Winter 2014 Deerfield Magazine by Deerfield Academy

m a g a z i n e

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FEATURES The Harmony of Contrary Motion 10 / Big History 22 / Tabula Rasa 34

Winter 2012

DEPARTMENTS Comments 3 / Along Albany Road 4 / The Common Room 42 / Tête-à-Tête with Stephanie Lazar ’94 44

cover: David Thiel ’91 / inside spread: Brent M. Hale

/ First Person: Teddy Romeyn ’13 92 / In Memoriam 95 / Word Search 96

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OTHER KINDS OF T In management culture, there is a term that’s increasingly used in the assessment of candidates: the “T-shaped” person. In this context, the T represents depth in a particular subject (the leg of the T), balanced by a broad knowledge of related fields (the cross of the T). In just the last few years, consulting firms like McKinsey have advocated for the assessment of employees’ “T-shaped-ness” as an algorithm for identifying whether they have an appropriate balance of depth and breadth. Business books cite the T-shape as an untapped source of strength in general and innovation in particular. At Deerfield, this idea takes a slightly different form. You might think of this depth and breadth in many ways: a combination of specialization and broad knowledge, IQ and EQ, the ability to excel in class yet still feel comfortable in the common room. Deerfield has long been a bastion for T-shaped individuals—for people who find a balance between academic achievement, service to others, and the pursuit ofa life well lived. As the modern era unfolds before us—thus far merely delivering pocket-editions of all human knowledge, accessible not just at the push of a button, but by voice command!—the definition of a T-shaped person has not changed . . . it has merely expanded. New Ts abound. Students who are facile with technology but skilled in conversation. Kids who offer great ideas while still able to assess and build on the ideas of others. Individuals who balance process with people skills. Athletes with athletic intellect. Renaissance men—and women. Warrior poets.

In this edition of Deerfield Magazine, you’ll hear stories about two new types of Ts. In “Big History” you’ll see how two teachers—history and biology—collaborate to bring their individual depth to create a class of astonishing breadth. In another story, “The Harmony of Contrary Motion,” you’ll see a balance between the processes that are the very machinery of collaboration and the people skills—empathy, collegiality, communication—that grease the cogs. These stories won’t shock you, even though they cover innovative new courses and ideas. Deerfield has always been a place that thrives on T-shaped people. We’ve always strived to educate the whole person, and we’ve always balanced the quest for personal achievement with the imperative of service. In Deerfield’s steadiness—its insistence on resisting educational trends toward specialization, it’s emphasize on balance and on the whole child—we have apparently come of age. As the notion of T-shaped individuals is revealed as a management revolution, to us it seems old hat. As the world begins to finally identify those characteristics that define leadership in the modern era, they are finding that Deerfield students and alumni already possess them—to a T. ••

—David Thiel ’91, Director of Communications

Director of Communications

Managing Editor

Support Specialist and Contributing Writer

eCommunications Specialist

Art Director

Production Coordinator and Contributing Writer

David Thiel

Jessica Day

JR Delaney

Danaë DiNicola

Brent M. Hale

Anna Newman

Editorial Office: Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA 01342. Telephone: 413-774-1860, communications@deerfield.edu Publication Office: The Lane Press, Burlington, VT 05402. Third class postage paid at Deerfield, Massachusetts, and additional mailing office. Deerfield Magazine is published in the fall, winter, and spring. Deerfield Academy admits students of any race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or available to students at the Academy. The Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship, or any other programs administered by the Academy. Copyright © The Trustees of Deerfield Academy (all rights reserved)

Winter 2014 : Volume 71, No. 2

deerfield.edu = NEW! “LESSONS” OUR PROGRAM

“VIEWPOINTS” OUR PLACE

While reading the fall issue, I noticed on pages 40 and 41 you mentioned the picture was circa 1956 . . . I looked at it and it seemed like yesterday that we were practicing football on the Lower Level and Mr. Boyden would pull up with his horse and buggy. Looking at the faces of the players, I realized they are all my teammates from the fall of '64! The recognizable players from left to right are Mike Burns, Bob Randal, Dan Wilson, Mr. Boyden, Bill Leachman, and I think the back of Dick Ince on the end. In the background in the sport coat is Bob Hanlon and off to his right on the field is Coach Smith. I'm amazed at how I could put myself right back at that practice with all those great teammates of mine. I just wanted to point out the correct era and the names of the players, who were all my good friends. Thanks for the great Deerfield Magazine you put out throughout the year.

Brooks Scholl '65 P'04 New Canaan, Connecticut

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COMMENTS

“PERSPECTIVES” OUR PURPOSE

Make a virtual trip to campus via the new, redesigned deerfield.edu! Sign up for Reunions, submit a class note, take some time to browse . . . Look, listen, and learn—you won't be disappointed!

The tiniest critics— Recently I came home with the DA magazine and put it on the table with the other mail. By the time I had hung up my coat, my 18-month-old son, Philip (left) had grabbed the magazine, climbed onto the couch, and started to flip through the pages. I’m glad we’ve all been doing so many interesting and important things to keep him so thoughtfully entertained! —Lauren Downey ’98 Our daughter, Socha, finished her bath and grabbed the fall '13 issue of Deerfield Magazine off the floor. These pictures aren't staged! She insisted on reading it while we put her in her pjs, and wanted to keep looking at it during pre-bed storytime with Mom. It now sits among her favorite books. With both a greatgrandmother and cousin named "Helen," I think she especially likes it when I tell her Helen Boyden is on the cover. —Jeff Jewett, Sustainability Coordinator and Science Teacher

deerfield.edu

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IN THE

THE LIBRARY L AB

>>> Photographs by Brent M. Hale

One of the Boyden Library’s most recent acquisitions is not of the paper and ink kind, but it is filled with all sorts of items to ignite the imagination. Dubbed the “iLab” (“i” stands for innovation in this case) it’s an area that encourages self-directed learning, where students can experiment, create, and innovate. New tools are added to the lab almost daily—inspirational objects such as robot-building tools and parts, Legos, origami paper, white boards, and two 3D printers.

Winter 2014

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Strength in Numbers A Report by Associate Head of School for Operations and Chief Financial Officer Keith Finan Last year the Academy welcomed a committee from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as part of the school’s ten-year reaccreditation process. They affirmed the importance of Deerfield’s focus on character and civility as critical, while at the same time identifying our investments in technology, innovation labs, and multi-disciplinary teaching as essential for the future. Their perspective reassured us that the path we are taking to educate the next generation of leaders is the right one. Recognizing the importance of our natural resources, Deerfield also adopted a sustainability plan in 2012–13 to help us responsibly steward those resources and minimize our impact on the environment. We are putting into practice what we preach: In the classroom we are offering an interdisciplinary course with a focus on water (Global H2O) that combines traditional teaching practices and independent student research. The class was chosen by the College Board to be an alternative model to the traditional Advanced Placement course. Other students are working collaboratively to create robots and on alternative energy-generating projects that are inexpensive enough to be used by developing countries. Fortunately, thanks to our donors’ support, Deerfield has been allowed to embrace and nurture these new teaching techniques. Fundraising for Imagine Deerfield and investment returns for the 2012–13 fiscal year resulted in an extraordinarily strong year for the Academy. The operating budget expenditures for the year (net of financial aid) were $47.5 million, an increase of $2 million over the prior year’s spending of $45.5 million. About $500,000 of that increase was due to providing the entire faculty with iPads, purchasing classroom sets, and providing an infrastructure for those adopting this technology in their teaching. Thanks to another year of strong donor support for the Annual Fund and disciplined spending, once again the operating budget needed less support from the endowment than anticipated and allowed under the spending formula. Those unspent funds strengthen the Academy’s financial base and protect the future even while we embrace new teaching pedagogies.

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47.5

m illion

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Without the aforementioned technology expenses and one-time legal costs we faced last year, the operating expenditures grew by a modest 1.7 percent. Increases in the areas of instruction, faculty professional development, and reinvestment in the physical plant were offset by savings on utilities, from staff vacancies, and on benefits expenditures. We invested in campaign goals while maintaining fiscal discipline. Total assets of the Academy, as of June 30, 2013, grew to $672.5 million from $602.5 million at June 30, 2012. Net assets grew by $68.8 million to $616.6 million as of June 30, 2013. Through the careful guidance of the Endowment Committee, led by Trustee Robin Grossman P’03,’06, the Academy’s total return on the investment pool was 14.5 percent for the year. This was a top decile endowment return performance, and it exceeded our benchmarks while maintaining a conservative risk profile. By the end of the year, the endowment’s market value was $430.4 million, which marked an increase of $43.6 million from 2012, and a new overall high. In addition to making financial improvements during the 2012–13 year, the campus also saw significant improvements to its physical plant through an intentional effort to increase funds for the maintenance of its buildings. The end of the academic year saw the temporary closing of the Memorial Building and the Academy’s fine arts facilities in order to begin renovations and construction of a new Arts Center. Summer capital projects included the continuation of adding sprinkler systems to dormitories that were lacking them, replacing the windows and doors in the pool, and installing additional wireless infrastructure. Stebbins House was the first of several of the large houses on Old Main Street to be renovated and converted from single units to duplexes in order to efficiently address the housing needs of faculty while embracing the character and heritage of the “The Street.” Undoubtedly 2012–13 was a good year for the Academy, but unfortunately, along with the rest of the country, we continue to face an uncertain economy. Last year’s fiscal performance allows us to leverage our financial strength, while being ever vigilant of the need for caution. We will continue to support our students, faculty, and staff with financial and programmatic improvements while fulfilling our obligation to position the Academy to support future generations, too. Thanks to all of you, the extended Deerfield family, I am confident in our ability to continue to live up to the traditions and expectations of prior generations as we embrace the best of the past while adapting to the future. ••

operating budget expenditures for the year (net of financial aid)

$2 million

increase over last year's spending

$500,000

of the spending increase was due to providing the entire faculty with iPads, purchasing classroom sets, and providing an infrastructure for those adopting this technology in their teaching

$ 672.5

m illion

total assets as of 6/30/13

+%14.5 total return on investment pool

deerfield.edu

Trustees of Deerfield Academy Statement of Financial Position along albany road

June 30, 2013 With comparative totals as of June 30, 2012

Assets

2013

2012

Cash and cash equivalents Restricted cash Receivables: Student loans and accounts receivable, net of allowance of $300,716 in 2013 and $282,330 in 2012 Investment interest and dividends Due from brokers Other receivables Contributions receivable, net Charitable remainder unitrusts and other deferred gifts Inventories Prepaid expenses Investments Beneficial interest in perpetual trust Land, buildings and equipment, net Deferred expenses

$24,946,690 491,502

$17,971,249 454,500

323,058 148,485 125,404 51,018,495 5,226,358 382,248 1,032,411 413,819,693 16,543,226 157,846,661 639,623

268,767 154,438 57,609 96,540 39,398,155 4,880,464 572,411 540,975 371,378,321 15,346,270 150,864,230 551,413

Total Assets

$672,543,854

$602,535,342

Liabilities and Net Assets Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Due to brokers Life income obligations Bonds payable Bond interest payable Deferred income Total Liabilities Net Assets

$6,624,642 262,181 3,404,350 42,752,201 453,137 2,492,547 55,989,058

5,393,226 660,134 3,424,497 42,753,462 456,048 2,107,179 54,794,546

Unrestricted

237,158,892

218,930,844

Temporarily restricted

203,945,858

160,036,500

Permanently restricted

175,450,046

168,773,452

616,554,796

547,740,796

672,543,854

$602,535,342

Total Net Assets

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

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Trustees of Deerfield Academy Statement of Activities

Revenues, Gains, and Other Support

2013

2012

29,669,376 (7,404,230) 22,265,146 994,996 23,260,142 3,909,578 48,753,843 1,193,435 39,199,974 116,316,972

$28,489,170 (7,090,340) 21,398,830 966,061 22,364,891 3,556,648 7,547,725 1,190,461 37,502,768 72,162,493

Instruction Student support Summer programs Operation and maintenance of physical plant General administration General institutional Depreciation and amortization Total expenditures

10,266,407 5,014,489 489,902 7,755,006 10,969,205 7,834,380 5,173,583 47,502,972

9,876,885 4,774,889 439,815 8,228,544 11,112,170 5,844,443 5,266,608 45,543,354

Change in Net Assets

68,814,000

26,619,139

Net Assets – Beginning of Year

547,740,796

521,121,657

Net Assets – End of Year

$616,554,796

$547,740,796

Student income: Tuition and fees Less financial aid Net tuition and fees School stores Net student income Interest and dividends Net realized and unrealized gains Other income Gifts and bequests Total revenues, gains, and other support

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For the year ended June 30, 2013 With comparative totals for the year ended June 30, 2012

Expenditures

deerfield.edu

The Harmony of Contrary Motion If you grew up in New England, a “wicked problem” might sound like what happens when something wicked awesome goes wicked wrong. In fact, “wicked problem” is an academic term coined in social policy circles in the ’60s. Wicked problems are intractable and complex. They’re problems too big for any one person to solve. Problems such as global food supply chains, natural resource management, and nuclear proliferation. Problems that make or break civilizations. Fortunately, as wicked problems have grown more complex, comparable tools and processes have emerged to engage them: The Internet brings together disparate areas of expertise; interdisciplinary programs integrate academic ways of thinking. Knowledge infrastructures and resources like these stimulate collaboration around today’s issues of deep complexity, which is timely, because increasingly we are seeing elements of “wickedness” in a broader range of challenges. What about raising the quality of a nation’s education system, for example? How should teachers train? Should we begin with subject mastery, adolescent development, or cognitive psychology? Or should we begin with the craft of asking good questions, or practicing empathy? Good teaching benefits from all of these.

Winter 2014

Addressing wicked problems in education requires not only the work of great teachers, but also the work of scientists, historians, sociologists, organizational managers, and perhaps most of all: a healthy dose of human sensitivity. Successfully bringing together these domains of knowledge, though, turns out to be much more challenging—and interesting— than simply putting a bunch of people together in a room and hoping for the best.

by PETER NILSSON

COUNTERPOINT In 2008, I was the keyboards player for a music collective called Red Rooster when the lead singer brought a new song to rehearsal. The band was an unlikely mash-up of Americana, blues, folk, hip-hop, and electronica. We performed with as few as one and as many as 10 or 12 members at a time. Our size sometimes made the songwriting process a challenge, but that synthesis of voices was also part of what earned the band its encomiums.

the phrase “Row, row, row your boat” works so well with the descent of “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily” when sung as a round. We were growing accustomed to the descending melody of “Time To Go” when I proposed inverting it. It was a suggestion borne from music theory, and I wasn’t sure how it would work, but we gave it a try and upturned the descending melody. Indeed, the harmony was more sonorous, but the move changed the mood of the

effective collaboration requires not only comfort with criticism and change, but also, and more importantly, an environment that recognizes and explores the merits of a half-formed idea before it recognizes the idea’s shortcomings. The song was called “Time to Go,” and in the room that day were drums, bass, banjo, two singers, sax, guitar, French horn, and keys, and our backgrounds spanned from classical performance (French horn) to jazz (sax) to bluegrass (banjo), and more. I had studied classical composition in college and brought some of those sensibilities to the group. Composing by committee can be tricky, but the results can pay off if the committee can learn to work with itself. We were pretty good at it, but we still encountered cognitive dissonances that caused static. We played through the song a few times. It started with a pattern of chords: begin high, resolve down, return high, and resolve down again. Drawn in a line, the chord progression would look like teeth on a saw. The melody ran parallel to the chords: high, then low; high, then low. Principles of classical composition, however, suggest that harmony is best when melodies move in opposite, contrary motion, so if one melody moves down from high to low, then a harmony should move up from low to high. This is part of why the melodic ascent in

song—for the worse. It turned melodic plaints into questions, which didn’t fit the lyrics. It turned a musical sigh into a musical “Huh?” Working together is tricky in moments like this. Music is feeling, as is other creative work, like visual arts, writing, and teaching. We invest personally in it. We expose ourselves. And when we make changes to other people’s music or art or teaching, we change, amend, correct, and adjust their feelings: The lead singer is vulnerable when he brings us a song. We are vulnerable when we make suggestions that others will examine, and then accept or reject. I expose myself to criticism by writing this piece. In this way, the mechanical work of collaboration—the bringing together of different ideas— is only a part of meaningful, collaborative work, and success depends on something else: the subjective, interpersonal element of the work. Part of collaboration is algorithmic; the other part is personal. Whatever expertise we may have on a matter, we may not have expertise in the interpersonal sensibilities necessary for successful collaboration. And so, effective

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Over time, Henry and Baker have found a shared intellectual spacE—a course trajectory that incorporates both of their visions.“It’s constant—and by design—built-in professional development,” says Baker. Polyphony WHAT I KNOW+

WHAT YOU know . . .

=COMPROMISE

Whereas . . . COLLABORATION: Results in something new. . .

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collaboration requires not only comfort with criticism and change, but also, and more importantly, an environment that recognizes and explores the merits of a half-formed idea before it recognizes the idea’s shortcomings. We worked and reworked “Time to Go,” dismissing melodies that conflicted with the meaning of the words, and attempting new harmonies against the chord progression. We tested the limits of classical composition; something does feel right about the harmony of contrary motion, but when singing about the end of a relationship, something also feels right about a melody that spirals down. The melody changed; we created new arcs and shapes in the music by reshuffling, reshaping, and rethinking the musical phrase. And we ended up with something none of us predicted: a better song. Collaboration like this isn’t about compromise. While it did take willingness to let go of our own ideas, it took, even more so, willingness to inhabit and explore other ideas. It took openness to unfamiliar perspectives, a willingness to understand their merits, and the collective will to integrate what was valuable into what we already felt invested in. It’s hard and deliberate work.

Anyone interested in what successful collaboration looks like at Deerfield ought to visit American Studies, the integrated History and English course that Frank Henry and Bernie Baker have team-taught for over 13 years. It’s two teachers in the same classroom with the same students for two periods in a row. They prep every class together, grade every assignment together, and even write comments on papers together; every returned essay has ink from two different pens on it. “There is no economy of time,” says Henry. “It’s not a more efficient way of teaching. But, the cost is negligible compared to what we believe students are getting out of it.” American Studies began in the late ’70s and was taught by Rick Melvoin, David Dunbar, and John O’Brien. Frank Henry began teaching it when he arrived in 1982, and Baker joined when he came to Deerfield in the late ’90s. In earlier iterations, the course had been two separate classes: a history class and an English class that shared the same students and coordinated their syllabi. They ran side-by-side, which enabled the teachers to plan related material. The decision to move to a single, team-taught class ushered in a new experience. “While a lot of the material might be the same,” Baker says, “the dynamic

2 0 f a c t o r s for changes: the way we think about structuring the curriculum, the way we think about assessing kids, the way we’ve learned to pick up techniques, ideas, attitudes from each other. All of that is possible when you’re in the room together and you’re thinking about the same group of kids because you’re spending so much time talking about [the work].” It isn’t easy, and they’ll share their disagreements. “Especially if you’re going to do it for the long haul,” says Baker, “the closest analogy is a marriage. You’re constantly finding ways to negotiate, accommodate, and see how together you can build something that’s significantly greater than what each person would put together by themselves.” Henry frames their differences: “I’m a big fan of particularity,” he says, “and Bernie wants them to see an arc.” But planning classes and assignments hasn’t meant simply finding time for both of these approaches; it has meant integrating them. Over time, Henry and Baker have found a shared intellectual space—a course trajectory that incorporates both of their visions. “It’s constant— and by design—built-in professional development,” says Baker. The result has been new ways of understanding the material and new ways of teaching. “We have, over the years, slowly developed more coherence,” Baker says. And Henry adds, “That coherence, that consistency of approach. . . is also one of those compounding effects of two being more than two.” They describe a course in which the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. This kind of collaboration in the classroom is spreading in classes such as Global H2O and other interdisciplinary capstones that are emerging in Deerfield’s curriculum. Different voices are working together not only to bring niche expertise to particular problems, but also to achieve a synthesis of understanding—and of teaching practice. True collaboration like this stimulates growth. It isn’t simply a group of people working in concert towards a common goal. It’s a collective broadening of thinking, an interchange of perspective, an arrival at an unforeseen destination.

effective collaboration

In 1992, researchers at the Wilder Research Center assembled a literature review of factors influencing successful collaboration. Their work culled fields as diverse as health, social science, education, and more. By their update of the review in 2000, with rigorous standards for reliability and relevance, they had whittled 414 studies down to 42. From these 42, 20 factors for effective collaboration emerged:

PURPOSE: -Concrete, attainable goals and objectives -Shared vision -Unique purpose

MEMBERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS : -Mutual respect, understanding, and trust -Appropriate cross section of members -Members see collaboration as in their self-interest -Ability to compromise

PROCESS AND STRUCTURE: -Members share a stake in both process and outcome -Multiple layers of participation -Flexibility -Development of clear roles and policy guidelines -Adaptability -Appropriate pace of development

COMMUNICATION: -Open and frequent communication -Established informal relationship and communication links

ENVIRONMENT: -History of collaboration in the community -Collaborative group seen as a legitimate leader in the community -Favorable political and social climate

RESOURCES: -Sufficient funds, staff, materials, and time -Skilled leadership (from Mattessich, Murray-Close, & Monsey, Collaboration: What Makes It Work. Fieldstone Alliance, St. Paul, 2001)

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Inter-per-spect-ival Bill Newell, co-founder of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies and its Executive Director for over 30 years, identifies four Interdisciplinary Habits of Mind:

1. D rawS Insights from different perspectives

the goal of interdisciplinary work is to solve real-world problems—wicked problems that require teams of people with disparate knowledge to work together, find common ground, and reach conclusions that none alone could have reachED.

• Strive for adequacy in each discipline and feel for its perspective. • Seek out diversity of perspectives for richer/comprehensive understanding.

2. E valuatES Insights • Assume each disciplinary perspective has at least a kernel of truth. • Bracket and set aside or suspend personal convictions. • Seek out all sides of argument; avoid overstatement/overconfidence. • Look for strengths in arguments you dislike, weaknesses in those you like.

3. M odifIES Insights • Seek commonalities not compromises; look for win-win scenarios. • Think holistically, contextually, systematically. • Think dualistically (either/or) in drawing on disciplinary perspectives, but also inclusively (both/and) in integrating their insights. • Embrace contradiction: ask how solutions can be both “A” and “B.” • Use the techniques for creating common ground (redefinition, extension, reorganization, transformation) in adjudicating conflicts between disciplinary insights.

4. I ntegratES Insights into a more comprehensive understanding • Expect multiple causes and effects. • Look for unexamined linkages and unexpected effects. • Be responsive to all perspectives but dominated by none of them; strive for balance. • Integrate as you go; don’t wait for all of a discipline’s insights. • Don’t fall in love with a solution until the full complexity of an issue has been explored. • Value intellectual flexibility and playfulness. (From Newell, William, Interdisciplinary Education: Theory and Findings (presentation slides). Paris, OECD, October 14, 2013)

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SYMPHONY Bill Newell, founder of the Association of Interdisciplinary Studies and its executive director for over 30 years, agrees. When describing true interdisciplinary work, he uses the word “interperspectival.” He says, “A discipline offers a perspective on the world: a way of evaluating knowledge. Interdisciplinary Studies draws on disciplinary perspectives and integrates their insights through construction of a more comprehensive understanding.” “There is the unfortunate presumption,” he continues, “that interdisciplinarity simply requires bringing people from different disciplines together and having them talk. Too often, the result of conversation between people with conflicting worldviews is that they agree to disagree. Or, they compromise. Interdisciplinary studies develops techniques for creating common ground that go way beyond these outcomes.” As Newell’s descriptions suggest, Interdisciplinary Studies focuses much more on process than on product. It is about techniques and habits of mind. It involves seeking out diverse perspectives, evaluating and modifying insights, and integrating understandings. What Newell describes is an academic approach to collaboration, a pragmatic process that brings out new understanding through working relationships. Ultimately, the goal of Newell’s interdisciplinary work is to solve real-world problems—wicked problems that require teams of people with disparate knowledge to work together, find common ground, and reach conclusions that none alone could have reached. It sounds like humbling work.

