KO Magazine, Winter 2011

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KO magazine

the wonder of science Department chair, alumni dedicate lives to discovery

KingswoodOxford ko WINTER 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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letter from the head of school

16 varsity spring sports

2 the wonder of science

18 advancement

10 Tager offered "selfless commitment"

31 class notes

11 Rockefeller elected board chair

45 in memoriam

12 KO board welcomes new trustee

46 tributes

12 2 named trustees emeriti

48 support the KO fund

13 new faces in the KO community on the cover Frederick “Fritz” Goodman, chair of KO’s science department, in the Chase • Tallwood Science Math Technology Center

contact information

Kingswood Oxford School, 170 Kingswood Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; 860-233-9631 Please address general comments to Sonya Adams, ext. 2815, e-mail adams.s@k-o.org. Send information for Class Notes or In Memoriam to Meghan Kurtich, ext. 5013, e-mail kurtich.m@k-o.org. Send address changes to Patricia Laros, ext. 5016, e-mail laros.p@k-o.org.

Editor: Sonya Adams | Class Notes Editors: Meghan Kurtich, Rob Kyff | Copy Editor: Rob Kyff | Graphic Design: Ford Folios Inc. Photography Credits: Richard Bergen Photography, Pam Bittner ’92, Nicole Kimball, Rob Kyff, Clay Miles, Samuel Stuart Photography, EB Taylor Photography, Chris Troianello 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. © 2011 by Kingswood Oxford School Inc. All rights reserved.

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letter from the head of school Two years after students, with excitement in their eyes, first entered the Chase ¡ Tallwood Science Math Technology Center, a long and intricate process concluded with KO emerging as one of the few schools in Connecticut to attain the distinguished LEED v2.0 Gold certification. Our science program has always been strong, yet this new stamp of excellence brings with it a challenge to ensure that it indeed must become a 21st century signature program.

It is difficult not to get caught up in the national concern that U.S. students are falling behind in mathematics and science in comparison with peers in China and India. Yet many KO alumni are clearly making remarkable contributions in the sciences, and witnessing the sophistication of many of our talented math and science students underscores that KO can and must play a key role in providing a dynamic and relevant program so our graduates continue to engage in scientific inquiry to help solve questions that, as yet, have no answers.

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We know that KO helps students become robust communicators, thinkers and leaders. Our Strategic Plan calls for curricular review and innovation so we continue to be exemplary in both the liberal arts and the sciences. Our academic departments are engaged in a comprehensive discourse, with the help of outside experts and in partnership with the Connecticut Science Center, about how to expand and enrich our curriculum further.

FIRST Robotics, marine biology, our greenhouse, astronomy, computer science, the newly established Community Sustainability Initiative, the beginning exploration of electives in pre-engineering, bioethics, “pre-pre-med� and similar subjects, and internships off campus are all part of the current KO science dialogue and universe. Programmatically we are striving for Gold.

Dennis Bisgaard Head of School

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the wonder of science Department chair, alumni dedicate lives to discovery

Goodman: ‘i'm a teacher; it's what i do' As a boy growing up in rural Illinois, Frederick “Fritz” Goodman scoured the rolling prairie land around his home for critters and plants. He unearthed fossilized plant stems at a construction site, caught butterflies with a net made from a coat hanger and watched small eggs, collected in a Tupperware container, hatch into tadpoles that turned into frogs.

Fritz Goodman, who started at KO in 1986, was named chair of the science department in 2010.

“My summers were full of exploring,” he said.

“I was just there, absorbing it. That just set the stage of what was to come.”

What was to come was a life devoted to the wonder of science – and to sharing that wonder with young people. As a teacher, coach, advisor and, since last year, science department chair, Goodman infuses KO students and colleagues with the pure joy of discovery.

When the intense heat of a lightning strike turned a patch of sand near campus into glass, for instance, Goodman led his A.P. Biology class to the site to marvel at the transformation. The class was studying anatomy at the time, so he told them to find pieces of glass shaped like body parts – an esophagus, a stomach, a brain. “He always provides that simple twist that gets you involved,” said senior Sarah Steinberg, who was a student in that class.

Goodman has never lost his awe at the mystery of science. “Science is simultaneously simple and complex,” he said. “I see beauty in the fact that there are patterns of nature but, within those patterns, almost infinite complexity. No one knows all there is to know about it. To me, it’s all art.”

Goodman’s authentic enthusiasm about science, said English teacher Alex Kraus, fires a similar

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passion in students. “He thinks biology is cool, fun and interesting,” Kraus said. “He’s a nerd about science in all the best senses of the word.”

Goodman’s career as a science teacher seems to have been predestined. He was born in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where his father photographed NASA’s rocket launches. When his parents divorced, he moved with his mother to Carbondale, Ill., where his grandfather taught music and his stepfather studied microbiology.

His parents and grandparents were all avid gardeners.

After one year at Kenyon College, his academic path became clear. “I didn’t pick biology as a major,” he said. “It picked me.” Goodman found relief from academic stress in cross country and track. “Running helped me learn to set goals and work toward achieving them,” he said. “If you can endure a five-mile race, you can endure a lot.”

As a Kenyon senior, while working as a lab assistant for the freshman biology course, he found his calling. “I loved it,” he said. “I like explaining things, the interaction with students. When I was in the position to help kids understand things, I realized I’m a teacher; it’s what I do.”

After graduating from Kenyon, Goodman taught science and coached for two years at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. Then, pursuing a lifelong dream, he left Berkshire in 1984 to join the Peace Corps. As a volunteer in the Philippines, he helped rural villagers build backyard fish farms that provided them with a ready source of protein. While there, he met and married his wife, Rose. When Goodman’s twoyear term in the Peace Corps ended in 1986, the

couple moved to the United States, where he landed a job teaching science at KO. Their two children, Emerson and Emily, graduated from KO in 2005 and 2007, respectively.

During his 25 years at the School, Goodman has taught biology, chemistry and environmental science, advised juniors and seniors, served as a form dean and coached track and cross country.

During the summers, he supervises student workers on the buildings and grounds crew. He has been head coach of boys’ varsity cross country since 1994, leading the team to several winning seasons and championships in many state and regional meets.

Coaching cross country fuses Goodman’s strengths: science, character and a love of nature. He begins each day’s practice with a 15-minute classroom session on a theme of the day, ranging from bloodoxygen levels to storage of glucose to the mechanics of the hip joint. His practice routines are precise, technical and intense. “I don’t always expect you to win every race,” he tells his runners, “but I do expect you to train like winners.”

He focuses on the mental side of running as well. “There was a sort of spirituality,” said Anders Peterson ’95, who captained Goodman’s first team.

“He would encourage us to make the connection between the body and the mind. We would do meditations to mentally go through the race before we ran it. He would push us to do things outside our comfort level. He helped me to be mentally tough, and it helps me to this day.”

When the team arrived for practice at the West Hartford reservoir on a glorious, crisp autumn afternoon, Peterson recalled, Goodman would often tell his runners to take a deep breath, tilt their ko WINTER 2011

heads to the sky and soak in the beauty of the moment.

Goodman brings this same inspiration to the classroom. “I like to create an intellectual scenario and have their brains on it,” he said. “I want them to think about it. I ask a lot of questions.

I want them to participate. Can you think of anything more meaningful than the development of intellect? I try to create an environment where they’re working hard, but it doesn’t seem like work.”

Goodman has a special knack for inspiring not only science-oriented students but also those with little initial interest in the subject. “He understands that chemistry isn’t everybody’s passion,” said junior Spencer Murray. “He uses little tricks to show us how things aren’t as complicated as they seem at the start. He has a great sense of humor and a story for every occasion, and the anecdotes stick in your mind.”

The 2009 relocation of the science department from the basement of the Roberts Center to the new Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center, Goodman said, has enriched the teaching of science at KO immeasurably.

“Being bathed in natural light every single day has been a huge psychological lift,” he said. “The SMART Boards, greenhouse and aquarium are effective teaching tools, and in the labs the flow of space, portable benches, ceiling outlets and multiple ports for computers accommodate a variety of teaching styles.”

KO’s science curriculum, he said, emphasizes creativity and collaboration, skills he believes to be essential to success in a rapidly changing world. The School’s science teachers, for instance, design labs to be open-ended, with students’ creating, performing and evaluating their own experiments. In recent years,

the department has introduced highly successful courses in marine biology, forensic science and robotics. “The essence of the robotics program is collaboration,” Goodman said.

During his quarter century at KO, Goodman has also emerged as a voice of character and compassion. When KO students stray from good citizenship in matters large or small, it’s Goodman who rises in an assembly or form meeting to remind them of the School’s core value of caring beyond self.

In an assembly last spring, he urged students to donate blood by describing a young boy hit by a car. The boy lost a kidney but his life was saved by blood transfusions. Only at the end of the story did he reveal that he was the boy.

“He’s the conscience of the School,” said chemistry teacher Dennis Sullivan. “No one tries harder to get it right, to think things through, to avoid cutting a corner.

He’s devoted to this school. He just cares so much about the people, the program and the place.”

Students say that Goodman provides them with a moral compass. “When I get into a difficult situation,” Murray said, “I ask, ‘What would Mr. Goodman say about this, what would he do?’ He’s something to strive to be.” KO

KO science department chair Fritz Goodman instructs an A.P. Biology class.

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devoted to students, research Shipman is as devoted to his students as he is to his stars. Rarely lecturing, he instead provides students with discussion questions, exercises and lab experiments that allow them to interact and explore the principles of science for themselves.

Shipman loves to bring groundbreaking science into the classroom. He still remembers his excitement when his Kingswood biology teacher, Mike Wade, told students about new research on DNA and RNA during the 1960s.

“It gave us a chance to see what was happening now,” he said.

Harry Shipman ’65 demonstrates a principle of physics to three University of Delaware students.

Harry Shipman ’65 remembers gazing at the night sky during his childhood. “I looked up at the sky and wondered what was there,” he said.

“And then I got a chance to find out.”

Find out he did. Shipman, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology, has taught astronomy and physics at the University of Delaware since 1975. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on white dwarfs – stars that were once like our sun but are now in the final stages of their life cycles.

These extremely hot, dense and distant stars, he said, provide clues not only to the future of our own sun and solar system, but also to another astronomical mystery. “One thing I hope to do,” Shipman said, “is to understand how white dwarfs cool. It’s one measure of the age of the universe.”

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He’s proud of the fact that in Gore Hall, a University of Delaware classroom building he helped design, not one of the 1,200 student desks is bolted to the floor. “You can see students working in small groups in any of the rooms,” he said.

In 2003, Shipman was one of six college professors nationwide to receive a National Science Foundation Director’s Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars, honoring professors who excel at undergraduate teaching as well as research.

Shipman has been a leader in promoting collaborative classroom learning, not only at the University of Delaware, but at elementary and secondary schools as well. He helped design Delaware’s statewide science curriculum and has led many workshops for public school science teachers.

During his free time, Shipman loves to ice skate at the University of Delaware rink, an apt metaphor for his graceful glide from cosmos to classroom. KO

energized by the environment When it comes to protecting the environment, Juliette Anthony ’57 is a force to be reckoned with. An expert on renewable energy and a passionate environmental activist in California for the past 20 years, she has vigorously advocated the adoption of solar and wind power, written articles exposing the financial and environmental costs of ethanol, and campaigned against the use of the cancer-causing gasoline additive MTBE. Juliette Anthony ’57

Anthony began her renewable energy advocacy career working with SPG Solar in Marin, Calif., in 1991. She has worked side by side with SunPower and First Solar, leaders in the solar field, to pass favorable solar legislation and regulation and has served on the boards of many nonprofits, including the Coalition for Clean Air and Marin Audubon. She and actor Ed Begley Jr., a longtime friend and fellow clean air advocate, recently began a statewide effort to promote energy-saving power strips.

In her frequent testimony before legislative and regulatory hearings at the California Capitol in Sacramento, she has confronted big oil and energy companies, earning their respect – and enmity.

Anthony, who spent the first part of her career as a librarian and researcher, traces her love of nature to girlhood days spent roaming Simsbury’s McLean Game Refuge, established by her uncle George McLean.

She credits her thinking and writing skills to her teachers at Oxford. “Edith Evans helped me so much with writing,” she said.

Although Anthony earned master’s degrees from Brown University and Simmons College, she holds no degrees in science. But she’s acquired the equivalent of a Ph.D., she says, through researching for publications such as Solar Times and Renewable Energy World, attending scientific conferences and working closely with experts at institutions such as the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies.

“Although I don’t have an academic science degree because the field of renewable energy didn’t exist when I was considering a career over 40 years ago, actual real-work opportunities and a willingness to learn opened the doors,” Anthony said. “I know how to do research, and I know how to ask questions. That’s where Oxford played a huge part.” KO

fascinated by physics As a math and physics major at Amherst College, John Ware ’07 became enthralled with high-energy physics, which studies the existence and interactions of subatomic particles and the laws of quantum mechanics that govern them.

John Ware ’07

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One of Ware’s particular interests is the quest of theoretical scientists to identify a unifying theory reconciling the general theory of relativity, which describes movement among large-scale objects, with the Standard Model, which mediates the interactions of subatomic particles.

“As far as we can tell,” he said, “the universe is very mathematical and has a lot of rich structure, which is pretty beautiful. That’s something I really love about it.”

Ware graduated last June from Amherst, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and won a multitude of academic distinctions including the Walker Prize in Mathematics (twice), the Bassett Physics Prize, the Stifler Prize for Physics and a Barry M. Goldwater scholarship. continued on page 7 5

making sense of the evidence When Anita Vailonis ’79, a forensic examiner for the State of Connecticut, arrives at the scene of a violent crime, she searches for any trace of evidence that might explain what happened – a human hair, a drop of blood, a stain.

All items that might provide clues are brought to the state crime lab in Meriden for further study. There Vailonis examines evidence for the presence of blood and other body fluids and determines which stains, through the study of pattern analysis, merit DNA testing. She works closely with other forensic specialists, fingerprint experts, weapons examiners and toxicologists.

“We work together to find some sort of linkage to prove that the victim and the suspect have come in contact,” she said. “The Holy Grail is to find the suspect’s fingerprint in the victim’s blood.”

collecting data in my head and remembering what I’ve observed,” she said.

The state crime lab where Vailonis and her fellow forensic examiners work is a surprisingly modest, nondescript building near Midstate Medical Center in Meriden. Displays in the hallways depict evidence from cases the crime lab has solved: the footprint on a victim’s jacket that led to a conviction in an execution-style murder, the garbage bag left near a body that matched a roll of garbage bags in the murderer’s kitchen, a bloody fingerprint on a tissue box that cracked the Penny Serra homicide case after 26 years.

When Vailonis is examining evidence, she tries to put the emotional aspects of the crime aside. “I look at it very clinically,” she said. “You remove yourself emotionally to get the job done. My only job is to find the evidence. When I look through that tunnel, it’s not emotional.”

Yet she says there’s a spiritual dimension to the process as well. “Sometimes you contemplate for a while,” she said, “and hope something comes to you beyond your technical knowledge.”

Her most satisfying moment, she said, is “when I find evidence that can help solve a case and provide closure for a victim’s family.”

Anita Vailonis ’79 is a forensic examiner at Connecticut’s crime lab, only four miles from the home in Middletown that she shares with husband Virgil Viets, who works in the health care industry. Outside of work, she enjoys playing tennis, growing Chinese peonies and frolicking with her dogs, Archie and Gabby.

