KO magazine
Sports Wraps: Spring ‘13 and Fall ‘13 Introducing: Camp KO Bravo! News about Wyvern Stars
spring 2014
Reunion ’13 Honorees Exemplify Wyvern Excellence
KingswoodOxford
1 Letter from the head of school
20 Special sports news
2 Reunion ‘13 honorees
22 Alumni athletes – where are they now?
3 The distinguished alumni awards
24 School news
6 The athletic hall of fame class of ‘13
27 Chips off the block
11 Largest reunion in school history
29 why do I give?
14 Reunion classes by the 3s and 8s
30 Class notes
16 Varsity sports spring ‘13
38 In memoriam
18 Varsity sports fall ‘13
41 Introducing camp KO!
TABLE OF CONTENTS about the cover
Alums from all decades and from all walks of life were recognized during the heartwarming and inspirational Honoring Excellence ceremony during Reunion ’13. Clockwise from top: Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Wendy Scranton Baumert ’91 shows her third-generation Wyvern daughters, Claire, 11, and Adele, 9, the program from the ceremony; Kevin Tyler ’75 reminisces with retired KO Faculty member and coach Joel Lorden about their undefeated 1973 football team, which was also inducted into the Hall of Fame; and Suzanne Eaton MacKenzie ’68 congratulates her mother, Beverly Beach Eaton ’38, for receiving a Distinguished Alumni Award.
contact information
Kingswood Oxford School, 170 Kingswood Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; 860-233-9631 www.kingswoodoxford.org Please direct inquiries or general comments to Michelle M. Murphy, Director of Communications & Marketing (murphy.m@k-o.org); Class Notes or obituary information to Meghan Kurtich, Advancement Associate (kurtich.m@k-o.org); and address changes to Rebecca Kilpatrick, Database Support Specialist (Kilpatrick.r@k-o.org). Editor: Michelle M. Murphy, Director of Communications & Marketing Contributors: Nicole Kimball, Rob Kyff, James Lyon ’48 Graphic Design: Ford Folios Inc. Printing: Allied Printing Services Photo Credits Rudy DeBerry ’13, Bread and Puppet Theater, Getty Images, Chris Kasprak ’08, Garrett Meccariello ’13, Michelle M. Murphy, David B. Newman ’80/photobynewman.com, Samuel Stuart Photography, Southern Connecticut State University, Elizabeth Taylor, Chris Troianello, Chris Volpe Photography
Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy As to Students Kingswood Oxford School admits students of any race, color, or national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. KO Magazine is published by Kingswood Oxford School. © 2014 by Kingswood Oxford School Inc. All rights reserved.
letter from the head of school
KingswoodO xford H o n o ri n g
th e pa st . Sh ap in g th e fu tu re .
One of the gr eat joys of m y job as Hea across the wo d of School is rld, and learn meeting alum in g ab ni of all ages o ut their perso since their gr , from all nal, social, an aduations fro d professional m Oxford, K ingswood, or life journeys Kingswood O The theme th xford. at always em erges – and th Weekend – is at we celebra that regardle te each year ss of when th during Reun connections ey graduated, th ion established ri e in cr ght here at S edible found them to flou at ch io o o n l and close since 1909 h rish. ave anchore d alumni and allowed Alumni spea k with exuber ance and del peers who pla ight about th yed an integr e teachers, co al role at a cr aches, adviso talent, stimu itical junctu rs and lating their gr re in th ei r o lives in nurtu wth, and pro and friendsh v ri id n g in their g profound an ips. d life-shapin g experience s Through thei r Middle and Upper Schoo confidence, an l years, our al d the courage ums develop to take risks, ed strong hab own correct grow from th its of mind, paths – in co eir mistakes, llege and far and determin beyond. e their In this issue, we celebrate some of the But they are alumni who certainly not were honore the only Wyv d during last same passion erns who carr year’s Reunio s, the same fo y n. th e sa me torch of undation, an fine School ri ex d ce th llence, the e same person ght here in W al connectio est Hartford; ns and loyalt our entire al in fact, these y to our umni popula tr ai ts ca ti o n n b , e w fo h ich is a great und woven th of us who are source of pri rough part of the K de for me, as ingswood Ox Head, and fo ford family. r all Enjoy your su mmer, and p lease come b ack to visit yo ur campus w henever you can! Dennis Bisga ard Head of Sch ool
ko spring 2014
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Reunion ’13 Honorees Exemplify Wyvern Excellence It was a historic, picture-perfect Wyvern weekend: Nearly 400 alumni and their families came home to Kingswood Oxford on June 7-8, 2013, to reconnect with classmates, former faculty and staff, and the campus itself. It was the largest reunion in School history. From Friday night’s all-class reception at The Russian Lady, to the numerous events on the sun-splashed campus on Saturday, to the candlelit class dinners that night, alums from all over the world hugged and smiled and chatted their way through hours of reminiscing about what Oxford, Kingswood and KO had been, back in the day, while celebrating all that the School is now and can be in the future (see p. 11 for photos and more details). The centerpiece of the busy weekend was the heartwarming and inspirational “Honoring Excellence” ceremony on Saturday morning in the crowded Roberts Theater. Led by Head of School Dennis Bisgaard and Athletic Director Susan Cabot, the event gave KO the chance to recognize alums for their achievements when they were students and to thank them for giving back to the School in the years since. 4
The program began with the presentation of the 20th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards to Beverly Beach Eaton ’38, Max O’Meara ’48, and Brewster Boyd ’63. Since 1993, these awards have been bestowed upon reunion-year alumni who have selflessly shared time, ideas, and personal resources with the School, providing particularly strong models of leadership through volunteerism (see list of past winners on p. 5). This was followed by the induction of the third class of KO’s Athletic Hall of Fame, which was emceed by ESPN broadcaster Colin Cowherd P ’18. The members of the 2013 class – a dozen individual alums, plus the entire 1973 football team – were voted into the Hall of Fame based on their remarkable achievements in a wide range of sports while they were students at KO. Considering the paths they have taken since graduation, it seems clear that they carried the same passion, work ethic and desire for excellence into their personal and professional lives, as well (see p. 7).
Indeed, many of the honorees said that the foundation they received at Oxford, Kingswood and KO – in the classroom and on the playing field – had a huge role in the choices they made and the people they became after they graduated. Regardless of the teacher or the sport, it was the life lessons learned from trusted teachers, coaches, and administrators that stayed with them, they said.
Honoring Excellence The Distinguished Alumni Awards
Hall of Fame inductee Thomas J. Redden, Jr., Ph.D. ’73 captured the spirit of the ceremony and the feelings of many participants when he reflected on KO’s influence on him and his entire family – especially after the 1967 death of his father, posthumous Hall of Fame inductee Thomas J. “Tuck” Redden ’45, who was survived by a wife and eight children aged two months to 12 years. “I accepted the (Hall of Fame) award, not for myself,” Tom recalled, “but for all my siblings, and I dedicated it to my mother, Midge, who has since passed on as well, for the truly heroic efforts of raising such a large family by herself.” In addition to Tom, three other Reddens became Wyverns: Chris Redden ’81, Mary Redden Core ’83, and Michael Redden ’85, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. Tom came to Kingswood in seventh grade, a year after his father died. “From the day I walked onto the campus,” he recalled, “Kingswood provided the structure and support – academically, athletically and socially – that I needed. With the extraordinary commitment of faculty and staff, I learned how to study, how to play competitive sports with determination and integrity, and how to participate in a community where individuals were given both responsibilities and privileges when those responsibilities were met.” He said he appreciated the guidance of many teachers, coaches and other mentors, but one class – Al Flynn’s Japanese history course – changed his life. In fact, after graduating from Williams College in 1977, Tom took a job teaching English in Japan, where he began practicing Buddhism (he meditates every morning and was ordained a Zen Buddhist priest 14 years ago). After teaching and coaching at KO from 1979-82 and earning two Master’s degrees and his doctorate, he became a college professor. He lives in South Newfane, VT, with his wife Kim Friedman ’80 and their daughters, Emma and Alana, and teaches history and politics at Southern Vermont College. Like many other Wyvern alums, Tom said he remains devoted to KO “out of gratitude for what I was given as well as the lifelong friends I made there.” And KO, in turn, is grateful for that loyalty – and for the way that Tom and thousands of other graduates exemplify Wyvern excellence in their personal and professional lives. Although this is demonstrated every single day, in every corner of the world, it was particularly evident during the joyful celebrations of Reunion Weekend 2013. ko spring 2014
The 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award winners (left to right) B. Maxwell O’Meara ’48, Beverly Beach Eaton ’38 and Brewster B. Boyd ’63 with Head of School Dennis Bisgaard For the past 20 years, KO has presented the Distinguished Alumni Awards during Reunion Weekend. These awards honor alumni who have devoted countless hours to the School, providing a model of leadership through volunteerism. The chosen individuals clearly possess a keen sense of community, and they understand the meaning of teamwork and participation. Their efforts have enriched the depth and stature of the KO community. The 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award winners are Brewster B. Boyd ’63, Beverly Beach Eaton ’38, and B. Maxwell O’Meara ’48. Each of these recipients has modeled the KO core value, “care beyond self,” in myriad ways. As volunteers for their classes, they have kept in touch with classmates and served as a vital link among alumni and KO. They have also reached out to increase alumni participation in the KO Fund. As donors themselves for more than 25 consecutive years, they have demonstrated appreciation and generosity by giving back to their alma mater. And, two of the three belong to the Nicholson-Martin Circle, which means they have included KO in their estate planning.
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Honoring Excellence The Distinguished Alumni Awards Here, in their own words, the Distinguished Alums reflect on how the School has touched and influenced them throughout their lives – and why they remain so connected to Kingswood Oxford.
Beverly Beach Eaton ‘38 Bloomfield, CT My family lived on Walbridge Road, just two blocks from Oxford, and I started there in second grade, so the school has always been an important part of my life. I felt very privileged to go there. It was an awfully nice group of girls, and it was a very happy school. As I look back, I have many happy memories. During my sophomore year, my mother passed away, and I was suddenly the head of the family at age 16. My friends at Oxford were wonderful to me, and the teachers were just like mothers. Very few of them were married, but they had a lot of maternal instincts. They were awfully sweet. I still remember the kindness of Miss Carlisle, Miss Hamlen, Miss Lydia Guernsey and her sister Miss Ruth Guernsey, the headmistress. Oxford was a loving second home. Both of my daughters (Elizabeth Eaton Roe ’65 and Suzanne Eaton MacKenzie ’68) were also very happy at Oxford, where they made many lifelong friends. Most of my classmates are now gone, but I love connecting with other Oxford grads, and it has been fun running into several at Seabury. When they arrive, I always try to help them out and show them the ropes. Over the years, I’ve done everything to support KO in many different ways. I think the education the students receive there is fantastic, and I marvel at the difference from my own education, which was far simpler. I just love the School, and am so interested in all the wonderful things it does for students today.
B. Maxwell O’Meara ‘48 West Simsbury, CT My modest contribution to KO over the years was inspired by the kind treatment Mr. Nicholson and later Mr. McGuinn and Kingswood gave me and my family when my father was called up during WWII and my mother was left with four children. The School was extremely supportive to us over these years. Our mother was fortunate to have Kingswood’s assistance as she was faced with immediate and difficult challenges caused by dad’s departure for over four years of military service. My late brothers, Bill O’Meara ’47 and John O’Meara ’53, and I were very fortunate to have benefited from our KO experience.
Brewster B. Boyd ‘63 Denver, CO The middle and high school years are very important building blocks in an individual’s development, and my years at Kingswood (1957-63) gave me a very strong foundation for the following five decades. The teacher/coach structure meant that your mentors were with you in the classroom and on the field. They were supportive of your academic growth and athletic endeavors. Students were required to record the books they had read through all six Forms. I have continued that practice ever since, and I have a record of everything I have read for over half a century, catalogued by author; for that, I thank teachers like Frank Beatty and Stephen Davenport. For my love of soccer (especially the element of running), I must cite the six years on the soccer field under the guidance of Chick Jacobus and Al Flynn. When I taught at the Kent Denver School, I coached soccer and have given up my daily jog only recently. Jim Goodwin patiently took us on many a ski outing, and now I am on the slopes almost every week during Colorado’s ski season. I strongly believe in remembering those people and organizations who have been there for you in different stages of your life – whether it’s family, friends or an organized group or institution. Because I believe that one way every alum can give back is by participating in the KO Fund, I have spent the past decade recruiting class agents from the 1940s through the 1990s. I have found that the vast majority of alums are glad to donate if they’re personally contacted by one of their peers. I accepted the Distinguished Alumni Award on behalf of all the class agents and graduates who have said thanks to KO by participating in the KO Fund. Strong alumni giving is vital to every school’s financial health. 6
distinguished alumni award Winners 2008 Bruce Manternach ’33+ Joan Safford Wright ’53 Edgar B. Butler Jr. ’63
2004 Hazel Vail ’44 Michael A.F. Roberts ’59 Appleton H. Seaverns ’34+
2007 James T. Farrell ’37 J. Gregory Hickey ’47 Mary S. Martin ’77
2003 Courtney Graham Donnell ’63 I. Bradley Hoffman ’78
2006 Winthrop A. Haviland ’36+ Marguerite Steane Kelland ’41 Edward S. Carrier ’46 Gordon Hamilton ’91, posthumous +
2002 John A. O’Hurley ’72 Diane Adinolfi Gent ’72 Richard M. Caley ’62 Elizabeth Stedman Russell ’50
2012 Lucy Eaton Holcombe ’42 Wilbert E. McClellan, Jr. ’37+ 2011 Nancy Boots Edwards-Cogswell ’56 Patrick J. Flaherty ’51 Judith Stoughton Wawro ’41 2010 Carolyn Wolfe Gitlin ’85 Laura Jones Shafer ’75 Marc T. Shafer ’75 Laurence R. Smith ’45 2009 Lorraine Walker Bardsley ’34+ Mary Beach Shepard ’39 Martha Coolidge Haviland ’44+ Frederick S. Farquhar ’59 Kathryn Kohn Rieger ’64
2005 Ellsworth S. Grant ’35+ Richard C. Hastings ’40+ Louise Galt Pease ’50+ Kim Collins Parizeau ’75
2001 Jay M. Botwick ’76 Joan Erdman St. John ’46+
2000 Esther Spafard ’50 Walter S. Bailey ’80 1999 Sherry Banks-Cohn ’54 Andrew G. Satell ’79 1998 James A. Lyon ’48 James B. Goodwin ’28+ Georgette Auerbach Koopman ’33+ 1997 Richmond G. Fisher ’36+ Amanda Stedman Bourque ’77 1993 Thomas J. Collamore ’77 Neale K. Hauss ’74
r
kingswood oxford athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2009
Class of 2007
John J. Alissi ’89
Joseph J. Alissi+
Stewart Lindsay Jr.