When applied to education, this work requires a different kind of deep knowledge and complexity. When students come to Deerfield from California and Korea, India and Idaho, New York and Northampton, teachers must navigate enormous differences in academic experience and preparation. How do we best welcome them? How can we ensure they all have the opportunity to excel? What makes up the essence of their shared experience? These are questions of deep complexity—Deerfield’s own “wicked problems”— and they are questions no one teacher can answer. Effective collaboration like the kind prompted by interdisciplinary work brings together disparate perspectives, moves us toward solutions, and inevitably brings us someplace new. While writing a song may not address realworld problems in the same way, it too expresses something of deep complexity—and it highlights the personal risk of collaboration. The workings

of the heart and mind are moved sometimes by incalculable forces. Collaborating over the songwriting process forces us, for the sake of a shared goal, to expose the heart and mind to revision, criticism, and rejection. This can be difficult, and it’s a reminder that effective environments support this kind of vulnerability. Sometimes the outcome of collaboration is public. Sometimes it is private. Some parts of the process are mechanical; most are interpersonal. In each case, the work is best when it is, as Newell says, interperspectival. When we integrate different perspectives, when we find the harmony in these contrary motions, we bring into being something bigger than ourselves. I think this is some of the best kind of work. And if we live and work in an environment that creates more opportunities for this kind of collaborative engagement, then we are lucky indeed. ••

Peter Nilsson teaches here at Deerfield and is the founder of a non-profit organization that aims to bring teachers together to improve the quality of teaching everywhere. He writes at senseandsensation.com.

Time To Go

Written by Jay Erickson Nat Zilkha Arranged by Red Rooster

Chorus: This ain’t no road song, but I’m on my way. A free man is a sad man, I know. Your heart may be strong but it’s led you astray I believe it’s time to go . Listen to Time to Go @ senseandsensation.com

Verse 1: You’re not lying but what you say it ain’t true. You believe it and now it’s consumed you. It’s narrowed your eyes, sticks to your lips with every word you say. Arms folded across your chest. Your delusion is all you have left. It may comfort you now, but what will YOU do when it fades away? deerfield.edu

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Strength of Heart Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn ’52 Receives the Heritage Award No oils, no fish, no fowl, no meat, no dairy, and no caffeine. That’s a lot to give up, but according to this year’s Heritage Award recipient, Caldwell Esselstyn ’52, if we cut these foods from our diets, we’ll be a lot less likely to go under the knife for cardiovascular disease and a host of other aliments. Dr. Esselstyn advocates a strictly plant-based diet and says that most chronic diseases can be controlled or reversed by following his recommendations. After Deerfield Dr. Esselstyn attended Yale University, and immediately following his graduation in 1956 he competed in the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, winning a gold medal with the American crew team. He earned his MD from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1961; served as an Army surgeon in Vietnam; and subsequently had a lengthy career at the Cleveland Clinic. In 2007 Dr. Esselstyn wrote Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, which featured his patients’ reversals of atherosclerosis by following a whole-foods, plant-based diet. In 2011 Dr. Esselstyn was himself featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives in which he famously said, “Heart disease, as far as I’m concerned, is an absolutely toothless paper tiger that need never exist . . .” He added that plaque (in arteries) does not develop until the lining of the arteries is injured, and “it is injured every time people eat meat, dairy, fish, and chicken.” During his presentation at Deerfield, Dr. Esselstyn shared success stories from his research, which he began in 1978 while head of the Breast Cancer Task Force at the Cleveland Clinic, and the decades-long study on the effect of a plantbased diet on coronary artery disease that he began in the mid-80s. He urged students “on the cusp of adulthood” to think about what lifestyle would empower them—both mentally and physically. In addition to the Heritage Award (which is presented annually to an alumnus whose professional and personal achievements have contributed to the betterment of society— someone whose life exemplifies the Academy’s motto: “Be worthy of your heritage”), Dr. Esselstyn received the first Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine in 2005, a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association, and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame Award. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Nutrition Action magazine. For more information on Dr. Esselstyn and his work, visit heartattackproof.com.

Winter 2014

Brent M. Hale

by Jessica Day

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DEERFIELD ACADEMY THEATER ALMOST, MAINE >>> Photographs by Joseph Delaney

While the Academy's Arts Center is under construction, Theater Director Catriona Hynds and her students are staging performaces in the White Church on the corner of Memorial and Main Streets in Deerfield, and taking the show on the road to local grammar schools. The public is welcome to performances on: February 14 at 7 pm, and February 15 at 10 am and 2 pm; shows are free and especially appropriate for children—no tickets are required, arrive early for the best seats!

Looking After Norman by Stewart Brown

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along albany road 18

DOMINATING THE T Sam Khalifa ’14 and Gang by Bob York

Winter 2014

The only game you can play in a closet is hide-and-seek, but don’t tell that to the 21 guys who tried—and failed—to beat Sam Khalifa ’14 last winter. The Deerfield Academy senior’s command of the game can squish a 40-foot-by-20-foot squash court into a walk-in closet, or, as Big Green coach Mike Silipo put it, “to the point where he can completely stifle an opponent.” “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen in my 35 years of coaching prep school squash,” said Silipo, which shouldn’t come as any surprise. Last year, Khalifa was the top-ranked Under 17 player in the world. “Every shot Sam hits, he puts his opponent under pressure to return it,” added Silipo, who watched Khalifa capture the number one bracket of the New England Interscholastic Squash Championships last spring.

Up-to-date scores and news: deerfield.edu/athletics

Brent M. Hale

Last winter, Dewey tried the new approach—and liked it. He posted a 12-3 record and helped Deerfield earn a bronze medal at the New England tournament. Another member of “Sam’s Club” is Tripp Kaelin ’14, Deerfield’s other cocaptain. Last year’s third seed posted a 13-3 record, a fourth-place finish in the New Englands and enjoyed Khalifa’s presence on the team due to the trickle-down effect it had. “With Sam playing the number-one seed, the rest of us were able to move down one slot, and that has allowed us to be much more competitive and much more successful. If it hadn’t been for Sam, I may have been the second seed last year, and I doubt I would have enjoyed the success I was able to have as the third seed.” Deerfield welcomes back five of its top six seeds this winter in hopes of improving on a 15-3 regular-season showing. Other key returnees include Connor Henderson ’15, Jamie Kjorlien ’15, and Tad Huffard ’15, as well as newcomers Rob Dewey ’16 and Dan Finnegan ’17. Another rookie, Jack Greenwood ’16, one of Canada’s premier players, could be the second seed. If you think his teammates are happy to have Khalifa around, they’re not half as happy as he is to be at Deerfield. That’s because “I really feel lucky to be here,” said Khalifa, who needed three trips to the Cairo airport this past fall before being able to finally fly to the United States and escape the political crisis that has engulfed his homeland. “We were forced to turn back the first two times by protesters . . . the second time by a group brandishing guns who forced us out of our car and then drove off with it. “It’s a terrible situation . . . people are being killed daily,” said Khalifa, who put his own life at risk a number of times, just to be able to practice squash.

“About two weeks before the world championships began in July, the protesting and violence reached a very dangerous level,” said Khalifa, “so they imposed a curfew . . . which began at 2 pm but got even earlier as time went on. “We normally practiced at a gym, which was about a five-minute drive from our house, but with the curfew, we were forced to remain at home. We’d spend hours whacking balls off our bedroom walls . . . until the walls either had holes in them or were covered by black smudges. “We’d get our exercise by jogging throughout the house, but there’s only so much preparation you can do inside your home,” added Khalifa, so he and his brother began sneaking out to the gym. “We’d go early in the morning, while it was still dark and while our parents were asleep . . . they’d never have let us go if they’d known. We couldn’t drive there, so we walked, and when we’d get there, we’d often find the gym in total darkness because the electricity had been turned off. In fact, on what proved to be our final trip to the gym, we discovered all its treadmills had been stolen. “But, look at the bright side,” quipped Khalifa, “if you can learn to hit a squash ball in the dark, just imagine how easy it’s going to be to hit one when the lights come on.” Well, the lights came on when Khalifa got to Wroclaw, Poland, in July, and he stepped right into the spotlight by capturing his age bracket at the European Junior Squash Championships. They will be shining on him this winter, too, as he takes aim at a second straight New England prep school title—and squishes more squash courts along the way. ••

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along albany road

“He has an uncanny ability to anticipate an opponent’s shot, and he always seems to be in perfect position . . . he never seems to be more than a stride or two away from being able to make a perfect return shot.” Those perfect returns are no accident, either. Not after chalking up a perfect season for the Big Green last year by going 18-0 during the regular season, then tagging on a 3-0 march through the tournament. Khalifa will be the first to admit, however, that the key to success entails more than just talent. “I try to add some deception to my game,” said Khalifa, who hails from Cairo, Egypt. “What I like to try to do is to delay my shot . . . to hold up for a split second as I prepare to hit the ball. And in doing that, it throws off my opponent just a bit . . . it makes it much more difficult to anticipate where the shot will be going and to prepare for it.” “He always plays a tight shot . . . he always plays his returns tight to the wall,” said Silipo, adding to Khalifa’s arsenal of weapons, “which makes them extremely tough to hit without fear of whacking your racquet against the wall.” Khalifa also credits the coaching he received as a kid as a huge factor in his success—and he'd better. “My brother, Amr, was my coach when I was growing up,” acknowledged Khalifa. And, Amr knows the business end of a squash racquet, too. Last year, as a freshman at St. Lawrence University, he captured the College Squash Association’s individual national title. “It’s been a great experience having Sam as a teammate,” said Big Green co-captain Cam Dewey ’14, the team’s fourth seed last year. “He’s not only been our leader on the court, but he’s also served as a player-coach. He’s helped introduce us to a different playing style . . . the European style . . . a style that entails much more deception than we’re accustomed to.”

along albany road

SHOW YOUR WORK THE CLASS:

THE STUDENTS:

Geometry with Marc Dancer ’79

1 2 3

THE PROJECT:

Shane Graves ’17 Will Sanford ’17 Jack Greenwood ’16

" During the fall term I devoted a couple of days to course enrichment.

For my geometry class, I decided to explore string art. Rather than actually using string and tacks, we used the Geometer’s Sketchpad software. With string art, one essentially creates straight lines according to some plan (every third tack for instance); however, as the structure progresses, one starts seeing curves. This is a geometric paradox—curves from straight lines. Adding color makes the design more appealing. Using blueprints of the Koch Center, I had my students create designs in Sketchpad for the third floor level of the atrium. The last step was to construct some version of the design using varying colored yarns." MD

Winter 2014

Brent M. Hale

along albany road top: view from the Koch Starfield floor / bottom: yarn detail

deerfield.edu

THE BIG BANG: Big History introduces students to new ideas and claims, but students don’t simply accept these claims as facts and move on. They’re encouraged to test them. They learn how to evaluate information and decide for themselves what to believe and what to investigate further. Within lesson units, students study “thresholds” (key turning points) in the universe’s timeline . . .

Winter 2014

THE STARS LIGHT UP & NEW CHEMICAL ELEMENTS: The first stars, which passed through their entire life cycles relatively quickly, produced many of the chemical elements of the periodic table. Students learn how stars first formed and how the lives and deaths of stars provided the chemical diversity necessary for even more complex things.

HiSTORY

Bigstock, Planetary-Nebulae, Vadim Petrov

BY SARAH CONNOR

It all started with a Big Bang: the universe, and all we are, and know, and do. “Goldilocks conditions” that led to an ideal mix of elements, coming together to create the fundamentals necessary to result in life as we know it. At least that is the accepted scientific theory . . . And that is where “Big History” begins . . . As for the end, well, that part of the story is yet to come. If it’s overwhelming to think about learning 13.7 billion years’ worth of history in one short academic year, that’s understandable. But Big History isn’t about memorizing the entire history of the known universe. It’s about putting the universe, and our role in it, into perspective. It’s about understanding the processes that brought scientists to the generally accepted conclusion that the universe did start with a “big bang,” and then questioning those processes. It’s about how and why we think about science and history, and their relevance in how we interpret the here and now. It’s about dissecting how we learn about the world around us. It’s about learning how to think about that world through a critical lens. And, it’s just cool.

deerfield.edu

EARTH AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM: Billowing clouds of matter spun around and around our young sun, gradually forming just about everything in our solar system—from meteors and asteroids to all the planets and moons. Earth was uniquely positioned at just the right distance from the sun and composed of diverse elements. This proved ideal for generating just the right circumstances—Goldilocks Conditions—for greater and greater complexity. Early Earth was much different than the world we know today. What changed and why?

It’s about putting the universe, and our role in it, into perspective . . . It’s about how and why we think about science and history, and their relevance in how we interpret the here and now. It’s about dissecting how we learn about the world around us. It’s about learning how to think about that world through a critical lens. For Conrad Pitcher, Big History came into sharp focus after a conference last summer; he gained the support of Academic Dean Peter Warsaw and science teacher Heidi Valk, and when 25 students signed up for the two-period class, the rest, as they say, is history. For freshman Jack Wood, Big History was his first choice. He considers himself more of a math and science person, but was intrigued by the course description. Only halfway through the year, Jack says it has changed his perspective on history and how science has developed as a discipline over time. “It’s changed how I look at things today; the significance of ‘today’ seems so small . . .”

Winter 2014

So what exactly is the story behind the classroom experience? It began Down Under. David Christian, a professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, is widely regarded as the father of Big History. The program is his brainchild and a popular course at Macquarie. Generally speaking, it’s a macro history class with an interdisciplinary approach that, with the help of heavy hitters such as Bill Gates, who provided all initial program support, has been adjusted to fit into a high school curriculum. Bob Bain, Associate Professor of History and Education at the University of Michigan, oversaw all curriculum design and delivery for the classroom course, and then the doors were thrown wide open: All materials and training, for both students and teachers, are free and available online. A search for “Big History Project” and a couple of clicks will take you to their homepage, where anyone who wants to can take a six to eight hour course that reviews the core elements of the larger program that is being taught in over 75 high schools throughout the United States. The pilot program is now in its third year, although this is year one as far as Deerfield is concerned. As part of the program, Pitcher and Valk participate in meetings with other teachers and institutions in an ongoing process of course development. A portion of their supplemental classroom materials comes from their participation in these meetings and closer collaborations with a few other schools involved in the program, such as Lawrenceville. And while the core curriculum has been set, each school and teacher has the flexibility to supplement material and customize in the classroom. Pitcher describes it as a unique and stimulating situation; a benefit of participating during the early stages of the program is the opportunity to interface and share teaching materials and strategies.

LIFE: Defining life is harder than it seems. One answer centers on four inherent qualities: metabolism, homeostasis, reproduction, and adaptation. But what Goldilocks Conditions enable life to prosper in so many diverse forms? Charting the remarkable journey of life on Earth and crossing six “mini-thresholds” where

Bigstock, Jamcib

life demonstrated distinct new characteristics helps to answer this question.

Since the pilot program is now in its third and final year, and the full course was made available online this past fall, most of the collaboration between pilot schools has morphed into regional associations. Pitcher and Valk have access to bi-weekly electronic gatherings as well as a more intimate association with a handful of schools. Over the summer they hope to meet with an inquiry board about the possibility of building a labs section into the course. Like all of their meetings, this meeting will help inform and shape future course planning so that teachers can determine what works best in their individual settings. In short, Big History is designed to evolve—much like the universe it explores.

•••••••• “Education is never neutral. It either liberates, domesticates, or alienates.” Paulo Freire’s words hang on the wall of Classroom 17 in the Main School Building, where Pitcher and Valk teach. Freire was a leading proponent of what’s known as critical pedagogy, which can be described as “habits of thought, reading, writing, and speaking that go beneath the surface meaning, first impressions, dominant myths, official pronouncements, traditional clichés, received wisdom, and mere opinions, to understand the deep meaning, root causes, social context, ideology, and personal consequences of any action, event, object, process, organization, experience, text, subject

Glacier du Rhône, 2009

. . . each school and teacher has the flexibility to supplement material and customize in the classroom. Pitcher describes it as a unique and stimulating situation.

deerfield.edu

COLLECTIVE LEARNING: Humans are unusual . . . What makes us so different from other species? Most people give our big brains all the credit, but that’s only part of the story. To more fully understand our success as a species, we need to look closely at our ancestors and the world they lived in. Students learn how foraging humans prospered and formed communities, and they uncover the uniquely human ability to preserve, share, and build upon each other’s ideas to learn collectively.

matter, policy, mass media, or discourse.” There is likely not a better way to describe the philosophy behind Big History, or for that matter, behind the evolution of education at Deerfield. Much like the glacier that carved the Pocumtuck Valley, change at Deerfield can be a slow process —if only because of the level of care and deliberateness with which it takes place—so when Peter Warsaw began a collaboration in 2011 with seven of the Academy’s peer schools, it was at first an exploratory mission to discover how best to incorporate an AP/Cambridge Capstone project into the curriculum. The result at Deerfield was “American Currents/Global H2O”—a two-year interdisciplinary course offered to juniors and seniors to help them develop “stronger backgrounds in independent research, collaborative teamwork, and 21st century knowledge and skills.” (For an in-depth look at Global H2O, visit deerfield.edu/go/globalH2O.) It turned out that was just the beginning. Inspired by collaboration with colleagues both on and off campus, Warsaw says a new vision of the ideal Deerfield graduate has emerged. That young woman or man will possess curiosity, creativity, initiative and independence, grit and resilience, an ability to collaborate productively in classroom discussions, and disciplined work habits. Big History and Global H2O are evidence of an educational shift. Warsaw describes it as a “transition from thinking of ourselves as purveyors of context to developers of essential skills.” In this new model, “having the right answer is not as important as asking good questions.” In other words, the old educational standard of teaching “at” students, expecting them to take in, memorize, and spit back out large volumes of information, is being replaced with a model that requires students to think about where information comes from, how modern beliefs have been formed, and how to draw their own conclusions

Winter 2014

based on research, analysis, and critical thought. So when Conrad Pitcher floated the idea of getting involved in the Big History pilot project, Warsaw recognized it as a natural fit for this new vision. Not all the schools teaching Big History offer the course with an interdisciplinary teaching team, but Deerfield students are finding that this approach offers big advantages. Sophomore Nina McGowan likes the dynamic; she says having two experts in one class helps her get more out of the material. “My favorite thing [about the class] is that it’s interconnected—we apply and make connections with other subjects.” Recently Nina and her classmates explored Darwin’s research and contribution to the theory of evolution. Valk, as a science teacher, was the engine driving an explanation of evolutionary theory itself. Pitcher, as a historian, gave context to Darwin’s role in the development of the theory during the Victorian era. For Jack and Nina, and their classmates Lucas Tupinamba and Maddie Thies, it’s their first class with an interdisciplinary approach. Maddie says they strike a “good balance, bouncing ideas off of each other” during class. She decided to take the course because she is fascinated by origin stories, and she particularly enjoys the discussion-based nature of the class. It has made her realize “how amazing it is that [we] are here at all.” Lucas, on the other hand, is a bit more pragmatic when it comes to Big History: what he appreciates most is the class’ duality. When it comes to interpreting history, he thinks it is essential to be presented with two sides to every story. •••••••• While Global H2O was designed for juniors and seniors, Big History has been developed to target freshmen and sophomores. The course runs for a full year and its ten units each build upon the previous one; students are presented with both macro and micro context for the issues being explored in each unit. Unit 3 (Stars and

AGRICULTURE: Humans invented agriculture. Farming enabled people to grow all the food they needed in one place... This led to massive population growth, creating cities and trade. Since not everyone in a community was needed to run a farm, this freed up some people to specialize in other things, like government, armies, and the arts. Civilizations were born. Wherever agriculture flourished, humans came together in larger populations, stockpiled resources, and developed complex infrastructures. Farming radically transformed almost every aspect of human society.

Railroad Map, 1890 (Library of Congress) / Map of the US from space, 2012 (NASA)

deerfield.edu

THE MODERN REVOLUTION: Just 500 years ago, humans lived in four separate world zones . . . Now humanity is linked within one interconnected network of information and commerce that spans the entire planet. Together, innovation, globalization, and new forms of energy drove an incredible transformation of human society. What challenges did acceleration bring and where will it lead us?

Brooklyn Map 1897 / A doffer in Lincolnton Mill, Lincolnton, NC, by Lewis Hine / Hi-speed CMOS chip, The Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology

Winter 2014

THE FUTURE: Big History is an unfinished story, and the study of history inevitably leads to the future. So what’s next? Students join some of the world’s great thinkers to try and predict the next threshold. Even experts don’t have all the answers. Sometimes they don’t even know which questions to ask. What do you think the most important unanswered question might be?

Big History and Global H2O are evidence of an educational shift. Warsaw describes it as a “transition from thinking of ourselves as purveyors of context to developers of essential skills.” In this new model, “having the right answer is not as important as asking good questions.” Elements), for example, covers how new points of view pave the way for progress. The previous unit, The Big Bang, set the stage for the notion that theory is a product of conjecture, exploration, experimentation, and constant revision. During class, students explored the differences between alchemy and chemistry and how Mendeleev’s Periodic Table came to be embraced by the scientific community. Each student was then assigned an element from the table, and asked to write an essay—or “little big history”— on his or her element, exploring its origins, historical context, and uses over time. The assignment criteria were demanding and specific, but directive and compelling as well: Students were asked to tell a story about their element rather than just regurgitate a list of facts and known quantities. Each student needed to consider where his or her element originated, what its properties were, how and when it was discovered, how its uses have evolved, and what its human significance has been. They were called on to analyze perspectives, draw conclusions, make comparisons, evaluate impact, and consider ethical, environmental, and/or moral implications surrounding the uses of their elements. Nina, for example, was assigned aluminum, once considered more valuable than gold. Her paper explored, in part, the advent of an economically viable way of unbinding aluminum and how this impacted its value and industrial uses.

Along with encouraging each student to develop an inquisitive and creative mind, sound body, and strong moral character, Deerfield’s goal is to prepare them for leadership in a world that requires global understanding; to this end, there is no doubt that understanding that tradition, heritage, and history are dynamic forces not confined to the past is crucial. Everything about Big History seems serendipitously designed around these goals—helping students consider how the miniscule fits into the grandeur of creation, and how we, as humans, factor into the larger universe, as well as how we want to fit into our own societies. For Lucas, this means he has learned that “things are not as simple as they appear to be. Species have an opportunity to change; I have an opportunity to change. . .” For Heidi Valk, teaching this course is an opportunity to be part of a class that is “leading us into the future,” and Conrad Pitcher would leave his students with this thought: “Good, sound, critical thinking knows no disciplinary bounds, but highlights our commonality. Big History gives students who are young in their Deerfield careers a wonderful introduction to becoming independent learners.” ••

Sarah Connor is a burgeoning freelance writer and blogger who lives in Amherst, MA. Her idols are Tom Robbins and anyone who can keep a plant alive. timeline & icons: bighistoryproject.com

deerfield.edu

Junior Callie Phui-Yen Hoon Completes More Than Her Assignments by Jessica Day A silent killer awaited Talgat Suyunbai and forty-four of his Soviet Army comrades in Chernobyl, Ukraine. It was January 1987;

50 times that of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

nine months after a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Other long-lasting, widespread effects followed, making Chernobyl

suffered a meltdown and exploded into flames on April 26, 1986.

the only Level 7 calamity on the International Nuclear Event Scale

The catastrophe began with a risky experiment during which plant

until the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown in Japan. Suyunbai

management tested whether the ten-year-old reactor could run in

and the troops who rode out to the plant were “biorobots,” or liqui-

case of a blackout, despite the failure of similar experiments in other

dators, forced or misled into becoming the disaster cleanup crew.