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Her other specialty is comparing hair from the crime scene with hair from a suspect. Using a Leica comparison microscope that allows magnification of up to 400 times actual size, she’s able to study both samples side by side. She relies on her years of experience and intensive training by the FBI to carefully compare color, texture, size and structure.

The process is painstaking, intense and subjective. “As I examine the samples, I’m

Vailonis says her interest in science began in elementary school. “For a science fair project, I created a vacuum,” she said. “I loved it. I love the scientific method – from hypothesis, to creating an experiment, to seeing what the outcome is. In my job now, the investigators give me a hypothesis, and I perform experiments to see whether or not it’s true.”

As a KO student, where she was a three-sport athlete, Vailonis says she benefited from the fact that her three older sisters – Joyce ’75, Debbie ’76 and Donna ’78 – had preceded her at the School.

“They gave me the inside scoop on which courses to take,” she said. “And since one was good at

English and another good in art and another good at math, what else was there to be good at? I was left with sports and science.”

mitochondrial DNA profile also matches that individual, it strongly suggests that the individual is the source of the hair in question.

After graduating from KO, Vailonis earned a B.S. in biology and chemistry from St. Joseph College in West Hartford and then worked as a research assistant at the University of Connecticut Health Center. In 1987 she joined the staff of the state crime lab, working first as a chemist in the toxicology lab and later as a criminalist specializing in the analysis of blood and other body fluids. While working in the toxicology lab, she earned her M.S. in forensic science from the University of New Haven.

This system of analysis has allowed scientists to crack many cold cases. “The science has come such a long way in my career,” Vailonis said.

She became a forensic science examiner in 2005 and was one of eight people from across the country selected by the FBI to take its specialized course in the examination of hair in its main laboratory located on the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. “For four months, I ate, slept and breathed hair comparisons,” she said.

In the past, the usefulness of hair evidence was limited only to microscopic comparison. But now, because microscopic comparison and DNA technology can be piggybacked, hair is more important than ever in solving crimes. Before, scientists could isolate only DNA from the cell’s nucleus, and most hairs do not contain DNA. Now the sequencing and comparison of DNA located in the cells’ mitochondria is possible.

One of the biggest challenges of her job, she says, is testifying as a witness in highprofile trials in Connecticut and other states. Preparing to testify, she said, is “like studying for a final exam. You have to know everything. You’re asking, ‘How do I get the attorney to ask me the right question to effectively communicate to the jury the weight of my findings?’ ” Vailonis said popular television crime shows, such as “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation,” distort and glamorize the role of forensic scientists. “The people on those shows do it all,” she said. “They investigate, collect evidence, analyze evidence and practically put the handcuffs on the accused. That simply doesn’t happen.”

And she takes issue with stylish forensic scientists presented by the shows. “They arrive at the lab in designer clothes,” she said. “We schlep in here wearing scrubs and our old sneakers!”

fascinated by physics continued This fall, Ware began a prestigious oneyear master’s degree program in physics and mathematics at the University of Cambridge in England. Next year, he plans to begin Ph.D. studies in physics at an American university.

Ware says his long-term goal is to be a university professor who devotes equal time to teaching and research. “It’s something I would really enjoy and find meaningful,” he said.

Ware looks back fondly on his time at KO, particularly how veteran Kingswood Oxford math and physics teacher John Sherfinski stepped in to furnish one-on-one instruction after Ware successfully completed all of KO’s rigorous math courses.

In the process, Sherfinski provided Ware with a compelling model of a dedicated and compassionate teacher.

“He cared a lot about teaching well,” Ware said. “And I always felt that he cared a lot about me personally. He would always ask how my sports were going, whether I was happy. That really meant a lot to me.” KO

But the popularity of these programs, she says, has enhanced the visibility and “cool factor” of her profession. “At cocktail parties,” she said, “it’s a great conversational icebreaker. I’m very proud of my work, and I love what I do.” KO

Mitochondrial DNA is abundant in hair and is maternally inherited. It is not the unique identifier that nuclear DNA is, but when a questioned hair is matched microscopically to an individual and the ko WINTER 2011

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understanding the universe How was the universe created? Can a black hole ever emit light? Is matter composed of particles or strings?

Internationally renowned theoretical physicist Jarah Evslin ’93 lives in Beijing.

Jarah Evslin ’93, an internationally renowned theoretical physicist who lives in Beijing, ponders these fundamental questions every day.

He devotes most of his time to formulating, testing and analyzing models of the universe that try to explain its deepest mysteries.

He’s also having fun. “I spend a lot of time reading and thinking and traveling and hanging out with other physicists,” he said. “A lot of what I really enjoy doing counts as work.”

Evslin, who holds a B.S. in physics and math from the California Institute of Technology and an M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of California at Berkeley, has written or co-written scores of articles on high-energy physics and statistical mechanics for professional journals. He has presented his ideas at conferences in locales ranging from Azerbaijan to Argentina, and he has taught theoretical physics at universities and institutes in Italy, Australia, Croatia, Algeria, Belgium and Las Vegas.

A sampling of the titles of his journal articles provides a taste of the depth and complexity of his work: “Closed Timelike Curves in the Galileon Model,” “Vortices in (2+1)d Conformal Fluids,” “Cascading Quivers from Decaying D-branes,” “Puffed Noncommutative Nonabelian Vortices,” “Dial M for Flavor Symmetry Breaking.”

Wait a second. “Quivers”? “Puffed”? “Dial M” as in “Dial M for Murder”?

These surprisingly descriptive, even playful terms provide a clue to Evslin’s genius. For as esoteric and intricate as theoretical physics is, he’s uniquely gifted at explaining its concepts simply, in a way that the rest of us can understand.

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One question Evslin continually contemplates, for instance, is the failure of Einstein’s theory of gravitation to account for certain anomalies in the universe. “Why is the universe uniform in temperature,” he asks, “if parts of the universe are moving apart and never had contact? The current model really doesn’t work.”

Evslin thinks the answer may be as-yet undetected turbulence in the universe. “There may be eddies and vortices that are interacting, splitting up,” he said, as in a river. “In studying fluids, we can measure these forces very simply.

But nobody knows the analogous formulas for gravity. One place where such turbulence is going to show up is near the big bang. Finding out more about turbulence could change the paradigm of how the universe was formed.”

Evslin is also fascinated by string theory, which views the electrons and quarks within an atom not as particles but as oscillating lines (“strings”).

“Maybe gravity isn’t made of particles, but of something a bit softer, like strings,” he said.

“They can never really get too close to one another because they have finite size, which solves some of the problems particle theory has.”

Much of Evslin’s recent research has been devoted to studying and classifying D-branes, the extended surfaces where open strings may end.

His most recognized scientific insight, which has been cited more than 200 times by other physicists, came in 2003 when he published an article revising the standard model for the role of superconductivity in the “strong force,” which binds protons and neutrons together to form the nucleus of an atom.

But he’s most proud of his paper challenging the conventional theory that no light can ever escape the event horizon of a black hole.

“I showed that the mathematical formulas explaining this are inconsistent and that maybe some black holes don’t have event horizons and aren’t really dark after all.”

designs for the future of flight Thinking back to his years at KO, Evslin said he deeply appreciated the one-on-one instruction he received in algebra and calculus from veteran teachers Ted Levine and John Sherfinski before he started taking math at the University of Hartford during his sophomore year.

He says his love for international travel began when Levine and his wife, KO English teacher Lynne Levine, led him and other Middle School students to Estonia in 1991. “We were in Estonia on the day they declared their independence from the Soviet Union,” he said. “You don’t forget that.”

A year ago, Evslin moved from the Galileo Galilei Institute for Theoretical Physics in Pisa, Italy, to the Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing. He loves living in China, he said, because of its sense of optimism, respect for the value of scientific research, and cultural and geographic diversity. “In Beijing itself,” he said, “I sometimes feel as if I discover a new world every week.”

As for the future, he said, “I hope to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m a theorist. I spend my time reading and thinking.” KO

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As a structural analyst at Pratt & Whitney in Middletown, Kathleen DiSanto is helping to develop a new jet engine that could lead commercial aviation to a greener future.

Kathleen DiSanto ’03

In conventional jet engines, the fan, compressor and turbine all rotate at the same speed. But in Pratt & Whitney’s newest line of engines, the PW1000G series, a gearbox allows the fan to rotate at its optimal speed.

This means the engine burns less fuel, emits less carbon dioxide and produces less noise.

DiSanto, as a member of the Composite Structures group, is currently working on the design and development of the fan exit guide vanes (FEGVs) located aft of the fan that structurally support the engine and guide airflow from the fan.

It’s painstaking work. The composite structures have to be as light as possible to maximize fuel efficiency, but strong enough to endure the enormous loads and stresses of a jet engine at full throttle. DiSanto works with a team to generate models that simulate the loading conditions that the engine components are expected to experience during different stages of flight. These models are used to assess whether the part will survive as well as determine which areas of the design need adjustment.

Pratt & Whitney has promised to deliver the engine to customers in 2013, so she’s working on deadline as well. “Everyone feels a lot of pressure,” DiSanto said. “But I love the daily excitement of finishing a model and getting it to run.”

In pursuing her education and career in mechanical engineering, DiSanto has proven as strong and resilient as the composites she designs. She has always enjoyed math, an affinity that was nurtured by KO math teacher Denise Garcia. “I tend to get very obsessivecompulsive and perfectionistic,” DiSanto said, “and Mrs. Garcia encouraged me to relax.”

After a brief flirtation with the premed programs at Washington University in St. Louis, she settled on a mechanical engineering major because, she said, “it puts science and math to real-life applications. I liked how definitive it is. You learn the procedure and how to break the process down into its logical pieces.”

During college, she interned at Hamilton Sundstrand, an aerospace firm in Windsor Locks, and found time to earn certification as an emergency medical technician and serve on the university’s emergency response team.

Graduating from Washington with a 4.0 average, she returned to New England to earn a master’s degree in solid mechanics from Harvard University. In 2009 she joined Textron Defense Systems in Wilmington, Mass., where she helped design a structural mount for a laser to be placed on an aircraft and worked on the analysis of Textron’s design for the heat shield that was in competition for inclusion on NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

She moved to Pratt & Whitney in late 2010 and now lives in West Hartford with her husband, Ryan Brodeur ’01, a teacher of French and Spanish at Xavier High School in Middletown.

Despite the challenge and pressure of working on a development program, she says she loves her job. “I’m definitely never bored,” she said.

“I like it that I’m constantly pushing myself, and I feel that I get better and better every day.” KO 9

Tager offered ‘selfless commitment' During his two-year term as board chair, Les Tager guided Kingswood Oxford through a comprehensive self-study and the formulation of its long-term strategic plan – two key initiatives that have shaped a bright and strong future for the School. The self-study completed in 2009 helped the School identify its strengths and priorities, and these were reflected in the Strategic Plan announced last year.

Les Tager P ’00, ’03

“They were both completed at about the same time, and they complemented each other,” Tager said. “The support of the board members in coordinating and leading these two projects was just tremendous. They were dedicated and passionate, and they all worked hard for the School.”

Tager first became involved with KO when his two daughters, Debby ’00 and Diane ’03, enrolled at the School. “I saw my children gain skills and confidence that they now use in their careers,” he said.

After joining the KO board in 2003, he chaired its finance committee, co-chaired the committee that brought Dennis Bisgaard to KO in 2006 and served as vice chair of the board before being named board chair in 2009, succeeding Agnes Peelle.

During the recent turmoil in the nation’s financial markets, Tager provided a steady hand on the School’s helm. Under his guidance, the board’s finance committee, led by Timothy Holt, worked with Colleen Woerlen, KO’s business manager, to modify the School’s investment profile in an orderly and deliberate way.

Meanwhile, the board’s audit committee, chaired

by Stephen Hazard, upgraded the School’s employee pension and benefits plans, while the advancement committee, under Brad Hoffman ’78, worked with Director of Institutional Advancement Debby Hyde ’68 to provide more focus for the School’s fundraising, an effort that

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helped produce a record $1,148,480 in gifts to the KO Fund in 2010-2011.

The campus planning committee, chaired by Avery Rockefeller, led the development of the Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center, which was completed and opened just after Tager became chair. That committee also led the renovations to the Nicholson Building, the lower floor of the Roberts Center and the top floor of Seaverns Hall completed this fall.

Some of Tager’s duties as board chair were a bit more fun. He presided over the School’s celebration of its centennial in 2009-2010, including the Centennial Gala attended by more than 600 alumni, parents, faculty, staff and trustees. “All the good will there was wonderful,” he said of that event.

A licensed professional engineer, electrical contractor and real estate broker, Tager is now retired from day-to-day operations of the partnership where he was senior vice principal and partner.

As he steps down from the board, he says he is proud to have continued the high standards set

by Peelle and to leave the board in good hands under new chair Avery Rockefeller.

“The enthusiasm and dedication of the talented board members,” Tager said, “made it a real privilege to be a part of that board. They love the School, but they also like each other. I’m thrilled that Avery was able to take over. The School has a wonderful future.”

Head of School Dennis Bisgaard praised Tager’s leadership through the recent economic crisis.

“Les remained grounded and calm,” he said, “and his financial acumen was a true asset.

In leading the KO board, he brought selfless commitment, compassion and a willingness to do whatever needed to place KO in the best possible position.” KO

Rockefeller elected board chair

Avery Rockefeller P ’00, ’02

Avery Rockefeller joined the KO board of trustees in the summer of 2000. As chair of the board’s campus planning committee, Rockefeller helped plan and oversee the construction of the Estes Family Middle School Building and the Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center as well as shape portions of the School’s current Strategic Plan. He also co-chaired with Les Tager the head of school search committee that brought Dennis Bisgaard to KO in 2006.

Now, as the newly elected board chairman, he’ll guide and support the efforts of Bisgaard and the trustees to implement that Strategic Plan and seek the resources to achieve its objectives.

A native of Greenwich, Conn., and a graduate of the Wooster School in Danbury, Conn., and Franconia College in New Hampshire, Rockefeller earned his M.B.A. at the University of Denver with a concentration in real estate and finance.

During the 1970s and 1980s, he worked for the developer of a retirement community in Annapolis, Md., for the urban investment division of Connecticut Mutual Life and for Oakleaf Development. In 1989, he co-founded Retirement Living Services, a firm that develops and manages retirement communities. He sold his company in 2009 and retired, though he still does occasional consulting work.

He and his wife, Monica, a librarian at Morley School in West Hartford, have two children: Patrick ’00, a Defense Department analyst in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Sara ’02, a teacher of English as a second language in Washington, D.C.

different people, but, in both cases, KO allowed them to be themselves and define themselves.

Both greatly benefited from that process and experience.”

The School’s greatest strengths, Rockefeller believes, are the leadership of Dennis Bisgaard, its position as one of the few private day schools in a region with many boarding schools and its dedicated and talented faculty. “Through an interactive partnership of teachers and parents and in a supportive community of their peers,” he said, “KO students learn both academic and life skills that give them a tremendous advantage when they go off to college.”

The School’s new Strategic Plan, he said, identifies a number of key priorities. Among them are: examining the School’s affordability in today’s economy; increasing the investment in our teaching resources; and continuing to broaden our community outreach.

The plan also calls for the clarification of the School’s “value proposition” – the inherent worth students and parents find in a KO education. “We need to sharpen the definition of the value of a KO education as we move forward through these challenging economic times,” he said.

Achieving these goals will require increased financial giving. “We need to invest in our faculty and new programs,” he said, “as well as find new ways to increase financial aid for talented students.”

