Fall 2019 Deerfield Magazine by Deerfield Academy

FIE

volume 77/1

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S H E LT E R I N P L A C E / A D VA N C E M E N T R E P O R T

FA L L 2 0 1 9

DE E RF I E LD M A G A Z I N E

When the smoke cleared . . .

Fall Term was over, and it was 2020! Happy New Year and welcome to the Fall 2019 issue of Deerfield Magazine. Reaching you in January, this is our “Janus issue” for sure. In the following pages you will find a retrospective of the Fall Term, even as we eagerly anticipate all that 2020 has to offer. From Convocation 2019 and the Induction of Dr. John P.N. Austin to a visit from a king to Fall Family Weekend to the dedication of a new health and wellness facility to a thrilling (and victorious!) Choate Day, and all the learning that happened in-between, 2019 was by all measures a great fall for Deerfield students and the Academy. Beginning on page 16, we review the Office of Advancement’s FY 2018-19 fundraising efforts. Please remember that an online version of the Annual Report is available at deerfield.edu/ annual-report; it is password protected, but anyone who remembers the lyrics to the “Evensong” should have no trouble. (If you do need help accessing the report, please feel free to reach out to the Advancement or Communications offices.)

I am pleased to share with you, on page 22, the results of a current student’s research and writing efforts last summer: the Montague Grant, which students apply for in early spring, encourages them to research, using the Academy Archives, one aspect, theme or person directly related to the Academy (beginning in 1797), and examined through a historical or philosophical lens. In anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, 2019 recipient Ron Finkelberg ’21 chose to examine more closely the events and activities here on campus during that war. He has provided us with an insightful, interesting historical piece. As always, the Common Room highlights your good work and interesting lives. In addition, we introduce five new members of the Academy’s Board of Trustees: Joe Dowling P’21, Josh Greenhill ’96, Vanessa Lavely ’00, Libby Leist ’97, and Ted Ullyot ’85, who attended their first Board meeting on campus this past fall. Also included in the Common Room are alumni stories of service, athleticism, and entrepreneurship; if you have someone to recommend for a future “alumni spotlight” such as these, please let me know. Finally, when you turn to page 2, you’ll notice a reflection written by our new Head of School. Dr. Austin had a busy fall that not only included the events mentioned above, but also a great deal of time on the road—including a trip to Asia! But when I asked him to write a piece for Deerfield Magazine, he was happy to do so; I hope this is the start of a new tradition, and I’m pleased to share Dr. Austin’s thoughts with all of you. Thank you for your continued interest in and support of Deerfield, and all best wishes for the New Year! //

Jessica Day Director of Communications

Director of Communications

Multimedia Specialist

Production Manager

Design & Art Director

Archivist

Social Media & Email Manager

Jessica Day

Jacklyn Bunch

Steve Berman

Brent M. Hale

Anne Lozier

Jess Wissemann

Produced by the Deerfield Academy Communications Office: Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA 01342. Telephone: 413-774-1860 communications@deerfield.edu Publication Office: Cummings Printing, Hooksett, NH. Third class postage paid at Deerfield, Massachusetts, and additional mailing office.

Deerfield Magazine is published three times a year. Deerfield Academy does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, age, disability, status as a veteran or being a member of the Reserves or National Guard, or any other classification protected under state or federal law. Copyright © The Trustees of Deerfield Academy (all rights reserved)

IN MEMORIAM p.

ENDURING TRUTHS ANNOTATED: A REFLECTION FROM THE HOS

A REPORT FROM ADMISSION

COMMON ROOM

A REPORT FROM ADVANCEMENT

p. p.

SHELTER IN PLACE p.

ALBANY ROAD

Pictured on our cover: Varsity Football Coach Brian Barbato congratulates his team on their November 9, 2019 20-14 victory over Choate Rosemary Hall; on this page, a celebration ten years in the making—the last time varsity football “Beat Choate” was in 2008. Photographs: cover by Jess Marsh Wissemann / inside spread by Penle y Day

FIRST PERSON: DANIEL READ ’70

Enduring Truths— Annotated: A Reflection at the Conclusion of the Fall Term

The Convocation p. and Induction of Dr. John P.N. Austin

Brent Hale

Recently, my friend and mentor Tad Roach announced his retirement as Headmaster of St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, where he and his wife Elizabeth have taught and led the school for a combined 82 years. They haven’t quite matched the 129 years of Mr. and Mrs. Boyden but it’s not too shabby, and a run not likely to be matched soon. Their leadership and example have been a source of inspiration to many, including Monica and me. It was Tad who gave me my first copy of John McPhee’s (Deerfield Class of 1949) The Headmaster. I was 23, a recent Williams College graduate, and a young teacher in a ninth-grade dorm, where I was often mistaken for a student. Tad was a hoary veteran, eight years my elder. I read it in a single sitting, and since that time, I have returned to it often, always with pleasure. What delightful irony to now have the privilege of leading Mr. Boyden’s school! Some have suggested that McPhee’s book, for all of its formal and stylistic elegance, is no longer relevant, at least as a book on education. It is true that residential schools face challenges today that could have been scarcely imagined 50 years ago. It is also true that modern Deerfield is different—wonderfully different—from the school described by McPhee. Modern Deerfield is more diverse, more inclusive, and more welcoming. Its programs are deeper and more expansive. Its financial structure is more complex. Nonetheless, The Headmaster is, in my view, one of the great classics of educational literature, with much to teach us. Here are a few of my favorite (annotated) sentences and phrases.

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On Motivating Students: “She makes them want to do the work.” Long before modern educational research identified the importance of “intrinsic motivation”—curiosity-driven learning— Mrs. Boyden recognized that a teacher’s first duty is to inspire, to foster curiosity, and to instill in young people a love of what they learn. She stands for all of Deerfield’s teachers, past and present, who seek to teach with joy and model a passion for learning and creativity—one of Deerfield’s greatest traditions.

On the allocation of resources: “He [Mr. Boyden] has over a hundred boys there now whose parents have been told to ‘pay what you can.’” Mr. Boyden virtually pioneered the modern ideal of affordability and access. He also understood that Deerfield should spend its dollars with intention and purpose. That means asking how our dollars reach directly into the lives of our students, and spending in way that focuses relentlessly on the student experience.

On Athletics: “Let us control them and make them a moral force.” Mr. Boyden saw the educational value of athletics. At its best, and at the Deerfield of today, athletics is a laboratory for character and for virtue—and, along with the performing arts, one of the last safe places where young people are allowed to fail. In athletics, young people learn sacrifice and teamwork; the courage, resourcefulness, and resiliency that comes with competition and setback; grace in defeat; humility in victory.

On the transformative power of secondary education: “The education a secondary school offers has to be considered in its own right and in all its aspects, and . . . not merely [as] a conduit to college.” As Mr. Boyden approached the end of his career, he began to see the impact of what McPhee calls the “college admissions battle.” (And that was 53 years ago.) Nonetheless, Mr. Boyden insisted on the unique and irreducible power of secondary education—not as a means to an end and not as mere preparation— but as itself precious and defining. He recognized that the years of high school are, at their best, years of wonder and formation, where the contours of character and judgement are indelibly defined, and where the sustaining habits curiosity, creativity, adventure, and joyful, creative exploration come to life. We strive to keep faith with that vision.

On Structure and Autonomy: “We try to give them what you might call controlled freedom.” Of course, young people require both. They need direction and support, but they also need to feel a powerful sense of agency and voice. Deerfield has always sought to balance both. McPhee on Mr. Boyden’s ideal faculty: “a group of people . . . much in evidence all of the time.” Young people need and require the attention, time, patience, conversation, and mentoring of caring adults. This is the absolute core of everything we do at Deerfield today. In our commitment to the well-being of students, this is the place where the past and the present truly converge. On Community: “You must have your boys together once a day, just as you have your family together once a day.” Mr. Boyden understood that building and maintaining a community is an ongoing process. We make the community, and our communities, in turn, make us, in ways that are enduring. All of this togetherness is not always easy, especially in a school as richly diverse as Deerfield (and I can imagine that more than a couple students in Mr. Boyden’s time found checking in 19 times a day a bit much). Living cheek by jowl with others can be irritating and cloying. And, of course, that’s the point. It’s why all of the frictions of everyday school life matter. In the end, they make us better friends and better people: more accepting and open-hearted, kind and generous.

School leadership inevitably takes one in two directions: It asks that you look to the past for direction and inspiration. It also demands that you prepare for a future that is unpredictable, uncertain, exciting, and full of opportunity. As we think about the future of Deerfield, we would do well to remember that the past can be can be a source of innovation—as long as past practices don’t atrophy, and the Academy is willing to renew and update them for new realities and necessities. Such is the exciting challenge we undertake. I look forward to keeping you, our broader community, aprised of this work that in many ways is simply a continuation of Mr. Boyden’s. Mr. Boyden on the Future of the Academy: “I have a feeling that if you’ve got something good enough to be preserved, it will be . . . The thing I hope is always retained here is the school’s flexibility. We’ve . . . kept abreast of the times. We haven’t gone wild. There’s a sense of permanence in the school.” //

ALBANY ROAD

Students, faculty and staff, trustees, and guests gathered under a green and white tent on September 8 to celebrate Convocation 2019 and the Induction of Dr. John P.N. Austin as the Academy’s 56th Head of School. Dean of Faculty John Taylor welcomed everyone and said, “I can’t imagine having a head of school who is better prepared to lead Deerfield at this particular juncture of our history. You are a scholar and a thought leader in the field of education. You have assumed multiple roles in your career as English teacher, basketball and soccer coach, dorm resident, dean of students, academic dean, and as the head of a school with very strong connections to Deerfield. As the numerous articles that you have published in different journals and magazines reveal, you are constantly thinking about what an excellent education looks like in the 21st century. In the speech commemorating the 10th anniversary of King’s, you wrote, ‘The real question we should be asking ourselves—as teachers, educators, and parents—is not whether or not our children will be well prepared for college and university, as important as that is, but whether or not our children will be prepared for a future of uncertainty, contingency, change, and transformation.’ You are keenly aware that in our work with students we must embrace both: continuity and change, tradition and innovation.” Additional speakers included President of the Board of Trustees Brian Simmons P ’12, ’14, Student Body Presidents Kareena Bhakta ’20 and Irvin Li ’20, Associate Director of Athletics Jess Lapachinski, who spoke on behalf of the Academy’s staff, St. Andrew’s Head of School Daniel T. Roach, and Dr. Austin. All Convocation and Induction speeches are available to read online at deerfield.edu/recent-remarks or watch a recording of Convocation 2019 at: deerfield.edu/convocation-2019.

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t to b: Invocation by interim Dean of Spiritual and Ethical Life Dr. Daniel Houston; the Deerfield Academy Advanced Vocal Ensemble and Student String Quartet; Student Body Co-Presidents Kareena Bhakta ’20 and Irvin Li ’20; singing the Evensong together

Brent Hale

Convocation 2019 and the Induction of Dr. John P.N. Austin

2019 Heritage Award Recipient ROBERTO POWERS ’71

Award-winning Author Visits Campus

Jess Marsh Wissemann; Brent Hale

TIM O’BRIEN Last summer the Academy’s “community read” for students and employees featured not one but two books by prestigious authors: Homegoing by PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author Yaa Gyasi and The Things They Carried by National Book Award-winning author Tim O’Brien. Mr. O’Brien came to campus in late September, and enjoyed lunch and conversation with students, visited English classes, and shared exclusive excerpts from Dad’s Maybe Book, which at the time of his visit had not yet been published, with the entire community at a special School Meeting. Mr. O’Brien was willing to visit Deerfield due in large part to his friendship with Academy English teacher and fellow Hemingway scholar Mark P. Ott. Dr. Ott and Mr. O’Brien first met at a Hemingway conference, at which Dr. Ott often presents; Dr. Ott is the author of A Sea of Change: Ernest Hemingway and the Gulf Stream, and has edited or co-edited additional Hemingway biographies. //

Roberto Powers ’71 was presented with the 2019 Heritage Award on October 2 at School Meeting, where he joined senior Jasmine Baldwin for a “fireside chat” that covered everything from Mr. Powers’ 30 years as a Foreign Service Officer to singing the Evensong together with the entire student body. Mr. Powers graduated magna cum laude from Wesleyan University and earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. As an attorney in Paris, he worked with the Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce, and then embarked on a career with the US Department of State. Holding numerous assignments at US diplomatic missions overseas, Mr. Powers’ postings have included Colombia, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy, and South Korea. Among other honors, Mr. Powers has received the Barbara Watson Award for Consular Excellence and a Presidential Meritorious Service Award for extraordinary accomplishment in the Senior Foreign Service. For significant contributions to the development and improvement of Colombia, he was decorated with the Francisco de Paula Santander Order of Law and Democracy. The Heritage Award is presented annually to a Deerfield alumnus or alumna whose professional and personal achievements represent a special contribution to the betterment of society.

Watch the Heritage Award presentation: vimeo.com/deerfield

Fit for a King

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The 2019-2020 school year began with an amazing surprise visit from His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, Class of 1980, who delivered a compelling presentation at School Meeting on September 18. His Majesty assumed the Hashemite throne in February of 1999, following the death of his father, His Majesty King Hussein, and 2019 marked the beginning of his third decade as monarch. His Majesty serves as Head of State

Brent Hale

and Commander-in-Chief of his nation’s armed forces. He is one of the Arab world’s most prominent and principled advocates for interfaith understanding, peace, pluralism, and human rights. During the Arab Spring and the strife that followed, King Abdullah sought to strengthen his nation’s political institutions through electoral, constitutional, and parliamentary reform and, with his wife, Her Majesty Queen Rania, he has sought to extend and deepen educational opportunities and access for young people throughout Jordan. //

PULLED

FROM

THE PULSE For Deerfield news and news of interest: Visit deerfield.edu/pulse

ALBANY ROAD

Pho tog rap m rim en G y B hs b

Antigone The fall play, Antigone, featured an outstanding cast of young thespians who preformed French dramatist Jean Anouilh’s version of the ancient Greek tragedy, which Anouilh wrote during the 1944 Nazi occupation of France. According to Theater Director Catriona Hynds, “In staging this show, we purposefully chose to set our production in a loose, timeless context, which gives a nod towards Art Deco, with a hint of George Orwell and a twist of Margaret Atwood’s dystopia. By liberating the piece from a specific time period, perhaps we can see more clearly how this ancient story still resonates so emphatically today.” Ms. Hynds and her troupe will switch gears and delve into children’s theater this winter with performances of the delightful How I Became A Pirate. The show will premier on campus on February 15, 2020. Deerfield.edu/events for more information. //

Watch a clip: vimeo.com/deerfield/antigone

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ALBANY ROAD

Doing Well

The D.S. Chen Health and Wellness Center Dedication

Above, left and l to r: Mandy Xiang ’23, Jack Chen ’08, Chairman Dongsheng Chen P’08, Leo Deng ’08, and Mo Chen; above, right: Original wood art installation by Academy Carpenter John Downie, featuring sustainably harvested lumber.

p 10: Jacklyn Bunch; p11: Todd Verlander; Jess Marsh Wissemann; Brent Hale

Head of School John Austin and President of the Board of Trustees Brian Simmons P ’12, ’14 welcomed Chairman Dongsheng Chen P ’08, Jack Chen ’08, Trustee Stanford Kuo ’78 P ’13, ’16, additional distinguished guests, and faculty and staff to the dedication of the D.S. Chen Health and Wellness Center on October 25. The $13.8 million building, which was funded through the generosity of parents of the Class of 2019, individual donors, and the Chen family opened its doors to students on September 1. In his remarks, Dr. Austin noted: “The Center is symbolic of our core commitment to the health, well-being, and the flourishing of all of our students. In this way, it is a profound expression of our deepest commitments and traditions. It is also a strong show of support for the work that our counselors, nurses, doctors, and staff do to care for, support, guide, and mentor students. In the academic realm, we strive to teach students to be life-long learners, to always be curious and engaged in their endeavors. A goal of the Chen Center is to help students lead lives of balance— not just while they are at Deerfield but in college and beyond.” //

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Showcasing Fall Family Weekend

Fall Family Weekend 2019 featured beautiful weather, many smiling faces, visits to classes, a Performing Arts Showcase, and more. Dr. Austin welcomed all to campus, and in his remarks noted that over the summer and into the fall, in addition to time spent with faculty and current students, he “greatly enjoyed meeting members of the alumni body—some recent, some as far back as the Class of 1943—and listening to their Deerfield stories.” He added, “There is one thing I hear over and over, and it can be stated in a single sentence: Deerfield changed my life. And it did so with a force and intensity unequalled by the years of college and graduate school that followed. Deerfield was, for these graduates, transformative.”

Read all about it: deerfield.edu/recent-remarks

At the Intersection of Old and New Regio

By Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Chip Davis

nal Assignments

International Regions: China / Vietnam / Asia / Central & South America / Europe / Africa / Australia / the Caribbean

When you have the privilege to be selective (as Deerfield does), it’s logical that you’ll prioritize selection as the top operational interval, i.e. “Let’s sift well and choose wisely.” Knowing that your yield on admitted students is a healthy percentage with modest volatility, it’s tempting to become complacent in the psychology that “any 200 of the 300” admits will be great for Deerfield. After all, you don’t actually want everyone who has been admitted to show up! To address this variance, these days we are thinking more along the lines of candidate recruitment to attempt an earlier and more predictive confidence level on student yield. This year we’ve also divided our applicant pool across 21 geographic zones to produce a territory model of candidate management. This enables admission officers to cover and recruit in a concentrated area, in addition to overseeing their personal stock of interviews. Working from an expectation of roughly 2000 applicants, each admission officer is now managing ten percent of the applicant pool. Most “AOs” have primary coverage over two zones. The buildout includes establishing contacts and streamlining communication across the admission funnel, event management, and travel to cultivate prospects for DA. At the local level and out in the world, we are partnering with alumni, parents, and others to seed these territories. In the most general terms, an effort to attract candidates to the notion of boarding school is a matter of reaching parents. While admission data indicates that students choose the specific school, parents offer consent on the boarding school proposition first and allow their children to explore our individual schools as applicants. This requires exceptional listening in order to inform messaging. Not every parent is the same. Some are highly familiar with boarding and independent schools and Deerfield. For others, it’s an entirely new possibility, with significant uncertainty, and potentially challenged by stereotype.