Soviet nuclear plants in 1982 and 1984. Such a flawed experimental

Suyunbai, for example, only first learned of his life-threatening

procedure, coupled with operator error and defective plant design,

duties on the ride to Chernobyl, where he would work for two or

led to one of the largest nuclear disasters in human history . . .

more hours daily clad in an unprotected military uniform and

When Callie Hoon ’15 first sat down in “The West in the Modern World,” she had no idea she would become so captivated by both the class and the concept of “history” itself. Some might say she even became a bit obsessed, when as a sophomore and independent of any class or faculty member, over the course of the year Callie researched, wrote, and submitted to The Concord Review a lengthy article on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. In it she deftly linked glasnost, perestroika, and the horror of Chernobyl as an unlikely trinity that was powerful enough to end the Soviet Union. The Review published her work in its Summer 2013 issue. “I particularly enjoy the post-World War II period,” Callie says. “Especially the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. Tracking the rapid technological and scientific progress of the late 20th century fascinates me, from the first microchip to the spread of nuclear power, and how it interweaves with historical developments.” Well written and well documented, Callie’s paper reads less like an academic article and more like something that might be appear in The New Yorker; for a high school student, publication in The Concord Review is pretty much the equivalent. Founded in 1987, The Concord Review publishes exemplary history essays by high school students in the English-speaking world. It is the only quarterly journal in the world to publish the academic work of secondary students, and top tier colleges often use its contents as a benchmark. Now a junior, Callie definitely has college on her mind, but she also continues to research and write beyond her teachers’ expectations. She says that she would like to major in history and art history after Deerfield. The following is a lengthier excerpt from “The 1986 Chernobyl Disaster: Catalyst for the Fall of the Soviet Union:”

This Chernobyl reactor released 100 megaCuries of radiation,

Winter 2014

completely vulnerable to lethal radiation. The consequences were not immediate—radiation can be neither seen nor felt— but the long-term effects, such as cancer and birth defects, were devastating. As Igor Stolbikov, another disillusioned liquidator, later reflected, “It [was] as if the state want[ed] us to die sooner.” Little did he know he had just predicted not only the massive number of state-caused deaths but also the death of the state itself . . . The Human Toll: From Callousness to Concern . . . The Soviet government had a long history of callousness toward its citizens’ welfare, even involving itself in inhumane acts of torture and genocide. Soviet interrogators during the Red Terror (1918) peeled skin off victims’ hands and, in the winter, poured water on naked bodies to create ice statues. War Communism (1918–1921) and the Russian famine (1921) added to the first Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin’s reputation for cruelty. Yet, it was his successor, Joseph Stalin, who brought cruelty against citizens to a peak with his Great Terror (1937–1938), replete with political purges, show trials, and peasant repression, not to mention the Ukraine Famine. Following Stalin’s Terror, Nikita Khrushchev’s Khrushchev Thaw (1955–1960) made Soviet callousness less blatant and severe; however, it did continue on a smaller scale. The Chernobyl explosion, which caused the most human casualties in the region since World War II, and the government’s response to it reminded Soviet citizens of this history of callousness and raised concerns that not much had changed. Immediately after the Chernobyl disaster, two plant workers died from heat burns and the reactor’s collapse. Within days, 29 firefighters exposed to immediate radiation had died. Authorities had told them that the reactor was merely on fire and not radioac-

Read the rest: tcr.org or nationalhistoryclub.org

Brent M. Hale

along albany road

Extra Credit

tive, allowing firefighters to quell the inferno without protective

un-evacuated villages a mere three miles from the power plant were

clothing, thus worsening their exposure. According to Murray

continually exposed to unnecessary radiation. And despite great

Feshbach and Alfred Friendly, scholars in Soviet studies, at least

outcry, authorities also moved some evacuees to Slavutich, a city

4,000 out of 600,000 liquidators died of excessive radiation

newly built in the aftermath of the Chernobyl explosion, which had

exposure and ensuing complications by 1991. The general

radioactive hotspots. In one particularly callous move, Soviet lead-

populace was next to be affected. A 77,000-square-mile radioactive

ers demanded that 51,000 heads of Pripyat cattle be moved before

cloud contaminated much of Ukraine, Belarus, and part of western

people, showing the government’s misplaced belief that livestock

Russia. The nearby cities of Kiev (population 500,000), Pripyat

took precedence over citizens.

(45,000), and Chernobyl (12,000) were exceptionally polluted.

along albany road

Bigstock.com—Sergey-USSR; Gudella

Lost city near Chernobyl—Kiev region, Ukraine

In total, nearly 135,000 evacuees were displaced. This evacuation,

In fact, a 1,600-square-mile exclusion zone, or prohibited area

however minimal, divided families and irreversibly disrupted

around the nuclear plant, still remains today. While most of the

the lives of those evacuated. In exchange for their troubles, the

early impact might have been unavoidable, Soviet authorities’

Soviet government offered evacuees only a $400 cash grant.

response to the situation exacerbated the long-term effects.

In addition, authorities forced some families to pay around $500 to

While authorities did evacuate heavily radiated areas a day after

stay at the Kharkov Recreation Center, a summer village outfitted

the accident, they deceived most citizens regarding the situation’s

as a major refugee settlement—an exorbitant price for lamentable

magnitude. Leaders waited to inform Pripyat and Kiev of the radiation

conditions. Remaining evacuees were left in the lurch as landlords

leak until noon and two o’clock in the afternoon (11 and 13 hours

in now overly-populated refugee cities raised rent prices. Eventually,

after the explosion) respectively. Once evacuations of the two cities

conflict arose between evacuees who sought permanent homes

finally began, authorities told evacuees that they would be returned

and the government that provided them only temporary housing.

home in a few days. The government also delayed evacuation of the

Stanislav Konstantinov, a former Chernobyl designer and evacuee,

remaining exclusion zone a week after the disaster to intentionally

accurately described the effects of the Soviet government’s callous-

keep evacuees to a minimum. According to recently declassified

ness, “we . . . are rolling around the whole union like rolling stones,

KGB documents, up to 10 days after the disaster,

getting fixed up at our own risk.” ••

deerfield.edu

Steve Taft—John J. Louis Chair in Language and Literature by Rob Morgan As a kid, Steve Taft liked languages and took French and Latin. So on a family trip to Italy, when his father said, “You do all the talking,” Steve did. Sort of. He didn’t know Italian, but the gesticulations of a seventh-grader with a knack for invention got the job done. The trip was a jaunt from a year-long stay in Oxford, England, where Steve’s father was on sabbatical. “The experience of living abroad was exciting and provocative, particularly for a kid from the boonies of New Hampshire,” Steve says. He was intrigued by other cultures and realized that “language opens doors, making it easier to get to know people.” Steve studied Spanish as an undergrad at Williams College, spending the ’74–’75 academic year in Spain. After getting his master’s in Spanish language and literature at the University of Virginia, in ’83, he returned to Spain to teach at a school called the English Factory.

Winter 2014

Gabriel Amadeus Cooney

along albany road

Speaking of . . .

Although he considered Madrid in the early ’80s “the greatest place in the world at the time,” Steve was at a crossroads: stay in Spain or move back to the US. While in Madrid, he had learned of a teaching position at Deerfield, and the opportunity was intriguing. “I liked the life of prep schools,” says Steve, whose father was Deerfield Class of ’42 and spent his career teaching at Exeter, where Steve was a student. In March of ’84, Steve hopped a flight from Madrid to New York. He was on his way from one school where he taught English, to another where he hoped to teach Spanish. After a week in the States—and a day-long interview at Deerfield—he traveled back to Spain. He was offered the job and began at Deerfield in the fall. In the thirty years since, the back-and-forthing has continued. As the John J. Louis Chair in Language and Literature, among the oldest endowed chairs at Deerfield, Steve set up a summer program in Madrid for Deerfield students, beginning in 1994. He regularly uses the stipend provided by the Louis Chair for technology and international travel, believing that the two are integral to the teaching and learning of language. “I’ve always been interested in leveraging technology to record, distribute, present, and share materials,” he says. “The range of expectations of kids is broader than ever, and in the department, technology allows us to identify resources that create opportunities for individualizing teaching and learning.” (For more on Steve's role in the Language Department's “technology initiative,” see page 34.) It’s this focus on the individual that illuminates Steve’s approach. After decades in the classroom, and traveling far afield, what matters most to him is the student as a person. When asked how he might gauge successful teaching, he says, “What I care about is the development of the kids. I’d like to see them grow into something worthwhile on their own terms and in a societal way. I’d like to see them make a dent, become a decent person out in the world.” During his time in Spain, Steve saw that “life was lived out in society, in the streets, where people gathered and talked and mingled.” There is a richness and value in this experience that he encourages his students to explore. This coming summer, Steve will travel with friends— ardent soccer fans—including Dean of Faculty and Spanish teacher, John Taylor. They’ll head to Brazil, which, “coincidentally,” is hosting the World Cup. They’ll take in a game and then trek inland by bike, along the Colonial Road. They will travel at their own pace, out in the world, meeting people along the way. Then Steve will head to Montevideo, Uruguay, to rendezvous with his wife, Virginia Invernizzi, Chair of Deerfield’s Language Department. By the fall, he’ll find his way back to Deerfield and his students. He always does. ••

along albany road

D-licious! Something New is Cooking in the Dining Hall What’s the best thing about the Dining Hall’s recent menu changes? They’re delicious! And that’s a good thing because the ultimate goal of Deerfield’s new “Live Clean, Eat Dirty” nutritional campaign is to change the palate of the adolescent community. “We know that we can produce sustainable, healthy food that is incredibly tasty,” says Director of Food Services Michael McCarthy. “The immediate challenge becomes convincing the community, especially the students, to give new dishes a try.” Based on the Harvard School of Public Health’s “Healthy Plate,” the Dining Hall is focusing on four primary educational goals: eat more veggies and fruits, eat more whole grains, eat healthy fats, and eat a variety of healthy proteins. The Dining Hall itself has been transformed—gone are table number cards, and in their place faculty preside over tables with tantalizing names such as “Quinoa”; each table card also features detailed nutritional information for its assigned food. McCarthy adds, “This is a long-term project that involves the entire Deerfield community; ultimately, we want to instill in our students the idea that food can be fun, delicious, and good for you all at the same time. We want to encourage healthy attitudes towards food that will last a lifetime.” ••

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It was early fall, and classes were already in full swing. Cheri Karbon’s days were packed with new Spanish students, and her mind was more on them than the faculty meeting she was sitting in. “I wasn’t really focused,” she confesses. But near the end of the meeting, as a ripple of discussion worked its way around the room, she snapped to attention: Karbon’s colleague, Spanish teacher Steve Taft, had laid a gauntlet for Deerfield’s language faculty. The school was exploring the role new technology would have—if any—in Deerfield classrooms, and the language classes would be the guinea pigs. Despite the fine film of dust veiling the language lab, despite the fact that plugging in a DVD for her students made Karbon sweat, despite the fact that foreign language acquisition depends more on human interaction than just about any other topic, members of the Language Department were going to lead the technological way.

tabula rasa To say Karbon was skeptical is to understate the case. “I kind of hung back and just kept teaching as usual,” she recalls. But, “as the year went on we kept talking about it—‘What are you doing?’ ‘Well, what are you doing?’” When Karbon arrived on campus fifteen years ago, she was fresh out of college; this was the first job she’d really sunk her teeth into. “I figured out what worked for me in the classroom, and it seemed to work well,” she says modestly. Why change what was working? Karbon’s new iPad sat on a shelf for months. John Taylor, dean of faculty, sympathizes with Karbon’s initial hesitations. After all, this is Deerfield—literally old school. “We have certain routines and values that we’ve held on to: family-style meals, the way we conduct school meeting, class dress.” These habits, and the values that underlie them, are not going away, Taylor explains. “But we’re also increasingly embracing innovation. It’s not just technology— we’ve developed a culture in the school where people are more willing to embrace change.” One might even say that Deerfield is renewing its tradition of change by integrating technology into daily life; after all, from the change Mr.

by Naomi Shulman

Boyden wrought—remodeling a sleepy country day school into a world-class institution—to the Academy’s return to coeducation, change itself has been a tradition over the years. For several years now faculty have been working to stem the tide of buzzing phones and glowing touchscreens as they encroach the campus, and to be fair, they’ve done an outstanding job. Smartphones are not in sight as students move from class to class, and personal interactions are alive and well . . . but: “The Huns are in the castle,” acknowledges Peter Warsaw, academic dean—tongue partly in cheek. Some faculty see the gadgets as pesky irritants, some see them as something more sinister, and some see them as valuable tools, full of opportunity. No matter what, they’re not going away—so, some argue, why not use them to good effect? “Technology is a frightening tool, and the early word on it was that it was a distraction, all these negative things, that it was taking away from our kids’ attention,” admits Sam Savage, teacher of Latin and Spanish. “But the conversation is shifting: How can we harness it so it becomes a positive for education rather than a competing interest?”

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While the Language Department may not seem the obvious choice for a technology experiment—these are not computer programmers, after all— . . . once you know the players, it makes perfect sense. Subbing RECORD

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Technology in the classroom is a hot topic in pedagogical circles—whether they be public or private, primary or secondary. And even though the conversation is decades old at this point, the tools are constantly changing. “[Language Department Chair] Virginia Invernizzi and I came up with a plan not only to give all the language faculty iPads, but to ask them to submit proposals of what to do with them—and to release one member of the department to offer professional development to the others,” explains Taylor. For this, Taylor and Warsaw tapped Spanish teacher Steve Taft. While the Language Department may not seem the obvious choice for a technology experiment—these are not computer programmers, after all—Warsaw says once you know the players, it makes perfect sense. “This is a group that already really likes hanging out with each other,” he says. “Because of the social connections, it was an opportunity to have more of a grassroots feel to the initiative.” So when Steve brought the iPads—or at first the idea of the iPads—back to his colleagues, they were able to voice their concerns openly, which opened the floor to discuss potential opportunities as well. “We could work on anything we wanted to do,” Taft points out. “Proposals were written for John Taylor’s office, but they went through me, so we all did some kind of technology curriculum development that summer with great independence. We were quite happy to let not-so-technological teachers think about just one thing and take it at the pace they were comfortable with.” Meanwhile, other faculty were a little more intrigued. “Someone like Sam Savage—he was

just, Kaboom! Let’s go!” points out Steve. “But really everyone went forward.” Taft was made available to help research the capabilities of the technology and guide faculty in its implementation, but exactly what each teacher implemented was entirely up to them. In every case, the result can be plugged into an acronym used in theoretical discussions about the use of computers in class: SAMR: Substitution/Augmentation/Modification/ Reinvention. “SAMR outlines the sort of steps that institutions tend to go through,” explains Taft. “Substitution is first, and it’s pretty rudimentary. For example, I always have my kids write with a pencil, but gee, we have word processors, so they can write on those,” explains Taft. “Most of early adoption is using the technology to do the same thing in a different guise,” agrees Warsaw. “Augmentation is when you realize you can do more than you did before. An example would be a blog. If you have students posting on blogs, they’re engaging in a discussion outside of class. That’s not just what you’ve always done—that’s more. And then you might start to think of how you could modify the technology to do something new.” This is the path that leads finally to reinvention, wherein the very process of teaching— and learning—is now fundamentally different from what it was before the technology was introduced. Does this trajectory seem vaguely familiar? It should, says Warsaw. “This mirrors the stages of creativity. First you copy, then make variations. It’s a while before you do something that no one has actually done before.” But eventually that’s what happens.

Tools of the Trade Augmenting

Pedagogical theories have their place, but they’re not always compelling for the teachers who are in the trenches. They might be especially suspect for someone who’s been around the academic block and has seen trends come and go. Take Claudia Lyons, long-time French teacher to generations of Deerfield students. Lyons has watched the technology conversation ramp up on campus, and while she’s had computers in her classroom for years, she also has concerns about the tradeoffs of the newer machines. Her first response to the iPad was . . . chilly. “‘I’m not going to have my kids with their heads down, looking at screens,’” she recalls thinking. “Language is between people.” But Lyons gamely took an iPad home with her, and as the weeks and months ticked by, she started to explore its terrain. Did she end up incorporating it into her classroom? No, not exactly. And yet it did make an impact on her teaching, because as she explored it, she discovered technology she could use elsewhere. “The iPad was essentially a gateway into doing more without the iPad,” she admits. Lyons’s French Honors students now use a program called Collaborize Classroom, and she’s assigning projects to students using PowerPoint or a presentation app called Prezi. “For example, I put my French 4 students in pairs to do a project that required them to research Paris and two other French cities. Then, they were told that they could present their ‘travels’ in PowerPoint or Prezi. What they chose allowed their creativity to shine: They embedded videos, voiceovers, and clips that they had made,” says Lyons. “The happy result? The students learned about the culture of their cities, they learned how to navigate in them, and they learned how to create a presentation that was more than a series of photos/images.” But, crucially, none of this was at the expense of human interaction, Lyons says. “They had to talk to each other during the presentations,” she points out. “There was also plenty of face-to-face conversation going on, too.”

Loopy

loopyapp.com This app lets users create layered loops of music just the way a DJ would. Ever create a little mnemonic jingle to help you remember declensions of a particular noun? Now you can do it with style—and embed it into an ebook that you might have created with . . .

Book Creator and iBooks Author itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-for-ipad/

Once upon a time, a student would have compiled all his or her knowledge through typed term papers. For decades, the only thing that changed was the typeface—depending on whether it was written up on a manual typewriter, electric, dot-matrix printer, inkjet printer. Now ebooks are here, democratizing the self-publishing world—and upping the ante on a student’s homework.

Edmodo

edmodo.com Just about every teenager you know is on some form of social media, right? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em—and create a shared educational space that allows for extra teacher/student interaction in a context that feels very familiar, in a good way.

Prezi

prezi.com/prezi-for-education It’s not enough to do the work; you also have to be able to present it to others in a compelling, fresh way. Applications like Prezi also help create more student interaction—not only with the teacher, but with one another, as everyone is brought together onto the same page.

Collaborize Classroom collaborizeclassroom.com

This web-based educational platform gives teachers an online space that they can individualize to their own specs, allowing them to continue class discussions after class is dismissed— and then pick them up where they left off the next morning.

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So far, Lyons’ uses of technology are mostly examples of substitution, but another app she uses moves into the realm of augmentation—or even modification. Edmodo is an education site whose interface mimics Facebook, which is, for better or for worse, very familiar terrain for students. “I’ll have my French I kids write five questions using a certain tense and vocabulary,” Lyons says, which is certainly something they could do in their notebooks, but because Edmodo is a social medium, it takes things a few steps further. Everyone’s work is shared; everyone learns from each other’s mistakes. “I can splash their work up on the whiteboard and say, Okay guys, where are the grammatical errors? Let’s go.” What would have been a single student’s learning opportunity now takes place across the classroom. “And then they’ll pick three questions to ask each other. We’ve gone from a really neat way to reinforce things for the visual learners to a comfort zone when they’re working with their partners . . . but a little less comfortable, because they’re talking. And then we close those computers”—Lyons claps her hands in the air—“and it’s show time! Layering these relatively simple technologies has really helped kids with their different styles of learning.”

Modifying

All in is how Sam Savage, a Latin teacher in his fifth year at Deerfield, describes his approach. “To some extent I’ve thrown out old models of what it’s like to be in the classroom,” he reflects. “I don’t even consider writing on the board anymore.” The Wheelock Latin text can still be found in Savage’s classroom, but its relevance is diminishing. “It’s a useful container for a few things,” he says. “It has drills that are good, a set of vocabulary that I think is useful, and the sequences it lays out are helpful.” But, Savage says, “if we were to use it as a traditional book, we’d just be consuming what someone else

has already done. I’d rather have us create the framework instead of reading a book about it. I’d rather write a book about it.” More to the point, he’d rather have his students write that book. Which is exactly what they’re doing. “Mr. Savage explained to us on the first day of Latin I that we wouldn’t be using an actual guided text, but would be creating one ourselves,” explains Hawa Tucker ’15. “It sounded cool but I was worried . . . how would that work?” Hawa wasn’t alone. “My reaction at first was a bit skeptical,” agrees Will Sanford ’17. “But I’ve also taken Chinese, and I found that writing things down has worked really well for memorization and things like that.” Savage’s approach goes far beyond drills and rote learning. “Before I immersed myself in technology, I believed in the idea of students making something, but I was never fully satisfied with the model of, you know, making the poster board with the map on it,” Savage explains. He points to two such projects propped against an unused blackboard; they look admittedly retro next to the iPad on his desk. “At the end of the day I was stuck with fifteen poster boards that I didn’t know what to do with.” More to the point, the students didn’t do anything with them. Creating them took time and energy, and presenting them required them to get in front of the room. “All good, all valuable,” Savage agrees. “But in the end it missed some key elements, and one of the big ones that technology allows for is ownership.” In this case, his students have shared ownership of the textbook that they are creating, with the help of an iPad app called BookCreator—and, of course, their teacher. The result is a growing “ebook”—filled with relevant images, recordings, and videos. It’s not a static collection of information to be learned, but rather a kinetic presentation of what they have already learned. It turns the traditional textbook/classroom model upside down. Plus,

SAMR: Substitution/Augmentation/Modification/Reinvention: An acronym used in theoretical discussions about the use of computers in classrooms.

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The adoption of technology mirrors the stages of creativity. First substitution, then augmentation, then modification.

Anatomy of a Digital Chapter:

Each chapter in the textbook Sam Savage and his Latin II class created has three distinct sections:

THE LITERATURE: A piece of literature in the original Latin, with vocabulary words linked to a glossary. Savage’s students had to determine what Latin words the average second-year Latin student should already know in order to highlight the words that would be unfamiliar to most students.

THE LANGUAGE: The second section contains the same piece of literature along with an English translation. Students can read (and record themselves reading) the Latin, then check their translations against the English version.

THE CONTEXT: The third section provides historical context for the readings in the form of images, maps, videos, and so on. Students researched and selected all pertinent materials, and in some cases created supplemental materials.

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Peter W. n to You In the 21st century, to be a caring teacher is to realize you have a more varied group of students than ever who are learning in radically different ways . . . The object remains the same: To make learning take place.

points out Savage, “A book is something that exists and can be shared. The ebooks that my students are creating get put in their bookshelf right alongside Sophocles or Darwin or Shakespeare. I think that’s a really powerful message— they’re creating something.” Which brings us back to that analogy of Peter Warsaw’s: The adoption of technology mirrors the stages of creativity. First substitution, then augmentation, then modification. “But Sam is already moving into that redefinition stage,” says Warsaw. “He sees the potential of these tools to create a new mode in which students can learn.” Originality, of course, is not the end goal; successful teaching is. The experiment will not prove itself until the students come out the other side speaking and reading their languages. But so far, the response has been optimis, even excelente. “The philosophy is that if we can write our own textbook, we’re forced to know the information,” says Devon Beirut ’17. “I think it’s working really well so far. We’ve been getting into more mechanics: What kind of exercises do we want to include? Do we want to incorporate the songs we made on conjugations and declensions?” Students did decide to color-code different gendered nouns, and songs are in fact now embedded into their ebook. “Now that we’re getting into more creative things, it’s really cool. We’ve even thought about publishing the textbook for other students.”