Richard F. Berry ’59
Jo-anne Alissi Cosgriff ’90
Joel E. Lorden
Gerald W. “Gib” Brady ’79
Susan H. Dana ’75
Susan Francis McCarthy ’82
Linda Gray Burdet ’49
George A. Dixon Jr. ’66
John A. Meaney ’78
Carlos M. Fetterolf ’44+
Paul W. “Frosty” Francis Jr., posthumous +
Philip S. Moran ’77
Ann Haggerty ’88
Jeffrey S. Gitlin ’85
Joseph J. Nastri ’75
Mark R. Madden ’65
James A. Goodwin ’28+
Robert S. O’Brien
Robert E. Tucker ’49
Philip M. Hartigan ’72
Michael F. Redden ’85
Robert S. Waskowitz ’78
Jeffrey L. Hickey ’75
Jessica Caley Rice ’94
1973 Boys’ Lacrosse Team
H. Holbrook Hyde Jr. ’58
Kristina A. Stahl ’95, posthumous+
M. “Chick” Jacobus ’24, posthumous+
Michele Fryer Theriault ’84
Andrew C. Krugman ’86
Kingswood Class of 1937 Football Team
+Deceased
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Donald A. Lambert ’72
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Honoring Excellence The Athletic Hall of Fame Class of ‘13
A Rich Tradition of Scholar-Athlete Excellence Excerpts from remarks at Hall of Fame Induction by Athletic Director Susan K. Cabot Today we gather to recognize the outstanding achievements of some of Kingswood Oxford’s finest scholar-athletes, as well as a coach and team who have dedicated themselves to the extraordinary levels of excellence inherent in all of our Hall of Fame members. KO has a rich tradition of athletic excellence that dates back to its very beginnings ... Today’s honorees took full advantage of the opportunities in our extended classrooms as they generated pride and spirit in our community, won championships and Varsity letters, contributed to undefeated teams, were named All-New England and All-American, and then went on to become highly successful athletes at the next level -- NCAA Champions, coaches and players of the year, All-Ivy League or NESCAC honorees, in a wide range of sports – and, most importantly, learned the lessons that undoubtedly prepared them for the rigors of life beyond their playing days. As Athletic Director, I thank you for your example and for your lasting contributions to Kingswood Oxford athletics.
Congratulations to the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2013!
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Honoring Excellence The Athletic Hall of Fame Class of ‘13 Michele K. Amidon ’90 Denver, CO St. Lawrence University Regional Manager of the American Development Model, USA Hockey, Denver, CO A three-sport athlete, Michele starred in track, soccer and ice hockey at KO. Captain of both ice hockey and track, she led her teams to Founders League titles (soccer and hockey), a Western New England Prep Championship (soccer), a New England Prep championship (hockey), and the New England Div. II title in track. In track, she was All-State and All-Conference and holds New England records in the 4x100 and school records in javelin and long jump. At St. Lawrence University, Michele played soccer and ice hockey; in the latter, she was ECAC Rookie and Player of the Year, MVP, and an ECAC All-Star, and she was also inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. As head coach of women’s ice hockey at Bowdoin College, she led the Polar Bears to four NCAA tournament appearances and two NESCAC championships. She was named AWHCA National Coach of the Year in 2003 and NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003. In 2006, she became USA Hockey’s first director of women’s hockey; during her tenure, Team USA won several world championships and the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Patrick M. Avery ’76 Orland Park, IL Cornell University General Manager, Automation; G&W Electric, Boling Brook, IL As captain of KO’s 1975-76 basketball team, Patrick led the Wyverns to first-place finishes in both the KIT and the Prague Christmas Tournament. A three-sport athlete, he also played football and lacrosse, serving as captain of both teams. He played on the undefeated 1973 football team, and was named AllAmerican in lacrosse and the recipient of the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club Award. Pat went on to star in football and lacrosse at Cornell: He was the football team’s starting defensive end as a freshman and sophomore, and in lax he was the first freshman ever to make varsity. He played on Cornell’s National Championship lacrosse team in 1977 and was named to the All-Ivy League Team in 1979 and 1980. As a senior, he was captain, was named AllAmerican, and played in the Div. I All-Star Game. ko spring 2014
Wendy Scranton Baumert ’91 Silver Spring, MD Oberlin College Communications Associate, SEEC (Seeking Equality Employment and Community for People with Developmental Disabilities),
Silver Spring, MD Wendy captained three KO varsity sports (field hockey, swimming and lacrosse), earning a total of 12 varsity letters (six in swimming). She continued to play all three sports at Oberlin College, excelling in lacrosse: She earned All-America honors in her rookie season as a defensive player and again as a senior on offense. She was also named to the 1993-2004 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) All-Decade Team, the NCAC All-Conference Team four times, and in 1995, to the MidwestNational first team and the NCAA Div. III All-Star Team. When Wendy was a senior, Oberlin beat Denison University, 5-4, for the NCAC Conference title. Inducted into the Oberlin College Hall of Fame in 2008, Wendy continues to compete in triathlons and Iron Man competitions and is a masters swim coach.
Meaghan Cahill Becker ’97 Rowayton, CT Dartmouth College Senior Associate, Spencer Stuart, Stamford, CT Meaghan began playing varsity soccer and ice hockey while still in the KO Middle School. Named All-State in soccer as a junior and senior, she was captain and MVP on the soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse teams. At graduation, she shared KO’s top female athlete award with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Jessica Jordan Mercuri ’97. While at KO, Meaghan also played ice hockey for the Connecticut Polar Bears, leading the team to a national championship in 1997. As Dartmouth’s varsity ice hockey goalie for four years, she was voted Dartmouth Sports Weekly Rookie of the Year in 1998, was named to the All-Ivy League Team in 2001, and was All-Academic for all four years. She set several Dartmouth goal-saving records that still stand, including most saves in a season (749) and per-game goal average (1.37).
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Honoring Excellence The Athletic Hall of Fame Class of ‘13 Richard M. Caley ’62 Granby, CT Amherst College KO Faculty Member, 1970-2007
As a Kingswood senior, Dick was the starting quarterback for Joel Lorden’s first Wyvern football team and the starting center for Frosty Francis’s basketball squad. He was a pitcher and captain for Bob O’Brien’s baseball team, twice winning the Irving Prize as its most valuable player. During the summers, Dick pitched for the West Hartford American Legion team, which twice advanced to the final four of the national championships. During one season with the Legion team, he went 12-0! At Amherst College, he pitched for the varsity baseball team for three years and was captain as a senior. During his 37-year career as a science and visual arts teacher at KO, he coached girls’ and boys’ teams in football, skiing, tennis, golf and baseball – the latter with George Dixon ’66, who was inducted into KO’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
George L. Estes ’67 West Hartford, CT Williams College Chairman and CEO, Sparta Insurance, Hartford, CT
Geo competed in lacrosse, wrestling and football at KO. In his senior year, when the football team went 6-1, he won the Gargan Trophy (team MVP), was named a Boston Globe All-New England All-Star and started in the East/West All-Star Game. In addition, he was 5-2 season in individual wrestling matches and placed third in the heavyweight division of the Connecticut Interscholastic Wrestling Association Championships. To complete the trifecta, he was named All-New England in lacrosse and won the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Award as the team MVP. Geo went on to play football, lacrosse and rugby at Williams College and, as a sophomore, won the football team’s Hustle Award.
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Betty Title Feigenbaum ’82 West Hartford, CT College of Wooster Senior Loan Officer, Residential Mortgage Services, West Hartford, CT An outstanding soccer, basketball and lacrosse player at KO, Betty still holds the school record for most goals scored in girls’ lacrosse (59). She also played on the All-State Prep School Soccer Team and the All-Tournament Team at the Chaffee Invitational Tournament in Bermuda. At the College of Wooster, she was named All-Ohio in soccer. In addition, she captained the lacrosse team and was the squad’s leading scorer for all four years, playing on the NCAC All-State Team and winning the Ohio Collegiate Association Award. As a senior, Betty was the lax NCAC player of the year, an All-American, and was named to the NCAC AllStar Team, the Midwest Team and the Brine Midwest All-Star Team. She left Wooster with school lacrosse records in career goals (172), assists (40) and points (212). She was inducted into the Greater Hartford Jewish Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Wooster Hall of Fame in 2003.
Robert J. Googins West Hartford, CT Dartmouth College KO Faculty Member, 1966-2008
Bob is considered “the father of boys’ ice hockey” at KO. Co-captain of the varsity soccer team and second baseman at Wilbraham Academy, he played inside forward for the Dartmouth College soccer team for four years and was named to the AllIvy League Team. While teaching at St. Albans School in Washington, DC, he coached the boys’ varsity soccer team to three consecutive undefeated seasons. Bob joined the Kingswood faculty in 1966, and for many years coached JV soccer and JV baseball. In 1973, he started the school’s first hockey program, meeting his team for 5am practices at rinks throughout central Connecticut. Before long, the boys’ and girls’ hockey programs were thriving, which led to the construction of the Brayton Ice Rink in 1980.
Honoring Excellence The Athletic Hall of Fame Class of ‘13 Jessica Jordan Mercuri ’97 Farmington, CT Fairfield University Funeral Director, Ahern Funeral Home, Unionville, CT Jessica was a standout in three sports at KO: soccer, swimming and lacrosse. In soccer, she was captain and named to the All-State Team in 1996 and holds the school records for goals in a season (20) and career (58). A seven-year member of the swim team, she was named All-New England four times and was State Champion three times. She served as captain during her senior year, when the team won the KO Swimming and Diving Invitational and Jessica herself claimed 13 out of a possible 14 individual titles. In lacrosse, she was named MVP and All-New England. At graduation, she shared the top female athlete award with fellow Hall of Fame inductee Meaghan Cahill Becker ’97. Jessica played lacrosse at Fairfield University, where she was named to the First Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1999 and 2000. Allen C. Petersen ’73 West Simsbury, CT Denison University President and Owner, Ad Embroidery Inc. & Graphic Productions Inc., East Granby, CT Allen captained both the wrestling and lacrosse teams at Kingswood and was named All-Conference in both sports. As a senior, he was CIWA state wrestling champion in the 127-lb. weight class and led the Wyverns to a state championship. In lacrosse, he was a member of the National Scholastic AllAmerican Teams and the Western New England All-Star Teams in both 1972 and 1973; won the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club Outstanding Player Award in 1973; and led the undefeated 1973 team to a Western New England Championship. At Denison University, Allen was a four-year starter on the lax team and made the All-Midwest Conference and All-Star Teams; in 2013, he was named to Denison’s All-Decade and All-Time Teams. From 1974-78, he played on the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club team and managed the Farmington Valley Lacrosse program. He was also assistant coach of KO’s undefeated lacrosse team in 1978.
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Thomas J. Redden Jr. ’73 South Newfane, VT Williams College Professor of History and Politics, Southern Vermont College, Bennington, VT Tom excelled at basketball, football and baseball at Kingswood. As a running back and co-captain, he led the 1972 football team to a 5-2 record. He was also a baseball tri-captain during his senior year and received the CT Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award. At graduation, he won the MacDonald Prize (given to the senior who has proven himself to be an outstanding athlete and who best exemplifies diligence in practice, sportsmanship and spirit of competition) and the Primus Medal (awarded to the student who has done the most for the school). At Williams College, Tom captained the freshman and varsity teams in football and baseball and was named the Outstanding Male Athlete in 1977. He was All-New England running back in 1976 and MVP on the Williams baseball team in 1977. He taught history at KO from 1979-82, when he also coached several sports.
Thomas J. Redden Jr. ’45 (posthumous) Award accepted by Chris Redden ’81
“Seldom in Kingswood history has an athlete been so outstanding in three sports,” wrote the editors of the Kingswood 1945 yearbook about “Tuck” Redden. He played on the undefeated baseball team as a sophomore and won the Anthony Prize as the outstanding member of the class. He was captain of the baseball team as a junior and senior; pitched a one-hitter against Hopkins in his junior year; and led the team to an 11-1 record when he was a senior. He was also captain of the 14-4 basketball team in his senior year, as well as quarterback of the football team, ranking second in scoring in the league. Tuck went on to Yale University, where he continued to play basketball and was captain of the 1949 baseball team.
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1973 Football Team Led by Coach Joel Lorden (Hall of Fame Class of ’07) and Co-Captains Greg Keefe ’74 and Bob Eliason ’74, the football team that played in the Fall of 1973 went undefeated: The team’s record was 8-0 record – and without any postgraduate players, which many opponents had. “When we ran 70 yards for a touchdown in the opening play of the opening scrimmage against Choate, I knew we had something special,” remembers Coach Lorden.