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Intersections: 1 Mr. Boyden’s hitching post / “Clanking” for good luck 2 Artist Nancy Winship Milliken’s installation / crowd-sourced vocabulary 3 Hall of Fame football legend Larry Csonka visits / Choate is crushed 24-10 by the varsity football team

Jacklyn Bunch; Brent Hale; Grace Honos ’22

ALBANY ROAD

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Jess Marsh Wissemann

Intersections: 4 Theory / Practice 5 Studying L’Homme Qui Plantait des Arbes (The Man Who Planted Trees) by Jean Giono / Transplanting rosemary in the greenhouse Some identify around the transformational power in the opportunity (Deerfield in and of itself), while others lean toward transactional outcomes (“We’re here for X and Y, and then we’re looking to go to Z after Deerfield”). We appreciate stated objectives around either approach. What situation is the family in? What are their circumstances? Why are they at a school fair, on our campus or emailing us? Carrying a recruitment mindset enables us to create progress for applicant families at several stages in the process. Every student is wonderfully different. However, in Admission, we can’t operate in an infinite framework. Along with objective variables and subjective impressions, we take our best shot at assessing the psychographic persona of candidates that informs our ability to balance and enhance the student body with a rich diversity of experience, thought, and outlook. Is this candidate more a “beautiful mind” or a “goal getter,” for

example? Is DA familiar or unfamiliar to them? Journey or destination? Questions such as these enable us to think strategically about student body composition in more nuanced ways. Here’s the trick of it: We have a finite system for reaching candidates. One set of selling points entitled “Why Deerfield” (by its nature standing in comparison to something else) may be limiting, mildly overconfident, or inaccurate about what is or is not taking place on other campuses, and for some, tangential to their critical factors that enable them to choose a school. I vote for an absolute approach, i.e. the value of Deerfield as we know it. The more time I spend in this space, the more certain I am that articulating our mission, program, and experience is authentic, appealing, and confident. Some elements to this message are consistent, and can be shared and recognized across time, while others are very dynamic and personal. Is there a coherent set of messages that speaks to all, many, or just some? Moreover, which turn of phrase, comment in the interview or from a tour guide, or observed moment turned the candidate towards DA and why?

I want you to imagine you were given the responsibility to write the content on Deerfield’s website (the new version debuts in 2020) or printed materials for the Admission Office. Speaking from experience, what would you say on the school’s behalf to best represent your experience, your 2020 understanding of the school, and its pledge to others? Feel free to pass it along to me. The best delivery for imparting the value of Deerfield to others is from those with direct experience with it. We don’t tend to be slick in Admission, but we are friendly and authentic, and we would appreciate your input. In our conversations this fall in building the language to convey Deerfield externally, we’ve rallied around of themes of confluence and connection. We come together via innovative, research-informed curriculum and time-tested traditions, the aesthetic congruence of old spaces and new ones, the idea of being part of larger something than yourself, all the while exploring and shaping the experience of the self. We find equal power in reflection and forward thinking, performance and practice, breadth and depth, work and play, and green and white. //

We come together via innovative, research-informed curriculum and time-tested traditions, the aesthetic congruence of old spaces and new ones, the idea of being part of larger something than yourself, all the while exploring and shaping the experience of the self.

We find equal power in reflection and forward thinking, performance and practice, breadth and depth, work and play, and green and white. 15

FISCAL YEAR 18/19

Felt the

â?¤

A Report From the Office of Advancement by Julia Elliott

16 | REPORT 2019

or Deerfield Academy’s Office of Advancement, the official finish

They immediately turned to that page of the report to discover that, for the third time in four years, Deerfield held the number one spot

to the fundraising year is June 30. For

for alumni participation, with 45.5 percent of the alumni body giving

Annual Fund Director Betsey Dickson ’94,

to the Academy in FY 2018-19. That good news called for a quick

however, the most important fundraising

high five and a little happy dance before heading into the conference.

numbers are not released until July

“We were thrilled and proud to have that stat,” says Betsey,

at the annual Eight Schools Association

“and we say thank you to the 4,500 alumni who made gifts of

Conference. There, along with colleagues

every size to Deerfield.”

(Thank you to the 4,500 alumni who made gifts of every size to Deerfield!)

from peer institutions (Andover, Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Northfield Mount Hermon, and St. Paul’s) the big moment comes at the start of the confer-

BY THE NUMBERS:

ence, when everyone receives a communal data sheet with final fundraising numbers. Betsey already knew that 2018-19 had been a strong year for Deerfield: the school had raised an impressive $30.5 million in cash, which included a $6.38 million Annual Fund total. This represented the Academy’s second-highest cash total in the past decade (surpassed only by the last year of the Imagine Deerfield capital campaign in 2015) and a 20 percent increase over the past four years. It placed Deerfield second only to Andover in terms of cash raised, a particularly notable feat given that Andover was in the second year of a comprehensive campaign. But the number that really mattered to Betsey and then-Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Noah Blake, however, was alumni participation. “Often in these reports,” explains Noah, “the overwhelming generosity of alumni and parents to Deerfield is lost in the big dollar numbers. For us the important number is always the broad number of people who support the school.”

for

Years at #1 spot for alumni participation among the Eight Schools

45.5 % Overall alumni participation

4,500 Alumni donorss

$6.38 Million Annual Funds

The complete 2018-19 Annual Report is available online at deerfield.edu/annual-report. It contains detailed information on gifts to the Academy and a list of endowed funds.

THREE 2018-19 ANNUAL FUND CHALLENGES:

A TRIFECTA OF SUCCESS

Stick with Deerfield

was acknowledged by welcoming donors into the Heritage Society,

$23K+ Raised in support of five areas of need

As in previous years, alumni giving to the 2018-19 Annual Fund which recognizes consecutive years of giving gifts of any size. Three repeat Annual Fund challenges were also deployed with great success. The first was a young alumni crowdfunding challenge, “Stick With Deerfield,” targeted toward the Classes of 2005–2018; 570 alumni raised more than $23,000 for Deerfield students in five areas of need: student feeds, athletics uniforms, a campus speakers series, a student service project, and supplemental financial aid. The second of last year’s repeat challenges was “One Deerfield: A Day of Giving”—a 27-hour giving marathon during which 1,119 people made donations. “That was the most donors we ever received in one day,” says Betsey, adding, “it was really an inclusive effort and we were thrilled to see that outpouring of support from all parts of the Deerfield community.”

One Deerfield:

A Day of Giving

27/1,119 Hours/Donations

Grand Challenge

1,46 3 Donors

The final ’18–’19 Annual Fund push was marked by the “Grand Challenge,” sponsored by Karen and Rob Hale ’84 P ’15,’17,’18. The Hales generously contributed $1,000 for every gift of any size given by anyone who had not yet donated to Deerfield in 2018-19. Their generosity helped to net a broad base of support, with 1,463 donors. “The Hale family has been so supportive of our fundraising efforts over the years,” says Chief Advancement Officer Ann Romberger, “and I just want to give them a shout-out for helping to spur these gifts.”

D E E R F I E LD R EC O GN I Z E S W I T H GR AT I T U D E T H E FO LLOW I N G B EQU E ST S, W H I CH AR R I V E D I N 2 0 1 8 - 1 9 .

The Estate of Ronald A. McLean Jr. ’44 The Estate of John E. Carpenter ’51 P’80 The Estate of Robert B. Hiden Jr. ’51 The Estate of Barry Edward Ellert ’56 The Estate of Roderick McKay Ramsay ’57 The Estate of Lore K. Kelly (Alumni Widow) ’45 The Estate of Elizabeth T. Niehaus (Parent) ’76 The Estate of Richard W. Shepherd (Friend)

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Th a yo nk Ha u fam le ily !

nd ya a ing w s i e a g th ndr n u l i f of ea d poo l s e “ m g th are ter n s i n e i d e as uil nly ust p b r o t f u t o p o nae ste ms s, n r m o u e t u s.” t g e g n n e Al n i i t i t s l o tru als wil por t p e d r u u n s a s, b s, a ho r t a w n l e dol nae s ag s m a l lu s, c r of a e te un l o v

“Now that we are more than twenty-five years out of coeducation,” says Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement Jenny Hammond, “we have the breadth and depth of experiences where that supportive network can be fostered and grow.” Recognizing that alumnae trustees have guided these initiatives, Ann Romberger comments,

A COMMUNITY STEPS UP Other factors that encouraged strong

D.S. Chen Health and Wellness Center

service culture to more actively involve alumni, and outreach to women of Deerfield. Betsey is particularly excited about the increase in the number of women who have joined the 1797 Society —43 alumnae gave leadership-level gifts in 2018-19, as compared to 27 just two years ago. And in addition to a DAConnect networking event in Boston, Advancement staff, female trustees, and on occasion

and supporting us, not only in terms of fundraising dollars, but also in terms of building the pool of alumnae who are willing to step up as volunteers, class agents, and trustees.” Jenny describes the focus on women as an effort to foster future leaders. The alumnae she encounters are eager for opportunities to get

alumni engagement included career networking, the expansion of Deerfield’s

“We are so grateful to them for leading the way

Dedicated on October 25, 2019

involved and, she says, “they truly bleed green!” Enthusiasm for the Academy’s health and wellness center building project was also a

with thanks to:

motivator for giving in 2018-19. Parents of the

Parents of the Class

Class of 2019, individual donors, and the Chen

of 2019, individual donors, and Jack Chen ’08

family all gave generously to the $13.8 million project, which opened this fall and was officially dedicated on October 25 (see page 10) as the D.S. Chen Health and Wellness Center, named by Jack Chen ’08 in honor of his father. “We have always had a world-class health

then-Head of School Margarita Curtis,

center staff,” says Ann, “and now we have a

also held small dinners with alumnae

state-of-the-art building to match their skills.”

in several cities; more of these types of

The new building integrates the health center,

gatherings are planned.

counseling center, and health education class-

2018-19 ALUMNI PARTICIPATION /

20 | REPORT 2019

Class years 1936-2018

“We want a Deerfield education to remain accessible to all, and in order to be a diverse and inclusive school, raising dollars for financial aid remains our top priority.” —Chief Advancement Officer Ann Romberger

rooms, as well as office space for medical staff, creating what

the Dining Hall, gave away Deerfield swag, and invited students

Director of Medical Services Dr. Bryant “Bear” Benson says is

to apply to become “Advancement Ambassadors.” The idea for

“a wonderfully warm and nurturing new space for our students.”

the Ambassadors was sparked a couple years before, when

Director of Counseling Dr. Joshua Relin describes the new

more than one ninth-grader wandered into Ephraim Williams

counseling center as “spacious and comfortable with lots of

House looking for networking opportunities in his or her “field.”

natural light, all of which contributes to a healthier, happier

“I don’t know how many ninth-graders actually have career

atmosphere.” Bear agrees that the spectacular new facility

fields,” says Noah Blake with a laugh, “but here at Deerfield,

reflects the Chen Center’s overall purpose to “provide excellent

we have those students. This seemed like a good way to help

care to our community.”

facilitate that desire to connect.”

Another important factor in 2018-19’s fundraising success

The Advancement staff knew there would be interest in the

was a desire on the part of the Deerfield community to honor

Ambassador positions, but they were happily shocked when 53

outgoing Head of School Dr. Margarita O’Byrne Curtis; several

students submitted applications. After a busy interview process,

rooms in the Chen Center were donated in her name, and perhaps

they accepted a group of 21 rising tenth-graders and juniors,

most fittingly, given Margarita’s background and academic

thinking they would start their work as Advancement Ambassadors

interests, current and past trustees raised three million dollars to

this school year. The students, however, were eager to begin

establish the Margarita O’Byrne Curtis Fund for Global Citizenship.

volunteering immediately, so the Office of Advancement set

Margarita was also recognized for her years of service when an

them up as panelists at the 2019 spring meeting of the Executive

anonymous donor made a gift to name “New Dorm”—built during

Committee of the Alumni Association and as tour guides, panel-

the Imagine Deerfield campaign—the O’Byrne Curtis Dormitory.

ists, and childcare providers at Reunions 2019 in June. Having a

“Margarita’s 13-year tenure at the Academy was viewed by

committed cohort of eager volunteers has been extremely helpful

parents, alumni, and Board members alike as a very successful

for the office; equally important has been seeing how the new

period for the Academy,” says Ann Romberger, reflecting on

leadership roles have benefited the students. “They have the

the community’s generosity. “It was a great period of growth

opportunity to hone their people and networking skills, to

in terms of our financial security, in terms of academics, and

take the lead on certain projects, and to develop all of these great

in terms of diversity and inclusion.”

skill sets as high school students,” says Jenny. “The fact that

However, exciting brick and mortar projects aside, the most

they can have a chance to connect with alumni before they even

important fundraising initiative for Deerfield was, and continues

graduate is really exciting for them—they know the power of

to be, financial aid. Ann notes, “We want a Deerfield education to

the Deerfield network.”

remain accessible to all, and in order to be a diverse and inclusive school, raising dollars for financial aid remains our top priority.”

This fall, as Dr. John P.N. Austin was inducted and officially began his tenure as the Academy’s 56th Head of School, Ann Romberger and her team paused to reflect on the past year:

A CIRCLE OF GRATITUDE

“We’re so grateful to the incredible Deerfield network for making

Every year, the Office of Advancement is grateful for the

2018-19 a resounding success, not just in terms of dollars raised,

generous support and involvement of alumni and parents, but

but in the myriad ways that so many alumni, parents, students,

last year marked the first time that current students stepped

and friends support the school. Dr. Austin is starting from a

up to play leadership roles. This new initiative began in January

position of strength because of that support. Thank you.” //

of 2019, when Jenny and her team set up a table in the lobby of

My name is Ron Finkelberg,

SHELTER

and I am a current student at Deerfield Academy in the Class of 2021. I am the grandchild of four Russian survivors of the Holocaust, and great-grandchild of two soldiers who died fighting the Nazis in Europe. I have always been keen to

Deerfield and the Second World War

learn about World War II, but most of my understandings came from primary sources like my grandparents. This summer, I set out to extend my knowledge

( Au t h o r I n i t i a l s )

to the reality of the war for Deerfield

( C l a s s Yr . )

students of the time, and hoped to confirm that Deerfield meaningfully contributed to the US war effort. More specifically, I chose to investigate: How did World War II affect Deerfield

he United States officially entered World War II in December 1941 after the surprise bombing of Pearl

Harbor by the Japanese, and the shock of war resonated to

Academy, and how did the Academy

every city and town, including Deerfield, Massachusetts.

contribute to the war effort?

The attack led to a monumental shift within the United

Over the summer I spent many hours

States as the nation scrambled to assemble a fighting force

in the Academy Archives, analyzing

while also implementing civilian precautions such as food

information from a variety of sources

and gas rations, travel restrictions, and the establishment

including Deerfield’s student-run

of bomb shelters. From 1941 through 1945, however, the

newspaper the Scroll, the Alumni

Deerfield Academy campus remained virtually unaffected

Journal, and many of Frank L. Boyden’s

by shortages and other difficulties as a result of the war, and

letters about Deerfield’s involvement in

under the leadership of Headmaster Frank L. Boyden, events,

the war. In addition to archival sources,

academics, and athletics went on much as they had before.

I reached out to seven Deerfield alumni

Rather than dramatically changing the routines of the

from the Classes of 1945–1948 to hear

Academy and its students, Mr. Boyden instead reinforced

their recollections about World War II

values and traditions while deliberately shielding the boys

and the Academy. Initially, I imagined

from the dangers of war. And by doing so, the school in effect

[continued on page 25 sidebar]

contributed to the war effort by educating capable young men, some of whom went on to become esteemed members of the armed services.

No.

r: From air raid drills where lower level hallways served as “bomb shelters” to the school store, Mr. Boyden strove to maintain a sense of normalcy on campus.

in Place.

No.

ON THE HOME FRONT Prior to World War II, the Great Depression plagued the Unites States and disrupted the lives of people from all socio-economic classes. Deerfield Academy faced major funding problems that threatened to shut down the institution throughout the 1920s and into the Depression, but in spite of these financial difficulties, Mr. Boyden managed to assemble enough support for Deerfield to survive—and even grow— through this period of uncertainty, all while solidifying many of the school’s traditions that are still upheld today. As the US engaged in the fighting overseas, back home, Deerfield had approximately 400 students, a few academic buildings, and limited sports facilities. Many boarding boys lived quite far from the central buildings amongst privately-owned and historic houses on Old Main Street. They followed extremely

“I thought about what Frank Boyden would do. Then, just like after dinner every evening at Deerfield, I had all the men sit on the ground and I was the only one standing. I explained about teamwork: how the men would be in pairs, with both experienced and inexperienced solders side by side, helping each other. Our casualty rate dropped. Frank Boyden taught me that.” I just thought you be interested to know that there are two of us from Deerfield here in the same company. The other night I was walking up to the chow line and who stopped me but Ed Hitchcock Class of ’43. Ed was wounded last winter and has just returned to duty. He is in a machine gun section and is doing a fine job.

