob, doing lots of needlepoint, playing at golf, and engaged with a number of charitable organizations.”

Virginia (Baba) Keyser gathered the following classnotes to rally her class to reunion. Says Virginia, “Your Class Committee is having its own buzz wuzz wuzz excitement about seeing so many of our class in just a few days. We will try to FaceTime some of you who couldn’t make the trip … but let us (Connie Ferguson or Baba) know you want the call.”

Amanda Griggs Miles can’t wait to see everyone at Reunion. She is retired and working on creating her dream home in her favorite state of Maine. What started as a renovation has turned into something close to a new house – and will be yearround and have room for guests.

Rebecca Maddox Narva is still working on things relating to personal growth. She will be leading her classmates in a Movement Class at Reunion where we are sure to share a laugh or two and learn why movement will help us be around for our 55th Reunion.

Carol Porter Smith reports that she is running (with husband Kent Smith) a B&B in Saratoga, Wyo., that boasts Hot Springs and world class fly-fishing.

They have five kids and five grandchildren between them. Her children – Adelaide is in Law School at UW in Laramie and her son, Ivan, just retired from a career as an air rescue pilot out of Kotzebue, Alaska. She hopes some of us come visit her at Hood House or, Google it and see some pictures of her and her husband.

Nancy Zerbey is still editing books, but fortunate enough to do an occasional novel rather than a staid business book. Two of her children are getting married this summer – Hannah in Raleigh this June and Charlie in Stowe in July.

4

38 CLASSNOTES

1970s ’70 C

Norm Wu retired last year after his education technology company for healthcare professionals, i-Human Patients, was acquired by Kaplan. Norm spent his early career as an electrical engineer and then management consultant, spending ten years at Bain, where he led half of their global high tech practice. Inspired by a client, he became a serial entrepreneur and was CEO of five different start-ups in technology and healthcare. Norm lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and though retired, continues to serve as an adviser to several health tech start-ups in-between his travels and home projects.

’71 C Peter Richmond writes: “I earned my M.A. in teaching in 2015 (better late than…) and just finished a five-year stint as an adjunct in the Education Dept. at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. My young-adult biography of football icon John Madden will be published by Penguin-Random House in July. My story about life on the very cool Door Peninsula in Lake Michigan – ‘the Cape Cod of the Midwest’ – will appear in the summer issue of Coastal Living Magazine, which, for some reason, keeps sending my wife and me on summer vacations and pays me to write about them! Sold the old house of 20 years in Millerton, N.Y. (Dutchess County), two hours north of the city, and bought a smaller one, one block away. The Hudson Valley rocks!” ’73 C

Tom Lord writes, “My daughter, Emily, has been accepted to the Korean Studies Masters’ Program at Linacre College, Oxford University after her graduation from University of Maryland this year.

She will be starting at Oxford in October of this year.”

PJ Parziale writes, “While I was at a concert by folk legends Noel Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow (formerly of Peter, Paul and Mary), Mr. Stookey performed a song about Charles Ives by ukulele whiz and Choate classmate Jim Beloff.”

’73 RH Martha Alexander writes, “Jim and I have been travelling a lot – this fall, we went to Romania and Nicaragua, the year before to Slovenia. We are going to Burgundy in June. I am working on a book which is a satire on groupthink and have also been working with a costume designer at the Yale Rep designing clothes for myself and am hoping to go further with this project.”

’74 C David Abrahamson writes that he has retired from commercial flying, but is still working for the FAA as a general aviation designated pilot examiner and flying his airplanes. He is married, and both daughters are happily married, living in Reston, Va.

Glenn Wagner writes, “I’m still working in capital financing for non-profit hospitals, but for a healthcare consulting firm, off-Wall Street since moving to Nashville over 11 years ago. My wife Sally and I love it here, partly because our son and daughter are nearby. Warm wishes to all ’74s, especially on the occasion of our 45th Reunion, and to the Choate Rosemary Hall family!”

’75 C John J. Geoghegan writes, “My big news is that I recently had surgery for a second cochlear implant. As some of my classmates know, I suffered a series of precipitous hearing losses in my late 40s that eventually rendered me deaf. As a result, I lost my job, my house, my family, and my mind. Since I was unemployed, I couldn’t afford health insurance, so I had no way to pay for a ‘fix’ to my hearing.

Without one, no one would hire me. This Catch-22 resulted in living in my car for a while – one thing a Choate education does not prepare you for.

Fortunately, the Affordable Care Act allowed me to get a cochlear implant in 2015, boosting the speech comprehension in my right ear from zero to 50%.

Still not good enough to do more than bus tables.

However, my speech comprehension may go as high as 80% with a second implant. Fingers crossed. As you might imagine, lifting those trays gets tiring. As Sir Ernest Shackleton well knew, ‘by endurance we conquer.’”

Bob Kaiser writes, “After a complete renovation of our Brooklyn Heights apartment, we sold it and moved to Mount Vernon, N.Y. It is only a 35-minute commuter train from Manhattan and yet it is out of the hustle-bustle. We lived 11 very happy years in our Brooklyn apartment and are a little overwhelmed, not only with happiness, but with the amazing amount of space we have and living in a very friendly and beautiful town.” ’75 RH Health and environmental activist Camilla Rees, MBA, was awarded the Jonathan Forman Award by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM). The award is given to an individual, not necessarily a medical doctor, who in the opinion of the Academy has made an outstanding contribution to the field of Environmental Medicine.

’76 RH Holly Lasusa O’Connor writes, “I am living happily in Chicago with my husband of 34 years, Paul.

I wrote a book with one of my foster children, Joel Riley, The Cards I Was Dealt The Hand That I Played: The Life of JC Riley. It is available on Amazon. I have also been in touch with James Olcott. We were both Columbia Business School grads. I remembered him as one of our fearless leaders of the Choate Rosemary Hall delegation to the Washington D.C. Model United Nations in 1975 and 1976. I believe

we were representing Albania and had a great time.

James is also a writer and has a blog, The Bernard Olcott Story which is a great read and should be turned into a book.”

’77

C Russell Small writes, “July will mark 10 years for my work in immigration. I believe my experience at Choate fueled my desire to work in this profession.

At 16 years old I lived in Williamsport, Pa. – a very white and isolated town. When I arrived at Choate my roommate was from Saudi Arabia, I made friends with other students from South America, Asia and even the weirdos from California. Choate gave me the eye-opening experience of meeting people from all over the world and to realizing that we are all so alike.”

’77 RH Tara Reilly lives and teaches in Bethesda, Md. She has lived in the DC area and taught at the Norwood School since 1996. She and her husband have one daughter at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who shivered her way through the polar vortex. Meanwhile, the proverbial empty nesters still have two cats and a dog, and time for movies and museums. ’78

Allison Murray writes, “My 11th grade daughter had the pleasure and honor of having Chip Lamb ’75 direct her and her classmates in an outstanding production of Chicago! at Pomfret School this past February. His amazing theatre legacy lives on. I’ve been busy working still as a speech language pathologist and cycling as much as possible. Recently returned from a terrific week in Mallorca, a cycling mecca!”

’79

Gabriela Cleveland writes, “It was really nice to run into Laurie Habgood last year in Boston and into Lisa Boalt last month in Palm Beach. Looking forward to Reunion.”

Dina Esposito writes, “It has been a long while since I have written. I am thinking of CRH a lot lately, since our 40th class reunion is this spring and I will be missing it (darn!). I am currently working in the Washington, D.C., office of Mercy Corps, a large global relief and development organization.

We work in a lot of war zones, with refugees and in really fragile places that need help with improving food production and addressing chronic shocks like drought or flooding. I was previously leading the global emergency food assistance branch of the U.S. Agency for International Development. I am married with three adult children. My best friend from CRH remains my best friend to this day: Elizabeth Forrester Haselkorn, whom I am fortunate to see regularly here in DC. Wishing everyone a fabulous 40th Reunion.”

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 39

Tracy Baumer Fox has just celebrated 10 years as an NYU certified life coach with more than 1,000 clients to date. She continues to grow her business and speak at both small local venues as well as national conventions. In January, she was invited by Vanessa LeFebvre, the new president of Lord & Taylor, to discuss her book Happy Self and last year Tracy spoke about her book, Happy Work-Life at the Jersey Mikes National Convention in Orlando, Fla., along with Robert Herjavek from Shark Tank. To find out more, visit her website www.TracyFox.net.

1980s ’80 Leda Natkin Nelis writes, “I have been living in London since 1999, but we now also spend a fair amount of time in the U.S., both in Connecticut and in NYC. My kids were an infant and a toddler when we moved from San Francisco to London – hard to believe. My daughter, Marieke, is now a sophomore at Harvard. My son, Willem, graduated from Cambridge here in the UK, and is now doing his master’s in war studies at King’s College, London. My husband, Harry, and I celebrated our 25th anniversary! He is from the

Netherlands, and works in tech venture capital, at Accel London. I am involved in a number of projects; am on the fundraising committee for the Autism Centre of Excellence. We are raising funds to found a center in Cambridge, UK, which will be headed up

by Dr. Simon Baron Cohen. I am also involved with Harvard Admissions in the UK, where I do a lot of alumni interviews. My husband and I help manage the art sales and estate of my late father, the artist, Robert Natkin, working with museums, galleries, and potential buyers. My key interest is reaching out to parents of children with Asperger’s Syndrome, and helping them find ways to leverage the talents and passions of their child.”

’81

Tom Colt writes, “My wife, Megan, and I have been living in China for almost two years, where I work as a college counselor at the Shanghai American School. Recent travel has included trips to Thailand, Kazakhstan (for skiing), India, Korea, Japan and various regions of China. Life as an expat in Shanghai is an interesting and exciting experience!”

Pat Gaughan writes, “I have been selected for a Fulbright Scholarship to Hanoi Law University for the spring term (January-June 2020). This is the

LEFT Mary Lou Lange

’67 on her recent travel adventure to the Dolomites.

RIGHT Jim Sherman

’80 spent a wonderful 10 days skiing in the Dolomites, northern Italy, mostly in Corvara and Cortina.

first Fulbright ever at Hanoi Law. I will be teaching a number of courses at Hanoi Law while researching BTO (Build-Transfer-Operate) development contracts.

Also, I am currently in the process of working with the University of Akron School of Law to set up a summer program in Vietnam for 2020. Connected with these plans, I am still trying to figure out how to get a Vietnamese motorcycle license. My niece, Payton Gaughan ’18, is still game for the road trip … once the details are finalized.”

’83 Libby Wood Cassat writes, “After living in Annapolis, Md., for 20 years, I have moved to Maine. I now live in beautiful Yarmouth with my two boys.”

Ed Keating writes, “For the last four years I’ve been building a data business in the cannabis space. I co-founded Cannabiz Media (www.cannabiz. media) in 2015 after winding up on the wrong end of a corporate reorganization. Our software tracks over 40,000 cannabis and hemp licenses in the U.S. and Canada and we will be adding global content this spring. Customers include consumer packaged goods companies, investment banks, and makers of agricultural products who are trying to sell goods and services to license holders. Starting down the entrepreneurial path at age 50 has been challenging and incredibly rewarding.”

40 CLASSNOTES

Eric Elshtain has been appointed as the first poet-in-residence at the Field Museum in Chicago.

’85 ’85 Eric Elshtain has been appointed as the first poet-in-residence at the Field Museum in Chicago. According to the museum’s website, “Every Wednesday from 10 to 2, visitors will be able to interact with Eric as he sets up shop with his desk and typewriter in various exhibition spaces. Budding poets of all ages can chat with him about what they see and how it makes them feel – they’ll even have a chance to write some poetry alongside Eric if they so choose.” In addition, Eric is a writer-in-residence at various hospitals around the Chicagoland area, hosting poetry workshops with patients of all ages. ’86

Hope McCarthy Dufour writes, “I lived in Montreal the past year with my husband, Todd, and loved it. I really enjoyed working in visual effects production on movies like Bob Zemeckis’ Welcome to Marwen and Netflix shows. We just moved to Chicago (survived an icy move in middle of Polar vortex!) and would love to attend some Choate club events this Spring or Summer.”