Co-Captains Robert K. Eliason ’74 and G. Gregory Keefe ’74 Manager Edwin L. Baker ’74 Team Members David G. Anderson ’74
Patrick M. Avery ’76 Alfred L. Bernstein ’74 Martin J. Coursey ’76 William W. Crosskey II ’74 Robert E. Dinucci ’74 Victor J. Dowling, Jr. ’75 Kenneth L. Frank ’76
Kenneth B. Grody ’74 George L. Grody ’76 Jeffrey L. Hickey ’75 John Jones ’76 Bradford F. Karsky ’76 Randall E. Kessler ’76 Ross C. Little ’75
In addition to Coach Lorden (pictured on cover with Kevin Tyler), the members of the ’73 team who attended Reunion were (left to right) Bob Eliason’74, Greg Keefe ’74, Joe Nastri ’75, Vic Dowling, ’75, Kevin Tyler ’75, Jeff Hickey ’75, Bart Peaslee ’75, John Pyrtek ’74, and Bob Dinucci ’74. 12 12
Daniel R. LoPresti ’75 Keith Medley ’75 Peter F. Modisette ’75 Joseph J. Nastri ’75 G. Bartlett Peaslee ’75 William H. Poulos ’75 John L. Pyrtek ’74
W. Stephen Randall ’74 + Christopher M. Reeves ’75 Kimball R. Smith ’75 Mark M. Swomley ’75 Kevin N. Tyler ’75 Tod Warner ’75 + Deceased
Nearly 400 Alums Attend Reunion ’13 – Largest in School History Although the “Honoring Excellence” program was the centerpiece of the daytime activities at Reunion ’13, it was by no means the only event. Nearly 400 alums from Oxford, Kingswood, and KO – plus dozens more family, friends, faculty and staff – returned to campus for the largest reunion in School history! The busy weekend started with an all-class reception on Friday night at The Russian Lady in downtown Hartford, followed on Saturday by lunch under the tents; an “open house” at the KO Archives; the Boys’ Lacrosse alumni game; and finally, class dinners in a number of venues, on campus and off, including one that featured a reunion of the Octopipers! Visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/reunion for more photos of all the events.
Rachel Meddor ’07, Samantha Pratt ’08, Sarah Fellows ’08 and faculty member Marie Bernatchez
Faculty member Scott Dunbar with ’88 classmates Jonathan Lipton and Hy Schwartz
Steve Letourneau ’93, P ’14, ’16, faculty member Alex Kraus P ’16, ’19, Janet Letourneau Fletcher ’96, Ellen White ’93 and Siobhan Wheeler ’93
Faculty member Matt Kocay, Rick Hernandez ’08, Derek Niziankiewicz ’08, Maggie Fortune ’08, Abby Googel ’08, Kaitlyn Dell’Aquila ’08
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REUNION ’13
A perennial favorite, the Boys’ Alumni Lacrosse game – including coaches Bob Stiehler P ’87, ’91 (far left) and Stew Lindsay P ’80, ’82, GP ’18 (far right) – was a big hit again this year.
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The current Octopipers performed at the Oxford Tea in Oxford Hall.
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Friends from the Class of ’53 met for lunch during Reunion weekend: (L-R) Carole Goldenthal Aronson, Kay Johnson Brigham, Sandy Gladstein Morrison, Sally Gershel Title, Molly Davis DePatie, June Heard Wadsworth, and Bland Dew Maloney.
KO News editors and 1973 classmates (L-R) Jeffrey Grody, Andrew Krevolin, and Jeffrey Dunn; back row, Andrew Chapman. Not pictured in 2013 photo: Charles Sheketoff.
The Oxford 50th Reunion members enjoying their new gray and orange scarves.
Gina Nelson ’88, Melanie Zessos ’88, Shauna Hinchen-Joyal ’88, Phuong Hue Dang ’88, Kenny Knowlton and Matt Koehler ’88
Vicki and Ted Butler ’63, P ’87, ‘96, ’97, ’00, John Moses ’63, P ’88, ’91, Brewster Boyd ’63, and Beth and Al Baumert ’63 P ’89, ’91, ’97
Faculty member and KO Archivist Brenda Semmelrock shares vintage treasures with Liz Scribner ’03 and Jonathan Goldstein ’03.
ko spring 2014 ko
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Reunion Classes by the 3s and 8s
’48
’63
’68 16
Kingswood 1948
Oxford 1963
Oxford and Kingswood 1968
’53
’63
’73
Oxford 1953
Kingswood 1963
Oxford and Kingswood 1973
’78
’93
’03 ko spring 2014 ko
Kingswood Oxford 1978
Kingswood Oxford 1993
Kingswood Oxford 2003
’88
’98
’08
Kingswood Oxford 1988
Kingswood Oxford 1998
Kingswood Oxford 2008 17
CORRECTION: In the Fall ’13 issue of KO Magazine, Grace Kaufman ’13 should have been listed as a co-captain of the Girls’ Varsity Swim Team in the section summarizing Winter ’13 sports. We deeply regret the omission of her name. – Michelle M. Murphy, Editor
varsity spring SPORTS ‘13
Sue Cabot (cabot.s@k-o.org)
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Boys’ Varsity Tennis Coaches: Andrew Krugman ‘86, Christian Hyde ‘03 Record: 11-5 Captain: Mark Toubman ‘13 Seniors: Mark Toubman, Curtiss Johnson, Jacob Fontaine Tennis Award: Mark Toubman Most Improved: Austin Briggs ‘16 KITT Champions Southern New England Tennis League (SNETL) Champions Quarterfinalist, Class A New England Tournament SNETL Sportsmanship Award: Mark Toubman Girls’ Varsity Tennis Coaches: Ronald Garcia, Chris Grace Record: 10-2 Captains: Dayna Lord ‘13, Shelby Smith ‘13, Brooke Hayes ‘13 MVPs: Dayna Lord, Melissa Lord ‘15 Most Improved: Allie Perron ’16, Olivia Shea ‘16 Founders League Co-Champions De Villafranca Tournament Champions Runner-Up, New England Championships Golf Coaches: Scott Dunbar, Peter Jones Record: 17-3 Captains: Conner Beakey ‘13, Hunter Sanders ‘13 Seniors: Conner Beakey, Hunter Sanders Golf Award: Patrick Hallisey ‘14 Founders League Champions Keyes Plate Winner Runner-Up, Coppola Cup Third Place (Out of 23), Kingswood Invitational Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Coaches: Tim Allerton, Cierra Ward Record: 6-12 Captains: Taylor Brady ‘13, Brooke Goldsmith ‘13, Danielle Katz ‘13 Seniors: Danielle Katz, Brooke Goldsmith, Taylor Brady, Melissa Gitlin, Jenni Traver, Grace Kaufman MVP: Taylor Brady ’13, Corinne Florian ‘15 Most Improved: Sophie Pennoyer ‘14
NEPSLWA All Stars: Kennelly Allerton ‘15, Taylor Brady, Brooke Goldsmith WENEPSLA All Stars: Kennelly Allerton, Taylor Brady, Corinne Florian Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Coaches: John Gormley, Glen Damboise, David Hild ‘80 Record: 7-12; Fairchester League, 6-3 Captains: Andrew Sikora ‘13, Jake Waskowitz ‘13, Tim O’Sullivan ‘13, Kent Byrd ’13, Anthony Giordano ‘13 Next year’s Captains: Spencer Martin ‘14, Campbell Taylor ‘14, Matt Gutermann ’14, Tyler DiFrancesco ‘14 Seniors: Andrew Sikora, Jake Waskowitz, Tim O’Sullivan, Kent Byrd, Anthony Giordano MVPs: Tim O’Sullivan, Andrew Sikora Most Improved: Spencer Martin Academic All American: Kent Byrd All League (WNESLLA): Tim O’Sullivan, Andrew Sikora All League (FAA): Andrew Sikora, Jake Waskowitz, Tim O’Sullivan, Spencer Martin All League (FAA) Honorable Mention: Brendan Lantieri ’14, Kent Byrd Team Sportsmanship Award for 2013, Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association (CLOA) Semifinalist, FAA Championship Runner-Up, FAA Tournament
Softball Coaches: Cathy Schieffelin, Danielle Hoff Record: 11-5 Captains: Taryn Braz ‘14, Marissa Landino ‘13 Seniors: Marissa Landino, Brenda Winn Softball Award: Taryn Braz Most Improved: Allie Stanton ‘14 All League: Taryn Braz, Cameron Dias ‘15 Second Place, Western New England Girls’ Softball Championship Baseball Coaches: Steve Cannata, Ryan Radmanovich Record: 7-9 Captains: Shane Carroll ‘13, Reid Collins ‘14, Mike Turro ‘13 Seniors: Shane Carroll, Jack Farrell, Alec Goodman, Dan Kennedy, Ben Koza, Mike Turro, Brandon Vigliatura MVP: Reid Collins ‘14 Most Improved: Ben Koza
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Girls’ Track and Field Coaches: Alex Kraus, David Baker ’04, Will Gilyard, Jeff Perlis, Scott Rodilitz Record: 8-5 Captains: Sam Pinkes ‘14, Eva Stys ‘13, Brittany Vose ‘13 Seniors: Eva Stys, Brittany Vose Most Improved: Claire Halloran ‘15, Sam Pinkes Second (out of 20), New England Championships * 1st: 4 x 100 Meter Relay (Mackenzie McDonald ‘16, Emily Kirton ‘16, Kaleigh Sanders ‘16, Sam Pinkes) * 2nd, 100 Meters: Kaleigh Sanders * 3rd, 100 Meters: Emily Kirton * 2nd, 400 Meters: Sam Pinkes *1st, 200 Meters: Sam Pinkes *2nd, 200 Meters: Kaleigh Sanders * 3rd, Triple Jump: Emily Kirton * 3rd, 4 x 400 Meter Relay (Mackenzie McDonald, Lauren Barnes ‘16, Brittany Vose, Sam Pinkes)
Boys’ Track and Field Coaches: Alex Kraus, David Baker ’04, Will Gilyard, Jeff Perlis, Scott Rodilitz Record: 7-6 Captains: Rudy DeBerry ‘13, Ned Meade ‘13 Seniors: Rudy DeBerry, Ned Meade, Blake Randall MVP: Elijah Langston ‘14 Most Improved: Sam Goddard ‘14
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varsity fall SPORTS ’13 20
Girls’ Varsity Soccer Coaches: Tracy Deeter, Reeves Livesay Record: 5-8-2 Captains: Kennelly Allerton ’15 and Olivia Whirty ‘15 Seniors: Shiza Abbas, Caroline Kaufman, Alayna Putterman MVP: Shiza Abbas Most Improved: Alayna Putterman and Gwyneth McDonald ‘16 All-WWNEPSSA – Marissa Aniolowski ’16 and Olivia Whirty ‘16 Boston Globe All-Star Team – Julia Lantieri ‘18 Boys’ Varsity Soccer Coaches: Peter Jones, Travis Rains Record: 4-9-3 Captains: Reid Collins ‘14, Victor Rosas-Granda ‘14 Seniors: Reid Collins, Victor Rosas-Granda, Campbell Taylor, Andrew Peterson, Aashish Jaswal, Pedro Sainz de Baranda, Jack Sullivan Most Improved: Andrew Peterson ‘14
M.W. Jacobus Award for Boys’ Soccer: Reid Collins and Victor Rosas-Granda All State: Reid Collins (2nd year in a row) WNEPSAA Select: Reid Collins WNEPSSA Honorable mention: Andrew Peterson WNEPSSA All-Star game: Reid Collins, Andrew Peterson NEPSAC All Star: Reid Collins NEPSAC Junior All-Star game: Dan Melody ‘15 Volleyball Coaches: Scott McDonald, Carolyn McKee Record: 4-12 Captains: Allie Kyff ‘14, Sarah Neary ‘14 Seniors: Rachel Dietz, Katherine Gianni, Sarah Gianni, Allie Kyff, Abbie Mancinelli, Sarah Neary Most Improved: Emma Smith ‘18 MVP: Allie Kyff
Football Coaches: Jason Martinez, Matt Kocay, Jim Weeks, Will Gilyard, Steve Angiletta, Matt Dumont, Marco Pizzoferrato, Jack Murphy Record: 6-2 Captains: Dante Cioffi ‘14, Kevin Ruffee ’14, Max Petrie ’14, Fen Deskus ’14, Elijah Langston ‘14 Seniors: Dante Cioffi, Elijah Langston, Fen Deskus, Collin Brantner, Spencer Martin, Kevin Ruffee, Ben Akerele, Griffin Maloney, Warren Hadley, Matthew Gutermann, Max Petrie FAA Co-Champions All FAA Team: Dante Cioffi, Elijah Langston, Koby Quansah ‘16, Isaiah Wright ’16 and Sharrieff Grice ‘15 All FAA Team Honorable Mention: Mason Harvey ’15, Fen Deskus and Brycen Harris ‘16 All NEPSAC Team: Dante Cioffi and Isaiah Wright Joseph Gargan Award: Dante Cioffi Joel Lorden Award: Max Petrie
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Field Hockey Coaches: Nikki Blake, Amy Albert Record: 7-9 Captains: Megan Geier, Taylor Lynn, Sophie Pennoyer Seniors: Taryn Braz, Mary Colliton, Jacqueline Dufour, Megan Geier, Caitlin Hettrick, Grace Jarmoc, Naomi Letourneau, Taylor Lynn, Rachel Paley, Sophie Pennoyer Most Improved: Grace Jarmoc ‘14 MVP: Nicole Demers ‘16 All-Star game: Sophie Pennoyer ’14 and Megan Geier ‘14 Next year’s captains: Nicole Demers ’16 and Alex Breen ‘15
Boys’ Cross Country Coaches: Fritz Goodman (25th year, 20th as head coach), Ron Monroe Captains: Dan Dunham ’14, Sam Goddard ‘14 Most Improved: Kyle McLaughlin ‘16 MVP: Sam Goddard All New England: Sam Goddard Girls’ Cross Country Coaches: Jeff Perlis, Katie Grossweiner Captains: Hope Kim ‘14, Mary Lessard ‘14 Seniors: Mary Lessard, Hope Kim, Taylor Kennedy, Elana Colangelo Canterbury Invitational Champions All New England: Chloe Ezzo ‘17 – 5th Founders League MVP: Chloe Ezzo
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Girls’ Tennis Shares 2013 DeVillafranca Title Flanked by Assistant Coach Chris Grace (left) and Head Coach Ron Garcia, the Girls’ Varsity Tennis team celebrates its outstanding performance at the Coe de Villafranca Tournament in May 2013. KO tied with Hotchkiss School for first place; each school had 39 points. It was the fourth time in the past five years that KO won this tournament. (Left to right): Melissa Lord ’15 (won at #2 singles for the fourth year in a row), Dayna Lord ’13 (won at #1 singles for fifth consecutive year), Shelby Smith ’13, and Allie Perron ’16.