—LIEUTENANT TOM BROWN ’42 TO MR. BOYDEN VIA V-MAIL, MARCH 26, 1945

No.

regimented schedules, yet they also had the freedom to pursue passions outside of the classroom. For example, right around the start of the war, Deerfield students voiced an interest for art, and in 1941 they established a student art club. Boys could also partake in a

Author’s Note / continued from page 22

multitude of other extracurricular activities ranging from a stamp club to writing for the Scroll to singing in the Glee Club. In addition

Deerfield’s involvement in the war as

to their academic responsibilities and extracurricular pursuits,

heroic and riveting, but was soon disappointed

every single boy participated in a sport, fulfilled dining hall duties

after finding that the reality differed from

such as waiting tables, reported to three sit-down meals a day,

my expectation. However, after reflecting

and studied during evening study hours in his room.

on the alumni stories as well as primary

Mr. Boyden also expected all students to attend community

source documents, I realized that

events, such as a daily meeting, where they gathered on the floor

Deerfield’s actions during World War II

of the Old Dorm with the headmaster and staff to learn about the

were actually heroic in their own way,

happenings on campus and some current events. Additionally,

and that realization furthered my

on Sundays, the school gathered for sermons in the Brick Church,

appreciation for Mr. Boyden’s mission

where different speakers presented to them on various topics.

and the Academy’s traditions.

Then, they would begin the week with a school-wide “Sunday Sing.”

I would like to thank everyone who

This routine helped to create unity within the school community

supported me in the writing of this article:

and also subtly prepared the boys for war. Alumni who served in the

Ms. Heise and Dr. Friends, who helped me

armed forces, such as Lieutenant Tom Brown ’42, took Mr. Boyden’s

through all stages of the writing process;

model of leadership overseas; Lieutenant Brown wrote: “I thought

Deerfield Academy Archivist Ms. Anne

about what Frank Boyden would do. Then, just like after dinner

Lozier, who helped organize my research.

every evening at Deerfield, I had all the men sit on the ground and

Also, I would like to thank the seven

I was the only one standing. I explained about teamwork: how the

alumni who so generously found the

men would be in pairs, with both experienced and inexperienced

time over the summer to share their

soldiers side by side, helping each other. Our casualty rate dropped.

Deerfield experiences:

Frank Boyden taught me that.”

Steven Stulman ’47, John Hills ’45,

Mr. Boyden, the school administrators, and even the student

Kendrick Lance ’45, John Clark ’46,

editors of the Scroll also worked to silence any “mindless patriotism”

Mallory Stephens ’46, Alec Robertson ’48,

on campus. They created a protective bubble for students by main-

and John Palmer ’45. Finally, a big thank

taining a calm atmosphere that encouraged everybody to continue

you to Mr. Richard Montague ’52, who

pursuing excellence in their studies and athletics. This literal

established the Montague Grant, and

and figurative isolation from the war meant that there were few

gave me the opportunity to research the

discussions on campus regarding the fighting; students certainly

World War II era at Deerfield Academy. //

r: A request to receive the Scroll in “this war theater of operations.”

No.

didn’t debate the validity of it, because at Deerfield, and mostly everywhere else in the US, everyone agreed that the nation’s involvement in the war was paramount. And other than infrequent news reports, virtually no one on campus had access to news from the fronts. So when the faculty did speak to the boys regarding the war, they did so solely to keep them “on [their] toes,” in case the fighting ever reached the Pocumtuck Valley. “Behind-the-scenes” precautionary measures included courses on air raids for faculty and detailed evacuation plans in the event of an aerial bomb attack while students were in class. And on December 9, 1941, just two days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, an air raid alarm rang out; according to the December 17, 1941 issue of the Scroll, it put the Deerfield community “mentally at war, as no movies, pictures, or appeals could do.”

A study in contrasts: Glee Club, theater, and sports thrived, even as they were interrupted by the occasional air raid drill and modified travel schedules.

Interestingly, in spite of documentation of this event, not one alumnus interviewed for this article recalled it, perhaps illustrating just how well Mr. Boyden and his faculty managed to keep their students’ overall sense of security intact. Mr. Boyden’s daily meetings served as the primary connection to the outside world, but during them he focused primarily on news and activities at Deerfield. Sporadically, a few teachers, such as William Avirett, provided some information about the war fronts during such meetings, but few masters ever focused class time on the current battles. The fragmented information about the war that Deerfield students received at school contrasted profoundly with the daily news they might have received had they been at home. According to Kendrick Lance ’45, Deerfield kept the boys blind to the reality of fighting by “deflecting the most horrendous parts of the war,” while media restrictions, limited war conversations on campus, and busy schedules kept students occupied and made it easier for them to become completely immersed in the Deerfield “bubble.” Consequently, few struggled as a result of the war, although there were, of course, students who lost family or friends, and for them one can only imagine that the war was all too real—even at Deerfield. When students returned home for vacation, they faced a more austere reality, and according to John Clark ’46: “War was on everyone’s minds [at home] because everyone knew someone who was directly affected.”

No.

“”

THE FRAGMENTED INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAR THAT DEERFIELD STUDENTS RECEIVED AT SCHOOL CONTRASTED PROFOUNDLY WITH THE DAILY NEWS THEY MIGHT HAVE RECEIVED HAD THEY BEEN AT HOME. ACCORDING TO KENDRICK LANCE ’45: DEERFIELD KEPT THE BOYS BLIND TO THE REALITY OF FIGHTING BY “DEFLECTING THE MOST HORRENDOUS PARTS OF THE WAR”

No.

DEERFIELD IN ACTION Deerfield boys were also protected from the rations and regulations that affected hundreds of thousands of Americans. Beginning in 1942, the United States implemented rations of goods that were in high demand. To purchase items such as sugar and gasoline, citizens were given ration books and were restricted to purchasing only a certain amount of these goods. The Deerfield dining hall, however, was mostly exempt from food rations, and several alumni agreed that, during the war years, food was still “plentiful and delicious.” John Palmer ’45, however, did recall that there were some “shortages of meat.” As a result, in 1945, BK Johnson ’48, son of the owner of King Ranch in Texas, wrote to his father asking for some help. Within a few weeks, the Academy received a herd of 100 cattle via train.

John Palmer ’45, however, did recall that there were some “shortages of meat.” As a result, in 1945, BK Johnson ’48, son of the owner of King Ranch in Texas, wrote to his father asking for some help. Within a few weeks, the Academy received a herd of 100 cattle via train.

Students were also mostly unaffected by gasoline rations and civilian travel restrictions relative to their average American counterparts. Kendrick Lance ’45 explained that gas rationing and travel restrictions had a profound effect on life at home because virtually all travel was restricted to train; these restrictions further insulated Deerfield Academy because parents of boarding students rarely had the opportunity to visit. Rations and restrictions did affect most cocurricular activities at Deerfield in some way, but competitions continued and every boy was still required to participate in athletics throughout

No.

l: Dining hall director Frank Novak created menus for special occasions, including these clever “spring break meal tickets,” which reference the cattle that were a gift from King Ranch, and “red points” from the ration system of the US Office of Price Administration. t + r: In 1941 students established an art club; the boys could also partake in a multitude of other extracurricular activities ranging from a stamp club to writing for the Scroll to singing in the Glee Club.

The school was perhaps most impacted by

the departure of teachers during the war; their absence created gaps within the faculty and a shift in campus life.

the year. Full schedules were curtailed but Deerfield continued

Similarly, in a March 10, 1945 letter Mr. Boyden discussed

to play neighboring schools and even local colleges, including

the difficulty of finding “qualified young men” for his faculty

the Williston Northampton School, Taft, Andover, Choate,

because few had the “character, personality, and training” to

and Amherst and Williams colleges. Extracurricular groups,

teach and supervise the boys 24/7. The difficulty of replacing

too, such as the Glee Club, were restricted in their travels

masters continued throughout the war years, and sometimes

but they continued to perform on campus.

led to the Academy requesting teacher draft exemptions from

The school was perhaps most impacted by the departure of teachers during the war; their absence created gaps within the

the government. They were seldom granted. However, part of Mr. Boyden’s genius lay in his ability to

faculty and a shift in campus life. In a June 12, 1942 letter from

smooth out the reality of a situation; and he made sure his school

Archibald Galbraith, then headmaster of Williston Academy

was unaffected by this greatest of setbacks. More than seven

(today the Williston Northampton School) and president of

decades have passed, and many alumni still clearly recall Mrs.

the Headmasters Association, Mr. Galbraith stated that the

Boyden’s chemistry lectures and the football games Mr. Boyden

departure of New England boarding school teachers left those

coached during the war. And yet, those same alumni struggle

who remained behind “not at all sure what their patriotic duty

to recall the absence of other teachers. Archival documents

is. Some of them have already enlisted; others are ready to do

prove that their departure was a very real problem at the time;

so but do not know whether enlistment as novices is a more

between 1942 and 1945, thirty masters left Deerfield to join

valuable contribution than service as experts in teaching.”

the war effort either voluntarily or through the military draft. No.

t; l to r: Between 1942 and 1945, thirty masters left Deerfield to join the war effort either voluntarily or through the military draft. At Deerfield, the potato drive allowed the boys to “consciously contribute to the war effort through manual labor.”

In fact, all Deerfield boys understood that following graduation they would be mandated to enlist according to

the boys focused on their work and responsibilities. In many

the involuntary military draft that began in 1943. With Mr.

ways, the “exceptionally high marks” were proof that his

Boyden as headmaster, Deerfield Academy sent hundreds of

methods worked.

mentally and physically capable boys to the armed services,

No.

tradition of character development and he managed to keep

Locally, one of Mr. Boyden’s methods for preparing the boys

many of whom served as officers. In his 1944 Alumni Journal

for adulthood and leadership was by encouraging contributions

letter, Mr. Boyden noted that his students received exceptionally

to the war effort through what became Deerfield’s annual

high marks on the Army’s and Navy’s entrance exams, illustrating

potato picking drive. Beginning in the fall of 1942, the Academy

the quality of the Deerfield curriculum. It’s worth noting that

helped farmers in the area by volunteering the hands of its 400

Mr. Boyden’s method and goals for education differed from

teenagers to work in the fields. During harvest time, the boys

most other institutions; he aimed to provide Deerfield boys

worked in groups to pick mostly potatoes but also carrots and

with individualized experiences while instilling a sense of

corn for two to three hours a day. According to an October 16,

comradery within the community. Amidst the changing US

1943, Scroll article titled “Deerfield Goes to War as Whole

education system, Mr. Boyden solidified Deerfield Academy’s

Student Body Spends 5 Days in Fields,” each boy picked an

HOME AGAIN After the war, Deerfield became an unofficial meeting place and refuge for many alumni who returned to “relive familiar scenes on campus.” They found a mostly unchanged Academy that still focused on academics, athletics, and tradition, and they cherished the sameness of campus because they wanted then-current students to learn the same values they had held in esteem. In an October 1946 letter, Mr. Boyden explained that many Deerfield boys who returned from service overseas emphasized the importance of the Academy’s “unchanged fundamental values,” which had helped them persevere through demanding situations during the war. Monumental physical changes to the campus were soon to come, however, as Mr. Boyden recognized the post-war period as opportune for new construction. Although Deerfield’s facilities had been meticulously managed, many buildings were aging and could not support a growing number of students. Just before war, Mr. Boyden and the Board of Trustees had agreed that it was appropriate to ask alumni and parents to aid in the construction of new buildings on campus. However, once the fighting began and some 1700 alumni enlisted, those fundraising and building plans were halted. The end of war marked the beginning of Deerfield’s “Building Fund Drive,” which brought to light original construction plans for a new dormitory, new dining hall, new infirmary, and an expansion of Deerfield’s playing fields. In addition to supporting the renovation and addition of buildings on campus, Deerfield alumni decided that they should separately fundraise, develop, and build a “living and lasting tribute,” to the sixty Deerfield graduates who lost their lives in the war. And so, in 1951, the Memorial Building was completed— a “critically necessary” gathering place for the school, an art center, and dedicated “alumni gathering space” on campus. Today, the Memorial Building lives on average of thirty bushels of potatoes per day. Steven Stulman ’47 says the potato drive

as the Hess Center for the Arts. During World War II Deerfield Academy uniquely developed students’

was a “valuable experience that was enjoyed

characters in a controlled and traditional manner, while simultaneously

by some students,” and allowed for the boys

promoting new ways of thinking and the pursuit of individual passions. In fact,

to “consciously contribute to the war

some of the Academy’s most brilliant and famous alumni attended Deerfield

effort through manual labor.”

during the war: Noble Prize-winning chemist Henry W. Kendall ’44, Pulitzer

Over those five days in 1943, the boys’ efforts amounted to over 10,000 bushels of potatoes, and a drastic improvement in local

Prize-winning poet laureate John Ashbery ’45, and Olympic Gold-winning backstroke swimmer Allen Stack ’45. In many ways, Deerfield stands for the same values and by the same traditions

food security, as well as generating nearly

today. The “living tribute” to Deerfield’s World War II fallen soldiers still serves

$1000 for charities that aided in the war

as a space for gathering and the arts, and most importantly, as Mr. Boyden said

effort. Additionally, the school itself took a

in his “Letter to Alumni” in the 1944 Journal: We have preserved those funda-

precautionary eighty acres of potatoes to

mental, high traditions of character and scholarship on which our school was

store in case of a food shortage, and all of

founded, and none of the vital things which have given a feeling of permanence

the potatoes picked by the senior class

and security have been lost or changed. We still study and work, play and sing,

went overseas to the war fronts.

and pause to look up to the hills. //

No.

the Common Room 1934 1935 1936 1937

1 9 5 0 1 9 5 1 1 9 52 1 9 5 3

1 97 0 1 97 1 1 972 1 973

1 9 3 8 1 9 3 9 1 9 40 1 9 4 1

1 9 5 4 1 9 5 5 1 9 5 6 1 9 57

1 9 74 1 97 5 1 976 1 97 7

1942 1943 1944 1945

1958 1959 1960 1961

1 9 78 1 979 1 9 8 0 1 9 8 1

1 9 4 6 1 9 47 1 9 4 8 1 9 4 9

1 9 62 1 9 6 3 1 9 6 4 1 9 6 5

1 9 82 1 9 8 3 1 9 8 4 1 9 8 5

1966 1967 1968 1969

1986 1987 1988 1989

32 | THE COMMON ROOM

1 9 9 0 1 9 9 1 1 9 92 1 9 9 3

2010 2011 2012 2013

1 9 9 4 1 9 9 5 1 9 9 6 1 9 97

2014 2015 2016 2017

1998 1999 2000 2001

2 0 1 8 2 0 2 0 Re u n i o n Ye a r s

2 0 02 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 5 2006 2007 2008 2009

FROM THE ARCHIVES

1937

“Dr. Theodore Van Itallie, obesity expert and leading researcher in metabolic diseases, died September 14 in Old Lyme, CT. He was 99. The author of over 200 publications, Dr. Van Itallie was the first to demonstrate that weight loss was a function of calorie reduction, not changes in the protein or other composition of the diet. He publicly refuted the “calories don’t count” school of weight loss and often provided the popular press with responsible medicine’s commentary on the latest fad diet. He did ground-breaking work on numerous metabolic diseases before focusing on obesity in 1975 as the founder of the Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York, the first such center supported by the National Institutes of Health. There Dr. Van Itallie pioneered work on the regulation of food intake, the mechanism of satiety signals, the physiologic changes in fat cells associated with obesity, and the risks of rapid weight loss. He developed new models for assessment of nutritional status and did early work on the epidemiology of obesity in the US. Dr. Van Itallie was born in Hackensack, NJ, in 1919. He graduated from Deerfield Academy, Harvard College and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. He was a lieutenant in the Navy Medical Corps and saw active duty in the Pacific theatre. Returning from Japan in 1948, Dr. Van Itallie completed his residency training at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York and accepted a research and teaching position at Harvard Medical School. He returned to St. Luke’s as Director of Medicine in 1957. St. Luke’s became a Columbia University teaching hospital under his leadership. In 1975 Dr. Van Itallie stepped down as Director of Medicine to run the first NIH-funded center for obesity research. He advised numerous government officials and agencies on human nutrition, recommended dietary allowances, dietary fat, advanced teaching of nutrition and surgical treatment of obesity, including the National Institutes of Health, the White House, the US Surgeon General, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture. Dr. Van Itallie was a visiting Professor of Medicine at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, in 1968-1969 and served as a member of A.U.B.’s Board of Trustees 1977-1988. Retiring from the Obesity Research Center in 1988, Dr. Van Itallie continued his devotion to medical research, publishing over 48 journal articles, consulting on clinical research, and devoting special attention to ketone esters as a therapeutic agent for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. He was a dedicated amateur historian, authoring numerous articles on the history of the Florida west coast and serving as president of the Florida Historical Society 2001-2003. Dr. Van Itallie’s first marriage, to Barbara Cox, ended in divorce. His second wife, Sallie Newton Calhoun, died in 2012. His five children survive him: Lucy Borge, of Quogue, NY, Theodore Jr. of Princeton, NJ, Christina Van Itallie of Bethesda, MD, Elizabeth Van Itallie and Katharine Van Itallie of New Your City, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.” —Taysen Van Itallie, daughter of Dr. Theodore Van Itallie

34 | THE COMMON ROOM

44 1944 “Known to his classmates as ‘Jack,’ John B. Miner passed away in Eugene, OR, of age-related causes at the age of 92. Jack often recalled his days spent at Deerfield and the excellent education he received. The headmaster during his years at Deerfield was the legendary Frank Boyden. Jack remembered Mr. Boyden being particularly supportive of him when Jack’s father died in 1940, soon after Jack entered Deerfield. Jack graduated in 1944 with a scholarship to Princeton, where he received both his BA and his PhD in clinical psychology. Jack enjoyed hiking, traveling to Hawaii, entertaining friends at dinner parties with his wife, and was an avid tennis player.”—Barbara Miner, wife of John B. Miner

The state of affairs in Haiti these days isn’t good, a fact that’s deeply distressing to Dr. Ted Higgins ’67. Yet the Kansas City-based vascular surgeon remains committed to improving medical care in the beleaguered nation. He has made many trips to the country since his first visit as a fourth-year surgical resident at Yale, and knows the vagaries of the political situation all too well: the country is poor, the government is weak, and the Haitian people are caught in the middle. They are the ones who pay the price for the unrest, and it is for them that Higgins has returned to the country time and again for nearly four decades, sharing his time and talents as a surgeon and building the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope to care for future generations.

