11 minute read
beyond the gate house 50 Class notes
Dan Stevenson ’72, P’15
1948
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Shelby Miller ’48 is looking forward to another Greenies football season. The big news, in his words, is “I have hit 92 years old!!!”
1968
Bruce Woodward ’68 has been involved in the financial services industry for nearly four decades and currently works out of San Francisco with Integrated Advisors Network. Bruce recently decided to part ways with physical tokens of his time as a Greenie by donating his letter jacket and letters to the school for archival purposes.
1972
Dan Stevenson ’72, P’15 received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Christopher Seitz ’72 won the Alumni Achievement Award during the awards ceremony on Alumni Weekend in Pingree Auditorium.
1975
George Donald ’75 is in the last years of a 30+ year career as a Language Interpreter. Some of his latest written work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He enjoys time with his granddaughter.
1986
Charles Allen ’86 won the Robert Boylan ’66 Class Agent Award during the Alumni Awards ceremony in Pingree Theater during Alumni Weekend.
1974
After a 44-year career at Bank of America, Nat Hyde ’74 has retired. Prior to joining the Private Bank in 2004, Nat spent time in Wealth Management, Consumer and Commercial Banking, Training, Marketing, and market leadership positions in Durham, Kansas City, and Charlotte. Upon his retirement, Nat had the opportunity to designate a $10,000 gift from Bank of America to a non-profit of his choice. Nat chose Christ School and Head of School Dr. Jenkins was on hand in Charlotte to receive the check during Nat’s retirement party.
1987
Richard Haake ’87 was awarded the Bill Sewell ’57 Service and Loyalty Award during Alumni Weekend.
1990
Last summer Everett Catts ’90 was hired as brand editor for the Daily Report (a newspaper and website that covers the legal industry) in Atlanta and Georgia bureau chief for ALM, its parent company. He had spent the previous 15 years as news editor of the Northside/Sandy Springs Neighbor newspaper and website. Everett can be reached at ecatts@alm.com.
1991
Bob Lontz ’91, father of Alex Lontz ’21, has relocated to South Carolina to work at the University of South Carolina after 19 years of living in the Philadelphia area. John Knapp ’91 helped him find a home. Alex has completed his freshman year at the University of AlaskaAnchorage and lives in the Anchorage area full time.
1994
Thomas “Gaines” Myer Jr. ’94 was recently hired as COO of Archetype Brewing in West Asheville, NC. Watch for a Christ School alumni event at Archetype in the future!
1999
Heyward Hardy ’99 and Emily Wike were married on November 20, 2021 at Jekyll Island Club Resort.
2000
Guy Campbell ’00 has been involved with Greenies soccer 16 years and was recently named Soccer Program Director starting in the 2022-23 school year. He will be coaching his son Bradley ’24. Son Wyatt ’26 is a rising freshman.
2004
Andrew Ray ’04 and his wife, Catherine, returned to North Carolina in the summer of 2020 after spending eight years in San Francisco. They put down roots in Durham (right between UNC and Duke with their split allegiances) and have two boys, Charlie (4) and Henry (2). They are excited to be back home in the Old North State and close to family and friends.
2005
Hal Brewster ’05 had always been a fan of the horror fiction genre, and the pandemic turned out to be the perfect excuse to finally sit down and write his first novel. It is called The Gauntlet.
class notes
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
Thomas “Gaines” Myer Jr. ’94
2006
Dornan Gresley ’06 and his wife, Christy, welcomed twin baby boys, Gaines Davis and Thomas Dornan IV, on March 11. Their daughter, Arden, will be 3 in October.
2007
Dr. Jeremiah Bell ’07 recently finished a NeuroIntensivist fellowship at Duke University and will be starting a faculty position at ECU Health.
Tyler Williams ’07 and his wife, Allison, are expecting their first child. He is also preaching and serving as a Pastor/Elder at The River Church in Pelham, NC. He has also enrolled at Andersonville Theological Seminary and is taking online classes for a Masters of Divinity in Christian Leadership.
2008
Miles Plumlee ’08 is engaged to Catherine McNeil and they live together in Australia.
After working in Commercial Real Estate Banking for seven years, Max Snider ’08 has become a principal at 10Square Development, a boutique real estate development firm in Washington, DC. He is in charge of acquisitions and capital markets for the company, sourcing properties, debt, and equity.
2009
Ali Knowles ’09 (baseball, football, and basketball) and Mason Plumlee ’09 (basketball and track) were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame during Alumni Weekend.
2010
Mike Montgomery ’10 recently left his career to go to grad school and will graduate with a master’s in Environmental Science this coming December. While in school he is working at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta with their sharks. His son just turned 1 and he and his wife, Hollis, are expecting a girl in October.
2011
Marshall Plumlee ’11 is ready to tackle a new challenge in the Ivy League. The Christ School alumnus announced on his social media that he has enrolled at Harvard Business School to pursue a degree for 2024. Marshall was a McDonald’s All-American in high school and went on to play basketball at Duke University and then in the NBA from 2016 to 2018. He graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School three years ago.
2012
Thomas Beard III ’12 won the Robert Moore III ’90 Young Alumnus Award during Alumni Weekend.
2013
Harrison Tye ’13 married Haley Caffey on June 4, 2022 in Dallas, TX.
2014
Ian Mayers ’14 helps the New York Yankees prepare for their season. Ian began his job as a Performance Science Assistant with the Yankees in February 2022.