Football Team Is Co-Champ of Fairchester League With a 42-6 victory over Rye Country Day School on Nov. 9, 2013, the Varsity football team won its fifth game in a row plus a piece of the FAA championship – the first since KO joined the Fairchester Athletic Association in 2004. (Hamden Hall was the other co-champ.) The Wyverns finished 6-2, capping a multi-year turnaround for the football program under Head Coach Jason Martinez, who has been with the team for three seasons. Two years ago, KO was 0-8, and last year the record was 2-6. As he had done all season, quarterback and co-captain Dante Cioffi ’14 led the offense, throwing for 319 yards and four touchdowns – three of which were caught by co-captain Elijah Langston ’14. The rushing attack was led by Sharrieff Grice ’15 (143 yards and one touchdown), and wide receiver Isaiah Wright ’16 electrified the crowd with a 24-yard TD reception on which he broke several tackles. Defensively, Koby Quansah ’16 had an astounding 25 tackles, and Collin Brantner ’14 and co-captain Fen Deskus ’14 were also very strong. Kicker Spencer Martin ’14 was perfect on extra-point attempts and also scored a touchdown. A large and enthusiastic crowd of KO students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni turned out for the game. The atmosphere was made even more festive by a complimentary pre-game barbecue for everyone in the stands, hosted by Trustees Emeriti and KO gridiron veterans Greg Hickey ’47 and Jim Lyon ’48. “I am so proud of all this team has accomplished this season and the growth they have made over the past three years,” said KO Athletic Director Susan Cabot. “It’s a true testament as to how an emphasis on hard work and building character brought the team together and helped the boys realize what they were capable of. This was a moment of real Wyvern pride for the whole community.”
The team celebrates with Head Football Coach Jason Martinez, who in three years at the helm has helped the team move from no wins to cochamps of the league. 22
Head of School Dennis Bisgaard thanks gridiron veteran and Trustee Emeritus J. Gregory Hickey ’47 for co-hosting a pre-game barbecue along with Jim Lyon ’48 (who had a prior commitment and could not attend the game).
Boys’ Tennis Team Wins Two Big Tourneys For the first time in 13 years, the Boys’ Tennis team won the Kingswood Oxford Invitational Tennis Tournament in April 2013, and followed it a few weeks later with a victory in the Southern New England Tennis League tourney. The KITT was a close match decided by a super-tiebreaker in the #1 singles draw, which Mark Toubman ’13 won, 13-11, after losing the first set 6-7 and winning the second 6-2. The team also won the Southern New England Tennis League tournament, with Toubman again winning at #1 singles, as well as at #1 doubles with Matt Lord ’17. And, Toubman received the Alban Barker Sportsmanship Award, given to a player in the league who has demonstrated great sportsmanship throughout the season and his career. KO Boys’ Tennis captain Mark Toubman ’13 cradles the KITT winners’ bowl, flanked by (from left) Curtiss Johnson ’13, Matthew Lord ’17, William Appleton ’18, and Austin Briggs ’16.
Golf Team Wins Founders Title and Keyes Plate The Varsity Golf team successfully defended two key championships in the Spring of 2013: the Founders League and the Keyes Plate. KO beat Taft and Westminster to win the third straight Founders title, with medalist honors going to Pat Hallisey ’14, who had a 72. And for the sixth year in a row, the Wyverns brought home the Keyes Plate, named for longtime KO golf coach Jim Keyes, who founded the Kingswood Invitational Golf Tournament. Conner Beakey ’13 led the team in that effort with a one-under-par 33 at the Course at Yale.
(From left): Pat Hallisey ’14, Evan Sliker ’15, Conner Beakey ’13, Hunter Sanders ’13, John Stepensky ’14, and Jack Beckerman ’15. ko spring 2014
Kent Byrd ’13 Is Academic All-American in Lax; Team Gets Sportsmanship Award The Boys’ Lacrosse program received two important honors in Spring 2013: U.S. Lacrosse named Kent Byrd ’13 an Academic All-American, and the entire Boys’ Varsity lax team was tapped for a sportsmanship award from a statewide lax officials’ organization. Byrd was recognized for his outstanding achievements on the lacrosse field and in the classroom. Now finishing his freshman year at Bates College, he graduated with honors from KO and was named a National Merit Commended student. “Kent Byrd is a true scholarathlete,” said KO Athletic Director Susan Cabot. “This is a great honor for him and for KO Boys’ lacrosse.” Meanwhile, the CT Lacrosse Officials Association awarded KO the Prep School Sportsmanship Award for 2013. “This is a tremendous honor and a tribute to our coaches, our athletes, and our school’s commitment to the highest ideals of character, citizenship and sportsmanship,” said Cabot. “Congratulations to Head Boys’ Coach John Gormley, his entire coaching staff, and all of their athletes.” 23
Where Are They Now? Veteran KO faculty member Ted Levine continues to follow the collegiate accomplishments of Wyvern athletes – and once again there is an embarrassment
alumni athletes
of riches! In the inaugural
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appearance of this feature (in the Fall 2013 issue of KO Magazine), we spotlighted members of the KO Class of ’09 who had played college sports and graduated in 2013. This time, we include information about current college athletes who graduated from KO in 2011 and 2012. Please help add to this list by sending information about KO alumni athletes – including their colleges, sports, and web site links – to Ted Levine (Levine.t@k-o.org).
James Barlow ‘12 Vermont ‘16, Lacrosse
Erin Casey ‘12 William Smith ‘16, Squash
James was named to the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2013. At presstime, he had played in 12 games for the Catamounts, netting seven goals and 10 assists. James’s best game was against VMI, when he scored three goals and had four assists in an 18-7 victory.
Erin won 11 matches in her sophomore season, including the last five of the year playing at #6 and #7; this included all of her matches at the College Squash Association championships at Princeton. She closed the year with a strong five-game win against the #7 seed from Tufts in the CSA Epps Cup consolation final.
Kristen Barry ‘11 Bates ‘15, Swimming Kristen has had an exceptional junior season, finishing eighth in the 500-meter freestyle at the NESCAC championships, where the Bobcats took fourth place overall – the best-ever finish for Bates. She also placed second in the same event against rival Bowdoin earlier in the season.
Kaleigh Cannon ‘12 Western New England ’16, Lacrosse Kaleigh is a returning letterman on a powerful Golden Bear team that was 17-1 at presstime and won the Commonwealth Coast Conference in each of the past two regular seasons.
Dylan Florian ‘12 Keene State ‘16, Lacrosse Dylan has emerged as a very strong goalie for the Owls, who were a powerhouse in their conference. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the LEC Tournament. Paula Hagopian ‘12 Yale ‘16, Soccer Paula scored three goals – including two game-winners – and contributed four assists as a starting forward during her sophomore season. Yale finished just below .500 for the season, but with only three players graduating, Paula will be one of the leaders of a veteran team in the fall. Steven Hild ‘11 Bates ‘15, Football/Lacrosse Steven played in all eight games, starting in four, and ranked third on the team with 47 tackles. His best game came at Wesleyan where he recorded eight tackles (five solo) and recovered a fumble. Bates finished the season with a 4-4 record, including two big wins against NESCAC rivals Williams and Bowdoin. At presstime, Steven had also seen action in all of Bates’ lacrosse games this spring, scoring two goals.
Emily Howard ‘11 UMass-Boston ‘15, Ice Hockey
Chris Miles ‘12 Dickinson ‘16, Swimming
Jenn Townsend ‘11 Nichols ‘15, Field Hockey
Ben Washburn ‘12 Union ‘16, Cross Country
Emily scored two goals – including the game-winning goal against St. Anselm’s – and had four assists for the Beacons this season. She played in all 27 games on a team that made it to the ECAC East Conference quarterfinals.
Chris was voted to the All-Centennial Conference swim team and finished third in the 100-meter backstroke in the conference championships. He also finished fourth in the 200-meter backstroke at the championships, setting a new school record time. Chris was also a member of the record-setting 800-meter freestyle relay team. He will serve as captain for the 2014-15 season.
Jenn started 18 of 19 games for the Bisons this fall, where she tallied three goals and one assist. She was also second on the team in minutes played this season.
Ben’s most notable contribution came in Union’s first-place finish at the Mt. Saint Mary’s Invitational with an impressive time of 32:06.
Samantha Udolf ‘12 Harvard ‘16, Skiing
Taylor Waybright ‘12 Western New England ‘16, Lacrosse
John Jackopsic ‘11 Boston College ‘15, Golf John finished in 21st place at the 2014 ACC Golf Championship – highest for a BC golfer since 2008 – shooting an even-par 216 with 11 birdies and 32 pars over three rounds. A team co-captain, he was named Eagle of the Week for the week of Apr. 29, 2014. Carolyn Marcello ‘12 Gettysburg ‘16, Track In the 2013 indoor season, Carolyn finished 19th in the triple jump at the Centennial Conference Championships. She posted personal season-best marks of 9.33 in the 60-meter dash, 30.74 in the 200-meter dash, 15-2 3/4 in the long jump, and 30-9 3/4 in the triple jump. For her sophomore season, she focused on the 200m dash and the long jump.
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Mary Shimkus ‘12 Virginia ‘16, Squash Mary played a key role in Virginia’s first-place finish in the College Squash Association’s Epps Cup Championship (Division D) at Princeton. She defeated Boston College’s Caroline Kulig at the #7 position in five games to tie the teams at 4-4, setting UVa up to win the match five to four. Kim Spring ‘12 Salve Regina ‘16, Ice Hockey The Seahawks had a terrific season with a 16-7-4 record and a semifinal appearance in the ECAC Division III women’s championship. Kim played forward in all but one game, tallying one goal and three assists. A biology major, she was one of 10 players named to the Eastern College Athletic Association Women’s East Academic AllConference team.
Sam had another strong year in both the slalom and giant slalom events. She finished seventh in the slalom and fifth in the giant slalom at the St. Anselm’s Carnival. The highlight of her season, however, came at the UVM Carnival at Cannon Mountain. Coming from a start position of 82, she notched a career-best 31st place. Sam was voted by her teammates to be captain for the 2014-15 alpine ski season.
At presstime, Taylor had played in eight games for the Golden Bears, with three goals and two assists. He had a goal and an assist in a 16-7 win over Nichols. He helped lead the team to a 7-1 record in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Tylon Smith ’11 Southern Connecticut ’15, Basketball Captain Tylon Smith led the Owls through an amazing 30-3 season that included an Elite Eight run in the NCAA Division II tournament. A starter in all 33 games for SCSU, Tylon was named the Most Outstanding Player for both the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament and the East Region of the NCAA tournament. He was also named to numerous other teams, including the CoSIDA Academic All-American team, and garnered countless accolades for his outstanding performance all season. He is currently #20 on the Owls’ all-time scoring list with 1,171 points.
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Goodman Banks Series Sponsors Bread and Puppet Theater Long before there was “The Lion King,” there was Bread and Puppet Theater – a remarkable giant-puppet troupe that became prominent and popular during Vietnam-era antiwar demonstrations.
Thanks to the generosity of the Goodman Banks Series for the Performing Arts, this 50-yearold theatrical company worked its magic in Roberts Theater on Friday evening, Oct. 25, in a community performance that was open to the public and free of charge. The evening show complemented an all-school assembly earlier in the day. The Bread and Puppet Theater is one of the oldest non-profit, self-supporting theatrical companies in the United States. Founded on NY’s Lower East Side in 1963 by Peter Schumann, a sculptor, dancer, and baker who’d recently emigrated from Germany, the company got its name from its early rod-puppet and hand-puppet children’s shows as well as the homemade sourdough bread Schumann distributed to his audiences. In 1970, Bread and Puppet moved to Vermont, and since then it has grown and performed thousands of shows that address current social and urban issues.
Judge Laura Flynn Baldini ’88 Is Opening Speaker of 2012-13 School Year
school news
Twenty-five years after she graduated, Judge Laura Flynn Baldini ’88 (center) was welcomed back to campus as Opening Speaker on Sept. 3 by Head of School Dennis Bisgaard and Director of Institutional Advancement Debra Coleman Hyde ’68.