Peter Mills Finfrock writes, “I continue to adjust to life as a disabled person. My ever-loving and devoted partner, James, and I are living lives of premature retirement, in two homes, selected for their cool temperatures, one in the north and one in the south. Last year we rediscovered the joy of cruising, going on a trip through the Canadian Maritimes, and we put our special focus on Quebec, and Baie SaintPaul, a delightful artists’ enclave just to the west of Quebec City. David Dinielli continues fighting the good fight in his work for the SPLC, queer and transgender division. We saw Helen McLaughlin and Emily Whitmore and their families at the Boston Harbor port of call of our cruise.”

’87 Amanda Murray writes, “After 25-plus years in New York book publishing, I finally worked up the nerve to leave my position as Executive Editor at Hachette Books and have officially joined The Murray Team at The Corcoran Group.” Amanda will be working out of the real estate firm’s Westhampton office.

She’s still collaborating and editing books on a freelance basis, and you can find her at Amanda Murray Editorial, but she’s thrilled to be trying her hand at something new. She lives in Quogue, N.Y., with her two children and (sooner or later) the dog they keep begging her to adopt.

Michael Phelan is starting a 10-gallery miniexpo called the Marfa Invitational, in Marfa, Texas.

“I was really interested in seeing and viewing artists outside of the commercial context of New York and LA,” Michael told ARTnews. “When you’re in Marfa, it’s really this kind of immersive experience where you have time to look at the works. What I wanted to create with the fair is a similar model.” He moved to Marfa after coming to town for a project with the local arts organization Ballroom Marfa in 2005, and has split his time between Marfa and New York ever since. He runs United Artists Ltd. Gallery in Marfa, and lives in a Texaco station from the 1930s that he renovated.

’88 Kathryn Grieco writes, “After 20 years in the restaurant business, I’m in Rishikesh, India for three months, returning in April, where I am studying to become a meditation teacher. An amazing experience.” ’89 Jack Duffy is an Executive Director and Banker with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Greenwich, Conn. He started his career with Weeden & Company, where he spent 17 years as an institutional equity trader and had a leadership role on the firm’s senior management, compliance and risk management teams. Active in the Greenwich community, Jack is President of the Greenwich Skating Club and volunteers as an assistant coach with the Greenwich High School Boys’ Varsity Hockey Team. He lives in Greenwich with his wife and four children.

Janet B. Rossbach continues to live in New York, where she is Director of Alumni Relations and Volunteer Engagement at Baruch College.

Unfortunately, she will not attend Reunion 2019, as she will be hosting Baruch’s 1-10 Reunion the same weekend. She sees Pauline Gray ’89 a few times a year in New York and Los Angeles, and is glad to be connected with other classmates on Facebook.

Heather Wilding-White and Keith Wilding live in southern New Hampshire with their two teens.

Heather is in her second year as a Global Business Analyst at Clarks Americas in Waltham, Mass. Keith is the Department Head for the Paramedic Emergency Medicine associate degree program at NHTI - Concord’s Community College, as well as a paramedic for Fallon Ambulance. Heather and Keith cannot believe that their 30th Reunion is about to happen and look forward to catching up with their peers in May!

TOP Nicole Clark ’89 married

BOTTOM Ian Winer ’92 retired

Joel Whidden on June 29, 2018 in Venice, Italy. Their six children (Nicole’s two, and Joel’s four) were all in the wedding. A celebration was held at Millstone Farm in September.

from Wall Street to volunteer globally with his wife, Kelly, and finish a book about philosophy titled Ubiquitous Relativity (available for pre-order). Here Ian is working with sea turtles in Bali.

MIDDLE Melissa Pearsall Hirsch

’85 and Melissa Burtt Smith ’85 met up in New York City in December 2018.

CLASSNOTES | Profile

’84 David Fraze

Artful Numbers by kevin mardesich ’87 Kevin teaches Story at UCLA Extension.

At San Francisco’s de Young Museum, Frederic Church’s painting frames the tropics with a 180-degree rainbow. In his nearby home office, David Fraze ’84 works under Ian Davenport’s painted black arc also arcing 180°. “Numbers are important to me,” says David, a Harvard MBA, and, indeed, they are. In the early 1980s, David’s grandmother – Rosemary Hall alumna Frances (Fran) Weir Shelden ’32 – served on the Board of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Fran took her grandson on prescient trips from Choate to New York City’s Mary Boone Gallery and Warhol’s art scene.

Thirty-five years later, David volunteers as Treasurer on the de Young Museum’s board of trustees. He has served as chief financial officer for two well-branded start-ups and today invests in homes that one could say are works of art.

The Bay Area’s first dot-com boom of the 1990s was a creator’s market. Dot-com visionaries had “the goods” that venture capitalists and, ultimately, consumers wanted. After training in business analysis and technology at McKinsey and the Boston Consulting Group (and earning his MBA between the two), David co-founded his first start-up, Petopia.com, in January 1999.

Petopia was acquired only two years later by Petco. David’s team had figured out how to create shipping and buying efficiencies, leveraging Petco’s nationwide warehouses, for example, to profitably ship large bags of dog food, when coupled with then-new online retailing.

Building Petopia over two years, David managed cost structures and technology, but his most important line item was people. When hiring, he wondered: would his interviewee be comfortable with a doggy door in the boardroom? How about the office pet chinchilla, who sometimes escapes, looking like a small rabbit, hopping away with its furry tail? Petco hired Morgan Stanley to find a smart (and fun) e-commerce leader to push back against online competitors.

Petopia.com was acquired.

David took nine months off after two years working six-day weeks. In late 2001, he co-founded his second startup, again hiring based on company culture and vision. David’s Visage Mobile envisioned a personalized phone featuring content like ESPN, Disney, or whatever brand you love. Imagine a 2001 cell phone branded with ESPN’s logo and embedded with sports software where the consumer trades his Fantasy Football quarterback, checks the Yankees score, and engages with more ESPN content. The main division of Visage was acquired by Convergys in 2008 for its back-room applications. Unfortunately, the iPhone was born in 2007 – with the first-ever robust “apps” – including for the likes of ESPN and Disney. This invention limited David’s partnerships, but the backroom software remained solid. Convergys was onboard.

All this while, David had been building his own art collection, freely admitting he does not have the talent to paint. His McKinsey paycheck paid for his first print – a Warhol for $2,500. Coincidentally, Warhol’s Factory was at 860 Broadway and today, its ground floor is a Petco. Warhol would have loved Petopia’s culture. Watch out for the escaping chinchilla!

In 2009, David began his last professional chapter, investing in and selling small work-of-art homes. They bring joy to owners as his own art-filled home does for him. It offers a view of San Francisco’s famed hilly cityscape. Grandmother Fran would be proud.

Her New York trips led to David’s West Coast window on art. In business and in art, you circle back 180°.

42

CLASSNOTES | Profile

Wine & Dine with Diana Pittet ’87 & Elana Horwich ’93

by diana beste YOU MAY RECALL DIANA PITTET ’S ’87

excellent session on pairing cheeses with spirits if you attended Reunion in 2012 – a memorable display of her virtuosity as a cheesemonger and whiskey connoisseur. Since then, her work has focused more broadly on the cultivation and consumption of alcohol, which she insists is a powerful lens through which we can examine human history and behavior.

The oldest child of British parents and sister of Owen ’89, Diana came to Choate as a third former with already refined sensibilities and a proclivity towards scholarship. The recipient of Choate’s Herbert Arnold Prize for Excellence in Latin and

Greek, Diana also studied Italian before matriculating at Brown, where she graduated with honors in Classics. After graduation, Diana began bartending at Brown’s Grad Center Bar to fund her continued travel in the Mediterranean and beyond. She later earned an M.A.T. in Latin and Classical Humanities from UMass Amherst, where she taught Latin to undergraduates before landing in New York City to teach at Brearley and then the Marymount School for Girls. She also taught Latin briefly at Choate.

But being tethered to a full-time teaching position was not sustainable for one with so peripatetic a nature. Taking a hiatus from the classroom and traveling for a year, Diana then joined the editorial

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 43

by jack vaughan ‘10

staff of The Classical World, based at New York University, where she could continue to nourish her love of ancient cultures and languages, while pursuing another advanced degree, this time in Food Studies. Leaving academia to focus on cheese, Diana has written and lectured extensively on its production and proliferation across the globe, while also drilling down into the study of distilled spirits.

Now she has returned to the classroom to teach a truly ground-breaking course at NYU. The History, Culture & Politics of Drinking: Alcohol and Power is a multi-disciplinary examination of how alcohol and caffeinated drinks have advanced humanity and the evolution of cultures across the world and through the millennia. This 15-week graduate seminar is designed thematically around topics such as rebellion, colonialism, technology, and religion, and moves chronologically, starting with the Paleolithic Era. Diana graciously invited me to observe the opening session of the course last September, where we learned how accidental fermentation became intentional, how the production of alcohol predated manufactured vessels, and how in many places alcoholic beverages served as sources of hydration. “Anything we drink is an agricultural product,” she remarked. However, it wasn’t until ice became widespread in the 1800s that society began to see the rise of what is known today as the cocktail.

These days Diana continues to write articles about spirits, cocktails and cheese for academic and popular publications, and she leads walking tours of Prohibition sites in Manhattan and craft distilleries and breweries in Brooklyn. An advocate of “green drinking habits,” she also heads the Ocean Friendly Restaurants program for the Jersey Shore Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Her latest venture, Night Owl Hospitality, is a cocktail catering company that offers craft cocktails and spirits tastings at events and also advises restaurants on their cocktail menus.

Diana reminds us through her work – so steeped in knowledge and understanding of the past – how to live well in the present.

Diana Beste is a Latin teacher and former head of Choate’s languages department.

LONG BEFORE ELANA HORWICH ’93 became one of the fastest growing names in the culinary world, she was a 14-year-old Californian eager to leave the tinsel bubble of Beverly Hills behind and push herself academically. Her mother, an ardent supporter of John F. Kennedy ’35, acquiesced, on the condition that Elana apply to Choate Rosemary Hall.

It was during her first years at Choate that Elana’s untapped proclivities for English literature, foreign languages, and history would soon emerge with a fierce momentum that would echo long into adulthood. Her fourth form English teacher, Elana recalls, asked her “not only to connect with Emerson and Thoreau but to then reflect my connections to the class.” At the same time, the rigors of Honors Spanish would push Elana to discover a knack for foreign languages that she would hone over the next five summers working as a volunteer in Latin America for the program “Amigos de Las Americas.”

Thinking back, Elana says, “What I really loved about Choate was that it gave me permission to believe that I could really carve out my own life, to believe that I could be adventurous.”

The path of self-reliance called but it would be a journey that was anything but easy or straightforward. It would take Elana from the elite halls of Brown to bartending, romance and heartbreak in Rome, to teaching English and math to underprivileged middle schoolers in the basement of a church in Los Angeles. It would then lead to acting in New York City, earning an M.A in Italian studies from Middlebury College in Florence, studying ancient Thai massage in Northern California and going back to Rome to practice bodywork, organize historical tours, and lead yoga retreats. Finally, she would return to Los Angeles to perform stand-up comedy and teach history.

Although Elana had accumulated a lifetime of experiences, she couldn’t help but feel stuck, “In searching and trying all of these things, I suffered, I suffered a lot,” she says. “I was fumbling and faltering and it was really hard.” After some serious thought, Elana eventually realized that there was one thing she had yet to try: she had never tried just doing nothing. “I did absolutely nothing for the first time in my life. I got really quiet and listened to the voice inside. One day, a friend of mine was at my house, and saw me cooking.” The next day, Elana’s friend called and demanded a cooking lesson.