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Devon’s classmate Izzy St. Arnault underscores that last point. “It’s like we’re almost teaching ourselves,” she says. “I’ve heard teachers say if you can explain it to your friends, you actually understand it. And I’m finding that that’s really true. If I can explain it in a way that makes sense in a textbook, then I’ve really learned it.”

Reinventing

Let’s circle back to Cheri Karbon—she who found DVD players intimidating. Thanks to mentors like Taft, who gave her the latitude to explore the technology as she saw fit, and Lyons, who set the example of a traditionalist who could still embrace new techniques, Karbon is finding her place on the technology spectrum. Despite her initial hesitation, a conference she attended at Choate last summer fired her up. “I was super inspired. They gave us a whole week to explore different ebook tools and we had lots of time every afternoon to work on creating an ebook, so I made a ton of headway on that,” Karbon says. She, like Lyons, is using Edmodo to help extend the classroom beyond the class day. “I assign homework where they continue to talk about something we’ve done in class,” explains Karbon. “Or I’ll post something that they can comment on, using a voice recording app. I might say ‘Speak for three minutes on this,’ or ‘Retell this story that we told in class.’ This way, without spending too much class time, I am able to give a lot of focus to each kid’s oral skills.”

A broader classroom . . . Karbon is using Edmodo to help extend the classroom beyond the class day. “I assign homework where they continue to talk about something we’ve done in class,” she explains. “Or I’ll post something that they can comment on, using a voice recording app. I might say ‘Speak for three minutes on this,’ or ‘Retell this story that we told in class.’ This way, without spending too much class time, I am able to give a lot of focus to each kid’s oral skills.”

But despite the whiz-bang gadgetry of the iPad and apps like Prezi, despite the powerful social forces behind shared media like Collaborize Classroom and Edmodo, Karbon still finds that in the end, much of her teaching centers around what might be the oldest technology ever: telling stories. “Studies say the human brain can learn 300 to 400 vocabulary words a year—and that’s pushing it,” she points out. “So I’m working with a different approach: Instead of focusing on textbooks, give the information through storytelling. I tell them a story, and there’s repetition in their questions and answers.” Karbon’s using the technology where it helps and shutting it off when she doesn’t need it.

“I look at it this way: Outside the classroom, we’re using technology, but once we’re in class, we use talknology,” she says. If it’s what works for her and her students, that’s the bottom line, agrees Warsaw. “Every teacher I know cares deeply about students and their discipline. In the 21st century, to be a caring teacher is to realize you have a more varied group of students than ever who are learning in radically different ways than you did,” he reflects. “You want your students to have as rich and full a toolbox as possible, in order to reach them better. The object remains the same: To make learning take place.” •• Naomi Shulman is a frequent contributor to Deerfield Magazine.

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THE COMMON ROOM

“It is with sadness that I send word of the death of my husband, William H. Erskine,” wrote Nancy Erskine. She continued, “Bill passed on January 21, 2013. At nearly 92, he had enjoyed quite decent health and an abiding joy in the company of family and friends up to the last few weeks when a combination of congestive heart failure and kidney failure finally took him down. Throughout an active, peripatetic life and successful business career, Bill never stopped talking about Deerfield and his love for the school, most especially for Frank and Helen Boyden. As the only son of a widowed mother, far from home and family, Bill entered Deerfield feeling somewhat lost and defenseless. The Boydens gave him both kindness and the strong moral compass that characterized the rest of his life. Deerfield also led Bill to Amherst where he thrived along with many Deerfield friends including John Andrews, Paul Avery, Bill Babcock, Allen Boucher, Otis Cary, Ted Parkhurst, and Allen Rugg. After serving as a LTJG in the amphibious forces in the South Pacific, Bill joined J. Walter Thompson Company, where he spent 25 successful years in New York, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere before joining JWT client Labatt Breweries of Canada. Later he went on to own and operate International Beverages, Inc. in Boston, an importer and distributor of fine European and American craft beers. In 1998, he finally retired to a happy though still active existence on Cape Cod. He is survived by three daughters, two grandsons, a great-grandson, and me. Unfortunately, none of the grandchildren have made it to Deerfield as all but one live in Canada. We are all grateful to Deerfield for all that it meant to Bill.”

the common room

1939

1942 “I have a good friend in Lyons, Colorado, who is currently kept from her home,” wrote Bud Rich when we last heard from him. “This is the only bad news. We, in Nevada, are enjoying lots of heat (100 degrees) and enjoying Las Vegas. Our granddaughter Sara lives here and we have three great-grand kids who live close by. So far I’m healthy and enjoying this good luck. No other news, but it’s very tough for me to fly East. I would like to see Deerfield again . . .” Deerfield Academy Archives

1948

ca 1950

“Happily living in a CCRC called Essex Meadows in Essex, CT,” says Alec Robertson. “I see Barbara and Bob Erskine ’44 with some frequency. My girlfriend, Judy Makrianes, will be moving in sometime later this year. We were an ‘item’ in Bridgehampton, NY, back in 1945. Sorry to inform the Class of 1947 that Bob Carrington ’47 died in September, 2013. Bob and I also went to Williams, and he was a good friend, and a very talented guy.”

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the common room

Tête-à-Tête with

STEPHANIE LAZAR Senior Consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation When Stephanie Lazar graduated from Deerfield, it was with a clear sense of purpose about her life’s work. There were some refinements along the way, but her ultimate objective remained the same: a life of service. Julia Elliott recently spoke with Ms. Lazar about her time in the Peace Corps, her work for the Gates Foundation, and the fact that it really is a small world after all.

DM: Let’s start at the beginning: How did you come to choose Deerfield?

DM: I’m really interested to hear about your time in the Peace Corps; I heard that a Deerfield teacher inspired you.

SL: Well, my brother went away to school and I went up to Milton to visit him, and I was introduced to the boarding school culture. And I realized that I felt very claustrophobic in New York City . . . I just love the natural environment—I get that from my father—and so I constantly wanted to be outdoors, either with sports or in the park or this and that, and I just felt that the city wasn’t meeting my needs. When I started visiting my brother at school, I realized, ‘Wow— you have this amazing education and this huge, beautiful campus.’ Deerfield in particular stuck out because it was situated so beautifully, and it really reflected an appreciation and integration with its surroundings. It just felt so open—its location along the river and the flood plain, and to be able to hike up to the Rock and get this amazing perspective… It all matched what I needed at that time in my life.

SL: Yes. It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I remember seeing a slideshow that math teacher Sheryl Cabral and her husband put together of their experiences as Peace Corps volunteers in Africa. She showed us slides of this hut and these undulating mountains and, you know, living without any running water or electricity. And I remember seeing those and thinking: ‘I have to do this! This is exactly what I have to do.’ It was crystal clear to me. It was my junior spring, and it affected where I applied to college.

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DM: Interesting. You went to University of Wisconsin? SL: Yes, I went to the University of Wisconsin, which has a great language program. And also, even though you’re in Madison, Wisconsin, it was a ‘University of the World’—it really brought the

Courtesy of Stephanie Lazar

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DM: That’s so great. When you graduated, what was your degree? SL: International Relations major, environmental studies certificate, which is a minor basically. I’d already applied to the Peace Corps. The way they place you is based on your language skills, usually. I was immediately slated to go to French-speaking West Africa, and then they pushed my start date back by six months so I didn’t go until a year after graduating from college; I was sent to Morocco. But that was the experience, actually, that got me to focus on health and women.

village on just basic agricultural needs. They would say we need X, Y, Z and I would help them write a grant proposal . . . Meanwhile, I’m going into the homes of all these families every day for lunch or dinner or whatever, so I had an extremely intimate view into what life is like in Moroccan families, and I spent most of my time with the women and kids. I saw how they sleep with their families at night, how the women and the kids usually eat after the men. I saw how the women got up at four in the morning to start baking bread, which is a staple. And I saw how the kids, especially the girls, were basically being honed for marriage and fulfilling the obligations of the wife in her husband’s family’s home—you’re basically expected to be a servant because that’s how the matriarchs were treated when they were young. I saw my neighbor have a very difficult childbirth and a baby that was born underweight, and then I saw the way her husband treated her after the birth . . . All these experiences spoke to me emotionally—I decided that this was where I wanted to focus my career—working on health issues, especially with women and girls, because in poor countries or those with conservative cultures, the men and the boys have opportunities that girls don’t.

tête-à-tête: STEPHANIE LAZAR

world to Madison, and they’re one of the universities that sends the most Peace Corps volunteers out . . . It just fits the spirit (of the place) so much because it’s very service-oriented. When I walked out of that slideshow the Cabrals had given and I started to think, ‘Oh my God, I have to be a Peace Corps volunteer and I want to study international relations and environmental studies . . .’ that was my focus, and those programs are excellent at Wisconsin.

DM: Can you describe your village and what you were doing and why it stuck with you so much?

DM: Did you come back and go directly to school for public health?

SL: Because of my education I was an environmental volunteer. I was basically sent to the desert, which was Eastern Morocco about thirty miles from the Algerian border. And I was to work on desertification issues there; broadly speaking, the Sahara is expanding with climate change, and the desert encroaches on productive farmland in these small communities; desertification is trying to beat back the desert. Often that means planting trees and bushes and anything that can improve the water retention, the air, or the climate in general around that area. So, I went to this little village, and it was literally an oasis in an area where there were oases around—you go from sand to this pocket of green, and date palms, and small, you know, clusters of houses, and then won’t find another one for another ten kilometers or something. I was out there by myself, and I worked with the local people to find a house . . . There was no plumbing, so we got our water from a ditch; that ditch was used for washing clothes, and getting water for baths and whatever, and for drinking water. I would cook my water for I don’t know, twenty minutes or so, at a rolling boil. I lived in a mud hut like everybody else, and it was a very welcoming culture, so I was often invited to eat with other families—to say no is not really appropriate. Because I was a woman in a pretty conservative area of Morocco—Morocco is not that conservative if you’re looking at all the Arabic countries, but it is quite conservative when you get into rural areas—the Ministry of Forestry kind of laughed in my face and said, ‘They really sent us a woman, to go out and work on desertification projects and plant trees with our foresters? No, no.’ So I had to find a different way to be productive. I linked up with an existing NGO and we did really small-scale projects like planting olive trees and waste disposal in the market town. And then I worked with the local farming cooperative that was in my

SL: No. I came back and I realized that, okay, graduate school, I can’t really compete in the job market without going to graduate school, but at the same time I didn’t want to spend $60,000 or $80,000 on a graduate program without being sure it was exactly what I wanted to do. So, what I did was give myself a couple of years to get into the working world and talk to people and see what they had done and what might be the best use of time and resources in terms of a graduate program. I also felt like I had to get a job when I got back! [laughs] I found a position in DC (Washington) working for a USAID contractor. Later I joined the contractor with the Women and Development Office at AID; it was really good for me because I was surrounded by Peace Corps volunteers and former Peace Corps volunteers—they’re all over AID and these for-profit companies— and they all had opinions about what was useful. By interviewing them I figured out that an international relations master’s program was not going to give me the same technical skills that I could get from a public health program, and getting a public health degree could also meet those needs that I had felt I wasn’t prepared for in the Peace Corps—women and children’s health needs on a small scale or a larger scale in poor countries.

DM: So, you went to school for public health . . . SL: I chose Columbia because they have a very good applied program. It wasn’t preparing you for a PhD like Johns Hopkins; it wasn’t highly theoretical like Harvard. And the way that manifests itself is that their professors have all done work overseas—they come back and teach for a while and then they’re predominantly overseas doing health work. I was in the forced migration health specialty area, so I was learning under the tutelage of professors who were

deerfield.edu

tête-à-tête: STEPHANIE LAZAR

humanitarian emergency health disaster specialists. And the practical application at Columbia makes you take your summer between the two years overseas; that’s when I went to the Burmese-Thai border. I was in Thailand working at a clinic for Burmese refugees right inside the Thai border, and I was there for two and a half months or so—it was an incredible learning experience, and after that I knew that I wanted to get back to living overseas. That’s how we ended up in Kenya post-graduation from my MPH (master’s of Public Health). I went to Kenya because of my spouse, who didn’t speak a foreign language—he’s an environmental lawyer and he had some contacts there through his law school. I ended up running the Burundi Program —it wasn’t just health that I was doing there—I was managing all the Burundi programs . . . So it was economic development, democracy and governance, and then of course the health programs, which were HIV, maternal and child health, etcetera.

DM: So you had your work cut out for you. SL: Yeah. There were a lot of needs like in Rwanda, and they weren’t on anybody’s radar; Burundi was just not on the radar. In Rwanda, Paul Kagame has done a good job of making sure people know that they can come and test their vaccines there or test, you know, nursing programs there, and he’s really allowed the country to be a great recipient of a lot of public health initiatives and foreign aid in general. Two very different places but similar cultures and Tutsi and Hutu, you know, issues . . .

DM: That’s why you weren’t just concentrating on health issues—

kids if the countries aren’t wealthy enough to procure their own vaccines, buy them, and immunize kids effectively. The Gates Foundation, which was formed in 2000—this was one of its first initiatives—creating GAVI and actually helping poor countries immunize their kids. The Gates Foundation is heavily invested in this work. Bill Gates’ focus on vaccines is a product of the fact that he believes that if there is a given technology and it works, there is no reason we should not be using it for everyone, around the world, right? We’re talking about disease prevention here. So, he’s like, ‘Vaccines? They prevent disease. We know they work. Why are there still thousands and thousands of kids dying from vaccine-preventable diseases? It’s wrong and I’m going to right it.’ I mean, I’m paraphrasing [laughs]. But he just felt it was a need that shouldn’t exist. The problem is the vaccines are expensive. You have to convince the big vaccine manufacturers, Glaxo Smith Kline, Merck, Pfizer, and others to create a vaccine that they’re not going to be able to sell in this country because we’re not dying of polio here anymore, but we have to create enough of the vaccine to give them a market incentive to create it. So then you have to make sure that vaccine is bought, and then tested appropriately, and actually gets to those countries that need it. There are a lot of different issues that go with trying to get vaccines to poor countries, and one of the biggest barriers is that they are expensive. That’s where the Gates Foundation came in with a lot of money and said, ‘We’re going to try to reduce the number of kids who die from vaccine-preventable diseases.’

DM: What are you doing on a day-to-day basis with the job? What’s your role?

you had to be much more broad about the needs to be met? SL: I would say, honestly, the job was to manage all the programs. It wasn’t a health specific job, but my MPH helped me get it because obviously they wanted someone with a technical background in at least some of the areas. Even though I enjoyed the job and got a lot out of it, I did want to focus more on the health side of things—I was worried I would be seen as a generalist.

DM: So you left there and is that when you started contracting for

SL: I sit on a team within the Global Policy and Advocacy Office, and our focus is on polio vaccines and child health. My job is as an outside consultant, basically, through Global Health Vision, and it’s to support them in everything related to vaccines and polio. I’m actually doing polio-focused work right now. But I’ve been working with this team for three and a half years and I help them on a variety of fronts.

DM: What do you love the most about what you do? What’s the most rewarding part?

the Gates Foundation? SL: Yes—I came back to the States. Through a friend of mine from graduate school, I heard about Global Health Visions, or they heard about me, I should say; I was contacted by a friend of my friend who runs Global Health Visions and she said, ‘I have this contract with the Gates Foundation. They need someone on vaccines, like, right way. Are you interested?’ So, [laughs] it all happened quickly! It was perfect—it has been now, three and a half, almost four years that I’ve focused on immunization issues for kids under five in poor countries.

DM: Excellent! What countries and where is the focus? SL: There are something like seventy-five countries that meet criteria that are set out by different public health entities, but the one I’m referring to is the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, GAVI. They have criteria where they help countries vaccinate their

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SL: Great question. I think that the most rewarding part of my job is the fact that although I’m not in the field anymore, I can see our actions having an impact. We see immunization rates going up. We see disease numbers going down. We are seeing less kids dying from measles and we see progress on creating a malaria vaccine. I mean, if a malaria vaccine actually comes into the market, that will be completely game changing to so many people around the world— people that I’ve actually lived right next to, you know, in Morocco or even Kenya or Burundi.

DM: What about challenges? What are the greatest challenges for you? SL: It’s when we find ourselves going backwards not forwards, I think. It’s very difficult to be working so hard on trying to create change, and then we have setbacks. For example, I’ve been asked by the Foundation

to sit at UNICEF, and I’m sitting within the Polio Team at UNICEF right now and we are working desperately to move forward on eradicating; we only had 223 cases last year in the world.

DM: Really? Please explain . . .

SL: Yeah. UNICEF is a piece of a partnership, as is the Gates Foundation, and the World Health Organization, and Rotary International called the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. And they’re really close; they’ve gotten polio down to basically living in reservoirs in three countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. Unfortunately, polio can easily resurface. That is a setback. It often happens because where there’s conflict—health systems break down and that means you can’t do constant immunization of children under five . . . when those systems break down people suffer. An example is how the war in Syria has basically brought polio back, and once it reemerges, it’s even harder to get rid of. That has been really demoralizing. It’s an emotional response, but obviously it plays out when you’re spending your days working on these issues.

SL: Ok. So, Associate Head of School Marty Lyman was the architect behind this… She had recruited a boy from Burundi to come and study at Deerfield. So it was probably a year or two before I was actually working in Burundi, but I was there one night—sitting in my hotel, you know, working on my computer, or whatever, and I hear two people at the next table—a man and a young boy, talking in English and the older guy says to the younger one, ‘Well, you can use this in your application to Deerfield’ [laughs]. Let me try to explain: I’m in Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi, where it’s hot, it’s humid. I’m holed up at my hotel in the evening, getting ready to wrap up my work and go to bed or whatever, and I hear a conversation happening where I’m like, ‘There’s no way he just said Deerfield, like an application to Deerfield. No, I must be dreaming.’ [laughs]. So finally my curiosity got the better of me, and I went over to their table and said, ‘Excuse me, I think I overheard Deerfield. Are you talking about Deerfield Academy?’ And he said, ‘Yes, actually, we are.’ It turned out that the younger kid sitting at the table was in the midst of applying to the Deerfield, following in his brother’s footsteps.

DM: To switch gears a bit: One of the big focuses at Deerfield right

DM: Wow. That’s crazy!

now is getting teachers and students to collaborate more, with the thought that any kind of work they do in the future will require the ability to collaborate effectively. Is that true in what you’re doing?

SL: Right?

DM: Wow.

DM: That’s a crazy story. SL: Oh, yes! Collaboration is a big part of our work, because, again, it goes back to using the infrastructure or the skills or the resources that each partner can bring to the table, right? So, you’re trying to pull the best out of every partner and then in the most efficient way create a response for whatever you’re trying to do. Collaboration is absolutely critical. We’re also constantly thinking: What can we do to either facilitate the relationship or make things easier for our partners? How can we think more innovatively? How can we give them more flexibility?

DM: This is an obvious one but I’d like to get your perspective on it: the Academy is trying to bring a global focus or perspective to the curriculum. What do you think the value of that is? SL: Well, I’m a little bit biased because I work in such a globally focused business, but I guess it goes back to the fact we’re becoming a smaller world every day with the Internet and the ability to communicate through Skype or whatever else. It’s making the world smaller every day, and therefore Deerfield is not a lone outpost in the Pocumtuck Valley anymore; it has to prepare its students for a global universe where people are connected and information can pass around the world in seconds. It’s a natural course for any forward-thinking school. Unfortunately, disease transmission also becomes easier the smaller the world becomes. But no school can really prepare its students to compete unless they are looking at the world through a global lens and preparing those kids (in that way) before college. The Admission Office has been making more of an effort to bring in kids from around the world, and not just wealthy foreign perspectives. I was actually involved in one of the recruitment processes . . .

SL: I immediately emailed Beth Bishop in the Admission Office, and then Marty asked me to conduct the interview with him because I was able to go and do a face-to-face with this boy like a month later or something [laughs]. I met their mother later . . . They had grown up in the countryside of Burundi, but had been living in the woods during the conflict there; it was a really, really tough upbringing. And they get transported to Deerfield Academy and they excel. It took an extra effort on the part of the school to make sure that they were able to compete, because they just didn’t have the opportunities that the rest of us had. And they were able to excel and go on to Williams, and graduate—it’s an amazing story. I just wanted to bring it up because I think it’s a great example of how Deerfield has really made an effort to bring the world closer to home. For the majority of the student body, it’s a critical lesson. And I think that it would have really influenced me had I known a kid from Burundi and actually spent time talking to him and getting to know him when I was fifteen years old.

DM: You’re fluent in French, and German, and conversant in Moroccan Arabic; you’re learning Kiswahili. You also talked about getting up to speed when you’re working in a new country. How important to you is it that you’re working in an environment where you’re constantly learning? To what extent is lifelong learning a value of yours? SL: I think that it helps motivate me every day, the fact that there’s always something new, there’s always a new challenge, there’s always a new context that I need to read about or learn. To me, lifelong learning is one of the key motivators for being able to get out of bed every day and do my job, because you know that school never really goes away, right? School is never over. ••

deerfield.edu

BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR by Anna Newman

JOHN WHEELER investor

Winter 2014

There’s no two ways about it: being an entrepreneur is hard work. If you manage to create a viable business plan, find start-up capital, and open, there’s still no guarantee you’ll succeed. In fact, only half of all small businesses survive five or more years; only 26 percent will last for more than 15. But entrepreneurs in Calhoun County, Alabama, will be receiving much needed assistance to get their small businesses off the ground—thanks to the efforts of John Wheeler ’49. Mr. Wheeler is the organizer behind Advantage Capital Enterprise System, a program that invests in entrepreneurs who want to start new small businesses in Calhoun County, which is located east of Birmingham. Entrepreneurs selected to participate in the program will receive financial backing, as well as support and advice from local business development organizations. Mr. Wheeler, a retired banker, started organizing the program to help improve the region’s economy. In Alabama, small businesses are huge employers: they make up 96.9 percent of employers in the state. Enabling entrepreneurs to create viable businesses would have a dramatic impact on the state’s economy. “During my banking career, that was one thing we tried to stress, to find ways to help people get businesses started. I knew if we got the right combination of supporters, we could help a lot of people,” Mr. Wheeler told the Anniston Star. Although ACES will be lending more than $1 million, provided by banks and private investors, its program provides much more than financial support, Mr. Wheeler emphasized to the Star. “I think the beauty of this concept is entrepreneurs will have a bank and an investor and [Jacksonville State University] Small Business Development Center for counsel . . . I think we’ve done the best we can to ensure success. A new business needs a lot of help and advice—more than just money.” For his dedication to small business development, the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce presented Mr. Wheeler with the Larry K. Sylvester Small Business Advocate Award last year. The award recognizes an individual or group who provides assistance and support to small business. Mr. Wheeler, an Anniston, Alabama, native, was named Citizen of the Year in 1995. ••

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Class Captain David Beals Findlay Bill Ames wrote: “In March of this year (2013) I underwent open heart surgery and my recovery continues to go well. I am grateful to be alive with no other indications of ill health on the horizon at this time. I live in Northfield, MA, with my wife Nancy and we are temporary home to one of our granddaughters, Britney Ames, who is a junior at Stoneleigh-Burnham. Her dad is a single dad in the Marine Corps who has served us all well in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I drive by our campus from time to time with grateful recollections tempered by the suspicion that the Quid is still watching me—and scowling . . . I ran into Bob Merriam ’43 last year. He hasn’t changed a bit! He and David Pond P’92’98 are the last at Deerfield that I have known personally. Best regards to all my classmates. I will try and come to our next Reunion.” Toward the end of 2013, Victor Russo wrote, “Tough year, having lost my younger brother (Chris ’59) and having a total knee replacement in February. I have reached 80 with a new desire to travel and do as much as possible, while Carol and I can . . .”