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A graduate of Yale University and Seton Hall Law School, Baldini has been a CT Superior Court Judge since 2010. Dressed in crimson and black, she reminisced about favorite teachers and urged Middle and Upper School students to make careful plans, take advantage of opportunities, and use good judgment. Senior Prefect Elijah Langston ’14 and Student Government Speaker Jake Leshem ’14 also welcomed students back during the assembly, while Head of School Dennis Bisgaard, beginning his eighth year at KO, reflected on this year’s curricular theme of “identity.” The 2012-13 school year began with 367 Upper School students, the most since 2008-09. This represents a 6.1% increase from last year – the biggest year-to-year Upper School increase since 1999-2000. Eighteen of the students transferred into Forms 4 and 5.
College Board Honors Ten Members of Class of ’14 Ten members of the Class of ’14 were recognized by the College Board for outstanding performance on the PSATs they took in October 2012, when they were juniors. (Seated, from left to right): Thomas Wilson, Mary Lessard, Taryn Braz, and Sophie Kruger, and (standing, from left to right): Jake Leshem, Michael Barry, Alexandra Stanton, Keenan Line, Warren Hadley, and Samantha Pinkes. Stanton was named a National Merit Finalist, which means she ranked among the top 15,000 students in the country; by the Spring of 2014, she was still in contention for a National Merit Scholarship.
Santiago Is Named Head of College Advising
Lessard received Honorable Mention in the National Hispanic Recognition Program, and Taryn Braz was named an Outstanding Participant in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.
Zaira Santiago, a seven-year veteran of KO, was named Director of College Advising on July 1, 2013.
The other students were all named National Merit Commended students, which means they scored among the top 5% of the 1.5 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT exam in October 2012.
Santiago joined KO in July 2006 as the Senior Associate Director of Admission, and three years later was named the Associate Director of College Advising.
“We are so proud of these outstanding students, not only for their exceptional performance on standardized tests, but also for all the other ways in which they enrich the KO community,” said Natalie Demers, KO’s Assistant Head of School for Academic Life.
From 1999-2006, she worked at the University of Connecticut as a Senior Admissions Officer. “I am thrilled that Zaira will be leading KO’s expanded College Advising Office,” said Head of School Dennis Bisgaard. “She will bring the breadth of her experience in college advising and admissions, at the middle school, high school, and college levels, as well as fresh ideas and technological expertise.” Santiago graduated from Northwest Catholic High School and UConn, which she attended on a “Day of Pride” full academic scholarship. She is completing a Master’s degree at Wesleyan University. A member of the Northwest Catholic School Board, Santiago has been a volunteer for the Doc Hurley Scholarship Foundation, the Hillcrest Community Center, and New Haven Reads, a literacy organization. “The college search process is exciting but can sometimes seem convoluted,” said Santiago. “My goal is to demystify it for families and to help students find the rightfit school that will allow them to achieve their goals.”
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Women’s Group Honors Claudia Udolf ’14 for Service In a Hartford Marriott ballroom filled with more than 500 people in October 2013, the Hartford-based Aurora Foundation for Women and Girls named Claudia Udolf ’14 as its Young Philanthropist of the Year, in recognition of her extraordinary community service and the way in which she “inspires others to join her in her efforts,” according to the group. “Claudia is an ambitious, enterprising young woman who gives back, unselfishly, to her community,” the Aurora Foundation said.
Wyverns Win Top Awards in WALKS Essay Contest Alexandra Stanton ’14 (second from right) and Sophia Kruger ’14 (far right) are congratulated by Attorney General George Jepsen on their prize-winning contributions to a Constitution essay contest sponsored by Murtha Cullina, a Hartford law firm, and the WALKS Foundation, which comprises Westminster, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee, Kingswood Oxford, and Suffield Academy. Stanton placed first and Kruger came in third in the 51-yearold contest, which is open to junior history students at the five WALKS schools. This was the third time in the past four years that a KO student has won first place. Victoria Smith from Loomis Chaffee placed second. Attorney General Jepsen chose the winning essays and also offered remarks at the awards dinner in April. Finalists received certificates of merit plus a copy of A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy S. Greenberg. Stanton also received a cash award of $200. The WALKS Foundation was organized in 1956 to strengthen and broaden the scope of secondary education. The Constitution Essay Contest was established in 1962 to encourage study and understanding of the Constitution.
Claudia Udolf ’14 is flanked by Jennifer Buffett (left) and JoAnn Price. 28
Udolf delivered stirring remarks at the breakfast, at which visionary global philanthropist Jennifer Buffett, president and co-founder of the NoVo Foundation and daughter-in-law of Warren Buffett, was the keynote speaker. JoAnn Price, co-founder and managing partner of Fairview Capital, was honored as the Woman Philanthropist of the Year. Udolf, the daughter of Danielle and Robert Udolf ’79 of West Hartford, has been volunteering extensively with the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield, MA, since 2007. She and her sister, Samantha Udolf ’12, have also raised more than $54,000 for the House through their web site, www.samsraceforaplace.com, and other grass-roots efforts. In fact, the Udolf sisters were both honored at the 22nd annual Ronald McDonald House Gala in March 2013. “Sam and Claudia have established themselves as spokespersons, hands-on volunteers, fundraisers and friends,” said Jennifer Putnam, Executive Director of the House. “They are a shining example of the difference two people can make when they set their minds to a goal and pursue it with all their heart and soul.” Claudia Udolf will attend Tufts University in September 2014, while her sister will begin her junior year at Harvard University.
A Beloved Back-to-School Tradition: Chips Off the Block
ADVANCEMENT
A few weeks into each new school year, KO alums gather for a light breakfast and photo op with their family members who have just become Wyverns. This year it was a big group, due in no small part to the extended Ravalese clan: Grandfather Joe Ravalese ’51 beamed with pride as he posed with his son Joe Ravalese ’79, his daughter Beverly Ravalese Yirigian ’80, and his grandchildren Joseph Ravalese ’15, Nicholas Ravalese ’17, James Ravalese ’20, Rachel Yirigian ’14, and Robert Yirigian ’16. The Ravaleses are in the upper-right-hand quadrant of the photo!
ko spring 2014 ko
The other legacy families are (front row, from left): Brittany Schwartz ’16 and her father, Scott Schwartz ’76; Sophia Kaufman ’20, in front of Isabel Kaufman ’17, Caroline Kaufman ’14 and their parents Charna Bortman Kaufman ’85 and John Kaufman ’85; Amanda Bucknam ’19 and her father, Andy Bucknam ’82; Troy Gostyla ’20 and his mother, Heidi Hoffman Gostyla ’87. Standing to the right of Head of School Dennis Bisgaard (back row, far left) are John Burke ’84 and his daughter, Alexandra ’17; Dave Helsley ’81 and his son David Helsley ’19; and the Ravaleses. Peeking out from the far back row are Gerald Brady ’46, his son, Gib Brady ’79, and his granddaughter Clare Brady ’18.
A Busy Fall Season In October, Head of School Dennis Bisgaard and his wife Monica opened their home for cocktail receptions for Form 5 and Form 6 parents. The night before Thanksgiving, alumni and faculty gathered at the American Legion in West Hartford Center to start off the holiday weekend on a great note. These events were well attended and a great way for the community to connect to KO. 29
A Contribution for the Future, Leave a Legacy For generations, planned gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of Kingswood Oxford School have been a major factor in KO’s financial sustainability. A thoughtful gift plan can help satisfy personal financial planning needs while providing KO with important long-term support. The Nicholson-Martin Circle was established to honor and recognize planned giving donors. Members have made planned gifts including, but not limited to, bequests; life income gifts; and beneficiary designations. Over 100 members had the goodwill to make their gift live on forever.
We invite you to leave your own legacy.
ADVANCEMENT
For more information about making a meaningful planned gift to KO, please contact Debra Coleman Hyde ’68, Director of Institutional Advancement (hyde.d@k-o.org or 860-727-5011).
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In Twain’s Shadow, KO Thanks Generous Donors Celebrating its best fundraising year in school history, KO returned to its roots on Sept. 12, hosting the Leadership Reception for top donors at The Mark Twain House in Hartford, which was the School’s home from 1918-22. Keynote speaker Kevin Dougherty, MD ’99 reflected on how well his KO education had prepared him not only for medical school, but also for a rewarding career as a physician and for a number of medical-administration positions, as well. A high-honors graduate of Middlebury College, where he majored in Neuroscience, Dougherty earned his MD from Tufts Medical School and completed an internal medicine residency at Yale. He is now a Cardiology Fellow at Tufts Medical Center.
For Whom the Bell Tolled The Bell of Philanthropy tolled 32 times in October and November 2013, with each peal representing $10,000 committed to KO! Among the highlights: • an anonymous gift to the KO Fund from a current faculty member; • a gift from Susan and Bob Furek P ’96, ’99, in appreciation of the education their children received; • a gift from the Creedon family to create the J. David Creedon ’47 Family Fund in memory of past Trustee David Creedon, who passed away in 2009.
Why Do I Give? Reunion-year alums explain what motivates them to contribute to the KO Fund.
Robert Knox III ’59 Savannah, GA
Susan Burke Clemow ‘64 West Hartford, CT
Eric Batchelder ’89 New York, NY
Marsha Mather ‘04 Wallingford, CT
Trinity College
Chatham University
Middlebury College
College of the Holy Cross
President, Shanghai Gardens Savannah, GA
Managing Partner, Clemow Consulting Group, LLP Bloomfield, CT
Managing Director, RBC Capital Markets LLC New York, NY
Medical Student, American University of Antigua College of Medicine
I made a gift to KO in celebration of my 50th reunion. I learned many valuable lessons at Oxford: how to write, how to study, and how to express myself. I hope that others from our class will consider gifts, as well, as they look back on what an Oxford education meant for them.
I’ve tried to give consistently to KO since I graduated (although at some points it was easier than others). The education I received at Kingswood, much of which occurred outside the classroom, provided a strong foundation for me. The faculty gave us tremendous responsibility and independence, which allowed us to stretch ourselves in a controlled environment and learn from our successes as well as our failures. I’m very grateful for having had the opportunity to attend KO, and I continue to support the school financially to provide opportunities for students who may otherwise not be able to experience everything Kingswood Oxford has to offer.
Being a part of the KO community has always been an important part of who I am – a Wyvern through and through! By supporting KO with a gift, we as alumni make sure the traditions and the stellar education we received will continue for many years to come. Someday I hope that my children or grandchildren will get the chance to understand what it means to be connected to a school like KO.
I give back to KO because I think the education I got at Kingswood was very important; those early years, right at the beginning, were the building blocks for the rest of my life, and I must attribute my success to the teachers and the excellent education I had.
Reunion giving plays an extremely important part in supporting KO’s continued success. Please consider showing your commitment to your alma mater and increase your class participation by making a contribution to the KO Fund in honor of your Reunion. Please make your gift today: www.kingswoodoxford.org/giving!
ko spring 2014
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KINGSWOOD 1937 Formerly of Pt. Pleasant, NJ, Henry Hastings writes: “Storm Sandy caused our move to Charlotte, NC, last November. We have family here.”
KINGSWOOD 1946 Of her husband, Robert Montgomery, who died on Feb. 26, 2013, Peggy Montgomery writes: “He treasured his years at Kingswood and spoke of them often.”
KINGSWOOD 1948 Max O’Meara writes, “I continue to enjoy periodic lunches with Class of ’48 plus a few from the Class of ’47. I hope to continue as part of the Class of ’48 Ancient Troika! (Bill Delaney, Jim Lyon).”
OXFORD 1951 Sara Barr Palmer Class Correspondent
CLASS NOTES
Sadly, we lost two classmates over the past year: Ellen Barrows Van Winkle died in August after a long illness, and Lizo Vanderbilt McAllister died in October 2013.
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Maud Cary Schultz – now known as Sunny – is still bravely fighting cancer. She still manages to get out on the golf course for one or two holes. She would love to hear from Oxford classmates:1208 San Pablo Drive, San Marcos, CA 92078. Pam Kingan Lillquist and husband Rich enjoyed a family gathering in Hawaii over the holidays; lots of laughs, snorkeling and good food. Pem Donegan Schultz says turning 80 is certainly a new chapter! She’s been in touch with Sunny Schultz. Vivian Hathaway Crouse and husband Craig managed to visit all but one of their seven children over Christmas. They drove everywhere
(judging by the number of canceled flights over the holidays, this was a wise decision!). Frannie Steane Baldwin visited Maine last fall with her sister Marguerite Steane Kelland ‘41. She had lunch with Barbara Gowdy Tongue, who had recently been in Florence, Italy, with her daughter and family for more than a month (they are spending a year away from their home in Alaska). Anne Carter Peck Zadig has been on the road! In addition to visiting her daughter Betsy in New Haven, she went to Louisville in December to see son Dexter get his Ph.D., and then returned in February to help with Dexter’s little boys while he was on a school trip to Ghana. Carter is active in Al’s church and also volunteers at the Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf and packs food for Meals on Wheels. In her spare (?) time, she works on semiannual book sales at the library. She has a grandson at Bowdoin and a granddaughter in the theater program at NYU. “How in the world did they get so old, or we do the same?” she wonders. Pam Snow Lovejoy says that her health is great, although she is slowing down a bit. Her house is still on the market; she doesn’t want to leave it, but it’s just too big. Her daughter Dawn’s granddaughter was born in January. Meanwhile, one grandson has gotten engaged and another has joined the Air Force. Susan Huber Gross writes, “The education at Oxford provided me with a basis for learning that has followed me into my 80s.” The Palmers returned from England in November via a two-week cruise, My favorite port of call was Lisbon – I’d forgotten what a beautiful city it is. Among the sights, we saw Vasco da Gama’s tomb (he sends
regards to the members of the class of ’51)! An old friend who now lives in Cyprus was our houseguest for Christmas; no sooner had she left than old friends from Wales arrived for two weeks. We have time to launder sheets and remake the beds, as the next visitors aren’t expected until April! We’ll be at the Tower of London for Easter, where Peter will march with his British Korean Veterans chapter. Their numbers have dwindled over the years, but the group still manages a good turnout.