In 2010, Elana would launch the “Meal and a Spiel” cooking school out of her parents’ kitchen, and then take her skills on the road, traveling the country and abroad, teaching hundreds of people (including Choaties) how to cook phenomenal Italian food for themselves. Of her kitchen-classroom style, Elana says, “My classroom is a full, hands-on cooking class where we are all making all of the food together and my main mission is to take people out of their head and into their bodies to help them become really intuitive cooks. Right off the bat, I’m looking for everyone’s comfort level.

There is definitely a therapeutic sense to it.”

More recently, Elana has sold more than 2,000 copies of her debut cookbook, Meal and a Spiel, forged a distribution deal with one of the largest publishers in the country, appeared on Good Day LA, KCAL, KNBC, and KTLA as an expert on healthy holiday cooking, and became a contributing writer for the Jewish Journal. Her recipes have appeared in the Huffington Post, Tablet Magazine, The Daily Meal, and in newspapers throughout the country.

She is also the lead consulting chef for the UCLA Women’s Cardiovascular Center.

For Elana, cooking is far more than the sum of a recipe’s ingredients. It’s about unblocking feelings and channeling them into flavors, it’s about the meal as a séance for old world connection and serving it up to the communities of today so they can dish it to themselves tomorrow, and it’s about getting down and dirty with self-discovery and making a meal of it.

To today’s Choate students, Elana says, “Carving out a creative life for yourself requires that you step into the darkness and it requires that you put one foot in front of the other without knowing if you’re even going in the right direction. That’s when you really need to listen to the quiet voice inside to guide you. You need to really believe in that and fight for it.” Also, she adds, “learn how to cook when you’re young.”

A copy of Elana’s new book is a available at www.MealandaSpiel.com.

Jack Vaughan ’10 is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

44

Noam Galai/Getty Images for TechCrunch

CLASSNOTES | Profile

Bob Lord

’84

Defender of the DNC After suffering a damaging Russian hack during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee is trusting its cybersecurity strategy to a Choate alumnus who’s no stranger to thwarting and hunting down cybercriminals: Robert B. Lord ’84.

Bob is a cybersecurity expert who has built information defense systems for some of Silicon Valley’s most iconic companies, including Netscape, AOL/Time Warner, and Twitter.

While at Yahoo!, Bob worked closely with the FBI and Department of Justice to trace where “footprints” led after he uncovered a massive data breach that occurred before his arrival at the company. Four foreign nationals, including two Russian agents, were indicted. One is now serving a five-year prison sentence in the United States.

“That really brought home the nature of how these things play out: not in theory, not in the movies, but against real U.S. companies,” Bob told the Bulletin in an interview. “There truly are humans at the other end of the connection, who are organized in teams, who may have amazing skills, an objective, and a mission. That

changes how you think about building your defensive structures.

You don’t just think about best practices. You start to then think about things like attacker economics.”

As Chief Security Officer at the DNC, Bob is charged with helping protect its internal data. But his duties don’t end there. He also coaches Democrats’ campaigns and state-level Democratic parties on how to minimize threats, including risks to databases routinely accessed by armies of volunteers as well as staff members.

It’s a monumental challenge, forged in a political atmosphere far removed from Bob’s longtime perch in the tech industry. But it’s an important one to embrace, he said, in a time when foreign actors continue to threaten U.S. democracy.

“These are very challenging times, and I wanted to do something more than just be a bystander,” Bob says. “I wanted to help.”

But how? He found his answer in 2017, he says, while reading On Tyranny, a short book by Yale historian Timothy Snyder.

“He writes that institutions may seem permanent, but they’re not. What you need to do is pick an institution and work to defend it,” Bob says. “That was the thing that pushed me over the edge to saying yes, ‘I’d like to put my hat into the ring’ for the DNC job.”

Though Bob studied political science at the University of Chicago, it was a longtime computing interest nurtured at Choate that did more to carry him to the DNC. Experimenting in Wallingford on a donated VAX computer, Bob learned what he calls “security tricks” from fellow student Bob Masterson, whose enthusiasm for computers inspired Bob to keep learning and eventually dive into the emergent computer industry.

A decade later, Bob wrote a white paper convincing Andersen Consulting that establishing its first Internet presence would likely be good for business. As years passed and Internet targets became more lucrative, Bob honed his methodology of leveraging economic factors to protect online assets.

The strategy involves prioritizing what delivers the most security bang for the buck. He coaches teams to use low-cost or free tools such as password managers, two-factor authentication, and software updates for all devices. Because no system is impenetrable, Bob says, it makes sense to erect these types of hurdles, which in effect multiply costs required for an enemy to attempt an attack.

“They have hiring and training problems just like we do,” Bob says. “They have time constraints, and they have bosses. So what we really think about is how we can change the economics so that a dollar invested in defense causes them on offense a $10 expense, or $100 or $1,000.”

Bob aims to develop DNC systems that can last well beyond the 2020 election cycle. That means applying lessons gleaned over a career of responding to variegated threats. Foremost is the need for all involved to keep thinking like people who have a lot to learn.

“Something I try to do as often as I can is to challenge my own assumptions, let go of my old beliefs and help other people do the same thing,” Bob says. “It’s very difficult in the world of security.

Once you find something that works, there’s a temptation to hold on to that particular practice. But it’s often the case that you’d use a different playbook this year than you used last year.” g. jeffrey macdonald ’87 Jeffrey covers religion, ethics, and social responsibility among other subjects for national news outlets. His stories have appeared in TIME magazine, The Washington Post, and many other publications.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 45

Choate ROSEMARY HALL

What a place to be this Summer!

JUNE 23-JULY 26 Students choose from among 50 High School offerings and 30 Middle School offerings; 2, 4 and 5 week programs.

HIGH SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Arabic Cinema and Culture

• Arabic for Beginners

• Introduction to Psychology • Introduction to Game Theory

• Introduction to Computer Programming

• Immersion Geometry

• Introduction to Robotics

• John F. Kennedy ’35 Institute in Government

• EnviroTech for Girls

• Math and Science Workshops

• Invention and Design Lab

• Service and Society

• Writing Workshop

• Theater Arts Institute

A P P LY N O W ! W W W . C H O A T E . E D U / S U M M E R

46 CLASSNOTES

TOP Shannon Shea ’97 is

a dive instructor trainer at Jack’s Diving Locker in Kona, Hawaii. She is enjoying a view of sunset during the winter solstice from the catwalk of the CanadaFrance-Hawaii Telescope, Mauna Kea Observatories, Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawaii.

BOTTOM Matt Nuzzo ’93

co-founded the largest kiteboarding school in the world in 2001. It’s based in Cape Hatteras N.C.

1990s ’90

Penny Bach Evins is moving with her family in June to Richmond, Va. She writes: “After six wonderful years in Baltimore, the role of head of school at Collegiate School is our new adventure. I continue to watch the programming and community building at Choate and am so proud to call it my alma mater.

As an educator, I appreciate the relevant ways the School chooses to live its mission.”

Rex Flodstrom wrote and illustrated the book Skateboarding Animals Alphabet. It’s a children’s alphabet book with crossover appeal and available at online bookstores, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

’91

Anne M. Glass, Purnell’s Head of School in Pottersville, N.J., is a recipient of the 2019 Sam Kirk Educator of the Year Award. This award is given each year to an educator who has made outstanding contributions in the field of education for students with learning differences. As an ardent advocate for equity and access to challenging curriculum for all students, Ms. Glass was nominated by Leslie Rubinstein, President of the Learning Disabilities Association of America – New Jersey Chapter.

’92 Audrey Twyman Langan started a new job in February as Trade Compliance Manager at the Assa Abloy Americas Headquarters in New Haven, Conn.

She is responsible for the company’s import and export compliance within the Americas. She and her husband and their two dogs are enjoying living near his family in West Hartford.

Sara Schaefer Munoz and her husband, Juan Felipe, and daughter, Sofia, moved back to the U.S. in July after a decade abroad in London, Bogota, and Toronto. Just over two weeks later they welcomed their second child, Cayetano Munoz, born at Greenwich Hospital on August 16, 2018. In February, Sara started a new position with the Wall Street Journal, as a Senior Financial Editor in New York.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 47

Ian Winer retired from Wall Street after 22 years to volunteer globally with his wife Kelly and finish a book about philosophy to be published June 4 and is available for pre-order. It’s called Ubiquitous Relativity.

’93 Kalimah Ayele writes, “Our living overseas has made it difficult for us to make it back to campus for reunions, but fortunately I was able to connect with two fellow alumni in my part of the world. Kristen Clarke and her son joined us in Cairo, Egypt to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s and in early February, Yoko Furusaki and I hung out in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.”

James Chuck is a co-author of 50 Firsts: Illinois celebrating the 50 most impactful inventions and innovations from Chicago and the Prairie State, and the extraordinary women and men responsible for them. The book will launch on May 1, 2019, as that day’s labor holiday (May Day) was created in Chicago, and then Chicago’s first Mayoral election was held on May 2, 1937. The book is available for purchase on the authors’ website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more.

Jinho Yim writes, “I have joined Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP as a partner in the Corporate & Securities Group of the New York City office.” ’94

LTC Josh Barrow, a member of the Washington State National Guard, was featured on Twitter in #KnowYourWAGuard. A native of Toledo, Ohio, Josh began his military career in 1994 when he was a West Point prep school football recruit.

Eventually the future Engineer officer would transfer to the University of Toledo and complete officer training through ROTC and head to the active Army until 2004, when he transferred to the Florida National Guard while pursuing his master’s in business administration. It was family that brought Josh to the Seattle area, where he lives and works today as a business consultant and serves in the Washington National Guard commanding the Special Operations Detachment - Pacific. Says Josh, “The Guard has always been a special outlet from my civilian job.”

Maeve Ryan reunited with Mary Hueston Collie and family at their home in San Rafael, Calif., when she was asked to guest teach yoga to students at Marin Academy. Mary and her husband Jamie, both teachers and coaches at Marin Academy, have two sons: Q (age 4) and Kerry (age 2). Maeve is based in Woodstock, Vt., where she runs her own marketing and wellness consulting business, Maeve Ryan Consulting.

’95

David Silkenat has published his third book, Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the American Civil War (UNC Press 2019). He lives in Scotland with his wife Ida Whichard Silkenat and teaches at the University of Edinburgh.

1

1 Kalimah Ayele ’93 and

Yoko Furusaki ’93 hung out in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in early February.

2 Sara Colangelo ’98

testified before a Congressional Committee last fall as an expert witness on environmental litigation.

She is Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Program at Georgetown University Law Center.

3 Most of the Class of 1997

2 3

is turning 40 this year!

Lifelong friends celebrating in Puerto Rico this winter came all the way from London, New York, Indiana, Jordan, and Connecticut.

From left, Jacqueline Blair Telgheder, Katie Murphy, Ann-Marie Lawlor Hyatt, Suzy Gibbons Owen, Diana White Smeal, Stephanie Mauterstock, and Laurel Ried Langworthy.

4 Celebrating Omara

4

Hernandez’s 40th birthday in LA with (left to right) Jennifer Hare Shipp ’97, Sarah McLaughlin Porteous ’97, Omara Hernandez ’97, and Lovey Roundtree Oliff ’97. It was an amazing weekend to remember!

48 CLASSNOTES

Babies & Brides 3

1

2

4

5

6

9

7

8

1 Lucy K. Walker ’02 and husband, Brian Williams, welcomed their

4 Amy Mascunana ’04 welcomed a son, Derek Joshua Mateo, born

first child, Cora Kennedy Williams, on February 20, 2019.