“On my first visit in 1981, I just fell in love with the people, I was working at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, and it was a real eye-opener for me. I was awestruck by the poverty and the way people lived, yet they were so grateful and so resilient.” “On my first visit in 1981, I just fell in love with the people,” he explains. “I was working at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, and it was a real eye-opener for me. I was awestruck by the poverty and the way people lived, yet they were so grateful and so resilient.”

Lives of Service.

36 | THE COMMON ROOM

TED HIGGINS ’67 b y L o r i Fe r g us o n

While in-country, Higgins worked alongside a Haitian surgeon who not only taught him how to address tropical surgical issues such as liver abscesses, but he also showed the young doctor how much a general surgeon could accomplish in a rural setting. “It was a life-altering experience,” he recalls. “We had very few resources, yet we took care of a lot of patients. I’d been leaning toward specializing in cardiology, but that experience changed my interest to general surgery, with vascular surgery as a focus.” A few years later, Higgins’ wife Kim heard that their church was seeking a surgeon to send on a mission to the Dominican Republic and encouraged him to respond. Tasked with delivering care to Haitian workers in the rural sugar cane villages known as bateyes, Higgins quickly rediscovered the joy of the work. “I immediately felt like I was back in my element,” he recalls. For the next decade, Higgins shuttled between his full-time practice in Kansas and various clinics and hospitals in the country, performing surgeries and teaching medical residents eager to learn new operating room techniques. Then, in 2010, a catastrophic, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake hit Haiti. “My daughter was a pre-med student at the time, doing volunteer work in Haiti to gain experience,” says Higgins. “She was eight miles from the epicenter at the time of the earthquake.” She escaped unharmed, and spent the next two weeks caring for the injured before returning home. Higgins, who had been ready to depart on a humanitarian mission to Africa, switched gears and prepared to head to Haiti. “I had a nurse practitioner in my practice who was Haitian-American, and she told me she could find me a place to work,” he says. Patient demand quickly outstripped the accommodations, leading Higgins to reach out to the director of the Haitian Christian Mission in Fonds-Parisien, who found the surgeon a bigger operating room. The patient load continued to grow over the next five years, and in 2015, Higgins

committed to building a dedicated surgicenter comprised of two operating rooms, an emergency room, and a large recovery room, all of which were connected to an existing maternity center. In December of 2016, the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope opened its doors. The facility is named in honor of Higgins’ father Edward and his uncle Paul, both Deerfield Class of ’32. “My dad and his brother were a unique pair,” says Higgins. “They practiced together for 36 years, and lived next door to each other in the summers, and in all that time, I never heard them speak a cross word to one another.” The brothers shared a deep commitment to their work and to each other, qualities that make them a constant source of inspiration to Higgins. For example, he says, when World War II hit, both men signed up. Paul was sent to work with a surgical unit in the Pacific theater, and Edward was sent to Europe. “They went, did their part, and then came home and went back to serving their communities—that’s just the type of guys they were.” That determination to help others, whatever the circumstances, informs Higgins’ work as a physician and led him to name the medical facility in their honor. “I think they’d be proud of the fact that we’ve created a surgicenter that’s working in a place where nothing works,” he observes. “And it’s not just working, it’s getting bigger and better all the time.”

Higgins says he was also influenced by those he encountered at Deerfield, and cites Headmaster Frank Boyden and his 66 years of leadership, and Mrs. Boyden, who taught chemistry well into her late 80s, as particularly inspirational. “I remember struggling in Mrs. Boyden’s chemistry course, and she told me, ‘Your father struggled with this course, too, but if you want to do it, you can.’ It helped a lot to hear that my dad had also found the course challenging,” says Higgins, “and it was reassuring to hear that Mrs. Boyden believed in my abilities.” “The Boydens were exceptional people who dedicated their whole lives to Deerfield—they were in it all the way—and I think their willingness to sacrifice so much for something they believed in had an impact on me, albeit subconsciously,” he continues. “And playing football under Coach Jim Smith also made a big impression —he taught me that no matter what’s happening, you pick yourself up and keep going.” For Higgins, the lessons linger. “Attending Deerfield was a real privilege and I didn’t want to waste the opportunity,” he observes. “I feel the same way about working in Haiti. The strength and faith of the Haitian people are amazing. They aren’t looking for handouts, they just want to live their lives. So, I don’t want to go down there and just operate. I want to teach young Haitian surgeons the skills they need to take care of their own— that’s how I can make a difference.” //

Patient demand quickly outstripped the accommodations and in 2015, Higgins committed to building a dedicated surgicenter . . . In December of 2016, the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope opened its doors. The facility is named in honor of Higgins’ father Edward and his uncle Paul, both Deerfield Class of ’32.

Interested in joining Dr. Higgins in his efforts to help the people of Haiti? Learn more at the Surgicenter’s website: higginsbrotherssurgicenter.org/

55 1. A magnificent rainbow produced by daily showers in Kauai 2. A Sunday afternoon with the kids at Poipu Beach, Kauai 3. The beautiful Kukuiolono Golf Course in Kalaheo, Kauai 4. Two ’55er Tom’s—Tom L’Esperance and Tom Crawford in his backyard in Kauai

1955 I was experimenting with a relaxing sunbathing routine in Kauai for two months, and didn’t initiate any calls to classmates on the mainland during that time. Consequently, as feared, I didn’t receive any notes or news from our fellow ’55ers. So, I have only my own goings-on to report in this issue, in order to not leave our column blank. Spending a few months in Kauai during the past few years has always been delightful. Almost every day is a beach day there; unbelievably the prevailing ocean water temperature is generally warmer year round than the air temp (80-82° F and 78-80° F). Merry and I enjoyed seeing Tom and Nancy Crawford while we’re on the Garden Island; they also maintain a home in Santa Barbara, CA, and visit with friends there periodically. As usual, I’ve enclosed photos taken last May and June while we were in Kauai. I’m always delighted to hear from classmates, too. My email address is: tmlski@roadrunner.com. My phone number isn’t included since solicitors have gotten hold of it via previous notes in the Common Room columns. We’re evidently good prospects, and they, as do we, read our award-winning magazine from cover to cover. Hey guys, our gala 65th Reunion is coming up soon in June 2020—just a few months away. Let’s all of we persevering octogenarians once again invade the Pocumtuck Valley! After Reunion, I plan on visiting my older brother Fran ’49 at his summer home in Water Mill, Long Island. Wow, how ‘tempus fugits’ as my mom used to say! Be well.”—Tom L’Esperance

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1956 I am involved in probably the most significant endeavor any of us could dream of: “If you are a Republican in California or Vermont, or a Democrat in Texas or North Dakota, your vote in presidential elections doesn’t matter. In 2016, there were only eight swing states (ie, states where the margin of victory was 3% or less). Voter turnout was an average of 13% lower in safe states. Ninety-four percent of presidential campaign visits were devoted to only 12 states. The candidates of the two major parties together made only two campaign visits to Texas, California and New York, combined, but fifty-four visits to Pennsylvania, fifty-five visits to North Carolina, and seventy-one visits to Florida. Foreign intervention targeted swing states. The election for the highest office in the land is no longer national in scope. Nor, in meaningful ways is government policy, which, since the election has favored swing states, even over safe red states. Meanwhile, voter mistrust of government and our political system, partisanship, the fear and frustration of moderates who constitute the majority of American voters that they are unrepresented in presidential elections and polarization politically and socially are at all-time highs. Starting in early 2017 for Making Every Vote Count, a bipartisan pro bono client of our firm, Covington & Burling, and with a highly principled and able team of mostly younger lawyers, I have been devoting 60-70 hour weeks to (1) documenting the rapidly intensifying damages of our flawed presidential election system; (2) diagnosing its cause; and (3) working toward a remedy, the only visible one available, which is closer to attainment than you might realize. The cause of the problem lies not in the US Constitution or, far from it, in the intentions of the founders. Though an amendment to the Constitution could fix the system, it is not a realistic possibility. The Constitution, instead, gave states the right and the responsibility to allocate their electoral votes. Beginning in 1800 in Virginia, and eventually over time, 48 states adopted a winner-take-all system for allocating their electoral college votes. That is the cause of the rapidly escalating mess that our country finds itself threatened by.

Accordingly, the remedy also must come from the states. That remedy is for them to exercise their existing authority to allocate their electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Fifteen states and DC, with 196 electoral college votes, have already entered into an interstate Compact to adopt that system, but the system won’t go into effect until states with 270 electoral votes (a majority) join the Compact by legislation or ballot initiative. Sixteen months ago, before the advocacy affiliate of Making Every Vote Count joined the political fray in support of the Compact (before then and still today most of its activities have been educational in nature), the tally stood at 11 states and 165 electoral college votes. Encouraging progress is being made. But a very difficult political slog remains at the level of individual states before reform will finally be achieved. Even then, 2024 is the earliest the nation can hold a presidential election under the principles that every vote should count equally and that the candidate who earns the most votes should become president. I would be happy to know that your kids and grandkids, as well as mine, will have the benefit of this fundamental reform.” —Jon Blake “I have been interested in studying most any kind of industrial process for many years. The past year has taken me to Arizona and Texas with the Electric Railroader Assoc. to ride their new trolleys; and to an Ohio meeting of river boatmen refurbishing the Delta Queen; and to Nevada to visit Donner Pass, Lahontan Dam, Tesla Gigafactory, mines, mills, and steam railroad trip with the Society of Industrial Archaeology. Then to Portugal for a Viking cruise on the Porto River. I am planning a trip to the Balkans and Greece with the Electric Railroaders Assoc. next spring.”—Dennis Furbush “This week marks the one year anniversary of the loss of Cinnie, my wife of 56 years. After returning from a delightful three weeks on the east coast, she was suddenly stricken by a ruptured brain aneurysm. Despite the efforts of two hospitals and brain surgeons, she succumbed three days later. Some 1,100 people came to her funeral and I received slightly more than 900 letters and emails, all of which I answered. Cinnie

continued on page 44

Things change over time.

ARCHIVAL

Please consider leaving a legacy at Deerfield. Include the Academy in your will or trust, or designate Deerfield as a beneficiary of an IRA or insurance policy. Enjoy the satisfaction of investing in future generations of Deerfield students and faculty. Thanks to you, Deerfield will endure. To become a member of The Boyden Society, simply notify the Office of Advancement that you have included Deerfield in your estate plans. The society honors the legacy of the legendary Frank L. and Helen Childs Boyden.

40 | THE COMMON ROOM

But the heart and soul of Deerfield endure.

For more information, please check Deerfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift planning website:

plannedgiving.deerfield.edu or call 413-774-1584 to speak with a friendly staff member.

When Buddy Teevens came to Deerfield for a post-graduate year 45 years ago this fall, “I was known as ‘Backwards Buddy,’” quipped Teevens, whose nickname probably had a direct correlation to the frequency the former Silver Lake Regional High School quarterback was seen crawling out from under a pig pile of opposing players—in his own backfield. Once the Pembroke, MA, native joined the Big Green, however, losing yardage became as rare as losing games. With Buddy at the

EUGENE “BUDDY” TEEVENS ’75 b y B o b Yo r k Photograph by John Sherman

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helm, Deerfield’s 1974 football team chalked up an undefeated (8-0) season and a New England championship. Today, nearly a half-century later, Teevens is still winning football games and still winning them for the Big Green; now for the Big Green of Dartmouth College, and he’s winning those games standing along the sidelines as head coach.

Winningest Coach

Deerfield Academy Archives

This past season when Dartmouth defeated Yale, 42-10, Buddy achieved his 100th career victory at the school. And ultimately, he guided the Big Green to its second straight 9-1 season, the program’s 19th league championship, and his 105th victory at his alma mater—making Buddy the winningest football coach in the college’s history (a title previously held by the legendary Bob Blackman). “It’s been a fun journey . . . as a player and as a coach,” said Teevens of his time in Hanover. Both careers could be classified as memorable, too. As a player, Buddy quarterbacked the Big Green to the 1978 Ivy League title, while during 20 years as head coach, (1987-1991 and 2005-present), in addition to this year, he won Ivy titles in 1990, 1991, and 2015, and has finished runner-up four times. “As a player, I feel fortunate for all the outstanding coaches and teammates I was associated with at Dartmouth,” said Teevens, who, following that championship, earned All-American and All-Ivy honors. He was also named both Ivy League and ECAC Player of the Year, and received the Coach Bob Blackman Trophy, which is presented annually to the team MVP. “From a coach’s perspective, I feel blessed to be surrounded by tremendous coaches and talented scholar-athletes who have helped us achieve the success we’ve had,” Buddy added. “I’m happy for Buddy . . . he’s deserving of all the successes he’s achieved,” said Jim Smith, Teevens’ Deerfield football mentor. “He’s certainly one of the best quarterbacks we ever had. I think what made him successful as a player made him successful as a coach . . . he has a head for the game. He knew what worked, how to make it work, and when to make it work, and obviously, he still does.

top opposite: Buddy’s Deerfield application photo; right: a Teeven’s QB run at Deeerfield.

T H I S PA S T S E A S O N W H E N D A RT M O U T H D E F E AT E D YA L E , 4 2 - 1 0 , B U D DY AC H I E V E D H I S 1 0 0 T H C A R E E R V I C T O RY AT T H E S C H O O L . A N D U LT I M AT E LY , H E G U I D E D T H E B I G GREEN TO ITS SECOND STRAIGHT 9-1 S E A S O N , T H E P R O G R A M ’ S 1 9 T H L E AG U E C H A M P I O N S H I P , A N D H I S 1 0 5 T H V I C T O RY AT H I S A L M A M AT E R — M A K I N G B U D DY T H E W I N N I N G E S T F O O T B A L L C O AC H I N T H E C O L L E G E ’ S H I S T O RY ( A T I T L E P R E V I O U S LY H E L D BY T H E L E G E N D A RY B O B B L AC K M A N ) .

“Buddy was also a tremendous athlete as well as a very coachable athlete,” added Smith. “He was an outstanding passer, he had a quick release, and was very accurate with his throws. That’s not all though, he had good speed and quickness, too, so opponents always had to consider him a threat to run. With all that going for him, it didn’t take long to realize he could play at the next level—and play well.” “My experience at Deerfield was a truly memorable one,” said Teevens, who subsequently graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in history. “In fact, I enjoyed Deerfield so much, at one point I was thinking of possibly going back there and teaching.” But that was also about the time the coaching bug bit him, and those thoughts of teaching at Deerfield soon became ancient history. //

continued from page 39

62 Peter Atkinson ’62 and Ben Dunham ’62 at Harvard’s Memorial Church last November, when etchings by British artist James Alphege Brewer were exhibited during the weekend observance of the WWI armistice centenary. Photo Credit: Judith Wermuth-Atkinson

was a good cook; I am not. The first visible sign was the loss of 15 pounds in the next month. After some reflection, I decided the best antidote to my loss was to travel, and, so far this year, I have been to Florida, Hawaii, England, Normandy (for D-Day reminiscences), New York and Southampton, NY, all for at least one week. And before the year is out I will make separate trips to the lakes of Northern Italy, Seattle, and the Camino de Santiago in Spain. I have started to date, although I am somewhat rusty (since the last time I did this was in the late 1950s). Cinnie’s passing was the middle part of a trilogy. We lost my oldest son, Charles, two years ago, and earlier this year the loss of my brother Peter, the person who singlehandedly saved the San Francisco Giants from moving to Florida, after a long bout with cancer. If someone had asked me a year ago how I would be faring today, my answer would probably be negative. Today, I am doing as well as possible, and my health is good. I hope my classmates are doing likewise.” —Merrill Magowan “I spent the last few years mentoring start-up companies through a Stamford, Conn. based group. My dear Cricket passed away last December after four years of an intense painful struggle with osteoporosis. After two operations on my left hip and leg, traveling has been limited for me, but I hope to get back to traveling by train.” —Peter Ness “I am trying to have the architectural profession re-learn and re-assert a commanding position in the Design Build World. I am also attacking real estate developers’ misuse of public funds and the general corruption on the scene. I am still a capitalist and registered Independent (52 years a Republican only to find both parties are uncontrollably increasing our national debt). I have successfully encouraged three grand-nephews to attend Deerfield.” —Charlie Weymouth “My wife MJ and I live in Breckenridge, CO, at an elevation of over 9000 feet, occasionally requiring oxygen at night but giving them an advantage in their all-consuming sport of rowing. At the Masters National regatta in Grand Rapids, Michigan, MJ won everything in sight. I earned a few medals. In September we will row in the Masters Worlds in Budapest; then to Dartmouth for a boathouse dedication—with a stop in Deerfield, where they have been instrumental in the establishment of rowing at the school.”—Hans Wurster

1962 “I was awarded the 2019 Volvo Environment Prize for my research on Earth Stewardship. A ten-minute video (on YouTube titled “Steward of the Earth”—Terry Chapin—Volvo Environment Prize 2019) describes this work. I am a retired professor of ecology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.”—Stuart (Terry) Chapin “If you are in the area, please check out the Etched in Memory exhibit at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO, from September 24 until March 1. They have invited me to give a talk about Brewer and my collection as the closing event, Sunday, March 1. Very excited about that!”—Ben Dunham

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1965 “I regret to report the passing of my wife Diane Sadowski on February 8, 2019. She was well-known by my classmates.”—William Sadowski

1967 “It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Christopher O’Shea ’67. He owned and edited the Country Courier newspaper in Enosburg, VT. ”—Brendan O’Shea, friend

1968 “Thanks to Doug Gortner ’61 for his piece on Bob McGlynn in Deerfield Magazine. I never heard the story about McGlynn being hired and then rejected by Andover based on his religion. Thank God for Andover’s shortsightedness! Their loss was Deerfield’s gain. Mr. McGlynn was my senior English teacher, and I am one of the thousands Doug mentioned for whom he was the most inspiring teacher I ever had. I wrote the enclosed tribute to him, but never had the nerve to send it to him: Rereading ‘The Windhover’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins, I’m reminded of Bob McGlynn, my English teacher at Deerfield. McGlynn had a face reminiscent of those German carvings in tree bark: the skin was lined, but the eyes were an incongruous baby blue. He affected Irishness, always wearing tweed, right down to the shooting cap, a la Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In every class, after covering the material for the day, McGlynn would read aloud a poem he’d selected. He read poetry as I’ve never heard it before. He paid no attention to punctuation or line breaks, pausing seemingly arbitrarily in the middle of lines. But as with a familiar music piece you hear played with a different tempo or emphasis than you’re used to, his interpretations often worked. His intonation was such that it gave the impression that the poem never ended. His voice would always rise at breaks. It never fell; there was no finality, even at the end of a poem. This made me wonder why a poet would choose to insert punctuation where he or she did, and how the poet decided where to break the lines. Why, for example, not write a poem with continuous lines, like prose, with line breaks dictated only by the width of the page? Why punctuation? Only much later did it occur to me that that was probably McGlynn’s intent: to cause us to wonder. He introduced us to poets we would never have met otherwise. Andrew Marvell, John Donne, Hopkins, James Dickey. And a horny California monk named Brother Antoninus. So, at the end of the poem of the day, McGlynn’ s voice would trail of as if the poem were never-ending. Then he would look at the class with a quizzical half-smile on his face, the blue eyes asking, ‘Well, what do you think?’ The question was unspoken, but, dramatically, he would let it hang in the air for several moments. Sometimes, he would urge us on in our consideration of the question with a gentle ‘Ummm?’