OXFORD 1953 Faith Learned Pepe says she escaped winter by going to San Francisco until April; she may be reached at faithlpepe@gmail.com.
OXFORD 1955 Helene Liberson Keers Class Correspondent Harriet Perlysky Fleischer and her husband are now retired from full and rewarding university careers in chemistry and editing. They are very close to their two grown daughters. Lee Dauch Kramer and Bill are new grandparents to Russel Joseph Kramer, born Feb. 21, 2014, at 8 pounds, 1 ounce, 21 inches. His parents are Scott Kramer and Christine Muzum, and his sister is 5-year-old Sally Kramer. After many years on the North Shore of Chicago (where her children were married), Judy Jones Babcock and her husband now live in Old Saybrook, CT. One child still lives on the North Shore and the other is in Lake Bluff. She attended our 50th reunion and had stayed in touch with the late Martha Cox. She lives near Wendy Smith. Barbara Dunnell Clough now lives in Asheville, NC, after raising three boys in a small town in New
Hampshire until they were all admitted to the University of New Hampshire. There are 12 members of her extended family. She and her husband have been married 53 years, and she worked as a librarian until 2001. She and her family seem to be thriving.
OXFORD 1958 Sue Mather Dabanian Class Secretary Betsy Swinehart Riel is settling into life in Encinitas, CA, but still misses the change of seasons. Some of the trees in California DO change color, so she enjoys that as well as our cold, rainy days. Daughter Beth, Mark and the three girls (ages 4, 7, and 11) came from Santa Monica for Thanksgiving; in true California fashion, they sat out by the pool! Betsy’s oldest granddaughter turned 21 in September. Somehow, she doesn’t feel young anymore. (Betsy, not the granddaughter!) Sarah Duffield and Craig spent Christmas at the B&B where they were married, in Notchland, NH. Caitlin has a job in New York City with a firm involved with women’s health, her field of expertise. Her work in Ghana is DONE – no more travel (and worries for Sarah). Emily and the kids are doing well, as is Henrietta in her private practice. Linda Beizer Barnett and David have been spending several months in Sarasota, FL, in the winter. They enjoy tennis and golf there and escaped Avon in time to avoid this year’s winter storms. I read in the last KO Magazine that Lisa Shaffer Anderson and sister Trina enjoyed a wonderful trip to Rome and Paris. Ellie Haggard Baldwin and Dave also enjoyed England and Wales (I hope I got the countries right). ko spring 2014
As for me, I have many major house projects on my list for this year. Let’s see how many get done! We also have several trips scheduled for this year, but will report on them next issue. Email me your news any time at sdabanian@gmail.com, and I’ll start compiling updates for the next issue. Smather
ice or snow. Today, I had to slog through the snow to fill the bird feeder, which is about 15 feet away from our kitchen windows. I almost toppled over in the snow, and probably would have been stuck there till the first thaw! I did make it back around to the front door. My cross country skis are resting in a corner waiting to be used; obviously, I’m going through a lazy period where I’d rather sit and read a book.”
OXFORD 1959 Zélie Calvocoressi Tourais Class Correspondent Xanny Learned Preston writes, “Washington is cold, grey, wet and miserable, as are my three dogs! I’m fine, but all of us have had far too much cold and snow. ‘Downton Abbey’ and the Olympics do help. I had a great visit at Christmas with Julie Peck, who most kindly and generously came, and we spent Christmas together laughing, remembering Oxford and cooking. Ellen Jones Wood also came for an afternoon visit and it was great to get caught up.” Julie Peck writes that she has “ditched regular tennis in favor of rowing, which is a much more strenuous exercise but better for my bad back. I joined a local crew club in October and have been rowing sweeps two or three times a week in an eight-person shell. We have a nice group, and, although it’s hard to start rowing at 6 a.m., when it is pitch black dark here on the west coast of Florida, once the sun starts to rise, it is gorgeous on the water, with the seabirds waking up and dolphins swimming around the boat. Something new for my seventies!” Pam Swan Curtin reports, “This winter has definitely been a time to hibernate, especially here in the Northeast, where so much of the country has been buried either in
Anne Harvey Kulak writes from Scotia, NY, “Our farm of 50 years is home for me. Five children, all grown and pursuing productive careers in a variety of fields – Cynthia, nursing; Dan, retired and happily working in a friend’s start-up business; John owns a successful landscape and nursery business; Anne, a seasoned sales consultant with a large veterinary supply company; Marcia, a professional equestrian, divides her time between our farm, May to November, and Florida, November to May. I spend six or so weeks with her in Florida, helping with horses in for training. I keep in touch periodically with Elizabeth Brainard Glassco ’48 and Betty Lee Harrington Armstrong ’48. Anne adds, “I have a philosophical leaning to place our farm in a land trust or conservancy. It’s a work in progress.” This summer, my husband and I attended a reunion of pupils who attended a rural National School in the townland of Milleen, County Limerick, Ireland. Milleen is close to the town of Abbeyfeale. The school had two classrooms for students age 5-16. To heat the school, students were asked to bring in turf for the stove. They were required to study the Irish language and had religious instruction from the local parish priest. The students were given nearly daily memorization
assignments in poetry, which fortunately my husband can still recite, some in the Irish language (Gaeilge). The Milleen school closed in 1975. We also attended the Curtin Clan reunion, held every two years, which features speakers on subjects related to genealogy, history, the Irish language. As with most families, there are Curtin connections all over the world, and it is fun to meet people who are somewhere related in the family tree. One unforgettable experience was when I nearly got stuck driving through a passageway meant for a horse and carriage 200 years ago. Our car was very broad in front, but I assumed the passageway connecting the parking lot to the street was wide enough for a car. Luckily, a crowd of very helpful people appeared to guide me through this narrow arch. I escaped with only a faint paint streak over the tire fender. My son still lives in the Boston area and currently has an internship with the Republican gubernatorial campaign. He enjoys volunteering with veterans’ organizations and is an active member of the Auxiliary New York State National Guard.
KINGSWOOD 1959 Daniel Bullard reports that he won a race aboard “MADCAP X” in the fall of 2013. “The last time we won,” he writes, “was about 60 years ago on ‘MADCAP III’ with my dad and brother. It took a while, but winners again! Earned a third in summer series in catboats. In February 2014, I went with a friend to a midwinter regatta in Florida. Not only did we do poorly (very poorly), but I was beaten up. I had/ have no clue how to sail a small boat in the ocean with a breeze against national competition. I guess I will either stay at home or improve. Hi to all!”
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Kingswood 1963 At a wedding in Estes Park, CO, Brewster Boyd happened to see (from left) Mark Conrad ’96, Kimberly Fernandez Conrad ’96 and Elisabeth Grace Waugh ’99. In February, he joined Peter Janus and Bart Rapaport in Steamboat, where they watched the Super Bowl (“a very disappointing few hours for me,” he said) but then enjoyed some wonderful runs the next day on powder under a bright Colorado sun. Brewster and Helen also went to Santa Barbara this winter for the wedding of Kimberly Brown, daughter of Graham Brown and his wife, Mary, which he said was very festive.
CLASS NOTES
Don Donegan still teaches guitar and voice at his home studio in Glastonbury. His website is www. dondonegan.com.
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OXFORD 1960 Jane Anderson Innerd Class Correspondent The weather has been a major topic for a number of our classmates this year. Jennifer Ripple Akridge and her husband spent the winter in Yuma, AZ. They had marvelous weather-- some very hot days, but mostly in the 80s. They enjoyed their morning walks each day and returned to Washington at the end of March. Jennifer sent me a photo of the bright yellow African daisies near her front door.
Scotty Dwyer Benson still works full time. She reports that they have had a very, very cold winter. During one sleet-freezing rainstorm, a large tree limb fell on her house and car. It took out the front window of her house and damaged the side of her car. George and Prilla Smith Brackett had just returned from a trip to Argentina and Antarctica when she emailed me. They had to cross the rough Drake’s Passage to get to Antarctica; once there, they visited only a small corner of the continent, but Prilla says it was awe-inspiring, icy, desolate and beautiful. She added that it was a privilege to have seen this part of the world and to see how animals survive in such an environment. Prilla quite daringly took the “polar plunge:” She ran into
the 40-degree water and out again quickly, putting on long underwear, many layers of clothes and a parka. She says she’s never been so cold! At the end of the trip they went to Iguazu Falls in Northeast Argentina and Brazil, where the weather was the opposite: 95 degrees and 95% humidity. Prilla says the falls were another beautiful, powerful example of nature. Back home, she reports that life, work and joy in her family continues. Nan Sunderland Brown and her husband planned to visit Italy this spring, and perhaps add a trip around the Greek Islands. In September they will return to Oxford for their fourth program. They really enjoy the city. At home in Rochester, NY, Nan and her husband will enjoy a “Sibs’ weekend,”
when their three children will visit without spouses or grandchildren. During the summer, the whole family – Nan and her husband, their three children and spouses, and eight grandchildren -- will get together for two weeks on Cape Cod. She says it gets “pretty wild, with 16 for dinner every night.” Nan continues to design and make jewelry, and she continues her piano lessons from a wonderful teacher who was glad to have an older student because he knew her parents weren’t making her practice! Nan’s oldest granddaughter was accepted early decision at Hamilton College. (Nan remembers that the Seven Sisters colleges began the early decision program in 1959, during our senior year; Nan listened to Miss Graff and went to Mt. Holyoke.) The same granddaughter played a piano solo in Carnegie Hall in May! Nan hopes everyone is well and enjoying being 70-something. Jane Keller Herzig says she finds it incredible that the years fly by so rapidly; it seems as though we graduated from Oxford just yesterday, relishing our accomplishments and looking forward to college. Jane looks forward to attending her 50th reunion at Smith College this spring. Our classmate Joan Solomkin Hoberman also attended Smith; Jane remembers her as a wonderful woman who unfortunately died so young. Each reunion year at Smith there is a memorial service for the classmates who have died; Jane said she will attend the service and honor Joan’s memory, thinking of the bond that was deepened by their Oxford experiences. Our Australian classmate, Ginnie Lee Luxton, says that while we were enduring the cold weather this winter, they were experiencing just the opposite extreme weather ko spring 2014
in Victoria -- a few 40-degree (Celsius) days even wilted the weeds in the garden. Ginnie had a chance to connect with Debby Coleman Hyde ’68 (KO’s Director of Institutional Advancement). Debby and her husband Hobie Hyde ’58 attended the Australian Open in Melbourne, and they were able to have a day with Ginnie. It was a brief visit, but Ginnie says they caught up on a number of people they both knew. Debby was also familiar with the home where Ginnie lived in Bloomfield. She says it was like going back in time. Ann Faude Newbury says she is looking forward to getting together with everyone next year, and said she will be happy to host a reunion again in her home. She is very busy with the Farmington Historical Society and several other organizations. She enjoys learning about the history of the area. In between meetings, she gets exercise by shoveling walks, raking roofs and chipping ice. She will welcome spring! She and Sam still enjoy the opera season and are looking forward to “La Boheme” and “La Cenerentola” this spring. Gay Wilcox Squire and her husband Roger went skiing for the first time in about 10 years recently (even though they live only 15 minutes away from a major ski area). Gay and a friend went to Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA, for four days in early January. She was very pleased with the facility. She says that it is like a spa with every spa activity under the sun, but the real emphasis is on healthy and active living. They enjoyed exercise classes and attended interesting lectures on diet, nutrition and living well in a toxic world; they plan to return next January. In March, Gay and Roger took their annual trip to Florida, visiting friends on both the East and West Coasts. They will return to VT in Mud Season
-- time for indoor maintenance. Gay says that in a moment of insanity, she volunteered to be a class fundraiser for her 50th Vassar reunion (which reminds her that it is already four years since our 50th Oxford reunion). Gay says that she and Roger live in a wonderful community and feel lucky to be healthy and active. I was surprised to learn that Barbara Hartman Tucker will return to live in Connecticut in late spring and will spend only around three months of the year in Paris. (Only three months, what a shame!) She recently was in Strasbourg to speak and then stayed and enjoyed the beautiful city and the Alsace-Lorraine area. She plans to stay active politically, both in the U.S. and in France, and she will continue The Political Forum in Connecticut. Recently Mary Lew Sterns Kelly and Bill have been busy babysitting for their two youngest boy grandchildren. They love having them and are looking forward to having the boys’ three sisters sometime soon. The rest of their 11 grandchildren are doing well, and they are anxiously awaiting college decisions for their third grandchild. Meanwhile Bill and Mary Lew are looking forward to “playing in the dirt” in their extensive gardens. Wilf and I had two wonderful trips to St. Louis to visit our elder daughter and her family. We visited our grandsons’ schools in Ladue; one is a preschool facility, which was a dream, and the other an elementary school, where Wilf enjoyed a day as a teacher’s helper. Our grandsons are now 5 and 6½ and were a joy to be with. Our other two children were with us for the Christmas holiday, and we look forward to seeing them all during the summer.
KINGSWOOD 1960 John Cope still works for the Center for Strategic Studies at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, where he is deputy director and senior research fellow for the Western Hemisphere.
OXFORD 1961 Brenda Odlum Dailey writes, “My husband Andy Dailey ’58 and I moved from Florida to Pinehurst, NC, nine years ago. Loved it here, but unfortunately Andy passed away in August. I sold my house and will move in April to Southport, NC, to be near my sister Judy Odlum Pomeroy ’66. It is a beautiful fishing village on the Intracoastal Waterway, just over the bridge to the ocean.”