February 12, 2019.

welcomed a daughter on August 5, 2018 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

2 Caroline Hocking ’98 and husband Matthew Pardini welcomed a

5 Kate Biddiscombe McKillop ’03 and her husband welcomed their

8 Abby Ferguson Walsh ’98, welcomed her second daughter, Willa

second child, a daughter, Phoebe Gorton McKillop, on June 18, 2018.

Walsh, born on November 24, 2018. Willa is also the grandchild to Connie Terry Ferguson ’69.

daughter, Isla, on November 23, 2018. She joins her 4-year-old big brother, Colin.

3 D.R. Holmes ’02 and his wife welcomed a daughter, Olivia D.

Holmes, on September 19, 2018.

6 Anna Worrall ’04 and her husband, Burke Cherrie, welcomed their

son Penn Harrison Worrall Cherrie to the world on November 1, 2018.

7 Mary Banks Branch MD ’03, and her husband, Dr. Jonathan Branch,

9 Ian Grajewski ’05 welcomed daughter, Andrea Marguerite "Daisy"

Grajewski, on July 15, 2018 in Chicago.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 49

1

2

4

3 5

6

1 Nicole “Coco” LeFave ’03 married Christopher White in Mystic,

3 Matt Sahlin ’03 married Emily Haitsuka, on October 7, 2018 at

6 Katie Hartsoe ’06 married Marcus Bykowsky in Brooklyn, N.Y., on

Conn., on June 29, 2018. Mary Banks Branch ‘03, left, was a bridesmaid, and Nicole Wittenzellner Gough ’03, right, was Matron of Honor. Rob Minicucci ’71 was also a guest at the wedding.

Woodlawn and Pope Leighey House in Alexandria, Va. From left, Paul Tines, Deighna DeRiu, Carol Jones, Israel Durham ’03, Emily and Matthew, Brian Sahlin, Jr. ’01, and parents, Jane and Brian Sahlin.

2 Dr. Amanda Carpenter ’05 and Dr. Brent Lewis were married Nov.

4 Elliott Schendel ’02 and Manal El Khazen were married on January

3, 2018 in Saddle River, N.J. Choate grads in attendance: Jill Reid Gilloran ’06, Tom Gilloran ’05, Ian Grajewski ’05, Alexandra Hughes ’05, Lee Cochran ’05, Samuel Clarke ’05, Thomas McQueen ’05, Johna Hoey McQueen ’04, Brian Hughes ’74 and Robert Ballard ’52.

18, 2019 in Rockville, Md.

June 17, 2018. Alums and faculty from left, Jacqueline Salamack ’06, Robert Carr Lanphier ’06, Ashley Bairos ’06, Deighna DeRiu, Michael Crowley ’90. Front row, from left, Daniel Hartsoe ’09, Sarah Hurtt Stehman ’06, Kelsey Hartsoe ’15, Katie and Marcus, Ted Hartsoe, Alex Long, and Pooja Phull Hatti ’06.

5 Geoff Anderson ’06 and Emily Ackerman ’06 were married on the

Anderson ranch in Montana on July 6, 2019.

50 CLASSNOTES

’96 Adam Uris writes, “After 10 years as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn D.A.’s Office, I started my own law firm this past fall, The Law Office of Adam Uris.

My firm handles primarily criminal defense matters in the NYC metropolitan areas. You can check my firm out at www.asulegal.com. I’m living happily on Long Island with my wife and three kids. Looking forward to seeing old friends at the next alumni event in NYC.” ’98

Sara Colangelo testified before a Congressional Committee last fall as an expert witness on environmental litigation, specifically the use of fee shifting statutes in cases against the government. This year she taught Environmental Law and two advanced environmental seminars at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is the Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Program.

She loves connecting with the DC Choate crew (including twin sister Melissa ’98 also in DC!) and lives in Fairfax, Va., with her husband Dave and two-year-old son, Bennett.

Genevieve Croteau started a new job with WAMU, the leading public radio station in the Washington D.C. area.

Amanda Lucier is a photojournalist based in Portland, Ore. She recently published a story about female ranchers reclaiming the west in the Sunday New York Times, where she is a regular contributor.

This past year, in addition to adjusting to life as a single parent, Amy Subach published her first book, hosted a Forgiveness Pop-Up in Portland City Hall, and had an exhibition of her Climate Change Quilts.

Cait Unites is finishing up her first tour as a Foreign Service Officer in Bangladesh and will be moving to Hanoi, Vietnam in September to be the Deputy Director of USAID’s Health Office. She sees Amanda Lucier, Christen (Eddy) Hadfield, and Bianca Ferro throughout the year, wherever in the world they can meet up.

’02 Amy Hellman and her husband, Corey, welcomed their son, Elias James, on November 6, 2018.

Amy is a Sivananda and Vinyasa yoga instructor.

’08 Sarah Rosen writes, “I have been living in Tel Aviv since 2017 where I have been developing a television show with the creators of Netflix’s Fauda.”

’03

’09

Lydia Hawkins writes, “My wife, Debbie, and I welcomed our son Oliver Patrick on January 4, 2018.

We then spent the first year of his life in Melbourne, Australia. We traveled extensively around Australia and New Zealand and also spent time with fellow Class of 2003 Choaties, Reiko Okazaki and Catherine Tarasoff Burroughs. After a wonderful year on the other side of the world, we decided to move closer to family and have settled in Vancouver, BC, Canada. If anyone is on the west coast, please come visit!”

’04 Julia Pahlow Lang practices intellectual property law at her firm in St. Louis. She and her husband Andrew welcomed a baby girl, Catherine, in November 2017. ’06

Lis Hulin Wheeler has joined the team of Wizards in Space Literary Magazine as Lead Editor.

She’d love to see submissions from fellow Choate folks!

’07

Minna Casser has been working in the outdoor industry since graduating from American University in 2011. She’s currently living the dream in Colorado working as a sales representative for Outdoor Research, Osprey Packs, Blundstone, Western Mountaineering, and Astral. She spends her free time backcountry and alpine skiing, mountain biking, running, backpacking, climbing, and occasionally showing off her fierce tennis skills from the Choate thirds team.

’99

Carlos Machado and his wife, Monica, welcomed their third child, Diego Henrique, on January 9, 2019. The family has been living in Madrid, Spain since August of 2018.

2000s ’00 Aaron Painter has taken a new role as CEO of Cloudreach, a Blackstone portfolio company, based in London.

Whit Scudder has taken a job as Corporate Counsel with Amphenol Corporation, headquartered in Wallingford, just a short walk from Choate campus.

Whit writes, “It feels good to be back in town after so many years!”

Minna “Nini" Casser ’07 (center) furthering education at Aspen Alpine Guides AIARE hut avalanche course.

Ali Cooper-Ponte will graduate from Yale Law School in May. She plans to move to DC this fall with Tom Guo ’09 and their dog, Sergio. She will then spend a year at a law firm before clerking on the Second Circuit.

Kevin Melendez writes that over past four years, he has worked some interesting jobs with big names. Among them, he notes: “IT specialist with Tishman Speyer Properties (Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building, etc.); Hawk-Eye Innovations in San Diego, working on Video Assistant Referee technology for soccer. I was 2008–09 Varsity soccer captain at Choate, so it was very fun to work so deeply in this sport in such an impactful way; EVS Broadcast Equipment in New Jersey – clients include ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Since last December, my role has been to lead a team of engineers to support a new product called XEEBRA that will operate in the sports officiating realm. I’ll be glad to help students or alumni interested in anything related to this; there is a whole realm of career paths possible.”

2010s ’10

Mara Mellstrom has worked on several political campaigns, including Governor Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, since graduating from Boston University in 2014. She moved to Arizona following the 2016 election to work for Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, both in his administration and on his political team. She recently left the governor’s team to join the Arizona Chamber of Commerce as Director of Public Affairs, where she will oversee the Chamber’s political portfolio and serve as a lobbyist on the organization’s behalf representing Arizona’s job creators.

Molly O’Rourke writes, “Taking care of newborns and postpartum mothers has become a shared experience for me and KC Benchimol at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. KC works as a floor nurse after doing their undergrad in nursing at Penn and has since completed their master’s in women’s health. I took a more convoluted route to nursing – after a few years of research in Baltimore, I switched gears and graduated from Penn’s accelerated nursing program last December. I am entering the Nurse Practitioner program for Midwifery and Women’s Health in May. Choate Philly friends include Chip Lebovitz, across campus for his first year at Wharton Business School, and MacKinzie Neal who is finishing up her time at Penn Law.”

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 51

CLASSNOTES | Profile

’04

Amara Omeokwe

Working to Strengthen Community If you heard National Public Radio’s report on midterm voter sentiments in rural Kentucky, or the one where Charlottesville’s mayor spoke about lingering racial tensions in the city, then you’re already familiar with the work of Amara Omeokwe ’04.

What you don’t know from tuning in is what her voice sounds like – or how she was involved in those stories, among others.

That’s because, as Assistant Producer for NPR’s Morning Edition, Amara toils behind the scenes, lining up interviews, formulating questions to be asked on air, and writing scripts for various hosts including Steve Inskeep.

Also hidden from listeners is what motivates this Harvard graduate to do a job that requires overnight as well as daytime shifts. She’s always on call to field queries from colleagues, even late at night and when she’s on vacation.

She does it, she explains, so that listeners can be informed, and use that insight to improve their communities. That’s the purpose of journalism, as she sees it, and she’s landed on a perch where she can make it happen.

“It really is about illuminating stories that maybe aren’t being heard,” Amara says, “and doing news in a way that is not sensationalist, in a way that is thoughtful, in a way that empowers people with information that allows them to make better decisions.”

Working to strengthen community is nothing new for Amara.

She grew up in the Bronx watching her Nigerian immigrant parents do just that in a faith context. Her nutritionist mother and minister father were always helping his nondenominational congregation of about 100 members be healthy and strong together.

During her time at Choate Rosemary Hall, the School’s emphases on giving back and on public service reinforced values she’d learned at home, she says. Though her parents hoped she’d become a lawyer (and still do), she got hooked on journalism as a means to hold the powerful accountable and help regular people move wisely through their world.

But finding the right venue to practice her craft has taken a decade of moving from job to job, city to city. She’s paid her dues in positions that equipped her with practical skills but didn’t allow for long form, reflective pieces on complex issues.

Her broadcast journey began in television. She spent four years at CNBC, working her way up to field producer. She relished the challenge of covering business news, but the product she was creating left her feeling flat.

“Our content at CNBC was mainly focused on high-net-worth individuals, people who had money to invest, helping them be informed so that they could make the best investment decisions,” Amara said. “That really wasn’t why I became a journalist. It was a good training ground, but it wasn’t the right mission for me.”

Next stop: North Carolina. Amara worked as a “one-woman band” for Time Warner Cable News in Wilmington and Greensboro. When news broke, she’d track down sources, write scripts, jump in front of the camera and edit each piece herself. She became skilled in every part of the trade, but concluded that TV would forever leave much of her potential untapped.

“I think it’s just the format,” she said. “They book interesting people who argue and debate. Sometimes in that format, you kind of lose the heart of what it is that we’re talking about.”

After what she calls a one-year “reset” in public relations, followed by a year at Columbia Journalism School, Amara, in June 2018, landed the gig she wanted at NPR. Now she literally has a seat at the table where editorial decisions are made regarding what to cover, whom to quote, and what to ask in the making of a national newscast.

Morning Edition already bears Amara’s fingerprints. Example: when several 2020 presidential hopefuls generated buzz on Twitter by addressing the prospect of reparations for slave descendants, she made sure it got national attention. And she advanced her mission in the process.