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1954

60th Reunion Reunion Chairs Philip R. Chase Zeke Knight “Zeke Knight, mover and shaker in development circles, has enlisted nine of us to get a huge turnout for our 60th Reunion in June! I have been trying to find out what will appeal to all our classmates. Certainly the progress being made under Head of School Margarita Curtis is worthy of supporting. Currently, ‘Global H2O,’ a team-taught interdisciplinary course, is in cooperation with the College Board and Cambridge University. Global H2O is more about strategies for learning than the content about water. The methodology and experience was explained at last year’s Reunion and the fundraiser weekend. Involving as many of our classmates in a variety of fields of experience in a learning venture would be an exciting activity! Margarita is also involved in cooperating and sharing with public schools within this program, and in general. As a 32-year public secondary teacher of social studies in NY state, I was doing or some of my colleagues were doing parts of what are in this new program. I regularly warned my students that more learning would and should be going on in their lives outside of school. One of the reasons I am proud to have been a Deerfield student is that it stressed ethical values. I

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would like to remind us that Mr. Boyden said those to whom much was given owed to give a lot back. That has been my guide ever since as I was lucky to go to Deerfield,” Guy Kaldis comments. He added, “Asko is coming from Finland to our 60th. Let us have a great delegation to greet him!”

Members of the Great Class of 1954 gathered in Wilson, WY, at the home of Buz Dimond and Charlotte Oliver to celebrate their 59th Reunion and prepare for their 60th at Deerfield this coming June. Asko Puumalainen ’54 and his grandson. Asko plans on joining his classmates for their 60th Reunion in June.

deerfield.edu

Winter 2014

Deerfield Academy Archives

1956

the common room

Jay personified our Class of 1955 with his devoted presence at Deerfield, which was exceeded only by Mr. Boyden’s 66-year tenure at the Academy. —Tom L’Esperance ’55 Class Captain Michael D. Grant Secretary Tom L’Esperance At the invitation of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, Tim Day was the guest of honor at the Sunset Parade on May 28, 2013, in Washington, DC, at the Marine Corps War Memorial. “The Sunset Parade is a universal symbol of the professionalism, discipline, and esprit de corps of the United State Marines. Since its inception, the Sunset Parade has become a unique, patriotic tradition of the Corps. It is an elaborate performance featuring the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, and the precision rifle handling of the Marine Silent Drill Platoon.” Tim’s fellow ’55-ers at the event were Pat O’Donnell, son of Emmett “Rosie” O’Donnell, Jr., a fourstar general who led the first B-29 Superfortress attack against Tokyo during World War II, and Major General Barclay Wellman, Commanding General of the 98th Infantry Training Division, US Army Reserve (19881992). Tim also continues to help advance the education and careers of current and former Marines through his foundation, which provides MBA fellowships to the Harvard Business School to distinguished individuals. The Fellowship is awarded to qualified career officers (up to four per year) who have

demonstrated exceptional past leadership—particularly those who have served in combat operations and who are recognized as having great potential as future leaders of the Marine Corps. It is hoped that this distinctive executive educational opportunity will further enhance their intellectual capital. The vision of the fellowship is to build a cadre of senior officers who will leverage this unique leadership training to strengthen, in some measure, the great capabilities and legacy of the Marine Corps. The Great Class of 1955’s 58th Reunion this past June was marked by an outstanding milestone—Jay Morsman’s 53rd year as a faculty member at Deerfield! As Mike Grant says, “Jay personified our Class of 1955 with his devoted presence at Deerfield, which was exceeded only by Mr. Boyden’s 66year tenure at the Academy. We had a small, but stellar, group there to mark Jay’s retirement: Michael Mayor, Terry Fuller, Ayres Hall, Lou Greer, Moose Morton, John Spurdle, John Glasheen, and myself showed up and enjoyed the day. Jay had already been recognized at several dinners and receptions earlier, and his big surprise was the awarding of the Deerfield Medal at graduation. Mimi was individually recognized at the Reunion by Head of School Margarita Curtis for her long and exceptional service as Director of Alumni Relations, and the Alumni Association has established

4’s & 9’s / June 5-8

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1955

Tom Reed’s mother, Naomi Reed

“ Whether building a cabin in the woods, darning socks, or investing in the stock market, Mother was prudent and independent-minded like Mrs. Boyden, whom she admired”—and honored through an endowed fund. Tom Reed ’51, Heritage Award recipient, author, and father of Andrew ’86

Learn more: deerfield.edu/go/boyden Katherine McKay, Director of Gift Planning 413-774-1872

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an annual award in their honor for a member of the Deerfield family who has contributed significantly to the Academy.” Lou Greer shared some interesting reflections recently, including one about an “incredible (summer) adventure” when he and a classmate trekked Down East up to Newfoundland: “In 1954 the late Bob Nordlander and I were selected by the International Grenfell Association to be unpaid summer workers at a remote settlement in Labrador. We built the foundation for a new hospital that was replacing an older structure that was the hospital for the French Canadian and Indian settlers and the fur trappers north of Goose Bay. The only ways to reach NWR (North West River) back then were by boat in the summer and by dog sled in the winter. It was an amazing adventure, about which I wrote an article a few years ago for Them Days, a publication that reports on the history of the area. In June the abandoned hospital building burned down. I must confess to being saddened by the news. That adventure was a significant chapter of my youth, and the passing of the building is a personal loss.” Lou also expressed his thoughts about the 2013 Reunion and his brother, Phil, who took the occasion to announce his retirement in the spring of 2014 as president of the Board of Trustees. Lou said, “Dee and I thoroughly enjoyed the Reunion, both

Winter 2014

because my brother (Phil Greer ’53) was remarkable in his reminiscing about his 20+ years on the board, and we had the opportunity to spend a few hours with Jay Morsman, Terry Fuller, John Glasheen, Mike Grant, and Mike Mayor at the clambake. Brother Phil addressed his dealing with the co-education decision, the lean years when Deerfield struggled, plans for the future, and sadly, but forthrightly, the recent misconduct issue. I was extremely proud of him, and enjoyed visiting with his classmates from the Class of 1953 who I looked up to when we were freshmen and sophomores.” Many years ago Lou endowed an award for a senior athlete in a varsity sport who highly signifies the Deerfield ethos. Lou specifies that the recipient of the yearly Thomas Spater ’55 Sports Achievement Award “is presented to a senior participant in interscholastic athletics who through perseverance, team spirit, and campus citizenship exemplifies the goals of interscholastic athletics and provides a role model for his/her teammates,” characteristics that describe Tom exactly during our years at Deerfield. The winner from the Class of 2013 was Walter Gahagan of Glen Cove, NY, a member of varsity football, JV hockey, and varsity lacrosse, and a popular choice who received a standing ovation while he proceeded to the stage to receive his trophy. His football coach shared, “Walt

has a great attitude and was always game when it came to supporting his teammates or contributing on the field when he had the opportunity. Our class should be proud to sponsor this recognition of the true spirit of competitive athletics.” Tom Spater, for whom the award is named, passed away on July 8, 1998. Fritz Maytag catches us up on his stellar last 58 years: “A short note about my post-Deerfield days. As Wittgenstein said, ‘I have had a wonderful life.’ I graduated from Stanford, and did postgraduate studies there for several years in the Japanese language, which led nowhere except to occasional enjoyment even now of the poetry that got me into it. In the fall quarter of 1958 I rode a BSA all over Europe. And in the fall of 1959 I did the same on a Yamaha in Japan. I rode a bicycle across the country in 1962, one of the best things I ever did. I then bicycled all over rural Japan on the unbelievably rough dirt roads. “I bought the Anchor Brewing Company in 1965 and some of my classmates may remember the microscope I used to have on my dorm room desk, which I applied with much effort to the frequently-sour beer we were making then. And along with Mrs. Boyden’s chemistry and my Deerfield physics I turned the company from the last medieval brewery in the world into the most modern small brewery. Gradually, and with much struggle, we got into the black, and we

were recognized later as the pioneer ‘micro brewery.’ I had a great time with this—I was made for it. In 1993 we pioneered ‘micro distilling’ with a small distillery inside the brewery. We created a very traditional rye whiskey called Old Potrero, and then a gin we call Junipero. I sold the company in 2010 and have been enjoying my freedom immensely. I married in 1967; my wife had two small children, Matthew and Alexandra, whom I adopted with delight. We lost Matthew at 17 in 1978 in a mountain climbing accident. A terrible loss from which I will never recover. Alexandra is married and lives nearby with my three delightful grandchildren and her wonderful husband Mischa. Sometimes I think Mischa has been God’s gift to me to comfort me for Matthew’s loss. I was divorced, and then in 1987 I married Beverly, who has been the joy of my life. Wondering what might amuse my classmates, and at the risk of over-sharing, I have attached some pictures of my current life. (See page 53.) I show my dear wife Beverly at our little stone house in Corfu, and my beloved 2CV car there. Also our ‘Lakehouse’ at our vineyard in Napa, which is built entirely from trees growing on the property. This house is my Shangri La. Another business interest of mine has been Maytag Blue Cheese, which my father started as a family company in 1941, while he was president of the Maytag Company. I have

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Mike Grant ’55 and Jay Morsman ’55 shared good food and good times under the new Great Tent during Reunions 2013. | Mike Mayor ’55 (left) and Lou Greer ’55 thoroughly enjoyed Reunion Weekend 2013. | Phil Greer at a reunion session. | Mike Mayor ’55 and Terry Fuller ’55 enjoyed food and friendship at Reunions 2013.

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Tim Day ’55 was the guest of honor at the Sunset Parade on May 28, 2013 at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, DC. Clockwise from bottom left: Tim (center) was joined by classmates Pat O’Donnell (left) and Major General Barclay Wellman (right). | Tim (right) with Barclay (left) at the Sunset Parade Reception. | Tim reviews the Honor Guard at the parade. Fritz Maytag ’55 writes, “Wondering what might amuse my classmates, and at the risk of oversharing, I have attached some pictures of my current life.”

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deerfield.edu

the common room

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF... DROPSONDES

MARK BEAUBIEN

engineer

Winter 2014

’83

If you have no idea what a dropsonde is, you are probably not alone. Even if you happened to see one—a soda can-sized clear tube with a helical coil and green circuit board—you might still wonder what it could possibly be used for. It turns out that these small canisters provide valuable weather-tracking data that could assist in predicting the intensity of major storms, and since early 2012 Mark Beaubien ’83 and his team at Yankee Environmental Systems have been perfecting this technology, and doing so with some serious backing from major government agencies. Mr. Beaubien, a Deerfield native, is president and general manager of Yankee Environmental Systems (YES)—a research and development company based out of Turners Falls, MA. Mr. Beaubien oversees the creation of dropsondes and other weather-related instruments, such as those used for radiometry, environmental imaging, and chemical analysis. Recently, the most exciting developments at YES have been made possible by government funding. Although YES has been receiving grants from government departments since the mid-90s, in the last few years organizations such as NASA and the US Navy have asked YES to conduct research. Developing dropsondes has been part of this latest batch of research, which took Mr. Beaubien to NASA’s DC-8 airborne laboratory to test his creation. Over the course of a flight, Mr. Beaubien and other researchers dropped eight of the dropsondes out of the plane, and the small devices sent back a variety of weather data including information on pressure, temperature, and humidity. A second stage of research to test the technology took place this past September, with a much larger number of dropsondes. Dropsondes are part of a system that uses long-range telemetry to relay weather information. The small canisters are lightweight and disposable, making them easy to work with and allowing researchers to track weather patterns over a wide area, therefore affording more complete results. It is hoped that this new technology will be able to provide more accurate information about weather systems in order for scientists to better track storms, and NASA hopes to install them on the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel mission, slated for this year. The attention Mr. Beaubien and YES have received from government agencies illustrates the importance and viability of these studies; if dropsondes continue to measure weather patterns successfully, and become integrated into current measurement systems, they could dramatically improve the way we obtain information about weather. Doing so could potentially increase the accuracy with which scientists predict storms, and the speed at which they can provide warning in the event of extreme weather. This, of course, translates into keeping people safer and saving lives—something that definitely motivates Mr. Beaubien and his team. ••

left: Carlye Calvin; right: Staff Sgt. Randy Redman

by Ethan Peterson-New ’13

I do see my Sheldon House roommate Peter Bicknell fairly often; when we meet we laugh and laugh. And recently we have gotten together with Tim Day and Sandy in Phoenix, where Beverly and I have recently acquired a small house. Reminders from Tom L’Esperance: “If you would like to contact a 1955 classmate and you do not have his current email address or phone number, Alumni Records (413-774-1474) at Deerfield may be able to assist you. I would also be happy to hear from you in this regard or with some class news at tmlski@roadrunner.com or 760-942-2680. If you wish to read our class notes online before they are printed in Deerfield Magazine, please visit our website, deerfield. edu/alumni/class-of-1955/ class-notes. Click on the title of each note to be able to read the full article and to see all the photos. To submit your own note, visit deerfield.edu/ classnotes/.”

1959

Reunion Chair George Andrews Fonda “Yes, very excited!” wrote Daniel Bullard. “After I don’t know how many tries, we finally won our class in the fall Off Soundings Regatta. This is a two-day sail boat race sound New London, CT, and Shelter Island, NY. Last time we won was over 60 years ago with my Dad. Our boat is madcap x. His was madcap 111. Interestingly, both boats

are/were 27 feet. Yippee! “The Sunday following the regatta, I participated in the Hammerfest sprint triathlon. Winners again! (Only one in my age group. All the rest are smarter.)” “Looking forward to seeing buddies at our (unbelievable) 55th in June,” says John Kikoski. “Every day is a good day.” Rick Timms has retired as professor of medical research at the Scripps Research Institute. He recently became a senior fellow for the Initiative on Religion and Health, Harvard School of Medicine and School of Public Health. Fred Twichell is sad to report that his wife Melinda passed away on July 23, 2013, ten days after their 50th wedding anniversary, in Stuart, FL.

1961

Class Captains Jon W. Barker Thomas M. Poor “At 70 all continues to go well—Patsy and I have four grandchildren and I continue to be fascinated at how I act out all the stereotypes of being a grandparent: They are smart, attractive, wonderful, and the best possible grandchildren anyone could have—sentiments I suspect are shared by more than a few of us,” writes Michael Annison. “I continue to work as a management consultant in health care and have a fourth book—The Trust Dimension—coming out in the next month or so. Over

the years I am fascinated at how many of Mr. Boyden’s aphorisms seem relevant: ‘The mountains are always changing,’ seems to be the one hardest for clients to accept. Hope all are well!” “I was sad to hear that Cal had died of the prostate cancer he told me about at our 50th Reunion,” says Doug Gortner. “He was a really good man who, like me, marched to a slightly (some might say MIGHTILY about me) different drummer. If you Google him, you will find an excellent obit on the Bloomberg website. As for me, I am still active in my fundraising consulting business. Please link with me and check out my website: wessebago.com. I am proud of all that Margarita has accomplished at Deerfield. It is now a very happy place and about as tough a place to get into as you can find. The kids are truly exceptional. If you haven’t given to the current campaign, please call the Development Office to find out your options. BEAT CHOATE!” When we last heard from Tom Poor he said he is spending more time “back in Deerfield” watching his two daughters play for the varsity soccer team. “Maddie is a freshman and Samantha a junior,” he added. “Both are having a great time.”

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been the family member responsible since his untimely death in 1962. It is still a very small company, which is our conscious choice, and a source of great family pride. Also, a picture of my sailboat ‘Aqualeo,’ a 38-foot wooden ‘Hillyard,’ double-ended, center-cockpit sloop built in1971 in England. I bought it in Corfu and cruised the western islands, then brought it home by ship and truck and have restored it and fitted a super-modern cat rig by Tom Wiley. This rig was chosen to allow an elderly gentleman to sail solo on the San Francisco Bay. This project was my present to myself for a successful brewing career and successful sale of same. Sail for Sale. “I also attach a recent photo of the real me. (See page 53.) I must add here that my days at Deerfield were terribly important to me—a powerful influence on my life. I think of them constantly, not always fondly, but always with ever-growing respect for what the school was trying to achieve. I dream of it often, but I am happy to say that I have not had a ‘post-graduate year’ nightmare for a while. I often think with gratitude of Mr. Suitor, who tried hard to teach me to write the English language, ‘a noble thing’ as Winston Churchill declared. I still ride motorcycles; I have recently become a ham radio operator; we live in San Francisco in a unique little one-story house, and at the vineyard. I would welcome hearing from classmates.

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’65

’58

’68 ’68

’69

’68 “Warning! Our soaked clothing makes us all look more hefty than we really are . . . it’s all an optical illusion,” says Flick Flickinger ’65. “We came. We saw. We conquered. Hikes to Diana’s Baths and summit of Cathedral Ledge here in the Mt. Washington Valley of NH, that is!” L to r: Jay Brady, Peter Russell, Flick Flickinger, Andy Steele, Pat Mahoney, Jeff Reder, and Charlie Seyffer (all Class of ’65). | Bob Murray ’58 and George Carmany ’58 won the SS Class championship, which features one of the oldest continuously raced one-design sailboats in the country, at Westhampton Beach, NY, in August. Their boat, built in 1938, was originally owned by George, who sold it to Bob in 1956. | Peter Sieglaff, Mike Sheridan, and David Knight, all Class of ’58, enjoyed a visit to campus for their 55th Reunion. | Choedchai Khannabha ’68 attended graduation at Stanford this past June, and made a stop at the base of Coit Tower in San Francisco. | It was 16th place for Eric Tompkins ’69 who competed in the 2013 CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston last February. | opposite: Ed Mellick ’63 (left) and classmate Rumsey Young enjoyed a post-50th Reunion hike in Montana. 56

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Climbed nearby Lone Peak (11,166') giving new meaning to ‘Look to the hills, boys.’

’63 the common room

—Rumsey Young ’63

1962

Class Captains Peter W. Gonzalez Dwight E. Zeller Terry Mooney competed in the Westerly, RI, triathlon on September 22, completing the swim, bike, and run in one hour 52 minutes, and coming in second in his age group. He said, “Cheering on Gramps was his daughter Alixe ’95 and future Deerfield scholars Merrill, two years and her sister Caroline, who was born on June 14. A grand time was had by all!”

1963

Class Captains Richard W. Ackerly Peter A. Acly Timothy J. Balch David D. Sicher “Three months after our 50th, I am still hearing wonderful feedback from classmates,” wrote Tim Balch when we last heard from him. “We can attribute success to ‘chemistry’ that evolved, and an unexpected boost from an email ‘memoir’ initiated by Ed Mellick that resulted

in many ‘sidebar’ comments and reflections from classmates. The humor and various anecdotes generated even more reflection. It was interesting that as the dialogue continued to involve more participants, it provided an opportunity for more interest in the Reunion. The Reunion programs were ‘open’ to other classes and with several participants from the current faculty and 50th class members, I think it was a ‘reunion’ in the truest sense. There are now discussions to do ‘mini reunions’ in different parts of the country in the future.” “Had a brief but wonderful 50th Reunion debrief with Ed Mellick, class IT genius, here in our Montana mountains,” said Rumsey Young. “Climbed nearby Lone Peak (11,166') giving new meaning to ‘Look to the hills, boys.’”

1964

Reunion Chairs Neal S. Garonzik John L. Heath Robert S. Lyle Charles B. Sethness

1965

Class Captains Edward G. Flickinger Andrew R. Steele “We came. We saw. We conquered,” reports Flick Flickinger. “Hikes to Diana’s Baths and the summit of Cathedral Ledge here in the Mt. Washington Valley of NH, that is! Pic (at left) was taken after we were caught in a torrential downpour out on the trail. All of us were completely soaked to the skin . . . But hey! We’re tough guys and it didn’t even slow us down! “Activities kicked off early Friday evening. Most participants arrived Saturday am. The intermittent inclement weather did not dampen our spirits and enthusiasm. After our hike we drove over to the Mt. Washington Hotel for a delightful dinner out of doors on the veranda of Stickley’s Restaurant. We were delighted with an early evening rainbow and wonderful food! Returned back to my place for good conversation and some fine Cuban cigars (via my pilot son thru Dubai) out on the deck. The rain had

passed thru by this time. We actually didn’t hit the sack until after midnight! Not bad for a bunch of ‘old farts!’ “Unfortunately Dan Ziskind, Tim Byrne, and Sam Weisman had to cancel out at the last moment for personal reasons. We missed you guys but they assured us that they will make our 50th . . . and so should YOU! This was the first of what we hope will be several regional ‘mini reunions’ to be held prior to our 50th Reunion; hope to plan similar events in the greater NYC area, and perhaps Chicago, San Fran, LA and ??, FL. Andy and Terry O’Toole (50th Reunion coordinator in the Alumni Office) will help us move forward with these plans. A special thanks to my dear wife Karen for being such a gracious hostess and for continuing to put up with me and all my Deerfield buddies. There aren’t many Deerfield stories that she hasn’t heard many times before! God bless Andy Steele for reminding us that it was still not too late to make a contribution to the Annual Fund!”

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1966

Class Captain David H. Bradley “The Italian government has given me Italian citizenship— I now have a double passport: Italy/USA,” reports Phil Doughty. “I am a candidate for a Guggenheim Fellowship in photography,” he continues. “You can visit my photo website: philipdoughty.com. My prints have been exhibited at The Louvre, Paris. Any Deerfield grads coming through Catania, you are my guest for dinner!”

1967

Class Captains Douglas F. Allen John R. Bass George W. Lee “I stopped by the campus last Sunday for the first time in 30 years or so,” wrote Donald Ehre when we last heard from him. “From Main Street the school looks the same, Administration Building, Science Building, but what a change around the quad! I guess I don’t keep up enough. The auditorium building is being renovated and the other two buildings are new. I did know that Plunkett was torn down, and there is a very fitting brick building in its place. The Dining Hall and the gym look outwardly the same, but the soda shop was more of a cafe. Unfortunately, I did not have a lot of time to spare, so my memories will remain of the interiors of the buildings. I arrived riding my Harley Davidson and had to

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run with the sun this time of the year, although I did momentarily consider riding across the athletic fields like Mr. Boyle did from time to time on his Honda 305 back in 1965-1967. Overall, I believe that the change is inevitable, and I consider that the changes made so far are in keeping with the ivy covered halls, but I do have to agree with Horace Greeley, you can never go home again.” “I’m closing in on my seventh anniversary as editor of the Washington Examiner, which until last June was a daily newspaper and website that concentrated mainly on local news,” writes Stephen Smith. “Now we’re a 24/7 website and weekly magazine focusing on national politics and policy. One thing has stayed the same: the groaning workload. I see a good deal of Geoffrey Baker, who lives around the corner from me and who is president of the Metropolitan Club during its sesquicentennial. I also enjoy staying in touch with 32 classmates on the closed group ‘Deerfield ’67’ on Facebook. Every time I see a picture of Ned Scudder I am reminded he lives a life far sweeter than mine.”

1968 Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1969

Reunion Chair John W. Kjorlien Secretary Doug Squires “I’ve practiced GI medicine in Virginia Beach for almost 27 years,” says Jamie Rawles. “I spend most of my spare time managing several family farms, hunting, smoking hams and bacon, raising a garden, restoring old buildings, and exploring the bottomlands of the Meherrin River. My wife Robin and I have raised four boys and are now ‘empty nesters’ since the youngest went off to college last fall. Fortunately, he returns to be my fishing guide and hunting partner from time to time! The oldest two are married and both physicians in surgical residency training. My third son is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech and works for the city of Richmond. Last October we were blessed with a granddaughter through my oldest and his wife. We were in Wilmington, NC, in July and had dinner with Bill Morine and his wife Pam in their beautiful home overlooking the salt marshes and waterways of the outer banks of NC. Had a great time catching up. Also read Dave ’62 Morine’s book (a gift from Bill!) about his month-long canoe trip down the Connecticut River from Canada to Long Island Sound. It’s a thoroughly entertaining read for any Deerfield outdoorsmen! Looking forward to seeing all of you at the Reunion this June!”