KINGSWOOD 1963 Brewster Boyd Class Correspondent Other than Greater Hartford, Florida is now home to the largest number of classmates. With the Battersons’ recent move to Stuart, four of our peers now live in the land of the sun, sand and sea. The Barlows and Browns have been there for years, and the Saccos joined them two years ago. The Hineses also spend a few months in FL during the winter. Don Barlow writes, “Great to have classmates Jim Sacco, Jon Batterson and Tommy Hine here in Florida.” There have been some reported gatherings of this group, but the scene has evidently been somewhat mellower than our graduation party at Jon’s a half century ago!
KINGSWOOD 1966 Arthur Ratio writes, “My mother, Josephine, passed away on July 19, 2013 at St. Mary Home in West Hartford at the age of 93. A longtime resident of West Hartford, she was active in Wampanoag Country Club, The Opera Guild, 35
KO 1983 Ethan Felson (right) married Daniel Paul Schapira on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013, in a ceremony conducted by Rabbi Steve Gutow in Manhattan. Ethan is a vice president and the general counsel of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in Manhattan; he graduated from Lehigh and earned a law degree from UCONN. Daniel is a business strategy consultant in the global sales and distribution division of I.B.M. He graduated cum laude from Brandeis and received an M.B.A. from New York University.
Kingswood 1972
CLASS NOTES
Rob Groundwater (right) celebrated his 60th birthday with Steve Twitchell, Dave Bradley and Ken Coco in New York City, where they attended “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
KO 1992
KO 1978
KO 1988
Violinist Peter Winograd was the featured soloist in the Hartford Symphony’s performances of Piazzolla’s tango-inspired “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” at the Belding Theater in Hartford in November 2013. Peter’s father, Arthur Winograd, is the former music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
Danielle Mendes Singleton has moved from the special education classroom, where she taught children with autism, to East Hartford district inclusion facilitator. Danielle earned her Master’s in special education and is now working toward her administrative degree at Sacred Heart University. She lives in Tolland with her husband Chris and their daughters Kayla and Kara.
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Dr. Jonathan L. Wharton, assistant professor of political science and history at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, recently published A Post-Racial Change Is Gonna Come: Newark, Cory Booker, and the Transformation of Urban America, a case study of the politics of Newark, NJ, from 1950 through the ascendancy of Mayor Cory Booker, now the state’s junior U.S. senator. A graduate of Howard University, from which he earned a B.A. in history and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science, Jonathan also holds a Master’s in history from Rutgers University. He is active on his neighborhood community board in Jersey City and on the Hudson County Economic Development Committee.
KO 1991 This gorgeous new book features stunning images by Trevor Tondro, an architectural photographer who has lived and worked in Latin America and France and whose photos have appeared in The New York Times as well as Architectural Record, House Beautiful, and Interior Design magazines.
KO 1995 Rachel Shechtman, an innovative New York City retailer, was named to Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list of “the most important young iconoclasts, risk-takers, and rule breakers in business” in September 2013. Founder of Story, a unique, two-year-old boutique, Shechtman has consulted for TOMS shoes, Lincoln, and Kraft, among others. “This retail guru ... has earned a reputation for thinking outside the box when it comes to the future of shopping,” according to Fortune.
KO 1995 Ben Terry and his wife Kara welcomed a daughter, Alex Lucille, on Sept. 12, 2013. After four seasons with the Flying Squirrels, a minor-league baseball team in Richmond, VA, Ben now works for Arena Racing USA, also based in Richmond.
KO 1999 This abstract oil painting by Joe Nicorici will be included in an exhibit he is curating called “UNTITLED: ABSTRACT EXHIBITION,” which will run from July 10-26 at the Hartford Artspace Gallery in downtown Hartford. It will feature emerging and established abstract artists from throughout the state.
KO 2000 It was the ultimate Boston moment: Tim Brennan (on accordion) and his band, The Dropkick Murphys, sang the National Anthem before the sixth – and what proved to be final – game of the 2013 World Series on Oct. 30. The Fenway Park crowd went wild when the band then broke quickly into a rendition of their signature song, “Shipping up to Boston,” accompanied by Irish stepdancers. ko spring 2014 ko
KO 2001 Emily Solomon reunited with Jake Bookwalter (right) and Kevin Stadmeyer ‘00 at a wedding in Savannah, GA, in November. 37
picked up as the Children’s Book-ofthe-Month selection.”
KINGSWOOD 1973
KO 1997 Head Boys’ Basketball Coach Durelle Brown, an outstanding 6-foot, 7-inch hoops player at KO, was inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame on Nov. 2, 2013. Brown scored 1,634 points in college, making him fourth on Manhattan’s all-time points list, and he played in every game during his college career. After graduating, he played professionally in Spain, Holland, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela, retiring in 2011 and returning to coach at KO. He also runs the Big Fundies’ Basketball Training business, through which he offers one-on-one coaching and training clinics. He was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
CLASS NOTES
and in many other groups. She was the driving force that caused me to enter Kingswood in 1962 and graduate in 1966.”
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OXFORD 1969 Lynne Lumsden writes, “I’m enjoying running the kids’ department at Nordstrom Rack. Daughter Heather Harden ’07 is enjoying the Ph.D. program in cognitive psychology at the University of Chicago.”
KINGSWOOD 1972 John O’Hurley has published a children’s book, The Perfect Dog. John writes, “It’s a Seuss-style poem I wrote for my son Will and meant for kids ages 2 to 6, and includes a CD of me reading of the story. Purina just bought 1,000 books to donate to the Ronald McDonald Houses in the U.S., and it was
Allen Petersen, the president and owner of AdEmbroidery (on Petersen Farm on Hartford Road in East Granby), has recently expanded. AdEmbroidery, a full-service commercial embroidery and screenprinting company, is the largest commercial embroidery in the Hartford area. Allen writes: “With this expansion, we have doubled our screen printing capability … which is handled by my son, Erik. I take care of the embroidery. Through our sister company, Graphic Promotions, Inc., we offer a full range of promotional items including pens, mugs, stickers, signs, banners and vehicle lettering. We really are a one-stop shop.” Former insurance executive Stan Dimock, who now spends much time keeping Bristol RI, free of litter, was profiled recently in the Providence Journal: The story explains how Stan, dressed in a crisp oxford shirt and Merrell sneakers, picks up and disposes of trash from Bristol’s downtown and shoreline areas two or three times a week, among other tasks. The Town of Bristol declared Dec. 12, 2010, “Stan Dimock Day.” For the complete article, visit www. providencejournal.com/writers/ alex-kuffner/20131020-a-view-frombristol-r.i.-town-mans-mission-is-tokeep-it-clean.ece.
KO 1974 Paul Penney writes, “I continue to work in New York City in real estate capital markets. My oldest daughter, Alexandra, is getting married in August.”
KO 1978 Robert Roth just celebrated his 31st anniversary as a wealth management advisor with Northwestern Mutual.
KO 1987 Heidi Hoffman Gostyla writes, “We are happy to have our son Troy begin Upper Prep this year and be in the Class of 2020.”
KO 2000 Amanda L. Shlien was married on Aug. 17, 2013, to David A. Noe at the Florence Griswold Museum. Michael Noe was best man and Emily Marziali Shea was lector.
KO 2002 Evan O’Hara reports that he has just started as an associate at Halloran and Sage in Hartford, handling medical malpractice litigation. John Dwyer writes, “I married Elise Aiken in September 2013. Jared Carroll, Brian Rose and Craig Blanchette all attended. It was a great wedding in the mountains here in Colorado, and we had a really fun time with all our friends and family. Elise and I live in Denver, where we both are attorneys. After law school, I clerked for a year for Justice Nathan B. Coats on the Colorado Supreme Court, and now I am working as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Elise and I ski a lot; our favorite mountains are Winter Park and Steamboat Springs. We love living in Colorado and are always happy to have guests from KO!”
KO 2007 Shannon Coco moved to Dublin, Ireland, in August 2013, where she continues working in higher education. She enjoys city life; traveling with her choir, New Dublin Voices, to international choral competitions throughout Europe; and building on her international perspective with new and old friends. Best friend Molly Bloom visited her in January for a Eurotrip. Shannon plans to complete a 50K trek across the Mourne Mountains for Oxfam Ireland this summer.
KO 2011
Share Your News! We’d love to receive your wedding photos, new baby pics, and any other news you’d like to share with your fellow Wyverns. Please write to Advancement associate Meghan Kurtich (kurtich.m@k-o.org). We would love to send a bib to every future Wyvern we hear about!
Tyler Blake works in event planning at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. Savannah Berger, an honors student at Connecticut College, studied at Worcester College in Oxford University, England, in Fall 2013. In addition to her academic pursuits, Savannah was the only American student accepted into Worcester College’s prestigious mixed choir. She was a member of Oxford’s women’s rowing club and
also played football for Worcester College and the university’s women’s varsity team. At Conn College, Savannah is a member of the downhill ski team; the honor council; a soprano soloist in the college’s elite chamber choir; and a member of the figure skating team, where she has won multiple medals in intercollegiate competition.
Jacquelyn Amenta was inducted into The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) in September 2013. Members must rank in the top 10% of their class with a GPA of 3.4 or above. Jacquelyn is a junior at Providence College, where she is majoring in health policy administration and minoring in Spanish.
Angelica Villa, a junior at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, says she loves Boston but misses KO greatly.
Bib Babies!
ko spring 2014 ko
Ingrid Elizabeth Millen is the beautiful new daughter of KO Creative Arts Department chair Todd Millen and his wife Karna Millen, who works as a trombonist with U.S. Coast Guard Band. Born on October 16, 2013, Ingrid weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 oz. The family lives in Salem, CT.
Oliver Paul Demers arrived on his due date, with a minute to spare: He was born at 11:59pm on February 3, 2014, to Natalie Demers, Assistant Head of School for Academic Life, and her husband Michael. Oliver was welcomed home by his very proud big brother, Jack, age 4.
Robert Walter Dowling, born on January 9, 2014, to Laney Pilpel Dowling and her husband, Don, is one of the reasons that KO Admissions Assistant Dede Pilpel is beaming even more than usual these days! The other reason is grandson #2 – Lucas John Pilpel, the son of Alex Pilpel and his wife Lauren – who was born just a month earlier, on December 6, 2013.
KO 1996 Tyler Furek ’99 is the very proud and doting uncle of Sloane Grayson Mullin, who was born on November 15, 2013, to Nicki Furek Mullin and her husband Chris. Sloane lives with her parents in New York City, where her mom works for the Four Seasons and her dad works for Imperial Capital.
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IN MEMORIAM
Kingswood Oxford extends condolences to the families of those who passed away between Sept. 6, 2013, and Mar. 22, 2014, or whose death we learned of during that period. To ensure accuracy, we require that In Memoriam notices be accompanied by a newspaper obituary. Please notify Michelle Murphy, Director of Communications & Marketing, of any errors or omissions (Murphy.m@k-o.org).
Beginning with the Fall ’14 issue of KO Magazine, obituaries will be organized in the following categories: Alumni (listed by year); Current Families; Alumni Families; Administration, Faculty and Staff; and Friends.