“Because I pitched it, we commissioned a reporter to do that story,” Amara said. “If I were not on Morning Edition, I don’t know that anybody would have been looking at what black people on Twitter were talking about. That is my goal: to illuminate stories on this network that would maybe not be on it otherwise.” g. jeffrey macdonald ’87 Jeffrey covers religion, ethics, and social responsibility among other subjects for national news outlets. His stories have appeared in TIME magazine, The Washington Post, and many other publications.

52

IN MEMORIAM | Remembering Those We Have Lost Alumni and Alumnae

’35 RH Rosemary Boyle McKinney, 101, died January 6, 2019 in Naples, Fla. Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., she came to Rosemary Hall in 1930; she was in the Scouts and was a sixth form gardener. After graduating from the University of Connecticut she married, and while her husband was overseas during World War II she worked in New York City for an advertising agency, writing radio scripts for Jack Benny and others. After the war, she and her family lived in Baltimore and overseas, eventually returning to Connecticut.

Rosemary then was communication director for the Community Renewal Team, a Hartford antipoverty agency, an executive assistant to helicopter magnate Igor Sikorsky, and in the 1970s a realtor in Stonington, Conn.

She enjoyed bridge, golf, and boating.

She leaves a sister, two children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. ’40 RH Ernestine White Chandler, 96, died January 20, 2019. Born in Rochester, N.Y., Tina came to Rosemary Hall in 1937. She was in the Kindly Club, the French Club, and Hospites; was Secretary of the Athletic Association and Secretary of School meetings; and was an Assistant Marshal and Prize Day Marshal. After graduating from Sweet Briar College, Tina spent most of her life in Rochester. She leaves three daughters, two stepdaughters, and a stepson.

’44 C Henry K. Willard II, 92, a retired bank executive, died December 23, 2018 in Shepherdstown, W. Va. Born in Washington, DC, Henry came to Choate in 1942. He was Captain of the Campus Cops, was in St. Andrew’s Cabinet, and was Associate Editor of the Choate News. During World War II, he served in the Marines. He then began a long career with American Security and Trust Co. (now Bank of America). Active in civic affairs, Henry was appointed to the District of Columbia City Council by thenPresident Nixon. He also was on the board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority when the

metro system was being expanded.

He enjoyed U.S. railroad history and studying the Civil War. He leaves two sons, including Henry Willard III ’69, 701 South Olive Ave., Apt. 1802, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

’46 C Frederick C. Meekins, 89, a retired attorney, died January 5, 2019. Born in Asheville, N.C., Fred was at Choate for one year; he played league football and was in the Band and the Southern Club. After serving in the Air Force, Fred earned degrees from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was an attorney for many years and was a member of several legal associations. He was also an associate editor of the North Carolina Law Review and was active in the Civitan Club and the Masons.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf, and music, especially folk and bluegrass.

Choate’s Alumni Authors collection has three recordings of the Southern Tradition Bluegrass Band, of which he was the founding member. He leaves his wife, Doris R. Meekins, 500 Cramer Mountain Rd., Cramerton, NC 28032; three children; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother. His father, the late William C. Meekins ’16, attended Choate, as did a brother, the late Charles M. Scotland ’54 (known as Isaac M. Meekins at School). ’46 RH Lydia Thorne Lucy, 90, died February 13, 2019 in North Conway, N.H. Born in Pasadena, Calif., Lydia came to Rosemary Hall in 1944. She was captain of the hockey team, a Prize Day Marshal, and on the Fire Squad and Library Committee; she also earned four bars on the Committee. She then attended the University of New Hampshire, where she was on the Ski Team and the Rifle Team. She enjoyed travel, hiking, skiing, and tennis. She leaves eight children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ’48 C

John S. Hopple, 88, the founder of a plastics company, died November 22, 2018. Born in Cincinnati, John came to Choate in 1946. He was captain of the golf team and lettered in squash; won School prizes for debate and Spanish; was on the Student

Council and in the Cum Laude Society; had the highest rank in the sixth form; and was a Campus Cop. His classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Best Student,” and he was among those they named “Most Versatile” and “Class Politician.” After graduating from Cornell, he was a Navy officer in the Pacific. He then formed Hopple Plastics, a thermoforming plastics manufacturer, in Cincinnati. John won several local business awards and was President of the Cincinnati Summer Opera and Chair of the Salvation Army’s local lay board. He enjoyed sailing, golf, and squash, and was a youth soccer and baseball coach. He leaves his wife, Lynne Hopple, 3939 Erie Ave., Apt. 2020, Cincinnati, OH 45208; three children; and six granddaughters. A brother, the late Richard Hopple ’42, also attended Choate.

’49 C Harold Gardner Macomber Jr., 88, the owner of an appliance store, died November 12, 2018 in Kennebunk, Maine. Born in Salem, Mass., Hal (known as Gardner when at School) came to Choate in 1946.

He lettered in soccer, was Associate Editor of the Choate News, and was in the Ski Club. After graduating from the Wentworth Institute in Boston, he worked for General Electric Co. in Lynn, Mass., then opened an electrical and appliance store in Marblehead, Mass.

In Marblehead, he was an auxiliary policeman. In 1996, Hal moved to Exeter, N.H., where he was on the town Planning Board and the town Development Committee. He enjoyed restoring antique furniture and was a 32nd degree Mason. He leaves his wife, Linda Macomber, 1135 Portsmouth Ave., Greenland, NH 03940; seven children; two stepsons; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ’50 C Fitzhugh L. Brown, 86, a retired executive of a wood products company, died November 8, 2018. Born in Pittsburgh, Fitz came to Choate in 1946, and compiled an impressive record. He lettered in wrestling, was President of the sixth form, was on the Student Council and the Honor Committee, played piano in the Golden Blues and was the leader of

the Maiyeros, and was President of the Press Club. He also won the Aurelian Society Award, was in the Cum Laude Society, and was given the School Seal Prize, the most prestigious student award. His classmates voted him “Most Influential,” “Most Respected,” and “Done Most for Choate,” and he was among those named “Most to be Admired.” After graduating from Harvard, he served in the Army, playing bagpipes in the Second Army Band. For six years, Fitz was a field construction engineer with the Rust Engineering Co., and in 1962 joined the Koppers Co. of Pittsburgh, which was founded by his grandfather; he rose to be Vice President and Corporate Comptroller.

Active in the community, he was on the boards of West Penn Hospital and Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Sewickley Heights Council. He enjoyed fly fishing, camping, and music, particularly playing jazz on the piano. He leaves his wife, Mary Florence Brown, 173 Barberry Rd., Sewickley, PA 15143; two children; and seven grandchildren. Several of his relatives attended Choate or Rosemary Hall, including his parents, the late Stanley Brown ’19 and Elizabeth Rust Brown ’20; two brothers, the late Henry Brown ’43 and Stanley Brown Jr. ’46; two uncles, the late Addison Brown ’12 and Ralph Brown ’14; and two nephews, Peter Brown ’73 and Alexander Brown ’75.

’51

C Richard B. Pell, 84, a retired entrepreneur, died October 15, 2018 in Sarasota, Fla. Born in Philadelphia, Dick came to Choate in 1945; he was in the Radio Club and was an electrician for the Dramatic Club and manager of the Projectionist Association.

After graduating from Cornell with a degree in electrical engineering, he was involved in marketing, engineering, and manufacturing in the telecommunication industry, particularly for Metro Audio-Visual, which he founded. He was awarded several patents. Dick enjoyed sailing and the theater. He leaves three sons, a daughter, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 53

’54 C David K. Sims, 82, an investment executive, died November 10, 2018. Born in Chicago, David came to Choate in 1951. He lettered in football, was President of the Choral Club and Sports Editor of the Choate News, and was on the Honor Committee and in the Altar Guild and Glee Club. After graduating from Williams, he was a broker in Chicago before moving to New York in 1972, where he spent years with Merrill Lynch, retiring as a Vice President.

Active in the Lakeville, Conn., community, David was President of the Board of the Sharon Playhouse.

He enjoyed travel, sports, and history.

He leaves his wife, Jennifer Sims, 225 Sharon Rd., Lakeville, CT 06039; and four children.

John L. Schoellkopf, 80, a retired journalist, politician, and farmer, died December 8, 2018.

Born in Dallas, John came to Choate in 1952. He lettered in golf, was Secretary-Treasurer of the Athletic Association, and was on the Honor Committee, the Student Council, and the Debate Council. After graduating from Southern Methodist University, he joined the Dallas Times-Herald, spent years as its Washington correspondent, and eventually became Vice President of Administration. He was in Dallas when President John Kennedy ’35 was assassinated there, and he covered the arrest of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

John later became involved in city politics and ran, unsuccessfully, for Mayor of Dallas. In the 1980s, he

’59 RH Judith Freedman Cohen, 76, a retired teacher, died July 17, 2018. Born in Port Chester, N.Y., Judy came to Rosemary Hall in 1953. She was President of her third form class, manager of the Teahouse, in Philomel, on the Answer Book board, and a Marshal.

Her class voted her “Most Enthusiastic.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, she was an elementary school teacher in Reading, Pa., and Lodi, N.Y. She enjoyed knitting, needlepoint, and crossword puzzles. She leaves her husband, Paul Cohen, 320 Starr Lane, Lady Lake, FL 32162; two daughters; two grandchildren; and a sister.

Valley Land Trust and the Waldoboro Conservation Commission. He leaves his partner, Caren Clark, P.O. Box 726, Waldoboro, ME 04572; three children; six grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.

’61 C

Harry L. Belin, 75, the retired owner of a design firm, died November 6, 2018. Born in Washington, DC, Harry came to Choate in 1956. He was Vice President of his fourth and sixth form classes; lettered in track, hockey, and soccer; was on the Student Council; and won School prizes for athletics and scholarship. After graduating from Tulane, he served in the Navy in Vietnam. He was the President of an environmental design firm in Alexandria, Va. He also inherited a

’61 Hardy made more than 70 films, many about dolphins, and was himself the subject of a PBS film, The Dolphin Defender, in 2005. Hardy received many awards for his conservation work, and he and actor Ted Danson founded BlueVoice.org, which protects dolphins and whales. –JOHN HARDY JONES JR.

’56 C

Eric D. Ericson, 79, a retired lawyer, died October 6, 2018 in Charleston, W. Va. Born in Philadelphia, Dick, as he was known at School, came to Choate in 1954; he lettered in crew, was President of the Chime Ringers Guild and Circulation Manager of the Literary Magazine, and won a School prize in public speaking. After Choate, he joined the Army, serving in Japan. He then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia and a law degree from the University of North Carolina. He practiced law for many years in Charleston, W. Va. Dick enjoyed photography, travel, museums, fishing, and woodworking. He leaves a sister.

helped create the first large-scale blueberry farm in Texas. He was active in many civic organizations and was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. He leaves his wife, Catherine Schoellkopf, 22 Royal Way, Dallas, TX 75229; four children, including Sarah S. Bloom ’86 and Laura S. Hornbach ’94; six grandchildren; and a brother, Alan Schoellkopf ’61. Another brother, the late Wilson Schoellkopf ’54, also attended Choate. His mother, the late Peggy Schoellkopf ’29, attended Rosemary Hall.

’60 C

Edward G. Fisher, 75, an electrical engineer, died November 6, 2018 in Waldoboro, Maine. Born in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., Ted came to Choate in 1957; he lettered in tennis, was in the Art Club and the Rod and Gun Club, and was on the Literary Board of the Choate News. After graduating from Cornell, he was an electrical engineer for Canberra Industries, traveling the world for the company, including extended stays in China. Ted was an accomplished rock, bluegrass, and folk musician; he also enjoyed hiking and canoeing. In 1997 he moved to Maine, where he volunteered for several environmental organizations, including the Medomak

12th-century chateau in France that he and his wife ran as a bed and breakfast.

He leaves his wife, Susan Belin, 9208 Harrington Dr., Potomac, MD 20854; three children; and four grandchildren.