With the Strategic Plan firmly in place, Rockefeller sees a bright future for KO. “We have a lot of great challenges ahead of us,” he said, “but we have some wonderfully talented people on the board, faculty and staff to successfully address and overcome these challenges.” KO

His children’s experiences at KO inspired him to join the School’s board. “They both thrived here and grew here,” he said. “They’re very ko WINTER 2011

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KO board welcomes new trustee

Marc Shafer ’75, P ’08, ’15, ’17

Marc Shafer ’75, P ’08, ’15, ’17 is an entrepreneur who is currently the director of Lincoln Waste Solutions, an environmental firm with multiple locations across the United States and Canada that specializes in managing waste-disposal needs of clients. From 1997 to 2008, Shafer was president of Dawn Enterprises, which produces a line of high-quality stone aggregate and concrete, ecologically friendly receptacles and planters. Dawn is currently the single-source provider for International Dairy Queen, Arby’s and Sonic. Other clients include McDonald’s, Burger King and Cumberland Farms. Prior to his work for Dawn, Shafer was president of Farmington-based Accr-A-Data.

Shafer is currently a graduate student at Trinity College. He was selected as one of four students to research and produce a book outlining Connecticut’s participation in the Civil War, which was published for the war’s sesquicentennial in 2011. He will be awarded a master’s degree in history from Trinity in December.

Shafer serves as chairman of the board of the San Juan Youth Center and has served on the board of directors for Central Connecticut State University Institute of Technology since 1996. He is an active volunteer in the Connecticut Department of Corrections and served on the board of directors of the Connecticut Opera from 2005 to 2008. He is married to KO alumna Laura Jones Shafer ’75, P ’08, ’15, ’17 and has three children: Andrew ’08, David ’15 and Jane ’17. KO

2 named trustees emeriti

Alyce F. Hild P ’80, ’82, ’91, GP ’07, ’11, ’14

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Alyce F. Hild P ’80, ’82, ’91, GP ’07, ’11, ’14, who served on KO’s board of trustees from 1989 to 2000, is the executive director of Loaves & Fishes Ministries.

She received her B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. in education from the University of Hartford. She also serves as an educational consultant for the Leslie Jayne Meoni School Bus Safety Foundation. Hild is a corporator of the Hartford Seminary Women’s Board and of the Visiting Nurse Association Group. She also is a member of the League of Women Voters and the Hartford Junior League, and she serves as a deacon at Asylum Hill Congregational Church.

She has served on numerous boards, including those of the Visiting Nurse Association Group, the West Hartford YMCA, the West Hartford Street Ministry and West Hartford Community

Television. She and her husband, David H. Hild, M.D., live in West Hartford and have three children and six grandchildren.

William H. Goldfarb ’64, who served on KO’s board of trustees from 1998 to 2006, is a principal of HRW Resources, a real estate investment firm. After graduating from Kingswood, he received his B.A. from Colby College and his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He also has served on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and the Jewish Community Foundation. He is, and has been for many years, a trustee of Colby College.

He lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with his wife, Maureen. KO

new faces in the KO community Ben Adams, KO’s new head boys’ varsity ice hockey coach, is a graduate of Indiana University with a B.S. in exercise science and is very close to completing a master’s degree at the United States Sports Academy. As part of his master’s program, Adams assisted the strength and conditioning coach for the Connecticut Whale this past winter. He served for three years as the assistant coach of the Central Connecticut State University men’s hockey team and for the past two years as the head coach, leading the 2009-2010 team to a national runnerup finish in the American Collegiate Hockey Association championships. At KO, Adams also runs the strength and conditioning sessions in the fall and spring seasons, serves as the collegiate athletic advisor and helps teach Upper School health classes.

Jeanne Auerbach comes to KO as a school nurse. Auerbach, who holds a B.S. in early childhood development from the University of Vermont, started her career teaching preschool and kindergarten in Colorado. She then decided to move into nursing and earned a B.S.N. from Columbia University’s School of Nursing.

Her nursing experience includes time working at New York-Presbyterian’s children’s hospital, and in home health care and managed health care. She also has a wealth of experience working in West Hartford nonpublic schools, most recently serving as Hebrew High School of New England’s first school nurse. Prior to that, she worked at St. Brigid School in West Hartford. This past summer, she served as a camp nurse at the Merriwood Camp for Girls in New Hampshire.

Jessica Cappelli, a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a B.A. in philosophy, is our new assistant to the Office of College Advising. Cappelli brings a wealth of experience as an administrative support professional in a variety of work settings, particularly in educational ones. Most recently Cappelli worked for the East Haddam Public Schools and Regional School District No. 17 in this role.

Kyle Chapman, a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in human development and family relations, the Los Angeles Unified School District Intern Program, and Columbia Teachers College Reading & Writing Project, joins KO to teach, advise and coach in the Middle School. Chapman has eight years of experience teaching in independent schools, most recently at The Foote School in New Haven and Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, N.J. He teaches geography and Form 1 English at the Middle School, advises in Upper Prep and coaches soccer and basketball.

A graduate of The College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in psychology, Meredith Crowther was an accomplished field hockey player while at Holy Cross, where she captained the team during her junior and senior years, was selected as the Patriot League defensive player of the year during her senior year and earned the most valuable player award for her team during her senior year among her many other honors. After working for several years in the banking/financial corporate world, Crowther is KO’s new head varsity field hockey coach.

Ben Adams

Jeanne Auerbach

Jessica Cappelli

Kyle Chapman

Meredith Crowther ko WINTER 2011

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Connor Frost

Will Gilyard

Julie Kindl

Jason Martinez

Todd Millen 14

Connor Frost is a recent graduate of Connecticut College, where he earned a B.A. in East Asian studies that included a minor in music. During his time at Connecticut College, Frost took advantage of a summer language program at Middlebury after his freshman year along with an intensive language program in Beijing during the spring semester of his sophomore year. Last year he student-taught Chinese at a multicultural magnet school in New London. All of these experiences have prepared him to teach Chinese to both Middle and Upper School students at KO. Frost also assists with the Middle School intramural ice hockey program and the boys’ Middle School lacrosse team and advises in Upper Prep.

A graduate of Williams College, Will Gilyard just completed his seventh year at The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he taught math for four years, worked as dean of students for two years and then served as head of the upper school for another two years. Gilyard teaches Algebra 1 and Geometry Advanced in the Upper School, serves as an assistant coach for the varsity football team as well as an assistant coach for the track-and-field teams, and advises in Form 3.

After graduating from Central Connecticut State University this past May with a B.S. in athletic training, Julie Kindl joins our athletic staff as a trainer.

Kindl’s clinical experiences include more than 1,500 hours rotating through various men’s and women’s teams at Central Connecticut, involving both medical and concussion evaluations, injury rehabilitation, team preparation, and practice and game coverage. In addition, Kindl interned at Southington High School during the past winter and spring sport seasons.

Jason Martinez is KO’s new head varsity football coach. After serving first as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Crosby High School in Waterbury for two years, Martinez was appointed head football coach there and served in that position for the past five years. He is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a B.S. in physical education and, in addition to his coaching duties here, works as a physical education teacher at North End Middle School in Waterbury.

Todd Millen completed his undergraduate work in music education at Northwestern University before pursuing his master’s degree in trombone performance at New England Conservatory. For the past 12 years, Millen has been an active freelance trombonist and public school band director in the Boston area.

He has performed with many of the area’s regional symphonies, including the Albany Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Boston Philharmonic orchestras. In addition Millen was awarded the Marilla MacDill award for outstanding teaching and community service as part of his work with after-school wind ensembles composed of Boston Public School students. Millen directs the Upper School Concert Band and the Middle School Concert and Jazz Bands, teaches Upper School music theory and coordinates the private lesson program for both divisions.

A graduate of Hamilton College with a B.A. in Hispanic studies and of Middlebury College with an M.A. in Spanish, Kate Pallin teaches Spanish, coaches and advises at the Middle School. Pallin spent the last three years teaching all levels of Spanish at Fairfield Country Day School in Fairfield and leading language learning trips to Spain with Putney Student Travel. She teaches Spanish A and B, advises in Form 1 and assists in coaching cross country and basketball.

Parth Sharma comes to KO to coach boys’ varsity and J.V. squash. Sharma played squash for the past four years at Trinity College, which last year won its 13th consecutive College Squash Association National Team Championship. Sharma, who is set to receive his bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity in December, has given private squash instruction to local students and has played in tournaments around the world, in locations including Scotland, England, Malaysia and New Zealand. (not pictured)

After teaching English to Spanish native speakers at both the middle and high school levels for the past two years in Cordoba, Spain, Gillian Ritter returns to KO to teach Spanish and to coach.

A 2005 KO graduate, Ritter went on to Denison University, where she earned her B.A. in communications and Spanish.

She teaches a section of Spanish 2 and has several coaching assignments, including assisting with the girls’ Middle School and J.V. soccer teams, the girls’ varsity basketball team, and the girls’ Middle School and varsity lacrosse teams.

Rebecca Urrutia is a choral director, professional pianist and vocal coach. She has been singing and working in the choral arena for more than 15 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the Ithaca College School of Music, where she worked for three years with the Ithaca College Women’s Chorale under nationally acclaimed director Janet Galvan. She went on to work as a director for the Treblemakers Children’s Chorus for four years and has worked with highly lauded choral composers. She teaches more than 35 private piano and voice students at her studio and has worked as the musical director for theater companies in Connecticut and New York. At KO, she works with Voce Novissima.

A member of the KO Class of ’94, Greg Scranton returns to teach media arts.

Scranton is a graduate of Oberlin College, where he earned a B.A. in studio art.

In 2004 he earned his M.F.A. from the University of Minnesota and has been an assistant professor teaching media arts at Ursinus College since 2005. At the Upper School, Scranton teaches a variety of creative arts classes, including Introduction to Studio Art, Projects in Photography and Media Arts Honors, and Drawing. His teaching focus at the Middle School includes art classes for Forms 1 and 2 along with Media Arts and Design Technology, both computerbased classes. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he serves as an assistant coach for the boys’ varsity ice hockey team as well as the boys’ J.V. lacrosse team and advises in Form 5.

Ron Zeltner, a graduate of Rutgers University with degrees in physics and in English, has taught physics and chemistry during the past several years at a few different high schools in New Jersey and from that brings a wealth of teaching experience to KO. Most recently, Zeltner taught physics and served as a dorm parent at the EF International Academy in Tarrytown, N.Y., a school that follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Zeltner teaches chemistry and physics in the Upper School and serves as assistant coach for the boys’ cross-country team and the track-and-field teams. KO

Kate Pallin

Gillian Ritter

Greg Scranton

Rebecca Urrutia

Ron Zeltner ko WINTER 2011

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varsity spring SPORTS

baseball

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Coaches: Steve Cannata, Andy Carr Captains: Mike Coscarelli ’11, Kevin DeVivo ’11, Mike Humphreys ’11 Seniors: Cory Brewer, Coscarelli, DeVivo, Humphreys, AJ Volpe Record: 3-10 Robert O’Brien Award for Baseball: Humphreys M.I.P.: Volpe Captains next season: Austin Bronson ’12, Marcus Pugliese ’12

Record: 11-5 overall; 8-0 in Fairchester League; Fairchester League champions Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club Award: James Barlow, Florian M.I.P.: Jordan Barlow ’12 Captains next season: Jordan Barlow, Christopher Macca ’12, Taylor Waybright ’12

girls' lacrosse

Coaches: Cathy Schieffelin, Garth Adams Captains: Casey Calkins ’11, Liz Dietz ’11, Emily Howard ’11 Seniors: Calkins, Dietz, Howard, Savannah Berger, Caroline Meade Record: 6-7 Girls’ Softball Award: Dietz M.I.P.: Allison Mendola ’12 Captain next season: Kim Spring ’12

Coach: Tim Allerton Captains: Nicole Barlow ’11, Kristen Barry ’11, Jenn Townsend ’11 Seniors: Barlow, Barry, Victoria Eatherton, Kara Gardiner, Chloe Glover, Emily Gutermann, Erica Katz, Lauren Marchetti, Brenna Merola, Charlotte Olson, Townsend Record: 5-10 Girls’ Lacrosse Award: Barry M.I.P.: Townsend Captains next season: Kaleigh Cannon ’12, Katie Morgan ’12

boys' lacrosse

boys' tennis

Coaches: John Gormley, David Hild ’80, Glen Damboise, Brian Damboise Captains: James Barlow ’11, Dylan Florian ’11, Alex Gitlin ’11, Steve Hild ’11, Chris Toppi ’11 Seniors: Barlow, Tyler Blake, Nick Caswell, Florian, Gitlin, Hild, Chris Miles, Adam Sykura, Toppi, Dan Turner, Jackson Waskowitz

Coach: Andrew Krugman ’86 Captains: Hunter Morgan ’12, Aaron Paley ’11, Mark Toubman ’13 Seniors: Tony Giunta, Alex Goldsmith, Paley Record: 8-8 Boys’ Tennis Award: Morgan, Toubman M.I.P.: Paley Captains next season: Morgan, Toubman

softball

girls' tennis

girls' track and field

Coach: Ronald Garcia Captains: Emily Gottlieb ’11, Dayna Lord ’13, Claudia Silvers ’11 Seniors: Hannah Fiske, Gottlieb, Suzanne Jacobson, Silvers, Emily Steinberg Record: 11-2; New England Prep School champions, Founders League champions M.V.P.: Dayna Lord, Melissa Lord ’15, Silvers M.I.P.: Catherine Boyle ’12, Gottlieb Captains next season: Boyle, Dayna Lord, Zarah Mohamed ’12

Coaches: Alex Kraus, David Baker, Kata Franczyk, Joe Johnson, Emory Mort, Jeff Perlis, Elizabeth Tredeau Captains: Jade Brown ’11, Victoria Stoj ’11 Seniors: Brown, Farwa Naqvi, Stoj Record: 11-1; Division III New England Prep School Track Association runner-up Girls’ Track and Field Award: Brown, Stoj M.I.P.: Sam Pinkes ’14 Captains next season: Kelly Lessard ‘12, Carolyn Marcello ‘12

boys' track and field

golf

Coaches: Alex Kraus, David Baker, Kata Franczyk, Joe Johnson, Emory Mort, Jeff Perlis, Elizabeth Tredeau Captains: Ben Andaya ’11, Matt Gauthier ’11, Zach Punt ’11 Seniors: Andaya, Shehmeer Ayaz, Gabe Banevicius, Louis Boisvert, Pat Freeman, Gauthier, Eric Kravetz, Punt Record: 7-5; fourth place at Division III New England Prep School Track Association Championships Boys’ Track and Field Award: Punt M.I.P.: Billy LaVoice ’13 Captains next season: Brandon Best ‘12, Sam McKeown ‘12

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Coach: Scott Dunbar Captain: John Jackopsic ’11 Seniors: Jackopsic, Ryan Marinelli, Josh Paldino, Tom Romano Record: 14-9-1; K.I.T. champions, Founders League champions Mark Dixon Golf Award: Jackopsic Captain next season: T.B.A.