Eric Tompkins, a member of CBRE’s Healthcare Services Group in San Diego, competed in the 2013 CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston last February. He finished in 16th place for the 60-64 age bracket. Eric sells medical office buildings nationally, and recently completed the sale of the UCLA-Santa Monica Outpatient Services Building, which is the first West Coast medical office building with a fully automated parking system that retrieves visitors’ cars.

1970

Class Captain G. Kent Kahle Kent Kahle reported on a couple of his classmates: “Duncan Christy has written a new musical called Cinq a Sept. This past summer Chip Davison watched Dick Gilbane row past his house on the coast of Maine all the way from the Boston area.”

1971

Class Captains KC Ramsay John L. Reed

1972

Class Captains Joseph Frederick Anderson Michael C. Perry Robert Dell Vuyosevich

1973

Class Captain Lawrence C. Jerome

’77

“Here I am playing ‘The 60 Year Blues’ at my birthday bash outside Chapel Hill, NC,” says Mark Marcoplos ’71. “John Rhodes ’71 made a surprise appearance.” | Bill Adams ’77 and some colleagues from the Center for Creative Leadership have launched a new venture: Leadership on the Mountain at Steamboat Ski Resort.

1974

Reunion Chairs J. Christopher Callahan Geoffrey A. Gordon Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1975

Class Captains Dwight R. Hilson James L. Kempner Peter M. Schulte

1976

Class Captains Marshall F. Campbell David R. DeCamp Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1977

Class Captains James Paul MacPherson JH Tucker Smith Wayne W. Wall “I am working with a group of colleagues from the

Center for Creative Leadership to launch a new venture this winter: Leadership on the Mountain at Steamboat Ski Resort!” says Bill Adams. “We are all world-class leadership development facilitators and coaches and love to ski! We are looking for executives to attend our programs who have their own personal development budget and love to ski as much as we do. Our programs are offered February 2-5, February 9-12, and March 9-12, 2014. We feature small class size, 360 and self-assessments, instruction, experiential activities, 1:1 coaching and on-snow instruction and discussion. If you or someone you know are interested, please visit our website at leadershiponthemountain.com for more information. Please keep your fingers crossed that this venture is a success!”

Tom Reed ’51 / Deerfield JV Hockey

Tom Reed ’51 received a D minus in Latin: “ Mrs. Boyden told me it was obvious I should be in engineering!” Tom, first in his class at Cornell, earned an MS in electrical engineering from USC, and became Secretary of the Air Force.

Learn more: deerfield.edu/go/boyden Katherine McKay, Director of Gift Planning 413-774-1872

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’71

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48x 48 PIXELS by Anna Newman

’87 60

RALF HOFFMANN artist

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The art of portraiture has evolved over the centuries, from elegant paintings of Renaissance monarchs to magazine photo spreads of celebrities. With his Twitter portrait series Ralf Hoffmann ’87 is using this celebrated art form to examine identity and authenticity in the virtual world. Mr. Hoffmann, a programmer/teacher/lawyer turned artist, was inspired by the many compressed, processed images that populate the web—particularly as user profile pictures on Twitter. “Seeing how people present themselves or pretend to present themselves (or someone else) within 48 x 48 pixels on Twitter seemed to bring up a number of interesting questions—about perception, self-perception, identity, anonymity, evanescence,” explained Mr. Hoffmann. “Interestingly, a lot of these questions are the same as those arising from the web and social media in particular, with respect to data protection, surveillance, or online advertising.” Mr. Hoffmann creates his modern portraits through a fusion of old and new techniques; he starts by cropping, expanding, and manipulating low-resolution Twitter user profile pictures. He then paints the images in oil on canvas, an “old school” technique. The paintings of such figures as Pope Benedict, drug lord Benjamin Arellano-Felix, musician William Basinski, and artist Ai Weiwei seem photorealistic, but reflect the uncertainty behind virtual identity. Who is the person being depicted? How does he or she want to be perceived? And, is the image an authentic representation of the subject? Mr. Hoffmann’s Twitter portraits evoke all of these questions. Less ambiguous is Mr. Hoffmann’s passion for art, which dates back to his days at Deerfield, when he studied with former art teacher Dan Hodermarsky. “[Mr. Hodermarsky’s] personality, warmth, and open-mindedness provided much more than you’d have expected from any art course—a deep appreciation of both life and art,” reflected Mr. Hoffmann. After graduating from Columbia University, Mr. Hoffmann pursued a number of careers, but, he said, “Painting has been a steady companion.” Painting on the weekends helped him deal with the stress of working in corporate mergers and acquisitions, and as a software programmer, Mr. Hoffmann was able to easily blend programming with his artistic interests. “For one language training project I included hundreds of self-made photographs taken with eight different cameras, from Polaroid to medium format film to create the impression of randomly found pictures.” A few years ago, Mr. Hoffmann decided to focus solely on his art, and he recently started to exhibit his work. “Until recently I basically practiced ‘outside art,’ enjoying the freedom to do whatever I want without thinking about an audience, art trends, or living room compatibility. With the Twitter series, however, the urge grew to show this to more than a couple of friends. Some of my pool paintings were shown by a German gallery this past summer, and I’m in contact with galleries in Switzerland and Belgium [about] an exhibition of the Twitter series.” Mr. Hoffmann is hopeful that his Twitter series will soon make its way across the Atlantic, but in the meantime, you can see the series and Mr. Hoffmann’s other work on his web site: rh3.de/twitter-portraits. Image of Sylvia Monnier provided by Ralf Hoffmann

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’79

Toby Brewster ’79 and his St. Paul’s cross-country runners enjoyed preseason with a run and a dip.

1978

Class Captains Paul JS Haigney Stephen R. Quazzo Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1979

Reunion Chair Luis E. Bustamante “I have been teaching, coaching, and advising at St. Paul’s School for 18 years now,” reports Toby Brewster. “My wife and I have four boys:

two in college, one starting at St. Paul’s, and one who is in seventh grade. Parenting is getting easier. I had a oneyear stint at Deerfield my first year out of college, two years at the American School in Switzerland, and one year at Hotchkiss before getting married and going to work for the Harvard Admissions and Financial Aid Office for five years prior to coming to St. Paul’s. I am convinced I have been teaching so long because of the great teachers I had at Deerfield: Tim Engel-

land, whose door was always open to me as new student on Plunkett East I. Peter Estes, John O’Brien, and Ted Littwin, who challenged me in the English classroom, even when I was ready to check out in my senior spring. Melvoin, Foster, Mo Hunt, Larry Boyle, Jim Smith—we were surrounded by wonderful role models, coaches, and teachers, and what a difference that made for all of us. Had a chance to get back to Deerfield last summer to attend ‘Look to the Hills,’

a nice opportunity to get a peek back in the classroom and know that the teaching is still as excellent as it always was. Michael Cary guided us capably through the poetry of Walt Whitman and the Civil War photography of Matthew Brady. I teach American literature and history at St. Paul’s, so I had an even deeper appreciation for Michael’s expertise. As head coach of the boys cross country team, I cross paths with Mike Schloat, head coach of the Deerfield

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“Bresnahan ’83 and Knight ’83 for the third year in a row!” says John Knight.

program, who does an excellent job with a top-notch team. And of course our classmate, Marc Dancer, and my next door neighbor in Plunkett East I, who has dedicated so much of his career to Deerfield Academy. I am equally grateful to Marc’s dedication to the school. I had a chance to visit with John O’Brien this summer in Waterford, ME, where my family still owns and runs Birch Rock Camp for boys. OB was built a shrine to Thoreau on Lake Keoka, and it was a real treat to visit his own version of Thoreau’s cabin, built to scale. Next year, I hope to take a sabbatical after many years of teaching. I plan to travel, write, and finally get to go on Webby’s September fishing outing in Montana. Those pictures of the big fish that Reed and my classmates catch always make me weep because I can never be there. Next year, Webby, I will be casting flies by your side. Cheers to all in the Class of ’79! See you at the 35th!” “All things come to an end and so it was with our time in Hawaii,” reports Art Dwight. “The long arm of Washington, DC, reached out again and pulled us back. I live in Bethesda, MD, and look forward to reconnecting with classmates in the DC area again. My wife, Rear Admiral Raquel Bono, is in charge of all military medical facilities in the Washington Capital Region, and I’ve resumed writing and speaking.” Jim Hardy says, “Just

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beginning our empty nester phase with both boys now in college. Will is a senior at Connecticut College, and Ned is a freshman at Stanford. I’m sure it will take some getting used to, but off we go! Spending lots of time back in London these days with Jack Wills. Great to be reconnected there.” “Yes. Deerfield’s reach extends even beyond the sands of Jordan,” writes Stephen Hurley. “I’m teaching at an international school in West Java, Indonesia. My kids are eager and ambitious.” Jeffrey Cabot Myers and Steven Frank Mango II were married on August 10, 2013, in Los Angeles; they followed the legal ceremony up with a “ceremonial wedding” on August 15 at the Wynn, Las Vegas, Nevada. Jeffrey is senior trial attorney at Liberty Mutual Insurance Group. Steven is the owner and CEO of Talent Mailings, Inc., a marketing firm for actors.

1980

Class Captains Augustus B. Field John B. Mattes Paul M. Nowak Perry Vella says, “I’m happy to report that our daughter, Victoria, has graduated Penn State University and is on her way to med school, while my son Perry Jr. is near completion of his nursing requirements and just recently got engaged to a great gal. Wedding slated for some time in 2015.” At the time he added, “Fellow V Hockey grads, see

’83

’79

’79 Art Dwight ’79 (left) with his wife, Rear Admiral Raquel Bono, and father, Don Dwight ’49, in Pearl Harbor, HI, attending the Battle of Midway anniversary dinner. | Jeffrey Cabot Myers ’79 and Steven Frank Mango II were married on August 10, 2013, in Los Angeles.

1982 you in NY, Chelsea Piers, for the alumni hockey game in December! Bring your video cameras and some oxygen for us old timers!”

Class Captains Frank H. Reichel William Richard Ziglar Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1981

1983

“Hello from Newton, MA, to all ’81-ers!” writes Andy Gluck. “2014 is going to be a big sports year for me: I will be back working with NBC at the Sochi Olympics, and running the Boston Marathon on April 21 for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.”

Describing the feeling as “humbling,” John Knight was named director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at Deerfield. “Taking over a world class alumni relations program from the likes of Mimi Morsman P’89 is a great thrill and a wonderful challenge.” John said. He hopes to see many of you at Deerfield events throughout the year!

Class Captains Andrew M. Blau Leonard J. Buck Kurt F. Ostergaard John H. Sangmeister

Class Captains John G. Knight J. Douglas Schmidt

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Even small traditions mean a lot to our students, as they may have to you.

Please consider supporting the Annual Fund to keep all our traditions strong. Visit

deerfield.edu/give

or use the form on the reverse, to make a new gift— or to pay an existing pledge.

The Annual Fund deerfield.edu

The Annual Fund and Class Notes Make your gift at deerfield.edu/give; mail a check to: P.O. Box 306, Deerfield, MA 01342; or use the provided envelope. Thank you for your support!

ID# (on the address label of this magazine) D 0 0 __

Deerfield Recognition Societies Presidents Circle

Preferred email address: ■ I/We would like to make a gift annually until my next reunion year.

Headmasters Circle

■ I/We would like to make a gift this year only. ■ Please charge my gift(s) of $ to: ■ AMEX ■ MC

$50,000 to $99,999

■ VISA

Card Number: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Exp. Date Name on card: Signature: Billing address for credit card (if different from printed address on label): ■ Enclosed is a check for $

$100,000 and above

made payable to Deerfield Academy.

Heritage Circle $30,000 to $49,999

Founders Associates $15,000 to $29,999

1797 Member (20th Reunion +)

$5,000 to $14,999

Employer matching gift form: ■ Enclosed ■ To follow

1797 Member

Name of matching gift company:

(not yet 20thReunion)

$1,797 to $14,999

Additional Opportunities and Information

■ I plan to give securities (please call Jeff Swetland, 413-774-1597). ■ I have included Deerfield in my Will or Trust. ■ I plan to include Deerfield in my Will or Trust. ■ I would like to Volunteer for Deerfield.

Class Notes: Use the space below, submit online: deerfield.edu/alumni/notes

Green and White (20th Reunion +)

$1 to $4,999

Green and White (not yet 20th Reunion)

$1 to $1,796

or email news to: classnotes@deerfield.edu

Thank you for your support.

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1984

Reunion Chair David W. Kinsley Christopher Herrick, chief of Vermont HAZMAT Response was awarded the Chief Fire Officer Accreditation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence in Chicago at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Convention. The Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) met on June 4, 2013, to officially confer the designation upon Chief Herrick, making him one of 913 CFO’s worldwide. The CPC awards the CFO designation only after an individual successfully meets all of the organizations’ stringent criteria. The process includes an assessment of the applicant’s education experience, professional development, technical competencies, contributions to the profession, and community involvement. In addition, all applicants are required to identify a future professional development plan.

1985

Class Captain Sydney M. Williams

1986

Class Captains Henri R. Cattier Michael W. Chorske

’84 ’83

Kate Reade Rosenblatt’s father, Ed Reade, taught at Deerfield for 38 years and coached varsity squash and tennis; he retired in 1984. Kate recently hosted a “faculty brat” mini reunion at her home in Easthampton, MA. “Many of us hadn’t seen each other in 20 or more years!” she said. “We had a great afternoon together. While several of us live in the Valley, we had one attendee from Virginia and another from New Hampshire—impressive! We hope to make this an annual event. Deerfield was an important part of all our lives and we loved sharing pictures and memories.” Top row, l to r: Steve McKelvey ’75, David Bohrer ’75, Mindy Merriam, Beth Tyler, Kate Reade, Lisa Demers; front row, l to r: Candice Gore, Susy Merriam, and Laurie Mackey | Christopher Herrick ’84, chief of Vermont HAZMAT Response, was awarded the Chief Fire Officer Accreditation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence in Chicago at the International Association of Fire Chiefs Convention. | Dave Madden ’83 and classmate Taylor Watts had their own mini reunion at the Denver Shootout Lacrosse Tournament back in June.

Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

deerfield.edu

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Deerfield Academy Archives

1978

deerfield.edu

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A HERO’S ROUTE by Lynn Horowitch The route from Seattle to San Diego is filled with hilly terrain, strong winds, bumpy pavement, and narrow roads. But for Chris Waddell ’87, the roads connecting the two cities are notable for something else: the heroes he found along the way. Mr. Waddell was paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a skiing accident during his college days at Middlebury; that fact hasn’t slowed him down much over the years. A 13-time Paralympic medalist and Hall of Famer, this past fall he traveled 1500 miles down the West Coast on a custom-designed handcycle. His journey, the 2013 Who’s Your Hero Tour, was a quest to find heroes who help guide kids through the often tough terrain of childhood. During the tour, which ran from September 1 to October 31, Mr. Waddell asked many people “Who’s your hero?” and was surprised to discover that many of them struggled to answer the question. Mr. Waddell finds heroes everywhere— family members, fellow Paralympians, friends— people from all aspects of his life. The qualities they Mr. Waddell estimates that he has given the Nametags presentation 200 times share? He says simply, “Heroes are those who have a year for the past several years, and that he has presented to more than 100,000 the courage to dream and to forge a path to make students. He developed the Nametags program as part of his One Revolution their dreams a reality.” foundation, an organization he founded prior to his 2009 summit of Mt. KilimanThroughout the trip Mr. Waddell stopped in local jaro. He is the first paraplegic to accomplish that challenge, which was recorded in schools, veterans’ hospitals, and other facilities that an award-winning documentary. His goal in climbing the mountain and in sharing service people with disabilities to share a presentathe experience through the film was not about his unique achievement, but about tion he developed, the Nametags Education Program. the struggles all people face. Mr. Waddell says, “It wasn’t about ‘man has tragedy, The presentation addresses issues of labeling and man conquers all.’ It was a human story. We as ordinary humans can achieve seeks to empower audiences to see beyond labels. extraordinary things.” The message of One Revolution is simple, Waddell says. “Nametags is about changing perspectives,” Mr. “It’s not what happens to you. It’s what you do with what happens to you.” Waddell says. “I hope that by telling my story, audiRight before the Who’s Your Hero tour, Mr. Waddell embarked on a different ences can begin to see past my disability, to see journey, marrying Jean Oelwang on August 16 (2013). In attendance at their me as an individual.” He says that his experience wedding was Virgin Group founder and chief executive Sir Richard Branson. “doesn’t make me unique, it makes me human,” and Ms. Oelwang set up Virgin Unite, the not-for-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. the overriding message is that in the face of adverOn his blog, Mr. Branson wrote, “I make a point of not going to weddings . . . but sity, anyone can choose resilience. this week I broke that rule for an incredible lady, Jean Oelwang.” Mr. Branson

’87

CHRIS WADDELL

notes that Mr. Waddell’s focus is on turning “perceptions of disability upside down. I’m sure Jean and Chris will be a force to be reckoned with.” Indeed, Mr. Waddell is a strong force, not only for people with disabilities, but for everyone. With the 1500-mile trip under his belt, Mr. Waddell is already planning his next challenge: a coast-to-coast ride on his hand-cycle. Along that trip, he will continue to deliver his message of hope, of confidence, of strength— and to search for heroes. “Heroes are an integral part of community, and community contributes to resilience,” said Mr. Waddell. “No matter who we are, we will face challenges and adversity. Our youth need to understand that when they face struggles, they have choices in how they respond.” ••

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chriswaddellspeaking.com

athlete / motivational speaker

Class Captains John D. Amorosi Andrew P. Bonanno John Amorosi and his wife Alexandra became proud new parents this past summer when Augustus (Gus) Scott Amorosi was born. They hope he will one day be lucky enough to attend Deerfield (Class of 2031?). We hear that the proud parents are now busily doing their best to try to raise the young lad. “Hi to all at DA!” writes George Demas. “Been doing a good bit of film and TV this past year, including Boardwalk Empire on HBO and Made in Jersey on CBS. Had a small, featured role in Thanks for Sharing, a film starring the singer Pink, much to my niece’s delight. Most excited about playing Harry Houdini in a play in New York in February titled Listen, Houdini. Rachel and Claire are thriving now that we have a small place in Pennsylvania to escape the city when we need to. They are the ones who make the sacrifice so that I can continue this para-profession called ‘acting.’ The play I’ve written, Misfortune, was a semi-finalist for the 2013 Princess Grace Playwriting Award. I’m hoping to get it produced this year. I hope all is well in Pocumtuck Valley.” “My wife and I have an 11-year-old son and ski racer who is involved in a program called The Hero’s Journey at his middle school. It follows the development of the hero’s

life and the hero’s adaptation to setbacks. We have often looked at Chris Waddell’s journey, and are inspired by his achievements. Best to all my old friends!” says Toby Fossland. See page 68 for details on Chris and The Hero’s Journey.

Gordon Reed, Naomi Reed, Tom Reed ’51 / Hawaii, 1960

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1987

1988

Class Captain Oscar K. Anderson Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

1989

Reunion Chair Gustave K. Lipman Class Captain Edward S. Williams “It’s true,” says Pelayo Herrero. “I turned 40 a year and a half ago, and started running. A picture of myself playing with my kids at the beach helped. I hardly recognized myself! So I ran. Literally. And since then, I’ve completed a marathon, a half marathon and a sprint triathlon. But the real story is with the marathon. I actually signed up for the 10k race the same day, but I met a friend at the starting line who dared me to try finish the half marathon with him. So we started running, slowly, chatting along the way, and we ended up doing the entire marathon! I won’t share my time with you, but it was probably one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I hope to be able to make it to the 25th Reunion this summer and see all of you! Have a great year!”

A decade after Tom Reed ’51 graduated from Deerfield, his mother, Naomi Reed P’51 G’86, made two gifts totaling $103,000 in securities from investments she personally managed. Those gifts— in honor of Mrs. Boyden—have grown to over $1,100,000. Learn more: deerfield.edu/go/boyden Katherine McKay, Director of Gift Planning 413-774-1872

deerfield.edu

90’s Rolling Stone Magazine, 1995 / rocklist.net/rolling.htm

Winter 2014

Readers’ Picks / Albums

Readers’ Picks / Singles

1. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness

1. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know

2. Live - Throwing Copper

2. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings

3. Hootie and The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View

3. Seal - Kiss From A Rose

4. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill

4. Blues Traveler - Run-Around

5. Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute

5. Filter - Hey Man, Nice Shot

Deerfield Academy Archives

60’s 1960, Billboard / Singles 1. Percy Faith - Theme From “A Summer Place”

6. Brenda Lee - I’m Sorry

2. Jim Reeves - He’ll Have To Go

7. Elvis Presley - It’s Now Or Never

3. Everly Brothers - Cathy’s Clown

8. Jimmy Jones - Handy Man

4. Johnny Preston - Running Bear

9. Elvis Presley - Stuck On You

5. Mark Dinning - Teen Angel

10. Chubby Checker - The Twist

2014 !? (stay tuned) deerfield.edu

Winter 2014

MATT SCANNELL

musician

The much needed reboot, and more than two years of writing and recording, also display Mr. Scannell’s willingness to take risks. Rather than falling back on old formulas for success and producing similar songs to fill the album, Mr. Scannell gave each song something unique, thus keeping the album interesting from start to finish. The injection of Peart certainly helped, as his particular style of drumming allowed for additional experimentation that would not be possible with most other drummers. Leading up to the album’s launch date, Vertical Horizon released a single, “Broken Over You,” and participated in a summer-long tour. The Under the Sun tour included not only Vertical Horizon, but also Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Gin Blossoms, and Fastball. Over thirty venues, including stages in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Philadelphia hosted the event, as fans turned out to see some of the most beloved groups from the ’90s play. Vertical Horizon, however, aims not to revel in their past success, but to continue to push the envelope musically and to be major players in the pop-rock scene; Mr. Scannell’s independent record label, Outfall, allows him to innovate in a music industry typically dominated by large record labels. And, while his newest album has not garnered top-ten status, it has asserted to the pop-rock community that Vertical Horizon is back and maybe even better than before. ••

Matt Scannell bio photo: blueoceanhall.com

by Ethan Peterson-New 13

VERTICAL HORIZON

It may have been more than thirteen years since Vertical Horizon’s “Everything You Want” hit the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but with the release of their newest album, Echoes from the Underground, they seem to be back on track. Sure some faces have changed, and they are now produced independently rather than by top label RCA Records, but with Echoes from the Underground, Vertical Horizon presents an album full of complex yet catchy songs about complicated relationships and unrequited love. The mainstay and head of this alternative powerhouse is Matt Scannell ’88, lead singer and guitarist. After graduating from Georgetown in 1992, Mr. Scannell quickly released his first album, There and Back Again, with collaborator Keith Kane. After that, a string of albums led up to the 1999 release of the immensely popular “Everything You Want.” In 2003 the group took a hiatus after their break with RCA, and in 2010 Kane, Mr. Scannell’s co-songwriter, left to pursue a solo career. But rather than let Vertical Horizon die, Mr. Scannell put together a new group, and began preparing a new album. Echoes from the Underground, released this past October, is the seventh effort from Vertical Horizon. It features two tracks created in collaboration with Mr. Scannell’s friend and renowned Rush drummer Neil Peart. HiFi Magazine calls the album their “best and most accomplished project to date,” noting the group’s willingness to test boundaries and innovate, all while maintaining a consistent sound.