John Hardy Jones Jr., 75, a wildlife documentary filmmaker, died December 12, 2018. Born in Germantown, Pa., Hardy came to Choate in 1958. He lettered in crew and was in the French Club, the Art Club, and the Debate Senate. After Choate, he graduated from Tulane, was in the Peace Corps in Peru, then was a TV anchorman in Anchorage, Alaska.

In the 1970s he became interested in wildlife conservation; that led to a

54 IN MEMORIAM

career in documentary filmmaking. He made more than 70 films, many about dolphins, and was himself the subject of a PBS film, The Dolphin Defender, in 2005. Hardy received many awards for his conservation work, and he and actor Ted Danson founded BlueVoice. org, which protects dolphins and whales. He leaves his wife, Deborah Cutting, 10 Sunfish Dr., St. Augustine, FL 32080; and a sister. His late brother, Carleton “Barry” Jones ’62, also attended Choate.

Howard J. Morrison Jr., 75, a retired banker, died January 24, 2019.

Born in Savannah, Ga., Howard came to Choate in 1957; he was on the Sixth Form Tutoring Committee. After graduating from Yale, he served in the Navy, attaining the rank of Lieutenant.

He then worked for C&S Bank in Savannah, helping to develop its technology arm. He was a member of several trade and tourism associations and sat on the boards of dozens of nonprofit corporations, winning many community service awards. Howard enjoyed hunting, fishing, and travel. He leaves his wife, Mary Morrison, 5745 Ogeechee Rd., Savannah, GA 31405; two children; and six grandchildren. His brother, Lane Morrison ’63, attended Choate, as did two cousins, Hugh Lane ’66 and Edward Lane ’68.

Chester E. Whittle Jr., 74, a retired lawyer, died June 18, 2018 in Boone, N.C. Born in Orlando, Fla., Chester came to Choate in 1958; he was on the board of the Brief, in the Altar Guild and St. Andrew’s Cabinet, and on the Dance Committee. After graduating from Davidson, he earned a law degree from the University of Florida. He served in the Army in Vietnam, attaining the rank of Captain.

Chester practiced law for many years

in Miami, Fla., and in Boone. He taught Sunday school and enjoyed reading.

He leaves his wife, Jeanne Robinson, P.O. Box 494, Boone, NC 28607; three children; two grandchildren; and a brother.

’62 RH Gabrielle Hamlin Andres, 73, a retired teacher, died October 20, 2018.

Born in Washington, DC, Gabette, as she was known, came to Rosemary Hall in 1956. She was head of the Kindly Club and in the choir and Whimawehs and was on the varsity basketball team, was a Marshal, and was in Dramu and on the Self-Government Committee.

Her class voted her “Most Poised” and she won the French Prize. After graduating from Wellesley, Gabette was a data librarian, then teacher and vice principal at the San Jose (Calif.) Christian School. She leaves a brother, three stepchildren, and nine grandchildren. ’63 C Hughes “Toby” Griffis, 73, an attorney, died August 7, 2018 in New London, Conn. Born in New York City, Toby came to Choate in 1959. He was in the French Club, the Russian Club, and the Art Club, was Art Editor of the Choate News, and was Vice Chairman of Gold Key. After graduating from Yale and Cornell Law School, he served in the Army in Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star. He was an attorney specializing in real estate with the firm Waller, Smith and Palmer in New London.

Toby was a collector of art, traveling extensively through Europe and Asia to purchase works. He leaves his partner, Leda Starcheva, 720 Williams St., New London CT 06320; three children; four grandchildren; and a brother. A cousin, Alexander Nixon ’69, also attended Choate.

’63 RH Sarah Schwartz Wey, 73, a retired dance teacher, died July 22, 2018. Born in Pittsburgh, Sarah came to Rosemary Hall in 1957; she was a Marshal, a cheerleader, and fourth form class President. Sarah taught aerobic dancing for many years, and was a volunteer nurse at United Hospital in Port Chester, N.Y. She was an avid gardener and was a member of Creekside Garden Club in Charleston, S.C. She leaves two sons, including Alexander Wey, 2601 John Boone Court, Mount Pleasant, SC 29466; and two grandchildren. Two sisters, Mary Schwartz Breeden ’61 and the late Barbara Schwartz ’63, also attended Rosemary Hall.

’65 C Prentice W. Claflin, 71, former book store owner, died January 14, 2019 in Boston. Born in Boston, Pren came to Choate in 1962. He lettered in crew, was in the Glee Club and the Ski Club, was Secretary of the Dramatic Club, and appeared in Waiting for Godot. He then attended the Bryanston School in England, and Harvard. After working briefly at the Boston Globe and the Carpenter News Bureau, Pren opened a shipyard on Nantucket. He and his wife then opened Nantucket Bookworks, and in the 1990s owned a book store in Brattleboro, Vt. He enjoyed reading and boating, and for many years was a coxswain for various crews. He leaves his wife, Patti Claflin, and a son.

’66 C

David J. Gemelli, 71, an executive of a wire and cable firm, died December 10, 2018. Born in Boston, David was at Choate for one year; he lettered in football. After earning degrees from the University of Vermont and the University of Arizona, he worked at American Optical Corp., and Polaroid Corp., before joining the family business, Gem Gravure, in 1976. He won many industry awards and was a former president of Wire Association International, traveling worldwide representing the wire and cable industry. He was an avid fan of many sports. He leaves his wife, Carol Gemelli, 607 Broadway, Hanover, MA 02339; three children; three grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.

William B. McKelvey Jr., 70, an executive of a real estate firm, died June 17, 2018 in Cleveland. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Bill came to Choate in 1962; he was in the Ski Club and the Conservative Club. After graduating from Ohio State University, he was in retail management in Los Angeles. In the 1980s he returned to Ohio to be President of Smythe Cramer Co., one of the country’s largest residential real estate companies. Bill enjoyed sports and world travel. He leaves his wife, Sarah McKelvey, 2195 Demington Dr., Cleveland, OH 44106; three children; two grandchildren; and six siblings.

’69 C Douglas S. Hart, 66, a rancher, died September 15, 2018. Born in Huntington, N.Y., Doug came to Choate in 1966. He was President of the Press Club and in St. Andrew’s Cabinet, the Altar Guild, the Automobile Club and the Glee Club. He spent his summers on the family ranch in northwest Wyoming, and after attending the University of Montana he worked on

’82 Edward had a long career in the fashion industry and was a designer for Victor Costa, and later was a fashion specialist and coordinator for Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. –EDWARD S. ALLEN III

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 55

ranches in New Mexico and Texas. He spent some time in Salzburg, Austria, where he became fluent in German; proficient also in French and Spanish, he taught foreign languages at the North Country School near Lake Placid, N.Y. He later owned the Paint Creek Ranch in Wyoming. Doug enjoyed foreign travel, hunting, fishing, rafting, skiing, dancing, and storytelling. He leaves his wife, Harriet Corbett, 866 Road 7 RP, Powell, WY 82435; two sons; three siblings; and his mother.

’77

Sarah Stanton Lee, 59, a landscape designer, died July 15, 2018 in Sag Harbor, N.Y. Born in Greenwich, Conn., Sarah came to Rosemary Hall in 1974; she was known for her artwork and excelled in many sports, being named captain of the field hockey and lacrosse teams. After studying at the Royal Academy in London, she earned a degree in studio art at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She designed gardens and residential properties in the Hamptons and in Greenwich.

She enjoyed swimming in the ocean, foreign films, and British murder mysteries, and was an activist for those on the autism spectrum. She leaves her husband, Craig Lee, 50 Mashomuck Dr., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; and two sons.

Her mother, Margaret Gilbert Stanton ’42, attended Rosemary Hall; her brother, David Stanton ’75, attended Choate, as did an uncle, Peter Stanton ’69.

’78 Daniel P. Curley, 59, a municipal executive, died July 30, 2018 in Leominster, Mass. Born in Leominster, Danny was at Choate for one year after graduating from Leominster High School, where he was an outstanding athlete. At Choate, he lettered in football and basketball, winning a Coaches’ Award in the latter.

After graduating from Tufts, where he was on the football team all four years, he joined the Fitchburg (Mass.)

Redevelopment Agency, rising to be its head. He enjoyed many sports, particularly golf. He leaves his wife, Sue Curley, 53 Smith St., Leominster, MA 01453; and two children.

’82

Edward S. Allen III, a fashion designer, died September 9, 2018.

Born in Little Rock, Ark., Edward came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1980; he excelled in theater and dance, and was in Gold Key. After earning a B.A. in studio arts and fashion from North Texas State University, he had a long career in the fashion industry. Edward was a designer for Victor Costa, and later was a fashion specialist and coordinator for Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom; he also developed his own design label. He leaves his mother, a sister, and several cousins.

’90

Brian S. Gager, 46, a musician, died June 28, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Born in Bronxville, N.Y., Brian came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1986; he lettered in soccer and was in the Band. After earning a degree in music composition from Carnegie Mellon University, he briefly worked in New York City, then taught music at a Montessori School in Pittsburgh. Six years ago, Brian moved to Edgartown, Mass., where he composed, recorded, and mixed music. He leaves his parents and a sister.

’08

Lindsey M. Kumar, 29, a social media marketer, died January 12, 2019.

Born in Manhasset, N.Y., Lindsey came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 2005; she was in the Festival Chorus, the Choate Indian Association, and the Gold Key Society. After graduating from Hofstra University, she owned a small social media marketing firm serving the restaurant industry in New York City.

Lindsey enjoyed reading, photography, and world travel, and volunteered for Children of Promise NYC, which supports the children of incarcerated parents. She leaves her parents, Sylvia and Sanjay Kumar, P.O. Box 1916, Naples, FL 34016; and a sister.

Alessio Manti, 28, an agricultural researcher, died October 18, 2018 in the Netherlands. Born in Rome, Italy, Alex, as he was known at School, moved to the United States in 1996 and came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 2006. He played JV volleyball and acted in It’s a Wonderful Life. After earning a degree in social policy from Northwestern,

he was in the chef’s program at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York.

Becoming interested in sustainable farming, Alessio worked at a number of local and sustainable farms before pursuing a Master of Science degree at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

and foreign travel. In addition to her husband, she leaves two stepdaughters, seven step-grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

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

Trustees and Staff C. Walter Nichols III ’55, a banker who was a Choate Rosemary Hall Trustee for more than a dozen years, died January 13, 2019 in South Dartmouth, Mass. He was 81. Born in New York City, Wally came to Choate in 1950. He was President of the French Club, a Campus Cop, a member of the Choate News board, and on the Sixth Form Scholarship Committee. He won a School prize for excellence in political science. After graduating from the University of Virginia, he served in the Army for two years, attaining the rank of Captain. He was then a Vice President at Citibank and J.P. Morgan in New York. Wally was a Trustee from 1971 to 1977 and 1982 to 1989. He enjoyed conservation, cross-country train travel, and opera. He leaves his wife, Helga Nichols, 2 Royal Way, So. Dartmouth, MA 02748; four grandchildren; eight grandchildren; and a brother, David Nichols ’56. His father, the late Charles W. Nichols Jr. ’29, attended Choate, as did two nephews, Charles Nichols ’07 and the late Peter Cameron ’71, and a cousin, the late Ralph Coxhead ’47. Nichols House on the Choate campus is named for his grandfather, the late Charles W. Nichols Sr., who was a Trustee from 1947 to 1957.

Monica McManamy Stafford, a nurse at Choate Rosemary Hall for 12 years, died October 20, 2018, in Glastonbury, Conn. She was 92. Born in West Springfield, Mass., Monica graduated from St. Francis School of Nursing and became a nurse anesthetist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford, Conn. In retirement, she was a nurse at School from 1985 to 1997. Her name at that time was Monica Dubiell; after the death of her first husband, Edward Dubiell, she married Paul Stafford.