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reunion 2011 Hundreds of alumni return each year to reconnect with the School, classmates and faculty, and this year was no exception. From the Oxford Chat to the boys’ alumni lacrosse game and from the bouncy house to the family cookout, Reunion 2011 offered something for everyone. KO

ADVANCEMENT

Distinguished alumni award winners Judith Stoughton Wawro ’41, P ’57, ’66, ’70 and Pat Flaherty ’51 P ’82, ’86, ’14 (Nancy Boots Edwards-Cogswell ’56, not pictured)

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Kingswood 1961 classmates Francis Pandolfi, Bob Pettigrew and Eric Von Salzen

Kingswood 1951 classmates Chuck Leonard, Donald Fairbairn and Storrs Brigham

Oxford 1956 classmates Edith Wilcock Patrick, Sally David Ardrey, Lucy Ann Read, Nancy Austin Reed and Jane Brandon Pfaff

Penny Quarrier, David Quarrier ’61, Francis Pandolfi ’61 and Bob Ames ’61

Celebrating their 50th Reunion at lunch, Larry Cathles, Dave Trask, Bob Pettigrew, David Quarrier, Bernie Trafford and Bob Ames

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Vivian Hathaway Crouse ’51 and Margaret Stedman Doherty ’41

The 2011 Octopipers performing at the morning assembly

Members of the Class of 1981 in front of the Roberts Center

Michael Brown ’81, Chris Sato-Perry ’81 and Matthew Juros ’81

Jackson Waskowitz ’11, Bob Waskowitz ’78, P ’11, ’13, ’15 and Jacob Waskowitz ’13 19

ADVANCEMENT

Enjoying the illusionist

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The 2011 boys’ alumni lacrosse teams

An Oxford Chat in Oxford Hall

Steve Quish ’06, Kevin Thorson ’06 and Spanish teacher Lynn Schork

The boys’ alumni lacrosse game

Members of the Class of 1951 and their wives celebrating their 60th

Robert Seide ’76, Martin Coursey ’76 and Jim Goldberg ’76

Head of School Dennis Bisgaard at the dinner in Mead Dining Hall

Lindsay Thomson ’06, Kim Thomson P ’03, ’06 and Bill Thomson ’71, P ’03, ’06

Tenley Fisher Prince ’91, Nicole Tillinghast Jenkins ’91, Stacey Silver ’91 and Lindsey Ronald ’91

Ed Wasielewski ’91, John Godbout ’91, Rob Kyff, Bryson Hull ’91, Mike Gallagher ’91 and Stacey Silver ’91 ko WINTER 2011

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ADVANCEMENT

Stacey Silver ’91, Jessica Hild Collins ’91 and Wendy Scranton Baumert ’91

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Members of the Class of 2006 singing “Happy Birthday” to Tom Obando ’06

Brendan Blair ’91, Ed Wasielewski ’91 and Vonetta Daniels ’91

Anne Epstein, Jason Epstein ’91, Brett Rubin ’91 and Laurie Rubin

Founding members of the Octopipers Nancy Austin Reed ’56, Katrina Shaffer Beaghen ’56, Jane Brandon Pfaff ’56 and Lucy Ann Read ’56 with current Octopipers director Marcos Carreras at the women’s 55th Reunion

supporting KO Friends gather to celebrate life, legacy of Jeff Bittner ’92 On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept.

11 terrorist attacks, family and friends of Jeffrey Bittner ’92 gathered at Harbour Lights in New York City to honor his life and legacy. Bittner died while working at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He was a young man fiercely dedicated to his family and friends, and he had a passion for travel and sports. He dreamed to one day help those in need.

Jeff Bittner in 2001

Photos bottom left to right: Pam and Jeff Bittner at their 1992 graduation Pam Bittner ’92, Ryan D’Agostino ’93 and Michael D’Agostino ’92 at the New York City event Michael D’Agostino ’92, Wendy Kula ’92 and Griffin Fernandez in New York City

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During the past 10 years, Bittner’s family and friends have supported the legacy he so dearly wanted to leave behind. In his name they have established scholarships for at-risk youth in New York City and for students at his grammar school, at Middlebury College and now at Kingswood Oxford School. “Jeff was passionate about education and planned to one day help provide children the great foundation he was given,” said Pam Bittner ’92, Jeff Bittner’s twin sister. “Establishing a fund at KO closes the scholarship circle created in Jeff’s honor. He knew KO played a huge part in all his successes.”

Pam Bittner worked tirelessly with friends planning and fundraising for the New York City event to celebrate and commemorate her brother, whom she described as a rare man who truly cared about people. The evening’s program took form organically, with friends sharing how Jeff Bittner had affected their lives. Michael D’Agostino ’92 and Ryan D’Agostino ’93 spoke

together of their close friendships with him. Joan Edwards, currently KO’s senior associate director of admission and diversity, inclusion and cultural competency advisor, was Jeff Bittner’s freshman advisor and attended the event. “It was very special and touching to be there at this key moment and listen to the stories about Jeff,” she said. “As a freshman, he had a caring spirit at his core, and it clearly continued to blossom as he grew into an amazing man.”

The evening was a great catalyst to raise money for the new KO scholarship established in his name, The Jeffrey D. Bittner Memorial Scholarship. A scholar athlete, sports editor for the KO News, senior prefect, Primus Medal winner and Middlebury College graduate, he was a friend to all. His quiet confidence and selflessness inspired others to show humility in the face of triumph and compassion in times of need. His scholarship will be awarded to students who exemplify traits that were important to him and who demonstrate an interest in business, world affairs and community volunteer involvement.

Family and friends will continue to raise funds for the scholarship through June, when he would have celebrated his 20th Reunion at KO. Jeff Bittner touched many lives, and through the scholarships in his name, his legacy will continue. KO

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a conversation with… Doug Harris ’77 Where did you go after Kingswood Oxford School? I went to Tufts University and majored in economics and sociology. I also co-captained the basketball team there.

Doug Harris ’77

What did you do after college, and what are you currently doing? My first employment was in sales and management with Procter & Gamble. I then went into executive search, focusing on minority recruitment. For the last 20 years I have been a diversity consultant. I am currently the CEO of The Kaleidoscope Group, a full-service diversity and inclusion consulting firm headquartered in Chicago.

ADVANCEMENT

What was the most satisfying moment in your professional life? Owning my own business has been very satisfying. It has given me a chance to lead an organization where caring for people comes first and productive meaningful work will follow.

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What was the most satisfying moment in your personal life? I have seven children, six boys and one girl. My girl is the youngest. As much as I love my sons, having a daughter was special. I also married my wife twice. We were together for 11 years, apart for 11 years and now we have been remarried for five years. Correcting that divorce mistake was extremely satisfying.

What is your next goal in life? I have three goals.

One is to teach teachers how to value different students, to empower the homeless to either enter or return to a personally satisfying place in life, and to inspire those who are over 50 to continue to live an active and healthy life.

What is the most important lesson in life?

I believe love is the most powerful element of life. If you give as much as you can, you will never have a void in your life.

What do you look forward to most in life?

Working with my wife to improve the lives of the homeless

Who influenced you the most? Both of my parents influenced me but very differently. My mother was the most unselfish person I ever knew. Her joy in life came from looking out for others. My father was a steady rock. He remained cool and was very dependable.

What’s the last book you read? I am not a big reader. I am currently writing a book called “Managing Privilege,” which should be out in the spring.

What is your favorite song, or who is your favorite artist right now? It is a gospel song titled “Give My Life Away.”

What’s your favorite KO memory? Making a speech my senior year on MLK Day and winning three K.I.T. championships What is your favorite spot on campus? It used to be called the Common Room in the Roberts Center.

Who were the KO teachers who had the greatest influence on you? Todd Rosenthal and Joel Lorden; Dan Doyle was my basketball coach, and I still see him as a mentor today.

How have you changed since graduation? I respond versus react. I have always been a passionate person, and I have learned how to channel that passion with thoughtful responses.

What message do you have for the KO community? Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the community. As an inner city youth, I am so grateful to have attended KO, and I know my life would not have been the same if I had not.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to current KO students? You are fortunate to be a student at KO, and you will one day be a leader in some part of this society. Please utilize your education and experience to influence the life of someone else in a positive and meaningful way. KO

annual chips tradition continues Alumni with children and grandchildren entering Kingswood Oxford School as students gathered for the annual Chips off the Block breakfast reception on Sept. 6. The tradition highlights the wonderful legacy of a KO education and has been welcoming alumni back to campus for more than 20 years. KO Maitland Bailey ’18 and Judy Lindsay Bailey ’82, P ’18; Elizabeth Charette ’18 and Lynn Mather Charette ’82, P ’14, ’18; Timothy Bucknam ’17 and Andy Bucknam ’82; Luka Mrvic ’18 and Elenor Coburn Smith ’51, GP ’08, ’10, ’12, 15, ’18 (Laurence Smith ’45, GP ’08, ’10, ’12, 15, ’18, not pictured); Elizabeth Hammer ’18 and Joe Hammer ’78, P ’13, ’18

classic

Many members of the Kingswood Oxford community participated in the 2011 KO Classic golf tournament at The Hartford Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 12. This year’s event was presented by FIP Construction, with lunch sponsorship provided by Hoffman Auto and a dinner reception sponsorship provided by Data-Mail Inc.

The players and sponsors enjoyed a beautiful day on the course. At the evening’s reception, prizes were given to the first-, second- and third-place teams as well as for the longest drive and closest to the pin.

This year’s KO Classic champion was the team of Jeremy Soboleski ’94, Ken “Chip” Harrison ’94, Chris Harrison ’94 and Chris Fryer ’94.

In second place was the team of Matt Maulucci ’05, Kyle Parsons ’05, Chas Bellingrath ’03 and Dave Marshall ’03, and in third place was the team of Jason Sardilli ’94, Russ Nemarich ’94 and Corry Gallagher ’92.

KO would again like to thank all of the players and sponsors for participating in the tournament! KO Photos top to bottom: The first-place winning team of ’94 classmates Chip Harrison, Jeremy Soboleski, Chris Harrison and Chris Fryer Head of School Dennis Bisgaard with the second-place team of Chas Bellingrath ’03, Dave Marshall ’03, Matt Maulucci ’05 and Kyle Parsons ’05 Charlie Hartigan ’71, P ’91, ’99, ’01, Nancy Weinstein P ’91, Laura Estes P ’98 and Bob Stiehler P ‘87, ’91 in front of the hole-in-one car sponsored by Hoffman Audi

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governor helps celebrate leed gold certification Kingswood Oxford School welcomed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy at a ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 21 to recognize the awarding of LEED v2.0 Gold certification for KO’s Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center.

During the ceremony, Malloy announced a special proclamation detailing the certification.

The governor was joined by other area leaders, including West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka, state Sen. Beth Bye and Connecticut Science Center President and CEO Matt Fleury.

Arnold Chase, a lead donor to the facility and the parent of KO alumni, also attended the ceremony, as did other donors, KO graduates and members of the School community. KO

ADVANCEMENT

Avery Rockefeller P ’00, ’02, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Dennis Bisgaard P ’16

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Dennis Bisgaard P ’16, Arnold Chase P ’98, ’00, ’05, ’07, Avery Rockefeller P ’00, ’02 and Mayor Scott Slifka

Awaiting the start of the ceremony

Chris Gent P ’03, ’08 and Diane Adinolfi Gent ’72, P ’03, ’08 and Nancy Fischbach and Martin Wolman P ’80, ’82, ’84, ’88

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Mayor Scott Slifka, Dennis Bisgaard P ’16 and Sen. Beth Bye

reception honors KO donors KO hosted its annual donor recognition event Wednesday, Sept. 21 in Mead Dining Hall.

Among the distinguished guests were members of KO’s planned giving society, the NicholsonMartin Circle; the capital and endowment supporters; and leadership donors to the FY11 KO Fund.

Sentiments of inspiration and gratitude were expressed by Debby Hyde ’68, P ’99, ’02, ’04,

director of institutional advancement; Dennis Bisgaard P ’16, head of school; Brad Hoffman ’78, chair of the advancement committee and vice chair of the board of trustees; Avery Rockefeller P ’00, ’02, chair of the board; and creative arts teacher Lud Baldwin P ’00, ’02, ’05. The message of thank you was expressed in individual ways. KO would not be the amazing place it is today if not for the continued support of its leadership donors. KO

Rick Berry ’59 and Pat Flaherty ’51, P ’82, ’86, ’14

Jim and Judy Miller P ’12, Ann Coolidge Randall ’73, P ’13 and Ron Randall P ’13, and Vicki Florian P ’11, ’15

Jeff Hires P ’06, ’12, Brad Hoffman ’78 and Kathy Hoffman, and Donna Hires P ’06, ’12 ko WINTER 2011

Agnes Peelle P ’01, ’03, Dennis Bisgaard P ’16, Avery Rockefeller P ’00, ’02 and Monica Bisgaard P ’16

Jim Lyon ’48, Judith Stoughton Wawro ’41, P ‘57, ’66, ’70, Bill Seawright ’59 and Bill McClellan ’37 27

a day in the life for grandparents, friends

ADVANCEMENT

Middle School students welcomed grandparents and special friends on Wednesday, Oct. 12 to experience a day in their lives at KO. Guests attended morning assembly and were welcomed by Head of School Dennis Bisgaard, newly elected Middle School Student Government President Jimmy Woods ’16 and Director of the Middle School Jane Repp and enjoyed the sounds of the Middle School Jazz Band. The group then attended classes in the Estes Family Building and later dined in the Mead Dining Hall. Everyone had a great time, and KO looks forward to seeing everyone back on campus soon. KO

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Marny Stevens P ’87, GP ’15, ’17, Jacob Silverstein ’17 and Barbara Silverstein GP ’15, ’17

Associate Director of Institutional Advancement Mitch Linker with John Ollweiler GP ’18 and Joan Ollweiler GP ’18

The Middle School Jazz Band

SAVE THE DATE for Reunion 2012 Celebrating the 2s and 7s June 9, 2012

Students and guests participating in a classroom activity

head's advisory council meets for 1st time

Council President Jessica Hild Collins ‘91

The Head’s Advisory Council held its inaugural annual meeting on June 10, the Friday of Reunion Weekend 2011.

In response to some of the top issues being raised by alumni and other constituents of KO – the state of admissions, finances and athletics – the meeting included presentations

by Head of School Dennis Bisgaard, Director of Enrollment Management Jim O’Donnell, Director of Athletics Garth Adams, and Controller, Director of Financial Aid and Strategic Advisor to the Head of School Alan Comrie. KO administrators and council members engaged in a thoughtful and informative discussion about KO and its future.

Following the meeting, council members joined KO trustees, faculty members, and Monica and Dennis Bisgaard at the Bisgaard home for dinner. KO

d Our Co h g i H e lor s i a s R Save the Date

The Black and Crimson Gala April 21, 2012 Tumble Brook Country Club

For more information on the Gala, please contact co-chair Linda Levin P ’09, ’12 at 860-202-6866 or lfl414@aol.com or Charna Bortman Kaufman ’85, P ’14, ’17 at 860-833-3308 or charnak@snet.net

ko WINTER 2011

head's advisory council

Jessica Hild Collins ’91, President John J. Alissi ’89 Terri Alpert P ’10 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 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 Gilbert E. Keegan III ’88 Laurie Maulucci P ’03, ’05 Tyler B. Polk ’99 Ann Coolidge Randall ’73, P ’13 Mary Pallotti Russell ’73, P ’06, ’09 Robert S. Sarkisian ’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

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a sound tradition Kingswood Oxford School’s motto – “Vincit qui se vincit” (“One conquers by conquering oneself”) – originated at Oxford School, but the words ring as clearly today as they did decades ago.

The tradition of the Octopipers, an elite all-female choral group created by Oxford classmates in 1956, carries on to this day by continuing to help create confident young women.