’88

1990

Class Captain Jeb S. Armstrong “Every September 11, Howard Boulton, one of my closest friends and classmates from DA, is especially in my thoughts and prayers, as is his family. September 11, 2013 marked the 12th anniversary of Howard’s passing in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. When I think of Howard, I am taken back to Deerfield days. What great memories and friendships! I cherish them, as I cherish the Deerfield experience,” writes Alejandro Poma.

1991

Class Captain Justin G. Sautter “I have recently been promoted to EMS captain at the firehouse and continue to respond on both fire and EMS calls there,” says Julia

Gillespie. “I am also within sight of the finish line on my paramedic license, which I began pursuing last September, and I’m VERY excited that this process is nearly behind me!” At the time Julia added, “The Brunswick Police Department is moving out of the nasty basement where we have been housed for the last 36 years and into a brand-new building tomorrow, a relief for all of us. I was very lucky to have all three of my nephews and my niece in Maine for a month this summer—ages two months, six months, two -and-a-half years, and five years. It was exhausting, but I wouldn’t have missed it! All in all I’m not sure where the summer went, and by the time I figure it out, fall will be behind us, too. I look forward to a vacation . . . next decade perhaps?” “Things are good here,” reports Tom Heller. “I recently got engaged and was an executive producer on the movie MUD, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. I’ll also be a producer on the upcoming movie Foxcatcher, starring Channing Tatum and Steve Carell, which will be in theaters this fall.” Eliot Van Buskirk tells us, “After years of covering the digital music scene for CNET and Wired in San Francisco and New York, I’ve settled in Rhode Island for the moment with my wife and daughters. I’m still writing about and analyzing digital music for The Echo Nest and the

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“When I’m not helping my oldest daughter in her college search/application process, I’m splitting time between teaching graduate students at Edgewood College, writing two books, and coaching corporate and non-profit executives. Also managed a nice backpacking trek in Isle Royale National Park this past summer. Life is good, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with classmates at our 25th Reunion back in the Pocumtuck Valley!” said Trevor Nagle when we last heard from him.

’89

’91

’89

’89 Since taking up running about a year and a half ago, Pelayo Herrero ’89 has run a marathon, a half marathon, and a sprint triathlon. | Josh Singewald ’91 is pleased to announce that he has joined the law firm of Rinella and Rinella, Ltd., the oldest matrimonial law firm in Chicago, IL. | Class of ’89: Chris Rigopulos, Gus Lipman, and Michael Hahn; not pictured, Jamie Sands ’88.

deerfield.edu

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’92

’96

’92

’87

’95

’87

clockwise from top left: Astrid Alexander Clark, daughter of Maja Clark ’96, joined big sisters Pippa and Frances on June 12, 2013. | Elizabeth Cooper ’92 says, “Here is a photo of my daughter, Gabrielle, age nine—future DA student, and perhaps of archeology.” | Augustus (Gus) Scott Amorosi, son of John ’87 and Alexandra Amorosi, was born this past summer. | Charles Thomas Priest, aka “Charlie,” was welcomed by Brady Priest ’95 and his wife on December 4, 2012. | George Demas ’87 and family. | John Adornato ’92 and family.

Winter 2014

1992

Class Captains Elizabeth B. Cooper Kristina I. Hess Jeffrey Morrison McDowell Clayton T. Sullivan “Hi everyone!” says John Adornato. “We’re so glad to have the blessing of a beautiful son! He was born six weeks early, however, but at five months is a bruiser at almost 17 pounds. We look forward to everyone meeting him someday. Thanks for all the support.” “We’ve just made the move to Ross, CA, in gorgeous Marin county and are loving it!” reports Fay Dearborn. “Our son Lee, age four, is already asking for a tree house in the backyard redwood. We’d love to get together if you’re in the area. I’ve recently started work at the Legion of Honor Museum and my husband Jeff is the director of two San Francisco film festivals.” “I am enjoying being a parent of two crazy kids, ages four and six, while keeping

Ellison Dial Suthoff, Tamiko Wagner (née Khalid-Khan), and Allison Higgins, all Class of ’94, ran the Napa to Sonoma half marathon this past July.

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Evolver.fm publication I founded there. You can catch me on NPR from time to time, chatting about the latest trends in how humans enjoy music.” Having left his division director job and enjoyed a sabbatical of courses, experiments, painting, traveling, and more, Timo Weymouth has willingly and joyfully re-entered the science classroom at Tower Hill School in Delaware!

’94 up with my job at Disney Interactive,” writes Iago Macleod. “I am loving surfing the Central Coast of CA from my perch in Capitola. Please give us a shout out if anyone is in the area! And send your resume this way if you are looking to make video games in Palo Alto. Cheers!”

1993

Class Captains Kimberly Ann Capello John T. Collura Christopher T. DeRosa Michelle Lin Greenip Charlotte York Matthews Sarah D. Weihman Marjorie Maxim Gibbons Widener “Dublin’s been a good spot to meet up with old friends lately,” reports Vanessa Moss. “I had a pint with both Julie Wolf Deffense and Tamiko Wagner this summer as they passed through, which was great. My family also spent time with Liz Andrews and her family in France this past August (which was brilliant fun!), so as much as I was sorry to miss Reunions this year, it’s been great to spontaneously catch up with people on this side of the pond. Perhaps there’s a Deerfield Dublin Club in the making?”

1994

Annual Giving National Chair Daniel B. Garrison Reunion Chair Michael J. Glazer The Class of 1994 is happy to announce its 20th Reunion Committee: Jenny Buck, Betsey Clark Dickson, TJ Filip, Dan Garrison, Mikey Glazer, Chris Halpin, Kacy White Hintze, Greg Lowry, EB McCusker, Jamie Roach Murray, Henry Oakey, Zoe Parker Smith, LT Thompson, and Jon Wolanske.

1995

Class Captains Daniel D. Meyer Avery B. Whidden “My wife Sarah and I welcomed our first child, Charles Thomas Priest (Charlie), into the world on December 4, 2012,” says Brady Priest. “Charlie is a joy and has already taught his dad a lot (including that sleep deprivation can be enjoyable). Hope everyone is well.”

deerfield.edu

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’91

MICHAEL SUCSY

“I DO”— AT LAST by Anna Newman

Winter 2014

When Michael Sucsy ’91’s fiancé, Demitri Sgourakis, proposed to him on Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be Mr. Sucsy’s birthday, last year, they didn’t know if they would ever be able to marry legally in their home state of California. That all changed on June 26, when the US Supreme Court overturned California’s Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage. “To have been excluded for so long and finally be included means a lot,” Mr. Sucsy told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was overwhelming. Proposing was something personal,” Mr. Sgourakis said. “We had no idea at what point, or if, things would change.” Mr. Sucsy and Mr. Sgourakis were profiled in The Hollywood Reporter, as an example of a Hollywood power couple—Mr. Sucsy is the award-winning director of Grey Gardens and Mr. Sgourakis is an interior designer—now planning to walk down the aisle. And they will be only one of the estimated 37,000 same-sex couples who will marry in California over the next three years. In what The Hollywood Reporter calls the “rainbow ripple effect,” California’s $7 billion wedding industry will receive a $500 million boost from these new couples. “We want to have something festive but relatively small,” Mr. Sucsy said about their wedding plans, to which Mr. Sgourakis responded, “He says that now.” ••

Amanda Friedman

fiancé

“We welcomed our second daughter, Leony Marguerite Albro, to the world on July 22,” says Lisle Albro. “We had a busy summer with a new baby and a move!” reports Maja Clark. “Astrid Alexander Clark was born June 12, 2013, and joins big sisters Pippa and Frances. We also moved from Northern NY to Sharon, CT, in the beautiful Litchfield Hills. Please be in touch if you are in the area!”

1997

Class Captains Amy Sodha Harsch Margot M. Pfohl Cathy Poor reports, “In October I started my dream job as a chemist at a startup developing renewable chemicals and fuels.” Cathy and family also moved to Boulder, CO, shortly after the massive flooding that region experienced. Prior to the move Cathy commented, “It’ll be an adventure!”

1998

Class Captains Thomas Dudley Bloomer Ashley Muldoon Lavin Alice Elizabeth Leiter Vanessa Bazzocchi McCafferty Okechukwu Ugwonali “I was disappointed to miss the 15th Reunion this past summer, but Emily Comer, Maggie Stone, and Courtney Johnson joined me in Atlanta for a mini-reunion and baby shower to celebrate my impending arrival. The new baby received his first Deerfield onesies, bibs, and hats. He is excited to wear green and white!” Andrea Landers says.

AJ Lika and Janelle Lynn Plaza were married in Yountville, CA, on August 10, 2013. Following the ceremony at Holy Family Mission Church in Rutherford, CA, the reception was held at a neighboring private vineyard. Many Deerfield alumni joined in the celebration.

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1996

1999

Reunion Chairs Alexander Hooker Mejia Christopher Colin Wallace Michael P. Weissman Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

AJ Lika ’98 and Janelle Lynn Plaza were married in Yountville, CA, on August 10, 2013. Following the ceremony at Holy Family Mission Church in Rutherford, CA, the reception was held at a neighboring private vineyard. Back, l to r: Gov Graney ’98, Wallis Wallace, Claire Barth, Sarah Brown, Barrett Norton, Chris Dirkes ’98, Andrew Norton ’98, Ethan Meers ’98, Chris Wallace ’99, Scott MacArthur ’98, Victoria Lika ’99, Kate MacArthur, AJ Lika ’98, Clay LeConey ’98, Janelle Lika, Nick Liebowitz ’98, Ian Franke ’98, Joe Tarr ’98, Seamus Somers ’98, Spencer Cherry ’98; front, l to r: Ana Liebowitz, Mary Franke, Coco Meers, Yasmine Westmacott ’98, Luisana Roccia ’98, Fernanda Tarr, Katie Cherry, and Lexy Armour.

’98

deerfield.edu

ASHLEY PROUT McAVEY

the common room

activist

SHAMEFUL STATISTICS by Lynn Horowitch We will never see an African Western Black Rhino in the wild again—they were officially declared extinct two years ago. This reality is what keeps Ashley Prout McAvey ’92 awake at night—that and the fact that elephants are on a similar path to extinction due to unprecedented poaching. There are fewer elephants on the African continent than ever before: just 472,000, and that number will more than likely be significantly less by the time this issue of Deerfield Magazine is in your hands. Presently, elephant poaching in Africa is at a record high, and it is literally decimating the species. An elephant is killed every 15 minutes for their tusks, with an estimated 36,000 being slaughtered each year. If the killing continues at the current level, elephants will be extinct in 10 years. Ms. McAvey has begun a crusade to stop the killing. Most recently, she teamed up with the Wildlife Conservation Society and spearheaded an event at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources this past fall. Over 300 people attended Battle for the Elephants: A Special Screening and Solutions Panel Discussion, which featured the onehour National Geographic documentary followed by a panel discussion on dynamic solutions to the “blood ivory” crisis. “The event was incredible but it’s just a starting point,” Ms. McAvey said. “Wildlife trafficking is the third largest illegal trade in the world, after drugs and guns. Given the tremendous ecological loss at stake, the brutality of the poaching (just recently over 300 elephants in Zimbabwe were killed by cyanide dumped into their drinking holes), and the deeply rooted global security implications (evidence is increasingly showing that illicit proceeds from ivory are financing some of the world’s worst militia and terrorist groups, including

Winter 2014

Go to 96elephants.org for more information and ways to help.

Al Shabaab and the Lord’s Resistance Army’s Joseph Kony), planning this event was just the beginning of what it will take to truly stop this carnage.” She added, “I am also particularly interested in showcasing how millions of people’s livelihoods are at risk given the importance of tourism in so many African countries. If we don’t care, we will never see elephants in the wild. What an embarrassment to humanity if that happens. How will we explain that to our children?” Next up for Ms. McAvey is partnering with fellow Deerfield alumnus Fred Waugh ’75 on an ambitious plan to work with the leading minds and organizations in the world to call for a ban on the domestic US ivory market—state by state. “Not many people realize that while it is illegal to bring ivory into this country, it is perfectly legal to buy and sell ivory domestically,” said Ms. McAvey. “This must change before we can ask countries such as China to drop the trade.” Ms. McAvey is also excited to bring her message to local schools in her home state of Vermont, in an effort to empower kids to act, too. And she is petitioning the Vatican to publicly disavow the use of ivory stating, “The ripple effects of an example like this would be profound. Above all, I think the key is hope and action. We can change the way things are going by doing something today and making sure that once we are successful, we never, never come back to this place again.” ••

screenshots: 96elephants.org; Ashley Prout photo courtest of Ashley Prout

’92

’01

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The weekend of June 15 proved to be very exciting. I am happy to report that I graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and will be continuing my career in commercial real estate post graduation. The bigger news is that I proposed one day before graduation to my awesome girlfriend Leila Scheinman, and she said yes! —Brian Myers ’01

’04

’02

’10 Brian Myers ’01 and Leila Scheinman were engaged this past June. | Katie Coyne ’04 and Casey Ftorek (Taft, Class of ’03) were married on August 10, 2013, in Wolfeboro NH. Other Deerfield alumni in attendance were Peter Bell ’04, Greg Daggett ’04, Haley Warden Rodgers ’04, and Brian Jurek ’85. Pictured here are the ’04 crew. | Jimmy Canner ’02 met up with classmates Turner Bailey and Malcom Dorson for dinner at Blue Ribbon. | Harley Brown ’10 took part in a 400-mile Connecticut bike tour in support of Bridgeport (CT) Youth Lacrosse.

deerfield.edu

by Ethan Peterson-New ’13 As previously reported in Deerfield Magazine, in September 2008 Ayr Muir ’96 opened Clover Food Lab with a single food truck and a progressive vision for sustainable fast food. Since then Mr. Muir’s company has expanded to five restaurants and eleven trucks scattered around the Boston area; The Wall Street Journal has listed Clover as one of the top ten food trucks in the country, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino dubbed Clover’s soy bacon BLT the best BLT in Boston. Clover’s venues draw crowds on a daily basis, and they have become fixtures in the Boston restaurant scene. So what did Mr. Muir do when an outbreak of salmonella hit Clover? He told it like it was. A unique component of Mr. Muir’s business model is his approach to Clover’s Internet and social media presence: The company’s website posts daily menus, and cultivates a large following on Twitter. Customers can pre-order food online, or suggest a new location for a truck. Mr. Muir also runs a blog. Transparency lies at the heart of this tactic, as he encourages an active and open dialogue between Clover and the customers they serve. During the recent outbreak of salmonella linked to his food, Mr. Muir posted the results of health inspections on his blog as he received them, and his openness about the challenges his company faces is a testament to the environment of honesty Clover has managed to create with its customers. Despite the rapid expansion of his business and the numerous accolades it has received, Mr. Muir is still seeking to build on his success. His dream? To one day provide sustainable and healthy fast food that will challenge even the giants of the industry. It is certainly a daunting task, but with sixteen successful locations already and many more in the works, continued growth and success is almost certainly on the horizon.

Winter 2014

MUIR

entrepreneur At the core of Mr. Muir’s philosophy is the importance of environmental sustainability. He does not brand his food as “vegetarian” or “healthy,” but there are no meat products on the menu, and all the food is as fresh and as local as possible. This eliminates both the resource-intensive production of meat and the immense use of fossil fuels required to transport food long distances. The company has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to their sustainable vision not only through the food they serve, but also through their practices. All Clover Food Lab utensils and containers are compostable, and vegetable oil powers all the trucks. This system falls in stark contrast to the dominant fast food industry practices of meat-heavy menus with food transported hundreds or thousands of miles, and large amounts of waste in packaging. Yet Clover does it all without compromising taste or speed. In a recent interview in The Boston Globe Muir explained his strategy: “What we’re doing is trying to gain people’s trust. That requires being honest about our faults as well as our triumphs.” Clover wants the customers to be as invested in their success as the employees, and the key to that is authentic and active conversation. The company’s success and the continuing loyalty of their customers is evidence both of the effectiveness of a business model founded on respect and of the power of local, sustainable food that tastes delicious. ••

l & r, Instagram users: zdenadel, Teresa Misaga (@missgal), slowclubcookery

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FOODIE FOR THOUGHT

’96 AYR

Class Captains Lisa Rosemary Craig Emily Jean Dawson Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

2001

Class Captain James Dorr Dunning Brian Myers writes, “The weekend of June 15 proved to be very exciting. I am happy to report that I graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and will be continuing my career in commercial real estate post graduation. The bigger news is that I proposed one day before graduation to my awesome girlfriend Leila Scheinman, and she said yes! We got to celebrate with friends and family in town for my graduation before taking off for a month in Europe. Wedding plans are temporarily on hold as we try to figure out where we are going to be living, but we couldn’t be happier to be taking the journey together.”

2002

Class Captains William Malcolm Dorson Robert Agee Gibbons Terrence Paul O’Toole Dorothy Elizabeth Reifenheiser David Branson Smith Serena Stanfill Tufo

2003

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2000

Class Captains Eric David Grossman Tara Ann Tersigni

2004

Reunion Chairs Nicholas Zachary Hammerschlag Caroline C. Whitton

2005

Class Captains H. Jett Fein Bentley J. Rubinstein Torey A. Van Oot “At 12:41 am on February 7, 2013, Robert Gordon Armentrout was born in Columbus, OH,” Glynis Armentrout tells us. “Finishing up with a PhD in biostatistics at Harvard,” reported Jarupon “Fah” Sathirapongsasuti. “Then I am moving to the Bay Area to start a full time job at 23andMe while moonlighting as a co-founder/CTO of a sexual health technology startup called SQ (SQgenius. com). My partner and I also bought our first house in Napa Valley.”

2006

Current chair holder, Sheryl Cabral

By establishing the Helen Childs Boyden Distinguished Chair in Teaching— awarded to especially committed faculty—Naomi Reed P’51 G’86 ensured that her gratitude, and Mrs. Boyden’s inspiration, live on.

Learn more: deerfield.edu/go/boyden Katherine McKay, Director of Gift Planning 413-774-1872

Class Captain Kevin C. Meehan

2007

Class Captains Matthew McCormick Carney Elizabeth Conover Cowan Jennifer Ross Rowland Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

deerfield.edu

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’08 2008

2009

Liz Asche married Merrill Matthews on August 17, 2013, in Kiawah Island, SC. Bridesmaids included Sarah Brim, Anneke Baran, Jennie Natenshon, Simone Miller, and Katherine Moriarty. Also in attendance were Deerfield classmates Coco Cowan, Kelly Mulrow, Mike Hauge, Bo Swindell, Joe LaSala, Amos Denny, Nick Roth, Macrae Gould, and Gary Wong. Liz and Merrill will be settling down in NYC, as Merrill begins a career at Barclay’s Capital and Liz completes medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Lucy Drummond is assisting Laurin Raiken, founding professor emeritus of NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, to create an arts archive from over 50 years (roughly 3,000 books) of his teaching materials.

“After graduating from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in May, I moved to Shanghai to run sales and operations for a startup, SafeSource Trading,” reports Elizabeth Schieffelin. “My company exports American agricultural goods to China. Outside of work, I am continuing my Mandarin studies and doing a lot of traveling. If any other Deerfield grads are in the area, I hope to meet up! (My email is elizabethschieffelin@gmail.com). Peter Van Oot, who graduated from Trinity College last year, was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach in Indonesia. A resident of Brattleboro, VT, Peter has long been interested in teaching, having helped start the Trinity Episcopal Day School in Hartford, CT. An economics major at Trinity, Peter spent the spring of 2012 at

Class Captains Sarah Helen Brim Robert Haldane Swindell

Winter 2014

Reunion Chairs Elizabeth Utley Schieffelin Nicholas Warren Squires the University of Cambridge in England but said he was interested in applying for a Fulbright to teach in Southeast Asia specifically because it’s “culturally and ethnically different from what I’ve experienced at Trinity and in England.” Peter headed to Jakarta this past August for a two-week orientation, and then to Kendari, a city of approximately 300,000 residents in the province of South East Sulawesi, where he is teaching high school students. The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 by Congress to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries.”

Liz Asche ’08 and Merrill Matthews were married on August 17, 2013, in Kiawah Island, SC. Bridesmaids included Sarah Brim, Anneke Baran, Jennie Natenshon, Simone Miller, and Katherine Moriarty. Also in attendance were Deerfield classmates Coco Cowan, Kelly Mulrow, Mike Hauge, Bo Swindell, Joe LaSala, Amos Denny, Nick Roth, Macrae Gould, and Gary Wong, all from the Class of 2008.

2010 “Hey everyone,” said Harley Brown. “My business partner and I just finished our 400mile bike tour around Connecticut in support of Bridgeport Youth Lacrosse. We are raising money to help them purchase a new van to transport the athletes to and from the playing fields. Watch our journey unfold here: igg.me/ at/supportBYL.”

2011, 2012, 2013 Please send us your news and notes! See page 64.