66 Ron Battocchi reports:

“I vacationed in Malta with recently retired Dr. John Teichgraeber ’66 and our spouses.”

continued on page 48

T RUST E E

TED U L LY O T ’ 8 5

What does a shaggy-haired, thirteen-yearold from California do in the early 1980s when he has big dreams of playing high school football? Why, go East, young man. Ted Ullyot’s football aspirations were limited by the lack of programs in the San Francisco schools he was contemplating, so at the encouragement of his mother, he explored the boarding school option. Ted’s great-uncle, George Bent ’29, had attended Deerfield as a post-graduate, and Ted noted how Bent was “eternally loyal to Deerfield for his entire life.” There were also a couple of Deerfield students in Ted’s Boy Scout troop who had good things to report back. “I liked the idea of going to boarding school to play sports, to live with other kids, and to have a new experience on the East Coast,

46 | THE COMMON ROOM

so I applied to Deerfield with enthusiasm,” says Ted as he pieces together the various influences in his life that brought him to the threshold of the Deerfield Door. At his home office in a San Francisco suburb, Ted prepares for a class he teaches on technology and corporate law, covering the practice of law as an in-house lawyer at a tech company. To say that he is knowledgeable in this space is an understatement; as the former General Counsel of Facebook from 2008 to 2013, Ted led the company’s legal and security functions from an early-stage, private company into life as a public company. “The internet was not even invented when we were at Deerfield, but then I went on to have a career in internet and technology law,” Ted reflected, considering how his Deerfield experience helped prepare him for a career in a hitherto unknown frontier. Ted stresses how important it is that Deerfield continue to provide students with the tools they need to adapt in a world where the pace of change is ever increasing. “You want students to emerge with a great classical foundation and to be outstanding

Courtesy of Ted Ullyot

b y D a n i e l l a Vo l l i n g e r

“You want students to emerge with a great classical foundation and to be outstanding people, but you also want them to be able to adapt and function in a world where the technological advances that they are going to see will be even greater than the ones I’ve seen in my lifetime. I think balancing that is the fundamental challenge of schools today.”

Above: Ted with one of his childhood heroes: Alan Page, Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle and former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, on the occasion of Justice Page being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Trump at the White House in November 2018. people, but you also want them to be able to adapt and function in a world where the technological advances that they are going to see will be even greater than the ones I’ve seen in my lifetime. I think balancing that is the fundamental challenge of schools today.” Ted was not always in the technology space. In his early career, he served in the administration of President George W. Bush, including in the White House as Deputy Staff Secretary and at the Justice Department as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General. He clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. At other points in his career, Ted served as General Counsel of AOL Time Warner Europe, as a board member of AutoZone, and as a partner in the law firm Kirkland & Ellis and the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

As a new Deerfield trustee, Ted brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Board. He thinks about all the people who have put so much effort, dedication, and thought into building the school, and is humbled to have the opportunity to serve. “I, along with all the DA Board members, have a great sense of responsibility to continue the superb tradition that Deerfield has built over 200-plus years. It’s our responsibility at this time to carry on the great work of all who have come before us to make sure Deerfield stays the preeminent institution that it has been, and hopefully will remain in the decades and centuries to come.” In facing the challenges of the 21st century, students will need to be prepared to keep an open mind, to have humility about their own ideas, and a civility toward and respect for people who have different views. “I think it’s vital for Deerfield to remain a place that is supportive and

protective of all points of view,” he says in a measured tone. “I think that is essential to the academic mission and essential to becoming a successful person.” As for the world the young shall inherit, there’s a segment of the tech world that has been warning of a jobless future due to the accelerated pace with which artificial intelligence could displace human labor in the coming decades. Ted Ullyot is not of this ilk. Instead, he sees progress and opportunity before us. “The fact is that to be alive right now is to be among the luckiest beings in the history of humanity. With modern technology, the interconnectedness of the world, and the relative lack of conflict today compared to the sweep of human history, we have it pretty good,” he says, taking the perspective of someone looking at the big picture. “We have tremendous opportunity in front of us. I’m extremely optimistic for my kids and the things they are going to be able to do with the assistance of technology. Human beings bring intelligence, subtlety, nuance, and creativity, and those human qualities are always going to be critical to the world.” //

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1979

I don’t remember there ever being a response to these tacit questions. We would sit there dumbly, embarrassed at the extended silence—a situation most unnatural to adolescents. What were we supposed to be doing, savoring the resonance of the language or the preciousness of the moment? Most of us were wondering when the bell would ring so we could get on with our lives and escape this intolerable situation. What did the words of ‘The Windhover,’ or ‘To His Coy Mistress,’ or ‘Duns Scotus’ Oxford’ have to tell the generation of ‘Light My Fire’ and ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction?’ And yet, years later, images from McGlynn’s poems still linger: rook rill’d towers; a flea crawling between the nude bodies of lovers in bed. And at the birth of Dora’s and my first child, as the sun came up after a long night of labor, these words singing in my euphoric brain: I caught this morning morning’s minion, king- / dom of day light’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon in his riding / Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, . . . O my chevalier!” —Greg McClelland

“Enjoyed another successful charity golf outing for the Greenfield Community College (GCC) Foundation with DA teammates Brock Hines ’79 and Mike Smith ’80.” —Adam Lussier

1970 “Retired last year. Enjoying retirement tremendously and recommend it to everyone—don’t wait!”—Jonathan Clarke “In 2017, three months before my 66th birthday, I delivered at home my first child (a daughter, Emri August Hastings). This home and all furnishings, papers etc., was covered by 70 feet of lava the following year (2018). Looking forward to Reunions—plan to bring my partner Susan and Emri.”—Charles Hasting “I continue to work as Vice Chairman of Pediatrics at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Spent two and a half years as the acting chair of the department and am happy to have a little time back. Actively involved in our new medical school, and still active clinically running our pediatric hospitalist program. On the home front, my wife Rona is teaching locally at the high school level, and my two youngest kids are now in college. I anticipate at least a few more years of work so I can pay those bills! I hope to make Reunions, and can’t believe it has been 50 years!”—Stephen Percy “Christine and I retired to Devon, England, in 2014. One of the first things we did was to tear down the garage and build a room for my trains.”—John Porter

1976 “We were recently on a bike trip in Burgundy with a group of friends including two other DA grads. Left to right: Jim Gilbane ’77, David DeCamp ’76, and Lee Buck ’81.”—Missy DeCamp P’13,’15

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1980 “Our family was pleasantly surprised to see the tribute to Bayard DeMallie ’56 from his induction into Worcester Academy’s Hall of Fame in the Spring/Summer issue of Deerfield Magazine. Unfortunately, because it was prepared by Worcester Academy for their audience, it overlooked his strong loyalty to Deerfield throughout his life and his family’s Deerfield legacy spanning four generations. His father, Gardener ’29, fatherin-law, James Cowan ’30, uncle, John Carley ’32, brother-in-law, James Cowan III ’61, and his brothers, Gardener Jr ’54 and Glenn ’63, are all Deerfield graduates. Three children and grandchildren have graduated from Deerfield in the last four decades, including Bayard DeMallie III ’80, Mary Rockett ’11 and Bayard DeMallie IV ’19. Three other grandchildren, Sam Rockett ’20, Garret DeMallie ’21, and Cooper DeMallie ’22, are current students. All told, 14 members of the family have attended Deerfield and one was a member of the faculty in the 1960s. ‘B’ would have been filled with pride to watch his five grandchildren complete on football and lacrosse fields, sharing the bonds that connect all Deerfield graduates.” — Bayard DeMallie III

1981 Rob McDowell reports: “Here are some members of the Class of 1981 (plus Cole Faulkner ’15) taken 8/6/19 in Anchorage, AK. That was the same day as Baron Fain’s funeral in Charleston, SC. We all toasted him with a brief moment of silence.” David Sweet reports: “Reed Webster ’79 and I got together for an afternoon of golf on a sunny day at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, IL.”

“We were recently on a bike trip in Burgundy with a group of friends including two other DA grads. l to r: Jim Gilbane ’77, David DeCamp ’76, and Lee Buck ’81.”

80 “Enjoyed another successful charity golf outing for the Greenfield Community College (GCC) Foundation with DA teammates Brock Hines ’79 and Mike Smith ’80.”—Adam Lussier

“I was honored by Rotary International as the Outstanding Club President of a Large Club,

for my 2018-19 leadership of the Rotary Club in Jackson Hole, WY. I believe that co-chairing our Deerfield 50 th Reunion last year positioned me for success in the Rotary Club role.”—Tony Paulus 49

Rob McDowell reports:

“Here are some members of the Class of 1981 (plus Cole Faulkner ’15) taken 8/6/19 in Anchorage, AK. That was the same day as Baron Fain’s funeral in Charleston, SC. We all toasted him with a brief moment of silence.” 81

81 David Sweet reports:

“Reed Webster ’79 and I got together for an afternoon of golf on a sunny day at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, IL.”

50 | THE COMMON ROOM

1982

JAMES MERRELL

The renovations of the 1960s Floridian condo recently purchased by private wealth manager Phil McCarthy â&#x20AC;&#x2122;82 and his partner James Sharp Brodsky, CEO of Sharp Communications, have been featured on several websites, including HouseBeautiful.com.

EXPERIENCE DEERFIELD THIS SUMMER!

JULY 7 AUGUST 2

7TH, 8TH, & 9TH GRADES 2 OR 4 WEEK SESSIONS

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN PRIORITY DEADLINE: FEB. 1, 2020

EXplore more: deerfield.edu/experimentory 51

T RUST E E

JOSH GREENHILL ’96 b y D a n i e l l a Vo l l i n g e r

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The scene is seared into long-term memory. It was the night before graduation and the entire class of 96 crammed together in the lobby of what is now the Hess Center. After initial remarks from the Headmaster, one by one, each student stood up and said some version of how important and meaningful their time at Deerfield meant to them. Josh Greenhill sat on the floor, mesmerized at how far he had come in his short four years at the Academy.

The fact Josh was there at all was quite remarkable. There were no plans for him to attend private school, much less boarding school, and no family member had ever attended a private school before. A fiercely independent eighth-grader, Josh recalls how he was impressed by a local boarding school where he attended a summer swim camp and wondered what it would be like as a fulltime student. When he approached his parents with his idea of enrolling for ninth grade, Josh’s father encouraged him to consider the New England boarding schools. He was deciding between his two top choices, Hotchkiss and Deerfield, but the choice ended up being obvious. When he arrived on campus for his tour, the connection was immediate. “When I came to visit Deerfield, this unbelievable feeling came over me, and innately, I knew this was the place for me,” says Josh as he recalls that first visit many summers ago. Coming back to campus this fall for his first Board meeting as a new trustee was a complete round trip. The drive was all too familiar, one that he had made many times with his father: up 91 North, hit 5 and 10 to the Sunoco station, and then swing around to Main Street. But this time he was in the car alone, and when he parked in front of the Main School Building, it was a lot to take in. Josh attended Deerfield during the end of the non-internet period. There were no cell phones and only two landlines in his dormitory: one for incoming calls and one for outgoing calls, which the students figured out how to hack. Though the campus had seen some changes since the 90s,

Josh’s return to school brought back old, familiar feelings.

“It was everything I remembered and so much more,” he says with the genuine delight of someone who might have unearthed a time capsule from their childhood and found the contents to be so much more marvelous than they remembered.

Josh’s return to school brought back old, familiar feelings. “It was everything I remembered and so much more,” he says with the genuine delight of someone who might have unearthed a time capsule from their childhood and found the contents to be so much more marvelous than they remembered. “The culture is still so strong. Everybody is so nice, so respectful, so warm.” “Warm” is a word Josh uses a lot when describing his memories of Deerfield Academy. It’s a feeling you’d associate with the cozy kitchen of a doting grandmother tossing cookies at her conspiring brood, not necessarily life at a rigorous boarding school. But it’s clear that a piece of Josh will always be in Deerfield. To him, Deerfield Academy is much more than a school; it’s where his closest friendships were forged. It’s where he felt supported and challenged during those formative years. “Deerfield gives you a very well-balanced skillset, not just academically but socially. They make you feel included, valued, and secure. This

Deerfield maintains an open perspective is all really important when building a across the gamut,” he says in a serious foundation for life, no matter what you tone, carefully choosing his words. embark on doing,” he says in earnest. As a trustee of the Academy, Josh “A Deerfield education is so much more feels an obligation to future generations— than what happens in the classroom.” a calling to help preserve and grow the Josh went on to graduate summa cum Deerfield experience from which he and laude from Princeton University and has so many others before benefited. “Deerfield enjoyed a successful career in the investdid so much for me. I will do my best to ment management business, but it’s his make sure that experience is available for Deerfield experience that he’ll always look the next generation,” he says, pausing to back on as most important. Josh acknowlreflect how he hopes to serve the school. edges that the Deerfield of today is more complicated than the one he attended. When “Although I thought my time here finished a long time ago, I am incredibly excited to asked about the implications of politics and get to come back for a second stint.” // culture on education today, Josh believes that it’s really important that Deerfield be an open environment that is accepting of all ideas, values, and perspectives. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be applied to almost anything and not just to background, race, gender identification, or sexual orientation. You can apply the DEI concepts demographically, politically, philosophically . . . and I think it’s really important that

Back, l to r: John Knight ’83, John Rafferty ’75, Marcus Yoder ’88 Middle, l to r: Leslie Webster, Stephen Webster ’81, Trudy Hindman, Don Hindman ’83 Front, l to r: Scott Aiges ’81, Lisanne Brown, Chris Miller ’84, Clay Miller

1983 “I’d like to share with you news of the passing of my brother, Mark Laflamme, who was a member of the Class of 1983. I’ve attached his official obituary as penned by his wife: ‘Mark Thomas Laflamme, age 54, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on Thursday, October 24, 2019, in his home in Palo Alto. He was born on December 30, 1964, in Summit, NJ, to Joseph Marcel Louis and Mary Ann (Blythe) Laflamme. He married his love, Bonnie Um, in 2008. Mark spent most of his early life in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked in the energy industry. For high school, he attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He then graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans. Mark developed an appreciation for myriad cultures and had a wonderful ability to get along with others. After college, he worked in investment management at two storied firms—Moore Capital Management and Caxton Associates. He was hired by Ziff Brothers Investments to start up their operations in Hong Kong and then moved to Palo Alto, CA, where he and some colleagues started Crescent Park Management. Mark had a reputation for expertise in a wide range of investing fields and was known for his kind and friendly demeanor. Mark brought a quiet determination to everything he did. While gaining

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To celebrate the recent relocation to Denver of two members of the Deerfield family from the decade of the 80s, we rallied some Deerfield Club of the Rockies compadres and attended a Denver University hockey game. The Denver Pioneers continued their winning ways, the group had a lot of laughs and the next event was schemed for February 2020. Stay tuned for all the details! Welcome Scott Aiges ’81 and Marcus Yoder ’88.

increasing responsibilities in complex roles in finance, he found time to run ultra-marathons, travel extensively, and raise a family. Mark will forever be remembered by his wife and best friend, Bonnie, and their precious son, Hunter, by his mother, Mary Ann, and brother, Matthew, and by Bonnie’s parents, Jun and Chung Um, and sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Andre Clark.’” —Matthew Laflamme

Family pediatrician of 25+ years, Andrew Nash (aka “Drew” or “Elmo” back in the day), has started a podcast, aptly named The Owner’s Manual! Besides being great to hear his smooth tones, he knows his stuff. Check it out at theownersmanual.podbean.com/. To celebrate the recent relocation to Denver of two members of the Deerfield family from the decade of the 80s, we rallied some Deerfield Club of the Rockies compadres and attended a Denver University hockey game. The Denver Pioneers continued their winning ways, the group had a lot of laughs and the next event was schemed for February 2020. Stay tuned for all the details! Welcome Scott Aiges ’81 and Marcus Yoder ’88. After I had lunch with David Ho in Hong Kong, he toured Xi’an, Beijing and Shanghai. His favorite moment was overlapping with his daughter’s simultaneous viewing of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The parents and the kids were on separate group schedules —hooray! Congrats to the amazing Gordie Spater ’88 for winning the Raffoni Group’s 2019 CEO of the Year Award for his CEO Collective. He was selected by his peers because of his successful exit of Kurgo, his dogged determination, and his genuine, selfless and positive attitude. Yes, not only a great CEO, but a great human!”—John Knight

83 “Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary (recently) to Marc Czuj and his lovely wife!”