Octopipers Class of ’11

ADVANCEMENT

Photo bottom right: The original 1956 Octopipers: Jane Brandon Pfaff, Nancy Boots Edwards-Cogswell, Judy Faust Hopkins, Lucy Ann Read, Nancy Austin Reed, Sandy Martin McDonough and Jane Cady Fitchen (Katrina Shaffer Beaghen, not pictured)

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The oldest student club or organization continuing from Oxford School, the Octopipers were formed to be able to sing in the same format as the boys at the boys’ schools. Their objectives were to “sing as sweetly as possible, on pitch and with some expression. To reach the audience,” said founding member Nancy Boots Edwards-Cogswell ’56. Now looking back now as an alumna, she said, “Advocating for women in a man’s world takes talent and persistence. The Octopipers were an opportunity for us to exert some measure of feminism even though we didn’t know the word. It was our talent and skill that won the day for us.”

The Octopipers legacy continued as the allfemale choral group performed at proms, social clubs and other area schools. The group went silent in 1971, but in the winter of 2001, KO creative arts teacher Marcos Carreras began to rediscover the group’s rich history. Upon researching the archives in the former Oxford School on Prospect Avenue (which later served as KO’s Middle School) in search of replicating a musical group in the spirit of the Octopipers, he discovered a picture in The Oxfordian of the founding members of the Octopipers from the Class of 1956. After learning all he could about the group, speaking with several Octopipers alums and getting permission from the original members to feature Form 2 girls instead of Form 6 girls, he knew the group would sing again.

Today, the Octopipers compete locally, regionally and nationally. Under Carreras’ direction, the group has appeared in numerous

master classes and workshops, toured in Boston, Chicago, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., performed with Charles Bruffy, the Children’s Chorus of Washington and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (to name a few) and shared the stage with many, including inner-city students and Grammynominated artists. The group also has won numerous awards, including recognition from DownBeat magazine for excellence in vocal jazz, pop, blues and rock.

On stage today, the Octopipers wear orange, one of Oxford’s school colors, in honor of the Octopipers classes before them; each new group serves as keepers of Oxford’s rich history. “What impresses me most about this group, beyond all of their musical successes, are the incredibly genuine friendships that have been forged from their experiences while singing together,” Carreras said. “I am lucky to get to watch them discover their true potential year after year.”

In 2010, inspired by working with the Octopipers, Carreras formed a new elite female Upper School choral group, the Oxfordians. The girls wear gray, Oxford School’s other school color, while on stage. In the group’s first year, it was recognized with an award from Connecticut’s largest a cappella festival.

With the Octopipers at the Middle School and the Oxfordians in the Upper School, the journey of self-discovery through music and an Oxford tradition continues. “The Octopipers and Marcos fueled and encouraged my passion for music and started me on my musical journey that I continue now at Berklee College of Music,” said Melissa Collins ’09.

To share your Octopipers story or to learn more about the Octopipers, please visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/octopipers. KO

Mary Beach Shepard Class Correspondent

an outdoor party attended by relatives from Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York and the West Coast.

What a great way to spend a rainy day – catching up with my classmates – and that’s just what I did! The first was Nancy Cutter, who sounds as though she’s getting along just fine. She’s still living in Kensington, Conn., and enjoying her little dog Coa, who, she reports, is as “dippy as her mistress”!

There’s a new address for Harriet Eaton Wicke, who has moved to No. 237 at The Views in Bloomfield. She enjoyed a threeweek vacation at Cape Cod, where she stayed with her daughter. She has a son in Portland, Conn., and a daughter in Rhode Island.

OXFORD 1939

Next was Jo Brewer Trull Horn, who celebrated her 90th birthday in July and sounds as chipper as ever.

Bobby Andrews Olmsted says that she feels like a 28-yearold and is still swimming and playing tennis. She has three of her children in town and one in Colorado.

CLASS NOTES

Eleanor Gadd reports that she is enjoying Duncaster immensely.

k o W I N T E Rr 2 0 1 1

From Joan Steane Heaney comes word that she hasn’t been East for some time. She says that her daughter, who lives just around the corner, is a great help to her.

Cricket (Frances Ingersoll Staniford) was still in Fenwick when I talked with her but will head back to Florida in October.

She and Rocky have been married for 66 years. Hope you have many more happy years together, Cricket.

Pat Dimock Martin reports that she is thankful to be able to stay in her home with some assistance.

She sends good wishes to all.

Annette Brewer Deming and Dick didn’t get to Squirrel Island, Maine, this year but hope to next year. They are comfortable and happy to be at Duncaster and send their best to all.

When I talked with Hap Reynolds Glass, she had just returned from a three-day visit with her son Dick, who lives in Vermont. Her son Gordon has moved to Cape Cod, so he’s at least a little closer. Hap lives in North Haven with daughter Nancy and is still active in the North Haven Garden Club.

Had a nice long phone visit with Elma Becker Swecker’s son, Eric, who spoke so highly of his mother. He said that, next to his wife, she is the best woman he knows. He said that she’s a very strong person and has all her wits about her. She has the love and support of her six adopted children. I’m sorry that I have to report that Elma recently lost her husband of 65 years.

Washy (Mary Louise Walsh) Thackrey celebrated her 90th birthday on a beautiful day with

From Peg Peard Miller comes word that her husband, Ev, is 95 years old. I find it so very hard to

believe. Congratulations, Ev! As for me, I’m so glad that I had second thoughts and finally decided to do this report at least one more time – more, I hope.

All is well. I’m still in the old homestead with most of my large family quite close. One daughter and her family live in Chicago, but the rest are here in Connecticut.

Please, if anyone knows of Springer’s whereabouts, let me know. Best wishes to all. Stay happy, healthy and in touch. – Bunny

KINGSWOOD 1940 Jolly Backer was kind enough to write a tribute to classmate Dick Hastings, who passed away in August. “Courage and grace defined Dick Hastings. Struck by polio as a child, Dick refused to be limited by its effects. He played tackle on the varsity Kingswood football team in his Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Form years. His only concession to possible injury was, at his parents’ insistence, to have a bar affixed to his helmet to protect his teeth.

“Until he met his future wife, Lorain, his closest attachment was to his 1934 Ford station wagon, affectionately titled “Marshmallow.” Dick edited the Kingswood literary magazine, The Wyvern, and was a prefect in his Sixth Form year.

“Upon graduation from Kingswood, Dick followed his brother, Spencer, to the University of Virginia, and dutifully tried out for the freshman football team.

Unfortunately, 1940-41 was the year UVA decided to join the upper level of college football and recruited players from the Midwest rather than depending on 31

in Venice. Although they had to evacuate their Fenwick home, Hurricane Irene caused only an electricity outage and the partial loss of their seawall. Julie hosted our mini-class reunion Sept. 14.

Photos left to right: Members of the Oxford Class of 1941 – Marguerite Steane Kelland, Judith Stoughton Wawro and Margaret Stedman Doherty – gather at Reunion.

student-athletes. After weeks of mayhem, Dick traded football for the Virginia Players and appeared in many of their applauded productions.

Oxford 1951 classmates gather to celebrate their 60th Reunion.

Front row: Pem Donegan Schultz, Frannie Steane Baldwin, Marcia Keeney Froh, Sallie Barr Palmer; back row: Beth Cook Gabel, Pam Kingan Lillquist, Gara Van Schaack and Vivian Hathaway Crouse

“Because of his medical history, when his country entered World War II, Dick was eligible for an automatic deferment. He chose, instead, to volunteer for the Air Corps, was accepted and successfully completed training as a navigator. He was assigned to the 8th Air Force in the United Kingdom, flew numerous missions over Europe, rose to the rank of captain and group navigator, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters.”

CLASS NOTES

OXFORD 1941

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Marguerite Steane Kelland Class Correspondent The Oxford Class of 1941 extends its deepest sympathy to Judith Stoughton Wawro on the death of her brother George D. Stoughton. Judy had just moved to Duncaster, where George and Mary lived, and this provided convenient and precious visitation time with them. (Judy’s new address is 20 Loeffler Road, Apt. T614, Bloomfield, CT 060022296, and her phone number is 860-726-2064). Judy takes the prize for being our most-

traveled classmate. She spent some summer time with son Geoffrey and his two boys at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps in New Hampshire, as well as at her Stratton, Vt., home. A birthday celebration in New York City with Jill and Geoffrey and four grandchildren was enjoyed by all, and as we go to press Judy is visiting with son Mark and family at their vacation condo in Utah.

In addition to Judy, Margaret Stedman Doherty, Julia Ann Keeney Walton and Bill, and yours truly attended our 70th (can you believe?) Oxford Reunion.

We were pleased to see Judy receive a Distinguished Alumni Award for dedication to KO. Also in attendance were Judy’s sons William, who flew in from California, and Geoffrey and his two sons. Thank you KO for providing such a pleasant 70th Reunion for us.

The Town and County Club exhibited some of Margaret’s lovely watercolors this winter at a special show. This summer Margaret visited her son in Blue Hills, Maine, during blueberry-picking season, and she enjoyed helping harvest the berries.

Julie and Bill spent the winter in Florida at their favorite spot

I enjoyed phoning several classmates and learned that Anne DeRonge Lowry’s son, Brad, flew in for his yearly visit from Norway – always a high spot. An avid bridge player, “Schnick” often plays five times a week.

Jean Binks Tolles was listening to Pavarotti when I called her. She is still painting watercolors “on and off.”

Mary Lewis Wood and Bill were looking forward to visiting their Fishers Island home and hopefully, some golf.

Alison Hastings MacDowell enjoyed a family reunion at Keuka Lake. “Ox” is a doll collector, and her husband is a philatelist.

Betty Goodwin and I enjoyed a delightful visit with Joan Steane Heaney ’39 in Los Osos, Calif., last fall. We enjoyed seeing many elephant seals on the beach, visiting the Hearst Castle environs, taking a trip to the aquarium and the Monterey Bay area, traveling the beautiful Big Sur coastal drive, and participating in the wonderful California lifestyle and events.

Thanks for all your responses.

Belated Happy 70th Reunion to one and all! Cheerio! – “Gite”

OXFORD 1948 Betty Lee Armstrong writes from Richmond, Va., “Ted, my husband of 55 years, died Oct. 27, 2010. Our ties with West Hartford

driving up the Dalton Peter Fairbairn ’49 writes: My continuing interest in the TV History Channel series “Ice Road Truckers” prompted me to go to Alaska and duplicate their route under much more favorable weather conditions.

After making arrangements with a small tour company based in Fairbanks, I boarded a Ford E-350 for the 500-mile trip to Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse in late July 2011.

The Dalton Highway was first called the “haul road.” Before construction of the road could begin, native land claims had to be settled, environmental safeguards designed and permits granted. The road was built in record time to move men and supplies to Prudhoe Bay and to build a parallel 48-inch pipeline to move crude oil south to the ice-free part of Valdez. In 1981, the highway was renamed the “James B. Dalton Highway” after a lifelong Alaskan and expert in arctic engineering.

Eighty miles north of Fairbanks, the pavement ends, and the Dalton officially begins. The first 50 miles of road rollercoasters down to the Yukon River, where we cross on a bridge 30 feet wide, built at a 7 percent downward grade. This is the only bridge crossing the nearly 1,900-mile Yukon River. On the north side, we fill up at the last gas pump for 120 miles.

The Dalton begins to climb up from the Yukon flats across a series of ridges with

ever-expanding views of the landscape.

Finally, atop Finger Mountain, one has a 360-degree view of a vast expanse, larger than the state of Connecticut! There is absolutely no sign of civilization in any direction except the thin ribbon of road and parallel pipeline. Only now I can realize the vastness of interior Alaska. …

At 66 degrees 33 minutes north, we cross the Arctic Circle. There is a simple marker and viewing deck for picture taking. At this point, the sun stays above the horizon for one full day on the summer solstice and below the horizon for one full day at the winter solstice.

Pushing up north, we cross Prospect Creek, where the coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States (-80 degrees Farenheit) occurred in 1971. …

When we reach the base of the Atigun Pass, a flagman halts all traffic to let a wide-load 18-wheeler come down off the pass and pass us safely. This was the only time during our entire trip that we had to wait for an extra-wide load to pass.

While waiting, we noticed a cannon, mounted on a pivot used for avalanche control, necessary in late winter and early spring to control landslides. The south side of Atigun Pass was carved out of the steep slopes in the Brooks Range. The guardrails have markings for the exact spots where controlled avalanches are initiated by cannon below. …

After crossing Atigun Pass (elevation 4,752 feet), we descend into an everwidening break in the Brooks Range.

The sheer mountain walls are just as impressive as those found south of Atigun Pass. Finally, we reach the north slope, pockmarked by numerous glacial ponds and lakes. The terrain flattens out and the final 50 miles to Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse is as flat as western Kansas.

This stretch of the Dalton is perhaps the most dangerous to traverse in winter.

Sudden whiteouts can occur at any time.

Fog is also a problem at certain times of the year. The reflectorized road markers are often difficult to see during such times.

At the end of the second day, we arrived in Deadhorse, the end of the Dalton Highway. A special pass must be obtained to enter the Prudhoe Bay area and the shores of the Beaufort Sea. We checked into the Prudhoe Bay “Hilton” aka “Deadhorse Camp No.1” for our lodgings and a hot meal. We were lucky to have all facilities – rooms, restroom and a small cafeteria in one trailer.

After dinner, I asked the cook where the “Ice Road Truckers” stay. “Here!” he says.

The entire TV crew stays here as well as Lisa, Maya, Dave, Tony and others from the same trucking firm.

For more information, please call Peter Fairbairn ’49 at 713-464-8878.

Photos left to right: The south approach to the Atigun Pass Peter Fairbairn ’49 at the Arctic Circle ko WINTEr 2011

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Photos left to right: Members of the Oxford Class of 1951 at their 60th Reunion

CLASS NOTES

Members of the Kingswood Class of 1951 attend a dinner at Rockledge Country Club.

Front row: Chuck Leonard, Bob Stirling, Storrs Brigham; back row: Bill Eddy, Joe Ravalese, Don Fairbairn, Bob Raymond, Pat Flaherty, Allan Johnson, Chuck Beebe, Minot Greene

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remain strong. Ted is buried in Fairview Cemetery in West Hartford. Our grandson Teddy graduated from Northwestern in June.”

OXFORD 1951 Sara Barr Palmer Class Correspondent Our 60th reunion was a huge success, thanks to the arrangements made by Gara Van Schaack and Frannie Steane Baldwin. On Saturday night, 13 of us sat down to a superb dinner at the Town and County Club, including Peter and Sallie Barr Palmer; Phil and Marcia Keeney Froh; Rich and Pam Kingan Lillquist; Virgil and Beth Cook Gabel; Vivian Hathaway Crouse; Pem Donegan Schultz and her escort John Walker; Frannie; and Gara.

We were delighted that Grace Stephenson Martin’s husband, Bill, could join us for cocktails.

At the Saturday lunch barbecue on the KO campus, we also caught up with Susan Huber Gross and Elenor Coburn Smith. On Sunday, Gara, together with her sister-in-law Gerry Van Schaack, hosted a wonderful brunch for the class.

Dick and Dinny Duffield Whiting had hoped to come, but sadly Dick died a couple of weeks before the reunion. A few weeks later, Peter and I traveled to Williamsburg to visit Dinny for a few days. She is doing well, and we had a great time with her.

Frannie spent three weeks in July at the family cottage on the Connecticut shore reading, swimming and relaxing.

Pem reported that she survived Hurricane Irene with only a 30hour power loss.

Vivian said she enjoyed “reunioning” with our classmates and was especially pleased to meet up with Elenor, whom she hadn’t seen since they graduated together from Wellesley.