She enjoyed ballroom dancing, skiing,

James F. Cobey Jr. ’43 October 23, 2018 Roger P. Harris ’47 August 27, 2013 Richard W. Lamb Jr. ’47 October 12, 2017 Rollin W. King ’49 June 26, 2014 William M. LaRiche Jr. ’60 December 1, 2018 Amy Hecker Madison ’79 May 29, 2018 Cameron G. Kohler ’94 September 29, 2018

56

| Winter Sports Wrap-up

On February 15, 2019 the Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team celebrated its seniors during a game against The Gunnery.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 57

Girls varsity squash were Founders League Champions. Girls varsity basketball made it to the semifinals of the NEPSAC Class A Tournament and lost in OT to Marianapolis. In their senior season, Sam Gallo ’19 and Jocelyn Polansky ’19 made the exclusive 1000-point club. Girls swimming & diving placed 2nd at the Founders League Championships and 5th at NEPSAC Division 1 championships. Sam Scott ’20 broke the school record in the 50m & 50y Freestyle. Boys swimming & diving also took 2nd at Founders League Championships and 7th in D1 NEPSAC Championships.

Parker Scott ’20 recorded a new school record in the 100m Butterfly and the 100y breast stroke. Kobe Tray ’19 continued to dominate boys diving, breaking pool records at Loomis, Hotchkiss, and Miss Porter’s. He was NEPSAC D1 Champion for the fourth consecutive time.

ARCHERY Varsity season record: 2–2 Captains: Kiki Kim ’20, Will Wu ’19 Highlight: Will Wu competed in USA Archery Indoor Nationals Recurve Junior Men division for recurve bow archers 18–22 years old, setting a personal record.

BASKETBALL Boys varsity season record: 17–9 Captains: Grady J. Bohen ’19, Hunter J. Jameson ’19, William A. Brown ’19 Highlights: Great wins against Loomis and Gunnery.

Made the NEPSAC Class A Tournament and lost in the first round.

Girls varsity season record: 21–3 Captain: Samantha Gallo ’19 Highlights: Sixth formers Sam Gallo and Jocelyn Polansky were added to the 1000-point club this season. The team made it to the semifinals of the NEPSAC Class A Tournament and lost in OT to Marianapolis. Sam Gallo was selected to the first All-NEPSAC team.

ICE HOCKEY Boys varsity season record: 5–11–1 Captains: Sean M.H. Dennehy ’19, Christopher A. Guyette ’19, Cooper A. Swift ’19 Highlights: Tied Deerfield in OT in second match of the season. Cooper Swift played in 95 career games, which puts him 3rd all time in games played. Sean Dennehy and Chris Guyette played in 94 career games which puts them 4th all time. Dennehy and Swift made the All Founders League all-star teams.

Girls varsity season record: 11–11 Captains: Bella Deluca ’19, Liza Diffley ’19, Kaleah Haddock ’19, Kaitlyn O’Donohoe ’19, Tracey Stafford ’19 Highlights: Ended the season with a thrilling OT win over Cushing in the final game. Senior captain Kaitlyn O’Donohoe was selected as honorable mention for the All-NEPSAC team.

SQUASH Boys varsity season record: 14–13 Captain: Wesley Fang ’19 Highlight: Placed 13th at the NEPSAC Class A Championship.

Girls varsity season record: 16–1 Captains: Mia Krishnamurthy ’19, Hope M. Worcester ’19, Samantha S. Stevenson ’19 Highlights: Founders League Champions. Beat Deerfield for the first time since 2006 in regular season; 7th at Nationals; 3rd in New England.

SWIMMING & DIVING Boys varsity season record: 5–4 Captains: Matthew M. Anastasio ’19, Vincenzo P. DiNatale ’19 Highlights: Parker Scott ’20 recorded a new school record in the 100m Butterfly and the 100y breast stroke. Kobe Tray ’19 dominated boys diving, breaking pool records at Loomis, Hotchkiss, and Miss Porters.

Kobe broke the school record in both the 1 meter 11 dives, and 1 meter 6 dives. He also was NEPSAC D1 Champion for the fourth consecutive time.

Girls varsity season record: 8–1 Captains: Tippa C.K. Chan ’19, Piper M. Connelly ’19, Laila B. Hawkins ’19 Highlights: Beat Deerfield for the first time since 2013. Sam Scott ’20 broke the school record in the 50m & 50y Freestyle. Team placed 2nd at the Founders’ League Championships and 5th at NEPSAC Division 1 Championships.

WRESTLING Boys varsity season record: 10–7 Captains: Matthew J. Cuomo’19, Thomas D. Wachtell ’19, Jackson J. Fiala ’19 Highlights: Beat Deerfield. Cameron Polemeni-Hegarty ’20 is a 2019 HW Class A champion. Jack Fiala ’19 won his weight class at the Rumble on the Hill Tournament at Hopkins School.

58

| Winter Sports Wrap-up

1

2

3 4

5 1 Varsity swimming celebrates a win at home against Hopkins 2 Senior forward Kyle Sanborn ’19 in game against Berkshire Academy

3 Deanna Tan ’20 hits a backhand during a January training session.

4 Oleh Shostak ’20 grapples his Hopkins opponent.

5 Will May ’19 takes aim during practice.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 59

8

6

7

6 Captain Wesley Fang ’19 lunges for a shot against his Westminster opponent

on Senior Day.

7 Jocelyn Polansky ’19 drives down the floor against Greenwich.

8 Chuma Azinge ’19 leaps for the basket.

60

BOOKSHELF

In this issue, a conservation scientist shares the story of how the death of a single species can affect both local ecosystems and local economies, a former investigative reporter chronicles the lives and lessons of the 12 remaining Apollo astronauts, a former U.S. Ambassador – whose early life was beset by the challenges of a leg amputation, bullies, and rheumatic fever – shares his journey and unwavering optimism for the future, and a social entrepreneur shares tips on connecting businesses and consumers to ethically made products.

In Search of the Canary Tree

By Lauren E. Oakes ’99 | Reviewed by Stephen Siperstein

IN SEARCH OF THE CANARY TREE: THE STORY OF A SCIENTIST, A CYPRESS, AND A CHANGING WORLD Author: Lauren E. Oakes ’99 Publisher: Basic Books About the Reviewer: Stephen Siperstein teaches in the Department of English and the Environmental Immersion Program at Choate Rosemary Hall and co-directs the summer Environmental Literature Institute at Phillips Exeter Academy. He is editor of the volume Teaching Climate Change in the Humanities and his climate change poetry has appeared in The Hopper, ISLE, and Poecology, among others.

In the temperate rainforests of Southeast Alaska, groves of majestic yellow cedar trees are dying, their profiles standing as omens of climate change. In 2010, plant biologist Lauren E. Oakes ’99 began conducting multidisciplinary field research on the yellow cedars, hoping to discover not just how the trees are threatened by rising temperatures but also what happens to human communities when a species disappears.

In Search of the Canary Tree is a lyrical culmination of that research, relating the compelling story of how the death of a single species can affect both local ecosystems and local economies.

The first half of the book describes the ecological science portion of Oakes’s research project. She includes meticulous descriptions of her methods and makes concepts such as “chronosequence” and “snag classes” easily understandable, and through the story of the cedars gives a broader perspective of what’s happening around the world in the current global dieback of forests.

Throughout this section, Oakes also interweaves excerpts from her field journal, creating a sense of immediacy and authenticity to the research process.

The book invites readers to join her adventures and learn alongside her and her research team.

In the second half of the book, Oakes then details the social science portion of the research, and included throughout are the voices of the people – including loggers, scientists, and native (Tlingit) weavers – who have developed lifelong relationships with the yellow cedars.

Here, the scope of the book expands to consider deeper philosophical questions having to do with identity, community, and meaning-making. As one Tlingit woman says: “If we don’t have our trees … we can’t be who we are.” Indeed, the most compelling

sections of the book involve Oakes’s speaking with native people on the front lines of climate change, because it is there that the ethical dimensions of the problem are most foregrounded, such as the sobering reality that even climate grief is unevenly distributed.

This book is one of several recently published “climate change memoirs” that explore how climate change is impacting not only physical landscapes but emotional landscapes as well. Throughout the book, Oakes deftly weaves together the personal and the ecological, simultaneously confronting the losses of climate change and the losses in her own life, particularly her father’s death.

Moreover, she reminds readers that while scientific literacy is crucial for understanding climate change, when we speak (or write) about climate change only in the language of science we often lose the beauty, spirit, and courage of human experience.

By investigating how people – the author included – live with the realities of climate change, the book also functions as a kind of how-to guide: how can we address climate change in our own lives? To start, Oakes argues, we must learn how climate change is affecting the places we love and then commit ourselves to those communities, cultivating relationships of reciprocity with the human and nonhuman world. Family, friends, and strangers. Trees, ferns, and eagles. We must include them all in our circle of care.

While the book doesn’t offer specific or technological or policy solutions to climate change, it does suggest a path that we can all take: Live with conviction and work together to reweave the fabric of a fraying world.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 61

The Mission of a Lifetime

By Basil Hero ’73 | Reviewed by Dr. Christopher Hogue

THE MISSION OF A LIFETIME Author: Basil Hero ’73 Publisher: Grand Central Publishing About the Reviewer: Dr. Christopher Hogue is coDirector of Choate’s signature Science Research Program.

"There's nothing routine about flying to the Moon."

Delivered in a matter-of-fact tone, these profound words spoken by Jim Lovell, portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 1995 film Apollo 13, came in response to a reporter’s citing the recent hitchless success of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions. NASA had now twice placed American astronauts on the surface of the Moon and twice brought them home safely to Earth. In reality, however, the monumental challenge of the lunar mission should never be normalized, nor should the significance of its success be overstated.

One of my favorite classroom exercises is to draw a circle about the size of a basketball at one edge of the whiteboard. "Imagine this is the Earth," I say. Then I draw a series of dots at regular intervals farther and farther away from the circle – six inches, one foot, two feet – all the way to the opposite edge of the whiteboard. I first ask my students where they think the moon would be in this scale model. They are inevitably amazed to learn that the Moon is approximately 24 dots away, usually well beyond the far wall of the classroom.

I then ask them, "How far away from this basketballsized Earth have humans traveled in your lifetime?"

The distances they suggest may vary from year to year, but they all demonstrate a profound lack of historical perspective. Since the conclusion of the Apollo program in December 1972, no manned spacecraft has ventured more than 300 miles from Earth. Using our basketball model, this scales to less than one centimeter. Despite mind-boggling advances in computers, sensors, GPS, and avionics, we have yet to travel more than a centimeter from the basketball.

Yet in 1969, with less computing power than a first-generation iPhone, NASA astronauts walked on the Moon.

Countless books have been written about the Apollo program, but the recent addition by former NBC investigative reporter Basil Hero ’73 offers a unique and valuable perspective that in some ways closes out the story of the Apollo astronauts, their wives and families, and the hundreds of thousands of NASA employees and contractors who forever changed how we look at the night sky.

The elite club of men who journeyed to the Moon – whom Hero comes to call the Eagles – were among the most famous and idolized Americans in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They became the public face of NASA, thrust into the spotlight for innumerable interviews and encouraged to run for political office.

Now, however, the Eagles are all in their eighties and nineties and far removed from public life. They are difficult to locate, even more difficult to contact, and exceedingly wary of interviews. Utilizing personal contacts and all the journalistic tricks of the trade, Basil Hero managed to do just that.

As they speak about Apollo, now 50 years removed, the voices captured in Mission of a Lifetime provide the reader with an authentic and candid portrait of how these courageous people have come to understand their own stories and achievements and, most significantly, how particular lessons and beliefs shaped their lives.