88 Gordie Spater ’88 for winning the Raffoni Group’s 2019 CEO of the Year Award for his CEO Collective.

83 After I had lunch with David Ho in Hong Kong, I toured Xi’an, Beijing and Shanghai. My favorite moment was overlapping with my daughter’s simultaneous viewing of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The parents and the kids were on separate group schedules—hooray! —John Knight ’83

T RUST E E

LIBBY LEIST ’97 by Jessica Day

Over nearly two decades with NBC, Libby Leist has traversed the world and covered politicians, presidents, celebrities, and royalty. She has been a researcher, a foreign affairs producer, a political producer, a senior producer for the TODAY show, and since January of 2018, executive producer for TODAY. And in spite of this impressive resume, or perhaps because of it, after her first Board meeting as a Deerfield trustee this past fall, Libby said, “It was so interesting and I’m thankful for the opportunity; to be able to contribute in this way is really exciting, and the trustees are just so sharp and passionate, which I love.”

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Libby has a long history of service to her school—as a student in the late 90s, she embraced opportunities to be a leader on campus and served on the Student Council, as a proctor, and as co-captain of the varsity swim team her senior year. “I really gained confidence in myself as a leader at Deerfield,” she says, “and I was able to take those skills from Deerfield and build on them.” Libby says she received “the honor of a lifetime” in 2009 when she was asked to be the keynote speaker at Commencement that year. And while she also says that at the time, she admitted to graduates to not having much in the way of “life advice” as it was still early in her career, she did emphasize to them the importance of finding their passion. “It’s passion that makes you committed and commitment that sets you apart from the rest.” In a fall 2013 “First Person” article Libby wrote for Deerfield Magazine, she elaborated, “I’m grateful to call myself a ‘Deerfield girl.’ We were encouraged to be strong and independent. I think of a few of my role models: Ms. Lyons, Ms. Valk, Ms. Loftus. Smart, confident, kind, and funny. I always looked up to them, even when they did pile on hours of homework. They taught the Deerfield values that stick with me today: preparation, commitment, and teamwork.”

“It was so interesting and I’m thankful for the opportunity; to be able to contribute in this way is really exciting, and the trustees are just so sharp and passionate, which I love.”

A graduate of Cornell University, Libby joined NBC in the network’s Washington, DC, bureau just two months before the September 11 attacks. From that frenetic time to covering the State Department to helping TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie prepare for an exclusive interview with President Obama, Libby says that in terms of her career, it’s all part of a progression; yes—academically-speaking, Deerfield allowed her to take on college with more confidence, but she adds that the ways in which Deerfield empowers its students and develops their characters are equally important. “To me, that’s one of the special things about Deerfield: we recognize the character of students—not just their academic performances or their athletic performances. The character piece is so important; it’s the intangible part that is so hard to explain, but some good questions to ask are: Are you a leader? Are you participating as an active member of your organization? Are you using your voice for good? Character and community are important in the workplace, too.” As a trustee, Libby says that she is excited to experience a 360-degree view of the school. She hopes to identify growth opportunities and to take a good look at how Deerfield can continue to promote well-rounded students and “build” future leaders with the flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing world. In her role as a

media professional, Libby recognizes the constant barrage of information on our society as a whole, and she says that being able to “digest” that information in a fast-paced environment is critical. She also emphasizes the importance of overcoming the polarization that is so rampant today. “We have a very divided country right now, and a lot of different viewpoints. It’s incumbent on all of us to listen to as many voices as we can. That’s what we try to do at NBC and the TODAY show—bring in different perspectives and help people approach their day informed and feeling well-rounded. I think that’s a goal we should all have—the ability to listen to others—no matter what profession and no matter what classroom you’re in (at Deerfield). “Dr. Austin talked a lot about intentionality during the Board weekend, and that resonated with me. We strive to be intentional where I work—with what we’re covering, how we’re approaching stories—and I think that lesson is transferable to all professions and certainly to my work as a trustee.” Libby also appreciated the time she was able to spend with current students, visiting classrooms and at sit-down lunch. “I was so inspired by how engaged and curious they are,” she says. “It reaffirmed everything I believe about Deerfield. It’s truly a place where you can learn from each other, and as cliché as it may sound, at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.” //

86 “After being a competitor on the 2011 and 2015 World Championship teams, I coached the Canadian team to a silver medal in the women’s team event at this year’s World Naginata Championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. We lost a hard-fought match to Japan in the finals. Our men’s team and our individual competitors also had some quality wins, and we should be in great position to contend for the gold in 2023.” —Susan Davis ’86

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1986 “I met up with fellow Deerfield alumni at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 18 at the Dead & Co. show.”—Henri Cattier “After being a competitor on the 2011 and 2015 World Championship teams, I coached the Canadian team to a silver medal in the women’s team event at this year’s World Naginata Championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. We lost a hard-fought match to Japan in the finals. Our men’s team and our individual competitors also had some quality wins, and we should be in great position to contend for the gold in 2023.”—Susan Davis

l to r: Henri Cattier ’86 & friends; Burr Rutledge ’90: Sharing a photo of our four-year-old chocolate Labradoodle, Sirius, curled upin our DA chair, his favorite spot.”

1989 “My wife Margaret and I have agreed to become the next General Managers of Abaco Lodge, on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Abaco Lodge offers world class bone-fishing on the beautiful, shallow, clear water, legendary flats of the Bahamas. We will be the fulltime, on-site lodge managers, starting September 2019. Abaco Lodge was recently rated as one of the top ten fly fishing lodges in the world by Men’s Journal. The Lodge is highly regarded throughout the angling community for its fishing, fine dining and well-appointed accommodation. Please come visit us, and help make this new adventure successful!”—Derek Hutton

92 1990 “I’ve returned stateside after completing a three year tour in Naples, Italy. After some intervening training and re-qualification in the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, I will be taking command of Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA. We are happy to be back in California and looking forward to settling back in—though we are definitely going to miss the Neapolitan cuisine, especially the pizza!”—Doug Peterson

1992 Sam de Castro reports: “Captain Doug Peterson ’90 and I completed three year tours together in Naples, Italy. We were both assigned to the US Sixth Fleet. After detaching in June, Doug headed to Lemoore, CA where he will command Naval Air Station, Lemoore. I am in Singapore where he is assigned as Chief of Staff to Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific. In August of 2020 I will take Command of Military Sealift Command, Far East in Singapore.”

T RUST E E

VANESSA L A V E LY ’ 0 0 by Julia Elliott

On a recent visit back to campus, Vanessa Lavely ’00 told her student tour guide, “Your time here at Deerfield is the busiest you will ever be!” Indeed, during her years at Deerfield, Vanessa excelled academically, played varsity soccer and lacrosse, and served as a proctor, peer counselor, and tour guide. “I was exposed to so many opportunities at Deerfield,” she says, At her graduation in 2000, then-Headmaster “and I wanted to do everything.” Eric Widmer, along with that year’s Commencement speaker, His Majesty King Abdullah II ’80, presented Vanessa with the Deerfield Cup. What she remembers most about her time at Deerfield, however, are the little moments of joy: riding on the handlebars of a friend’s bike down Albany Road, celebrating a lacrosse win on the bus back to campus, or the prank war she got into with a senior during her junior year.

Vanessa was the Deerfield Cup recipient in 2000.

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Gabriel Amadeus Cooney / Deerfield Academy Archives

“As final prank,” she remembers, “he took my entire dorm room and set it up in middle of the Quad—my bed, my desk, my shoes all lined up. I can still picture my bed s itting there!” It is perhaps no surprise that Vanessa, as someone who “loved [her] Deerfield experience,” accepted a role this year of President of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association and joined Deerfield’s Board of Trustees. She brings to the position a remarkable work ethic, the ability to balance work and play, and a desire to give back to the next generation of students. After Deerfield, Vanessa attended Harvard College, where she was captain of the women’s lacrosse team, awarded Academic All Ivy League, and graduated magna cum laude. She then moved to Los Angeles and spent a year working in entertainment law. “I was probably the only person in LA who didn’t care about celebrities,” she says, “but it was invaluable preparation for law school.” She graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2008, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review in her final year, and then clerked for the Hon. Kim Wardlaw of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and was set to start as an associate at the law firm of Cravath, Swaine, & Moore LLP in New York City in 2009. After the financial crisis hit, however, the firm offered Vanessa’s class a voluntary one-year deferral option; never one to sit still, Vanessa traveled to six continents, including backpacking across Southeast Asia with her brother Ben Lavely ’02 and volunteering at an orphanage in Tanzania. In the fall of 2010, Vanessa hung up her backpack and started work at Cravath. She spent seven very busy years as an associate, during which she developed a passion for litigation. She joined the Cravath partnership in 2018. She enjoys trial work for the storytelling aspect of it—digging through thousands of pages of information to find those three or four key points that will persuade a judge or jury that her client should prevail. She has handled a variety of matters, including antitrust, intellectual

property, environmental, general commercial and securities litigation. To date, she has tried nine cases in federal and state courts. In her free time this year she trained for the New York City Marathon, which she ran in November. She also enjoys hiking with her dog Bea and spending as much time as possible with her three nieces. As President of the Executive Committee, Vanessa hopes to further the excellent leadership of former President Sara (diBonaventura) Ofosu-Amaah ’01 and to focus on alumni engagement. “I’d love to get more people back to campus,” she says, but she also wants to help alumni find Deerfield where they live: “Connecting them through classmates, regional clubs, Reunions, and using social media tools, such as links to the celebratory moments that are happening on campus today, letting alumni relive their own Deerfield experiences and stay connected in that way.” When Vanessa considers her role on the Board of Trustees, she recalls her own student experience and the sense of enthusiasm she had for everything Deerfield had to offer. “As always, Deerfield students are not short on drive and the desire to succeed,” she says, “but that increasingly comes with intense pressure. How can I help students find that same sense of joy that I experienced? I also want to support and celebrate the amazing Deerfield faculty, administrators, and coaches—all of whom make the Deerfield experience what it is.” Thinking about all the hours of preparation leading to the moment when she stands up at the start of a trial, Vanessa knows that there is so much behind-the-scenes work that goes into ensuring an incredible student experience at Deerfield—everything from the food in the Dining Hall to the inclusivity of the campus. She looks forward to taking part in that work by serving with her fellow trustees. “This is such a special group,” she says. “I’m inspired by the level devotion to the school. Under the leadership of Brian Simmons and Dr. Austin, the Board is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of Deerfield students.” //

Attended Harvard College Captain of the women’s lacrosse team, awarded Academic All Ivy League, and graduated magna cum laude Graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2008, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review in her final year, and then lerked for Hon. Kim Wardlaw of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit President of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association Backpacked across Southeast Asia with her brother Ben ’02 and volunteered at an orphanage in Tanzania Made a partner at Cravath in 2018

Class of 1995 friends got together this October for a weekend of R&R in Texas. Pictured here: Megan Fraker, Taylor (Truesdale) Bose, Elizabeth (Merritt) Dougan, Sascha DeGersdorff, Jo (Lipstadt) Swani, Edith (Webster) Naegele.

“This year, I caught up with Tom Olcott ’98 during his travels down the coast. A little less hair and a bit more gray (respectively), but other than that, doing well! —Thomas Bloomer

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02 07

Liza Cowan ’07 and Ethan Garonzik ’03 were married in Zermatt on July 5, 2019. They didn’t know one another at Deerfield, but they both happened to move to Atlanta the same weekend, met, started dating, and marriage was the result! The happy couple enjoyed a toast given by the mother of the bride in the style of the Evensong, the last stanza of which was: Married days are days of Glory! Memory lives in every one: Create together your life story With love and Alpine sun. L to r: Rory Cowan ’71, Mark Garonzik ’05, Liza Cowan Garonzik ’07, Ethan Garonzik ’03, Coco Cowan ’08, Thomas Cowan ’13, Neal Garonzik ’64.

2002

2006

“I married Jason Safriet in Sun Valley, ID, this past August. I am is so grateful so many of her DA ’02 girls were able to make the trip! It was as though no time had passed since being on campus!” —Victoria Lika

“I received the Technology Rising Star award at the 2019 Women of a Color in STEM Conference. Currently a full-stack developer at Booz Allen Hamilton, she credits Deerfield Academy, where she took her first Computer Science course, with nurturing her technical curiosity.”—Paula Bennett Douglas Weeden ’02 and Ann Parker Hammock ’06 were married on June 15, 2019 in a family ceremony at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. The wedding party included sister of the groom, Reed Weeden Minor ’99 and brother of the bride, Knight Hammock ’09. They moved to Nashville, TN, in July, where Ann started a new Vice President role at Alliance Bernstein, and Douglas continues his director role at 17-a4 LLC, an enterprise software company he co-founded in 2010.”

2004 “On May 6, I was hired by the Water Institute of the Gulf, an applied science and research institute dedicated to helping coastal and deltaic communities thoughtfully prepare for an uncertain future, to serve as the General Counsel and to develop and eventually lead an applied legal policy research arm within the Institute.” —Beaux Jones

R E C E N T LY PUBLISHED

THREE SECONDS IN MUNICH: THE CONTROVERSIAL 1972 OLYMPIC BASKETBALL FINAL

BY DAVID A.F. SWEET ’81 PRESIDENTIAL MISCONDUCT: FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON TO TODAY

EDITED BY JAMES M. BANNER, JR. ’53 The New Press / 2019

THE BILOXI CONNECTION

BY DAVID J. MATHER ’64 A Peace Corps Writers Book / 2019 The Biloxi Connection is the third novel in the popular Crescent Beach Series, and author David Mather’s fifth novel. Former state trooper and all-around good guy Rusty McMillan pursues Joe Slater, the cold-blooded hit man and drug runner for a Colombian cartel who murdered Rusty’s best friend. When Slater delivers three hundred bricks of cocaine to a Biloxi, Mississippi, casino, Rusty and the FBI are ready. But the sting goes awry and Slater gets away in the confusion of a deadly firefight. Slater is eventually arrested, but he comes up with a clever alibi. Will justice be served? Maybe, but it won’t be in the courts. Simultaneously, a different drama unfolds back in Crescent Beach when the town darling, fourteen-year-old Rebecca, meets Billy, who becomes the love of her life, and proceeds to destroy it with drugs, sex, and crime. David Mather began visiting the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast in 1999, becoming a resident in 2006. The area and its people inspired his Crescent Beach series. His two earlier novels, One For the Road and When the Whistling Stopped, were based on his experiences in southern Chile while serving in the Peace Corps. //

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In May 1974, as President Richard Nixon faced impeachment, the House Judiciary Committee commission a historical account of the misdeeds of past presidents. The account, compiled by leading presidential historians of the day, reached back to George Washington’s administration and was designed to provide a benchmark against which Nixon’s misdeeds could be measured. Now, as another president and his subordinates face an array of charges on a wide range of legal and constitutional offenses, a group of presidential historians has come together under the leadership of James Banner—one of the historians who contributed to the original report—to bring the 1974 account up to date through Barack Obama’s presidency. Based on current scholarship, this new material covers such well-known episodes as Nixon’s Watergate crisis, Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandal, Clinton’s impeachment, and George W. Bush’s connection to the exposure of intelligence secrets. But oft-forgotten events also take the stage: Carter’s troubles with advisor Bert Lance, Reagan’s savings and loan crisis, George H.W. Bush’s nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, and Obama’s Solyndra loan controversy. A Guggenheim Award-winning historian, James Banner was on the Princeton faculty when he contributed to the presidential misconduct report and is now an independent historian in Washington, DC. He was a co-founder of the History News Service, a moving spirit behind the National History Center, and the author of several books including Being a Historian. //

University of Nebraska Press / 2019 It was the most controversial finish in Olympic history: the 1972 gold-medal basketball contest between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the world’s two superpowers at the time. The US team, whose unbeaten Olympic streak dated back to when Adolf Hitler reigned over the Berlin Games, believed it had won the gold medal that September in Munich—not once, but twice. But it was the third time the final second were played that counted. The head of international basketball—flouting rules he himself had created —trotted onto the court and demanded twice that time be put back on the clock. A referee allowed an illegal substitution and an illegal free-throw shooter for the Soviets while calling a slew of late fouls on the US players. The American players became the only Olympic athletes in the history of the games to refuse their medals. Of course, the 1972 Olympics are remembered primarily for a far graver matter, when eleven Israeli team members were killed by Palestinian terrorists, stunning the world and temporarily stopping the games. One American player, Tommy Burleson, had a gun to his head as the hostages were marched past him to their deaths. Through interviews with many of the American players and others, David Sweet relates the horror of terrorism, the pain of losing the most controversial championship game in sports history to a hated rival, and the consequences of the players’ decision to shun their Olympic medals to this day. David Sweet is also the author of Lamar Hunt: The Gentle Giant Who Revolutionized Professional Sports. He launched columns for WSJ.com and NBCSports.com and his written articles for the Chicago Sun-Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. //

2008 “Rowed with fellow Deerfield alum Brad Plunkett ’12 at the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta. We came in third place for Dartmouth in the Men’s Alumni Eights.”—Hunter Dray

2010 “On September 28, Monse Moreno ’05, Carlos Rodriguez ’08, Elisa Manrique ’10, and Vernon Jackson ’11 convened at the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund’s 30th Anniversary Gala. The mission of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund is to give high school scholarship assistance and educational support to Chicago students.”—Elisa Manrique

2016

Hatty Wang reports: “Emily Yue ’16 is attending Harvard and creates documentaries. Her most recent one is about Beautiful Ladies of Wrestling (BLOW).”