Pam and her family visited Williamsburg in August, with jaunts to Busch Gardens and a water park. Grandkids are still too young to appreciate the colonial town. The Lillquists also saw Munk and Annzie Bartholomew Hansen in Denmark in July before traveling to Norway and Sweden where they took the Stieg Larsson tour (author of “The Girl Who” series). The Lillquists are

looking forward to Hawaii later in the year.

Cookie Stout Johnson and her husband have sold their house in Florida and are now searching for a place to spend the winter.

In July, Peter and I went on a fabulous two-week guided tour of eight national parks, traveling through nine states. We were on quite a rigorous schedule – lots of walking – and we were the oldest of the 50 participants, but we kept up well, especially Peter.

Kingswood 1951 Pat Flaherty writes: A most successful 60th reunion of the Class of ’51 was held in June.

Thanks to the efforts and urging of Storrs Brigham, Bill Dominick, Bill Eddy and Joe Ravalese, 13 of the 20 living classmates attended some portion of the weekend. A Class of ’51-only gathering was held at Rockledge Country Club on Friday evening with 12 classmates and nine wives and went swimmingly thanks to the hard work and organizational efforts of Joan and Bill Eddy. Saturday morning’s school assembly saw your scribe receiving a Distinguished Alumni Award for having survived to the

60th. Lunch under the tent on the green was followed by afternoon athletic contests and a most pleasant reception and dinner in the school dining room. Those able to be at some part of the reunion: Beebe, Brigham, Cheney, Eddy, Fairbairn, Flaherty, Greene, Johnson, Leonard, Phelps, Ravalese, Raymond and Stirling. Absent, due to conflicts, were D’Arche, Davies, Dominick, Flynn, McDonough and Montgomery.

On to the 65th!

OXFORD 1952 60th reunion Mary Jeanne Jones Class Correspondent The big news is that next June we will celebrate our 60th Reunion. The School will take care of most of the planning, but we locals have decided that we should have our Friday dinner at the Town and County Club. It is elegant and a simpler way for us all to get together and catch up on the past years. There is nothing to do at this point except to put the date, June 8, 2012, on your calendars.

There is only a bit of news: The bad: Bettina Pierce Romaine passed away last

December after a long illness.

Dick Phillips ’50, Emily Hall Phillips’ husband of 50 years, passed away this past August.

They had moved to Seabury not long ago. Our thoughts are with you, Emily.

On the happy side, Linda Bland Sonnenblick has moved back here, joining Gail Allen Hamblett, Norma Hattings Scafarello, Gilda Sheketoff Brock, Janice Pike Wasserman, Joan McCance Warner and me as the locals.

We really should include Helen Vosburgh Dixon, too, as she is wonderful about coming from Greenwich to check up on us all.

Helen wrote that she and Bruce have recently moved to the center of Greenwich, into a much smaller house, but one with a lovely garden and within walking distance of everything.

Together she and Bruce have 12 grandchildren.

I still have the travel bug and momentarily will be flying to Scotland with cousins and from there to Florence to study Italian with my brother Dudley.

Just had an e-mail from my granddaughter Kristin, who said that speaking Italian is all in

the hands. We’ll see. Laura’s two younger children, Janie and David, are happily at KO in 7th and 9th grade, respectively. It is fun to have some association with the School.

I am lazy enough to prefer to contact each of you through e-mails. But I am missing those of Joanne Muter Bairstow, Catherine Larrabee Carpenter, Jane Adams Chute, Janet Olson Larson, Emily Hall Phillips, Arline Soderberg Ely, Gretchen Jaeger Swisher and Helen Dillon Walker. Please help me and send your address to me at maryj@snet.net, along with news about YOU. See you next June. – MJ

OXFORD 1953 Editor’s Note: Vitaline O’Connell O’Toole has now taken over the role of class correspondent for Oxford 1953.

Special thanks to Sabra Grant Kennington for holding this post for so many years. Look for more news of the class in the next magazine!

KINGSWOOD 1955 Donald Pearsall reports that he and his wife, Gail, have moved from Feura Bush, N.Y., to Hudson, Fla.

Frederick R. Swan Jr. writes, “Our elder son, Peter, was married to Leslie Solomon Aron on July 17, 2010. Our younger son, Eric, became engaged to Sarah Trusewicz on Aug. 1, 2011.”

OXFORD 1957 55th reunion Phyllis Chapman Fenander Class Correspondent As we go to press, the weather is news, with prayers out for everyone’s safety. And, while not sharing their medical news, several classmates did say, “Getting old isn’t for sissies.”

Nancy Middlebrook Baay is glad we’re staying connected; she and John have a new sleeping cabin to accommodate their growing family (now 24)! Everyone is celebrating summer … and their 50th wedding anniversary!

Jill Williams finds that my request for news is timely! She writes, “I have a new book out (on Amazon and Kindle) titled “Confessions of a Love Addict” (Aberdeen Bay Books).

I encourage anybody who is interested to check out my Web site: www.jillwilliams.com. I live in Sedona, Ariz., but am traveling

Photos left to right: George Phelps ’51 and Chuck Leonard ’51 Members of the Oxford Class of ’56 at Reunion ko WINTEr 2011

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all over the place, promoting this memoir (Colorado and Florida in September; Vancouver, British Columbia, in October). Hey! If anyone would like to host a booklaunching party in their home, please contact me.”

Toni Carvalho Slifer ’58, center, with her sons Terrence and Craig

Dede Stearns Hoffman writes, “From the baking Southwest every day I hold my breath that I can talk myself into leaving the air conditioning for more than 30 minutes. Now that all my grandchildren (three) are in California, I bestirred myself and went for a visit. It certainly provided cooler weather for a week. I am about to become a grandmother again – my youngest son, Scott, and his wife, Betsy, are expecting in January. Nancy and I are off to Vegas in September to celebrate birthdays. Don’t expect it to be any cooler – guess I’ll just have to stay inside. Don’t care much for the looks of Lake Travis – it’s where it was when I was here in ’84; I keep wishing for a tropical storm to rise up out of the Gulf and dump a bunch of rain on us, but no wind. Two books you must read – ‘Seven Days in Utopia’ by David Cook and ‘The Help.’ ”

CLASS NOTES

Photos left to right: At the 1961 wedding of Ellie Haggard Baldwin ’58, Greg Dabanian, left, joins Susan Mather Dabanian ’58, Betsy Swinehart ’58, Nancy Neidlinger Eitapence ’58 and Sarah Duffield ’58.

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As for my own news, Lincoln, Vt., has hardly been quiet this summer. My husband, Elliot, has given 1,500 negatives to

the Shelburne Museum of his 1960s circus photography, with consequent talks and artist receptions. We survived the hurricane and earthquake, but others nearby have not been so fortunate, with several Vermont villages isolated from the outside world.

Linda Myers Boucher was glad that Irene left only a few inches of rain and a little wind.

All their kids and grandkids made it to their Allagash Wilderness Camp in August when she and Fred celebrated their 30th anniversary. They had reasonable weather, the best wild blueberry picking and a big pie every day that was gone by each night.

“Now they have all returned to their own lives in Salt Lake City, Boise and Kirksville, Mo., leaving us with great memories. Looking forward to fall, but hard to believe summer is behind us. Plenty to do in soggy gardens before heading back to camp in late September.”

Martha Yost Newcomer continues to sing and help manage two choral groups, work figureskating competitions and do some gardening at the Detroit Skating Club; she’s also just completed 27 years of water aerobics and plans to continue. Her daughter, Juliet, works for U.S. Figure Skating in

Colorado and is moving into a new home. Martha will help her make repairs and use tools – a lot of fun! Andy and Theresa moved back from England to St. Louis and have two daughters: a newborn and Anne Grace, 3. Jeff and Kirsten are teaching mechanical engineering, and astronomy and physics, respectively, at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.; they travel frequently, to Hawaii before the next semester. Jeff will receive a special award for a paper presented at one of his engineering conferences, a wonderful honor. They are joining Martha and Jim on a family cruise from Montreal to Boston in the spring. Martha missed her Smith 50th for spring choral performances. Jim has been retired for almost 20 years, busy with history books, computers, finance and a book club. Martha echoes all of your notes on the challenges that aging brings, and she started her very newsy letter with “My life is full and very busy” – an understatement and an encouraging challenge to us all.

Linda Murphy Richardson called from the south of Connecticut with news of her new grandson, who joins his twin girl cousins and his cousins who are 16 and 13. Labor Day weekend with all the children and grandchildren there made a happy, busy and invigorating time. Now it’s time to head back to New Jersey for Linda and her husband, with more grandparenting days with grandchildren who live nearby. We discovered a link from the past – Louise “Weezie” Pease ’50 – was a chortling good neighbor of mine in West Hartford,

and also a neighbor in southern Connecticut for Linda. We were both saddened by Louise’s passing.

OXFORD 1958 Sue Mather Dabanian Class Correspondent 2011 seemed to be the year for natural disasters. In April, a tornado hit Lisa Shaffer Anderson’s town in North Carolina. They were out of town at the time, and fortunately their property suffered no damage.

Ellie Haggard Baldwin and family were in New Mexico and left town the day before the fires started in that area. Blair Smyth Lang had to evacuate Fairfield, Conn., when Hurricane Irene came calling. Gee, I guess we’re lucky in the San Francisco area – all we have are earthquakes!

Liz Sexton Sgro spent a month at her house in Calabria, Italy, and was on the last flight out of Boston before the hurricane.

It was wonderful, 100-degree beach weather every day with cool nights. The house is truly

like the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun.” She would love to stay there for three months next year, but that would mean retiring, and she’s not ready for that yet. She would miss seeing the guys every day.

Carol is active at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford with a major fundraiser coming up. She’s cochair of flowers and decorating – 130 tables with 10 seats each, each table with a large flower arrangement! Wow!

Penny Hoffman McConnel wrote from a little town in southern France called Cazo, where she spent a week with her whole family. Hubby went off to hike around Mont Blanc, and Pen spent a few days alone in Alassio on the Ligurian coast of Italy.

Then two of her sons returned to the States, and her oldest returned with his son to his home near Chalon in France.

Ellie and Dave got the whole family together in Santa Fe to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. They had spent the summer after their wedding in Los Alamos, so it seemed fitting to gather everyone there. Ellie’s daughter and daughter-in-law surprised her and Dave with an oil painting of the same view of Mount Diablo that they had from their deck when they lived in Northern California. In August they were at their cottage in Wisconsin for six weeks, where grands Sika and Brenna learned to water-ski – lots of activity.

Ellie sees Liz occasionally when she goes back to West Hartford.

Carol McCrann Proom had a lovely summer on the island in Maine. She thinks she is too young to have one grandchild graduate from Cornell this year, one going to Middlebury and another to Brown. In September she went on a barge trip, staying fairly close to Paris and stopping to see some littleknown museums. A barge trip is definitely on MY bucket list!

Anne Van Winkle-Denne had a long, three-week visit from her Colorado daughter, Katherine, in June. She reports that she was on her feet from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. She said it was exhausting but so great to have the time to really get to know all the children better. Michael, Dmitri and Anastasia are 7, 4 and 1, respectively, now. Their mom, Katherine, loves the Russian language.

The family of Sue Mather Dabanian ’58 includes sons Eric and Bruce at top left and daughter Julie at bottom right. ko WINTEr 2011

Toni Carvalho Slifer had a family reunion in Old Saybrook for two weeks in August in honor of her sister Sue. There were 32 family members there, and they hope to do this every other year. Toni conducts discussion groups at Georgetown Hospital for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Toni is in good shape and weighs what she did in 9th grade (wish I could say the same, but then again I don’t know what I weighed in 9th grade!). She’s back at her volunteer work with both historical and preservation societies and has met some very interesting people. Son Craig is married to a wonderful gal, a professional chef, and they live in New London. Son Terrence is divorced, lives in Charlotte, is active in bike racing and is currently the South Carolina champion in his category. Hubby Harry keeps busy with volunteer activities.

Lisa and Dudley spent two weeks in Norway and especially liked the coastal cruise. They were in the San Francisco Bay area earlier in the year with their glass art collectors group and saw some incredible exhibits. Lisa recently accepted the governor’s appointment to a three-year term on the North Carolina Arts Council Board.

Sarah Duffield was without power for four days thanks to Hurricane Irene and claims that she now has the cleanest fridge in the neighborhood. (Of course, I’m sure that all her neighbors made the same claim!) The wind brought down many trees, and her next-door neighbor’s son missed being hit by a big tree by two minutes. Sarah had both 37

OXFORD 1959 Zélie Calvocoressi Tourais Class Correspondent

CLASS NOTES

Mike Roberts ’59 and wife Cynthia Baird Roberts ’60 enjoy the Boston Pops concert at the Jetties Beach on Nantucket Island last summer. Proceeds from the concert benefited Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

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grandkids visit during the summer (separately) and had a wonderful time. Audrey loved snorkeling with Grandpa Craig.

As for my news, pretty much the same. I went on a fun two-day road trip with oldest grandchild, Nicole, to look at a college a couple of hours north of us. She has a part-time job at the movie theater and told me that she has “great benefits.” I’m thinking profit sharing … no, it’s free movies and popcorn! She’s a senior, and the other grands are 16, 14 and 12. Son Bruce and his girlfriend were here from Boston for a week in September, so we had a big family reunion here, although not nearly as big as Toni’s. Cabo was wonderful in April; then we spent two weeks in Tahoe at the end of May and into June. It snowed three times! We went to Cape Cod, as usual, in September and plan a few days in Southern California around Solvang.

(Note to Pat, Anne Proctor and Betsy: Apparently the e-mail addresses I had for you were incorrect. Please e-mail me your new ones. Also, BJ, Nancy Neidlinger Eitapence: I don’t have yours either. Please e-mail them to me at dabanian@gmail. com.) Till next time – Smather

Our sympathy to Gail Appell Nickowitz, who lost husband Arlen this summer. Gail writes, “There is so much to say, but I will try to give you a paragraph about my husband. A month before our 45th wedding anniversary, my husband, Arlen David Nickowitz, succumbed to the effects of a virulent squamous cell cancer. Arlen had been an attorney in private practice in Bridgeport, Conn. He was a past president of the Fairfield County Young Republicans, past chair of the Fairfield County March of Dimes, past president of Congregation B’nai Israel of Bridgeport, past chair of the Fairfield Public Library and had been an assistant state’s attorney for Fairfield County. He was an avid reader and collector of current American fiction.

Together, we enjoyed sailing, kayaking, theater, concerts and golf, but especially our family of two children and two grandchildren.”

Susan McClure Harris reports that she and Tony “spent the winter in Boca Grande, Fla., having very fortuitously sold our Christchurch, New Zealand, townhouse just months before all of the earthquakes hit and devastated the city. It is so very sad to think about all of our good NZ friends having to live through this in their lifetime. We have had a very busy Duxbury summer with golf, tennis, etc. Still actively playing bridge with five other couples and have started traveling together … this fall to Long Island, Orient Point, and environs, where I spent summers as a child

when my father worked for Lord & Taylor in NYC. We will probably spend the big birthday in Bermuda if the weather is good there at the end of October. Daughter Sarah, Dave and the girls came from San Francisco this summer, and we had a great week. Daughter Lisa’s oldest, Colby, is going off to college, Wake Forest, in the fall. He turned 18 in August! I guess we should know from our birthdays this year that time flies!”

