The Class of 1972

Paying it forward

It was 50 years ago, but it seems like just yesterday. That’s the consensus from the members of Darlington and Thornwood’s Classes of 1972 as they approach their 50th reunion this fall.

“Steven Winkler (’72, LD ’15), Bill Smith (’72), Bob Hortman (’72), Arthur Gray (’72) and I were on the Dance Committee,” said Crawford Brock (’72). “Someone would make the run to get 100 Krystals, and we and our dates would stay to clean up after the dance. I don’t know that we really cleaned up very well, but we stayed late for the hamburgers.”

That’s just one of many stories you’ll hear if you sit down and reminisce with a member of the Class of 1972. The detail with which they recall their beloved days at Darlington and Thornwood is astounding, and this sense of connection has remained strong for five decades.

“I have a picture of the 1971 state championship soccer team behind my desk and when you look at who these men are – they are just dynamic, extraordinary leaders. They’ve led great lives and done great things. Everyone’s a superstar,” said Brock. “There is a deep relationship between us even to this day. We have talked through that final championship game 100 times. We have this camaraderie of kind of reliving an experience together that was extraordinary.”

Deborah (Heyman) Harris (’72, LD ’17) feels similarly about her and her classmates’ shared experience at Thornwood. “Since our graduation from Thornwood, we have stayed in touch with each other,” she said. “Through college, graduate school, careers, marriages, births and deaths, we have made the effort to honor and support our friendships. In our adult lives, we have made time for excursions to the mountains, to beaches, to resorts and to cities. We have walked with each other through the vicissitudes of life. We know the powerful importance of lifelong friendships. This is the gift of a unique journey from youth to experience, built on the foundation of Thornwood.”

As the 1972 alumni started planning for their reunion, they sought to make a gift to the school that would be significant and lasting. The conversation quickly became focused on creating a new endowed scholarship fund that would help make a Darlington education more affordable.

“We liked what the Class of 1953 has done with their lectureship series and wanted to also do something that would perpetuate,” said Hortman. “Our initial goal started as a modest amount, say $150,000, but once Crawford Brock and Gray Tuttle (’72) picked up the ball, the target amount kept rising.”

To date, more than $600,000 has been raised and class members are working hard to reach their new goal of $1 million.

“We have tried to call just about everyone in our class and we’ve had great conversations,” said Brock. “So many classmates have been receptive to participating, and we’ve had the chance to share so many stories and memories.”

The recipients of the scholarships established by the Darlington and Thornwood Classes of 1972 will be known as Lakeside Scholars, and the first – a ninth-grade day student – enrolled this fall. Lakeside Scholars will be encouraged to interact with members of the class, build connections with each other, and become alumni leaders in the spirit of the Class of 1972.

“I hope they learn about our class, take from it these life lessons of giving back, and love the school the way we all do,” said Brock. “I hope that they stay connected for the rest of their lives to this great school. I hope they can go on to be leaders in their classes and help carry that torch just like Steve Winkler and Bill Smith have for us all these years.”

As they get ready to celebrate their 50th reunion in October, members of the Class of 1972 hope their efforts on behalf of Darlington students will inspire other classes.

“I know that there are other classes who could do the same thing we’re doing,” said Brock. “You just have to find class leaders who love the school and hold everyone together with lots of communication. It’s a great opportunity for Darlington and I’d love to see another class match our amount raised.”

The Class of 1972 also commissioned John Taylor (’72) to paint a portrait of late longtime educator George Awsumb, which was dedicated during Alumni Weekend last fall and hangs permanently outside the George W. Awsumb Cinema Room in Zelle Fine Arts Center.

Fall 2022

’72 31

Nineteen alumni from seven states returned to campus in March for Leadership Darlington.

2012 (next reunion 2022)

Class Agents: Kelsey Ann (Williams) Bassel, Marissa McKoy, Austin Spooner, John Wilhoite Cam Collins is an account manager for Silicon Valley Startups at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He has worked at AWS since May 2020. Austin Spooner is the strategic engagement coordinator at The Chapin School.

2013 (next reunion 2023)

Class Agents: Blair Holcombe, Mary Lyn Stegall, Madeline (Gaffney) Welborn Harold Antor is an equity research associate at Jefferies in New York City. He reconnected with classmates Celina Kassam (’13) and Korede Olagbegi (’13) in NYC this past spring. Allie Hurley graduated from Lincoln Memorial University Anesthesia School on Dec. 11, 2021, as a registered nurse anesthetist. Remy Jennings defended her dissertation and will be joining the faculty in the Business School at Florida State University. Jordan Muschamp was recognized as “one to watch” in both number of units sold as well as total sales volume for the Berkshire Hathaway Buckhead office for the first part of 2022. Vikram Singh was promoted to senior data scientist, expert consulting at McKinsey & Co. Camille Temples graduated from Auburn University in 2019 and works at a boutique residential interior design firm in Atlanta.