08 “Rowed with fellow Deerfield alum Brad Plunkett ’12 at the 55 th Head of the Charles Regatta. We came in third place for Dartmouth in the Men’s Alumni Eights.” —Hunter Dray

10 “On September 28, Monse Moreno ’05, Carlos Rodriguez ’08, Elisa Manrique ’10, and Vernon Jackson ’11 convened at the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund’s 30th Anniversary Gala. The mission of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund is to give high school scholarship assistance and educational support to Chicago students.” —Elisa Manrique

ELIZABETH GROWNEY ’16 VA R S I T Y AT H L E T E

Charmed. Elizabeth Growney conducts a ritual before every field hockey and lacrosse game she plays at Bowdoin College: She stuffs a tiny plastic polar bear in the fold of her sock underneath her left shin pad. “It is my inspiration,” explains Elizabeth, a former three-sport standout at Deerfield. The polar bear was a gift from her sister, Mettler, who just happens to be a former Bowdoin (Class of ’17) and Deerfield (Class of ’13) star athlete in her own right. “Before either intense drills during practice or before high pressure situations during a game, I usually tap or brush my hand over my sock and shin pad; it serves as a reminder of why I love these games so much,” adds Elizabeth, a psychology major, “and to play for Mettler, because I know she would do absolutely anything to be back on this field. Plus, that polar bear just gives me an extra push to give it my all—whatever I’m about to do—during games and practices, and whenever I feel like I need to mentally regroup and dig deep; it serves as a good luck charm for me.” Elizabeth and Mettler shared one special year of overlap at Bowdoin. “I felt honored that Mettler gave me this lucky polar bear when she graduated from Bowdoin because I knew it would continue to serve as a reminder of our special year we shared together here when she was a senior and I was a freshman,” says Elizabeth. “It was such an unforgettable experience to go from playing one season together in field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse at Deerfield, and then playing together on one of the top Division III college field hockey and lacrosse programs in the country.”

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Over the past two years that lucky polar bear has done its job, and this senior co-captain has proven to be a major cog in both Bowdoin’s field hockey and lacrosse programs. Last fall, Elizabeth helped spark the field hockey team to an 11-5 record by finishing as the club’s third leading scorer with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. That spring, her 17 goals, 11 assists and 28 points helped lift the Polar Bear lacrosse team to the semifinal round of the NCAA Regional Tournament. This fall, the Polar Bears earned the number two seed in the NESCAC following a 14-2 season and a 9-1 regular season record in conference play. They suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the sticks of Hamilton College in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, with two goals scored in the last four minutes of the last game. Nevertheless, Elizabeth capped off her collegiate field hockey career with NESCAC All-Sportsmanship honors, given to those student-athletes from each conference varsity sport who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to sportsmanship. Mettler, whose field hockey exploits at Bowdoin earned her Rookie of the Year honors from both the New England Small College Athletic Conference and the East Coast Athletic Conference and were followed by three consecutive years of NESCAC All-Star status, says that graduating from Bowdoin was both exciting and sad “because I loved playing sports and graduation marked the end of my competitive athletic career.”

Deerfield Academy

b y B o b Yo r k

Brian Beard

With this marking the eighth and final season that Nicky Pearson had a New Canaan, CT, Growney gracing her Bowdoin field hockey roster, the veteran mentor answered succinctly, “You bet I do,” when asked if she wished there were more siblings in the Growney pipeline. Then, with a chuckle, she quipped, “I don’t know how mom and dad would feel about that, though? “It was great to have Elizabeth as a co-captain this season,” added Pearson. “She’s got what it takes to be an outstanding leader . . . she has the players’ respect, she’s extremely competitive, she has a tremendous work ethic, she’s dedicated to her team and to her sport and for me, she’s like having a coach out on the field. “No matter if it’s a practice, a scrimmage or a game, you can count on Elizabeth showing up to play . . . she’s all business, all the time,” said Pearson. “As a player, I love her balance on offense . . . she not only can score, but she can create scoring opportunities for her teammates, too.” “Elizabeth has had a real positive impact in lacrosse as well,” said Liz Grote, Bowdoin women’s lacrosse coach. “In addition to being one of our leading scorers, she’s a standout on defense, too. Her tenacity creates problems for opposing offenses . . . she causes turnovers and is always among our leaders in ground balls.” At Deerfield, Growney earned numerous athletic awards, including All-New England and All-Western New England honors in field hockey. She also won the Benjamin J. Haviland Trophy and the Ramsay Cup in lacrosse. Mettler, likewise, garnered All-New England and All-Western New England kudos in field hockey and won the Deerfield Field Hockey Cup, the Haviland Award, the Seventh Player Award in hockey, and the William Jaffe Award. “I’m incredibly proud of Elizabeth continuing her high level of success at Bowdoin,” said Kristen McVaugh, Growney’s field hockey coach at Deerfield and herself a former Bowdoin field hockey standout who helped guide the Polar Bears to four straight NESCAC championships from 2004 to 2008. “She’s a tremendous athlete with an incredible work ethic and they’ve helped make her an outstanding college athlete.”

Allison DiNardo, Elizabeth’s Deerfield lacrosse coach, is also a big fan of her former charge. “I think the world of Elizabeth,” said DiNardo, “and I love to keep track of her accomplishments. I’m happy to see she continues to raise her game . . . she’s a fierce competitor and a complete player both offensively and defensively who has continued to excel on the collegiate level.” Reflecting on her time at Deerfield, Elizabeth shared words of gratitude for Amie Creagh, who, as an assistant lacrosse coach, “supplied me with a ton of encouragement when I tore my ACL.” She also cited Heidi Valk, one of her science teachers, “who assisted me through the college recruiting process and played a big role in helping me get into Bowdoin;” Ellen Bicknell, who teaches Spanish and serves as an assistant coach in field hockey and lacrosse, “proved to be a real help to

me in the classroom as well as on the athletic field,” and Elizabeth also gave credit to Rich and Katie Calhoun. “Katie was an assistant field hockey coach and Rich was my science teacher,” Elizabeth says. “They would always bring their kids to our games and were Mettler’s and my biggest cheerleaders. At Bowdoin, whenever we had games at Amherst or Williams, we knew we would see them there because they always made an effort to support us.” Last but not least, Elizabeth had a shout-out for her Big Green field hockey mentor, “because between Coach McVaugh and my sister, I knew exactly what to expect at Bowdoin before I even got there.” And at this point, it’s easy to guess what we should expect from Elizabeth on the lacrosse field this coming spring . . . stay tuned! //

THIS SENIOR CO-CAPTAIN HAS PROVEN TO BE

A MAJOR COG

IN BOTH BOWDOIN’S

FIELD HOCKEY

AND

LACROSSE PROGRAMS

NORA GARDNER ’03 By Lynn Horowitch P’16’17

Labeled for Success. 68 | THE COMMON ROOM

Photo by Mary Latham Photography

The New York-based flagship store of Nora Gardner’s eponymous women’s clothing business is much like its founder: stylish, small, warm, and welcoming. Located on East 58th Street within blocks of some of New York’s finest department stores (Bloomingdale’s) and hotels (the Four Seasons, the Pierre), the store reflects the synthesis of Nora’s work experience, family background, and analytical bent. Nora graduated from Deerfield in 2003 and matriculated at Georgetown, where she double majored in economics and studio art and spent a semester studying art and design in Florence. Upon graduating in 2007, Nora went to work at Morgan Stanley’s Public Finance Department in New York City. It was a great match, as Nora says, “I have a passion for policy and solving problems.” As the financial crisis of 2008 played out, she recalls, “It was a time when municipalities were going crazy! It was trauma and triage.” While it was a difficult time for institutions, it was a wonderful time for an up and coming young analyst, then promoted to associate. Nora’s professional life was satisfying intellectually, but she has a strong creative streak that wasn’t being nurtured. At home in Greenwich, CT, there had always had a sewing machine, and Nora remembers admiring the beautiful fabrics, details, and construction of her mother’s clothing. Her grandmother and great-grandmother were fine seamstresses, and Nora absorbed their appreciation for well-designed and well-constructed clothing. She says, “My mother had these beautiful things, and I always dreamed of growing up and getting to wear these beautiful clothes.” At the same time, Nora comes from a long tradition of entrepreneurship. Her father ran his own medical practice and imparted the lesson that it is always good to work for yourself. So while she enjoyed her work at Morgan Stanley, Nora always had the thought that part of what she was doing was gaining skills and experience to bring to her own enterprise someday.

Also while on Wall Street, Nora quickly grew tired of hunting for reasonably priced clothing options that were appropriate for the workplace, comfortable to wear, and attractive. “It’s hard for younger women,” Nora says. “You’re really trying to look the part on a relatively small salary.” She got to the point where she hated her clothing choices. “I literally wanted to burn my J. Crew suit,” she recalls. Nora looked into the demographics of the working world, poring over census data. Her analysis revealed that millions of working women were entering the workforce. In large metropolitan areas, the numbers of working aged women were projected to jump by nearly 80 percent. “‘The women are coming’ was what I discovered,” Nora says. It was enough to make her take the plunge, and in 2013 Nora started designing and selling her own line of women’s clothing.

Thus far, the business has been an enormous success. Nora, as CEO and creative director, has assembled a team to assist with production, digital marketing, store management, and the website. Her company headquarters and her own apartment are literally above the store. “I actually embody the idea of ‘live on your farm,’” she says. The clothes are classics, made in New York’s garment district, designed with an eye to comfort (pockets on many dresses, soft, wrinkle-resistant fabrics), clean lines (zips and snaps replace buttons and other extraneous details on many of the dresses and separates), and style (fitted, feminine, pretty). Customers can access the clothes through several channels: In addition to the New York storefront, the Nora Gardner line is available through personal shopping appointments, in pop-up stores in major cities, at boutiques around the country, and through a direct mail “style box” program.

The business itself is growing, and Nora and her team have lived up to the motto on Nora Gardner business cards: “Work hard. Dress smart. Be amazing.” She has received three awards, winning a start-up competition for female founders from The Refinery in Westport, CT; a design entrepreneur award from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City; and an Excellence Award for Best of Retail from the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Alliance. Beyond fashion, Nora sees the role that her clothes can play in people’s lives. She says, “The whole area of professional clothing for women is stressful. If you know that you are putting your best foot forward, it frees you up to do the things you love.” Her plan is to build a network of stylists who can provide a degree of reassurance for working women, because, as Nora says, “For most professional women, working with an expert decreases stress and increases happiness—so it’s a no brainer!”//

#SHEWORENORA

( P O S T I N T E RV I E W . . . ) “You need to go shopping!”

Nora informed me, as I put away pen and paper at the conclusion of our interview. After ogling racks of attractive clothes for the better part of an hour, I was ready! First, Nora selected for me a very professional tailored dress with a subtle blue and black pattern.

Upon emerging from the dressing room, Nora and store manager Dionna got to work. “Go put on the pumps in the dressing room,” Nora instructed me. (I guess my socks with pink hearts were a no-go.) Now appropriately shod, Dianna took off the belt she was wearing, adjusted it, and hooked

it around my waist. Then she grabbed a scarf and showed me two different ways to wrap it, depending on whether I was going for a more casual or more professional look. Next up was a navy blue sheath with white piping and a one-sided peplum— a classic with a twist.

It was elegant, comfortable, and I loved it—even if I couldn’t see having many opportunities to wear it given my suburban blue jeans writer’s life. But . . . if you happen to see me wearing a gorgeous fitted sheath, you’ll know where I got it! — LH

CHOATE DAY 2019 70 | THE COMMON ROOM

SEE MORE DEERFIELD!

flickr.com/deerfieldacademy 71

Three to four hours in the classroom, two hours in the research lab, another couple of hours in the pool for water polo practice, then four to five hours of homework: That’s a long day’s journey into night for any college student-athlete. It’s the daily routine, however, that Justin Xiang was well prepared for when he graduated from Deerfield in 2016 and headed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now, the MIT senior’s days have become even longer, and Justin, a computer science major, has traded his pool time for more time in the lab. Last year, Justin came to the realization that achieving a goal can be more meaningful than scoring one; after three years of water polo at MIT, the former Deerfield standout who helped the Big Green chalk up a pair of silver medals and a bronze at the New England prep school championships, netted just two goals—on four shots. So Justin decided to pursue a much greater goal, and focus on a problem that plagues the whole world: cancer. “To be more precise, our focus is on breast cancer,” says Justin, who is part of a group of four MIT computer scientists who have been working in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital. “The goal of this alliance (Learning to Cure) is to have a clinical impact in oncology. “I’m very fortunate to have had the high level of preparation that Deerfield afforded me for this sort of research work,” adds Justin, who graduated from the Academy cum laude. “The faculty was tremendous . . . they all had a passion for teaching . . . for inspiring their students and instilling in us a desire to want to learn more.”

72 | THE COMMON ROOM

MIT-e-Vision Topping Xiang’s list of favorite mentors is his former AP Biology teacher Andy Harcourt. “Mr. Harcourt and that course changed my life. He influenced my love for science because he was so passionate about it; I think his excitement and interest in biology really motivated and inspired me to become a scientist. He also encouraged me to think about becoming a researcher, and I’m grateful for that, and he made me aware of a terrific program at MIT.” That program was a summer cancer research course following Justin’s junior year at Deerfield. He enjoyed the experience so much that MIT became his #1 choice for college. “My research consisted of modeling uveal melanoma (skin cancer in the eye of zebrafish),” explains Justin. “The object was to model this type of cancer so that we could better understand how the cancer develops, progresses, and is passed on to offspring. I had a very positive experience and really enjoyed the intellectual curiosity of the MIT community. That experience not only led me to apply to MIT, but it definitely influenced me to become involved in cancer research.”

JUSTIN XIANG ’16 b y B o b Yo r k

“Justin was a perfect fit for that summer session,” recalls Harcourt. “He’s a brilliant, motivated scholar who often sparked discussions with his creative ideas and questions, and I think once he took that course at MIT, he was hooked. He was an excellent collaborator, too, and I’m not surprised that he has continued to be an integral and successful contributor to investigative activities.” Harcourt, who retired last year after 40 years of teaching at Deerfield, wrote in Xiang’s college recommendation letter, “I feel Justin is one of the most talented and motivated science students I have worked with at Deerfield. He has established himself as an honor-roll caliber scholar . . . has demonstrated he can set clear goals for himself and has shown that he can work effectively to meet those expectations.” According to Learning to Cure’s website, one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, a fraction of them contributing to about 450,000 deaths worldwide annually. And in spite of billions of dollars being invested in cancer research, understanding the disease, its treatment, and its prevention is still limited. “Until now, computer science has played a relatively minor role in the battle against cancer,” says Justin, “with the majority of the fight being split between biology and medicine, but recent advances in natural language processing, which deals with the interaction between computers and humans and helps computers to decipher, understand, and interpret human language, have shifted the focus a bit.” Computer imaging has also advanced— simply put, computers are now better at reading and interpreting digital images. “Of these two fields, most of my research is in the computer vision field,” Justin says. “Ultimately, our goal is to use computers to improve the mammogram screening process so that we can help identify breast cancers earlier than is currently possible.” Data collected on millions of cancer patients, which includes pathology slides, imaging, and other tests, is being put to use as Justin and his fellow researchers develop

By reading these images, computers should be able to detect the likelihood of cancer occurrence more accurately. The work we are doing with these procedures should help radiologists read the mammograms; the models we are developing today can accurately predict breast density and identify with human accuracy the probability of cancer in a large number of screened mammograms.”

deep learning algorithms that can help track the progression of the disease more efficiently, prevent “over treatment,” and narrow down cures. Currently, the vast majority of breast cancers are diagnosed by mammograms, and while radiologists are able to identify suspicious areas once a mass is already visible, they have a limited capacity in predicting which patients are heading toward a cancer diagnosis prior to a mass forming. Additionally, past research has confirmed that certain changes in breast tissue are precursors of cancer development, but patterns identified by the human eye are not sufficiently strong enough to act on. Being able to identify these patients would be a giant leap forward in prevention. “It’s our goal to automate these predictions by developing deep learning algorithms (procedures) that can use imaging data with known outcomes,” explains Justin. It’s a process that involves computer models that have been making unprecedented progress in how information is extracted from images. Justin notes that deep learning algorithms have already been applied to tasks in numerous medical specialties—most extensively in radiology and pathology— with results that in many cases are at least comparable to human experts’ diagnoses. More importantly, it’s possible these procedures could be used to extract data from medical images that would not be apparent through human analysis. “By reading these images, computers should be able to detect the likelihood of cancer occurrence more accurately,” says Justin. “The work we are doing with these procedures should help radiologists read the mammograms; the models we are developing today can accurately predict breast density and identify with human accuracy the probability of cancer in a large number of screened mammograms.” “When Justin graduated, I was curious to see just what he would do with his talent for research,” said Harcourt. “I’m so proud, pleased, and happy that he has decided to use it to fight cancer. I wish him luck— we all do.” //

T RUST E E

JOE DOWLING P’21 by Julia Elliott

Let’s get one piece of personal history out of the way: when he was a young man, Trustee Joseph Dowling III applied to two boarding schools, Deerfield and Choate, and chose to attend Choate. “Mistake!” he now readily admits; because ever since his son Joe Dowling IV started at Deerfield as a freshman in 2017, Joe has basically bled green. Joe’s loyalty to Deerfield began during the first Family Weekend he attended. “I was blown away by the high level of teaching,” he says. “It was incredible. I left in awe.” He has watched his son thrive academically and on the football and lacrosse teams. He has also been struck by how Deerfield’s traditions, such as sit-down meals and the no cell phone on walkways policy, create a strong community. “Those are the cultural things that make Deerfield so special,” he observes.

74 | THE COMMON ROOM

Soon after the start of Joe’s freshman year, Dowling, an accomplished investment executive who is Chief Executive Officer of Brown University’s Investment Office, was asked to join Deerfield’s Investment Committee. The talent of the other committee members immediately impressed him. “It’s just a super thoughtful group,” he says, adding, “I’m not surprised Deerfield has one of the best performing independent school endowments.” This fall, Dowling began serving a term on Deerfield’s Board of Trustees.