Debbie Mahoney Swenson certainly keeps herself occupied. In her Chatham, Mass., time, she is busy with tennis, birding, biking, book club and gardening, serving on boards of the Chatham Historical Society, Friends of Chatham Waterways, Chatham Bikeways Committee (planning a Tour de Chatham biking day for the town’s 300th next year) and Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Her biking group – 10 couples (Sensational Seaside Spinners) – will bike in the Loire Valley this fall with a Paris stopover. Then, in her Boston time, she is busy with the Boston Lyric Opera (overseer) and The Chilton Club committees and is a member of a travel club and a foreign affairs organization book club. She also takes courses at the Museum of Fine Arts. She and husband Jack are regulars at the New York Metropolitan Opera’s high-definition-feed telecasts. She still runs every day with her dog Bridey. Jack is still working as investment counselor.

From Hawaii, Beth Wiesel Rougas writes, “Hawaii survived the March tsunami with minor damage despite many hours of alerts and alarms. Life has been quiet since then. Had a quick visit

from son Tela and his family, which included a birthday party for the 7th birthday of my oldest grandson, Kai. Visits from several ‘mainlanders’ spiced up my otherwise tranquil life. I remain appreciative of good health, fine weather and faithful family and friends.”

KINGSWOOD 1959 Richard Morgan writes from Westerly, R.I., “I had tried retirement in 2007 but failed at it after only six months. (I took an interim pastorate.) So I am going to try again this summer.”

Mike Roberts was recently elected chair of the board of trustees at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. He has been involved with the hospital since 2001.

OXFORD 1960 Jane Anderson Innerd Class Correspondent It will be nice to have a cool autumn after such a hot summer.

This year I taught a summer

school course for the English department at the University of Windsor. After the course was over, Wilf and I went to Stratford, Ontario, to attend eight plays at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Again this summer we enjoyed the plays in the company of Prilla Smith Brackett and her husband, George. Stratford is a charming small city, and the performances were outstanding.

Lucky Prilla lives near her two sons and their families. She writes, “We had a wonderful week at the Shakespeare Festival with Jane Anderson Innerd and her husband. It had a lot of good exhibits this year, and we have lots of fun with our kids and three grandchildren.”

Nancy Sunderland Brown was in England for part of the summer. She writes, “Soon we are off for Oxford University (not my first time studying at Oxford) for two weeks of intensive study for which we actually had to get student visas. It should be fun, and we will find out if our

minds still work! I don’t think their colors are orange and gray though. Best to everyone.”

From Paris, the always-busy Barbara Hartman Tucker writes, “Paris continues to be a fabulous city. I adore living here – and within steps I can see the Eiffel Tower, to the left, and Les Invalides, to the right. In March 2011, I was re-elected as an executive committee member of Democrats Abroad France, where I now serve as the political director. Also, I am the founding member and political director of the lobby/strategic research group Capitol Voice. We target the U.S. Senate on issues such as health care, campaign finance reform, renewable energy and Social Security. I run a monthly political discussion group that debates the current issues in Washington. We host topical speakers, such as the well-known market economist Paul Horne. He will be speaking in November.

We are further targeting 10 key U.S. Senate races in 2012. The children are fine. Lisa is working

for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and Todd continues his restaurant work in Arkansas. My best to all.”

This summer I e-mailed Ginny Lee Luxton in Australia to find out whether she and her family were affected by the floods there.

She answered, “The drought has just about officially broken.

Dams are more than 58 percent full. From deadly fires in 2009, we have experienced floods all up and down the East Coast.

As I write this e-mail, the East Coast of the U.S. is experiencing Hurricane Irene. Our news commentators are saying that New York City has all but closed down. News on the family front – our eldest granddaughter’s school aerobics team finished second in the national finals, which was pretty exciting.

Tom wound up his marketing and booking business servicing small accommodation providers on the Mornington Peninsula. Australia boasts of a strong economy, but in fact it is very lopsided in favor of mining. The retail industry is

Members of the Oxford Class of 1961 at their 50th Reunion Bottom photos left to right: Members of the Kingswood Class of 1961 in Alumni Hall Kingswood 1963 classmates Ted Butler, John Moses and Brewster Boyd do some early planning for their 50th Reunion (June 2013) while visiting Ted at his home on Lake Mephremagog in Quebec.

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Photos left to right: Oxford 1970 classmates Nancy Wood, Betsy Rockwell Booth, Kate LeRoyer and Nan Putnam Oxford and Kingswood Classes of 1971 at their 40th Reunion

suffering badly, and many small businesses are struggling because people are not spending. He wants to set up a consultancy business for people who are in financial difficulty, something he did very successfully for a number of years.”

CLASS NOTES

Sue Matorin writes from New York City that she has “mastered yet another computerized chart system in the new world of health care,” and that she had “a visit from my filmmaker son during which I caught up on the challenges of breaking into Hollywood. 9/11 sadness permeates New York.”

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Scotty Dwyer Benson writes, “Dan and I have taken a few short trips to various places, but nothing exotic. I did see Sue Redfield and Ann Newbury this summer in Maine. Sue and I were in Brunswick, Maine, with friends, and we all went over to Squirrel Island and had lunch with Ann. The weather wasn’t very pleasant, but it was great to see Ann and visit. Her brother and family were there as well, which was a real treat for me since I hadn’t seen them in a number of years.”

My thanks to Cindy Baird Roberts, who sent a wonderful

photo for the magazine, and I wish to echo Nan and Barbara and send best wishes to all.

OXFORD 1961 Lois Williams Arnold Class Correspondent On Dec. 21, 2010, I welcomed a new granddaughter, Leslie, in Milton, Fla. This involved taking care of big brother Aidan, 2. The mother of the grands is Katy Arnold Williams-O’Donnell ’96.

At the end of three weeks of that, I needed a vacation, so in February I decided to treat myself to a real vacation – not a lick of teaching and work involved! I spent some time in Honolulu touching base with old friends and then watching humpback whales off the coast of Maui, soaking up the sun from the beach and my hotel lanai! A person could really get used to relaxing!

Joan Morgan Bring reports that Junko Umemoto and her family and friends in Tokyo came through the recent earthquake unharmed but very scared.

Katharine Houghton is once again on Broadway. She’s playing Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williams’ “The Pretty Trap,” a one-act precursor to his more famous “The Glass Menagerie.”

Reviewing “The Pretty Trap” in the Aug. 6 issue of The New York Times, Anita Gates wrote, “It’s particularly lovely to watch Ms. Houghton, who has been acting in regional theater, doing small movie roles and writing her own plays since she won Theater World and Obie awards for her role in ‘A Scent of Flowers’ in 1969. Seeing Ms. Houghton again, with memories of her youth so fresh from those early roles, emphasizes Amanda’s duality.

One day she’s the belle of the ball, surrounded by beaus. The next, it seems, she’s a disillusioned matron. But the belle lives on, like hope denied, behind her tired eyes.”

KINGSWOOD 1961 The State of Connecticut’s Criminal Justice Commission has appointed Kevin T. Kane to a second five-year term as the chief state’s attorney. In this position, Kane is the administrative head of the Division of Criminal Justice, which includes the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill and the offices of the state’s attorneys for each of the state’s 13 judicial districts. His agency is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all criminal matters prosecuted under state law in Connecticut. Since his 1972 appointment as an assistant

prosecuting attorney for the former 9th Circuit in Middletown, he has held various prosecuting assignments, most notably as head of a political corruption and organized crime unit and as the state’s attorney for New London County.

OXFORD 1970 Betsy Rockwell Booth Class Correspondent By the time you read this, the earthquake and Hurricane Irene will hopefully be distant memories, but August 2011 sure has been an interesting month here on the East Coast. I hope everyone fared well.

In April, Nan Putnam, Nancy Wood and I made our individual ways up to Freeport, Maine, for a visit with classmate Kate LeRoyer, and did we have a good time! We spent a lot of time catching up and remembering when. (Kate’s husband, Jim Stampone, was very patient. He was also our photographer – check out the picture.) We also went to a fiddle concert in Bath.

Always a music lover, Kate has taken up the fiddle and, as you would expect, she’s very good.

At the time of our visit, Kate and Jim were the owners of Winter Hill Farm. Quoting the farm Web site, “Winter Hill Farm is the loving creation of Jim Stampone and his wife Kate LeRoyer. They began Winter Hill as the result of their dedication to Randall cows, which are an endangered, heritage breed of New England dairy cattle. Jim and Kate began milking Randall cows in the early 2000s. Over the past decade, they ko WINTEr 2011

built up the herd and started the dairy operation.

“The cows are milked twice a day. Raw milk is sold along with yogurt (formerly made by Kate) and cheese (formerly made by Jim) to customers on the farm and at local health food stores. The barn has space for only 14 cows to be milked, ensuring that the dairy will remain small and the products will continue to be fresh and local. In the summer of 2011 Kate and Jim began their muchdeserved retirement. Currently Winter Hill Farm is managed by a young couple who have relocated to Maine after years of farming in California. Their plan is to continue milking Randall cows, as well as to diversify the farm with other heritage breeds of livestock and heirloom plants.”

“Much-deserved” is not an exaggeration. Cows are a 24/7/365 operation. I was blown away by the amount of work involved. Kate and Jim have moved to a new farm, still in Freeport. They will continue to farm, though on a smaller scale, and Kate hopes to have more time to devote to their other business, Freeport Harness & Saddlery. Kate studied saddle-making and fitting in England with a certified master saddler and has experience in the repair and fitting of English saddles and tack. Nan, Nancy and I had a great visit and hope to do it again soon.

I had a short note from Diane Reynolds, who writes, “Am working in renewable energy for the state of Vermont. Loved seeing the pictures from the reunion.”

alum joins KO tennis players on the court Three Kingswood Oxford School tennis players – all nationally ranked in their age divisions – took part in an exhibition match at The Hartford Golf Club in June.

KO junior Dayna Lord of Bloomfield teamed up with Kathryn Kohn Rieger ’64 to face her siblings, freshman Melissa Lord and 7th-grader Matthew Lord.

The Lord sisters were part of the 2011 KO’s girls’ team that won the 24th Annual New England Prep School Invitational Tournament, beating out 15 other teams. Fourteenth-year KO coach Ron Garcia said the tournament featured the strongest teams in New England – including Andover, Exeter, Greens Farms, Hotchkiss, Loomis Chaffee and Williston – regardless of size.

The KO girls also claimed the Founders League title by winning six matches within the league during the season, with the final match an upset of Hotchkiss, handing that squad its first loss in two years.

The boys’ squad, led by 20-year coach Andy Krugman ’86, also fared well in the 2011 season, placing third in the Southern New England Tournament.

Photos top to bottom: Girls’ varsity tennis coach Ron Garcia, Kathryn Kohn Rieger ’64, Michael Lord ‘17, Melissa Lord ‘15, Dayna Lord ‘13 and boys’ varsity tennis coach Andy Krugman ’86 Joan Kohn P ’65, mother of Kathryn Kohn Rieger ’65; James “Shorty” Farrell ’37; Joan Cox P ’74; and James Lyon ’48 at the match 41

Photos left to right: Members of the KO Class of 1976 at their 35th Reunion

CLASS NOTES

KO 1976 classmates Jim Goldberg, Joe Amato, Jim Popp, Chip Sylverne and Marty Coursey enjoy their 35th Reunion.

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Saralee Howard sent this update: “Still serving as executive director of Shared Pregnancy, a life-affirming pregnancy center located in the heart of Lansing.

We had 6,306 client contacts last year. A year from now I hope to have my master’s in counseling from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Have added ‘artist’ to my life list and am exhibiting a piece in the Grand Rapids ArtPrize and am artist of the month in my own county with a solo exhibit opening Oct. 9. The exhibit features my 26-piece series ‘Playing Scrabble with God.’ My work is generally nonrepresentational and often includes chunks of type. I paint wild! My husband, Jim, is teaching museum studies at Central Michigan University.

Daughter Emily is working toward her doctorate at the University of Virginia. Son Graham was recently appointed assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan and won his first two cases. Jim and I enjoy Scrabble, bike riding and adventures. He is also a golfer; I am a steady reader. Life is a miracle. I thank God for every day.”

And from Robin Bassok KayWicker: “It is hard to believe, but I have now been living in Los Angeles for 32 years. I am

a psychologist and serve as the chief deputy director for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. Working in publicsector mental health is stimulating and challenging – particularly as we move toward integration of mental health and health services. We also have the luxury of developing new mental health prevention programs, due to a voter-approved proposition that provides funding for initiatives that we could only dream about several years ago. On a less positive note, sadly, my wonderful husband, Larry Wicker, passed away in December after a long illness. Despite the loss, I am fortunate to have three wonderful stepchildren, their spouses and grandchildren who have remained close. My son Benjamin is also nearby, living in Santa Monica and beginning the executive M.B.A. program at U.C.L.A. this fall. I would love to see or hear from any Oxford alumnae who are in the Los Angeles area, and I look forward to hearing all the news!”

An excited Martha Spaunburg Church e-mailed: “Perfect timing!

I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to announce that John and I became grandparents this week. Our son, Dan, and his wife, Astrid, have a new baby daughter, Maisie Lillemor Church. We’re headed

out to the Twin Cities to meet Maisie in person in the middle of September – until then, we’ll have to make do with Skype!

Thank goodness for technology!”

Congratulations, Martha – I think you may be our first grandmother!

Robin is a step-grandmother, and Martha tells me Nina Hughes Delaney is as well.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my e-mail. Hope to hear from more of you next time around.

OXFORD 1971 “Ether Dome,” a new play by Elizabeth Egloff, premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston in September. Based on the life of 19th-century Hartford dentist Horace Wells, who pioneered the use of nitrous oxide and ether as anesthesia, the play tells the story of the medical establishment’s rejection of Wells’ discovery.

Wells’ assistant, William Morton, appropriated Wells’ ideas and received credit for discovering the first practical anesthesia. The betrayal led to Wells’ personal and professional decline, and in 1848 he committed suicide at the age of 33. “Ether Dome” was first commissioned in 2005 as part of the Hartford Heritage Project, after Michael Wilson, former artistic director of Hartford Stage, urged Liz to write a play about Wells.

Wilson said he hopes the play will eventually be produced in Hartford.

KINGSWOOD 1971 David Maloy writes from Winsted, Conn., “The 40th class reunion was a real joy and a chance to reconnect with classmates. Many thanks to all the KO staff.”

OXFORD 1972 40th reunion Katie Newell Chiodo writes, “I caught up with Diane RisCassi McAndrews and Eloise Biscoe recently – sadly, at the memorial service for Eloise’s mother.”

KO 1978 Ellen Maag and her sons Zak, 8, and Will, 7, have moved to Burke in northern Virginia after 22 years in Chicago. Ellen writes, “We now live very close to my sister Kate Miller ’84, and it is great!

I’ve recently changed jobs, too, leaving Mercer Consulting after 17 years to join a small boutique consulting firm that specializes in leadership development, organizational alignment and change. The new firm is Passages Consulting, which was founded six years ago by three of my wonderful colleagues from Delta Consulting. The new home and new job are terrific, and the boys love their newfound freedom (they weren’t able to wander around Chicago on their own).

In Burke they are all over the neighborhood on their bikes from morning until night.”

KO 1986 Jonathan Riemitis obtained a dual doctorate in economic science and business ko WINTEr 2011

administration from Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnologia in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2005. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Hartford and a B.A. in philosophy and theology from Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. Jon is president of Bel Air Homes, a residential home builder and design/build firm in Connecticut. His wife, Lil Maria Castro-Rosabal, holds a Ph.D. in economics and business administration. A native of Costa Rica, she is a language professor.

Jon and Lil met at Knox College.