2014 (next reunion 2024)

Class Agent: Vacancy Sarah Beth Cline graduated from Brenau University in December of 2020 with a Masters in Occupational Therapy and is an occupational therapist at Advent Health Redmond in Rome.

José-Luis Mulas Torres, Marshall McCann (’15) and Pepe Mulas reconnected in Mexico City this summer. Chas Williams is a real estate corporate and investment banking analyst at Truist Securities.

2015 (next reunion 2025)

Class Agent: Vacancy Duane Davenport started a new position as a business development representative at Autodesk. Nadin Kosedag started a new position as an asset management analyst at AEW in Boston. Class of 2010

Class of 2011

Class of 2016

In April, senior girls had the opportunity to hear about sorority life from Young Alumni Council member Olivia Drake (’17) and a group of faculty members. They shared information about Panhellenic Sororities and National Pan-Hellenic Sororities and provided a list of alumni and community members willing to help with recommendation letters.

Calling all alumni…

Distinguished Alumnus Nominations

Send us your nominations for the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Established by the Alumni Council in 1983, this award recognizes alumni who have achieved prominence in their profession and/or community and who have demonstrated loyalty to Darlington. Please email your nomination to vvincent@darlingtonschool.org and include the following information:

Name and class year of nominee Reason(s) for nomination Your name and class year

Katie (Hurley) Lugo graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in May of 2021. She was sworn in to the State Bar of Texas on Nov. 19, 2021, and married Jonathan Lugo the same day.

2016 (next reunion 2026)

Class Agent: Hanna Jon Lewis Sami dePass lives in Kingston, Jamaica, and has started her own strength training and life coaching business. She has competed in powerlifting competitions in the Caribbean, South Africa and Europe. Winston Gammon was sworn in under the Law Student Practice Act and will be working for the MaconBibb County Public Defender’s Office while finishing Law School at Mercer University. Alexander Roberts graduated from Auburn University with a Master of Science in Data Science and Engineering at Auburn University this past December.

2017 (next reunion 2027)

Class Agents: Ethan Delashmit, Olivia Drake, Kate Flory, Brock Gardner Annaliese Clevenger graduated with honors from Mercer School of Engineering with a Biomedical Engineering degree May 2021. She was accepted at Northwestern University in Chicago and has started their Prosthetics and Orthotics program. Olivia Drake is the marketing automation specialist at Atrium Health Floyd in Rome. Will Groover graduated from Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Computer Science and is now a software engineer with Microsoft Seattle, Wash. Hannah Jones received an ADDY at the 2022 AAF Birmingham American Advertising Federation for her Keystone Lexia Typeface, a body copy typeface that supports people with dyslexia. The uppercase and lowercase characters are uniquely designed and modified to prevent optical flipping, rotating and reversing of letterforms. Keystone Lexia has been a passion project for Hannah as she, too, is dyslexic. Elijah McKoy is a sales representative with Taylor Corp. Tate Morgan graduated from the University of Alabama in December 2021 and is starting a new full-time position as sales assistant at Stanley Korshak, where she interned in the ecommerce department last fall. Gamble Shadday was promoted to operating partner at Big Dan’s Car Wash.

Lisa van Susteren is a junior recruiting manager at Detecon International.

Krystyna Virkler completed her M.A. in International Relations at the University of St. Andrews.

2018 (next reunion 2023)

Class Agent: Vacancy Brie Bishop was selected to be a member of the University of Tennessee Chancellor Commission for Disability team. She has also been accepted to graduate school at the University of Tennessee. Jacqueline Cline graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with a Bachelor of Nursing. She is a NICU Nurse at Atrium Health Floyd in Rome. Aisling Fields is a communication assistant with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Alex Gardner graduated from the Auburn University Harbert College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Finance. Grace Hurley graduated from Auburn University summa cum laude in December with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences. She plans to attend medical school. Joseph Ingram graduated from Georgia Southern University with a B.B.A in Finance. Long Nguyen graduated from Occidental College summa cum laude with a double major in critical media studies and music production. Ian Payne interned at Signature Wealth Management Group this summer as he finishes up his B.B.A. in Economics and B.B.A. in Finance at the University of Georgia. Maddie Sabourin graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Law and Courts and a minor in Legal Studies. She will continue her education at Belmont University School of Law.