MARCO SAAVEDRA

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left: Kenyon College; right: Steve Pavey

’07

activist

CIVIL, BUT DISOBEDIENT Immigration reform is a hot-button national and political topic, but for Marco Saavedra ’07, the issue is highly personal and highly important—important enough for a stay in jail. The steps that led to jail for Mr. Saavedra begin with a familiar immigrant story: Mr. Saavedra was born in Mexico. His parents, Antonio Saavedra and Natalia Mendez, were subsistence farmers in San Miguel Ahuehuetitlan in Oaxaca. They wanted a better life for themselves and their children, Marco and a sister, Yajaira. In 1992, Mr. Saavedra and Ms. Mendez moved to New York City. They settled in Washington Heights, found work, and quickly recognized the opportunities available for their family—most importantly good public education. In an article in The New York Times from September 2013, Ms. Mendez describes what she noticed. “Everywhere I went I saw schools,” she told the reporter. “I didn’t know what was inside, but there was a school every two or three blocks. I thought I’d be the happiest mother in the world if my children could go to school here.” So Mr. Saavedra, who was three at the time, and his sister came to New York as undocumented immigrants. They and another sibling born in New York fulfilled their mother’s dream by going to school, working hard, and thriving. Mr. Saavedra participated in Prep for Prep, a program that identifies promising students of color and helps them apply and transition

by Lynn Horowitch

to top independent and boarding schools. After Deerfield, Mr. Saavedra earned a scholarship to attend Kenyon College in Ohio. During his junior year at Kenyon, Mr. Saavedra, unable to travel abroad because of his illegal status, spent a semester at Georgetown University. While there, he joined a group of nine men and women who call themselves Dreamers, a name taken from the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act. Like Mr. Saavedra, most of the group’s members were young and undocumented. Mr. Saavedra returned to Kenyon for his senior year committed to raising awareness of and enacting change on immigration issues. He arranged for speakers to come to campus and organized workshops to educate the community about immigration reform. In honor of his efforts, he won Kenyon’s Humanitarian Award and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, given to the student who has “best promoted social justice through service activities and programs as exemplified by the life and work of Dr. King.” After graduating from Kenyon two years ago, Mr. Saavedra came home to New York City to work at La Morada, the family restaurant in the South Bronx. He also joined the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of activists intent on reform and a path to citizenship, primarily through civil disobedience. Mr. Saavedra has since risked deportation, been arrested, and spent time in jail—intentionally. He was held in a Florida facility and a prison in North Carolina in 2011 and in an Arizona jail for three weeks last summer, including a stint in solitary confinement. Mr. Saavedra’s actions have brought attention to his status, as his story has been told in national and local news media. An article in the Kenyon Collegian included a quote from a close friend of Mr. Saavedra. The friend said, “I think Marco’s hope was that this would lead to a broader question rather than ‘How can I help Marco?’ but ‘How can I help this movement or how can I help bring about awareness for the dignity of immigrants?’” ••

deerfield.edu

the common room

ROB PANNELL athlete

Winter 2014

’08

Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

the common room

LAX LIZARD

by Bob York

Everybody should have an Uncle Jim . . . just like Rob Pannell’s ’08 Uncle Jim. Mr. Pannell’s uncle, aka Jim Metzger, is a former Hofstra University AllAmerican lacrosse player, so he knows a thing or two about the sport. Mr. Pannell knows the business end of a lacrosse stick as well. Last spring he received the Tewaaraton Award, “which is college lacrosse’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy,” explained Deerfield Academy lacrosse Coach Chip Davis, after his former Big Green star earned the hardware that is annually presented to the most outstanding NCAA lacrosse player in the country. In June, Mr. Pannell wrapped up a star-studded stay at Cornell University by setting the career scoring record in men’s Division I college lacrosse by chalking up 354 points. The first overall pick in the 2012 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft by the New York Lizards and the league’s 2013 Rookie of the Year “is definitely one of the most highly decorated players to ever play college lacrosse,” added Davis. Had it not been for his Uncle Jim, however, Mr. Pannell, who attended Deerfield as a postgraduate, might not be college lacrosse’s top scorer today, fans probably wouldn’t be able to read about him on Wikipedia, and Deerfield Academy definitely wouldn’t have played a role in laying the groundwork for his yellow brick road to stardom. “When I graduated from Smithtown High School, I was all set to attend Quinnipiac College,” said Mr. Pannell, who led the Long Island area in scoring his senior year with 130 points, and was named a high school All-American. Due to the fact that lacrosse is played during the spring, college coaches, in an attempt to stay ahead of the recruiting curve, primarily key in on high school juniors. During Mr. Pannell’s junior season, he rang up 71 points, “but I was overshadowed by a couple of other really outstanding players on the team,” he explained. “Plus, a lack of size and speed didn’t help me getting noticed, either.” So, it was off to Quinnipiac—until Uncle Jim put in his two cents worth. “Nothing against Quinnipiac,” said Mr. Pannell, “but my uncle said, ‘I think you’re better than that . . . why don’t you try a season of prep school lacrosse and see where that takes you.’ So I did. “And as far as I’m concerned, selecting Deerfield was one of the best decisions I ever made . . . that, and selecting Cornell,” said Mr. Pannell. “Playing that one year at Deerfield was a fantastic experience, not only athletically, but scholastically as well. Deerfield helped open the door to a number of great college opportunities.” Playing for the Big Green also enhanced Pannell’s opportunity to be scouted by someone very familiar with Deerfield lacrosse. Former Cornell Head Coach

Ben Deluca ’94 also played for Deerfield as a postgraduate before moving on to play at Cornell. He was an assistant coach there when Mr. Pannell was playing for Deerfield and made a number of treks back to his alma mater to scout him. “What makes him such an outstanding lacrosse player is the fact that fundamentally, he’s the soundest player I’ve ever seen,” said Mr. Davis of Mr. Pannell, who owns the Deerfield single-season scoring record with 99 points in just 16 games. “Plus, both his stick work and footwork are impeccable . . . and when you combine those traits, you’ve got yourself a darn good lacrosse player.” That’s not all that Mr. Pannell attributes to his success, however. “I feel as though I’ve developed a strong work ethic over the years,” he said. “Plus, I’m never satisfied with what I’ve done . . . my goal is to be the best player I can be.” “In order to accomplish what Rob did the year he played here, you’d have to average over six points a game,” added Chip Davis. “Now, there are some players who could average six points a game over five games or so, but not for an entire season. What Rob did here and at Cornell as far as scoring is concerned is truly incredible.” Mr. Pannell, the Ivy League’s first ever three-time Player of the Year award winner, immediately showed he was well worth being the MLL’s top draft pick by scoring three goals and an assist in his professional debut. He would finish his first season in The Big Apple with 42 points on 25 goals and 17 assists and for his efforts he earned a spot in the MLL All-Star Game and was later named Rookie of the Year. Ironically, the future four-time All-American was awarded Cornell’s final roster spot, “but just like at Deerfield,” said Mr. Pannell, “I got the chance . . . I’m just glad I made the most of it.” As for his Uncle Jim, he’s just glad he pointed him in the right direction. ••

deerfield.edu

the common room

’10

KAYLA CORCORAN volunteer

THE VEGETABLES OF THEIR LABOR “We were not going in with answers,” said Kayla Corcoran ’10. “We were going in with a toolkit.” Ms. Corcoran, a junior at Georgetown University, was describing her approach to two months spent last summer in Nkomangwa, in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Ms. Corcoran traveled there as part of a team from ThinkImpact. ThinkImpact is an education travel program that places college and graduate students in communities in Africa and Latin America to foster asset-based community development, or as Ms. Corcoran said, “a business idea with a social focus.” The goal of the program is not for participants to impose ideas on a community, but for them to listen, to collaborate, and to devise solutions that are workable and empowering. The experience began with two weeks of conversations, as the ThinkImpact participants met with community members, while community leaders translated between English and Kinyarwanda. Ms. Corcoran and her fellow team members heard about the agricultural challenges of the region: Land prices are high. Water is scarce. The weather is hot. Seeds are expensive. All farming is done by hand with machetes and hoes. While certain crops, including plantains, sorghum, maize, and cassava, do well in the hard soil, growing vegetables is a challenge. “What emerged out of this process was a simple idea with incredible potential,” said Ms. Corcoran. She and her team members—from ThinkImpact and the local community— came up with the concept of cultivating “sack gardens,” which have been used in other regions of Africa and in the Middle East with great success. Essentially, a sack garden is an efficient growing environment. “You take a big burlap or plastic sack—and they have a lot of those in Rwanda,” Ms. Corcoran said. A column of rocks surrounded by dirt and fertilizer creates a water-efficient growing environment.

Winter 2014

“Water only releases as necessary,” said Ms. Corcoran. “You don’t have to weed, since you transplant seedlings into the sack.” Sack gardens transform one cubic meter of soil into five square meters of arable farm land. “Costing less than a dollar per bag to start, sack gardens posed a low-risk investment with a high profit potential,” Ms. Corcoran explained. By the end of her two months in Rwanda, Ms. Corcoran and her partner had planted beans to transplant into a small prototype. The local team planned to grow carrots, celery, and onions, when the planting season began shortly after Ms. Corcoran’s departure. The local residents had a name for their efforts: Imbereheza, the Kinyarwanda word for “to have a good vision for the future.” “Imbereheza’s vision is two-fold,” said Ms. Corcoran, “to provide nutrition and food variety for their own families and those of community members, and to use the extra income from the vegetable sales to become seed-independent, so that they are not forced to buy the seed at more expensive prices from outside sellers.” As an English major, minoring in Arabic and history, at Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences, Ms. Corcoran does not have a track record in agricultural studies, let alone innovation. But she does have a strong interest in global issues, which started at Deerfield. “I became fascinated with Rwanda in Mr. (Joe) Lyons’ 20th Century History class that I took during senior year,” said Ms. Corcoran. A trip to India with Round Square also fostered a curiosity about different cultures and a passion for travel; that experience encouraged her to take a gap year at King’s Academy in Jordan. When the email about ThinkImpact came from the Office of International Programs to Ms. Corcoran’s inbox last December, she recalled, “I was intrigued. I’m always looking for the next big adventure.” ••

Alexandra Candill (1 & 3); Charles Smalling (2)

by Lynn Horowitch

the common room Jeff Brown

’06

WE so no S fB RE T / M TT EN WE ’S LU ST GE ’84

MOLLY SCHAUS / WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY

GOOD LUCK IN SOCHI!

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1983 1978

Winter 2014

1986

deerfield.edu/reunions

June 5-8, 2014 / Deerfield

the common room

2013 Register now!

4’s& 9’s

SAVE $50 on your registration rate. Sign up on or before March 18, 2014

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DEERFIELD CLUB SO CAL

D E E R F I E L D C L U B AT L A N TA

Jenny Hammond / Brent M. Hale

REGIONAL + CLUB EVENTS

A M E R I C A’ S C U P F I N A L S

LA ANGELS GAME 1 front, l to r:

Guy Smith ’00, Sarah Wright, Darwin Hunt ’03, John LaMantia ’06, Michael Chang ’97, Lee Moody ’82, Srdjan Gojkovich. back, l to r: Jenny Hammond, Lacee Smith ’02, Jim Labbe ’94, Justin Brennan ’90, Mark Boryta ’81, Annabelle Rosborough ’03, Dwayne Gathers ’80, Dane Boryta, Victor Wright ’84, Lauren Wright, Julie Wright. BRAVES GAME 2 Kevin Psonak, Andy McCall, Hayes Gifford ’10, Shalanda Miller ’95, Alberto Garcia-Tuñon ’91, Dana Lambert, Sandy Rose ’66. back, l to r: Art Clement ’66 P’00, Rick Gore, Arthur Clement ’00, Wes Gifford P’10, Kevin McCall, Bryan Sells ’89, Andy Hough ’89.

D E E R F I E L D C LU B N E W YO R K

America’s cup 3 l to r: Josh Huffard ’87, Heather Hero,

Ben Hall ’63, Amanda Sims ’03, Polly Kline, Peter Kline ’66 3 Peter Kline ’66, Polly Kline, Amanda Sims ’03, Ben Hall ’63, Heather Hero, Josh Huffard ’87, and Katherine McKay

56 SOUL CYCLE RIDE 5 Jett Fein ’05, Torey VanOot ’05, Meredith Olson ’05, Meredith Scala ’06 5 The Deerfield Club of New York met on October 26 at the E 63rd studio of SoulCycle for an afternoon ride.

Winter 2014

deerfield.edu/alumni/clubs for club photo galleries.

DEERFIELD CLUB KOREA

C H O AT E D AY D E E R F I E L D 1 Annabelle Apley ’94 shared this photo via

Instagram: #beatchoate! 2 George Mesires ’87 tweeted this photo as they watched the live webcast. 3 The 5th Annual Friends of Deerfield Korea Open took place on September 27, 2013, at Hevichi Country Club. Under beautiful weather conditions, we had a turnout of 16 players, including Deerfield parents and alumni. We used the “Shin Peoria” handicap format for this tournament. Dr. Youngdoo Yoon P’11 was crowned the 2013 champion as he shot a net score of 72.8 to narrowly defeat Sangbum Kim P’14 who shot a net score of 73.2. 4 Isabel Nassief ’07 and Ben Cmejla ’07 5 Caroline Seabolt ’10 and Elisa Manrique ’10 6 Peter Nilsson and Charlie Hymen ’05 7 Ed Bristol ’53 8 George Baldwin ’61 P’14 and Caroline Baldwin ’14 9 Mari Silipo ’05, Ali Hellberg ’05, Kara Durocher ’03, Kate Hession ’03 1� The Burns—Gregory P’13, Kyle ’13, Pamela P’13

A C A D E M Y E V E N T WA S H I N G TO N , D . C .

1 2

46 5

UPCOMING EVENTS deerfield.edu/go/events

February 1 Deerfield Sugarbush Weekend 11 UNC & Duke Dinner

March 3 Deerfield in San Diego 4 Deerfield in San Francisco 29 Deerfield Club of the Rockies: Vail Weekend

April ACADEMY EVENT BOSTON

5 Day of Service 1�

8 Dartmouth Dinner 78 9

Invitations are mailed approximately six weeks before each event. If you have not received an invitation and would like to attend a particular event, please contact the Alumni and Development Office: events@deerfield.edu or 413-774-1474

Deerfield in NYC

Deerfield in Winnetka, IL

deerfield.edu

first person: Teddy Romeyn ’13 92

Like Father, (un) Like Son

Winter 2014

“Fat Ted“(center) 2013 Deerfield Cup recipient.

friends in a dormitory full of rambunctious boys. Young, shy, and insecure, I attempted to change things I had no control over. I wanted people to like me and tried to establish my identity as a football player. This had worked back in Darien, but let’s be honest, no one really cares if you’re the secondstring tight end on JV football. No matter how loud I wanted to be, what crazy pranks I wanted to pull, or what kooky nickname I wanted to go by, I was not the person I wanted to be. I found refuge in the one part of my life that I felt I could control: my studies. Back home I had strong relationships with my teachers and when I worked hard, they appreciated my efforts. Being a “geek” seemed utterly unappealing, but as I tried to define myself, I felt I could only do so as a student. Much to my disappointment, my cousin and I didn’t see a lot of each other freshman year. He lived in Barton, and I was far too lazy to make the walk from Scaife. I had always compared us to our fathers, believing that we would be an inseparable pair. I found myself, however, growing apart from him. Because we have the same last name, there were inevitable comparisons, and I could not be known as the inferior Romeyn. We competed socially, athletically, and academically. As one who shies away from competition, I felt uncomfortable, and when Conner earned himself a seat in third boat on the crew team, I felt I had lost the war. As freshman year wore on, I began to question my decision to come to Deerfield, because beyond the difficulty of finding myself in a new environment and competing with a close family member, there was a greater struggle looming above it all: I could not say that I loved Deerfield. My Dad loved Deerfield, all the alumni I met seemed to love Deerfield, and all the students around me seemed to love Deerfield, too, but I could not honestly make the seemingly universal claim, “I love Deerfield.” Despite my desire to withdraw, I was too scared to speak to my parents—my Dad in particular. At the end of the year, I was asked to write a freshman reflection for the Class of 2013 for the Scroll. I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t feel a strong connection with my class, but in the end I decided to write a comparison between the Deerfield of the past and the present—a comparison that I had been making throughout the year. I interviewed my Dad and decided to speak to one other Deerfield alumnus: my English teacher, Frank Henry, Class of ’69. We began our conversation discussing Mr. Henry’s memories of playing stickball after sit-down dinner and sneaking out of Hitchcock after curfew. Mr. Henry’s train of thought then shifted to the ’80s and ’90s; he talked about the rise of technology at Deerfield and the transition to coeducation. He mentioned all the heads of school; he named faculty who had come and gone—Young, McGlynn,

first person: Teddy Romeyn ’13

In the winter of 1978 my father and his identical twin Peter received their letters of admission to Deerfield. They were excited to leave their small Vermont hometown, but even so they were completely unaware of the remarkable effect that Deerfield would have on their lives. They’d been oblivious to the existence of boarding schools until they met with the Exeter hockey coach the previous summer. When he recommended that they apply to some “prep schools” to play more competitive hockey, my uncle replied, “Prep school? What’s that?” Just over three decades later I received a similar letter from Deerfield. I was much more familiar with boarding schools than my father and Peter had been. The son of a Deerfield alumnus, the brother of a St. Mark’s School student, and a native of Darien, Connecticut, I had always known about private schools. Nevertheless, I did not know the true identity of the school I was about to enter. I had a rather outdated vision of Deerfield based upon my Dad’s stories of his experience. I didn’t expect to struggle at Deerfield. Dad and Pete were—and still are—a dynamic duo. They had an awesome and derogatory nickname at Deerfield: “The Uglies,” or, because they were twins, “Ugly One and Ugly Two,” which was bestowed upon them after the captain of the hockey team jokingly described them as “the ugliest things I have ever seen.” They once wore no pants to classes in the winter, strutting around campus in boxers and knicker socks. They broke into the ice rink at one in the morning to skate in nothing but jock straps (both Jim Antone and Normy claim that Dad and Pete took ten years off their lives). They took French IV with Ms. Lyons but were in different periods, which allowed them to switch places if one of them ever needed a free period (they were as identical as identical twins could be). They proctored together in Wells House during their senior year. In 1981 they graduated back-to-back in their class in GPA. Mr. Kaufmann called them up as a pair at Commencement, claiming, “I can’t tell the difference between these two! Ugly One and Ugly Two, come on up!” This was the Deerfield I had always envisioned—a place where social tensions were non-existent, and I could be a rowdy varsity athlete and have a nickname that all my friends would call me. When I learned that I would attend Deerfield with Peter’s son—Conner—I was excited to think we could be a duo like Dad and Pete had been. The beginning of my freshman year was like struggling through a test I’d been too confident to bother studying for. Deerfield was not the Deerfield that I had expected. I was trying to impress my football coaches as I struggled to make

deerfield.edu

first person: Teddy Romeyn ’13 94

and Brush—names that I had only heard of in my Dad’s stories. It was at this moment that I realized that Deerfield was not a lie, but it certainly wasn’t the same school my Dad had attended. Time had transformed it. I immersed myself in Deerfield in search of aspects of the past that had survived, so I could better comprehend the Deerfield of the present. The 2004 Baccalaureate address by Jamie Kapteyn, Class of ’79, was one of the most important documents that I read. I believed that Deerfield’s motto, “Be worthy of your heritage,” had lost its value. Most students, including me, paid little attention to it, but it seemed important to the alumni I met at Reunions. Mr. Kapteyn, however, helped me to find my own meaning for our school’s motto. “To be immersed in the massive strength of Deerfield Academy,” he wrote, “is to feel small just as it is to feel huge . . . ‘Be worthy of your heritage’ humbles us before the past and uplifts us for the future.” When I read this, I understood that I had the opportunity to be a small part of a community that was ultimately larger than the sum of its parts. Feeling the presence of Deerfield’s history and the people who dedicated their lives to the school made me appreciate my opportunity. It inspired humility. When I was competing against another school, working on a project for student council, or studying late into the night, I came to think of it as saying “thank you” to Deerfield through my efforts. Mr. Kapteyn showed me that I would have to earn my place at Deerfield. Finding meaning in Deerfield’s motto made me curious about other sayings from the past, such as Mr. Boyden’s “Look to the hills.” Many students I knew spent more time indoors on electronic devices rather than looking to the hills, which led me to believe that this phrase had lost its significance. I decided to change that for myself by quitting football to run cross country. Tired of playing football in the hopes of raising my social status, I also knew that the cross country team received the least amount of attention of all the fall sports teams . . . and that was ok. I explored the trails atop Pocumtuck Mountain, ran behind tractors in the north and south meadows, and occasionally hid in the corn stalks to jump out and scare the girls on the field hockey team as they jogged by. I was the heaviest member of the team at 190 pounds after training for football, and my teammates bestowed upon me a nickname almost as awesome and derogatory as “the Uglies”: Fat Ted. I must admit it was never the nickname I expected to have, but I took it in stride (no pun intended). Finally pursuing a sport for my own enjoyment, I began to feel comfortable in my own skin. I discovered I was a runner, not a football player. I was also a student, not a rowdy teenager, like my Dad had been. I developed my own

Winter 2014

personal philosophies. I realized that defining myself as an individual rather than conforming to social norms actually helped me find roles within the community. In other words, I focused on becoming unique instead of trying to be the best. I became known as a studier, the “slowest fast runner” on the cross country team, and a student council representative. I began to take pride in having roles that I could call my own. My relationship with Conner also improved. By our junior year, we each had different roles within the community and felt less of a need to compete. We ended up rowing crew together; we wound up proctoring in the same dormitory, just as our fathers had. In some ways, Conner and I became as much of a duo as our Dads had been. We never switched places during classes or strolled down Albany Road in our underwear, but I now consider him one of my closest friends. During the time when I was questioning my decision to attend Deerfield, Mr. Henry read to my freshman English class a short story called “Ten Trial Street” by Robert McGlynn— Deerfield’s legendary English teacher. He had been teacher, mentor, colleague, and close friend to Mr. Henry. As Mr. Henry read the final words of the story, his voice wavered and his eyes were red. I sat still, confused, wondering if one day I would be like the traveler in the tale—old and regretful, wanting to go back in time. I did not understand Mr. Henry’s emotions on that day, but he reminded me that Deerfield could be truly special. Mr. Henry was, perhaps, remembering his colleague or a moment at Deerfield that meant something to him—one that had become more important to him with the passage of time. Maybe Deerfield could mean something to me, too. So there I was, Fat Ted—the running scholar—at my graduation three years later. My freshman year had grown blurrier in my mind, and I had to strain to remember some of the challenges I faced. Most high school students find themselves caught between who they are and who they want to be; I’d wanted to be my Dad. I saw Deerfield through my father’s stories as a happy-go-lucky community—but I had reason to, as all of his stories are happy. I think those are the times you remember most later in life—the best of the old days. And when I look back on Deerfield, I too remember the happiest of times. Now, as a freshman in college, I can only vaguely remember the struggles I faced at DA—the days when I considered leaving but was too afraid to talk to my parents—and I’m grateful, so grateful that I didn’t have the courage to do so. •• Teddy Romeyn is currently rooting for the Green and the White—as a freshman at Dartmouth—where he is enjoying his studies and running in the New Hampshire woods.

IN MEMORIAM

1935

1945

August 12, 2013

August 24, 2013

1937

1947

1961

July 18, 2013

September 8, 2013

1939

1948

1962

January 21, 2013

February 27, 2013

November 3, 2012

1940

1950

1966

August 3, 2013

September 28, 2013

November 22, 2013

1941

1953

1972

October 7, 2013

September 24, 2013

April 13, 2010

George Rowland Walker

William Lee Stout

August 22, 2013

November 9, 2013

1979

1942

1954

January 29, 2012

June 13, 2013

1943

1955

April 17, 2012

July 14, 2013

Walter Lowrie Fisher

1957

William Chamberlain Wheeler

Paul Witherspoon Eckley Jr.

William Hollingsworth Erskine

James Halsey Averill

Henry Noyes Spelman

Arthur Sherman Lane II

Linsley Villars Dodge, Jr.

October 30, 2013

Edmund Bacon Fitzgerald

Thomas William Merrigan

Donald Franklin Herdeg

Harold Lockwood Ferris Jr.

William Hurley Ryan

DeWitt Davis, IV

Gerald Jack Ficks Jr.

William Thomas Hindle II

Stephen Winslow Keene July 14, 2013

August 28, 2013

1959

Robert Stanley Reid Jr.

July 16, 2013

Christopher Columbus Russo

Alexander Morris Spater

Edward Dean Siemer Jr.

Douglas Corwin Walker

Kerrick Charles Casey Ryan

Howard Butcher Hillman Jr. Date Unknown

1982

Christopher DeWitt Simmons October 3, 2013

1990

Bret Nathaniel Courtney June 24, 2013

1995

Daniel Patrick Rhoda September 6, 2013

Boyden Society Member

April 17, 2013

deerfield.edu

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

a famous saying. Send the lines to communications@deerfield.edu or to Puzzle, Communications Office, PO Box 87, Deerfield, MA 01342, and you’ll be entered to win a Deerfield scarf! (The winner will be chosen at random from all correct answers received by March 3, 2014.) *Tips: Circle only the key words listed below, and do not circle backwards words. KEY WORDS

by Danaë DiNicola

Adams Arms Arts Beat Big Burial Can Chicken Cup Day Demers

Desk Disco Dont Dorm Down Dusky End Formal Forty Gall Ice IHL Ivy

John King Lab Lax Man Mares Math Meat Moving MSB Nacre Nap Need

Net New Night Nims NMH Notes Old Page Pay Pep Pie Quad Red

Semi Senior Seven Shack Sit Ski Song Sons Spam SSAT Steps Taxi Term

Three Town Track War Week What You

WIN THI SCARSF!

Congratulations to Christine Nuger P’00, whose answer was drawn at random from all the correct answers we received for the Fall ’13 puzzle: “Other fools have done it and so can I.” —Helen Childs Boyden .

More gear at: store.deerfield.edu Fill in the blanks to reveal the hidden phrase:

“_ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ _.” — _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 96

Winter 2014

object lesson FOR THE RECORD The Academy Archives houses a collection of Deerfield music, with some recordings dating back to the late 1940s. Today’s performances are captured digitally, but as many music aficionados will tell you, there’s a sound quality to vinyl that just can’t be beat. Listen to excerpts from these albums (and enjoy other snippets of Deerfield life) at deerfield.edu/purpose/perspectives.

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