KO 1988 Kerith Spencer-Shapiro has accepted the position of cantor at Temple Sholom in Broomall, Pa. She and her husband, Dr. Scott Spencer, and their children, Zev, 10, and Frances, 6, recently moved to Swarthmore, Pa. Kerith currently serves as vice president of the American Conference of Cantors.

KO 2000 Ben Cordiano and Kristen Roy were married in Old Lyme, Conn., July 23, 2011. The reception was held at Eolia – The Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park.

KO alumni in attendance included Class of 2000 classmates Lynn Blanchette, Billy Coscarelli, Benjamin Cruse, Brian Ferguson, Michael Foley, Kevin Froeb, Talbot Fucci, Rafe Monroe-Wise, Jean Butler Nickerson and David Sullivan as well as Emma Cordiano ’04, Heather Crispin Polk ’99, Tyler Polk ’99, Dan Clark ’98, Molly Dworkin ’02, Abby Kerin ’03, Brooks Loomis

’99 and Nina Musumeci ’04.

Ben and Kristen are living in West Hartford.

KO 2002 10th reunion Audrey Scales Onciul writes, “I’m currently living in northern British Columbia with my husband, who works in the oil and gas industry here.

We welcomed our first child, Isabel Christa, on Dec. 23, 2010.

Hopefully we’ll get to come home to Connecticut so she’ll be KO Class of ’28!”

Christian J. Woodcock has been promoted to vice president of sales and

KO 1993 Carla Anderson Stowe married John Stowe in Bermuda in April.

KO 1994 Jessica Peterson Lernmark and her husband, Johan, welcomed their first son, Tobias Johan Lernmark, June 2. They reside in Seattle, and, Jessica writes, they are “having fun getting acquainted with their new little guy!”

Photos top to bottom: Members of the KO Class of 1986 celebrate their 25th Reunion Members of the KO Class of 1981 at their 30th Reunion KO 1991 classmates at their 20th Reunion 43

Photos left to right: Members of the Class of 1996 at their 15th Reunion

business development for Everest Merchant Services in New York City.

KO 2001 classmates Kim Ulett, Erica Marrero and Erlin Alexander Bah

KO 2004

Members of the Class of 2006 braving the rain for their photo

Kyana Mitchell graduated with an M.S. in nursing with a concentration as a women’s health nurse practitioner from Drexel University in June 2011. She recently became engaged to Mark Anthony of Philadelphia, and they plan to be married June 10, 2012, in Plantsville, Conn.

KO 2008

KO 2010

Paige Hanson, a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was named captain of the WPI Engineers’ field hockey team for the fall 2011 season.

Sarah Petersen is studying music education in the honors program at Western Connecticut State University. She lives in a suite on the honors and international floor of her dorm and has had many international roommates.

Eamon Dworkin and Kurt Sundberg, both members of the College of Charleston’s Class of 2012, met up with Ross Alberghini, a 2011 graduate of the University of South Carolina, during a spring break trip in Italy.

KO 2006

CLASS NOTES

Aerin Sadowski earned her B.S. in business administration in May 2010 from Bryant University with a major in finance and a minor in mathematics and marketing.

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KO 2007 5th reunion Heather Harden graduated last spring with honors from Haverford College with a major in psychology and a minor in dance from Bryn Mawr College. She will live and work in Chicago.

Photos top to bottom: Eamon Dworkin ’08, Kurt Sundberg ’08 and Ross Alberghini ’07, atop the Duomo in Florence, Italy Nick Caswell ’11 stands in front of a plane after his first solo flight in July 2011.

KO 2011 Nick Caswell took his first solo flight in July 2011 at Brainard Airport. He’s now at The University of North Dakota in the aviation program, which has him flying a minimum of three times a week.

IN MEMORIAM Frances Dwyer Carew ’39 July 28, 2011 Robert M. Chilstrom July 8, 2011 Husband of Buena Hamlin Chilstrom ’63 Christine M. Daly ’86 July 18, 2011 Sister of Karen Daly Correa ’89 Richard H. Deming ’35 Sept. 23, 2011 Husband of Annette Brewer Deming ’39 Faith Appell Fichman July 25, 2011 Grandmother of Todd M. Fichman ’12 Gloria C. Gavert April 8, 2011 Drama teacher at Oxford School, 1950-1965 Jonathan A. Gold ’59 Aug. 20, 2011 Richard C. Hastings Jr. ’40 Aug. 31, 2011 Grandfather of Benjamin C. Hastings ’09 and William A. Hastings ’12 Please see page 46.

Joseph Russell Huddleston July 11, 2011 Husband of Heidi Wood Huddleston ’56 John B. Landry ’46 March 31, 2011 Brother of Arthur Landry ’48 k o W I N T E Rr 2 0 1 1

Shirley Langhauser July 1, 2011 Wife of Drew Langhauser, former history teacher at Kingswood Oxford, mother of Andrew Langhauser ’74 and Derek Langhauser ’80 Gary F. Lattanzio ’71 July 16, 2011 Donald A. Nigro July 18, 2011 Father of Mark Nigro ’86 and Peter Nigro ’89 Louise Galt Pease ’50 June 14, 2011 Please see page 47.

Lilly Palmer Biscoe Torrey July 2, 2011 Mother of Eloise Biscoe ’72 Katherine “Kitty” Wills Watkins July 28, 2011 Wife of KO trustee emeritus Frederick D. Watkins Jr., mother of Frederick D. Watkins III ’71 and Elsie Watkins Patrick ’72 John T. Wholley Jr. Aug. 27, 2011 Father of Zachary Wholley ’11 Lawrence A. “Larry” Wicker Dec. 6, 2010 Husband of Robin Bassok Kay-Wicker ’70

John J. Pitrus Aug. 26, 2011 Father of Gretchen Pitrus Dinucci ’78, grandfather of Robert Dinucci ’07

Robert H. Wolin Sept. 5, 2011 Father of Margaret Wolin Skinner ’68 and Elizabeth Wolin ’71

Cynthia Stout Pond ’37 June 17, 2001 Mother of Harvey Pond ’68 and Andrew Pond ’69

John H. Woodruff June 12, 2001 Father of Anne Woodruff Stout ’75

Bettina Pierce Romaine ’52 Dec. 20, 2010

Irene Zaccardi Sept. 12, 2011 Mother of Henry J. Zaccardi ’74, grandmother of Sarah E. Zaccardi ’10 and Henry P. Zaccardi ’12

Hildegarde Sorenson Sterling Aug. 5, 2011 Mother of Richard Sorenson ’62 and Wendy Sorenson Pearson ’70, grandmother of Robert Sorenson Jr. ’90 and Peter Pearson ’00 Anne Britton Taggart July 23, 2011 Mother of Elizabeth Taggart Durant ’80, Leigh Taggart ’82 and Sara Taggart ’86

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Richard C. Hastings Jr. '40

By Pam Hastings and Linda Hastings Rosania

TRIBUTE

Richard Hastings ’40 with grandson Benjamin Cleveland Hastings ’09, now a student at the University of Vermont

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It is hard to write a tribute to our Dad that will encompass all his exemplary qualities. He made the best of what life had to offer and wanted success and happiness for people he worked with and cared about. He had an incredible work ethic, was a gentleman in every sense of the word, and was genuine and loyal to friends and family. His pragmatism and sense of humor saw him through many difficult situations, and those qualities were respected and embraced by his children and grandsons.

From a very early age, we heard about Kingswood, always in the context of the support and stability it afforded him. When his world was coming apart due to his parents’ divorce, moving to a new home and the introduction of nannies to care for him and his siblings, he felt at home at Kingswood. He said it gave him a wonderful educational foundation, friendship and guidance.

His generosity in offering Kingswood scholarships to talented young people with potential and sending his son and grandsons to Kingswood is a testament to his feelings about the school.

He loved a good story where the joke was on him, and shared many with the entire family, especially his grandsons. Not being too handy at skills requiring tools (a constant source of amazement in the family given his ultimate highly successful career with The Stanley Works Tool Division), he told the story of emulating the “cool” kids in class by unscrewing the chairs from the floor when the teacher was not looking.

The kids with the dexterity to perform the task with stealth could do it from their seat by just reaching down and finding the screw on the floor. Dad was not so blessed and had to lean over and almost leave his chair to get to the area that needed attention. Of course when the teacher

turned around, everyone was in rapt attention except Dad. There was some penalty paid for this infraction and a letter sent home, much to his chagrin.

After he retired from Stanley, he wrote many stories about his life. It was his way to capture memories and history to share with future generations. We are so grateful he did put so many wonderful memories in writing, and we would be remiss if we did not credit Kingswood with fostering his writing skills!

One such “book” he wrote was titled “Past Due Appreciation.” This was a collection of tributes he wanted to pay to people and events that held a special meaning for him in his life. Dad felt that all these helped shape him as a person. One chapter is titled “Kingswood School 1935-1940.”

In this chapter he writes under a photo of the masters: “These Masters surrounding George Nicholson, Head Master, were active when I started in the 7th grade in 1935. I appreciated being taught at one time or another by each one of them. They were all men of stern character dedicated to their profession of developing young men into men.

“Mr. Nicholson presented a fearsome figure of a CEO until you met with him one-on-one. He concentrated completely on you and earned devoted respect on the part of a young neophyte.

I’ll always remember the time I received a ‘censure’ from him for being the only one caught in the act of unscrewing my chair from the floor so I could swivel with the rest of the guys. From that day on, I learned that doing something wrong intentionally wasn’t worth the risk, nor the disgrace of coming home with a reprimand.”

As Dad would attest, a firm foundation is essential to a successful and fulfilling life. If you take advantage of every opportunity presented to you to grow and become a well-rounded person, you cannot help but succeed. Dad did all that and more, with Kingswood as his firm foundation.

Louise Galt Pease ‘50 The last sentence in the Senior paper that Dad wrote is a quote from Confucius. He states, “The commander of the forces of a large state may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him.” We believe Dad’s will was strong.

We are honored to say that Kingswood School played a pivotal role in the formation of that incredible will. KO

By Betsy Russell ’50, with lots of help from Connie Cross ’50 You can’t help but smile when you think of Louise. Her sense of humor touched us all. Her jokes were for all occasions, bawdy, irreverent, funny and sometimes not so funny. Her ability to remember them was amazing. We all know her answering machine message. “Please leave your Social Security and bank account numbers, and maybe I’ll return your call.” Only Louise would make such a request.

Weezie had a presence that could not be ignored. Never without a story, or at a loss for words, her good nature and hearty laugh endeared her to those around her.

Louise met her struggles head on, the worst being the death of her oldest daughter, Linda.

Even when she was dealing with her failing health, she was determined to handle it cheerfully. She rode the halls, or should I say ripped through the halls, of The McAuley on “Dame Edna” (her mobility scooter). She once drove it to the Pond House for lunch. Quite a sight!

Making a downstairs bedroom and her scooter allowed her to enjoy more summers at Groton Long Point. Weezie and “Dame Edna” traveled the area, greeting friends and keeping up-todate on local events. She loved GLP, where she was among family and close friends. Louise delighted the crowd by entering the Fourth of July parade.

Oxford School, Louise served as a member of the board of trustees from 1994 to 2003. She is honored for her countless hours of service and devotion to the School as well as her endless energy and enthusiasm.”

The Class of 1950 has quite a close group living in the area. We saw – and continue to see – each other frequently, and usually end up laughing about something totally inane. We built a foundation of friendships that lasted more than 66 years, a testament to Oxford, where a close network of classmates and teachers was the norm.

When I was asked to write a remembrance, I couldn’t imagine where to begin or what to say. My husband, Peter, said, “How can you not find anything to say about someone you talk to or see all the time?” I miss her. I loved being with her. I want to phone her and tell her something, ask her advice, or get some news.

Louise’s quotation accompanying her senior picture in the 1950 yearbook reads, “I shall laugh myself to death.” On the day Louise died, a small group of friends sang songs to her for about 45 minutes. Camp songs, sing-along songs, any kind of song we could think of. She couldn’t muster up a hearty laugh, so she did the next best thing. She left us smiling. KO

Louise was proud of being an Oxford graduate.

She stayed in close contact with the School over the years, nine of those years as a member of the board of trustees. She was honored as a Distinguished Alumna, and I quote from a school publication: “A 1950 graduate of

Louise Galt Pease ’50

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show your support before the end of the year Reminder: Please make your gift to the KO Fund before the end of the calendar/tax year!

Members and Friends of the Kingswood Oxford Community, As the end of the calendar/tax year quickly approaches, we hope you will consider supporting KO with a gift to the 2011-2012 KO Fund.

Gifts to the KO Fund support the most important priorities of the School, including faculty recruitment and retention, financial aid, teaching initiatives, athletics, arts, library and computer resources, and facilities maintenance. By making a generous gift, you will help our deserving students embrace their intellectual curiosity in a learning environment filled with passion and determination, ensuring a successful future this coming year and far beyond.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim O’Brien Green at 860-727-5015 or by e-mail at green.k@k-o.org. Thank you for your generosity toward Kingswood Oxford School!

Should you wish to make your gift by credit card or by stock transfer, please follow the instructions below: Stock gifts: Gifts of stock may be made directly to KO by following the School’s transfer instructions: Merrill Lynch, DTC No. 5198, Acct. No. 6JA-02096, 29 S. Main St., Suite 221, West Hartford, CT 06107. For more information, please contact Jennifer Hachey of Merrill Lynch toll free at 877-541-7788.

Credit card gifts: To make a gift by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover, go to www.kingswoodoxford.org/giving.

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board of trustees Katherine Keegan Antle ’96 Dennis Bisgaard P ’16, Head of School Jessica Hild Collins ’91, Head’s Advisory Council President Pamela J. Dowling ’78, P ’08 Laura Estes P ’98 Frederick S. Farquhar ’59, P ’83, ’86 Christopher G. Gent P ’03, ’08 Carolyn Wolfe Gitlin ’85, P ’11, ’13, ’17, Parent Association President Marilyn Glover P ’05, ’07, ’11, Secretary Cheryl Grisé P ’99, ’02 Stephen B. Hazard P ’89, ’92 I. Bradley Hoffman ’78, Vice Chair Timothy A. Holt P ’99, ’02, ’07 Baxter H. Maffett ’68, P ’02, ’06, Vice Chair Bruce A. Mandell ’82 Didier Michaud-Daniel P ’10 Mark Paley P ’07, ’09, ’11, ’14 Francis P. Pandolfi ’61 Michael J. Reilly P ’04, ’08 Avery Rockefeller III P ’00, ’02, Chair Paul F. Romano P ’06, ’08, ’11 Marc T. Shafer ’75, P ’08, ’15, ’17 Alden Y. Warner III ’76, Treasurer R. Ashley Washburn P ’08, ’10, ’12, ’15 Paula Whitney P ’02, ’04, ’06, ’07

trustees emeriti 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 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 ’48 E. Merritt McDonough ’51, P ’79, ’81 Agnes S. Peelle P ’01, ’03 Anne Rudder P ’68 Peter G. Russell ’44, P ’77, ’80, ’82 Frederick D. Watkins P ’71, ’72 John A.T. Wilson ’56, P ’84, ’86 Martin Wolman P ’80, ’82, ’84, ’88

ko WINTER 2011

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teaching with technology Kingswood Oxford science department chair Frederick “Fritz” Goodman uses a SMART Board during an A.P. Biology class. He said the new Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center has enriched the teaching of science at KO immeasurably. “Being bathed in natural light every single day has been a huge psychological lift,” he said. “The SMART Boards, greenhouse and aquarium are effective teaching tools, and in the labs the flow of space, portable benches, ceiling outlets and multiple ports for computers accommodate a variety of teaching styles.”

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