Richard S. Barnes October 13, 2013 Grandfather of Lauren Barnes ’16 and James Barnes ’17 Elizabeth Benbrook November 5, 2013 Mother of Justin Benbrook ’16
Veronica Ann Deck March 2, 2014 Mother of Mark Deck ’70 and Mary Deck Rutledge ’79 Michael Economos March 6, 2014 Father of Lea Economos ‘81, Maria Economos ‘84, George M. Economos ‘85
Donna Rae Robinson Brigham November 24, 2013 Wife of Storrs Brigham ’51
Stanley W. Edelstein March 12, 2014 Father of Jeffrey Edelstein ’80
James A. Brinkman January 27, 2014 KO English teacher and coach,1977-2003; father of Christopher Brinkman ’07
Genevieve Grady Elliott July 30, 2013 Grandmother of Krystn Elliott Forcina ‘89, Robert M. Elliott ‘91, Brandt R. Elliott ‘94, Benjamin F. Elliott ‘04
Edward Root Bulkeley ’40 September 3, 2013 Betty H. Carey January 24, 2014 Mother of Mary Carey Johnson ’68 Francis Irving Catlin ’43 February 24, 2014 Brother of Robert Catlin ’43 Charles Thomas Cavanaugh ’60 October 24, 2013 Nancy Louise Collins February 16, 2014 Wife of Allen V. Collins, KO Trustee Emeritus; mother of Kimberly Collins Parizeau ’75, Wylie Collins ’79, Tristram Collins ’82 and Jared Collins ’88 Alexander W. Creedon III ’69 March 10, 2014 Son of Alexander W. Creedon Jr. ’44 and Sylvia Alvord Creedon ’44; brother of Katharine B. Creedon ’71 and Suzanne Creedon Walsh ’78
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Carlos de la Mesa Fetterolf Jr. ’44 March 22, 2014 Mary Gerard Flaherty February 15, 2014 Grandmother of Caitlin Clarke ’05 and Daniel Clarke ’07 Helene Jeanne Holcombe February 27, 2014 Mother of Joan Holcombe Prior ’63, Michele Holcombe ’70 and Thomas Holcombe ’70; grandmother of Joshua Holcombe ’91 and Jeremy Chen ’93
Adalyn Purdy Jones ’36 July 7, 2013 John Brooks Jones ’48 October 10, 2013 Brian Liburd October 5, 2013 Father of Trey Liburd ‘15 Anne Shipman MacFarland ‘68 March 15, 2014 Sister of Henry Shipman ‘65 Theodore Maltbie ’37 March 18, 2014 Father of Cynthia Maltbie ’71 and Peter Maltbie ’75
Peter G. Russell ’44 October 25, 2013 Husband of Elizabeth Stedman Russell ’50; father of Morgan Russell ’77, Peter Russell ’80 and Virginia Russell Emme ’82 Sylvia P. Seide October 6, 2013 Mother of Robert Seide ’76 Robert Noel Hodshon Sener January 11, 2014 Grandfather of Jessica Joyce ’14
Bruce W. Manternach ’33 September 21, 2013 Uncle of Roger Manternach ’60
John Milton Smeak December 14, 2013 Husband of Georgia Bailey Smeak ’46
Elizabeth Vanderbilt McAllister ’51 October 15, 2013 Sister of Margaret Vanderbilt Shepard ’44 and Beverly Vanderbilt Dobbin ’46; aunt of Sarah Shepard White ’69, Benson Dobbin ’73 and Daniel Shepard ’75
Francis A. Sullivan Jr. June 12, 2013 Grandfather of John Sullivan ’14 and Molly Sullivan ’15
Lee Farr McCallum ’48 May 23, 2013 Suzanne Deeds McShane ‘49 December 15, 2009
Leonard W. Horton II ’50 October 3, 2013
Robert Langford Montgomery Jr. ‘45 February 26, 2013
Gordon Churchill Hurlburt Jr. ’50 May 15, 2013
Daniel Novarr ’71 January 28, 2014 Father of Jason Novarr ’02
June Arline Jackopsic November 18, 2013 Grandmother of Olivia Jackopsic ’06 and John Jackopsic ’11
Josephine Rautio July 19, 2013 Mother of Arthur Rautio ’66
William Pease ’44 December 4, 2013 Brother of Alfred M. Pease ‘40 and Uncle of Robert W. Pease ‘67
Virginia “Jean” Binks Tolles ’41 June 23, 2013 Sister of Eleanor Binks Matthews ’40 Connie Wortman Whitty January 27, 2014 Grandmother of Kathleen DiSanto ’03 and Drohan DiSanto ’09 Maurice E. “Moe” Yandow November 3, 2013 Grandfather of Stephanie Yandow ’13 and David Yandow ’17 Calvin “Cal” Zieky October 15, 2013 Husband of Sandra Travis Zieky ’56 Paul S. Zieky February 26, 2014 Father of Edward Zieky ’69; grandfather of Connor Zieky ’09
Academic Dean of Humanities Patricia Rosoff, 1949-2014
Peter Russell ’44, 1927-2013
Artist, Teacher, Beloved Colleague for 39 Years
Insurance Executive; Former KO Board Chair and Trustee Emeritus
Editor’s Note: Academic Dean of Humanities Pat Rosoff died suddenly on March 25, 2014, as this issue of KO Magazine was in the late production stages. At this time, we share the obituary that appeared in the days following her death, but we will provide a more complete profile of Mrs. Rosoff’s life and work in the Fall ‘14 issue of KO Magazine.
KO lost a giant of its community on March 25, when longtime art and English teacher Patricia Rosoff died of injuries she sustained in a car accident on her way to work – the first day back after Spring Break. She was 64 years old. Mrs. Rosoff, the Academic Dean of Humanities, was cherished by her colleagues and well-loved by thousands of KO students and alumni during her 39-year tenure. Among current faculty, only “Doc” Ann Serow has been at KO longer. “She was a giant on our faculty, and her loss is incalculable,” said Head of School Dennis Bisgaard. Mrs. Rosoff began teaching studio art and English at KO in 1975; by 1979, she had become the chair of the Visual Arts Department. She continued to teach both English and a full range of arts courses, including the very popular AP Art History. In 2007, she was named chair of the newly formed Creative Arts Department, and in 2012, she became Academic Dean of Humanities. Mrs. Rosoff was passionate about teaching the arts because she herself was an artist. Working in seemingly every medium, she was an abstract painter, a sculptor, a quilter, a printmaker, a sketcher. She’d use every imaginable material – canvas and paint, t-shirts, bits of yarn – in unimaginable ways, creating things of colorful and whimsical beauty. Mrs. Rosoff was also a writer; she may have loved words as much as art supplies. She wrote often for the Hartford Advocate, Art New England, and Sculpture Magazine; a collection of her essays was published in 2012 in her book, Innocent Eye: A Passionate Look at Contemporary Art. And, she was utterly devoted to KO – mentoring students long after graduation, attending countless reunions, and traveling when she could to alumni receptions. A native of California, Mrs. Rosoff earned a BA in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master’s Degree from the University of Hartford Art School. She is survived by her husband, Neil, with whom she lived in West Hartford; their son Jared Rosoff ‘96, their daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Hart Rosoff ‘95; their grandson Arlo, age 2 ½, and countless other family and friends. “Pat was an artist in every sense of the word – an artist of color, words, people, and emotions,” said Natalie Demers, Assistant Head of School for Academic Life. “And, she was the ultimate student – she never wanted to stop learning new things! She truly epitomized lifelong learning. She was a person who anyone in education would aspire to be: She saw the good, and the potential, in everyone. We will miss her terribly.” k o fs ap ll ko r i n2g0 1230 1 4
Peter G. Russell ’44 died on Oct. 25, 2013, at the Duncaster Retirement Community in Bloomfield, CT. He was 86 years old. Born in Hartford, the son of Hartford physician Dr. Gardner Russell, Peter graduated from Kingswood in 1944 and from Phillips Exeter Academy a year later. He entered Yale University but left to serve his country, returning to graduate from Yale in 1950. That same year, he joined Aetna Life and Casualty, where he spent his entire career, retiring after 37 years as the head of the Bond Investment Department and after earning a law degree at night from UCONN. Peter was very active in the Greater Hartford community, serving on the boards of the Bushnell, the Connecticut Historical Society, and Duncaster, and as a Corporator of Hartford Hospital. As the chair of KO’s Board of Trustees, Peter led the search and selection of Tyler Tingley ’64 as the new Head of School to succeed the retiring Robert Lazear. Peter served as a Trustee Emeritus until his death. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) Stedman Russell ’50; his children Morgan Russell ’77, Peter Russell ’80, Virginia (Ginger) Russell Emme ’82, and Laurie Russell Title, as well as their spouses; 10 beloved grandchildren; and many other family members and friends. A member of the Hartford Golf Club since 1952, Peter excelled in tennis and platform tennis, as the Club’s championship boards will attest. He spent summers in Madison, CT, and considerable time each winter on St. Croix. He is sorely missed by his family, many friends in the Greater Hartford community, and the entire Kingswood Oxford constituency. by James B. Lyon ’48 41
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
TRUSTEES EMERITI
HEAD’S ADVISORY COUNCIL
Katherine Keegan Antle ‘96 Dennis Bisgaard P ‘16, Head of School Laura Estes P ‘98 Christopher G. Gent P ‘03, ‘08 Jeffrey S. Gitlin ‘85, P ‘11, ‘13, ‘17 Cheryl Grisé P ‘99, ‘02 I. Bradley Hoffman ‘78, Vice Chair Gilbert Keegan ‘88, Head’s Advisory Council President Jonathan Keller P ‘17, ‘19 Jean LaTorre P ‘12, ‘14, ‘19 Paul Lewis P ‘05 Baxter H. Maffett ‘68, P ‘02, ‘06, Vice Chair Bruce A. Mandell ‘82 Kristi Matus P ‘18 Alexander T. Nguyen ‘95 Mark Paley P ‘07, ‘09, ‘11, ‘14 Ann Coolidge Randall ‘73, P ‘13 Michael J. Reilly P ‘04, ‘08 Avery Rockefeller III P ‘00, ‘02, Chair Pedro Sainz de Baranda P ‘14, ‘16, ‘19 Marc T. Shafer ’75, P ’08, ’15, ’17 Alden Y. Warner III ‘76, Treasurer R. Ashley Washburn P ‘08, ‘10, ‘12, ‘15, Secretary Paula Whitney P ‘02, ‘04, ‘06, ‘07 Mark Wolman P ‘14, ‘16, ‘19 Beverly Ravalese Yirigian ‘80, P ‘14, ‘16
Sherry Banks-Cohn ‘54, P ‘78, ‘82 Thomas J. Collamore ‘77 Allen V. Collins P ‘75, ‘79, ‘82, ‘88 Richard S. Cuda P ‘79, ‘80 George L. Estes III ‘67, P ‘98 Robert M. Furek P ‘96, ‘99 Karen K. Gifford ‘62 William H. Goldfarb ’64 J. Gregory Hickey Sr. ‘47, P ‘73, ‘75, GP ‘04 Alyce F. Hild P ’80, ’82, ’91 GP ’07, ’11, ’14 Lance L. Knox ‘62 Eileen S. Kraus P ‘84, ‘95 Thomas D. Lips P ‘93 James B. Lyon, Esq. ‘48 E. Merritt McDonough ‘51, P ‘79, ‘81 Agnes S. Peelle P ‘01, ‘03 Anne Rudder P ‘68 G. William Seawright ‘59 Les R. Tager P ‘00, ‘03 John A.T. Wilson ‘56, P ‘84, ‘86 Martin Wolman P ‘80, ‘82, ‘84, ‘88 Joan Safford Wright ‘53
Gilbert E. Keegan ‘88, President John J. Alissi ’89 Jeffrey Azia ’89 Eric D. Batchelder ’89 William C. Bigler ’80, P ’05, ’09, ’13 Jay M. Botwick ’76, P ’04 Brewster B. Boyd ’63 John M. Budds ’56 Andrew M. Chapman ’73 Lynn Mather Charette ’82, P ’14 Jessica Hild Collins ’91 James W. Eatherton ’79, P ’11, ’14 Eric D. Eddy ’93 Robert M. Elliott II ’91 Scott C. Farrell ’91 Lee A. Gold ’90 James Goldberg ’76 Gregory A. Hayes ’80 Charna Bortman Kaufman ’85, P ’14, ’17 ’20 Laurie Maulucci P ’03, ’05 Caroline T. Nguyen ‘96 Tyler B. Polk ’99 Alison Rosenthal ‘94 Mary Pallotti Russell ’73, P ’06, ’09 Robert S. Sarkasian ’84 Andrew G. Satell ’79 Glenn M. Shafer ’85 Stacey L. Silver ’91 Nancy Silvers P ’10, ’11 Saeed O. Singletary ’92 Harold A. Smullen Jr. P ’10 William J. Stack Jr. ’72, P ’07, ’11, ’12 Faith McGauley Whitman ’86 F. Scott Wilson P ’06, ’09 Keith J. Wolff ’91 Carla Do Nascimento Zahner ’97
Introducing: Camp KO! In 2013, KO launched Camp KO, a unique day camp with programs in sports, academics, and the arts for kids entering grades 5-10. In its inaugural season, 129 campers participated in one of 20 different programs during one- or two-week sessions from June 17-August 2. The programs ranged from baseball, to tennis, to robotics, to a cappella, to creative writing, to printmaking/bookbinding, to name just a few. Although many campers were current KO students, many were not – but six have since enrolled in the School, which is precisely what was envisioned when the camp was conceived. “Our goal is to leverage some of our greatest assets – the beautiful campus and facilities, outstanding teachers and coaches, and convenient location – to create a new source of revenue during the down time when school is not in session,” said Sheri Slobin Shea, who joined KO in January 2013 as Director of Camp KO and Facilities Rentals. “At the same time, through the camp we can introduce KO to families who might otherwise not have considered enrolling their children here.” Shea, a longtime Hartford-area tennis pro, had a very clear vision for a camp that would echo and complement KO’s educational mission. “Camp KO’s holistic philosophy is grounded in the ‘growth mindset model’ of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, Ph.D., and the skill
development research of author Dan Coyle,” said Shea. “Unlike most day camps, where children bounce from one activity to the next, Camp KO students choose only one program each week, which lets teachers and coaches break down new skills slowly into manageable pieces and string them all back together. Kids in Camp KO get plenty of time to learn, take risks, and not worry about making mistakes.” Regardless of the program they choose, all campers begin and end their days with stretching, conditioning, and deep breathing exercises from a certified trainer. They also gather as a group for lunch, which often features an inspirational speaker or a trained chef who engages the kids in healthy-eating seminars. Each week culminates with a special event – concerts, art exhibits, readings, competitions – to which parents and friends are invited. And, all campers receive handwritten evaluations from faculty and coaches, reflecting on the camper’s progression during the week and suggesting next steps for improvement. The word has clearly gotten out about KO’s unique and fun summer camp, and at presstime, registrations for Summer 2014 were brisk (though there is still room in some programs). For more information or to register, visit www.campko.com.
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Calling all Wyverns! For the month of June we are launching KO’s “Million Dollar Wyvern Challenge,” seeking 1,000 donors to the KO Fund by June 30. When the challenge is successful and 1,000 donors make a gift during June, the School will receive $1,000,000 from an anonymous alumni donor, which will be used to support KO’s top strategic initiatives. Your participation before the June 30 deadline makes all the difference. Please help KO realize this amazing opportunity by making a gift today. All donors are equally important in meeting the challenge. Any gift received during the month of June for the KO Fund counts toward the goal of 1,000.
Send your check payable to Kingswood Oxford School to:
Office of Institutional Advancement Kingswood Oxford School 170 Kingswood Road West Hartford, CT 06119
The Million-Dollar Wyvern Challenge Thank you for helping achieve our goal! We look forward to victory on June 30.
1,000 Donors
= $1,000,000 To make a gift to the KO Fund online, please go to www.kingswoodoxford.org/giving.