2015
Four members of the Class of 2015 met up in New Orleans for the national semifinal game between UNC and Duke – Conner Allison ’15, Graham Lail ’15, Jennings Milholen ’15, and Patrick Grace ’15.
2017
William Fleming ’17 is considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Seattle Mariners’ minor-league system and is currently with their Single-A affiliate in Modesto, CA.
2018
Congratulations to Hunter Vines ’18, who was named to the All-Southern Conference Lacrosse Team. Hunter is a senior midfielder for High Point University.
Ian Mayers ’14
class notes
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
Connor Allison ’15, Kiffen Loomis ’16, Liam Pulsifer ’15, and Zach Pulsifer ’17 caught up in San Francisco over dinner.
2019
James Treadaway ’20 and Jerry Ayisah-Quaye ’20 Mr. Hyche ’94 and Mr. Thorp ’01 were happy to see Spencer Dyer ’19, Charles Redhead ’19, William Dodenhoff ’19, and Coles Manning ’19 back on campus recently.
Former state-championship teammates Jack Harrison ’19 (Lafayette College) and Sean Dow ’21 (Lehigh University) caught up in Easton, PA, after a lacrosse game between their respective colleges. Sean and Lehigh are ranked No. 20 in the country.
2020
Justice Ajogbor ’20 and Michael Mahoney ’20 were happy to meet up with Tray Mauney ’23 and Quinton Cancel ’23 during their unofficial recruiting visit for Harvard football.
Jerry Ayisah-Quaye ’20 and James Treadaway ’20 caught up over Spring Break.
Keese Zugehoer ’21 and his Lindenwood University (MO) lacrosse team played a game at Rollins College (FL) on March 11, which offered the chance for Kevin Masson ’20 to support his Greenie brother.
Navy H. Shuler ’20 has transferred from the football team at Appalachian State to the University of Tennessee, where he will play quarterback. He follows the path of his dad and former Tennessee standout quarterback Heath Shuler.
Before Christ School’s Charleston Gathering this year Mason Lamb ’21, Sean Lynch ’18, Cameron Akers ’20, Hunter Williams ’20, and Lennox Cummings ’21 met with Eric Thorp ’01 and Dr. Sean Jenkins for lunch.
2021
Sam Brie ’21 was one of 35 players invited to a final evaluation and training camp ahead of Canada picking its team for the World Lacrosse Men’s U21 World Championship. Grant Haldeman ’21 just finished his freshman year at Purdue University, and recently showed off the West Lafayette, IN, campus to the Rheney family, including Luke ’21 and Jack ’23.
Drew Redmond ’21 and Ray Faison ’20 had a chance to reconnect this spring when their college basketball teams played a game in Banner Elk, NC. UNC Pembroke won against LeesMcRae, 100-83.
class notes
NEWS FROM ALUMNI
2021 (cont.)
Painter Richards-Baker ’21 received Dartmouth College football’s Earl Hamilton Freshman Award. The award is given to the player who has made the most outstanding contribution to his team and displays friendliness, sense of humor, and appreciation of the outdoors. Painter plays wide receiver for the Big Green. He saw action in nine games last fall, making five receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown. Director of College Guidance Kirk Blackard has been heartened to see so many young alumni thriving at their colleges. During our March break, Mr. Blackard checked in on Greenies throughout the Southeast.
He made a stop in Knoxville, TN, to visit with University of Tennessee students James Turley ’17, Ferrell Lail ’20, Charlie Browder ’21, and Gabe Blevins ’18; Aaron Chen ’20, and Bevin Zheng ’21 attend Vanderbilt University and greeted Mr. Blackard in Nashville; finally, Mr. Blackard learned more about the college experiences of Ben Capel ’21 and Charlie Bell ’21 in Birmingham, AL, home to Samford University.
Samford University
Vanderbilt University
John Athony Clary Umbeger ’07
February 21, 1989 – June 4, 2022
by Jones Hussey ’14
Words simply cannot do John the justice he deserves. Anyone who met him knew immediately he could not be summed up in just a few paragraphs. His personality and energy were legendary. His dinner parties hosted more entertaining figures than the biggest shindigs in all of Washington DC or Georgia. John’s passing has left a massive empty space in the hearts of numerous family and friends.
John could count governors and personal appointees of the President as good friends, but his magic was that he would treat every person he met with the same love and dedication. When he decided he liked someone (as he often did) it meant they were in his circle and he would be there for them. Whether it was a simple evening get together or impromptu trips out of town or to the horse races, John was there and would build you up to everyone he saw…. “You simply have to put them in your Rolodex” was a favorite introductory line. He took the words of the Christ School blessing to heart: “Make haste to be kind and be swift to love.” John loved fully and would treat any stranger with immense kindness.
They say lightning doesn’t strike twice but John Anthony Clary Umberger absolutely did. He made the best of every day and even in the toughest of times, John would simply say “Well, this is just a new opportunity.” While I and hundreds of others have mourned his passing, there is also comfort in knowing such a special person has met his savior and touched the lives of many diverse and unique individuals who, I would say, all agree they are better for having known him.
I imagine John walking to the gates of heaven, likely through the VIP lane, and taking full advantage of his new opportunity by immediately inviting Saint Peter, George Washington, and his ancestors all to a dinner party and celebrating their new friendship.
To my friend and brother, it will always be a privilege to know you. Rest In Peace, and as you would say to all CS alumni…. GOD BLESS AND GO GREEN.
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