The most pressing issue for Dowling is safeguarding financial aid and ensuring that Deerfield maintains a positive experience for all students in the face of rising costs. Graduated from “that place in Wallingford” Attended Harvard College Earned an MBA at the Harvard Business School in 1993 Worked at First Boston, Tudor Investments, and Oracle Partners Founded and ran Narragansett Asset Management Managed Narragansett Strategic Partners LP, a private investment firm Currently serves on the advisory board for Harbor Funds and on the board of directors for Integrated Electrical Services Held positions of CIO, CEO, CFO at Brown Enjoys open water swimming, surfing, spearfishing, and paddling, is a rabid high school and college lacrosse fan, and serves on the board of the US Lacrosse Foundation

Joe grew up in Providence, RI, where his father was an ophthalmologist and taught medicine at Brown. After graduating from “that place in Wallingford,” Dowling attended Harvard College and then, along with his wife Diana, earned an MBA at the Harvard Business School in 1993. Joe has worked at First Boston, Tudor Investments, and Oracle Partners. He founded and ran Narragansett Asset Management, managing money for institutions, endowments, and universities, from 1998 to 2006. Since 2008, he has managed Narragansett Strategic Partners LP, a private investment firm. He currently serves on the advisory board for Harbor Funds and on the board of directors for Integrated Electrical Services. Joe became the Chief Investment Officer at Brown in June 2013, managing the university’s $4.2 billion endowment and its 21-member investment office. In July of 2018, he was appointed CEO of that office and, since the summer of 2019, he has served as Brown’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, with responsibility for the university’s $1.2 billion budget. Almost every semester, Dowling makes sure to guest lecture a class on statistics, finance, or computer science. “The energy that I get from the students at Brown is incredible,” he says. Joe and Diana, who consults for companies on innovation and change, have three other children, all college graduates, in addition to Joe IV. Dowling enjoys open water swimming, surfing, spearfishing, and paddling. He is a rabid high school and college lacrosse fan, and serves on the board of the US Lacrosse Foundation. Noting that the Academy is already a “well-oiled machine,” Joe says he hopes to bring his “perspective and skill set to support really good long-term decision

making at Deerfield.” Specifically, he looks forward to adding his expertise on issues of budgeting, finance, and capital structure. He believes a school should always be thinking about how to optimize the student experience and adopt new avenues of teaching, while remaining true to its mission and traditions. “You want to respect the old with welcoming the new,” he says about policy decisions. “Finding that balance is really important.” The most pressing issue for Dowling is safeguarding financial aid and ensuring that Deerfield maintains a positive experience for all students in the face of rising costs. Through his work at Brown, Joe knows what it takes to be a good trustee. “One of the most important things I learned is that you can’t be a helicopter trustee,” he says. “It helps to immerse yourself and actually meet with people.” The key skill a good trustee should possess, in his opinion, is the ability to listen. “You cannot come in with your biases,” he says, “because these are not black and white decisions. You need to listen to the faculty, students, other trustees, and alumni and learn from different perspectives, while still acting as fiduciary for the benefit of everyone and staying true to the mission.” Following the fall Board meeting, Joe is even more excited to work with his fellow trustees. “It’s such a high quality group of people,” he says. “I feel like I am learning from them, and hopefully I am also able to give back.” He also looks forward to working with Head of School John Austin, who he describes as a “perfect fit” and a “super listener.” And he will continue showing up for every one of son Joe’s football and lacrosse games to cheer on the Big Green—even when they’re up against Choate. //

REGIONAL CLUBS & EVENTS Dr. John P.N. Austin started fast with multi-city visits including Chicago, Boston, Seoul, London, Greenwich, CT, Beijing and Hong Kong! We hope many of you were able to say hello.

C H I CAG O

FA I R F I E L D

LOOK FOR UPCOMING EVENTS:

deerfield.edu/events

76 | THE COMMON ROOM

S E E EV E N MORE F R I E N D LY FAC ES !

flickr.com /deerfieldalumni B OSTON

COLLEGE FEEDS

1 . I T H A C A 2 . C H A r l o T T e s v I l l e 3 . p r o v I d e n C e 4 . g e o r g e T o w n 5 . H A n o v e r 6 .w I l l I A m s T o w n 1

5 6

F I R S T P E R S O N / Daniel Read ’70

The Times They Were A-Changin’

Maria and I recently started reading From Rebel Yell to Revolution, a memoir by Joel Gardner about his four years at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville from 1966 to 1970. We have been reading books out loud to each other for years, starting with Moby Dick and continuing on through a range of works, from the multi-volume Kristin Lavransdatter about medieval Norway to the modern and sexy A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance. We just finished laboriously reading Les Liaisons Dangereuses and were casting about for something light. Maria had picked out Gardner’s book to read for herself, since she went to UVA from 1974 to 1978. I picked it up and read a little bit and said, ‘We should read this together.’ And so we did, including on most of the car ride up to Annapolis and back to see our new-born second grandson. It was a lot of fun. We both can relate to many of the places and events in the book. These were our growing-up years, too. Maria got her undergraduate degree from UVA and her group of five UVA roomies was a major part of our social life in our early years together.

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That has included many trips back to Grounds and singing ‘The Good Old Song’ (UVA’s most traditional anthem) on the steps of the Rotunda to welcome the New Year. Before I met Maria, my brother Nick had lived in Charlottesville from 1976 to 1982, and I visited him many times then. Gardner wrote the book to tell the story of the end of the ‘Old U.’ UVA was all-male in 1966, priding itself on its gentlemanly traditions of strict honor, decorum in dress and manners, and maintaining a placid Jeffersonian status quo. Coat and tie were worn daily by just about everyone. Social life centered around road trips to women’s colleges and big party (drinking) weekends. Fraternities controlled student life. The student radio station signed on and off to the strains of ‘Dixie.’ The Old U was barely touched by the civil rights movement. By the time Gardner graduated in 1970, coats and ties were a minority dress, drug use was soaring, the Anarchist Party had won student elections, and students were openly confronting UVA administrators (how ungentlemanly!) over lagging admission of non-white students and low wages for staff. Under court order, the first woman had enrolled in 1969. The Old U still existed in small groups and in memory (Maria remembers the curmudgeonly attitude of some of the older faculty toward the women in their classes) but no longer dominated campus life. As we read this book and the story of the breakdown of the ‘Charlottesville bubble’ in the late 1960s, it came to me that I had been living a parallel life at the same time as Gardner attended UVA. I started to attend Deerfield Academy in the fall of 1967. Deerfield was also all-male and also geographically isolated, in a tiny village in the hills of western Massachusetts (no cars— students could not even have bicycles). In those days, the school’s motto—Be Worthy of Your Heritage—meant polite and manly application to one’s studies and striving hard in athletics, which were mandated for all students. Religious services were mandatory as well, at the Brick Church adjacent to the school, followed by the Sunday night ‘Sing,’ where the entire student body ran through Protestant hymns and listened to inspirational speakers.

officer. A student called to stand before him, with his crew cut, scowl, and gruff voice, did not have much to say except ‘Yes, sir.’ When he told me, ‘Get a haircut, Read,’ I went right down to the barber shop and signed up. Things changed a lot over the next three years. The new headmaster, David Pynchon, was a pleasant but not authoritarian man, and allowed many changes. The ‘bubble’ did not burst, but a lot of old Deerfield eroded under the influence of rock music, hippie culture, and the turmoil of the late 1960s. Hair got longer and appearances scruffier, and some boys even wore bell-bottom pants with their jackets and ties. Black light posters appeared in some of the dorm rooms as Hendrix and Joplin blasted from student record players. Rumor was that marijuana was even being smoked out on the Bank, where students had traditionally

1967 - 68 would be the last year that Mr. Boyden, who became Headmaster in 1902, would run the school. ‘The Quid,’ as he was known, was a small man who ruled the school for decades with a velvet fist. He looked out for his boys and did not tolerate slackers–‘Finish up strong’ was one of his favorite phrases. Mr. Boyden built the school up from a failing village school with less than 20 students in 1902 to a nationally top-ranked prep school, and was regarded by faculty and alumni as a legend in his time. He was 88 in 1967 and got around campus most of the time in his golf cart, but still loved to pilot his horse and buggy around the village. At that time, Mr. Boyden nominally left the day-to-day administration of the school to his son, John, but authority was exercised by Mr. Merriam, whose office was right off the main lobby in the Main School Building. Mr. Merriam was also not a big man in stature, but rough and tough as New England granite. He played and coached hockey, and had been a naval

of what is going on. For me, it was Mr. Merriam’s tie. We were about to graduate |in June 1970. Colleges had been decided on, classes were lax, and there was plenty of time for Frisbee and hanging out and swimming down at the River. Then, on May 4, 1970, came word that four students had been shot and killed at Kent State while protesting the invasion of Cambodia that followed a ‘secret’ bombing campaign. The newly-raised political consciousness of the students caused us to feel the need to do something—to have our own protest. As I recall, we planned to have a strike in memory of the Kent State Four (I can’t remember if the strike actually happened). A meeting was called out on the open quad and Mr. Merriam came out and spoke to the student group of mostly seniors. I forget exactly what he said; he obviously shared our sorrow over this tragedy, but in

Hair got longer and appearances scruffier, and some boys even wore bell-bottom pants with their jackets and ties. Black light posters appeared in some of the dorm rooms as Hendrix and Joplin blasted from student record players. Rumor was that marijuana was even being smoked out on the Bank. been allowed to smoke their cigarettes, and designated smoking rooms were permitted in the dorms. Student proctors took over first-line dorm management. School dances with nearby Stoneleigh-Burnham were instituted. Church attendance was no longer mandatory–the Jewish students even had the courage to organize their own student-run services. By senior year, church attendance was supposed to be half the time, to be checked off on a list in the Main School Building lobby. Since I actually liked going to church, I often checked off my dorm-mates’ names for them—no one ever got in trouble. When you are 16 and 17 incremental changes like these often do not seem momentous. Sometimes a very small thing will really bring home the magnitude

substance echoed the Quid, to ‘finish up strong.’ The gist was: Don’t mess up your diplomas now, only weeks from graduation. You will have plenty of time to get active more effectively once you graduate. Only as he was finishing up did I realize that the little white dots on his dark blue tie were peace signs. Merriam, the commander?! The military officer?! Peace signs?! Unthinkable at the ‘old Deerfield.’ //

Daniel Read lives in Durham, NC, where he recently closed his law office and now works from home three days a week while helping to care for his grandson the other two. He is looking forward to a road trip north to attend his 50th Reunion at Deerfield this coming June.

REMEMBERING

DAVID H. KOCH â&#x20AC;&#x2122;58 LIFETIME TRUSTEE

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David H. Koch, industrialist, philanthropist, Deerfield Academy trustee, and a generous member of the community, died on August 23, 2019. He was 79 years old. Born in Wichita, KS, in 1940, at Deerfield Mr. Koch was a talented student and athlete, serving as the captain of the track and field team, as a varsity basketball player, and as an editor of the Scroll. After graduating from Deerfield, Mr. Koch studied chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1962 and a master’s degree in 1963. In 1970, he joined his family’s firm, and was instrumental in growing Koch Industries, Inc. into one of the more prominent multinational corporations focusing on energy and fuels, polymers and fibers, minerals and refining, and chemical technology equipment. While Mr. Koch’s business acumen was well-respected, to many he was primarily known for his altruism; during his lifetime he donated over $1 billion dollars to a variety of civic groups and philanthropies, including the Academy. His fondness and respect for Deerfield and its mission led to generous donations to the school. Former Head of School Margarita Curtis said, “I think he had a very soft spot for Deerfield. He said it was the most transformative stage of his life. It was here that he was exposed to excellent teaching and experiences. He always thought that Deerfield was the place that launched him. He always called Deerfield home.” In a 2014 interview with the Scroll, Mr. Koch said, “I think that the best way for young people to succeed is to get a terrific education at a fine high school and university and have them pursue a career in a field that they like—that they feel comfortable in . . . The better the education you acquire, the better opportunities there are available to you in the future.” It is undeniable that Mr. Koch’s support helped Deerfield to become the school that it is today. Most notably, he funded ambitious building projects including the David H. Koch Natatorium in 1995, the eco-friendly Koch Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology in 2007, and the David H. Koch Field House in 2018. In 2010 Mr. Koch was named the Academy’s first-ever lifetime trustee. Dr. Austin commented, “He’s an example of someone who—thirty, forty, fifty years after Deerfield—still believed so strongly in the institution that he wanted to give back to it. I hope that students, both now and in the future, feel similarly. A school like Deerfield depends upon the philanthropic generosity of others.” Mr. Koch is survived by his wife, Julia Flesher Koch, and his three children, David Jr., Mary Julia and John Mark. // Published with thanks to Jae Won Moon ’20 and Yongjin Park ’22 of the Deerfield Scroll.

IN MEMORIAM 1936

1948

1950

Howard Valentine Smith, Jr. February 6, 2018

Edwin Cope Bruning June 20, 2019

Francis Patrick Kennedy August 19, 2016

1937

Howard Jerome Burnett June 16, 2019

Christopher Henry Thacher March 24, 2019

Richard Kenneth Dunn February 3, 2018

1952

Robert Morris Morgenthau July 21, 2019 Theodore B. Van Itallie September 14, 2019 1942

Sanford Morris Treat, Jr. September 1, 2019

Vincent Gilpin, Jr. May 28, 2016

1943

John League Gray No Date Available

Henry Moore Halsted, III October 9, 2019

Samuel Adams Hartwell, Jr. July 11, 2019

1944

Edward Loomis Ihling August 17, 2019 1946

Paul Rogers Krusei August 25, 2019 Horatio Gates Lloyd, III September 25, 2019 1947

James Carswell, III May 1, 2003 John Warren Humphrey, II August 21, 2018 Horace Keesey, III February 25, 2019 John Hugh Kinghorn October 14, 2013 Ernst Mahler, Jr. May 9, 2019 Herbert Neal Schaefer April 21, 2011

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Romilly Helfenstein Humphries March 5, 2017 David McClure Iszard No Date Available George Lewis Kinter January 6, 2019 Stephen Percy January 8, 2018 1949

Hugo Herbert Beit February 26, 2016 Clifford Luce Belden, Jr. March 8, 2019 Lyman Alexander Myers October 8, 2017 Paul Clem Randau April 27, 2019 Charles Forbes Sargent, Jr. August 3, 2017 William Rodman Snelling August 13, 2018

Charles Howard Blount September 10, 2019 Howard Howland Brown, Jr. June 30, 2019 William Ripley Hinshaw March 2, 2019 Allen Rich Smart, II May 24, 2019 1953

David Scott Foster, Jr. February 16, 2017 George Joseph Kelleher, Jr. May 12, 2017 Donald MacGregor MacKay September 21, 2019 Thomas Leland Rourke* May 2, 2019 1954

Lewis Carpenter Austin February 18, 2019 Joseph Thomas Bartlett, Jr.* May 27, 2019 James Williams Stevens* June 30, 2019 1955

Howard Earl Katz April 14, 2017

1958

1964

1981

Sherman Vail Allen, Jr. May 15, 2019

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall August 16, 2019

Earl Fain, IV August 2, 2019

David Hamilton Koch August 23, 2019

1965

1983

Michael John Burns July 16, 2015

Mark Thomas LaFlamme October 24, 2019

John Smith Clarkeson May 28, 2019

Junius Royal Judson, II July 25, 2019

Katherine Textor Farmer June 14, 2019

Edward Phetteplace Jaeger November 2, 2019

1966

2016

Wayne Edward Boyden April 9, 2019

Saoirse Kennedy Hill August 1, 2019

1960

Warren Robinson Keene February 21, 2019

Barton Dean Goodeve August 23, 2019 Christopher Wolfe Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shea October 26, 2019

*Boyden Society Member In Memoriam as of November 20, 2019. Please go to deerfield.edu/commonroom for the most up-to-date information on classmates, including obituaries.

Jess Marsh Wissemann

William Waters Teahan, Jr. December 6, 2014

1967

D E E R F I E L D M AG AZ I N E ’S

WO R D S E A RC H P UZZ L E

KEY WORDS ACADEMY

FOLIAGE

HOMECOMING

SEPTEMBER

AUTUMN

FUMBLEROOSKI

HUDDLE

TACKLE

CHARACTER

GLORY

LEAGUE

TOUCHDOWN

CIDER

GRIDIRON

NOVEMBER

TRADITION

DECIDUOUS

HARVEST

OCTOBER

VENDEMMIA

FEAST

HOLIDAYS

SCRIMMAGE

VICTORY

Find the key words in the jumble. The remaining letters, read row by row (left to right, starting at the top),

communications@deerfield.edu or to Puzzle,

Communications Office, PO Box 87, Deerfield, MA 01342,

The winner will be chosen at random from all

correct answers received by February 3, 2020.

will reveal a clue. Send your answers to

and you’ll be entered to win a DEERFIELD THROW!

WIN THIS!

Fill in the blanks, find the clue, and provide a name: “ _ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ :”

84 | THE COMMON ROOM

More gear at: store.deerfield.edu

*Tips: Circle only the key words listed above.

SHOW YOUR WORK

V I S UA L A RT S CLUB GEODOME

Inspired by the work of Buckminster Fuller, the Deerfield Visual Arts Club took to the lawn this fall to construct a geodesic dome. The club worked as a team, assembling the 25' wide, 12' high dome from simple, inexpensive items: PVC pipes and zip-ties. The humble materials, once assembled, represent the interconnectedness of math, science, and art. The Deerfield community used this spot as a gathering place for classes and meetings until snow covered the ground. A sign in front of the dome prompted visitors;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ask yourself: How does the presence of the dome change my perspective of Deerfield? Be more aware of your surroundings as you sit inside.â&#x20AC;?

DE E RF I E LD M A G A Z I N E

Deerfield Academy | PO Box 87 | Deerfield, MA | 01342

Brent Hale

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