Though his primary focus is the Eagles themselves, Hero also delivers a commendable depiction of the vast scope and influence of the Apollo program as a whole, from the deeply personal to the national level. His first-person accounts of everyday life for the astronauts – and especially their wives – are as heart-wrenching as they are riveting. Hero pithily notes, "Dad wasn't on some commuter train crawling along at 60 miles per hour. He was orbiting the Earth at 17,550 miles per hour." The author chooses wisely the most salient technical details to include in a book spanning just over 230 pages. What most struck me – a mechanical engineer by education – was the sheer scale and audacity of the project. The Saturn V rocket, along with the Apollo spacecraft it carried, contained 5.6 million components. Even assuming a 99.9 percent reliability rate, it should be expected that 5,600 components will fail.

For the Eagles, the lunar mission was simply the natural trajectory of a lifetime dedicated to national service – to what Apollo astronaut Bill Anders would enumerate as the source of his courage: "Duty, Honor, Country, and the common good." Perhaps better than any other portrayal, Mission of a Lifetime helps to explain how a trip to the Moon was, in fact, possible.

62 BOOKSHELF

Come On, America

By Mary Bogest | Reviewed by William Monroe ’68

COME ON, AMERICA: THE INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY OF AMBASSADOR DAVE PHILLIPS Author: Mary Bogest Publisher: Morgan James Publishing About the Reviewer: Bill Monroe ’68 is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer who served as Ambassador to Bahrain 2004–2007.

In 2010 Dave Phillips ’61 received the Choate Alumni Seal Prize, a remarkable achievement for a student who was suspended for the last four months of his sixth form year and was allowed to receive his diploma only if he first transferred to and graduated from another school. Mary Bogest’s biography, Come On, America, fills in the details of what she calls his “inspirational journey” in which he overcame a childhood disability and achieved great success in both the private and public sectors, including serving as U.S. Ambassador to Estonia.

Dave Phillips was born with a birth defect that led to the amputation of his leg below the knee just before he went to Choate. Fitted with an artificial leg, Choate gave him a fresh start, which he greatly appreciated. However, in the all-male, strictly-controlled Choate of the late 1950s-early 1960s, young Dave chafed at the rules, flouted them, and was finally suspended. Part of the deal allowing him to get his diploma was participation in one of Choate’s summer programs. He chose the Russian studies program, which included a trip to the Soviet Union. True to form, Dave again found mischief, buying Russian icons that he wanted to smuggle out of the country.

He came up with a plan – hiding them under his spare artificial leg – and somehow convinced the trip escort – Choate Russian teacher Johannes Van Straalen – to let him do it.

In a way, the Russian icon incident foreshadowed elements of his personality that made Dave such a success throughout his career. First, he was consistently quick to spot opportunities and not afraid to take chances to capitalize on them. Second, he had a way with people that led them to buy in on his plans and ideas. Logically, Jo Van Straalen should have told him to drop the idea. Had he been caught smuggling the icons out of the Soviet Union he could have jeopardized the future of the Choate summer Russian trip. Fortunately, he was not caught, something I personally appreciated as I participated in the same fabulous program a few years later.

The heart of the biography describes Dave’s journey from a textile salesman to a major force in the furniture and textile industry in North Carolina.

In a chapter fittingly entitled “Taking Risks,” Bogest describes how Dave launched his career by investing in a weaving mill that many considered a risky move.

Later, he embarked on a bold and, according to many, “crazy” investment to turn an old textile factory into a furniture showroom complex, pioneering an innovative concept of temporary showroom space. The crazy move became a smash success.

Dave’s accomplishments in the business world inevitably led him into politics, and his appointment as North Carolina Secretary of Commerce sheds more light on one of the secrets of his success. In 1984, he backed Republican Jesse Helms in a nasty Senate race against his Democratic challenger, Governor Jim Hunt. It speaks volumes that eight years later Governor Hunt asked the supporter of his bitter rival to become his Secretary of Commerce. Dave seemed to have a knack for bridging differences. He had had a “tumultuous relationship” with Choate headmaster Seymour St. John, who oversaw his expulsion, but in later life the two developed a “deep and esteemed friendship.” The author devotes a chapter to Dave’s skill in “bringing people together.”

His success in business and public service, including his efforts to market North Carolina to the world while Secretary of Commerce, made him a logical choice for a diplomatic appointment. The call came in 2007, when George W. Bush nominated him to be Ambassador to Estonia. As Ambassador, Dave - not surprisingly, given his background - focused on expanding U.S.-Estonia commercial relations. The author focuses on the ceremonial aspects of his tenure in Estonia – the presentation of credentials, Marine Balls, a trip escorting VIPs to an aircraft carrier. Given his skills as an innovative leader and manager, it would have been interesting to learn more about how he advanced his goals while running an Embassy. He no doubt had some good ideas.

BULLETIN | SPRING 2019 63

Buy the Change You Want to See

By Jane Mosbacher Morris ’04 with Wendy Paris Reviewed by Sarah V. Gordon In today’s world, we can easily be overwhelmed by the 24-hour news cycle and social media hearing the in-depth stories of tragedy, heartbreak, and catastrophe that exist all over the globe. Some of us, like Jane Mosbacher Morris ‘04, see or hear of these things and feel compelled to figure out how to help.

How can little ol’ me make change in the world? That is what Morris explores in Buy the Change You Want to See. She suggests ways to change others’ lives – those who may be victims of sex trade, poverty, power imbalances, or economic abuse – through the power we all hold as consumers: purchasing power.

Morris provides extensive research on how we can become better informed consumers when we choose our coffee, clothing items, or thoughtful gifts. Within her sustainable product research, she weaves inspirational stories of how individuals who once thought they were forever trapped can overcome obstacles and thrive in dignity. The authors’ ultimate goal is not only to drive awareness, but also to educate on how to use the private sector to generate economic opportunities for underdeveloped areas.

The most enriching part of the book is how Morris uses her experience at the McCain Institute’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council – and her work within the consumer market – to educate the reader. She provides in-depth explanations about various topics that make the book, and the causes it discusses, more relatable. She explains to the reader what each issue is, identifying organizations that work to end and fight back against the painful cycle of each individual problem, and finally by connecting the reader to the issue in a way that shows how consumerism may be

BUY THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE: USE YOUR PURCHASING POWER TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE Author: Jane Mosbacher Morris ’04 with Wendy Paris Publisher: Penguin Random House About the Reviewer: Sarah Gordon is the Assistant Director of Communications for Web & Social Media for the School.

She is also a state certified sexual assault crisis counselor who has conducted research on social influence and perception of sexual assault survivors.

THE SECRET OF CLOUDS Author: Alyson Richman ’90 Publisher: Penguin Random House

MEAL AND A SPIEL: HOW TO BE A BADASS IN THE KITCHEN Author: Elana Horwich ’93 Publisher: MealandaSpiel.com

able to help. Morris explains the meaning behind the labeling and certifications we see in our grocery store signifying that a product has been made sustainably, and gives the reader the lowdown on phrases and terms used in the coffee and chocolate industries.

She discusses how large companies use their corporate social responsibility to help the environment, and are paying more attention to how their goods are made. Small and large retailers are now responding by investing in ethical and eco-friendly production, and Morris gives examples of ways consumers can check to see whether clothing was made in a safe factory by a person earning a decent wage.

Her approach is most effective because she does an excellent job informing readers, not shaming them. She understands that we live in a consumerdriven society and recognizes the power that our surplus income holds. Rather than guilt the reader into being ashamed of ignorant enjoyment of products and businesses that do not prioritize social good, the author gives positive ways to make a difference in the world, and provides valuable feedback for navigating the world we live in.

The power of knowledge about not just these products and businesses, but also the hard-to-imagine experiences that individuals have lived through, is what can spark inspiration. These stories of poverty, economic abuse, sex trade, and the men and women who, with a little glimmer of hope, were able to escape the cycle, are ultimately what inspires action in us. We all hold the power to do good, and each of us has the power to make change through the supply chain.

RAISING THE WHITE FLAG: HOW SURRENDER DEFINED THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR Author: David Silkenat ’95 Publisher: UNC Press

64

END NOTE |

Have We Met Before? by gian-carlo peressutti ’91

IT WAS A STRAIGHTFORWARD QUESTION. Still, I wasn’t sure that my answer to “Have we met before?” was appropriate. I took a breath.

“Yes, sir. But I was dressed as a duck at the time.” A show-stopper in just about any other job interview, but on this day the former President of the United States simply smiled and chuckled from behind his desk.

Three days after my interview to be his personal aide, the phone rang. I got the job. A month later I embarked on an unimaginable four-year journey and my life was forever changed.

George H. W. Bush has been lauded and praised for the life he led, the accomplishments he amassed and the integrity that came as naturally to him as breathing. From November 1996 through the elections of 2000, not only did I have a front row seat, I was most often right there next to him.

But let’s rewind for a minute, back to the late ’80s and early ’90s when I was at Choate Rosemary Hall. It was during those years that my love of politics was born, thanks to teachers like Zack Goodyear.

There was also the trip to Washington, where I met members of Congress and then Supreme Court Justice David Souter. In fact, I chose to attend Georgetown University, in part so I could be in the middle of the political action. And I took advantage of the location, finding a different internship nearly each semester of my college career.

My first internship was on the President’s re-election campaign in 1992. It was there that I donned the duck costume at a post-debate rally in Richmond and held a sign that said, “Willie, stop ducking the issues”. As history tells, my efforts weren’t persuasive enough, but the experience did serve as an effective ice breaker in that job interview with “41” some four years later. In my final year I worked for Ron Kaufman, White House political director in the Bush Administration. It was Kaufman who eventually recommended me for the job as aide to the former President.

The job of personal aide is all-encompassing. You can be chatting with a head of state one moment and be dispatched to get suits pressed the next. Oftimes when President Bush traveled (which was more than 250 days the second year of my tenure), I was the only staffer with him. That meant executing all the logistics of the trip, coordinating with our event hosts, communicating his movements to the Secret Service, keeping in touch with the office and, of course, ensuring that he had everything he needed. In Russia I was one of four people at lunch with President Boris Yeltsin. The others were President Bush, Yeltsin’s Chief of Staff, and an interpreter. In England, I went to pick up President and Mrs. Bush at No. 10 Downing Street and Prime Minister Tony Blair personally congratulated me on my engagement. In Saudi Arabia at his Bedouin camp, King Fahd gave me a ceremonial coat made of goat skin; I put it on and wore it for the rest of the evening. And in China, Premier Zhu Rongji asked me how I liked the shark skin soup served at a ceremonial banquet in the Great Hall of the People.

Amid all these unique experiences with President Bush, the ones I remember most fondly have nothing to do with politics or celebrity, but with simple humanity. I’ve never met another person more thoughtful of others – no matter who they were or what their station in life – than George H. W. Bush. He would always stop to shake a hand, sign an autograph, take a picture, or offer a kind word to anyone he met. It didn’t matter if they were a wealthy supporter, a hotel custodian working the graveyard shift, or a police officer helping with security. Kindness and humility guided his behavior no matter how he felt, what else was going on, or who else was watching. This was a man who did the right thing, and encouraged others to do it too.

President Bush would often recount the story of how his political adversaries would deride him as a man of privilege. And he would say that those rivals got it half right. He did come from a wealthy family, but the real privilege he enjoyed came from parents who raised him with a deep sense of compassion, empathy, and values. To this day, when others remark at how fortunate I was to work for a former President, my response is “Working for George Bush gave me the ride of a lifetime, but getting to know him changed my life forever.”

Gian-Carlo Peressutti ’91 is Vice President of Global Communications at PepsiCo. He lives with his family in Ridgefield, Conn.

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Sasha Bocek '19 and Girls Crew out for an early morning row on March 11, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Nate Krauss ’20.

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